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Ladies and Gents,
May I present to you: Ian Korn Photo Industries.
I think you will find that it is a pretty decent website. It's only going to get better as I work with it from now on.
Yes, that's right, seven years (good grief, it's been that long?) after joining LiveJournal, I'm finally moving on. This website will hopefully cover all my bases - online journal, portfolio, general scrapbook. I'll be writing over there from now on.
Feedback is generally appreciated, and if you know of someone - bands especially - who need a photographer, send them my way. For the RSS inclined, you'll find the feed here.
And so, with that, I'm signing off. You've been good to me LJ.
Late!
- ian |
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To-day I am twenty-five.
Hoo-ray! |
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Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. |
Have I not posted this yet? Hmm... How neglectful of me. This psalm has been figuring in my life a lot recently. Not so much the parts about my bones suffering mortal agony - although depression is what led me to this psalm last year - but the idea that you have to preach truth to yourself. The part that always gets me is that last stanza. He's questioning himself, and not allowing himself to be questioned. He's talking back to all those little niggling voices and taking command of them with truth. I'm terrible at explaining this, honestly, but it does make sense. John Piper did a whole sermon on it that covers much more than I ever could, called "Spiritual Depression in the Psalms," and we've recently started talking about it at church, too.
Actually, Kenny, the assistant pastor at Apostles Church (aka my church), said something really interesting Sunday. He talked a little bit about "The Sin of Despair." Now, I'm still not sure where I stand on this one, but I can see his logic. Basically, throughout the Bible we are being told to "hope in God." I've always read these as though they were more side-effects, but they can be interperted as a command. For example, "Put your hope in God," above, could be one of them. Or it could be advice. If you take it as a commandment, then it means do that, not the opposite. So, don't despair. It's not a commandment like, "Thou shalt have no other gods." It's more a commandment like, "I shall be your only God." Reversal, but it makes sense.
Anyway, that's what's been on my heart lately.
Oh, and that picture is from inside Notre Dame du Montreal.
My life feels like it's in a weird, anxious holding pattern right now. Summer has started but it hasn't, I'm moving but I'm not yet, work is going but not really, I'm working on this website but it's not done, I'm going to Spain and grad school but don't know when, where, or how, and so on and so on.
A lot of people are sick these days, too. It's frustrating. PJ is in Seattle, bedridden, and Gillian and Barb keep taking him to the hospital to find out what's wrong, but the doctors can't figure it out. I don't think I realized quite how much time I spend with PJ normally. We hang out a lot, mostly because no one else is ever home at the same time we are. Sure enough, that's being proven this week as I keep coming home to an empty house and my own room. I've been spending a lot of time with the cat. So I'm on tenterhooks waiting for my roommate to be healthy and come back to the East Coast.
It throws other stuff out of whack, too. We're supposed to meet with Chris, Jess, and Dave to talk about moving. First, Chris was out of town for Dragons games. Now they're out of the playoffs, but PJ is still in Seattle for no one knows how long. On a brighter note, I saw Dave on the Fourth and he told me that he was all for it. So I am seeing nothing but green lights on this thing in so many senses, but still have to wait for some kind of resolution.
Then there's work. We all found out something yesterday that will cause a shake-up when it's resolved, but I am not writing about that here. Our jobs are fine, so don't ask about that... but still.
Yesterday, I finally made the bold move of sending off all my mission interest stuff to Navs. It's only been sitting on my desk since February. One step closer to Spain.
In other words, I feel unsettled all-around, inside and out.
Jon came into town and stayed with us last week. I think he had a good time. It was good having him here.
Oh! Also! I had coffee with Jon Meuhlke and his girlfriend last weekend! Haven't seen him in almost a decade. That was pretty awesome. He seems to be doing really well. Hopefully, he'll be back before summer's out.
The Fourth of July was good. First, Matt, Jon and I rode down to the AMNH and learned about giant salamanders and Amazonian drinking bouts. Then, later, we all went out to Laura and Alison's place for a rooftop barbeque. Unfortunately we could only see the top half and part of the side of the fireworks, due to an unfortunately placed unoccupied apartment building. It was still a great time, though. Met some interesting people, including a guy name Thor. Had some interesting conversations with girls. And Matt took advantage of his newly official drinking age. Good times.
Work on the website proceeds apace (Yes, I just wrote that). After a Friday at the Anthonys (which was followed up by a free Cold War Kids concert and a DVRed Dragons game) working on the damn thing (punctuated by Wii golf and Jess Anthony's tacos), I've got a host, a domain, and installed WordPress. Now, after another week, I've got an overall plan sketched out roughly on a sheet of note paper on my desk, have a decent grasp of CSS, have an idea for the overall look of the site, and am working through WordPress for Dummies to figure out how to best implement all of this. Apparently, there's even something I can do in XML to transfer all of my LJ over there - but I don't know that I want to. We'll see.
Good things happening on that. When there's something to show, something will show up here.
My plans for the weekend? Well, I work tomorrow (blah!). It's the one Friday I have to. Tonight, Tyler Schwartz Group is having their CD Release Party at Club Love. I'll be there. Tomorrow night, I'm probably going to see No Age play at the Seaport. Saturday is a probable birthday, then Sunday is a Pool Party with Matt + Kim. Packed with music. I'm looking forward to it.
Do I live for nights and weekends? No, but I certainly don't live to work.
Ah, yes, and it finally happened... I'm on my own cell phone plan now. Verizon. Service is much better.
What's weird, though, is that they don't use SIM cards. WTF? We are so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to wireless technology, it's kind of scary sometimes. So I had to buy a new phone. It's just sad that I'm upgrading and downgrading at the same time...
Finally, although I know she's not reading yet, HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY CADENCE!!!
Late!
- ianMood:  anxious Music: WOXY |
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...I'd say this just proves that I'm frakin' awesome.
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What New Battlestar Galactica character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com |
| You scored as Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) You have spent your life trying to life up to and impress your Dad, shame he never seemed to notice. You are a stickler for the rules. But in matters of loyalty and honour you know when they have to be broken.
Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) |
| 69% | CPO Galen Tyrol |
| 63% | Commander William Adama |
| 50% | Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) |
| 50% | Col. Saul Tigh |
| 44% | Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) |
| 44% | President Laura Roslin |
| 38% | Dr Gaius Baltar |
| 31% | Number 6 |
| 25% | Tom Zarek |
| 19% |
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Mood:  pleased |
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Finally, the worst is over. I mean, not that the past few weeks have been bad, but they have been absurdly busy and surprisingly tense. It's good to be done with it.
The first thing that kept me busy was all of this practicing for Josh and Laura's wedding. I had the privelege of playing bass in the band (What She Said rises again). We did a lot of covers, some we knew and some we didn't, all picked and vetted by the happy couple. That basically kept me occupied for two and a half weeks straight, either rehearsing with everyone or learning songs on my own.
The wedding itself was fantastic. We drove out to Bethlehem, PA and stayed in Laura's grandmother's house. For the bachelor party we just kind of had dinner and then hung out by the river in the Colonial section of town (yes, the colonial section). The ceremony was officiated by Peter and Josh's dad, with Ryan and Vick taking photos. Actually, pretty much everyone involved in the wedding was either a Navigator or family. It was kind of cool. And when we played, I'm not ashamed to say that we rocked. The best comment of the night had to have come from Tim Ziesel (Josh's brother), who told us he was just blown away because he hadn't expected it from us - we didn't look the type. =)
I expect that I'll have photos sorted and cleaned up by the end of the week. I want to get them done by then so Ryan can send them on to the Ziesels. I'll put a few up here when they're ready.
Pretty much as soon as we got back from Pennsylvania I had to turn around and start studying in earnest for the GRE, which I took last Saturday. I definitely didn't do fantastic, but I don't really have anything to complain about either. It's done, and it's satisfactory. I doubt I'll be going to Harvard or even Yale, but I don't want to go there, so it doesn't really matter, does it? (Actually, I just checked, and Harvard doesn't have a score, but I'm well within Columbia's...) Architecture schools just don't care that much.
My heart's still set on Austin.
But now that those are done, I get to relax.
Sort of.
Honestly I'm just playing catch-up, and I don't know how long it will take me. Everything got pushed back and now that I have some free time again, guess what needs to be done? Everything. If you want an idea of just how busy I've been recently, I haven't been to Community Group in three weeks, which is an odd feeling. Even odder, though, is that I started going to the gym in the morning, because I either didn't have the time or was too exhausted to go in the evening like I normally do, and if I don't go to the gym regularly I can't function quite right - don't sleep well, feel antsy, and so on. The terrible irony of it is that by going in the morning I've been more consistent than I have been for months, so I suspect I'll keep going early. Since PJ normally goes in the morning and said he wanted to come with, I decided to just work in on his routine and try something different... Dude is intense! I'm sore right now, and it's only been one day...
