15 July 2010
09 July 2010
animation - Blublu.org
when you go here ->BluBlu.org you end up experiencing animation clips like this:
BigBangBooomBooman unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life ... and how it could probably end.
BigBangBooomBooman unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life ... and how it could probably end.
08 July 2010
equal rights - DOMA ruled unconstitutional
Three news items today:
• Federal District Judge Joseph Tauro rules that the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" is unconstitutional. Two separate cases ruled upon the same day. Reason one [from Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Health + Human Services] is that by enacting DOMA Congress violated the Tenth Amendment and States' sovereignty by treating some couples with Massachusetts’ marriage licenses differently than others.
In the second case, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, he ruled DOMA violates the equal protection principles embodied in the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Maura Healey, chief of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, called DOMA an “animus-based national marriage law” that intrudes on core state authority and “forces the state to discriminate against its own citizens.”
• Legal analysts Celeste Lavin and Jennifer Vanasco provide an explanation of the rulings and how these decisions may affect future marriage rights cases for gay couples.
• The third item is what corporate behemoth Google is doing for it's gay employees to lessen the impact of the economic discrimination foisted by the Federal Government when they tax us for "income" that non-gay married couples do not have to pay to the IRS.
For example, because my male spouse is on my health insurance plan I am taxed by the IRS as if I make 8 to 10 thousand more per year than I
actually do. This does not happen to my non-gay co-workers who are married. They get the second person on their insurance at no extra taxation.
and that's just one example that I know of...
This is a Federal Insurance Penalty, imposed in 1996 by the "Defense of Marriage" Act. Provisions of the act single out gay and lesbian families for inequitable treatment under law. Because federal law denies any recognition of gay and lesbian families, the federal tax code denies those families cash saving breaks and imposes monetary penalties that straight marrieds do not have to shell out for.
So it is encouraging to hear that Google employees who are gay shall receive compensation for this inequity.
• Federal District Judge Joseph Tauro rules that the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" is unconstitutional. Two separate cases ruled upon the same day. Reason one [from Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Health + Human Services] is that by enacting DOMA Congress violated the Tenth Amendment and States' sovereignty by treating some couples with Massachusetts’ marriage licenses differently than others.
In the second case, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, he ruled DOMA violates the equal protection principles embodied in the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Maura Healey, chief of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, called DOMA an “animus-based national marriage law” that intrudes on core state authority and “forces the state to discriminate against its own citizens.”• Legal analysts Celeste Lavin and Jennifer Vanasco provide an explanation of the rulings and how these decisions may affect future marriage rights cases for gay couples.
• The third item is what corporate behemoth Google is doing for it's gay employees to lessen the impact of the economic discrimination foisted by the Federal Government when they tax us for "income" that non-gay married couples do not have to pay to the IRS.
For example, because my male spouse is on my health insurance plan I am taxed by the IRS as if I make 8 to 10 thousand more per year than I
actually do. This does not happen to my non-gay co-workers who are married. They get the second person on their insurance at no extra taxation.and that's just one example that I know of...
This is a Federal Insurance Penalty, imposed in 1996 by the "Defense of Marriage" Act. Provisions of the act single out gay and lesbian families for inequitable treatment under law. Because federal law denies any recognition of gay and lesbian families, the federal tax code denies those families cash saving breaks and imposes monetary penalties that straight marrieds do not have to shell out for.
So it is encouraging to hear that Google employees who are gay shall receive compensation for this inequity.
IMAGE CREDITS: 1- "Gay married couple" by Ian Grey Photography, used with permission; 2- taken by someone who was at our wedding; 3- Jackson Events
fitful wanderings from the web
• Art House Co-op, in Brooklyn, NY, welcomes art projects for review and possible display.
FROM THEIR WEBSITE: "Art House projects are a way to create a community of artists and give anyone a chance to be part of something creative. We hold an exhibition for most projects at our library in Brooklyn, NY. All of our projects are open for sign ups on a first come first serve basis.
