solarfest

SolarFest is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. Solarfest blends art, education, and grassroots activism to inspire the conservation of Earth's limited resources, to promote renewable energy, and to support the creation of sustainable communities. Since its inception in 1995, SolarFest has built a reputation for promoting artistic excellence and community-building, and has raised more than a few eyebrows when people realize that our entire weekend festival is run on renewable energy, primarily solar with wind and bio-diesel in the mix.

I really want to go to this festival next year. THe common Ground fair has some great alternative energy exhibits that made me have that kid with a new set of legos feeling. Solarfest 2008 is going to give me more of that feeling.

quotes of the day

Nothing can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.
- Sidney J. Harris
Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose.
- Evan Esar
In every American there is an air of incorrigible innocence, which seems to conceal a diabolical cunning.
- AE Housman
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
- Robert Frost

welcome to the future

I woke up. ate breakfast and then listened to william gibson talk on NPR. The one nugget I pulled from his talk was about his vision of the future truly being like reganomics on steroids. No middle class, the rich living like kings and the poor living in an equally rich squalor.

I guess I better learn to enjoy living simply. Perhaps like minded people will move back to the land even farther north than my parents did to try to once again etch out a living in the rural communities outlying Maine/nh/vermont/quebec/new brunswick.

Oooh oooh Techno city
Hope you enjoy your stay
Welcome to Techno city
You will never want to go away
--Cybotron, "Techno City" (1984)

"The 'soul' of the machines has always been a part of our music. Trance always belongs to repetition, and everybody is looking for trance in life... in sex, in the emotional, in pleasure, in anything... so, the machines produce an absolutely perfec t trance."
--Ralf Hütter, 1991, quoted in Kraftwerk: Man Machine and Music, Pascal Bussy

article

Rock The Bells

The weekend of July 28th I had tickets for ROCK THE BELLS at Randalls Island in New York City. The plan was to take my nephew to see some hip hop acts he may never be able to see live. Also to witness the grandeur of the city of New York. Especially Wu Tang and Public Enemy and Rakim. From the moment I agreed to pick up Matt Manuel from the airport in Boston I knew it was going to be pushing the limits of time and space to make the trip happen.

I am not doing a complete review here just some quick thoughts. I will quote a much more complete review at the bottom of the post. One over arching feeling of the whole experience was the lack of the vibes I was hoping for. Maybe it was me... IF it was me sorry! But otherwise it was a big swampy mess that for a few brief moments of greatness was half assed. The sound was not bad at all as some reviewers have said and the food/merch parts were decent (no water shortages like the day before). I was wishing I had earplugs for the part when Anthrax came on (i like the anthrax contrib but the speakers were peircing bad during that part. I feel like the artists had trouble getting into the show for the most part. Of course the indie stage was a little better as far as overall vibe was concerned... however i still saw alot of hard looking faces around me for the most part. Not too many chances to connect with random people.. EXCEPT for Jamery, Devon, Mike from Ann Arbor Michigan and some cats from Canada who were from Woodstock NB and the guys from Maine standing behind us from during Cypress's slot.

Highlights of the Show
Walking into the show from the parking lot hearing Pharoah Monch's "Simon says" blaring towards us as we approached the gates.

Felt coming on stage and the Grouch talking shit for 15 minutes entertaining the crowd while they got setup.

Being in a line entering the front section while Cypress Hill belted out "How I can just kill a man". The crowd around me reverently nodded to each other for a moment recognizing each others humanity and the fact that we are only here on earth with each other briefly.

The best combined musical lineup I've ever attended; Rock The Bells boasted my 2 favorite groups of all time, as well as solid pillars of golden age hip-hop who never failed to bring quality hip-hop w/ or without
platinum plaques, and the hottest up and coming renegades I've been enjoying and keeping my eye on for a few years.

One of those is hardcore rapper/activist Immortal Technique. I was following the schedule on RTB's website but it seemed the show was running ahead of schedule, so I only caught the last 3 songs from his set. But it's all good 'cause I saw him and every single MC that guests on "Peruvian Cocaine", the best posse cut of recent years, do the song live on stage. Not only that but it was July 28th, Peruvian independence Day; so for me and my wife seeing Tech was more than fitting.

We caught 'im on the giant monitors, then up closer to the stage. Tech talked about how the golden age cats on the bill represented that which was missing in hip-hop today; Balance. His DJ rightfully ridiculed the wack "mixtape" DJs that are the norm these days. Then some ironic banter that rang truer than it should. Tech's crew asked if anyone from their zone; Harlem; was in the house tonight...half smirking; knowing full well this pale crowd that smacked of privilege was a million miles from the starving homeless children in Lima or the mind-shackled troops in Harlem Tech so militantly represents.

This was blatant to me when we walked into the venue as well. This crowd looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch poster...much more so than the troops I know Immortal Tech is trying to inspire, or the descendants of the Mayas or Mexicas Rage Against The Machine devotes a good portion of their catalogue to. Add to the lineup Public Enemy, Black Star, Mr. Lif & The Roots and it then it almost becomes an issue why this crowd of almost 40,000 is almsot the thematic opposite of these groups' targets & messages.

But make no mistake; 90% of this audience was definetely here to see RATM first and foremost. Which is a shame considering the abundance of talent in the Paid Dues stage. Over there I caught Mr. Lif do his thing...hearing "Earthcrusher" blasting through the system. This was another thing worth noting; Randall's Island had a phenomenal sound system for a venue that large. And I know 'cause I was front row in front of the stacks of speakers; and the next day while driving thru the Triboro bridge while the next day's concert was on; I could hear the concert live and clear.

While only in passing overheard Pharaoe Monche's set; he rocked it correct with that very musical new album of his. He seemed to amp the guitars a little in foreshadowing of what was to come. EPMD did their best to rock a crowd that they admitted right on stage where too young to probably recognize them. But I did; all the hits blasted thru the PAs and I saw most of the performance on the monitors. Overheard Mos Def & Talib Kweli while getting food, as I've seen them countless times before. But headed back in, in time to catch Public Enemy whom I'd heard had been moved to an earlier time slot. This was a mistake for The Roots, Cypress Hill & Wu-Tang; because although they all rocked the set; PE was second only to their headlining disciples.

It wasn't until PE came on stage that the show really got started. Classic material, amped up with very tight instrumentation catapulted the show into what it promised to do. Not long into the set; PE brought out a surprising guest on many levels. Scott Ian from Anthrax came on and PE remixed live on stage "Bring The Noise" into "Bring Tha Noize" as he trashed up the guitar and gave us the closest thing to the PE/Anthrax tour of '91. PE rocked the house, and then it was time for the Flava Of Flav. He proceeded to introduce his family, and began talking about his TV shows. But the very same charisma that propelled him to TV stardom also had the audience laughing and not minding the lapse of music while he talked. However;
although a great intrumental rendition of "911 Is A Joke" was served; we didn't get to hear "Fight The Power". I saw PE back in 2002 when they had began using a live band; but now years later this band is been tightened to perfection.

