BLOG SECRET
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Top 10 Worst Sweatshop Abusing Companies
Here's a little top ten list of sweatshop abusing companies...
1) Primark – Cheap clothes from cheap labour…
In 2008 Primark were exposed employing people in sweatshop conditions in Bangladesh, long hours, hazardous and unhealthy conditions for very low wages. In 2009 Primark were exposed by the BBC for employing people in similar conditions in the UK. Meanwhile, with amid the onset of a recession, Primark recently announced record profits!
2) Topshop – They’ve done it before they’ll do it again…
In 2002 No Sweat and the GMB Union exposed Topshop using sweatshops in the East End of London. Topshops response was to shut down the factories and burn the clothes, ruining lives and the environment. In 2007 The Times found out that Topshop boss, Philip Green, had simply moved his sweatshop conditions abroad, employing hundreds of Sri Lankan, Indian and Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius where they labour for up to 12 hours a day for 30 pence an hour
3) Asda/Walmart - Slave drivers of China & Bangladesh…
As part of the same report into Primark, Asda were also exposed for using some of the same Bangladeshi factories. In 2007 Hong Kong based group SACOM published a report detailing the sweatshop conditions workers that make toys for Asda’s parent company, Walmart. Late last year Walmart decreed that its Chinese suppliers have to respect workers' rights, including the right to organsie. Unfortunately Walmart palmed the cost of better wages and conditions on to the factory owners themselves, leading to mass factory closures and further impoverishment for workers
4) Tesco – Every little help, except in sweatshops…
In 2006 and again in 2008 the charity War on Want exposed Tesco for exploiting people in Bangladesh. In WoW’s report Fashion Victims they reported bullying by managers in factories and intimidation by employed thugs, awful working conditions and long hours. All the while Tesco reported record profits and opened stores across the globe!
5) Nike – Nasty old Nike, always exploiting their workers…
Nike are the experts at exploitation, ever since the anti sweatshop movement emerged, Nike have always been in the top ten of sweatshop abusing companies. Reports from 1996 were describing conditions where workers have to meet a quota before you can go home, no matter how long they’ve been there and without extra pay. In 2007 reports came through that little had changed in Nike sweatshops and workers were forced in to the desperate situation of striking for better pay, striking in countries where such actions can get you beaten or killed.
6) Adidas – Sweatshop made, Olympics specials…
The company that won the contract to be official sports brand behind the Olympics 08 use sweatshop labour to produce the Olympic gear. The money they earned from that contract never came anywhere near the workers at the bottom. A football stitcher in India would have to sew over 12 million balls/year to earn as much as Adidas CEO Herbert Heiner did in 2007 (that’s 100 balls per minute for a 48 hour work week)!!
7) Disney – Magic for some, hell for others…
2007 saw workers at a factory producing toys in Shenzhen, China fighting for their rights. Workers had been forced workers to sign one-sided ‘contracts’in which wages, work hours and benefits were left blank. Wages had been withheld, overtime unpaid, working hours excessive and living conditions in the dormitories atrocious. In addition, Tianyu management falsified contracts and concealed labour violations from social auditors. The workers fought back while Disney ignored their demands.
8) Burberry – Off to China for cheap workforce & fat profits…
In 2007 Burberry shut down its unionised South Wales factory to move garment production to Chinese sweatshops. Burberry moves to factories in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China where production is likely to involve employing child labour or use forced, prison labour. Workers in Britain lose their jobs while workers in China are signed up for exploited labour, all the while Burberry gets fat on the profits.
9) Starbucks – Crap coffee, crap employers…
Coffee growers receive little more than $1.10 (50p) for a pound of coffee, which is then sold for $160 (£80). Oxfam launched a campaign against Starbucks in October 2006 after it effectively blocked Ethiopia's attempts to trademark its coffee beans in the United States. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers in the US earn as little $6-$8 per hour depending on the location. Every single barista in the US is part-time and not guaranteed any work hours per week. For example, a Starbucks worker can get 35 hours of work one week, 22 hours the week after, and 10 hours the following week. In Britain baristas get a little over the minimum wage – in other words poverty pay.
