Saturday, October 29, 2005

Heifer International


Nothing's more satisfying than finding exactly the right solution to a problem. That's the good feeling you get when you give an Asian subsistence farmer a water buffalo.

-Heifer International


A water buffalo is only 250 USD! check out all the other animals you can give.... the holiday season is just around the corner

When pipes are outlawed....

Gerald Ford is my President! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Pete Lowney arrested

The Jewish Advocate | This Weeks Issue | News: "Policeman attacked by anti-Israel protester

BY TED SIEFER - Thursday October 27 2005

Israeli consul general Meir Shlomo

Activist arrested at synagogue talk led by Israeli consul general

LEXINGTON – A man was arrested on Oct. 23 for assaulting a police officer at a demonstration staged by a small group of anti-Israel protesters outside a post-Gaza disengagement talk at Temple Isaiah, which featured Meir Shlomo, Israel’s consul general to New England.
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The assailant was identified as Newton resident Peter Lowney, 35, a veteran protester whose activism has previously led to confrontations with law enforcement. Lowney has an outstanding warrant for disorderly conduct charges stemming from a protest at the Waltham-based technology company Raytheon earlier this year.
Lowney was deported from Israel in 2004 for his activities with the International Solidarity Movement, the pro-Palestinian group known for bringing western activists to hotspots in Gaza and the West Bank.
Police presence at the talk, titled “After Gaza: Looking Ahead,” was increased after Lexington police discovered a protest announcement on the Internet which contained language the authorities found alarming. Referring to Shlomo, the announcement stated: “This is a rare chance for people to corner this notorious and blood soaked human rights abuser and criminal. Please join us to make a citizens arrest of an IDF occupier for crimes against humanity.”
Shlomo said of those who organized the protest: “I think the language shows exactly who they are. To use this kind of description for anybody shows that they’re probably not really interested in discussion …This kind of language really doesn’t deserve a response.” As for the demonstration itself, Shlomo noted that it was “a free country.”
The assault occurred just after the talk began, when police asked the six protesters to move for safety reasons. While being escorted across the street, Lowney broke away and shoved an officer, prompting the arrest, said Lexington police Lt. Joe O’Leary.
Lowney was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, assault and battery and resisting arrest.
The Temple Isaiah discussion, which was attended by an estimated 250 people, was free and open to the public, although because of heightened security concerns, police and temple officials didn’t allow anyone to carry in bags or signs. Discussion moderator and Temple Isaiah member Jeff Robbins told the Advocate that while a couple activists did make it into the event, the only disruption occurred when one had to be coaxed into a question after making a long-winded anti-Israel statement.
Lowney, a former resident of Valdez, Alaska, has been in the Boston area since his deportation from Israel last year and appears to have been very active in local anti-U.S. and anti-Israel protests. In addition to being charged with resisting arrest and defacing property at the April protest at Raytheon, Lowney was also most likely the person who staged a one-man protest outside the Boston University Hillel in late September, although he refused to give his last name to a reporter from the student newspaper at the time. Lowney was also arrested for disorderly conduct at a small protest on the campus of Harvard on Oct. 10. He could not be reached for comment.
Lexington police have taken to monitoring local activist Web sites after several extremist groups had announced their intentions to stage demonstrations in the town, although Lt. O’Leary noted that most of the previous activity involved white supremacist groups and issues such as same-sex marriage and diversity in the schools.
It is not known if Lowney was working with one of the several pro-Palestinian groups in the Boston area, although O’Leary said that many of the people who were present at Sunday’s protest showed up for his hearing and offered to post bail, which was set at $1,000.
After his arraignment in Lexington, Lowney was transported to the Lawrence district court on a warrant for charges related to the April protest at Raytheon. His court date in Lexington was set for Nov. 21."

Alaska girls kick ass!



