The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly

"Over at the Stakeholder, Jesse Lee writes about the latest A3S2 wingnuttery, and it's a doozy. The immigration bill working its way through Congress contains a section giving the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to "waive...all laws" in the critical area of — wait for it — construction of barriers and fences. And of course the courts are prohibited from interfering."

hmm...maybe they aren't building fences and barriers to keep people out, but to keep people in....

this weekend! go see some dance! Le Mauvais Choix!

 

 

 Le Mauvais Choix Presented by Aileen Mapes and Aaron Jackson
"An Absurd Insight into the Everyman".

 

Super Happy Funland,2610 Ashland  

Feb 11 to Feb 12

fr: $8 sa: $8

There is also a 10pm show.

After each performance there will be three bands playing as well; they are the Mathletes, Locust Ghost, and Organ Faliure.

 

 

 

 

 

I've been helping out on this show (did some sound design, and some other techy goodness) and I just want to say I was totally wowed by the run through I saw...

This is some brilliant stuff.

 

oh yeah,

There is only a 10pm show on Saturday...

 

and oh yeah,

if ya didn't know it,

I play bass for the mathletes too...

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

StarNewsOnline.com: The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina

StarNewsOnline.com: The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina:
"As part of an extensive, in-depth interview, a trained examiner rates the offender on a 20-item personality test. The items include glibness and superficial charm, grandiose self-worth, pathological lying, proneness to boredom and emotional vacuity. The subjects earn zero points if the description is not applicable, two points if it is highly applicable, and one if it is somewhat or sometimes true. "

Well at least I'm not a pathological liar...
or at least, uh, pathological.

moods

I came into work with a great attitude this mornin...
I was tired, but the work on "Mauvais Choix" (Aileen's piece) went so great last night that it really propped me up...
well, suffice it to say that work has already worn me down again and I am now grouchy and useless!!!

more about Aileen's show later...

bored bored bored

so, I got one of those e-mail questionaires:

here it is:


Welcome to the Winter 2005 edition of getting to know your friends.
What you are supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you will send. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to a whole bunch of friends including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends, if you did not know them already!


1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
Southern France- if it's good enough for Robert Crumb and Richard Belzer it's good enough for me...
2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? my leather jacket - which is pretty much just a costume piece...
3. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? I have no idea...I'm going to buy the new LCD soundsystem as soon as it comes out...I bought Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Fela, and Nick Cave DVD's last week though

4. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? during the week: 7:45 or whatever time my heart burn wakes me up - on the weekend - sometime between 9 and 2

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? um, blenders are good I guess

6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I do play several thank you very much
7. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? old pickup truck
8. DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH? not even sure I believe in life before death
9. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK? green eggs and ham
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Spring
11. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? my car has no trunk
12. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? duh, keep that raw nasty sh*t away from me...gimme a burger, with bacon and cheese
13. FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? ?
14. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ?
15. WHO Did YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM? Karen
16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Uhm, I'm a guy, am I supposed to have one of these?
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Peanut Butter
18. BUTTER, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN? Butter
19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? red
20. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? 85 Oldsmobile Station Wagon
21. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Salami
22. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Pasadena, Tx
23. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? well, I am a guy but I don't really have one of these either...
does Jell-o wrestling count?

Alan Moore interviews Eno - go listen

BBC Radio Player

we make money not art: Playing mobile games with buildings

we make money not art: Playing mobile games with buildings

My only question is where to put my quarters to reserve the next game?

Salon.com News | Paralyzed Broadcasting System

Salon.com News | Paralyzed Broadcasting System:
"The controversy surrounding the children's series 'Postcards From Buster,' featuring a cartoon bunny who, in one episode, visits Vermont to make maple syrup and meets children from two families headed by lesbian couples, generated headlines last week when incoming Education Secretary Margaret Spellings lambasted the episode as inappropriate."

I have an uncle who wouldn't let his kids watch "Sesame Street" because it showed black kids and white kids playing together. In Pasadena, Tx where I grew up I'm sure that was more common than we'd like to think. Still I never thought that would be the mentality of the folks running the country. Yet, here we are. Suddenly it's like D.C. 2005 is Birmingham 63 or even Pasadena 74....
I don't understand why folks can't get it through their head...
all us folks, every one of us, is stuck here and we're stuck here together. The sooner we start acting like it and looking out for each other instead of trying to find ways to marginalize and ostracize each other the better off we'll ALL be...
grrr...

POWER HOUR PICS!!!

BLP Power Hour Pics (via Spacetaker.org)

just thought some of you might enjoy seeing some pics from the show....
yeehaw!

Off the Kuff: The day the music died

Off the Kuff: The day the music died

I've always been a huge fan of "chantilly lace"
and I'm still not sure why differentiates chantilly
from other kinds of lace...

ahhh....

FOK last night...good session...had one uninvited musician sitting in...so it wasn't ideal...but it was good...some very melodic almost ornette-like moments....bits of ayler...some real art ensemble bits (the banjo!) and lots of healthy fiery skronk!!!tonight I may go sit in with "Friendship Bracelet" for a few minutes...then it's finishing up the CD for Aileen's show at Super Happy.

I'm ready for the weekend already...got the IBP retreat Saturday,

and then hopefully Danseparc at #'s Sat night...whoohoo!

Monkeys Pay to See Female Monkey Bottoms

Monkeys Pay to See Female Monkey Bottoms: "

Gotta run to work so I present this without comment...

Fw: [BAD SIGNAL]ENTERPRISE Taken Behind Stables

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 4:15 PM
Subject: [BAD SIGNAL]ENTERPRISE Taken Behind Stables


> bad signal
> WARREN ELLIS
>
> Those who've been following my occasional pieces
> on genre TV might be interested to learn that
> ENTERPRISE was finally cancelled today.
>
> Story's on AICN right now.
>
> I hope that the people involved with the show who
> I occasionally heard from find new work soon.
>
> And so another Star Trek show descends into
> TV Hell. I met someone last year who'd been
> brought in to pitch a new Trek show: but, more
> than half a year down the line, I haven't heard
> anything else. So my suspicion is that Star
> Trek is gone from our screens for a comfortingly
> long time.
>
> And, with the final Star Wars film on the way,
> it seems that by the end of the year the culture
> will feel peculiarly cleansed. As if the shackles
> were released from us in our cultural basement,
> and we can finally take from our mouths the
> shattered antique underpants used as gags and
> wash old men's semen out of our bum crevices.
>
> -- W
>
> ...................
> UNSUBSCRIBE:
> http://www.flirble.org/mailman/listinfo/badsignal



I have been dutifully watching Enterprise this season, and well quite
frankly, even the best eps couldn't touch BG or even Atlantis SG-1...
so, good riddance I reckon...

good mood

I have been in an exceptionally good mood lately...
not sure why, although I'm sure the BLP show being a hit helped,
and of course the rock magic of The Mathletes is a powerful
happy thing...
but it's really weird...
sure, the undercurrent of desperation is there...
the idea that if I have to do this job,
or really any job,
for the rest of my life
I'll go INSANE...
sure, there's that...
and of course there's still
the whole nothing
on the love life front...
and of course the binge drinking,
and other recreational brain destroying activities...
the house is a mess,
the computer in my bedroom died,
my dvd remote broke,
and my car is falling apart...
sure, those things are all there...
but overall,
I'm feeling good, if not downright optimistic...
and all without pharmaceuticals.

I am...

I am incredibly self-involved.
When I think about myself,
which is often,
this is what I think,
"I am incredibly self-involved."

See, Apple deserves bashing: Corante > Copyfight >

See, Apple deserves bashing: Corante > Copyfight >:
"'This information should absolutely not be conveyed to the customer.'"

amazing...

