Back to the Garden

The case for ballot initiatives, and improving them

2012-01-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here in Colorado, since 1994, ballot initiatives notably gave us the country's strongest ban on lobbyists giving politicians "gifts" (Amendment 41), the country's first Renewable Energy Mandate (37), campaign finance reform (27), increased K-12 funding (23), Background Checks for buyers at Gun Shows (22), Medical Marijuana (20), cleaner hog farms (14) and Term Limits (12).

Media, not just in Colorado, have focused on the few problematic ballot initiatives like Colorado's 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights Amendment 1, which voters gave a 5 year time out in 2005, by voting for Referendum C. Rather than act to finally fix TABOR, the Colorado Legislature keeps trying to make the initiative process harder, including with 2008's defeated Referendum O. This would make the process even more expensive for regular people, without inconveniencing wealthy users of the ballot initiative process.

Oregon has instead improved its ballot initiative process with Citizen Initiative Review. By having randomly-selected "citizen juries" deliberate each initiative, problems like TABOR's "racheting down provision," hidden in its back pages unnoticed, would have been exposed before we voted on it.

The initiative & referendum process is the origin of most reforms, from women's suffrage to sunshine laws to medical marijuana to term limits. See Vote.org/initiatives for references and more examples.

We call on the Colorado Legislature to improve the initiative process, starting with Citizen Initiative Review, and to abandon its attempts to hobble citizen initiatives.

"On most major issues we've dealt with in the past 50 years, the public was more likely to be right...based on the judgment of history...than the legislatures or Congress." -George Gallup, Sr.

2011-12-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

9/11 Truth-seeking made huge strides since September's 10th anniversary:

10/9/11 NY Times: Scientists’ Analysis Disputes F.B.I. Closing of Anthrax Case

The anthrax attack was just a secondary terror event.. But these doctors say the FBI dropped a main forensic lead which points at the most advanced US labs -and the FBI is actively trying to block a new investigation. It's also the first crack in the NY Times subtly snide propaganda against "truthers," and by implication, truth.

9/15/11 Fmr Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chair [Democratic] Sen. Bob Graham calls to re-investigate the Saudi role in 9/11 AND the government's active cover up such as flying Saudis, including Bin Ladens, out of the country while the rest of us were grounded right after 9/11. [See DemocracyNow]

9/11/11 SecrecyKills was set to release their expose podcast naming some very critical names, but the CIA threatened them at the last minute. They released it a couple of weeks later, in spite of the threat. Their statement about the shut-down and fmr. FBI Director's Tenet's response to them say plenty, even if you don't listen to the whole podcast. For a summary it's quicker to view this video at FBI whistleblower/translator Sibel Edmonds website Boiling Frogs: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/?s=secrecy+kills

9/09/11 Release of "Explosive Evidence: Experts Speak Out," the new full-length documentary featuring 43 of the over 1600 Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth members, including the lead electrical engineer of the WTC, one of its structural engineers, Boulder structural engineer Jonathan Smolens, etc. With Boulder psychologists Bob and Marti Hopper and Denver psychologist Fran Shure in the epilog.

The 43 engineers & architects merely expound High School level physics showing that NIST's (changing!) explanation of what made THREE buildings of the WTC fall down is a pack of violations of 1. The Law of Conservation of Momentum and 2. Principles of Symmetry. Photos of WTC buildings 3, 4, 5 and 6, which were completely burned and gutted by thousands of tons of falling steel from the very close Twin Towers, show they didn't collapse, just as much larger fires lasting many hours or days have never made a steel-framed skyscraper fall. ONLY WTC 1, 2 and 7 fell in identical symmetrical fashioned, though all were damaged VERY unsymmetrically and relatively slightly. Here are photos of 5 & 6.

Better science education is probably a big part of why 89.5% of Germans don't think the US is telling the whole truth about 9/11:

9/08/11-9/11/11 The International Hearings on the Events of Sept. 11, 2001 concluded with Sen. Mike Gravel explaining his tri-state ballot initiative campaign for an independent investigation with grand jury powers. Then, French actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz, who played the lead in "Amelie," gave $50,000 to Sen. Gravel for the campaign. A DVD of this event will soon be available.

Mike Gravel has noted that the government will never really investigate itself. He's carefully crafted the Citizens 9/11 Commission so any 1 state can convene it if its initiative passes, but other states can join in, etc. He DEFINITELY needs more money:

Please everyone, circulate this widely. Thanks!

Evan

"There is no god higher than truth." -Gandhi

Boulder's Big Black Lie

2011-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Boulder Deputy Mayor Lisa Morzel

I've closely watched the video of the May 3, 2011 Boulder, Colorado City Council meeting when they gave up their longtime resistance to the proposed Jefferson Parkway and gave their go-ahead to start plowing up the dirt at Rocky Flats, the former town-sized nuclear bomb factory 8 miles South of Boulder, in trade for a deal for more open space land.

Deputy Mayor Dr. Lisa Morzel blatantly misrepresented what the background level of plutonium is in our area. The meeting video is here.

Dr. Morzel starts to speak in support of the road at 10:03 pm on the screen. About 10:07 she says "Background levels are 35 picocuries [per gram of soil]" It's easy to find online (or from any expert) that the real background level is .04 picocuries (for example, see here, under 3. Rocky Flats.) She says this to falsely show that the federal government's claimed cleanup level of 50 picocuries per gram (likely also false) is almost to background level, when it is actually 1250 times higher! (50 divided by .04)

This is crucial, because these plutonium particles are the optimum size to stay in the air indefinitely (even without the Flats' regular 80 MPH winds, dust devils and occasional tornadoes) and to be inhaled and retained in people's lungs. This decision is tantamount to murder. Cancer would be a near-certainty for many road workers, and possible downwind in the Denver metro area, Kansas and beyond.

It's impossible to detect Plutonium with a radiation meter unless it's sitting right on top of the ground. See here. So nobody can know what radiation levels exist where they're digging down.

It's not too late to stop this atrocity! Just a few days ago the town of Superior, just downwind of Rocky Flats, filed suit for a real Environmental Impact Statement. I urge anyone in the world -as you are all potential victims- to contact the Boulder City Council and demand they redo their decision on the basis of actual science, not lies: council@bouldercolorado.gov Or call them:

Mayor Matt Appelbaum- 303-499-8970
Deputy Mayor Lisa Morzel- 303-815-6723
Suzy Ageton- 303-442-5726
Macon Cowles- 303-638-6884
Suzanne Jones- 720-633-7388
George Karakehian- 303-218-8612
Tim Plass- 720-299-4518
Ken Wilson- 303-999-1931

Plutonium was a rare trace mineral on earth until it was first produced in about 1940, expressly for more efficient atomic bombs. It bursts into flame on contact with air and is a heavy metal poison as well as being highly radioactive. A single particle lodged in the lungs will radiate the cells next to it for the rest of one's life; after decades cancer is likely.

If the City Council wants to make the same decision, with the deadly health implications, they should do it on the basis of facts, not layers of lies. Remember that far less egregious lying in the so-called "Climategate" emails were a main factor in the public turning against climate science, and the US blocking a treaty to stop climate catastrophe. Billions will die as a result.

This is just one reason why I've come to regard Boulder as a world center of greenwashing. More to come...

Evan's Pet/House-Sitting Service.

2011-10-23T18:08:00.001-07:00

Howdy.

