OVO

CNN: Body of model found in Paris river [LINK-ZUM]

The body of Katoucha Niane, one of the first African women to attain international stardom as a model and a vocal opponent of female genital mutilation, was found in the Seine River, police said Friday. Known simply as Katoucha, the former top model for Yves Saint Laurent and other top designers was found Thursday near the Garigliano bridge in Paris, judicial police in Paris said.

[Article continues at link. Official Web site. Quote from Wikipedia: "She said she saw her career as a top model as a form of 'revenge' for the horror of excision. 'I embodied the most arrogant and admired kind of femininity, I who was supposed to be diminished.'" Eternal damnation to all practitioners of female genital mutilation and the superstitions that embolden them. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: art, biographic, islam

Adam Liptak: 1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars, New Study Says [LINK-ZUM]

For the first time in the nation's history, more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars, according to a new report. Nationwide, the prison population grew by 25,000 last year, bringing it to almost 1.6 million. Another 723,000 people are in local jails. The number of American adults is about 230 million, meaning that one in every 99.1 adults is behind bars. Incarceration rates are even higher for some groups. One in 36 Hispanic adults is behind bars, based on Justice Department figures for 2006. One in 15 black adults is, too, as is one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34. The report, from the Pew Center on the States, also found that only one in 355 white women between the ages of 35 and 39 are behind bars but that one in 100 black women are.

[Article continues at link. One quick way to reduce this horrible statistic by a quarter would be to end prohibition. And while we're at it, we could decriminalize the other victimless crimes. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: books, prison, prohibition

Jihad Watch: Brace yourself, Dutch Islam film "nearly ready" [LINK-ZUM]

The film has been condemned in advance, sight unseen. Just for a moment of clarity, think back to the riots that greeted the work of the nineteenth-century European Biblical higher critics, or the Jesus Seminar, or the many skeptical/critical examinations of the Bible. What riots? Exactly.

And ask yourself: if someone reacts to something I say by going mad, breaking things, and targeting innocent people, is that my responsibility or his? When you are insulted, do you consider it a license to destroy things and hurt people, or do you consider it incumbent upon yourself to exercise some self-control?

[Jihad Watch is an excellent resource. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: islam

Trevor Blake: My Tax Dollars At Work [LINK-ZUM]

Wired Magazine reports: "As an expert witness in the defense of an Abu Ghraib guard who was court-martialed, psychologist Philip Zimbardo had access to many of the images of abuse that were taken by the guards themselves. For a presentation at the TED conference in Monterey, California, Zimbardo assembled some of these pictures into a short video. Wired.com obtained the video from Zimbardo's talk, and is publishing some of the stills from that video here. Many of the images are explicit and gruesome, depicting nudity, degradation, simulated sex acts and guards posing with decaying corpses. Viewer discretion is advised."

Recently I paid my taxes. This is part of what I got in exchange, I guess.

Access to information does not, in itself, change things. The truth is not un-ignorable. The Bible has been full of contradictions and absurdities for thousands of years, easily seen by anyone who looks, but Christianity lingers on. The bald fact that the Bush administration is tyrannical, illegal and fascist is easily seen by anyone who looks. But it lingers on. What might change things?

Labels: christianity, fascism

Proud Parenting: Mother and kids denied visitation with dying partner in Florida hospital [LINK-ZUM]

While on a family cruise leaving from Miami - Lisa [Pond] , a healthy 39 year-old, suddenly collapsed [with a brain aneurysm]. She was rushed to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital with her partner [of nearly 18 years] Janice [Langbehn] and three children following close behind. There, the hospital refused to accept information from Janice about her partner's medical history. Janice was informed that she was in an antigay city and state, and she could expect to receive no information or acknowledgment as family.

A doctor finally spoke with Janice telling her that there was no chance of recovery. Other than one five minute visit, which was orchestrated by a Catholic priest at Janice's request to perform last rites, and despite the doctor's acknowledgement that no medical reason existed to prevent visitation, neither Janice nor her children were allowed to see Lisa until nearly eight hours after their arrival.