32 Short Stories about Brazosport

well, we did the show this weekend...
and it went GREAT!!!
3 performances, good crowds, and lots of great compliments...
Paul is a funny funny man and he gave us a great script to work with...
and then everybody just ran with it...
WHOOOHOOO!
hopefully we'll restage it again...
cause if you missed it,
well, you really missed something.

REAL ART (and politics and culture)

REAL ART (and politics and culture):
"There are only a handful -- probably fewer than five hundred -- corporations that abuse or assert corporate personhood in the United States. Yet the harm they do to our economy and our republic is enormous. If they were denied personhood, we could root corruption out of government, get corporations out of politics, and make America safe and hospitable for entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized businesses again, leading to an explosion in economic activity."

corporate personhood is a vile scam perpetrated on we the people by activist judges!!!
grrr...
(linking to Ron over at real art instead of directly to Buzzflash or Working for Change cause you should be reading Ron every day like I do!!!)

Burnt Orange Report

Burnt Orange Report: "The first evaluation of abstinence-only programs used by the state of Texas shows that high school students have become more sexually active after abstinence-only education became federal policy"

Do I really need to say anything?

Burnt Orange Report

Burnt Orange Report: "The first evaluation of abstinence-only programs used by the state of Texas shows that high school students have become more sexually active after abstinence-only education became federal policy"

Do I really need to say anything?

Fw: [IPCUSA] Spontaneous phenomenon

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Asko Ojaluoto

To: IPCUSA@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 2:38 PM

Subject: [IPCUSA] Spontaneous phenomenon

Because of causality I don't know I could be careful but I have not done
intended mistake in that matter. That causality seems to have ability of
knowing. What was hurting is not evidence to tell if there is some one to do
that. There are links one I knew but didn't see to be too stressful.
Normally I don't use French there but as a text it was one part. Overall I
can say only that there is continuing feedback and you don't need to look
for names or errors.

Asko Ojaluoto

---

Yahoo! Groups Links

• To visit your group on the web, go to:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPCUSA/
   
• To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  IPCUSA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   
• Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Comic Book Resources - CBR News - The Comic Wire

Comic Book Resources - CBR News - The Comic Wire

great interview with Alan Moore (though it barely touches on the whole magic thing)...
but the coolest part is this:

"Next week Moore will take the interviewers chair and chat with musician Brian Eno."

and next week I'll be scrambling to find a transcript online...

Fw: [CTRL] Krishna figure T. Casey Brennan's band...

omfg!
Brennan's got a band now!
short version of his bio for those not in the know...
let's see, as a kid he killed Kennedy,
then he went on to write Vampirella
and crusade against smoking in comic books
which won him some kind of presidential award...
that's the high points anyway...

The "Conjurella" stuff is all great reading...
so go ahead and read it,
I'm sure a lot of it is linked down there at the bottom.

M


----- Original Message -----
From: "T Brennan"
To:
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 1:41 PM
Subject: [CTRL] Krishna figure T. Casey Brennan's band...


> -Caveat Lector-
>
> Krishna figure T. Casey Brennan's band...
>
> http://norecordlabel.com/newbandpage.php?b_id=3479
>
> Krishna related pages noting T. Casey Brennan...
>
> http://www.hknet.org.nz/Veg-food-choices-page.htm
>
> http://www.geocities.com/tcb_sr/
>
> http://surrealist.org/people/tcaseybrennan.html
>
> http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/tc/srila-kasipada.htm
>
> http://pweb.netcom.com/~mthorn/tcbkrsna.htm
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> =====
> http://www.darkelfdesigns.homestead.com/mkultra01.html
> http://tcaseybrennan.knows.it
> http://tcasey.inri.net http://www.angelfire.com/me/carcano
> http://www.anomalog.com/conjurella.html http://www.popimage.com (Scroll
> down to my 5/12 Popimage COLUMN, CONJURELLA AVOCA: BLUE WATER LAST
> MEMORIES by T. Casey Brennan and click for my latest story.)
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
> http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
>
> www.ctrl.org
> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
> ==========
> CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing
> propagandic
> screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceâ?"not soap-boxingâ?"please! These are
> sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'â?"with its many half-truths, mis-
> directions and outright fraudsâ?"is used politically by different groups
> with
> major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and
> thought.
> That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
> always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
> credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
>
> Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
> ========================================================================
> Archives Available at:
>
> http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/
> ctrl
> ========================================================================
> To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
> SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
>
> To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
> SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
>
> Om

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:
"Here are some of our disappointing findings. High self- esteem in schoolchildren does not produce better grades....Self-esteem doesn't make adults perform better at their jobs either....Likewise, people with high self-esteem think they make better impressions, have stronger friendships and have better romantic lives than other people, but the data don't support their self-flattering views....It was widely believed that low self-esteem could be a cause of violence, but in reality violent individuals, groups and nations think very well of themselves....High self-esteem doesn't prevent youngsters from cheating or stealing or experimenting with drugs and sex."

YAY! Now I can start telling stupid people that they're stupid...

but seriously folks,
it's always seemed obvious to me,
if ya wanna feel good about yourself,
well then goddamnit,
do something worthwhile
and do it well...
how freakin' hard is that?
I mean really,
if you want to feel exceptional,
and act like you're exceptional,
you damn well better be exceptional,
or it's not just self-esteem you're full of...

James Wolcott: Grassy Knollers

James Wolcott: Grassy Knollers: "'Try to imagine Jay Leno devoting an entire Tonight Show to Michael Ruppert [author of Crossing the Rubicon and overseer of From the Wilderness], and the topic of Dick Cheney's role in the attacks of 9/11. Or David Letterman conversing for an hour with Dr Nick Begich, co-author of Angels Don't Play this HAARP, on the weaponization of the ionosphere."

I wear my tin foil hat proudly...
it's people who act like there aren't people in power acting secretly together to reach their goals that are crazy...
crazy...

Fw: Please Help NORML Decriminalize Marijuana In Texas

----- Original Message -----
From: "Willie Nelson"
To: "NORML Alerts"
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:00 AM
Subject: Please Help NORML Decriminalize Marijuana In Texas


> To unsubscribe, follow the instructions at the bottom.
>
> Take Action Now!
> http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=6847791&type=ST
>
> Dear Friend and NORML Supporter:
>
> For over 30 years, I have been a supporter of NORML's efforts to end
> marijuana prohibition. As someone who has enjoyed marijuana responsibly
> for many years, I appreciate that NORML serves as the voice for marijuana
> smokers like myself.
>
> Today I am writing you on behalf of NORML with exciting news from my home
> state of Texas. Recently, Rep. Harold Dutton (D - Houston) introduced a
> bill in the Texas State Legislature to decriminalize the possession of
> marijuana for personal use.
>
> This bill recommends that minor marijuana offenders in Texas face a ticket
> and a small fine in lieu of criminal arrest and prosecution. This is a
> step in the right direction, but it will only receive serious
> consideration if our elected officials hear an unmistakable message of
> support from their constituents.
>
> Please take two minutes to write your state legislators and tell them how
> important it is that they support marijuana decriminalization. NORML has
> created pre-written letters that you can send to your legislators by
> visiting:
> http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=6847791&type=ST
>
> I have already contacted my state representative and asked for their
> support of this bill. Won't you do the same?
>
> As a responsible marijuana smoker myself, I take pride in the fact that
> NORML has always spoken for the interests of everyday marijuana smokers.
> NORML is working hard in Texas and across the United States to protect
> your right to smoke marijuana without fear of arrest or prosecution. Will
> you join in me supporting these efforts by donating to NORML today? You
> can make a donation, buy a NORML product, or become a NORML member at:
> http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3454
>
> I appreciate your efforts to help NORML decriminalize marijuana in Texas.
> Please be sure to contact your elected officials today, and tell 'em
> Willie sent you!
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> Willie Nelson
> NORML Advisory Board
>
> ####################
> Get your NORML gear. Check out the wide variety of NORML products
> available now in the NORML Store:
> http://www.cafeshops.com/norml
>
> NORML Media Watch
> NORML was featured prominently in several media outlets this week,
> including The Miami New Times, The Manitobian, and The Ukiah Daily
> Journal. To read these articles or about other NORML media appearances,
> check out "NORML in the Media" at:
> http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5481
>
> Sign up for NORML's monthly pledge program today!
> https://secure.norml.org/join/pledge.html
> ####################
>
> ---

Metroblogging Houston: Letters I wish I'd mailed to the woman who divorced me to marry a waitress

Metroblogging Houston: Letters I wish I'd mailed to the woman who divorced me to marry a waitress

this post on houston metro blog mentions the production of rocky horror that's going on that some of my friends have seen and, um, enjoyed...
ok, it more than mentions it, it's posted by the drummer in the show...
check it out!

