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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
Jeff's LiveJournal:
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| Monday, May 7th, 2012 | | 9:49 am |
| | Saturday, April 7th, 2012 | | 4:44 pm |
| | Sunday, April 1st, 2012 | | 2:20 pm |
Chip Delany is 70 Today!
I got to program for and meet Chip at ConFusion 17 way back in 1997. It was a memorable experience and if you get a chance to hear him speak, take it! Originally posted by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2) kylecassidy at postI'm really far behind -- big blog posts due from Chicago and other stuff -- I wanted to get this out quickly because it's a special day, Samuel R. Delany turns 70 today. I've been working full tilt on the Neil Gaiman / Amanda Palmer / me Top Sekret Projekt the deadline for which is ... today and I was pleased that it drove me to New York City yesterday where met up at Peter Straub's house with some of the brightest lights in American letters, including Chip Delany. I'd read Chip's book Empire Star sometime in the 1990's and was completely blown away. As you reach the last page, you suddenly understand some small fraction of the things you should have understood all along and you race back to the beginning to tear through it again -- like a ride with no line at six flags. I don't think Chip considers Empire Star to be his best book either -- he's done more, he's done better. And he's written, arguably, the Ulysses of science fiction in his novel Dhalgren. I figured I was obligated to do a birthday portrait.
Today is Samuel R. Delany's
I have met Peter Straub and again if you get a chance to hear him speak take it! We also share a birthday but that has nothing to do with it. After Top Sekret Stuff with Chip and illustrator Mia Wolff I photographed Peter Straub in his stairwell looking a lot more sinister than he actually is. I've always been so cowed at how kind and humble he is (find some of his talks on youtube & see for yourself -- he's funny and erudite), he's a genuinely nice guy and you wonder where all these ghastly thoughts come from. ("He always seemed so normal....")
(For the photo geeks, this is one light behind an umbrella on the landing across from Peter triggered with a Pocket Wizard.) Peter and I went out to lunch and I had some hideous beverage called a "watermelon martini" while Peter leisurely explained how you could poison someone with a martini, in various undetectable ways, all the while looking at my martini. Peter spins a fine yarn -- I've been reading his opus of the 1980's Floating Dragon and enjoying it a great deal -- it's a bit the devil comes to Stepford, a bit Andromeda Strain, and more than bit Donnie Darko, a decade before Donnie Darko. When we returned to his home, Peter invited me into his basement. "Tell no one of what you see here!" he warned, turning to look over his shoulder and waving a finger -- and friends, I can not -- I can no more tell you of what is in that place than I can ever excise the dreadful knowledge from my mind -- it has seared the synapses of my brain in such ways that always in my thoughts will be that horror relived -- but my friends I saw nothing for the sounds of that dreadful dungeon caused me to clench my eyes shut tight lest I go mad from the sights. The slithering and shrieking, the lunatic barking, the wet pad of a thousand footed beast -- (and what might possibly have been a clothes dryer) raised the hackles on my neck, I put one careful foot before the other, boards creaked, I thought at any moment I would be consumed or entombed but after some dreadful minutes of terror which I cannot force my mind to relive, I emerged with a signed copy of Peter's latest book The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine which later that night, unbeknownst to us, would win the Stoker award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction. Congratulations Peter! My Megabus was an hour late leaving NYC and as a result it was entirely packed. There was a screaming 2 year old sitting across from me. I dealt with this by putting in my headphones and staring down at a book. An hour or so later I discovered that the woman in front of me had dealt with the screaming child by teaching her to sing a song in Japanese, they were best of friends and jolly as can be by the trip's end and the kid had moved from her mother to be with her new friend who delighted her to no end. I may need to re-think how I interact with people who bother me, or perhaps be content that my new headphones seem to work well. This is not nearly all the news from Fortress Hennepin, there will be another blog post tonight about something important, a Top Sekret that's revealed and some sad news about a shurb. Until then -- do something fabulous. We are off to a birthday party in the park.
