Arcane References

What then must we do?

2009-03-20T15:25:00.003-04:00

Two years ago I was perusing a popular retail music downloading site and came across an album featured in their recommendations section that piqued my interest. It was the greatest hits album Forever Delayed by the Manic Street Preachers. I skimmed over the tracklist but none of the titles even sounded familiar. There was one track, named "Kevin Carter" that did for some reason send up a flag in my memory bank. I had not an inkling of what the song sounded like but I knew that name from somewhere.

A quick internet search of the title made it clear that in fact I had not heard this name before. If I had heard of this man, I would not need to search the internet to determine who he was. As I would soon learn, Kevin Carter was an Australian photojournalist who captured one of the most haunting images ever published in a major newspaper. Once I knew the basic outline of the tragedy, I spent the next week reading and thinking about the man who took his own life just as he was finding success in his chosen field. I don't know exactly what his story can teach us, I just know it has to be retold, passed on and contemplated.

Follow the link below to read the Time Magazine article

The Life and Death of Kevin Carter

My new iPhone blog

2008-09-24T13:31:00.002-04:00

In addition to my postings here I have started a separate blog called "iPhone eVolution". I have such a love affair with this technological juggernaut that I had to devote an entire blog to glorifying it.

I will try to keep this as updated as possible. Now go check it out!

Great Ledders from Hedder #2

2008-08-25T13:04:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favorites because it showcases the author's prodigous rhyming abilty. In fact, she is the only person I know that I can converse entirely in iambic pentameter. This is also the first letter I've featured that closes with one of Hedder's many great aliases.

I Am Rich (and stupid too)

2008-08-12T01:04:00.005-04:00

As an iPhone power user I have purchased many of the applications in iTunes new App Store. I have also downloaded just as many free applications. The free applications aren't always great but quite a few stand out. I was impressed by Steve Jobs' offer to developers at the keynote address for the iPhone 2.0 software update. He said that all free applications would be distributed by Apple for free. This was brave, new territory and it was exciting. I had been waiting for Apple to take the iPhone where I knew it could go.

What surpised and upset me, after Apple launched the 2.0 software update and the new iPhone 3G, were all the people complaining on the App Store that many of the applications were "too expensive" and "not worth the money". What type of person would pay $400 or more for the original iPhone or $200 and upwards for the 3G model plus a wireless package costing at least $70 a month and then have the nerve to whine about a first-of-its-kind program to run on it that costs ten dollars? What's more is that ten dollars is pretty much the high end for applications sold at the App Store where most are less than five bucks and people actually have the nerve to complain about those prices too! Further, updates are free and delivered over-the-air even without a WiFi Internet connection. To make the situation beyond ludicrous is that Apple's iPhone SDK (software development kit) is free too!

So at the end of the day what do these penny-pinching software hungry customers have to be upset about? I believe its the fact that they didn't go to school to learn how to program and make these applications for themselves for free. And, if they did, do you think they would just give them away?

Apple takes 30 percent of the revenue from the sale of applications and says that it reviews all applications before being approved for distribution at the App Store. Now, it looks like some developers are fed up with the avarice of many App Store customers and one in particular seems to have made his point with the help of Apple.

Many Fail to See the Humor in ‘I Am Rich’ for the iPhone

"Add Comment" Fixed!

2008-08-09T03:32:00.001-04:00

In order to comment about a particluar blog post, click on the post's title text and it will open the blog post in a separate window. At the end there should be a "Post A Comment" link which will open a pop-up where you can give your two cents.

My new Vaja iPhone 3G case

2008-08-02T11:11:00.002-04:00

I have to brag about my latest purchase because it so special, beautiful and functional too! Yesterday afternoon I visited Vaja.com and ordered a case for my iPhone 3G. This is my second Vaja phone case because I was very happy with their case for my original iPhone. I did, however, order a different style case and color scheme this time.