I´ve been house/cat/dog/bird/turtle/chicken-sitting for over a year -and exploring some of North America's best wilderness-see my new movie at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W56rffQHYVs

I've lived in Boulder 33 years and have great references. Recently I was dog-sitting at the super-comfortable Net Zero Energy home of Synergistic Building Technologies' Larry Kinney and Wyncia Clute. Awhile back I stayed with longtime Boulder friend and Olympic Marathon medalist Lorraine Moller and her builder husband Harlan Smith. I lived twice in the '80s with Boulder's reknowned yoga master Richard Freeman.

I always leave a place better than I entered it. I love animals and am good with plants too. I don't usually charge unless there's some difficulty like your place being far from town, and you don't leave me a car. (I sold mine 22 years ago and bike everywhere.)

I´d also consider other situations like:

I could be someone's personal trainer in trade for a room. I've
practiced yoga daily for 30 years, taught in Guatemala, and recently
completed Richard Freeman's month-long Teacher Intensive
http://yogaworkshop.com/richards_teaching/2010_ti.php I lead serious
backpacking trips http://evanravitz.com/paradise in Mexico's difficult
Copper Canyon. I've been going barefoot when possible since 1965 and
have climbed the Arapahoe Peaks and 1st Flatiron that way, among others.

I could also trade childcare. I've been teaching my friends' kids
yoga and tightrope-walking. I worked at Homestar Preschool
http://www.homestarcenter.org/ in Boulder 2004-5 and loved it. I'd be a good
"manny" especially for smart athletic kids. I know the hidden waterfalls & caves
around Boulder almost nobody else does. I tutored math while at Colorado
College.

I could do elder or disabled care. I got a near-quadraplegic washed, dressed and
fed every morning for a few of months back in the ´80s, until by force of
will he learned to do without me.

Do you have a shed or garage I could clean out? I'm good at organizing, selling
and giving stuff away via Craigslist, etc. I did janitorial work for the Boulder
International Hostel http://boulderinternationalhostel.com/ for a couple of years.

I've been earning my living for 3 years as a freelance editor
http://spryeye.blogspot.com/2010/02/evans-editing-service-gets-kudos.html
and am seeking more work. I've done a huge variety of things including computer
programming, not-so-tight-rope artistry, photography, solar research, growing
organic vegetables, tree trimming, wilderness guiding, moving and construction.
More at http://evanravitz.com

I'll consider all offers. Please resend this to other Boulder folks. My email is evan (at) vote.org
and phone is 303-923-5918

Thanks and have a great day.

Evan

Peer-reviewed 9/11 scientific papers

2010-11-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

"Fourteen Points of Agreement with Official Government Reports on the World Trade Center Destruction,” by Steven E. Jones, Frank M. Legge, Kevin R. Ryan, Anthony F. Szamboti, and James R. Gourley, published in 2008 in the Open Civil Engineering Journal.
“Environmental Anomalies at the World Trade Center: Evidence for Energetic Materials,” by Kevin R. Ryan, James R. Gourley, and Steven E. Jones, published in 2009 in The Environmentalist.
“Active Thermitic Material Observed in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe,” by University of Copenhagen chemistry professor Niels Harrit and eight colleagues (including Jones, Ryan, Legge, and Gourley), published in 2009 in The Open Chemical Physics Journal.
“Discussion of ‘Progressive Collapse of the World Trade Center: A Simple Analysis’ by K.A. Seffen,” by physicist Crockett Grabbe, published in 2010 in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, which is published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
“Discussion of ’Mechanics of Progressive Collapse: Learning from World Trade Center and Building Demolitions’ by Zdenek P. Bazant and Mathieu Verdure,” by chemical engineer James R. Gourley, published in 2010 in the ASCE’s Journal of Engineering Mechanics.
"Discussion of ‘What Did and Did Not Cause Collapse of World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York’ by Zdenek P. Bazant, Jia-Liang Le, Frank R. Greening, and David B. Benson," by Anders Björkman, published in 2010 in the ASCE’s Journal of Engineering Mechanics.

9/11 Commissioners, Congressmen and former FBI head doubt 9/11 story!

2010-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

9/11 Commissioners have their doubts:
The 9/11 Commission’s co-chairs said that the 9/11 Commissioners knew that military officials misrepresented the facts to the Commission, and the Commission considered recommending criminal charges for such false statements (free subscription required)
9/11 Commission co-chair Lee Hamilton says “I don’t believe for a minute we got everything right”, that the Commission was set up to fail, that people should keep asking questions about 9/11, and that the 9/11 debate should continue
9/11 Commissioner Timothy Roemer said “We were extremely frustrated with the false statements we were getting”
9/11 Commissioner Max Cleland resigned from the Commission, stating: “It is a national scandal”; “This investigation is now compromised”; and “One of these days we will have to get the full story because the 9-11 issue is so important to America. But this White House wants to cover it up”
9/11 Commissioner Bob Kerrey said that “There are ample reasons to suspect that there may be some alternative to what we outlined in our version . . . We didn’t have access . . . .” He also said that the investigation depended too heavily on the accounts of Al Qaeda detainees who were physically coerced into talking
And the Senior Counsel to the 9/11 Commission (John Farmer) – who led the 9/11 staff’s inquiry – recently said “At some level of the government, at some point in time…there was an agreement not to tell the truth about what happened”. He also said “I was shocked at how different the truth was from the way it was described …. The tapes told a radically different story from what had been told to us and the public for two years…. This is not spin. This is not true.” And he said: “It’s almost a culture of concealment, for lack of a better word. There were interviews made at the FAA’s New York center the night of 9/11 and those tapes were destroyed. The CIA tapes of the interrogations were destroyed. The story of 9/11 itself, to put it mildly, was distorted and was completely different from the way things happened”

Senators & Congressman have their doubts

According to the Co-Chair of the Congressional Inquiry into 9/11 and former Head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bob Graham, an FBI informant had hosted and rented a room to two hijackers in 2000 and that, when the Inquiry sought to interview the informant, the FBI refused outright, and then hid him in an unknown location, and that a high-level FBI official stated these blocking maneuvers were undertaken under orders from the White House (confirmed here)
Current Democratic U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy said “The two questions that the congress will not ask . . . is why did 9/11 happen on George Bush’s watch when he had clear warnings that it was going to happen? Why did they allow it to happen?”
Current Republican Congressman Ron Paul calls for a new 9/11 investigation and states that “we see the [9/11] investigations that have been done so far as more or less cover-up and no real explanation of what went on”
Current Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich hints that we aren’t being told the truth about 9/11
Current Republican Congressman Jason Chafetz says that we need to be vigilant and continue to investigate 9/11
Former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel states that he supports a new 9/11 investigation and that we don’t know the truth about 9/11
Former Republican Senator Lincoln Chaffee endorses a new 9/11 investigation
Former U.S. Democratic Congressman Dan Hamburg doesn’t believe the official version of events
Former U.S. Republican Congressman and senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and who served six years as the Chairman of the Military Research and Development Subcommittee Curt Weldon has shown that the U.S. tracked hijackers before 9/11, is open to hearing information about explosives in the Twin Towers, and is open to the possibility that 9/11 was an inside job

Former FBI director Louis Freeh called the 9/11 investigation a coverup:

“No wonder the 9/11 families were outraged by these revelations and called for a ‘new’ commission to investigate.”

