Geaux Library Recovery List-Serv: One Mission - Help Librarians and Libraries Help Their Colleagues in the Aftermath of Katrina

I've created a new Yahoo! group to help put librarians, archivists, curators, systems, IT, and preservation professionals from aroundd the world into contact with their colleagues and friends in Louisiana, Mississippi, and along the Gulf Coast.

There are thousands of information professionals and repositories that have been devistated by Hurricane Katrina. Several of the most valuable historical collections in have more than likely suffered catastrophic destruction. More than likely, some of the America's most vital historical artifacts, records, and documents have probably been lost. Clean-up will take a lot of manpower, muscle, and knowledge. Libraries may need to be completely gutted, whole records collections may need to be sorted, dried, and reprocessed.

But paper, paint, architecture, digital technologies, and metalwork, as anyone who works in historic preservation, is finite and nowhere near as valuable as a single human life.

There are going to be numerous professionals and paraprofessionals, and their families, who may be without power, phone service, or vital necessities. There will undoubtably be students at the L-Schools at Southern Miss and LSU (both of which have a lot of distance students from NOLA) who have lost much of what they own.

The Katrina Reocvery Effort will require, more than likely, a lot of fresh bodies and resources to help. This is a way for librarians to help, even if its just for moral support. People will need to find out about missing colleagues, updates on the storm from on the ground, and may need to solicit volunteer clean-up workers. If someone has some vacation/release time saved up, please feel free to donate some time. This is a new endeavor, so I'm hoping I-Pros around the country will be willing to donate any support they can.

And please, please, please....first give to the Red Cross. If you can't do anything else, give a little and check with employers about matching donations.

For more information, please e-mail me. Feel free to e-mail this post to professionals in your neck of the woods or hotlink.

Jason

Give to the American Red Cross

Click on the Picture for a printable form.

Or click on the text here

for the American Red Cross Donation Site.

The Zenfo Pro Breaks Down...Time to Grieve a bit.

I've cried five times today.

First, at the realization that there are places that I once frequented that will no longer exist. Most people don't realize how vibrant New Orleans is, places like Tipitinas, La Chat Noir, the bar off Elysian Fields where a librarian-toasting drink, the Dirty McCarthy, was invented. (A double of Dewars with a pineapple juice chaser...sounds disgusting, but trully a mind-blowing combination of flavor.) The hotel where my parents stayed during my LSU graduation -- now a windowless hulk.

Second time was over a stereotypical Gen Y student crying into a cell phone over the sudden deterioration of her $600 shoes because of the remnants of Katrina blowing our way. It was some damned pathetic. I was actually so angered and appalled that some spoiled rich kid would DARE bitch about heavy rains destroying her shoes when millions of people - including some of America's poorest - have probably lost everything they own in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama.

Third time was in a stairwell at the library where I work. A staff member told me she'd keep my friends and family in Louisiana in her prayers.

Fourth time, I was sitting in a coffee shop here in town, trying to get information about the priceless historic and rare collections in the various repositories throughout New Orleans. The Jazz Archive at Tulane. Earl K., the main Tulane library? What about Loyola? Or Zavier? Or UNO? There's the Greater New Orleans Collections. Jackson Barracks. New Orleans Public Library. The galleries. The court records and vital information. No luck. It then occurred to me that the entire recorded history of greater New Orleans may have simply washed away. I collapsed into my truck seat and balled and shuddered like I haven't in a long time.

Finally, I cried when I got an e-mail from a long-lost friend, Michelle, telling me that one of our mutual friends was safe and sound in Houston and that her home only suffered minor damage. Then it occurred to me -- this horrific and terrible thought:

How many friends, colleagues, and family -- from LSU, from New Orleans, from the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, distant cousins who live and work in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish - may I have lost? There's no contact in or out of most of Louisiana. Gov. Blanco has now declared martial law, the lowland parishes continue to flood. How many librarians and staff will not show up to work when this is all over?

Been trying for two days to block that last thought out of my mind. Guess I finally broke down.

I can't cry anymore. I've got to think positively. Everybody's okay, hopefully. Regardless, they're still in my prayers.

Jason

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NOLA View weblog: Emergency Contacts/Disaster Relief Efforts

I'm posting this from NOLA View on my site. Information is Power.

Please, please, please...if you know anybody who may need to track anybody down in Louisiana, have them hold off on flooding the phone lines until the situation is a bit more stable.

Bon Chance,
Jason

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NOLA View weblog
Nola.Com

Emergency contact / disaster relief information

American Red Cross
Disaster Helpline
1-866-438-4636

FEMA
Call to Apply for Assistance 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The speech or hearing impaired may call (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. You may also register online.

National Response Center
1-800-424-8802
1-202-267-2675

State Police Road Closure Hotline:
1-800-469-4828

Shelter Information:
Red Cross- 1(866)-GET-INFO (438-4636)
Special-Needs Shelter Information
Triage Phone Numbers:
Alexandria: 800-841-5778 Shreveport: 800-841-5776
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372 Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409 Slidell/Hammond: 866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210 Lake Charles: 866-280-2711

Equine Shelter/Evacuation Site Information
Locations for Animal Evacuation:
Alexandria - Large & Small 318-442-4222 (all vet clinics will accept)
Lamar Dixon - Gonzales - Large Animals
Shreveport - LSU-S (pets only, no livestock)
West Monroe - Ike Hamilton Coliseum

Emergency Shelter Information Points:
Tourist Welcome Center, US 65 & 84, 1401 Carter St. (US 84), Vidalia, LA
Tourist Welcome Center, TA Truck Stop, Tallulah Exit (Hwy 65 & I 20)
Paragon Casino, 711 Paragon Place, Marksville LA
Sammy's Truck Stop, I-49, Exit 53, 3601 LA 115W, Bunkie, LA
Med Express Office, 7525 US 71, Alexandria, LA
P.E. Gym, LSU- Shreveport, One University Place, Shreveport, LA
Pickering High School, 180 Lebleu Rd., Leesville, LA
Mowad Civic Center, 5th & 10th St., 1 Block off US 165, Oakdale, LA

OXFORD CONFIDENTIAL:We're all Louisiana in this House

Right before I left the oh-so-sunny Central Coast of California for graduate school at Louisiana State University, my Aunt Marge came down to visit my folks from her home in Oregon.

One cool Paso Robles night, Marge and I sat on my parent's patio, smoking Winstons and drinking Canadian Mist. A lot of Canadian Mist. Marge, technically my great-aunt and in her 80s, kept a-pourin' and being the gentleman I am, I kept on a-drinkin'.

When both of us were well gone past any limit of sobriety, Marge looked me dead in my eyes and asked me a rather intriguing question.

"Why in damned hell do you want to move to Louisiana, boy?" Marge asked. "Don't you know our family fought tooth and nail to get out of that damned place?!?

She was right, of course. For at least four generations, part of my family had fought tooth and nail to escape the confines of, or so the story goes, East and West Carroll, East Baton Rouge, St. Tammany and La Salle parishes (for those unfamiliar with the parish thing, Louisiana doesn't have counties).

