in the name of mother earth

i've been thinking about religious fanatics, religion, god this and that lately. i planned on writing about how if there is a god, he or she is evil. i was lazy and that entry has not materialized. it is now being combined with this current entry.

i saw 'black friday' this past wednesday. it's a long film chronicling the serial bombay bombings in march 12, 1993 and is based on the book written about this tragedy. in 'retaliation' for hindu riots in bombay (now mumbai) that murdered and raped many innocent muslims, a group of angry muslims under the guidance of tiger memon shook up the city by detonating some 13 bombs in succession over a couple hours, leaving over 300 dead. in one of the questioning-the-arrestee scenes, the head police investigator avered that "anyone who kills innocent civilians in the name of religion is a big idiot. . . that whether hindu or muslim, we have the same god." (i didnt quote him word for word, but you get the gist) i was rather surprised to hear that from a hindu officer. he was portrayed as a level-headed, moral law enforcer. in response to the arrestee saying allah was on their side that friday, that they got their revenge.. blah blah.. the officer argued that god was not on the bombers' side that day because, otherwise he would not have made so many arrests, etc. i was under the impression that most all government workers in south and SE asia are corrupt.

right before seeing black friday, i was just thinking about how if there was a god, he or she or it is a cruel, heartless, bellicose god. ironically, it seems the most cruel are the most fervishly religious.. .the machine-gun toting orthodox jews of israel.. the shotgun loving redneck bigot christian.. the bomb-loving fundamental muslim. these people portray themselves as being so close to god (that they also seem to lose all rational and logical thought). if elohim condones the jews to kill their neighboring palestinians in the name of judaism then god is truly evil. if allah allows holy jihad as a sacrifice of blood of thousand of innocent lives then god is truly evil. though judaism, christianity, and islam are "dogmatically at odds with each other, they have more in common than they realize." i could go on and on. oh i left out the fanatical christians who devote their lives going on missions for god to convert people. these christians have no respect for other's unique culture and beliefs. they are so disillusioned to think that their way is the only way. i was so disappointed to near disgust to find out that in a most remote part of china near the tea-horse road, half the peasants are catholic! we can all be spiritual and religious in our own ways. why compartmentalize so distinctly? why argue who's is better? why not just funnel our energies into bettering ourselves rather than argue whose god is more superior or righteous. .or as it seems to me, whose god is most vicious and willing to shed blood and cause suffering as to be most superior. and if god exists, then there is only one, one who is laughing at us now.

earth day

be kind to the earth and its inhabitants

forever inhumane humans

to add to the daily atrocities against palestinians. . .
the other day another pregnant woman at full term was prohibited to pass an israeli checkpoint. she went into labor and was forced to give birth right there. well, the baby died. i consider this murder. the soldiers should be prosecuted. but of course, this incident is nothing to the israeli government; it's just another leaf blowing in the wind.
then i hear about the dumping of sewerage and toxic waste at the already dismal palestian campsites. not only is this an extreme health hazard, it's a violation of international law. it's a deliberate slow-killing of innocent people.
how can people be so evil? it's everywhere. .this contagion. how can such a religious ethnic group be so evil. religious fervor has to boundries or limits to the evils it can carry out as long as its perverse religiosity reigns and perseveres.

gas tank bass

i went to see split lip rayfield two days in a row last weekend. friday night at the american music hall and saturday night at the sweetwater (in miill valley). cary turned me on to them. i can see where his band kemo sabe gets some of their inspiration. split lip consists of a straight-faced mandolin player, a frenetic guitarist, a stoned-out banjoist, and an animated one-stringed bassist. all play their instruments extremely well. i don't know enough about music and music genres to write some sort of snazzy show review, but having studied piano for 10 years i can confidently detect tight, complex instrumentation. acoustic musicians who don't fall into the traditional classical or jazz genres tend to have a greater challenge in breaking through or riling up listeners. it's awesome when they can. acoustic instruments when orchestrated together well, give off a different, fresher color than the usual electric, techie stuff. i love when bands like belle and sebastian or scrabbel mix in a myriad of instruments like violin, triangle, cello, theramin and more. there's just something snazzier and more refreshing to look forward to when a band moves away from the expected electric guitars, drums, or keyboards. of course the music itself has to be decent!
hail to kemo sabe. (they need a website)

postnasal drip and more

i realize i havent 'blogged' in a week or more. i blame it on laziness. there is always something to write about, albeit mundane. well today i am home with a terrible cold, so i've got all day to type. i hate being sick- just the feeling of being sick; it's so uncomfortable. even if i bitch about work, i'd rather go to work than be incapacitated. it's better to take a sick day when you are not sick so you can get things you wanted to get done done or go bask in the sun on a pleasant day. maybe i contracted unfavorable germs during this weekend's outings. i distinctly recall a couple people coughing in my direction, and i drank from water cups that may not have been mine.

