A moment of politic

I don't mind telling you that I voted this week as an absentee. I voted for Joe Biden because the primary is where you can feel free to vote for the best candidate. For me, that person is Biden. He has dropped out and I might be one of the only people that votes for him, but I think of all the the people running, he is the one that could actually accomplish something.



His record is good and he is known for reaching across the aisle and working through issues-- he doesn't make proclamations about things which he knows he can't deliver, but most importantly, he is one of the top people when it comes to Foreign Policy. He has good views on the middle east and seems to do his homework.


But, as usual, its all about the high profile candidates. I am very concerned that Obama and Hillary are essentially going to cancel each other out in the end, leaving the important undecided and indy voters to vote for McCain.



Pary lines will vote with party, but what do Hills and O'Bama really do to make those undecided vote for them? O'bama clearly doesn't have experience and too many people are rubbed the wrong way with Clinton's personality. I myself have seen such a dramatic change in her over the last couple of years that I side with those who just have a bad feeling about her.



McCain scares me the most of all these people. He is the king of the flip-flop and is a war-monger. He has no plan for Iraq unless there is "victory", which there isn't going to be, EVER. Having another sponsor of war enter the White House is a huge mistake, but I think that the majority of voters will side with McCain more than Hillary or Obama because he is a war vet and that trumps a woman and a person of color any day of the week.



The dems have made another tragic mistake in allowing this to happen-- when you put the three stereotypes in the race togehter, you are asking this country address some pretty serious issues which on the surface, it seems we have accepted and are working through them, but I think that once the national focus is on this issue, the outcome is going to be very different.


I also think Hills came out way to early and started campaigning-- people are tired of what she is saying now and Obama has gained a lot of momentum simply by being the "not another clinton" candidate. (**To that effect, Bill Clinton has really surprised me in the things he has said during this campaign**) I am not sure who her advisors are, but she needs to stop listening to any of them and start to show people that she is in this for the people (but I don't believe it-- she is a career politico).


Hills will get the nomination, but the real question is how many Obama supporters will suck it up and throw their support behind her-- I don't think nearly as many as it would seem to dominate McCain. I think this is going to be another nasty fight which leaves people very, very bitter about the process and the state of our leadership.


Sure, McCain will be better than Bush-- but we don't want better, we need a new direction. Although, I don't think Obama is the way to go, or Hills or any Republican. I will support Hillary or Obama if they get the nomination, but my expectations for any change to the future is gone. We are at the hands of the market for the first time in a long time, and its not a good feeling.


Thoughts? Read more!

Where is Hogg? Not sure, but he is 35.

Where am I?

No, really? Where the fuck am I?

So existential of me, I know.

However, since turning 35 just a few days ago, I have been having a look at myself and thinking about it all. It seems that change is something that I have a desire for, mostly out of the need to be involved in the things that I hold dearly to life and not some of the habits that have come along for the ride.

The point is that I am not sure where I am, but I do know its not a place I am comfortable with and I think that it shows.

That is not to say that I think things are depressing or that I am unhappy, quite the opposite. I feel like I could be content, but that it would take enormous sacrifice and self-preservation. In the future, the thing to consider is that all of this, the chaos of life itself is not too bad, but you do have to take time to take all of it, to realize that the little part of the universe that you have carved out for yourself might not be acceptable to other people, but that is not what is important-- what is important, essential in fact, is that your piece of the universe is what YOU want.

Aye, there's the rub. What, pray tell, is it that we want? For me, it all seems to be coming together-- I want a partner that is in love, but also needs it. I have found that person and we are getting married. Check that off and realize that it is a rather large check.

Which brings me to the point: I don't know where I am, but I am on the right road. Things have been good, really fucking good at times and its all about perspective. Right now, its dark and cold and shitty in Seattle, but the sun will come again and with it will also come warmth and we need to see the shitty moments in life in order to see the moments of life that are why we exist. Read more!

Chinese beat "Citizen Journalist" to Death

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Wei Wenhua was a model communist and is now a bloggers' hero -- a "citizen journalist" turned martyr.


Wei Wenhua was beaten to death after he took pictures of a streetside fracas between villagers and authorities.

1 of 2 The construction company manager was driving his car when he witnessed an ugly scene: a team of about 50 city inspectors beating villagers who tried to block trucks from unloading trash near their homes.

Wei took out his cell phone and began taking pictures. The city inspectors saw Wei and then attacked him in a beating that lasted five minutes. By the time it was over, the 41-year-old Wei was slumped unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital but was dead on arrival.

His death earlier this month continues to stir controversy. In China's mainstream media and in the blogosphere, angry Chinese are demanding action.

