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I suppose this argues that "Vegetarian" isn't a gene in my family.

Uncle d. / Lidell-ify

My, this is a busy week for the AstroSite. I have to report that at around 6PM yesterday, I became an uncle! My youngest sister just delivered a beautiful girl, "Avery," to this world. It is unfortunate that I won't get to meet Avery until December, but I'm very happy for my sister and our family. Avery is blessed to have my sister as a mother, someone that will ensure happiness, understanding, and patience throughout Avery's life. To my sister, congratulations, and to Avery, welcome to a world that, despite its flaws, is constantly reminded that new life is indeed new hope.

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Last night I saw Jamie Lidell for the second time (I first saw him in October of 2005). The show was incredible; in fact, I'm nonplussed, which makes writing about the performance moot. But I can describe the emotion I felt during and after Mr. Lidell's performance: bliss. It was an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. show. Lidell's preternatural stage presence grasped the entire Doug Fir audience and folded it into a cohesive origami of soul -- Jamie's Modus Operandi. The collective group shouted, danced, and sang together as an organism in itself, leaving all blues stuffed deep into our darkest corners. And I even got to shout all of my soul into the microphone during the encore performance of "Multiply," which is, in my good friend Tom's words, "The best song Al Green never recorded".

But don't get me wrong. I'm not a Motown aficionado. Jamie Lidell is something different. Most notably, he is a computer wizard, recording and sampling his beat-boxin' voice over the sounds of tripped-out beats and blips. But then he sings. And my, does Jamie Lidell sing. The result is the juxtaposition of familiar, recycled sounds into something beautifully original. But I caution those that might pick up his latest release, "Multiply," and expect to be blown away. While the album is strong -- VERY strong -- it does not (nor should it) capture what Jamie Lidell's music is about. That, my fellow cyberfriends, is something exclusive to those fortunate souls attending his live performance. I talked to him at the bar after his set, inviting him back to P-town anytime. His response, in all his British flair: "absolutely, mate".

I'm excited to report that April is proving to be a very, VERY good month for the Portland music scene. Earlier this week I saw Subtle at the Doug Fir, who are an experimental hip-hop-tronic group from the Bay Area. This show was also impressive, exploring a unique blend of rapid-fire rhymes, subtle (no pun intended) electronic beats, and a consortium of organic instruments, from flutes to guitars. But the true gem to bless this city comes next Friday, April 24th. Ryan Adams will be performing in all his macabre beauty at the Roseland Theater, which is walking distance from my apartment. The cast is truly a winning roster, featuring Ryan Adams, his guitar, and a piano. Obviously (especially to those that know of my teenage obsession), I'm very excited. Expect an AstroSite review very soon.

Until then, keep music in your soul, and "soul" in your music.

Coda

My good friend, Billy, who I befriended during my high school years in Sioux Falls, moved to Portland just this week. I'm very excited about this, not just because I am reunited with an old friend, but also because Portland will provide Billy the perfect anecdote to those South Dakota blues. Likewise, Billy will provide a fine match for Portland's progressive, bike-loving, music-loving, expressional ideals (I couldn't think of any more adjectives, sorry). So, Billy, meet Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Oregon, meet Billy.

Billy and I became friends through music. I played bass guitar, he played drums (and still does). Together with a friend I've known since elementary school, we started the trio, "Seven Day Sail". Our mission (although largely subconscious) was to do something different than the seemingly ubiquitous, yet monotonous three-chord anger ballads. Many of the Sioux Falls bands at the time liked to play loud and hard with overtones of vocal screaming. Granted, there were some bands like "Floodplain" that performed this music very well, but there were many that did not. Gathering on influences from Sunny Day Real Estate, Sense Field, and Into Another, Seven Day Sail engineered some novel emo-like sounds (a term that was at the time undefined) for the late 1990's Sioux Falls music scene. Now, I don't mean to sound pretentious as this was YEARS ago and my vocals, while I did attempt to sing, were far from elegant. But in retrospect, our only "professionally" recorded album, "Systomatic Entropy," showcased some musical chemistry and creativity that was something special -- especially for 16 and 17-year-old kids. Upon high school graduation, I departed Seven Day Sail to pursue a college degree (and eventually graduate school, which is why I'm here in Portland), but the rest of the musicians evolved to form a new and improved band, "Billy Music". This band produced in its later years what remains as one of the best albums I own, "Midwest Index". Their sound was intense, passionate, technical, and original. It was as though they took the best ingredients from all my favorite bands and blended them into an delectable sonic elixir. It is an absolute shame that Billy Music parted ways, thereby depriving listeners of more music. But alas, such is the fate of most good bands. Their legend lives on through MySpace, which I encourage you to visit: Billy Music

