Just a quick note right now — about to head out to the Taste of Edmonds food festival, about half an hour outside of Seattle, to see Starship and Kickshaw. Kickshaw was actually the reason I wanted to head out there, getting to see the current incarnation of 80’s band Starship (nee Jefferson Starship, nee Jefferson Airplane) is just an added bonus.
iPhish
Cool little mini-article over at Apple’s site about their involvement with a recent Phish concert.
The first weekend in August, Phish headlined a massive three-day festival which attracted 70,000+ fans from across the country to a decommissioned airforce base in Limestone, ME. In addition to performing, the band set up a tent where fans could make their own free custom mix CD of live Phish tracks with iTunes. The tent ran at full capacity, with lines outside until 4AM each night.
(via MacSlash)
California Gubernatorial circus
Y’know, at the moment, I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed that I didn’t end up in California. I haven’t read enough of the details of their current political shake-up to know all the details, but just knowing that two of the higher-profile candidates are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gary Coleman is enough to give me a fit of the giggles. What I wouldn’t give to see that debate session!
In the meantime, Wil pointed out this quote…
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Finally, a public official who can explain the administration’s social policies in the original German.
— Bill Maher
Update: Other candidates: Porn star Mary Carey (link NSFW, obviously), Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, and someone described as “aspiring platinum-haired billboard queen Angelyne” in this NBC report. This just gets better and better.
(update via Jonas)
George W. Bush action figure
I’m speechless.
BBI proudly introduces the latest issue in its Elite Force series of authentic military 12- inch figures, President George W. Bush in naval aviator flight uniform. Exacting in detail and fully equipped with authentic gear, this limited-edition action figure is a meticulous 1:6 scale recreation of the Commander-in-Chief’s appearance during his historic Aircraft Carrier landing. On May 1, 2003, President Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the Pacific Ocean, and officially declared the end to major combat in Iraq. While at the controls of an S-3B Viking aircraft from the “Blue Sea Wolves” of Sea Control Squadron Three Five (VS-35), designated “Navy 1,” he overflew the carrier before handing it over to the pilot for landing. Attired in full naval aviator flight equipment, the President then took the salute on the deck of the carrier.
This fully poseable figure features a realistic head sculpt, fully detailed cloth flight suit, helmet with oxygen mask, survival vest, g-pants, parachute harness and much more. The realism and exacting attention to detail demanded by today’s 12-inch action figure enthusiast are met and exceeded with this action figure. This incredibly detailed figure is a fitting addition to the collection of those interested in U.S. history, military memorabilia and toy action figures. Actual figure may vary slightly from item shown.
Apparently no word on whether it comes with a sock to stuff down the front of the flightsuit.
A Senegalese view of Bush's Africa trip
Remember Bush’s trip to Africa last month?
Today I was forwarded this letter, originally by an anonymous Senegalese woman, giving her impression of our esteemed President’s visit — and the impression of America and Americans it left behind.
Dearest friends,
As you probably know, this week George Bush is visiting Africa. Starting with Senegal, he arrived this morning at 7.20 PM and left at 1.30 PM. This visit has been such an ordeal that a petition is being circulated for this Tuesday July 8th be named Dependency Day.
Let me share with you what we have been through since last week.
- Arrestations: more than 1,500 persons have been arrested and put in jail between Thursday and Monday. Hopefully they will be released now that the Big Man is gone.
- The US Army’s planes flying day and nigh over Dakar. The noise they make is so loud that one hardly sleeps at night.
- About 700 security people from the US for Bush’s security in Senegal, with their dogs, and their cars. Senegalese security forces were not allowed to come near the US president.
- All trees in places where Bush will pass have been cut. Some of them have[an age of] more than 100 years.
- All roads going downtown (where hospitals, businesses, schools are located) were closed from Monday night to Tuesday at 3 PM. This means that we could not go to our offices or schools. Sick people were also obliged to stay at home.
- National exams for high schools that started on Monday are postponed until Wednesday.
Bush’s visit to the Goree Island is another story. As you may know Goree is a small Island facing Dakar where from the 15th to the 19th century, the African slaves to be shipped to America were parked in special houses called slave houses. One of these houses has become a Museum to remind humanity about this dark period and has been visited by kings, queens, presidents. Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, and before them, Nelson Mandela, the Pope, and many other distinguished guests or ordinary tourists visited it without bothering the islanders. But for “security reasons” this time, the local population was chased out of their houses from 5 to 12 AM. They were forced by the American security to leave their houses and leave everything open, including their wardrobes to be searched by special dogs brought from the US.
The ferry that links the island to Dakar was stopped and offices and businesses closed for the day.
According to an economist who was interviewed by a private radio, Senegal, a very poor country, has lost huge amount of money in this visit, because workers have been prevented from walking out of their homes.
In addition to us being prevented to go out, other humiliating things happened also. Not only [did] Bush not want to be with Senegalese but he did not want to use our things. He brought his own armchairs, and of course his own cars, and meals and drinks. He came with his own journalists and ours were forbidden inside the airport and in places he was visiting.
Our president was not allowed to make a speech. Only Bush spoke when he was in Goree. He spoke about slavery. It seems that he needs the vote of the African American to be elected in the next elections, and wanted to please them. That’s why he visited Goree.
Several protest marches against American politics have been organized yesterday and even when Bush was here, but we think he does not care.
We have the feeling that everything has been done to convince us that we are nothing, and that America can behave the way it wants, everywhere, even in our country.
Believe me, friends, it is a terrible feeling. But according to a Ugandan friend of mine, I should not complain because in Uganda, one of the countries he is going to visit, Bush does not intend to go out of the airport. He will receive the Ugandan President in the airport lounge.
