urbanitesouth

oh blog of mine...back in the saddle again...

2006-09-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

oh blog of mine...we have such an on off on again relationship.

I am back...will write more...later.

in the mean time check out penguin pages. these are my freind (enemy?)'s doodlings utilizing penguin stickers and some sassy cheap notes and colored pens...whoah... nice.

I do...and I do too...and I do....and I do....and I do....

2006-03-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

weddings, weddings, weddings

weddings shmeddings...

so i think everyone i know is getting married. it is both a humbling and exhausting affair this wedding business...

I am actually quite excited...the event is going to be great...but the breath taker to me is the idea that I am now no longer me...I mean I am no longer just me. no to take the whole cheesy (yet however relevant) religious take on this, but it is somehow exhilirating to know that it will never just be me taking the next step.

it will not just be me moving to chicago in a year.
it will not just be me working late at the office or going to the gym.
it will not just be me walking a new puppy
it will not just be me greeting old friends in Antigua

it will be me and sarah from here on out. it is a bit scary, but mostly new and fresh in a way I can almost not explain. and knowing that I can't imagine anyone else walking beside me through any of this but her is a feeling beyond words. it is also teaching me alot about what it means to be "successful"...the wedding planning has been rough (word to the wise: the "wedding industry" is a huge scandal) and, to be honest sarah has been the great force behind most of it. she has really humbled me by her efforts and her energy to make this wedding fun and memorable for everyone involved. my contributions have been meager...and I am now realizing that I have often been loved more than I have loved--this is true of my parents, brothers, aunts & uncles, and cousins too...

anyway back to wedding mania...two of my groomsmen will be married within a month of sarah and I. two highschool freinds will be married in the same month as I--one on the same day. a dear friend and professor/colleague of mine was recently married--another professor/colleague is sharing our wedding day and anniversary this year. two of my classmates at tulane will be married within a month of sarah and I. One more will be married by the end of August.

so there it is...an entire generation taking the next big step.

the young and the restless...the bold and the beautiful...

2006-01-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

...and the guy who gets the last laugh with a sudden titty twister...

2006-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

I wonder what doug is lauging at...

2006-01-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

mmmmm...food...and hats...and new years eve

2006-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

2006-01-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

steve: "I'm Batman...."

some crazy pics from the last few months

2006-01-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

these might make up for my lack of words...and no, none of their hair is real...

2006-01-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

more poems of another

2005-11-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

andrei coderescu writes:

first blue sky

first blue sky

in weeks
the maintenance man
scrapes the mud-encased
leaves with a rake
the long-haired owner
of the auto hulk
pumps glue into the innards
of his life-long subject

the students get ready
to register
they are hungover
they've been courting laura

everybody's doing
whatever they can
before it rains again

a geography of poets

a geography of poets

is all worng,ed
what poets now live
where they say they do
where they started out
where they want to

half the midweterners
did time in new york
the other half in california

only new yorkers write
as if they are from new york
and mostly they are not

the ones in california
were wounded elsewhere
when they feel better
or can't afford the rent
they'll go back where
they came from

this is america
you get hurt where you are born
you make poetry out of it
as far from home as you can get
you die somewhere in between

the only geography of poets
is greyhound
general motors rules them all
ubi patria ibi bene
or ibi bene ubi patria
bread out of nostalgia
not a lot of it either

some of us came from very far
maps don't help much

--andrei codrescu: Uncommonplace, An Anthology of Contemporary Louisiana Poets

"damned" if you do; "dammed" if you don't

2005-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

JOHN MAGINNIS: When priorities become impossibilities
November 2, 2005

"We'd say our No. 1 priority is housing; our No. 2 priority is housing, and after that, at No. 3, we'd put housing," Vice Adm. Thad Allen, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Gulf Coast director, said recently.

On the same day, state Sen. Walter Boasso, R-Arabi, said, "The top priorities are levees, levees and levees."

They are both right, for housing in the short run and flood protection in both runs are the keys to the recovery of the New Orleans area and, to a lesser degree but no less importantly, Lake Charles and the southwestern coast.

Yet, despite a FEMA rush order, the travel trailer industry lacks the manufacturing capacity to meet the demand within any time frame that reasonably can be called temporary.

Prospects are better for repairing New Orleans' breached levees by next hurricane season, but the state's long-term goal of improving them to withstand a Category 5 hurricane is not supported by the Bush administration.

As a result, beneath the bravura of quickly rebuilding New Orleans and southwestern coastal areas creeps the frustrating realization that these top priorities are very nearly impossibilities.

The humble travel trailer, often banned from street view by subdivision restrictions, is the new status symbol of reconstruction. FEMA has ordered 120,000 of them, but only 86,000 of that size and type were built in this country last year. By the time supply begins to meet demand, many discouraged homeowners will have permanently settled somewhere else.

In New Orleans, even with enough trailers, there are not the spaces -- with available electricity, water and sewer -- to put more than a handful here or there.

There is more room in south Louisiana parishes but not the public will to allow large trailer communities. In small cities and towns overflow crowds at parish council meetings have protested zoning changes to accommodate FEMA trailer parks.

Securing top-level levee protection poses frustrations of a different kind. Last week, a delegation of the Louisiana Recovery Authority presented the state's priorities to senior White House officials. According to member Sean Reilly, the president's advisers agreed to support more money for business bridge loans, Medicaid reimbursements and tax incentives for businesses and individuals.

But the Louisiana team hit a wall on its top priority of rebuilding the levee system to withstand a Category 5 storm. The Bush team would not commit beyond the Category 3 level.

New Orleans residents near the 17th Street Canal would have been happy with Category 3 floodwalls had they been properly built, as evidence strongly indicates they were not. Southwestern coastal parishes would have taken any kind of levee instead of what they had, nothing, to hold back the storm surge of Rita. A top tier levee system from New Orleans to Morgan City would take years and $20 billion to build, far more than the Bush administration and conservatives in Congress are prepared to go. But to tell homeowners and business investors pondering their future in New Orleans that the levees will protect them from almost all storms might not inspire the confidence it takes to bring the area all the way back.

Reilly says the recovery authority will "keep pounding" on the Category 5 issue, but that might start to feel like one's head against the wall of Washington's intransigence.

From unavailable trailers to unaffordable levees, the storms' wake left challenges Louisiana might not be able to meet.

well that's depressing...so here's something to cheer everyone up:

a friend sent me this link to really funny video...definetly a must see for those of you with a cynical side...

happy halloween

2005-10-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

dena and joyce

cameron and paul

mara and josh

carl and mimi

joyce and blaise

dena, blaise, sarah, & cameron

how high can you go?

2005-10-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

our project got published in the time picayune today...controversy out the yen yang.

born again (glass is half full) 10.23.05

2005-10-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

a pile of garbage festers; smells too unholy for fall vespers
“veritable battleground”…cynical voices are mighty in the evening hours
but these are not pages ending an epic; there are no giants to walk with here
I am a bastion of foolish optimism—“there is so much opportunity…”
fathers’ voices are ringing in many tired ears and earning little traction
slipping into oblivion; tired words like drops in a sea of human frailty

a city burns and there is finally a sky rewarding of eyes; of urns
clouds have retreated from the stenches; stars are better host to fire and smoke
“climb into our dark recesses” empty windows screaming along distant streets convolutions of two by four and plaster outlasting minds cloaked in fear
homes can be nothing…a view and a paint choice if myopia is your currency
the purifying air is bathing me; cleansing another matter

a fall wind gives trees voice and god is in a night laden with choice
leaves sing sweeter than strings of the strat sounded for us
we are ends justifying means or simply ends?
pieces of all collected into hurried moments; poured into a second of earth age
I will be a donor to this continuum; my contribution a flow of matter and feeling
“see a life worth living” is the mantra of my hope

a police siren wails ; the moon from her maroon throne hails
hurrying towards hurried ends; the street lights are now upsetting
people scared of people scared of people scared of people
give me a hammer made of immortality to leave marks of memory
give me breaths born of earth age; home is a prayer and to be loved

a city is born again upon a new stage…believing in memory,
wearing timelessness; while armor rusts in flood waters tinged by fear mongrels
sons and daughters of this crescent city quietly rise; whispers mount into a roar
the silence is deafening

finis

and here's a funny picture:

and you're timing is....PERFECT

2005-10-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

so these are some great ideas for solar houses (can you say new eco-New Orleans?).

