Canada prepares for Bush's visit today in Ottawa and in Halifax tomorrow. But Canada hasn't completely refused Bush with regards to the US/Iraq war. I read that Canadian government sources say Ottawa will eventually commit military instructors to help train Iraqi army officers, provided it's done in neighbouring Jordan.



"Hey, Canada, if you just help us train Iraqi soldiers in Jordan, it's not like you're really helping us with the Iraq war effort."



Although Bush has Canada's blouse off and is rounding third base heading for the big score, Canada won't give up the big prize. (of sending troops to Iraq) They have a "No To Bush!" Committtee ready to greet him today to show him just how the majority of Canada stands.



(Here's the "Bush Arrested" Indymedia parody link ». Another comprehensive protest site contains a live cam. More goodies link »)

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Boycott Christmas? I'm for many boycotting ideas, but I'm going to pass on the boycott Christmas one. I abhor the pillaging atmosphere in the stores and some other aspects of this joyous season, but boycott Christmas? Count me out.



How obscene is that Greedfest that tv's Oprah Winfrey has on each Christmas? Where they all squeal like stuck pigs when they see shiny stuff coming their way? That whole scene really chaps my ass. I try to understand and appreciate what the holiday season is really about, but I see Christmas through new eyes since my sister, Robin's close call last year.



She was admitted to the hospital on December 23, 2003, and in ICU for 9 days, discharged to a step-down unit for a few weeks, and later to a rehab facility for a few more months. She's my only sibling and is two years older ok, younger than me. For the first 5 days, we didn't know if she'd live or not.



During her hospital stay I remember seeing our family Christmas trees decorated beautifully, with presents still unwrapped under the tree after Christmas. You recall the guerilla gift giving, heirloom ornaments, frenzied wrapping, fighting for parking spaces, fretting about back orders and shipping delays and you gotta question why it all seemed so damned important a few short weeks ago. What good is trying to have a great Christmas if you've no one there to share it with?



I DO enjoy the holidays and the gift giving, the family gatherings, the smiling faces, the decorating and baking and all the cooters (Southern for accoutrements) of Christmas. But my heart is in a new place as I maintain a new holiday perspective. More than she can ever know, this year Robin is Christmas to me.

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A Tampon Doll? Are you fucking kidding me? It's 8" tall and it's either a doll or it can be displayed around the house. Insert (cough) your favorite joke. Link

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"When Hugh feels bad, you hear about it immediately. A tiny splinter works itself into his palm and he claims to know exactly how Jesus must have felt on the Cross." Short piece by David Sedaris

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Condi enjoys box lunch at the Y? "Why you wanna say that Condoleezza Rice is going to lick my beaver, dude? What the fuck is wrong with you?" I gave him the warm smile. "Not your beaver," I said. Then I waved a hand in all directions, indicating the whole canvas of existence.

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saturday morning me//

brrrrr, cold this morning/heat blasting warm air/

newly dyed blood-red head, with stray grey ponytail/

black pants/grey slippers/greyhoodie/

java IV drip #2/slice of zuchinni bread/

what wine goes well with breakfast?/

listening: local news & husband growling/

**11:14am-he finally stopped pacing around my pc/

doesn't he know that morning is mine?--fucker/

pass the spliff, then beat it/

so how about you? =)/

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Taking a break, then back to the kitchen. Do you think this short post looks odd? That's why I usually post several things on one post.

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November 26 is Buy Nothing Day

The good little sheeple will be trudging off this Friday to purchase all the products they're told they just can't do without. No big sacrifice for us broke-ass folks who avoid programmed shopping like the draft anyway. Let me offer you some food for thought and take it one step further so we can be more conscientious of how we spend our money.



My name is Susan and I am a recovering Predictable Spender. I used to march off to the sales like a good lemming. I shopped the big stores, used the big plastic, as expected of me. A real mind-numbing experience. After I stepped back and realized how predictable I was and what it all meant, I formed my own 12 8 Step treatment program for Predictable Spenders. I know it's not easy to jump from strung-out hard core shopaholic to completely avoiding all the big convenient sales. I'd just like you to hear me out and consider this way of spending.

1. Thou shalt shop the Mom and Pop stores. This keeps money in your community and you meet nice, hardworking local people.



