i_rabbit

40 feels really fsck -n’ good -yay!

~ mmm

Make up your own mind…

“This is the best damn 9-11 documentary out there.” -Dave vonKleist

Here is a brief synopsis of the results, as reported by CommonDreams, in alphabetical order:

1. BP - In 2001, a maintenance worker at the facility died after falling into a tank that had been shut down. Nationwide, BP’s facilities have had more than 3,565 accidents since 1990, ranking first in the nation, according to a 2004 report by the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG).
2. Delphi - In its bankruptcy filings, the company stated that three problems are driving down revenues: the wages and benefits guaranteed under existing union contracts, declining sales from GM, Delphi’s main buyer, and rising commodity prices. Through bankruptcy, it sought to address only the first issue — that is, to attack the living standards of its workers.
3. Dupont - “What’s the appropriate fine for a $25 billion company that for decades hid vital health information about a toxic chemical that now contaminates every man, woman and child in the United States?” asked EWG President Ken Cook. “What’s the proper dollar penalty for a pollutant that will never break down, and now finds its way into polar bears in the Arctic and human babies in their mothers’ wombs? We’re pretty sure it’s not $16 million, even if that is a record amount under a federal law that everyone acknowledges is extremely weak.”
4. ExxonMobil - It hasn’t hurt ExxonMobil to have a (failed) oilman and the former head of Halliburton, an oil services company, as president and vice president of the richest, most powerful and biggest greenhouse-gas-emitting country, the United States. The company was not without influence during the Clinton administration, but has been able to gain complete access and shape policy during the Bush era, in ways large and small.
5. Ford - It turns out that over a period of years, Ford Motor Company dumped millions of gallons of paint sludge into a now-residential area of northern New Jersey.
6. Halliburton - The company has effectively made a business model of crooked dealings with the U.S. government. Getting caught, over and over, doesn’t seem to affect things much.
7. KPMG - The Attorney General of the United States said that KPMG “has admitted to criminal wrongdoing in the largest-ever tax shelter fraud.”
8. Roche - Roche “fully intends to remain the sole manufacturer of Tamiflu,’’ company spokesperson Terry Hurley told reporters. That has provided a windfall for Roche. 2005 sales of Tamiflu are expected to top $1 billion.
9. Suez - Suez has been a leading purveyor and beneficiary of the global trend of water privatization — the selling off of public water systems to private entities, or the turning over of control and management of public systems to corporations such as Suez.
10. W.R. Grace - What does it take to get federal prosecutors to indict an asbestos company for endangering the health of the community?

“All forms of materialism are a slow and deliberate diminution of man’s stature.” ~ Colin Wilson

My first exposure to Colin Wilson was reading The Outsider (not to be confused with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton) as an assigned book in high school. It resonated with me as I was pretty much the ‘lone wolf’ then, and now. Then twenty years later I stumbled upon him again reading the The Space Vampires, which was also filmed in 1985 as the movie Lifeforce, under which name it has also been reprinted. I somehow didn’t make the connection then that it was the same Colin Wilson as I am terrible at remembering names of authors. Recently I have been reading a lot of work around the psychology, cognitive science, and existentialism, mostly because I don’t agree with much of existentialist philosophy, and I see it embraced time and time again as a rationalized excuse to under perform as beings. This kind of ‘back burner’ research led me to Wilson again via his Essay on the ‘New’ Existentialism. Wilson, by his own admission, makes the same point over and over again in all his books.

The human mind tricks itself into under performance.  Humans too easily fall prey to unnecessary defeatism.  Certain kinds of experience trigger our full capabilities, e.g., on receiving surprise good news we get a sudden surge of enthusiasm, optimism and meaning.  When we are threatened, we suddenly spark into action.

Now, once again, Wilson’s words have resonated with my own experience as I was able to relate this idea to my own life course over the past few years and how it took a ‘threatening event’ to spark me into the action of turning my life around.

I feel that this has been a very natural, almost intuitive, attraction to his work and ideas that are echoed in an essay/interview between Wilson and Jeffrey Mishlove Ph.D. That I came across on google yesterday. Particularly the following dialog regarding the possibility of ’something greater’ working in our lives.

MISHLOVE: It’s as if, if we are willing to acknowledge the possibility of something greater, we open ourselves up to it, and we can experience that.

WILSON: I think it’s more than simply acknowledging the possibility of something greater. I think that we recognize that in our own depths we possess enormous reserves of strength of which we are normally totally unaware. This is what fascinates me. This is obviously what happened to the romantics. They just had these bubbling experiences of power coming up from their own depths, and were startled by this. And what’s more interesting, I’ve noticed again and again when you experience a sense of power coming from your own depths, you are likely to feel that in some way it’s coming from the external universe, because it so transforms the universe — like Van Gogh’s vision of the starry night, with all the stars turning into great whirlpools of force and the trees looking as if they’re flames rising toward the sky — it so transforms it that it appears to be an external vision.