The Roots put on one of their usal tight sets...this one funkier than usual and which included a great great cover of "Jungle Boogie", with all instruments in tow. Only The Roots can get away with rocking a Tuba;
and they did and uesd it to cover Chubb Rock's "Treat 'Em Right". "Seed 2.0" as well as the standards from "Things Fall Apart" all did their routine, although the crowd seemed non-responsive.

This is however due to other factors. A large open stadium, blazing intense sun & heat, and what seemed like limited supplies of water. Add to that massive amounts of beer & you got the perfect combination for heat exhaustion. Me and my wife wintnessed that from the front row. Scores of fainted carried thru by bodyguards, the heat stroked vomitters, as well as the usual bleeding victims of the mosh pits.

This was Cypress Hill's contribution, that's when the pits seemed to start, or at least when people started spilling out to the front of the audience. Cypress is always had a live rock energy; and here they amped up
the crowd kicking it off with "Another Body Drops" going thru the classics like "How I Could Jsut Kill A Man", "Hand On The Pump" & ending it fittingly with "Rock Superstar". MJ schticks aside; they rocked a solid set & even the security up front knew all the words.

Then Wu-Tang descended on the stage, the energy spiking for classics like "...Aint Nuthin Ta Fuck Wit", "SOAN" & "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'". But their set was merely preparation for the headliners. Wu-Tang was in fine form though, running on all cylinders & giving a better performance than the 3 shows I first caught them do in '97 when they first opened for RATM.

Of course they were the main event. And from the opening words of "Good evening; we're Rage Against the Machine from Los Angeles, California"...which sounded more like a threat; the crowd really really came
alive. There was no doubt, every bored face around me during THe Roots set or Wu-Tang..was now airborne. And the band? as fine as they have ever been. The energy and Zack De La Rocha's existentialist exorcism were intact and actually felt...fresh. It didn't matter that they stuttered the very beginning of "Guerrilla Radio" until a few measures in; everyone in the house knew every word to every lyric...and everyone took to the air during the choruses. De La Rocha dedicated "Down Rodeo" to Immortal Technique as if passing the torch...and they tore right thru that, "Calm Like A Bomb", "Bullet In The Head", "Bulls On Parade". Perhaps the greatest testimony to the power of the band; my wife, having hardly ever heard the band, and having mainly endured the other acts; absolutely fell in love with the energy of their live performance. Who cares if we were getting crushed and fighting off landing crowd surfers; this felt like the 90s. The only difference was De La Rochas counter speech to Fox News/ Hannity &
Colmes/AnnCoulter & their clarification of their position on the trial, judging and subsequent hanging of George W Bush.

Seven years later and in a bill full of legends; RATM proved as always that they were a live band first and foremost. The next day, slowly driving thru the Triboro Bridge toll lanes; Irolled down the windows & overheard "Bulls On Parade" from beginning to end...clearly blasting from the venue. My wife asked if we could just get off on the Randalls Island entrance and go see the show again; even after 9 hours of heat & exhaustion from the day before.

large land sales in the state of maine

I was curious how much it would cost to buy a large swathe of wilderness in Maine and came across this list of land sales created by the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Generally 200$ an acre for pristine forests seems pretty cheap. I pay about 200$ a month for shit I can't even remember I bought... I think I would rather buy pristine forest land with all that dough I am wasting. It seems more impressive you know? 1 square mile = 640 acres = 128,000$. I bet I could have bought a square mile of land by now with all the money I've wasted on the detritus of my personal belongings over the years. Who needs to buy clothes when you can trap beavers and martens on your own land and clothe yourself!?

The Players
---------------
Irving Oil
Sappi
Bowater
Plum Creek
Fraser
International Paper
Roxanne Quimby (who the hell is Roxanne Quimby?!)
MeadWestvaco Corp.
New England Forestry Foundation
Great Northern Paper, Inc.
Hancock Timber Resources Group
Georgia Pacific Corp

http://www.nrcm.org/land_sales.asp

1,000,000 = 1562 sq miles
Maine covers 35,387 square miles, making it the 39th largest of the 50 states. 30,000 sq miles are land and 5,000 are water.

inspiring review from inspiring guy who listens to inspired hip hop.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Review of a Paragraph President, August 28, 2005
By Nicholas Adam Chupka "Lover of wife, dog, stu... (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Like any middle school child in 90-92, I thought I knew about hip-hop being the proud owner of "The Chronic", "Doggystyle", and "Predator". Yet, my liking of hip-hop was always extended to just a couple of the hot albums of the day, and I never really considered myself a hip-hop head.
When, just a few years ago, I realized there was an entire undercurrent of, not simply underground hip-hop, but hip-hop that is not force-fed to the masses incessantly, I was intrigued.
Because of acts like Blackalicious, my intrigue has waned in favor of outright militancy.
As a seventh grade teacher on the immediate outskirts of Washington D.C., I have the challenging, yet enjoyable task of trying to connect with some of the most brilliant teenagers in the world, as well as those whose futures have been pre-condemned because of socioeconomic setbacks.
I thank God for musicianns like Blackalicious because they project hope and positivity.
Throughout the year I will post quotes and play snippets of songs from NIA to pique the interest of my students.
With "Cliffhanger" we can study the elements of plot structure.
Not since Slick Rick has an MC made storytelling so compelling.
Gift of Gab displays an astounding ability to couple precise flow with a variety of tempos, always blessed with creative, and most often, thought-provoking lyrics.
The beats, ranging from soulfully-melancholic head-nodders to upbeat funk numbers, provide the perfect backdrop to Gift's signature flow, and foretell of the ability Chief X-Cel delivers on later releases.
From straight out we're here to impress songs like "A to G" and "You Didn't
Know That Though" to the conscious "Shallow Days", "Making Progress" and, "Deception" which supply ammo to those who continue to argue that hip-hop can be an inspirational and uplifitng tool, NIA stakes a major claim in the timeline of hip-hop for those who believe in its true spirit.

IBM SOA.

This ingenious little webmercial caught my eye today while serfing up a little sql help. I thought it expressed the compression I felt driving around boston for the last few days. I don't know if I could own a car in a city. What a pain in the ass. I got towed last night, can you tell?

to the universe

I just caught a vibe from you oh universe. Once in a while you send me some discreet packets of energy that I can not ignore. I must say this was sparked by an email from a friend who has always challenged me to seek truth.

I felt the need to express this openly.

I have experienced an amazing life. from the outside looking in I am sometime unsure what my life looks like to others. Many people have told me I am inspiring, or that they admire my outlook on life, my self effacingness, my smile... usually just that they don't understand how I am happy all of the time. It is because of all of you and for how god/the universe/infinity constructed you to challenge and reward me in such a delicate balance.


People and Things I am grateful for

Cam and Sandy Tholl for having the craziest dream.
for seeing almost the entire US by the time I was 12.
a 3 week vacation to Italy
Innumerable trips to lakes and streams to fish and frolic
jumping off ropeswings and boats into fast moving rivers
Driving my car (buick/subaru/nissan/mazda) practically over the entire gorgeous surface of drivable Maine.
Sugarloaf USA for all of the best runs and views a kid could possibly get on the east coast.