2. Try to avoid the large chain stores. If you knew where your money went that you gave to some of them, you'd avoided them long ago. And doesn't it make more sense to spread it around to someone more needy?



3. Visit your town's Main Street. You'll be pleasantly surprised at their competitive prices. I buy most of my jewelry, clothes, music instruments/supplies, fabric on our Main Street.



4. Think flea markets, tag sales, bartering, free-cycling. And re-gifting!



5. If customary to buy gifts for the holidays, try to draw names instead of buying for everyone and set spending limits.



6. Better yet, re-assess the whole gift giving thing and give charitable donations as gifts when you can.



7. Even better, make your gifts. We do this often. I designed wooden shelves and tables, and painted/stained them and my husband cut them out and sanded them. I've given needlepoint and baked goods, and quilted or sewn items as gifts. (thanks for reminding me, KarenM)



8. Try not to be such a predictable shopper, automatically marching off to sales like a Stepford Wife. Be cognizant of why you shop and try to be more creative with who you give your hard earned cash to.

Buy Nothing Day

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Web Trail

The Orifice of Homelandabsurdity - is now opened and ready for bidnezz. Conceived and brought to fruition by Cyndy Roy.

The election is over. The fight is not. Turn Your Back On Bush.

Ashcroft Goodbye Card - from the gang.

Made You Think - What's that funky smell?

Jane Fulton Alt - Fine Art Photography (below)







Fallen Angel

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Kevin Sites was the embedded photographer who filmed the US soldier that shot the still-alive captured and unarmed Iraqi last week.



"So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera -- the story of his death became my responsibility." more»

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saturday morning me//

fell outta bed with a nappy head/

yoga'd/showered/chai/oj/salsa 'n' eggs/

long black laced skirt/denim shirt/scuffed up dingos/

3 candles glowing/2 incense burning/and a partridge...../

can somebody get tish some tea?/

on winamp: voodoo child - jimi/

so how about you?/



Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I will show you some fucktard who can't get his pants off.

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{News|Local}

Asheville activists expose Victoria's Dirty Little Secret. On Friday November 12, forest activists in Asheville mobbed the Victoria's Secret store in the Asheville carrying a Giant Puppet that read "Corporate Greed is trashing our Forests" (see photo). Activists disrupted shopping in front the Victoria's Secret distibuting flyers to the gathering crowd of shoppers. The activists eventually left the mall escorted by security but not before distributing hundreds of flyers throughout the mall and sending a strong message to Victoria's Secret with ANOTHER demonstration at one of their stores as the holiday shopping season gets rolling. more »



{Fun|Political}

George Bush Build-A-Speech - War Rhetoric Kit



{News|MeMeMe}

Anyone recall the mainstream media reporting natiowide protests over the election results? Neither do I. Maybe we should change where we get our mainline news geez. I've always tempered my online news with tv news (or vice versa), about 50/50. Excessive election results gloating made my decision easy to delete the news channels from my satellite receiver. Except for NWI, (News World International - mostly Canadian news) and LinkTV which give the World/International perspectives. About 90% I get from the internet from all the great alternative news sources we've all come to rely on.



So no more CNN. No more MSNBC. And definitely no more ABC, NBC, CBS. This television news jones is not as painful as I had expected.



{News|Canada}

George W. Bush is making an official visit to Canada November 30 - December 1. Canada making plans to "welcome" him. Ottawa 'No To Bush' Committee and Canadian Peace Alliance have cast a wide protest organizational net. more »



{Music|Local}

Ras Alan - Appalachian Reggae. Two worlds you don't typically think of coming together. Dreadneck music.





I took some coloring out of the photo so it wouldn't take so long for this page to load. Actual photograph is larger and color quality is more developed. Thanks, Joshua!

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Ballsies don't sweat

Ballsies don't cling

Ballsies are cuter

Than the real thing



An Arizona-based pair of entrepeneurial designers have come out with "the first line of jewelry that captures the essence of everyone's favorite baggy buddies".

Buy Ballsies for holiday gifts. =)

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News|Music



The more I hear from this cd, the more I like it. As in really like it. Local progressive radio station, WPVM, plays songs by Animal Collective quite often, specifically, the Sung Tongs cd with "Mouth Wooed Her" my favorite cut from it. After reading some reviews, they seem to be an either 'love them or hate them' sort of group and some say they're often trippy and psychedelic sounding. But very experimental with their sounds and instruments, almost child-like in their un-pretentiousness (is that a word?). Originality certainly goes a long damn way in the music biz in my opinion.



