A Briton accused of hacking into US military and NASA computers faces extradition to the United States after the British government rejected last-ditch requests to block the move.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson concluded that sending Gary McKinnon to the United States would not breach his human rights, and said he has no general discretionary powers to stop the extradition.

“If Mr McKinnon’s human rights would be breached, I must stop the extradition. If they would not be breached, the extradition must go ahead,” Johnson said in a statement.

“As the courts have affirmed, I have no general discretion,” he said.

Briton Gary McKinnon leaves the High Court in central London in January 2009.

McKinnon, who suffers from a form of autism, could spend life in prison if convicted by a US court of gaining access to 97 computers in 2001 and 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

His family and lawyers have warned throughout the long-running case that McKinnon, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, could commit suicide or suffer psychosis if the extradition went ahead.

McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, slammed the decision as “devastating” and “barbaric,” adding that her son was terrified of extradition.

“To force a peaceful, vulnerable, misguided UFO fanatic like Gary thousands of miles away from his much-needed support network is barbaric,” she said.

“This is a cruel and miserable decision,” she told the BBC, adding that the government, should “hang their heads in shame.”

“If the severity of Gary’s medical condition isn’t sufficient to prevent his extradition, I can’t imagine what is. God help others facing a similar fate.”

McKinnon, 43, says he was only looking for evidence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) when he hacked into the US Navy and NASA space agency computers.

US authorities allege he stole passwords and deleted files, leading to the shutdown of computer systems, with repairs costing around 800,000 dollars (486,000 pounds, 534,000 euros).

His cause has drawn high-profile support, including from Trudie Styler, wife of rock star Sting, who urged mothers to write to the Home Secretary.

Last month, the High Court in London refused McKinnon leave to appeal to Britain’s new Supreme Court against his extradition.

The Home Office agreed to study new medical evidence about McKinnon before deciding on his extradition.

But Johnson told McKinnon’s family in a letter that he could not block the move on medical grounds.

He said he had received guarantees from US authorities that McKinnon’s medical needs would be met once extradited, and if convicted he would not serve any time in a “supermax” prison.

“Due to legitimate concerns over Mr McKinnon’s health, we have sought and received assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will be met,” Johnson said.

“Finally, should Mr McKinnon be extradited, charged and convicted in the US and seek repatriation to the UK to serve a custodial sentence, the government will, of course, progress his application at the very earliest opportunity.”

McKinnon’s solicitor said she would seek a judicial review of Johnson’s decision, and lodge an application before the High Court within seven days.

“We are certainly coming to the end of the road, but we are just hoping that at some point, someone sees sense and steps in,” Karen Todner told the BBC.

“In some ways it’s like dealing with a death row case, we genuinely believe Gary’s life is at stake here.”

His lawyers say he could easily be prosecuted in Britain, where he would face a less severe sentence. But the Crown Prosecution Service ruled in February that the case was best brought in the United States.

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These are the latest 4 blocks I have made for the Around the World Quilting bee. I hope the ladies like them

George Bernard Shaw once wrote that plot was the creation, manoeuvering and destruction of relationships between characters. Plot is derived from character and it’s sole purpose is to drive the story so the character can attempt to achieve their goal. Every scene in your script must either reveal something about the character and advance the story. Flat scenes become boring and lose your audeince. Here are some plot devices that can pique your plot:

• DANGER – I cannot stress this one enough. It can be moral danger such as deciding to cheat on your spouse, or physical danger such as being trapped in a burning house. Raise the stakes and make your character earn their goal and pay for their mistakes. Give them insecurities, flaws, problems and issues we can all relate to. Make them fall into a ditch that they must crawl out of. A common plot device in action films is to either have multiple things go wrong at once or sequentially. The victim tries to escape, but they can’t find the keys to the car so they break in. Then there’s a flat battery so the can’t hot wire it to start. Then there’s no cell phone coverage… What’s needed may not arrive in time or not arrive at all. Oftentimes, dramatists use a Deus Ex Machina (literally God from the machine) whereby some life saving event occurs just in the nick of time before all is lost. Make sure this isn’t a lucky co-incidence or your audience will never forgive you.

