Kyoto Protocol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

Is there a reason the United States is the only country with no intention to commit themselves to reducing the effects of global warming?

Phresh.gr

Dvein // Opening Titles for F5 Festival from DIGITAL TEMPLE Magazine on Vimeo.

Jason Thielke

LOL.

Important.

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2009/12/07/watching_social_security_eat_the_young_alive_97536.html

Brilliant.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Ploughshares Fund
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgH4BnXo0KM&feature=related


I love my family. This is obvious. But I love them for many reasons. Some of which include how they never pressed any of their beliefs on me. Politics was never spoken of. Religion was never spoken of. Yes, I was sent to religion and received my communion and confirmation, but that's pretty standard for many children growing up in Catholic homes. Yes, I did go to Greek school for some ridiculous 8 or 9 years, every Saturday morning from 9-1pm and yes, there were many religious overtones in our instruction, but I still got so much more out of it than that. Though those experiences were meant to be educational, I paid absolutely no attention. Focused was paid rather, on my social life.

I just remember being in church on Holidays and going through the motions like everyone else. I heard, but I didn't listen. From what little I knew, there was even less that I understood. The highlight of mass was obviously getting the little communion coin in my mouth. Same with Greek church--it was getting the bread at the end of mass. That bread was fucking delicious. And at least that church was gorgeous and smelled fantastic.

I've never been a religious person, but I've also never ruled a higher power out. That's just absurd in my opinion. I just have no idea what else is out there, and let's just be serious. Neither do you. But what it comes down to, the factor that bothers me the most, that always has, is organized religion. I remember from such a young age getting annoyed and being bothered by the fact that the Greek church would pass around the money baskets not once, but numerous times. I understand that they need donations to maintain the establishment, but sometimes they were taking it too far. I was always like, "alright bro, don't get greedy". As I got older and was becoming more and more aware of the reality in the situation, I would become angrier and angrier. It became a joke to me. I always got this feeling of distrust from the church. How fucked up is that? I've felt like that since I was a child.

Anyway I love my family for it. What I feel and what I believe has stemmed from me; my perceptions of life and love and honesty and faith come from me. Thank God for it.

pilot.

n00bian...

http://www.greenshoelace.com/gsl-music-box/2009/10/20/dim-mak-presents-cloak-and-dagger-santos-party-house-new-york-october-8-2009/

hooray! my first review's been posted on GreenShoelace.com!

almost midnight.

Songs for the Arctic [music download]:
www.asdfmakes.com/projects/08--songs-for-the-arctic-ocean


--------------------------
yesterday was the underground night of violence. 6 billion people gathered to slaughter for ultimate genocide. This violence began in new zealand and now, i am the only one left standing here in new york.

30 November 2009


---------------------------
i had a dream i was in one of the Dust Bowl's sandstorms during the 1930s.
i also had a dream i found my dream place to live
though, i don't know where exactly it is.
it had beautiful skies and sunsets.
the streets were cracked but we still had picnics on it.
a little girl gave me her handmade jewelry.


---------------------------
i got into a tiff with the lunch lady today


---------------------------

woah. elephants.

"tidily-dum"

tidily-dum what has this life become
those scary plastic clown masks are starting to cave in on me
the trees are curling and turning their backs
my body swivels and swerves, my brain shakes and glows
i've lost my grip

the stars are falling
razor piercings cut my skin
and the blood slowly trickles

"warm and endearing," with the comfort in fearing.

even from above-
the raging field still radiates
the scent of polished gold
and the smile-plastered mannequins
starve for empty thoughts

i rewound myself
back down enlightenment road
before the narrow spiral...

