news

It's hard to not comment on this.

mutiny, i promise you

see through

The Obama Administration is doing a great job making information available to people. They're doing such a great job, in fact, it's hard to keep up with it. Honestly, I've given up trying.

I subscribe to the RSS feed of three White House blogs, all of which update several times a day. The press feed updates a couple dozen times a day, often with complete transcripts of press conferences.

Today they touted their new site, Data.gov, where they offer raw data on stuff like Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces, Business Enterprise, Education, Energy and Utilities, Federal Government Finances and Employment, Geography and Environment, Health and Nutrition, Income, Expenditures, Poverty, and Wealth, Law Enforcement, Courts, and Prisons.

Absolutely amazing.

It's too bad reporters are a dying breed. Maybe bloggers will step up and dig into this stuff. More likely, it'll be folks at universities and think tanks.

I love the White House folks' enthusiasm about the project:

"Democratizing government data will help change how government operates—and give citizens the ability to participate in making government services more effective, accessible, and transparent."

Right on. Hope they're right.

listen up

be1 kansas city report

I had the Be1KC event last night. It was cold and raining, so not many people showed up. In fact, none of the official-type people I invited made it.

But there were a couple of people who wanted to help kids, so I'm going to help them get in touch with folks who can help them do that.

The main result is that I'm going to step up my involvement. The president of our neighborhood association showed up, and he said some of the high school administrators have reached out to them. So I made a commitment to be the neighborhood's liaison with the school. I'm going to get in touch with folks there, and stay in touch with them, so I can keep abreast of stuff that's happening there. That way when there's an activity neighborhood folks can help out with, I can try to round people up.

It's a little bit. But every little bit helps.

beard: week 7

I was going to let it go until August.

But it was starting to feel like moss.

And I'm a roooollling stoooonne!

friends and family in the media

There was a cool article in the Elkhart Truth about my uncle Evan and a forest he planted.

And one of Ebony Rose's speeches is included in an online project about race hosted by Stanford.

That's all for now.

who woulda thunk it?

Via my friend and fellow descendent of martyrs, Joel, comes this shocking news.

This gives me good cause for growing my beard.

nuni and nooni schoener

Mice sometimes seek refuge in our home. Allie and I have named every mouse we've ever seen in our house Nuni Schoener or Nooni Schoener, after one of our favorite couples from Saturday Night Live.

Usually, the Schoeners are not a big deal. They show up a few times during winter months and then the disappear. But this year there seems to be a lot of Nunis so we had to take action.

We don't want to kill them, because they're so cute. And our cats don't seem to want to either. So we took a cue from Allie's sister and rigged a humane trap.

We put some peanut butter and ketchup in the end of a carboard tube from a paper towel roll. Then we balance it on the edge of a shelf, above a tall garbage can. When the mice get to the end of the tube where the food is, they tip it over and into the can, where they're trapped.

It works!





We've caught four today and we've driven each to a wooded spot about two miles from our house.

I would like to know if mice can find one another and rebuild their communities in new locations. I hope so.

be1 kansas city

There's an article in my neighborhood newspaper about an event I'm hosting on April 27.

It's part of the Be1 campaign that school board member has spearheaded. The goal is to encourage folks to get become mentors for kids at Kansas City schools.

The event will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeast Branch of the Kansas City Library.

It'll be pretty mellow. I'll talk a little about my experience helping the debaters at Central. Hopefully, one of the debaters will be there, and they'll talk about what it's like to have an old freak like me hanging around, trying to help out. I've also invited a teacher from Northeast High and some local social-worker-type people.

I'll post more about it in the coming days. Hope some of you can attend!

beard: week 6

bring out your dead

There's a good article in today's Times about my current hobby.

beard: week 5

beard: week 4

rock chalk

I can't believe I'm writing a post called "rock chalk!" And I really can't believe I'm about to write these words:

"I'm proud to be a Jayhawk!"

When I was an undergrad at Colorado, I despised Kansas.

I was a basketball fan. Cu never had very good teams. KU always did. And not only would the Jayhawks crush the Buffs every year, but they'd bring with them throngs of loud fans all dressed in red and blue. They out numbered us.

Years later, when I found myself working in Lawrence, the KU fans were in a state of anxiety. Their beloved Roy Williams was leaving for North Carolina, and they feared the program might suffer.

I openly hoped it would. I told my fellow staffers at the local paper that i hoped they'd hire a string of awful coaches who would collectively destroy the once mighty program.

Well, now I'm a student at KU. I'm still not a fan of their cagers. In fact, when I took a night class last semester I cursed them for drawing spectators who took up all the parking spaces for those of us who were there to learn.

But today, I'm proud to be a Jayhawk.

Last night Kansas won the national championship in debate!

KU has one of the best debate programs in the country. Much better than their basketball program. Over the last 50 years, the Jayhawks have won four national championships ('54, '70, '76, 83), have been to the final four 13 times, and have qualified for the tourney every year since 1968.

What makes them especially cool is that they don't offer scholarships. All their debaters are Kansas kids who weren't particularly competitive in high school. They've got an incredible tradition of making champions.

So, there you go.

Rock chalk!

Or whatever the hell it is that they say.

ship of fools

"Ship of Fools" has been one of my favorite songs lately. Allie's too. Today she asked me about the lyrics today, so I looked them up.

They're quite beautiful. And they really hit home for me.

Went to see the captain
strangest I could find
Layed my proposition down
Layed it on the line;
I won't slave for beggar's pay
likewise gold and jewels
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

Ship of fools
on a cruel sea
Ship of fools
sail away from me

It was later than I thought
when I first believed you
now I cannot share your laughter
Ship of Fools

Saw your first ship sink and drown
from rocking of the boat
and all that could not sink or swim
was just left there to float
I won't leave you drifting down
but woah it makes me wild
with thirty years upon my head
to have you call me child

Ship of fools
on a cruel sea
Ship of fools
sail away from me

It was later than I thought
when I first believed you
now I cannot share your laughter
Ship of Fools

The bottles stand as empty
as they were filled before
Time there was and plenty
but from that cup no more
Though I could not caution all I yet may warn a few:
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag
atop no ship of fools

Ship of fools
on a cruel sea
Ship of fools
sail away from me

It was later than I thought
when I first believed you
now I cannot share your laughter
Ship of Fools
No I cannot share your laughter
Ship of Fools

first bite

We had our first harvest of asparagus. Just seven stalks. Allie cooked it in a skillet with some garlic and salt.

She said it's the best asparagus she's ever had.

I have to agree.

It is the best she's ever had.

life begins in my basement

Every year when I plant seeds I do so thinking there is no way in hell they're going to grow. It just doesn't make any sense. Seeds are just these little things, and dirt is dirt, water's water. Doesn't add up in my head to peppers and tomatoes.

But, every year, I'm proven wrong. This thing to the left is a little sprout of pepper proof.

beard: week 3

photos from the puppy mill

There are more on my Facebook.