I have seen NONE of these movies, but I'm definitely a cult film. Think Rocky Horror...

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

In between jobs, I make another flyer



No time to talk about it. Later!

The FBI and CIA really aren't that into me

I was surprised and pleased to see recent e-mails to me from "Admin" at both the CIA and FBI declaring that I had been recorded as visting "illegal" websites. The e-mails had some sort of attachment that I was urged to open so that I could answer their questions.

Having done my research through the Center for Constitutional Rights, I know that no citizen can be forced to answer questions of the FBI or the CIA if they choose not to answer. With the long history of governmental interference in political activity, I know that the best thing to do is to refuse to answer while getting as much information from the government reps as possible (name, badge numbers, department, interest, etc.). So I stood up for democratic rights and refused to open the attachment as another giant leap for citizen activism. (Of course, I never open attachments, and neither should you, but the story sounds so much more "heroic" this way.)

Well, sure enough I find this little tidbit today:

--------

Fake FBI, CIA e-mails contain viruses

Nov 22 2:11 PM US/Eastern

The FBI warned Internet users about a scam involving e-mails appearing to come from the FBI, with a computer virus attached.

"These scam e-mails tell the recipients that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI and that they have accessed illegal websites," the law enforcement agency said in a statement.

"The e-mails then direct recipients to open an attachment and answer questions."

The FBI statement said recipients of this or similar messages "should know that the FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public in this manner."

The messages appear to be sent from an e-mail address such as mailAfbi.gov, postAfbi.gov, adminAfbi.gov or a similar address.

The Internet security firm Sophos said similar e-mails may appear to come from the Central Intelligence Agency, but it noted that both contain a strain of the Sober virus that has been spreading worldwide.

In a four-hour period Tuesday, the worm "has accounted for over 61 percent of all viruses reported to Sophos, making it currently the most prevalent virus spreading across the world."

-------

Well, I'm still claiming major kudos for my "activism through nonactivism". Maybe this will be the start of a new movement!

PMS

From the political to the personal. I just have to ask, WTF do I spend an entire weekend and two nights this week getting the house ready for an onslaught of the relatives for T-day? More to the point, why are they the one thing that motivates me to take care of crap that's been lying around for months? PMS stands for "Pre-Mother Syndrome" in my house. It is the frantic activity we go through in order to prepare the house for the upcoming visit of my mother.

For example:

1. I spent what seemed like hours shredding old, useless bills and financial records that had been gathering dust for months.

2. I bought three lamps to replace the three that have, for years, been limited to either: a. using a pliers to change the switch, or b. unplugging and plugging back in to turn the rusty old pile of shit on or off. What in the world is it that makes me accept this kind of crap up until the day a relative might enter my house and be burdened with the piece of shit?

3. We finally, through joint effort, cleared off the dining room table, thus allowing us to get up off our knees (when using the living room coffee table) to have a decent meal together.

I do respect my relatives and want them to have a relaxing time on T-Day. But why the hell don't I respect my own self and my family enough to fix these things so that we can enjoy them on an everyday basis?

I pride myself on being able to put up with junk that others cannot withstand. It is a benefit of my stressful upbringing. But that is so last century. There really is no reason why I need to continue to put up with useless crap. Just because it's a habit doesn't mean it has to continue.

And just in case I leave the wrong impression, my mother is a wonderful woman who could care less about these details. Nevertheless, it is her visits that provide the motivation for me to deal with all these petty issues that I've ignored for months on end.

Sheesh!

Private

Tonight I volunteered at the final event of the Arab Film Festival. The film finale was an amazing story called "Private" about a Palestinian family in occupied Palestine whose house is taken over by a unit of the Israeli army. Here's the blurb from Mizna's website:

Private (Palestine/Italy, 2004, 90 minutes)

Director: Saverio Costanzo

Synopsis: Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo's feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation when the Israeli army decides to seize their house for use as a strategic look-out point, confining the family to a few rooms in daytime and a single room at night. Mohammad refuses to leave his home and, reinforced by his principles against violence, decides to find a way to keep his family together in the house until the Israeli soldiers move on. Living in a state of constant confrontation and fear fragments the family's relationships as every member reacts in different ways to the soldiers' presence in the house. Tensions between the family members and the soldiers nearly reach the breaking point just as the troops are ordered to move to a new post. The family's relief is short-lived, however, as a new group of soldiers moves into the house and the cycle of disruption and occupation continues. In English, Arabic, and Hebrew with English subtitles.

