I went to a rally yesterday for Emergency Contraception. There is an effort in the state of Illinois to make Emergency Contraception aka The Morning After Pill aka Plan B available over the counter. With EC the sooner you take it, the more effective it is. It is most effective in the first 2 days but is effective for up to 5 days after sex. It isn't harmful and it won't work if you are already pregnant. There was a recommendation made to the FDA to make EC available over the counter which was approved and then stopped by everyone's favorite President W.
Making EC available over the counter would give women access to contraception at night and on the weekends. Times when it is very difficult to get a hold of a doctor to write you a prescription.
A further impediment to access is that many pharmacies that do not stock and refuse to order EC for their customers. Perhaps they feel that such a thing would be too controversial. Walmart will sell you guns but they won't sell you EC. In our town, Meijer also does not stock or order EC, Target as well. And so we can add another to our list of reasons that the Walmartification of the world is a bad thing. This company rolls into town and puts many many local businesses out of business. And as the only game in town Walmart gets to dictate what you can and cannot buy and in a sense how you can live your life.
An idiosyncratic and non sequitorial examination of the contents of one head.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Busted
I saw a documentary film today called "BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters." It has changed my perception of the police. I always thought that they were here to serve and protect. This is true. My experience with the police has thankfully minimal and hopefully that will continue to be the case.
But you hear stories and they can't all be lies. And you never know what situations fate will offer up. Most folks have this idea that if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to hide. I have always thought that too. But you must accept that when you interact with the police, they are not on your side. And often if you are looking for something (like evidence of wrong doing) it's very possible to convince yourself that you have found it. Hopefully, they are on the side of whatever they perceive justice to be. But you don't know. They maybe be corrupt, they may be abusing their power.
In some situations, they are not there to help you. They are looking for a reason to arrest you. That is what they are paid to do. So, you need to know your rights. If you give up your rights you cannot get them back. You are the only person that can protect them.
Things that I learned:
Be polite, be respectful but do not waive your rights.
Never run from the police. If you run you must be guilty. Running in some places if you run, they will shoot you.
Do not lie to them.
Be aware that they can lie to you. Do not believe them.
They will tell you that if you are honest, if you cooperate they will go easy on you. Don't believe them. You are helping them find reasons to arrest/convict you.
They will tell you that a signed confession will mean that you are released. It also means that they will put out a warrant for your arrest and use your confession as evidence to prosecute you. Ask to see a lawyer.
Do not invite them into your house. When you get out of the car close the door. Lock the door. Open doors and an invitation inside make it easier for them to persuade/coerce you into waiving your rights and letting them search your house or car.
Make it clear that you do not consent to search. They must have a warrant to search your house, to search your car to search your bag to search your person. If they have a warrant you can't stop a search. If they ask for your permission/consent it means that they don't have the authority unless you waive your rights and you give them permission.
It is very common for police to stop you and then look for lots of other reasons to detain you. Don't give them other reasons to hassle you. Do not confess to anything. Do not volunteer information.
Ask them if they are detaining you and why.
Ask them why they have pulled you over, do not admit to anything.
After they write you a citation or a ticket they have no further reason to detain you, you are technically free to go.
If they try to keep you longer, ask them if you are free to go.
If they do not charge you with anything and they do not have a reason to detain you, they can't keep you.
Ask them if you are free to go.
Respond to their question with a question.
Get their name and their badge number.
If the police trample over your rights file a complaint of misconduct.
If they threaten to call the dogs, let them call the dogs.
Do research, the law and your rights will vary from state to state, vary by town, by county.
But you hear stories and they can't all be lies. And you never know what situations fate will offer up. Most folks have this idea that if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to hide. I have always thought that too. But you must accept that when you interact with the police, they are not on your side. And often if you are looking for something (like evidence of wrong doing) it's very possible to convince yourself that you have found it. Hopefully, they are on the side of whatever they perceive justice to be. But you don't know. They maybe be corrupt, they may be abusing their power.
In some situations, they are not there to help you. They are looking for a reason to arrest you. That is what they are paid to do. So, you need to know your rights. If you give up your rights you cannot get them back. You are the only person that can protect them.
Things that I learned:
Be polite, be respectful but do not waive your rights.
Never run from the police. If you run you must be guilty. Running in some places if you run, they will shoot you.
Do not lie to them.
Be aware that they can lie to you. Do not believe them.
They will tell you that if you are honest, if you cooperate they will go easy on you. Don't believe them. You are helping them find reasons to arrest/convict you.