Soon after Lisa's death, Janice tried to get her death certificate in order to get life insurance and Social Security benefits for their children. She was denied both by the State of Florida and the Dade County Medical Examiner.

[Article continues at link. This couple was from Oregon, which recently granted legal recognition to same sex partners. As long as same sex marriage is an issue of state's rights, there are some states that same sex couples should avoid. Florida seems to be one of them. Is there any force under the sun other than mean-spirited superstition enfranchised into law that kept this couple apart in their last possible moments together? - Trevor Blake]

Labels: theocracy

Pajamas Media: Iranian Shoppers Riot Against Modesty Police [LINK-ZUM]

It happens every day on the streets of Tehran: a police squad grabbed a young woman for dressing immodestly. But this time, the young woman fought back, and a crowd defended her and attacked the police. [...] At approximately 7 pm on Saturday, February 23, the Ershad patrol, or modesty police assigned to enforce clothing regulations, accosted and attempted to arrest a young woman at Goldis Shopping Mall, located in western Tehran, presumably because her dress was not sufficiently modest. In recent weeks, the police squads charged with enforcing modesty have become more rigorous in their enforcement, with thousands of women detained, questioned, and arrested for violating hijab standards.

Instead of meekly submitting to her fate, the woman fought back. A young man - it is unclear whether he was accompanying her - came to her defense and joined her in fighting the police. In an attempt to subdue - and humiliate him - the police grabbed the young man and threw him into the garbage can nearby. That was when the large crowd, predominately made up of young people, rose up against the police and attempted to liberate the young woman themselves. Faced with a full-blown riot - complete with angry crowds with garbage cans being set on fire - the frightened police jumped into the van and fled the scene, except for one unfortunate officer who was left behind. The policeman was reportedly attacked and beaten by the mob. [...]

Among the calls coming from the angry crowd after the police were first driven away: "You have put us on since 1979 until now," the crowd cheered after repeating the slogan multiple times. Another slogan was chanted repeatedly and accompanied by boos: "We do not want the Islamic regime."

[Article, with still and video images, continues at link. This is exactly the sort of article I spend many hours searching for on the Internet, usually without success. The Muslim world seems to be full and brimming over with anger and riots and violence. For once, that energy was aimed at those who actually do oppress Muslims instead of imaginary infidels. Keep up the good work! - Trevor Blake]

Labels: islam

Trevor Blake: Buckminster Fuller Play in Portland [LINK-ZUM]

Portland Center Stage will be presenting R. Buckminster Fuller: The History [and Mystery] of the Universe October 14 - December 7, 2008. "An engineer, architect, mathematician, designer, poet, philosopher, motivational speaker, major utopian thinker and inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller was one of the most remarkable minds of the 20th century. Born in 1895, Bucky was way ahead of his time. Refusing to think in conventional ways, he was an innovator, a futurist, and one of the first true global thinkers. This tour-de-force, one-man performance explores Bucky's life and work through a blend of testimony, lecture, autobiography, poetry, comic antics and video imagery. The play spirals and spins through ideas and experiences as Bucky escorts you on an unforgettable journey."

I saw this play in Seattle (with a different actor as Fuller) and it is very worth attending. View a commercial from a recent presentation of this play in California.

Labels: art, portland, synergetics, video

Trevor Blake: Insects in Cans [LINK-ZUM]

Exhibit one:
Dr. Lance Sanchez USDA Approved Hornet Nest in a Can, Use It Today. From the film Splash Splash Oops. Portland Oregon USA, 3 August 2005.

Exhibit two:
The Modesto Bee: Angela Nellany didn't admit that she tried to kill her estranged husband with a can of wasps.