Add me: [LiveJournal] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [Tumblr] | | Thursday, March 8th, 2012 | | 5:33 pm |
| | Sunday, February 19th, 2012 | | 1:45 pm |
Jeff Beeler's Post First Friday Birthday/After Party
Friday, 2 March 2012 at 09:00 until Saturday, 3 March 2012 at 02:00 Its been too many years since I had a birthday celebration in Sarnia. Therefore I am having one this year. So after First Friday I am hanging out in the back room at Limbo Lounge. 196 Christina Street N, Sarnia, ON N7T 5V2 Let me know if you are coming as I need to know how space to reserve. It will be a cash bar but I am providing appetizers. Also its the same night as First Friday when there are many events going on in Downtown Sarnia. These include musical acts such as Soul Patch at Cheeky Monkey, 130 Christina St. from 7 to 9:00 p.m. There will also be artists exhibiting at the following venues: RawSymmetry Eclectic Artistry 148 Front Street N. Stardust Book Lounge - 190 Christina St. N. Imperial theatre R.W. LAWTON GALLERY 168 Christina St. N. Lawrence House Centre For The Arts - 127 Christina St. S. Featuring the science fiction inspired works of Tavis Lea | | Monday, January 23rd, 2012 | | 3:06 pm |
Originally posted by cantarina1 at postOriginally posted by electricdruid at The fiasco continuesACTA in a Nutshell – What is ACTA? ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well. Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.” What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies. Essential ACTA Resources - - Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
- Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
- Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
- Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
- Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
- Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video
Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA. Via Tumblr ) | | 12:01 pm |
| | Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 | | 12:59 pm |
Annual Travel Meme
Places, other than home, I've spent a night or more this year, not including "above the Atlantic Ocean". An asterisk indicates multiple stays. Ferndale, MI* Troy, MI* Toronto, ON* Romulus, MI* I don't get around much anymore. | | 12:14 pm |
Rusty Hevelin 1922-2011
 Rusty was a fellow science fiction fan I met at ConFusion a science fiction convention in Michigan and I last saw him at the 2010 World Fantasy Convention. He was a fixture of the dealer's room selling used science fiction paperbacks. Along with PulpCon he also started SpaceCon a relaxicon in Wapakoneta, Ohio held next to the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum on or near the anniversary of the first Moon Landing. He was a quiet, friendly man and a former Marine with World War Two service as a meteorologist like a few other science fiction fans. From File 770: http://file770.com/?p=7815 and http://file770.com/?p=7827Joel Zakem says: December 28, 2011 at 12:52 pm From Gay Haldeman: Rusty passed away quietly at about 8 PM. No funeral is planned—he really didn’t like funerals—but there will be celebrations of his life at several conventions, I’m sure. Thanks for your support through all this. Love, Gay Locus Online News » Rusty Hevelin (1922-2011) www.locusmag.com Locus Online News http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/12/rusty-hevelin-1922-2011/Rusty Hevelin (1922-2011) — posted Tuesday 27 December 2011 @ 8:05 pm PST Long-time fan James “Rusty” Hevelin, 89, died December 27, 2011 at the VA Hospital Hospice Center in Dayton OH. Hevelin was a member of First Fandom, entering fandom in the 1930s, and a fanzine publisher, collector, and huckster. He was fan guest of honor at Worldcon in 1981, and in 2003 received the Sam Moskowitz Archive Award for excellence in science fiction collecting. He was also one of the founders of PulpCon, an annual convention dedicated to pulp magazines. This post will be expanded with more information tomorrow. Rusty Hevelin's report on the 1941 Worldcon when he was just 19: RT @scottedelman: Sad to see Rusty Hevelin go. His report on the 1941 Worldcon, when he was only 19: Denvention 1 Report by Rusty Hevelin - Denvention 3 Archive - 66th World Science Fiction Convention. www.fanac.org http://www.fanac.org/Denvention3/denvention1report.htmlHis report is interesting to read as it mentions Los Angeles would have been the sight of the 1942 world science fiction convention and that Denvention gave out awards for accomplishment. | | Sunday, December 25th, 2011 | | 2:15 am |
Merry Christmas! Some of my favourite Christmas holiday memories:
The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York: William.S.Burroughs - The Junky's Christmas The movie "Metropolitan" by Whit Stillman: The movie "A Christmas Story" The Bunnies version: And Finally "The Charlie Brown Christmas": Christmas Time is Here Song | | Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 | | 5:03 pm |
| | Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 | | 11:25 am |
Remember:
On December 6th, 1989, at Ecole Polytechnique, these women were killed for being female: Geneviève Bergeron (b. 1968), civil engineering student. Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student. Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student. Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student. Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student. Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student. Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department. Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student. Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student. Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student. Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student. Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student. Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student. Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student. Thanx to james_nicoll | | Thursday, November 10th, 2011 | | 4:26 pm |
Private Max Berger 1919-1941 Royal Canadian Army Supply Corps.