It is interesting that after moving thousands of miles away from my home in Sioux Falls, SD, I can once again call a great friend my neighbor. Is it my presence and rave reviews of Portland that brought Billy out here, or is it more a result of us sharing unique, albeit quirky personality traits that caused us to choose Portland? I argue that it is the latter. Either way, I look forward to sharing new stories and experiences with my good friend, all the while reminiscing about our old stories and experiences. Welcome, Billy.

To Have Sprung Spring

I'm getting bad at updating The AstroSite. But this is by no means a precedent. My excuses include finals week, a six day trip to Seattle, the Oregon Society for Neuroscience meeting, and an approaching tax deadline. But enough excuses. The important thing is that it's spring! While those that know me will know well enough that my favorite season (by far) is autumn, the paganite within me celebrates all seasons. And spring is no different. Yes my fellow cyber friends, an organic rebirth is among us. Spring is "springing" all around. I've noticed that spring in the Pacific Northwest, as opposed to the Midwest, is dominated by tree flowers. And as you probably are aware, there are many trees in Portland, hence many, many flowers. In fact, as polluted as city air may be, right now my bike commute really does smell like roses. And the foliage is of pink and white confetti. This maternal environment arouses equanimity and anticipation -- it is as though our ancestral genes relax after helping the organism though the "Dead Seasons" of fall and winter.

I think many of us share these feelings when spring arrives, so much so, that maybe we should move the New Year to April 1st. It is hard to find motivation for change -- of which is the nature of most new year resolutions -- in the dark, cold (and wet in Portland) days of January. This is especially relevant to the popular American ambition to lose weight. January 1st may be the WORST date to decide to diet, maybe in part because our genetic baggage is expecting more months of starvation. Moreover, it is more difficult to exercise in the cold and dark winter days. But the spring...Ah, this season is nearly texting your mobile phone with words of encouragement to go outside and play.

So be it. Forget January 1st. This Saturday, April 1st is the New Year, 2006 (realize that also makes you three months younger). Nurture all that callused baggage you've accumulated over the past six months and reveal something new. Something beautiful. Something alive. Millions of other species, from insects to oak trees, are heeding the same advice. Why should we be any different?

Hometown Reds

I've got the blues over the Reds in my home state. With help from a religious conservative base, South Dakota made it a crime this week to perform an abortion, except in the rare case to save the mother's life. I strongly oppose this law. There are a number of reasons as to why I oppose -- even abhor -- this new law, but I will expound on just one reason here for the sake of brevity. Importantly, I can respect a difference of opinion. I will not harangue, rather, I will elicit one of my perspectives as dialogue.

Outlawing abortion is another major advance toward outlawing our American freedoms. Americans are currently experiencing unprecedented freedom restrictions under the Patriot Act and other less-characterized laws. For example, it is currently legal to be imprisoned indefinitely without a warrant, have our phone conversations tapped and our mail opened, have our bank records monitored, and even have our houses searched without a warrant. At the same rate, when our "leaders" speak publicly, protestors are restricted to "Free Speech Zones" (oxymoron alert!), which are sometimes placed blocks away from the speaker's location. And all of this is tolerated in the name of security.

