Just When The World Is Looking Really Bleak...
Mood:  crushed out
Now Playing: Paul Westerberg - Folker
Topic: Miscellaneous

A story like this comes along.

Something so sweet and appealing that - at least for a little while - it makes you believe that our species might not be doomed to eradicate itself after all. Regardless of how it all works in the end, though, today I'm happy for those crazy kids Pem Dorjee and Moni Mulepati. They stood up to all the forces arrayed against them, from the gods who control the generally inhospitable weather at the top of Mt. Everest to the ethnic hatreds they have to contend with at lower altitudes, and joyfully flipped them all the bird. Thanks for making me smile, Pem and Moni.

Albuquerque
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: The Eyeliners - "Destroy" video from their rocking new album No Apologies
Topic: Miscellaneous
I've always loved the desert, and I especially love Albuquerque. Spent a considerable amount of time there in several summers of my adolescence. There's nothing quite like waking up in the morning and going outside into the crisp, cool, clean air and looking up at the Sandia Mountains. Been back several times as an adult - even though it has experienced some radical growth in recent years, I still adore the place.

In later times I discovered The Eyeliners - this band I've grown to love so much - and of course it so happens that they are from ABQ. I still haven't seem them play a show in their hometown - I'm sure that will get crossed off my list someday soon...

Anyway, it so happens that Albuquerque is beginning to gear up for a massive celebration of its 300th birthday, which will occur on April 23, 2006. I'm sort of a closet geek for celebrations, and I'm sure this is going to be a huge one. Don't have anything else particularly profound to say - just wanted to help get out the word about a town that's near and dear to my heart...

Drought
Mood:  rushed
Now Playing: The Replacements - Let It Be
Topic: Miscellaneous
I'm sure my vast public has been waiting with bated breath for the next post to appear here. I have been doing a fair amount of posting lately - just none of it here on my own site. I did work on a post yesterday, but couldn't get to a point where I was happy with it. It may see the light of day at some future date.

The coming spring looks to bring many musical delights my way. There will be a Groovie Ghoulies(!) show in OKC on March 7, I'm planning on making a run up to Wichita to see Visqueen on March 12, we're getting close to finally setting a release date for The Eyeliners new album, and The Dents have released a fantastic new album (Time For Biting) - just for starters! I know this is going to be an extraordinary year for me, in musical terms.

It's hard to believe that racing season is already underway, with yesterday's running of the Daytona 500. Daytona never fails to brighten my spirits by signifying that winter is now on its last legs. NASCAR is far and away the best major-league form of racing available, and I am very thankful for its existence, but my heart will always belong to the non-wing open wheel cars. Hopefully my dad and I will get to travel to see some races this year.

I grow daily sicker and more disgusted by the devolving level of political discourse in this country. The Republicans have sold their souls to the fundamentalists and the Democrats sit around clucking and whining about their misfortune and the supposed stupidity of people in the red states. The problem with take no prisoners, no compromise, winner take all politics is that in a democracy, nobody stays in power forever. A majority party that sets about eliminating rights for the minority is really screwing itself, because they will be the minority again at some point. Of course they're also screwing the American people, by allowing a small but vocal and extreme group of supporters to dictate public policy. Judging from the blather we're hearing from a lot of Democrats these days, I'm not sure we can expect much different when they return to power. I'm fed up with the lot of them.

On the positive side, it does appear that the death of Yasser Arafat may be providing a window of opportunity for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. There are vested interests on both sides (but especially the Palestinian side) who benefit from all the bloodshed, but it's conceivable that a deal can be found that offers a positive outcome to all parties if the killing stops. At least, there is more hope now than there has been in a long time...

Benefit show tonight 01/20/05 for Mr Nancy!!! (Formerly of Fabulous Disaster)
Topic: Miscellaneous
Fab D is one of my favorite bands. Former member Mr. Nancy has had some misfortune - please attend tonight's benefit show or help out with a donation if you can...

From Fabulous Disaster:
If you live in the Bay Area, please come out on Thursday night January 20th at the Eagle Tavern in San Francisco, it will be a benefit show to help pay for Fabulous Disaster ex-bassist (and dear friend) Mr Nancy's medical bills, she was very sick and was hospitalized for almost a month, her bills are "sky-high" because she doesn't have health insurance. Lots of great bands are playing so please come down and help out, it's $6.00 and up sliding scale. Thanks so much, hope to see ya there!!--Fab D

What: Benefit for the Fabulous Mr Nancy!!!!
Where: The Eagle Tavern (398 12th Street), San Francisco, CA
When:This Thursday, January 20th 2005 9pm
WHO: Here is a list of who is playing:

THE AVENGERS (featuring Penelope Houston)
THE MCCOOLS (Featuring Beth Allen formerly of the Loudmouths)
THE WHOA NELLIES
MIS-LEAD (All female band from Seattle)

There will also be another benefit for Mr N at the Bottom of the Hill on Feb 10th, we''ll announce it when we get more info, thanks!!!! xoxoxo

*** Check out her website, she has paypal now, so she can accept donations: Mister Nancy

Cluelessness Redefined
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Miscellaneous
10 Young Students Strip-Searched in Texas

[Principal Wilma] Green said the school has conducted such searches in the past without calling parents.