• TIME BOMB - Give your characters a ticking time clock where something seriously bad will happen if they don’t achieve a goal. Maybe there isn’t enough time to defuse the bomb? Perhaps the main character doesn’t know how to defuse the bomb. Maybe the main character isn’t even aware of the bomb. Does the audience know? Giving either the audience or the main character such a superior position adds intrigue and interest. Alternatively, the main character can simply run out of options to achieve their goal rather than out of time.

• CONFESSION – After deep humiliation make your character confess to a secret, shortcoming, wound or a deep seeded fear or shame. Maybe they realise the error of their ways and take responsibility for their actions. Consider your audience. Being born out of wedlock is generally not considered a shameful act in the Western world. Forcing a pregnant unwed couple to marry may be acceptable is some cultures, but not in others. Play with morality in your plot. The beauty of it is that it’s never clearly right or wrong like a maths problem. Is it wrong to kill someone? What if they killed your family? What if it is in self defense?

• BETRAYAL – The hero’s buddy changes sides or is revealed as a traitor. What if the main character doesn’t realise this, or does so when it’s too late? What if the traitor leads them into a trap?

• DILEMMA – The hero is forced to make a choice between two equally bad alternatives. Consider the family with premature Siamese twins who must decide which one survives and which one doesn’t. What if the main character consciously decides not to act because they are faced with issues of duty for the higher good? Or even love?

• OBSTACLES – External influences such as bad weather or natural disasters forcing them to stop. Car or other vital piece of machinery breaks down and a replacement part is not immediately forthcoming. What if their progress is stalled due to injury, illness or other physical condition such as pregnancy or diabetes? What if someone in their team is killed or kidnapped? Running out of bullets, money, food, air all add to the excitement of danger.

• DISCOVERY – The element of surprise and shock always jolts your audience. Examples of this include a cover been blown of an undercover cop, the presence of an intruder being noticed, an escalating lie has been revealed. A discovery must pivot your story into a new direction, not simply act as a minor irritant. Remember the scene in “Mad Men” where Betty discovers Don’s true identity by opening a locked drawer? She didn’t sigh and carry on, she left him. Discoveries can also be wild goose chases. Following the wrong lead, the wrong map or the wrong advice.

• LOVE – Due to it’s universality, love will always add to a plot. What if a past lover returns? Consider Jodie Foster in “Sommersby”, when she tells her returned “husband” that he’s not the man she married because she didn’t love him like she loves the impostor. Add a love triangle; one bride versus two grooms. Add gender swaps, such as “Tootsie” who had enamored a man who thinks she’s a woman. Also consider the third wheel. The buddy who suddenly becomes the bride’s love interest when he reveals his true self. Love is also used to tame a savage, misanthropic heart.

• TRAITS – Give your character some endearing traits so the audience can partially overlook their negative ones. Give them courage, give them love. give them scruples so they are fighting for a good cause where the collateral damages justifies the cause, make them perform a good deed, make them desirable such as handsome, physical and funny. Make them spiritual, generous and wise. Ensure it all emerges from a place of truth and authenticity. Audiences retract from phonies. Give them fears, traumas which block their growth, masks which prevent other characters from seeing their real self.

• LIKES – Make your characters like children, animals and art. Give them great taste in cars, partners, houses, music, fashion, food and overall lifestyle. Audiences tend to admire what they aspire to be or what they perceive to be desirable.

So go forth and beef up those plotlines.

Writing can be hard.

Sometimes an idea comes and you can ’stream of consciousness’ it straight out. It can be as simple as opening a window and letting it in.

Of course then there are times when there isn’t an idea and it can be hard to get going. So prevalent and legendary this that it has a name and legend all of its own. Defined as it is. Writer’s block.

The concept is extended across mediums and the artists indulged further. As long as you are writing something creative you are covered. Or are you?

What about worker’s block?

It is a question I have thought about a bit having long since sold my soul, abandoning previous artistic incarnations for wage slavery.

There can be days in the working environment where things are not forthcoming. No inspiration. No flow. Nothing.

Can I not even claim writer’s block when writing for work? Some of the project documentation and proposals I have produced are about as creative as anything I have ever otherwise excreted.

But of course in the professional environment there is no chance of pleading ‘blockage’.

It doesn’t wash.

