This is hilarious, (e:Joshua,134). Since when does counter-protesting = intolerance? Ever heard of a debate? Not to mention, the San Francisco counter-protesters were accommodating enough to suggest "next time come back in summer" to avoid any chance of protesting / counter-protesting in the rain. Yeah, that sounds pretty intolerant.
I have a big problem with any organization that exploits people at vulnerable points in their lives. That includes some fraternities and most televangelists. Ron Luce of "Battle Cry for a Generation" may or may not be a televangelist, but he falls into the same category.
And you all know I have a problem with any organization that spends more time pointing fingers at an alleged "common enemy" than focusing on their own aspirations for the future.
If you think "same-sex marriage is another sign of the end of times" and you would rather see "Godly relationships than porn" then why the hell would you come to San Francisco? I mean, there are PLENTY of other places to get that. Is your life so shallow you have to pick a fight to make up for the fact that myspace.com is the Devil's playground so you're stuck with the "Christian alternative?"
All I can say is, I hope any of the protesters with some semblance of open-mindedness will be here next year holding signs saying "I moved here to get away from people like you."
p.s. - first day of work was fine. Thanks for asking.
Twisted's Journal
My Podcast Link
03/27/2006 23:34 #36686
Ha!Category: intolerance
03/26/2006 12:14 #36685
Bad TimingCategory: estrip
I promised I would write about the new ©Picfeeder and ©Loudfeeder web apps -- although that was before I found out (e:Paul,4255) would throw me over for a Latina peep in a NYminute. ANYway...
I knew I might have some regrets about not getting the sexy, footloose, new MacBook. Don't get me wrong, I still stand behind my decision to go with the equally seductive but more anchored iMac. But having indulged my fantasy of untethered computing with my last two Mac laptops, then being forced to buy a PC laptop, (ok, nobody held a gun to my head, but I had a signed contract for 3 months onsite in Seattle that required I provide my own JSP development environment, so what else was I supposed to do?), I figured I was long overdue for something more substantial. Then (e:Paul,4256) goes and writes all these cool mobile apps for publishing "on the go." D'oh! You know I always wanted to be a roving reporter! This week alone I could be reporting "live" from San Francisco at any of these varied events listed for in the Chron's Pink Section:
NOISE POP FESTIVAL
The festival turns 14 with a jam-packed schedule of indie music, film and comedy at 16 Bay Area venues through April 2. It starts Tuesday at Bimbo's with the Flaming Lips
THE BUTTERFLY ZONE
Go eye to eye with a butterfly: At the Conservatory of Flowers' Butterfly Zone you can watch as butterflies do their thing amid the brightly colored blossoms.
SEX DIARIES
An ever-changing cast of characters read from their journals about getting freaky.
Now wouldn't that be fun? But no, all I get to do is snap pictures and grab sounds in my living room. Anyone want to help me pick out a ringtone? ;-)
But I did try out both apps and they ARE awesome, even though I don't have any content that would do them justice. Maybe when (e:Twisted,345)'s GetADate!® empire gets off the ground, I can justify buying a MacBook to record my interviews -- which not only would be an efficient use of time, but would also provide footage for the reality TV show demo tape. Not to mention an on-the-sly podcast for you guys, but that would be our little secret.
In the meantime, there must be some gizmo for the iPod that turns it into a camera/microphone, right? An iPod would be WAY more stealth -- I mean, convenient -- for my purposes. Hmmm ... I'll have to look into that.
So sorry I can't provide a podcast right now, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, check out the coverville
podcast. Even if you're not into Nick Lowe (happy birthday Nick!) at LEAST fast forward to "Cruel To Be Kind" (time marker 6:30) and sing along at full blast. It'll do you good, I promise. Hey, there's an idea for an estrip-produced podcast -- karaoke covers! Put (e:Mike) in charge of that.
p.s. -- you guys are so lucky. I clipped "Cruel To Be Kind" from the podcast and made it my usersound. So now you have no excuse. Come on everybody -- sing along!!
p.p.s. -- is it me or does Ian Gomm sound remarkably like Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner? Maybe I've just listened to that playlist one too many times. But I swear I can hear strains of Mardy Baum in the background. Maybe it could be a mash-up.
