A Slight Diversion

From our scheduled programming.  I was thinking about it recently and this blog has turned quite a bit from what I originally planned for it.  It started off as a travel blog and then was a dumping ground for random fun stuff I found on the interweb interspersed with some deeper thinking.   Now it is the 365 site where I am posting my new passion.

I miss having a place where I can put some of the longer posts that just don’t really have a place lodged in with my pics.  I also chatted with a friend a couple of weeks ago about exploring some other interests and how to make that happen.  He had the great suggestion of setting up a new blog to capture some of the thoughts I had around things and sharpen up on my writing.

I like this idea but don’t have enough time currently to post with any regularity to this new blog.  I have also noticed that a lot of people’s blogs I follow seem to have tailed off on posting anything with a lot of substance.  Everyone seems to be using facebook and other mechanisms to keep their networks  up to date (which is what facebook is for and why you will see me on it soon).  All of this tangentially gets me to the long winded point of this post:

Collective Mind Grapes

This blog will be dedicated to whatever people want to write about and hopefully you all will help out with keeping it filled with interesting essays.  I will probably post on music and politics, perhaps economics if I get my shit together.  Point being, let me know if you want to add anything to it and we can work it out.

A Temper

To the unbridled optimism of the last post.  This is a video shot by a still photographer and I really appreciate the style.  The subject matter is something that weighs on your mind though.  Tying back to the optimism though hopefully this is something we can all help out in the next 4 years.

Breathing Room

Work was relatively hectic this week so I did not have as much of a chance to take photos as I would have liked but Obama did become our 44th president so there is that.  Apparently there was a huge party on the street just a couple of blocks down from where I live and even though Neville, Yachi and I heard it (The distant roar of the crowd) we were able to convince ourselves it was the sizable group out side of the neighborhood bar instead of huge group it was.  A guy at work took some awesome photos which you can view here and someone close to the Obama family posted a bunch of candid shots of Barack and his family here.

Now I am able to hang out at Yachi's store which has been amazingly busy today.  This forces me to sit in the back and look at random things on the interweb like this amazing video shot only with a DSLR.  Also I took myself off of all mailing lists or at least attempted to.  We will see how that works.  Now I will go through the few photos I did take this week to post tomorrow.

Making a chocolate shake out of a vanilla one:

About To Start

Under 3 minutes now until live results start coming in.  Man I am much more excited than I thought I would be.  Like jittery feet pacing around excited.  Tomorrow really has the possibility to be no fun.

Crazy Day

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3679931&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

I am not sure how I feel about Billups no longer wearing a Piston's jersey but I have to admit having my favorite non-Piston on their team makes me more excited to watch this season than I was.

Oh yeah also VOTE!!!  I don't care for who but get out there and do your civic duty.

Maybe I Will Have A Budweiser

Not sure why this amused me so much but thought I would share.  Keep your fingers crossed for the next week that craziness does not happen.

Also VOTE!

Forgot that I was going to try to add a pic a post so drinking on the couch:

Giggle But True

 

Not sure why this makes me giggle quite so much but it really does.  Kind of rings true as well.

Baby == Nominee VIP Pass

http://www.slate.com/id/2181495/

This was a pretty good idea from someone who both had a baby at the right time and lived in the right state.

It is interesting to see the difference in how the candidates look with the baby.

No More Loud Nights At The Bars

Nobody wants to have to be quiet when drinking. Follow the info below to contact the city council and make your voice heard.

Action Alert! Council to vote on nightlife rules on Monday, August 13th Mayor's license proposal still alive Voice your opinion to the City Council! Last Thursday, the City Council's Neighborhoods and Economic Development committee passed a reasonable package of new nightlife rules which creates an advisory board, requires some nightlife businesses to develop security plans, and adds additional enforcement staffing for the city. This package can be viewed at http://www.seattle.gov/council/issues/nighlife_ord.htm. However, a last minute push by Councilmembers Jan Drago and David Della has put the mayor's license proposal back on the table. The new proposal can be viewed here (http://seattlenma.org/downloads/prpsd_ntlf_lic_ord.pdf). This new license, combined with the new rules the committee has already passed, makes this new package as extreme – if not more – than what the mayor proposed. In addition, the council is working on a new noise ordinance which has yet to be made public, but is expected to be voted on next Thursday, August 16. The council is now contemplating even more regulation than the Mayor proposed! Here is what we need you to do: Contact the members of the city council and tell them you support the package that the committee has approved and we don't need a license. They should just vote on what they have in front of them NOW and move on. Please contact the City Council today! Councilmembers email addresses are listed below. Attend the Monday, August 13th 2 PM City Council meeting and testify. You will have only two minutes, and they limit the total time allotted for public comment so sign up early! Attend the Thursday, August 16th, 6 PM meeting of council's Neighborhoods and Economic Development Committee at the Highpoint Community Center – 6920 34th Ave SW. Testimony will be taken at the beginning of the meeting. Forward this email to your friends and colleagues asking them to voice their support of nightlife in Seattle. Neighborhood activists and the Mayor have been pounding on City Councilmembers these last few months. Our voice needs to be heard! Contact the councilmembers today! Seattle City Council: Sally Clark - sally.clark@seattle.gov Richard Conlin - richard.conlin@seattle.gov David Della - david.della@seattle.gov Jan Drago - jan.drago@seattle.gov Jean Godden - jean.godden@seattle.gov Nick Licata - nick.licata@seattle.gov Richard McIver - richard.mciver@seattle.gov Tom Rasmussen - tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov Peter Steinbrueck - peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov

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Now playing: Consequence - Disperse Feat. Gangsta L. Crisis & Really Doe
via FoxyTunes

Jealousy

I wish I had thought of this and had the composure to achieve it.

http://www.alternet.org/story/57001/?page=1

It is amazing the level of ignorance that exists in the world still. An interesting topic for discussion would be the flip. What happens at a cruise full of readers of the New Republic?

Acting Up

I was going to post on some random internet funs but got the fever for some activism instead.

It looks like Gizmodo is trying to stand up to the monster that is the RIAA. Info here and much more eloquently stated than I could. It is about time that someone tries in whatever way possible to take this stand and hopefully have people realize that they do not have to put up with such a bullying organization.

Here are some quotes from the manifesto that caught my attention:

The goal of the RIAA's lawsuits is to make people so afraid of being sued that they will stop downloading music. However, in their lawsuits they circumvent the law and extort money from people who haven't been given the benefit of a legal trial...

it's worth noting that issues such as the underpayment of artists and album price-fixing are quite serious and should be considered as good a reason as any to keep your money from going to their pockets. Two articles worth reading to study up on how major labels screw over the artists they claim to represent are Courtney Love's speech to the Digital Hollywood online entertainment conference and The Problem with Music by Steve Albini.

The first step Gizmodo wants people to take is to boycott all music that comes from an RIAA label. [Website that will tell you if a piece of music is money in the RIAA's pocket or not]. A lot of my favorite groups are on an RIAA label and it is going to be hard not to buy any music from one of those labels but hopefully it will make the message more powerful.

The second message I got today was from the showbox and I thought it was good timing as the issue had come up at lunch today. We missed the meeting but an email to a council member can still help:

As you know, many of Seattle's neighborhoods are thriving and attracting more residents, businesses and bars, nightlife. This growth is a welcome indication of Seattle's economic vitality and cultural vibrancy. Some might argue that nightlife is what drives new residents and businesses to many of Seattle's neighborhoods, and is necessary to keep attracting a vital young workforce to the City. We definitely know that neighborhoods with lots of bars and clubs have seen corresponding dramatic increases in condo prices.

Unfortunately, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has tried to divide residents and the nightlife community, and has proposed an oppressive new ordinance that threatens to kill nightlife in Seattle. This ordinance won't solve the issues that come with increased nightlife and residential housing, it won't address the lack of Police and other services the City provides at night, it won't decrease street crime, it won't help solve the issues of drug gangs selling crack on the street, it won't decrease noise coming from people on the street at night. It WILL kill healthy clubs. It will keep new investment from opening new bars and clubs in Seattle. It will ultimately harm the nightlife scene and especially the live music community.

We need you to speak out against this ordinance now.

The City Council's Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee will have a public hearing on this legislation on Thursday, March 1st at 9:30 a.m. The hearing takes place at City Hall in the Council Chambers (600 4th Ave, 2nd floor). If you're interested in making sure Seattle has a safe, vibrant nightlife and music scene, this is an opportunity to voice your opposition to The Mayor and this horrible legislation.

If you can't make the meeting, be sure to write the Council to let them know how you feel about this ordinance and the need for nightlife and music in Seattle. The more personal emails you write the better - let them know your positive experiences, how music and nightlife benefit you, and solutions you think could happen differently than the Mayor's ordinance. Check out more info on nightlife and music issues at www.seattlenma.org.

Please email the following people as soon as possible:

Michael Gilmore (michael.gilmore@seattle.gov); Jan Drago (jan.drago@seattle.gov); Richard Conlin (Richard.Conlin@seattle.gov); Richard McIver (richard.mciver@seattle.gov); Peter Steinbrueck (peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov); Nick Licata (Nick.Licata@Seattle.gov); David Della (David.Della@Seattle.gov); Tom Rasmussen (tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov); Jean Godden (Jean.Godden@Seattle.gov); Sally Clark (sally.clark@seattle.gov); James Keblas (james.keblas@seattle.gov)

Do what you feel is right.