Marge's brother Hube, who once played with Hank Williams, was known as a suave lady-killer from Slidell to Alexandria before he was 18. The man didn't leave the state by choice; rather, he was probably chased out by concerned kinfolk. Marge joined the military and rarely, if ever, looked back. My dad's dad, Desmond LeRoy, joined the Navy. Even their mother, my great grandmother, packed up and left for the brighter shores of Oakland, California, the first chance she got.

And I was going back...by choice. No warrants. No outstanding debts to elderly relatives or loansharks. No inherited cotton fields long past the point of growing anything.

Just an unemployed reporter heading to grad school...to become a librarian.

It is one of the few choices I've made in my life that I'm certain to never regret.

Louisiana, particularly southern Louisiana, is one of those magical, mystical places to a lot of people. To me, it was the first place I'd actually felt at home in a long time. I was comfortable there - not too comfortable, but just right. It was probably the first time in my life that I actually felt like I belonged somewhere. The sheer artistry of New Orleans, the strangely dangerous and seductive Baton Rouge, the gorgeous drives through Ascension Parish, the simplistic, yet impoverished, lives of good folks out in Plaquemine.

There's, of course, Mardi Gras. New Orleans krewes (parade sponsors) put on some amazing parades, but my favorite is still the Spanish Town Parade. My last Mardi Gras in the state, I went to a party right on the parade route of the biggest party in Baton Rouge. I drank a lot of Miller High Life, threw up, flashed for beads, and failed in my attempt, fortunately, to scale my friend Mary's apartment building. Then I wandered from house-to-house, taking in the costumed revelry and free gumbo and jambalaya.

Some may say the cuisine in other parts of the country are the most exquisite cuisine in the States; having eaten elsewhere, I can say beyond any doubt that Louisiana boasts the most flavorful and fun dishes anywhere in the world.

The Silver Moon Cafe on Chimes Street in Baton Rouge boasts the world's greastest $7 lunch - smothered chicken and a side of greens and cornbread, complete with sweet tea. The crawfish etouffee at the Chimes - just up the street - is what college food should be.

And the coffee, oh Lord, the coffee! A cafe au lait and some beignet from either Coffee Call in BR or the legendary Cafe du Monde or Cafe Beignet in NOLA huddled over a notebook is still my idea of a perfect evening.

I've teared up a couple of times today looking at the photos of Katrina's destruction. I felt so damned helpless. Garbage that was once somebody's furniture litters Canal Street. Collapsed buildings I once leaned on during rambunctious nights and mornings in the Quarter. Trees wiped from the face of BR's Garden District. Sugar cane crops - part of the state's lifebood - ground into dirty pulp.

What the damned hell did I learn in Louisiana anyway, boy?

Compassion and friendship. Union, Justice, Confidence.

And Marge, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

ZP

WBRZ News 2 Louisiana Live Feed of Katrina Coverage

For those who may be still have power in Southeastern Louisiana or for anyone else interested. People ask, the Zenfo Pro does his bit to help...

I'll continue to keep everyone in my prayers and thoughts. From what I've been able to assess so far, it's bad but nowhere near as bad as was expected.

Watch Live Hurricane Katrina news coverage via the ABC-affiliate WBRZ News 2 Web Feed. The New Orleans ABC affiliate is apparently simulcasting from Baton Rouge. (Requires RealPlayer)

Click Here to Launch

For coverage of La. Katrina Damage...

For coverage of La. Katrina Damage...


NEW ORLEANS
NOLA View weblog

BATON ROUGE
2theadvocate.com | Powered by The Advocate and WBRZ News 2 Louisiana

Prayers for the Big Easy Tonight

To all my Louisiana friends and family:

My thoughts and prayers go out to you tonight. Godspeed and good luck. Please be safe. If this is the big one scheduled to hit, please know that if you need anything, give me a holler.

My dad's family hails from Louisiana. My grandfather joined the Navy in New Orleans. His brother, Hubert, played in the honky-tonks and clubs there. My Aunt Marge went to finishing school just across the river on the West Bank.

I know at least a dozen librarians, archivists, and curators who live and breathe Louisiana - good people, good friends, and compatriots all.

I got word that at least one buddy will be riding out Katrina and will still have to head into work tomorrow - the Times-Picayune has to keep putting out newspapers.

God, if you're listening, please keep everybody safe.

J.

CNN.com - New Orleans braces for 'the big one' - Aug 28, 2005

Cool vs. Trendy

I had a weird discussion with some construction workers the other day - about the meaning of "coolness" versus "trendy."

These guys and I discussed the return of the worn-out looking jeans as a fad, and how what they and I naturally create through wear-and-tear now retails for in the hundreds of dollars at trendy outlets and boutiques - people drop good money to buy Diesel, Aeropostal, and Calvin Klein for the labels rather than get a comfortable pair of Levis or Wranglers and wear them down the old fashioned way.

The conversation's been haunting me, both for its comical irony (construction workers discussing fashion is anything but stereotypical behavior) and because its not normally something I think about. I wanted to at least come up with an answer that satisfied my own curiosity.

None of the guys I talked with had an answer. But everyone seemed to nod in agreement when this younger Electrician's apprentice said "Yup, there's a difference, all right."

I was up at ACE Hardware this afternoon, buying some plywood and coated wire (I've been painting a lot lately, using lightweight wood for canvas), and I noticed something very odd that reminded me of that conversation.

Several customers in the store were Miami students, all dolled up, shopping for who knows what. The funny thing is, their designer jeans looked just like the worn-out department store jeans several of the working class folks were wearing -- holes in the legs, frayed cuffs, and faded coloring.

The whole scenario finally put the whole "coolness-versus-trendy" thing into perspective for me. Being cool or exhibiting "coolness" is about learning to add one's own personality into something that is time-tested. Like beat-to-death jeans worn by your average cowboy, carpenter, electrician, rancher, plumber, or other everyday-joe, coolness comes from taking something ordinary - like denim - and making it unique, putting one's own personal touches into something to make it extraordinary.

Being "trendy" means basically the opposite - taking something unique and molding one's personality to fit a product line, popular belief, stereotype, etc. Like designer jeans, trends change often. Therefore, accepting trendiness requires adapting constantly to maintain some level of social status, group acceptance, etc. There is no time - like with the Miamian's designer duds - to make something unique or to add any tangible personal investment to trendy things.

Basically, being "cool" means not worrying about being "trendy" and simply doing one's own thing. Being "trendy" means, however, worrying constantly about looking, acting, and sounding "cool."

Another example...Your average truck driver who buys a hat at a truck stop isn't doing so because some celebrity or ad agency said it's "cool" to own a trucker hat - he buys it because he needs a hat. I've had several folks around town - trend-followers, I guess - ask me where I bought my "Studebaker's, Farmville, Virginia" hat, assuming that it must've come from a designer store. Truth is, the hat is about as old as I am; I borrowed it from my Dad probably 10 years ago and never returned it. It's actually a freebie and quite comfortable after years of sitting on dashboards, behind driver's seats, and being crammed into moving boxes.

...