...i lay in a cave and dream my life away

Danny

“Who the hell spearfish’s?” was my first thought when my good friend Danny told me about his past weekend. It’s such a random sport to be passionate about, yet a definite light comes across his face with some sparkles in his eyes, making the situation even more curious to me. To understand why Danny loves spearfishing, I think one needs to know some things about him.
Danny is the craziest friend I’ve ever made. I say this confidently because no one else in my 21 years of life has reminded me so much of Kramer from Seinfeld. He truly does walk in unannounced. Often. He truly does light a cigarette from your stove, drunk and stoned on his birthday at 3:30 a.m., disregarding the fact that you are clearly asleep. He is also truly intelligent, especially in finance and mathematics, mixed with some serious voltage of ADHD. But I do love him. Danny’s the sweetest kid you will ever meet with an unbelievably optimistic outlook on life, living and love. It’s hard for even me to imagine this is true, though because he has one hell of a rough ride through his childhood:
His parents separated before he ever even learned to walk. When he was barely into school, his father died. His mother then, could not take care or control of him and decided to send him to military school. Yes, Danny went to military school, thoroughly disciplined and trained. So Danny went to military school and he loves spearfishing. It makes sense now.
As he’s trying to talk to me about spearfishing, he keeps going off topic. I ask him, “So, Danny, how did you get into spearfishing? What made you want to pick up that speargun, dive into some deep waters and spearfish?” He replies, “Spearfishing’s awesome. It’s such a thrill. I just love living.” I pause and say, “Danny that’s great but, how did you get yourself into spearfishing?” He disregards me yet again and goes off to talking about his dream of finding Nicole.
Who’s Nicole, you ask? Nicole is a great white shark who has broken speed and distance records, according to National Geographic. This marine animal swam from Africa to Australia and back again at record speed; a phenomenal feat for such an animal, but a great achievement as well for those scientists who were able to keep track of her. The scientists following Nicole (named after Nicole Kidman--apparently a shark lover) could now begin to examine and prove the fact that fish are not aimless, but actually systematic in their ventures.
The funny part of all this research I did was when I noticed the article dates. This all happened in 2005-2006. All I could say at the time was, “oh, Danny…”. This kid actually believes that one day Nicole will make it out across the Atlantic Ocean, to the eastern coast of North America, where he will miraculously snorkel upon this almighty great white while he fearlessly spearfishes.
Attempting to research and pry into Danny’s life yet another time around seemed ridiculous to me. I was in no way about to try to uncover his deep, subconscious desire for spearfishing. I wouldn’t have found it as interesting or entertaining as his subconscious desires and dreams of Nicole. So instead, I present you Danny: the coolest kid at Pace University who just so happens to spearfish and has this perverse fetish for powerful great white sharks.

Mama, I'm Swollen.......

for my feature writing class we had to do an album review...

Who am I? What have I become? Or rather more importantly: Who are we? What have we become? Questions like this can torment a man, wring him dry of all his worth. But there are no answers. Some may shruggingly suggest that this is just the way life has panned out. One can choose to accept, refuse or maintain their ignorance, the foremost seemingly being the wisest of choices. But then there are those rare individuals who seek to question, criticize and hopefully, perhaps even quite forcibly, open some pining eyes to this unsettling nature of our reality (or reality of our nature?).
This is the path the Omaha-based band, Cursive, willed to wander (or stagger) desperately down with their newest project, Mama, I’m Swollen.
While consistently being disappointed by our generation’s stream of popular music, the meaningless trash regurgitated from incompetent ‘hot new artists’, and then all of a sudden hearing Cursive’s lead singer, Tim Kasher, sing was like hearing the voice of a fallen angel unleashed for the first time.
To have song upon song and lyric after lyric grip onto one another with such raw ingenuity, exposing a reality so harsh and inadequate through the eyes of such an artist, is stunningly unexpected and beautifully heartbreaking.
The message the album struggles to project is this idea of devolving; devolving into simpler beings, thriving off our animal instincts. Lost in this complex and evil world, Kasher has lost his faith. His faith in god; faith in humanity; faith in himself, all his senses and instincts: everything. This spiraling outlook of life is written very bluntly, making it impossible for one to invent ambiguities in its meaning. These songs are songs of substance, no doubt.
Mama, I’m Swollen is the definition of confliction. Humanity sees things one way, when it is meant to be the other. It’s a deceitful game we are playing in which there are no winners; the game just self-destructs when the timer goes off:

Simplicity vs. Complexity: our corporate consumer society has transformed our lives into such an unfathomably complex system and is now impossible to imagine the back-peddle to our ancestry’s primitive lifestyle. To own material objects fed into desire was non-existent then and to this day remains unnecessary and unimportant, to an extent. It has been engrained in us to want and want and want regardless the outcome or who will fail in turn. This idea is expressed in a lyric from the song, Caveman: “the taller we become the more dollars we can grab from that highest branch and then step on your back given the chance…I’m no high society man”. This sense of greed in which we have faithfully adopted is imprisoning us from more sustainable aspects of life such as relationships and the experience of life.

