Life is Good

Code Pink Confronts Condi

this clip is hot. i would be very surprised if a mainstream news organization showed this or presented it as news. they do not like to cover dissent at CNN or MSNBC. Fox "news" might show it, but would only warp it with all their crazy, right wing propaganda.

I agree. Take her to the Hague, along with Bush, Cheney and Tony Blair.

Built Environments: The Madness of Dubai

I can't get my head around the physical place and concept of Dubai, that excessive, growing metropolis in the United Arab Emirates. The ruler of Dubai is Sheikh Mohammed Al bin Rashid Maktoum, and he is hell bent on making this city the largest, richest place on earth. He wants to give Arabs what westerners have enjoyed for a long time: mega shopping centers, prime ocean front real estate, swank nightclubs, theme parks and all sorts of things one keep one entertained- especially the rich.

Construction began in Dubai in 2000, and what has been accomplished so far is simultaneusly astounding, and distrubing. I say astounding just because of the sheer creativity and magnitude of the projects, and the speed by which they are being developed. I say disturbing because this development is happening in the desert, and off shore, with major environmental repurcussions. It's almost like someone threw down the gauntlet to pressure people to create the uncreatable, to dream as big as you can and then make those dreams reality. I picture board rooms of Arab and Western men concocting development plans and schemes with assurances that both the money and the talent is in place to literally make these plans concrete. They probably ask themsevles "can we do this?" but never "should we do this"? And these developers prey on the poor to build their dreams. They ship desperate people in from all over the middle east (housing them in barracks outside of Dubai) forcing them to work long hours in the hot sun for $4.00 a day! Tremendous wealth is being built on the backs of the poor.

Currently, Dubai has the tallest building in the world - the Burj Dubai, the highest of the high rises. They are currently (everything is current in Dubai) making the largest shopping areas in the world, and also the biggest theme parks on the planet. But they strive to make connections between old culture and the new. For example, they still have camel races but instead of using children to steer the camels, the men in Dubai use electronic whips tied to the camel's back while they follow along in their SUVs operating the remote control devices. In short, Dubai sounds like Las Vegas, Orlando, and New York City all rolled into one. Terribly excessive in every way.

The place is being built with oil money and, of course, it serves the appetites of the very, very wealthy. Many westerners are buying vacation homes there, shopping in the finest stores, eating the best food, dancing at the swankiest clubs. You get the picture. And since space is at a premium, developers in Dubai have just started building offshore. That's right, housing developments and islands are being created by shipping in massive amounts of sand from nearby regions. These developments are intended to be vacation homes for the super rich, who will hardly spend any time there. People who actually live in Dubai pay no taxes, but it's very expensive to live there, and you have no citizenship no matter how long you are there.

Check out this promotional video about "the world" which is a series of man-made islands where everyone can have their dream home.

Strange Weather

This week in upstate the temperture had been in the 60's and 70's. By Monday we are expected to reach 80. So far this fall it has never really cooled off. I feel like Im still in the final days of summer, although the leaves are falling from the trees.

Is there anyone on the right who still believes global warming isn't real, or just apocalyptic tales spun to strike fear in the population? Are there still conservative cranks who reject or manipulate the scientific evidence of global warming? Yes, there are. I caught the tale end of a Bush speech a couple of weeks ago, and he said we have to "reject the doomsday phrophicies" and work to make our environment better. So, he is one of those cranks who still resist the presence of global warming. To him, making the environment better means allowing business as usual while using the language of environmentalism to deny, obfuscate or manipulate the political and environmental realities.

As John Stewart says, everything this administration says they are, in fact, they are the opposite - "America doesn't torture." Uh, yes, it does. Ask some people in guantanomo. "We're gonna do what it takes to rebuild New Orleans." Uh, no. You have not and will not do that. Instead this administration turned the rebuilding of New Orleans over to the private sector, who is making millions off this disaster, and still the town looks like Katrina happened last week. "No child left behind." Ha. There are many children being left behind (in terms of healthcare) now thanks to the mean-spirited veto of the Schip legislation.

Anyway, back to global warming. I live in an area surrounded by lakes both big and small. I was told that these lakes are about 4 degress warmer than they should be this time of year, which means they are going to have difficulties freezing, which means we are gonna get clobbered by snow this year. Again.

My Favorite Graveyard

I love graveyards. There are two graveyards in my town. One that has the "founding fathers" of Clinton, with remains of people born in the 1700"s and early 1800's. The other sits upon a hill and has old and fairly new graves. Last year I started a Halloween tradtion of walking through one of the graveyards at sunset. These pics I took last Halloween, right after dark.

Hillary Clinton's Bullshit

I read an interesting, albeit brief, post about the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for president. Damn, it's hard to blog with a cat on your lap, but I digress. This post was written by Roseanne on her blog, roseanneworld. Since Roseanne is a long time feminist, some might conclude that she would automatically support Clinton. Apparantly this is not the case. In fact, she has stated that her dream ticket is Al Gore (Mr. nobel peace prize winner) and John Edwards (cutey with a $200 haricut.).

