short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2007-02-10
anti-hate
A new website ¿Y-Hate? introduces itself to the world
The site's owner also encourages folks to take the concept viral, with posters and stickers. Print them out, put them up, and take a picture of your handiwork. Then send the site maitainer a copy to post it.
So, here I'm making a Virtual Stick, see below.
and
But don't take my word on this. Go visit his site.
So, here I'm making a Virtual Stick, see below.
and
But don't take my word on this. Go visit his site.
FULL DISCLOSURE TIME: The new website www.¿Y-Hate?.org was designed and created by a talented young graphic designer, Gareth Jalal Brady, who lives on the Eastern Shore of Marlyand. He also happens to be my son |
Labels: anti-hate, campaigns, logos
¶ 01:17 1 comments
2007-02-09
blips + updates
environment: Status report on Connecticut's Eight-Mile River | On Monday, February 12th at 11 am, Freshman Congressman Joe Courtney [CT-D 2nd District] will announce the introduction of his first bill to Congress: Eightmile Wild & Scenic River designation. This will be followed by an opportunity to discuss with the Congressman the Eightmile project and other environmental issues facing the region today. The event is to be held at the Red Mill at Moulsons Pond, 26 Mt. Archer Rd, Lyme, CT.
The Eightmile is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. Residents of East Haddam, Old Lyme, Salem and Colchester have been seeking to have Connecticut's Eight Mile River designated as a Wild and Scenic river for several years now. The effort has had considerable support from elected officials of all political persuasions. Congressman Courtney is quickly picking up on the good work done by former Representative Rob Simmons. Find out more about this effort...
homeless outreach: Advocate for the homeless and champion of social justice Abbe Pierre died recently | He was 94. Born as Henri-Antoine Groués to a moneyed family, he learned early on of the his moral obligation to help the poor.
He became a Capuchin monk while in his teens; worked with the French Resistance against the Nazi occupiers in the 1930s and 1940s, hiding Jewsih children whose parents had been arrested. After World War II he became active at helping the poor, founding the Emmaus movement pushing for affordable housing and laws preventing landlords from evicting poor tenants during the winter months.
In 1992 he refused to accept France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, because of that government's abysmal treatment of the poor. In an interview before he died he admitted one regret, "Everything I was not able to do. Read his obituray from The Guardian...
Thanks to Moyra Peralta and Alice Earl for reminding me of his passing.
drug wars: FDA gives Big Pharma a break on testing | AlterNet reports that the FDA has admitted that pharmaceutical companies it is supposed to regulate have not yet made good on hundreds of promises to test the safety of drugs already approved for the market.
According to a notice published Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from October 2005 through September 2006, companies had yet to initiate 71 percent of outstanding "post-market" safety evaluations that companies have promised to undertake for currently approved products they are already selling to consumers. Read the rest of the story...
families: Gay Marriage | NVSH, a grouped based in the Netherlands, has an analysis on the arguement about gay marriage. It's not just about "conservatives" versus "progressives"; it's about the entire set of emotional baggage that huans have about not just marriage, but sexuality in general. Read the rest of the page...
whimsey: Ian's Shoelace Site | Lest my readers think I obsess only about things that are weighty and serious, I had to stop by and wander about Ian's extensive information trove on what some disparagingly referr to as "kindergarten knowledge".
Who'd have thought there was so much technical knowledge and creativity tied up in shoelaces? Most people figure they learned all they needed to know about shoelaces in kindergarten! Ian's Shoelace Site contains all sorts of shoelace information, some of it useful, some just for fun. If you wear shoes with laces (or anything else that does up with laces), you're bound to find something here that they don't teach in kindergarten. Update yourself of everything you've been missing...