They will tell you that a signed confession will mean that you are released. It also means that they will put out a warrant for your arrest and use your confession as evidence to prosecute you. Ask to see a lawyer.
Do not invite them into your house. When you get out of the car close the door. Lock the door. Open doors and an invitation inside make it easier for them to persuade/coerce you into waiving your rights and letting them search your house or car.
Make it clear that you do not consent to search. They must have a warrant to search your house, to search your car to search your bag to search your person. If they have a warrant you can't stop a search. If they ask for your permission/consent it means that they don't have the authority unless you waive your rights and you give them permission.
It is very common for police to stop you and then look for lots of other reasons to detain you. Don't give them other reasons to hassle you. Do not confess to anything. Do not volunteer information.
Ask them if they are detaining you and why.
Ask them why they have pulled you over, do not admit to anything.
After they write you a citation or a ticket they have no further reason to detain you, you are technically free to go.
If they try to keep you longer, ask them if you are free to go.
If they do not charge you with anything and they do not have a reason to detain you, they can't keep you.
Ask them if you are free to go.
Respond to their question with a question.
Get their name and their badge number.
If the police trample over your rights file a complaint of misconduct.
If they threaten to call the dogs, let them call the dogs.
Do research, the law and your rights will vary from state to state, vary by town, by county.
the question
It was a simple question: What will you do if Dubya gets reelected? When a Republican comes within 20 feet of me I will scream "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" I will screech like a stuck pig.
Friday, October 22, 2004
a little rebellion now and then
This post is sparked by DB's "Express yourself on November 2nd, 2004" compilation.
"I love my country so much, man, like an exasperating friend." -Mike Doughty
Love is so much more than hugs and encouragement, if you love someone you call them out on their shit - as RB might say.
"And I keep on fighting for the things I want, though I know that when you're dead you can't. But I'd rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave" -Jimmy Cliff: A one man Reggae Declaration of Independence.
Y'know - When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to flip the government the bird and break away as an independent entity, first they should explain why they are doing so. We and everyone on this planet accepts as truth that all of us are created equal and have certain unalienable rights, to name just a few: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - Duh. Government is created by us to enable us to exercise these rights. We consent to be goverened only so long as we are able to live, be free, and pursue what make us happy. When government can no longer do this for us, we have the right to change it or abolish it and create a new government more likely to bring happiness and safety. And while we don't do this for bullshit reasons but only under the most dire of cirumstances, when such circumstances are found it is our right and duty to overthrow the government and set up a new one. (Insert the long list of the ways the Brits have done us wrong.) We have expressed our horrible situation to the King and asked for assistance and for change but the governement has turn a deaf ear. We tried to no avail. So we're declaring ourselves free of our rulers. We declare ourselves independent states with all the powers and rights that are conferred on a state. And to this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. (I'm paraphrasing here, of course.)
"The harder they come, the harder they'll fall. One and all." -Jimmy Cliff
"I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people, which have produced them ... It is medicine necessary to the sound health of government." - Thomas Jefferson
When someone tells you that it's wrong to dissent, that it's wrong to protest or criticize the government remind them from whence our nation came.
"I love my country so much, man, like an exasperating friend." -Mike Doughty
Love is so much more than hugs and encouragement, if you love someone you call them out on their shit - as RB might say.
"And I keep on fighting for the things I want, though I know that when you're dead you can't. But I'd rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave" -Jimmy Cliff: A one man Reggae Declaration of Independence.
Y'know - When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to flip the government the bird and break away as an independent entity, first they should explain why they are doing so. We and everyone on this planet accepts as truth that all of us are created equal and have certain unalienable rights, to name just a few: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - Duh. Government is created by us to enable us to exercise these rights. We consent to be goverened only so long as we are able to live, be free, and pursue what make us happy. When government can no longer do this for us, we have the right to change it or abolish it and create a new government more likely to bring happiness and safety. And while we don't do this for bullshit reasons but only under the most dire of cirumstances, when such circumstances are found it is our right and duty to overthrow the government and set up a new one. (Insert the long list of the ways the Brits have done us wrong.) We have expressed our horrible situation to the King and asked for assistance and for change but the governement has turn a deaf ear. We tried to no avail. So we're declaring ourselves free of our rulers. We declare ourselves independent states with all the powers and rights that are conferred on a state. And to this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. (I'm paraphrasing here, of course.)