The Boulder, CO Origin of "Will Work for Food"

2010-02-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Itinerant bicycle mechanic James Bush, an acquaintance of mine, ran out of money while in Boulder during the summer of 1988. He held the original "Will Work for Food" sign on Boulder's famed Pearl St. Mall. Even though many beg for money on the Mall, he was arrested for soliciting without a permit. It took months for City Attorney Joseph Napoleon DeRaismes III (actual name!) to drop the charges. Here's a Boulder Daily Camera news article about a demonstration against this "only in Boulder" smallness and meanness, held October 7, 1988, using photocopies of James' original sign:

Here are some of hundreds of cartoons -and photos- from the last 22 years from this incident:

Evan's Editing Service gets kudos

2010-02-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

I can simply fix grammar, punctuation and spelling errors (including improper homonyms that spellchecks can't catch, like using "site" for "sight" or "cite.") or I can do complete re-writes to illuminate your subject and hold people's interest. I can fact-check online and I'm particularly good at catching scientific errors, like using "kilowatts" when you mean "kilowatt-hours.".

What my clients say:

"When my memoir, "On the Wings of Mercury"http://www.amazon.com/Wings-Mercury-Lorraine-Moller-Story/dp/1877361992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243348252&sr=8-1 was published it had been subjected to the expertise of both line and content editing. When Evan read the second edition he found typographical, grammatical and content errors that the professionals had missed, TWICE! I now feel confident that the third printing is correct thanks to Evan's laser-keen eye for the written word." --Lorraine Moller, Olympic marathon medalist, coach and author.

"I have a product that is about to go national and the booklet that comes with it has to be perfect. For the final proofreading, I wouldn't work with anyone but Evan. He has the eye of a high-powered microscope, finding typos other editors missed. On top of that, he is a joy to work with. If you need an editor and/or proofreader, stop searching—work with Evan." -Richard Shane, Ph.D. Developer, Sleep Easily: http://www.sleepeasily.com/

"I hired Evan Ravitz to help me with proof reading a book and he was excellent. He caught many, many things--grammatical, technical and sometimes proposed better wording. I would recommend him to anyone who needs detailed care for a final manuscript. He is methodical, detail oriented and focused on grammatical precision. He also has a foundational understanding of technology, which many others do not." --Camilla Rees, Co-Author of "Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution" http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=public%20health%20sos%20wireless and Founder, http://ElectromagneticHealth.org

"Evan Ravitz takes the craft of editing to a new high. He has a talent that few possess, for he not only is meticulous and thorough but brings his literary intuition and instinct to every project. You can expect a prompt turnaround time coupled with the knowledge that your work will be "publisher ready." I wouldn't feel comfortable using anyone but Evan to do my smallest or largest editing job, he's simply "the best of the best." -George MacGregor, author, "So There" http://booklocker.com/books/5841.html

"I love the work Evan Ravitz did on my book. His editing was thorough, thoughtful and also very respectful of what the different contributors to the book were trying to convey. He was always on schedule and easy to work with. I have referred friends to him and plan to hire him for my next project." --Sophie Rose, author of The Way of The Heart http://www.amazon.com/Way-Heart-Teachings-Jeshua-Magdalene/dp/1466314036/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320778212&sr=8-2

"For writing my review of the latest Condi Rice documentary for the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/coleen-rowley/american-faust-from-condi_b_393618.html , it was so beneficial to get Evan Ravitz’s skillful editing assistance!” --Coleen Rowley, TIME 2002 Person of the Year

I charge $25-50/hr. on a sliding scale. Usually people email me .doc files and I edit in proposed changes, which can be accepted or rejected individually. I can work on hard copy, or another way you suggest.

I wrote a column for the Colorado Daily from 1990-1995. I run the website http://Vote.org among others. You can see some of my background and activities at http://EvanRavitz.com I'm also a good photographer, since age 6. See http://picasaweb.google.com/Evan.Ravitz and http://evanravitz.com/photos

Contact me at evan (at) Vote (dot) org (preferred) or 303-923-5918.

"My" Sen. Mark Udall: environmmentalist or puppet?

2009-12-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

Udall with Barbra Streisand

Colorado Sen. Mark Udall was elected as an environmentalist Congressman from Boulder in 1998. When told his race for Senator was close in 2008, he caved to big oil:

Denver Post, 8/14/08

"Udall calling for more domestic drilling and reversing his long-standing opposition to drilling off America's shores."

He must have made enough "friends" who showed him a good enough time that although he's safely a Senator until 2014, he's sold out completely:

Denver Post, 10/31/09

"Udall widens push for nuclear plants"

Grist, 11/12/09

"They [14 Democratic Senators including Udall] call for the free allocation of pollution permits to electric utilities to be distributed 'fully based on emissions'"

Glenwood Springs Post Independent 8/11/11

"Udall calls fracking ‘safe technology'"

The world's foremost energy expert, Colorado's own Amory Lovins, founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, says all 4 are inferior to renewables.

Udall was born on 3rd base to a prominent political family that made their reputation as environmentalists. Why is he hitting a home run for oil, coal gas and nukes??

Mark Udall is also profoundly dishonest. Read in my "Tale of 4 Udalls" how he repeatedly lies about a project I've worked 20 years on, which both his own brothers have endorsed!

Remember who Mark Udall really is when he runs for re-election in 2014. He suckered me for my vote in 1998. Never again.

Unearthly beautiful music this Saturday in Boulder!

2009-09-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Beth Quist was the lead singer for Cirque du Soleil. She's from Boulder, has a 4-octave range, and sang with Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra. Jesse and James are both superb musicians.
Saturday, September 26, 2009 8-11pm $12.00

Location: Immersive Studio No.7, Boulder, CO
3063 Sterling Circle East, No. 7 (E. on Valmont, almost, but not quite to the post office @ 55th, left on Sterling; right around the circle; first left in the back)

Watch Jesse & James with Zahara on drums at Boulder favorite Trident Bookcafe Sept. 12. With hand dancers...

Details:

A quite rare trio performance of James Hoskins, Jesse Manno, and Beth Quist is happening this Sat. Sept. 26th at Immersive studios in Boulder!
-----------------------------
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Cost: $12.00 (such a deal!) {or More $$ if generosity permits!}
Location: Immersive Studio No.7
Street: 3063 Sterling Circle East, No. 7 (E. on Valmont, almost,
but not quite to the post ofc. @ 55th, left on Sterling;
right around the circle; first left in the back)
City/Town: Boulder, CO 80301
Phone: 303.413.1131 or me, James: 303.817.8828
Emails: quistian@earthlink.net; james@cellohoskins.com
-----------------------------
Personnel and show info:

Jesse Manno:
vocals, saz, bouzouki, drums/percussion, flutes, oud

James Hoskins:
vocals, cello, gadulka, percussion

Beth Quist:
vocals, keyboards, guitar, hammered dulcimer, percussion

We might also all be trading off between each others instruments... you never
know. This is an evening focusing on our love of improvisation with a few
structured pieces thrown in for energetic bookending.

We will also be joined by 2 wonderful improvisational dancers, Cortney McGuire & Josselyn Levinson. and wonderful lighting & photomedia by Joe Shepard. This is getting more fun by the minute.

"Homework Kills Trees" T-shirts "Stop the Madness"

2009-05-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tonite at the Neko Case/Calexico concert at Boulder's Chautauqua, I met Elijah. She said she'd worn it to school, with no resulting decrease in homework. The madness continues.

Spectacular Iridescent Clouds with Panasonic LX3

2009-05-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

These are the first really good iridescent clouds I've captured with what people are calling the highest quality compact digital camera, the Panasonic LX3 with an excellent f2.0 Leica lens and a larger sensor than most compacts. This camera is so popular with discriminating photographers that the price is above list price and rising 10 months after introduction, unlike almost all other cameras whose prices fall rapidly...

Iridescent clouds occur when most water droplets are the same size. These were taken from Boulder's Chautauqua Park. Lots more here.

Ralph Nader endorses our Vote.org project!