Thanks to Lee Fleming, the author of Neurotwitch for exposing me to this lore.
environment: Status report on Connecticut's Eight-Mile River | On Monday, February 12th at 11 am, Freshman Congressman Joe Courtney [CT-D 2nd District] will announce the introduction of his first bill to Congress: Eightmile Wild & Scenic River designation. This will be followed by an opportunity to discuss with the Congressman the Eightmile project and other environmental issues facing the region today. The event is to be held at the Red Mill at Moulsons Pond, 26 Mt. Archer Rd, Lyme, CT. The Eightmile is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. Residents of East Haddam, Old Lyme, Salem and Colchester have been seeking to have Connecticut's Eight Mile River designated as a Wild and Scenic river for several years now. The effort has had considerable support from elected officials of all political persuasions. Congressman Courtney is quickly picking up on the good work done by former Representative Rob Simmons. Find out more about this effort...
homeless outreach: Advocate for the homeless and champion of social justice Abbe Pierre died recently | He was 94. Born as Henri-Antoine Groués to a moneyed family, he learned early on of the his moral obligation to help the poor. He became a Capuchin monk while in his teens; worked with the French Resistance against the Nazi occupiers in the 1930s and 1940s, hiding Jewsih children whose parents had been arrested. After World War II he became active at helping the poor, founding the Emmaus movement pushing for affordable housing and laws preventing landlords from evicting poor tenants during the winter months.
In 1992 he refused to accept France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, because of that government's abysmal treatment of the poor. In an interview before he died he admitted one regret, "Everything I was not able to do. Read his obituray from The Guardian...
Thanks to Moyra Peralta and Alice Earl for reminding me of his passing.
drug wars: FDA gives Big Pharma a break on testing | AlterNet reports that the FDA has admitted that pharmaceutical companies it is supposed to regulate have not yet made good on hundreds of promises to test the safety of drugs already approved for the market.
According to a notice published Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from October 2005 through September 2006, companies had yet to initiate 71 percent of outstanding "post-market" safety evaluations that companies have promised to undertake for currently approved products they are already selling to consumers. Read the rest of the story...
families: Gay Marriage | NVSH, a grouped based in the Netherlands, has an analysis on the arguement about gay marriage. It's not just about "conservatives" versus "progressives"; it's about the entire set of emotional baggage that huans have about not just marriage, but sexuality in general. Read the rest of the page...
whimsey: Ian's Shoelace Site | Lest my readers think I obsess only about things that are weighty and serious, I had to stop by and wander about Ian's extensive information trove on what some disparagingly referr to as "kindergarten knowledge".Who'd have thought there was so much technical knowledge and creativity tied up in shoelaces? Most people figure they learned all they needed to know about shoelaces in kindergarten! Ian's Shoelace Site contains all sorts of shoelace information, some of it useful, some just for fun. If you wear shoes with laces (or anything else that does up with laces), you're bound to find something here that they don't teach in kindergarten. Update yourself of everything you've been missing...
Thanks to Lee Fleming, the author of Neurotwitch for exposing me to this lore.
Labels: environment, homelessness, news, notables, sexuality
¶ 10:32 0 comments
notables
Molly Ivins was 62.
She died from complications due to cancer
1944 - 2007
I think that the writer over at Rude Pundit said it best.
GODDAMNIT!
"She said, often, that the sins of omission were the real crimes of contemporary journalism. Her columns so often filled that gap, talking about labor and working people and countries like the Congo and Indonesia. She refused in the last few years to get drawn into the false debate of "would you rather Saddam still be in power," turning that around to say that the left never wanted him in power in the first place.
She was goddamned smart, so smart she didn't have to flaunt it. So smart that she could use the down to earth side to say what she meant so all of us could understand it. She didn't suffer bullies. She loved Texas like a parent loves her child even after that child has gone on a three-state killing spree. She was unfailingly polite. And she could eviscerate anyone who was failing all of us with just an image or two. Those guttings will be desperately missed. That sense and celebration of the decency of the average American will be missed even more.
We've lost one of our defenders."
She died from complications due to cancer
1944 - 2007
I think that the writer over at Rude Pundit said it best.
GODDAMNIT!
"She said, often, that the sins of omission were the real crimes of contemporary journalism. Her columns so often filled that gap, talking about labor and working people and countries like the Congo and Indonesia. She refused in the last few years to get drawn into the false debate of "would you rather Saddam still be in power," turning that around to say that the left never wanted him in power in the first place.
She was goddamned smart, so smart she didn't have to flaunt it. So smart that she could use the down to earth side to say what she meant so all of us could understand it. She didn't suffer bullies. She loved Texas like a parent loves her child even after that child has gone on a three-state killing spree. She was unfailingly polite. And she could eviscerate anyone who was failing all of us with just an image or two. Those guttings will be desperately missed. That sense and celebration of the decency of the average American will be missed even more.