"Never had a complaint," she said. "I can't say if it happened again I wouldn't do the same thing."

How is it that so many people seem to be able to convince themselves that behavior that would constitute a felony if it were perpetrated on an adult is just fine and dandy when visited upon kids? I wonder how blithe Ms. Green would be if it were her being forcibly stripped down to her underwear and closely inspected with a bunch of other people watching? Running our schools on a prison model and putting sadistic, clueless idiots in charge is not the way we're going to get to a better-educated, more productive work-force.

Profiting From Human Misery
Mood:  sad
Topic: Miscellaneous
While I was eating breakfast this morning, I made the mistake of flipping the channel over to one of the network morning shows. I think it was NBC - don't remember for sure, but I don't know that it really matters because they all do this sort of thing. A reporter was interviewing a tourist family who were victims of the Tsunami. It's one thing to stick cameras in the face of people who have been recently traumatized, but what they did toward the end of the interview was truly despicable. As the family searched photos of the dead at a makeshift morgue, the reporter and camera crew were "lucky" enough to capture the moment when it was discovered that one of the daughters was among those who had perished. They managed to catch people crying on camera - hooray for broadcast "journalism".

Think about this - think about how you would feel if it were your family - your daughter or sister who had died. Think about how it would feel to have your most intense moments of grief broadcast to the nation on an entertainment program because it makes "good television". As a consumer of television news or infotainment or whatever the hell it's turned into, ask yourself it it's really necessary for you to intrude on someone's deepest moments of grief in order to understand the impact of losing a family member.

The national and local news is cluttered with stories that shouldn't even BE stories because the public seems to have an endless appetite for train wrecks of all varieties. I'm sick of it, and even though it's little more than a shout in the dark, I'm using this platform to register my disgust and contempt.

Brain Fights
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Miscellaneous
I fear the spectre of rampant high-tech cheating by way of designer steroids and various other substances in sports is actually a canary in the coal mine for a far wider array of potentially disastrous ethical issues we now face. In this story, we see the initial rumblings of a fast-approaching crisis.

When a competition lacks a set of mutually agreed-upon, universally enforced rules, those with the most resources and the greatest willingness to win at any cost will prosper even more than would otherwise be the case. It's obvious from this story that the artificial manipulation of brain chemistry for competitive advantage is an issue that we must confront. America was founded on egalitarian ideals - we all know that not all men are created equal in factual terms, but a just society treats them as if they were and removes artifical barriers against the advancement of those who are not born to wealth and power.

With the sophisticated techniques for brain performance enhancement that are certain to become available in the coming years and decades, I believe we are really facing the coming of a new age of eugenics. When it becomes possible for people to improve the performance of their children in school through the use of various high-tech drugs, synthetic hormones, gene modifications, etc., there is absolutely no doubt that vast numbers will succumb to the temptation unless there are extremely strong laws and enforcement practices in place to stop them.

But even if the U.S. does ban these practices and develops effective enforcement mechanisms, there will be nothing to stop other countries from blazing right ahead. I mean, it's easily conceivable that a poverty-stricken third-world country could become a center of immense intellectual power virtually overnight if it were to utilize brain-enhancement techniques on a massive scale. Will that poverty-stricken country be able to resist the temptation? And will the wealthiest countries and individuals turn a blind eye? Of course not - they will proceed to try to retain or enhance their advantage by developing and using ever more sophisticated techniques.

Basically, it will be an arms race. We're really looking at a wholesale modification of what it means to be human. Once we go down that road, we have no idea whether the changes that are made may at some point end in our extinction as a species. What's most scary to me is that I see almost no way to prevent us from going down that road.

The artificial manipulation of competition is unfortunately only one issue of many. Another pressing concern - also covered in this article - is the potential for highly intrusive uses of these new technologies by governments and businesses. If it becomes possible for a simple brain scan to reveal who committed a crime, or who's thinking about quitting their job to accept another offer, the pressure to make use of such scans will quickly become overwhelming unless we enact very strict laws against such practices and enforce them vigorously. Even then, the temptations will be almost irresistible. I mean, how many people would like to have the chance to do a silent, undetectable brain scan to let them know whether their spouse has cheated or is thinking about it? I can just see the ads now - "Guaranteed 99% accurate, with a neon red cheating indicator!"

What we're really facing is the growing ability of technology to enhance and enable with unprecedented new powers the worst aspects of human nature. Technology can also do many incredibly wonderful things, but unless we can learn very quickly to become far wiser in controlling it, it will very rapidly come to control us.

Male fish bear eggs in Potomac
Topic: Miscellaneous
Somehow, I don't think this will turn out to be a good thing...

Doctor Discovers the 'Orgasmatron'
Mood:  silly
Topic: Miscellaneous
OK, in an attempt to lighten things up around here:
"She said it was difficult to part with the orgasmatron when the study ended."

Boobie Love
Topic: Miscellaneous
C'mon now guys and gals, who really doesn't like boobs? They doing the Blogger Boobie-thon thing again this year - you get to see boobs, the proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and nobody gets hurt (boobs being pretty much the antithesis of a sharp, dangerous object... though of course that's not to say that they haven't gotten a lot of folks in trouble over the centuries). Click the banner below to get an eyeful and help out a good cause...