2009-04-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

One symptom of America's increasing inequality is the "star system." Normally, it would be almost impossible for a nobody like me to meet someone like Ralph Nader, America's foremost citizen advocate for over 40 years. I've tried several times over the last year to contact him via his nonprofit Public Citizen. No dice.

Yesterday, because of a Colorado snow/slush blizzard, only 50 attended a talk Ralph gave at CU-Boulder, about Single-Payer Health Care. So I was able to talk to him several times at the small reception following. He was enthusiastic about former Senator Mike Gravel's project for better and national ballot initiatives, which I promote at Vote.org And he recognized that "Vote at Vote.org" was way easier to spread than "Vote at ni4d.us"(Gravel's site) and promised to do so!

Having national ballot initiatives will make Congress more humble, as they've done with Switzerland's Parliament since 1848. When they don't represent us, we'll just make law ourselves. This will lessen the star system -and you can bet The People will reduce income inequality too!

Ralph asked about Mike, who's had a hard time since his glory days, when he single-handedly filibustered until the Vietnam draft was ended, reading the Pentagon Papers into the national record. Mike was targeted for defeat by the military/industrial complex and has been out of office since 1981. I told him Mike's considering moving to Switzerland or Korea to promote the National Initiative, since the media ignores or marginalizes him here, even though he sacrificed his retirement to run for President.

Ralph does have a sense of humor, and curiosity. He wanted to know about my Panasonic Lumix LX3, which is supposed to be the best-quality compact digital camera, and does a decent job of video, as you can see if you click the "HD" for high-definition.

You can see here how the media can make a "nobody" out of a popular entertainer who was voted "Best Activist" by Boulderites. You can see why I've devoted 20 years to this project here.

YOU can help bring government BY the people to the U.S., help restore my reputation, and re-balance inequality some by linking here or sharing this story on social networks:

Newspapers digging their own graves -and ours.

2009-04-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

My letter to the editors of the Boulder Daily Camera and Colorado Daily:

Editor,

As newspapers wring their hands over their declining readership, they should remember the old dictum: "The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." In so many ways, from the expected rejection of this letter, to editorials to news "slant," we now usually get the opposite, political dictum: "Kiss up and (defecate) down."

My experience: In 1992 I was voted "Best Activist" by readers of the Boulder Daily Camera, for several reasons which annoyed the rulers of "our" town. So, in 1995, after I'd criticized the Mayor at a City Council meeting, the editor of the Camera falsely wrote "Ravitz virtually suggested the Mayor deserved the cancer she was fighting." The official City video of the 6/6/95 meeting, available at the Carnegie Library, proves this false. Or read the actual transcript. The editor repeated his falsehood a week later.

A month later the editor of the Colorado Daily fired me from the columnist post I'd held for 5 years, for another easily-disproven falsehood: that I'd disrupted a meeting on the future of the University of Colorado. Prof. Estevan Flores, who ran the meeting, wrote in a published letter that I'd instead made a "valuable contribution" to the meeting. Prof. Martin Walter wrote that if anyone had disrupted the meeting it was he, when he rose to passionately second my suggestion that CU "democratize." Chancellor Rod Park was also a witness.

When media thus make inconvenient truth-tellers into non-persons they leave only yes-men and women in the pool of leaders. You can see the results. Happy devolution!

Evan Ravitz

Why I've devoted 20 years to better and NATIONAL ballot initiatives

2009-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

I was the not-so-tight-rope artist and juggler Evan from Heaven for 20 years. I entertained 400,000 on Boulder's mall, but the City banned me from 1982-1985, in spite of a petition (see below) of 4000 fans -and Boulder and Constitutional law. I became homeless. Mime David Shiner who was arrested for impersonating a policeman (!) went on to Cirque du Soleil and Broadway fame.

So I went to Aspen and Key West, and then Yelapa, Mexico. Arriving in this fishing/tourist village penniless, I was given a room with a view and food and was allowed to bother the Mayor's restaurant patrons to earn my living performing. I continued on to Guatemala. I started building a house on a Maya artist friend's land, but abandoned it when 3 other Maya friends were killed by the Guatemalan Army -with U.S.-supplied M-16s. Some 200,000 were killed, tens of thousands tortured horribly, mostly in the '80s.

I returned to Boulder, depressed. I read in Howard Zinn's "People's History of the U.S." that polls showed by 1975 that 65% of Americans were opposed to all foreign military aid because it strengthened dictators. I realized if WE had a vote on this "aid," my friends would still be alive -along with millions world-wide. That we'd never have been banned in Boulder. And the world would be a better place.

I spearheaded Boulder's 1993 Voting by Phone ballot initiative, thinking it the technology to make citizens voting directly on the laws practical. We made the CBS Evening News, the Wall St. Journal, etc.

With a hostile City Council dishonestly attacking our initiative it was defeated 59-41%. I started Vote.org in 1995 to promote citizen power via better and national ballot initiatives.

I soon got a call from Jared Polis, a Princeton student who'd enabled student Voting by Web. We've been friends ever since. We both love Mexico as well as democracy. I drag Jared hiking once or twice a year.

Jared became the wealthiest and most philanthropic person in Boulder. He sponsored 2 Colorado ballot initiatives which passed becoming Amendment 23 (raising K-12 school spending) and Amendment 41 (the country's strongest prohibition on lobbyist "gifts" to politicians.) Jared is now our Congressman. He said on radio that he's going to introduce a bill for national ballot initiatives soon!

In 2000 I devoted Vote.org to Sen. Mike Gravel's project for better and national initiatives. I took the initiative to solicit endorsements from prominent people. Howard Zinn became one of the first, along with Patch Adams, Pete Seeger, Daniel Ellsberg, Julia Butterfly Hill, "Granny D," Michael Lerner, Ralph Nader etc. See the complete list.

Now we're raising funds to make a feature-length film about Gravel's project. Gravel was the Senator who in 1971 single-handedly filibustered until the military draft was ended, during which he read the Pentagon Papers, getting Dan Ellsberg (subject of the movie The Most Dangerous Man in America) out of trouble for leaking them to the press.

We need inspired help. Almost all politicians and the people who buy their votes are opposed to government by the people. Read what "my" Senator Mark Udall said about our project. He's far more typical of politicians than my singular Congressman Polis.

Please VOTE to take the "mock" out of democracy at Vote.org!

Transport that's fun and follows the laws of physics!

2009-02-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

We all learned in school that bikes are the most efficient transportation, in both the artificial and animal worlds. But how can humans be more efficient than, say, antelope? Because of all the "embedded" energy already invested to smooth and pave the roads, which makes skinny wheels way more efficient than any legs. (Animals can't coast, for one thing.)

Cycling's also fun and keeps you healthy. In my 30s I rode across Mexico among other long rides. At 56 I still do all my local travel by bike. Bikes should be our first choice when practical. Bikes are, or can be, easy to take on public transportation, a great combination.

People talk about "transit" as if it were all good. But as the standard text Principles of Pavement Design or any pavement engineer will tell you, road damage increases as the FOURTH power of vehicle weight (assuming the same number of axles). This means that a bus weighing about ten times the average car does TEN THOUSAND times more damage! So buses and heavy trucks do almost all the damage to our highways and major roads.

Pounding our roads and highways, the most expensive infrastructure in the U.S., is just not "sustainable." Heavy transport should where possible run on steel rails, far cheaper and more durable than roads. Rail transport is also the 2nd most efficient, after the bicycle.

Until the 1940s, most urbanites commuted on streetcars -running on rails. Some of our "stimulus" money should go to rebuild them. Some should go to improve long-distance rail lines. And some should go to develop and produce an affordable electric car -especially since car companies are getting bailed out.