"The harder they come, the harder they'll fall. One and all." -Jimmy Cliff
"I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people, which have produced them ... It is medicine necessary to the sound health of government." - Thomas Jefferson
When someone tells you that it's wrong to dissent, that it's wrong to protest or criticize the government remind them from whence our nation came.
small pleasures
I made a flyer on my laptop, printed it out on my printer and took it to Kinko's and made a stack of flyers and handbills. (Did you know that the copy machine can take your 8.5x11 sheet and reduce it to fit 4x's to a page and become instant handbills??!!! Brilliant. With this knowledge you do not have to go ghetto-lo-tech with the scissors and tape and the wasted bits of paper which is fun but time consuming with a final product lacking the precision of Xerox automation.)
It does give me pause to consider how technology has enabled a unskilled amateur with no graphical or artistic talent like me to make a flyer. It does give me pause to think about how much dead plant matter and electricity I used. All those beautiful trees that are now my less-beautiful flyers. The dark lining to a silver cloud I guess. Setting these uncomfortable thoughts aside for the moment, I LOVE having a laptop and a printer. It is ridiculous how pleased I am. I had no idea that it could be this simple to become this happy. To be fair the acquisition of the proper drawing program made all the difference. If I had known that the key to happiness was so small I would have gotten a laptop and printer years ago.
It does give me pause to consider how technology has enabled a unskilled amateur with no graphical or artistic talent like me to make a flyer. It does give me pause to think about how much dead plant matter and electricity I used. All those beautiful trees that are now my less-beautiful flyers. The dark lining to a silver cloud I guess. Setting these uncomfortable thoughts aside for the moment, I LOVE having a laptop and a printer. It is ridiculous how pleased I am. I had no idea that it could be this simple to become this happy. To be fair the acquisition of the proper drawing program made all the difference. If I had known that the key to happiness was so small I would have gotten a laptop and printer years ago.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Vote, Dammit!
Citizens vote. Patriots vote.
You don't like Kerry, you don't like Bush. Fine. Vote Reform Party, vote Libertarian party, vote Green, vote Constitution party. Vote for Madonna, vote for Gallagher, vote for me!
What would happen if Kerry won the election but only got 15% of the vote? What would that say? Look out Kerry, Madonna's gaining on your ass!
Throw away your vote on public record, not uncounted.
Vote your disgust for the two party system. That's fine, that's cool. Just vote.
You don't like Kerry, you don't like Bush. Fine. Vote Reform Party, vote Libertarian party, vote Green, vote Constitution party. Vote for Madonna, vote for Gallagher, vote for me!
What would happen if Kerry won the election but only got 15% of the vote? What would that say? Look out Kerry, Madonna's gaining on your ass!
Throw away your vote on public record, not uncounted.
Vote your disgust for the two party system. That's fine, that's cool. Just vote.
the consolidation of capital
This weekend I went to the Dollar General Store, Big Lots, and Deals. There a section of town that is becoming the ultimate econo-mini-mall. This is all in a strip mall that was left for dead. A store like Lowe's wouldn't come anywhere near here. It's the Sav-a-lots, Aldi's business model. The retail area is depressed and rent is cheap. Regular businesses leave it for dead. But the thing is, poor people need the things that everyone needs - soap, birthday cards, underwear and cleaning products. And if you can provide something that people need and do it with low overhead, there's money to be made. Walmart in its way proves the same point. There is money to be made among those who don't have a lot of money.
So here the thing,there is capital, the potential for building wealth ... it is just very dilute. If poor communities could figure out a way, some kind of mechanism by which they could keep and concentrate wealth in the neighborhood. Material changes could be made. Mountains could be moved.
In our economically driven times, a community bank could be the vital component to revitalizing lost areas. A community bank could be the economic liberator of a neighborhood. I used to dismiss the Grameen Bank as merely undercutting the local money lender. But perhaps that is the model that best fits the world in which we now live. Charity and Government assistance have been seen as problematic, as ineffective. But perhaps material and monetary investment in our poorest citizens if done to encourage growth, not exploit is useful model in our market driven times.
Where would you rather have the money go, to building more jails or to enabling people to buy houses and start businesses.
So here the thing,there is capital, the potential for building wealth ... it is just very dilute. If poor communities could figure out a way, some kind of mechanism by which they could keep and concentrate wealth in the neighborhood. Material changes could be made. Mountains could be moved.
In our economically driven times, a community bank could be the vital component to revitalizing lost areas. A community bank could be the economic liberator of a neighborhood. I used to dismiss the Grameen Bank as merely undercutting the local money lender. But perhaps that is the model that best fits the world in which we now live. Charity and Government assistance have been seen as problematic, as ineffective. But perhaps material and monetary investment in our poorest citizens if done to encourage growth, not exploit is useful model in our market driven times.
