Living In the Past: Back when dinosaurs roamed San Francisco, I was asked to write a piece for suck.com by some chick named Ana Marie Cox. The domain has since been sold to a xxx-squatting company, and now all Suck’s URLs bring up the same sad page, but injoke.org has archived Suck (thanks to Dave Winer for the link)– yes, every daily post and all other related content– as a Bittorrent file.
For those of you keeping score at home, the piece in question is dated 6/25/96 and is entitled Come On Down. Last time I checked it was still cached on Google’s servers in all its broken-image-link glory.
The full text follows after the jump; I insist on retaining its annoying Suck-centric, white– or, in this case, green– space-loving layout. That, and I’m lazy when it comes to reformatting linebreaks (and, apparently, editing out myriad mixed metaphors, knowing the difference between exorable and excreable, etc.). Gameshow trainspotters– let’s see those hands!– will also be quick to correct me for the “Dick Cullen” comment; the Password host was Bill Cullen, of course. You can kill me now.
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I’m not sure it would be BusinessWeek. Mark R. Mitchell at CJR Daily explains why you might be better off asking that guy pushing the shopping cart on 16th Street. At least he’s, like, objective about the subject.
Developing story.
The BBC’s take on this vital issue.
Once again, life imitates The Onion.
“[I]n the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes.” — Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1925
“If you tell a lie big enough, and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” — Josef Goebbels, Third Reich Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945
“See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda,” –George W. Bush, May 2005
December 27, 3:40 pm: Erick Flemming Manguchei, 37, of Kapa’a, for eight counts of illegal firearms ownership or possession, two counts of terroristic threatening, kidnapping, criminal property damage, two counts of family abuse, obstruction of a police investigation, phone ripping, and intimidating a witness.
This is the most extreme, but there’s three other similar entries for last week.
I think I’ll continue to restrain my temptation to wave my finger at the many monster-truck drivers who tailgate me on the Kuhio Highway.
No, it’s not what you’re thinking.
Yesterday was tied for the hottest December 29th on record in Kaua’i (yes, 85 degrees, 65% humidity, no breeze), during one of the driest winters on record.
I chose this day for a five-hour “Wild Side” trek at Na ‘Āina Kai Botanical Garden.
A photo tour can be found here.
The garden is huge, taking up 240 acres on the makai side of Kilauea, south of the lighthouse. The property was owned by hardwood timber tycoons Joyce and Ed Doty. They’ve moved out of their rather spectacular home on a ridge overlooking the Pacific, set up a non-profit organization and opened the land to the public.
This is quite a story, considering it’s some of the most prime real estate on one of the most lucrative resort islands in the world. There are still over one hundred acres of teak, rosewood and other sustainable hardwoods being farmed on the property. Sales of the timber are plowed (so to speak) back into the gardens.
Bronze statuary is placed throughout the grounds. I bet this place is spookier n’ hell at night.
For more backround on Joyce and Ed Doty, check out this 2003 LA Times article.
Special thanks to botanist Marty Fernandes, who made this the most educational and informative garden tour I’ve ever taken. If she’s interested in hiring me to take care of the mounted orchids in the garden– some of the specimens were, um, shall we say, a bit dessicated– I’m more than available.
* Seared, mesquite-BBQ’d ahi tuna
* Steamed broccoli and cauliflower
* Boiled Okinawan sweet potatoes
* Smoking Loon chardonnay
Yesterday I visited the McBryde Garden in the Lawai Valley on the south shore of Kaua’i. It’s part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. There’s a Flickr set of photos here.
There’s a portion of the self-guided tour called Spice of Life that meanders up and down a verdant side canyon with a stream and series of waterfalls. I could have spent days at the top of the trail. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
Yes, she’s a parent now, and is pushing a new film. But these two things can’t excuse certain fashion don’ts, and c’mon, not all publicity is good publicity. Sometimes the clothes you wear amount to nothing but a great big ol’ honkin’ cry for help.
[thanks to Maryam for the link].
