philly

Sweet Flash Art

Some sweet Flash artpiece called The ZoomQuilt has entertained me for the past few minutes.

If you click and move the mouse a little up/down and hold it there, it'll zoom continuously instead of bit by bit.

Saw it first here at The Admiral's Plums and what that means, I have NO idea.

Chuck's Stance on the Issues

They can be found fully here, but here are a few that are the most important to me for one reason or another:

Education: Chuck believes that education is the primary means of ensuring opportunity for every American. When our education system fails to live up to its potential, it comes at a very high cost, in terms of resources, opportunities, and democracy. Education must be strengthened at all levels. Funding for early childhood education programs like Head Start must be increased, as investment programs such as this provide the foundation for all education.

No Child Left Behind has crippled school districts and students with federal regulations, and saddled them with "one-size-fits-all" standards that don’t fit all. Accountability is important, and Chuck supports holding schools, teachers and students accountable for their performance. But we cannot be so foolish as to hold a poor school district without the resources to handle non-traditional or special needs students to the same standards as a wealthy district, without providing the resources to poor districts to meet the standards. Standards without appropriate resources widen, rather than lessen the achievement gap. No Child Left Behind is bad policy to begin with; by their refusal to fully fund it, the Bush Administration has only intensified the negative impacts of the legislation.

Every qualified student who desires higher education, whether in a college or a trade school setting, should have access to it. The Bush administration’s attacks on Pell grants and Perkins loans programs have stolen the dream of upward advancement from millions of young Americans. Chuck will demand that funding for these high-return programs be increased.

We must use our education funding wisely, and dedicate it to improving our schools. Voucher programs take needed money out of the schools that need it the most, and give it to well-heeled public, private, and parochial schools. Vouchers are an attempt to avoid the problem of failing schools. We must take the initiative and fix the problem instead.
* * * * * Environment: Protecting and maintaining our environment must be a priority; a clean and unpolluted America is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. Environmental protection is an American value, a value that not only makes our nation cleaner and healthier, but also creates new jobs and economic opportunity. There are many who attempt to paint environmental concern and conservation as anti-business; this is fundamentally false. Chuck knows that as we develop cleaner, "greener" industries and energy sources, a world of new economic opportunities will follow. Chuck will work to promote environmentally friendly industries and energy sources.

The Bush Administration and Rick Santorum (R-VA) often stand against positive environmental policy; Orwellian proposals like “Healthy Forests” and "Clean Skies" have allowed clear cutting and increased air pollution in exchange for economic benefit for their elitist donors in the timber, fossil fuels and manufacturing industries. Chuck believes that environmental protection should come before the bottom-line of Senator Santorum’s campaign donors.

The push to exploit the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) for oil is wrongheaded and shortsighted. The oil it would provide, as a percentage of our needs, is negligible, while the damage it would cause to one of the world’s great untouched wildernesses is substantial and permanent. The tradeoff does not make sense, and the benefits are not worth the costs.
* * * * * Equal Rights for Families - GLBT: For too long we have been separated and divided by artificial lines of race, religion, class, gender and sexual orientation. The politics of division is a troubling proposition for a country founded upon the creed, "all men are created equal."

The issue of equal rights is fundamental for all Americans. Since women’s suffrage and the end of racial segregation we have prided ourselves on our concepts of freedom and liberty. "Congressman John Lewis, who was beaten unconscious in Alabama while marching for equal rights said, I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color to not stand up for discrimination based on sexual orientation."

When Americans struggle against the natural tide of equal rights for all Americans, they are defending a history of discrimination that has persisted since the birth of our nation. Similarly, when the radical right attempts to write bigotry into our U.S. Constitution they reflect that same dark impulse to deny equality to a class of citizens.

The gay community has been exempted from the concept of equal justice under law by a system of apartheid that creates two classes of citizens based on sexual orientation. Every American who works hard, pays taxes, and plays by the rules deserves the same benefits and protections the rest of us are afforded. The right to visit a loved one in the hospital and peace of mind that comes with shared tax, health, and inheritance benefits are rights all Americans should enjoy, regardless of sexual orientation.

Same gender unions in no way pose a credible threat to the sanctity of marriage. The national divorce rate is 49%, and the only place where same gender marriage is legal, Massachusetts, has the lowest divorce rate in the country. Also, Vermont’s civil union law has been a particular success, and a boost for that state’s economy.

The issue of equal rights extends beyond Republican attempts to divide us on the single question of gay marriage. As a moral authority in the world, our country must take the lead on curing the scourge of global AIDS. We must also participate in a rational discussion to determine appropriate responses to hate crimes at the state and federal levels. Ensuring a freedom from fear of prejudice is a goal that should unite us; creating an artificial fear of our neighbors is a Republican tool used to divide us.

And there are many more on his site. It's an easy way to get to know a little more about Chuck.

Manual Focusing

I met Tony at the Philly Bloggers Meetup a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised that he is the proud owner of a fully manual Leica M4 35mm camera among other great 35mm cameras. You can see his work here.

I don't see as much analog photography these days. I can only think of a handful of sites I go to each week which have analog photography scanned in and uploaded to a site. So much of the warmth is lost, but you can feel/sense that it is there.

I plan on heading to the show this weekend and taking in some photography.

Photo: Tony Green

Chuck Pennacchio

I've made the decision to get involved in the mid-term elections early. I'm going to be very active in Chuck Pennacchio's run for U.S. Senate. He'll be going up against Repug Rick Santorum. The same guy who believes that homosexuality is one step away from man on dog action. I think he's got a rather vivid imagination, which I don't have a problem against, unless you're a U.S. Senator trying to make a case against marriage. That's right, not "same sex" marriage, this is a MARRIAGE issue. Can we stop letting them define every arguement? Santorum also doesn't live in the state of Pennsylvania either and, yes, that is a problem.