The best out you can hope for is some solid procrastination, a limp excuse and to live to fight another day.

Still, we need to know. I know what I shall testify next time.

I’ve noticed that over the past couple of months, I have used to this blog not only as a place to vent my frustrations and hurt but also as a tool to help me accept things that are happening and ultimately move on from it.  It’s been my salvation when at 3am in the morning my head is whirring and I need to talk to someone.  Ridiculous I know, after all the laptop can’t talk back to me right?
No, but it does reflect. 

It forces to me to look at my own thoughts, in black and white, and truly understand and admit to myself how I feel.

 There’s been a lot of anger on this blog, and I’m not completely devoid of any anger now although I do think that I’m not as angry as I was seven weeks ago.  At the time I needed somewhere to just go crazy, because I was trying so hard to be the better person and not scream at him for what he did.  My god, I wanted to. 
A lot of my friends and family are puzzled as to why I didn’t literally attack him, scratch his eyes out so to speak, but I knew if I did I wouldn’t stop… I would have seized every emotion and impulse I had at the time, and I would have torn him to pieces.  I was genuinely scared that I had the potential to physically harm somebody, even worse that I wanted to. On top of all of this, I knew if I attacked him then it would, in some way, justify what he did.  I didn’t want to give him that.
So I did what I knew I did best, I wrote.  There are pages and pages of short stories, journals, poems, lyrics, proverbs and the occasional big letter scribble of ‘I FUCKING HATE YOU, YOU LYING CHEATING TWAT!’ stacked away in some box that I can’t bring myself to open again.  It helped.  It’s still helping.  It’s my way of coping with everything, almost like a self counselling strategy that my mind seems to have created.
I also started blogging again, and more often, becoming a new routine in my week to replace the time I would have spent with him.  Also, if I’m completely honest, I was very aware that he checks my blog (still now) and I think it was my way of expressing just how much anger and hurt I had felt towards him without me screaming and attacking him. 

So, you’re probably wondering what’s brought me here this time?
I’ve just confessed this is my ‘go-to’ point when I’m feeling particularly blurgh (sorry, couldn’t think of a better word), so what has happened now? 
I was perusing my photos on facebook, looking for a photo of my brother and myself, when I happened to accidentally scroll onto a picture of myself and my ex in happier times.  I paused, I looked, I wasn’t bothered… until I noticed that he had detagged himself from it.  I couldn’t resist looking at other photos of us on the site, and found that he had done the same for every photo of a similar nature. 
I have to be honest, as I always am on here, it bloody hurt.  To add to the hostility between us, the history between us and the mountain of issues that were never addressed, it now seems that he does not want to be associated with me in any way, shape or form.
It’s almost like he is removing me.  That sounded melodramatic, I didn’t mean it in the sense of removing me from his life because he is quite welcome to do that (I have) but more as if he is denying my very existence and our relationship all together.  After everything.

He has detagged and detached himself from me.

I don’t know if he is doing this to move on, or to please his new girlfriend, or to be hurtful (in which case, mission success) but he kind of needs to know there will come a time when we meet again.  It’s a small town.  You can’t run away from your feelings forever, I learnt that the hard way.
I can almost see him reading this now, scoffing at certain things and saying ‘what?!’.  After everything, he still sees this as my way of personally attacking him, making him seem this evil and vindictive person.  However, this blog is not about him, granted he pops up a LOT in the content of the blog but as I said earlier, its my therapy.  It’s about me, don’t be so self-centred as to think it’s about you!
I don’t know what else is to come, but I know there’s more mile stones to reach.  The next one will probably be Christmas, my first without him and our silly traditions, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it – I’m sure you’ll get a blog out of it!

Until the next issue guys x

AMCD also spotted this one… no blue lights on top, so a lot more clean cut….

I really hate this type of parking as well, so I appreciate getting pictures like this.

If a car was to turn in right to this junction… and the child had stepped out onto the road to get around the parked car… well… you can see the result. The turning car wouldn’t see the child until the last minute…

Om Sathguru Sri Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvadikkae

Disciple:

Is it possible for a Jivan Muktha, a liberated soul, to judge the ascent of Kundalini in another person?