I Never Imagined This Fairy Tale

2008-07-30T20:21:00.003-04:00

Being a man and raising a beautiful little girl there are many times I worry that I might be a little overindulgent when it comes to letting her have her way. Let me get this straight, I am not one of those parents who can't discipline their child. What I mean by overindulgent is that I am not eager to dispel her notions about being "Daddy's Little Princess". I was unaware of the extent to which she had been educated by the entertainment media until I read the following piece in the December 24th, 2006 issue of the NY Times:

What's Wrong With Cinderella? by Peggy Orenstein

life is full of trade-offs

2008-07-30T15:30:00.002-04:00

In contrast, this sketch by an old flame of mine shows a tremendous amount of talent and artistic sensibilty but unfortunately, she had small breasts, detested felatio and had hips like a 12 year-old boy.

used car-toons

2008-07-30T15:00:00.003-04:00

Today we focus on Hedder's mediocre yet engaging sketch technique. A prime example of mental masturbation gone too far, her pathetic rendition of her pathetic automobile inspires the true artists of the world to reach for new heights.

New feature: Great Ledders of Hedder's

2008-07-29T11:22:00.006-04:00

Since I am at a loss for my own interesting original content I have decided to once again hijack someone elses work. I am pleased to present my favorite letters from my best friend Heather. To be fully appreciated they must be viewed in a new browser window with .PDF support.
PS. I'm not going to post any letters that contain deeply personal sentiments so just enjoy them for their goofy goodness. She's so damned funny!
PPS. Don't click the picture of the letter, click the link below.
letter dated April 4, 1994

LINK: The Problem With Music by Steve Albini

2008-05-06T16:41:00.004-04:00

Rather than copy the text of a particularly lengthy article in its entirety here I'll present the link to its location. If, over time, the link becomes dead I will then endeavor to publish the item here or in another suitable, convenient location.

"The Problem With Music" looks at how the music industry treats with aspiring artists. It dispels many of the misconceptions I had about the money involved and how little of it even moderately succesful musicians get compensated for their work. Its no wonder nowadays artists are now using the internet to cultivate their fan bases and even distribute their music with little or no assistance from the established music industry. Small, independent labels abound and seem to be doing a fair job of depleting the majors of prospective signings with promises of unprecedented control over their product and a larger share of the profits.
Steve Albini knows all too well the inner machinations of the music industry of the past two decades having produced albums by Nirvana, Bush and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, recording and mixing for projects too numerous to mention here, and as a member of the bands Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac.

So without further ado, here's "The Problem With Music by Steve Albini"

References
Steve Albini - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_albini
List of Steve Albini's recording projects - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Steve_Albini%27s_recording_projects

Now You Know

2008-04-28T08:33:00.001-04:00

FROM Slate.com
How To Spot a Persian Prostitute
Streetwalkers in chadors.
By Juliet Lapidos
Posted Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 6:53 PM ET

Tehran's former police chief Reza Zarei attempted suicide in prison yesterday, a month after being arrested for consorting with six naked women in a brothel. In the aftermath of the scandal, the Times, the Associated Press, and the BBC all reported that prostitutes are becoming more visible on Iranian streets. Given the Islamic dress code, how do Persian prostitutes signal their trade?

Location, location, location. In the 1970s, Bostonians looking for a proverbial good time went to the "Combat Zone" and New Yorkers flocked to 42nd Street; in contemporary Iran, the holy city of Qom is known (unofficially) as a place of "both pilgrimage and pleasure." There, prostitutes wearing veils and even chadors mill about temples or sit together in public courtyards where men can inspect them. Sometimes a male go-between offers "introductions," at which point the prostitutes pull aside their headgear so the potential client can get a glimpse, but the whole process is fairly subtle. For an outsider, it's difficult to pick a street girl out of a crowd.

Qom may have become a prostitution hot spot due to the abundance of shrines. Young female runaways with no shelter come to the city knowing they can take refuge at holy sites by sleeping in rooms intended for pilgrims. They have no way of making a living, so after awhile they get involved with the sex trade. The city's young theological students and transient tourists form the main clientele.

Of course, Qom isn't the only place in Iran where prostitutes walk the streets. Back in 2002, the Iranian newspaper Entekhab estimated that there were nearly 85,000 prostitutes in Tehran alone. In that city, and especially in nearby suburbs, there are neighborhoods where heavily made-up prostitutes in traditional garb stand idly at traffic circles. Prospective customers drive by slowly to check out the human wares, then make a deal. The visual difference between an ordinary citizen wearing makeup who happens to be standing alone and an actual prostitute is, again, quite subtle. Apparently, mistakes are not uncommon.