If you have any chance at all to see this film, I urge you to do so. I have more to say, but I'm dead tired. Later, gater.

Intelligent Design

K Marx the Spot points out an interesting irony in the Bush Administration's philosophy:

When President Bush and his political supporters confront a huge amount of evidence that shows that evolution is the process that created intelligent life, they remark that an Intelligent Designer was probably responsible.

Yet when low-level military personnel are caught brutalizing prisoners, not just at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, but also at Guantanamo Bay and in Afghanistan, these same proponents of Intelligent Design claim that there was no policy allowing such practices.

Indeed, by their logic, these brutal practices evolved out of nowhere, independently, at facilities around the world. No Intelligent Design behind those practices at all.

More stuff

Why you should continue to date me a series of charts and graphs by Joel A. Friesen. Pretty cute. Link found via Presurfer

You are a Social Liberal (88% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (16% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

English Genius You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 100% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go! Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender : You scored higher than 49% on Beginner You scored higher than 30% on Intermediate You scored higher than 63% on Advanced You scored higher than 94% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Quoting the comedienne Susan Vasss, "I can be the smart one working at 7-11."

You Should Get a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)

You're a blooming artistic talent, even if you aren't quite convinced. You'd make an incredible artist, photographer, or film maker.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Test found via Presurfer

Celebrity Slut event

Back at my old hang out on the web I used to post any sitings of celebrities I encountered and called myself a "celebrity slut" for thinking how hot I was for meeting somebody famous (long story, not worth repeating). I figure there's no reason to end that tradition now that I have my own blog.

Last Friday I got to meet Cheech Marin who was in town to help out a Chicano artist who had won a commission for art in a downtown building. I introduced myself and thanked him for his work on the Chicano Visions and Chicano Now projects. As a typesetter, I got to work on some of the promotional materials for the two exhibits and was able to attend both shows. I told him how happy I had been to contribute and how much I learned from the experience.

He was wonderfully gracious, thanked me for my work and for introducing myself. Pretty cool, eh?

If you get a chance to see the Chicano exhibits, take the opportunity. It is beautiful and fascinating work. Here is Marin's statement on Chicano art from the website:

The CHICANO School of Painting
Statement by Cheech Marin

From its earliest roots in the grape fields of Delano, California - where Carlos Almaraz painted signs for the United Farm Workers - to the GRONK retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the CHICANO School of Painting has always been about reinterpreting a culture. That culture has been shown to be diverse yet unified, profane and spiritual, traditional and avant-garde whether through the autobiographical paintings of Carmen Lomas Garza, that depict her South Texas childhood, or the deeply psychological, urban-hones paintings of Patssi Valdez. While other "schools" of painting have been defined overwhelmingly by stylistic concerns, the CHICANO School combines stylistic innovation with elements of tradition. The blending of Mexican popular and religious iconography with modern images of urban angst reflects the continually evolving role of Mexican Americans, or Chicanos, within the larger American society. This mix of sophistication and naiveté, combined with a socio-political overlay, has produced a uniquely American school of painting based on CHICANO content that is at the same time universal in its aesthetics of the human condition.

Neighborhood Group Night

Tonight I spent an hour and a half attending my neighborhood group's annual meeting. I have a love/hate relationship with my neighborhood group. To a large extent, they appear to be a bunch of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) assholes who don't have anything better to do than to come up with regulations about how other people ought to live. On the other hand, I believe that building a strong community is important and that the capitalist system does everything in its power to keep us from organizing amongst ourselves. Because of that, almost any community organizating is a net positive in a world that discourages community and prizes individualism above all.

So, anyway, I went to my neighborhood group's annual meeting tonight and it was chock full of in-group language and multiple assumptions that discourage participation from anyone not familiar with the lingo. There were extensive discussions about NRP Round II. There was talk about the "Foundry" issue. There was a proposal to fund the staff without ever introducing staff members or indicating what they do for the community.

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhh!