Where would you rather have the money go, to building more jails or to enabling people to buy houses and start businesses.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
when I grow up I want to be in business
Human decency demands that I be a compassionate person, whereas business only demands that I be a profitable one.
Paul Krugman wrote an interesting piece about John Kerry's health plan for the Houston Chronicle. You can read it yourself here:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2671864
But what struck me about it was the following statement he makes:
"Catastrophic health expenses, which can easily drive a family into bankruptcy, fall into the same category [of random misfortune like earthquakes]. Yet private insurers try hard, and often successfully, to avoid covering such expenses. (That’s not a moral condemnation; they are, after all, in business.)"
Medicine, civil law, criminal justice are professions that profit from the misfortune of others. In these professions, profit is justified by the help provided to people who are suffering. Insurance profits from balancing our fear of misfortune with the probability of actual misfortune and promises to help us in the event that we have need.
When members of such professions increase their profits with no commensurate increase (or an actual decrease) in the aid that they provide to those in need, they are deserving of all moral condemnation that the righteous can muster.
Paul Krugman wrote an interesting piece about John Kerry's health plan for the Houston Chronicle. You can read it yourself here:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2671864
But what struck me about it was the following statement he makes:
"Catastrophic health expenses, which can easily drive a family into bankruptcy, fall into the same category [of random misfortune like earthquakes]. Yet private insurers try hard, and often successfully, to avoid covering such expenses. (That’s not a moral condemnation; they are, after all, in business.)"
Medicine, civil law, criminal justice are professions that profit from the misfortune of others. In these professions, profit is justified by the help provided to people who are suffering. Insurance profits from balancing our fear of misfortune with the probability of actual misfortune and promises to help us in the event that we have need.
When members of such professions increase their profits with no commensurate increase (or an actual decrease) in the aid that they provide to those in need, they are deserving of all moral condemnation that the righteous can muster.
Monday, July 19, 2004
back to the floor
I have a penchant for PSB reality TV shows. Colonial House and Frontier House were fabulous.
Seeing contemporary people experience cultural history first hand is wholly engrossing.
Randomly surfing around I noticed a TV show called "Back To the Floor." The premise behind this show is to send higher ups of different companies back to the floor. A general manager from Burger King is sent to work the register and make Whoppers. The president of a cruise ship company is sent to work cleaning cabins and serving drinks.
Based on the episode summaries it seems like this is an interesting lark for the executives involved.
It is not a realistic experience of what it would be like to go "back to the floor."
The CEOs should not be allowed to end their work day early because their feet hurt from standing all day. They should not receive help from other employees that goes beyond what a new employee would receive. They should receive a paycheck for the work they do and they should receive an employer evaluation from their performance. I did not know that cruise ship personel make $1.50 a day with gratuities making up the rest of their wage and am curious to know how much that CEO would have made.
Still, it is funny to see company presidents wear the silly uniforms and exhibit incompetence at the required tasks.
The experience appears to give them insights into factors that affect the efficiency of day to day operations but it doesn't change the way they intend to run their businesses. No one is going to increase employee wages or hire more people to deal with problems of being understaffed. I imagine that CEOs are under tremendous pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs. None of them will reduce their salaries to improve worker's wages and none of them will use a part of these profits to increase the wages of workers.
At the end of a week they go back to their real jobs and breathe a sigh of relief. Very Bread and Circuses
Seeing contemporary people experience cultural history first hand is wholly engrossing.
Randomly surfing around I noticed a TV show called "Back To the Floor." The premise behind this show is to send higher ups of different companies back to the floor. A general manager from Burger King is sent to work the register and make Whoppers. The president of a cruise ship company is sent to work cleaning cabins and serving drinks.
Based on the episode summaries it seems like this is an interesting lark for the executives involved.
It is not a realistic experience of what it would be like to go "back to the floor."
The CEOs should not be allowed to end their work day early because their feet hurt from standing all day. They should not receive help from other employees that goes beyond what a new employee would receive. They should receive a paycheck for the work they do and they should receive an employer evaluation from their performance. I did not know that cruise ship personel make $1.50 a day with gratuities making up the rest of their wage and am curious to know how much that CEO would have made.
Still, it is funny to see company presidents wear the silly uniforms and exhibit incompetence at the required tasks.