Evolution and Devolution: “Let my instincts take the lead, don’t need no upward mobility” expresses so powerfully this notion that our human instincts were always enough to bring about prosperity and great developments. This maintenance and evolvement of upward motion within the class or society has lead to a lustful greed and a deadening desire for more and more money and material; all things we are righteously granted, though it is excess that is our problem. There is no moderation.

Pure vs. Evil: There is a saddening extinction in effect for those who exercise purity of heart. The creators and advocates of evil have become unbearably overpopulated. In the song, Mama, I’m Satan, there is a pinching lyric which describes this point: the darkness of mankind stirs in us all. A little earlier he sings, “The world was built on an ego, it was built on slaves, it was built on a tickle between our legs” all things considered evil or unlawful. He preaches this notion that there never was a soul truly pure of heart and so creates an unstoppable evil.

Education vs. Instinct: who is to say what we have learned thus far has been what we are supposed to know? One lyric on one hand says, “I want to unlearn what I’ve learned” and a bit before this he sings, “I want to let my instincts take the lead”. It is such an honest feeling that, to empathize with him seems only fair and just. Preserving this notion, he states, “and I wish we that we had never talked, our hips had said it all…it’s the only way to feel alive”. So sad and true how this holds to today’s society. We have become so lost in the translations, lost within the tangles of our own words. It is through our hips and bodies and feelings that we come to feel alive again, even if for a short time. All else is seemingly useless.

With so many evils lurking quietly, the search for good becomes a tiresome, endless journey. It is difficult to sustain the positivity we are meant to hold for this world and what it has to offer. Hopefully, maybe, his lyrics have struck a few chords in another’s mind. His words hold a real sense of power. They hold onto a chance at change, an honest change. It’s not meant to be a battle, not meant to be a fight. One can change humanity; one can change society by first changing the mindset. And that’s all this artist’s simple song could ever ask for.

'don't be a criminal in this police state'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7893890.stm

&

http://www.theagitator.com/2009/02/17/maryland-state-police-raid-parents-home-for-teens-misdemeanor-pot-charge/
(amen to the last paragraph)




One can read about this financial crisis we’re in until they are about to self-suffocate, but in the end all you really saw were words. Being able to replace those words with first hand accounts really brings about new perspectives to the trauma we’re facing. Living through typical day by day activities, mixed with fresh tinges of sadness and fear has helped me see how this crisis is really making an impact on our society as a whole.

Living in New York City, I believe, one gets to experience the effects of the financial crisis more bluntly than others. Those living in suburbia may be able to hold on to their prized belongings longer or hide their weaknesses better than those who live in this fast paced city, with it’s desperately high standard of living, that’s overflowing with crazed and hungry commuters. The city lusciously dances its fastest when the high speed cash-flow of purchasing comes into play. Without it, the city grimly slugs about trying to hold up its own heavy façade; seemingly just a place that serves as a memento of power and wealth, proud of its gargantuan skyscrapers and ever-blinding lights.

The other day while in a frantic rush and trying to make my way uptown towards the LIRR via the MTA on Fulton Street, I attempt to buy one measly metro card. No credit accepted. No debit accepted. So, of course there’s no cash on me (because I am a 20 year old student at Pace University, just so we’re real here). I run out to a different subway entrance. No credit accepted. No debit accepted. No bills accepted. Great, so now I’m stuck and begin to get panicky because I am going to miss my train and it’s my little sister’s 13th birthday. I wind up having to grab cash from a stupid ATM, with its stupid $2.75 cover charge.

I ask for a two dollar metro from the man inside the booth, hand over my twenty and receive a frustrated sigh in response, “You don’t have anything smaller than a twenty?” “No, sir, I’m sorry, I don’t.” I get all singles in return.