1)Betty Stanwood
2)Eleanor Barnhart
3)Gus Ives for his spiritual guidance and presence
4)Dee Dee /Hill/Spencer for being great cousins
5)The Haines Family
6)The Brushetts what a family.
7)Micah Garneau
8)The Rudmans (all of them)
9)My immediate family + Dale Maloney we are a ragtag bunch of nutbags but I love you with all my heart
10)The Keens especially Carolyn who helped to bring up the children of North Anson while everyone was working
11)The Agrens
12)The Beans of Moscow
13)Joseph Palacci of Pierres
14)The Maine School of Science and Math
15)THe Landry family of New Portland
16)Portland Maine and the surrounding area which has been like the best playground a man could have.
17)Megan Walsh and her ever giving presence. Gave me so much
18)The Schiers and all of their stories\food\sarcasm\ and music
19)Mama Donna Oehmig and Brit Wolfson
20)Onkel Bob Fern for caring so much it makes him mad.
21)The Starr's of SOlon Maine
22)Carrabec High School and all of the people in it who gave me all that it had to give.
23)Paul Thompson whom changed my life
24)Danielle Nika Askini with her ever giving spirit and what a BRAIN
25)The Veligors
26) The Ruel's (terry and melissa)
27) The Lachance's who were there for me always in the first half of my life.
28) The Williams (Kara, Dana, Donna, and the rest of that wonderful family)
29) The Dunphys for their worlds best sense of humor
30)Josh Dolby the man with unexhaustible energies for good works.
31)Donna Harrington for always telling me I was AWESOME
32) Mark Diaz for his positive forces
33)Bob Quance for teaching me what fatherhood is all about.
34)Craig Carter for his passing on of the devine frequencies
35) Rodney Skerry my big brother in Scotia
36) Sammi Latouf you know all of the good things you have done for me.
37) Mr & Mrs. Bubar for being the best neighbors a kid could have
37) Mr. Paul and family... for teaching me to fish and all of his kindness
38)Merril ALdercotte
39)Lauryn Nadeau
40) Rebecca ROy for everything even the awkward moments
41)Kris "Stella" Austin
42)THe Judkins boys of North New Portland
43)THe Vaughn family of Lexington Maine.
44)THe Caldwells of Anson and Embden what a family
45) Matt Silvia for giving me hip hop and
46) Nova Scotia \Dalhousie and all my friends there
The breathtaking beauty found within maritime canada.
47) The Taylor family of North Anson
48) The Brown Family of Denmark Maine
49)Joel Jerome for his kindness
50)North Anson (sad 74 in general) and all of the people in it for giving me the ultimate childhood full of all the things childhood should be. I could not think of a more perfect stage for the play of my life to start out. I owe so much to these people.
51)THe Berz Family in Limestone Maine for all of their love.
52)Ardrianna French for her love. I'm sorry
53)The Church Family of Lexington for all of the good times
54)The Spencer Family of Moscow Maine.
55) T-mobile.. for being the best wireless carrier... no just kidding.. you suck.
56)Claire Kenway... for being my soul partner. I feel this girls energy 3000 miles away. Love her to peices.
57) The Chin Family of Farmington. Art, humor, kindness and healthy food in the barren gulag days.
58) Cara Burns. we have always clicked in an amazing way. I wish you the best of all things.
59)The Mason Family of Hingham Mass.
60) The Taylor family of North Anson. You guys always felt like family and sometimes we sure fought like we were. Through it all though I am very glad to have known you. 61)Amy Chesnut. The first time I met you I sensed that we would share something sometime someway and we did. You are a fantastic human being. I am sorry if I ever hurt you in any way. You never ever deserved it.
62)The Kaldro Family, you are a kick ass family. I need to come back and spend some time with you.
63) Pat,Louis, Lynn Audet. You were so good to us at the hardest time in my life. Lynn, thanks for putting up with us. I know it was tough and the pay was measely.
64)Micah Garneau and the Garneau family. Jeeeeze have we ever been through some of lifes curves. Up and down, good and bad. Thanks for being so different.
65)Dr. James patterson for all of your hardwork and dedication. It always felt naturally good to be around you. You gave so many of us good advice and a better chance.
66) The Martin Family of Fahi Pond road. I know you dont live there now but you always will in my memory. You were tough SOB's. I couldnt hang sometimes and had to cry when you got too rough. But I think of you when I think of tough people.

solar history

The word photovoltaic comes from the combination of "photo" meaning light, and voltaic meaning electricity produced by a chemical reaction. The word has been defined as the generation of sun light to produce electricity through semi-conduction with materials.

Electrons are emitted from the sun to the earth. When these electrons are set free by the semi-conduction with a material such as silicon or selenium. The energy is in the electrons are then released in electric DC form.



The early years of photovoltaics and birth of solar energy.

* 1839: Photovoltaics was first discovered by a 19 year old experimenting physicist from France, Edmund Becquerel. Since his work was strictly experimental and only breached upon the photovoltaic effect, a number of scientists followed with more advanced studies. It was in the next twenty years that selenium was used as a semi-conductor experimentally.(U.S. Department of Energy, 2004 )
* 1918: The second major step in the science of advancement of photovoltaic technology was the development of single crystal silicon growth by a polish scientist, Jan Czochralski(Wikipedia, 2004).
* 1923: Albert Einstein is awarded the Noble Prize for his work explaining photoelectric effect(US Dept. of Energy, 2004).
* 1954: Bell Labs reports the first discovery of 4.5% silicon

http://www.premierpower.com/

"eske -w pa ka on prann begay ki pa senp"

"the creole phrase means "not simple" and implies the thing is freighted with complexity usually of a magical sort."

mountains beyond mountains
Tracy Kidder

http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=940

Im reading this book about Paul Farmer right now and it a great b00k. Thank you fishius.

July is here. enjoy it

No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.
-Henry Adams

Living on the edge of civilization until I was 17 helped me look at the second chapter of my life that took place in cities through a different lens. I have no illusions that the country life is without struggle or problems. The way that people treat each other in the wide open spaces and forests of maine were generally very friendly and compassionate. The first 10 years of my life was filled with a strong feeling of community and fellowship. My parents took me to mayday parties in the woods and had many eccentric friends. Off gridders/ industrial artists/ beekeepers/ woodsmen/ herbalists/ farmers/ and from their life in massachusetts many folks from more typical occupations law/ medicine/ corporate etcetteratta.

I sensed a difference between the mainiacs and the flatlanders, mostly it was the exterior things/ clothes/cars/. I thought the city was cool and appreciated our trips there but was never truly at home. At this point in my life I have a dependable car and spend alot of time circulating between wilderness and cities. I have found my niche in being in neither all of the time and for as long as gas is this price I can afford to. I feel guilty alot for using so much gas. I have probably driven 200,000 miles in 4 years.

16,000$ in gas at 30 MPG and 6,666 gallons at 2.50 avg price. 6,666x 6lb in a gallon of gas = 40,000 Lb's

I plan on helping our nation work on solutions for greener transport in my lifetime... I first have to get mine under control.