And they wonder why nobody feels inspired to join in their organization. Well, du-uh!

Battle For New Orleans

Glen Ford and Peter Gamble at Black Commentator have an excellent article calling for collective action to save New Orleans from the plans of "disaster capitalists" and their friends at Halliburton.

The Battle for New Orleans will require lawyers, researchers, city planners, architects, social scientists, psychologists, financiers, educators, pension fund managers, liberation theologians, culture workers, athletes, medical practitioners, criminal justice experts, chefs, t-shirt designers, micro- and macro-organizers, as solid a front of Black politicians as can be assembled - and hundreds of thousands of foot soldiers in struggle.

A vision of the new New Orleans is also required- a full-blown counter-vision to the condo-studded "theme park" corporate blueprint, one that will inspire both those displaced from the city and the African American movement at-large.

The article also includes The New Orleans Citizens Bill of Rights which includes the Right of Return (sound familiar) for the displaced citizens of New Orleans.

Go. Read. It's Good!

My first "mature" rated quiz

I think this is hilarious!


You are a Grassroots Activist. Anti-capitalist,
anti-patrist, anti-authoritarian, whatever,
you're just fuckin' anti. You probably tell
people you hate postmodernism, but that
assertion elides the complex interdependencies
among academic poststructuralism and
street-level activism. You don't bathe
regularly, and know at least one person who has
scabbies.


What kind of postmodernist are you!?
brought to you by Quizilla

Mr. Angry and Mrs. Calm

Check out this interesting image.

If you are near to this picture, Mr Angry is on the left and Mrs Calm is on the right. If you view it from a distance, they switch places!

found via Presurfer

800 attend vigil in Twin Cities

The top two photos are from the Minnesota Daily. The third photo is from the Minneapolis StarTribune.







Article from the Minnesota Daily

October 27, 2005

Vigil honors lives lost in Iraq

By JP Leider

EVENT MARKS 2,000 KNOWN U.S. MILITARY DEATHS IN IRAQ WAR

Armed with signs, candlelight and feelings of outrage and sorrow, hundreds gathered at the Lake Street Bridge on Wednesday to protest the Iraq war and recognize the war's 2,000 American military deaths.

Attendees gathered to mourn both American and Iraqi casualties, said Marie Braun, the event's organizer.

"This is a vigil you never want to have," she said. "But it's important for people to have an opportunity to grieve publicly."

"You mark certain events by a special protest, and this is one of them," Braun said.

At last count, 2,001 members of the American military have died in the Iraq war. More than 70 percent of those were younger than 30.

In addition to the Lake Street Bridge vigil, opponents to the Iraq war have had other vigils and protests.

This week marks the anniversary of a report released by the British medical journal The Lancet that estimated at least 100,000 Iraqi citizens had died since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

This week, in 100 cities around the United States, protesters are ringing bells and calling the names of the Iraqi dead to bring attention to the "terrible toll" Iraqi citizens are paying, said Sarah Standefer, a member of the anti-war group Women Against Military Madness.

One of the last in this series of protests, titled "For Whom the Bells Toll," will be at noon Friday at the military recruiting office on Washington Avenue, she said.

A small group of citizens demonstrate at the center every Friday, she said, to discourage military recruiting.

"Recruiting is down, but we want to make sure it goes down even further," Standefer said.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a military spokesman in Iraq, called on major newspapers not to sensationalize the 2,000th military death, which he described not as a milestone, but "an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

Nathan Paulsen, political science senior and officer in the student Anti-War Organizing League, said he wasn't surprised that the Pentagon wanted to downplay the incident.

"The Pentagon learned lessons from the Vietnam experience," he said. "It has done everything in its power to keep the American public in the dark about what's actually happening in Iraq."

Paulsen said it is "outrageous" that so many young Americans have been killed in Iraq since the war began.

"To me the outrage is that Americans are dying in Iraq every single day in an unjust and illegal war," he said. "That's what's sensational."

Karen Poortvliet, an organizer of a smaller, sister vigil Wednesday evening, said that 2,000 fatalities are worth recognizing because people can identify with the number.

"It's an intentional marking of a milestone," she said. "If we had time to do this in our lives every night, we probably should."

The 2,000 deaths in the Iraq war might increase turnout in the college and high school walkout that's planned for Nov. 2, said league officer Chris Basset.