Where's tulane's entry?

also...I am working on glass condo tower in New Orleans...this is one of my inspirations:

new orleans still kicks baton rouge's ass any day of the week and twice on sunday

2005-10-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

where else can you, right now:

be in a major metropolitan area and actually see stars?

not have any traffic driving to work downtown?

feel like you actually are in a war-ravaged 3rd world country?

have perfect cell phone service since virtually no one else is on the network?

have almost no crime around you except for a few price gougers?

know that while the rest of the nation is believing in fear and doubt you and maybe 50-60 thousand others are standing for progress and enthusiasm for the future?

meet amazing people everyday, who, despite losing their homes or all their valuables and life's equity are getting up every day and chipping in to the effort to rebuild regardless of what sacrifices that may mean?

realize how much you love and miss your fiance' when she must be away from you for a month or two?

realize how much you love and miss your friends? (I really do miss you guys...even the ones I haven't seen since college or high school)

have a boss who was thrown in jail for a night after violating curfew?

watch your old bosses (who either laid you off or forced you to quit your job) self-destruct and go crazy because they are panicked, self-concious, conceited, and pessimisitc?

and, finally, realize everyday how lucky you are to be alive, to not have lost your life, a loved one, a home, or all your earthly possesions because it was just your sorry luck to be in the way of a pissed off mother nature?

so i know this might sound a bit self-righteous and a bit corny...but peace to all of you out there in the big pixelated cyberness...I miss all of my friends and wish them nothing but the best...I am going to have the biggest, huggest, sexiest, funniest christmas party at 1930 Milan this year...I hope to see you all there...

2005-09-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

...so go out...and...make...strong your stance. You were the best of them. Just breath out and in...and hold me again...
-remy zero

Some interesting points from an article about a potential "eco-new orleans":

Support renewable energy. Louisiana (and Alabama and Mississippi) could all benefit from retooling their practically invisible state energy departments. Although each gives lip service to conservation, few moves have been made toward developing a renewable-energy, conservation-oriented mind-set among citizens, or assisting those citizens who already "get it."

Using the experiences of other states and going a few steps farther, Eco New Orleans should be outfitted with solar-power systems, gas microturbines, combustion turbines, wind turbines, fuel cells, and cogeneration systems, so the region can begin the march toward independence from fossil fuels that is essential for the planet's long-term health. Much of this could be accomplished with tax breaks to consumers, manufacturers, and developers. Eco New Orleans should also put considerable effort into community outreach to teach people to become energy smart. Less affluent consumers should have access to subsidies so they can make the change along with everyone else.

Adopt "smart growth" concepts as regional policy. The smart-growth movement focuses on environment in the broadest possible way: quality of life, design, economics, health, housing, and transportation. Principles guiding smart growth include developing a range of housing types; creating walkable, architecturally distinctive neighborhoods; encouraging community participation in decision making; opting for mixed land uses; making development decisions "predictable, fair, and cost-effective"; preserving farmland and open space; providing for a variety of transportation modes; adopting compact building styles; and directing development toward existing communities.

The key to making smart growth work in Eco New Orleans would be making sure it doesn't merely mean gentrification, a greened-up version of urban renewal that forces out the poor.

Rebuild with Green Communities in mind. Green Communities, a partnership between the Enterprise Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is a five-year, $555 million program dedicated to building more than 8,500 environmentally healthy dwellings for low-income residents nationwide. Rehabilitation of rental and owner-occupied dwellings is also part of the agenda. Support for the projects -- like Seattle's new 50-unit Denny Park Apartments -- comes from housing authorities, corporations, and private foundations, as well as the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was the fifth most densely populated city in America, filled with impoverished neighborhoods that would benefit from an expansion of the Green Communities program, or at least an imitation of it. In addition to those 8,500 green units nationwide, why not 85,000 units for Eco New Orleans?

Establish green building standards. More affluent dwellings in Eco New Orleans should also be built or rehabilitated with more than a modest concern for environmental effects. Regulations based on a system similar to LEED that assigns "points" for, among other things, energy efficiency, use of green materials, siting angles, landscaping, window glazing, and the like could make a big difference region-wide. New housing and rehabs that reach a minimum-point threshold would be the only ones approved, but nobody would be required to follow a strict architectural formula.

None of this is simple. For one thing, I've left out a lot of issues, both big and small: Cancer Alley, mass transit, park development, sewage treatment, and zoning issues, to name a few. And Eco New Orleans cannot, obviously, spring up full-grown. No great changes are ever accomplished overnight. But someday all cities must be "eco," or they will be dead. New Orleans and its battered neighbors have a chance to be pioneers.

other related notions and pipe dreams for NO

a visit to new orleans

2005-09-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

this is the mark placed by authorities on the sidewalk in front or facade of each house as they were checked for survivors or hazards...

I encountered this hieroglyph while I was in New Orleans yesterday...yes...in the city we are all forbidden to be in right now...it seems that if you are an architect and you work for a well connected architect who has considerable pull with one of his connections in the governor's office you can defy everything...looters, disease, nasty water, the federal government(FEMA, active duty military guys with big guns), the state government, flies, mosquitos, city government, and the media...the basic message is: If you have power or money or one of your friends does you can do whatever you want in the city that has become the biggest natural disaster to hit the US in a very long time. This is an interesting lesson.

What it says to me is this: Danger of disease, violence, and flooding does not apply to those who have money, power, or friends with money or power.

The more subtle message that this becomes is: There really is not much danger from disease, violence, crime, or flooding...unless your under water or an alligator got you.

I was able to verify this message with my own eyes. They're are many people still left in New Orleans to fend for themselves...they are the media and the press. And it was obvious they were not suffering--plenty of generators, fresh water tanks, and air conditioned trailers as far as the eye could see down Canal Street. And their well protected too by the new protectors of New Orleans. Do you know who protects New Orleans? Not the NOPD. Not the state police. 18-25 year olds all in the national guard and mostly from out of state all with big guns--usually two of them--protect New Orleans. And I am not even sure from whom...

so here's the brief summary of what I saw:

1. Uptown and the French Quarter seemed to fair pretty well. Picture the streets right after a parade only they threw massive tree limbs, lots of leaves, glass from broken windows, and roof tiles and there were no parade goers to pick them up. There was some flooding in certain areas--some of it bad, but, for the most part, there was very little flood damage and minimal looting damage. If you lived between the St. Charles and the river you're house is probably okay and if you had a shop on Magazine or Prytania its probably okay too unless you were selling $1200 cell phones or lots of non-perishable food and left them in big windows.

2. Downtown (Canal Street to about 2 blocks west of Poydras and from about Tchopitoulas north)got about 3-4 feet of flooding--we could see the water line on the buildings. All of this water is now gone. The looting on Canal, as well all know, was pretty bad. But there wan't much looting damage in the French Quarter just off of Canal as far as we could tell.

3. There is lots and lots of power line damage all over the place from trees and wind. They have made alot of progress clearing the streets of downed trees and other hazards, but the electrical work will take quite a while. There was major damage to bigger transmission lines downtown and in other parts of the city (which is where all the entergy trucks were since we saw maybe one in all of uptown). They are having to tear up streets to get to some of these major lines. So the basic message is that power outages will remain in New Orleans for some time.

4. The older front campus of Tulane did pretty well considering. There is some really sad tree damage, but the buildings did okay. The back campus is under about 2 feet of water, and the middle campus about 1 foot of water. I think most dorms did okay although we couldn't get to many of these areas...we just saw what we could from down the streets.

so that's all I've got for now...I'll wax philisophical later...

Hurricanes, press conferences, biology and other musings on human nature

2005-09-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

We...you and I...are cells. millions upon billions of cells. From the very tips of the hair on my head to the nerve endings in my toes, I am one huge conflagration of cells. Some of my cells have blinders on--they do one thing very well over and over again. Other cells are are good multitaskers and generalists--they are the infantry of my body's army in the war against entropy. These cells that make up my body (and yours too) work in harmony (if we're healthy) to harness, modify, collect, and skillfully use energy in an effort to keep me alive...but me isn't a separate entity...me is all of these cells and something else human beings call a soul/mind.

Now, everything except the soul/mind part of the equation we know and have learned much about through science (even though there are a lot of scientists who believe, propound, and wonder about the soul/mind part and there is plenty we do know that comes to us from the humanities and liberal arts). As far as I know, the beauty of the scientific method, generally speaking, is that objective thought, experimentation, logic, and mathematics are combined with accumulated wisdom and knowledge(i.e.: other proven discoveries, collected data, etc.) to discover things that we don't know. Otherwise, the only other way I know to discover something--in order to solve a problem or enhance quality of life--falls into one of two basic categories with some rare exceptions: 1.) happenstance or mistake and 2.) trial and error.

