Jeff Reifman

Occupy Whistler! #ows

Ballard Banner Calls Attention to Microsoft's Nevada Tax Dodge

Microsoft is a huge Washington State tax dodger (about $6.1 billion dodged to date), it's just sad the banner is technically incorrect and incomplete ((photo courtesy of Geekwire):

Best November Snow in Whistler in Memory

I've never seen so much snow on the drive up to Whistler this early in the season. Epic.

Be sure to make reservations for this La Nina year early: Whistler Places

Field Roast on Pizza at Cornuto

My "campaign" to put Field Roast as a vegetarian option on Seattle's pizza joints continues ... last night the good folks at Cornuto (same family of Via Tribunali / Caffe Vita) indulged - yum:

 

Robert Jensen on Thanksgiving and Holocaust Denial

Good essay by Robert Jensen on Thanksgiving culture via Yoga Modern:

I am afraid of Thanksgiving. More accurately, I am afraid of what Thanksgiving tells us about both the dominant culture and much of the alleged counterculture.

Here’s what I think it tells us: As a society, the United States is intellectually dishonest, politically irresponsible, and morally bankrupt. This is a society in which even progressive people routinely allow national and family traditions to trump fundamental human decency. It’s a society in which, in the privileged sectors, getting along and not causing trouble are often valued above honesty and accountability. Though it’s painful to consider, it’s possible that such a society is beyond redemption. Such a consideration becomes frightening when we recognize that all this goes on in the most affluent and militarily powerful country in the history of the world, but a country that is falling apart — an empire in decline.

 

Hypocritical, Tax-dodging Microsoft Supports Increased Sales Tax to Fund Higher Education

Apparently, Microsoft's Brad Smith thought it was safe to start making hypocritical political statements in public again ... 

The Smiths Complete - MP3 Download, CD or Vinyl Box Set

Kinda tempting, though I don't know if I have the angst to make it through it The Smiths Complete ... Limited eight CD box set containing digitally remastered editions of all eight Smiths albums. This box includes all four of the band's studio albums: The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) plus their sole live album Rank (1988) as well as the compilations Hatful Of Hollow (1984), The World Won't Listen (1987) and Louder Than Bombs (1987).

Shepard Fairey's "Occupy Hope"

Nice. Via BoingBoing:

Seattle Art Museum Yoga Event Used as Corporate Email Gathering Gimmick

Yoga practice inside the Seattle Art Museum is a great idea but the RSVP process was a bit misleading. Visitors to the event site were told to RSVP ... then later they were told that there RSVP did not guarantee a space. The RSVP was actually just a way for corporate partner Flavorpill to collect names and email addresses of everyone in Seattle who thought doing Yoga at the museum seemed like a fun event.

Worse yet, when you click unsubscribe to the first Flavorpill email, the link takes you to a login page (for an account I never created). In other words, there's no easy way to get off their email list.

 

 

 

The Shame Project - Burning Man

Update: Here is a link to the website for The Shame Project which includes a broad-based team with inspirations beyond just Brown.

So proud of my friend's Grace & Eric ... this is an amazing video of their Shame Project from Burning Man inspired by Brene Brown's I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power.

I can't wait for Grace to post more video, including the closing ceremony when they burned the shame wall.