High school and college students plan to walk out of school at noon Wednesday and meet at Coffman Union, where they'll hear speeches on military policy and the Iraq war, he said.

Basset said one of the major components of the walkout is protesting military recruiting in high school.

After students hear speakers, protesters will march to the military recruitment office on Washington Avenue Southeast.

Basset said the event will end with protesters joining the College Democrats and College Republicans and signing posters supporting the troops abroad.

University students interested in participating in the walkout Nov. 2 should talk with their professors first, said Craig Swan, vice provost for Undergraduate Education.

The University endorses the right of students and faculty to express political views, but recognizes both have obligations, Swan said.

If a student walks out and misses a test, the student doesn't have any automatic recourse, he said.

First-year student Kaisa Kerrigan said she thinks the walkout is important enough to miss one class.

"I don't like Bush and don't think he should have been elected," she said.

At the same time, Kerrigan said, she doesn't think teachers should be obligated to accommodate students who skip class for the event.

History junior Grant Grays said he's not going to participate because he said a "bunch of kids leaving class is not going to sway political decisions."

"Am I against the war? Yes. But they're putting their energies to waste."

Matt Graham and Nina Petersen-Perlman contributed to this article.

2000

It is official. 2000 Americans have died in the War against Iraq. Of course, many more human beings have died, including Iraqis, Americans and others who have died as a direct result of the war, but they don't count in the official (i.e. trumped up) reports from the Pentagon.

Please take the time to join in one of the 400 plus demonstrations being held to demand an end to the killing:



The American Friends Services Committee website allows you to enter your zip code to find the event near you.

From the website:

There are currently 420 events planned in 49 states and counting...

On Wednesday, October 26, people will gather in communities across the U.S. to mark the death of the 2,000th reported U.S. military death in Iraq and to say that the country's pro-peace majority wants Congress to stop the deaths by stopping the dollars that are funding the war.

About "Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar."

We have now reached yet another horrific milestone in the war in Iraq--the death of the 2,000th U.S. service member. AFSC, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War are calling for people across the U.S. to stand up on Wednesday, October 26 and say that the needless killing of U.S. troops and Iraqis must stop and that the resources funding this war are needed for other things.

Events to mark the 2,000th reported U.S. military death will range from candlelight vigils to public actions that illustrate the size of the death toll. Here in our "Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar." campaign center, you will find supporting materials and suggestions for designing an event that meets the needs of your community.

The Iraq War has already committed us to aiding a generation of veterans and their families and to rebuilding Iraq.

We need to meet these just obligations and stop the funding for further destruction so that our resources can be used to strengthen our communities and help those in need.

We’re asking that you think along these two lines:

Public actions at congressional offices, federal buildings and other appropriate spaces with 2,000 representations of the lives lost.

This could be 2,000 candles, 2,000 gold stars, or 2,000 placards with the name, rank, age and home state of each casualty with a photo of a pair of boots. We also ask that you find ways to recognize the tens of thousands Iraqi deaths. (Boot placards, star patterns, signs, and other materials are available in the resources section.)

Sign the call to Congress to end funding for the war and work with other organizers in your state to carry the message to your legislators in the month after the 2,000th reported death of a U.S. servicemember. (Further legislative information will be forthcoming.)

From AFSC

The American Friends Service Committee believes that there is no military solution to the Iraq war. Continued fighting and occupation promises only further deaths and injuries, more widows and orphans, more separated families.

The U.S. is spending over $5.6 billion a month to fight this war—over $200 billion total to date.  The devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the hard truths it brought home about who does and doesn’t have access to the American Dream tells us all how desperately these resources are needed in other areas.

The U.S. Constitution gives the Congress financial oversight.  The time has come for our elected representatives to listen to the country’s pro-peace majority and end funding for this war. 

The Iraq War has already committed us to aiding a generation of veterans and their families and to rebuilding Iraq.  We need to meet these just obligations and stop the funding for further destruction so that our resources can be used to strengthen our communities and help those in need.

Working solutions for Iraq will be political solutions.  Diplomacy and dialogue in close cooperation with the Iraqi government and broad sectors of Iraqi society are the way forward to peace and to rebuilding the U.S.’s strained relationship with the international community.