The experience appears to give them insights into factors that affect the efficiency of day to day operations but it doesn't change the way they intend to run their businesses. No one is going to increase employee wages or hire more people to deal with problems of being understaffed. I imagine that CEOs are under tremendous pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs. None of them will reduce their salaries to improve worker's wages and none of them will use a part of these profits to increase the wages of workers.
At the end of a week they go back to their real jobs and breathe a sigh of relief. Very Bread and Circuses
Monday, June 21, 2004
Ray Charles
As I am now, as a child I was a night owl. I stayed up too late every chance I got. When I did, Ray Charles sang to me at the end of the broadcast day on the local NBC affiliate.
I cannot believe that he is gone. So I refer to him in the present tense.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful" it is not an anthem, it is more than that - he sings our song. A blind man sings to us of spacious skies and amber waves of grain. And the sky opens up wider and the purple mountains rise up higher. In these words and his voice - from sea to shining sea, we are of one nation, of one people.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful", he sings our hearts and our hopes. When he sings, we are the brightest and best and most beautiful vision of ourselves.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful" I know who I am - an American and I am proud. He expresses for me what I cannot express for myself.
And now who will sing to us our vision, our goodness and strength, our decency and courage?
I cannot imagine him gone.
So in these troubled times, for this nation - sing on, Mr. Charles, sing on.
I cannot believe that he is gone. So I refer to him in the present tense.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful" it is not an anthem, it is more than that - he sings our song. A blind man sings to us of spacious skies and amber waves of grain. And the sky opens up wider and the purple mountains rise up higher. In these words and his voice - from sea to shining sea, we are of one nation, of one people.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful", he sings our hearts and our hopes. When he sings, we are the brightest and best and most beautiful vision of ourselves.
When Ray Charles sings "America the Beautiful" I know who I am - an American and I am proud. He expresses for me what I cannot express for myself.
And now who will sing to us our vision, our goodness and strength, our decency and courage?
I cannot imagine him gone.
So in these troubled times, for this nation - sing on, Mr. Charles, sing on.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
the way it's done
Pick up an instrument. Write songs. Rehearse, a lot. Play in the basement, Play for family, Play parties, Play locally. Borrow a 4-track. Make a recording.
Start booking shows. Get a list of clubs and promoters to contact. Send out the CD with photo/bio bullshit. Call people. Email people. Call again, email again, wheedle. Confirm, double check, reconfirm, call again. Get a series of shows set up.
Load everything into a van: instruments, band members, CD's, t-shirts, stickers, buttons, friends, dogs, mascots. Drive. Don't get lost. Hopefully the van is in good condition, the show has not been cancelled, the sound is good, people come to the show, they enjoy the music, someone buys a CD or a t-shirt (now there's gas money to get to the next location), someone offers a floor to sleep on and breakfast. Best case scenario.
In any event, you can sleep in the van. Load up and move on to the next show.
A band will tour and probably play 45 minutes at a particular location, spend the same amount of time loading their stuff in and out of the club, setting up and tearing down. 45 minutes of music and countless hours of travel, hustle, and hassle. Some of them develop a following, some of them are discovered, some of them hit it big and become super wealthy.
To the rest ... thank you. thank you for rocking!
Start booking shows. Get a list of clubs and promoters to contact. Send out the CD with photo/bio bullshit. Call people. Email people. Call again, email again, wheedle. Confirm, double check, reconfirm, call again. Get a series of shows set up.
Load everything into a van: instruments, band members, CD's, t-shirts, stickers, buttons, friends, dogs, mascots. Drive. Don't get lost. Hopefully the van is in good condition, the show has not been cancelled, the sound is good, people come to the show, they enjoy the music, someone buys a CD or a t-shirt (now there's gas money to get to the next location), someone offers a floor to sleep on and breakfast. Best case scenario.
In any event, you can sleep in the van. Load up and move on to the next show.
A band will tour and probably play 45 minutes at a particular location, spend the same amount of time loading their stuff in and out of the club, setting up and tearing down. 45 minutes of music and countless hours of travel, hustle, and hassle. Some of them develop a following, some of them are discovered, some of them hit it big and become super wealthy.
To the rest ... thank you. thank you for rocking!
Thursday, May 27, 2004
More cowbell please....
Spin magazine has another ultimate list issue. Their fifteen greatest cowbell songs of all time had me sitting on the floor at the airport, laughing my ass off. I am sorely tempted to copy it out for you right here, the smartass comments are priceless. That would be wrong. Well, maybe they'll let me give you the list and one smart ass comment.
