Blog movement:
It's been a while, but several of my 'neighborhood' blogs have undergone some changes. Ace blogger wKen has apparently burnt out and gone into hiding. He claims that he's anonymously out there, probably writing about whenanhowhe doesit. I shall miss his orgasms. - No wait. That doesn't sound right.
Also MIA is Phil Ackley, an award winning photographer from Alaska. Phil's site, which was influential in the design of this site, is still standing but hasn't changed for more than a month. Phil, I hope everything is ok. Maybe Alaskans hibernate.
London photographer, Julius Welby is back from vacation and blogging away, and in a totally unexpected and cool move Taz, the Culture without Cult dude is back and better than ever. I'm looking forward to some exciting photography and soul touching poetry from these two.
Also Debbie, from Camera Lucida, leaves this weekend for Thailand where she will take the most wonderful pictures with her 645 camera. She'll write about it on her other blog.
Have fun D, and safe travels!
War news:
As far as this blog is concerned, I have been trying to Ignore the War, however, since it impinges so sharply on Truth and Beauty (having neither) I'm sure to have a comment from time to time. NPR's BBC hour ran a piece tonight comparing CNN and Al Jazzera. The perceived value of each news outlet was dependant on the culture that the evaluator came from.
News outlets, those two included, share the same responsibility of reporting information they gleen. I understand that an organization within a country at war may wish to control the news to favor their side. This should be expected and taken into account when listening. Studying the nature of logic, propaganda, argument techniques and tricks, and learning about lying with statistics will help you to interpret war news.
It's easier to Ignore the War, but if you need to listen, use as many truth finding tools as you can muster.
Another Reuters report says that echinacea preparations vary widely. That is exactly what herbalist Evo Terra said back in December.
Reuters Health Line reports that a red hair gene may also suppress pain in women. Now wait a minute! Wasn't there another report a few months ago that said red-heads were more susceptible to pain? I guess just men.
How unfair is that?
Last Wednesday, I spent the day lost in LA (Hey - it was Spring break!) About two in the afternoon, heading south, into a 3D intersection at Fourth and Flower, I saw something odd, but I had just run out of 'card' on my camera. Here is an artists (ok, mine) rendering of the scene:
Two darkly painted Chinook helicopters flew from east to west at high speed at an altitude below the tops of most of the larger buildings. They banked gracefully through several turns before disappearing behind buildings. Maybe this is a common occurance in LA, but it seemed strange to me.
Today is the first day I've heard any war news, and it sounded a lot like Viet Nam: the town folk are friendly during the day and come out shooting at night. Well President Bush didn't sound too sad when he talked about his expectation the war will last a long time.
Bush called it a war too - not an action or some other weasel word. Did Congress declare war and I missed it?
Here's an antidote, and it don't get any sweeter:
Niek & Halley
They'll always have ... Amsterdam.
