i've been thinking about religion a whole lot lately. i think it's about time that i've joined a church. i've been giving it a lot of thought, and i think i've found the perfect one (http://revbilly.com), just in time for the holidays.

i am writing this entry, not for paul, but rather bc i care about this (e:strip) project


for years we've thought about putting an ad in national publications:

call to activists, artists, and people willing to create:come to buffalo!

buffalo is the best and biggest secret on the earth-- a city with a small town feeling-- with a great community, great arts, and great architecture where the rent is cheap. this rust belt city is for the taking, but we need community-minded and motivated souls to make it a better place.

that's really what we need in this city. that's what we really need for this city. it obviously hasn't got us anywhere going through the usual methods.

it starts here

i've met more and more people who are interested in urban planning, smart growth, community-based initiatives, regional development. its wonderful to see that energy, and its so so important given the context of our world developing on a global scale where regionalism and community based thinking is not part of the equation. i'm wary of thinking that there is any one or two solutions that would work, but lets at least encourage going in that direction where people are thinking and doing and building our own communities. that power is in each of us, and sometimes you just have to do it yourself to make things happen.

this city is ours for the taking.

i for one, am not going to sit idly.

no more computers

after some very intense moments not enjoying the atmosphere but enjoying an overwhelmingly intimate play at rust belt books, i wandered over to the drama section on the off chance that i'd find what i was looking for and lo and behold there it was, a one volume hard cover copy of angels in america, a gay fantasia on national themes, in all its glory for half the price that id have expected it to be. i only regret that i made megan late and that i was the only one representing the house and that sometimes you never know what to say to people that you really like and care about.

to go or not to go



for those who can't make it there:

ftaa indymedia coverage of miami (http://www.ftaaimc.org/en/index.shtml)

don't place your bets on me just yet, im only half way home

tony kushner's angels in america has been made into a 2 part movie to be shown on hbo in december. (http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/) it's directed by mike nichols (who's afraid of virginia woolf) and is sposed to be amazing (http://www.msnbc.com/news/990683.asp)

8 of samuel beckett's plays were filmed for the pbs stage on screen series. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/stageonscreen/) maybe one day they'll show it again

matthew barney's the cremaster cycle (http://www.cremaster.net/) will be playing at the george eastman house in rochester in december. then it'll play at the market arcade in feb 2004.

check your email

[one]

from united for peace and justice (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/):

"tucked away in Bush's $87 billion dollar spending bill for Iraq is an $8.5 million dollar item for police and security operations against the FTAA protests in Miami!"

[two]

This Thursday, November 13, the Miami City Commission will vote on an ordinance to change current regulations that govern parades, demonstrations, rallies and assemblies with the purpose of stifling the voices of the thousands of people - students, union members, activists, farmers and many other individuals - from around the Americas and the world who will be coming to South Florida to engage in peaceful, permitted protests at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ministerial to be held next week in Miami.

An earlier version of the ordinance was thwarted by strong public opposition. While some of the most outrageous provisions have been eliminated since the original ordinance was first introduced, serious restrictions on First Amendment rights remain. The ordinance interferes with people’s constitutionally guaranteed rights of association and expression by providing extremely broad, but vague definitions of "public assembly" and "parade" and then subjecting such gatherings to an array of new prohibitions. The end result: if the ordinance is passed, police will have enormous discretion in their application of the law, which will give them free reign to discriminate against those who are visibly voicing their opposition to the FTAA.

The undemocratic nature of this ordinance is in keeping with the undemocratic nature of the FTAA itself. Under the rules that would be imposed by the FTAA, decision-making power on economic, social and cultural policies, as well as national development plans will be transferred to transnational corporations and investors and away from local communities.

Send a fax:(http://www.citizen.org/fax/background.cfm?ID=239&source=31)