"1. Mississippi Queen - Mountain: The cowbell jam to end all cowbell jams. Mountain are to the cowbell what Dostoevsky is the the Russian novel.
2. Funk #49 - the James Gang
3. Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
4. Photograph - Def Leppard
5. House of Jealous Lovers - the Rapture
6. Honky Tonk Woman - the Rolling Stones
7. Saturday Night - Schoolly D
8. Electioneering - Radiohead
9. Silence Kit - Pavement
10. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - the Beatles
11. Hey Ladies - Beastie Boys
12. Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra
13. Celling Dr. Love - Kiss
14. Low Rider - War
15. Private World - the New York Dolls" - Spin
This could be a sleep-deprived-you-had-to-be-there kind of thing. Nonetheless I encourage you to go read your neighbor's May 2004 issue of Spin and give this list a test run.
"1. Mississippi Queen - Mountain: The cowbell jam to end all cowbell jams. Mountain are to the cowbell what Dostoevsky is the the Russian novel.
2. Funk #49 - the James Gang
3. Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
4. Photograph - Def Leppard
5. House of Jealous Lovers - the Rapture
6. Honky Tonk Woman - the Rolling Stones
7. Saturday Night - Schoolly D
8. Electioneering - Radiohead
9. Silence Kit - Pavement
10. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - the Beatles
11. Hey Ladies - Beastie Boys
12. Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra
13. Celling Dr. Love - Kiss
14. Low Rider - War
15. Private World - the New York Dolls" - Spin
This could be a sleep-deprived-you-had-to-be-there kind of thing. Nonetheless I encourage you to go read your neighbor's May 2004 issue of Spin and give this list a test run.
DC comics = evil
When I was a youth, my mother would drag me to the mall and sometimes I could convince her to let me hang out at the bookstore while she shopped. It was there that I found a comic book called Elfquest. I discovered it in full color condensed graphic novel form. The drawings were beautiful. The characters were vibrant and the story had adventure, friendship, humor, magic, love and conflict. It was excellent. Periodically I check up on the series. In later editions the coloring was not so great. The old edition had very warm tones while the later color editions were decidedly more blue. then the books got smaller and they were in black and white. The stories and characters continued to be compelling.
And today at Pages For All Ages I see that DC has picked up the title, released it in black and white and shrunk the book down to the size of a postage stamp! You can barely make out the pictures, they are very muddy looking. How can you expect new readers to fall in love with this story if you don't present it in a format where the art can be properly appreciated? DC has done some very good things comic-wise. This is not one of them. I am so disappointed.
And today at Pages For All Ages I see that DC has picked up the title, released it in black and white and shrunk the book down to the size of a postage stamp! You can barely make out the pictures, they are very muddy looking. How can you expect new readers to fall in love with this story if you don't present it in a format where the art can be properly appreciated? DC has done some very good things comic-wise. This is not one of them. I am so disappointed.
Friday, May 07, 2004
Project Vote Smart
Every birthday I joke with people that when I turn 35, I will run for President because I can. Most folks roll their eyes at me but according to www.vote-smart.org I'm not the only one with big plans. There's a long list of presidential candidates for 2004 and one potential candidate. You'll have to guess that one for yourself. For those of us who grumble about the two-party system behold:
Party Name (# of Candidates)
American (1)
American Independence (1)
American Tradition (1)
Constitution (2)
DC Statehood Green Party (1)
Democrats (59)
E-Democratic Party (1)
Fair Representation (1)
Green Party (8)
Health (1)
Human Being (1)
Independent (31) Is there an Independent Party?
Independent, Democrat (1)
Libertarian (6)
Menorah-Thor (1)
Mike's Party (1) (Yes, the Candidate's name is Mike.)
National Barking Spider Resurgence Party (1) (His name is Mike as well)
Native American Party (1)
No Party Affiliation (8)
Party X Independent (1)
Prohibition (2)
Reform Party (2)
Republican (26) (Didn't get the memo from GW.)
Socialist (1)
The Anti-Hypocrisy Party (1)
Turtle Political Party (1)
United Christian (1)
United Fascist Union (1)
United States Justice Party Americale (1)
United Vertans Rights (1)
Unknown (6)
Vertans Industrial (1)
write in (9)
There you have it, according to Project Vote Smart we are not a 2 party system. There are 29 political parties that have candidates running for president, and several (46) individuals that are running apparently outside of party lines.