Can you spot the counterfeit groceries? probably not

I have often thought about buying a pallet of plain water bottles filling them with tap water and applying an EVIAN label to it then reselling it to the shadey bodega up the street at cut rate prices. The chinese keep beating me to the punch on all of my scheming schemes. Humans when faced with either being broke or having money typically go with having money... if that means counterfeiting purses or boxes of kraft mac and cheese then so be it.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/world/asia/27cnd-China.html?ex=1340596800&en=634c2bccc2bebeef&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Still, the government has moved aggressively in recent months to enforce the nation’s food safety regulations and to crack down on fake and counterfeit foods.

But Tuesday’s announcement, which appeared on the web site of the country’s top quality watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, has added fuel to concerns about rampant fraud in the food industry here.

Regulators said 33,000 law enforcement officials combed the nation and turned up illegal food making dens, counterfeit bottled water, fake soy sauce, banned food additives and illegal meat processing plants.

“These are not isolated cases,” Han Yi, director of the administration’s quality control and inspection department told the state-run media.

China Daily, the nation’s English language newspaper, said industrial chemicals, including dyes, mineral oils, paraffin wax, formaldehyde and malachite green, had been found in everything from candy, pickles and biscuits to seafood.

Regulators said they also learned that sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid were being used to process shark fin and ox tendon.

These industrial chemicals are often toxic or corrosive and can be used in everything from drain cleaners, detergent and fertilizer to surfboard wax.

Its a coal coal world.

My grandfather had a 700 acre cattle farm where he raised black angus in West Virginia in the 70's. I haven't visited it yet but I plan on it. I have found out that a man by the name of Quilly Ward owns it now. This property was sold to Quilly and my grandfather decided to hang on to the mineral rights for the kittaining coal far under the surface. I occasionally get mail from the city clerk from Harrison County telling me to pay up my share for the taxes on the mineral rights. It seems that there is one gentleman by the name of Mike so and so who goes around buying up the mineral rights from those who have not paid their taxes. The legislation and regulations make it somewhat difficult to snap these up (sometimes requiring two years of non-payment)... however, my sisters and I have already lost 16% of our share to this fella. Its an interesting lesson though and I have taken note of it.


http://www.house.gov/mollohan/harrisonhistory.htm source for quote below

The rich coal, gas and petroleum reserves of the county began to be exploited after 1900. The boom that this economic activity created caused the population to more than double from 1900 to 1920 -- rising from 27,690 in 1900, to 48,381 in 1910, and 74,793 in 1920. Glass factories also sprang up in the 1890s and early 1900s, utilizing the abundant natural gas of the county. Coal production was 126,594 tons in 1888, rose to 5,710,982 tons by 1920, and hit an all-time high of 12,744,276 tons in 1945. The population of the county peaked in 1950 at 85,296.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/voting_for_coal_1.php

Maine enacted Solar rebate in 2005

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34187

Maine's first solar energy rebate program in decades passed the legislature on June 17 2005 and was signed into law on June 29 by Governor John Baldacci, one of its major proponents. The rebate should cover approximately 25% of the cost (including installation) of the average-sized residential or small business solar electric or solar thermal system, making it one of the more aggressive solar rebate programs available in U.S. states.

This passed 2 years ago... is anyone moving to increase the 500,000$ cap that is currently on this? 500k is not enough for this program to really do much good. It is a step in the right direction or more like turning your head in the right direction but not really making the step yet. Or like glancing sideways at the right direction. You get the point, more cash needs to be focused on creating a distributed self sufficient power base in the state of maine.

Underworld band member RICK SMITH hospitalized after brutal anarchist bumrush

http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=8733

Rick Smith from electronic duo Underworld was taken to hospital in Athens after a gang stormed the Ejekt Festival on Saturday.

Smith together with vocalist Karl Hyde and tour DJ Darren Price were due to close out the festival when a group of thirty "anarchists" wearing masks and wielding tear gas, iron bars and baseball bats forced their way into the festival grounds at approximately 11.20 p.m. during the Beastie Boys' performance.

Cars were set on fire and property was vandalised forcing festival officials and police to evacuate the baseball stadium where the festival was being staged.

Smith was one of several persons injured along with security staff. He was kept in hospital for a short time in Athens before returning home to the UK for additional treatment. The other members of the band were not harmed.

Yesterday, Underworld announced the details of their fifth studio album 'Oblivion with Bells', which is due for release in October 2007.

law enforcement against prohibition

Watch this fantastic 10 minute vid about law enforcment people coming out to end the failed policy of drug prohibition.

http://stopthedrugwar.org/videos/leap

Ram Bomjon

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


Moved to make a 6 year committment to meditation and in the process capturing the worlds attention, Ram Bomjon continues his meditation underground.

On March 26, 2007 Inspector Rameshwor Yadav of the Area Police Post Nijgadh found Bomjon inside a bunker-like square ditch of seven feet. A police team, under the command of Yadav, had gone to the place after word of Bomjon being on underground meditation spread in the area. “His face was clean and hair was combed well,” Yadav said. According to him, “the bunker” has been cemented from all sides with roof of tiles. Indra Lama, a local, who has been deployed as caretaker for him since he began meditation, said the “bunker” was prepared as per Bomjon’s order. “After granting audience a week ago, he expressed his desire to meditate inside the ground; so we built it,” he said

http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2005/11/25/ram-bomjon-investigation/

After reading the user discussion from the site above, I picked this gem out. The discussion sounds a bit like this:

"this cant be possible" Ralph from Waukegan

"prove this scientifically" Mortimer from Toledo

"gautama buddha had to fight demons while attempting to achieve enlightenment and this kid wont even let a doctor examine him, PUH LEASE" gwynn from toronto

"its a hoax"

"you have no faith... maybe he is the real deal"

etc etc etc... all the way to this fella.

"that was a very nice idea if you put that in to practiced go for it men do it Make an ACTION, I will support you, Remember the great quote say’s “Action is louder than speak”, you should be like the Great Mother Theresa, Ram Bomjon “says I need six years of Deep Meditation” even though it,s not completed yet, but he does, so therefore his word and his action is ONE, so Roberto if your will is strong enough to HEPLP PEOPLE FROM POVERTY,SICNESS,ETC. THAT WOULD BE A REMARKABLE AND GREAT ACOMPLISHMENT."

http://software.seekingalpha.com/article/29891

Summary: Cowan software analyst Peter Goldmacher thinks WebEx Communications (WEBX) will be making the wrong move if it sells itself to Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) for its $3.2 billion/$57 a share offer. To be sure, the price (28x 2007 free cash flow) is reasonable. But Goldmacher thinks networking giant Cisco doesn't really understand nor have the wherewithal to capitalize on the "on demand" data software that is WebEx's strong suit. Enterprise software giants such as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), SAP AG (SAP) or Oracle Corp. (ORCL) could do a far better job growing out WebEx's applications that allow workers to share information simultaneously. WebEx CEO Subrah Iyar insists that Cisco does understand the potential of on-demand, and says he doesn't think he's selling his company's potential short. He also says Cisco told him they would enter web-based collaboration with or without WebEx. Goldmacher speculates a counter-offer may be in the making.