Edgar Governo, Historian of Things That Never Were

Edgar Governo, Historian of Things That Never Were

WOW! this site can help you waste hours feeding your narrative addiction!!!
whooohooo!

what a weekend!

in addition to the aforementioned tequila drinking there was much BLP rehearsal...
the show is really taking form...
it should be a fast-paced zany entertaining hour!
costuming and props are coming together...and EVERYBODY IS OFF BOOK!!!
YAY!
other than BLP rehearsal and tequila drinking (at shane 2000's 35th bday (sure, he could be shane americana, or coach, or many other names, but he'll always be shane 2000 to me)) there wasn't much...a short TDU practice, without Jim or Bill...um...hangover lunch with Karen and Val at Texedelphia on Sunday...
think that's about it...
yup, that's about it...
come see the power hour this weekend!!!

Tequila Saturday Night

So,
I had too much
tequila
Saturday night

Good thing is
now I have
a better idea
of how much
is too much

no good stories

really

no fights
no nakedness
and only as much
vomit
as one would expect
considering the amount
of tequila
in question

only one drunk e-mail
cut off midstream
sent in the morning
with the explanation
that the demands
of the body
had caused
the mind
to slip
and then
to sleep

oblique strategy of the day!

"Just carry on"

wow...
that's some bummer advice...

corrente / Leah, Lambert, Tresy, the farmer, Tom, Xan, and RDF

corrente / Leah, Lambert, Tresy, the farmer, Tom, Xan, and RDF:
"One day Chris Mathews can tell his grandchildren that grandpa buttered his bread with rosy scenarios and bullshit."

That made me laugh.

I know, I know, politics turns people off...
I can't help it...
I didn't skip work yesterday to protest the coronation...
but I'm not happy about it.
grrr...

Happy Coronation Day!

corrente / Leah, Lambert, Tresy, the farmer, Tom, Xan, and RDF: "Forty-nine percent of 1,007 adult Americans said in phone interviews they believe Bush is a 'uniter,' according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Wednesday. Another 49 percent called him a 'divider,' and 2 percent had no opinion."

brilliant! The country is divided on whether the president divides the country...
I LOVE IT!

This Modern World

This Modern World:
"Parade performers will have security escorts to the bathroom, and they've been ordered not to look directly at President Bush or make any sudden movements while passing the reviewing stand."

if you look directly at him you can see he's a reptile.

today

Well, today I started managing the queue instead of taking calls. Which means I only spend a short time on each case, but I touch every one... So, I'm pretty busy all day. I decided to be the queue manager when they asked because it meant switching to the 9-6 shift. The 9-6 shift means I'll still be able to work with IBP, however after the first day, I don't exactly love the queue gig. It should get better... but today was stressful and crazy. Tonight I've got Mathlete practice after they're done with Medea rehearsal up at The Axiom. If I didn't know we were planning to learn a couple more new songs tonight (one of Ryan's and a Bjork cover) I would be tempted to call Joe and tell him I'm taking the night off. But I know if I get in the habit it'll just be that much easier to skip again when I'm beat. So, it's off to Mathletes practice for me. God I miss unemployment.
There's something to be said for sleeping when you're tired and eating when you're hungry. Of course eventually you can't afford food, and the fear of eviction keeps you up nights. All I know for sure is that there has to be something better than working for a living.
So whattaya got?
anything?

blah blah blah

New responsibilities at work will mean much less blogging during the day...boo!had BLP band rehearsal last night...sounding great...really coming together.
no time to say ANYTHING else...haven't even got to do ANY reading today...grr...

oblique strategy of the day!

"Decorate, decorate"

well, my cubicle is pretty bare...
hmm....

the weekend is over

Friday Night - went to see Lydia Lunch perform at The Axiom. I've been a fan for years and it was great to finally see/hear her.There were two shows, and I went to the late one.Both shows sold out and she sold all her merch before the 2nd show even started.The show strated with politics and God...kind of disappointing,if only because, I can pick, at random, any one of my friends and hear almost the exact same thing. At least one great line stood out,"War is menstrual envy". Tony says in the first show the politics stuff was much stronger and segued better into the 2nd half. The second half of the show was all about sex with young men who like to cut themselves, and, oh yeah, cocaine. It was strong stuff with some very powerful images. Although I couldn't relate to the extremity of the situations she was describing, I have dated a cutter and I do understand that desire to SAVE folks. Bottom line: incredibly powerful stuff and I'm glad I went. after the show just did the usual hanging out at the axiom, drinking whiskey and engaging in other indulgences. Talked to Paul and the other BLP'ers about the upcoming show for a bit and left there a little after 2.

Saturday - Got up when Tom woke me up to borrow my keys so he could take Velocity with him to the KTRU kids show. Went ahead and took my shower and got ready to face the day. About 12:30 I decided I'd go down to the corner store and get a snack to hold me over until I Tom got back and I could go to lunch proper. But of course I forgot Tom had my keys, so I locked myself out. Decided to walk down to Luby's which was actually a pleasant walk. Read the paper and had some lunch. FOR THE RECORD: Luby's new waitstaff arrangement SUCKS! I sat through my entire meal before I got a refill on my tea, and I had to tip for that. The old setup with just a couple of tea ladies on shift and a couple of bus boys seemed more efficient. Now the customer is paying more for service he used to get for free, and the service isn't as good. C'mon pappas gang, y'all can do better. Got home and eventaully got together with Charlie.

Worked some with him dropping down the last FOK session to the PC so it could be mastered and burned. Came out sounding pretty good. Look for a bundle of FOK discs to show up on Charlie's Cafe Press page any day now. Think FOK has decided to alternate between small group recordings (charlie and danny, sometimes with a drummer) and large group recordings at my place... real interested to see where this goes... should be fun.

Around 5:30 Aileen came by and we worked on the finale again for a couple of hours. layered in more effects and tightened it up a bit. I feel like I kind of rushed her off before we were done, but we're supposed to get together again this week to touch it up a bit more, and maybe add more to some of the other songs. I'm going to call her tonight and we'll figure out when.