Nevertheless, I think I am lucky, because I have such wonderful American friends. But there are now thousands of Senegalese who believe that for all Americans the world is their territory.
This is the message we’re sending to the rest of the world. America Über Alles.
Good luck, Reed
I got this e-mail yesterday from my friend and ex-roommate Reed Dyer.
From: Reed Dyer
Date: Wed Aug 6, 2003 11:54:53 US/Pacific
Subject: going into IraqWell tommorow I leave and go into Iraq for two months to secure the convoy routes. Were going were the most ambushes have been happening and it is kinda scary and exciting. I won’t be able to E-mail while I’m there but I wanted to keep you all updated.
To my knowledge, this is the first time that someone I actually know has been shipped over to Iraq. It’s kind of scary — especially considering that Reed and his wife Kerry’s new baby girl just arrived two months ago.
Best of luck, Reed. Come home safely.
Almost there!
One of the nice things about my temp agency is the way they handle vacation pay. For every 1000 hours worked, you get a week’s worth of vacation pay (which works out to roughly every six months), and they just drop the extra check into your weekly envelope.
I got my latest vacation check today. So, adding that to what I already had saved up in my PayPal account, I now have just over \$2000 saved for my new computer! I’m aiming for the mid-range Power Mac G5 (1.8GHz PowerPC G5, 512MB DDR400 SDRAM [PC3200], 160GB Serial ATA – 7200rpm, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra, SuperDrive [DVD-R/CD-RW]) which retails for \$2399, so I’ve only got roughly \$400 left to scrape up, and I’ll be able to order my new computer.
‘Bout damn time!
Flash Mobs…so what?
Maybe it’s just me, but this whole flash mob meme is already getting old. In my mind, it jumped the shark when Scoble publicly organized one on his weblog (no offense, Robert!).
When the flash mob thing first started getting talked about, it was cool precicely because it was a technology-enabled “underground” event. Seemingly at random, a large group of people would appear somewhere, mingle or do something silly for a few minutes, then disappear again. Fun, harmless, social hacking. Now, though, it seems like every time I turn around, another weblog is trying to jump on the flash mob bandwagon. It’s passe.
Pros and cons to our über-networked society, I guess. Cool ideas can form, break big, and then become old all in the space of a week or two.
Or maybe I’m just being overly cynical.
Interpreting the Bible
In an earlier comment, Nick pointed me to this post from Harold Paxton looking at the recent election of Bishop Robinson from the exact opposite point of view than mine. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that — as Mark Twain (I believe) said, it’s differences of opinion that make horse races.
In his post, he quotes two of the more definitive statements condemning homosexuality from the Bible — I Corinthians 6: 8-13, and Leviticus 18:22 (NIV). I’ll freely admit that on purely a “look — this is what the Bible says” standpoint, these two passages are extremely diffcult for me to argue with when trying to defend my beliefs that homosexuality is not a sin, not something that people should be condemned for, and something that should be accepted both in today’s society and today’s church. Both passages are fairly cut and dry in their equation of homosexuality and sin.
Yesterday, though, I happened across this post from Matt Zemek that does what I feel to be an admirable job of explaining why, as long as one is willing to allow for a less strictly literal reading of the Bible, modern Christians should be able to overlook someone’s sexuality when discussing matters of the faith.
So, is homosexuality a knowing choice against God? Until the early 1970s, world opinion was that it indeed was. But in the early 1970s, scientists in various fields (social, cognitive, biological, genetic) began to speak to the idea that homosexuality was not the perverted and twisted sinful choice that it had been thought to be through the centuries, from Old Testament times all the way to the middle of the 20th Century. It began to be determined–and has been continuously reaffirmed ever since–that homosexuality is genetically and biologically determined, that it is not a disease or an inherently twisted choice rooted in lustful, primal desires and nothing but.
In scientific communities, there is no doubt today that homosexuality is rooted in biology and genetics, and not in the perversity of human minds, period. Therefore, knowing what we know now–NOT in Paul’s time, NOT 100 years ago, but today–it is pretty clear that homosexuality is not a sin, because it does not fit the dynamic of a knowing and free choice against what is good or acceptable before God.
There’s more good stuff in the rest of Matt’s post. I’ll also admit that there are statements later in Matt’s post that I have a harder time agreeing with. However, his outlook on why homosexuality was condemned at the time the Bible was written but should not be today speaks strongly to me, and puts into words the vague concepts I’d had rattling around in my head but hadn’t been able to articulate.
In the end, on a personal level, I’ve never been able to believe that God is nearly as interested in our sex lives as we often think he is (a phrase I picked up from Dad). To me, the measure of Godliness in a person is a matter of how much they are able to love and respect others, regardless of whether one agrees on a personal level with their choices, and how you treat others at all times. I’ve seen gay relationships that are every bit as loving and respectful as heterosexual marriages — sometimes moreso — and I cannot believe that God would overlook the love between two people simply because they happen to have the same genetalia.
Homophobia, and the condemnation of homosexuality as “sin” is an ancient and outmoded way of thinking, prevalent at the time the Bible was written, but thoroughly debunked today. I think it’s wonderful that the Episcopal church is so publicly realizing this, and I can only hope that more people start looking at it this way.
Using MT tags in TypePad templates
Looks like Nick is starting a series of posts on using MovableType template tags to manipulate and customize your TypePad templates, starting with a post on author icons on community weblogs. I used to use the same basic method for category icons, but as my artistic abilities suck, I quickly gave up. ;)
I have a few similar ‘How To’ posts in my TypePad category archives — between myself, Nick, and (I’m sure) many others here on TypePad, there should soon be a wealth of places to go for “How do I do this?” questions.