Shantaram by Gregory Roberts

Shantaram = man of peace

In this case the man of peace is an ex junky in jail for armed robbery who escapes from jail to meander around in the Mumbai underworld. Drug and weapons smuggling rings aside the main character is a MAN OF PEACE first and foremost.

I am 250 pages into this beast and thus far it has been a nice quick entertaining read. I am not one of these people who gets irate that the author took some poetic license to tell a better story ITS A NOVEL- ITS NOT REAL. In fact this same thing pissed me off about reviews I read about Papillon and people pissing on Henri Charrier. I dont know about the rest of you but I do not care if the author is a criminal or a liar when reading NOVELS. If I was reading a biography or a non fiction book I might start caring about those other facts. Listening to NPR I came across the book description and decided to pick it up from B&N. I'm glad I did thus far... we will see if I am still this positive 600 pages from now. Gregory David Roberts has dredged up alot of haters in the amazon review section for this book as well as a TON of lovers. I think it speaks well of the Shantaram that it has created a bit of heated discussion.



Here is one of the better Shantaram Skeptic reviews.
-----------------------------------------------

Have you ever had an experience where a gregarious, but slightly dodgy stranger engages you in conversation and launches into a rambling series of tall tales about their life to which you respond by smiling and saying "Really? How interesting." in an attempt to be polite and non-judgmental - but as time goes on inconsistencies within the narrative become more and more glaringly apparent until with dawning horror you realize that you are in fact sitting next to a delusional psychopath who not only considers you a gullible fool, but possibly intends you mortal harm? Reading Shantaram I experienced just such an uncomfortable feeling of being taken for a ride by a career grifter.

I missed the hype surrounding the initial launch of the book so I don't know whether it is intended to be a real life story presented as actual fact, or a deliberately hyperbolic allegory built upon a skeleton of events from the author's life. Clearly a lot of the success of the book so far has depended on its being perceived as the former, and since the incidents in the story are outside my (and probably most readers') direct experience, or otherwise unverifiable (Mumbai underworld activities, mujehadeen guerilla warfare) I am quite willing to give the benefit of the doubt. However, small implausibilities in the more mundane sections of the novel chip away at the writer's credibility and gradually bring into increasing doubt the veracity of the whole. For example, overhearing a conversation in Urdu between Karla and Nazeer, Lin says that he understands only every third or fourth word - but conversational Urdu is practically the same as conversational Hindi in which he claims to be fully fluent. Later he says that he can perform twenty sets of thirty pushups with a minute of rest between sets - please try this at home - it's a pretty tall order for even an Olympic athlete, let alone someone drying out from a three month heroin binge. On another occasion he writes that nine men were able to survive for a month in the mountains of Afghanistan with no other food but the flesh of a single goat - how? These are just a few random examples, but the point is that if we can't trust the author's account of his language abilities, diet or workout routines, can we really trust the more sensational accounts of his apparently superhuman fighting prowess, ability to withstand torture and sexual success with a string of smoking hot babes? Of course it could be that Roberts' intention is to present events in the hyperbolic, super-real style of 80s Bollywood in which Indian everymen are able to overcome insuperable odds and take on armies of evil gangsters with their bare hands - in which case the novel succeeds brilliantly as a sort of psychadelic, smellovision fable for our times. But if he is presenting the events of the novel as autobiographical fact with a completely straight face then one can't help suspecting that we are reading the delusional ramblings of a self-aggrandizing windbag. Structurally the book suggests comparisons with Sade's longer works - sprawling lists of sensational incident separated by babbling philosophical treatises - but spiritually the character Lin has most in common with is Tomb Raider's Lara Croft. If, as I suspect, the book is in fact no more than a colorful fabrication purporting to be true I can't really understand why James Frey was hung out to dry whilst Roberts remains the toast of the town.

OH yah.. so I went to the preakness a while back.

1) reflections on baltimore
a) upon entering the city I smelled the sweetest smell in the air and proceeded to ask my friends what they thought it was... after looking over my shoulder and seeing the domino sugar factory I had my answer.
b) a bar called "i dont know where do you want to go"
c) the downtown touristy area can be summed up as follows... ESPN restaurant, The Aquarium, Museum of Science, Triton Boats, people who get paid to say hello to you on the harbour walk (apparently to make you feel like baltimore is friendly) HOOTERS, a submarine touting baltimores ties to the creation of the first unterseeboat,
d) it looks like a philadelphia kind of but less artsy and more working class.

reflections on the preakness

1) drunk people
2) trash everywhere
3) people chanting USA USA USA when jets fly overhead
4) drunk people kicking the crap out of other drunk people
5) FRATS FRATS FRATS
6) oh yah the horses are running but i couldnt tell cuz im so drunk
7) people pissing in things that they normally wouldnt... like empty beer boxes or on my foot, or perhaps right out in the open in front of 500 people.
8) 12 little kids stomping on a guy and then running away before you can say ... blitzkrieg
9) exchanger: why did you do so well for 3/4 of the race and then lose. You bum. You did make the race a little more interesting though. I was actually screaming and pumping my fists... something i really did not expect to do.
10) black eyed susans (vodka and lemonade)
11) and how could I forget.. crab related delicasies. yah i know what you are thinking. no way crabs in baltimore?

near the top of mount royal... While I was balancing on a handrail I nearly fell backward and died. That was DAMN close. Maggie can attest to that!

We also found the best random sign ever... all it said was "Funky hip hop RAP" it was very north of the city just off the side of the road. I decided a shoulder stall into a backspin was necessary. Even in the rain in my new nautica polo.

mutek reflections

I'm back home and the proud owner of a good nights sleep... something the mutek festival and montreal couldnt really afford me with all that was going on for the past week.

It has been a long time since I have been really amazed by live electronic acts but that time is over and I am absolutely impressed. Cobblestone Jazz, The Mole, Jicheal Mackson, Gui Borratto, Heartthrob... They all blew me away and had me dancing like the ohio players were dropping by. The thing that suprised me was how little I knew of the "now sound". I have been stuck in some sonic subgenres and ways of thinking that this festival helped to blow out of the back of my head in all the right ways. Stephon Beaupre was the only artist I purchased music from during the weekend and I must say. WOW. this guy is amazing, I would love to see him live someday. Reminded me of a a more fucked up and funkier Akufen.

I arrived at around 5PM on Thursday, checked into my hotel on Rue Ontario (right near the corner of St. Dennis and Ontario) in the latin quarter. Afterwards it was on to the hotel Godin to pick up my ticket to the rest of the weeks festivities. I immediately noticed the "mutekkers" gathered around outside the hotel on St Laurent so I didn't need to ask for directions despite not knowing which street the hotel was on. Mutekkers are easy to pick out of a crowd btw, super angular eyeglass frames, hip german techno record label t shirts, or straight up geometric patterned outerwear were a dead giveaway.