After working with Aileen I rode up with Joe to a beach House that some of the IBP folks had rented. That night I just ate some amazing leftovers (Tamarie is an great cook)... I had pasta AND fried chicken! YUM! then I drank some tequila, played some poker (Joe won) and then fell asleep in a chair. Moved to the floor later, and had a backache Sunday. Sunday we watched some bootleg DVD's Mr. Winscott had brought along...We watched a Kiss show from 77. They rocked. I actually almost liked them live. It was like the MC5 without the politics or the drugs. Just stupid fun rock, and much more rockin' live than on record. Then we watched a bit of a Police show from 80. They were excellent then. High Energy, seemed to be having fun, etc. Mostly what I noticed is that they had a lot in common with Gang of Four, the slits, and many other british bands from that period that I really dig, only the police are better musicians, which for me, somehow, makes them less interesting...go figure. Next up was a CARS show from 84. What I learned from that is that The Cars really sucked in 84. I mean they were o.k. but it was so much more about sunglasses and miami vice jackets. Nowhere near as cool as The Cars from just a few years before. Then Tamarie had breakfast ready. Once again, YUM! Sausage, bacon, potatoes, migas, and cinammon rolls. I ate a lot, and then I got seconds. We hung out and flew some kites, and just kind of relaxed for a while. Then Tamarie made queso and we ate that. Then Joe and I headed on home.

Charlie was waiting on my porch and we started setting up for TDU practice. Bill called and had car trouble and he didn't make it, and Jo Bird didn't show up, but we had a pretty interesting session. Hopefully Charlie will have it dropped down to CD soon. Can't wait to hear it. TDU is becoming a much more keyboard heavy band, and just generally more psychedelic...both good things... Gonna try to setup a show at superhappy soon. After practice we ate some pizza I had ordered during the break and listened back to some previous practices. I did laundry, and then went to bed. Watched the first half or so of a pretty bad movie that I'll talk more about after I've finished it.
and now I'm at work...whooohoo!

del.icio.us

del.icio.us

Here's a great time killer for ya...
if yr not familiar, del.icio.us is a way to categorize and share your bookmarks online...
the front page is a constantly changing list of links people have recently added...
when I'm through with my regular daily sites I hit del.icio.us and spend some time looking at random sites that look interesting...

check it out!
I bet you'll find something on the front page that is interesting,
and that you've never seen.

Battlestar Galactica Blog

Battlestar Galactica Blog

Since Battlestar is on the list of things I'll be talking about here, and I just discovered this blog, and I think tonight is the American premiere on SCI-FI, I thought I'd link to it...
be sure and read the Richard Hatch diary...
it's good.
touches on his struggle to continue rather than re-imagine BG,
and his first appearance as Tom Zarich. It also proves I'm not imagining things. Even he says he's a better actor now, and he attributes it to stuggling for so many years after his initial success on the original BG. Anyway, good strong honest stuff.

Have a seat...

RIGHT ON!
this is brilliant stuff!
just discovered this site, and this is the most interesting entry on the front page right now...
I WANT MY GODOT CHAIR!
really though, go to the main page and check out some of the other ideas/products/pieces there...
very cool.

Today's Oblique Strategy

Oblique Strategies:

"Question the heroic approach"

So today, I'll be asking for help. Whenever I think I might need it. I have a tendency at work to make assumptions and move forward. Today I'll curb that, slow down a bit, and ask questions.

look for The Oblique Strategy of the Day to become a semi-regular feature...

they don't know what they're missing...

WHOOHOOO! Theater is all the way down at the bottom!
right under tennis, and, uh, HORSEBACK RIDING!
there are more people who would list HORSEBACK RIDING as their favorite activity than Theater...
I notice also that they have playing music, but not listening to music on the list...hmmmm....

Thursday night-THE BLP POWER HOUR!!

argh!
Blogger just ate a long post about the BLP power hour read-through...
and my theories on Lost, and how pathetic Quaid looked on The Daily Show...
grr...
sum up:

BLP Show: Funnier than even I thought! Kelly sounded GREAT and Wendy Chicago is brilliant!

Lost: Compass? hollow earth?!? Locke didn't give the kid drugs...Island causes hallucinations...manifestations of the Id...echoes of forbidden planet...better be answers in the end....

Daily Show: Quaid looked more like a pathetic middle aged man than I do.

THE BIG NEWS!

The Daily Howler

"Note to Gregory (pet name: Stretch): When a president lies in the face of the people, that is the day’s biggest news."

if yer not reading the howly, like daily, then shame on you!

I'm not blogging the social security scam...
suffice it to say folks a lot smarter than me (Talking Points Memo, Atrios, etc) are doing a fine job of documenting the shrub's LIES on this one... They've already taken our present, and now they want our future...
I think the only reasonable response is a hearty, "FUCK YOU!"
Educate yourself on this issue. The facts are out there. Make sure your reps and senators have the same facts. It's important.
And now I'll shut up about social security...
if the crazies are right it'll all be over in 2012 anyway...

Wednesday - FOK - MATHLETES - VERONICA MARS

Below you can hear a few seconds of last night's Fist of Kong session.
It was fun, but I had just got home from work and had some problems concentrating.
Playing free improv is great fun, but if you can't get your head in the game it can be VERY frustrating. Every time I would lay out to listen for a bit I'd find my head wandering and being everywhere but in the room, in the moment...
Fist of Kong is usually just Charlie and Danny, but occasionally, and hopefully more often, they expand out to a larger group...it's mostly fire music...high energy free jazz in the "new thing" tradition...Last night we had Rose Lange (viola), Jim Otterson (guitar), Me (tromobone), Tom Zermeno (percussion, voice), in addition to Charlie (sax) and Danny (bass).
Nice group. We recorded the session on the Mini-disc. But we're having a problem with playback right now (hopefully just the headphone cord) so it'll be a while before we drop it to CD.

Next up - The Mathletes - we had our first (short) practice for the BLP Power Hour...
worked up:
"Walk on the Wild Side" which Walt will be singing, as "Biff"
"Brazosport" to the tune of "Galveston"
and
"By the time I get to Sweeney" to the tune of "By the time I get to Pheonix"

tried to audioblog from practice, but I guess I did something wrong...
still playing with that...
it's o.k. cause Joe decided to start playing some danged smashing pumpkins song when I started recording...so I was probably just gonna delete it anyway...

going to keep experimenting with the audioblog feature...
should be able to present y'all with snippets from things I'm working on as they are in progress, or little bits of practices or sessions as they happen...
looking forward to playing around with it.

Got home and watched the latest Veronica Mars before bed...
it's not Buffy, but it's not bad...some advancement on the main story...
some interesting twists...and the cute witty girl saved the day, as usual...

Here's the thing... I think I'm an addict. I'm addicted to narrative. Comic books, TV shows, Novels, doesn't matter how I get my fix so long as I get it... I want convoluted continuity and twists and characters and witty dialogue and the whole bit...I NEED STORIES!!! so I find myself watching a lot of TV (more than when I actually had an antennae or cable hooked up), reading a lot of comics, and getting my fix wherever I can. So far I haven't started pawning stuff to buy narratives, but it's only a matter of time before I'm some kind of story ho...
Is there such a thing as narratives anonymous?

a few seconds of Fist of Kong

News from The Roanoke Times -Rodeo in Salem gets unexpected song rendition

News from The Roanoke Times -Rodeo in Salem gets unexpected song rendition

Next season on Ali G.
via Fark.

Borat is gonna get his ass beat one of these days.

Building a solid-state mini-ITX Linux recording studio

Building a solid-state mini-ITX Linux recording studio:
"This simple embedded Linux project builds a dedicated music recording and editing computer that uses a CompactFlash card instead of a hard drive, to eliminate hard disk chatter. The project is simple because it starts with an embedded Linux distribution: a 'Live CD' released last week by the Agnula Project. "

any of you real tech-heads out there want to build me one of these?
I'll even sign a maintenance contract for support...
since I know nothing about linux and probably never will...

Daily Kos

Daily Kos: "This morning, the Supreme Court issued a widely anticipated decision on the constitutionality of the federal sentencing guidelines. While details are scarce at the moment, it appears that the Court has declared the guidelines largely unconstitutional, holding that they can no longer be considered mandatory."

