skidoo

“When I mount the scaffold at last these will be my farewell words to the sheriff: Say what you will against me when I am gone, but don’t forget to add, in common justice, that I was never converted to anything.” – H. L. Mencken, Baltimore- Evening Sun, June 12, 1922

I've restarted a citizen journalism blog (as I've been a hack freelance writer/editor for 15 years now). If there's anything I can do to help, by all means. I'm actually working on an interview with this gentleman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKY6i3Vpfso&feature=share

And so the synchronicity of this post hit me. If anything, I want you and your team to know that you are not alone in facing resistance from fears of the medical establishment. We build machines with faulty parts to maintain repeat customers (such as in the contrast of light bulbs made a century past that still do their job, compared to current toys that die out after so many weeks, etc). That mentality started with Edward Bernays, and it has infected every industry- particularly healthcare. But there are black sheep out there, I sincerely want to believe there are persons with means willing and able to challenge the status quo.

If you feel your team has something golden, then word needs to spread. This may even be more important than profit margins, as another commenter alluded to, and you need to really weigh such a thing.

Anyone can Google. Not everyone can learn.

This is a great idea. Genius, actually. But I shamefully feel obligated to say when I first saw this, I read it as "tuna house".

Wonderful: https://www.evi.com/q/what_is_the_meaning_of_life

The thought struck at the weird synchronicity of new JD Salinger, new Harper Lee, and now this. I'm not complaining of course.

I have written several thousand review articles over the last dozen years or so. Reviews of (in descending order) comics, books, films and albums, for diverse print and digital media. It is possible that those who approached you sincerely would like your take specifically. That does happen, but more often, I have found, is the case of reviewing being a cheap effort at adcopy.

Honestly, I feel that aside from family and friends of those responsible for the source work, reviews generally go unread by the bulk of the masses. I really think most PR persons are incredibly lazy, and instead of making efforts to think outside of boxes, rely heavily on the old standbys of reviews, interviews, and press releases (ready for copy and pasting among the blogging elite). If the creator responsible is not "a name", then PR persons are compelled to get someone, anyone, to view the work. And then, more often than not, the PR persons pray that such person will do the selling for them.

I realize this sounds bitter. (I've spent far more efforts on promoting indie creators than I have on developing my own works, to very mixed results.) But ultimately, composing review articles is essentially unpaid adcopy work. I think a strong review should be handled along the lines of a high school book report. The habit can be a neat exercise unto itself, as far as writing in general. But there are many snakes in the grass.

All said, if the work/s in question truly strike you (for good or ill), then by all means have a go at formulating your opinion on the matter for others. If only for the sake of trying something new. But be weary of getting locked into it. You do one review, then the publisher or producer may well send you another soon enough. And as I am fond of saying, inundation only suits dry fields.

My older sister was murdered in 2000:

http://www.leoweekly.com/2008/11/deadly-delay/

She was a truly amazing young woman, with limitless potential- especially as a writer. The years following her death were hard for me and my family, but seeing how her life could be so easily snuffed out, and seeing how the local government fought tooth and nail from admitting any guilt on its part, compelled me to accept the inherent absurdity that is life.

Once I stopped taking the world seriously, stopped taking myself seriously, I suddenly found all metaphorical walls removed.

I would not recommend tragedy for everyone though, obviously. But perspective really is everything. We all really are just specks of dust floating in the aether.

Dr Nick said I'm suffering from Chronic Skin Failure, and I'm very sensitive about it thank you very much.

There's brown on your nose.

With the billions in tax breaks and subsidies, I have problems believing there is actually any coercion between the NSA and the biggie tech companies. So I don't see the NSA as a threat to those or any other American internet companies, but rather to everyone else. The NSA are monsters.

I have happily been using the services of the A/I Collective for five years now, with no complaints or qualms.

http://www.autistici.org/en/index.html

I would say to just sit back and wait. It is happening naturally.

Dalliance.

Well that's just mean.

This might be of interest to you:

http://23zillion.com/about/

(And your vids are AMAZING.)

Not at all. The only reason things are as they are today is for the lusting of dollars. Force people to use toilets that die inside a few years, with the cover being environmental concerns, meanwhile companies sell sell sell. Is the concept of politicians only working FOR companies alien to you?

I disagree. I do plumbing on the side, and I have seen with my own eyes how water heaters, for example, built in the 50s could easily last 50 years. Those built in the 70s were good for 20 to 30 years. Those built in the last decade rarely last more than 6 years. We are increasingly building junk, making lackluster, inferior products purely for the sake of finance and commerce. There is no profit to buying something once.

In terms of aesthetics, I think hard data is too bothersome for the unwashed masses to cope with anymore.

In terms of logistics, I blame the dismantling of The Fairness Doctrine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

Thanks in equal measures to both Reagan and Obama, truth was defined as wholly subjective and the floodgates were quietly opened for money to dictate the fairness and balance of commercial media. Investigative journalists still exist (Abby Martin, for starters), but they are no longer welcome in platforms concerned entirely with revenue.

I blame subconscious denial. Seriously.

Propaganda, know thyself.

"Labels are like teeth; modern man has more than he needs." -me

I believe Peter is becoming an Abolitionist. It sounds like he is finally seeing the forest for the trees. Which is good, as niche is ultimately limiting.

spam spam spam loser admins spam spam.

spam.

That is adorable.

This is where Leviathan swims, right?

"No shit, Sherlock."

Or rather, "Money is the root of all evil."

The Good Earth, by Pearl Buck.

Pig Latin?

I tried quite a lot of acid in my New England college days. I did have some curious times, but it just doesn't compare to DMT. I am the first to say that I do not think tripping is for everyone, and I have had some bad acid trips (which were probably even more informative than the good ones), but my times with DMT really made me rethink the silliness of "spirituality without religion". I think even in my hardest acid trips, somewhere in my grey matter I stayed aware that it was ultimately senses being toyed with. DMT felt like something was talking back, even though the five sense barely applied.

I heard an intelligent music reviewer say once how the greatest music is difficult to quickly describe in words. That's DMT in a nutshell.

All said, I hope you do "break through" someday. It is nothing but beautiful and inspiring, mindfuck or no mindfuck.