Las Vegas Indy Media Link

Added yet another link, my 20th thus far, to the Links list here.

It's to the Las Vegas Indy Media web-site, to which I was once a contributor of both stories and figure pics, as well as bein' an Editorial Collective member on two separate occasions.

The site, which is part of a network of left-wing Indy Media sites found 'round the globe, was an important part of my life here over the last two and a half years until early September of this year, when I very publicly resigned from its Editorial Collective and a local peace group over inter-personal disputes within the latter, with which I allowed myself to get too involved.

Without going into detail here, I resigned after giving one of the peace group's leaders a written hiding on Las Vegas Indy Media and in the group's Yahoo Group.

While it might have been therapeutic for me to do that at the time, it didn't exactly do me any honour or credit, just as what the leader said on Yahoo and on LVIMC didn't exactly do him any honour nor credit either.

So, why even bother putting a link to the site up????

Not sure, save to say that, as one of the few left sites in Las Vegas, and Nevada in general, and, as a member of the Nevadan Left, I'd be doin' folks a dis-service by NOT linking to it, so they can see the range of opinion and debate on the Southern Nevada Left for themselves.

Also, I have friends who still are, as far as I know, involved with LVIMC, so, why be un-fair to them because of something that I and another person did two months back????

I also did it, because I wanted to.

I may never know the precise reason why I linked to LVIMC again, much less posted a comment, on a story about an action figure play-set offered through the JC Penney Christmas Catalogue.

Actually, on the latter, I do know the reason I posted my comment, and that was because, being action figure-related, it was in my line of country, as far as that goes.

My commentary on the article, really on the comments following it, is far from immortal prose, and the reasoning probably sucks.

My thrust was that toys, like comic books and other cultural products, reflect the hopes and fears of the cultures that produce 'em, and that, rather than just sitting back and complaining about those products, the Left needs to organise, pool whatever time, talents, resources and money they have into creating enterprises that can create and distribute cultural products that will counter the ones put out by the powers that be, and distribute 'em to as wide a public as possible.

This has to be done along with the classic techniques of boycotts, demonstrations, etc, to pressure cultural producers into making products more beneficial to the general public as a whole.

Otherwise, the only other practicable alternative open to the Left is to sit back and complain, which really doesn't do anyone the least good.

My re-statement here of my opinion posted on LVIMC is actually more coherent and better organised, with slightly fewer words, than the original was.

Well, that's my opinion, anyway.

In a way, it was un-easy for me to go back there and post that opinion, especially after I'd said, in the local peace group's Yahoo Group, on LVIMC, and via e-mail that I was done with the group and LVIMC, given after my very public resignations and what-not.

I probably won't post on LVIMC ever again, but, I also reserve the right to change my mind about that, if need be.

Either way, don't let this affect your decision as to whether to go to LVIMC from here or not.

If anything, I would encourage you to, if you're interested in Left Politics, Culture, etc.

If you aren't, then I'd advise you not to go, simply because you aren't interested in those sorts of topics.

That's, in my opinion, the best, if not only good, reason for doing anything or nothing at all, because it's what you wish or don't wish to do.

Any other reason just doesn't quite cut it, I think.

More Forging Links For The Chains

Yep, I did it again, got four new links up, for your delectation and amusement.

All four are action figure links, two of which are to an MSN action figures' group of which I'm a part, with the latter member of the duo being a link to my own figure pic folder there.

Doesn't have the greatest number of pics in it, but, it is accessible to the public without needin' to be an MSN Groups member or havin' to sign in, or any of that good nonsense.

Just click and enjoy, or gag, as you will.

The other two are action figure photo-stories by the one and only Miskatonic Nick, one of whose sites is the second from the top of the list, I think.

The first one, Toyvile 2: A Tale Too Far, is a sequel of sorts to an earlier story set in the mythical town of, you guessed it, Toyville, and features all sortsa gags about action figures, pop culture, the reasons behind the Iraq War, and all that good jazz.

Kinda like a Bulwinkle episode, if it'd be done with action figures instead of cartoons.

The other one is a short comic story called The Vengeance of Godzilla, and should have something of an appeal for all you kaiju(Japanese monster flicks and tv series)fans out there, and even for some of you non-fans, too.

It's very short, and rather sweet, really.

Have been reading news articles from a variety of sources on-line to-day, including the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Times and the Guardian, among others, about various topics, including the recent French riots, the Iraq War and all the machinations behind it, China's high-tech army within an army, and lots of other good garbage like that.

No wonder my brain's turned to mush right about now.

Will be postin' some of my views on these topics and more within the next few days, once a lot of this info's had a chance to lie fallow and act as intellectual humus(not to be confused with hummus, the delicious Middle Eastern chick-pea paste that goes so well with a squeeze of lemon juice and pita bread).

Then again, my brain may just wipe all of this from the ol' memory banks, and will be back to Square One on that.

Stay tuned, Kiddies, for more links, weird posts, and, of course, figure pics, when and if I finally get around to doin' 'em again.

Some people lead quite interestin' lives, but, I'm not one of 'em.

Filing Cabinet, My Eye!!!!!

Just checked the page, like promised in the last post, and it's to a science-fiction forum site called Ex Isle, which was originally created a few years back, by and for fans of the now-cancelled Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda tv series.