I guess it all boils down to the simple fact that simply being who one wants to be, without concerns about trends, popularity, or any of that superficial stuff, simply living a normal life, makes the average, everyday human being cooler than anything bought in a store.

I've got to quit having deep discussions with construction workers...

Little Milton 1934-2005 RIP to One Of the Blues Gods

Little Milton Dies at 70
Influential bluesman recorded for Sun, Chess and Stax
(Rolling Stone coverage)

Blues Hall of Famer Little Milton, who combined the tough electric blues sound of the early 1950s with the punchy, showtime arrangements of R&B, soul and funk, died in Memphis August 4 of complications from two strokes. He was seventy.

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How'd I miss this???

Little Milton was the man.The Mississippi native and one-time Sun Records artist inspired Led Zeppelin, Clapton, and tons of other great musicians. "Grits Ain't Groceries" is one of the greatest R&B songs of all time. The man, was, well, a Blues god.

I'll bet stations like WWOZ in New Orleans played tons of stuff from Milton's catalog for days.

New Photography Summer 2005

Its been a while since I hopped behind the the camera and shot any photos of an artistic nature. This summer, I had a chance to catch a few great shots after work while learning how to use one of these new fangled digital cameras.

Damn, I miss analog cameras...

Lines - Study in Shadow
(Canon Digital)

Dead Technology - Requiem
(Canon Digital, with digital dithering)

Electrician's Bird's Nest, July 2005
(Canon Digital, with digital dithering)

Brandi Wants the Speakers, August 2005
(Canon Digital, with digital dithering)

The First Jobsite Fixture, August 2005
(Canon Digital, with digital dithering)

OXFORD CONFIDENTIAL: Impromptu Information Literacy Training In Local Bar Leads to Revelation about Librarianship

OXFORD, OHIO (ZP) - Last night, I stopped by a local watering hole on my way home from work to relax and grab a pint. Its, unfortunately, becoming my regular Thursday and Friday afternoon ritual here in Oxford.

As I sat at the bar, I struck up a conversation with a local retiree. We talked a while - about the firing of Bob Huggins down at Cincinnati, the future of education, the lack of analytical skills displayed by Gen Y and, oddly enough, the unifying power of Walt Whitman.

As the conversation progressed, we began talking about the Internet and modern society's seemingly niave approach to information security. We discussed cookies. We discussed datamining and tracking software. And we discussed worms, viruses, and anti-spyware and anti-hacking technologies.

The bartender ended up joining in on the conversation - a 21-year-old marketing major. A local contractor joined in, as did a former member of the local community government. In between sips of LaBatt Blue and frantic discussion about web content evaluation, I scribbled URLs to Spybot S&D, AntiTracks, and SpywareBlaster on cocktail napkins.

And then it happened. I realized for the first time why librarianship, as a whole, is in such sorry shape.

Librarianship is, in modern times, too full of its own bullshit. Budgets are being cut left an right, public libraries can't fund programs, academic libraries as a whole are overly obsessed with playing at being faculty in an effort to stay relevant while the cost of scholarly publications skyrockets. Our archives and rare materials collections are literally rotting in antiquated storage facilities.

The worst bullshit of all is the belief that somehow people give a rat's ass already and that all of our technical jargon, generally irrelevant scholarship, and collective hand-wringing actually matters to your average human being.

The truth is we've done a damn lousy job communicating our relevence in the modern era. We've devoted so much of librarianship's collective efforts to patting ourselves on the back when we host boring conferences, workshops, and, more positively, launch a new service.

Librarians, for the most part, have begun to lose touch with the ability to communicate what we do to those from whom we need their support.

I spent at least 20 minutes talking to a rather attractive brunette (the bartender) about becoming a librarian - a student who has undoubtably been through at least two BIs given her major. In her experience, librarians were simply helpful people who helped find information. She had no clue that librarians know how to do anything beyond that - that we know about tracking demographic changes, we know about metadata, the nuts-and-bolts behind website evaluation, and the like. I gave her my business card and told her to look me up ... I hope to God she didn't think I was making a pass at her (find me one female bartender in a college town that hasn't had guys slip them phone numbers in a futile attempt to get laid, and I'll find you beachfront property in Wyoming), because I think she'd make one hell of a librarian.

By the end of the night, I'd had two extra rounds paid for by bar patrons for helping them out. Its the first time I think anyone's tried to get me hammered simply for doing my job, off-the-clock, as an information professional.

I'm sure some libby out there will find it totally distasteful that I would dare to call my bar banter Information Literacy training. Honestly, I could care less. I helped show a couple of Oxford residents how to scrub spyware from their machines, how to better utilize Google and other search engines, and how to install software to keep companies like Amazon.Com from making use of their search behavior as a way to make a buck.

I feel pretty damned good about it, actually. I feel like I helped make people's lives better, which is so much cooler than simply being helpful and finding information.

Zenformation Playlist 8/24/05Stressful Day at Work Means Spinning some Tunes

1. Jus' a Rascal - Dizzee Rascal
It blows my mind that Grime didn't catch on it the States. The UK puts out its biggest musical contribution to pop culture since Eric Clapton in the form of hip-hop and no one cares.

2. Terraplane Blues - John Lee Hooker
I once danced with a girl at a bar who said the sound of John Lee Hooker's voice made her want to do a striptease right in the middle of Happy Jack's Saloon (formerly one of the most brutal bars in all of California.) By the time I found enough quarters to feed the jukebox and play this song, the woman had already found another dance partner.

3. Shakin' Rock'n'Roll Tonight - The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
JSBE is always good to listen to when you're craving a little fuzzbox buzz.

4. Cigarettes - X-Ray Spex
One of the best British punk bands of all time.

5. We're a Happy Family - the Ramones
One of my all-time favorite songs. I must've listened to this song a half-million times through Walkman headphones when I was a kid.

6. You're Having the Time of my Life - Jets to Brazil
I remember hearing this song playing in several friends' dormrooms, houses, and apartments in 2000.

7. Small Man, Big Mouth - Minor Threat
I realized a few weeks ago after having the 10th person describe me as "straight-edge" that that's not necessarily an insult anymore...not like it was when I was younger, more full of rage at the world than common sense.

8. Small Town Pride - River City Rebels
A group of Burlington, VT, guys that put out music, last time I checked, on the Victory Records label.

9. I Turned Into a Martian - The Misfits
One of my favorite Misfits songs, along with Bullet and Where Eagles Dare. I'm still pretty sure Glenn Danzig is insane, but hey, he still managed to pull off the "scary-bodybuilder-with-skull-jewelry" thing later on in his musical career. To think, there are still folks who ask me why Halloween is my favorite holiday and I own a lot of black clothing.

10. You Spend Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive
One of those early 80s catchy-as-hell records that seems to pop up in movies, TV shows, and on, oddly enough, ringtones. I'm not too much of a music snob - I can admit, freely and in public, that I actually dig this song.

11. The KKK Took my Baby Away - the Ramones
I heard some girl's cellphone playing this today in Uptown...coming out of a frigging tanning salon...on a sunny August day... The girl looked like she hadn't eaten in three months! When girls with fake tans start downloading Ramones songs, I'm certain the End Times must be near. Its gotta be be in the Book of Revelation somewhere.