10) Planet Earth Inc – Sweatshop labour across the globe…
Sweatshop labour isn’t confined to just a few companies in a few countries, it exists all over the world with factories ignoring basic right to decent conditions and pay while producing products for a whole variety of companies. Big companies make big profits from contracting their production out to middle men with the proviso to produce as cheap as possible to a certain standard. To reach that standard workers bear the brunt of long hours, low wages and terrible conditions. To keep the workers in line bullying and intimidation are commonplace.Sweatshop labour is modern, global capitalism striped bare.
please help by showing solidarity to your fellow workers and organizations like No Sweat you can join them as a fan on facebook or join as a facebook cause. they also have a twitter if you're into that
1) Primark – Cheap clothes from cheap labour…
In 2008 Primark were exposed employing people in sweatshop conditions in Bangladesh, long hours, hazardous and unhealthy conditions for very low wages. In 2009 Primark were exposed by the BBC for employing people in similar conditions in the UK. Meanwhile, with amid the onset of a recession, Primark recently announced record profits!
2) Topshop – They’ve done it before they’ll do it again…
In 2002 No Sweat and the GMB Union exposed Topshop using sweatshops in the East End of London. Topshops response was to shut down the factories and burn the clothes, ruining lives and the environment. In 2007 The Times found out that Topshop boss, Philip Green, had simply moved his sweatshop conditions abroad, employing hundreds of Sri Lankan, Indian and Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius where they labour for up to 12 hours a day for 30 pence an hour
3) Asda/Walmart - Slave drivers of China & Bangladesh…
As part of the same report into Primark, Asda were also exposed for using some of the same Bangladeshi factories. In 2007 Hong Kong based group SACOM published a report detailing the sweatshop conditions workers that make toys for Asda’s parent company, Walmart. Late last year Walmart decreed that its Chinese suppliers have to respect workers' rights, including the right to organsie. Unfortunately Walmart palmed the cost of better wages and conditions on to the factory owners themselves, leading to mass factory closures and further impoverishment for workers
4) Tesco – Every little help, except in sweatshops…
In 2006 and again in 2008 the charity War on Want exposed Tesco for exploiting people in Bangladesh. In WoW’s report Fashion Victims they reported bullying by managers in factories and intimidation by employed thugs, awful working conditions and long hours. All the while Tesco reported record profits and opened stores across the globe!
5) Nike – Nasty old Nike, always exploiting their workers…
Nike are the experts at exploitation, ever since the anti sweatshop movement emerged, Nike have always been in the top ten of sweatshop abusing companies. Reports from 1996 were describing conditions where workers have to meet a quota before you can go home, no matter how long they’ve been there and without extra pay. In 2007 reports came through that little had changed in Nike sweatshops and workers were forced in to the desperate situation of striking for better pay, striking in countries where such actions can get you beaten or killed.
6) Adidas – Sweatshop made, Olympics specials…
The company that won the contract to be official sports brand behind the Olympics 08 use sweatshop labour to produce the Olympic gear. The money they earned from that contract never came anywhere near the workers at the bottom. A football stitcher in India would have to sew over 12 million balls/year to earn as much as Adidas CEO Herbert Heiner did in 2007 (that’s 100 balls per minute for a 48 hour work week)!!
7) Disney – Magic for some, hell for others…
2007 saw workers at a factory producing toys in Shenzhen, China fighting for their rights. Workers had been forced workers to sign one-sided ‘contracts’in which wages, work hours and benefits were left blank. Wages had been withheld, overtime unpaid, working hours excessive and living conditions in the dormitories atrocious. In addition, Tianyu management falsified contracts and concealed labour violations from social auditors. The workers fought back while Disney ignored their demands.
8) Burberry – Off to China for cheap workforce & fat profits…
In 2007 Burberry shut down its unionised South Wales factory to move garment production to Chinese sweatshops. Burberry moves to factories in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China where production is likely to involve employing child labour or use forced, prison labour. Workers in Britain lose their jobs while workers in China are signed up for exploited labour, all the while Burberry gets fat on the profits.