"If you are a professional artist, consider this a unique opportunity to get your work out there and add a show or two to your resume. If you are a first time artist, think of it as a way to inspire you and give you a chance to be in a gallery and see your work on the wall!"
• More on the risks and dangers of hydro fracking
• Cancer survivor who uses physician prescribed marijuana is fired by WalMart for trying to maintain his health. Is this really about WalMart not wanting to provide adequate health care? Just wondering.
• We're in a recession because those already rich demand more and share less with society. Quote that accompanied the picture on the right:
Last September, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of United States District Court in Brooklyn found that the state had violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by keeping approximately 4,300 people with mental illness isolated from the outside world in warehouse-like conditions in more than two dozen privately run adult homes. The state pays the homes for their care.
Over the vehement objection of the state and the owners of the homes, Judge Garaufis issued a remedial plan in March.
The plan would give nearly all current and future adult home residents the opportunity to move into supported housing scattered throughout the boroughs, where they would live independently while also receiving assistance like case-management services and visits from psychiatrists and nurses.
FROM THEIR WEBSITE: "Art House projects are a way to create a community of artists and give anyone a chance to be part of something creative. We hold an exhibition for most projects at our library in Brooklyn, NY. All of our projects are open for sign ups on a first come first serve basis.
"If you are a professional artist, consider this a unique opportunity to get your work out there and add a show or two to your resume. If you are a first time artist, think of it as a way to inspire you and give you a chance to be in a gallery and see your work on the wall!"
• More on the risks and dangers of hydro fracking
• Cancer survivor who uses physician prescribed marijuana is fired by WalMart for trying to maintain his health. Is this really about WalMart not wanting to provide adequate health care? Just wondering.• We're in a recession because those already rich demand more and share less with society. Quote that accompanied the picture on the right:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ~ MATTHEW 19:23-24• A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that people with psyche disabilities should be helped to live in their own places not just large, institutional, group homes.
Last September, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of United States District Court in Brooklyn found that the state had violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by keeping approximately 4,300 people with mental illness isolated from the outside world in warehouse-like conditions in more than two dozen privately run adult homes. The state pays the homes for their care.
Over the vehement objection of the state and the owners of the homes, Judge Garaufis issued a remedial plan in March.
The plan would give nearly all current and future adult home residents the opportunity to move into supported housing scattered throughout the boroughs, where they would live independently while also receiving assistance like case-management services and visits from psychiatrists and nurses.
IMAGE CREDIT: Dwelling in the Word
07 July 2010
artists - Frieda Kahlo
In 1939 Frieda Kahlo, after a modest exhibition held in Paris, was the first 20th Century Mexican artist to have a work of hers purchased by the Louvre.
Plagued by constant pain during most of her life ~ the result of a childhood bout with polio and an auto accident as a teen, Frieda channeled her suffering on to canvas. Painting in an often surrealist style, her most consistent model was herself. Kahlo's work is remembered for its "pain and passion", and its intense, vibrant colors. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
Plagued by constant pain during most of her life ~ the result of a childhood bout with polio and an auto accident as a teen, Frieda channeled her suffering on to canvas. Painting in an often surrealist style, her most consistent model was herself. Kahlo's work is remembered for its "pain and passion", and its intense, vibrant colors. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
She wed, divorced and re-wed the famed muralist [and notorious womanizer] Diego Rivera. The divorce may have occurred after one of the affairs. Their living quarters often were separate, although sometimes adjacent. She extracted her revenge, in part, by having affairs herself with both men and women; the most famous of her affairs with Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. Frieda Kahlo would have been 100 years of age yesterday. She is one of my favorite artists. This is my belated tribute to her work.