Exhibit three:
Negativland - Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song [video]

We spent a lovely summer, my wife Elaine and me,
We bought us a great big motor home, with a shower and TV,
We was camping and having a great time, watching Brokaw on Today,
Till a bee flew into the Nesbitt's Lime Soda, and we had to throw it away.
Now most of the time I'm a peaceful man, but I lost my temper that day,
Just one last bottle of Nesbitt's Lime Soda, and we had to throw it away.
I brought a case of Nehi, and Double Cola, too,
A half a dozen Upper 10's, and good old Mountain Dew,
I bought a quart of cola-a, to get me through the day,
But just one bottle of Nesbitt's Lime Soda, and we had to throw it away.
Now most of the time I'm a peaceful man, but I lost my temper that day,
Just one last bottle of Nesbitt's Lime Soda, and we had to throw it away.
We spent a lovely summer, my wife Elaine and me,
We bought us a great big motor home, with a shower and TV,
We was camping and having a great time, watching Brokaw on Today,
Till a bee flew into the Nesbitt's Lime Soda, and we had to throw it away.
FUCK! GIT - FUCKING GET OUT OF HERE! GET AWAY FROM HERE!
JUST GET THE FUCK AWAY! SHIT!

Exhibit four:
The Onion: Single Bee Sends Gathering Of Humans Into Helpless Panic.

Labels: music, subgenius, video

Trevor Blake: LFRA [LINK-ZUM]

There is going to be a rocket launching in April 2008. Some fellow cultists have expressed interest in learning to make rockets. The LFRA (Lemurian Flying Rocket Association / "Light Fuse Run Away") is considering accepting an elite and limited number of applications for training in March. Students will be expected to meet most of their own expenses, which should be well under $50 from conception to launch. No payment to the LFRA is expected. A good deal of inactivity is involved in the activity of rocketry to allow glue and paint to dry. Therefore other components of the LFRA space program (video, eating, walks, etc.) will likely co-occur. If you are interested, comment at pdxocculture.com. Rockets will occur in April with or without increasing the membership of the LFRA.

Labels: portland, rockets

Trevor Blake: Marriage [LINK-ZUM]

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: " The LDS Church has joined with several California religious groups to file a friend-of-the-court brief in defense of Proposition 22, a law passed in 1999 that defined marriage as between a man and a woman."

The Church of Jesus Christ, Later-Day Saints (The Mormons) has tried for decades to play down the most obviously strange or cruel or foolish aspects of their superstition and build up a new reputation of being just like any other cult in town. The above is another example of this public image campaign. While the Mormons will forever be associated with polygamy, they are now also advocating traditional limit-one-per-customer marriage.

I do not think the increased number of men and women who want same-sex marriages has ever or will ever constitute a threat to marriage. What has caused harm to this institution (disclosure: I have presided over several marriages and will do so again next month) are easy access to divorce, easy access to safe and effective birth control and less social opprobrium for having children out of wedlock. Easier access to divorce and birth control were good changes, and if the institution of marriage suffered for them then individual human beings prospered for them. Having children out of wedlock seems to generally co-occur with poverty and crime, but of course any generalized claim breaks down for individual human beings.

The cause of changes to the institution of marriage are clear. Bt many would prefer to keep what has caused harm to marriage, shifting the blame for that harm to homosexuals and simultaneously keeping homosexuals from the rights and responsibilities found in marriage. Superstition is, of course, to be found in nearly every example of this hypocrisy.

Several times I have asked religionists what legal rights they specifically do not want same-sex couples to have. They have never been able to answer that question. Every legal right of marriage (inheritance, making medical decisions, etc.) that I mention to them, they think same-sex couples should have. Over time I realized that what they are imagining about same-sex marriage is that the sheriff will show up at their church and force their pastor to conduct a homo wedding at gunpoint. I think if we disabuse them of that fantasy then progress can be made. Disabusing the superstitious of fantasies (or, at least, mean spirited and stupid fantasies) is part of what OVO is all about.