This includes the latest attack on our freedom, South Dakota's abortion ban. In eyes of the anti-choice individual, "The unborn are now safe from abortion and have been granted the freedom of a human citizen". Biology aside (which I admit is difficult for me), freedoms have simply transferred, not increased. A fetus will now indeed be granted the freedom to mature in South Dakota (assuming it even can mature in the case of incest). But once that fetus matures and is born as an infant, there will now be two people with restricted freedoms instead of one. There will be little freedom for the new mother and child, as both will not find much help from our bankrupt social services system. A vast number of abortions are performed because the mother is too poor, too uneducated, too young, too sick, or too unstable to raise a child properly. The result from these women delivering children will burden primarily mother and child, followed by the public, thereby further limiting everyone's freedoms. Obviously, the ideal solution is to prevent these pregnancies from happening in the first place. But power begets freedom. And when one is born without power (e.g. poor and uneducated), one is likely to grow up without the power. This is the system that maintains the freedom of powerful people -- such as the people voting to outlaw abortion in South Dakota. Hence, the social service system will be burdened even more by eliminating abortions. This increases the crime rate, including rape and prostitution, and the cycle repeats exponentially, leaving everyone less secure. How ironical.

For the cause of preserving the freedoms of every American citizen, especially that of the mother, I reject any attempts to outlaw abortion in the United States. If you reject the South Dakota law, there are many ways your voice can be heard, one of which is by hitting South Dakota where it would hurt most: tourism. Send your intents to boycott visiting South Dakota by contacting the Secretary of the Department of Tourism and State Development, James Hagan, and the Director of the Office of Tourism, Billie Joe Waara, via e-mail at: sdinfo@state.sd.us

Yarrrrrhhhhhh!!!!

Yes, I'm still alive; no I have not become a pirate (although I've been tempted to try that career). I just realized that it has been a while since I've updated The Astrosite. Unfortunately, the site will remain unintelligibly updated for a little longer. I have been blessed with visitors for the past two weeks, which managed to push off updating this blog and a LOT of school work -- until now; hence the Yarrrrrrrhhhh! If only international "Talk Like A Pirate Day" was more than once a year (it's currently on September 19th). What a great holiday! I've been kicking around the pirate talk lately since my good friend, Josh, and I crawled the pubs of Portland last weekend, proving that beer really can stimulate intelligible conversation. So me mateys, hang in there and the Astrosite will be back soon (insert here a parrot voice summarizing the main point -- GAWK!!!). There is much to discuss. Much to discuss. Especially my vociferous little home state and its intent to move AWAY from the 21st Century -- in addition to the recent abortion ban, it is now legal to ride and horse and bicycle while drunk. Yarrrrrhhhhh!!!!!

To keep you interested until we meet again, copy this link into your browser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Talk_Like_A_Pirate_Day

Conspiracy Furry

I came across the film, "Loose Change," while browsing Google's video website. I have an obligation as a scientists (and often as an American citizen) to be as objective as possible. This, of course, can be very difficult at times -- even impossible. But restraint and time seem to be the best tools toward reaching clear conclusions. Therefore, I have not made my conclusion about "Loose Change". But the film is at its least intriguing and challenging. Now, I am not about to dive into the "conspiracy of 9/11" or my own beliefs; this is not the place for that as it would easily be the match for the forest fire. Rather, I want to concentrate entirely on the film.

I have been familiar with most of the arguments made in "Loose Change," such as the possible demolition of the Twin Towers and the cruise missile strike against the Pentagon. These theories have been circulating for some time, but with disparate evidence. So it was interesting to see additional evidence supporting these theories, as well as evidence (or lack there of) for theories that have not been highly circulated, such as incorrect engine turbines found at the Pentagon crash site. The film producers have done an enormous amount of research. This is essential when presenting such polemical -- even blasphemous -- arguments. Nearly every point made is supported with some form of evidence, whether documents, witness interviews, or pictures and film. And I especially enjoyed how "Loose Change" used initial media reports from major news organizations, such as ABC News, to support some of the film's claims. For example, soon after the first tower collapse, Peter Jennings comments how similar the collapse looks to a controlled demolition -- not what one would expect from a catastrophic structure failure. Similar descriptions were given on CNN and other networks. The film presents much more evidence than this, of course, but it demonstrates that after years indoctrinating the "The Official Story," we easily overlook some of the initial observations.