i downed some disgusting sleep-inducing cold medication (the kind you put in warm water) last night and leafed through readymade magazine until the drowsiness kicked in. i think i was asleep by 8:30. unfortunately it wasnt the best sleep. i got up to pee 4 times, i was still chilled even with a tanktop, 2 long-sleeved shirts, & socks, and i had to evacuate much mucus throughout the night. i think it's a good sign that my mucus still retains a watery consistency. thick, yellow-green mucus is bad. ironically, i just finished illustrating cilia, mucus, and mucosal lining for sinusitis and bronchitis brochures.

ides of april

i've procrastinated doing my taxes long enough. i have less than 2 days. tonight after i type this short entry i will attack those wretched figures and weep after seeing how much i still owe even though clearly 34% of my salary goes to taxes. i'd happily pay taxes if i knew where my money was going, if i could have a say in what i want to fund. seeing how the military budget has increased while very important things like educational and social programs decreased, it is evident what my tax dollars are funding. yes, i am incensed, but i'm too cowardly to join the brave resistors who refuse to pay taxes.

i decided to force myself to complete my taxes tonight and prepared to sit here with a good cup of yerba mate. incidently, while filling my cd changer (i need good music too) my half water-half soymilk liquid for my tea completely boiled over. i ran over to remove the pot immediately. this is the 2nd time i've done this. how do i clean the liquid that has seeped underneath the stovetop? then i discovered that i can actually lift up the top part of the burner! amazing. i was glad to delay the taxes more and proceeded to clean beneath the stovetop meticulously.

my tea is starting to cool. off to confront those dreaded numbers. thank goodness for turbotax.

music to your ears

the Lee Maverick Band will be playing Tuesday, April 11 at the Cherry Bar, 10 pm. i hear they will draw you in or drive you away. worth a peep.

Cherry Bar & Lounge
917 Folsom Street

primavera

will april showers
really bring may flowers, or
will i pull more weeds?

enlightening evening

last night we listened to Amy Goodman, host of democracy now! speak at the palace fine arts, as part of her and her brother David's 'un-embed the media' tour. it was a very insightful and inspiring evening. i must not discount the other equally powerful speakers including devorah major (SF poet laureate & writer), david goodman, and javier couso (brother of josé couso, cameraman murdered by US military's strike against hotel palestine) & his interpreter.
miss devorah major performed with verve and grace a few poignant and vivid spoken word/poetry pieces, touching on the horrors of war, the empty iraqi shoes that remain without flesh and bone, envisioning peace, and more.
i was suprised and delighted by a long sneak preview to the new documentary Hotel Palestine: killing the witness. the film tries to investigate the truth behind the sudden attack on the hotel palestine. such a strike is also a stike against all independent journalists and media around the world. the documentary screens this tuesday at New College on valencia. after the 30 minute excerpt, Javier Couso-brother of one of the journalist killed, spoke about his brother Jose and gives some political insight, personal accounts, and details of the april 8th attack to the reuters balcony stationed at the palestine hotel. javier is touring around the US in efforts to start an independent investigation to determine whether the independent journalists were deliberately targeted by our military.
David Goodman spoke about their book The Exception to the Rulers, read a couple excerpts, and reinforced the need for independent, un-embedded media. he sited personal examples of stories we will never hear about on corporate-owned tv.
finally, Amy Goodman spoke last. i've seen her picture and hear her frequently on democracy now. even my mom commented on how clearly and effective amy's voice was on radio. (when in houston, i was usually tuned into kpft during long drives to and from the hospital). it was an honor to hear her speak in person- to match the voice with a countenance. she's a wonderful speaker- captivating, funny, enlightening, and personable. amy spoke about politics and the powerful corporate media, the need for independent and unaffected media, and shared anecdotes and comparisons (including one about the shiavo coverage! ha! i was delighted to hear that. cary was, too, i'm sure)
at times like these, i (and others i'm sure) can become easily jaded and hopeless. surely i can't change anything; no one will listen; we are doomed. yet, people like amy and david goodman or javier couso keep on trekking. it's inspiring and hopeful.

being hopeful .. .The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media that Love Them is a national bestseller! out of curiosity, i went to see what amazon had to say. i was surprised to see 49 customer reviews, giving the book an average rating of 5.5/6 stars! most books i'm curious about are lucky to have 5 reviews. i'm not encouraging people to buy from amazon though. try your local independent bookstore (not barnes or borders).
Democracy Now!
Pacifica Radio
Global Exchange
José Couso