Salt City Sinner

New Years' Eve is coming, and if the folks whose empire apparently extended northward to modern-day Georgia  (actually crackpot bull$h!t) have anything to say on the subject, it's that we're boned! Holiday-hating curmudgeons would say that attempts to cash in on a potential apocalypse theorized by an ancient political economy we still do not understand to this day, aside from a few unsettling notions about their grasp of mathematics and astronomy , is a little unsettling: If there is one place sure to be visited by an ironical apocalyptic thunderbolt, I would wager it would a dubstep "bar rave" in Salt Lake City, UT. Preceded, of course, by the grave of Richard Nixon, the '12 DNC, or possibly any place that I find a moment's solace. At EVE, Salt Lake City's bold and ongoing experiment in sober public celebration, #OccupySLC will be hosting an Art Wall in Gallivan Plaza. Can't make it? Kick them a few ducats you filthy plu...

To celebrate Christmas, #OccupySLC hosted a potluck dinner today at the One World Cafe, located at 40 S. 300 E. in downtown Salt Lake City.. For those of you unfamiliar with the One World Cafe and/or Everybody Eats Foundation, here's a bit-sized morsel from their mission statement : [One World Cafe] began when owner Denise Cerreta in mid-2003 had an epiphany to serve food, let people choose their own portions and let them price those portions themselves...Because our customers choose their own prices, their portions tend to be more mindful and reflect what they actually want to eat, with the result being little or no food waste. We've realized that this makes more food available and we expect this will make the concept exportable and adaptable worldwide.  Much like the Circle-A Cafe / kitchen operation at #OccupySLC's original base camp in Pioneer Park, OWC seems, at first blush, like a silly idealistic notion that could never survive the harsh and brutal reali...

I was on my way down the stairs in my building with Charley in tow for his habitual stroll when I was hailed by my downstairs neighbor. Being a gentlemanly sort, I sauntered over to see what was amiss. She held a travel bag in one arm and, awkwardly cradled under the other, a piney, bushy looking houseplant, about three feet tall. "Is that rosemary?" I asked. It was indeed! It seems that her first attempt at growing rosemary met with failure, as she dried out/killed the poor thing. I say "poor thing," but in all honesty dried/dead rosemary is a delight to at least three out of the five senses, so it's hard to get too teary-eyed about it. Her story was short and to the point: her sister had fallen through, and could I care for her rosemary plant for a week? Water it daily, watch for problems, etc.? Of course I can. Meet Roland: Roland marks my inauguration into plant-sitting; a heady responsibility, to be sure. On the plus side, I have been assured...

The air quality in Salt Lake City has been truly awful lately - much worse than the usual winter inversion that moseys through. At the same time, our legislators (who claim  to be actual humans with actual lungs) relax regulations so that companies like Kennecott-Rio-Tinto can defile the air even more. Actual, undoctored photo of SLC air It was only January of 2010, almost two years ago exactly, that Salt Lake City experienced the legendary inversion that led to record-setting bad air - the very worst, in fact, in the United States of America ( I wrote about it at the time ). It has gone beyond a little "kaff-kaff" at the nasty diesel fumes as the delivery truck rumbles past. This is chemical warfare, and the corporate god-kings whose greed is more lethal than hatred are waging it against us, quite literally at the cost of our very lives. I received an e-mail from Cori Redstone, a fellow activist and friend of mine. She writes: How bad is this air? As I type th...

Tonight 'round about 5 PM MST, #OccupySLC hosted a "flash meditation" in Temple Square. The first time I ever heard the term "flash meditation" I believe my exact, sardonic, aren't-I-clever words were "sounds tricky." Well har-de-har-har, Charles, you prick. It turns out that meditation is scientifically proven to be beneficial to your well-being , and to boot, it builds a more thoughtful, inclusive way to relate to the world around you. As pro-meditation flash mob hub  MedMob states : Our intention is to create an environment for people from all religions, all world views, and all experience levels to join together in meditation. Our vision is to continue inspiring world-wide meditations until the entire world is invited to join - literally! Tonight was cold. Colder than I anticipated. But the lights were up, and beautiful. As I've said before, if I had my druthers, we'd have Christmas lights up year round. Thankfully ...

Christopher Hitchens, contrarian's contrarian, atheist, truth-teller, arrogant bastard and fierce mind, is dead. He was one of my idols. People say "too soon" but to paraphrase some fruity British comic book guy , Hitch got what we all get: a lifetime. No more, no less. I'm heartbroken, and mourn his passing, but I'm confident that Christopher's intellect, and his contributions to any number of debates, will ensure that his name is still being lofted around (and often cursed) for longer than most of us will ever live.

I'm sorry for my recent absence. As far as excuses go, I have a few good ones I could deploy - I've been doing less "slacktivism" and more "activism," I'm actually dating professional jewel thief Selena Kyle , &c. - but one reason (and it's not a sexy one) is this: You see, as part of the Urban Homesteader / DIY / whatever you want to call it ethos, knitting is both really cool and pretty handy. It consumes time, reduces consumption of $h!tty goods produced by slave labor, occupies my idle hands, and, if you have a modicum of skill (something I lack so far), you wind up producing a scarf, or a hat, or a handgun cozy -  - whatever strikes your fancy. Jenn Stauffer, one of my best and oldest friends, responded to my "HALP HOW DO I KNIT THRAEDS" S-O-S, and an impromptu knitting circle and anti-social deviancy discussion group formed. Funny how community can flourish under the oddest circumstances and during the worst times...