Labels: christianity, mormon, ovo, religion, theocracy

The Amboy Times: The List of Things that Offend Muslims [LINK-ZUM]

The intent of the list is to illustrate the futility of the multicultural approach to Islam. Sharia law demands submission not only from Muslims, but from non-Muslims as well. This makes respectful coexistence nearly impossible with Muslims in Infidel lands. The examples below serve as reminder that submitting to one complaint or another only emboldens Muslims to seek to further their ultimate goal of establishing sharia. The West needs to come to grips with this fact and start standing up for our God-given rights [sic] of free speech, free expression and freedom of religion, lest we surrender those rights to a theocratic movement bent on removing our Constitutional freedoms that we hold dear. In this case, our tolerance will lead to intolerance.

[Funny and sad list continues at link.]

Labels: islam, theocracy

Trevor Blake: Sensitivity, Responsibility and Respect [LINK-ZUM]

Reuters reports: "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed his predecessor's line on cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad on Wednesday, saying free speech should respect religious sensitivities. 'The Secretary-General strongly believes that freedom of expression should be exercised responsibly and in a way that respects all religious beliefs,' his spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters."

In my world, publishing comics as a form of criticism against Islam is more sensitive, responsible and respectful than Muslims killing people as a form of criticism against publishing comics. What sort of world do you live in?

Labels: comics, islam

Trevor Blake: Islam in the News [LINK-ZUM]

Danish Caricaturist of Muhammad Fame Now Homeless: He was booted from his police-protected hotel room on Feb. 15 for being "too much of a security risk." And now the 73-year-old cartoonist and his wife are without a place to live.

Danish police arrest almost 30 people in 8th night of youth violence: Some observers say the youth are frustrated over police harassment and the reprinting of a cartoon lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

Man burnt alive in Thailand: A 46-year-old Buddhist man was shot and then set ablaze as he tried to escape an attack by suspected Islamic separatists on Tuesday in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, police said.

Father stones 14-year-old daughter to death: "I suspected that my daughter had a relationship with a man and I had to stone her to death as she had besmirched my honour. I had no other choice."

Secret papers reveal threats from Saudi prince: Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted.

Violations of 'Islamic teachings' take deadly toll on Iraqi women: As many as 133 women were killed in Basra last year - 79 for violation of "Islamic teachings" and 47 for so-called honor killings.

Briton jailed for four years in [Islamic] Dubai after customs find cannabis weighing less than a grain of sugar under his shoe: A father-of-three who was found with a microscopic speck of cannabis stuck to the bottom of one of his shoes has been sentenced to four years in a Dubai prison.

Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest mother for sitting with a man: a day in prison after she was strip-searched, threatened and forced to sign false confessions by the Kingdom's 'Mutaween' police.

Two Women Stoned, Feminists Mum: The Islamic Republic of Iran is an oppressor of women. So far American feminists have failed to support their Muslim sisters.

Female Muslim medics 'disobey hygiene rules': Muslim medical students are refusing to obey hygiene rules brought in to stop the spread of deadly superbugs, because they say it is against their religion.

Muslim Woman In Bangladesh Planning Conversion Burned By Unknown Attackers: 70-year old woman is in critical condition with burns over 70% of her body after unknown Muslim extremists set fire to her house to prevent her from being baptized in February as a Christian.

Honor killings - When the ancient and the modern collide: Not once have I heard these upstanding Muslims say that whatever the 'family dynamics,' killing is not a solution. Ever. How's that for basic morality?

Muslim Prayer at Iowa Statehouse: The prayer asked of "Victory over those who disbelieve," and "Protection from the great Satan" among other things.

Afghan Journalist Sentenced to Death: An Afghan court on Tuesday sentenced a 23-year-old journalism student to death for distributing a paper he printed off the Internet that three judges said violated the tenets of Islam, an official said.

Labels: islam, theocracy

AP: Flock forgives minister who confesses to 1994 slaying [LINK-ZUM]

The youth minister [Calvin Wayne Inman] who confessed to a 1994 killing is being widely forgiven by members of his former congregation, who say they admire his courage in finally surrendering to police. [...] During Sunday's service at the 800-member Elim Church, congregants praised the recently ordained Inman as a born-again role model taking responsibility for his sin. "He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step."