12. The Black Light - Calexico
Such a seductive sounding track. Reminds me of this neighbor I had in Colorado. Part of this rather large Mexican migrant labor family, this girl Lisette used to dance around on 6th Avenue's asphalt in nothing but a white tee-shirt every time it rained. Lisette could barely read or write, but, boy, did she know how to dance in the rain.

13. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl - Mississippi Fred McDowell
The master of the "steak bone" blues, Mississippi influenced the Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and scores of others.

14. On the Prowl - The Gossip
Man, such a juicy riff and that drumline. Wow. And they're playing in Columbus this weekend. Shit. Talk about bad timing. Sucks to be me.

15. Baby Sings Folk Songs - The Astronauts
One of those bands almost lost to history. Damn you, MTV and your retched bastardization of pop music. A bizarre half-punk, half-hippie outfit from the late 70s/early 80s UK scene.

16. Making Believe - Social Distortion
A lot of Social D. fans don't realize this classic song is actually a cover of a song made famous by Dolly Parton and later Emmylou Harris.

17. Jesus Was a Crossmaker - Judee Sill
Judee Sill's death in 1979 is a bit of a mystery. She died of some kind of overdose. Painkillers or heroin. Even the location of her death - Mexico or North Hollywood - is the subject of debate. Eitherway, Judee Sill was a talented songwriter who's musical contributions are often overlooked.

SoCal ConnectionMain Man Chewie gets interviewed by CBS 2's Lisa Joyner

LOS ANGELES (ZP) - FYI...my buddy Eric has finally made it into the Los Angeles media.

I always knew Eric would end up on the nightly news. I never imagined it would be for being one of LA's hottest mixologists. Always figured it would be for something involving a police chase for some reason....hmmm.

Eric was recently interviewed by CBS 2's Lisa Joyner for segment broadcast during CBS 2's nightly newscast.

After viewing the clip several times, I believe E. was flirting with one of LA's hottest reporters...

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Click here to visit Lisa's IT LIST site, then select the Bartending School video.

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Librarian Sock Monkey Throws Down a Primate Challenge:Forgotten Art Appreciation

Ms. Monkeythong, the Librarian Sock Monkey has issued a challenge on her blog to her loyal readers:

Based on an article on the Guardian UK website, Ms. M has challenged her readers to list their favorite artists, musicians, writers, etc. that have been lost to Pop Culture history.

So here's the Zenfo Pro list....
(Consider this an "open-source" tag.)

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MUSIC
Urge Overkill
Wow, Saturation [1993 Geffen Records] totally blew my mind at one point. I stole a bootleg cassette version of this from an ex-GF after she left me for the Marine Corps. Overrated when they first came out with a major-label release, the Chicago trio was lumped in with the Grunge scene but really belong in that hybrid category with the Gin Blossoms and other psychedelic garage rock of the early 90s.

FILM
High Plains Drifter
Clint Eastwood's first Western in the Director's Chair, HPD has all the dark, dreary underpinnings of his later Oscar-Winning work and the weirdness of Leone's classic Westerns.

ART
Frederic Remington
Its amazing how few people east of the Mississippi have ever heard of Remington, the man who captured so much of the simple beauty of the American West. His bronze work represents some of the most amazing in American sculpture - its raw action represents the continental break from the Old World.

LITERATURE
Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen
Probably two of the world's greatest war poets, both men served in the British military during the First World War. Sassoon was spared the hangman's noose for treason by fellow writer Robert Graves...and sentenced to a military mental hospital to be treated for the "insanity" of being a pacifist. Owen, who Sassoon befriended and encouraged, died in the trenches as the war's end was being finalized in France.

Neither soldier-poet wrote touchy-feely accounts of warfare, nor did they glamorize it. They scribbled in notebooks surrounded by the stench of bodies rotting in barbed-wire entanglements, watching helplessly through gasmask lenses as German, Briton, and Frenchman alike choked to death on gas. With the current War in Iraq, its easy for folks to just turn the channel when reports stream in concerning the true cost of warfare.

ENEMIES, by Siegfried Sassoon, from The Huntsman and other Poems (1918)

HE stood alone in some queer sunless place
Where Armageddon ends. Perhaps he longed
For days he might have lived; but his young face
Gazed forth untroubled: and suddenly there thronged
Round him the hulking Germans that I shot
When for his death my brooding rage was hot.

He stared at them, half-wondering; and then
They told him how I’d killed them for his sake—
Those patient, stupid, sullen ghosts of men;
And still there seemed no answer he could make.
At last he turned and smiled. One took his hand
Because his face could make them understand.

PARABLE OF THE OLD MAN AND THE YOUNG, by Wilfred Owen

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb, for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretched forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an Angel called him out of heaven;
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him, thy son.
Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns,
A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

The Independent Institute --The Poverty of Statistics

Alvaro Vargas Llosa of the Center for Global Prosperity, offers an interesting critique of the overuse of positive economic data to create the illusion of economic development.

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Alvaro Vargas Llosa's Commentary Here:
The Poverty of Statistics: Newsroom: The Independent Institute

San Francisco Examiner: San Francisco recycles computers to help bridge digital divide

By Justin Jouvenal
San Francisco Examiner Staff Writer;
Published: Monday, August 15, 2005 11:30 PM PDT

In an effort to bridge the so-called 'digital divide,' San Francisco began recycling surplus computer parts so they can be transferred to community centers and low-income households around The City.

Speaking near a stack of computer monitors at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the initiative saying The City had collected more than 4,000 monitors, keyboards, mice and other components from its different departments. The equipment will be transferred to Goodwill's Bay Area Computer Recycling Project, which will refurbish the parts before shipping them out. He said too many of The City's underprivileged do not have access to computers, which is a major impediment to a successful career and schooling."...

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Full Examiner Article Here:
San Francisco Examiner: News:

Robert Moog, Inventor of the Moog Synth, dies in North Carolina Home

Its funny...I'm listening to an old Nick Cave track loaded with theremin spookiness, and I come across the obit of Robert Moog.

For those unaware of Moog's musical accomplishments, the guy revolutionized electronic music with the invention of his Moog Sythesizer in the 1960s. The Moog synth is one of those classic psychedelic rock instruments, able to add creep and crawl to just about any song.

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Reuters Obit Coverage Here:
Entertainment: People Article | Reuters.com

Surviving College:11 Survival Tips for Getting through Higher Education

Okay...students are moving into town this weekend. Friday, while escaping campus, I'm pretty sure I ran over about five students. Luckily, given the amount of Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostal, callogen, hair plugs, and silicone in my wheel wells, I think I took out a few parents as well...

In the words of Triumph the Insult Dog, "I kid, I kid!" No incoming freshmen or their parents were actually harmed in the composing of this blog post.

I have a few words of advice for new students. Yeah, I know. It's unsolicited. And I'm also now an old man of 27. But prior to entering my current field, I was a professional student for parts of 8 years in California, Louisiana, and Colorado.

