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Do The Good
Naked Pope -- The Movie!
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9:24 AM
As Bruce Willis once said, "Yippee-ki-yi-yay, motherfucker."
Monday, September 17
Roots of Peace is a non-profit organization which works to clear minefields and return them to agricultural production. Supported by a number of California wineries, their "Mines to Vines" program has planted vineyards in former minefields in Croatia and Serbia. You gotta like that.
More things to think about.
Friday, September 14
I heard news today of the last acquaintance I could think of who might have been caught in the attacks. She's okay, thank God. I had been thinking I might not go home for the holidays this year; cash has been a little tight. But it's gonna mean a little more this year than other years, I think. I could use a good dose of family.
Vile.
Vile.
Thursday, September 13
I felt pretty nauseated up until about noon yesterday. If I stop and think too much, I still do. I'm trying to keep going, keep working, but it's hard: doesn't seem to really matter much. I think the thing that makes it even worse is hearing the reports of people reacting out of anger and hatred. I understand wanting to do something and the urge to lash out, but... this kind of thing is senseless, and no better than the terrorists themselves. It's exactly what they want. Fortunately, for every reaction of that sort, there are thousands of people who respond by giving: blood, money, support, time -- the effort that's been put forward has been amazing, and inspiring. Amazon has already collected nearly two and a half million dollars as I write this (in donations averaging about $30); Paypal is pushing $400,000, Wells Fargo gave a million - and I'm sure there will be much, much more. The stories of the disaster already coming out are horrifying. I've found that I have to concentrate on the other stories, of rescue workers, survival, and people pulling together.
Tuesday, September 11
A small bright spot on a very dark day: On my way home, I noticed that the parking lot of the Minneapolis Red Cross was packed. I gave blood a few weeks ago, or I would have pulled in myself. I'm scheduled for a double-red-cell donation on October 1. Have you given blood? If so, give something else.
Monday, September 10
John called my attention to this interview; I added some links to this excerpt. Advocate: In Trust Us, you apply a name to a very popular PR method that really epitomizes this invisibility [of propaganda]. Tell us about the "third party technique." Stauber: Well, the third party technique is as old as the hills. The idea is that you find some supposedly independent, trusted source that you can use to send your message out to the public. Let's say I'm the coal industry and I launch a campaign to tell the American public that coal emissions (which are exacerbating global warming) are really good because global warming means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; more carbon dioxide means plants are going to grow more, and isn't that the epitome of a good environment -- more green, growing plants? It sounds ludicrous. It sounds absurd. It's ridiculous. I'm the coal industry, for God's sake, and who's going to believe that? You know, probably only someone holding a lot of stock in the coal industry! So what the coal industry does is fund a group called the Greening Earth Society with people who have environmental and scientific credentials. And somehow, with a straight face, [these people] are able to say, "Yes, indeed, global warming appears to be occurring, and that's good. We should embrace global warming." And that makes people stop and think, "It's something called the Greening Earth Society; it's got to be an environmental group. This guy has a Ph.D., he's a scientist, and I'm listening to him on, you know, on my National Public Radio affiliate. And he's doing this great job assuring me that global warming really is good for me." That's the third party technique, and, yes, it's effective, because it usually works through the media. Advocate: Now, can you use a real-life example to explain how the third-party technique is used? Stauber: Well, the Greening Earth Society is one example.
Over the weekend, Wendy and I went with Steve and Amanda to Amanda's cabin up near Cross Lake (the cabin is right near the lower-left corner of the route 6 box). It was absolutely wonderful - cool, wet weather made everything really feel like fall. The lake and the cabin were gorgeous, and spending a little time doing nothing was exactly what we all needed. I find that Diplomacy is a mental-resource hog. It's lots of fun and all, but it won't leave me alone when I'm trying to work. Don't forget to vote in tomorrow's primaries!
Thursday, September 6
I got an amusing email today: Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:49:02 +-700
From: sexaddress71@flashmail.com
Reply-To: 1046@c4.com
To: nickmark@snowplow.org
Subject: Latest domain extension .Sex! 19842
The latest domain name extension has arrived .SEX!!! It's the fresh ,new, exciting web address that is taking the world by storm.
Who wants to be .com when you can now be .SEX
Register your .SEX domain name today exclusively at:
http://www.dotsex.com Just think what that'd do to my search requests...
Tuesday, September 4
Boy, talk about shitty beer... (via not.so.soft)
I love long weekends. Three parties, an informal get-together, the science museum, and I finally finished a game of Combat Mission. And then Monday! Speaking of CM, I really am planning to buy the full version someday, when I decide I deserve a present. But the demo alone is just so good, I've been playing it for almost a year without getting bored! Hoo-boy. Yesterday Wendy and I went for a picnic and hike in Nerstrand - Big Woods State Park, which was lovely. She actually had the day off - first time she's had a minor holiday off in ages. I think it was really good for her; she was happier and more energetic than I've seen her in ages. I also finally went through some of the photos I've taken over the last couple months - some of them are actually pretty cool, so we might have a little photo retrospective coming up here soon. Woo-hoo!
Wednesday, August 29
Last night, I received a visit from Mark Knapp, one of the candidates for the Ward 10 City Council seat. Mark is the Green Party candidate, and I was pleased to learn that not only does he favor rent control, improved public transport, putting light rail on the old tracks in the Midtown Greenway, but he's also a big fan of one of my favorite causes: preferential ballots (also known as "instant-runoff voting"), including a full ranking of candidates (not just "first three") and a "None Of The Above" option. If you live in Ward 10, you should think really hard about voting for Mark -- and whoever you vote for, please be sure to vote in the primary election in two weeks. And hey, if all that stuff doesn't convince you -- how about his domain name?
Monday, August 27
"I'm hoping to make a change in a positive way," Edwards told CNN. "We're going to try to listen to some financial advisers, get the money invested so that other future generations will have this money as well, not just us. We need a new house." Edwards' fiancee, Shawna Maddux, added, "I'm getting a Ferrari."
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