Maggie Schier was coming along for the ride with me and despite her dislike for my brands of techno I did get her to come to one of the A/Visions shows on Thursday night. The first act was barely watchable and we ducked out to get some mediocre sushi... a bowl of miso, seaweed salad, some tuna... the food was ok but the service was very iffy. Maggie and I went back to the Ex Centris theatre and enjoyed the last set by a very talented Haushka. Haushka was playing a modified piano wherein he had taped various surfaces to the piano wires where normally a hammer would bang them and produce a typical sounding A or G or what have you. In this case you may have heard a cymbal or a crunchy ball of tinfoil being squished. I would say a 1/3 of the keys were modified so he still had lots of keys to work normally with but those randomly spaced surprises were just amazing. They introduced so much chance and circumstance into the performance and more of a drum solo aspect one is not normally associating with a piano solo. There were some moderately well done visuals accompanying the piano performance by a group called semi-conductor.

The picnik location was my favorite... Accessible by Metro train. Park Jean de Drapeau offered many memorable moments. The view of the biosphere from beneath the metal sculpture we were dancing below was breathtaking... as a big fan of buckminster fullers it made me feel so connected to technologies positivity for a while. I was there with some friends and we spent a good portion of the time rolling joints and making drinks by the riverbanks just talking while we listened to the music in the background still quite loud. It was idyllic. I caught most of heartthrob and the first 30 minutes of wighnomy brothers... I wish I had stayed for the rest of the w. brothers though.

medical term of the day

Spheno Palatine Gangleoneuralgia

Understand what causes brain freeze. When the cold object touches the roof of your mouth, the blood vessels tighten up in response in an effort to prevent loss of body heat. As the coldness recedes, the blood vessels loosen up again, quickly increasing blood flow to the brain. This sudden release is what causes the intense headache sensation.

quoted from

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov+News&id=33004&v=Article-2006

Governor Baldacci Praises Maine School of Science and Mathematics

February 27, 2007

AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci praised the Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) Tuesday evening, saying the state is lucky to have such an institution. The Governor made the comments during a social gathering and informational session for the school at the Senator Inn, in Augusta.

“The importance of math and science to our high school students is vital,” said Governor Baldacci. “I returned from the National Governor’s Association Meeting in Washington, D.C., Monday, where this was a major topic. Governors from all across America focused on the importance of teaching science and math in creating a competitive, global economy. With MSSM in Limestone, Maine and Aroostook County are leading the nation.”

Governor Baldacci has proposed an education reform plan that would require four years of math and science in public high schools, as opposed to the two years that are required now. He says that the importance of math and science is not just the teaching of the subjects themselves, but also teaching students how to think creatively and solve problems.

“By pushing yourself and building up the rigor in the classroom,” the Governor told students in the room, “you are preparing yourself to be a leader and a success story once you graduate from high school and college.”

MSSM is one of 11 public, residential schools of math and science in the country. MSSM has students from all over Maine, the country and from as far away as Germany.

“Maine clearly benefits from this school and we are proud of its many accomplishments,” said the Governor. “I am here tonight to thank you and to encourage you to continue doing what you are doing – learning, teaching, encouraging, spreading the good news, and, even better, succeeding.”

"signs" snoop and JT

"I'm not sure what I see
Cupid don't fuck wit me!
Are you telling me this is a sign?
She's looking in my eyes, now I see no other guys
Are you telling me this is a sign? (OHHH!!!)"

The talented and well traveled Andrei Kalamkarov

Lounge37.com

Rudyard Kipling

To the Unknown Goddess

Will you conquer my heart with your beauty; my sould going out from afar?
Shall I fall to your hand as a victim of crafty and cautions shikar?

Have I met you and passed you already, unknowing, unthinking and blind?
Shall I meet you next session at Simla, O sweetest and best of your kind?

Does the P. and O. bear you to meward, or, clad in short frocks in the West,
Are you growing the charms that shall capture and torture the heart in my breast?

Will you stay in the Plains till September -- my passion as warm as the day?
Will you bring me to book on the Mountains, or where the thermantidotes play?

When the light of your eyes shall make pallid the mean lesser lights I pursue,
And the charm of your presence shall lure me from love of the gay "thirteen-two";

When the peg and the pig-skin shall please not; when I buy me Calcutta-build clothes;
When I quit the Delight of Wild Asses; foreswearing the swearing of oaths ;

As a deer to the hand of the hunter when I turn 'mid the gibes of my friends;
When the days of my freedom are numbered, and the life of the bachelor ends.

Ah, Goddess! child, spinster, or widow -- as of old on Mars Hill whey they raised
To the God that they knew not an altar -- so I, a young Pagan, have praised

The Goddess I know not nor worship; yet, if half that men tell me be true,
You will come in the future, and therefore these verses are written to you.

so you thought you "knew" the KLF did you?

This is pointed at younger 20 somethings who grew up at the burgeoning edge of mainstream electronic music and remix culture.
After casually looking up the wiki article on these ancients of Mu Mu there seems to be more than meets the eye about a seemingly innocuous pop/hiphop/electronic act. The video made such an impression on me at such a young age that here I am at 26 looking them up on wikipedia.org. I was 12 years old (in 1992) and thinking to myself I like this. I really liked the KLF and their 3AM eternal music video.

KLF IS GONNA ROCK YOU. UH HuH UH HuH.

After immersing myself in the dystopic visions of orwell, huxely, bradbury and others and reading the illuminati trilogy the KLF have taken on an entirely new dimension. I have a newfound respect for Bill Drummond and Jim Cauty.

KLF is gonna rock ya 'cos you
have to
move to the flow of the P.D. blaster
bass ballistics
I'm gonna kick this hard
and you can catch it
down with the crew crew
talking 'bout the Mu Mu
Justified Ancient Liberation Zulu
Got to teach and everything you learn
will point to the fact that time is eternal
-refrain-
Sample city through Trancentral
basic face kick elemental
swings brings new technology
the 'K' the 'L' the 'F' and the ology
Da Force coming down with mayhem
looking at my watch time 3 A.M.
got to see that everywhere I turn
will point to the fact that time is eternal
-refrain-

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

It was New Year's Day ... 1987. I was at home with my parents, I was going for a walk in the morning, it was, like, bright blue sky, and I thought "I'm going to make a hip-hop record. Who can I make a hip-hop record with?". I wasn't brave enough to go and do it myself, 'cause, although I can play the guitar, and I can knock out a few things on the piano, I knew nothing, personally, about the technology. And, I thought, I knew [Jimmy], I knew he was a like spirit, we share similar tastes and backgrounds in music and things. So I phoned him up that day and said "Let's form a band called The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu". And he knew exactly, to coin a phrase, "where I was coming from". And within a week we had recorded our first single which was called "All You Need Is Love".[11

file under "people i generally agree with"

www.exile.ru

Nothing drove home Russia's place in the growing pollution-trading business better than what one carbon finance guy told me at a conference last week sponsored by Gazprom and the World Bank. We were on drink number three or four at the reception when he dropped the green pretense and came clean.

"I don't know if climate change is caused by burning coal or sun flares or what," said the Moscow-based carbon cowboy. "And I don't really give a shit. Russia is the most energy inefficient country around, and carbon is the most volatile market ever. There's a lot of opportunity to make money."