Amazon.com: Fate Is the Hunter: Music: "Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
With a face like Liv Tyler and a winsome voice that recalls early Joni Mitchell and late Fiona Apple, Kate Earl shoots right out of the gate with a couple of genetic advantages. And that's even before you consider her vocal shape-shifting, her audacious jazz chanteuse poses and the unstinting and, at times, painful honesty that she employs when singing these clearly autobiographical numbers. Hailing from Alaska, Earl is no near neighbor of Jewell Kilcher. Both her songs and her poetry are made from stronger stuff, with an attention to detail and nuance that is enviable in an artist her age. 'Free' is a high wire act, finding the singer both reaching for lofty notes and even loftier ideals. An astonishing debut. --Jaan Uhelszki

Album Description
The upcoming collection of songs is autobiographical. Just as Kate carries the beauty and purity of the Alaskan wilderness with her, she also holds the long, dark, 40-below winters and the isolation that comes along with the never-ending nighttime. Kate has been playing shows up and down the west coast, honing her skills and establishing herself as the kind of artist who leaves her heart on the stage. In her own words and with her own stunningly beautiful voice, Kate tells her stories...stories that are full of love, faith, tragedy and the strength of the human spirit. "



I love her! http://www.kateearl.com/
--- follow the jump to listen to full sample songs and read her blog - too cool. Keep rockin!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Your codename is Hurricane Wilma

Wilma wrecks shit in Florida, Cuba, and Mexico, but Surfers all over the east coast Blissfully shout her name as they score set after set of beautiful swells. Ala Fred Flinstone - WillllllllMMAAAAAA!

There must have been 50 surfers out on this day ... Later the internet was buzzing picts on Wilma wave riders all over the east coast. Posted by Picasa

I thought I'd add some pictures of Wilmington...

That there is the InterCoastal waterway and beyond those buildings is Wrightsville Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

ultrashock.com

ultrashock.com

So, I'm sitting at home and ... one of the things that I'm doing is getting to know forums or online communities. It's a wild wild west out there in these things and you can see real people doing real stuff and working it out. Anyway, I found this 'thread' / conversation this morning...

http://forums.ultrashock.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=75137&referrerid=211537

It's about a person - young man? - who's best friend has been killed in Iraq. He starts the post with telling his friends on the forum that he is joining the army, then all of his friends / people on the forum reply and give their support or advice.

It's really cool to see the "Community" part of online community come out. It doesn't have anything to do with the technology, it's just people talkin'.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Business

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Business: "The state of Alaska is pushing ahead with decades-old plans for a pipeline to carry natural gas to the lower 48 states as demand has risen and prices have soared.

Dallas investment bank Challenger Capital Group is expected to announce today that it will take the lead in arranging financing for the pipeline, expected to cost between $13 billion and $20 billion when it's finished in 2012.

'Ultimately, we'll help get more gas to the lower 48, which I would appreciate so my heating bill won't be so high,' said Challenger managing director Chuck Davis.

For three decades, Alaska has considered building a pipeline to bring to market natural gas produced in the North Slope area.

Those fields can produce 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, or about 15 percent of U.S. demand, Mr. Davis said.

But depressed prices for natural gas left the project unprofitable. Now the financial incentive to bring natural gas to market has strengthened.

'It really didn't make much economic sense until we got into the current energy economy,' Mr. Davis said.

The state would work with major oil companies BP PLC, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil to build a pipeline either to Alberta, Canada, or to Valdez, Alaska."

A rainy october morning


A commanding view of the compound here in Wilmington, NC. You can see our three vehicles. The egg camper. The shaved ice cart (under the blue tarp). The white trapazoid is a mirror for reflecting sunlight into my office. And Old glory. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 23, 2005

The Bubble Project - Ji Lee

The Bubble Project - Ji Lee

A clever graffiti site - protest thing. I've come across a few of these. Let me track down the links....

http://www.freewayblogger.com/

http://www.banksy.co.uk/menu.html - be sure to check out his links section

Saturday, October 22, 2005

E-Tutoring Broadens Bounds of Outsourcing - Yahoo! News

E-Tutoring Broadens Bounds of Outsourcing - Yahoo! News: "COCHIN, India - A few stars are still twinkling in the inky pre-dawn sky when Koyampurath Namitha arrives for work in a quiet suburb of this south Indian city. It's barely 4:30 a.m. when she grabs a cup of coffee and joins more than two dozen colleagues, each settling into a cubicle with a computer and earphones.


