Weblog Archive, July-Oct 2003

Weblog (Really a combination diary and commentary)	* Begins with the newest post first and works its way back in time. Done manually, so don't get too excited if it doesn't look like the usual formats you may have seen on weblog sites. At some point, I'll probably add real blog software. October 21, 2003- Midwest Voices Submission For the second year, The Kansas City Star, my current "hometown" paper, has asked readers to submit entries for a panel called "Midwest Voices" to supplement its own Editorial Board. I'm a regular letter writer, with few actually making it into print, so this is an opportunity I can't pass. Won't know if I'm selected until year end. No reason for you to wait until then to read my submission: My name is Garth, and I’m a tree-hugger. I was in denial about my tree-huggerness. After all, my previous careers involved consuming vast amounts of wood pulp in the form of newsprint, direct mail solicitations and newsletters. Given I am powerless to stop the harvest of trees for human needs, I can only take simple steps to reduce my needs and their impact on our environment. And if that makes me a tree-hugger, then that’s what I am. My goal isn’t to stop anyone from enjoying life’s pleasures, but I do want each of us to think beyond the moment when making the dozens of decisions we make throughout each day. If you choose a more sustainable — less wasteful — path, even a small percentage of the time more than you do today, you will have a meaningful impact. Especially if your example leads others to copy your actions. Sustainability? What has that to do with tree-hugger? I know others who are far better examples and teachers than I, but the basics are easy to grasp. Each product we consume comes with both monetary and resource costs. If you buy food or materials that are created within the community or region, the resource cost goes down. (Less transportation, as an example.) The money also works within the community or region, strengthening your economy. In summary, consuming materials produced nearby creates two benefits: economic and environmental. I’m not denying or defying globalization. But you can, with little effort, reduce your impact on the world’s environment. Once you’ve finished that minimally-guilty pleasure- a bottle of fine Shiraz from Australia, a bowl of imported Italian pasta and a tin of Czech dessert pastries, you can still positively reduce your impact on the community and environment. True, the market for recycled glass is abysmal, but it certainly is a better choice than burying it in the landfill. Just be sure to include your cans, plastics and — yes — paper in the recycling stream because these items will help pay for handling the less marketable items. There is a connection between tree-hugger and sustainability and it needn’t be stigmatic. There is interconnectedness in everything we do. Remember the comic barbs aimed at actress Sally Struthers appealing for "just pennies a day" to feed malnourished children overseas? One couldn’t ask for a better example of resource imbalance than between rotund actress and starving waif. The point is that every resource we consume to excess today is a resource no longer available to others or the generations to come. Struthers, to her credit, was attempting to restore some balance in the way our resources are consumed. Can you say the same of yourself? My name is Garth, and I’m a tree-hugger. I was in denial about my tree-huggerness. When you admit your denial, you’ll find plenty of help waiting on the path to recovery— for you, your community and our environment. (By the way, I could serve you Midwestern wine, pasta and pastries and you’d never know the difference.) August 26, 2003- Dialing for 'honorable' dollars Except for telemarketers, we all breathed a sigh of relief when No-Call legislation arrived. Aside from a few never-say-die dialers and a handful of well-documented exceptions, it was promised our phones would ring less frequently. I recently received my first call from one of the "excused." Forgive me for having fun. I was asked if I would be willing to serve as "honorary chairman" for the Bush campaign in Missouri. Granted, Missouri hasn’t been a Republican lock for … well, ever. If I was being called, it must be serious. What does being an honorary chairman mean? It means "having your name listed in a full page ad in The Wall Street Journal". Okay, how much are you asking? "Why, nothing." So what do I have to do as honorary chairman? "Well, aside from letting us use your name in The Wall Street Journal, you’ll receive a thank you card signed by the president and other important communications." That’s it? "If you want the thank you, you’ll have to send $300." Between guffaws, I told the caller I wasn’t a registered Republican; whoever sold them their list should be told of their error. I also toyed with telling her:   a) I became independent out of disgust for both major parties and am forced to vote for the lesser of evils, not party affiliation,   b) sending money to re-elect an illegitimate, avaricious and inarguably corrupt administration was not in my best interest,   c) if she thought I would receive an actual Bush signature for only $300, she was delusional. From what I hear, an actual signature costs thousands, more if you want any favors to go with it. But I didn’t. I knew she was powerless except to take the next call the autodialer sent to her headset. For all I knew, she was working from an offshore call center. Knowing this administration like we do, I think we can count on that. August 16, 2003- Man, is this fun or what... Yes, it is! The site has been launched. Pretty much there except for minor tweaks so I now can focus on upcoming shows. I mentioned the Shiraz show on the What's New page. The feedback has been very positive according to Ali, his staff -- and even the sales reps who call on him. One result- I was asked if I could extend my show another month with new material. Well, I'm busy pulling another 20-24 pieces together while planning the logistics of pulling down one and hanging two shows locally, getting to an out-of-town festival, followed by a local one all within a 10-day period. Yes, I can hear those miniature violins playing "My heart bleeds peanut butter for you, dear," as I write this. Better to stay busy than dwell on the direction the world has taken the past two years. Shortly after Bush's handlers finessed the election, a senior executive I know said "In case there is any doubt, the Republicans are in control." This was frightening because he, in spirit -- if not affiliation -- was ready for them to take care of people like himself. And they are. This fellow makes avarice look like a virtue. There's a certain "F" word in the dictionary, and it perfectly defines our current level of military/industrial/congressional incest. It is perfectly illustrated by the following: July 18, 2003- Water under the bridge since the initial post. Haven't actually published/launched the site yet although some progress was made. Have decided on the hosting company and tested the merchant system to confirm it will work for my needs. But that's small potatoes. The big news is my first opening went down 7/11, and although the crowd was light, it was a good experience. A brother and his wife came from the east coast to participate and do research on bison, water gardens and family history, not necessarily in that order. During the visit to a nearby bison operation, the owner asked us what we did, and almost without hesitation I said "I'm an artist." Perhaps I'm beginning to believe it now that I've committed such time, effort and resources. Even met with a headhunter recently and when asked, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being very eager to find a job, I said "Today, I'm a four at best because I'm committed to developing my art career." July 4, 2003- My own Declaration of Independence. This site is the second iteration for gnfimages.com. The first one never made it past the wacky site building software of the hosting company. It was buggy and had more idiosyncracies than a whole asylum of lunatics. After burning over 60 hours in less than a week, I gave up, posted a couple flaming reviews on the "best web-hosting" review sites that had promoted this particular member and took some time to think this whole thing through. The second hosting vendor also offered a site building tool and it wasn't directly linked to a cart. I liked the tool when I demo'ed it, and along with the shopping cart offering, I was ready to crank and get something up there. Then my independent streak set in and I decided to build my own public pages from scratch using an obscure and sometimes obtuse tool- Pagemill and link to the storefront. In the background, Dolly Parton just finished a patriotic song on a Fourth of July special on PBS. Just have it on for background noise, really. Don't ask me what I think about the current state of our union. May come back to that another time.
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