Working together, we will end this war.

I'll never be a good capitalist this way

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Link via Pinko Feminist Hellcat

Antiwar Signs

I just set up a new account with antiwar signs. These signs are free to all to download and can be used in the upcoming protests against the 2000th official American death in Iraq. See American Friends Service Committee (the Quakers) for more information about these events. In the Twin Cities, check out the Antiwar Committee website for the date. Here's the info from their site:

Candlelight Vigil: Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar.

When U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 2,000 @ 7pm @ Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge between Mpls and St. Paul - Date to be Announced

Soon we will be reaching another horrific milestone in the war in Iraq — the death of the 2000th U.S. service member. On the day after the 2,000th reported U.S. military casualty, people will gather in communities across the U.S. to show that the country's pro-peace/anti-war majority wants Congress to stop the killing in Iraq by cutting off funding for the war. Since we won't know the exact date that the 2000th casualty will occur, this will be an emergency call, representatives of local groups, including the AWC, will set the actual date for the vigil, depending on casualty reports from Iraq. Click here for flyer to help get the word out.

For the signs, I followed the advice of Eli from Left i on the news (scroll down to the entry titled "2,000 American Dead". I made the signs big, bold and easy to read for those fast-paced pedestrians, bikers and drivers going past your demo!

Here are the signs, set up for 11x14 signs at full size:





















These signs are all for use in anti-war actions. Originally created for the Iraq Peace Action Coalition in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This image is available free to anyone who can use it! If you do use it, I’d love to hear about how it was used. A picture with the sign in use ato fruitbatmn (at) yahoo (dot) com would be greatly appreciated! It’s fun to see how far these signs travel!

Take the What Fruit Are You? test by Ellen!

Straight up

Almost 20 years ago, Ravenhub worked in the office of a small political group concerned with the situation in Central America. In the morning mail, he got a letter typed on the letterhead of a local organization that viciously attacked the group he worked for. The man who "signed" the letter happened by that very day and Ravenhub asked him if he wanted to talk about the letter and his concerns.

Turns out, of course, that the letter was a fake. Someone had gotten hold of the organization's letterhead and decided to stir up a little trouble. The strategy fell through for one simple reason: the person being attacked decided to talk directly to the person who was doing the attacking. Whoever perpetrated the hoax hoped that wouldn't happen. He/she had hoped that Ravenhub would get pissed and refuse to speak to the "source" of the letter from that point on.

Which brings me to today's post. Today I found out that an e-mail I sent was misinterpreted in a way that was detrimental to me. But instead of talking to me, the people who were bothered by my e-mail acted behind my back to address their concerns. Fortunately, for me, one of the people involved decided to talk to me directly. Which is the only way I learned about the discussions about an e-mail that I wrote.

This is just one of the many ways in which the capitalist system ends up screwing itself. I recognize the corporate protocol in this situation and I'm relatively sure everything will turn out all right for me in the end. But the fact is that the system as it is set up greatly discourages people from reaching an honest and effective solution to everyday problems. It encourages people to talk behind the backs of other people who sit only a few feet away from them. It is a sad, sad commentary on our way of life and a damn silly waste of time.

In my particular line of work, these games mean nothing at all. No lives were deeply impacted by this misunderstanding. Nobody's livelihood is threatened; not even mine. But what a moronic way to interact in this day and age.

I do hope that people have the good sense to rise above this kind of behavior. When they don't, I am not surprised. Just sad at all the waste....

All about books

Today I have been immersed in books in one way or the other.

At 10 a.m., Ravenhub dropped me off at the local Community College to attend the Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival. I was there from 10 am through 2 pm visiting booths set up by any number of organizations and enterprises concerned with books. I again met Hans from Micawber's Books in St. Paul. We first met at a reading at Macalester College.

I purchased a new book from the University of Minnesota Press about railroads in Minneapolis for Ravenhub.

I listened to several letterpress printers talk about their art and picked up a book of poetry that was about typesetting from Paulette Myers-Rich that is delightful.

I heard Ana Castillo read from her new book.

After that, I did my regular Saturday shift at the bookstore and sold a few books to the few customers that showed up.

All in all, a delightful book-filled day.