Well, one can discuss a lot more than Andromeda or SF in general in these forums, as there are forums devoted to the arts, science, culture, politics, and lots of lovely creative forums where one can find fan fiction for various series, original fiction, and visual artwork of all inspirations and sorts.

Am a member there, and find it well worth it, too.

G'wan over, check it out, and set a spell, iffen ya like it.

I think you will.

More Links For The Chain

Added five new links to the chain am creating for myself here.

The first of the new lot is to the Argentine Navy's official site, where, by clicking on the "Marchas"(Marches)link in the home page's upper right centre, you can go to the site's March music page, where you can down-load MP3s of Argentine naval marches and songs for nothin'.

The second's a Blogspot blog run by a US Army sergeant stationed in Iraq. Before you think that the guy's gonna give you nothin' but the usual Red-White and Blue rhetoric, think again.
The blogger's posts are thoughtful and humane, and far from the sort of over-heated super-patriotic thought and rhetoric common to right-wing Web Warriors based safely at home.

Two of the latter links are devoted to a talented, and, in my opinion, lovely, Canadian actress named Lexa Doig, whom many of you SF fans out there will know as the actress who played the title role in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.

The first of these is run by an on-line acquaintance of mine from Canada who's a lovely human being.

One of the bits I hate most about getting older is not being able to remember everything as quickly as I want, and this applies to the link I posted between the two categories I mentioned.

Will post this, then check the blog and see precisely what that link is, then put up another post telling you its nature.

The Filing-Cabinet Phenomenon in human memory's a Real Bitch.

More Links In The Chain

Just givin' y'all a brief heads-up that I've posted two more links to this blog.

One is just above the link to my Yahoo Photos album link(second from the bottom of the Links list), and the other's just below it.

Both of these sites are left-wing in nature, with the first being a blog based out of Montreal Quebec, that I got the link to in an article about the Paris riots a week or so back.

Of course, Sketchy Thoughts' blogger deals with a lot more than just those riots, as he covers political and cultural bits of news and info from around the globe.

Well worth a look, I think.

The other's a site called SovMusic.ru, and, yes, Virginia, it's based out of Russia, and is devoted to old Soviet and other Communist songs of the 20th Century from over a very wide portion of the world.

You can down-load either song lyrics and sheet music or MP3 recordings of these tunes for nothin'.

You read me right-nothin', zip, zero, nada, bupkis.

So, whether you're an old nostalgic longing for some of the tunes of your youth, an up-and-comin' Commie looking to get in touch with the musical heritage of your movement, or simply a curious cat who'd maybe like to get a glimpse of what folks in the "Evil Empire" and so on were singin' about, this is the site for you.

Not to mention, you just can't beat the price of down-loadin' these tunes anywhere, period.

Three and a Half Stars. Joe Bob, if he were here, would tell ya to check it out.

Since he ain't, I'll tell ya to check it out.

One last bit: if you click on the Yahoo Photos link, all you have to do to access the sucker is enter in your Yahoo ID, if you're a Yahoo member.

If y'ain't, well, you can register with Yahoo, which is free to do, and go from there, or decline and exit.

Will soon post a link or two I have to some more of my figure pics in other on-line action figure groups, so you can see for yourselves, without havin' to register with any on-line service.

Sorry I didn't post this before, when I first put up the link. I should have, and have no excuses(none believeable)for not doin' so.

Be Seeing You, as they used say in The Prisoner.

And Furthermore.....

Really, there's not much more to the "And Furthermore...." of this post's title than to point out something which's really glaringly obvious, except to dunderheads like me, and that's the blog's template's been changed.

Didn't set out to do so when I started adding links this mornin', but, because I'd screwed up the placement of some of the links, because am completely un-familiar with HTML code, well, had to do it just to get the blog's look better sorted out.

So, here it is, the new, and actually, however accidentally, improved look for the blog, which I think makes it much easier for anyone to read than the previous template.

Hope you like it.

Forging My Chains, Link By Link

Well, still yet to get off my lazy arse and re-do those Iraq War counter-recruitment flyer pics.

But, in the meantime, here're some links for you to play with.

The first is to one of the most remarkable action figure sites on the Web, in terms of story-lines and over-all creativity, while the second is just as remarkable in its own fashion.

The only real differences are the site owners' locations, political points of view, and their choices of figures to use in their photo-stories.

What those are, I won't tell you, as you'll be able to guess pretty bloody quickly what they are when you hit those sites.

The others belong to friends of mine(Terri Neish is a very long-standing and dear friend of mine from my university and theatre days up in Reno, from which I originally hail, and Layne Mathiesen(Mr Uncle Dad Is Mad) is an old and dear Vegas friend of mine), relatives(Allen Bramhall's site, which got me into blogging, even if by accident, is a great poetry site), acquaintances(Josh Ellis, whose Zenarchery.com is one of the best Vegas blogs), and complete strangers whose work interests me(Gennifer Hirano's Asian Princess Artifacts, with her own particular take on porn, sexuality, "Yellow Fever", and so much more).

So, check these suckers out, have fun, and stay tuned, Chilluns, 'cos there'll soon be more where THOSE came from.

In the meantime, take care, and, if you're a hard-core Bushite, ravin' Neo-Nutzi, what have ya, don't forget to go gargle with razor blades. It's GOOD for ya(Ha!!!!)!!!!!