9) Starbucks – Crap coffee, crap employers…
Coffee growers receive little more than $1.10 (50p) for a pound of coffee, which is then sold for $160 (£80). Oxfam launched a campaign against Starbucks in October 2006 after it effectively blocked Ethiopia's attempts to trademark its coffee beans in the United States. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers in the US earn as little $6-$8 per hour depending on the location. Every single barista in the US is part-time and not guaranteed any work hours per week. For example, a Starbucks worker can get 35 hours of work one week, 22 hours the week after, and 10 hours the following week. In Britain baristas get a little over the minimum wage – in other words poverty pay.
10) Planet Earth Inc – Sweatshop labour across the globe…
Sweatshop labour isn’t confined to just a few companies in a few countries, it exists all over the world with factories ignoring basic right to decent conditions and pay while producing products for a whole variety of companies. Big companies make big profits from contracting their production out to middle men with the proviso to produce as cheap as possible to a certain standard. To reach that standard workers bear the brunt of long hours, low wages and terrible conditions. To keep the workers in line bullying and intimidation are commonplace.Sweatshop labour is modern, global capitalism striped bare.
please help by showing solidarity to your fellow workers and organizations like No Sweat you can join them as a fan on facebook or join as a facebook cause. they also have a twitter if you're into that
Monday, June 22, 2009
i don't trust men with necklaces
i couldn't get anyone to cover my shift at stella lucy today but i got sent home for being sick anyways. i closed the store three hours early, hopefully no one drove up from san diego today...i'm always surprised at how many times i hear that a day. BUT while on my sick bed i was looking up artists i haven't heard from in a while, one of them, Matty Pop Chart, i saw in arcata two winters ago when i lived up there...weird that it was that long ago. regardless... he's really adorable and sincere. he played with kimya dawson up at the green house. i hadn't heard from him in a while but apperantly he has been up to making some muzak thankfully
Matty Pop Chart » Under the Sea
Shared via AddThis
i found this band as well which i admire for their strings and also that the drummer is using a snare and a suitcase...hmmm good band name anyone?
ran across Heathers shortly after and i'm not sure if i love them or not but their harmonies=perfection
last one, i sware.... paul baribeau sings a leonard cohen cover
Matty Pop Chart » Under the Sea
Shared via AddThis
i found this band as well which i admire for their strings and also that the drummer is using a snare and a suitcase...hmmm good band name anyone?
Busman's Holiday - (Mr.) Spaceman from If You Make It on Vimeo.
ran across Heathers shortly after and i'm not sure if i love them or not but their harmonies=perfection
Heathers - Waiter from If You Make It on Vimeo.
last one, i sware.... paul baribeau sings a leonard cohen cover
Paul Baribeau - Chelsea Hotel No. 2 from If You Make It on Vimeo.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
very very important
i just realized that i have not posted this video yet. please watch it.
it is very important, please watch the whole thing.
this isn't peta.
the least you can do is watch it before you make fun of me or look down on me for being vegan again
it is very important, please watch the whole thing.
this isn't peta.
the least you can do is watch it before you make fun of me or look down on me for being vegan again
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
catch up//thunder on our backs
my kitten friends from oakland
We made some delicious gluten free vegan brownies. soo chocolatey. i used half egg replacer and half banana for the eggs. good choice.
when we cut them they fell apart and looked like poop, delicious delicious mushy poop
also i tried one of these today... also delicious
We made some delicious gluten free vegan brownies. soo chocolatey. i used half egg replacer and half banana for the eggs. good choice.
when we cut them they fell apart and looked like poop, delicious delicious mushy poop
also i tried one of these today... also delicious
Monday, June 8, 2009
Alexander
thanks for answering your phone, even if we didn't go to the show
quote of the night:
daniel : "how funny that i'm seeing the hangover with two straightedge kids"
alexander and julie : ....
also i almost forgot about this photo. it's one of the first ones i ever took and developed myself (i think i was 15). this is when i was really into adding dust and scratches, which i guess never changed.
i'm having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the idea of getting a digital camera... it just doesn't seem real to me... the pictures i mean. they look beautiful in their own way i guess but there seems to be some sort of emptiness involved to it... i may have to take a break from photography for a while since i plan on never doing manual again
Thursday, June 4, 2009
cheese
i know many people who want to go vegan but have a hard time giving up cheese. it seems i hear vegetarians say that can give up cheese as much as omnivores say the can't give up meat. the answer... is of course you can.