Inman went to authorities on February 5 and admitted that he stabbed Iqbal Ahmed, 64, nearly 14 years ago in suburban Pasadena. [...] "The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," said Cheryl Ellis, a member of the church's youth staff. "To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor."

[Article continues at link. Reverend Inman's actions as a youth and an adult speak for themselves. The ethical gymnastics of his flock, however, are difficult to take in. These people seem to believe that murder is acceptable as long as one whispers a magic spell to an invisible monster that lives in the sky afterwards. That a human-authored book of mean-spirited ghost stories from a foreign country 2,000 years ago trumps human-authored law of this country today. That it's good to pay your debts to society, unless it's not good because you have to not pay your debts to society so you can teach young people to pay their debts to society. Religion is the moral and mental fog that makes any act acceptable to adherents. It is deserving of reasoned criticism and a good measure of scorn and ridicule. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity

Trevor Blake: Happy President's Day [LINK-ZUM]

In the United States, the third Monday of February is celebrated as President's Day. Nothing in this world would please me more on this President's Day than to see President George W. Bush frog marched out of the White House in a gas mask and orange jump suit on his way to trial in an international court for the invasion of Iraq and disregard for the Geneva Convention. Once that is done and his sentence is (if any) served, he can come back to the US to stand trial for stealing the 2004 election, conducting illegal searches, cronyism, placing government employees in danger and criminal incompetence. Details.

Labels: fascism

Dennis Dread Original Art for Sale [LINK-ZUM]

A rare oportunity to own original art by Dennis Dread.

In the late 1980s / early 1990s I lived in Knoxville TN and Dennis lived in New York state. I traded copies of my zine OVO for a t-shirt produced by Mutilation Graphics, and the t-shirt I got was almost certainly screen printed by Dennis. More than ten years later we found ourselves working at the same job, amazed that our paths had crossed years before. Dennis did the cover art work for OVO 16 AntiChrist. I have attended a number of art shows produced by or including Mr. Dread's work, but this is the first time I've seen original works (rather than high-quality prints) for sale. Recommended!

Labels: art, christianity, commerce, music, portland, zine

Trevor Blake: Baljinder Badesha of Brampton [LINK-ZUM]

In September 2005, Baljinder Badesha was charged with the crime of riding a motorcycle without a helmet. Mr. Badesha countered by saying that as a Sikh he is required to wear a turban whenever he leaves his home and that nothing can touch his turban, therefore he is unable to comply with the law in this matter. The State hired a professional engineer to simulate wearing a turban while riding a motorcycle. This was done by placing a turban on a mannequin head and subjecting the mannequin head to 300 kph winds in a wind tunnel. The turban in a turbine unwound, which the State used as evidence that it was a danger to Mr. Badesha and to other riders. Mr. Badesha then rode his motorcycle on a close speedway at 110 kph to demonstrate that his turban would not unwind. The State has further claimed that since it will pay the medical bills of Mr. Badesha should he be injured in a motorcycle accident, the State has a reason to insist on his safe use of a motorcycle. The case continues to make its way through the courts.

Many of my favorite topics are woven into this story. Ancient superstition is trumping common sense and personal safety. The State is demonstrating it can't demonstrate justification for its laws. No simple answer appears in accomodating public safety versus individual choice, or superstition versus the secular state, or socialized medicine versus un-asked-for 'care' from the State. My view counts for nothing here, but perhaps a suitable compromise might be that Mr. Badesha should be allowed to ride without a helmet and the State should be relieved of providing him medical care should be be injured while riding without a helmet.

