Both these shots look much better to me larger (so click them and view the larger sizes on Flickr!) These are just things I noticed on the roadside while my dad drove me up the 280 to Birmingham to get to the airport. I really like rural Alabama – there are so many interesting things there that I wish I could have explored more, but alas I only had a few seconds as we whizzed by them on the highway… such is life!
Great zine I picked up at Needles and Pens, it’s a really well designed, simple but quite evocative. I really love how it’s drawn. I thought it was woodblock cutouts until I emailed the artist:
To the center of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you
To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you
Well I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you
In a room without a window in the corner I found truth
In the shadowplay acting out your own death, knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor
And with cold steel, odor on their bodies made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left
I did everything, everything I wanted to
I let them use you for their own ends
To the center of the city in the night, waiting for you
To the center of the city in the night, waiting for you
China’s timber exports, about 40 percent of which goes to the United States, exceed $17 billion. But while some furniture and building-supply stores have agreed in theory to buy only wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as sustainably and legally harvested, implementation is another story.
Ikea: The chain buys a quarter of its furniture stock from China, which imports wood from Russia. A recent Washington Post investigation found that even though about half the wood from Russia is illegally harvested, Ikea employs only two foresters in China and three in Russia to track the origins of its wood. A company official acknowledged that the expense of guaranteeing its wood’s legality is prohibitive. Ikea has a goal that by 2009, at least 30 percent of its wood will be certified. Currently, only 4 percent of the wood used in its Chinese factories passes that test.
Home Depot: Only 5 percent of its wood products are made from certified timber.
Armstrong Floor Products: Sells endangered Indonesian merbau, and declines to join the certification plan.
—J.L.
The Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Mother Jones magazine has a great article on China and what’s happening over there. One of the things I didn’t realize was the effect on trees that China is having as a result of the country being the ‘manufacturer to the World.’
Since they’ve already harvested as much timber within China they now have to get it elsewhere and that is involving a lot of intentional arson and other things to get timber in whether it harms the environment or not. There’s a chart that shows what three of the largest companies Americans are familiar with and probably buy wood products from: Ikea, Home Depot and Armstrong – and shows how much wood is sustainably harvested.
I finally got to check out Harbin Hot Springs this past week and it happened to be on a full moon evening as well which was magnificent. The cool air and warm springs were a perfect match just before the busy Christmas holidays. The trip up and back wasn’t bad either in Chris’ Z8 which feels like it just isn’t happy until it hits 80 MPH!
Finally shot my first NFL game which was the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Minnesota Vikings. Of course the Niners have been sucking ass, but what can you do? I did get to see Shaun Hill get his first touchdown and interception. It was a lot of fun being on the sidelines alongside notables like Peter Read Miller and the Z Man, Michael Zagaris. I kinda felt like a fool with my tiny 70-200 when everyone was shooting with 400s but hey it was fun nonetheless.
So I woke up somewhere I didn’t expect this morning and little did I realize that was just the beginning of a typically crazy LA day for me. After finally getting motivated to get out of bed and having some breakfast around brunch time, I gathered my stuff and finally left in the afternoon and headed out to either check out the taping of American Gladiators since three of my friends are on the new show (Jamie Reed, Beth Horn and Tanji Johnson). Well, I heard it took forever during the tapings and I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated so I decided instead to check out the Museum of Jurassic Technology which I had heard about sometime before and always wanted to check out.
Well, after arriving I realized that it’s really quite huge inside and packed with amazing exhibits. They range from the educational to the bizarre – some are real and some are absurd, but they are almost all enjoyable. You have to really give yourself time here and if you are not 100% sober, you can literally get lost inside (as I did when I realized I needed to leave to meet my dinner date).
So needless to say, I was disappointed that I had to jet without the full experience, but the good news is that I’ve got a good reason to come back!
Well, dinner was with my friend Kristy Hawkins who is actually the 2007 NPC Women’s Bodybuilding National Champion. She won the national title about two weeks ago so was still looking fantastic. We got a wild hair and decided to go to Red Lobster of all places. That’s the crayon coloring image on the strip at left where she got to draw her own trophy which of course was a female bodybuilder.
On my bizzaro trip to LA I was listening to KCRW and heard this great remix of Sideways which is a song I liked by Let’s Go Sailing. It’s by Asa Taccone. They have it on their site and you can also get it on iTunes – check it out!
My dad was in town on a clear evening and after we got sushi for dinner we drove up to Twin Peaks and got to enjoy this view of San Francisco…
Thou shalt not steal if there is a direct victim
Thou shalt not worship pop idols
Or follow lost prophets
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, John Hartmond, Desmond Dekker, Jim Morrisson, Jimmy Hendrix or Sid Barrett in vain.
Thou shalt not think any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile, some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they became popular
Thou shalt not question Steven Fry
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover
Thou shalt not judge lethal weapon by Danny Glover
Thou shalt not buy Coca Cola products
Thou shalt not Nestle products
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriends best friend, take drugs, and then cheat on him
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls pants…
…use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you’ve done your shitty little poem or song, you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar, week in, week out Because you once saw a girl there that you fancied; that you’re never gonna fucking talk to.
Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals.
No matter how great they are, or were.
The Beatles were just a band.
Led Zeppelin , just a band.
The Beach Boys , just a band..
The Sex Pistols , just a band.
The Clash , just a band.
Crass , just a band.
Minor Threat , just a band.
The Cure , just a band.
The Smiths , just a band.
Nirvana , just a band.
The Pixies, just a band.
Oasis , just a band.
Radiohead , just a band.
Bloc Party , just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys, just a band.
“The next big thing”, just a band.
Thou shalt not give bad word to tragedies that occur in non-english speaking countries as to those in english speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the 4 elements and never will be.
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music
Thou shalt not Pimp My Ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When i say “Hey”, thou shalt not say “Ho”
When i say “Hip”, thou shalt not say “Hop”
When i say, he say, she say, we say; “Make some noise.”, kill me.
“Ah, I’ve forgot were i was, hang on…”
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak, like me.
Thou shalt spell the word “Pheonix”
P-H-E-O-N-I-X.
Not, P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Brad at a club last night by saying; “Izziiit”
Thou shalt think for yourselves.
And thou shalt always, thou shalt always, kill.