Electric cars don't pollute and go much further per dollar than internal combustion vehicles. Having far fewer moving parts and no explosions inside, they are far more durable and require far less maintenance. Soon, many will be charging them from solar panels on their homes, and their batteries will be tied into the electric grid, providing storage to even out the intermittent production of solar and wind energy, and uneven usage.

Hybrid cars save gas, but there's evidence the "embodied" extra energy involved in producing TWO engines -electric and gas- may outweigh that savings, unless, like cabbies, you drive a lot. The gas engine still requires lots of maintenance.

Once economics and physics force much transportion back to streetcars and trains, America's huge road and highway network will be much safer and more fun for cycling again. And the roads will last: A cyclist on a bike weighing (at most) ten times less than a car does TEN THOUSAND times less road damage, 100 MILLION times less than a bus!

Latest Iridescent (or nacreous) Clouds

2009-02-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

I've been lucky to see and photograph these sublime clouds often. They occur when most water droplets are the same size, refracting the sun in a collimated way. You can see all my best iridescent and other cloud photos here

NOAA: Climate Change to last 40 (de)generations

2009-01-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Ojibwe and other American Indians did their "deciding" considering seven generations to come.

Now says Boulder's NOAA: Climate change effects irreversible based on a study in the January 26 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Over 1000 years isn't really irreversible, but it is for us and everyone we'll ever know.

During his campaign my new Congressman Jared Polis quoted this 1997 poll showing 65% of Americans wanted to cut greenhouse gases no matter what other nations did. Yet, 12 years later, with Congress "deciding," greenhouse gases keep increasing. Jared has since declared that he will introduce a bill so that Americans can have a Plan B: National ballot initiatives!

White bear swims in water
Where's my ice, dude?

Pete Seeger endorses National Initiative for Democracy

2009-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen led "This Land is Your Land" at the Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert. It's the people's choice for national anthem, viewable below.

Last year I got Pete to endorse the National Initiative for Democracy, a project of former Senator Mike Gravel. Pete says "Participation, that's the salvation of the human race." YOU can participate at Vote.org. Here's the postcard Pete sent me:

And the video of "This Land is Your Land":

Sunset after the Boulder wildfire

2009-01-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

A wildfire charred 3000 acres just North of Boulder Jan 7 & 8 after 70 MPH winds caused power lines to arc. A spectacular sunset ensued:

2008 "Huge year for natural disasters" -CO2 connection clear

2008-12-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

Dec. 22 billion-gallon coal ash spill in Harriman, TN. Dam failure caused by heavy rains. Thanks to the Huffington Post (Hopefully this will end the "clean coal" dirty lie.)

From the 12/29/08 BBC:

"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity," said Prof Peter Hoppe, head of Munich Re's Geo Risks Research. (Munich Re is one of the world's largest "reinsurance" firms, the ones who insure retail insurers.)

"The logic is clear: when temperatures increase there is more evaporation and the atmosphere has a greater capacity to absorb water vapour, with the result that its energy content is higher.

"The weather machine runs into top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events with corresponding effects in terms of losses."

The company said world leaders must put in place "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions" to curb climate change and ensure that "future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control".

"If we delay too long, it will be very costly for future generations," said Mr Jeworrek (also of Munich Re).

Winter beauty near Boulder

2008-12-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

Icicle fallen from edge of the Sun Cave

Spring above South Fall

Obama says NO to Americans' #1 request

2008-12-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

The top 10 questions posed to Obama and his few answers. From http://change.gov/page/content/20081211_openforquestions

978,947 votes on 10,303 questions from 20,468 people

Currently in the lead:

"Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"
S. Man, Denton

A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

"What will you do as President to restore the Constitutional protections that have been subverted by the Bush Administration and how will you ensure that our system of checks and balances is renewed?"
Kari, Seattle

A: President-elect Obama is deeply committed to restoring the rule of law and respecting constitutional checks and balances.That is why he has pledged to review Bush Administration executive orders. President-elect Obama will also end the abuse of signing statements, and put an end to the politicization that has taken place within the Department of Justice and return that agency to its historic and apolitical mission of fair and impartial administration of justice.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

"What will you do to establish transparency and safeguards against waste with the rest of the Wall Street bailout money?"
Diane, New Jersy

A: President-elect Barack Obama does not believe an economic crisis is an excuse for wasteful and unnecessary spending. As our economic teams works with congressional leadership to put together a plan, we will put in place reforms to ensure that your money in invested well. We will also bring Americans back into government by amending executive orders to ensure that communications about regulatory policymaking between persons outside government and all White House staff are disclosed to the public. In addition all appointees who lead the executive branch departments and rulemaking agencies will be required to conduct the significant business of the agency in public so that every citizen can see in person or watch on the Internet these debates.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

"Will you lift the ban on Stem Cell research in your first 100 days in office?"
James_M, Nashville, TN

A: President-elect Obama is a strong supporter of Federal funding for responsible stem cell research and he has pledged to reverse President Bush's restrictions.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

"What will you do to promote science and mathematics education to Elementary and Middle School students?"
JasonWyatt, Raleigh, NC

A: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will put children first by investing in early childhood education, making sure our schools are adequately funded and led by high-quality teachers, and reforming No Child Left Behind. They will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.
Transition Team, Washington, D.C.

"Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"
Bob Fertik, New York City

"13 states have compassionate use programs for medial Marijuana, yet the federal gov't continues to prosecute sick and dying people. Isn't it time for the federal gov't to step out of the way and let doctors and families decide what is appropriate?"
Greg, Minnesota

Did you know the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services got a patent for "cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants" in 2003? More...

"What do you plan to do to our food industry to make it more sustainable? Will there be changes to our farming policies?"
Jentry, Lincoln, NE

"What will you do to end the use of mercenary forces (ie Blackwater) by our military?"
Betsie, Mtn Home, AR

"What will you do first to reduce pollution/waste and incentivize greener behavior across the country?"
Diane, Boston, MA

...

Paper Bird sings down the house at CU-Boulder's Old Main

2008-12-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

All 7 of Paper Bird live in the same house and they brought down the house Saturday at Old Main on the CU-Boulder campus. They jammed with Houses, a new band from Denver. How housey is that? Their 2007 debut CD was "Anything Nameless and Joymaking. I met the Birds at my next-door neighbor's party last Spring. Sweet. Opening was John Beacham, followed by Shenandoah.

Paper Bird can be found at PaperBirdBand.com

< jam

John Beacher>

My Congressman Jared Polis to introduce bill for NATIONAL ballot initiatives!

2008-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

My longtime friend and new Congressman Jared Polis did more than anyone to turn Colorado from Republican to Democrat. He did this not just by funding Dem campaigns, but by sponsoring two ballot initiatives that brought out Dem voters: Amendment 23 raised K-12 school funding and Amendment 41 forbids lobbyists from giving legislators "gifts." He also helped with Amendment 37, the nation's first renewable energy mandate for electric utilities, and others.

Yesterday, Jared explained on Boulder-Denver KGNU why he will introduce a bill for NATIONAL ballot initiatives. You can listen by starting the video above.

Jared will be one of the youngest Congress members and perhaps the wealthiest and most philanthropic. In spite of his brilliance, he appreciates what Will Rogers said: "You know everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects...It ain't so much the things we don't know that get us into trouble. It's the things we know that just ain't so." (Think of the financial "wizards"!) So he listens to everyone, and wants the NATION to utilize the "Wisdom of Crowds" (title of a best-seller) via ballot initiatives.