FOR MORE INFO: Wikipedia's Frieda Kahlo; Lisa Rogers writes of the suicide of Dorothy Hale, on of Kahlo's more controversial works. Lisa also wrote of Kahlo's "Broken Column" at Prisoner in a corset. Actually, she's penned many well written items about Frieda Kahlo. Well worth the visit. | The image on the right is a sign in front of a Mexican restaurant, "Manana" in Montreal PQ, Canada. 605 Rue Ste-Denis.
05 July 2010
books - in general
My spouse and I are inveterate lovers of books' reading material on paper still has an aesthetic quality to it that I have not found in electronic format. Besides, there is something immediate and tangible about actually seeing shelves lined up with tomes and trashy novels alike. So it ought come as no surprise that I shall occasionally expound upon a number of book at once; much like I do with my random website wanderings.
I'll keep it reasonable. Shall limit the number of books I write about each time; shall try to remain within a specific subject matter; and the entries will be annotations rather than lengthy reviews.
Mind you, I'm not trying to proffer business for the big name vendors such as Barnes + Noble or Amazon, or even Half.com, for that matter.
I far prefer supporting indie booksellers like Printed Matter, NYC; Papayri, North Adams, MA; Burgundy Books, East Haddam, CT; or even Powell's in Portland, Oregon. I encourage folks to buy their books local.
From what you see in the picture, the books I gather do not have to be new. When the subject warms to me, the book I end up picking up could be some newly printed beauty ~ with that smell of printer's ink still present; or it could been some dog-eared items I found at the book swop bin at the transfer station.
My shame here is ~ that I have collected so many books that the attic rafters house many, and I even pay rent on a storage unit to house them all. I'll have a first list of books in the coming days
04 July 2010
place - Meriden, CT
A trip to Castle Craig
BillP and I went up Meriden Mountain for the first time in a number of years. The gates across the road is often locked; neither of us has the chance to show up there on a weekday and be able to get back downhill before 1640 hours.
So it was a real treat to drive up and get a panoramic view of everything from the Cheshire Correctional Center to Sleeping Giant State Park... and on a clear sunlit day as well.
holidays - 4th of July
Political conservatives have no more of a special relationship with America's national mythologies than any one of the thousands of Christian sects have on the stories of Jesus. Therefore, it would be prudent to read something different now and again about the USA's national folk tales. A case in point, the Boston Tea Party. Here's what Thom Hartmann, progressive radio essayist, and what he has to say:
"The real Boston Tea Party was a protest against huge corporate tax cuts for the British East India Company, the largest trans-national corporation then in existence. This corporate tax cut threatened to decimate small Colonial businesses by helping the BEIC pull a Wal-Mart against small entrepreneurial tea shops, and individuals began a revolt that kicked-off a series of events that ended in the creation of The United States of America.
"They covered their faces, massed in the streets, and destroyed the property of a giant global corporation. Declaring an end to global trade run by the East India Company that was destroying local economies, this small, masked minority started a revolution with an act of rebellion later called the Boston Tea Party.
"The Boston Tea Party resembled in many ways the growing modern-day protests against transnational corporations and small-town efforts to protect themselves from chain-store retailers or factory farms. The Tea Party's participants thought of themselves as protesters against the actions of the multinational East India Company."
Read the rest of Thom Hartmann's essay and what he has to say about this piece of American history after a study of the Memoir of George R.T. Hewes, a Survivor of the Little Band of Patriots Who Drowned the Tea in Boston Harbor written in 1773.
02 July 2010
art + artists - sculptors, arts blogs, exhibition
individual artists• Gabriel Warren. The first sculptor to be sent to Antarctica by the [US] National Science Foundation, refers to himself as a landscape sculptor who "...attempts to tread as lightly as possible on the earth. [His] metal pieces are fabricated from very thin sheets; [and] despite a massive appearance they are quite light and easy to move, install, and hang." The work on the right is only 38" x 18". His easy interface between geology and art makes the works especially appealing to me.