We've lost one of our defenders."
Labels: molly ivins, obituaries, pundits, social comment
¶ 00:03 0 comments
2007-02-08
drug dealers
What do the people pictued below have in common? And why should we need to know who they are? They are all involved in the international trafficing of potent chemical substances; the kingpins of a massive organization with close ties to officals in high places and all are part of a well know [some might say infamous] group that is currently engaged in silencing disturbing facts about some of the drugs their global cabal have been pushing.
Who are they? Why, none other than some of the members of the top management of Eli Lilly Corporation. This helps start putting a face to criminals who hide in our midst behind self-congratulatory accolades, self-serving connections to community do-gooder groups, and lengthy lists of accomplishments. Helping perpertuate suffering and death need to be aded to their resumes.
Left to right
Robert Armitage
Robert Armstrong
Alan Breier
Scott Canute
Bryce Carmine
William Chin
Dierdre Connelly
Andrew Dahlem
Frank Deane
Johanna Carmel Egan
Timothy Franson
Michael Heim
Sidney Taurel CEO
Simion Harford
Patrick C James
John Lechleiter
Elizabeth Klimes
Gino Santini
Thomas VerHoeven
Steven Paul
"If the Zyprexa documents are already so widely disseminated, then why is Eli Lilly still targeting critics? There may be something Eli Lilly fears worse than the approximately one billion dollar cash settlement Eli Lilly can afford: Mass publicity may mean public education and criminal prosecution of executive crimes."
attorney Ted Chabasinksi
I'm not saying that each and every one of these Eli Lilly executives were personally involved in the systematic supression and censorship of information or even that they might all have known that their psychiatric drug caused life-threatening metabolic problems such as severe weight gain and diabetes, and tried to keep this secret for a decade.
I'm more concerned, now that this set of facts is already public information, that as corporate decision-makers, they have a personal and social obligation to expose the malefactors in their corporate-nation who have
perpetrated these woes upon unsuspecting customers, mainly mostly mentally ill people, or folks diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders.
To continue to remain silent about what has become increasingly evident that corporate executives at Eli Lilly Corporation knowingly hid information about very real dangers and long-term adverse reactions to Zyprexa, that, is in my mind an immoral act, even if not technically a criminal one. As part f the whole they are equally responsible in the cover up.
What do the people pictued below have in common? And why should we need to know who they are? They are all involved in the international trafficing of potent chemical substances; the kingpins of a massive organization with close ties to officals in high places and all are part of a well know [some might say infamous] group that is currently engaged in silencing disturbing facts about some of the drugs their global cabal have been pushing.Who are they? Why, none other than some of the members of the top management of Eli Lilly Corporation. This helps start putting a face to criminals who hide in our midst behind self-congratulatory accolades, self-serving connections to community do-gooder groups, and lengthy lists of accomplishments. Helping perpertuate suffering and death need to be aded to their resumes.
Left to rightRobert Armitage
Robert Armstrong
Alan Breier
Scott Canute
Bryce Carmine
William Chin
Dierdre Connelly
Andrew Dahlem
Frank Deane
Johanna Carmel Egan
Timothy Franson
Michael Heim
Sidney Taurel CEO
Simion Harford
Patrick C James
John Lechleiter
Elizabeth Klimes
Gino Santini
Thomas VerHoeven
Steven Paul
"If the Zyprexa documents are already so widely disseminated, then why is Eli Lilly still targeting critics? There may be something Eli Lilly fears worse than the approximately one billion dollar cash settlement Eli Lilly can afford: Mass publicity may mean public education and criminal prosecution of executive crimes."
attorney Ted Chabasinksi
I'm more concerned, now that this set of facts is already public information, that as corporate decision-makers, they have a personal and social obligation to expose the malefactors in their corporate-nation who have
perpetrated these woes upon unsuspecting customers, mainly mostly mentally ill people, or folks diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders.To continue to remain silent about what has become increasingly evident that corporate executives at Eli Lilly Corporation knowingly hid information about very real dangers and long-term adverse reactions to Zyprexa, that, is in my mind an immoral act, even if not technically a criminal one. As part f the whole they are equally responsible in the cover up.