Jared is the first male elected to Congress as openly gay. In spite of recent anti-gay ballot initiatives, he sees that initiatives get issues "on the table" for consideration, which relentlessly drives away ignorance. See Newsweek poll shows surge of support for gay marriage. Or this analyis showing gay marriage opponents "losing ground at a rate of slightly less than 2 points per year."

The media mostly dwell on problematic ballot initiatives, presumably to please the politicians they want access to. Politicians, those who buy their votes and the lobbyists between oppose initiatives. Here's a wrapup of 2008 results from Kristina Wilfore of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

Jared doesn't really think Congress will empower voters ;) Congress has refused to share legislative power since 1907 when Rep. Elmer Fulton introduced Resolution 44. But Jared hopes to start a conversation. Meanwhile...

Famed former Senator Mike Gravel offers the National Initiative for Democracy, the most evolved project for better and national ballot initiatives. Just as citizens had to ratify the Constitution at the Conventions because the 13 Legislatures refused to share THEIR power, now registered U.S. voters can now vote to ratify the National Initiative. Please tell your friends: "Vote at Vote.org to take the 'mock' out of democracy!"

Neither Rep. Elmer Fulton nor Sen. Mike Gravel nor even Rep. Jared Polis can make this happen. YOU have to. Please! Vote!

"The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government." -George Washington

Robin Williams on Obama, Bush,...

2008-12-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Bob Cohen for the laugh.

Another stupendous Boulder sunset

2008-12-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Prop. 8 -The Musical, starring Jack Black as Jesus

2008-12-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

I suggest you click the orange Play button, then the full-screen button -3rd from the right:

"It's a brand new bright Obama day, what a time to be black, a girl or gay!"
(evil enters)...
"Think of all the lawyers for the gay divorces."
(evil sees the light)

"See you later, sinners."

Thanks to Jen Caltrider!

More iridescent & glorious Clouds!

2008-12-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

Just today at the top of Sanitas Peak overlooking Boulder, CO:

Lots more iridescent & glorious clouds here.

From in front of my apt. in Boulder:

150 MPG SUV blocked from L.A. Auto Show...

2008-12-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

...so they set up in front of the L.A. Convention Ctr. This is a plug-in hybrid, using NO gas for the first 40 miles after a charge. So the 150 MPG figure comes from gassless driving 40 miles 7 days a week plus another 40 miles on gas with a very heavy foot getting 20 MPG. (320 miles/2 gallons, and they round it down.) They give several other examples of possible usage at the AFS Trinity website.

The story of how the L.A. Auto Show tried to relegate them to the basement, but not allowing them to use "estimated 150 MPG" on a sign to get people down there, is on Scientific Blogging.

Study: Web 2.0 no substitute for participatory democracy

2008-11-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

Some quotes from a interesting blog post based on a Phd thesis:

"Doing the same old thing using new technology *will not* politically re-enfranchise people."

"political disengagement is growing because modern democracies do not support strong participatory or direct democracy"

"Based on Dunne's study it would appear that public disengagement is not something that web 2.0 tools can solve alone. Rather the political and social system in which these tools exist must change for people to reconnect with politics."

The most evolved project for a hybrid direct/representative democracy is led by former Sen. Mike Gravel. U.S. Registered voters can now vote to ratify the National Initiative for Democracy at Vote.org, much as citizens ratified the Constitution at the Conventions when the Legislatures wouldn't!

Until then you can beg the Obama admin to do the right thing at Change.gov

"Doctor Bob" McFarland, MD passes at 79

2008-11-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Robert McFarland died Saturday at 78 of stomach cancer. Bob was the first Medical Director of the People's Clinic and the Founder of the Parenting Place, both in Boulder. He's on the left in the photo.

Bob was fearless in trying to wake people to truths he thought important. Here is my letter to the editor he co-signed, about the passing at 94 of a friend of ours, who's above the ".org" in the photo:

"The world has lost a true friend in Gilbert White, winner of the 2000 National Medal of Science, natural resource adviser to FDR, ecologist before the word existed, president of Haverford College, social scientist and much else he was too humble to mention.

"Gil was a fearless thinker who supported ideas that were before their time, such as the project at Vote.org and ideas that many ridicule or fear, such as evidence that a few people in our government allowed or caused the 9/11 attacks. He's the eldest in the Oct. 21, 2004, Boulder Weekly photo with us, attending a 9/11 Truth event, although we weren't identified. At lunch afterward, he expressed surprise and frustration that the media simply refused to make this an issue in the coming presidential election.

"Gil was pretty sure that 9/11 was treason partly because, when he was working in the FDR White House, he witnessed the congratulatory atmosphere there the day of Pearl Harbor. He believed the government had invited the attack to get people's support to enter World War II, and that something similar happened to get Congress' (not the people's) support for the Bush wars.

"Gilbert could have been a member of almost any elite, but he preferred non-elitists. He believed in giving power to the people rather than keeping it in the hands of any elite. He hoped that when people learned that the government was complicit in 9/11 that they'd demand the kind of participatory government you can help realize at Vote.org. That's why we risk accusations of sullying the dead by writing this.

"Steven Jones, BYU Physics professor suspended for his work with Physics911.net, and Kevin Ryan, fired from Underwriters Laboratories for speaking out, will speak Oct. 29 from 2 to 6 p.m. in CU's Math 100, along with the founder of the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth, Kevin Barrett, Ph.D."

EVAN RAVITZ; ROBERT McFARLAND, MD; PIETER TANS, Phd and MARTIN WALTER, Phd

Bob's memorial service will be Dec. 5 at 3PM at St. John's Church in Boulder
Rest in Peace, Bob and Gil. We miss you.

Ever see clouds like this?

2008-11-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

If you know what causes such clouds, please let me know!

These were taken in Mexico's wild Copper Canyon, where I've started Gates of Paradise Trips for hardy backpackers to 2 pristine hot springs. On top there's periodic snow, but the bottom is the closest subtropical place to the Rocky Mtn area. It's the world's largest maze, as empty as the Grand Canyon 120 years ago.

Cold Duck

2008-11-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Uncle Sam's pot patent proves pot prohibition patently pathological

2008-11-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

The United States of America "as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services" procured patent 6,630,507 on October 7, 2003 for "Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants" for such medicinal uses as "stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia."

This proves that classifying marijuana as a Schedule I substance having “no current use for medical treatment in the United States" is a fraud. It also shows how hypocritical and sociopathic the Fed is in persecuting medical marijuana patients -even in the 13 States with LEGAL medical marijuana (9 of which got it via ballot initiative. Such persecution is another reason for NATIONAL ballot initiatives.)

They are patenting "nonpsychoactive cannabinoids" to make it clear that drugs are A-OK as long as you don't enjoy them! "Neuroprotectants" means marijuana is preventive medicine for your brain.

Brinna's Broadside seems to have scooped the blogs, not to mention the mainstream media. She has a good analysis with relevant links, so I won't steal her words like marijuna.com and other lazy asses. Thanks, Brinna. Somebody in California, buy Brinna a bud!

Click here now for Bailout Timeout!

2008-11-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

A left-right coalition is developing in Congress to block further funds for the bailout. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are both calling for no more bailout funds for the Department of the Treasury. Thus far, Treasury has spent $290 of the initial $350 billion. The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve do not inspire confidence. They have hidden key information from the taxpayer and Congress and change strategies while pigs and perps gather at The New Trough. (Naomi Klein's Rolling Stone article)

Stopping the bailout of Wall Street gives Congress time to decide whether the money should be sent, and if so, how? Another alternative has been put forward by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Robert Byrd (D-WV), an economic stimulus plan that costs about one-third of what is remaining on the initial bailout, $100 billion. It deals with unemployment insurance, disaster relief, infrastructure, aid to states, aid to the auto industry and other parts of the economy.

