days of naze

my eight-year-old with the perfect blond hair dyes it red
09:32 PM

0503 post dye pose.jpg

"Dad? You know that web site you have? Would you put my picture on there?"

March 22, 2005

oregonians: rally round the flag
01:52 PM

I've been getting some pretty tough news at work over the last 2 weeks. Portland Public Schools budget requires a 300 FTE cut for the 2005-06 school year. On top of that, a school near mine was closed and nearly all of those teachers will have seniority over me, which means I am likely to be bumped to another school. It is possible that if there aren't enough retirements, I'll be out of a job altogether.

(Deep breath.)

Much to the dismay of metropolitan areas, like Portland that are massively subsidizing rural areas, school funding is controlled by the state. Just to prevent even greater damage and less stability, the Oregon House needs to pass a no-cuts budget: $5.4 billion.

Please take 60 seconds out of your day sometime today or this week to call one or more of the Representatives below. It just might save my job.

.................

"Sen. Kurt Schrader, Co-Chair of the Ways & Means Committee, at (503) 986-1720, AND/OR the Ways & Means Education Sub-Committee member from your community.

Contact your local member of Ways & Means.
(To confirm, visit www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/.)
Lake Oswego, SW Portland - Sen. Richard Devlin, (503) 986-1719
NE Portland - Sen. Avel Gordly, (503) 986-1723
Umatilla County - Sen. David Nelson, (503) 986-1729
Eugene - Sen. Vicki L Walker, (503) 986-1707
Klamath, Lake Counties - Sen. Doug Whitsett, (503) 986-1728
Pendleton area - Rep. Bob Jenson, (503) 986-1458
Deschutes County - Rep. Gene Whisnant, (503) 986-1453

If you have already called these legislators with this message, call again. And please recruit at least one other person to make these calls today. If we don't keep a steady drumbeat for $5.4 billion, the final appropriation will most certainly be irresponsibly low. "

March 21, 2005

fun for kids of all ages
04:13 PM

"Well, we've got a little pool of our own going. Throughout the rest of the month we will be holding our own March Madness tournament with the Elitist Eight...

Will Tom DeLay be able to work the refs to his advantage? Will Katherine Harris, the conference-leader in steals be able to pilfer her way to the finals? Or will one of the faux moderates make it through on their ability to play both sides of the ball?"

March 20, 2005

feelin' fine
09:31 PM

Wherever you might be in the world and you Google "rice shoots" you'll find the photo I took in June 2004 outside of a Buddhist temple in Fukuno, Japan. I had just finished coloring a samurai black and white outline with paints on the floor of the temple when I was struck by the vitality of the rice growing across the street. I got real close with my camera, knelt down and shot this.

You look at that image and tell me if that ain't meritocracy.

clarifying moment
04:34 PM

If you needed any further evidence of the corrosive effect the Radical Reich is having on our declining republic, look no further than the Schiavo fiasco.

"'No person in America should be deprived of the right to life without due process of law and Terri Schiavo is no different,' Pence said."

Fifteen years in a persistent vegetative state? Uh, dude, that's not living. Due process? This has been dragged out in Florida courts and the court made a decision. Due process does not mean you change the rules if you don't like the outcome. Remember when the Supreme Court decided that Bush won? That was pretty much it. Will due process now mean Congressional intervention on a case-by-case basis?

This is extraordinary level of bullsh*t.

"Republicans distanced themselves from a memo suggesting GOP lawmakers could use the case to appeal to Christian conservative voters and to force Democrats into a difficult vote."

No, wouldn't want to be associated with that or with the talking points that kept W on the 9/11 message to distract the ignorant from his appalling record of failure.

March 15, 2005

american = equality
07:36 PM

"The more this story pits "gay activists" against "religious conservatives," the more it leaves out the vast majority of Americans - people like me that believe in equality and are against discrimination. If you believe that all people should have the same constitutionally-protected rights, then you should be in favor of equal marriage rights for all, too."

what d&d character are you?
06:19 PM

A 33 question quiz basically gets it right:

. . . . . . .
I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Paladin Bard

Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.

Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.