Master:

Yes, the stage of ascension can certainly be seen by a liberated being. He can also question the disciple and examine him to ascertain his progress and to find out where and how he is blocked.

Why would you snack on a block?  Because a block represents a good ratio of how much protein, carbs, and fat you should be eating for maximum physical efficiency (check out www.zonediet.com for more info).

1 egg, 1/2 orange, some nuts

1 Block consists of

7 grams of protein = 1 block of protein

9 grams of carbs = 1 block of carbs

1.5 grams of fat = 1 block of fat

My diet consists of 5 meals that are made up of 5-5-1-5-1 block meals with slightly more protein than prescribed.  With the right carbs, I feel full, almost stuffed, throughout the whole day without a drop in energy.  I didn’t even start “zoning” until recently, but it’s made a night a day change in my ability to trim down body fat and improve my workout performances.

Ah the inspiration faeries have abandoned me! Or at least sometimes that’s what it feels like. I’ve been having a wicked case of writer’s block the last week and a half and it’s driving me batty. I WANT to write. I do! But I just sit at the computer staring at the screen for hours. Then I write a few lines, maybe a paragraph or two then I stare at it again… and delete most of it. Or, you know, all of it. Tis frustration abounds.

Now I know I’ve had a lot on my plate for the last six months, and this month is no exception–what with my regular family life and job being askew as usual. I’m hoping for some good news on those fronts, which may help in my writing dilemma.

Maybe it’s a classic case of TV sitcom plot. I am writing episode 5 as we speak–okay at present which I’m stuck on. While I don’t want to give too much away and spoil anything it deals with family. Maybe the story hits a bit close to home at the moment which is why my brain is stalling. Maybe it’s stalling on purpose? Ah, the psyche is the craziest thing…

In any case, tonight I try again. Maybe a nice dinner of TJ’s (Trader Joe’s in this case not TJ as in TJ Wolfe) Garlic Chicken & Pasta stir fry and a glass of white wine will grease the creative wheels. We can only hope.

Wish me luck.

I have not blogged in the last two days, which may be a record for me, I’m not sure. In any case, Thanksgiving break starts on Wednesday, and I will be having a helluva fun time. Hopefully.
Well, today was an unremarkable day, excepting the two periods of awesome I have every Day 2. Oh, the day system: it is a six-day rotation schedule that was put into effect two years ago, to much confusion and rage. Now it’s pretty integrated, and people like it because you can take many more classes than you previously could. Sweet!
I am rapidly running out of things to write about; I attempted to write some poetry earlier but ended up with a pile of crap and a much less motivated attitude.
Writer’s block sucks! It sucks a lot! It sucks worse than Owl City (who I only know of through my friends Genna and Lillian), which sucks pretty bad.
I suppose I’ll leave you all here then.
Ciao.

Hier ist er!

Gelb, 400 Blatt stark, Klebt rückstandlos fest

und ab sofort in Deinem Fachhandel für Bürobedarf

sowie an Deiner Uni!

by Dr. Brent Lipke DC

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the occupational disease of the 21^st century.  It involves numbness, weakness or pain in the wrist and hand and is caused by pressure on the nerve entering the wrist.

Traditionally it has been treated by wearing a splint, taking anti inflammatory drugs or with surgery, all having limited success. 

Spinal misalignments are often found in the lower necks of patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.  Nerve compression in the neck can block the flow of nutrients to nerves in the arm, shoulder and hand, making them susceptible to injury.  Chiropractic gently restores proper nerve flow from the neck to the hand correcting the cause of the problem.   

To learn more about how a safe, gentle and scientific, Chiropractic adjustment could TRANSFORM your health contact your chiropractor.  If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, CALL me at The Family Chiropractic Centre, 519-837-1234. 

I’m Dr. Brent Lipke, educating you to help you educate others !

È da un po’ di tempo che frequento FriendFeed e devo dire che offre spunti molto interessanti. Meno giargiattole di Facebook, meno utenti, più confronto.

Però ci sono i lati negativi che ogni tanto mi fanno venire voglia di cancellare il mio account come è già capitato su altre piattaforme.