Anyhow.
Here's some other stuff I've been up to.
As much as I want to talk about the Montreal trip, it's going to have to wait. I really want to just dedicate a whole post to it and photos of it, and this accomplishes neither. And, sadly, other photos have passed it in importance, namely those for weddings, birthday presents, and publication.
Wait, did I just say publication? Yes I did. The Tyler Schwartz Group has picked one of my photos to go on the back of their new album. Huzzah! Got to help a friend out and make some money off it, too. Rock. The Release Party/Show is going to be at Club Love on July 10th. Come! It'll be teh awesome.
I did manage to get out of town again after Montreal and before the wedding, although it was really like half a day. PJ's family threw him, his sister and his cousin a graduation party at their place, so Josh, Matt, Patch, PJ, and I drove up to New Canaan to partake in some barbeque. It was a pretty good time, as you can see:
PJ in his backyard.
Ryan enjoys the corkscrew a little too much.
Josh advertises something classy.
The cake gets cut.
Plus, PJ's aunt invited he and I to come visit her in DC. So we may go do that towards the end of July. I wonder if I can see Uncle Igor when I'm down there? I really should, and I would love to.
Last Tuesday, I went to see Death Cab for Cutie and Rogue Wave play at McCarren Park Pool. Honestly, it wasn't that great a show. For one thing, Death Cab's roadie kept messing up the tuning, so Ben got pissed. Then, even though they said rain or shine, the show got stopped because of the weather. It was fun, and had they finished the show it may well have been the perfect New York night. Unfortunately, as it stands now, I need to write someone a strongly-worded letter and see about getting my money back. It's on the to-do list - the same one that's already really long.
Show number two for the week was Tom LoSchiavo at the Annex. I thought the venue was pretty terrible - it's a club part-time, and acts like it - but the company was good. It was Tom's birthday, so a lot of people came out. I took my camera with, so... Aqui esta mi amigo Tom tocando la guitarra:
Now some in color...
This one is my favorite from the night. Just enough movement to make it awesome.
On a completely random photographic note, I need to take a lighting class, I think.
I've been pretty busy at work, too. No particular reason, that's just the way it worked out. It doesn't help that I have to be here longer each day to save up for summer hours. (But they start on the 27th, O Frabjous Day!)
The big push was to make a press release and get it out so we could announce Poly Prep's LEED Silver status. To celebrate, we held a ceremony at the school at which a member of the USGBC handed over the plaque. Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Burough President, was there, as was David Yassky from the City Council. The best, I think, was when the third grader talked.
Then, this last Friday, we took a tour of the new Administration Building at the Queens Botanical Garden. It's ranked LEED Platinum, one of I think two buildings in the City that is. It was a nice trip and made for a short day.
Photos from the Architectrual League's Beaux Arts Ball are here so you can see how the architects in NYC party. No, I'm not in any of them, but you could check out a photo on Facebook to see my new suit here.
In good political news, Hillary's OUT. THANK GOD!!! It's nice to have a break, if ever so brief, from constant politics. It felt like someone pulling teeth because she would not leave.
It's also nice to have some hope that things will get much, much better come January 20, 2009. I think the moment Obama and McCain get on stage together it will be over. Over like JFK beating Nixon soundly over. Over like, um, McCain bringing a spork to a gunfight...
So I am pleased. =)
In less happy news, James and Kate are moving to Kentucky today. We gave them a big sendoff complete with fireworks on Saturday night. We discovered and watched an unexpected fireworks show on the East River after eating at Grimaldi's and waving at London through the telectroscope. It was pouring rain, too. Kind of awesome and incredibly memorable.
What's next? Don't know. I really don't know.
I may be going to Montauk on Saturday.
There's a free Cold War Kids and Elvis Perkins in Dearland show at Prospect Park coming up.
Yeah, and lots of catch-up chores. Oh, and heavy thinking. Seriously heavy thinking. Big decisions to make and all that.
Late!
- ianMood: accomplished Music: The Killers - Hot Fuss |
| » New Mix 2008 |
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Just finished a new mix. I'm going to call it Does This Make Me a Hipster? because really that's the only question on my mind these days. (JOKING! Or am I?) Honestly, though, it may be the most hipster-y mix I've made, and I'm not sure what I think of that. But all the songs are fanfuckingtastic.
Does This Make Me a Hipster?
- Youth Group - "Forever Young" (Alphaville Cover)
- Tokyo Police Club - "Your English is Good"
- Tom LoSchiavo - "Wanting to Find"
- Elliott Smith - "Waltz #2"
- The Weakerthans - "Plea From a Cat Named Virtue"
- Coldplay - "Fix You"
- Jon Foreman - "The Cure For Pain"
- Chris Walla - "Sing Again"
- The Republic Tigers - "Buildings & Mountains"
- Pela - "Tenement Teeth"
- LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"
- Imogen Heap - "Please Clear the Area"
- Ariane Moffatt - "Briser Un Coeur"
- Beirut - "A Sunday Smile"
- Cut Off Your Hands - "Expectations"
- Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma"
- MGMT - "Time to Pretend"
- Cloud Cult - "Mr. Tambourine Man (Live)" (Bob Dylan Cover)
As always, if you want a copy, you have only to holler in the reverse direction.
Just got back from a four-day weekend in Montreal. More about that later - as well as pictures once I finally sort through those suckers...
Oh, and I'm really happy because my new business cards - as in business cards for photography - came yesterday. They're pretty sweet.
Keeping this short so I can get to bed.
Late!
- ian
May. 27th, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
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| » A Savior Complex? |
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I was listening to Maroon 5's "This Love" on the way to work today, and something really interesting struck me about it. Yes, ok, I know the song is about sex - the whole album is. I'm not that dense (Doh, Chris). But here's the interesting part:
This love has taken it's toll on me
She said goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore
I'll fix these broken things
Repair your broken wings
And make sure everything's alright
All I could think about that whole time was that this guy has got a savior complex. He doesn't want the girl to leave because he thinks he's in love with her, but look at how he's trying to get her to stay... basically promising to fix her problems.
A lot of recent and ongoing experiences in my life and my friend's lives have shown me just how much of a savior complex we all have. We all want to try and solve everyone's problems on our own and make everything alright. Doesn't work that way, though, as I've learned over the years. We need a really strong community that can support each individual, and we need to be alright with admitting we can't do things on our own. Sometimes we even need to call in expert help - often more than one expert - to solve problems, and there's no shame in that. We could all do with a little bit of reminding: we aren't going to save anyone because we are just as messed up.
That being said, here's something we can do to make the world a better place: microloans! Seriously, though, this is a pretty awesome site.
Well, I noticed that at least my Dad noticed the entry I had up briefly about going to buy a suit. The reason I took it down was that the video didn't post. Shame. LJ has some weird rules dealing with HTML. Man, my site, when it's up, will rock and I won't have to worry about that. If you do want to see the video: check it. Long story short, I need a newer, more modern, more casual suit for a ball and two weddings. So I went out on a day-long adventure to the mall only to learn that my arms are too long for department stores and the Men's Wearhouse in Forest Hills sucks. I ended up ordering one online (this one, if you're curious) and will have to get it tailored. Hopefully that can all be done by Saturday night.
If UPS ever gets their act together (fat chance... *sigh*), I'll finally get my other purchase of the week, Death Cab for Cutie's new album Narrow Stairs. I'm not TOO pissed though, and only a little impatient. I've been streaming the album over and over. I love it. It gets back to old school Death Cab a little bit, and is definitely more uptempo than Plans was. It goes on the list with MGMT's Oracular Spectacular as one of my top ones of the year.
I should actually keep a list of those somewhere... Hmm...
Over Memorial Day weekend, Kris, Patch, Mike D., and I are going to head up to Montreal. I'm really looking forward to it. GOD do I need a vacation.
Also, I've been out of school for two years now. Weirdness.
Technical note, now, brought to you by Web 2.0. I've discovered this incredibly useful (and obvious) application for Facebook called Feedheads that picks up my Google Shared Items and streams them the side of my profile. So, in the interest of saving time and integrating everything, I will probably be posting fewer things to Facebook. Just figured I'd give you warning. (Again, something like this is totally going on my site when I get to it...) I also finally took the time to subscribe to my friend's shared items in Google Reader, so I may never even look at the Facebook Posted Items page again.
If you do not have the benefit of Facebook and would like to get my Shared Items, you can find it on this page: Ian's Shared Items. Watch out! It has ninjas.