This is beautiful news!
Let's hear it for an independent judiciary!
hip hip hooray!

Tuesday night - car trouble, the mathletes and more

So, I go out to my car at lunch yesterday. Just going to move it to the closer parking lot. But, alack and alas, I left my lights on. So the danged thing won't start. After work my team lead agrees to jump start my car. Well, we try for about 20 minutes and get nothing. Then we wave down the parking lot security guy and he tries. Somehow, this time it works.

I get home just in time to catch Tom watching the new ep of Battlestar Galactica. Another political intrigue ep, very little action. It did however forward some major plotlines and feature the return of Tom Zarek. Tom Zarek is a former terrorist who is now trying to become a legitimate political leader, and he's played by Richard Hatch. That's right. Richard Hatch. And he can act. It's actually amazing how good this show is. Especially when compared with the original. They are playing with some big ideas here, and there are some genuinely interesting characters. Up next in the cue was Stargate Atlantis. They used an imminent wraith attack to give us a clip show. Better than your average clip show I guess. Incredibly cheesy at points, but I laughed out loud at Dr. McKay several times. I was entertained.

Then it was time to load up and head to Mathletes practice. Ya know what? The Mathletes are starting to function and feel like a real band. Last night we whipped through everything we know in about an hour. I haven't had this much fun being in a band in a LONG time. Until recently we hadn't practiced regularly in MONTHS. Joe and I were both in Puppet Liberation Front and Baal and we never seemed to find time to practice. Well now we're playing at least once a week, learning new songs, and trying to book gigs. It's great. Hopefully we can keep it up even when Medea kicks in full swing.

Tonight I've got a session at my house with the extended FIST OF KONG and then more Mathletes practice as we start to prepare for THE BLP POWER HOUR!! WHOOHOO!!!

Monday night - TV NIGHT!!!

yup...caught up on some d/l'ed tv last night...
watched the new episode of "Huff". Great cast, and some funny moments on this show...but it's a real downer...more than "Six Feet Under"... I almost decided to stop watching it after last weeks "Cancer Christmas Special". It's just one outrageous catastrophe after another. When my favorite character on a show is a coked up lawyer, that can't be good. Especially if my second favorite character is an overbearing mother. Watching this for the performances mostly as I can't seem to care much about most of the characters...

next up was "Boston Legal". Caught this once accidentally at my mom's house, and I was hooked. Spader and Shatner! This may be junk food but, mmmm, is it tasty! and this week they added Candace Bergen (Candace is interesting to me not just because she's a great actress with spot on comic timing, but because she is Edgar Bergen's daughter. I went through a ventriloquism phase as a kid and spent many hours studying with my Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen "learn to be a ventriloquist" records...) So, anyway, if you've got time to kill you coul do alot worse than watch this show.

Then I watched the first two eps of this season's "24". Never watched the show before, but it seems like it's going to be quite a ride. I am sure lots of folks have more interesting things to say about it than I do... So I'll let them.

Then I finished watching "Mystic River". Great acting, real complexity, and still didn't really grab me... Eastwood's pictures are always so understated...which is good theoretically, it's just, well sometimes it makes it hard to have the emotional grab the story should have...
that said this could have had a real afterschool special/movie of the week/melodrama thing going so it could have been A LOT worse... If it's in your netflix cue it's worth watching, it's just, well, not that exciting.

all this fine viewing was only interrupted by Charlie and Shari coming over to borrow some drums for a recording project they are working on, that I for one CAN NOT wait to hear...

Tonight is rehearsal for The Mathletes/BLP Power Hour band. Should be interesting...
I'll blog more about the show soon. It's gonna be a hoot.

and if we're done in time I'll be getting my sci-fi fix with the latest eps of Stargate:Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica...

WHOOOHOOO!

The New Republic Online: Labor Pains

The New Republic Online: Labor Pains

And yet only Nader would even mention repealing Taft-Hartley...



There is power in a factory, power in the land
Power in the hand of the worker
But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand
There is power in a Union

Now the lessons of the past were all learned with workers blood
The mistakes of the bosses we must pay for
From the cities and the farmlands to trenches full of mud
War has always been the bosses way, sir

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands
There is power in a Union

Now I long for the morning that they realise
Brutality and unjust laws cannot defeat us
But who'll defend the workers who cannot organise
When the bosses send their lackeys out to cheat us?

Money speaks for money,the Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
What a comfort for the widow,a light to the child
There is power in a Union

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters together we will stand
There is power in a Union

No matter what they say...

Daily Kos :: The CBS Memogate Report--an insider's perspective

he'll always be A.W.O.L. to me...

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | N Korea wages war on long hair

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | N Korea wages war on long hair:
"It stressed the 'negative effects' of long hair on 'human intelligence development', noting that long hair 'consumes a great deal of nutrition' and could thus rob the brain of energy" via William Gibson

damned hippies!

I knew there was a reason I preferred short hair...and now I know it's because I'm a good socialist...
YAY!

WRAC 130.Section 11 (Spring 2005)

WRAC 130.Section 11 (Spring 2005)

This is a class I would take...
Comic books, Le Tigre, Bikini Kill, Frank Capra...
and PUBLIC ENEMY!

ahhh...
one day I'll go back,
get my PHD and then I'll make kids
read Frank Miller and listen
to the Dead Kennedy's...

well, I can dream, can't I?

Monday Mornin' Blues (in the afternoon)

So, had a good weekend...
Friday night The Mathletes played at the axiom...
I really enjoy playing bass, even if I'm not very good at it.
It's all old school punk rock 8th notes on the tonic as far as I'm concerned.
A few of the mathletes tunes have bass lines Joe wrote and makes me play,
but when I don't get any guidance, it's 8th notes on the tonic...
Jenni didn't make it out this time, and it looks like we'll be Jenni-less for a while.
She's taking classes to become a music teacher and it's taking a lot of her time...
but it's going to take her further in the direction she wants to go,
so it should be worth it. I drank a lot of tequila at the show. My role in The Mathletes is "dumb rock guy" so I wore my leather jacket, and drank cheap tequila from the bottle onstage...
it helped...

Saturday I worked with Aileen on some music for her dance piece coming up at SUPERHAPPYFUNLAND in Feb. She did a great tape cut-up of some Harry Nilson songs then I put that in ACID and layered a few other things on it, and edited out some bits of silence...
the result is funny and a little unnerving... can't wait to see what she does with it.
Then I went to John Duboise's wedding... It was a nice short service in a small church with the oldest pipe organ in Texas... Tina looked beautiful, and they both seemed to be having a great day. The reception was at The Firehouse. The Medicine Show played, and I would link to them but I'm being petty because nobody told me we (they) were playing, so I didn't bring my horn...
it's weird always being welcome to play with a band, but not being considered a part of the band...think I'm taking a break from that for a while... I need to concentrate on playing with people who really want to play with me and who consider what I do an integral part of the whole...so no Medicine Show for a while...last monday when I went to play with them it was pretty danged unsatisfying...and not just because there were too many people on stage.
Called it an early night and was in bed by midnight or so...ahhh sleep...