The penalties for prostitution are severe—ranging from whipping to execution. But there's a loophole in Islamic law called sigheh, or temporary marriage. According to Shiite interpretation, a man and a woman may enter an impermanent partnership with a preset expiration date. There's no legally required minimum duration (a day, a week, anything goes) and no need for official witnesses—unless the woman is a virgin, in which case she needs the consent of her legal guardian. An Iranian who's wary of arrest can simply escort a prostitute to a registry, obtain a temporary contract from a Muslim cleric, and then legally satisfy his sexual needs.

The Don't Blame Me Generation By Patricia Dalton (reproduced without permission and I bear full responsibilty...)

2008-04-25T21:55:00.005-04:00

The Don't Blame Me Generation
By Patricia Dalton
Published in the print version of the Washington Post
Sunday, March 5, 2006; Page B03

I once got a call from a couple whose son, a student at an elite college, had run up a huge credit card debt. His parents realized they had a problem and called to make an appointment for therapy. I told them that I wanted to see them along with their son. But when the parents showed up, they told me that their son had refused to come. "Tell me," I said halfway through our discussion. "If you had insisted, would your child be here?" The mother answered quickly, "Well, yes." The dad paused, then said, "That's a very good question."

The incident reminded me of the Warren Zevon song:

Send lawyers, guns, and money

Dad, get me out of this.

Except in real life, it wasn't funny. These parents weren't requiring their son to take responsibility for his actions. And he didn't respect them enough to shoulder it. The young man was in charge, not the parents.

The tendency to shirk the burden of responsibility permeates our family rooms and our boardrooms. I saw it in Vice President Cheney's belated response to the shooting incident last month. And it has characterized former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay's public statements since his company's debacle: "Of anything and everything that I could imagine might happen to me in my lifetime," Lay said in Houston in December, "the one thing I would have never even remotely speculated about was that someday I would become entangled in our country's criminal justice system."

Whether or not he is found guilty, Lay sounds like the spokesman for our culture of victimhood. It is a culture that reflects a studiously nonjudgmental attitude toward one's own behavior, while ignoring its effects on others. And it is based on a belief system like this: I am more important than most people; I am good; therefore, I am incapable of doing bad things.

The upshot?

Excuses, excuses, excuses . . .

Evasive attitudes are learned, refined and reinforced in the home. And they ultimately lead people to become so divorced from the impact of their actions that they freely take advantage of others.

My clients have included parents who shrug when they realize that their son or daughter has been stealing. One even said, "I have bigger fish to fry," referring to his true priority -- which was his child's all-important transcript for college applications. And I remember hearing about local parents who were outraged when a group of high school seniors were expelled for cheating on their SATs with the result that their prized college acceptances were rescinded.

Parents who want to raise mature young people who will contribute to society must not only have values that infuse their own lives but must also be willing to enforce them in their children's lives. Young people need to be taught, before reaching adulthood, that taking a powerful position involves a weight of responsibility to others.

What is striking today is the number of parents who seem to be uncomfortable with the role of teaching their children. They let the culture do it and hope for the best. Some even side with their children against authorities.

Take one disturbing example I heard from a friend who teaches middle school. A girl was caught drawing in her notebook during class. When the teacher asked her to stop, she looked up and kept going. The teacher then confiscated the notebook. After class, the teacher tossed the girl her notebook. She reported to the school office that her teacher threw the notebook at her, intending to hurt her. A report (mandated in cases of alleged abuse) was written up; child protective services was called in to investigate. Only after fellow students refused to go along with the girl's story was the case dismissed. All along, the parents supported their daughter and her far-fetched version of events.

A generation ago, this kind of behavior would have been almost inconceivable. Parents' tougher approach taught us lessons critical for later life -- like that lying doesn't pay and that you have to respect your boss even if you don't like him or her. Today's adults who coddle young people fail to see that they are handicapping them.

It is not uncommon to see parents who are responsible themselves but put up with manipulative behavior from their kids. I once saw a pair of hard-working parents whose child refused to comply with the limits they put on his computer game time, telling them, "You can't make me." Rather than move the computer, they had just given up. They didn't see this as part of their son's larger problem with authority at school and in sports.

Parents have two serious responsibilities. The first is to love their children without worshipping them. Such adoration is a big danger in today's smaller families where parents' pride and dreams are divided among fewer children. The second responsibility is to discipline children -- to hold their feet to the fire. Parents must be able to tolerate the distress that real discipline causes their offspring.