The obvious problem with the latter two "methods of discovery"--especially when they have to do with solving real socially, environmentally, or politically motivated questions that will affect people's lives is that they either don't produce results on a timetable that helps society in its times of need or they result in too high a tradeoff of some other valuable resource (like wasted money, endangered human lives, or environmental degradation). This is especially true when you are working to solve natural disasters that strike suddenly and catch us unprepared--Hurricane Katrina, for example.

So what, might you ask, does the beautiful objectivity of scientific method have to do directly with Hurricane Katrina after the fact? Why do I even bother to point out something so obvious and so seemingly irrelevant at this point--post Katrina?

The answer is this:

Scientific method involves starting from the premise that you cannot hypothesize, base decisions, propose solutions or test solutions on what you don't know or have not yet proven. Scientific method or the kind of objective process it promotes protects us against making assumptions or jumping to conclusions before considering all the facts--facts being truths that we know for certain because we have proven them to be true. Scientific method says, conceptually, "There is much that we don't know...perhaps more that we don't know or don't understand than what we do know or do understand. In fact, the body of things we encounter in the world that we don't understand is probably far greater than the body of things and phenomenon we do understand and will be so for a very, very long time if not forever."

This sounds matter of fact, mundane, obvious--almost like a truism. But the best rules in life are the simple ones, even if anecdotal:

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Treat others as you would have them treat you.
Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Or, one of my favorites (though not as well known perhaps):
The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.

The basic message we encounter here, over and over again, is: Not knowing or not having the answers is not a problem. In fact, being honest (with yourself and the people around you) about not knowing or not having the facts is not only fair but the best way to begin solving the problem or making a discovery necessary to solving the problem. The danger is that if all you know about a problem or question that needs resolution is the negative effects of not having resolved it than you encounter that other thing that scientific method hasn't yet fully explained: the soul/mind. The soul/mind gets emotional really easily--especially when you get many thousand soul/minds focused on the same extreme situation. Human behavior is contagious--this is true both when the behavior is driven by happiness or by fear.

The last week of post-katrina craziness has been characterized by a lot of contagious behavior--the lion's share of it driven by a frantic media blitz of the negative consequences and developments of the hurricane's aftermath. This is all accentuated by the lack of coherent leadership at almost all levels--there is no single voice saying:

"Here is what we know. Here is what we do not know (or what we are not capable of knowing for some time). Based on what we do know we can hypothesize that certain other problems have arisen, that they will and are having any number of effects (of which we are not yet fully aware), and that we can do these things to stop some of them from continuing to happen right now. We will do these things. Because we don't know everything, haven't planned well enough, and haven't not yet discovered how to solve or fix certain other of these problems we need everyone's patience, support, assistance, and self sacrifice in this time of need and loss. We need everyone's help and patience because we are not in full control and do not have all of the answers, but we will, as quickly as humanly possible, fix or eliminate the problems and halt the disaster. Furthermore, as Americans we have consistently solved problems, stopped disasters, and made a better course for our collective human future by working hard, self-sacrificing, respecting each other, and valuing calm, enthusiastic, and--above all else--positive leadership."

What we have instead is many competing voices (not just the ones in government) speaking many different messages in primarily two, unhealthy tones:

1.) The "we-know-everything-there-is-to-know-trust-us-we-are-doing-everything-possible-the-people-on-the-ground-are-doing-a-superb-job" technique causes people to take on the very dangerous notion that their leaders know everything and are in complete control (which backfires later fueling fear and destroying credibility when something reveals how little they control or how little they actually know).

2.) The "blame game" strategy involves careful deflection of responsibillity, alot of sensationalism, and allowing a fidgety press corps and media frenzy to corner you into answering inopportune, leading questions that force you to point fingers at other levels or departments of government because it keeps people glued to TV screens.

If we return to the premise of objectivity that we get from my crude interpretation of the scientific method and the rather tenuous way I have connected it to successful leadership, then the first of these two existing styles of "leadership" is the most damaging--at least in my opinion. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see through the blame game strategy after it fails the first time or even while its happening (people who point fingers before fixing problems or who get emotional or sensational are not convincing)...but the "we-know-it-all-trust-us..." strategy is far more subtle and unhealthy for the people believing it. To make matters worse, many of our current leaders have mastered using both of these techniques dovetailed together. In fact, they have gotten so good at it that they can use the blame game strategy to cover up the moment when it becomes clear they didn't know everything and weren't in control.

Whereas if they had just been upfront about what they really knew, how much control they had, and then topped it off with a good dose of "we are going to regain control and fix the problem and to do it we need everyone's help" most people would have not only trusted them but been devoted to sacrificing and assiting in anyway possible. This is evidenced enough by the fact that the public has already sacrificed, volunteered, and contributed to the relief of post-katrina Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama given the lack of coherent leadership. It goes to show that no matter how much humans know or control, working together based on what they do know and can control is much better than working from what you cannot even predict--especially when all the parties involved are honest about what they know and can do.

It would be convenient to compare cells to people if only we worked as harmoniously as our microscopic, constituents did...maybe the allusion to the cells of a body is more valuable as a mixed metaphor...but then again what do I know?..what do any of us really know?

2005-08-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I wish I were this amusing sometimes....

fyi...if you didn't notice...being an architect is like being a wrestler with an angel..god I hate that we bitch so much...yeah...they all have great points...but bitch, bitch, bitch...

wind farms could be amazing places to visit

2005-08-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

anyone interested in a very cool competition.

3 things

2005-07-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

1. If we set up a solar array in the dessert of Arizona that was 100 miles by 100 miles big we could power the entire country.

2. This is a cool set of designs.

3. Read THIS.

the lemons (Eugene Monrale)

2005-07-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

the lemons

Listen, the prize poets stroll
only among the trees
with uncommon names:
boxwood, privet, acanthus.
Me, I love roads that run out
among grassy ditches into
mud-puddles where kids
hunt skinny eels; lanes
that follow field-banks down
through beds of reeds and
end up in back gardens
among the lemon trees.

Best if the birds' chatter-prattle
is hushed, swallowed up
by the blue: then you'll hear
– clearer in the still air – the whisper
of companionable branches,
and catch a sense of that smell
that can't tear itself from earth,
drenching you in edgy pleasure.
Here, by some miracle, the battle
between one distracting passion
and another dies down, and here
even we who are poor
pick up our share of wealth –
and it's the scent of lemons.

Look, in these silences
which things sink into
and seem on the verge of
opening their closest secret,
you'd expect once in a while
to uncover some mistake
in nature, the world's still point,
some weak link, the loose thread
that leads us at last
to the heart of truth. Eyes
rummage in every corner:
the mind seeks agrees argues
with itself in this perfume
that floats – as day fades –
over everything; a silence
in which, in every dwindling
human shadow, a troubled
divinity could be seen.

But the image fades, and time
takes us back to the din of cities
where you see the sky only
in bits and pieces, off up
among the chimneys. Rain then
wears the earth out, dreary winter
settles down around the houses,
light grows miserly, the soul bitter,
till one day, through a half-
shut gate, you see
among the trees in someone's yard
the yellows of lemons –
and the heart's ice melts,
and with their music
the golden trumpets of sunshine
blow your bones wide open.

Eugene Monrale

mass absence

2005-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

"...as for the silence of the masses in relation to the media...I propose that this silence was a power, that it was a reply, that the silence was a massive reply through withdrawal, that the silence was a strategy. It is not just a passivity. It is precisely a means of putting an end to meaning, of putting an end to the grand systems of manipulation, political and informational. And at the moment, the masses, perhaps instead of being manipulated by the media, actually utilize the media in order to disappear...It is a strategy of disappearance through media...For the masses it is a way of neutralizing the fields that one would like to impose on them...They nulify meaning. And this is truly a power. On one side there is the political class, the cultural class,etc. who produce meaning...And on the other side there are the masses of people who refuse this meaning which comes from above, or who block it all because there is too much meaning, too much information..."
(Baudrillard, 1993)

so guess what's better than flying to LA last minute in the middle of the night on a Saturday with no luggage but a box of grant applications having no idea where to go, then waiting for 4 hours outside of a museum before you finally go home only to discover that you were bumped from your flight home and had to stay an extra day with, again, no luggage (even underwear) and no transportation unless an expensive cab or rented car--cause its LA and public transit is more like an idea than a reality...still guessing?....

that's right...what's worse is finding out two months later than not only did this great, wonderful, magnanimous foundation you applied to not give you the amount of money you and your university applied for but they didn't give you ANY money and they shredded a grand worth of fancy, color printed, bound grant applications rather than returning them to your office for your records or so that you could figure out what the hell went wrong or circulate them to anyone else for their records...