Oh, and of course, if you have an RSS reader of your own, you can subscribe to it as a feed.
That being said, this is the last thing I posted on Facebook. It's an absolutely awesome music video from Mute Math for "Typical." Check it out:
I can't believe I just wrote something that started with Maroon 5... Oy vey...
Late!
- ian
May. 15th, 2008 @ 11:38 am
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| » Music Photos |
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There is a music photography website that I've begun to work with, thanks mostly to the wonders of Flickr's social networking aspect. Trouble is, it's still in the beginning stages and doesn't have nearly enough manpower, so it gets updated in fits and spurts. Recently, I made my first submissions to this website, Rockscope, and we'll see what becomes of that. (I don't expect much, but I do know that I underestimate myself often.)
Regardless of what becomes of these two submissions, I want to post them somewhere, and what better place than here? So, see below. I had to send them in with a brief write-up, so I apologize in advance for my brief foray into music journalism. You'll may be seeing more of that, though.
Anyway! Photos!
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Tyler Schwartz Group
Piano’s, New York, NY
March 15, 2008
http://www.myspace.com/tylerschwartzjazz
I don’t pretend to understand jazz. I never have and am not sure I ever will. What I do understand is rocking out and having a good time. Who doesn’t? So if you are anything like me, then one band you should know about is the Tyler Schwartz Group.
Take three absurdly talented jazz musicians, throw in a dance party with a drum and bass soundtrack and top it all off with a bit of wit and a few surprises, and the result is these three guys. The Tyler Schwartz Group consists of Tyler Schwartz himself, the charismatic saxophonist who leads the trio, Aaron Steele, a fast drummer who makes dance beats look simple, and keyboardist Dominic Fallacaro, who is able to mindbendingly play both organ accompaniment and a fantastic bass line at the same time.
The group just completed a month-long Saturday night residency at Piano’s in New York City, which Tyler rightly referred to as “the heart of the Lower East Side.” Original songs with names like “Intimidation by Vocabulary” and well-known covers like “SexyBack” made up the two sets they played each week. Singer Natalie John joined them the evening I photographed, lending a sweet, jazz standard feel to the music. By the time they finished playing, most of the open space in Piano’s lounge had turned into a dance party, perfectly setting the stage for the DJ who followed and making it no surprise that their other shows this year have been at small dance clubs and parties throughout the city.
If you are in need of a good time – or even if you aren’t – head out for an evening on the town the next time you see the Tyler Schwartz Group on the bill. You’ll regret it if you don’t. |
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The Constantines
Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
April 16, 2008
http://www.constantines.ca
Delayed a month due to injury, the Constantines returned to New York City ready to entertain the crowd at the Mercury Lounge. As one member of the audience loudly put it in a moment of downtime, “CONSTANTLY ROCKING!”
It’s a little hard to describe the Constantines’ music – melodic, syncopated, working in harmony with two guitars, sharp edges to the music and a little bit of a gruff voice. Their music is as ironically contradictory as their lyrics when they belt out, in unison, “We want the death of rock and roll!” Since they embody much of the good left in the genre, it would be hard to read that as anything but a cry for revolution.
And the crowd loved it.
The band played a mix of old songs from as far back as their debut album and new ones from the recently released Kensington Heights. People throughout the small venue sang along for the whole show.
Although this was my first time seeing the Constantines live, I have been listening for years, and was thrilled to see the way their music translates from disc to stage. I suspect the best is yet to come. |
Feedback is much appreciated!
So, if they do appear on Rockscope, count on it being posted here. And count on it being further edited.
The other thing I'm going to get out of this is press passes. Not entirely sure how that works, so I'm going to have to read up on it, but that's part of the point of the website, as I've mentioned before. So, with all these good shows coming up over summer, I'm going to have to jump on that. Big time.
Also, thanks to NYU, I got a pass to CMJ for $75. Rock! I don't even know who's playing yet, but I'm going to use it for networking.
Oh, and did I mention I'm going to see Death Cab at McCarren Park Pool in June? I am. PJ convinced me. Didn't take much.
So, that's the type of thing I'm hoping to do for my website. And some good news on that front... At work I'm helping to assemble an intranet/office blog/wiki, and the consultant we're working with (boyfriend of a former employee and one of my neighbors) is using WordPress to build it. I asked him about it, and he said he might have a book for me and could give me some tips. So good news there!
Summer hours start in late June.
Tonight is the MORP (Prom backwards, see?), aka the NYU Navigators end of the year party. Good times to be had. More bass playing. =)
I'm seriously considering a trip to Montreal, on the train, over Memorial Day weekend. Who's with me???
To finish, I'll leave you with two bonus photos:
First, the awesome Cameron Orr dancing at Tyler's show.
Next, this is one of my recent favorite photos, from a Flickr contact, Matt Wysocki: Check it.
Late!
- ian
P.S. Note to Facebook users: The import settings on Facebook or LJ - one of the two - mean that embedded Youtube videos don't translate and come out as a weird piece of code. If you want to see them (which you do!), then click on the tiny link at the top that says "View original post."
May. 2nd, 2008 @ 11:19 am
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| » Test |
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They say the classics never go out of style, but they do. They do.
Somehow, baby, I never thought that we do too...
So the good news is that my desktop is working again. I just wanted to try it out and see if the interweb was working. Good news - it does!
I ended up having to buy a new hard drive, load Windows on that, connect my old drive as a secondary one and transfer all the data off of it to the external, then reformat both the new and the old. Everything seems to be running smooth now. So now I'm onto the next step: making sure I've got all my programs and preferences and whatnot.
It takes a long time to put your digital life back in order...
The most absurd thing is that now I have something like a terrabyte, possibly more, space all told. I barely use a quarter of that and I don't think I'll need much more. So, space is not an issue.
That's it for now. Going to try and get some sleep even though the radiators are all freaking out.
Late!
- ian
Apr. 26th, 2008 @ 01:48 am
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| » MGMT |
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Currently rocking my stereo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVnRzEjpUmE.
You know how sometimes you go to the record store to just look around, and then you see this album and go, "Oh, man. I know nothing about these people, but I am absolutely convinced I will love this album." Sure enough, MGMT was one of those. Current favorite.
Also in music news, come to Sullivan Hall this Tuesday night at 8PM to see me play bass with PJ, opening for the Northern.
It'll be awesome. You know you want to.
My desktop computer's hard drive seems to have officially kicked the bucket. No idea why, but they do that. At first I was freaked out that my stuff was gone, since I haven't backed up since November (eeee) and had a lot of pictures on there. Now it just seems that Windows doesn't work and isn't going to. So, after the trouble trying to get an OS install disk from Dell, it turns out that it isn't installing properly and I can't make it. I'm getting a new hard drive and will slave the old one to it. Should do the trick.
Anyway, that's why I haven't been updating as much. I'm in laptop hell.
Somehow, though, I've managed to edit some pictures and will be putting them up here pretty soon.
For now, I'm off to Ryan and Allen's to watch UFC.
Late!
- ian
Apr. 19th, 2008 @ 09:24 pm
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| » I could be wrong, but... |
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...you know how everyone always asks, "Why do they hate us?" Well, this might be the answer:
Money in the 2008 budget for military spending: $583 billion
Money budgeted for International development and humanitarian aid: $14.3 billion
(Source: Parade) (via DailyKos)
You want more gruesome details? You'll really enjoy this: Death and Taxes: A Visual Guide to Where Your Federal Tax Dollars Go. (I posted this last year, too, but this is an updated one.)
It's kind of mind-numbing to think that Bush (so-called Mr. Fiscal Responsibility from the so-called Party of Fiscal Responsibility) would propose a budget that requests $1.075 trillion. And where is that going? It's not good: 67% ($717 billion) to military/national security - the highest proportion ever, I believe - and only 33% ($358 billion) to everything else.
National Debt is $9.6 trillion, up 8% from last year. Interest on that alone is $261 billion.
Yet we wonder why people hate paying taxes and distrust the government?
They're not getting anything for it. We spend more on bombs than we do on schools. More on freaking Afghanistan than on public transportation. Maybe people wouldn't be so afraid of government intervention if they would actually experience it.
Another fun little factoid for you: According to this site, the United States alone spends roughly $123 billion more on its military programs than the entire rest of the world combined. China, the runner-up, spends close to $65 billion dollars.
(It is worth pointing out, though, that there is some discrepancy between the way in which these two different site calculate and categorize...)
EDIT: I also just saw this, which looks suspiciously like the sort of thing we saw five years ago, but directed at another country: Iran 'behind Green Zone attack'. Is anyone else scared?