After the Web site sina.com published news of Wei's beating, readers promptly expressed their outrage. In one day alone, more than 8,000 posted comments. Bloggers inside and outside China bluntly condemned the brutal killing. Watch the swirling controversy over Wei's death »

"City inspectors are worse than the mafia," wrote one Chinese blogger. "They are violent civil servants acting in the name of law enforcement."

Another blogger asked, "Just who gave these city inspectors such absurd powers?"

Known as "chengguan" in Chinese, city inspectors are auxiliary support for police. They are expected to deal with petty crimes. Their tasks include cracking down on unlicensed trading. They frequently are seen chasing street vendors off the streets and confiscating their goods.

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Critics have said they often abuse their authority and prey on the weak. In the central city of Zhengzhou last year, 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors roughed up a female student who had set up a street stall. These incidents prompted the government to redefine the role of city inspectors.

Still, observed Jeremy Goldkorn, editor in chief of Danwei.org, "Some bloggers [are] saying this whole chengguan system is prone to corruption and abuse and it should be disbanded."

Beijing scholar Xiong Peiyun wrote in Wednesday's Southern Metropolis Daily, "Perhaps no one wishes to face this question. Wei Wenhua's death stands as clear proof of the violent ways of local city inspectors. It's 2008 and another citizen goes down. When will we stand up and restrain the law enforcement violence of this city inspectors system?"

More and more victims of abuse already are standing up. "It's the latest in a series of incidents which have pit provincial government authorities against citizens -- those who are protesting against something who are recording and blogging and writing about something that they consider scandalous," Goldkorn said.

Some journalists and bloggers have even compared Wei's fatal beating to the Rodney King case, when the Los Angeles police repeatedly clubbed him. Others say this is reminiscent of the 2003 death of graphic designer Sun Zhigang in the Chinese city of in Guangzhou. The 27-year-old college graduate was fatally beaten while in detention for not carrying proper identification. The public outcry, amplified in the country's blogosphere, prompted China's premier to restrict police powers of detention.

Years ago, killings such as these would not have received such attention, and victims would have been forgotten, but with modern technology in the hands of ordinary citizens, abusive officials are getting caught in the act.

China's burgeoning economy allows a relatively freer flow of information. In September, China had 172 million Internet users, 10 million more than the last official count was released in July. Officials said about 4 million Chinese go online for the first time every month.

Millions have opened blogs, too. Mobile phone users also reached more than half a billion in September, according to the government.

Even though Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech, China continues to restrict the flow of information. Fearful of the surge in Internet and mobile phone usage -- and the information they are able to transmit -- the Chinese authorities are stepping up efforts to monitor and restrict their use, according to Reporters Without Borders, which fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom. A few Internet data centers have been closed down, along with thousands of Web sites.

Controversial blogs are blocked and unblocked multiple times. But silencing these citizen journalists is getting more difficult.

Days after Wei's January 7 death, a government official in Tianmen city, Wei's hometown, was fired, four others detained and more than 100 placed under investigation. Chinese authorities now appear to be taking these cases seriously.

Goldkorn said: "It's the kind of trouble that is very threatening to the party and the government, because it's the kind of trouble that questions their reason d'etre. So when looking at things like this, in the back of their minds, is always, 'Could this develop into a real mass incident that has the power to threaten the stability of China?' "

Meanwhile, bloggers are heaping eulogies for Wei. So far, no one has seen the pictures Wei took that day. It is thought his camera was destroyed in the beating.


"Eternal repose to Citizen Wei Wenhua," wrote blogger Wang Gongquan. "In the face of violence and brute power, he lifted a citizen's rights, conscience, responsibility and courage."

Reporters Without Borders said, "Wei is the first 'citizen journalist' to die in China because of what he was trying to film." Read more!

Pictures of the reception site

Here are pics of the reception set for the upcoming nuptuals, set for June 28th, 2008.

 
 
 
 

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Wedding reception site

Here are a small set of pictures of the reception site in Bremerhaven, Germany. The wedding date will be confirmed soon, but it is looking like the date will be June 28th, 2008. More details to come...

 
 
 
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Euro Mullet Watch

This little number didnt make it on the last post...

 
 
 
 

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Christmas in Germany

Guten Tag, Merry Christmas...
I have arrived in Germany on Wednesday, four days ago. I am sorry to report that I have only taken about five pictures thus far which I have uploaded below. I will make an attempt to take more pics, its just we have been so busy with things that it has been hard to pause for picture opportunities.

I am currently in Koln, where we will be for another couple of days before we head up to Bremen, where the wedding is going to be held. We will be celebrating Christmas with family member which I have not met and then we will be meeting with the caterers for the wedding and trying to arrange a schedule for the wedding.

If you have never been to Germany during Christmas, I would have to say that it is probably one of the best times to come. The weather is cold, but bearable and somewhat refreshing. The best things are the Christmas markets, which are simply overflowing with everything that is representative of Christmas and food!!