Labels: islam, theocracy, transportation

Associated Press: Minister calls for death prayers over IRS complaint [LINK-ZUM]

A California minister who used church stationery and an Internet radio program to endorse former Gov. Mike Huckabee for president is asking his followers to pray for the deaths of those who filed a complaint against him with the Internal Revenue Service. The Rev. Wiley S. Drake of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., called for "imprecatory prayer" targeting Barry Lynn, Joe Conn and Jeremy Leaming of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "The prayer does call for serious, serious punishment on people. But I didn't call for that, God did," said Mr. Drake, who completed a term in June as second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. [...]

On his Internet show, in a news release on ChristianNewsWire and in an e-mail to Americans United, Mr. Drake called on others to pray that the Americans United officials be punished. He gave as examples of imprecatory prayer: "Persecute them. Let them be put to shame and perish. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg."

Americans United, a nonpartisan group based in Washington, D.C., asked the IRS on Tuesday to investigate whether Mr. Drake violated federal law by endorsing the Republican candidate on church stationery Saturday and on his Internet program Monday.

[Article continues at link. What the Christian world has to answer for is the fact that Rev. Drake is not twisting the Good Book to bad ends. He is doing exactly what the Bible says he should do. There is no getting around the fact that the Bible commands Christians to kill non-Christians. Rev. Drake is the real Christian here, and those who don't take up the sword as Jesus Christ Himself commanded (not once but twice) are the imposters. Ask yourself, or a Christian close to you, how an infallible God who authored/inspired an infallible Bible can be ignored when His divine commandments are at odds with secular morals such as 'do not kill.' The answer is an important one. The answer is that Christianity is largely secular and retains only the trappings of the superstition it came from. Islam is the main practitioner of old time religion in the modern world. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity, islam

Bill Billeter: Religious symbols to be removed from chapel [LINK-ZUM]

The Beckley Veterans Affairs Medical Center has taken steps to remove faith-specific symbols from its chapel, said Debbie Voloski, the hospital's public affairs director. Similar actions are being taken at VA hospitals nationwide as the VA attempts to enforce its own policy enacted in July 1953 that states, "Chapels will be appointed and maintained as places for meditation and prayer for members of any faith group or denomination." The policy also states that "the labeling of chapel buildings or the erection of chapels for the exclusive use of a particular faith group is contrary to policy."

Voloski explained that VA chapels must remain neutral when not hosting the services of a particular denomination. For example, following a Baptist service on Sunday morning, Bibles and other Christian symbols must be removed from sight. Voloski said, "Veterans of all faiths will feel comfortable reflecting, meditating and praying in the chapel."

[Article continues at link. This is a confused step in the right direction. Meeting the needs of the various superstitions does require neutral ground. But neutral ground is exactly the opposite of 'sacred' ground, and sacred ground is the whole point of having a chapel in the first place. What makes the most sense, what serves everyone fairly, is to get the United States military out of the superstition business. If people have a need to worship, let them do it on their own time in their own way. No tax dollars need be involved. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity, theocracy

Joey Bunch: New Life cuts last ties with Haggard [LINK-ZUM]

The relationship between Ted Haggard the Colorado Springs mega-church he founded is over, according to a statement from New Life Church this evening. Haggard was fired from the church in November 2006 after he admitted to "sexual immorality," presumably the allegations made by a gay Denver escort who said Haggard paid him for sex over a three-years. [...] New Life has been at odds with its former pastor since he left. [...] In August, Haggard told a Colorado Springs television station that he would be joining the counseling staff of The Dream Center, a drug-addiction halfway house affiliated with Phoenix First Assembly. The job, however, never materialized, officials with the Phoenix church said after Haggard's proclamation. Haggard also irritated New Life leaders by requesting donations to support him and his family while he got a degree in counseling at the University of Phoenix. The donations were to be collected by Families with a Mission, a Monument non-profit run by Paul Huberly, a twice-convicted registered sex offender.

[Article continues at link. Past post about New Life, in which another attempt to suppress homosexuality failed. Or did it? - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity

BBC: Work starts on Hindu cow centre [LINK-ZUM]

Building work is to start on a cow and working oxen protection centre at a Hertfordshire Hindu temple. The unit at the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple near Watford will be dedicated to Gangotri, a 13-year-old cow put down by lethal injection by RSPCA officers. This act sparked outrage and a campaign to change the UK law on animal cruelty.