• Ana Flores is a sculptor who gathers "...artifacts from nature [that] suggest their own stories and what slowly emerges are cultural, and mythical narratives...." What evolves may be carved hands that morph into tree limbs, or troll-like trunks reaching into the sky. Her environmental works have been featured at I-Park in East Haddam, CT.
• Christo. Famed conceptual artist Christo lost his partner/spouse Jeanne-Claude last fall, but he continues with awe-inspiring projects like the Arkansas River in Colorado. As Christo + Jeanne-Claude's collective works go, I continue to remain impressed about the New York GATES project. Here's a link to photos of the Gates taken by a couple, Lori and Al, from Philadelphia.
compendiums
• White Noise of Everyday Life is a weblog about photography and contemporary visual arts. Here's a sample of night photos of the the rebuilding of the Hoover Dam Bridge taken by photographer Jamey Stillings.
• Design Boom. Current trends in industrial design.
upcoming exhibition in NYC • Umbrella Arts, a small, innovative gallery run by Margaret Bodell and Mary Ann Fahey, and shall host a new exhibition, 95Arts, curated by Sean Corbett, is a collection of works from artists who live along the I-95 corridor. Show opens on 10th, July 2010. Gallery hours: Thursday through Saturday 1PM - 6PM and by appointment. 317 East 9th Street, NYC. 212-505-7196
IMAGE CREDITS TO: 1- Gabriel Warren Euneclasteia 1, from the Rhegmalogia sculpture series; 2- 95 Arts logo.
other voices - Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman Orator - 106-43 B.C.
The Enemy Within"A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.
An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly against the city.
But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.
For the traitor appears to be no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victim, and he wears their face and their garments and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men.
He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.
A murderer is less to be feared.
The traitor is the plague."
An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly against the city.
But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.
For the traitor appears to be no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victim, and he wears their face and their garments and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men.
He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.
A murderer is less to be feared.
The traitor is the plague."
01 July 2010
scams - Nicholson Barnes
Got an unsolicited snail mail letter today. Spiffy! My address was even hand lettered with real ink. It came from some people with Arizona postmark and was"...pleased to inform you that you have qualified for an award of 2 round trip airline tickets. Congratulations. These tickets are valid for travel... and the retail value is up to $1,400.00.The letter was signed with the name "Laura Day" (again, real ink that ran when I soaked it, impressive!) Vice President, Travel Awards Division. The letter indicated they had offices in "New York, Chicago, Los Angeles," provided an e-mail addy and a website.
We have attempted to contact you several times. This is our last attempt. If we do not hear from you by July 7, 2010, we will have to issue these tickets to someone else."
So I looked it up.
Their website assures me that:
"We, at Nicholson Barnes, are convinced that superior customer service and award programs are the future of developing trust and relationships with the communities we serve..."and that...
"Nicholson Barnes is the country’s leader in incentive management. Across many industries and service sectors, Nicholson Barnes assists companies of all types with marketing and activities utilizing promotional gifts and sales incentives."Now getting excited (was already beginning to plan where I'd travel) I went to the "Contact us" section of the site. But you know what? It offered no street address or phone number. Only a blind box that you could send a letter to and ONLY IF you gave them your own street address, phone number and e-mail.
I looked around the site some more. Unlike the letter, the site asserted that they had offices in: • Albany, NY • Tucson, AZ • Winter Garden, FL • Provo, UT • Newark, NJ (okay, that's close to NYC) • Austin, TX • San Francisco, CA (same state as LA) • Portland, OR and • Charleston, SC.
Beginning to come down from my elation, I did a Google search for the company, and added "scams" after the name. Boy was I disappointed and surprised to find this: an Arizona Better Business Bureau alert published in the Tucson Citizen.
There are, apparently, seventeen (17!) different company names sending out virtually the same letter. One of them, Patterson Bell, has a street address in Tucson, AZ at 4811 E Grant Rd, STE 261 85712.