The problem with "Loose Change" is that the producers made a short story, not A Story. After touring all three events on Septermber 11th, 2001, exposing holes in The Official Story, the film ends without stating a motive or tying its points together. In other words: why? If the events of September 11th are indeed an unthinkable government crime or cover-up, what is the motive? I can think of plenty of motives, but the film leaves this question a hanging chad. If "Loose Change" wishes to make a cogent argument to skeptics, it must address evidence for a motive. Moreover, some of the evidence they use is dubious at best. An example of this problem is the often grainy video used by the film to draw conclusions. These problems, however, should be taken with some forgiveness as the film is in its nascent stages. "Loose Change" is scheduled to be revamped into a full-length theatrical release later this year. I will expect a much more polished, cohesive story.

Regardless, "Loose Change" makes one very strong point that is difficult to refute: The Official Story has many holes -- so many holes that it may be a conspiracy theory itself. Clearly, "The Truth" about the events that took place that day will never be known. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue answers. This, however, is an argument I've already made (see my 01.17.06 blog post).

I encourage you to watch this film and draw your own conclusions. Just click on the link below to watch Loose Change. There is also a "Version 2," but I think "Version 1" is better for brevity's sake. Importantly, downloading the film (right column) and then watching it will allow for a higher resolution viewing.

Loose Change

Scientizzle's Blog -- Now With A Working Link!

I have learned that since The Astrosite's inception, my friend, "Scientizzle's," blog link was not functioning -- nor was my Mercy Corps. link. Both problems have been fixed. I encourage you visit Mr. "Scientizzle's" site as it is updated frequently and provides a nice contrast to the heavy self-indulgence of my blog.

...And on an unrelated note, congratulations to the Seahawks for finally representing the Pacific Northwest in the Super Bowl! But my sudden interest in football is quite an anomaly, I assure you. My friends have been shocked that I even knew of "The Game" today, let alone that I wanted to watch it. While it wasn't a great game (in the sense of being nail-biter), it is always welcome to see victory anoint a team for the first time. So yes, when "The Game" is on again soon, I'll be watching and rooting for "D," who I've discovered is always the most popular player in sports.

To Be Or Not To See?

When I was in high school I wrote a short essay on "The Truth". My inchoate, adolescent mind was able to come to two conclusions: it either doesn't exist or we cannot know it. This fleeting entity has humbled human effort for ages. It flunks to no intellect; fractures to no strength; loses to no slight of hand. The Truth is the deceiver of deceivers; it is exclusively the knowledge of God. So why pursue it? Every person I've ever met has surrendered a part of their life to pursuing something unobtainable. What madness! There is no better example of such a person than myself: an aspiring neuroscientist. But maybe it is the pursuit of the truth that gives all fallacy meaning. If, for instance, the absolute nature of an orange was known, then what? It won't matter how the orange tastes, or its color, or its weight, or its origin. All those things will be known to everyone, everywhere, forever. The orange is resolved. And that is boring. I don't want to eat that orange. It is the mystery in an orange's texture and flavor -- the diverse opinions from people that may describe the orange differently -- that allow the orange to be delicious. And it is this type of mystery that oils the sprockets of human purpose. We shall never know The Truth unless we are to be purposeless, or for a more savvy muse, unless we are to be God. But it can also be argued that the truth doesn't exist at all; hence, the orange has no true nature, just fleeting existences. Humans, including myself, have problems with this second perspective. Without The Truth, there can be no pursuit of it, and with no pursuit comes no meaning. So then maybe our lives have no meaning. Obviously this won't settle well either. I have plenty of experiences, people, and places that certainly have meaning to me. In homage to Descartes, we do exist because we can ask if we exist. This ability is truly beautiful; it is God's signature. Our brain -- an organized mass of carbon-based molecules -- knows it exists. But do the mouse neurons I'm culturing in the incubator right now know they exist? If they do not, at what point do they gain "awareness"? On the contrary, if they do know they exist, then must my orange also know that it exists? What madness! Perhaps the only truth we will ever know is that we cannot obtain the truth; to do so would be to know the mind of God. And to know the mind of God is to be God, which we're clearly not. And now I'm back to where I started (how humanly typical!): we know nothing.