The food really puts American fair food to shame. I was simply amazed at all of the simply delicatable offerings. There is the standard Wursts, up to half a meter long, and then there are backfisht sandwhichs, which is a western New York fish fry in a bread roll, smeared with tarter paste (a personal favorite). Then for desert is a hot waffle with whipped cream and cherries, waffle mit kirchen, (also a favorite). Then there is the gluvine, which is a hot wine, which is goes well and warms you up, whilst providing a nice buzz to carry on through the busy shopping.

Today we will be making our third trip to the city centre, in search of the perfect gifts.. Our luck has not been so good and everything is so expensive, especially with the sagging dollar the way that it is. I have literally been sickened at some of the prices I have seen for things-- but I am looking forward to the day after sales. Lili's mom works in a higher end retail store and they have been quite nervous about the sales-- the crowds are much thinner than in previous years and they are not buying with the ferocity that they normally would. I am hoping that this means better post Christmas deals on things. It still looks like a good amount of consumption is going on to me.

Anyway, thats about it for now. I will report back soon with more details.
Tschooss

--Oh and by the way, I am taking a lot of random pics on this trip of people and they horrible hairstyles. I have captured a live action mullet here for your enjoyment. I simple love the guys with their aged mullet circa Man-U Beckham grooves and the ladies with their best Amy Winehouse looks-- simply priceless...
MORE TO COME!!
 
 
 
 

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Sitting at heathrow, waiting...

I am growing tired of reading constantly about other things and not sharing my own experiences. So, here goes. I have been in the air for the last 18 hours, flying to see lili in Koln... Sigh.
This is what Christmas is all about, long layovers. The time went fast here, but I made the mistake of taking way too much with me in the carry on section, especially.
...and my gate was just called. Stay tuned. Read more!

Radiohead

The new Radiohead has now polluted my home for the last week, since it was made available via one of the bands many websites. The way that the media was delivered to the masses has the potential to really change the way that we legally access music. The new release, "In Rainbows", was made available as a digital download for whatever price the purchaser wished to contribute. The normal standards, album, cd, whatever else, will be made officially released early next year. (There is a limited box set that is available for a mere 40 pounds, which, at this point, represents 80 dollars, due to the weak dollar on the international exchange)
There are a total of 10 tracks on the album, including the previously released track, Naked, and a mellow rendition of a personal live favorite, entitled Reckoner.
All in all, it is one of the best new albums that I have discovered in the last couple of years. The only other one that I can think of which comes close is from Silversun Pickups, but that is for another article.

What makes this album so good in the simplicity in it, which at first, I hated. At first, this album sounds so much like the last handful of radiohead albums, dreamy, confused beats with lead singer Thom Yorke signing over in what has become his signiture whine. The band have come such a long way since the days when they were a simple rock band that played guitars with fevor and sang with a slight angst. The new Radiohead still have their own sound, but it is not a sound which I normally listen to.
The same thing goes with this album, but there is something there that the albums were missing specifically and that, for me, is an understanding of what Yorke is getting at and how the band follow the lyrics more than the lyrics are playing in the back of the room and Thom's exploration into break beats takes charge. In short, this album has a soul and its compassion is for all of us, trapped in this dark mess. Read more!

Dave Matthews at the Gorge to Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park 9/2/2007

Dave Matthews at the Gorge

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Jesus, etc.

Jesus, Etc.

Wilco Live at Marymoor Park, Redmond, Washington
08.21.07

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Wilco Live at Marymoor

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Pics from the Trip

Here are some pictures from the trip we are currently on... More to come....

Seattle to Tumbler Ridge, BC, via Banff National Park and Jasper National Park

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In Tumber Ridge, BC.

We have arrived at our current destination, Tubler Ridge, located in what I would call Northern British Columbia, but there is a lot more of this province in the North that in reality, we are central.
Just to give you a bit of scale, British Columbia is the size of Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada, combined. Some of the US biggest states all fit into this one area, so yea, its huge.
Lili and I departed Seattle on Sunday morning, later than we probably should have left, but we decided that it would be a better idea to be rested than to rush out early. The only issue with that is all it led to was more time to pack more things we didn't essentially need on this trip.
We are going to be here in Tumbler Ridge for the next two weeks or so. During this time I am going to working mainly on getting the book organized and written and trying to get my life back in order before going back to the rat race of Seattle and floating my resume across the spectrum to look for a job that is more fitting to what I want to do with my life.
Some people do not ever get this chance to simply relax and look for a good paying job that is the right fit for what they want to do-- and I feel very fortunate to be in a position to do it.
Well, time for work...
More soon... Read more!

In Jaspere

Just about 1,000 miles have passed since leaving Seattle on Sunday morning. We are in Jasper, Canada after spending a few nights camping and enjoying NOT WORKING. Today, we leave the most beautiful lands I have seen in a few moons.
Lili saw her first bear this morning, a little black baby bear.
Pics in a cpouple days, kids/ Read more!