Mar. 24th, 2008 @ 11:28 am
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| » I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians... |
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I've begun to notice that there's this weird dance everyone in my neighborhood does around 9am. As I'm on my way to the subway, there are tons of people out on one side of the street, all getting into cars, warming up their cars, generally gathering around the cars, yelling at one another from the windows to "MOVE!" and honking at one another. Eventually, they all sort themselves to the other side of the street or around the block or something where they do the same thing. Ah, the joy of not having a car in New York City - and not having to move it every other day by 9 so as not to get a ticket.
My plan for waking up at 730 every morning has quickly turned into waking up by 815 every morning. Which of course means that I'm 20 minutes later to work thanks to the weird subway bubble from 9 on when there are no trains. Seriously, there's one like every 5 minutes before 9am and after, say, 920am, but there just aren't any at all between those times. It's bizarre and annoying.
Anyway...
I've been doing a fair amount of reading lately. One of the best books that I've come across so far is The Language of God by Francis Collins, who was the head of the Human Genome Project. This book is absolutely amazing! What's interesting about it is that Collins is a committed Christian as well as a (obviously) committed geneticist. I would call this book a must-read for anyone who either believes that evolution precludes the idea of God or anyone who doesn't believe in evolution (yes, they're still out there). Even better for me was reading this book after having read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. Dawkins is an outspoken Darwinist who believes that all religion (but especially Judeo -Christian ones) is not only an illusion caused by evolution but a dangerous "mind virus" that is destructive to humanity. He believes that the Darwinist Theory disproves the idea of God completely because it is irrelevant.
Here are Dawkins' three main points (severely summarized, of course):
- 1. Creation, as it is, with incredibly complex creatures is not impossible (watchmaker), merely extremely improbable. After adding up many small improbabilities, you get one so great it seems impossible, but is not. Evolution, which is this process, fully accounts for the complexity of creation, so there is no need for God.
- 2. Religion is anti-rational, and he defines it as "blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence."
- 3. Great harm has been done in the name or religion.
Dawkins, as I mentioned before, is a very smooth writer, and if you're not careful you can take everything he says at face value. There were times when I was reading the book when I had to pause and go, "Wait. How'd I get here?" Then I'd backtrack and reassemble his argument only to discover that he'd tossed out counterarguments that would be completely valid by any rubric - scientific, logical, judicial, experiential - or just generalized to the point of ridiculousness in order to reach his conclusion. Naturally I had some pretty big objections - and I hadn't even got into the Christianity stuff yet. I'm actually kind of stunned that I didn't write about these before... shame on me. Anyway, it was pretty damn vindicating to read Collins and realize he objected to many of the same things I did for the same or similar reasons. People will listen to him long before they listen to me because he has the experience. I mean, dude was the head of the freaking Human Genome Project! He knows what he's talking about.
Collins' responses:
- 1. Evolution is the method by which God created life as it is. Not impossible if you consider a creator who existed before the universe began and is therefore outside of time. This God would have an eternal present, knowing everything before it occurred . And if this God created time as well as everything inside of it, then it is not a leap to suggest that this God set in motion the events of evolution knowing exactly where it would (and will) lead.
- 2. This does not describe the faith of most believers or account for the serious thinkers of the past - from Augustine to Aquinas to C.S. Lewis.
- 3. People's actions do not always necessarily follow their beliefs. More importantly, people are imperfect. In fact, in Christianity, that is one of the central tenets - we are really screwed up. Collins' metaphor is contaminated water coming from a rusty container. Would you blame the water for what it was contained in?
I would add two more of my own objections to this list. First, the Christianity that Dawkins takes as "normal" is not my Christianity or anywhere near it. For example, the book that he claims is a manual for Creationism is published by Watchtower, the Jehovah's Witnesses publishing company. They aren't even mainstream fundamentalists! Yet Dawkins assumes that a) all Christians are Creationism/Intelligent Design advocates and b) all Creationism/Intelligent Design advocates follow this book. To put it simply: um, no. That's actually kind of offensive. I believe in evolution and the closest I get to believing in Creationism with a capital C is where Collins lands, and it's his job to learn where we came from. This is just one of many, many examples.
Secondly, whither the scientific method he loves so well? Dawkins will toss it when convenient. A great example of this is when he's talking about miracles and he mentions hundreds of people claiming to have seen the sun do circles in the sky. Pretty unbelievable, but they all vehemently claim it to be true. Hundreds of people in one town. Dawkins tosses it aside without an excuse. Now, I'm not saying this actually happened. What I am saying is, wouldn't you like to find out why they thought that? Wouldn't a scientist, most of all people, look into the causes of this? It may have been a poisonous gas causing delusions - I don't know - but when hundreds of people bring eyewitness evidence of an event to court, you don't just throw it out. Or take his constant bashing of the gospels... The text we have now is far more true to the originals than most texts, written closer to the events than most ancient histories were (Suetonius, anyone?), and has been corroborated in other accounts (see: Josephus). It is a reliable historical text. If you chose to believe that they are reliable mythologies, fine, but there is no denying what they are. Dawkins didn't even bother to look into what the majority of historians say - just stuck with a few well-publicized fringers that he agrees with.
There is a lot more you can get out of Collins' book, and I highly recommend you read it yourself. I don't mean this to be a rant on Dawkins, but I do find it interesting to look at the argument between the two of them. The book is now going to be added to my list of required reading on the Christian faith (along with, of course, the Bible itself):
- C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity
- Lee Stroebel's The Case for Christ
- Francis Collins' The Language of God
- and Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz
If you're ever interested in learning what Christianity is really about and why there are plenty of (quite sane) people who believe it, then you would do well to read these four books. You would also do well to read any Bible passages you have issues with for yourself in full. Most of the problems people have with the Bible seem to be because they don't bother to put quotes in context - just like Fox News! I also find it kind of funny when people are shocked to learn that I'm a Christian (hey, look, ma! I can use that word to describe myself again!). Christianity is so fraught with cultural connotations today that people entirely miss the core of it and the various differences amongst Christians. It's not the monolithic, well-publicized, Bible-thumping version you see on TV so often. Nor is it as hippie-sounding,laissez-faire as it could be. Sorry to disappoint.
This all reminds me... My roommate Ryan's friend/professor recently finished a movie called Purple State of Mind. He made it with one of his oldest friends, John Marks. Craig Dettweiler (the filmmaker) became a Christian in college when they were roommates, the same year Marks ceased to be one. The whole movie is just a conversation between them about that and the state of the US. It sounds really intriguing. Ryan has a copy, and I and at least one other person were going to get together and watch it. If you want in, let me know.
An exciting thing at least tangentially related was the Nav Winter Conference in New Hampshire. Almost a month ago now... oy. I ended up driving, which was kind of fun, especially with all the snow and Mike's Cadillac. The weekend was nice, if a little exhausting, and I got to see a lot of people who I haven't seen in a while - the Chens, the Millers, the soon-to-be Ziesels. For some reason or another, even though I somehow ended up being semi-official photographer, I haven't put any of those pictures on Flickr. But, they are up on Facebook, in two albums.
My favorite part of the weekend will probably prove how weird I am... NYU tends to stay an extra night on these trips (because we're awesome like that). One of the workshop leaders and his wife decided to do the same. The weather turned really nasty, and the access road up the hill turned into a solid, rutted sheet of ice. Throw onto that a little freezing rain, and their trip into town ended up with their minivan stuck at the bottom of the hill, unable to get back up to the lodge. So this speaker asked for some help, and about of us guys braved the weather and slipped down to the bottom of the hill to give it a push. No luck. Then, one of the camp people came with a little six-wheel truck full of sand and we sanded the road. Then he used the little truck to push the van. Still no luck. After about half an hour - maybe longer, I don't know - we gave up and the guy took his minivan to the village garage for the evening. Of course, this left six of us at the bottom of a hill of ice. So the guy in the with the truck told us to hop in the back because he was driving up with the workshop leader's wife anyway.
There was only room for four people in the back. I was not one of them. Just as the truck started moving, Jared (the other guy left out) and I look at each other and grab onto the back. Better to have something pull you along. At first we were walking, but as the hill got steeper, the truck started going faster and faster. Eventually we gave up on trying to walk and realized we were on ice. So we spent the rest of the trip back to the lodge ice skitching. And I only almost got seriously injured once. Sweetness.
And PJ said I never take risks.
Otherwise, I've been going to a bunch of shows. Yeah, as though that were something unusual. I have brought my camera along, though, and I have photos to show. Huzzah!
