:: Archipelapogo ::

:: 23.4.04 ::

DOTWHO?

..::A campaign to design better shirts for Kerry's campaign. You won't be able to see/vote until May 1, but it's worth keeping an eye on. The current designs are a little....meh::..

..::Speaking of Kerry, Charles lists ten things Kerry should do right now. Looks like he's already working on number 1. The only one that I disagree with is number 2, and that's strictly from a strategic standpoint. For the moderates and undecideds (which is pretty much all it's about right now) that'll probably look petty and desperate. If the DNC wants to do it, then fine, but Kerry needs to focus on the issues and hit Bush in the spots where he's vulnerable to the middle ground: Environment, economy, education::..

..::I'm very pleased to see that the Sierra Club managed to stave off an attempted anti-immigrant coup in their most recent elections. A 22% turnout for the voting is very impressive for a non-profit::..

..::The setlists and orders of songs for the Pixies reunion tour. If you're into that kind of thing, be sure and look for the torrent link too. And then burn me a copy and mail it to me*::..

..::Word on the (cyber) street is that The Ft. Worth Spring Rally is on tomorrow, rain or shine. Not sure if lightning will impact it though. But you locals should go. It is free, after all. If you do go, make sure to get there early enough for the Flametrick Subs set at 6:00. I love those guys (and gal)::..

..::Finally, congrats to Punk Planet on their 10th anniversary and for putting out a great anniv. issue. The interviews with Ian MacKaye, Jello Biafra, and Milo from the Descendents were especially entertaining::..

Have a good weekend.

*seriously. please?
:: Scott [+] ::
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Mordechai Vanunu

Israeli Nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu has been freed after 18 years in prison. You can learn more about his story via the Guardian's profile and the wikipedia entry about him.

But what I really wanted to highlight was the Guardian's publishing of some letters that he sent to actress Susannah York, a member of the campaign to release Vanunu.

I forget what does it mean to be free. To have the freedom to choose. There are many simple things that I have forgotten and lost in this very barbaric, brutal, cruel and concrete life. How am I going to be free? This is my main concern. I am in prison but I am like a hostage, since they kidnapped me. I should be more strong and believe, as I [did] in the first year. To go on and not bow to corrupt power. That is my way.

Congrats on being released, Mordechai.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Some links I've been meaning to dump on you for about a week now

..::Human Descent - Jacked up photoshoppery leads to morphed animal pics. The ones involving birds are my favorite::..

..::Index of historic international airmail stamps and their symbols - You know the Russian/Soviet Union wing send my geek gland into overdrive::..

..::In August 1935, the US held its largest peacetime military manoeuvres in history, with 36,000 troops converging at the Canadian border south of Ottawa, and another 15,000 held in reserve in Pennsylvania. The war game scenario was a US motorized invasion of Canada, with
the defending forces initially repulsing the invading Blue forces, but eventually to lose "outnumbered and outgunned" when Blue reinforcements arrive. - A 1935 US Plan for Invasion of Canada - (via plep)::..

And in bonus music news, well, Dischord news, really:

..::Fugazi releases 20 live albums::..

..::Black Eyes have apparently broken up (scroll down a little bit). Fortunately, they've got a final album coming out on May 31::..

..::I think the real question is, though, why am I just now finding out that they put out a Minor Threat live DVD in November? Three concerts and some interviews. Sweet.::...
:: Scott [+] ::
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Waco PFLAG opens community center. Take that, Sloan

Today marks the opening of Eddie and Velma Dwyer Community Center in Waco. The Center will serve as a rare local headquarters for the Waco chapter of PFLAG. The best part is the namesakes of the Center. From the article in the Waco-Tribune

The new center is being named for Eddie Dwyer, 92, and his wife Velma, 87, longtime Waco residents deeply entrenched in Baylor culture.

Eddie Dwyer taught in the religion department of Baylor University for 37 years before retiring in 1982. Velma Dwyer was employed at Baylor as a credit manager in the office of financial aid from 1951 until her retirement in 1982. Their two children and three grandchildren all attended Baylor as well.

Although the couple suspected for years that their "perpetual bachelor" son might be gay, Paul Dwyer didn't confirm it to them until almost 13 years ago. The 59-year-old Paul Dwyer has been a specialist in the Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C., for almost 30 years.

Eddie Dwyer read up on scientific findings, psychological studies and the musings of philosophers and theologians. His conclusion was that homosexuality is not a matter of choice, but an innate condition in some human beings, likely a genetic factor. And while the popular "biblical" view is that it is an abomination, he added, the whole Bible has to be considered in the context of when it was written and why.

I'm not here to argue the Biblical interpretation of homosexuality, I'm just here to give a huzzah for a resource center for a minority group in a small-minded town.

I linked some while back about an underground Baylor Gay and Lesbian group. It may seem weird to some people that they were "forced" to remain anonymous, but it's a tough life when the President of your school says things like "We have already heard from a number of students, alumni and parents who are, as am I, justifiably outraged over this editorial. Espousing in a Baylor publication a view that is so out of touch with traditional Christian teachings is not only unwelcome, it comes dangerously close to violating University policy, as published in the Student Handbook, prohibiting the advocacy of any understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching. The Student Publications Board will be addressing this matter with the Lariat staff as soon as possible. "

That was regarding an editorial in the student newspaper that supported a San Francisco court decision to permit gay marriages. I've long been a critic to Sloan's theocratic reign of oppression, a term that has compromised the academic life of Baylor in several ways. If Sloan thinks that there is not a significant gay and lesbian population at Baylor, he's sorely mistaken. To try to thumb them down and keep them out of sight is despicable. This is why I'm glad that these kids will no longer have to drive to Dallas or Austin to try to find a supporting sense of community.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Where you from? Dallas, Tejas!