So, this democratic ticket is, indeed, very interesting and the most diverse group of candidates we have even seen in American politics. The republicans, on the other hand, are soooo boring with their tired, old, white guy procession in election after election after election. I have no idea who I'm going to vote for.

Dennis Kucinich is most in line with my own political beliefs, but he is not a viable candidate. Still I'm happy to have a voice like his in the conversation. Mike Gavel cracks me up. I'm so glad he is part of the debates, for comic relief if nothing else. Barak? He's a bit green, but I do like his stance on many things - just not gay marriage. He didn't vote for this criminal war, but he wasn't in the senate at that time, so who knows what he would have done. Hilary? She's actually the most conservative of the entire pool. I hate her war vote, and in general, I find her a bit hawkish. I don't like her stance on gay marriage or Israel. John Edwards? He has more experience than Obama, but I didn't like his war vote, or his current stance on gay marriage. Still he has lots of good ideas and actual programs. Plus, he is so damn cute.

I am excited about the prospect of having a woman president. I can't lie. It would be absolutely amazing, a historical paradigm shift, to see a woman in the white house. Not to mention an ex-president as the first, first man! But is my desire to see a Mrs. President so strong that I"m willing to vote for a woman who doesn't fully represent my views?

That will be the big question for me on election day.

Anyway, below is Roseanne's blog entry about Hillary:



"Hillary Clinton's Bullshit"

"Hillary Clinton is going to ram through what Bush couldn't with her fake health care insurance 401k bullshit. She is the same as Bush in every way, and just because she is a woman and women think that is good makes me want to puke"


jb

More Mariza

This one is called "Povo Que Lavas No Rio"

Love how she sings it the traditional way by standing within the crowd without a microphone.

MARIZA

OH.MY.GOD.

I just heard the most amazing singer last night. Her name is Mariza and she is a Fado singer from Portugal. Words fail. Just watch the performance.

This song is called "Genta Da Minha Terra."

Straight Marriage

A moratorium on straight marriages should be called immediately.

I call on all my straight friends and relatives not currently marrried to take a stand, and refuse to enter into this institution until gay people are allowed to marry. For those of you already married, encourage other straight people to refrain from marrying until full equality has been obtained.

I call on all gay people to not support the marriages of their straight friends and family. This means that you should gently and respectfully tell them that you won't attend their weddings until they are able to attend ours.

Let's face it, straight marriage is a joke, a complete and utter failure. I'm not saying that queers could do any better with the institution, but, dammit, we should have the same opportunities to fuck it up:)

My stance on marriage is a new one. I now see it as a good issue around which to rally support for full equality under the law for queer people. My opinion on marriage changed this week actually when I read that Pamela Anderson got married (again) to some sleazy sex tape producer. She should be the poster child for the fight for gay marriage. How many times has Pam been married? She seems to marry and divorce so casually. There are many straight people like her, and yet most people see queers as the biggest threat to marriage. It's illogical.

So, straight people, STOP GETTING MARRIED. And gay people, QUIT GOING TO STRAIGHT WEDDINGS until you are allowed to marry.

jb

Cell Phone Dead

Yep, my motorala razr phone died on Friday. My beloved partner washed it in a pair of shorts. This is the third time I have lost a cell phone to water.

The first time I had a cell phone submerged in water was when my beloved washed it in a pair of shorts. The same shorts I was wearing last Friday, btw. I waited a week and tried the phone, and much to my surprise, it started working again.

The seond time I lost a phone to water while in a flood in New Orleans (pre Katrina). I had taken a cab from the French Quarter to our hotel on Lake Charles avenue during a torrential downpour and flood. I stepped out of the cab, and water was virtually up to my waste. My phone was in the pocket of my shorts (you guessed it, the same pair of shorts I was wearing last Friday) and it got soaked as soon as I stepped out of the cab.

The third time was last Friday. I am now waiting to see if it will dry out and work again before I plunk down money for a new one.

I think I'm going to burn those shorts........

jb

On Becoming an Oenophile

Yes, I am fast becoming an oenophile. I have drank a lot of wine over the years, but have decided to really start learning about it and collecting bottles.

Yesterday, a small group of fellow oenophiles had our first wine tasting event. Our 7 member group enjoyed 5 different types of Syrah, complimented with a good fritatta, mild cheese and bread. It was spectacular. All of the wines selected were awesome. Here is the list of what we enjoyed:

1. Bridlewood Estate Winery Reserve Syrah (2003). Central coast, California.

2. Rosenblum Petite Syrah - Apellation Series (2005) San Fransisco Bay, California.

3. Stolpman Estate Syrah (2004) Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara county, California.

4. J.L. Chave Hermitage- Rouge (1983) Northern Rhone Valley, France.

5. E. Guigal Hermitage - Rouge (1978). Northern Rhone Valley, France.

I enjoyed the J.L. Chave Hermitage from 1983 the most.

Anyway, we are meeting monthly and each person will bring a bottle of whatever grape we choose to focus on that month. The grape for next month's tasting is one of my faves: zinfandel.

I've got the wine bug. Off to buy a case.

jb