First up, Jukebox the Ghost at Union Hall. I'd seen these guys before, at CMJ, when I was just starting with the whole shooting shows thing. Tommy, the guitar player, told me not to worry about flash. So I haven't been, although I still don't like to use it. Anyway, it's nice to see how far along I've come since then. If you like Ben Folds, then you'll love these guys. Easy to listen to, kind of poppy, and pretty funny. The shows are good times, too. They just came out with a CD, which is pretty enjoyable. Plus they've been getting some WOXY play and are down at SXSW right now. These are from a show they played at Union Hall last month. (Theoretically, some of these will appear on their MySpace some day.)
Now, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but my goal here is to figure out how to shoot well enough and build up enough of a portfolio that I can eventually make some kind of money off this hobby, even if it's just a little bit. Right now I'm still working towards getting into shows for free. So naturally I was pretty stoked when Tom LoSchiavo, the worship leader at Apostles and an all-around cool guy, asked me after church one day if he could hire me to take some photos at one of his upcoming shows. He put me on the list for a show at Arlene's Grocery at the end of last month and I went. (He even claims he's going to get me some money sometime soon.) The light was tricky, so while I got some pretty kick-ass photos of him, I couldn't get too many satisfactory ones of the rest of his band, even with a flash... but you didn't need to know that. I haven't heard what he thought yet, but he must have liked some of them, because he's been posting them on MySpace.
Plus one for fun...
Finally, just last week, The Northern played at Sullivan Hall, the renamed and renovated Lion's Den. (Changes! Everywhere changes!) It was fun. Also, it was interesting. Aaron invited all sorts of people from Apostles, so we had Navs and Apostles and general people all mixed together. I love when that happens. I think the best was when something like two girls in a row came over to say hi to Grant, then stopped mid-hugging to say hi to Ryan Taylor. Grant was just like, "Did that just happen?" I wish I had a Venn Diagram. Anyhow, Patch was filming, so I've got the exclusive photography from this show...
I had sincere issues narrowing this down to three. Clearly, couldn't do it.
You know what, let those extra three stand in for the ones I would have taken if I'd had my camera at the Pela show. Erik and I went to see them play with Liam Finn and Apollo Sunshine at the Music Hall of Williamsburg... the renovated and renamed North Six (Changes!). They were awesome. Simply awesome. 'Nuff said.
I really need to draft something for Rockscope. And soon. It's on my list and in my inbox, but I'm so freaking slow to get to stuff.
On the other hand, I did my taxes. I ended up owing money because I took too many exceptions on my W4. Oh, well, they're going to get me back so I can "stimulate" the economy pretty soon. HA!! The economy is so fucked right now... Oh, man...
Good thing Dan, Poonam, and I have begun to plan our escape to Spain. 12 hours a week for 700 euros a month. Seems pretty good to me. Not great, but enough to live on and plenty of time for doing something else. Actually, while I was at the Nav Conference I talked with the Foreign Missions coordinator and it turns out they DO have people in Spain. So I may combine these two things and teach English while helping a church plant or something like that. I'm not sure what will actually happen or how it will work out. All I know is that it's too coincidental that some random girl from UVM (who's name I actually remembered!) both sat down to ask about missions in Spain, which they do actually have although they aren't on the website, and then I get an email a week or so later from Poonam about a program to teach English in Spain that she knows the administrators for. Something is bound to happen in the next year or so.
Following that, I may have found the perfect place for grad school: University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. It sounds crazy, but this is actually up there on my list, battling with Portland. I'm thinking more and more that leaving the city - at least for a while - would be healthy. So Columbia, while still high on the list and easily obtainable, is not as interesting. The price of gas will probably be at $4 a gallon before the end of the year, so I'm thinking that anywhere I'd have to drive a lot is quickly becoming less feasible. That (sadly) puts SciArc on notice. The New School in San Diego goes the same way, plus I'm not so sure about their reputation - no one seems to have heard of them. Portland would be a great place to live, but it's expensive. Austin is up there because it seems like a good town, there's a lot of music, and you can get around easily and you don't need a car really. UT Austin is surprisingly cheap for such a well-known school, and I can focus on sustainable design - a big plus. On top of all that, the Chalks live only two hours away, so I won't be completely out there.
Something to think about seriously this year.
GRE in June. That's the goal. LEED AP to follow. Not to mention a portfolio and a new website.
You know, I've been following the Democratic primary almost as if it were sports. And it's becoming one... a bloodsport. The longer this goes on, the less I care to have Clinton as President. She's using some dirty and underhanded tactics. It seems like she wants to win no matter what. I kind of expect her to call in all her favors at the last minute to get the superdelegates to vote for her - over the pledged delegates and the popular vote. That would destroy the Democratic Party (maybe not a bad thing) and then we'd get to see her lose... meaning we'd end up with this:
It's already started, too... You can tell by articles like this one from DailyKos - who's stated intent is to get Democrats elected: Clinton's "discredit Obama and the process" strategy. (BTW, if you didn't get that video, then you haven't seen this: YES WE CAN. I almost cried the first time I saw it...)
Also, an observation I've had over the past few days... FDR was awesome. Obama could be our generation's FDR (or at least JFK). I guess that'd make him BHO? Anyway, that one's obvious, I think, and people are just trying to decide if that's what they want - big generalization here, obviously. Clinton likes to say that she'll be "ready on day one," whatever the fuck that means. Like Obama has been campaigning because he wanted to do what Dubya did and get to the Oval Office only to take the next three months off? No. I think he's prepared. Don't insult our intelligence. And by the way Hillary, let's not get into the "experience" argument... you'll lose. What's interesting about those two great presidents (JFK and FDR, not Clinton and Bush) is that they didn't really have many set policies of their own when they got into office. They just knew how to surround themselves with good people and hammer out compromises in needed locations. Plus, they knew how to write a great speech and get the country behind them. Both of these skills Obama has got down. So who cares if his policies are a bit vague? They normally are in elections, but at least he sticks to his ideas more than most of the other candidates did. He's on the right track and has got the chops to get things done right, too.
Oh, yeah, and then there's Spitzer. Not much to say about that. It's not the prostitutes so much as the fact that he had based his entire political career on reform and ethics. I think he did the right thing by stepping down.
I guess now is as good a time as any to give the articles list... This is much shorter than it could be because of gReader's sharing device. If you really want the full list, continually updated, then now is as good a time as any to point out that gReader will generate a page with user's shared items, and mine is here. You can also subscribe to a feed from there, or if you're already on it, you can just add me as a friend. But yeah, on with the articles:
- Onion: Patriots' Season Perfect For Rest of Nation.
- LA Downtown News: Resurrecting the Red Car.
- Wall Street Journal: New Era Dawns for Rail Building.
- phillips ART expert: Allison Malinsky: Quite the Ringmaster. This was the girl who worked in the Fine Arts office while I was in school. She's got some pretty awesome art.
- Guardian UK: The true cost of war. The short version: the war in Iraq will cost America alone $3 trillion, and that's a conservative estimate.
- TheAtlantic.com: The Next Slum? Suburbs are the new inner cities.
- Slate: Where Are This War's Winter Soldiers?.
- Brooklyn Eagle: Polytechnic University Votes to Merge With NYU.
- NYTimes: Capturing the Moment With Fewer Minutes. Of particular interest to me, with my love of concert photography.
- BoingBoing: Air Force Uber Alles. First "the Homeland," now this... Could we stop with the fascism references, please?
This weekend I'll probably be hanging around the house a bunch. Doing some gardening and letting the old English man in me have a good time. Actually, I will probably be going to Tyler's show again and meeting up with Sanjay, who's back in town until the beginning of April.
Monday I can look forward to more "Battlestar Galactica," although it will be St. Patrick's Day and I kind of want to go out... Shame it's a damn Monday. But this show will be worth it and it may be the only time next week PJ can watch. So I'll stay in. It's just such a crazy concept - there are only 50,000 humans left! In space! With robots hunting them down! I can't stop thinking about it...
...well, that and the stupid octagonal paper. What's up with that? Seriously, if anyone has an answer, I want it. This is all the SciFi Channel website will give me:
"I'll second the question - why is it that the paper in the Galactica universe has the corners cut off, even the tractor fed printer sheets! i just want to know."
This is a closely guarded secret of the show and certainly not a wacky design element that someone came up with during the miniseries.
Cheeky bastard.
My parents are going to be coming into town for a weekend in April. It's going to be awesome. In the five and a half years I've been here, my dad has been out three times, once to move me into the dorms, once to move me out, and once to see me graduate. My Mom and my brother came with that last time, and that was the only time they've come to visit. So I'm stoked. Plus, they're bringing Icon.
They'll be here just in time for our Great Gatsby Party, too! April 5th, people. You are expected to attend.
Late!
- ian
P.S. Yes, it's long. But keep in mind I've posted nothing for a month and very little prior to that. You know you love it.