Labels: big pharma, censorship, drug wars, zyprexa
¶ 21:47 2 comments
controversy
...or not? Of late, a possibly former preacher named Charles Kripp has been making a fuss as Shirley Q. Liquor, an obese black woman reputedly "the mother of 19 chilluns."
I first caught word of this performer's act in the Hartford Advocate, which reported that people found it offensive, even racist, for a white man to go black face and play the role of a black welfare mother.
My gut reaction was to offer critical invectives, yet at the same time I wondered if I wasn't falling into the trap of casting aspersions and calling for CD-burnings of someone whom I'd never even listened to before.
So I went Shirley Q Liquor's website and took the time to hear out [if you would] Ms. Liquor's comedic rants.
I also googled both Shirley and Charley Kripp and got an odd range of material. Not surprising, there were many sites or articles, that spoke of boycotting Ms. Liquor/Kripp's performances. Racist, sexist, "...too much like a latter day minstrel show..." some of his critics say.
And, had I taken only one of his website entries to listen to, I might very well have thought the same.
Then I noticed RuPaul, another famous drag performer, coming to Shirley's defense. This gives me pause. But the real head truner was the curiously sensitive little monologue about homosexicals, making comparisons to American Blacks "not having any clear identity" to go by, and I have begun to think about Ms. Liquor in a different light.
From that point of view, I began to think of all the times that comedian Eddie Murphy has gotten away by portraying so many fat black big- breasted mammas that, and have begun to wonder how much serious thought might actualy going on to produce the act. Some counterintuitive stuff, whereby one mocks the stereotype only to try to get others to recognize the falseness of the stereotype itself. Is there anybody out there who can recall an outcry of protests about Mr. Murphy and his constantly negatively depicting African American women? I don't know of any.
I began to recall the stack of 45 rpm records that my father had of Redd Foxx. These were filled with self-depreciating humor that was used as a foil to come across with some gallows humor and some sly social comment. But Foxx was more genius and original and, frankly, underground. I don't get that from Kripp's few online featurettes.
So I don't know what to think.
I dunno. Maybe I'll have to clandestinely go to a performance in order to watch and learn more. Until then, I suppose my approach to assessment would, by necessitiy, be one of the men behind the gun. Just to find out and, as Ms. Liquor says, "To each they's own. I learned that from the Bible. Either that or the Enquirer."
...or not? Of late, a possibly former preacher named Charles Kripp has been making a fuss as Shirley Q. Liquor, an obese black woman reputedly "the mother of 19 chilluns."I first caught word of this performer's act in the Hartford Advocate, which reported that people found it offensive, even racist, for a white man to go black face and play the role of a black welfare mother.
My gut reaction was to offer critical invectives, yet at the same time I wondered if I wasn't falling into the trap of casting aspersions and calling for CD-burnings of someone whom I'd never even listened to before.
So I went Shirley Q Liquor's website and took the time to hear out [if you would] Ms. Liquor's comedic rants.I also googled both Shirley and Charley Kripp and got an odd range of material. Not surprising, there were many sites or articles, that spoke of boycotting Ms. Liquor/Kripp's performances. Racist, sexist, "...too much like a latter day minstrel show..." some of his critics say.
And, had I taken only one of his website entries to listen to, I might very well have thought the same.
Then I noticed RuPaul, another famous drag performer, coming to Shirley's defense. This gives me pause. But the real head truner was the curiously sensitive little monologue about homosexicals, making comparisons to American Blacks "not having any clear identity" to go by, and I have begun to think about Ms. Liquor in a different light.
From that point of view, I began to think of all the times that comedian Eddie Murphy has gotten away by portraying so many fat black big- breasted mammas that, and have begun to wonder how much serious thought might actualy going on to produce the act. Some counterintuitive stuff, whereby one mocks the stereotype only to try to get others to recognize the falseness of the stereotype itself. Is there anybody out there who can recall an outcry of protests about Mr. Murphy and his constantly negatively depicting African American women? I don't know of any.
I began to recall the stack of 45 rpm records that my father had of Redd Foxx. These were filled with self-depreciating humor that was used as a foil to come across with some gallows humor and some sly social comment. But Foxx was more genius and original and, frankly, underground. I don't get that from Kripp's few online featurettes.