but to those doubters i found a good post bob and jen(vegan freak) put up which i thought made some pretty good points. they will expand on it further in their book. the second edition is coming out in october. i recommend it for vegans and non-vegans alike
Though not cheating is easy for a lot of foods, some people find giving up cheese particularly difficult. For us, it wasn’t hard. We just went vegan one day, and didn’t look back, but for a lot of people we’ve talked to, cheese is the lone item that often still has its hooks in them. So many people have complained to us about how hard it was to give up cheese that we almost felt like we needed to set up some kind of support group in the basement of an area church where we served burnt coffee (with soy creamer) and let people talk about how many days cheese-clean they’ve been. Frankly, the whole thing was perplexing for us until we read up on casomorphins, or opioid chemicals that are present in cow’s milk (and by extension, very much present in cheese). Evolutionarily, these peptides probably had the function of creating a positive association between the calf and its mother and her milk. Now, however, humans consume more cow’s milk than calves do, and – improbable though it sounds – those who consume large amounts of dairy products are probably mildly addicted to them. It isn’t like you’re going to get the DTs or have seizures if you give up cheese, but certainly, these opiate effects can help to explain the more than mild cravings that lots of people have. A study underway during the time we were writing this book is looking at how casomorphins work in the human body, operating under the functional hypothesis that because cheese is one of the most commonly craved foods, it may be exerting mild opiate effects on its consumers. If this hypothesis is true the correct solution isn’t weaning yourself from crackcheeese slowly. As we suggest above, that would probably only lead you back to eating more cheese. The right solution is to stop eating cheese now, and to make an agreement with yourself never to eat it again. If you feel tempted to eat it, slide a paperclip over this page, and when you’re on the verge of eating cheese, come back here and remind yourself of these disgusting cheese facts:
Cheese is made from milk, and milk almost always contains pus. You may comfort yourself by thinking that the pus is pasteurized, and certainly, pasteurization will prevent you from becoming ill, but you’re still eating pus. Look at it like this: you could stick a dog turd in an autoclave and render it biologically harmless with significant pressure and heat. Yet, we’re willing to wager that you’d not be anxious to eat it unless you have some very strange proclivities indeed.
Forget about being vegan – most cheeses aren’t even vegetarian. Rennet, a stomach enzyme common to most mammals, is used to make cheese by “digesting” it, leaving behind a solid and a liquid. Rennet is often harvested from the stomachs of cattle in slaughterhouses, and used directly in cheese. Though there are vegetarian rennets synthesized by other means, it is difficult to know which cheeses use vegetarian rennet and which cheeses use the stuff scraped out of the stomachs of slaughtered animals. Yum! Cow stomach excretions obviously go great with pus!
In order for you to have your beloved cheese, someone had to produce the milk to make the cheese, and we don’t mean a dairy farmer. The someone in this case is a nameless dairy cow, identified only by a number and probably an radio frequency identification tag in her ear that helps the slave ownerfarmer track her productivity so he can send her to slaughter once she underproduces. In the larger dairy operations, this cow may never go outside, and she will repeatedly give birth to calves who will be stolen from her almost immediately after they are born. She will live a short and miserable life, and end up as hamburger on the plate of some fast food consumer, all because you could not find the guts up to stop eating cheese or drinking milk. And you say you care about animals?
Beyond being a disaster for cows, cheese is a disaster for you. A cup of diced cheddar has a whopping 532 calories, 385 of which come from fat. That includes 28 grams of saturated fat, which is 139% of amount recommended for total daily consumption by the United States government. And really, do you think those figures haven’t already been manipulated by decades of dairy and meat industry intervention in the government? To all that fat, you can add 139 milligrams of cholesterol and 820 mg of sodium. For comparison, if you decided to reach for a cup of chopped carrots instead, you’d be taking in fewer than a tenth of the total calories (52 calories for the whole cup) and less than 1 percent of the fat (3 calories versus 385 calories) than if you ate the cheese.