Mar. 14th, 2008 @ 10:55 pm
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| » Ennui-endo |
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Sometimes I get in these awful moods, like tonight, when I don't know what to do with myself. I just want to fall asleep and have the day end, but that just means that tomorrow comes faster.
Sometimes I think F. Scott Fitzgerald and I would have been really good friends.
Sometimes I really want to quit my job and go into music full-time, which would be difficult really considering my terrible lack of talent. But I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to run into the street and just rock out. I don't even know how I'd do it, but I want to. Things like this don't help...
And why don't you try writing your own songs?
It's not symbolic. Not really. No.
- ian
Feb. 7th, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
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| » Skinny Jeans, Architecture Mario, and a last bit of Ron Paul in a Super Week |
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The other day as I was walking through the office, I looked down and thought to myself, "Jeez! These jeans are way too big! Why did I wear these today? For that matter, why do I own them? I think I'll donate them to someone who actually wants a pair this baggy." The funny thing is, though, they really aren't that big. It was just a pair of loose-fit Levis that I've owned for years. I know exactly what did it, too: skinny jeans. I bought a pair in December, mostly for the Hipster Holiday Party. Then I bought another one. I really, really like them. They fit well, are surprisingly comfortable, are actually warmer, and look good.
I'm ruined. It's slim-fit from here on out.
Dammit.
So what have I been up to recently? Not a whole hell of a lot. Just working and somehow managing not to sleep enough. You know, the usual.
Three weeks ago I relaxed my hair. It worked out a lot better than the last time I did it (in junior high) and was a lot less expensive and just all-around easier. It actually looks pretty good, I think. Even though the only comment I seem to get from most everyone has been, "Oh, you're growing your hair out. I like it." Very observant, people. (Leonard, on the other hand, noticed after about 15 minutes and interrupted himself to say, "WHAT THE FUCK YOU RELAXED YOUR HAIR???" and stare, jaw to the floor, for about a minute. Best. Reaction. Ever.) The plan had been originally to go for a faux hawk (mostly because I couldn't think of anything better to do), but my hair is too long on the sides and - never having had straight hair before - I don't really know how to cut it. So the plan now is to let it grow out the minimum of 6 weeks (halfway there!), then relax it again, this time more thoroughly and with a stronger one. After that, I'll get it cut on the sides and see where that takes me.
I've also been sick that whole time. It's a damned cough that just doesn't go away no matter what I do. If it sticks around for another week, I'm just going to go see the doctor. I was planning on getting a check-up anyway.
Another thing I've been up to is maniacally checking Flickr, even though it updates probably even less than Facebook. A while ago I saw a comic that mentioned it as a social networking site and went, "Huh? How?" So I started looking into it more... Turns out there are groups. And discussions. A whole other side to it! I added two of my favorite music photographers, Daniel Boud and Jason Bergman, to my contacts just so I could see their photos faster than they post them on their blogs. I joined a concert photography group, hoping to get tips and the like. Well, the good news is I got it, and even better, I've got the possibility of joining up with a new online publication collecting music photography from across the world - the kind that would get press passes. It has the potential to be big. More on that when there's more to tell... meanwhile, I'm stoked about the very possibility and am already plotting my next photography purchases. To start with, a pro account from Flickr would seem appropriate. (Done!)
Of course, the only arty thing I've done in the last few weeks is for a while at the Met. I'm pretty rusty. But it was calming. Some BT and Buddha statues totally makes my day.
You know, that reminds me....
I haven't been doing very well at my New Year's goals. It's part of the reason why January sucked. But what's even worse is that a lot of the reasons I didn't succeed at them is having opportunities to do things - sure things - pulled out from under me for no particular reason. I won't go into it more than that, but it really blows. Just another lesson in why I should never get my hopes up. But then that's a problematic thought I am not supposed to be thinking anymore. I forget why. ARGH!
When it came out, a bunch of us went to see Cloverfield. It was pretty good. Not earth-shattering, and certainly not even that scary, but good, and original. I'm one of those people who doesn't mind sitting close to a screen, so I ended up doing that, and I think it actually helped my experience. The whole movie is shot as though it were off of someone's camcorder. It was, on the one hand, very limiting for the plot and character development, but on the other hand a very cool idea. And in the end that's all this movie really had, a really cool idea. The concept of New York being destroyed by a monster - but not a movie New York, a New York you could recognize and hang out in - and how people would actually react, was pretty awesome. It balanced unbelievable and realistic very carefully. In the end, it is a better movie to think about for a long time, which you do, than it probably is to watch repeatedly.
It'll be interesting to see what they do with the sequel.
I also saw No Country For Old Men. That was just good. Disturbing and good. Javier Bardem is a such an awesome actor. I have yet to see him in anything that I didn't think was more than Oscar-worthy.
The day after Martin Luther King Day, I went to go be an architecture nerd and saw Shigeru Ban speak at Cooper Union. He's an incredibly awesome Japanese architect who has some of the most straightforward thinking in architecture today. For example, need flexible spaces? Ok. We'll make movable walls. Need cheaper materials? Well, I've got all these cardboard tubes lying around... why not use them? It's really a kind of disturbing genius that makes you go - how come no one else has thought of that before? But what I found most striking about all of his work was just how much he drew from more traditional modern architects, particularly Mies Van Der Rohe. It makes sense, if you consider that both really searched for simplicity. He also reminded me of another familiar character. I've come up with a very simple equation to explain this all to the non-architecturally literate and put it in this handy-dandy visual presentation:
I love architecture.
There is some bad news this past month. Trevor has had to move back to Cincinatti to undergo treatment for cancer. The good news is that he'll survive - more people die from pnuemonia, as he likes to poin out - but that hardly undoes the suckage that is treatment and having to uproot your life unexpectedly. Please keep him in your prayers.
Sunday we had a bunch of people over to watch the Super Bowl. That was fun. Giants won in a very sweet ending.
Speaking of "Super," today is Super Tuesday. Primaries all over the place! I had really tried to get this posted this past weekend, or at least yesterday, but then I became occupied and my cold/cough/thingy got worse, so... that didn't happen. Even so, it isn't too late to get up on my soapbox on last time, because some people will vote after work. (You ARE voting, aren't you?) I thought I'd use this opportunity to close up an issue that still really bothers me... Ron Paul.
When last I left off, I had this to say:
- DailyKos: The overt racist in the GOP field. If you are even CONSIDERING supporting Ron Paul in the primaries, elections, whatever, you really, really need to read this. At first I thought he was just kind of kooky, a libertarian pretending to be a Republican to get elected. Now I realize the man is a maniac and holds very disgusting views. If you read this and still support him, we will need to have a talk. Seriously. (If you follow the link at the top of that article, you'll find a whole series on why you should NOT vote for him, this being the tippy top of the iceberg. For example, did you know he voted against reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965? He is also one of only four members of Congress to receive an "F" from the Genocide Intervention Network for action on Darfur.) There is NO EXCUSE for supporting this guy. None.
After some heated discussions with the few Ron Paul supporters I know, we came to a nice detente and no friendships were ended (thank God). Here's what happened...
First, the New Republic picked up the story and elaborated on it in an article entitled "Angry White Man." Since most people don't seem to believe that DailyKos does their research (which, partisan hacks though they may be, is untrue, and they cite their sources like a proper academic would), this was the first "legitimate" break for the story.
Then, Wolf Blitzer called him out on it and gave him an opportunity to respond over national television. What followed was 11 minutes of waffling, trying to change the subject, and finally, a "No, I repudiate all of it." Since he finally came out against it, I can let Ron Paul supporters off with a clean conciense. I just disagree with them - strongly - because I don't believe the guy at all. In my opinion, if you believe that, you have way more faith in humanity than I ever could and are choosing to make quite a few leaps of faith.
Here's where I get this:
- One of the main arguments that I'm hearing Ron Paul supporters make is that, yes, he should have edited it more carefully. That completely overlooks several important facts. Paul owned these companies and was on their advisory boards. He wrote for these newsletters from time to time, so it just seems too convenient to be able to say, "Oh, but not that article." Moreover, they were all in his name! If a publication implies that they are your words, and you know it exists because you're helping to produce it, you give it more scrutiny, not less. It could be an oversight, but it's a damn shameful one.
- These articles came out over a period of decades, not just a few years. It's not like this is new.
- Paul has a long history of hanging out with shady people and conspiracy theorists. One paragraph from the New Republic article should just about cover it:
What's more, Paul's connections to extremism go beyond the newsletters. He has given extensive interviews to the magazine of the John Birch Society, and has frequently been a guest of Alex Jones, a radio host and perhaps the most famous conspiracy theorist in America. Jones--whose recent documentary, Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement, details the plans of George Pataki, David Rockefeller, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, among others, to exterminate most of humanity and develop themselves into "superhuman" computer hybrids able to "travel throughout the cosmos"--estimates that Paul has appeared on his radio program about 40 times over the past twelve years.