The web site is pretty cool. You can look up who represents you on the federal and state level and learn about them. Voting record, Finance stuff, interest group ratings and such.
www.vote-smart.org
Party Name (# of Candidates)
American (1)
American Independence (1)
American Tradition (1)
Constitution (2)
DC Statehood Green Party (1)
Democrats (59)
E-Democratic Party (1)
Fair Representation (1)
Green Party (8)
Health (1)
Human Being (1)
Independent (31) Is there an Independent Party?
Independent, Democrat (1)
Libertarian (6)
Menorah-Thor (1)
Mike's Party (1) (Yes, the Candidate's name is Mike.)
National Barking Spider Resurgence Party (1) (His name is Mike as well)
Native American Party (1)
No Party Affiliation (8)
Party X Independent (1)
Prohibition (2)
Reform Party (2)
Republican (26) (Didn't get the memo from GW.)
Socialist (1)
The Anti-Hypocrisy Party (1)
Turtle Political Party (1)
United Christian (1)
United Fascist Union (1)
United States Justice Party Americale (1)
United Vertans Rights (1)
Unknown (6)
Vertans Industrial (1)
write in (9)
There you have it, according to Project Vote Smart we are not a 2 party system. There are 29 political parties that have candidates running for president, and several (46) individuals that are running apparently outside of party lines.
The web site is pretty cool. You can look up who represents you on the federal and state level and learn about them. Voting record, Finance stuff, interest group ratings and such.
www.vote-smart.org
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Benefits and the lack of benefits
AR is throwing a benefit show for her sister who has been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Her sister has big medical bills to contend with and hopefully this will help. The bands donate their performances and get more exposure, the bar gets customers, the crowd gets to see a cool show and give a little money to help someone they may or may not know who is in need. When it works, it works out well.
I used to see lots flyers for benefits for the well-known causes: Habitat for Humanity, Animal Shelters, benefits against AIDS. Over this past year I have started seeing more flyers for benefits for individuals, often for people who can't pay their medical expenses. It is nice to know that these people have friends who want to help them. It is sad to think that they are in such a vulnerable position. It is a moment to be grateful for having a job with benefits and wonder what happens to people who don't have jobs, benefits, family, or friends to raise money on their behalf.
I guess this is what conservatives want instead of taxation and government agencies. If locals think something is important they can come together and raise resources for it. It would become clear what the priorities of a community are. If you can't attract volunteers and you can't raise money, your cause must not be so urgent.
Still some important things require resources beyond what individuals in a community can offer. I think it would take lots and lots of rock shows to raise money for a library or a school or a bridge.
And it seems wrong to have a woman's life hang in the balance of whether or not people come to a rock show.
I used to see lots flyers for benefits for the well-known causes: Habitat for Humanity, Animal Shelters, benefits against AIDS. Over this past year I have started seeing more flyers for benefits for individuals, often for people who can't pay their medical expenses. It is nice to know that these people have friends who want to help them. It is sad to think that they are in such a vulnerable position. It is a moment to be grateful for having a job with benefits and wonder what happens to people who don't have jobs, benefits, family, or friends to raise money on their behalf.
I guess this is what conservatives want instead of taxation and government agencies. If locals think something is important they can come together and raise resources for it. It would become clear what the priorities of a community are. If you can't attract volunteers and you can't raise money, your cause must not be so urgent.
Still some important things require resources beyond what individuals in a community can offer. I think it would take lots and lots of rock shows to raise money for a library or a school or a bridge.
And it seems wrong to have a woman's life hang in the balance of whether or not people come to a rock show.
The Uses of Post-it's
I was walking by a parked compact car today and noticed that it had bright blue post-it's stuck all over it. One said "Hello, my name is Kim-Chi-Cha." And then next said "Zoom Zoom!"
Had me a good laugh.
Had me a good laugh.
Monday, May 03, 2004
short term stress reliever
I got freaked out and overwhelmed today.
To break that mode, I tried shouting and throwing things. (Yes, I am three.) It made things worse. I got more worked up.
So I started walking down residential streets enumerating aloud the things that I hate: getting parking tickets, bureacracy, cilantro, people who don't wait their turn at 4-way stops .... Never lingering just enumerating with each step.
After a while I ran out of personal hatreds and I started listing things that my friends hate. From there it went to things I have heard strangers say that they hate and things I could envision being hateful. I walked through hate, dislike, annoyance, irritation, distastefullness, arbitrary personal preferences and kept walking until I reached ridiculous. I started to laugh.
I'm sure it is healthier to meditate, but who can sit still for that long?