This is what all the Power Point arrows and boxes had been spelling out in bureaucratese during the conference entitled "Kyoto: Carbon Market Opportunities for Russian Enterprises," but it was nice to hear it in plain English. I toasted the fellow's honesty and promised not to use his name. Some of his colleagues, he explained, were "first generation" carbon finance types. More idealistic, they don't appreciate the crass cash take on the business.

should this happen?

angry

MERRILL, Wis. - A service station that offered discounted gas to senior citizens and people supporting youth sports has been ordered by the state to raise its prices.
ADVERTISEMENT

Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.

But the state
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says those deals violate Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price.

Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge.

Bhandari, who bought the station a year ago, said he worries customers will think he stopped the discounts because he wants to make more money. About 10 percent of his customers had used the discount cards.

Dale Van Camp said he bought a $50 card to support the local youth hockey program. It would have saved him about $100 per year on gas, he said.

my prosper.com bio

I grew up in somerset county in central maine in a town known for its rivers, lakes and its good topsoil.

As a child I was the shoveler, paper route boy, lawn mower, odd job kid. In high school I went on to fixing computers and hooking up rural people to dial up internet for extra money.

College led me to canada to experience life in a foreign country in the economically challenged maritime province of nova scotia. 4 years in the maritimes gave me the base I needed to understand the difficulty of being a foreigner trying to find work outside of your native country.

After finishing school in Halifax I went home to Maine to live in Portland and become a technician. Fixing computers and giving office help to the techno challenged small businesses in the old port. While in Portland I worked with many different types of businesses on a daily basis while working for a very niche business called Pierres of exchange.

I now work for a .com in the Boston area. Webex.com I provide technical support for their weboffice customers. I still have clientelle from maine that calls me regularly for help with their digital issues.

My goal is to one day be able to be my own boss helping smaller businesses to stay profitable against the mounting pressure of bigger business.

two of my favorite electronic tracks this year.

Pele Bloss is one of those songs that you want played in an airplane hangar on some sort of gargantuan stack of speakers for the full effect. The brothers wighnomy have two excellent tracks on here in pele bloss and freiekkisampler.

The second LP is a cobblestone Jazz effort that builds and builds with such a lovely evolving beauty. On a side note, "peace offering" from the dump truck album is one i slept on after the main track got all the attention... been listening to this on repeat every time I get a bag of molecular and it makes me want to fall in love with everything all over again.

countdown to mutek 23 days.

Mutek was rated the #2 music festival in the month of may by Resident Advisor. I would love to go to the #1 rated DEMF... but that would require me taking a plane and buying plane tickets etc which is a pain in my ass. This way I can get out of work on wednesday the 30th and drive straight to montreal and spend a few days in a tent outside the city sleeping under the stars... and a few days in a hotel in the city center. I'm really sad that Senor Coconut will not be making an appearance for this years MUTEK. I was looking forward to seeing him live since hearing rave reviews about him after mutek 1 and 2.

www.residentadvisor.net

monkey schier

bambu station

Sing Upright

A telling you what, yea war, is what you sing,
When you appeal to the darkness in our hearts & ting
Promoting the slackness within,
I beg of you entertainer to weigh the balance you bring
Are you the Yin? Are you the Yang?
Well I guess it doesn't matter only where you belong
You promoting goodness or you promoting wrong,
On impressionable minds you leave a brand yo

Sing upright, sing upright (2x)
Talking to the man dem, that leads this generation,
With your lyrical content that promotes separation
All I hear is who got the biggest bling,
And everything you talk about is some competition ting
Who got the baddest car, who got the deepest rims,
Which man have got bullet scars, which man a wearing Tims
Tings in the scheme which ain't even funny,
It's amazing how you glorify their money, yo

Chorus
Yo Miss Lady Singer, that leads this generation,
With your lyrical content bout your sexy disposition
Tings in the scheme which ain't close to funny,
It's amazing the low value you place on your body
Dressing like a bat which only fly by night,
Morality is that, of the Hollywood type
Doing all you can to get on MTV,
To reach the cross-culture & the big money
Maybe you don't know or you don't care,
Bout the impact you have from what the youths dem hear
By the impact you bring, by what the youths dem see,
It's amazing how you sing for money, yo

Chorus
Well if its all good, then its alright, if its all good, we will rock it all night
If it's all good, then it's alright, if it's all good, we will rock it all night
If it's all good, we will rock it, we will rock it

Chorus

wow

as always. the week was a week of notableness not only on the local, national, and international scenes... but also in the galaxy.

Locally


Local movie makers will be shooting a 48 film festival starting Friday May 4th

Date: Friday, May 4th
Time: teams arrive by 5:30pm
Place: Lir Irish Pub & Restaurant, 903 Boylston St
MBTA: Green Line to Hynes/ICA
Notes: Teams arrive at 5:30pm and can leave by 7pm. You must have someone present to draw the genre for your film. Please limit total attendees to two people.

Josh DOlby (demonstration specialist at webex burlington will be participating) Best of luck to Dolby and his crack team of visionaries.


Chavez threatens to nationalize banks!

"Private banks have to give priority to financing the industrial sectors of Venezuela at low cost," Chavez said. "If banks don't agree with this, it's better that they go, that they turn over the banks to me, that we nationalize them and get all the banks to work for the development of the country and not to speculate and produce huge profits."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070503/D8OT4O100.html

Spotfire Inc. of somerville has been bought by Tibco

"Today's front-line decision makers want not only unparalleled access to business-critical information but also a broader, clearer view of how that data relates to processes," said Spotfire CEO Christopher Ahlberg in a statement. "By bolstering our platform with TIBCO's real-time infrastructure, we can deliver a responsive and user-friendly environment for businesses to discover new insights, make better decisions and take action. This combination provides the information advantage that is a prerequisite to the competitive

National:

Near and dear friends on the pharcyde ELASTIC ILLUSION http://elasticillusion.com/ have been featured on CRUXY's www.cruxy.com front page!! BOOM SNAP!

Solar System News: Vesak (Buddha Day)

Vesak is the birthday of the Buddha and the most important festival in Buddhism. On the first full moon day in May, Buddhists all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha in a single day. The name "Vesak" comes from the Indian month of that name in which it is held.

I spent the evening on the beach in Salem and in Marblehead soaking in the big byootiful moon rays. I had a revelation while looking up at the sky thinking... I understand why so many stories evolved about the stars and how humans minues televisions spent their evenings creating elaborate stories superimposing themselves and heros of their day onto those stars. It was the most popular blog/tv/cable show for the first 1.99millions years of human life. The simpsons dont have nothin on the starry starry sky.

betting on asia

As I am newly gainfully employed and 26 years old the decision had to be made... invest or perish. This was the first year I've spent safely away from ever impending financial precipii since college so I have started saving for a rainy day. My Onkel Bob has been investing money I wire him biweekly into a fund called OBCHX. Here is some info below.