This is how my life feels these days. it is tapping into that energy that exists within each and every one of us, unlimited human potential, that often manifests as though it were an outside force or coincidence. Jung calls it synchronicity. In Sanskrit it is Atman; the ’soul’ or underlying metaphysical self. In Buddhism, the concept of Atman is the prime consequence of ignorance, – itself the cause of all misery - the foundation of Samsara itself.

Now, twenty-two years after reading The Outsider, I am finding new meaning and inspiration from the work of Colin Wilson and seeing that there it is possible for existentialism and Dharma to coincide. I am also finding Wilson’s “Spider World” trilogy great fuel for the D&D campaign I run for my children!

I discovered Google Earth today.

. . . w o w . . .

I’m really kinda speechless about it.

For instance, I live at precisely 47°31′53.37″ N 122°21′15.80 W elev 367 ft. and I can almost see the shadow of the dog in the back yard…

After locating my house I quickly, within 5 minutes, found my work, girlfriend, and mother’s house and marked them with a thumbtack icon so i can find them from outer space.

Now to plan my next vacation :)

PS - Dad, you *have* to check this out!

I haven’t posted much lately. I’ve been mostly good. Getting over a stubborn sinus thing. In fact, I realized today, around 2pm, that it was the first day in a month or so that I haven’t taken any meds to breathe easier.

Ahhhhh… feels good.

I have also been really busy putting finishing touches on the house so I can have a party for my 40th birthday. Been thinking about that one a lot, and contemplative in general about recent goings on in my world, but mostly I have been trying to save face…

THE “FACE IS EVERYTHING” GUIDE TO THE INTERNET by [name obfuscated to protect the innocent]

never post yr phone number. ever. ever-ever-ever. don’t even pm it to ppl, but if u MUST, make sure to say that they should never ever post it publicly.never post ur full name! go by nickname if possible

never post how much u paid for ANYTHING. u may post wut u bought, but u should never reveal how much it cost u. this works really well when u post something that is seemingly really, really expensive. also, if someone insists on asking, u should say “don’t worry about it” or “u can’t afford it” or ” it was free. don’t ask how, tho; i can’t hook u up.”

never post where u work, work address, work email, work phone #, salary, work ANYTHING

never, EVER, EVER-EVER-EVER post good news before it’s actually happened. for example, never post that ur in the running for “best dressed white girl in osh-kosh b’gosh county.” if u do, never make updates on its progress. u should only post something if it’s already a done deal. this goes for similar things like big purchases, school applications, job searches, possible vacations , and so on.

never post about ur (fucked up) family, family name, member’s names, anything family related

if ur visiting a city, NEVER post it about it publicly. if u do, do not be corny and say “attn: [city] name” or “i’m going to be inside u.” contact everyone privately.

ideally, no one should know that u visited until MONTHS later, when u casually mention it in passing. remember how darth vader did a surprise inspection of the death star in star wars? that’s how it should be. like a secret, unofficial state dignitary visit.

better yet, u should not tell anyone at all. u should just go, do yr thing, then leave, never to say anything about it for all eternity.

never tell anyone details on yr dating situtation lest u want to be judged like a two-bit toothless ho on jerry springer. as far as everyone is concerned, ur a eunuch or a nun. or both.

also, never admit that ur bisexual or gay (not that either of us are, btw; no homo).

never post about how much your parents make or whut they do for a living unless you’re poor then u get extra face points

never publicly engage yr friend in a cyber-quarrel, esp if ur of the same race, ethnicity, or (foreign) nationality, and esp if u know each other in person. if u find fault in something he or she has said, then u must engage him/her via private means, as in PM, email, or aim. publicly, it should appear as if u form one united front.

additionally, when a friend insults someone who is not yr friend, u are required to post a “hahaha” at the MINIMUM.

if ur a girl, never post yr height and weight. either no one will believe u or everyone will just think ur fat. in both cases, ppl will just think ur starved for attention.

if someone posts something u don’t like, and ur already talking to someone or a bunch of others, feel free to ignore that person. he/she will be left to refresh the thread looking for response, in great frustration.

also, if u happen to be in a planning thread, and someone who isn’t involved makes a comment, ignore him/her. bonus face points if u pm ppl and tell them to ignore that person, as well.