Band Aid 20. BBC News Online is blogging the recording from outside Air Studios. more »



For 16 years, Warren Haynes has coordinated the Warren Haynes Annual Christmas Jam. Like a family reunion, the annual, one-of-a-kind, semi-structured marathon of music brings together surprise guests and old friends on stage and in the audience at the Civic Center Arena in Asheville, N.C.



This year the event will be held again at the Asheville Civic Center Arena, Saturday, December 18 at 7:00PM. WNCW's Pre-Jam Jam Broadcast Live from the Orange Peel is on Friday, December, 17.

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Daughter dear is on her way back from Atlanta where she saw Cradle Of Filth and others last night at the Masquerade.

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Today's Quote

Love the earth and sun and animals,

Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,

Stand up for the stupid and crazy,

Devote your income and labor to others...

And your very flesh shall be a great poem.

~Walt Whitman



saturday morning me//

green tea with mint #2/tomato feta & crackers/

jeans/black tneck/old black ballet slippers/

bedhead & bedface, such a disgrace/

listening: badge by cream/

so how about you?/

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I'm still trying to get my Firefox 1.0 upgrade set up. It came out this week. I've never had problems downloading Firefox before, but evidentally I need to uninstall all the old Firefox stuff first, after I backup my profile. Anyone else using the Firefox 1.0 yet?



Please tread softly. I'm trying to quit smoking for the 2,977th time.

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Thursday Web Trail



Counterculture Through The Ages - The R. U. Sirius Blog who reminds us about the inconsistencies of voter counting on the MSNBC Olberman Blog.



US Troops Reportedly Gassing Fallujah - (I'm still looking for more stories on this report.) more »



Cream reunion? Well, why the fuck not? more »



Julia Butterfly Hill still spreading the word. It's Resolution. What a sweet spirit. more »



Moon Phase Charts



{Quote:}

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

-H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

(via: Richard Metzger's Blog)



Wheeee! Democracy exploding all over Iraq.

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1967 -- First issue of rock oriented magazine "Rolling Stone", which includes a free "roach clip," is published in San Francisco. Published by Jann Wenner, with John Lennon on the cover.



Media|Film

Chaotic Cinema - Surreal and Cult Films has a subjective top ten and a list of 100 favorites films. Great site for you film buffs. (via: ollapodrida)





Local|News

Asheville's first liberal talk radio program, WPEK, is coming in January 2005. The first program goes on the air LIVE Saturday, January 8, from 10 AM-Noon with first guest, Deepak Chopra, and on January 15 is Steven Halpern.



And new music site, Asheville Music, features local musicians, venues, dates, and more.



Pleez excuze my ttyping. I'm reloading.

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saturday morning me//

sipping hazelnut java/& tomato juice-straight, for now/

ché t-shirt/batik drawstring pants/sockfeet/

daughter-asleep/husband-in his overalls/

listening to: selene by planet gong via wpvm/

sweet, crisp autumn morn/time to exhale, carry on/

so how about you?/



{Favorite Quotes Dept}

"Walk gently, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically." - - Nelson Mandela (1994 Inaugural Speech)



Practice Safe Hex.

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Another helpful tool for venting. Hey, Canada, you guys got extra room up there for us all? Just kidding. Sort of. If I ever left the US again, I'd probably go back to Amsterdam. (link via maccadoo on pesky apostrophe)

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hmmmmmm....

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Thompson lights a Dunhill Blue and steadily rocks back and forth, though he’s not sitting in a rocking chair. Forget the dark legends of life at his Woody Creek compound outside of Aspen, Colorado, or the drug, booze and guns shenanigans on and off his property. Tonight he’s the Dalai Lama of fear and loathing... more »



Lollipops with loose wrappers containing 64% heroin hydrochloride were recently seized at LaGuardia by the DEA. more »



Ten years after reacquiring the trademark to Moog Music, the company that four decades ago changed the course of rock music, Moog is the subject of a documentary, "Moog," in competition at the Asheville Film Festival.. Moog has lived in Asheville since 1978. more »



Go hassle talk to A.L.I.C.E. - The Artifial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity.



Look on the bright side. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here looking through your stuff.

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