Sunday I went to my folks out in Deer Park to borrow some gas $$$. Despite getting my first real paycheck in a while I'm still broke. That's what you get for paying back rent...well, that and not evicted. When I got home Charlie and I talked about some Last Bastions future plans and then we had TDU practice. Ryan showed up this week, but no Jo Bird...we'll probably never get all our ideal musicians there until we book a gig... Maybe I'll call SUPERHAPPYFUNLAND today and see what we can do... The New TDU is much more psychedelic and less soulful/funky...but that's o.k. We're definitely approaching more of the 70's Mile's feel that we were initially talking about trying to hit with the last line-up...
had my dinner and then went with Charlie to play Poker at Joe Mathlete's. Charlie lost first. He's never played cards for $$$ and looked very confused much of the time. I knew I had to be at work this morning...and I was drinking the tequila again...so I was out next...
We were playing hold 'em and they were allowing re-buy-ins... Which I don't like one bit...makes it less about skill and more about who is starting with the most $$$...not that it mattered to me...I couldn't even really afford the $5.00 I lost...hehe...

so, minus details of girl chasing (unsuccessful as usual) that was pretty much my weekend...
and now I'm at work writing this, because well, it's better than working (and I'm all caught up)

blah...

what do you want from me, anyway?

so, mostly this blog keeps my head from exploding...
I read something online that makes me want to scream,
I link it here, with a short bit from me, and suddenly I'm less likely to explode.
It's almost like doing something.
Unlike a lot of bloggers, I don't have a counter on my page,
and I don't check any stats. The whole appeal of this thing to me
was the opportunity to dialogue. So, my question is,
what would I have to write hear to get YOU to comment more,
or want to come back and read again?

do you want personal dirt?
longer essays on art and aesthetics?
more stuff on comic books?
less political stuff to make you go ARGH!?!?
more poetry?
do you want to know about my medical history?
(which includes at least one very interesting operation
when I was young?)
tales of not being able to handle $$$?
(I ran out of gas on the way to work today,
after my ATM was declined at the pump)?
what is it that you people (both of you) want?

Salon.com News | Professional ethics in a time of war

Salon.com News | Professional ethics in a time of war
"There was no comment from the U.S. military Thursday, but the article includes comments from the deputy assistant secretary of defense for health, David Tornberg, that suggest the Pentagon believes professional ethics do not apply in a time of war. "

and since we're in a perpetual state of war professional ethics may never apply again...
this could lead us to some very dangerous places...
especially considering this administration's "with us or against us" mentality.

Salon.com News | The facilitator

Salon.com News | The facilitator:
"But that's not all. Gonzales apparently didn't think his boss needed to know that this star witness and two police witnesses lied under oath at trial, that the state's expert medical witness pleaded guilty to seven felonies involving falsified evidence in capital murder trials, and that the state's expert psychiatric witness, whose testimony provided the jury with a legal basis for handing down a death sentence, never bothered to interview Stoker. By the time Gonzales was supposedly researching the case for Bush, this expert had been expelled from the American Psychiatric Association for repeatedly providing unethical testimony in murder cases. Needless to say, Gonzales didn't think it was worth pointing out that the jury that had sentenced Stoker to death was ignorant of all those facts. "

It's amazing the Bush found someone worse than Ashcroft...but he did...
Gonzales is a yes man. He'll tell Bush what he wants to hear, whether it's true or not.
He's a sloppy lawyer who does not take his responsibility to the law seriously.
We must oppose Gonzales!

been thinking

I been thinkin'
and I don't think
I mean to say
well
it sounds old
and cliche
but I'm gonna say it
anyway
not 'cause it's important
but 'cause it feels good to say
I don't think
things have to be
this way

Word on the street... (Axiom Friday Night)

The word on the street is that pop sensation The Mathletes will be playing a private show at the axiom this Friday night...

10pm

BYOB

side door...

 

This is our first show in a LONG time, and probably the last chance you'll get to see us until,

uh, well, the end of the month when we are the band for the BLP power hour, which is also

at the axiom.

 

ROCK ON!

NEWSARAMA - WILL EISNER DIES

NEWSARAMA - WILL EISNER DIES

another one of greats...

Fafblog! the whole worlds only source for Fafblog.

Fafblog! the whole worlds only source for Fafblog.:
"And Giblets is not alone! What has 2004 done for anyone? Democrats got to get whupped by Republicans. Republicans got to completely sell out everything it means to be a Republican. Iraqis got to get tortured, blown up, and shot at. American troops got to get blown up, shot at, and stuck in Iraq underpaid. Doves got a war they didn't like. Hawks got to not like the war. Gays got marriage rights - in Massachusetts - at least a hundred and thirty six years late. The religious right got to stomp all over gays and watch Jim Caviezel get nailed to a cross. Did it make them feel any better? Does anything make them feel any better?

George Bush? Yeah, okay, so he had a fun time. Happy New Year, George."

I think that about sums it up...

Gang of Four Returns

RollingStone.com: Gang of Four : Gang of Four Return : News: "Gang of Four, one of the most influential late-Seventies post-punk groups, are set to play their first shows with their original line-up in over twenty years. Known for their politicized punk-and-funk sound, the Brits will perform five U.K. dates in January, with possible gigs to follow in the U.S. this spring. "

WHOOHOO!
hope they come stateside!
missed the wire reunion shows
but I ain't missing this

Monlogues for 2 - #1 in a series

I've been thinking
I've been thinking a lot
thinking a lot
about the devil
or maybe devils
I think they're all
just manifestations
on the one
though it's hard to be sure
I get so confused sometimes
but, see, the devil is the reason
the reason I have to keep
I have to keep you
I have to keep you tied up

no,
not the manifestation in me,
no,
the manifestation in you

the devil in you
could make you
could make you do things
make you do things
things you'd live to regret
so it's better this way
trust me

you probably think
you probably think you know
you know about
you know about the devil in me
what he's capable of

they're not all male
but my devil is
he's one for brute force
got trapped in a small man
so there are not as many
not as many
not near as many bar fights
as he would
he would like,
but he finds his outlets...

anyway,
I was saying,
you probably think
think you know
think you know my devil
but I assure you
you haven't met him yet
no,
no,
what has transpired between us
our interactions so far
so far
have been purely human
well, maybe some animal,
but no,
you have yet to meet
yet to meet
the devil inside me
but he's strong and
he's unforgiving and
he knows right from wrong
oh yes he knows
guess which he prefers and
and I don't know how long
how long
how long I can
how long I can keep him at bay
you'll have to help me
you'll help me
but just to make sure
just to make sure
I have to keep you tied up
you understand,don't you?

Chekov says your life is bad and dreary!!!

REAL ART (and politics and culture):
"'All I wanted was to say honestly to people: 'Have a look at yourselves and see how bad and dreary your lives are!' The important thing is that people should realize that, for when they do, they will most certainly create another and better life for themselves. I will not live to see it, but I know that it will be quite different, quite unlike our present life. And so long as this different life does not exist, I shall go on saying to people again and again: 'Please, understand that your life is bad and dreary!'' "

Ahhh...
a truly fine and noble goal for art...
hold up the mirror in hopes that the folks will see the ugly.
I like it.

blog | Reviews index

blog | Reviews index

Grrr....
just the other day I was thinking about working on a musical multi-media adaptation of "The Trial".
Damn damn damn...
always a day late and a dollar short...

Suburban Guerrilla

Suburban Guerrilla:
"Many consumers have developed any number of tricks for reaching a sentient being. Mr. Weinstein and others have discovered a number of techniques for outwitting the automation to reach a human, especially when confronted with the labyrinthine menus that accompany most phone-based systems. "

I always try to tell HL&P that I've just made a payment of over $1,000,000. That gets me to a live person pretty quick.

First Draft

First Draft:
"There's a way to please us both, and that's to make abortion nonexistent. That's the one thing outlawing it will never do. It's the one thing a comprehensive plan to attack the causes of abortion can do. Honest to god sex education. Day care and housing subsidies. Available and effective contraception. Parenting classes and hotlines and resources for struggling newlyweds and single moms and dads and everybody who needs it."

When I interviewed at planned parenthood a while back of course they asked what I thought of abortion...
I said we live in a world where sometimes it's necessary, but I wish it didn't have to be...
when the interviewer asked me to clarify I explained that in a perfect world there would be no unwanted pregnancies.
people who did not want children would not get pregnant,
but we don't live in that world yet...
There are so many viable means of birth control now...
but the anti-abortion folks are the same ones preaching abstinence...which is great, as long as you don't like having sex...