"some days you eat the bar and some days, well, the bar...it eats you"

quotes are fun as are run-on sentences...

design principles

2005-06-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

an interesting place I saw on-line had some interesting thoughts in their design principles...very apt..thought i would quote a few here..

"Eat What You Kill"

It's perfectly acceptable to supersede some time-honored
tool or practice. However, you should take pains to fully
comprehend the thing you have rendered obsolescent. You
are removing some part, however modest, of the
infrastructure of civilization. You are destroying the
work of previous designers; you should offer them the
respect you yourself would hope for, under similar
circumstances. This is for your own good. You can't
comprehend your own accomplishment until you have fully
internalized and understood the accomplishment that you
are undoing.

or this one I thought was pretty good too...

"Avoid the Timeless, Embrace Decay"

Platonic visions of absolute reality, and Christian
visions of eternity, are very unhealthy for bipedal
mammals in a biosphere. Nothing physical is eternal.
It's very bad design to create some device which quickly
ceases to function, while its useless components persist
around us, ugly and dangerous. Entropy deserves our
respect and attention. Entropic processes such as
corrosion, rot, rust, degradation, delamination, and
disintegration should be closely studied, harnessed for
industrial use, and even aestheticized.

or this one...

"The Future is History -- Be When You Are"

The future is not a stage set. The past is not a sacred
myth. The past and the future are this place at a
different time. The future is advancing upon you, and the
past retreating, at a remorseless rate of one second per
second. You can seek understanding anywhere, but you can
only act in the moment. "You Own Modernity." It's easy to
get transfixed by romantic ideas of historical
inevitability: glamorous marches of progress, or gruesome
congenital declines. But your own epoch is your own
problem. If you call yourself "post" or "former," or
"neo" or "retro," you are begging for someone else's
troubles.

this one is for jimmy c...

"Design For Evil"

Any innocent product which becomes suddenly genocidal in
the hands of a tyrant has been designed by a dangerous
naif. Every design process is incomplete unless it takes
into careful consideration what could be done with the
product by a dictatorial megalomaniac in command of a
national economy, a secret police, and a large army.

and this one was jut plain thought inspiring...

"Seek the Biomorphic and the Transorganic"

"Nature" is over. There's not a liter of seawater
anywhere without its share of PCB and DDT, and an altered
climate will reshuffle the ecological deck for every
creature that breathes. A 21st century avant-garde must
deal with those consequences and thrive in that world.
We have already painted flowers. We want to know what a
flower means when a flower has onboard processing, amped-
up genetics, and its own agenda. Thus a central Viridian
aesthetic dictum: "A Rose is No Longer a Rose."

"at some point...

2005-05-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

...you will be just finishing things. You will have the idea that finally you are done. Then it will begin."

This is a quote by someone famous some time in the past in some very enlightened place. I haven't the slightest rememberance of who stated it or when.

It now sticks with me and seems to be more relevant the more I ponder it.

had a rough last 4 months...laptop stolen, fiance dove into her final semester of school--thesis and all--and took me with her. started a new job that has been very up and down--lots of possibilities...only to be continually thwarted by a poor organization and lack of leadership on the part of my superiors...etc,etc...i should stop bitching...

in short i haven't been here...gracing the infinite pixelated cyberness with my thoughts...frankly it is therapy to be here again sputtering letters behind a sluggish cursor...

on a lighter note...some funny stuff in the form of dog judo

blazages

2005-01-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

some merry pictures as promised of sarah and I after being engaged. of course there's the all-important ring shot. not to be confused with rim shot or rim fire. in fact, there are no guns involved in the engagement pictures. images of sarah shooting a shotgun are older pictures and inhabit the nether regions of the webpage. more gun-less pictures to follow.

all fiancified

2004-12-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

well...i got really lucky...that girl i was dating all this time...you know...

Sarah...well...i guess she just gave in...and agreed to marry me (man is she out to lunch, right?).

anywho...we're really excited...and some how fiancified. and there was lots of snow involved. and sleding. and chocolate. and a fireplace. mmmmmmmmmmmmm........

pictures are on there merry way to my merry webpage so that your merry eyes can view them on your merry screens.

had to hose em off

2004-12-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

list of things I did today:

1. arose at 6:30 am to be early to scheduled presentation I was to give to the tulane CDRC at 8:30 am. don't worry its not some contagious disease control board, just the Campus Design Review Committee. fyi-"arose" sounds better than "got up."

2. presented campus planning work I have been doing for the University Architect (collette creppell) on landscape plan and other stuff. 2 power point presentations and a lot of talking and a nifty laser pointer.

3 ate lots of the food that was left over fromt he catering for the meeting. yum.

4. went back to my office and answered some emails. finished two renderings in photoshop.

5. interviewed some guy who wants to volunteer to work in the university architect's office. lots of yaking. too much yaking.

6. answered another email. sent out a memo. oooooohhhhhhh a meeeeeeeeemooooo!!!!!

7. went to lunch with amber and josh. lots of yaking--me included. greasy pizza. needlessly angry greasy pizza salesman.

8. faxed something. faxed another thing.

9. called an "arborial consultant" that I am working with. he told me that he would rather talk to me than go into a meeting he was about to step into. cool i said.

10. did some sketches and some drafting. then read about "crime prevention through environmental design." thrilling. how many times can you repeat something before it useless or boring? apparently as many times as you want. crime prevention experts just want to torture us--just when you think they're about to change the subject they repeat what they said like 5 lines earlier. bastards.

11. starting to get sleepy since I got very little sleep last night. 1-2-3-Sleep is not a good idea at work.

12. leaving work at 5pm...haven't done that in like three weeks.

excited about design competition i am doing with serge. wanting to do nothing but that but can't. sleep is forthcomming.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

you cannot steal my atmosphere

2004-12-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

"I demand of it the spiritual corresponding,
Demand the most copious and close companionship of men,
Demand the blades to rise of words, acts, beings,
Those of the open atmosphere, coarse, sunlit, fresh, nutritious,
Those that go their own gait, erect, stepping with freedom and
command, leading not following,
Those with a never-quell'd audacity, those with sweet and lusty
flesh clear of taint,
Those that look carelessly in the faces of Presidents and governors,
as to say Who are you?
Those of earth-born passion, simple, never constrain'd, never
obedient,
Those of inland America."

whitman...leaves of grass, 1891

witty whitman

2004-12-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

"I DREAM'D in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the
whole of the rest of the earth,
I dream'd that was the new city of Friends,
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it led
the rest,
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,
And in all their looks and words."

walt whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1891

friday can be a crucible

2004-11-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

11-19-04

washing the moon

so I am here; staring into chasms
self pity is the game and eager is a cold night
“don’t worry I’ll be home soon” –words uttered by another
warming in sight of the Euphrates; his thoughts on scared Iraqi eyes
thoughts like freight trains; dull, heavy , and shrieking
so I am wondering; purpose meets me like a face in the crowd;
a wife perhaps…if the mind is not warm a hot bed allures…
the wives are earned by others…purpose again—focus on purpose

panes of yellowish; glass is subdued to the moon otherwise
dirty is she…I am yet another splotch---seas of tranquility aside
give me a rag…give me warm water
ale makes it seem likely; just to reach up—a good cleaning is all
halt! You are not God. But he likes you. Here is a wash rag from God.
Wash with words…clouds do not count
I am rising now…the chasms have moved on; “you must believe, boy!”
Walk on…

so I am here; burning the pixels…
they are coals; phosphorescence is of no concern
colored dots into awareness….this is my new game
and eager is a heart; WASH AWAY, MY BOY!
speed is the new satan; and moons do not pass with speed
I am trumpeting like the train conductor…
But he is not thoughtful…remember we have God’s wash rag,
Like the cold one in Iraq; I have purpose…
A wide angle lens distorts—but sees all.