Having served on for a major New York Stock Exchange firm, Oberweis founded and published the Oberweis Report newsletter which focused on emerging growth companies. Hulbert Financial Digest ranked the Oberweis Report as one of the top five investment advice newsletters. In 1978, Oberweis and his wife established an investment management company of their own. In 1986, they used their profits to purchase the family business, Oberweis Dairy. A year later, Oberweis founded the Oberweis Emerging Growth Fund which then spawned the Oberweis Micro-Cap Portfolio and the Oberweis Mid-Cap Portfolio.

Oberweis moved the Oberweis Dairy from Aurora, Illinois to its present location in North Aurora, Illinois. He also began a chain of company-owned dairy stores, and has maintained a dairy delivery business to homes in the Chicago area. A franchise program was begun in 2004, to expand the dairy business outside of northeast Illinois.

Jim Oberweis, editor of the Oberweis Report and manager of the Oberweis China Opportunities Fund (OBCHX)--which gained 81% in 2006--believes that Focus Media (nasdaq: FMCN - news - people ) and Baidu.com (nasdaq: BIDU - news - people ) both look like good buys today, but he's waiting a day or two to see if the market stabilizes before he puts $100 million in cash to work on behalf of his fundholders.

"It's not unheard of for a market that's up 100% in a year and trading at 40 times earnings to take a breather," says Oberweis.

vermont communes, the world bank, bambu station and the coming of MAY DAY

songs of the day

AMBIVALENT R U Ok (12") Minus Canada

"take one of these"

usicmay for akingtay ugsdray.

SHAHROKH SOUNDOFK (12") Compost Black Label Germany
Physiology is a pumping tech workout with lots going on and a persistent squarish bassline that makes me want to dance and create robots.

---------------------------
I am ready to cement my plans for a weekend of techno debauchery in Montreal. the last weekend of May is shaping up to be a memorable one.

After getting my retroactive raise today and paying off some balances on debts the trip is looking much more possible than it was last week. I had no clue I would get the money retroactive so quickly. I only signed my performance review on Friday. Oh the quickly moving arms of the modern corporation... always there for me with its big soft arms.
--------------
Sacrificial Wolfie

By Naomi Klein, The Nation. Posted April 28, 2007.

I am posting this in response by democritus to a Naomi Klein article calling into question the world Bank and its current leader Paul Wolfowitz.

Posted by: Democritus on alternet.org Apr 28, 2007 7:04 AM

Both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are the tools of unfettered capitalism. Wolfowitz's job, like McNamara's before him, was to make the World Bank an agent of global empire. Because of the "structural adjustments" and "conditionalities" of the World Bank and the IMF, developing countries are forced to submit to the forces of globalization--to the detriment of the people living in those countries and for the profit of the huge corporations that have the power to reward and to punish.

Anyone who is doubtful of the pernicious effects of these global money-lenders should read John Perkins' book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which lays out the international corporate skullduggery that organizations like the World Bank aid and abet. Naomi Klein is right. Wolfowitz and the World Bank are made for each other. Wolfowitz's indiscretions are but a microcosm of the organization that he leads.
-------------------
On Earth day I ended up at a commune called the MAPLE HILL COMMUNITY. I had a nice day getting back to my rural farming roots.

The community is very close to Cate Farm a 40-acre farm at Goddard College. I was at a Bambu Station concert at The Old Lantern in Char-Lot Vermont when Maggie Balanger showed up most unexpectedly and invited Maggie Schier and myself back for a place to stay. I awoke to a very orderly sleeping quarter in the midst of a working farm with chickens, calves, a gorgeous little girl named Ruby June, and lots of chores to do! Maggie B and I woke up early and went to get breakfast in the town center of plainfield... the town center had a comfortable feeling about it and the locals all looked very much like the back to the land set I grew up around in central maine. Im so glad I was able to help out in putting up the plastic shell around the greenhouse. Dave, Noah, and co. were fantastic to work with and taught me a thing or two about cutting giant swathes of anti-condensation treated plastic.
------
Bambu Station

Bambu Station is a roots reggae band from the Virgin Islands that was founded in 1996 by Jalani Horton. The Station's sole mission is to create and broadcast informative, positive and joyful music. Bambu Station has produced the dynamic albums of Iba, "Many Lives" and "Jah Lion (Children of the Nile)", the award-winning "Talkin' Roots - Volume I and II" compilations, the debut of Black Culture "Lion's Den Adversity" and it's own albums of "Congo Moon" the hypnotic and award-winning "One Day" and "Break The Soil."

night owl gene found. finally

A genetic mutation called the "after-hours gene" may explain why some people are night owls, it is revealed in Science journal today.

Owl
Do you have the night owl gene?

It could also hold clues for pharmacologists working to develop drugs to help people adjust to shift work or jet lag.

There are further implications for the study of causes of some psychiatric disorders.

The altered gene, named "after hours" or Afh, is a variant of a gene called Fbxl3, which had not been linked to the body clock that keeps our metabolism, digestion and sleep patterns in tune with the rising and setting of the sun.

By monitoring laboratory mice, scientists noticed that instead of following the typical 24-hour pattern some animals had body clocks that stretched to a 27-hour day.

It was then discovered that their DNA had the after-hours version of the Fbxl3 gene, one of a large family that controls the breakdown of specific proteins within body cells.

In other research, scientists have identified a part of the brain that affects how we deal with seasonal change.

The research will help our understanding of the causes and consequences of seasonal affective disorder and could also shed light on why we crave more food in winter.

Dr Gerald Lincoln, of Edinburgh University's Centre for Reproductive Biology, said: "Surprisingly, the circannual body clock works on a 10-month cycle.

"We reset our body calendar every summer, when increased light inhibits the production of melatonin. This could explain why sunshine makes us feel happier."

cigarettes and statistics

http://www.ryomagazine.com/

for a rather heated discussion on the following topics and so many more
rolling your own cigarettes
global warming
statistics
taxation
evolution

The people who create this publication have a style of sensible humor that will make you think twice about your preconceptions in the realms of law, health, and leisure.


here is an excerpt from the first page
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Now (again) along with showing our readers product, it was, even from its early beginnings, our intention to make tobacco enthusiasts aware of the politics of smoking in general. These "politics" could well be defined as both regulatory and health related and our main thrust in these areas has always been quality, moderation, and public activism. Seeking the truth about tobacco has been of primary concern. The economy of the method has never been our point. Cheap cigarettes and cheap tobacco carry baggage that when used as the sole reason for moving to A Detailed History of 14,000 Years TobaccoRYO/MYO, will ultimately destroy the "real" tobacco industry, and those who enjoy great tobacco will lose any reasonable access to it. And, as most know by now, our concern is for the often ill-defined differences between the "cigarette" industry and the "tobacco" industry. We have never encouraged readers to smoke and we have been highly aggressive in our belief that if one chooses to smoke, use the best tobacco you can buy and use it sparingly - like a good wine.

netflixx history

Fellini, Leone, and Kurasawa

Can't say as I will be watching fellini movies over and over on my days off. I did truly appreciate his output. I look forward to watching more Leone films... "once upon a time in the west" will for all time be one of my favorite movies. Kurasawa... to look at a frightening thing head-on is to defeat its ability to cause fear... thank you akira-san.

listen up kids... moms gonna learn you bout bein a liberal.