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Showing posts from June, 2003
Next up from Kucinich The Department of Sugarplums and Fairies . Yes this started from a snarky, smartass nature thought, but it goes alot deeper. The idea of a Department of Peace would require a lot of money and the taxpayers just wouldn't support it. I am not saying the concept is bad, but the Congress has a history of not supporting foreign aid to begin with, create another department and it will be Zero budgeted with in a Congressional cycle, I promise you.
Swords don't kill people, bad samurai kill people.
Dawson's Creek Season 1 DVD And the reviews are in...I recieved the Dawson's DVD for my birthday, which is fast approaching. If you still haven't gotten me anything never fear my Amazon list is here . Poor product design for the DVD. The quality of the DVD aren't that great, not many features, but more importantly they hide Episodes 8 &9. Rather than have all the titles on on page if you load the 2nd disc on the menu you seen episode 5-7 then Main menu. After that is an arrow pointing to the left, select that arrow and it takes you to the missing episodes, sadly rather than mention it, they leave it hidden. It took me scanning the web until I found it myself as well. Others on Amazon had similar complaints I hope they have found the answer, nothing on the website, nor the box to clue you in to this feature. Otherwise it's fun entertainment, sure the film quality isn't the greatest but it's a made for TV drama/teen-angst show, not Star Wars Special
Quote of the Day " As sometimes happens with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), he let his mouth race ahead of his brain Wednesday night at a gathering of Young Democrats at the Washington nightspot Acropolis. After presidential candidate Howard Dean spoke, Kennedy delivered an impassioned peroration against President Bush's tax cut. We hear that Kennedy told the crowd: 'I don't need Bush's tax cut. I have never worked a [bleeping] day in my life.' " Washington Post Must be nice not to have to work for a living. Not the first time he's said something out of touch with reality, won't likely be the last.
Strom is Dead Evidently the truth has eventually happened Strom has died . Sorry to hear it, he kept moving all the time I knew him. Amazing politican believe it or not, he has survived through so much. More here , more soon.
Great article on free music and the recording industry... I do see price fixing going on think about it, I saw an ad in the paper the other day CD Recordable for basically a penny a CD. Think about it, it then costs $17 in the store to buy an album? On top of that the artist is getting milked too, someone is dishonest about their practices, but I won't name names .
Poetry Wednesday Watching I watch the watchers, sipping their cafes outside the cafe. The watchers watch the passing tourists, buzzing by in their cars. The tourists watch the scenery of Sedona, passing by the red rock mesas. We all watch, but do we see? - Thomas Vincent
In Phoenix I made it safely to Phoenix my base of operations for the next month or two while issues on my cabin get resolved and spend the holidays with family. Tired, but otherwise I am in good spirits. The drive went well, but there was one rather odd thing, in the middle of nowhere Texas, I mean the middle of no where there was not even a deserted shack within 20 miles. There was on the frontage road a lone figure walking down the street pushing a shopping cart. It was obvious he had no place nearby to by he walked steadily on pushing the cart, rather odd thing to see out there. And yes, it was not that far from the border to answer the next question. Have a good week.
Dark Justice lives ! ( Warning - If you understand this reference you watched too much CBS Late night in the early 90s )
Rep. Jeff Flake declined to sign a letter with other Arizona members of the U.S. House requesting $14.3 million for Luke Air Force Base because he has decided never again to ask federal budget appropriators to fund any item or project during the rest of his House career. - AZ Republic Members like this is why Arizona only gets back 60-70 cents of service for every dollar the state sends to Washington DC. It's all to common a practice, Arizona Congressional members are so afraid of government spending that other states literally get over $1.20 in service for a dollar they send. I am not promoting pork, I just know that the current deligation is so fearful of the label of pork they don't work to ensure a fair portion of our tax dollars are spent back in the local economy.
You know the more I see about Dean the more I'd like to give him a chance, why you might ask? "It is a bit of a club down there," he said. "The Democratic Party, all the candidates from Washington, they all know each other, they all move in the same circles, and what I'm doing is breaking into the country club." Paul Dean is accused of driving the car while three friends broke into an outbuilding at the country club to steal beer. On Monday, Dean winced when he heard his own words. "That was an incredibly unfortunate phrase," he said. "Why do I say these things?" Dean asked a press aide. - The Honesty Factor Although that I aside I have to wonder if he's qualified, I mean sure he was Governor, but of a state who population is equal to the population of an average Congressional district. Or in other words roughly the same number of people the Mayor of Austin, Texas represents . I am not saying it won't make him e
At long last Congress is looking at important issues to Americans. I support this bill with every fiber of my being.
Wonder what the Aspen fire looks like, here's a view from University of Arizona in Tucson. (Thanks Kieran )
The Wind Preview Eric Olsen gives us Warren Zevon fans a preview of Warren's latest and most likely last album. It's due out in August and I can't wait, I may have to break my own RIAA boycott to get it. I hope you have greater luck hearing the audio clips, mine didn't play for some reason.