According to Google Maps this put the company's offices in a shopping mall, with an Outback Steakhouse nearby. None of the named businesses in the Tucson Citizen scam warning article can be found there. However, one business is listed as being in Suite 261. What business is that? None other than the Arizona Small Business Association.
I sincerely hope that no one working at ASBA has anything to do with the scammers; though it shows the scammers certainly have a wry sense of humor.
Forewarned is forearmed.
FOR WHAT ITS WORTH DEP'T: The "Page Source" info indicates that the site's format was lifted from a WordPress template.
UPDATE: I got this from Leslie Barrett at ASBA:
"The asba office moved across the hall (same location) last Fall into Ste. 262. The firm you are referring to moved into asba’s old Ste. 261. It is my understanding that the suite is now empty and that the previous tenants have vacated; perhaps due to the pressure from the media visibility, etc.And the Arizona Better Business Bureau wrote:
"Yeah, these letters have been going out under various names since at least last November. The only way we're able to stay on top of all the name changes is because consumers like yourself let us know. Thanks again!"
other voices - BillP
"I believe a long time ago that God got hurt; that is why people got hurt"
BillP
BillP
IMAGE CREDITS: William Blake - "Ancient of Days"
30 June 2010
fitful wanderings from the web
• Homeless Man Speaks. Short, pithy statements with well chosen images. Brilliant!• La Paloma Sabanera Coffeehouse, 405 Capitol Avenue Hartford, Connecticut. They are having their 2nd year anniversary [under the ownership of Virginia Iacobucci] tomorrow afternoon. Wish I could go, but I am working. I'll be exhibiting some of my artwork there in October 2010.
• Just an Inkling. Only occasionally posts; a Christian with a Soul, if you know what I mean. Click on some of his earlier entries such as Showing Mercy or Oxymoron, the latter about Christians and Social Justice.
• Motorcycle Philosophy on why men join bike clubs. Right now the site's author [who tags himself as a "Southern California-based blogger, affiliate marketer, motorcycle rider, and beer drinker..." is on an extended bike run to Alaska, which sounds like a fine thing to do right now.
• Wikipedia on Aggressive Behavior. I was particularly interested in what influence neurotransmitters and hormones had on being aggressive. Even more specific, I was curious about the psychiatric drug Risperdal and if it had any effect on contributing to aggressive behavior. It can. I didn't find the specifics on Wikipedia, but it helped provide details [later found at DoubleCheckMD] the other article didn't have.
• EHS Today used to be called "Occupational Hazards" and says it's purpose is to "...inform safety, health and industrial hygiene professionals in the manufacturing, construction, and service sectors about trends, management strategies, regulatory news and new products that help them provide safe and healthy work sites." Also provides a plethora of tales than show us BP and W R Grace are not the only caustic polluters, not by a long shot. IMAGE CREDITS TO: Instant Artist - A software program popular during Windows 3/1 and Win95 days.
environment - Gulf Emergency Summit
My friend Jason King sent me this link. The site provides detail I have yet to see on TV. I believe it speaks for itself. The Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster:
504-644-7214
gulfemergencysummit.org
gulfemergencysummit@gmail.com
The BP oil blowout is an environmental catastrophe, bringing great peril to marine and wildlife in the Gulf and threatening ecosystems of the planet. The spill is still out of control and spreading. It jeopardizes communities and livelihoods. The government and BP have proven unable and unwilling to stop the disaster, protect the Gulf, or even tell the truth. The people must come together now to stop this nightmare.
This 15-minute video of Kindra Arneson, the wife of a Louisiana fisherman is well worth watching. Not that it is any surprise but, guess what, we're not getting the whole truth from the media.
IMAGE CREDITS: 1- Code Green cartoon by Stephanie McMillan, who also maintains an entertaining weblog named Minimum Security, "The thrilling story of revolutionaries saving the world from ecocidal maniacs!"; 2- Fishing Closure Map US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
29 June 2010
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