Political Action of the Day:

Political Action of the Day: On June 19, the Senate Health Committee - will vote on a contraceptive coverage bill. Find out if your Senator is part of this committee and urge them to vote "Yes" on this important legislation!

Cute story from my hometown:

Cute story from my hometown: "5-Year-Old Gets Political Invite".

Environmental Action of the Day:

Environmental Action of the Day: Thank President Bush for Protecting Big Cypress. Yes, actually thank him. I don't have many nice things to say about the man and cleaarly didn't vote for him. However when he does something GOOD, I think praising him can be a good thing. Join with me.

"In an action that ends a decades-long battle to prevent further harm to Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve, the Bush Administration is buying out Collier Resources Company's rights to drill for oil on Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge."

Political Action of the Day:

Political Action of the Day: Stop Torture with Amnesty International, Help Ahmad Abu Ghosh & others.

"The men named above and at least nine others have been on hunger strike for more than three weeks at Rumieh Prison in the capital Beirut. They have allegedly been tortured, ill-treated and are being tried before the Justice Council, whose procedures fall short of international standards for fair trial."

I went to bed early

I went to bed early last night because I was feeling drained. I had a job interview for a gig I'm really looking forward to (I'll reveal all soon, whether I have the pleasure of working there or not) and it went real well - I really enjoyed the people I'd be working with; very down-to-earth, activists at heart. Plus trying to stay caught-up with all the fallout (read: email) from the Web Standards Project relaunch and nervously keeping an eye out for the full Harry Potter trailer instead of the 30-second teaser of a full teaser trailer - Damn Warner Brothers. I refuse to go see "Scooby Doo" just to catch a glimpse of a trailer.

Anyway, as I was saying- I went to bed early which means one of two things: I had to get up really early to catch a plane or early meeting, or I was just emotionally drained and had a headache. The latter was the case and so I got ready for bed and curled up with a great new book by, of all people, one of my favorite singer-songwriter folk artists Ellis Paul. I've mentioned Ellis a couple of times on this site but not enough to truly do him justice. The book, titled "Notes from the Road", proves that not only is he a master of prose in the songs he writes and performs but he carries the same talent through to his journal writings and letter-musings. I was disappointed that his diary-style entries were so few but it was nice in that context to read through his various poems and song lyrics from throughout the years.

I had the great pleasure of first hearing Ellis in January 1995 at the Iron Horse Music Hall. I was just beginning my foray into Web development on a professional level and hooked up with the guy who ran the sound board at the Iron Horse and a few other local Northampton live music establishments (we were going to setup a Web site called NOPAN - the Noho Performing Artists Network, where people could book local talent for their venue. They could see and listen to the bands before choosing, and we'd come in and do everything for the show - lights, publicity, sound etc.) Part of my "pay" for working with this startup was I got to play assistant and help setup the stage, listen to sound checks, get free food and ultimately, watch the show. I got to interview Jonatha Brooke for my "American Popular Music" class and sit in the green room with the masterful Bo Diddley. But none of that seemed to compare with a back-to-back night of two of the best Maine-transplant, Boston-based artists I've ever heard: Catie Curtis and, of course, Ellis Paul.

I don't quite know how to explain the effect Ellis' music has one me. In one respect it's the same as many folk artists but in another, he evokes raw emotions reminicent of the more poingent experiences in my life - the awkward and innocent tenderness of a first love, the sadness of loss and pain of rejection. I like to listen to him when I'm feeling particular emotionally vulnerable or mentally drained - it grounds me. Of course, my wife calls such music depressing - where I listen to certain artists for their voice, lyrics and evocative, emotional content, she listens to her happy, bouncy music for entertainment and an uplifting experience. Gotta love her.

Grab the book if you're looking for some liquid poetry and a behind the scenes look at one of the better, down-to-earth folk artists out there. It's a fun read.

I need more control over

I need more control over my Weblog - so don't be surprised if you see more changes in the future. I think I'm going to whip together the same Movable Type/CVS solution we have at WaSP.

The Web Standards Project (WaSP)

The Web Standards Project (WaSP) has been reborn - a phoenix out of the ashes. The site is pure XHTML 1.0 Strict plus CSS - something I've been advocating from a Web accessibility point-of-view for years (not to the WaSP, but to others). As a matter of fact, that played a large role in the redesign of BrainStream as well. I'm *still* trying to get the point across that Web accessibility isn't just about people with disAbilities, it is universal accessibility - (ironically, the subject of the 1997 6th International World Wide Web Conference where I met my wife).

Universal accessibility includes the disabled but it also consists of people with slow machines and old browsers, International users who may not speak English or have an English-language browser, and those browsing from PDAs, mobile phones, or even their Electrolux ScreenFridge. To borrow from WWW6 - "Everyone, Everywhere Connected".

OK, ok. I know I

OK, ok. I know I haven't posted in a while. On a "cool" note, this site hit its two-year mark and I didn't even remember it - thank goodness I'm better with my wedding anniversary.