See it all…for one day the moon will have no splotches.

a poem re-posted

2004-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

I want to get back to the poetry and fun stuff. too much politics and architecture. so once again here is the mindflow of a 24 year old getting out of bed and going to work:

point of no return

swirlings of brown sheets and there is an ache
big as texas—and maybe as heavy
on the back of my head, toes as well
the message: do not get up…this is a point of no return
the stupid phosphorous numbers are laughing at me,
running away at the speed of light…hah! Light…

rolling over is not good…she will be there
a whine is all she will give me…all she will dispense
to this little stage, this test of wills…
the message: do not get up…this is a point of no return
a rise and fall of her chest teaches me of life all over again…
and the ache gets a little smaller…something else grows…

drops of water on the neck, eyes are open now
yellow curtain is like a teen movie…not as cheesy
or as amusing to imagine…teen land…candy land
the message : don’t get going…you are past the point of no return
having learned again that I am lustful and that means there is purpose…
water is now suffocating…move faster…

bland wall coverings ; the back door is not a portal
thresholds like fly swatters…the job is done but ugly
smelling of salt and creamer, coffee is now my father
the message : get going…you are past the point of no return
smiles, nods, a few overstated words…drive home my membership
pixels are ridiculing me, “where have you been…”

large wide glass and there is a sky…
bigger than texas—and much brighter
my mind has nothing in it…in this moment’s space
the eventual message : don’t worry…you are a point of no return
you are all or nothing…you are beauty stretched
like butter over too much toast…

a little bit of notoriety

2004-11-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

wow...so I got into the recent archvoices issue. apparently they liked my response to their article asking if there should be more licensed architects in the field. (third one down--got a scroll down a bit)

if they thought it was good i guess i'll post it here:

"Everything about the state of the world around us is screaming--'what's really going on?' and 'who can help us figure out what is going on?' It is simply unfathomable to me that we would even be asking ourselves whether or not we need more licensed architects. Architects answer questions all the time--it's what we are trained to do. We are trained to think critically about any number of issues and produce solutions to those problems, whether or not they involve the traditional motive of designing buildings and accepting such liability. Licensure as well as the practice's offered incentives should be the force that supports responsible practice of all the diverse problems, social or otherwise, that architects can solve or engage. The fact that it currently does not is, perhaps, the reason that we would even ask such a question.

I am an intern architect, two years out of school who recently lost his job at traditional design/architecture firm in New Orleans due to a tough local business climate and architectural market. I have since taken a job as a consultant to the university architect at Tulane University--helping them address and produce solutions and presentations to preserve, augment, and enhance the landscaping and urban forest tree plans within their soon to be revised master plan. It is not architecture in the traditional sense, yet between the evolutionary biologist/botanist with whom I met yesterday and the facilities management staff I met the previous day or the university architect I am meeting today no to mention the administrators and other university staff I have met with over the last week and a half--my presence and abilities as an architect and designer--as critical problem solver and idea producer--are more than warranted and certainly appreciated. All of this, despite my not being licensed yet. Architects are restricting themselves and their market force if they do not see these avenues of practice as worthy of some kind of licensure process--one that inspires competence and responsibility in said practices. We are also missing an incredible opportunity if we do not match the power of a professional license to the potential diversity and power to affect healthy social change that our profession's myriad abilities garner. There is no reason that what I am doing now cannot be seen as great experience and professional education towards the attainment of a professional license.

Thanks for your continued healthy discussion of these issues."

--Blaise Durio (New Orleans, LA)

rivers are cool...

2004-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

...or at least so says the riversphere site. any of you architecture chumps interested in landscape issues, conservation, cool hipster activist/research type design related projects, and something in new orleans that's fairly cool...not to mention something in new orleans that's fairly cool with BRUCE MAU involved should check it out. checkout their little newsletter--called riversource or something ridiculous like that. also you may purchase that cool andy goldsworthy film if you, like me, think the guy's work is amazing...and drool all over yourself in dreams of designing things landscap-ish.

also, it seems the the epa has a sense of humor.

why didn't they have this going on when we were still in school?

bush vs. light bulbs

2004-11-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

how many members of Bush's administration does it take to change a light bulb?
none. the light bulb doesn't need to be changed. there are some who would suggest that the light bulb was "burned out." rest assured that those are people who would seek to aid the terrorists, to foster acts of evil against freedom.

did you hear about Bush's plan for social security?
its called influenza.

man i crack myself up.

here...just shoot yourself in the foot

2004-10-31T19:43:00.000-08:00

wow...and this time Rumsfeld did to himself. why can't they just admit that they made a mistake?

this movie is pretty incriminating.

we are our parent's children...amongst other serious thoughts

2004-10-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

my father called me yesterday and amongst other trivialities he slipped in this little bit of information:

wednesday night my brother was arrested for possession of marijuana (the second time). my father left him in jail for two days because on the two visits he made to see him, my brother didn't ask him for any help. meanwhile my mother is ripping her hair out because she has no idea what is happening to her youngest son and my stuborn father refuses to let him off the hook unless he asks for help. meanwhile my father makes arrangements with the police to have my brother released to him (since he is a minor and it has legal implications otherwise if he is released to no one at all.) what do the police do? they release him to no one at all only a few hours before my father is supposed to come get him. This sends my father into a rage at which point he demands that the sheriff's office re-arrest my brother because he needs to be released as a minor. so my brother who just got home to my crying mother, is made to stand outside on the street in front of my parent's house (while my mother watches) so that some sheriff's deputies can come by, put him in handcuffs for the second time in three days, and haul him off to jail--again--at which point my father brings my brother home.

so what does blaise think? blaise is so pissed off at something (he doesn't know what it is) that it confuses and frustrates him to the point that he only gets more rageful and angry at everything. blaise's phone call to his brother last night brings his brother to tears which brings blaise to tears--something like a mixture of the most extreme forms of love, worry, anger, and sadness all mixed up in one long, tiresome conversation over the phone. just the beggining of the conversation:

(blaise's brother): hey...
(blaise): are you okay?
(blaise's brother): i don't know (starts to cry...)...I'm so sorry, Blaise. I'm so....
(blaise): its okay...don't appologize...its okay...
(brother): (sniffles and crying)
(blaise): i don't care about anything dad told you. i don't care about anything that happened...
(brother): i'm really scared....I'm so sorry...(more crying)
(blaise): (tears) I love you...that's all that matters...you can tell me whatever you want to tell me...it doesn't matter what it is...
(brother): okay...(tears)...i know...
(blaise): i'm not judging you...i'm trying not to judge you...i don't care about any of that stuff....(tears)
(brother): okay...(uncontrollable crying)...okay...thanks blaise

so there it is. my brother is broken and scared. maybe its a good thing in the eyes of my father. maybe now he can be re-made and re-learn all these lessons of responsibility and committment to good values. maybe now he'll finally learn this lesson.......maybe I say. but maybe fear mongering is not the way to teach or "influence" people in what they think and do. maybe what my father sees as my brother waking up to his bad habits and problems is actually my brother shaking as he tries to make his love for his family and parents compatible with the fact that he is terribly ashamed of letting them down. maybe my brothers mistakes are really the side effects of his trying to live up to the image of his older brothers, dwelling in their shadows. maybe his older brothers were, after all, only trying to live up to the image of their father, dwelling in his shadow. and maybe they are still having trouble getting out of his shadow. maybe now blaise is realizing how long and big a shadow his father has cast. and maybe his father is still a great man whom he loves deeply. but maybe there are fears and neglects in the folds of that shadow that are not so great--that are being passed over, that we do not need to love or affirm to love his father.

i am worried about my brothers most of all and then my mother--who has sacrificed (and continues to sacrifice) too much to watch her sons be jailed and re-jailed. and then I am worried about my father--who I know is not sure he is doing the right thing and who also loves his sons and his wife to deeply to let a little bit of pot destroy their lives.

re-reading my praxis

2004-10-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

some words on landscape ubarnism. Charles Waldheim writes:

"The tendency to use landscape as a represntational lens to describe the contemporary city reminds us that landscape first existed as a genre of painting, a way of seeing, before it became actively engaged in either designing built environments or reordering natural ones. The description of contemporary metropolitan areas in ecological terms is most evident in work which appropriates the terms, conceptual categories, and operating methodologies of field ecology: the study of species as they relate to their natural environments. One of the implicit advantages of landscape urbanism over urban design or civil engineering is that it avoids the ideological opposition of environmental and infrastructural systems. In lieu of modernist engineering "solutions" through the civil engineering of natural environments, or postmodernist urban design desires for a mythical return to origins, landscape urbanism advocates the conflation, integration, and fluid exchange of environmental and infrastructural systems. James Corner describes the poetic and imaginative potential of this disciplinary breakdown as:
'...the lyrical play between nectar and Nutrasweet, between birdsong and Beastie Boys, between springtime flood surge and drip of tap water, between mossy heaths and hot asphaltic surfaces, between controlled spaces and vast, wild reserves...'"

a poem from one of my favorites

2004-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Elegy

About a year has passed. I've returned to the place of the battle,
to its birds that have learned their unfolding of wings from a subtle
lift of a surprised eyebrow, or perhaps from a razor blade
- wings, now the shade of early twilight, now of state bad blood.