Cheese may taste good to you now, but really, like every other animal product, there’s no good reason to eat it. It is bad for you and bad for the animals that have to make the raw ingredients that go into it. Give it up now, call it quits, and go cold tofu. If you can do that, maybe you can come to our cheese-eaters anonymous meetings, sip some bad coffee, and tell us how many days you’ve been clean.
the original post can be found here
but to those doubters i found a good post bob and jen(vegan freak) put up which i thought made some pretty good points. they will expand on it further in their book. the second edition is coming out in october. i recommend it for vegans and non-vegans alike
Though not cheating is easy for a lot of foods, some people find giving up cheese particularly difficult. For us, it wasn’t hard. We just went vegan one day, and didn’t look back, but for a lot of people we’ve talked to, cheese is the lone item that often still has its hooks in them. So many people have complained to us about how hard it was to give up cheese that we almost felt like we needed to set up some kind of support group in the basement of an area church where we served burnt coffee (with soy creamer) and let people talk about how many days cheese-clean they’ve been. Frankly, the whole thing was perplexing for us until we read up on casomorphins, or opioid chemicals that are present in cow’s milk (and by extension, very much present in cheese). Evolutionarily, these peptides probably had the function of creating a positive association between the calf and its mother and her milk. Now, however, humans consume more cow’s milk than calves do, and – improbable though it sounds – those who consume large amounts of dairy products are probably mildly addicted to them. It isn’t like you’re going to get the DTs or have seizures if you give up cheese, but certainly, these opiate effects can help to explain the more than mild cravings that lots of people have. A study underway during the time we were writing this book is looking at how casomorphins work in the human body, operating under the functional hypothesis that because cheese is one of the most commonly craved foods, it may be exerting mild opiate effects on its consumers. If this hypothesis is true the correct solution isn’t weaning yourself from crackcheeese slowly. As we suggest above, that would probably only lead you back to eating more cheese. The right solution is to stop eating cheese now, and to make an agreement with yourself never to eat it again. If you feel tempted to eat it, slide a paperclip over this page, and when you’re on the verge of eating cheese, come back here and remind yourself of these disgusting cheese facts:
Cheese is made from milk, and milk almost always contains pus. You may comfort yourself by thinking that the pus is pasteurized, and certainly, pasteurization will prevent you from becoming ill, but you’re still eating pus. Look at it like this: you could stick a dog turd in an autoclave and render it biologically harmless with significant pressure and heat. Yet, we’re willing to wager that you’d not be anxious to eat it unless you have some very strange proclivities indeed.
Forget about being vegan – most cheeses aren’t even vegetarian. Rennet, a stomach enzyme common to most mammals, is used to make cheese by “digesting” it, leaving behind a solid and a liquid. Rennet is often harvested from the stomachs of cattle in slaughterhouses, and used directly in cheese. Though there are vegetarian rennets synthesized by other means, it is difficult to know which cheeses use vegetarian rennet and which cheeses use the stuff scraped out of the stomachs of slaughtered animals. Yum! Cow stomach excretions obviously go great with pus!
In order for you to have your beloved cheese, someone had to produce the milk to make the cheese, and we don’t mean a dairy farmer. The someone in this case is a nameless dairy cow, identified only by a number and probably an radio frequency identification tag in her ear that helps the slave ownerfarmer track her productivity so he can send her to slaughter once she underproduces. In the larger dairy operations, this cow may never go outside, and she will repeatedly give birth to calves who will be stolen from her almost immediately after they are born. She will live a short and miserable life, and end up as hamburger on the plate of some fast food consumer, all because you could not find the guts up to stop eating cheese or drinking milk. And you say you care about animals?
Beyond being a disaster for cows, cheese is a disaster for you. A cup of diced cheddar has a whopping 532 calories, 385 of which come from fat. That includes 28 grams of saturated fat, which is 139% of amount recommended for total daily consumption by the United States government. And really, do you think those figures haven’t already been manipulated by decades of dairy and meat industry intervention in the government? To all that fat, you can add 139 milligrams of cholesterol and 820 mg of sodium. For comparison, if you decided to reach for a cup of chopped carrots instead, you’d be taking in fewer than a tenth of the total calories (52 calories for the whole cup) and less than 1 percent of the fat (3 calories versus 385 calories) than if you ate the cheese.