No matter your perspective on what The Truth is or isn't, it is imperative to respect The Truth (which is precisely what many cultures have been doing for ages through the lore of deities). Unfortunately, abuse of The Truth is rampant. It is as though our brains have gained some serious evolutionary hangtime as a cost for the launch of our consciousness. We have evolved, are aware, and can now "see," but the sheer glare from the intangible Truth can scare us into believing just about anything so long as we don't have to float in a void of blind pursuit. I've been immensely disappointed in people that are supposedly engaged in the pursuit of The Truth for passion's sake (such as a true [pun not intended!] scientist); yet these same people make perfunctory assumptions to which they prescribe as The Truth. We are all guilty of doing this for time to time, but problems arise when pertinacious acknowledgements are made that "The Truth" has been reached. For example, when I would see dark, black clouds while living in South Dakota, I assumed it was going to rain and acted appropriately -- like finishing my beer in the garage. But I didn't cancel the party because maybe it would not rain despite the ominous sky. In this example I acknowledged the truth as a probability, not as The Truth. Likewise, just because two people are dating doesn't mean they are having sex; just because someone is a beer aficionado doesn't mean they drink too much; just because someone deplores George W. Bush doesn't mean that they are a Democrat; Hence, in the search for meaning, we easily lose it. We cannot, nor shouldn't try to dupe The Truth. It will always have the last word. We must respect that. Just as there are, no doubt, 35 black dots in that image above, the glory -- the meaning -- is in the pursuit, not in the nature of The Truth.

Happy Year of the Dog

I'm not sure I know what it means, but my calander told me this morning that 2006 is to be 'Year Of The Dog.' This is somewhat appropriate since the Dog Genome was recently sequenced, but obviously the timing could have been better had that discovery waited a few months. Regardless, it has been way too long since I've updated this, but it's not like anyone has been checking it anyway, so I guess I shouldn't care. But I did have a good friend give me a pumpkin bread recipe (see earlier postings).

2005 was an incredibly intense and complex year for me. I'll spare the details, as much of the details are too personal for the public forum. But in sum, it was a transition year. Or better, a reconstruction year. Old foundations were completely demolished and restructured. The glory in this toil is the confidence that my new life structure will be better than the old. Change is hard, but for someone like myself who is constantly searching -- exploring -- for The Human Experience, change is growth. And, unless you're a tumor, growth is good. There is nothing novel or profound about this statement; rather, it's that the weight of the statement is now understood. I have completely reconstructed relationships, beliefs, and perspectives, all of which are very heavy stones in a very human house. I look forward to 2006 as a year of refinement (after, of course, my coming bouts with lots and lots of dogs). I don't think anyone has the capacity to tolerate constant change, nor should they. Refinement is focus -- clarity -- and right now 2005 remains as a tenacious hangover. And so, like everything else, I am at the mercy of time. Patience will be required to allow refinement of the profound changes I experienced in 2005. And in a paradoxical way, NOT working at achieving this coveted focus is likely to yield the clearest picture. Some things are tarnished by effort; they are, in a sense, live entities in themselves that must prosper on their own. 2005 is one of those entities for me and will require time to mature. So I wait in anticipation for 2006. Like the product of a genetic code, a year's product is an amalgam of elements you can and cannot control. And since probability is required to give you as many deleterious as beneficial uncontrolled elements, utilizing even the smallest amount of controllable elements in your favor is bound to lead to a mostly good year. How's that for an analytical approach!

I hope all of you find at least some good reflections in 2005; may 2006 embrace your best ambitions.

Happy New Year!