actual friends and e-friends should be kept ENTIRELY separate, unless u enjoy worlds colliding or being chided for having internet friends. if u happen to be caught w/ yr e-friends by yr actual friends, u will explain that u met those ppl at compusa or best buy. moreover, u will refer to yr non-internet friends as yr REAL friends, as opposed to e-friends, who don’t really exist as far as the outside non-e-world is concerned.

never live w/ someone from the internet. this is a HUGE no-no, and there are very few exceptions. if u do, u must procure:

a) a credit check (at yr expense); b) proof of income or assets; and c) a security deposit.

if u are subletting or sub-leasing long-term, make sure to get ALL the money up front, including that for all the bills. otherwise, draw up a contract and have it notarized. standards forms for most states are available on the web. keep yr door locked at all times. ideally, yr internet roomie should have no idea what yr room looks like, AT ALL.

don’t ever talk about how broke u are or how u can’t afford to pay ur bill(s) bc u too dumb to manage money and don’t ask ppl to paypal u money!!!

if ur asian, and u see a post about the american release of an asian movie, make sure to mention that u already saw it at least 2 years ago, and that youve owned the dvd for at least 6 months. it doesn’t matter when the actual movie was produced. nine times out of ten, if ur a proper asian, you’ll have already seen all the right asian movies to see, anyway. if anyone asks where to cop the dvd, make sure to send them on a wild goose chase or say that u forgot.

don’t dj don’t be a dj don’t even post the word on the internet

matter fact, if ur a dj (don’t answer this, btw; that’s a no-no) just throw away yr decks right now.

also, if ur planning an event, don’t BEG ppl to go relentlessly. they’ll think it’s really lame. be all “yeah, come if u want. ppl are gonna be there regardless…” and if ppl ask who’s gonna be there, say “errybody.” if they ask what it’s like, tell them “you’re just gonna have to see.”

after having an e-gathering, don’t be the one to post 239712794764 pictures of the party in a thread bc the ppl who were there will hate u for posting it and the ppl who weren’t there will hate u for posting it. also, the official computer party historian is secretly thought of as the biggest nerd for taking tons of pics as if he/she were trying to preserve such precious memories. if ur at the party, try not to be in any pictures.

and if u dating someone from the internet don’t tell ur irl friends how/where u guys met and don’t let ppl online know period. mb after u guys break up then mb it’s ok to mention it. no threads should be made specifically about the relationship tho, or it’ll blow up in ur face man and hall of shame4u.

also, never talk about yr actual friends on the internet (and vice-versa, for good measure). if u do talk about them, do not mention names. and never, ever, ever-ever-ever post pictures of u partying w/ them. the only case where this rule may be broken is if ur posting pics of yrself from at least 5 yrs ago and u looked radically different.

don’t make ur thread title start w/a line from an aim chat and then have a huge 50ft chunk of an aimchat u had w/ur lover/mom/sister/tectetce. for the body. at least edit it or break it up to the funny parts so ppl don’t have to drudge thru the crap.

if someone is constantly trying to argue w/ u, do not try and avoid it, deflect it, or play it off. never cop pleas and try to resolve things too early (if at all); that is for the weak-minded and passive, both online and off.

if ur a girl, u must never make yr femininity yr main appeal to other users on the internet. it is taken as a lack of intelligence, wit, and/or cleverness when u act like a cyber-ho in order to gain attention. at best, ppl will run a train on u when u visit their city. if u are in fact very dimwitted and cannot help it, do not do this during the daytime anytime between the hours of 9-5 or so, unless u feel u have a penchant for being ridiculed.

additionally, female users will never reply to sex threads. if they do, it should only be to make a joke or to lampoon those who already have by calling them “fucking sluts” or “trampycakes”. even if u are mentioned in such a thread, and a discussion brews in which ppl conjecture about yr sexual practices, u will still avoid replying. ideally, u should never talk about yr sexual history, unless sharing an anecdote, and even then, little if any detail info should be shared. ideally, u would never have clicked on a sex [poll/questionnaire] thread, anyway.

users will also be required to refer to messageboard/chatting/listserving/waleva-waleva as “the game.” “the messageboard game” “the game done changed; lotta new jacks tryna do the come up quick style.” this also gives rise to a new messageboard e-parlance:

deleting oneself: leaving the game new to the game: new user, or just haplessly stupid old user true to the game: seasoned veteran and so on.

also, try not to show yr emotions (if any) unless ur completely conscious of it. remember james bond in a view to a kill when he bet on max zorin’s horse? he knew that horse would win the race since it was drugged. what did he do? he didn’t cheer for it or even scream when it won. no one even knew he had bet on it until he told some butler type, “jeeves, will u cash this in for me?” then he just walked away w/ a smirk on his face.