In primis, chi è lì da più tempo si può permettere di sentenziare su cosa la community pensa, può fare, non può fare, su come ci si deve schierare, su come siano composti gli schieramenti, sul modo migliore di [azione a vostra scelta]. Dio (dea, dei, tutti i santi) grazie per averci dato hide e block, amen.

Poi, ogni occasione è buona per far scattare il flame. A quanto pare alcuni soggetti sono convinti che sia impossibile spiegare le cose con calma. E non è consentito avere idee diverse dalle proprie, perché se non la pensi come loro “sei un coglione, una capra, ecc.”, Oppure partono con la lagna dell’argomentazione. “Non hai argomentato/non sei coerente/non sei corretto/non hai letto”. Poco importa che loro abbiano spalato insulti su tutti, che siano odiati da tutti perché sono spocchiosi e non rendono conto che sbagliano nemmeno se metti cartelloni intermittenti e luminosi, perché loro passano il loro tempo sulle rete e quindi sanno di cosa parlano. E tu stai zitto, ignorante.

La cosa più divertente è vedere il loro feed/profili e scoprire che sono un cumulo di macerie in cui nessuno scrive mai o in cui intervengono sempre le solite quattro persone. Che lo scambio (perché internet serve a questo) per loro non esiste. Si vede dal loro atteggiamento, perché nel corso del tempo questo non cambia.

Si avvalgono dell’infinita risorsa che è l’anonimato, fanno i personaggi. Peccato che come nella realtà, gli altarini si scoprono subito.

Tristissimo vedere gente che non perde occasione di farsi pubblicità, anche se non c’entra nulla. Preferire che se fanno qualcosa che vogliono far sapere agli altri, la condividessero e non la imponessero.

Al che decidi di ignorare/cancellare/bloccare. E se (quando) lo scoprono, ti contattano per capire perché mai hai fatto una roba del genere, senza chiedersi se magari, ma solo magari hanno rotto con il loro spam, con le loro infinite lamentele sul tuo comportamento scorretto. La cosa più divertente sono i loro interventi, subito dopo i tuoi, che attaccano qualsiasi cosa tu dica. Peccato, peccatissimo che hai messo hide e quindi si suoi interventi non li vedrai mai.

Come nella vita, nei SN ci vuole selezione. Persone con cui pensi di poter parlare: follow. Persone che non t’interessa seguire: unfollow. Persone che ogni tanto di irritano: hide. Persone che troppo spesso ti irritano: block.

They were all high, and their faces glistened under the cheap florescence that twitched above them. Kyle slipped the glass pipe into his pant leg, feeling it fall to bottom and keeping his wrist on the bulge. Everyone else just kept their hands busy, rubbing and toiling over friction and finger. So how the fuck did you get a black eye? Seth asked Richard, keeping his chin tight to his chest like he does. Richard didn’t say anything, but moved his dirty tongue out of the clamp of chapped jowls as if he would start to speak, but didn’t.

He got it doing something dirty, that’s what. Kyle said behind his square glasses. It’s pretty swollen, when did it happen?

I think like a week ago, Richard said, standing up and tightening his jacket up to his neck. Kyle and Seth stood-up. It hurts like hell, but it gives me street cred’. Kyle and Seth did something horizontal with their lips, but never approached a laugh. It was an old joke.

Seth brought the garage door up and bit, so everyone could lay on their bellies and roll into the sunlight. Kyle went first, then Richard. The two squinted as the concrete that surrounded them in the coldesaque dispersed the sunlight at all angles. The garage door slapped shut, bending slightly in the middle.

We need to check out the Chaparral, Kyle said. It’s this dank forest behind the park – you know what, I think it’s owned by the park. Either way, no one goes back there and there’s this tiny-ass river that goes through it. It’s pretty fucking rad. Richard didn’t have anything to say, and after a bit of breathing billowed between the two, Seth came out. He was running with his short little arms clamped to his tee, panting and grinning.

What the fuck are we doing?! Seth asked all at once.

We’re gonna check out the Chaparral. Smoke the rest of the shit, and who knows, maybe run into some other rats who wanna match bowls. Maybe they got danker shit.

I don’t know, that flake you have is pretty good. It burns like a gold amber. Is that stuff from Ah-dee?