Now the place is abuzz with trading
in your ankles's remanants, bronzes
of sunburnt breastplates, dying laughter, bruises,
rumors of fresh reserves, memories of high treason,
laundered banners with imprints of the many
who since have risen.

All's overgrown with people. A ruin's a rather stubborn
architectural style. And the hearts's distinction
from a pitch-black cavern
isn't that great; not great enough to fear
that we may collide again like blind eggs somewhere.

At sunrise, when nobody stares at one's face, I often,
set out on foot to a monument cast in molten
lengthy bad dreams. And it says on the plinth "commander
in chief." But it reads "in grief," or "in brief,"
or "in going under."

1985, Joseph Brodsky

please be honest

2004-10-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said...

"so i wonder, was kerry so feeble and niave that he was duped by Bush's "lies," or was he part of the conspiracy when he voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq?

and since kerry said (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5915798) that, knowing what he knows now, he would vote the same way, does that mean he would also have to be hauled in front of this tribunal?"

these are comments posted recently on the blog in response to one of my posts and to another commentator's decision that Bush should face a war tribunal. let me first say that I do not believe bush should face a war tribunal.

However, I think it is important to ask the the commentator quoted above to be accurate--a task that the article he references does not achieve. Neither Kerry nor any of his fellow congressmen authorized Bush to go to war. They authorized him to use neccessary force if and when it became apparent that diplomacy was no longer a functioning option to deal with Saddam Hussein. They said so in numerous speeches (not just Kerry) delivered before the vote took place. They pleaded with our president to build an alliance, to give diplomacy all possible chance to resolve the Iraq issue. It is nothing short of misleading, so to suggest that despite the current administration's poor, badly executed occupation of Iraq, Kerry has no business criticizing the administration for such failures because he voted to authorize force (not the same as giving the immediate go ahead for war--remember this was not like Pearl Harbor--its more like grenada or the first Iraq war where a powerful alliance was built effectively). In many ways, this supposed "flip flop" is the central criticism directed at Kerry by the administration in their assessment that he is not fit to lead as commander in chief or defend the country through the use of force. It is unfortunate that it is based on a deception. Admittedly, it would be a stronger position for Kerry had he simply avoided the Iraq war, supported a war time president, and merely pointed to the "war on terror" as the real issue of foreign and domestic policy that this administration is failing us on. Iraq is, at best, a distraction from a much more real "war on terror" that must be fought on many different battlegrounds, both virtual and real, both here and abroad with a variety of weapons--the least of which are tanks and guns. The real war on terror is a completely different landscape than the one we are encountering in Iraq--insurgents in fallujah or najaf are the very end of a long and powerful whip that is wielded as much by the media and those who would make war on the idea of american freedom as much as they would on americans themselves. In this sense, we are wasting valuable resouces, american lives, and political currency in Iraq the way we have taken it on. Kerry should not be challenging the legitimacy of the war--he should be laying out a policy to crush all insurgents in Iraq (meaning lots more troops and hopefully an alliance worth discussing), have elections, and ask the american people to make whatever sacrifices we should make (something neither of them is doing) . Then he should move on completely and turn to the "war on terror" as it is now fueled by our bungling in Iraq.

here is an article to support this opinion:
"Of Mice and Men"
From the May 24, 2004 issue: Some war supporters, having previously written eloquently of America's generational commitment, now want to throw in the towel.
by William Kristol
05/24/2004, Volume 009, Issue 35

"ARE YOU A MAN or a mouse? Squeak up." Forty years ago, I thought this playground taunt witty. It isn't, really, but it seems apt right now. We're certainly hearing a lot of squeaking.

Not from the American people. They--including American women--are behaving like men. They supported the president when he decided we had to go to war to remove Saddam. They have been critical of the president's management of the war where appropriate, especially of the postwar war, so they are wavering on his reelection. But they have repudiated candidates who wanted to cut and run from Iraq, they have ignored demagogic attempts to assign blame for 9/11 and to peddle conspiracy theories about the war, and they haven't been panicked by the occasional (or even frequent) bad news from the front.

The elites are something else. It can't be said that the left has suddenly begun squeaking, because that's its normal state. But the mainstream media have outdone themselves, spending the last two weeks treating the abuse of prisoners by Americans as the biggest story of the war. And some war supporters, having previously written eloquently of America's generational commitment, the magnitude of the cause, and the transformational nature of 9/11, have now decided that a few months of bungling by the Bush administration require throwing in the towel on the central front in the war on terror.

And the Bush administration? It's natural that they are somewhat disheartened. It would be good if this led them to rethink some of their decisions. But above all, they should be redoubling their efforts to win the war. They shouldn't be curling into a fetal position, hoping to survive the blows of political opponents, and praying that John Kerry will be so bad a candidate that their guy will stagger through.

It is true that the mistakes of the past year have had a dispiriting cumulative effect. It is true that it is harder to recover now than it would have been a year ago. But we can't win if we don't apply ourselves anew to trying to win. Reasonable people can differ about what steps must be taken, but here are just a few of the many that could be.

(1) The president announces that, with respect to the prison abuse scandal, he has ordered that legal proceedings move ahead as quickly as possible--and that until they have run their course, he and his cabinet will have no more to say. There will be no more apologies. And, the president could add, Sen. Kennedy's comment that Saddam's torture chambers have "reopened under new management, U.S. management" is beneath contempt.

(2) The president orders Secretary Rumsfeld to send 50,000 more troops to Iraq to win the war. He also orders the secretary of defense to submit a plan to increase the overall size of our armed forces so that it is sufficient for the tasks ahead in the global war on terror.

(3) The president orders combatant commanders to move aggressively to see to it that killers of Americans are killed, that those who aid those killers are held responsible, and that the insurgents are crushed. He might add that any site where Americans are attacked will be regarded as a combat zone, and anyone who chooses to go there to celebrate will be subject to attack.

(4) The president announces that we will accelerate the Iraqi elections, advancing them to this fall, to make clear our commitment to aiding the Iraqis in establishing a real democracy.

(5) The president cancels his own political travel for the next few weeks to engage in an intensive review with his top advisers of our strategy and tactics, to ensure that we are on, or can get onto, a path to decisive victory.

If the president spoke this way and his administration acted in concert--if the president led the country as a fully engaged commander in chief--surely the American people would prefer this to the squeaking of his opponents. If not, then he, and we, are headed to defeat in any event. But at least this path would give victory a chance.

--William Kristol

some more political thoughts

2004-10-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

yes...and yes...this is my agreement or, rather, acknowledgement of an anonymous commentor's remarks. I must aquiesce and admitt, after scrutiny of my hastily (and poorley) written words, that I was, in fact, a bit harsh on 'ole Buzz.

However, I will clarify the intention of my remarks (I do not believe the premise of my argument to be without a legitimate claim) with regards to those comments. It does me no good to lay claim (historically or otherwise) to the reciprocities of american political history such as "manifest destiny" or a "a city on a hill"--this was the weakest part of my argument to be sure. I do much better, I find, by speaking directly to the composition of the thoughts I find flawed--flawed from my opinion--not some supposed standard of absolute correctness that I would otherwise pretend to reincarnate in my being and words. This I will do--after paying due homage to Ryan Sandrock, forever the avatar of Howard Zinn.

Thus, I ask and answer (for my own clarity of mind as much as anything else):

When do we decide, as a people, that one extremism demands another extremist response? Where is that line? Is it completely fair to point to September 11th, 2001 and gasp in horror, "Pearl Harbor, re-lived"? Is it journalistically accurate, ignore ethical, to pretend that we are, again--symbolically, "standing down Nazi Germany" in our occupation of Iraq? Does taming a frontier have anything to do, symbolically, with the courage of American troops in Iraq or the power of the American people to affirm their presence and their mission there?