Cheese may taste good to you now, but really, like every other animal product, there’s no good reason to eat it. It is bad for you and bad for the animals that have to make the raw ingredients that go into it. Give it up now, call it quits, and go cold tofu. If you can do that, maybe you can come to our cheese-eaters anonymous meetings, sip some bad coffee, and tell us how many days you’ve been clean.
the original post can be found here
Monday, June 1, 2009
breaky
I was going to finally make more almond milk BUT someone ate all my almonds.....sooo...
I've been on a mission to find better vegan recipes. today i found a good one for french toast. i tweaked it a little bit and suggest you try it.
1/2 cup soy, almond, or hemp milk
3 tbls flour
splash of vanilla
cinnamon to taste (about a 1/4 tbls)
i also accidently added cinnamon sugar, but not too much, it was delicious
a couple pieces of sourdough bread
basically just mix the milk, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon, it should be pretty thick, dip bread in mixture and slap it on a skillet.
its best with some fruit but since i didn't have any so blackberry preserves it is! (that's that little purple blob)
add agave and enjoy.
also it's really good with juice
bella ciao
this has been my life over the past couple of days:
things are looking up
rhonda is gone for a while so i played my cello until my arms hurt and my fingers were too tired to go on, though not on the songs that i'm suppose to be working on right now...oh well, tomorrow is another day.
things are looking up
rhonda is gone for a while so i played my cello until my arms hurt and my fingers were too tired to go on, though not on the songs that i'm suppose to be working on right now...oh well, tomorrow is another day.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
expedition
i work by myself early in the mornings with the occasional company of one of my regulars. i haven't been keeping up with my once constant schedule so even they hardly come anymore. in this time i end up thinking too much to myself. one of my friends stopped by and we talked a little about school.
so one thing led to another and today i thought a little bit about my family.
i thought a little bit about my father and some of the things he asks me sometimes. i wonder how much he knows about me. after four years of veganism, he still asks me if i want to eat ribs with the family. he and rhonda still assume i do drugs regardless of anything anyone else knows that point to the contrary (still assuming, not assuming still). he doesn't know what music i listen to, my favorite color, what foods i like, who i'm dating at any given time (they still are not convinced i'm not dating ivan). it's a little irritating to be honest.
i'm not one to reach out by myself, so some of it may be my fault but i can't help but thinking that a little interest could be shone on the other side.
i don't think that he even knows that i hang out by myself all day. a couple weeks ago i had spent so much time at the park that i got the cops called on me by concerned neighbors. it's just hard to be here. It's hard when i want to practice any sort of music since it's not allowed in the house. usually i spend some extra time at work. by the time i finish my shift one of my friends will start theirs, so i linger for the company. as the routine goes, i'll drive by house, if rhonda's there i keep driving and go to the park, if not i'll go inside to practice or read, but we know how this half usually turns out.
i just need to be close to people again, not just mentally but physically. i feel so disconnected from people and need that. it's not that i need anything sexual, just closeness and comfort without awkwardness.
i suppose that's why i've been getting into all those crappy relationships like bobby and maybe that's why i had so many problems with ivan, but at this point i guess i'd rather be a hermit than do that sort of thing again, either one.
i've been doing a lot of good reflection though. i've been fixing up my diet so that i can be healthy again, spending more time outside, and calling up old friends. While i don't see much coming from that friends part, i at least want to keep ties up.
however, this summer looks promising
new friends are helping me keep my chin up
so one thing led to another and today i thought a little bit about my family.
i thought a little bit about my father and some of the things he asks me sometimes. i wonder how much he knows about me. after four years of veganism, he still asks me if i want to eat ribs with the family. he and rhonda still assume i do drugs regardless of anything anyone else knows that point to the contrary (still assuming, not assuming still). he doesn't know what music i listen to, my favorite color, what foods i like, who i'm dating at any given time (they still are not convinced i'm not dating ivan). it's a little irritating to be honest.
i'm not one to reach out by myself, so some of it may be my fault but i can't help but thinking that a little interest could be shone on the other side.
i don't think that he even knows that i hang out by myself all day. a couple weeks ago i had spent so much time at the park that i got the cops called on me by concerned neighbors. it's just hard to be here. It's hard when i want to practice any sort of music since it's not allowed in the house. usually i spend some extra time at work. by the time i finish my shift one of my friends will start theirs, so i linger for the company. as the routine goes, i'll drive by house, if rhonda's there i keep driving and go to the park, if not i'll go inside to practice or read, but we know how this half usually turns out.