It is these observances of minute happenings within my immediate environment which influence my own personal feelings and attitudes towards this crisis we are in. It is the quiet frustrations, like the inability to purchase a metro card, which make me realize why the difficulty of purchasing the card is difficult in the first place. It puts into perspective how hard these companies themselves are being hit. Everybody is clearly hurting pretty badly right now, whether they are directly or indirectly involved.

The most interesting thing to observe in light of all these burdens is how people are dealing with them. Some continue to shop and shop cause that’s all they know how to do, even in spite of this depression; some defend it, some spit on it. And then there are those who really don’t give a shit or on the verge of giving up and dropping all hope for humanity (I place latter two types in the same boat). Those who are in this special boat are the most interesting. It makes you wonder why these people feel this way, and what it is they are doing to help themselves cope.

I’d say the majority deals with these feelings by being under some sort of influence and the majority, of course, being my peers, friends and even myself included. We are at a horrible age to be experiencing this economic meltdown. Entering into college we became so hopeful about our futures and the endless possibilities that stood idle in the distance, patiently. Now those in my age group, who have their graduation celebrations and fancy degrees in the printing process rounding the corner, are becoming terrified of what is in store for them next. It is incredibly difficult to get a job right now as we are all well aware. And we feel completely useless, which makes it even worse.

As a student at a University in New York City, one should feel pride in the fact they have made it somewhere pretty remarkable. No longer living at home, consistently wrecking havoc in a city which never sleeps, legally, or illegally, drinking at such a high price (but man does that bar tab hurt so good); it is all too sinister for our own well being. But then, like it should have been expected, it quickly ends, and we begin asking questions like, “Where did all the money go?”

Classes and school now become more of a reality because if you mess that up, you are really screwed. The thought of moving back home after you graduate is so sickening that you can almost convince yourself that living on the streets is worth maintaining the exhilarating feeling you receive from living in the city. Getting a job becomes a serious, top notch priority in your life right about now, but the Help Wanted signs are nowhere to be found. So how do we deal with these anxieties and frustrations?

We drink. We drink and we do drugs. Often.

I saw a girl about my age at a deli near my dorm the other day paying for a 40 ounce beer in dimes. That takes dedication, brother. I understand it, but from our elders we reap looks of pity and anger. I assume it’s the fact that we are supposed to be the fine-tuned, breath-of-fresh-air Generation this country needs; bringing ourselves, and everyone else, out from these turmoil’s we are facing due to this so called “rut” we are in.

So while we let ourselves literally drown in self-pity and aim to have a good chunk of memory removed from our well spent nights, I can understand, I guess, that it can be a little unsettling to those more matured and wise. But in our defense, I quote The Bouncing Souls, “too old to bother, too young to care”.

Then that tired, smirking man working at the deli-counter literally just stares at that poor porcelain skinned girl, with her gorgeous auburn hair who’s patiently holding out the hand filled with dimes, and says, “Really?” And she replies, “Do what ya gotta do man, times are sucking hard right now.”

What’s in store for the future will always remain unknown. But meanwhile, as these hits keep coming, you may as well go on a hunt for happiness and live out your life, because no one, especially no selfish, money-hungry, corporate aficionado, should deter you from the fact that all human beings “…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” as it is beautifully state in our own Declaration of Independence.

beauty

came back to reality on sunday. it's a good feeling being able to breathe in the dirty new york air. i was getting tired of all that clean shit.

i'm really happy. like unbelievably happy. a lot has been taken off my shoulders and i can focus on me now and what i really want. it's a very strange feeling.

i don't know what it is these past couple days, but i have been connecting with so many new people lately. like right off the bat, i can meet people and have absolutely incredible conversations with them. it's really a beautiful feeling, and i think a lot of it has to do with my self awareness. i understand my principles and ideas so much more clearly now and meeting people who feel the same is such a refreshing feeling. there must be something with the star alignment.