We urge you to send letters to your elected representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. You can send a letter in a few seconds by clicking here. In addition, please pledge to Break the Bailout by visiting www.BreakTheBailout.com -- we need to show Congress that we will hold them accountable. And, forward this email to everyone you know. There is strength in numbers.

Dan Rather: 2000 Florida voting SABOTAGED!

2008-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

The old Datavote punch-card voting system worked fine since the '70s UNTIL they were PURPOSELY sabotaged in Florida. Dan Rather's documentary shows 7 printing plant employees saying that they were FORCED to use inferior paper they'd already rejected and FORCED to mis-register the perforations which became the "chad" problem:

This "failure" caused Congress to pass HAVA (Help America Vote Act) which resulted in $100s of millions for Republican-connected voting machine companies and all the havoc we've had since.

It's a crying shame that Dan Rather lost his network job before putting out this, his best expose ever. It's a shame that HDNet titled it "The Trouble with Touchscreens, Part 2" instead of "How our Elections and Treasure are Stolen, Part 1"

As a longtime voting reform activist, I think the only thing wrong with the old Datavote machines was that the software was proprietary instead of open-source (public), which could be easily remedied by legislation. If anyone knows if any of these machines are warehoused somewhere, let me know!

The Trouble with Touchscreens, Part 1 shows how inferior that method of voting is. But carefully filling a square with ink on fragile paper then fed into delicate optical scanners is a pathetic way to signal a computer! Punch cards are way faster and more robust, while leaving a paper trail for real hand recounts.

2008-11-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Oak with "the best compact digital": Panasonic LX3

Taxpayers to pay prosecution AND defense of Mortgage Execs?

2008-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Taxpayers may pay legal bills for mortgage execs: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
(thanks to Damian Kessler)

"Who'd have thought we might be on the hook for paying the defense costs when we're also paying the prosecution costs?" said Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based group that has been critical of the financial bailout packages. "To defend the economy from the havoc that's been created, we're going to defend the havoc creators?"

Just like taxpayers have been funding BOTH sides of most wars for many decades! We used to fund one side at a time: We armed the Taliban to fight the Russians in Afghanistan; now our soldiers fight the Taliban, still using the weapons we sent them. We now fund both sides at once: Obama: Our Oil 'Addiction' Funds 'Both Sides' of the War on Terror

Here's how both these multidegenerational changes are wrought: The worst and the wealthiest buy the most Congressional votes to increase militarization and to corrupt the rules of finance. This further strengthens the military-industrial complex and the financial tycoons, who buy up more Congressional votes to keep the vicious cycle going. Watch your country and planet flushed down the toilet!

The solution is still a potent check and balance on Congress: national ballot initiatives: Please vote to ratify the National Initiative for Democracy at Vote.org, much as citizens ratified the Constitution at the Conventions when the 13 Legislatures wouldn't.

"The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government." --George Washington

Government BY the People also saved in Arizona

2008-11-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Proposition 105, which would have required a majority of registered voters (not just participating voters) to pass ballot initiatives, was defeated in Arizona 2-1, thanks to work of The Voters of Arizona - No On Prop 105. Colorado voters also defeated a measure to make constitutional ballot initiatives far harder for people -but not the legislature or the wealthy.

Government BY the People saved in Colorado

2008-11-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

First, congrats to all Obamas, from Hawaii to Kansas to Kenya to Indonesia, and the People, for overwhelming turnout, enough to overcome the various schemes to purge them from voter rolls, flip their votes, etc. Colorado is now DEEP blue, with a Dem governor, legislature, both Senators and 5 of 7 House members.

Colorado voters wisely defeated Referendum O, which would have made constitutional ballot initiatives much harder -except for the wealthy. It would have given each Congressional District an effective veto by requiring 8% of signatures from each. Having gathered some 20,000 sigs for initiatives I believed in over the years, I can tell you it's pretty hard in the Boulder/Denver metro area -and would be far harder in rural areas where people are sparser.

Referendum O, proposed by the Legislature, violated recommendations 4, 7 & 8 of the University of Denver Colorado Constitution Panel's report (pdf)

IF the Legislature REALLY wants to improve the ballot initiative process, most academics and activists agree on real reforms: Voters on initiatives need what legislators get: public hearings, expert testimony, amendments, reports, etc., but independent of the legislature, as all branches of government are independent. The best project for such deliberative process is the National Initiative for Democracy, led by former Sen. Mike Gravel. Also Healthy Democracy Oregon and Citizens Initiative Review.

In Switzerland, petitions are left at government offices and stores for people to read and sign at leisure, so there are less aggressive petitioners more informed signers, and less $ required. The Swiss vote on initiatives 3-7 times a year so there's never too many on one ballot. Because they have real power, the Swiss read more newspapers/capita than anyone else.

Legislators have never tried to improve the ballot initiative process, but often try to make it even harder. They'd rather have absolute power!

In Switzerland, representatives are humbler, after centuries of local and cantonal (state) ballot initiatives, and national initiatives since 1891. They call their system "co-determination." Works for couples, too!

Ice "ECONOMY" melts down near Wall St.

2008-10-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

"ECONOMY" carved in ice melted down Wednesday, the 79th Anniversary of Black Friday, 1929, an art installation by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese in front of the NY State Supreme Court on Foley Square. "DEMOCRACY" melted down earlier: http://mainstreetmeltdown.com/

Boulder Mall Crawl reincarnates on Facebook; reality to follow?

2008-10-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Some younger Boulder natives who missed out on our Halloween Mall Crawl, which was shut down by the City (as were many of us buskers, for awhile) have started a Facebook group
Bring back the Boulder Mall Crawl!

My photos helped inspire them.

Who knows, maybe we can go back in time and fix everything that went wrong in Boulder so that there's no Mall Crawl and very little entertainment compared to when we were the biggest free entertainment attraction in the Rockies and Midwest.

We had International Juggling Assoc. repeat champs Airjazz, future Cirque du Soleil Ringmaster David Shiner, Magical Mystical Michael, Eddie Goldsteini, Kenny Lightfoot and Gogol, Narc Gnarley, Flip Phillip, Johnnie Fox, Dexter Trip, Joey, the World's Largest Midget and so many more... See some here. I was Evan from Heaven, the not-so-tight-rope artist.

Halloween, when the Veil between the Worlds is thinnest...

Fall photos with "the best compact digital camera"

2008-10-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Panasonic LX3 is a compact camera with a superior, very wide-angle Leica lens, and a bigger sensor than most compacts, producing less noise in dim light.

This wild rose looks embarrassed. 3 rose hips already and pregnant again??

On Boulder Creek:

Oak:

Maple:

Sumac:

Elm?:

New video: E. Howard Hunt details JFK murder

2008-10-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last week this video emerged of Nixon "plumber" and CIA man E. Howard Hunt giving new detail complementing the audio of his 2005 confession to his son, which was covered by Rolling Stone, etc., in April, 2007 after Hunt's 1/23/07 death. Hunt says LBJ, Kennedy's VP, targeted JFK as an "obstacle" to his own ambition to be President.

Hunt says "I think that LBJ settled on [CIA man Cord] Meyer as an opportunist like himself and a man who had very little left to him in life ever since JFK had taken Cord's wife as one of his mistresses."

Of course Hunt was a professional liar. We may never know the truth about the assassination because the government has had control of the main evidence (the Zapruder film and autopsy photos) since 1963. This is very different from 9/11 which is fairly well documented in spite of the government never releasing the planes' black box recordings, surveillance videos of the attacks, etc.