I say that we, as the American people, must distinguish between what we believe--what our mission and our values are--and how we achieve the execution and protection of those beliefs. This distinction, if done carefully and with respect to all parties involved, is what separates us as the users of the "language of a city on a hill" from those who use a similarly potent "language of jihad." If we cannot make such a distinction, and we cannot hold our leaders accountable to this distinction than we are besmirching our mission and our history of doing "big things." This is what islamic extremist terrorists have done to their history and the mission of Islam by not distinguishing the horror and implicit evil of their acts with the clearly peaceful aspects of Islam as a religion:

"Religious extremist groups in the Islamic world are deeply divided along ideological and sectarian lines. Stereotyped images of Islam as a monolithic religion predisposed toward violence do not do justice to the fact that most Muslims are peaceful. Such stereotypes also fail to take into account the multi-faceted complexity of those Islamic groups that choose violence as a political strategy.

The rise of religious extremism in South Asia and the Middle East has to do primarily with four factors: the absence in much of the Muslim world of democratic, accountable governments, and, indirectly related to this, disputes over contested territory; the failure of governments in some Islamic countries to address problems arising from rapid social, demographic, and economic changes in the last century; financial, logistical, and moral support provided by external actors; and the breakdown within Islam itself of ijtihad—the established tradition whereby religious clerics independently interpret the Koran in order to apply Koranic law to diverse and changing circumstances."--quoted from the website for the United States Institute of Peace.

Forgetting the rhetoric of the presidential campaign and the media's horrific manipulation of access to that rhetoric, it is not wrong for Americans to distrust this President based on his repeated failed attempts to make such a distinction between the mission and the execution of that mission. It cannot be denied that our mission in the fight against terror in protection of our freedom and the freedom of all threatened by terrorism has been incredibly compromised by the failure of this administration to "execute." Does this mean that Kerry can or would do a better job? Not by a long shot. In fact, I rather doubt it.

Ideologically, our choices for president are very different--but we must judge on not only on belief or ideology but on performance--on their ability to achieve what they believe in a way that does not compromise the belief. It is easy to say--it is much harder to do. In this light, Kerry and Bush come very close to each other--in fact, they are very much the same. Every word uttered is distant from the last and even more distant from their record of achievements.
Our mission in Iraq, though perhaps mired in poor execution, must not fail. But more importantly, we must elect leaders who will judge that mission's tasks according to the "how" not only the "why." This is the origin of my worry for Mr. Manweller's distortion and my commentor's acceptance of that simplification.

intense words

2004-10-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

so my dad sent me this article on the presidential election below. my repsonse is below it.

The Professor nails it. America is at a critical juncture.

"In that this will be my last column before the presidential election
there will be no sarcasm, no attempts at witty repartee. The topic is
too serious, and the stakes are too high.

This November we will vote in the only election during our lifetime
that
will truly matter. Because America is at a once-in-a-generation
crossroads, more than an election hangs in the balance. Down one path
lies retreat, abdication and a reign of ambivalence. Down the other
lies
a nation that is aware of its past and accepts the
daunting obligation its future demands. If we choose poorly, the
consequences will echo through the next 50 years of history.

If we, in a spasm of frustration, turn out the current occupant of the

White House, the message to the world and ourselves will be twofold.
First, we will reject the notion that America can do big things. Once a

nation that tamed a frontier, stood down the Nazis and stood upon the
moon, we will announce to the world that bringing democracy to the
Middle East is too big of a task for us. But more significantly, we
will
signal to future presidents that as voters, we are unwilling to tackle

difficult challenges, preferring caution to boldness, embracing the
mediocrity that has characterized other civilizations.

The defeat of President Bush will send a chilling message to future
presidents who may need to make difficult, yet unpopular decisions.
America has always been a nation that rises to the demands of history
regardless of the costs or appeal. If we turn away from that legacy, we

turn away from who we are.

Second, we inform every terrorist organization on the globe that the
lesson of Somalia was well learned. In Somalia we showed terrorists
that you
don't need to defeat America on the battlefield when you can defeat
them in
the newsroom. They learned that a wounded America can become a
defeated
America. Twenty-four-hour news stations and daily tracing polls will do
the
heavy lifting, turning a cut into a fatal blow. Except that Iraq is
Somalia
times 10.

The election of John Kerry will serve notice to every terrorist in
every
cave that the soft underbelly of American power is the timidity of
American
voters. Terrorists will know that a steady stream of grizzly photos for
CNN
is all you need to break the will of the American people. Our own
self-doubt
will take it from there. Bin Laden will recognize that he can topple
any
American administration without setting foot on the homeland.

It is said that America's W.W.II generation is its " greatest
generation. " But my greatest fear is that it will become known as
America's "last generation. " Born in the bleakness of the Great
Depression and hardened in the fire of WW II, they may be the last
American generation that understands the meaning of duty, honor and
sacrifice. It is difficult to admit, but I know these terms are spoken
with
only hollow detachment by many (but not all) in my generation. Too
many
citizens today mistake " living in America " as " being an American
" .
But America has always been more of an idea than a place. When you sign
on,
you do more than buy real estate. You accept a set of values and
responsibilities.

This November, my generation, which has been absent too long, must
grasp the
obligation that comes with being an American, or fade into the
oblivion they may deserve. I believe that 100 years from now historians

will look back at the election of 2004 and see it as the decisive
election of our century. Depending on the outcome, they will describe
it
as the moment America joined the ranks of ordinary nations; or they
will
describe it as the moment the prodigal sons and daughters of the
greatest generation accepted their burden as caretakers of the "City
on
the Hill."

Mathew Manweller

Manweller is a Central Washington University political science
professor.
This Op/Ed appeared in the Daily Record (Ellensburg, Washington's
paper) on
Wed. Oct. 6, 2004.

my response:

Dad,

a well written piece...here's my problem being part of the so-called "absent generation":

the opinion that one great generation or generations from the past that "can do big things" or "tamed a frontier, stood down the Nazis and stood upon the moon" in a some perfect way, without consequences, without having forced people all over the world to sacrifice , including their own--Americans, is not only questionable, but it is almost begins to reek of some kind of jingoism or, worse, a lingering idea of "manifest destiny." The conviction that America--that the United States of America--has been innocently playing out and fulfilling its role as the saviour of freedom for the free world up until the likes of John Kerry is as much or more a denial not "aware of its past" as any notion that John Kerry is our saviour from the ideologue, fundamentalist, corporate interest consumed, imperialism of George W. Bush.

this guy your are quoting is describing that "prodigal sons and daughters of the greatest generation accepted their burden as caretakers of the 'City on the Hill.' " language like this justified crusades during the middle ages, convinced germans that Hitler would return the rhineland to its "former glory," inspired russians to overthrow the tsar and support the Bolsheviks, told native americans that they were lucky to be "moved" to oklahoma and given some kind of "status" by the pre-ordained US government. language like this can be more powerful than an army. language like this can not be thrown around lightly--it is not accurate nor is it even fair to characterize our presidential candidates this way--

it is insulting to me and to all young adults and young people when we are told that we are "absent" or that we are allowing our disaffection of certain values to affect our judgment, that we aren't participating properly in the execution of those values:
But America has always been more of an idea than a place. When you sign
on,
you do more than buy real estate. You accept a set of values and
responsibilities.

guess what--we are the product of these "super hero" generations. if we are so bad off, than perhaps that is not just our own failings but also the failing of those generations that "saved the world" over the last 70 years. guess what else--we get to inherit this world where americans are hated on a level never known before and their convictions about freedom for all are confused with some kind of protect-our-oil-resources imperialism justified by a war on terror.

I voted for George W. Bush in the last election, at this point it looks like I'll vote for him again. But it is not my or some recent disaffected generation's fault that we are in the absolute horror of a situation we are in, as Americans. George Bush is as much to blame or more for the situation we are in. The war on terror will continue for many years to come--our president admits that--it is not a war that will come to an abrupt end. It is a war that is taking place between you and I right now. Its seeds were being sown when our country aided people like hussein and bin laden twenty some odd years ago if not before then. It continues to be sown when we decide that "missle defense" is more in our best interests than balancing the budget and providing jobs for hard working people who do have convictions--in that regard, generations "saving the world" before people like me were even born are as responsible as any current media deception or democratic presidential candidate for the "war on terror."

this idea that the election is such a clear choice...this is absolute nonsense in my opinion. these kinds of articles are so polarizing to me, so in-objective in their opinions, and so dressed in the powerful language of "manifest destiny" and blame that they are insulting for me to read. do you want me to apologize for being educated in the best schools, for being shown the other side of our political history, for being inspired by "academic" notions that our country can do better than our current presidential candidates? for believing that working with other countries and supporting diplomacy before military force is a better choice? am i supposed to abdicate all of the valuable--and "freedom for all" based--lessons that I have been taught over the last 10 years?