This is why i love new york city. people come here to feel alive. people don't come here to settle. this isn't a settling kinda town. you do shit here. you get shit done. i'm always doing something. i can't just sit and watch tv for hours. i'd rather hang myself.

last night was amazing. me kris and er went to visit john at Superfine. got some drnks, watched a gospel group perform(??) then a dj came up afterwards. left for a while to go to a coworkers practice studio. a very home away from home feeling. smoked a joint. had. a fucking. dance party. to say the least lol it was a pretty intense situation that we wrapped ourselves into. i can never listen to MGMT-kids the same. fucking, gracelynn? beautiful, beautiful girl. she can feel the way i feel. and that makes my insides warm. and on top of that aramus was doing the lighting in the tiny recording room. unreal. makes me feel alive. and i havent felt really alive in a long, long time. oh and a quick sidenote. discussions arised and i was talking about my transport to the other dimension and how i saw castles and gracelynn said she refers to "it" as Camelot. we were meant to beeee

anyway, school started today. first day of school's always my favorite. i love seeing the types of people that are going to be learning with me. of course there's always a bunch of jerk offs, but since i'm not taking any teaching classes, i have all new faces. complete opposite of last semester. so, my first class was literary theory and criticism, which completely floored me. some of the things on the outline include modernism, romantics, post modernism, psychology, religion, history, society, culture. helloooo perfect. god. it's going to be incredibly technical, which kind of scares me but at the same time, is exactly what i need. i need a good kick in the ass; i bullshit entirely too much. and my professor is like serious intelligence. he has some sort of disability; wheel chair and crutches. makes perfect sense that his forte is reading and literature. amen to him.

the other class i had today was feature writing. fucking awesome. it's so me and my style of writing. i'm really looking forward to beginning working on some essays. i have a field day with em. the professor is so sick as well. he's from Ireland. of course. all the cool people are irish. he's really funny and likes to talk with us about all sorts of shit. we really break down the news. it's stuff i always do in my head and in my writing, but now i see that there are terms for these things i do lol. like when i read the newspaper, i'll circle things that interest me in particular and write about that point of view, or whatever. i just like taking a lot of notes and then doing research and writing about it. it's fun, i'm weird idk.

anyway, so then i made another new best friend. i'm making so many new best friends it's ridiculous. i just want all my best friends to come together and be best friends with each other. god, there's only so many hours in the day and i want to hang with everyone. he's fuckin awesome and of course is good friends with my fellow teaching buddies. funny: he's a pisces and so was gracelynn, the chick i met last night. amazing. but yeah we got to talking and he's a blast. he got me pace coffee and gave me a piece of his kitkat bar. first time i meet the kid; true friendship right there. we talked and talked and he's a english and writing major. teaches students who speak other languages. it seems like a really cool program, too. fucking, in May he will start this job in Barcelona. really? i like want that. or, need, actually.

i'm just so thrilled with the way things are going in my life. i'm finally surrounded by genuinely beautiful people with good hearts and with good heads on their shoulders oh and like to fucking have a party. i couldn't ask for anything more.

some new words that i'm going to be adding to my vocabulary:
balls (rum diary)
bullshit (mike)
marvelous (professor)

i'm so happy i experienced last night. it was a good one.
i wouldve never expected a red headed kid from England to be the one to get us to do that lol

Horoscopeee

Year 2009 Overview

It's time to celebrate yourself, Taurus! You are pouring yourself into your life's mission and rejuvenating yourself with abundant thinking, which attracts great things to you. You're diligently creating a public arena where opportunities will emerge for you to be a teacher or messenger. Engagements for speaking, writing and sharing your thoughts will open up. Other people will be inspired by your enthusiasm and insight, and will support you in accomplishing your goals.

Taurus's excitement radiates more than ever this year, bringing with it a magnificent energy the world has been lacking. As you embrace the power of your heart and spirit, you are allowing yourself to transform and align with a universal energy source. You discover the space for your creativity to flow and abundantly bring the truth of your being into the world. Your focus on your connection with a higher purpose brings out the best in you and refines your self-expression.

You appreciate all the expansive shifts that are taking place in your life, and you are learning to break up routines and old patterns of rigidity. This allows you a new level of awareness and acceptance of your ultimate purpose. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning. Express your truth and you will advance. You will find avenues to bring your talents and belief systems to philanthropic endeavors. By the end of the year, you will be able to slow down a bit and find more time to enjoy the new you that you have created.