Fw: About Saudi Arabia

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aptimus Confirmation"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 7:37 PM
Subject: About Saudi Arabia


>
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Does every nation have it's own propaganda list?
I can't wait to hear about issues that affect Saudi Arabia and its
relationship with the United States.
Man, the French oughta get themselves one of these internet things.
They'd be a lot more popular.

Burnt Orange Report

Burnt Orange Report:
"The bill by Democratic Rep. Harold Dutton would make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $500 fine. That's the equivalent of a traffic ticket. "

bout damn time...
fight the real criminals thanks...
like the guys who stole my car
or maybe the guys who broke into my house...
if we can't outright STOP the war on drugs maybe we can dismantle it a little at a time...

NEWSARAMA - NEW JHONEN VASQUEZ IN MARCH FROM SLG

NEWSARAMA - NEW JHONEN VASQUEZ IN MARCH FROM SLG: " Critically-reviled master something-or-another Jhonen Vasquez has returned from his trip around the solar system and is once again plotting his evil little designs on the world of comics. And how better to set his nefarious plans in motion than with Fillerbunny, a suffering creature originally created to fill a single page and whose existence was mercilessly extended to fill two sixteen-page comics, each one drawn over the course of one day? That'll work, right? Oh, you doubt, but this time, my sweetlings, this time, it is Fillerbunny in My Worst Book Yet!, 24 pages of torment and horrible excretions, two of them in mind-blowing FULL COLOR. And Jhonen took more than one day to finish it! You will see Fillerbunny as you've never seen him before, quite possibly consistently drawn and with fine details that make him seem so real and make his pain all the more pitiful. 'Why?' you will ask. 'Sweet lord of corn, WHY?!'"


WHOOHOO! now that I'm employed again I'm looking forward to hitting bedrock a little more regularly...
definitely adding this to my list...
if yr not familiar with Vasquez check out "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" or watch a few eps of "Invader Zim"...
demented twisted fun!

Motime Like the Present

Motime Like the Present:
"The 'superhero' stories that I'm interested in proceed from the exact opposite assumption--i.e. that there isn't any order except that which we impose upon the world. Moreover, our awareness of our own subjective role in this production of meaning short-circuits our ability to believe in anything as 'absolutely real'. "

I always knew there was a reason for NOT digging Campbell, Star Wars, etc...and I knew it wasn't just elitism...but this, well this really explains it...
We don't discover our place in the world.
We make it.
We struggle with right/wrong, good/evil, etc but we never really know where we stand. There is always room for doubt.

just another example of why you should be reading Motime...
bringing the big thoughts to the little books...
whoohoo!

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | What good friends left behind

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | What good friends left behind: "Today, Samar lives in constant fear for her life. She has two fearsome bodyguards with automatic weapons. One is at her office door, the other at her gate. She travels in a blacked-out van. 'For the past 23 years, I was not safe,' she told me, 'but I was never in hiding or travelling with gunmen, which I must do now... There is no more official law to stop women from going to school and work; there is no law about dress code. But the reality is that even under the Taliban there was not the pressure on women in the rural areas there is now.' "

so, there are a lot of things I could bring up that would point to our massive failure in Afghanistan...but this is the one I ran across today. We've really screwed up.
It's obvious to anyone who's paying attention. Afghanistan is not a "free" country. It is not a "democracy". It is hell, and maybe it was hell before, but now it's hell and our responsibility...

This Modern World

This Modern World: "Now I believe the Founding Fathers wanted religion in the public marketplace as a behavior deterrent because they knew they couldn't control the population, and they felt that a faith-based population would be more likely to behave. Very practical. "

Wow. So, Bill is saying the founding fathers didn't believe in religion themselves, but thought it would be good for social control and engineering...
well, duh! that's why us thinking folks are less than enamored with it...
If you want to make the "right" argument regarding the FF's and religion you SHOULD say that they believed in Christ the King and wanted a Christian nation because Jesus is the way the truth the light, etc...
saying, in effect, the elites push religion cause it makes you schlubs easier to control doesn't exactly make me wanna say, "Merry Christmas!"

Jesus' General

Jesus' General:
"But one boy sitting alone at the edge of campus Tuesday told a different story. The 13-year-old stared at his lap and nervously plucked the grass while he talked about the popular 'fundies' who regularly push him and his friends around.

'They're in your face, kind of rude about it, saying 'You're going to die, you're going to burn in hell,'' said the boy, dressed in all black. The Camera is withholding his name out of concern for his safety. "


I was gang saved once...
In a teen club.
I was at "Fast Times"
(the teen club on fairmont in Pasadena...
owned at least in part by Sherwood Cryer,
or at least he was having some
$$$ kicked up to him or something...
long story...ask me and I'll tell ya sometime...)
and found myself surrounded by five older boys with mullets.
They followed me to the bathroom and made me pray with them.
I felt threatened, and a little weird,
but went along with it thinking they would leave me alone.
It worked for the most part...
They tried to talk to me once or twice more during the night...
but mostly left me to my sinning.

Click opera

Click opera:
"Sterling introduces his concept of the spime: an archive of data about the space-time co-ordinates of objects. 'In the future there will be millions of small histories for billions of small objects.' This is the central metaphor of his way of looking at objects, and I think you could say that a spime (the narrative accumulated by technologies 1-6, as well as others that Sterling doesn't talk about, like cell phones, peer-to-peer and bluetooth) is like a novel; it's an inventory, a narrative of all the events which happen to an object, and it also produces the object."

See, it's just this kind of crazy talk that makes me yearn for grad school. Somehow when I'm fighting with HL&P for a few more days of electricity I can't find the proper amount of enthusiasm for these ideas. But really, it's quite brilliant...

Websnark.com

Websnark.com:
"You want to fuck around with the cultural mythology of the last sixty years? Go right ahead. But don't lie about it in the metacommentary."

Bingo...
I was along for the ride...
Enjoyed parts of it,
but man,
what a crap ending...
they were playing with some cool ideas,
but ultimately they didn't even matter...
grrr...

BBC NEWS | Americas | Missile defence shield test fails

BBC NEWS | Americas | Missile defence shield test fails:
"A Pentagon spokesman told Reuters news agency the test had not been tied to the question of when the national missile defence system would be declared operational."

of course not, why should it be?
I mean when we decide it's ready, it's ready, right?
no matter what the "tests" show...
who needs facts, when we've got faith!

Click opera

Brilliant...

Click opera

Click opera:
"Japan has negotiated not only the most modern landscape of any 'advanced' nation (there it goes, flicking by silently outside my shinkansen window, buildings as raked and recent as the train itself), but also the least toxic. "

They do everything better than us.
It's true.
They even rock harder.
damn them.
damn them all.
pass me another cheeseburger
and a lungfull
of whatever
that gray stuff is...

Majikthise : Ransoming the poor

Majikthise : Ransoming the poor:
"the new rules are morally wrong. Gays pay the same taxes as straights, but under the new rules, they may be eligible for only a fraction of the social services offered in their communities. The same would be true for blacks, religious minorities, atheists, and anyone else whom a faith-based organization might wish to exclude. Relaxing the preaching rules is effectively a regressive tax. Proselytizers would be paid with poor people's time in exchange for dolling out the government's money. Nice."

this should be the last word regarding "faith-based" initiatives...

Rummy

O.k. one quick comment on the whole Rummy thing...
you've read about it everywhere, but I haven't seen this response.

"You go to war with the Army you have..."