I've spent a few Saturday nights at Isla Vista near UC-Santa Barbara, where at least three genres of porn were invented during various house parties. I've celebrated All Hallow's Eve at the biggest college Halloween party in the nation while at LSU -- six blocks' worth of drunken orgy, complete with crossdressing women disguised as Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner.

At the University of Northern Colorado, I ate my fair share of "special" mushroom and onion pizzas, offered to go down of a female police officer while intoxicated, and threw up more good booze than most people ever drink -- if they're smart.

My Cal Poly friends and I even managed to pull off the "Rat Pack 12-Gauge" successfully -- a local tradition where a group of guys decked out like Sinatra and Dean Martin hit up 12 bars in 6 hours, and have one hour to (a) have two shots of Scotch and two beers, (b) get two different girls' phone numbers of two different ethnicities/national origins in each bar, and (c) not get arrested for public intoxication or starting a brawl (I actually found a notebook with my "digits" last night while cleaning - I got the phone numbers of a Pakistani girl, an Israeli, a Palestinian, a French girl, about 5 Chicanas, and the remainder from Pacific Rim or other Central American countries. )

That's a bit of my "student life" vita; the rest is either too embarrassing or too stupid to even post. Now, as a professional, I'm quite content to go to a watering hole and sip down two or three drinks maybe twice a month.

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THE ZENFO PRO'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING COLLEGE

1. Turn the damned collars down.
You look stupid. People who grew up in the Eighties have been trying to block this trend from their minds since 1991. Reagan is dead, kids. And, no, I don't give a shit if Kanye West is doing it, either.

2. Diversify, diversify, diversify!
Following trends is not what going to college should be about. Its about getting damned near educated. If you spend two hours in front of a mirror in the morning trying to look pretty and no time studying, you'll end up flunking out and looking good doing it. Shop at Goodwill. Wear whatcha like. Adopt a cause or three. Get smart, be unique, and then you'll be a trend-setter.

3. Ladies, average guys dig superficial stuff. Good guys love creativity and imagination-- "Tomboys" are so much more sensual than"Barbie Dolls".
When I was a big, bad-ass upperclassman at Poly, I knew a couple of guys who were always dating these "barbie" type girls...young, self-absorbed, and ignorant but always dressed in the latest fashionable college-girl outfits. I even fell for it once or twice myself when I was a broadcaster/student.
Girls like that are only good for one thing, and, no, its not the sex. Superficial women/men tend to be just expensive jewelry. As a guy matures, things like conversation and good companionship become more important. My friend John (not his real name) actually dumped his undergrad sweetheart when he met wonderfully real woman at the Getty Museum in LA. They had a five hour conversation over baseball, Jack London, sculpture, and landscape architecture -- last time I ran into him two, this 26-year old was madly in love with a woman who I've never seen without a Dodgers cap or in anything more designer than Levis. John's a landscape architect; "Sally"'s a carpenter and aspiring artist.

4. Guys, flip-flops and expecting to get laid all the time doth not a good guy make. Never say you love a girl unless you mean it. And don't talk about how damned hot a girl is all the time. "You're like so fucking hot" is nowhere near as important a compliment as "I'm glad I got to meet you. You seem like such a cool person." Keep your dick in your pants long enough to get to know somebody and to respect them as a person.
If you are going to make a pass at someone, please don't be oversexual about it. Flirting is an artform, and requires some level of sophistication. Women tend to quickly figure out that your typical backwards-ballcap-and-flip-flops student usually cannot back up their sexual bravado with performance.

5. Get the Fuck over Yourself. The world's a harsh place, either toughen up or quit wasting our natural resources. Turn off the the whiny emo shit, get some sunlight, and quit shoving a toothbrush down your throat to maintain a Holocaust Survivor figure (and, yup, everyone in your dorm knows about it.) In the real world, nobody wants to hear bad poetry about you getting stood up on Prom Night, or how hard life was on the ol' Cul de Sac. Take out the remainder of your high school angst in a positive manner -- learn to paint, explore your artistic side, write (and submit to journals), take a sculpture class. Human beings have been tormented with various ills since we learned to walk upright. Everybody has complaints about their lives - shut up and do something about it.

6. Ummm...that guy/girl you met at the bar/party who keeps getting text messages while you're making out in the dormroom...yeah...it's probably the high school sweetheart or the significant other. Trust me. Those "boyfriend finds out and gets pissed" moments are not fun. Been there too many times.

7. That really cute girl who seems depressed, obsessed with death, and looks a bit like Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands? Yeah...she's probably got a whole shit load of baggage attached. Been there, done that. Actually, its Gucci baggage these types of girls tend to carry around with them. I've been involved with too many of these, as a friend of mine calls them, "suicide chicks." I don't want to sound like I'm calling them bad folks, but the issues involved tend to make people self-destructive or homicidal. Often, they need professional help that you cannot provide and its near impossible for someone to face any serious depression or other mental woe while in a relationship. Be their friend if you want, but never be their lover. It will get ugly.

8. That really cute guy who dresses like a Cure groupie but was secretly a high school jock...he's in his "rebel without a clue" phase. Get back to him by his senior year...if he's not writing bad poetry about his ex and half-suicidal, then he's probably safe to date. Lots of college students experience their first breath of freedom during their first year. No parental control, yet not quite completely free. As that freedom grows, there's this natural urge to rebel -- against something. If that "something" grows into something more internal than a couple of Interpol records and a few tats, then the student has begun the path towards finding their path. If not, if the whole rebellion becomes nothing more than dark window dressing and brooding facial expressions, then the guy still has some growing up to do.

9. Don't be stupid and drink jungle juice or anything from unsealed containers at a party. Especially if you're a female. Nobody wants to see ya get roofied. Always have someone you trust with you at parties, and, I know this probably sucks, but make free booze is not worth the risk of sexual assault. Guys, take heed, too. I've had a least one friend I know of who was slipped GHB by a girl at a party. If he hadn't had good friends watching out form him -- notably the radical Feministas who were our mutual friends -- he would've been a sexual assault statistic. Guys do get sexually assaulted and this is the most common method.

10. Feel free to experiment, but, as with all experiments, make sure that the scientist (you) is still in charge. I know you're probably going to smoke pot. You're going to probably go a little further, maybe drop some acid, experiment with prescription drug/booze combos, try some psychedlic fungi, maybe even taste a little white powder. But know when you're getting out of control. Keep your priorities, always, in perspective. Eyes on the prize, always. And make sure you know - and I mean really KNOW - the ramifications of your choices. You can't circumvent proper drug screenings by employers - Golden Seal doesn't work and use of follicle testing (a fool-proof detection method that cannot be masked) is on the rise.
The asking "are you a Narc?" lithmus test is an urban legend. Every cop knows about 4/20 and even old ladies can pick out a stoner. Meth and heroin use is as stupid as smoking crack. Your friends will narc you out if facing jail time and/or expulsion from school. Smoking pot is as dangerous as smoking tobacco and marijuana loses its medicinal properties when used in relatively large doses. And, odds are, the cops do know who your dealer is and there may be a rather large file with photographs of you sitting in a police file cabinet somewhere if you've ever done a deal in the open.