More than 7,000 miles away, in Glenview, Ill., outside Chicago, it's the evening of the previous day and 14-year-old Princeton John sits at his computer, barefoot and ready for his hourlong geometry lesson. The high school freshman puts on a headset with a microphone and clicks on computer software that will link him through the Internet to his tutor, Namitha, many time zones away."

On the Net:

Growing Stars Inc.: http://www.growingstars.com

NIIT Technologies Ltd.: http://www.niit.com

Educomp Datamatics Ltd.: http://www.edumatics.com

PBS | I, Cringely . October 20, 2005 - Seeing Is Believing

PBS | I, Cringely . October 20, 2005 - Seeing Is Believing: "My point here is that we're entering another period of Internet exuberance. Yes, a lot has changed since 1999, but it's amazing how many of the ideas being pushed are the SAME ideas, just empowered now by dark fiber, cheap broadband, and six years of Moore's Law. And this time I think it will actually work and the Internet will change even more than it has the ways we live and work. But it isn't going to come easy and it isn't going to come cheap."

Friday, October 21, 2005

um... yeah

Where the hell am I ?

I'm in North Carolina. At the beach. in a log cabin. near my family. in an office. in front of a computer. ... and no one can hear me scream.

....


if halloween scares you sometimes, raise your hand. ... and one more thing, I honestly think, that if hell bent, blood thristy robbers come to my house to kill me, AND go up the stairs on the WRONG side and run into the big nasty spiderweb protecting my door, they will freak out and run away.


... email me if you want to know the right side to walk up to avoid the spiders.

Okay okay - there is no way to avoid the roaches, lizards, fleas, mosquitos. sorry

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

eLearn: Feature Article from Stephen Downes

eLearn: Feature Article: "In learning, these trends are manifest in what is sometimes called 'learner-centered' or 'student-centered' design. This is more than just adapting for different learning styles or allowing the user to change the font size and background color; it is the placing of the control of learning itself into the hands of the learner [5]."

Stephen breaks down eLearning for those of us who are lagging behind. A good article.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Mr. Picassohead

Mr. Picassohead


freakin' rules!

Emily Chang - eHub

Emily Chang - eHub: "eHub is a constantly updated list of web applications, services, resources, blogs or sites with a focus on next generation web (web 2.0), social software, blogging, Ajax, Ruby on Rails, location mapping, open source, folksonomy, design and digital media sharing."

iterating toward openness � Learning, Complexity, and Simplicity

iterating toward openness � Learning, Complexity, and Simplicity: "Moving on. Brett next says:

The example of trial-error learning within Sims environment is simply misplaced: the Sims games are not created for learning, and the learning that takes place during activity has proven to be of secondary importance if people are learning at all.

Here I’ll disagree somewhat. Sim City, the game I described previously, may not have been created explicitly to support learning about civic infrastructure, taxes, zoning, and parks. Understanding the individual purpose and function of each of the areas of infrastructure, finance, power, education, zoning, employment, and transportaion individually is a rather straightforward endeavor. In fact, one might take a class at school, read books, write essays, and take tests showing that they understand each of these individual components. However. The complexity inherent in the task of managing a city is not in managing the individual components - they are extremely simple. The complexity is in managing the interactions of those components, and the patterns of collective behavior that emerge from those interactions of the simple components of the system. At this stage, yes, “learning is complex.”"

Couldn't agree more. Simple individual componets vs complex interactions between componets.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Rodolf and Lenny!


Working on a building, holy ghost building... Posted by Picasa

Family on the steps

This is so cool and easy! Posted by Picasa

Uncle Rodolf and Aunt Emily!


Look at these beautiful people---

Ps: I used the new picasa blogThis! button and hooray - no more confusing Hello! Goodbye, Hello! Posted by Picasa