state of the union

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

- John F. Kennedy

peace corps

I was reading the article in the ny times today on the Lincoln group which was hired by the military to spread pro-US propaganda in Iraq. Earlier, they were printing articles in the newspaper without attributing the authors (who were US soldiers). Now they're maybe paying sunni clerics and US muslim scholars to help with the program.

Now I believe it is very important that we work to promote our image in the middle east. But I believe we shouldn't do it using propaganda, but instead by actually changing the way we project ourselves. We have a military to handle war, why not have a peace corps-- a real peace corps who goes to build infrastructure, schools, hospitals so that the people in a wartorn area like Iraq can begin to live normal daily lives. They would be trained to know about the culture, the language, the needs of the people-- and also about how to remain safe, of course-- but not about how to bust into a room and kill the person they're looking for.

The only image most of the middle east people have of us is military men at checkpoints, with large guns and gruff voices, speaking english to them as though they should understand. Additionally they see President Bush proclaiming victory, "mission accomplished" on television, they see celebrities with dresses whose price could feed them for years.

In my grandfather's time it was respectable to go and risk your life to serve your country. I believe it still would be, if the service was in peace.

Harajuku Closeups

"Things you can see while viewing closeups of this photo I took last summer" by zach gibson

forgiveness beyond

the guy who did the atlanta olympic park bombing in 96 was sentenced to life yesterday. And the daughter of a woman who died in that bomb said some awesome things in the media, forgiving him and the like. "I've cried enough for her, I've cried enough for me, and now I will cry for him."

emptying email inbox

hot hong kong

keren ann's KCRW show

and here's something from the salon.com murakami interview:

I wake up at 6 in the morning and go to bed at 10, jogging every
day and swimming, eating healthy food. I'm very realistic. But when I
write, I write weird. That's very strange.

quote day

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." -Nietzsche

"I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." -Stephen F. Roberts

indie pete and dinosaurs

today's a dot-comics day.

it's been a long time since I exercised my 1337 skillz... indie pete gets em every time.

also, some programming advice from dinosaurs.