11. Most Importantly, Don't Be the Brainless Zombies Eveyone Expects You to Be. Fight the Power and Be Yourself. Don't worry about keeping up with the Joneses, your high school buddies, or your college friends. The world's looking for leaders, not followers. If you're at university to party your ass off and aren't willing to work, then go flip some goddamned burgers and save Mom and Dad's money. If you can't work hard AND party hard simultaneously, you're not ready for the university experience. Join the Army, see the world, then come back and give it a shot in a few years. Nobody's ever ready to become an adult -- tough shit. High school's over.

It's time to go hardcore on this Higher Education game.

Much love,
The Zenfo Pro

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What's Inside the Information Bounty Killer Brain Tonight...

I modeled this list off a list I found over at Ms. Monkeythong, which I guess was modeled after one of the tons of "quiz" forwards I've e-mailed out lately:

Movies I've been Totally Digging Lately:
Once Upon a Time In the West, Tigerland, The Day the Earth Stood Still, D.O.A. (the original with Edmond O'Brien, not that stupid 80s remake), Double Indemnity, Assault on Precinct 13 (the John carpenter original). And, of course, The Wild Bunch.

Favorite Recent Stereotypical-Academician Reads:
Founding Brothers, Emerson's Self-Reliance, the Citizenship Papers, Thom Gunn's Sense of Movement.

Music I Listened to in my Office and in the Car Recently:
L7, Hank Williams, King Tee's Act a Fool, Madlib's Shades of Blue, Tom Waits' Alice, Bruce Springsteen, John Lee Hooker, and the Distillers' Coral Fang.

Favorite Food of the Moment:
Spinach Salads with grilled chicken breast, bacon, red onions, and Vidalia Onion Dressing.

Last Good Poem I wrote:
"Spit and Crowbars"

Funniest Random Thing I've Heard at Work Recently:
"Somebody needs to give that guy a jackhammer and a toilet brush. I ain't cleaning that up!"- One of the trades guys.

Favorite Piece of Nostalgia I Own:
My gray Stetson - Legend has it, my Dad found it in a wash down in Arizona before I was born.

Best Gift I've Received:
A gorgeous handmade silver Ethiopian Orthodox cross that my friend Mesi gave me.

One of the most Eccentric Eating Patterns I Have:
I really dig whole grain baguette with basalmic vinegar and olive oil for breakfast sometimes. Great with yogurt!

Most Bizarre Thing In My house:
I use a stepladder for a nightstand. I have a Voudun Icon on my wall. I have my Great Uncle's broken spurs on my wall.

Most Important Thing I Learned in Library School:
Never trust a bar waitress who walks a block in the rain to return your wallet...because she got your address from your ALA Membership Card. There are cheeky motives involved.

Best Drink Combination Discovered in Library School:
The Dirty McCarthy - A double of Jameson's with a pineapple juice chaser. Discovered on the balcony of my Baton Rouge apartment at 4 in the morning with my friend Mark. Perfected in a bar in New Orleans.

Best Piece of Advice I've Gotten:
"Don't beat up on yourself. It doesn't do any good. It just makes a mess. 'Sides, blood's hard to get out of carpet and who'll get rid of the bodies?" - A friend of mine from my Cal Poly days via Yahoo IM.

Little League Ump makes Little League game in Massachusetts English-Only

Found this little blood-boiling tidbit over at Library Tavern this evening:

"...last week, at a Little League game in Lakeville, Massachusetts between the towns of Methuen and Seekonk, some kids were taught another, more sobering lesson. There, a Little League umpire banned both coaches and players from speaking anything but English after Methuen assistant coach Domingo Infante told his pitcher in Spanish to try and pick off a runner at second base."

Full Cvoerage Here at the Queens Chronicle Site

Who Says There's No Digital Divide? Quest for Surplus Laptops leaves 17 Injured in Virginia stampede.

An effort to sell off used laptops for as little as $50 USD turned ugly and violent yesterday, when more 5,000 showed up at Richmond (Va.) International Speedway to purchase one of 1,000 surplus machines.

Poor planning by event organizers and an unanticipated large turn-out have been blamed for the near-riot in Virginia's capital city.

The computers were surplus machines of various area school districts.

Various news agencies in the commonwealth and across the nation have reported that numerous people had sustained injuries related to the stampede to enter the warehouse where the sale was held.

Richmond Times-Dispatch correspondents Olympia Meola and Alexa Williams earn the "Information Poverty is War" quote of the week:

Lester Caudill consoled his crying 14-year-old daughter outside the warehouse, while waiting for a family member who made it inside. He said his family had waited at the gate since 3 a.m.

"It's like the people are going to die if they don't get a computer," he said. "This is like the last chopper out of Saigon." Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 17, 2005.

A majority of the U.S. upper-middle and upper-class seem to be under the misguided notion that the Digital Divide is something that exists elsewhere in the world. A few weeks ago, a Pew Study claimed that a vast majority of American teens had Internet access. There were even a few headlines in the nation's major dailies proclaiming an end to the Digital Divide was in sight.

"Access" of course is a loaded term. Not to discredit the Pew polling, but, as most librarians and other information professionals are aware, access is not synonymous with equality of access.

Our public libraries are filled with patrons who constantly cram into underfunded, minimally maintained computer centers across the country. A majority, and I'm assuming here, probably have limited or no computer access at home. And access is only one part of the problem.

Effective usability is another key element of any information and communication technology (ICT) adoption. For a large segment of the American population, public libraries and schools provide the only means of surfing the web, communicating electronically, and producing documents such as resumes.

If bulk access to ICT is the only thing that matters, then why did 5,500 people stampede in my home state yesterday over hand-me-down computers?

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LOCAL COVERAGE:
TimesDispatch.com: iBook sale creates chaos

Photo Credit: Dean Hoffmeyer / Richmond Times-Dispatch, as posted by the Detroit News website: (http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0508/17/0tech-283130.htm)
Caption: Henrico County Police Sgt. A. J. Scott tries to control the crowd rushing to get an iBook through an open door at the Richmond International Raceway complex in Richmond, Va., Tuesday. (Detnews.com)

Nation of the Big ShouldersCNN.com - A mother and the president - Aug 15, 2005

CNN.com - A mother and the president - Aug 15, 2005: "But the people who did come made it seem different from other antiwar spasms. A retired postal worker drove from San Diego for 26 hours. A local soldier who had just returned from Iraq appeared with his mom. And a truck driver -- a former Marine who had never been to an antiwar protest before -- decided to pull his 18-wheeler full of frozen pizzas into Crawford just to shake Sheehan's hand."

This line from Amanda Ripley's piece made me choke up a bit this morning. I hate choking up at six in the morning. Makes the coffee taste thick and bland. Marlboro smoke tastes like the bottom of an ashtray...

Cindy Sheehan's protest -- as with any good and honest protest -- strikes a chord with people, obviously. Retired postal workers. Recent returned combat troops. And a former Marine in a big rig swinging by just to shake a woman's hand.