It is most certainly from Ah-dee, and Kyle’s glasses bobbed down to the bump in the middle of his long bridge. His left wrist still focusing and pressing on the pipe and bag. You know what? We can get their through your backyard.

We can?

That’s what I’m thinking. You know how your neighbor’s fence goes all the way to where it drops down to the road? Kyle used his long fingers to convey a cliff, and thinly legs traversing it’s rim. We can just shimmy along the fence and drop down. The Chaparral is just across the street and through a fire exit. I think it’s just another block from there.

We can smoke my shit along the way, Richard confessed.

We can.

Can we get to the back through the side, or are the vines still crazy-shit?

I think we can. If we can’t, then we can just go through the front again.

Next person to say ‘can,’ has to do the whole journey barefoot.

I ‘can,’ Kyle said, kicking off twelves and shoving them in a bush that grew around a mailbox.

I think the time is right to share (what we think are) the Top 5 Jason Maxiell Blocks with you after what Jason did to Shannon Brown a few days ago. Was that block ridiculous or what? Ouch…had to hurt. Brown can dunk on pretty much everybody, but Maxiell…what a block…wow…

#5 – Jermaine O’Neal – denied

#4 – Reggie Who?

#3 – Ain’t gonna work, Mr. Garnett, but you keep trying…

We could do a Top 5 of Jason Maxiell blocking Kevin Garnett alone by the way – you don’t believe me? Ask you local YouTube Video Dealer. Go. www.youtube.com – I dare you.

#2 – Meet me at the top, Shannon Brown – you’ll never be the same again

#1 – Jason Maxiell destroys Tyson Chandler’s dignity

Is Jason Maxiell the best “meet-me-at-the-rim” shot blocker playing right now? If you don’t say yes, let me know who you think is better. Wait, I’ll help you with that one: Nobody.

Those are my feet. I thought this was an apt image for this post.

I’m waiting for the roofing guy to arrive so I can fork over a big fat wad of cash. I could be painting. I should be painting. With multiple deadlines looming, a house full of unfinished paintings and ideas flying out my ass at the speed of light you’d think I’d be painting. Painting in this situation would make sense, right? But things don’t always make sense, and I don’t feel like painting because lately my teeth start to itch every time I pick up a paint brush. In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you here that I’m a big proponent of the nonsensical. Even still, I’m none too happy about the current situation. I want to want to paint. I want to finish something, anything, every freaking damn unfinished piece of crap piece of art that’s taking up valuable space in this drafty, old, squirrel infested, money sucking, yarmulke wearing* house! But as the scrawny, fat-lipped aging rock star continues to crow, “You can’t always get what you want.”

hey look! Some unfinished artwork lying around–a typical scene.

That piece on the right is part of a set of five I’ve been working on since last winter. What do you call a set of five anyway, a pentich? That’s an early stage there. And here it is looking a little more developed.

sunning itself with friends mid summer:

group photo in front of the shed:

hanging out in the living room today:

So these paintings, they’re getting there. Where? I’m still not exactly sure. I’m never clear on the destination until I arrive, and by that I mean I’ll probably continue to consider and reject final directions until one random day when I pick up a paint brush and my teeth feel fine and something small but significant happens. I really think this group is nearly finished. I’ve thought that for months, and the theoretical completion possibilities have recently narrowed to what feels like a manageable pool of ideas.

One more look as it is:

And that’s the “sad truth” or not so sad really. It’s just the way things go. Production levels rise and fall. It’s best to try and keep a positive perspective, to remember that times like this are great for recharging. I’m not crazy about being in this sort of in-between state where I can’t seem to be productive in terms of finishing work, but dwelling on the negative side of it will only make it last longer.

Current list of things to do to try and stay positive:

• draw on the sidewalk
• take the camera on a walk
• jump off the shed roof into a giant pile of leaves

see you later,
-Steph

*the blue beanie

URL : http://www.flashgame-girl.com/Puzzle-board/Block-Stock.html

Game description :

click groups of minimum 3 blocks of the same color to erase them. The more blocks you erase, the more points you get. Use weapon in the top left corner in order to erase single block.

Game controls :

Use Mouse to interact.

There are some people who visit Twitter,

Who are not nice, in fact they’re a little bitter,

So in order to avoid or block these tweeps,

I wrote this little poem for you to keep.