See the whole series of Hunt videos & articles.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -George Santayana

"Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind." -Gen. William Westmorland

Obama Dance Crew vs. Grand Old Posse!

2008-10-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Beats a staged duopoly debate anytime!

Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off - Watch more free videos

1958 TV show on Global Warming!

2008-10-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

This 1958 episode of NBC's Bell Telephone Hour, "The Unchained Goddess" clearly explains Global Warming and its dangers. But for 50 years the oil and gas and coal and car industries have bought the ads and politicians to pat us on the head and turn us into addicts. Perhaps the government should nationalize these industries and use their profits to transition us to renewable energy and less frenzied consumption. But that would take Government BY the People because buying Congress is the world's best investment, paying off at 1000 to 1! (See 3rd paragraph)

Follow your bailout money to AIG's parties & junkets

2008-10-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

New York: First there was the $440,000 that American Insurance Group Inc. spent entertaining executives days after receiving an $85 billion lifeline from the Federal Reserve. Now it's $86,000 for a hunting trip in England after the faltering company reaped another $37.8 billion in taxpayer-funded loans.

News of the hunting trip emerged Wednesday as NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ordered AIG to do away with golden parachutes for executives, golf outings and parties while taking government money to stay afloat.

Cuomo said he has the power under state business law to review and possibly rescind any inappropriate AIG spending. More here

Now we know what "Party like it's 1999" really means. 1999 is when the Glass-Steagel Act was repealed, which had kept banks from investing our money in "paper" like subprime mortgages

"Shadow Factory" exposes NSA spying on YOU!

2008-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

On DemocracyNow! this morning James Bamford, whose book The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America came out today, exposes how the National Security Agency, far larger and more secretive than the CIA, has been used since 9/11 to monitor your internet and phone use without a warrant.

The book and his forthcoming Jan 13 PBS Nova documentary show that the 9/11 Commission never looked into how the CIA kept 2 FBI agents from notifying their headquarters about 2 of Bin Laden's men heading for the U.S. in 1999. They became 9/11 hijackers, and did their final planning across the street from NSA headquarters, which was monitoring their conversations but never told anyone they were in the U.S. The FBI men have been denied permission to appear in the documentary.

“With a flair and clarity that rivals those of the best spy novelists, Bamford has created a masterpiece of investigative reporting.” —Publishers Weekly. It's rising on Amazon.com's bestseller list, at #32 on 12/15. More secret government against the people. The remedy? Government by the People!

Photos with new Panasonic LX3

2008-10-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

People are saying that the Panasonic Lumix LX3 is the best compact digital. It has a Leica 24-60mm (equiv.) F 2.0 Summicron lens. The lens is better, wider angle and gathers more light than the competition. The camera operates faster. It only weighs 9 oz.

It's a great complement to my Panasonic FZ18, the best superzoom (28-504mm equiv.) until the updated FZ28, both great outdoors cameras.

From Top: Sumac, Maple and a Hawk Wing mushroom, the best-tasting in Colorado. This one's past its prime, but prettier. Hawk-eyed photogs will see from the mottled background that I need to remove noise and get up to speed with post processing.

From Back to the Garden

World Democracy Forum in Switzerland, where people rule

2008-10-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

There's very interesting series of articles on "direct" democracy here from journalist Joe Matthews, author of The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger And the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy. Joe is generally critical of direct democracy, but he seemed impressed by how it works in Switzerland, where they've had national ballot initiatives since 1891, and where the problems seem to have been ironed out. You can see my comments on most of his stories.

The U.S. desperately needs the people to "check and balance" a Congress which so dramatically misrepresents us, from NAFTA to the bailout, with perpetual war and debt, domestic spying, torture and so much more between. I've devoted over 7000 hours over the last 20 years so that we will have a vote on this stuff, hopefully soon. I've been promoting former Sen. Mike Gravel's National Initiative project since 2000, which you can now vote to ratify at Vote.org, much as citizens, not the 13 legislatures, ratified the Constitution at the conventions.

Britain's Long Johns satirize mortgage mess & predict bailout -in 2007!

2008-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

John Bird and John Fortune (the Long Johns) in this 2007 performance deconstruct high finance and explain how "dodgy debts" become Structured Investment Vehicles on the road to ruin and bailout. I can't top them, so just watch!

Congress told: bailout or martial law!

2008-10-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

It wasn't just the $150 billion in pork "sweeteners" added to the $700B bailout that got Congress to vote for the "biggest theft in history," it was threats. Rep. Brad Sherman (D, CA) spoke about it on the House floor:

Jesus, bail us out !

2008-10-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

In the mysterious East, they say the teacher appears when the student is ready. It seems the world is suddenly ready for Jesus or the Aliens to appear and save us!

It seemed portentous when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 777* points Tuesday. That's supposed to be Christ's lucky number; the Antichrist's is 666. So maybe the silver lining of predatory capitalism's decline won't be economic silver but spiritual gold. *OK, it was 777.68 points. But that rounds to 777.7!

Stay tuned. Om Gom Ganapataye Namaha. (Hindu Ganesh mantra to remove obstacles.)

What do I think of the bailout? About what Will Rogers told a bankers convention in 1924. Listen Thanks to BoingBoing.net, formerly the "World's Greatest Neurozine"

<- I was honored to play Jesus during Holy Week, 1986 in Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico

Better brains to get back to the Garden with

2008-09-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a great book and website, Brain Rules with the latest research on what makes brains strong -and weak. It confirms lots that I've said for years, including these quotes:

Exercise increases oxygen flow into the brain
There is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom and cubicle.
Our school system ignores the fact that every brain is wired differently.
The brain is not capable of multi-tasking.
Taking a nap might make you more productive.
Stress damages virtually every kind of cognition that exists.
Smell is unusually effective at evoking memory.
Vision trumps all other senses.
The desire to explore never leaves us despite the classrooms and cubicles we are stuffed into.

Palin shoots Bullwinkle!

2008-09-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

This isn't really the kind of political adventure I was going to chronicle, but anything to prevent the country from sinking into a cartoon catastrophe.

No pit bulls or tortured souls in the White House, please!

Life in the wilderness

2008-09-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

This was the view from Conundrum Hot Springs, near Aspen, Colorado, the highest in N. America at 11,200', on August 3. The mountain is Castlebra Peak and is 13,820'. You may not like reading white on black, but color photographs really look best on a black background, so just suffer!

I've been spending 1-2 months in the Conundrum area for 8 summers. This started in 2000, on a bus ride back to Boulder from my Croton-Harmon High School reunion north of NYC. Some bike messengers (heavily chained and tattooed) reminded me of the Kumba Mela in India coming up. It's the biggest spiritual festival in the world, with up to 90 million camping at the junction of 3 rivers.

First I fantasized that I'd prepare by working on my yoga in the Himnalayas for the winter. Then I realized I'd freeze and that the Mela is about the best place in the world to get sick. So I thought I'd strengthen myself by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. But why go there when the Colorado Trail starts right in Denver? Finally I realized that I could walk right out my Boulder door and hike local trails to the Continental Divide Trail, which joins the Colorado Trail in several places.

So, in 2001, I hiked 300 miles in 40 days from Boulder to Salida. I decided I'd had enough, and went to the Conundrum area (photos) for another month. I decided I preferred base camping, especially at hot springs, to backpacking. I also decided to spend as much of my life outdoors as practical.

Since then I've started guiding people to 2 pristine wilderness hot springs in Mexico's Copper Canyon -deeper, steeper, twistier and far wilder than the Grand Canyon.