To break that mode, I tried shouting and throwing things. (Yes, I am three.) It made things worse. I got more worked up.
So I started walking down residential streets enumerating aloud the things that I hate: getting parking tickets, bureacracy, cilantro, people who don't wait their turn at 4-way stops .... Never lingering just enumerating with each step.
After a while I ran out of personal hatreds and I started listing things that my friends hate. From there it went to things I have heard strangers say that they hate and things I could envision being hateful. I walked through hate, dislike, annoyance, irritation, distastefullness, arbitrary personal preferences and kept walking until I reached ridiculous. I started to laugh.
I'm sure it is healthier to meditate, but who can sit still for that long?
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Reading Lolita in Tehran
"I don't know why people who are better off always think that those less fortunate than themselves don't want to have the good things - that they don't want to listen to good music, eat good food or read Henry James." Razieh in Reading Lolita in Tehran
I read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi this past week. This book is more than beautiful. This book is food. This book is bread. It will feed you.
Azar Nafisi is an Iranian woman, a teacher, and a scholar of Western literature. Her book begins with the class she taught out of her home after being expelled from the University of Tehran, the class to which the book title refers. A class of seven women who met every Thursday to read and discuss the relation between fiction and reality. Her reality is a world in which reading The Great Gatsby is controversial and Henry James stirs people to anger. A world in which people roam the streets punishing the suggestion of impropriety. A world in which keeping your soul together is a daily struggle against cruelty.
From here it expands into a kaleidoscope of memories of reading, of teaching, of revolution, of living in an Islamic republic, of living through war, of living under the veil, of oppression, of fear, of courage, of a magician.
She believes that the soul survives evil and is restored "through love and imagination."
Reading Henry James is not superfluous to life. Reading Henry James is at the core of what makes life worth living, reading Henry James is part of how we retain our empathy, our compassion, our humanity.
Her writing is visual and splashed with color in a way that I would like to emulate. My world is far too reductive and I am an unrepentant list-er.
I cannot do this book justice. I can only recommend that you pick it up. This book is food. It is bread. It will feed you.
I read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi this past week. This book is more than beautiful. This book is food. This book is bread. It will feed you.
Azar Nafisi is an Iranian woman, a teacher, and a scholar of Western literature. Her book begins with the class she taught out of her home after being expelled from the University of Tehran, the class to which the book title refers. A class of seven women who met every Thursday to read and discuss the relation between fiction and reality. Her reality is a world in which reading The Great Gatsby is controversial and Henry James stirs people to anger. A world in which people roam the streets punishing the suggestion of impropriety. A world in which keeping your soul together is a daily struggle against cruelty.
From here it expands into a kaleidoscope of memories of reading, of teaching, of revolution, of living in an Islamic republic, of living through war, of living under the veil, of oppression, of fear, of courage, of a magician.
She believes that the soul survives evil and is restored "through love and imagination."
Reading Henry James is not superfluous to life. Reading Henry James is at the core of what makes life worth living, reading Henry James is part of how we retain our empathy, our compassion, our humanity.
Her writing is visual and splashed with color in a way that I would like to emulate. My world is far too reductive and I am an unrepentant list-er.
I cannot do this book justice. I can only recommend that you pick it up. This book is food. It is bread. It will feed you.
Cerberus Staffs the Show
The Dead Like Dallas show had to get moved to a new location this past Thursday. Z agreed to have it in his basement and I worked the door. Which means I stood at the back door, stamped hands, and collected money from punks and people who like melodic hardcore. I passed them through the door and closed it behind them. They walked through a long narrow hallway down the stairs into a tiny basement filled with unholy noise, red lights, and a teeming, sweating, thrashing mass of people.
Later I couldn't shake the feeling that I was Cerberus that night.
"Cerberus - Cerberos - Kerberos
Three Headed Hound of Hades
The three-headed, serpent-tailed dog Cerberus [...]
Cerberus was a fierce, pitiless, flesh-eating watchdog, stationed by the River Styx, from which post he would keep the living from entering the land of the dead. Even the gods feared Cerberus...."
from http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_cerberus.htm
Later I couldn't shake the feeling that I was Cerberus that night.
"Cerberus - Cerberos - Kerberos
Three Headed Hound of Hades
The three-headed, serpent-tailed dog Cerberus [...]
Cerberus was a fierce, pitiless, flesh-eating watchdog, stationed by the River Styx, from which post he would keep the living from entering the land of the dead. Even the gods feared Cerberus...."
from http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_cerberus.htm
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