To do so, they have to quit worrying so much about damaging their children's self-esteem. When I asked one set of parents why they let their daughter call them obscene names, they looked at me blankly. Later the father told me, "We want to understand her. And we don't want her to feel worse about herself than she already does." Incredible. Especially since it has been my experience that it's behavior like gratuitous disrespect toward parents that actually makes kids feel bad.

Recently, I spoke with a grandmother who remarked that her grown children, who were doing very well financially, had lives that revolved around their kids. She said, "They spend every waking moment giving, giving, giving to their children. They are living for their kids." Another grandmother told me that there is nothing she can give her grandchildren that they don't already have. "Manicures and pedicures are old hat to these kids."

Parents can stop the indulgence -- or at least put some limits on it. They also have the power as well as the responsibility to insist that their children see the dark as well as the light side of themselves -- the capacity for evil as well as for good that we all have. The last thing our children need is to internalize the sense that they are victims who are not responsible for their actions, echoing the powerlessness that Zevon parodied:

I'm an innocent bystander

Somehow I got stuck

Between a rock and a hard place

And I'm down on my luck.

Yes I'm down on my luck.

Allowing children to evade responsibility may cost parents a lot. But it's nothing compared with the cost to their kids: misery that lasts a lifetime.

Additions and updates

2008-04-25T12:52:00.000-04:00

I've added a few things to the blog that I've been wanted for some time. On the right side is some of the music I've been listening to lately. At the bottom of the page is a slideshow with photos of my daughter Hannah. There are also several examples of my artwork in a variety of media. Soon I'll be adding a widget from LibraryThing.com that lists some of the books I've read in the past few months.
What's missing is blog posts. This will change soon. Enjoy and check back soon!

War: For Better, For Worse

2008-01-12T20:11:00.000-05:00

It is the subject of war that, from an early age, I have been most eager to study. War and the culture emanating from it fascinates me and I know for a fact I'm not alone. There are probably some very well researched theories as to why this is and the psychological and sociological implications of being intellectually beholden to such a mistress are not lost on me. Nevertheless, it is with great aplomb that I entertain the notion of vast numbers of people endeavored to bring about the utter desolation of another's will to resist. From total world war to isolated civil strife no conflict is unworthy of my interest and study.

Let me first say that I am not personally disposed to acts of violence or sadism. I have the utmost sympathy for those whose lives have been torn asunder by the barbarity of war. I abhor those who would deny freedom and liberty for others whilst securing their own. It is the struggles of the oppressed and their sacrifices in the name of a greater humanity that I most admire. My aim in contemplating the subject of war is to gain a deeper understanding of its nature not to revel in its intrinsic savagery.

photo description: author at National Training Center 1993

Introduction and premise

2007-12-30T12:10:00.002-05:00

Hello, my name is Lance and I live near Indianapolis, Indiana with my daughter Hannah. I have lived here nearly all my life with the exceptions being a four year stint in the Army and a year in Portland, Oregon. On January 6, 2008 I will be 37 years old. My little girl turned 4 last week. That's the basics of my life.

I desperately wanted to do a blog but either got distracted or discouraged. I definitely did not want to do a 'daily life'-type blog. I'm neither famous nor rich and I loathed politics so what could I possibly share that some people might find worthy of interest?

Most important to understanding my dilemma was the fact that I am an insatiable information addict. The public library had been like a second home to me for as long as I can remember. It was when internet-enabled computers became available there that I got my first fix of information gratification. I had recently become obsessed with Formula One racing and it was on that subject that I began my first internet expedition. Through hours of searching and printing, I compiled my own personal almanac of detailed race results from 1950-1997. The internet had not yet blossomed into the myriad of online resources that abound today so a trip to the library almost always followed an internet search. Whatever subject caught my fascination would be sought out and explored to my satisfaction. A few years later, I would have my own computer and even greater access to the World Wide Web with which to satisfy my random cravings for more details about an artwork I saw in a book or that historical person I saw featured in a documentary film.

To document the subject and scope of my constantly changing intellectual interests is the intent of this blog. I would liken my internet research habits to that of a web sailor rather than a web surfer. Surfing implies short excursions to the beginning of deep water and back to shore. I would hope that the results of my e-travels resemble a captain's log of sorts where important details of the journey as well as his personal thoughts are intimately conveyed. That being said, let's get on with it.