A temple spokesman said Hindus regard cows as sacred and should be exempted from cruelty laws, but the RSPCA challenges the campaign for change. The RSPCA said the cow had been sick and was suffering. The spokesman for the Hare Krishna temple said that some suffering was part of life and it was a outrage to kill the animal on ground the Hindus regarded as sacred. "Followers of religions such as Islam and Judaism have immunity from the laws because their animals are killed for religious food. Hindus try to preserve life and are vegetarian. We want the same treatment to allow our cows and oxen to die naturally. Our new protection centre is designed to care for the animals from birth to death."

[Article continues at link. In order to maintain the cow's sacred status, the temple was willing to let it suffer. In order to maintain the cow's quality of life, the RSPCA put it to death. In the real world nothing is sacred, every thing is just what it is. We can remember that if we consider some things more special than other things then it is we, now, who are considering it such. Keeping a sacred cow in a temple is one more way religion does the unthinkable in a socially acceptable way. No one can keep a sacred cow because they really like Dr. Who, or pre-raphaelite paintings, or prime numbers. But if you do it in the name of religion, you can get away with almost anything. You can even petition to have your superstition enfranchised into law. The RSPCA doesn't seem to be as kook-riddled as PETA, but of course the strange contradiction of killing an animal to save it remains. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: B12, hindu, theocracy

Steve Packard: The Top Ten Things Environmentalists Need to Learn [LINK-ZUM]

Maintaining the environment is a critical issue especially as evidence of accelerated global warming mounts and as energy becomes more of an issue than it has in recent past. Unfortunately, many of those who claim to be working for enviornmental improvements lack an understanding of a few basic concepts which are absolutely critical to accomplishing anything.

I often find myself in arguments over economics versus environmentalism. This becomes a very difficult situation because the immediate accusation is that I care only about money and need to realize that sacrifices must be made for the good of the planet. I am also told that wind or solar is the answer and the costs and reduction of energy output is acceptable. These ideas that it is okay or honorable to make such sacrifices are overly simplistic and lack a true understanding of the forces at work. To use a phrase I have come to like, they are “Not even wrong.”

Thus, the top ten list...

[Article continues at link.]

Labels: B12, science

Trevor Blake: Art Exhibit February 2008 [LINK-ZUM]

Sound Grounds Coffee House
3711 Belmont St Portland OR

Thirteen original works by Trevor Blake
February 2008

About Trevor Blake: Born 1 May 1966 Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Since 1992, living in Portland, Oregon USA.

Book including work by Trevor Blake:

* The SubGenius Psychlopaedia of Slack. New York, Thunder's Mouth Press 2006.
* The Journal of Ride Theory Omnibus. Portland, JORT 2003.
* Strange Creations. Los Angeles, Feral House 2001.
* Revelation X. New York, Simon & Schuster 1994.
* Kooks. Portland, Feral House 1994.
* In Extremis. Athens Greece, Survival Kit 1994.
* Killing for Culture. London, Creation Books 1994.
* Anarchy and the End of History. Willimantic, Lysander Spooner 1991.
* Killer Fiction. Atlanta, Media Queen 1991.
* Three-Fisted Tales of "Bob". New York, Simon & Schuster 1990.
* Pozdravi iz Babilona. Ljubljana, KRT 1987.

Books including work about Trevor Blake:

* As a character in 'Zine by Pagan Kennedy.
* As a character in High Weirdness by Mail by Ivan Stang.
* In the acknowledgement to T.A.Z. The Temporary Autonomous Zone by Hakim Bey.
* As a character in Loompanics Greatest Hits by Michael Hoy.

Also appearing in periodicals such as ReadyMade, Whole Earth Review, semiotext(e) and Maximum Rocknroll among many others.

Labels: art, portland, trevorblake