So I don't know what to think.
I dunno. Maybe I'll have to clandestinely go to a performance in order to watch and learn more. Until then, I suppose my approach to assessment would, by necessitiy, be one of the men behind the gun. Just to find out and, as Ms. Liquor says, "To each they's own. I learned that from the Bible. Either that or the Enquirer."
UPDATE: The owner of Hartford's gay club Chez Est announced yesterday that the club was cancelling Shirley Q. Liquor's engagement.
Labels: comedians, drag queens, race-bating, stereotypes
¶ 00:22 0 comments
2007-02-07
outdoor sport
The annual Moodus Sportmen's Club Ice Fishing Derby is on for this weekend! That's this comning Sunday, February 11th. 
Three weeks ago we were ready to call it quits and maybe try something different ...like maybe open kayak fishing competitions, but that isn't happening.
Thanks to a couple of weeks of bracingly cold temperatures [some would call them "bitter"] the lakes in East Haddam have frozen over, augers and strap on cleats are out on the backs of pick-ups and we're ready to go.
The particulars:
• Tournament Fee: $20.00 per adult, $5.00 children – Children welcome when with a supervising adult.
• All adult participants must have a valid Connecticut State fishing license
• All Connecticut state fishing regulations shall be followed. Do not bring fish for weighing that are under the State Fisheries minimum legal length for any reason.
• Registration must be submitted to the Sportsmans' Club no later than 6 pm on Saturday, February 10th.
You can get more details at the Moodus Sportsman's Club Website, which your's truly maintains.
Want to know more about ice fishing but afraid to ask? Then stop by Poppy Matan's no-nonsense site about this invigorating sport and getting started at ice fishing. Hosted by Custom Jigs and Spins based in Iowa, the advice offered is sound and straightforward. Furthermore, you'll find the advice is valuable no matter where you choose to fish. 
Once you've learned something, you may want to join us this weekend.
One final thing. Walt Matan is right again when he says that ice fishing is about food. MSC's Derby is no exception. For that $20 entry fee also includes a hearty lunch meal at our indoor clubhouse. Venison Chili and fresh baked fish over the outdoor grilles will be plentiful.
The annual Moodus Sportmen's Club Ice Fishing Derby is on for this weekend! That's this comning Sunday, February 11th. Three weeks ago we were ready to call it quits and maybe try something different ...like maybe open kayak fishing competitions, but that isn't happening.
Thanks to a couple of weeks of bracingly cold temperatures [some would call them "bitter"] the lakes in East Haddam have frozen over, augers and strap on cleats are out on the backs of pick-ups and we're ready to go.
The particulars:• Tournament Fee: $20.00 per adult, $5.00 children – Children welcome when with a supervising adult.
• All adult participants must have a valid Connecticut State fishing license
• All Connecticut state fishing regulations shall be followed. Do not bring fish for weighing that are under the State Fisheries minimum legal length for any reason.
• Registration must be submitted to the Sportsmans' Club no later than 6 pm on Saturday, February 10th.
You can get more details at the Moodus Sportsman's Club Website, which your's truly maintains.
Want to know more about ice fishing but afraid to ask? Then stop by Poppy Matan's no-nonsense site about this invigorating sport and getting started at ice fishing. Hosted by Custom Jigs and Spins based in Iowa, the advice offered is sound and straightforward. Furthermore, you'll find the advice is valuable no matter where you choose to fish. Once you've learned something, you may want to join us this weekend.One final thing. Walt Matan is right again when he says that ice fishing is about food. MSC's Derby is no exception. For that $20 entry fee also includes a hearty lunch meal at our indoor clubhouse. Venison Chili and fresh baked fish over the outdoor grilles will be plentiful.
[and an aside to my honey who is always freaked out when I walk on frozen water] In case you are worried about falling into frigid water under thin ice DON'T PANIC. Watch Dr. Giesbreck's YouTube video in advance. The video offers sound, calm direction on what to do. | Pix Credits: Upper left: Angler's Net.UK | Lower Left: Custom Jigs and Spins | The other two on the right are my own |
Labels: ice fishing, moodus sportsman's club, outdoor sport
¶ 22:36 0 comments