- As to the video... First of all, why does it take him 11 minutes to say, "I don't believe that"? Shouldn't he have started with, "I don't believe that, and here's why"? Most normal people would.
- Saying he attracts the most black votes of any Republican candidates is meaningless. That should be obvious. Blacks tend to stay pretty far away from Republicans, and have since before FDR.
- Saying his consistent reelection demonstrates his concern for black voters is equally pointless. A quick census search on the district shows that it has an african american population of 3.9%, far below the US average of 12.3% and easily enough for them to be marginalized in any election. (while we're on it... 67% of blacks are in prison??) Asians come in even fewer at 2.5%. The district is 86.2% white. He could completely ignore racial issues and still win handily.
What I've got out of all this is that not only do a few of my friends who support Ron Paul definitely underestimate the issues at stake here (not their fault, it's not something they grew up paying attention to), they are just as stubborn as I am and have a lot more faith in what people say than I ever can, especially when confronted by a record like Ron Paul's and his incongrouous statements. I'm not entirely sure how to process that, but then I'm sure they're having trouble processing my end of this argument, too. Sure, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that Paul will get the nomination, let alone the presidency, but that's not the point. The point is that you ought to be careful who you vote for, because how you cast your vote demonstrates what you want to have said in government. It's called representation because it does just that.
By the way, don't get me started on Huckabee - his arguments on the Constitution or his comments on the South Carolina flag. At least he's representing the same idiotic evil that we've been used to for the past seven years.
Speaking of idiotic evil, President Bush gave his last State of the Union address on the 28th. He went out with a fizzle... it was the least interesting State of the Union that I've ever seen, and the response was just as good. Nothing new was said. It was all recapitulation of the same junk and a lot of pabulum, with the exception of FISA and the "stimulus" package. The Republicans are wrong on telcom amnesty, and even the Democrats are starting to stand up against it. End of that story (for now). The stimulus package is just kind of ridiculous. I still don't understand where he gets his math on taxes, but it's the same thing as when he screwed up the economy the first time around: give the people making a little to decent amount of money $300, and give people making more, more! Shouldn't it be reversed?
Anyway, this year I get somewhere between $300 and $600 from the government to go stimulate the economy. Know what I'm going to do with it? Pay off debt, which will actually have the reverse effect. The money won't go into circulation, and it will mean that my lender corporations will make less money off of me, meaning they have just that much less to spend. But I get to pay off my debt, so that's good. The really sad thing is that this is what most people are going to do, so it will have limited effect on slowing the recession. It may be too late and targeted in the wrong direction anyway: the recession is here now, my money comes in May, and the root causes of the downturn are the war and housing issues. Those people who are middle- and upper-class tend to think in the long-term, and they're getting the most money, so it's just going to pay off debt or get stashed somewhere. Those who make less money need it more, and are more likely to spend it on necessities than save or invest it. For them, it frees up money to spend elsewhere. For others, it's almost extra.
Again, this is high school economics, a class Bush clearly didn't take.
One article to energize you for the rest of the day, about how Obama is technically ahead, from Slate: Is Obama Winning? It might make your head explode with the complexities of the Democratic primary system.
Next time: less politics, because the worst ought to be over.
Late!
- ian
Feb. 5th, 2008 @ 12:58 pm
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| » Remember... |
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...what they say: In vino veritas.
2008 can suck it. Yes, already.
Jan. 27th, 2008 @ 09:33 pm
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| » MLK Day, One Day Late |
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I'm going to go ahead and emulate my Dad here by posting (behind an LJ cut) the consistently excellent Letter From Birmingham Jail, which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote on April 16, 1963:
( Read more... )
God damn, what an awesome guy.
- ian
Jan. 22nd, 2008 @ 10:53 am
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By the way, the Super Bowl will actually be interesting this year.
This coming from a guy who hates American football.
Party at my place, perhaps?
Late!
- ian
Jan. 21st, 2008 @ 11:15 am
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| » Foot + Mouth = Me |
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Ah, I am so good at sticking my foot in my mouth. It's beautiful.
This week I have been playing bull in the political china shop, it seems, by pointing out to a handful of my friends that Ron Paul is a racist and that I sincerely hope they don't vote for him. (Until now, I have not bothered to point out that "in view of God's mercy" should really have nothing to do with it, but a few of said handful have used that construction, which shakes me to my core...) I've also managed to get caught up in some lovely family drama. Taking a moment to step back from the way I view my journal and acknowledge the way others view it, I write all of this as clarification and nothing more...
1) I have a problem with establishing terms. Much of the misunderstanding in my relationships with people seems to come from people defining things other than I would. That being said, in no way does "redifine" ever, EVER mean "ultimatum." Look it up. (And since I can think of at least two individuals out there who either a) have stopped reading because they're pissed or b) think they're being called out publicly: stop it. You're overreacting and assuming everything is about you. Other than these three sentences, it's not. You don't even know that you're the person I'm speaking to directly right now; you think you do, but trust me, you don't.) I don't know when I will ever learn that people don't understand the world in the same way I do, but I suspect it will be sometime before I die.
2) I don't care. I would rather people think ill of me and know and believe the truth than say something false or burnished to salvage a relationship. Truth is more important than the way you see me. Furthermore, I am strangely ruthless and calculating at times, even though it takes a lot out of me. If need be, I will cut people out of my life completely - and I have done it before - if I consider it to be best for the both of us (with an obvious bias towards myself, of course).
3) I have low expectations. I don't expect people to change, and I definitely expect the worst from them. It's hard for me to hope for anything because people suck, even the ones you know really well. Sure, that may leave me a lonely person, but at least I'm used to it.
4) I am stubborn. While I am willing and able to accept the facts or a well-reasoned argument placed before me, I don't change my mind easily once it's made up. This also means that I hold grudges (see above: ruthless and calculating) and can hold them for a VERY long time. Healthy? Probably not. Screw you for bringing it up.
5) I don't have secrets. I can't think of anything - and I mean anything - that I am not willing to share publicly. Some things I might not particularly want to say publicly (see: this whole post), but I will. I've said it before and I'll say it again: ask the right questions and I'll answer truthfully. No one ever bothers to ask because no one ever cares to. Not my problem.
6) I'm non-confrontational. There isn't any way that I would go out and act on any of this dark streak without there being a legitimate cause. I am not one to take up the standard of a cause unless I am absolutely positive that it is right, honest, and worth getting into a fight for. I will not pick up some throwaway line and argue it to death; I will look it up, do my research, and come back armed to the teeth with facts - and if I can't answer, I will say so, do more research, and adjust accordingly.
So now you know me. Is that all there is? Hell no. But you knew that if you're reading this. It was more of a public service announcement, a reminder if you will of the other side of Ian. Yes, I've changed a fair bit towards the positive over the years, but this is where I come from and it's very hard to get rid of that foundation. I'm sort of part-way through a change in foundation. (Lord forgive me and help me to forgive!)
While I'm on it, wounds from a friend can be trusted... Know this: if I wound you, it has a 98% chance of being to a purpose (see number 6). It hurts me to see friends in the wrong and it hurts me to lose them because of the wrong. But honestly, I am all of the above things.
(Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have just had four beers. Look, it's a holiday tomorrow, I'm 24, and I've been having a shitty week... it's allowed. I may be a bit more excitable than usual.)
Here's a picture to calm me down and to make this post worthwhile to those who aren't involved in this:
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming,
- ian
Jan. 21st, 2008 @ 01:55 am
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| » Holidays |
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For some reason i can't understand, I haven't written anything - public or private - since before Christmas.
Weird.
I guess this year just isn't working out as planned. So far, I've only managed to keep one of my goals; I haven't even started on the rest. Blah! If you believe that thing about how the rest of your new year will happen however you spend your New Year's Eve, then this isn't unexpected... My year will be me on the internet with Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest, and some terrible music on in the background while my parents drift in and out offering me wine. Not sure how I feel about that. Not particularly happy about breaking my six-year streak, though.
The holidays were a lot of fun, though. Seriously. Kaz happened to be out in Whittier for Kenji's wedding, but they didn't really have much to do, so instead of sitting around a hotel room all day, he came back to my place for most of the first week. Which was awesome. We did a little hiking, a little mall-age, a lot of movie watching, and even went out to Santa Monica and Little Tokyo. The whole time I was worried about possibly having to do jury duty (the week of Christmas Eve! Madness!), but I got really lucky and didn't have to at all. Even better than that, Doh was around, and Carly and Chris came back into town. So we hung out quite a bit. Nothing's changed. Well, nothing for the worse. It's awesome.