It is in the sense of populism that all causes gain equal footing with the things they seek to change. It is the reason why "mob rule" protests like those against the World Bank, the WTO, abortion, and poverty often fail miserably. Unless one reaches out to those who really make the decisions in their government with their ballots and their tax dollars, no cause will ever succeed. It is the truckers, the waitresses, the anything-but-average farmer, the pulpwood cutter, and the tradesmen who make a cause worth fighting, if only because they are willing to extend a hand in support.

America is not filled with crazed, right-wing zealots, with only crazed, left-wing zealots as a foil. The U.S. is so much bigger than that. We are, after all, the People. The concept of "the People," as defined by the Constitution of the United States, are to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.

It in this pursuit of a more perfect union and the Blessings of Liberty that one finds the heart and soul of the American people. It is not broadcast by the talking heads at FOX or Air America, not advocated by the Democrats, Progressives, Liberatarians, Republicans, Communists, or the Greens. No one ascribed-to ideology holds a monopoly on American thought or consciousness. Establishing that glorious concept of "We, the People" exists in a simple handshake surrounded by free will and independent thought.

And that's why I got choked up this morning.

It's nice to see truck driver hold up a massive pizza delivery simply to extend a grieving mother and antiwar protester a handshake. That means so much more than any meeting Sheehan could ever have with George W. Bush, Karl Rove, or even the UN Security Council. This represents the best America has to offer the world, in terms of standing up for your beliefs when others tell you to sit down and shut up.

Chicago; by Carl Sandburg
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.


JWJ

Library Bitch: Making Time For What Matters

My main man G. has posted a follow-up commentary to Bush's national emergency that prevented him from meeting with Cindy Sheehan yet again...

I've heard of skipping work to attend a ballgame, but, hey! I'm not paid to lead a friggin' nation...

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Library Bitch: Making Time For What Matters

Bush Handlers and The Wrath of Cindy Sheehan A PR Nightmare with No Escape Leaves the President Looking Like a Coward

American President George W. Bush has a problem. A big problem.

While Cindy Sheehan's protest may seem like the immediate problem, the protests in Crawford the past few days reflect a growing plague upon this White House.

Bush's handlers have done a bang-up job keeping the president to his talking points, launching pro-policy campaigns, spearheading anti-protestor propaganda, and maintaining the president's fundraising obligations to the GOP.

But no amount of spin can overcome the images played out on network broadcasts across the world today. The presidential caravan, careening down a lonely road, speeding away from a group of protesters, led by Sheehan.

Regardless of what was on the president's schedule, it appeared, at least via the newscasts I caught tonight, that the President of the United States was running away.

Instead of simply meeting with the Sheehan and participating in what would more than likely be a very uncomfortable situation, Bush was led away from his ranch like a whimpering puppy with its tail between its legs.

In the real world, this is called cowardice. For the commander-in-chief of hundreds of thousands of troops bravely serving their country to run away from a middle-aged peace activist is an embarrassment to the country. If a president cannot defend his or her actions to the Electorate, he/she has no business pretending to be a leader of the free world.

Former First Lady Dolly Madison stayed in Washington until the last possible moment, saving historic treasures as the British burned the capital during the War of 1812. Theodore Roosevelt once gave a campaign speech after being shot by a would-be assassin. His cousin Franklin would later battle with crippling polio, enduring pain and suffering to maintain the public accord during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Harry Truman agonized over the choice to use of nuclear weapons against Japan 60 years ago. Ronald Reagan took a bullet, and even managed to crack a couple of jokes after his assassination attempt.

Courage to make choices and the wisdom to defend them is the burden that comes with living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Americans not only expect this from its elected leadership, they also demand it.

If the president cannot defend his choices to his detractors and to hear out their concerns, then he is not fit for duty. If he can do no more than surround himself with those who agree with him, then he is both unwise and unable to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities. The American Presidency is supposed to be made of a tougher material than a kangaroo court filled with blind followers.

If the White House cannot answer Cindy Sheehan's simple question, 'Why did my son have to die?', then what kinds of questions can he answer? More importantly, what kinds of answers can President Bush give when it comes to the harder choices that may face the nation? Can he display the soul and sustain the internal torment of Truman in the face of a nuclear event involving the likes of North Korea, India, China, or Iran? Would he wither under a second major terrorist attack, running to some bunker while America burns and disgracing the memory of the Madisons?

There's a reason why the President was hurried off to a meeting with major Republican Party donors. And it has very little to do with raising money for party coffers.

The Bush Administration is afraid of answering its grassroots, Jane Sixpack critics.

And this administration should be.

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NEWS COVERAGE:

• Newsday.com: As Bush passes by, mom stays put
  
• WASHINGTON POST: Son Killed in Iraq Known for Quiet Service
  
• NEW YORK TIMES: Mother's Grief-Fueled Vigil Becomes Nexus for Antiwar Protesters

Embassy - Newspaper Online: Bridging The Digital Divide In The AmericasQuebec City's Commitment worth Renewing

COVERAGE HERE:

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Embassy - Newspaper Online.

$1 billion to bridge the digital divide: Sen. Clinton, Frmr Treasury Secretary Rubin Lend Support: Corante

COVERAGE HERE

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$1 billion to bridge the digital divide: Corante New York

Zenlike Trance of a Playlist 8.8.05

1. Clocks - The Casual Dots
After all these years removed from the Bikini Kill glory days, I still would do very naughty things with Kathi Wilcox...Okay, maybe I'd just like to hang out with her in a Denny's at 3 a.m.

2. Sister - Sufjan Stevens
From 2004's Seven Swans. Such a downbeat - yet cheerful - song. Reminds me of making love with someone in the desert a long time ago.

3. The Book of Right On - Joanna Newsom
Newsom's voice reminds me of a cross between Kate Bush and Bjork and, strangely enough, my friend Aster's voice. There is just enough soul behind the vocal to make it so much more passionate than your average "indie" fare.

4. The Valleys - Electrelane
This is such a creepy track from 2004. Its church-choir in hell creepy. I think its the harpsichord. But the harmonies are stellar.

5. Something for Nothing - Loudon Wainwright
A ballad about stealing music and the joys of bootlegging.

6. Axe of Deliverance - Hockey Night
Such a catchy song. Too damn catchy. Stuck in my head. Shit. Double shit.

7. Winners and Losers - Social Distortion
Mike Ness can't let his punker-stuck-in-AM-country-radio thing go. Thank God. There's way too much crappy country music out there right now. Somebody has to sing about devils and angels, making tough choices, and fighting your way out of a bad spot.

8. Modern Man's Hustle - Atmosphere
"The first time I met the Devil was at a Motel 6..." Painful.

9. Things - Br. Danielson
A nice Frank Zappaesque tirade against materialism.

Veteran newsreader Jennings dies

Rest in Peace, Pete.
JWJ

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | TV and Radio | Veteran newsreader Jennings dies

MTV to further Exploit Working Class Americans"Trailer Fabulous" crosses the Line

Well, I should've known somebody would make it happen. Why exploit the middle class with reality television? After all, the American Middle Class is disappearing anyway. There are just so many poor folks to make fun of these days anyway...

Apparently, MTV execs finally took the game to a whole new level, and the network's spin doctors are already gearing up for the backlash.