The Fray, Live, Making fun of Shakira

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Pathfinder... Recovered.

The pathfinder was recovered a few days ago, but I have been working so much that I have not had the time or the energy to write about what happened.

On Tuesday morning at about 2 am, as I was about to leave to go Microsoft for more work, my cell phone rang and I answered it, thinking that it was Lili.

It was the Seattle PD, and they asked if I had a Grey Pathfinder, which I replied that I used to have one. They said that they have recovered it and that it was located in West Seattle, near the Delridge projects. They also mentioned that I had the LOWJAC installed on the car (http://www.lojack.com), which I was not aware of because I had just purchased the car in the last couple of months.
For those of you who don't know what Lojack is, its a radio transmitter that is activated when you report your car as stolen. The police are the only ones that have access to this tranmitter and thieves can not find the Lojack on the vehicle because it is hidden in different places in each vehicle.

Once the vehicle is stolen, the car starts sending signals out of the car that are picked up by the police that have this installed in their cars. The "Auto Theft" division of the SPD was doing some casual drive through of the area when they came upon the signal, which led them to recover the car.

We arrived shortly after getting the car, the police had left the vehicle parked there-- and it was in good shape. The thief seems to have just stolen it and basically driven it home, before stopping off at a McDonalds for a cheeseburger. The next day he took the car out at noon and bought another 2 cheeseburgers, this time from Jack in the Box. (He left the wrappers in the car, with the reciepts.)
He did manage to steal a couple of things, such as my two newly purchased camping chairs, which were 6.99 each at walmart and a campstove and some other rather minor things, but all in all, I was lucky. Read more!

Pathfinder stolen during Harry Potter

Last weekend was a glorious weekend watching the wedding in the San Juans, this weekend was supposed to be nice and mellow, catch a movie or two before heading into my last two weeks of work at Microsoft before the break.
Instead, somoene decided to Steal the 1991 Pathfinder I just bought a month or so ago. It is certainly a bad time to do so, as if there is any good time to have our car stolen.

We were in Ballard, at the Bay Theatre, watching Harry Potter at the 6:55 showing. When we came out of the theatre, wholla, it was gone. Sad. We sat out in the rain for an hour waiting for the police or a cab to roll by and both happened by at the same time! We opted for the cab and filed a police report as soon as we got home.

I am now going to head out yet again and see if I can perhaps recover it somewhere around the Ballard area, but I am quite sure that it is quite feudal. I will be keeping an update here on my findings-- the whole process is quite interesting.



Last night when the police officer showed up, he basically said that it will probably be recovered within a week or so and that more than likely "the bad guys" will just drive it around to buy drugs, party in it, come down from their high and leave it somewhere with any valuables gone and damage to the vehicle.

Classy. I don't know where things change in someones life that they have to steal a car to go and buy drugs, I am just hoping that they are kind to that car-- it is in good shape and doesn't deserve some douchebag destroying it because he can!



Then the conversation with esurance, my insurance carrier was pleasant this morning. They said that there are several red flags about this incident and it will be investigated carefully. I felt like she was saying I was the criminal here...
Yes, I did just add insurance to the car, yes, I did just purchase it and recieve the title, but that does not make me a criminal!!


She also mentioned that they do not give the blue book value of the car, but moreso a percentage of the cash value of the vehicle and they wait 21 days before that process even starts. During that time, they will be investigating me to make sure that all of this is legitimate, which is total crap. They didn't investigate me all these months I have been making payments to support them!


GRRRRRR!!!!

Lessons to be learned in all of this, I am sure! I will keep updating this issue. Read more!

Megan and Fargo's Wedding...

Pictures taken from this weekends festivities....

Fargo and Megan Nelson

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...Update

...Jesus Christ, where oh where does the time go?




Again, its been awhile, but there is enough to report that I have decided to take some time out and write a bit about the past and how it relates to the future of things.
First off, I am in the process of FINALLY converting all of the photos from China to the web. Once this is complete, I will be sending a mail out and posting the link here on the blog for those of you that are interested in that. It has been a long time since I had first intended on posting the pictures, but technical changes have made it so that I can upload most of the content in an easy and straightforward manner.

With that being said, it is still a lot of work to get it to where it is actually presentable to an audience. The pictures have to be named short descriptions on some of the favorites need to be highlighted-- all of this will eventually fit together in much the same way a tresure hunt or a puzzle all comes together.

It just takes some time to build.

So, do keep patient. I am going to be done with Microsoft on the 2nd of Aug, which is one more month until I finally have some time to work on some of the things I have always needed to do, like finish the book that comes out of all this blogging I have done in the last year!!


So, keep looking from more updates..! Read more!