Also, I got to go to Souplantation for the first time in who knows how long... It's so CHEAP!! Wow. Why, oh, why don't they have on in NYC? All you can eat for $8!
Like I mentioned, I did get to see family. A fair bit of them, too. Cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, etc. Family drama, too. My little brother has become a pothead (which explains a lot), yet somehow my parents didn't notice the cloud of smoke coming from the garage and seeping into the family room. I was going to ask them if they cared. Doh asked me after coming back from a burrito run and I told him, yeah, I was wondering the same thing. I had planned on just asking before I went home, because honestly I don't care unless you start to mess up your life. Then, while cleaning out my car, I found a bunch of stuff Tommy had forgotten - including a ticket for posession from October. So I had a talk with my parents, and my Dad had a talk with Tommy while I was in San Diego. Then my brother came in and cussed at me, saying, "You give my papers to me, you understand?"
Thank God I don't have to deal with this shit on a regular basis. The only person who is allowed to talk to my like that is my boss, and even then it's only because he's paying me and that's the time when I would walk back to the computer and start looking for another job.
So I'm currently not on speaking terms with my brother, and I can't listen to Lily Allen's "Alfie" anymore, either. When he decides to apologize, then we'll talk. Until then he can drop out of all the community colleges he wants to. Not my problem.
Yeah, I'm pissed.
This post is probably beginning to sound like I didn't have a good time. Not true. It was just dampened by some pretty big annoyances. The coolest thing by far I did while I was home was drive down to hang out with Dan Brown in lovely San Diego. He's got a really nice place and a really great job - perfect for him. He's also meeting some pretty cool people. We hung out, played some board games, and, of course, went surfing in Del Mar. Good times.
Surfing is good for the soul.
Anywho, here I am, back in New York, two weeks into 2008. It's been pretty good, but busy. I kind of want some time to myself. I had been planning on heading out of town to the Poconos this weekend, but that's not happening (big surprise there), and I found out too late. I'm sick anyway. So I'll probably sleep and watch tv all weekend. Lots of tea. The year would be better if I could start actually doing some of the things I want to be doing and planned on doing, but, like I said, the only thing I've managed to do that for is going to the gym, and that's not any major life change or anything.
I should really study for the GRE. Dammit.
I haven't even had time to sort my photos from Christmas.
Oh! I almost forgot! I went to see General Miggs play at Mercury Lounge. It was pretty much awesome. Their new stuff sounds freaking sweet. I ran into all the usual characters... Turns out Bill has a new band, The New Dress. They're pretty decent sounding; can't wait to see them live. Since I had my camera, I took a bunch of photos (still on my desktop, waiting), and Pete says I should send the good ones to him, which, of course, I will. Bill wants me to come take photos at one of their shows, so if you don't have St. Patty's Day plans yet, we're hitting a yet-to-be-announced bar in Brooklyn.
I also went to see Jon Foreman play a solo show at Joe's Pub. So cool! His solo project is turning out great. He played stuff off of Fall, Winter, and even Spring, as well as some Switchfoot songs and even a cover of Bad Religion's "Sorrow," which made me kind of go "Hmmm..." I paid $14 for a small salad - granted, it was good - because it was a sit-down type of place. After the show, I talked a bit with the cellist, Kevin, and was really close to getting a photo with Jon and asking him why Switchfoot never plays old stuff anymore. I'm not that persistent, though, so it didn't happen. No biggie.
Overall, though, a good night.
This Monday I had to make a delivery to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. What a crazy place. It's huge. Parts of it are decrepit. It's easy to reach but impossible to get around in. Thank God they gave me a ride from the front gate. That's all I've got to say about that.
Last night, I went to see Zach Williams play. I met him two weeks ago when PJ called me in as a last-minute bass player for the Gallery. That was awesome. Also awesome was his show, which was honestly better than I expected it to be. I didn't see other bands because I was feeling bad in multiple ways and went home to go to sleep.
Tonight: The Northern at a bar in Williamsburg and then Cloverfield. Stoked!
Erik and Minerva are back from down under. That makes me very glad. Yes indeedy. So, with him, James, and Kate, we've got a little Harlem community going.
Now if only James, Kate and Cadence can find an apartment closer to our house...
The only other really eventful thing that's happened is Trevor moving in. Now there are 10 of us in that house. Crazy.
Oh, here's a photo anyway. It's one I don't think I've posted before of Cameron dancing at the Siren Festival last year.
Articles!
- NYTimes: The Airport Security Follies. Seriously on of the best editorials I've read in a long time. Written by a pilot about Homeland "Security."
- Desiring God: Pray Like This: Hallowed Be Your Name. Normally I don't pass on sermons, but this one was good.
- Slate: Home Thoughts From Abroad. Soldiers beginning to feel at home in Iraq. Weird.
- Slate: Progressives, To Arms! A tasty little opinion piece.
- EcoGeek: Super Soaker Inventor Doubling Solar Efficiency?
- My Way News: ACLU Rips Plan to Track RI Students. Sends shivers up my spine. Why don't they just tag the bus and be done with it? It works elsewhere. More confirmation of why I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU. =)
- Streetsblog: Bikes Outsell Cars Down Under.
- Economist: The music industry: From major to minor. Music industry by the numbers. They're screwed.
- Gothamist: Drunk Driver Who Fatally Hit Bicyclist Sentenced. More closure. Dude's license had better be revoked permanently.
- Gizmodo: This one has pictures! Ads to be aware when wearing an iPod...
Two articles that come with Mini-Rants, and a bonus:
- DailyKos: The overt racist in the GOP field. If you are even CONSIDERING supporting Ron Paul in the primaries, elections, whatever, you really, really need to read this. At first I thought he was just kind of kooky, a libertarian pretending to be a Republican to get elected. Now I realize the man is a maniac and holds very disgusting views. If you read this and still support him, we will need to have a talk. Seriously. (If you follow the link at the top of that article, you'll find a whole series on why you should NOT vote for him, this being the tippy top of the iceberg. For example, did you know he voted against reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965? He is also one of only four members of Congress to receive an "F" from the Genocide Intervention Network for action on Darfur.) There is NO EXCUSE for supporting this guy. None.
- Multiple sources, so I just picked one... Pharyngula: Huckabee is a raving lunatic. Now here's the type of crackpot I can deal with. Compared to Paul, Hucakbee is tame. He just wants "to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view." Even commenting on this as a Christian, I find it disgusting. You cannot legislate morality; as followers of Christ we are told no to judge people ("Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord," just off the top of my head). The Bible gets interperted differently by a lot of people, so how would you even agree on reforming the Constitution? And what about loving everyone, especially those who don't believe the same things you do?? Every day I am becoming more and more convinced that there isn't a single person left at the top of the Republican Party who is in touch with reality...
- BONUS! The Onion: I Got What America Needs Right Here. Jimmy Carter speaks up. It gave me a bit of a chuckle.
Man... now that Google Reader has made combined sharing with Gchat, I am using it waaaayyy more often. It may be worthwhile to put up a feed for it whenever I finally get around to redoing my website (it's on the backburner). If only there were a way to include comments or something with them.
Right now I'm reading a biography of Caesar Augustus that came out just a few months ago. It's really good. Really good. I can't even imagine the research that went into this thing. It's a perfect example of what I consider good history. That is to say, it makes people look like real people, not some overglorified eloquent hero. (NOTE: If you're particularly sensitive to profanity or bawdiness, just stop reading here and consider that the end of the entry.) An absolutely hilarious example of this is a quote the author found of something Octavian (aka Augustus) told his soldiers to downplay rumors of problems in the Second Triumvirate. (Basic backstory is this: Mark Antony and Octavian were splitting control of the empire. Antony's wife, Fulvia, commanded an attack that failed spectacularly, making him look like a fool. Antony was in the east, and didn't know about it. There was a lot of tension in reality between the two triumvirs.) The quote makes him look like what he was... a 23-year old rich asshole:
Because Antony fucks Glaphyra [a current mistrees], Fulvia is determined to punish me by making me fuck her in turn. I fuck Fulvia? What if Manius [a freedman of Fulvia] begged me to sodomize him, would I do it? I think not, if I were in my right mind. "Either fuck me or let us fight," says she. Ah, but my cock is dearer to me than life itself. Let the trumpets sound.
Just wow.
It's funny either way you think about it, actually... Octavian acting regal, or him speaking to his armies declaring war. Good stuff.
Let the trumpets sound,
- ian
Jan. 19th, 2008 @ 02:35 am
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caneda's journal