The Dems have put up Pennsylvania Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr. who is anti-choice and pro-gun. Does that make sense?

Getting Santorum re-elected is the the G.O.P.'s #1 Goal in the 2006 mid-term elections.

More AAR Changes

The latest change to the Air America Radio is that Jerry Springer will have his own show. Read about it here. Springer's show will be in the 9a - Noon slot and take the place of Rachel Maddow's Unfiltered which earlier got rid of Lizz Winstead the former Program Director at AAR. Perhaps the entire staff of Unfiltered was told about the changes a copule of weeks ago and Winstead left right after hearing the news.

I really enjoyed listening to Maddow and Winstead go back and forth; Maddow's academic pedigree going so well with Winstead's NYC comedy club savvy. And then there was Chuck D bringing a paternal feel to the mid-morning show.

Springer currently has his own syndicated talk show that airs on about six stations. I wish him well as he comes on board a very sturdy ship that Unfiltered helped build.

The Real Schiavo Agenda for the Right

I was listening to Randi Rhodes on Air America Radio and she made such a great point that I just never put together regarding the Schiavo mess. I think it is in part due to the fact that I really try to not read or listen or watch anything having to do with this case, but also just the genious of another person in seeing the obvious.

The Right is going to use this whole fiasco — which they know they are in the wrong and going to lose — to label the judges siding with THE LAW OF THE LAND as out-of-control liberal judges who will ruin the pure system our founding fathers yadda yadda yadda, you know the spiel. And they are going to appoint über conservative judges in the circuit courts and to the Supreme Court to overturn such laws. Doesn't seem like much of a stretch, does it?

Why else would W fly back from vacation to sign this thing in person in D.C.? This is the only vacation he's ever interrupted and he's been on vacation for what, almost 40% of his presidency? When Condi read aloud the now infamous August 6^th 2001 PDB [download it here] to him entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" he didn't rush back to D.C. He could very well have signed the thing in his vacation home, but nooooo, he had to make a big stink because it was a great issue for them.

The Repugs even have an alleged Nobel Prize nominated doctor on the FOX talkshow circuit. I listened to some clips on the Al Franken Show of Hannity constantly referring to this doc as a Nobel Prize nominee and once as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. This guy was "nominated" by a random Repug from Florida who has ABSOLUTELY NO SAY in the nomination process. In addition, the Nobel Prize committee doesn't reveal the names of the nominees like they're receiving Oscars.

What's your conspiracy theory?

In Nomads' Land

I think I'm going to head to a small art gallery this weekend, most likely Saturday. I've been wanting to see this one show entitled In Nomads' Land by Laura Jean Zito. Her show is displayed at the Photo West Gallery: 3625 Lancaster Ave until the 30^th. They're open Saturday & Sunday from 11a to 6p and by appointment.

I have this postcard/flyer of one shot she took of a nomad tying up his/her camel to a wooden post while there is a dust storm in the background. There is such an amazing gradient in the background from the depth of field and intensified by the sandstorm. You can clearly see the reddish sand in the foreground, but it slowly fades to an almost white in the middle of the frame as the sand blends with the air and horizon. It then starts turning a very light blue and then further up a nice deep sky blue. No painting of the photo here, it was just a natural incredible gradient. I'm looking at the postcard right now and it amazes me that she caught such a wonderful moment.

If I had a halfway decent scanner, I'd scan it in for all to see, but I don't and I'm too lazy to get out my tripod and mount my D70 and take a good shot of it. If you'd like to see it for yourself, get on out to the gallery. It's free.

Protein Shake

Went up to N.E. Philly, Grant Ave to be exact, and got me some protein shake powder. It will supposedly help my body recover in between workouts. I went to the gym again on Tuesday and I'll go again today after work. I wasn't as sore on Wednesday. I think that's a good sign. My body may already be getting used to my fat ass trying not to be so fat anymore.

Let's see if this stuff really works. I'd much rather take a protein supplement than ibuprofen after a workout.

100 Free Prints

I got an email from Sony Imagestation Tuesday telling me that they had some kind of error in their system and they've lost files I updated to their site. No worries though, since I have all of them on my various HDDs.

But to stave off angry emails from people who spent some time on it and who use Imagestation as their main way to display photos, they've offered us two sets of 50 free 4"x6" prints. So, if anyone has a photo or few that they particularly like from dragonballyee.com, I'd be glad to send you a print or few. Imagestation is my main source for prints. They're pretty cheap and their turnaround is astounding. And they always have 99¢ shipping specials every month. The prints are almost always very nice as well which is what really matters.

Lemme know.

Anything Doing Friday Night?

What's doing Friday night? KT is coming into town from D.C. for the night and we gotta go have some fun. Today's paper is the annual Spring Guide so there will surely be some good stuff in it.

I wonder how quiet this town will get since it's Easter weekend and all. Do folks head to the 'burbs to be with the extended fam for the most part? I'll be spending Easter by myself, Lady is headed up to CT to spend Easter with her fam. Not that I'm big on religion or anything. I'll just celebrate with the usual weekend breakfast, a gigantic overstuffed with cheese omlette. Mmmm.

Can't wait to see ya KT! And Eye-remy, sorry you can't come, but that's what you get for going to stupid law school. And by stupid, I mean very good and I hope you'll be doing my law work for FREE!