Arizona Report for Those Under the Weather (or Whiney East Coast Biatches) As a former DC resident, I tell DC folks this with all due candor. Get over the weather issue, sometimes it sucks sometimes it don't. Not so long ago I remember everyone bitchin' about the drought ( ha ha, come out here and I'll show you a real drought ), now it's all the rain. You have gotten alot of it, good, you need it, enjoy it, it makes you value the sun all the more. For instance like when you visit a place like Northern Arizona blue skies, warm, and a high expected of 88 ( with no humidty )
There's an old saying about there being no such thing as bad publicity as long as they spell your name right. The equivalent in blogdom is "as long as they get the URL right." - Rand Simberg He has a write up about blogs and the Bill O'Reilly recent remarks, but this line may be the most valueable point in the piece.
Senator Orrin Hatch states he thinks it okay to destroy your computer if you download files even without due process of the law. It does not reflect well on the University of Pittsburgh where Hatch got his law degree that a former student doesn't understand such a basic legal concept. Interestingly he doesn't have a problem with illegally use software on his own website, now truth be told Members of Congress don't have time to micromanage their websites. So in theory he could be excused, except at the end of the day it's his site so he needs to make sure everything is above board, which I am sure it will be shortly as soon as his staff figure this out. All that said why would he support RIAA efforts, well a quick look at his campaign records and the answer doesn't surprise me in the least.
Crazy Idea I just had a bit of a crazy idea pop into my brain about the New York smoking issue. If people can't smoke in bars then handle it one of two ways, a pub crawl with a bus transporting people stop to stop, the bus being used as a smoking room between bars, hence no loitering . Or perhaps taking it to a greater degree modify one of those open top tour buses to have a full bar and allow smokers to have ride around town with cocktails and enjoying their smokes. Of course this might have to be done on the sly a bit, but it's New York you can do anything.
A little more on the Flash Mob idea this time from Wired .
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Flash Mobs Bruce Sterling predicted this in Distraction , with more harsh overtones, as did Howard Rheingold in Smart Mobs it sounds like an interesting social movement that will have greater impact in the future. For now it just seems like a fun experiment in social hacking. The idea of a Mob or swarming forming without warning is an interesting social concept, the more advanced we get, the more we resemble insects in behaviour, interesting no? But it seems something that would only work in urban centers, I don't think it would be nearly as effective in a town like Flagstaff or Sedona.
Martha's new home , also I appreciate her candor .
News Update You know alot of folks in Phoenix have been going after Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien for his role in the sexual misconduct scandal involving clergy, but it's not like he killed anyone . Ummm nevermind. ( Okay so that was evil, I confess, couldn't resist )
Back I returned on late Friday, but didn't make it up the mountain until yesterday afternoon. If you want to know what the US Open was like, check here . I had a great time, I got to back to a fun bar I had enjoyed years ago. Sadly, I missed out on Fray Cafe, but maybe that just means I'll have to host Fray Day Sedona in October. Happiness is returning home from a trip to find something from your Wish List , thanks Derek! Now back to the job hunt.
On the Road Again Doing laundry and packing for a trip this week, so expect posting to be sporatic at best. I am about to leave to Phoenix, then Chicago for little vacation. I know vacation, but I have been working so much of late, er um not. I am going to see the US Open with my brother and father, his Xmas present to us. I hope to make it back in time for Fray Cafe Sedona on Friday. If you are in Sedona stop by Canyon Moon Theater at 8pm Friday, it should be alot of fun.
The scary, funniest thing is when you see a friend on the cover of a weird web site . Well I hope it isn't her.
The Strom Thurmond Death Watch(TM) is over . It's a sad day for America, wait, um, nevermind.
A friend from DC Days is off to work the primaries for Gephardt. When I heard this I shook my head and thought " why not Dean, at least then I'd respect his morals ". Later I said that to a Democrat, who knows the friend, their response " I had the same thought ".
Still getting used to the new blogger look on publishing, it's interesting but I am not sure I like it. Archives are still screwy, but considering it has been that way for months, no big shock...
This has been my personal motto for newspapers for YEARS!
Note to the US Navy, don't feed the bears , thanks!
Cheery happy, happy people shouldn't work at a New York Bagel shop, it doesn't fit with the appropriate mood of such a place and secondly they annoy the hell out me when my coffee has yet to kick in. It's like nails on the chalk board, a tourist tried to hand one of her coworkers used cup who wanted to put it in a recycling bin, she pointed in the trash and said just toss it in there, with a slightly surly tone. That's what I expect at a NY bagel shop. It's like trying to mix Disney and New York ain't gunna work so the new employee sticks out like a sore thumb. </Morning rant> I am sure she is a nice enough person, it's just in the wrong place.
Fray Cafe No luck on the job search as of yet, but thanks to Fray Cafe Sedona I have been occupied the last two days putting up posters and trying to ensure press coverage. Frankly, besides the fact I like fray and want to support it, it has been good to have things to keep me busy. If you are in Sedona or Northern Arizona next Friday drop by and say hello.
I signed up to a Joseph Campbell listserv yesterday and I was deluged today when I checked my mail and had more than 220 emails from the list and no spam. If your interested mythology and it's role in society it seems like a list to sign on to, sadly the person I'd like most to share this discovery with has already moved on. Reemul, your missed. ps- Just got through all the emails and it's not a typical troll list, insteresting content, so if you are interested drop me a line and I'll tell you where to sign up.