"We like to reflect all areas of our viewers and their lives," Executive Producer Tony DiSanto, as quoted by CNN, said. "There is a large portion of our viewers that live in trailers and in trailer parks across the country."

DiSanto has never lived in a trailer. As a matter of fact, only about 8% of the American population lives in mobile homes, according to the last U.S. Census. Mobile homes offer an affordable, warm place to live for millions of Americans, yet has never represented a particularly attractive consumer demographic, namely because of the lower income base associated with "trailer park" living.

So is MTV claiming that its largest demographic group lives in mobile homes? Or is there something more sinister at work here?

Sinisterly corporate is probably more appropriate.

The show's producers are already on the defensive, claiming they're only catching the humor inherent to life in a trailer park. Yeah. Sure.

And I maybe those guys marketing the "Dukes of Hazzard" flick aren't thinking about those trucker-hat hungry suburban kids whodress poor without that pesky "no money" problem.

I don't know what pisses me off more - rich kids that think poverty is somehow cool or the corporations that exploit "trailer chic" as a way to capitalize on that same demographic's fantasy land.

I have a new kind of reality show in mind.

How about "Viacom Execs Visit Church Hill," where the ol' Zenfo Pro takes these suits down for a night on the town in Richmond, Virginia's "murder row," one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America. We can cut down East Broad, and I'll even throw in some kevlar. The objective - last one to get shanked during an armed robbery wins.

Or how about "Pimp my Gated Community," where the wealthiest 1% of the American population turn over multimillion dollar estates to the poor folks and have to spend the night in an honest-to-god housing project, Parkview Gardens, in my hometown, complete with the minimal security and safety enjoyed by the nation's poorest. Imagine the entertainment value of little Janie Suburbia wearing a $90 "vintage" tee-shirt while having to eat courtesy of a school's free-lunch program. (Sorry, no Taco Bells in the cafeteria, just the Grade C roast beef and instant mashed potatoes.)

Better yet, how about "Real World: Sudan." Seven total strangers picked to live in Darfur and have their lives and subsequent struggles to simply survive taped for entertainment purposes.

MTV's "Trailer Fabulous" is blatantly exploitive, no matter how they choose to spin it. When network folks go on the defensive even before a show airs obviously know they are exploiting but want to minimize the potential backlash.

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CNN COVERAGE:
CNN.com - The anti-home makeover show, sort of - Aug 3, 2005

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russia bars ABC over interview with Chechen Rebel Leader

ABC News has had its press credentials yanked by the Russian government.

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FULL COVERAGE:
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russia bars ABC over interview

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Sudanese leader key in peace deal dies in copter crash

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Sudanese leader key in peace deal dies in copter crash: "KHARTOUM, Sudan � Sudanese Vice President John Garang, a former rebel leader who was a key figure in the country's fledgling peace deal, was found dead early today near the Uganda-Sudan border after the helicopter he was riding in crashed"

afrol News - Extra: Military coup in Mauritania

afrol News - Extra: Military coup in Mauritania

Library Bitch Hits Zenfo Pro up with Movie TagJason channels the Wu-Tang Water Technique

G. over at Library Bitch has passed along a movie tag...forcing me to take a trip down amnesia lane...

Childhood (1980s)
Transformers: The Movie
You know, it may have been a cartoon aimed at selling a lot of toys for Hasbro. But this was the first movie I ever cried watching - the idea of Optimus Prime dying, cartoon robots being meeting their cybernetic makers, a living planet bent on devouring the universe. I remember my dad took me to see it at the old State Theatre in Farmville. Plus, Orson Wells provided the voice for Unicron - his last film appearance.

Return of the Living Dead
This movie scared the living shit out of me. Led to bizarre obsession with the bands TSOL and 45 Grave in later years.

Star Trek II - The Wrath of Kahn
"Kiiiiiirrrk!" and "Klingon bastards, you've killed my son!" Completely bad-ass. And the ear-worm thingie still creeps me out a bit.

Teens (1990s)
[Note - Due to an enormous amount of illicit substance and alcohol abuse, much of 1993-1996 remains distorted]

Desperado - The one thing Robert Rodriguez failed to recapture in Once Upon a Time in Mexico was the sheer coolness of the guitar-case full of guns. And the classic lines.

Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Boyz in the Hood, Malcolm X, Higher Learning, LA Confidential, and tons of Blaxploitation films like Dolemite, Blacula, Shaft, etc.

Twenties (1998-present)
Memento - Awesome film noir. The backwards narrative and the subplots.

Saved! - Mandy Moore playing the uber-snotty Christian school bitch. Another awesome flick.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The ballet of martial arts films. Wonderful fight scenes.

Monster's Ball - Every Southerner has a relative like Peter Boyle's character - racist, blatantly stubborn in the face of change, and totally lost in the supposed glory days of the Confederacy.

Yet Another Playlist...8/1/05

1. Dash 7 - Wilco
Can never go wrong with old, pre-nervous breakdown Jeff Tweedy.

2. Mood Swing - Band of Susans
Many, many moons ago, I caught this band live in Richmond at a club called Prohibition when I was probably 16 or 17. I had ditched school with some buddies of mine. And yeah, they still sound like the Melvins.

3. Horse with No Name - America
One city springs to mind. Bakersfield, California. Home of Buck Owens, downtown Oil Rigs, crystal meth, and the band Korn. Yup. I would gnaw off my left arm before I'd live there.

4. El Scorcho - Weezer
Pinkerton is probably one of my favorite Weezer albums. People either hate it or love it. I'm convinced that somewhere between Pinkerton and the Maladroit lies the generation gap between Gens X and Y.

5. God Save the Queen - The Sex Pistols
John Rotten remains, to this day, the most self-absorbed, pompus, arrogant piece of garbage to ever roll out of the gutters of the UK punk scene. But at least he's honest about it. I heard some song on the radio the other day by one of these Duran-Duran rip-off bands floating around now. Whine punkers...pffft. Those two words don't belong together. Its one thing to write an introspective song about sincere feelings. Its quite another to sing about the girl who stood you up for your Senior Prom when you're 30.

6. Commandante - The Mountain Goats
Very simple and witty song.

7. Kiss Them for Me - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie Sioux is still hot.

8. Let Them Eat War - Bad Religion
BR remains the favorite punk band of social activists. The guest spot by Sage Francis makes the track all the more better.

9. Fever - Billie Joe Spears
Nothing beats the original sensuality of this classic country one-hit-wonder.

10. Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain - DJ Shadow
Shadow is one of the best of the turntablists, mainly because of his mult-layering technique and tendency to blend jazz beats with 70s funk guitar and a plethera of other sounds.

11. The Centaur - Buck 65
This rather deep novelty of a hip-hop track made this Nova Scotia emcee famous in the underground. Writing a entire rap about the woes of a Centaur with a gigantic penis is too damned classic not to be enjoyable.

12. I Left my Wallet in El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest
One of my favorite hip-hop songs of all time. A tale about absolutely nothing, but I dig it anyway.

13. S.P.D. - Lars Fredericksen and the Bastards
Rancid's guitarist, Lars put this out as a side project.