The Runcible Blog

This article from The Guardian talks about a court battle in New York that aims to lift the ban on police surveillance of political "dissidents" and political demonstrations:

Mr Kelly's proposals, which a judge is expected to consider next month, would mean that any NYPD unit could investigate any political group with out suspecting a crime, could videotape or photograph demonstrations, and would no longer need to convince a three-person panel - two police officials and a civilian - of the legitimacy of an infiltration.

This week's issue of the Boston Phoenix (it's not that evil, Judy) has a few pages devoted to letters from concerned citizens about the impending war with Iraq. There's also an interview with a veteran war photographer. Ever since I borrowed "Is Anyone Taking Any Notice?" by Don McCullin (amazingly, this book now costs upwards of $500 used!) from the library, war photography has been a subject close to my heart. Maybe one day I'll be a war photographer and die in battle like Robert Capa, who stepped on a landmine in Vietnam, I think. On another note, now that the Homeland Security Act is a law, you can read the entire text of the final version here. I hope you have some time on your hands since it's 485 pages long.... It'll take a while for us normal folk to understand just how far reaching and scary this thing actually is.

John Mellencamp's "Small Town" drives me crazy every time I hear it:

Well I was born in a small town And I live in a small town Prob'ly die in a small town Oh, those small communities All my friends are so small town My parents live in the same small town My job is so small town Provides little opportunity Educated in a small town Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another boring romantic that's me But I've seen it all in a small town Had myself a ball in a small town Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town Now she's small town just like me No I cannot forget where it is that I come from I cannot forget the people who love me Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town And people let me be just what I want to be Got nothing against a big town Still hayseed enough to say Look who's in the big town But my bed is in a small town Oh, and that's good enough for me Well I was born in a small town And I can breathe in a small town Gonna die in this small town And that's prob'ly where they'll bury me

Gee, did he come from a small town? I can't tell. Arg! That song sucks!

I didn't see this in the news, though I don't usually read the paper or watch TV news. It's a letter from Osama Bin Laden to America, and it comes from the British site The Observer. I don't know if it's legit, but it certainly is detailed. Believe it or not, Osama makes some valid points if you ignore the religious fundamentalism. Such as:

Your policy on prohibiting and forcibly removing weapons of mass destruction to ensure world peace: it only applies to those countries which you do not permit to possess such weapons. As for the countries you consent to, such as Israel, then they are allowed to keep and use such weapons to defend their security. Anyone else who you suspect might be manufacturing or keeping these kinds of weapons, you call them criminals and you take military action against them.

I guess that means we should get ready for another round of attacks. I'll have to stay indoors 24-7 rather than 23.5-7 like I do now. But wait, if I stay indoors, "the terrorists win". Therefore, I'll also have to go rollerskating in short-shorts and a gas mask...otherwise, "the terrorists win"...

The new photo gallery is working. It's so much easier and more flexible than manually updating stuff.

A lot happened this weekend, but I don't know if I'll recap it. Here are some new photos: a fight I witnessed in Lowell the ensuing arrest

Now that it seems that we won't have to invade Iraq and cause the death of thousands of innocent people, maybe we should focus on some really scary legislation that most likely will sail through the now Republican controlled congress without much fanfare. I'm talking about the Homeland Security Act. According to this NY Times column, we could be in for massive invasion of privacy. From the article:

Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and e-mail you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book and every event you attend — all these transactions and communications will go into what the Defense Department describes as "a virtual, centralized grand database."

It seems that there is some protest already, but I wonder if it will make a difference now that Republicans have an agenda and free reign of the government. It's something to think about.

I was supposed to meet Vanessa today in Lowell. It was my first experience on an MVRTA bus, and it was a positive experience. However, when I got to Lowell, Vanessa was nowhere to be found. What gives? I still don't know since she hasn't called or anything. So it was a bit of a waste of the day. But while waiting for a return bus, I witnessed and photographed a small fight and the arrest of a drunken couple. The guy somehow got into a fight with an idiotic high school kid and pulled a knife on him. Then, for some reason, his girlfriend joined the fight and punched the kid in the face (the couple were in their 30's I'd say). The cops arrived and arrested this crazy couple (he was charged with assault with a knife and she was charged with assault and battery). Someone tried to stop me from taking pictures (presumably in case the high school kid decided to fight back..eliminate the evidence). Lowell is a weird place.

Two more pictures scanned.

I haven't updated in a while, but here is a picture I took tonight as part of my self portrait project for class. (the end result will be different...) I'll scan some more recent stuff later. The last time I was in the darkroom, I forgot to check out a graduate, so I used my trusty EMS mug to measure the developer. Well, I just drank out of it (after rinsing it out, of course), and I don't feel any ill effects yet. But just in case I die soon, it was probably the developer....unless I get hit by a bus.

we lost power briefly, and the web server didn't start up correctly. Now, everything should be working again.

Everyday, I go to bed a little later and wake up a little later. This has got to stop. I talked to my aunt from Florida today. It's been quite a while. In an email, she says:

Sometimes people do what they are good at to make money so at a future date they can pursue the things they like. I hope you quit your job because of transportation not just because you didn't feel like doing it anymore. See when you reach a certain age you have to be responsible for yourself. Do you really think I wake up everyday and say Great I am going to the Bank today!!  Not really. I am good at my job but it is not my passion.

I suppose there are things I'm good at that I could do for the time being. must look into those things... In another note, I think I have a "crush" on a girl at NESOP. She told me her name and I told her mine. She is such a knockout...But how could I even approach her? Me, a lowly workshop student, and she, an ultra-hot full-timer (she mentioned that she shoots nudes. interesting....). *Sigh* I hope she's there on saturday when I go to print. *giddy laughter*

I voted yesterday. yay. I voted to remove the income tax, but apparently my vote was not enough. OK, so there are approximately 70,207 people in Lawrence. there are 25,941 registered voters According to Boston.com 11,363 Lawrencians voted for governor. That makes 16% of the population. 16% of the population determining who will govern 100% of the citizens. That's sad.

I don't want to be here. This place is crazy. My mother lives in her own little world, miles away from her family. So she just got a car. great, but I won't be able to use it because insurance is too expensive. ok. So, she's showing everybody her car and naming it and other stupid crap like that. great. And her room, with her dog and her fish and her ridiculous african/chinese decorative motif are immaculate, while the rest of the house (not to mention the family) is in shambles. She's so oblivious, I could probably cut my arm off and she wouldn't notice unless it prohibited me from fixing her computer after it fries from having too much cigarette smoke blown at it. How can I get out of here?

I'm stuck in some kind of whacky sleep cycle. I need to get into a normal routine. For this latest photo assignment, I was thinking of photographing myself crying. It might just work.

As if anyone cares, I have a new server that might be a little faster. It's actually a downgrade in a sense, but it has potential. Now, I'm going to try to take pictures of a "mood"

I'm sad. I've been sad for a while now. I lost a huge part of my life. It's gone. I want someone to care about so that I can stop thinking about myself. Seeing happy couples cuddling in public nearly brings me to tears. Writing these words has the same effect. It's a lousy feeling when you care so much about someone who doesn't know how to love another. And no matter how much I say or how eloquently I try to say it, she'll never understand; she'll never care as much as she lead me to believe she did. Slowly, slowly, I'm chasing her memory from my conscious mind (though not a day, or hour goes by without her passing through my brain), but she still invades my unconscious -- she haunts my dreams with happiness that we'll never again share..... Now I must sleep. Please, stay out of my dreams. It hurts so much.