i just need to be close to people again, not just mentally but physically. i feel so disconnected from people and need that. it's not that i need anything sexual, just closeness and comfort without awkwardness.
i suppose that's why i've been getting into all those crappy relationships like bobby and maybe that's why i had so many problems with ivan, but at this point i guess i'd rather be a hermit than do that sort of thing again, either one.
i've been doing a lot of good reflection though. i've been fixing up my diet so that i can be healthy again, spending more time outside, and calling up old friends. While i don't see much coming from that friends part, i at least want to keep ties up.
however, this summer looks promising
new friends are helping me keep my chin up
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Strawberry Jam
i hate reoccurring emotions how certain ones just don't go away and that time doesn't make it any easier.
on a lighter note, i've found a couple new artists that i would like to share.
Ben Kehoe one of two brother artists. I love his bio which says "I am an artist currently located in Pittsburgh, PA. I graduated from Temple University in 2001 and use my degree as source of constant self amusement.You may ask me why I opted to get a communications degree and my answer would be a blank stare followed by an exploding M80 which would give me time to escape into a dark alleyway where I could sob unashamedly.
My influences are nature, pattern-based medieval artwork, comical violence and uncomfortable situations."
enough said
The last, is the other Kehoe brother Andy. He has also put a funny bio on his site but it's a little too long to put on here. They both seem like awesome guys, but as a secret, i like andy's art better.
on a lighter note, i've found a couple new artists that i would like to share.
Ben Kehoe one of two brother artists. I love his bio which says "I am an artist currently located in Pittsburgh, PA. I graduated from Temple University in 2001 and use my degree as source of constant self amusement.You may ask me why I opted to get a communications degree and my answer would be a blank stare followed by an exploding M80 which would give me time to escape into a dark alleyway where I could sob unashamedly.
My influences are nature, pattern-based medieval artwork, comical violence and uncomfortable situations."
enough said
The last, is the other Kehoe brother Andy. He has also put a funny bio on his site but it's a little too long to put on here. They both seem like awesome guys, but as a secret, i like andy's art better.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
again with the photographs
So I'm studying for my photography final and so I've been looking at work from my favorite photographer, Sally Mann. She is best known for her family portraits, in which she recruits her young children as models for very dark and eerie portraits. As you probably noticed...I'm all into the dark and eerie.
Her children are actually a little older than I am now, but that's just a side note.
there is a documentary on her by the title WHAT REMAINS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF SALLY MANN. if anyone gets ahold of it please get ahold of me. please?
Monday, May 18, 2009
i'm sure you've all seen it already but one of my favorite series i've come across is called The Ninth Floor. It was born when Jessica Dimmock spent three years documenting the happenings of a ninth floor apartment on fifth ave in manhattan. during that time (circa 2004) there were anywhere from twenty to thirty heroine addicts living there.
i almost want to call it a character study but it's more than that. the suspension of reality we find in characters is lost here and dimmock is able to catch an almost anthropological study. it's erie and a bit jarring but it is real. the surrealness of the life you can see in these dead faces never ceases to capture my intrest
here is a good selection and interview
BUT
here is the whole series
it's ocarina time!!!
so brent found this amazing guy on youtube. we all thought the suzuki music method would never come in handy but now we recognize these japanese folk tunes!
he's Daniel's new idol.
apparently broccoli work the best
his little girl is the best
he's Daniel's new idol.
apparently broccoli work the best
his little girl is the best
Sunday, May 17, 2009
riverside
after the flea market i headed up to riverside to see my friend mike. <---
for people who don't know, mike was one of my mini-muses last fall when i was writing more (in Naomi, which is still not finished). I met him on his birthday last year, then he ended up being in arcata during a trip i took back "home" there. since then we became friends.
i think most people have heard mike xvx (you can listen to his stuff here)
but i met paul's friend miguel as well.
i suggest you CHECK HIM OUT
he also plays trombone in a band called citizen fish if you are familiar.
his solo stuff is pretty folky and awesome
and to the sons and daughters of last.fm he doesn't have a profile up, so i may have to make one. i'm trying to decide if it's creepy for me to do that or not...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
three/four time
So I thought I might put up some of my shots since no one has seen my photos. Granted i don't really like to put the ones i develop by hand up online since a) they never look like they do in real life and b) i have an aversion in going into steven's room to use the scanner. soo... crappy photos COMING UP!