Primary Class:
Paladins are the Holy Warriors. They have been chosen by a God/dess to be their representative on Earth, and must follow the code of that deity, or risk severe penalties. They tend towards being righteous, but not generally to excess.

Secondary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Find out What D&D Character You Are, courtesy of Zinious Software corporation

March 13, 2005

but how do you *really* feel?
04:45 PM

"You have choices too: work in a massive sweatshop publisher-run studio with thousands of others making the next racing game with the same gameplay as Pole Position. Or you can riot in the streets of redwood city!"

Game designers at IGDA let it all hang out. Catch the comments at the bottom of the post and the big time slapdown the blacklister receives. [via kottke]

best. heartache song. ever.
04:21 PM

Inside you the times moves
and she don't fade
The ghost in you
She don't fade

The Ghost in You - Psychedelic Furs

March 12, 2005

tested
05:53 PM

It's hard to be married to a chaotic neutral when your tendency is lawful good...

(Here's a quick test for those of you scratching your heads.)

March 10, 2005

forgive them father?
10:12 PM

"Guided by the most literal interpretation of Old Testament law, the preachers who have influenced the President are determined to undermine every modern protection enjoyed by poor and working-class Americans. Let's hope they draw the line at bringing back public whippings and debt slavery."

March 07, 2005

total control
09:47 PM

"A Salon investigation has found that flights carrying the wounded arrive in the United States only at night. And the military is hard-pressed to explain why."

All of your impressions of the Iraq War have been manufactured, processed, and managed by Bush Inc.

March 06, 2005

tired of talk
06:33 PM

"Article VIII, Section 8. Adequate and Equitable Funding. (1) The Legislative Assembly shall appropriate in each biennium a sum of money sufficient to ensure that the state's system of public education meets quality goals established by law..."

-Oregon Constitution

Oregon children get nearly a full month less of education than their counterparts across the U.S. to reach academic standards amongst the highest in the nation. We have the highest elementary classroom sizes (averaging 30 students), when all of the research says that 24 or less is what provides the best outcome for our children.

It is somewhat of a miracle that Oregon teachers and communities manage to get the job done in what is essentially a chronically under-supported mission.

House Speaker Karen Minnis (R) now presides over her party's abandonment of Oregon education, proudly refusing to increase corporate fees and business taxes that are the lowest in the West.

Few should be surprised when citizens file suit to require the Legislature to meet it's Constitutional duty.

March 05, 2005

mo chiusle
04:10 PM

Cathy loves zombie movies. I can't stand 'em. In moderate doses, I dig a rip-your-heart-out tragedy. She does not.

So I went to Million Dollar Baby alone this afternoon, not knowing a lot about it except it won the Best Picture Oscar.

My stomach is still knotted up. This is a powerful, dark film with the light of white hot coals at its center.

I haven't seen the other nominated films, but I'll say that they picked a champ.

(IMDB delivers excellent trivia on the movie. It was shot in 37 days with a first draft script that went untouched.)

March 03, 2005

yeah, she is all that
07:13 PM

"Some days you take two naps, some days you take one nap, and then some days you take no nap at all and it’s on those days that I call your father and tell him that by the time he gets off work you will be at the neighbor’s house and I will be at least 100 miles on my way to Montana where I will start a new life as a hostess at Applebee’s. I thought he didn’t believe me but a couple weeks ago I went to get my hair cut and on the way out the door your father said, 'You’ll call me when you get to Montana, right?'"

For the 3 of you out there who've never Dooced before, do so now.

March 01, 2005

why i love the web
09:35 PM

"Kids today might not like it because: The act of racing as fast as you can and not actually getting anywhere is a little too much like trying to get to second base at the Junior Prom."

...

"Surprisingly, the pain in my hip, groin and ribs wasn't that bad. I didn't have the mental cycles to determine if it had just been renice-ed to 19 by /wil/bin/adrenaline so I could finish, but I've learned that there are times when you just don't ask questions."

...

When Multimedia Was Black & White

...

"I lived for 30 years in the 16th, which was a first-class tomb where I didn't know any of my neighbors," said Frank Caradec, a resident of the Rue des Martyrs neighborhood, referring to the large, conservative, wealthy area where many business executives and diplomats live. "Now I live among painters and musicians and children."

[via megnut]