Drug-War Bulletins

Three of them:

1. In Seattle, a fifty-six-year old man died last Thursday after being refused a liver transplant because he had followed his doctor’s recommendation to use marijuana to ease the symptoms of hepatitis C. From the Associated Press story:

His death came a week after a doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list. The team had previously told him it would not consider placing him on the list until he completed a 60-day drug-treatment class…

The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation’s transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates.

At some, people who use “illicit substances”—including medical marijuana, even in the dozen states that allow it—are automatically rejected. At others, patients are given a chance to reapply if they stay clean for six months.

The cruelty and stupidity of this beggars belief. This patient did not need “drug treatment.” He was already undergoing drug treatment. Nor did he need to get “clean.” He was already clean. It’s the drug war that’s dirty. (H/t: John Leone.)

[Read More »]

Words for Buddhist Livin’

Three quotations from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from Ocean of Dharma: 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion.

The Lion’s Roar

The lion’s roar is the fearless proclamation that any state of mind, including the emotions, is a workable situation, a reminder in the practice of meditation. We realize that chaotic situations must not be rejected. Nor should we regard them as regressive, as a return to confusion. We must respect whatever happens in our state of mind. Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news.

All-Encompassing Friendship

Maitri could be translated as “love,” “kindness,” or “a friendly attitude.” Having a friendly attitude means that, when you make friends with someone, you accept the neurosis of that friend as well as the sanity of that friend. You accept both extremes of your friend’s basic makeup as resources for friendship. If you make friends with someone because you only like certain parts of that friend, then it is not complete friendship, but partial friendship. So maitri is all-encompassing friendship, friendship which relates with the creativity as well as the destructiveness of nature.

Full Moon in Your Heart

The teacher, or the spiritual friend, enters your system much as medicine is injected into your veins. According to the tradition, this is known as planting the heart of enlightenment. It is transplanting the full moon into your heart. Can you imagine the full moon coming through your living room window and coming closwer and suddenly entering your heart? On the one hand, unless you are terribly resentful, usually it is a tremendous relief: “Phew. The full moon has entered my heart.” That’s great, wonderful. On the other hand, however, when that particular full moon has entered into your heart, when it’s transplanted into your heart, you might have a little panic. “Good heavens, what have I done? There’s a moon in my heart. What am I going to do with it? It’s too shiny!” By the way, once that moon has entered your heart, it cannot be a waning moon. It never wanes. It is always waxing.

link

STEAMPUNK

A Retro Design Movement That's All About the Future

Whether you love it or hate it, it's here to be mainstream-ed. The New York Times profiled it last weekend.

Steampunk style clothes and designers have been around for a long time as have authors, performance artists, and musicians (DeVotchKa, Rasputina, Abney Park) around the world. The local Burlesque reviews and caberet shows are appearing in most every town across the country. Some people are over it and think it's silly but I like the return to this bygone era and admire the beauty and creativity.

Kat Bret has a nice photo portfolio and you can see how she pulls from different periods so skillfully. She really captures the clothing and style of that dark, mad max melancholy, steampunk, whateverthefuckyouwannacallit genre. You're welcome. NSFW

"The term "steampunk" is a play on cyberpunk, a type of near-future science fiction where rebellious hackers use handmade tech to wage virtual warfare with corporations and governments. Steampunk was a term used almost jokingly as a name for science fiction that was set in the Victorian era as opposed to the virtual future, but which still featured rebellious protagonists utilizing strange technology. In steampunk, the punk is not a computer hacker, but a mechanical one. I do believe the pendulum has swung."



Abney Park

for more on Steampunk:
Workshop | PaperMag | Wired | Jake von Slatt | Jeff Vandermeer | Datamancer | Treehouse | Flickr | More Flickr | Maker Faire

"... forget about your brotherly or otherly love, Motherly love is just the thing for you. Your Mother is going to love you till you don't know what to do!" --Frank Zappa

Happy Day To All You Muthers

It's Pangea Day
Local time: May-10-2008 14:00 EDT

4 Hours. 24 Films. A New Way To See The World
Thousands of people around the world will gather before their computers Saturday to view four hours of "Pangea Day" programming, brought to you by independent filmmakers, celebrities and the folks that organize the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference.

...for the past two years, Pangea Day was planned as a way to bring the global community together. Over 2,500 independent films were submitted and the organizers picked out 24 short pieces that will be aired. There will also be music and celebrity talks, given by the likes of Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova.

PANGEA DAY | LIVE FEEDS

How to Win a Cubicle War

via | via