Yes, that's true if you are FORCED into war.
You guys were preparing to go into Iraq from day 1 of your administration.
The TRUTH is that you didn't build the army you needed for this invasion
because you completely miscalculated what it was going to take to do the job.
Bottom line. It's your fault. YOU OWN IT!
If we were attacked by the Iraqi Army then yes, we would HAVE to go to
war with the army we had on the day we were attacked...
When you KNOW for months, maybe years, that the war is coming, cause
it's a war you're CHOOSING then you have NO effin' excuse for sending
that army anywhere unprepared...
Grrrr...

James Wolcott

James Wolcott:
"As a playwright (Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner), Wallace Shawn is more subversive and brain-worming than a petty sadist like Neil LaBute, but as a social conscience he's softer, vulnerable to attack and ridicule."

anyone have/or seen a copy of "Final Edition"?
sounds great to me...

die puny humans

die puny humans: "Florida scientists have grown a brain in a petri dish and taught it to fly a fighter plane.

The scientists hope that their research will lead to hybrid computers with organic components, allowing more flexible and varied means of solving problems.

One potential application is to install living computers in unmanned aircraft for missions too dangerous for humans."

We're one step closer to Ceylons!
YAY! anything we can do to further the machines taking over I'm all for!!! C'mon SKYNET! BRING IT ON!!!

I mean they couldn't do a worse job than us right?
and if we're lucky they'll decide to use us as batteries and then we can go kick ass in the matrix.

ah, there's nothing quite like playing god, is there?

Henry Ford Lives!

so, here's a follow-up to the last post...
how many of you had to have background checks for your current job?
drug tests?

how much private info are you willing to give up for a job?
if they wanted your measurements?
your cholesterol level?
your sexual history?

I mean, realistically speaking all of those are as relevant as a
credit report to determining say, how well you could sell theatre
tickets or support cisco hardware, right?

Where do we draw a line as a society? why are we all so quick to give
up our personal data, our personal history, just to collect a
paycheck?

It's only a matter of time before Mr. Ford starts sending pinkertons
by the house to make sure you're in bed on time, or reading to your
kids, or whatever other idea Johnny Employer gets in his head...
grrr!!

That's some catch, that catch-22!

so, here, in a nutshell is where I'm at...
lost "good" job I applied for ran a credit check, and then wouldn't
hire me. When I lost my last tech-job the first thing to lost out was
my creditors. It's true! I chose to eat and keep my utilities on
rather than pay my credit card debts. So, they all show up on my
credit report... If I ever really recover (which I still haven't) I'd
be happy to take out a consolidation loan, or work with my creditors
to start paying these debts off. Can't do that till I get a decent
paying job, and I can't get hired for a decent paying job because of
the debt...

so, I just got the call about a new job yesterday...
I start Monday...
but I'll probably end up getting fired again AFTER they finish the
background check and discover that yes, while unemployed, I was
FREAKIN' POOR!!!!

so, until I get a decent job I can't even think about cleaning up my
credit report, and because of my credit report I can't get a good
job!!!

WHOOHOOO!!!

I've already given notice at my part time gig, which means I'll either
by fully employed, or fully unemployed by the end of next week!!!

YAY!

Jesus' General

Jesus' General:

"Our Leader knows better. He knows there's no tomorrow. That's why He's spending like He's His brother, Neil, at a Bangkok men's club. He understands that our children and grandchildren will never see the bill. They'll be raptured long before it ever comes due."

I would give this guy money!!!

http://www.diepunyhumans.com/archives/001055.html

in fact, I've been saying for some time that if we're serious about
fighting terrorism we need to start training all citizens in Kung
Fu...and the earlier we start the better...

Jackie Chan's planes never get hijacked...

Michael Paulus :: Skeletal Systems

Michael Paulus :: Skeletal Systems

I want your skull.
I need your skull.

ahh, just beautiful stuff...

the war on wars

not going to get into this whole hawk/dove thing going on between
atrios and matt yglesias...
just gonna quote this from pandagon:
http://www.pandagon.net/mtarchives/004135.html#more
" the danger for the left was always that it would go well and we'd
have been on the wrong side of liberation,"
and then say if that was the only danger then there was NO DANGER!
Look at who was in charge of the war effort and try to say again that
there was any danger things would go well...i wouldn't let rummy tie
my shoes much less lead a war...when liars who have no interest in the
truth make plans they make them based on lies therefore they are
doomed to fail.
That said I'm a pacifist...
any war that happens is going to have to happen without my support...

Stuck in the 50's tonight...

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/12/03/abstinence/index.html

"Just as a woman needs to feel a man's devotion to her, a man has a
primary need to feel a woman's admiration. To admire a man is to
regard him with wonder, delight, and approval. A man feels admired
when his unique characteristics and talents happily amaze her."

ARGH! o.k....old folks, I know you're nostalgic for your childhood
when men were men, sheep were sheep, and mensturation was still called
the curse...
but c'mon...it's the 21st Century and y'all are throwing out years and
years of progress here...
If any of you ladies regard me with "wonder, delight, and approval"
well, I want some of whatever you're taking...

Eschaton

Eschaton:
"Shake off this sadness, and recover your spirit;
Sluggish you will never see the wheel of fate
That brushes your heel as it turns going by,
The man who wants to live is the man in whom life is abundant.

Now you are only giving food to that final pain
Which is slowly winding you in the nets of death,
But to live is to work, and the only thing which lasts
Is the work; start there, turn to the work.

Throw yourself like seed as you walk, and into your own field,
Don't turn your face for that would be to turn it to death,
And do not let the past weigh down your motion.

Leave what's alive in the furrow, what's dead in yourself,
For life does not move in the same way as a group of clouds;
From your work you will be able one day to gather yourself."

DO THE WORK!

Linus Pauling Quartet

Linus Pauling Quartet: "Clinton: Mournbong and Stonebringer are twin bongs, forged by a forgotten race on a distant planet. When the planet was destroyed, a few refugees escaped, bringing the bongs and seeds from their best hydro to Earth, where they fought an eon-long battle with the Bug People, the earth's protean inhabitants. Both races were nearly destroyed and their remnants driven into remote places, but the aliens passed their legacy, and the Twin Bongs of Power, to humanity as they slowly emerged from apedom. The bongs have been carried by many of the masters of the human race: brought back from the far east by the Greeks during the time of Alexander, they passed into the hands of the Roman Emperors, but were separated from one another during this time. William the Conqueror brought Mournbong into England at Hastings, for example - even as Stonebringer languished in the hands of the Popes. Supposedly Hitler had a plot to obtain both bongs, and fulfill the medieval legend that stated the apocalypse would occur when a single man wielded both at the same time - conquering both time and space, as it were, in the Great Singularity: an event where man himself becomes omnipotent and thereby destroys the universe in his ignorance. This was thwarted, but almost came to pass again recently when my high school dope buddy Mike Gunn obtained both bongs through a series of chance occurrences. Fortunately, Mike's mom confiscated his bongs and his stash prior to the planned smoke-in, and thereby the human race narrowly avoided the apocalypse. We think the bongs are probably in the control of the NSA at this time, though rumor has it that Mike managed to keep Mournbong and still uses it occasionally."


Go Linus!
check it out!

Eschaton

Eschaton:
" In 1996, when 40 percent of Americans based their votes on 'moral values,' they re-elected Bill Clinton. Now that the number of Americans who base their votes on 'moral values' has been cut almost in half, they selected George Bush."

we need to make sure THIS bit of info is quoted everywhere...

Eschaton

Eschaton:
" In 1996, when 40 percent of Americans based their votes on 'moral values,' they re-elected Bill Clinton. Now that the number of Americans who base their votes on 'moral values' has been cut almost in half, they selected George Bush."

we need to make sure THIS bit of info is quoted everywhere...