I apologize, Dad. I believe in all of the values of the United States of America. I believe that we are one of the last forces for freedom in a fractured and dangerously confused, discontent world. But I will be dammed if I let people tell me how "clear" the choice for president is when it so obviously is not...all the while they are blaming me and my generation for allowing the danger of ruining our country's history and goal for freedom. this is McCarthyism. if you can't see it then there is nothing for us to talk about.

who are we supposed to vote for?

2004-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

today I realized that I have as much of a problem voting for john kerry as I do george bush...

most of my recent decision focuses around kerry's comment about Cheney's lesbian daugher, Mary in the recent presidential debate. the comment was not only inappropriate it didn't even answer the question...it only confirms further annoyances and thoughts that I had about kerry being willing to say anything to get elected...

I also found an article that confirms what I was thinking..only more articulate and forceful:

William Kristol writing for the weekly standard:

"Leave aside the cheap, cold, calculating cynicism--and cruelty--in Kerry's appropriation of the alleged opinions of an opposing candidate's family member to try to embarrass his opponent. Leave aside the view Kerry and his campaign must have of millions of religious Americans if they think this particular McCarthyite moment will work. Leave aside their fear of having an honest debate about a legitimate public policy issue--same-sex marriage, the role of liberal judges in advancing it, and the proper response of the elected representatives of the American people. Leave aside the fact that Kerry's alleged opposition to same-sex marriage is manifestly dishonest and cowardly.

Leave it all aside. How stupid does John Kerry think the American people are?

Does he really think they will believe that he singled out Mary Cheney because he "was trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with this issue?" Does he think they will accept his claim that he was saying something about the Cheneys' "love of their daughter"? Of course, he wasn't. In his answer, he never mentioned or came close to mentioning the Cheney family, or the Cheneys' love. He merely brought up Mary Cheney as a lesbian, out of left field, in order to get her name and sexual orientation into an answer where no such citation was expected, called for, or remotely appropriate. His campaign manager let slip the truth when after the debate she told Fox News's Chris Wallace that Mary Cheney was "fair game."

I am scared now just as much of Kerry as I am of Bush...we deserve better leaders than these...

poems abound

2004-10-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

a poem which witnesses to my wonder at music near a campfire...it is cold at these times... with friends and wine

firesongs

none knows where you've been
but the rumor of fires
set ablaze in the night--of wooden limbs set to burn
smells in the trappings...we were all there...and not there
nights spent blissful...now fear an the eater of beauty...souls a garnish

again the magic of a guitar--humming is not equal to it
a strum of simple-no energies wasted- I am now caught in primeval hymns
somehow the burning sound burns longer in the mind
always sounds afresh...guitars remember the world invisible to us
the world in one movement of the strings
the strum not unlike the first strum

and yet new pangs rest uneasily, excitedly
on the horizon in our souls; a loved one is kept there
like a seraphim burning...a muse who was before cynical
there almost seems to be a covenant made
whose full promise is a joy--a wistful pain still more
but enjoyable; wholesome in the ring of the strings

so in the embers is the death of a cycle
like ending in song; the melody giving way
to a purring silence; a cacaphony of silence--quiet exuded to extreme
puts the song in its throne as god of all
and we are all dreaming of embraces
rapture of skin, lips fused together
hearts made one

finis

my dorky friend's webpage

2004-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

several people that I know are amusing in a strange way...this is shawn.
or you may check out his roomate doug.

2004-10-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

these are the contents of an email a friend sent me--this is happening tomorrow. I think I will go. any takers?

"The September Environmental Breakfast has been rescheduled for October
15th
due to Hurricane Ivan."

"The Mayor's Environmental Breakfast on Compressed Natural Gas will be
held
in conjunction with the
GNOCC (Greater New Orleans Clean Cities Coalition). Attendees will be
able
to drive a CNG vehicle and to see
how it is fueled.
Date October 15, 2004
Time 8:00-9:30 a.m. (Allow more time to drive the car)
Place Entergy in downtown New Orleans, near the Superdome, 1600 Perdido
Street
Enter the Entergy facility on Perdido across from the VA hospital and
park
in the lot. Building 529 is the 2 story building facing the Superdome.
The
assembly
room is the room closest to the Superdome.
Speaker Tammy Morgan of the Baton Rouge Clean Cities Coalition"

"Other items to be discussed are the upcoming Biodiesel and idling
reduction
workshops as well as the LA State Alternative Fuels Vehicles conference
to
be held in January 2005."

"In other news, National Geographic is conducting an on-line survey to
determine how people accross the US feel about spending federal money to
restore our wetlands. The survey can be found at
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/index.html"

"Please take a moment to register your support for our wetlands."

Yarrow Etheredge
Director, Office of Environmental Affairs
Mayor's Office of Economic Development
1300 Perdido St., Suite 8E06
(504)658-4075

some cool stuff for those of you design geeks

2004-10-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

here is a link to the new material piece that nbbj did.

my favorite is the "super black paint." it really pushes your conception of what a new material is or what it can do.

i also find it amusing that someone invented something called "super black" that is supposed to be the "blackest," most unrelfective paint ever made. its beyond bizzare.

images that are amusing

2004-10-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

some cool pictures for anyone to see

another poem

2004-10-13T09:49:00.001-07:00

2
the words that go unspoken on the color of the sun

have all but allueded me--these deep hours,
and the wave of grief, having greetted my own disaction
letting slip urgent breaths, divine dreams like pages
--a book that I cannot finish under a sleep of conformed living
and then there is the regret, a folding of the mind in its own languish

breathless they are, these dreams I hug nightly
fitful and raw, wearing heavy on the conscience
whether I will retain the kernel of light in my present worry
forces a quick scribble of words, as if time for writing will end
and love, like water, like sand, will fade from the formworks
of my musings. a candle in the wind, before the killing gust.

and yet memories not as if dying fruit have aromas
that do not share the mortality of clocked time.
petals that once plucked do not fade into an intert gray
but retain colors deeper than a color can really be
and words do not justice even when they are aptly hewn
from a lover’s lips, from moments emblazoned in grace.

They lie down—such muses—if they are not asked properly
Sleeping until a heart, a soul awakens delight.
Eyes startled in the early morning as sun creeps in.
Slowed time momentarily here—now gone with such speed.
That even the mind forgets of its waking times.
That even nocturnal tomes cannot breath air actual, real.

And when a life strikes chord against the repeating days
Resounding in the space of a hurried glimpse breath fails
Time stops in the mind—a string plucked out of tune
Joys of a simpler day return to the edges of routine
Renderings record themselves on the back side of the mind
Only to slip under and sleep there—guarded not by strength but weakness

a poem i just wrote

2004-10-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

here is the mindflow of a 24 year old getting out of bed and going to work:

9-7-04

point of no return

swirlings of brown sheets and there is an ache
big as texas—and maybe as heavy
on the back of my head, toes as well
the message: do not get up…this is a point of no return
the stupid phosphorous numbers are laughing at me,
running away at the speed of light…hah! Light…

rolling over is not good…she will be there
a whine is all she will give me…all she will dispense
to this little stage, this test of wills…
the message: do not get up…this is a point of no return
a rise and fall of her chest teaches me of life all over again…
and the ache gets a little smaller…something else grows…

drops of water on the neck, eyes are open now
yellow curtain is like a teen movie…not as cheesy
or as amusing to imagine…teen land…candy land
the message : don’t get going…you are past the point of no return
having learned again that I am lustful and that means there is purpose…
water is now suffocating…move faster…

bland wall coverings ; the back door is not a portal
thresholds like fly swatters…the job is done but ugly
smelling of salt and creamer, coffee is now my father
the message : get going…you are past the point of no return
smiles, nods, a few overstated words…drive home my membership
pixels are ridiculing me, “where have you been…”

large wide glass and there is a sky…
bigger than texas—and much brighter
my mind has nothing in it…in this moment’s space
the eventual message : don’t worry…you are a point of no return
you are all or nothing…you are beauty stretched
like butter over too much toast…

have discovered a new plan

2004-10-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

so...

out of a job...

enthusiastically looking for a job...

wasting lots of time...

want to visit japan...

might move to chicago.