I knew I might have some regrets about not getting the sexy, footloose, new MacBook. Don't get me wrong, I still stand behind my decision to go with the equally seductive but more anchored iMac. But having indulged my fantasy of untethered computing with my last two Mac laptops, then being forced to buy a PC laptop, (ok, nobody held a gun to my head, but I had a signed contract for 3 months onsite in Seattle that required I provide my own JSP development environment, so what else was I supposed to do?), I figured I was long overdue for something more substantial. Then (e:Paul,4256) goes and writes all these cool mobile apps for publishing "on the go." D'oh! You know I always wanted to be a roving reporter! This week alone I could be reporting "live" from San Francisco at any of these varied events listed for in the Chron's Pink Section:
NOISE POP FESTIVAL
The festival turns 14 with a jam-packed schedule of indie music, film and comedy at 16 Bay Area venues through April 2. It starts Tuesday at Bimbo's with the Flaming Lips
THE BUTTERFLY ZONE
Go eye to eye with a butterfly: At the Conservatory of Flowers' Butterfly Zone you can watch as butterflies do their thing amid the brightly colored blossoms.
SEX DIARIES
An ever-changing cast of characters read from their journals about getting freaky.
Now wouldn't that be fun? But no, all I get to do is snap pictures and grab sounds in my living room. Anyone want to help me pick out a ringtone? ;-)
But I did try out both apps and they ARE awesome, even though I don't have any content that would do them justice. Maybe when (e:Twisted,345)'s GetADate!® empire gets off the ground, I can justify buying a MacBook to record my interviews -- which not only would be an efficient use of time, but would also provide footage for the reality TV show demo tape. Not to mention an on-the-sly podcast for you guys, but that would be our little secret.
In the meantime, there must be some gizmo for the iPod that turns it into a camera/microphone, right? An iPod would be WAY more stealth -- I mean, convenient -- for my purposes. Hmmm ... I'll have to look into that.
So sorry I can't provide a podcast right now, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, check out the coverville
podcast. Even if you're not into Nick Lowe (happy birthday Nick!) at LEAST fast forward to "Cruel To Be Kind" (time marker 6:30) and sing along at full blast. It'll do you good, I promise. Hey, there's an idea for an estrip-produced podcast -- karaoke covers! Put (e:Mike) in charge of that.p.s. -- you guys are so lucky. I clipped "Cruel To Be Kind" from the podcast and made it my usersound. So now you have no excuse. Come on everybody -- sing along!!
p.p.s. -- is it me or does Ian Gomm sound remarkably like Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner? Maybe I've just listened to that playlist one too many times. But I swear I can hear strains of Mardy Baum in the background. Maybe it could be a mash-up.
03/25/2006 18:03 #36684
When I Go to the BeachCategory: fun
Went to the beach this morning with Ron and Sammi. She's a celebrity now!
We met some friends there (three human, four canine) and basically had a great time. I wish I had found my digital camera battery charger on my shopping spree to the storage facility. But here are some generic pix of Fort Funston, exactly 9.2 miles from my house.
While we were wandering and regrouping and basically taking the dogs' lead by investigating whatever seemed interesting at the moment, someone said, "hey! that guy was totally checking you out!" It never dawned on me I might be the object of appraisal, but turned out it was me. And I missed the whole thing! Anyway, now I know how you feel, (e:Mrmike,27).
The last time I went to the beach with Ron and Sammi was in February, so I foolishly thought a jacket might be in order. Everyone else was wearing shorts and/or t-shirts then, so I felt a bit overdressed. Thought I would make up for it today with one of my newly liberated long-sleeve t-shirts. Got to the beach and it was windy and chilly (50degrees!) Luckily Ron had an extra jacket with him.
The moral of the story is, always wear layers in the Bay Area. And check the local webcam of the microclimate you're going to.
now!We met some friends there (three human, four canine) and basically had a great time. I wish I had found my digital camera battery charger on my shopping spree to the storage facility. But here are some generic pix
of Fort Funston, exactly 9.2 miles from my house.While we were wandering and regrouping and basically taking the dogs' lead by investigating whatever seemed interesting at the moment, someone said, "hey! that guy was totally checking you out!" It never dawned on me I might be the object of appraisal, but turned out it was me. And I missed the whole thing! Anyway, now I know how you feel, (e:Mrmike,27).
The last time I went to the beach with Ron and Sammi was in February, so I foolishly thought a jacket might be in order. Everyone else was wearing shorts and/or t-shirts then, so I felt a bit overdressed. Thought I would make up for it today with one of my newly liberated long-sleeve t-shirts. Got to the beach and it was windy and chilly (50degrees!) Luckily Ron had an extra jacket with him.
The moral of the story is, always wear layers in the Bay Area. And check the local webcam
of the microclimate you're going to.03/23/2006 23:15 #36682
non sequiterCategory: friends
(...?...)
Today I was asked to vote for (my other friend Paul)'s band. Of course I did so immediately. You can tell from my usersound why.
So, this evening I poured myself a nice glass of wine. And when I returned to my "station" at the computer, I found another full glass already waiting there for me. That's the kind of day I've had.
Today I was asked to vote for (my other friend Paul)'s band. Of course I did so immediately. You can tell from my usersound why.