.jpg)
.jpg)
This one won't go right side up and i'm waaaay too lazy to fix that, also this is an example of why I don't put hand-made photos online. This print is actually BLUE in real life, I toned that sucker for sooo long. and by long i mean, not very long at all but regardless...it's blue.
the other thing about my manual photography is that as a general rule, if i'm using "messy borders" which is what you can see here, or something that isn't extremely clean, I like dust. I see it like a little stamp that it's made by hand and not on a machine, made with love and toxic chemicals...mmmm
also, today at juice it up! we juiced about SEVEN apples. I took the little peely left over stuff and am going to attempt to make raw apple pie with it. Wish me luck, I'll tell you how it goes.
.jpg)
.jpg)
This one won't go right side up and i'm waaaay too lazy to fix that, also this is an example of why I don't put hand-made photos online. This print is actually BLUE in real life, I toned that sucker for sooo long. and by long i mean, not very long at all but regardless...it's blue.
the other thing about my manual photography is that as a general rule, if i'm using "messy borders" which is what you can see here, or something that isn't extremely clean, I like dust. I see it like a little stamp that it's made by hand and not on a machine, made with love and toxic chemicals...mmmm
also, today at juice it up! we juiced about SEVEN apples. I took the little peely left over stuff and am going to attempt to make raw apple pie with it. Wish me luck, I'll tell you how it goes.
Summer Tour Split
So Lost Sound Tapes is releasing a summer tour split 7'' for watercolor paintings and iji.
And you can listen to it right now!
HERE
I'm not sure if anyone remembers Watercolor Paintings. They are a brother sister duo from Santa Barbara and they did a little house show here in San Clemente at the Construct, not to be confused with the New Construct :). We know them through Alex...Smith that is. Anyway, it's a good time to be had. If you're in the mood for some super cute tunes, check them out.
Indiana and Sneezes are both highly recommended.
And you can listen to it right now!
HERE
I'm not sure if anyone remembers Watercolor Paintings. They are a brother sister duo from Santa Barbara and they did a little house show here in San Clemente at the Construct, not to be confused with the New Construct :). We know them through Alex...Smith that is. Anyway, it's a good time to be had. If you're in the mood for some super cute tunes, check them out.
Indiana and Sneezes are both highly recommended.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Fingerprints
Last Sunday Ryan and I hit up Fingerprints in Long Beach to see a certain Sam Beam//Iron and Wine.
he makes me blush.
Basically the best day ever.
oh and within an hour of posting the videos on youtube a girl sent me a message explaining that i basically ruined her life because i didn't record harvest....yep
up next gogol bordello in santa cruz, and maybe in boston too?
he makes me blush.
Basically the best day ever.
oh and within an hour of posting the videos on youtube a girl sent me a message explaining that i basically ruined her life because i didn't record harvest....yep
up next gogol bordello in santa cruz, and maybe in boston too?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
more than orange juice
i have so many mixed feelings right now but i think things are starting working out, finally
Monday, April 20, 2009
carnies, love, and sepia tone
I think I just developed my greatest roll of film...ever. contact sheet soon to come. everything is going so well.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
rewild
i just got ahold of mike xvx's new album, 'rewild'. it doesn't have as much catchiness as his first album BUT what it does have is passion, intimacy and raw emotion. it continues on themes of animal liberation, feminism, and general freedom in a way which reaches a wider audience than the general seven generations and gather fans, but keeps to it's roots.
I feel a lot more from this album.
Before it actually came out one of it's tracks titled "i'm not afraid to admit that i need help" found me in a hard spot one night. it was before i actually talked to him on a more regular basis but it was a time when i felt alone, not that i didn't think that anyone else didn't feel the way that i did, but that i had never heard it before.
the first couple chapters in my novel Naomi are heavily influenced by his music.
i recommend getting ahold of his music to anyone who's looking for a little more meaning in their lives
my favorite tracks are : "my favorite place" and "that night i dreamed of arson"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)