I stayed a little late at work yesterday which means the train* is a crapshoot as far as co-passengers go. I struck the lottery yesterday. Sitting in my little corner seat reading the latest Observer, I got the joy of a backpack laden, headphone wearing, alcohol smelling seatmate. I didn't think too much of it until he started talking to himself...

"Hey Hey Rock n' Roll! Jimi Hendrix! The Beatles! Jim Morrison! Stevie Ray Vaughn! Where you from? Dallas, Tejas, my beautfiul home! Uptown, midtown, downtown! It don't matter to me! Hey, if you got the money, may as well dive in!"

He then continued to pull a can of beer, dressed in a brown bag, out of his pack, popped it open, and took a couple of strong pulls. The only reason I mention that aspect is that this is literally the first time in almost two years that I've been on the DART and seen someone drinking. I'll see someone at a station auspiciously taking hits from a doobie or joint, but I've never seen anyone drink on the train. Weird, that.

He then began talking very quickly in Spanish, a manner similiar to when Beavis used to do his Cornholio routine. Then continued...

"Dallas, Tejas. Where you from? Uptown, midtown, downtown, it don't matter to me. Beautiful Dallas, Tejas! Heh heh heh."

I pretty much ignored him for the most part. I have a lot of sympathy for those that have the double distress of mental illness and substance addiction, and there are a lot of them in Dallas. The best I can do is try to treat them with the same respect that I'd give anyone else, and that's pretty much how I approach such situations.

At the same time, I couldn't help but listen to the almost rhythmic sing-song qualities of his vocalisations. There was definitely an almost musical pattern to them, and I had to think to myself how cool it would be if someone captured them and put them on top of a really screwed up instrumental/break-beat track. I mean this in the least-exploitive way possible, but I think it could be a really cool experimental art project. Hell, give the proceeds to charity, use it as a way to raise awareness. Seems like it could really work in a How's your news? kind of way.

*Odd happenings today about a block from my building as one of the DART trains hit a cop car downtown. I'd assume it's probably the cop's fault, seeing as how the trains don't really run intersections. But it was eerie seeing about 12 squad cars, a fire truck, and a police helicopter so close to my work. Took them at least an hour and a half to clean it up and get the trains going again.
:: Scott [+] ::
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I took the plunge

Sorry for being so, erm, sluggish 'round here lately. It's that rare time of year where sports and work combine to kind of consume my life. Hockey playoffs have been going not so well for the home team. Last night's 2/OT loss was a tough one to stomach. NBA playoffs start Saturday. Bring on the Kings. There's nothing I like more than watching Dallas and Sacramento run each other all over the court for 48 minutes. I figure I'm guaranteed at least 6 games in this series. And if San Antone can off the Lakers, then there's a possibility for the Mavs to go all the way*.

Anyways, in addition to all that, there's a new member in the 'pogo household.

The old car decided to get all cranky and spazz out on me in the middle of a Plano intersection. Tow truck, five hours, and a new alternator later, I was fed up with it. You know it's bad when the mechanic, who really wants to make a lot of money off of you, says "You know, I mean no offense by this, but if you're in a position to get a new car, you may want to seriously consider it". Zoinks.

That was a couple of weeks ago so I began surfing around for info. Took a test drive on Monday, and picked up my new friend on Tuesday. Let me just say that when you like the car, it drives well, and they're offering 1.9% financing for 63 months, the car kind of sells itself. Yeah, 1.9% for 63 months. That means for a five-year ~$18k loan, I'm going to pay around $900 in interest. Not too shabby. Anyways, I'll have more for you later tonight.

*Quit laughing, I really think they've got a shot. Now leave me alone!
:: Scott [+] ::
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Disparate thoughts

I'd apologize for the lack of substance here lately, but screw it, I owe you nothing! Besides, I'm working on a column (that will probably wind up being a twofer) for SportsFilter tonight, so you'll get some original product out of me, even if it's not here.

Anyways. The walk from the train to my building this morning smelled very strongly of cilantro. That's an odd way to start your day.

Wednesday nights at the Billiard Bar mean two things: $1 18oz Shiner Schooners and the guitarist from Hagfish will clear your table. That's really really wierd. I remember seeing Hagfish at a festival in Tulsa in probably '96 or '97. They were the one exceptional band in an otherwise lackluster lineup -- let's face it, any time you have sevenmarythree as the headliner, you're in for a disappointing afternoon. I remember a coworker of mine at the pizza parlor* got Rocks Your Lame Ass from one of those mail-order CD clubs. I think they may even have had a video on 120 Minutes at one point in time. They don't play very often any more, or so it seems, but I'll catch 'em if I get a chance. You'd be wise to do the same.

Thanks to Charles and listology, I found I can display my NetFlix queue for the world to see. It even automatically updates itself daily. Very cool. Permanent link will be placed in the sidebar soon. Charles discovered this by the very cool blog Hacking NetFlix which is now bookmarked on my work computer. The New to NetFlix posts alone are worth making it a weekly read, but any other cool information is definitely a bonus.
:: Scott [+] ::
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Here you go

Have some linkage:

..::I'm not sure why, but I'm fascinated by Mr. Toast's Tour of the USA::..

..::EyeWitness to History has aggregated a ton of firthand accounts of historical events. Personal favorites so far include Dining with Attila the Hun and Escape From Slavery::..

..::Charles learns us about the Almiqui, a truly strange rodent found in Cuba::..

..::The Sesame Street 35th Anniversary Trivia Game - takes forever to load. And it took me quite some time to get to the bonus game which, in turn, is nearly impossible::..

..::Interesting article on the viability of Biomass - turning garbage into oil::..
:: Scott [+] ::
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