 For Remembrance Day this year I decided to remember the only soldier from Sarnia to fight and die in the first Canadian ground action of the war the Battle fro Hong Kong December 1941 seventy years ago. Max was in the Royal Canadian Army Supply Corps. but was fighting on the front lines as infantry when he died. Max was born in Sarnia, Ontario on November 6th 1919 and lived at 167 Davis Street with his parents Morris and Regina, also know as Pearl, and sister Laura. The Bergers were a Jewish family and Morris was born in Geszterid, Hungary about 1862 and had arrived in New York in 1902 and emigrated to Sarnia in 1914 after living in New York and Michigan, his brother Joseph lived in Port Huron in 1914 so that is probably where he moved from. He was a shoemaker by trade who operated out of his house. Max grew up in Sarnia and was an alumnus of S.C.I.T.S. After graduation he worked for Maidment's Taxi and his death certificate listed his profession as electrician. Max joined the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and by 1941 had ended up in a small unit that was part of the Canadian Army's Hong King Brigade's headquarters unit. The Hong Kong Brigade arrived in Hong Kong on November 18, 1941 just weeks before the Japanese attack on December 8th 1941. They spent the early part of the battle delivering supplies to frontline units with a dwindling pool of motor transport including local taxis. When it became impossible to continue this activity Max's unit became part of an adhoc unit of Royal Canadian and Royal Army Service Corps. troops who joined another scratch force made up of Royal Canadian and Royal Army Ordinance troops who were holding the north end of what was called the Ridge position. The Ridge position was the only link between the two main British positons and when it was lost the Allied formations would be split into two. The fighting for the position was fierce and faced with overwhelming odds On December 18th the British forces tried to pull back. It took them two tries and they succeeded the second time. It was during this confused situation that Berger and Corporal Albert Jackson also of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps died along with Royal Canadian Army Ordinance troops Corporal G.G. Desroches, Staff Sergeant G. Jackman and Private F.C. McGuire sometime between December 19th and 22nd. Max Berger was not listed as Missing in Action until October 1942 and was not declared Killed in Action until January 1943 over a year after falling on the battlefield. His parents lived in Sarnia after the war, Morris his father died in the early 1950's and his mother disappeared from records around 1960. | | Thursday, October 13th, 2011 | | 11:46 pm |
Mississippi Personhood Amendment
Originally posted by james_nicoll at Mississippi Personhood AmendmentOriginally posted by soldiergrrrl at Mississippi Personhood AmendmentOriginally posted by twbasketcaseat Mississippi Personhood AmendmentOriginally posted by gabrielleabelleat Mississippi Personhood AmendmentOkay, so I don't usually do this, but this is an issue near and dear to me and this is getting very little no attention in the mainstream media. Mississippi is voting on November 8th on whether to pass Amendment 26, the "Personhood Amendment". This amendment would grant fertilized eggs and fetuses personhood status. Putting aside the contentious issue of abortion, this would effectively outlaw birth control and criminalize women who have miscarriages. This is not a good thing. Jackson Women's Health Organization is the only place women can get abortions in the entire state, and they are trying to launch a grassroots movement against this amendment. This doesn't just apply to Mississippi, though, as Personhood USA, the group that introduced this amendment, is trying to introduce identical amendments in all 50 states. What's more, in Mississippi, this amendment is expected to pass. It even has Mississippi Democrats, including the Attorney General, Jim Hood, backing it. The reason I'm posting this here is because I made a meager donation to the Jackson Women's Health Organization this morning, and I received a personal email back hours later - on a Sunday - thanking me and noting that I'm one of the first "outside" people to contribute. So if you sometimes pass on political action because you figure that enough other people will do something to make a difference, make an exception on this one. My RSS reader is near silent on this amendment. I only found out about it through a feminist blog. The mainstream media is not reporting on it. If there is ever a time to donate or send a letter in protest, this would be it. What to do? - Read up on it. Wake Up, Mississippi is the home of the grassroots effort to fight this amendment. Daily Kos also has a thorough story on it. - If you can afford it, you can donate at the site's link. - You can contact the Democratic National Committee to see why more of our representatives aren't speaking out against this. - Like this Facebook page to help spread awareness. | | Sunday, September 25th, 2011 | | 12:45 pm |
ConCom a filk song by Douglas E. Berry:
From gridloreInspired by something Kiri saw on the SMOF list. ConCom filk by Douglas E. Berry ttto: Convoy by Wiiliam D. Fries, Jr. & Louis F. Davies, Jr. All lyrics in parenthesis are to be spoken. (Yeah, if everybody could settle down, I'm this year's chair,) (Can you hear me in the back, Pigpen?) (Ah yeah, thanks for that, Pigpen, we've got a lot to go through) (By golly we got a lot to do in the next 14 months.) (Yeah, it's a big job there Pigpen. But we definitely got a good group here.) (Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a ConCom) It was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June In the hotel's all-night bar Kevin and Andy with lampshades on And Garcia posting blogs We were drinking the news that our bid had won Word had come from an ill-timed Tweet I says Pigpen, you're in charge of guests This con's going to be so sweet Cause we got a little concom, workin' thru the night Yeah we got a little concom, and everything is all right Come on and join our concom, we've ribbons to give away We're gonna run a big convention, come next Labor Day... Concom (Ah, yeah, Pigpen you got any ideas for Writer GOH?) (OK, Al Bester would be great, but he's dead.) (Maybe you should ask your second for ideas.) By the time we got to New Year's Eve we had 85 vols in all But FurNationFest is coming soon And our numbers start to fall Yeah them Furries' thick as bugs on a bumper The attention was getting us miffed So we sent Pigpen in as a fur-clad spy And he came back thoroughly yiffed Cause we got a great big concom, workin' thru the night Yeah we got a great big concom, and everything is all right Come on and join our concom, we've ribbons to give away We're gonna run a huge convention, come next Labor Day... Concom (Ah, you want to repeat what you just told me, Pigpen?) (Ah, hell no, Pigpen, I do not want to see pictures!) (Yeah some things that happen at the Airport Hilton should stay at the Airport Hilton.) (Mercy's sakes you did not just post that to Facebook!) Well we thundered down to our move in date Like a rocket sled on rails We tore up all of our hotel deals As the lawyers told sad tales By the time we hit the one month mark The con was was running out of space We had to rent a banquet hall From the Sisters of Perpetual Grace There's a dealer's hall and art and games And Boffers with rattan clubs Yeah them hotel rooms was full of fans And sodas filled the tubs Well we'd done our best We went for broke For two thousand screaming fans And eleven longhaired body builders Dressed as barbarians (Ah, Chair? This is Security 1. You awake?) (Yeah, ten-four Security.) (Um, the barbarians just seized the breakfast buffet. They're going to sacrifice an omelet to Crom.) (Have you had one of those omelets? OK, OK... I'll be right down.) Well we made it through to Saturday night And everything was running fine But the Masquerade was jam-packed And just couldn't run on time I says "Pigpen, it's past 1 AM And we got 87 costumes to go." So we shut 'er down, everyone had won I says "Let them parties roll, ye-hah!" Cause we got a mighty concom,, workin' thru the night Yeah we got a mighty concom and everything is all right Come on and join our concom, we've ribbons to give away We're running a big convention, 'till the end of Labor Day... Concom (So Pigpen. Any ideas for GOH next year? CARD?) (Yeah, maybe we oughta let somebody else handle guests next time). (Well mercy sakes good buddy, we gotta start getting ready for tear down,) (So keep the mundanes at bay and FIAWOL.) (We'll catch you at the Dead Dog.) (This here's the ex-Chair on the way to bed. We gone. bye bye.) | | 12:32 pm |
| | Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 | | 9:12 am |
Borders' Ann Arbor flagship store closes doors
From the Port Huron TImes Herald: ANN ARBOR — The flagship Borders bookstore has sold its final remnants and closed its doors for the last time. The 37,000-square-foot store in downtown Ann Arbor shut down about noon Monday. Traffic was light on the final day, which ended early after a single buyer showed up and bought everything left. Tom and Louis Borders founded the book retailer in Arbor in 1971, and it grew to hundreds of stores nationwide. But the company ran into financial trouble after failing to adjust to the shift to digital books and online music shopping.
More here: I wonder who the last customer was? I can remember going to the old downtown location for the first time. I had been to the World's Biggest Book Store in Torono but Borders was more eclectic and had more more atmosphere. I will miss the Borders of the 1990's and even to the end the chain seemed to have a better collection than Barnes and Noble and both are easier to bowse than Amazon. | | Monday, September 12th, 2011 | | 10:19 am |
| | Monday, August 22nd, 2011 | | 7:41 pm |
August 20, 2011 Toronto, Ontario Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination. Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue. I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected. I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election. A few additional thoughts: To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don't be discouraged that my own journey hasn't gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer. To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government. To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election. To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all. To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future. And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don't let them tell you it can't be done. My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. All my very best, Jack Layton Too Soon Jack, Too Soon ;( | | Sunday, August 14th, 2011 | | 11:54 am |
The NPR SF list meme:
Memeage via rezendi The NPR SF list meme: Bold if you've read, italicize ones you fully intend to read, underline if it's a series you've read part but not all of. ( Read more... ) |
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