So, this evening I poured myself a nice glass of wine. And when I returned to my "station" at the computer, I found another full glass already waiting there for me. That's the kind of day I've had.
03/24/2006 19:42 #36683
tightsCategory: clothes
I took my friend's advice and went shopping in my storage containers. Found quite a bit of stuff just my size. ;-)
I'm finally weeding out things to get rid of (yeah, I know I should have done that before I moved) and it's kind of scary to actually examine all my stuff. I have quite a collection of stockings. I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I wore any of these, but I remember a time when I had a lot of fun accessorizing. Oh yes, I used to be quite the fashinista! Just ask (e:j3sse) if you don't believe me!
But I gave that all up when I started working from home almost five years ago. And it's been oh so easy the past five months living out of a suitcase -- makes it very simple to decide what to wear in the morning. But as long as I have to actually go to work starting Monday, maybe I'll give some of these another go. Although I don't know -- are brightly patterned tights in? Not that that ever stopped me before. I definitely have to add some fishnets though.
You don't even want to see my scarf collection. Now THAT'S out of control.
I'm finally weeding out things to get rid of (yeah, I know I should have done that before I moved) and it's kind of scary to actually examine all my stuff. I have quite a collection of stockings. I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I wore any of these, but I remember a time when I had a lot of fun accessorizing. Oh yes, I used to be quite the fashinista! Just ask (e:j3sse) if you don't believe me!
But I gave that all up when I started working from home almost five years ago. And it's been oh so easy the past five months living out of a suitcase -- makes it very simple to decide what to wear in the morning. But as long as I have to actually go to work starting Monday, maybe I'll give some of these another go. Although I don't know -- are brightly patterned tights in? Not that that ever stopped me before. I definitely have to add some fishnets though.
You don't even want to see my scarf collection. Now THAT'S out of control.
Oh, and what may be a surprising P.S. to add to all of this. Given my own track record, I'd probably love San Fran. Elmwood can't be much different, with the obvious exceptions of the great weather and better economics of the area.
So you must be okay with grown men and women calling kids "fascists" then, right? I'd hope not. Counterprotesting is just fine as far as I'm concerned, as long as you do it in a rational and dignified way. The residents of San Fran did not. It can't be possible, just maybe, that those people were being sarcastic when they suggested coming back in the summer.... right? I don't buy it for a second, and I'd wager that neither do most people.
I love debates, but to suggest that counterprotesting = debate is a flawed statement. There is nothing dignified about the process, as shown by the residents in San Fran recently. When liberals think you are abjectly wrong, there is no stammering about perpetuating a debate. When in their estimation you are implicitly incorrect, it slips from debate to character assassination to outright mockery of the counterpart. Take a look at anything said about George W. Bush or the Republican Party over the past 5 years in the print media - as Ajay might say, "case closed!"
Battle Cry chose the location for a purpose, just like Cindy Sheehan and her gang of hooligans chose theirs last summer. Was it right to do so? I don't know. It doesn't make a whole ton of sense to protest something in your backyard when the epicenter of the action is somewhere else.
I don't necessarily have an issue with televangelists personally. The thing is, these kids aren't being taken advantage of - this is how they are being raised by their families. Its a segment of Christian life that I don't necessarily see as something I'd want for my kids, but if they want to rally in San Francisco so be it. If Cindy Sheehan thought she was going to make her point stronger by camping out in Crawford, so be it.
p.s. - you should come out to San Francisco and see what your gut reaction is! ;-)
Ok, I do see your point about not preaching to the choir. I guess I have a problem with evangelism in general-- it personally makes me uncomfortable, and makes me wonder why you wouldn't "pick another battle" more likely to be won. Wouldn't someone on the fringe be better served by being taken under your wing? But I guess I can see the sense in trying to stake a claim in your particular "den of iniquity." I grant you that!
I think my problem is more this obsession with picking a worthy adversary rather than trying to convert those who may be close to your way of thinking. I don't know. I really don't want to think about it any more. I trust my gut reaction, even if I can't always justify it.
Like you, i do not like any organization that exploits. And i think anyone that spends more time worrying about what others are doing, instead of self improvement is fooling themselves. But if that is the way they want to live life, so be it... just don't make me.
Having never been to San Francico, i can only say that i have heard of it's reputation... all full of hippie lefties. So, if i am looking for converts, i am not going to go preach to the choir. I am going to go where i will find the most amount of peeps that think different from me. If i am a conservative Christian, then it would make sense for me to go where all the leftie hippies are if i want some new converts.
Of course, i don't have a problem with people disagreeing with the people trying to find new converts...
That made my point crystal clear... lol.
Yay that your first day of work went well! :)
I am so glad you liked your job