99% of people are considerate and kind,

Mostly the majority obeying the rules I find,

But like anything we seem to have in life,

1% just seem to cause you strife!

You know the ones I am talking about,

Twitter trolls who brood and pout,

Just looking for someone they can prey,

Annoying abuse they usually say,

Why they do it? Who really knows,

Maybe the lonely just need a show,

Perhaps its fun for their little minds,

Ruin the fun by wearing their blinds.

Then there are a stranger bunch,

Who all they do is the RT crunch,

This is a twitterer who does nothing else,

Only re-tweeting another soles verse.

Don’t get me wrong RT’ing is great,

But not when you do it from 8 – 8,

RT is you showing you liked something,

But also to the party your own words bring.

Then there is the pier de resistance,

The one that causes the most annoyance,

Not interested in you by any means,

For in their eyes all they see is green!

Not jealousy at all but money my friend,

And these people don’t follow any trend,

For after hello usually comes a Direct Message,

One that seems to be Twitters right of passage,

“You I can make a million dollars today!”

Usually you know their own bills they can’t pay,

So next time one of these in your inbox drops,

Just remember Twitter allows you to block!

But as I said at the beginning of this,

It’s only 1% that you really should miss,

For Twitter has something for one and all,

A home with family and friends you will call.

Just join the conversation with a smile,

Listen to others and stay a while,

Very soon you will feel a warm embrace,

By people who call Twitter their place.

This poem was part of a presentation that I gave at the global tour of “Cool Twitter Conferences” that happened in Dubai. Full of amazing people with interesting insights into the world of Twitter and social media. As one of many speakers I was fortunate to share some of the things that I do as the Poet of Twitter. To all the people that attended in Dubai, It was an honor to meet each and everyone of you. Thank you!

Nineteen individuals and organizations will be honored with The Blues Foundation’s 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch at the Downtown Doubletree Hotel Saturday, January 23rd, 2010, in Memphis, Tennessee.  The KBA ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. and will be held in conjunction with the 26th International Blues Challenge (IBC) weekend of events that will feature the semifinals and finals of the world’s largest gathering of blues bands, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

The Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recognize the significant contributions to blues music made by the people behind the scenes. Each is selected on the basis of merit by a panel of blues professionals. KBA Chairman Art Tipaldi notes with respect to this year’s recipients: “We are very pleased to bestow this recognition on people and organizations who have promoted blues music for many, many years. Increasingly, this is an international effort, and this year’s recipients reflect the worldwide impact of blues music.”
The 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients are:

1. Art and Photography: Michael Maness, Memphis, Tennessee
2. Blues Club: Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee, Florida
3. Blues Organization: Connecticut Blues Society
4. Education: Spencer Bohren, New Orleans, Louisiana
5. Festival: Heritage Music Blues Festival, Wheeling, West Virginia
6. Festival International: Piazza Blues, Bellinzona, Switzerland
7. Historical Preservation: Eric Leblanc, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
8. International: Finnish Blues Association, Helsinki, Finland
9. Journalism: David Fricke, Rolling Stone, New York, New York
10. Literature: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson, Tom Graves, Memphis, Tennessee
11. Manager/Agent: Pat Morgan, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
12. Print Media: Block, Almelo, Netherlands
13. Producer: Andy McKaie, Universal Music Enterprises,Santa Monica, California
14. Promoter: Pozitif Productions, Istanbul, Turkey
15. Publicist: Richard Flohil, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
16. Radio Commercial: Charles Evers, Jackson, Mississippi
17. Radio Public: Rick Galusha, Omaha, Nebraska
18. Record Label: Crosscut Records, Bremen, Germany
19. Visual Broadcast: Film, Television and Video: Pocket Full of Soul, Houston, Texas

Tickets to the KBA ceremony are sold only as part of the IBC Big Blue ticket package, available online at www.Blues.org or by calling 901.527.2583. The IBC weekend, commencing Wednesday, January 20, 2010, is sponsored in significant part by ArtsMemphis, bandVillage, Beale Street Merchants Association, Budweiser and its local distributor D. Canale Beverages, FedEx, Gibson Guitars, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention &

Visitors Bureau, Smokin Bluz, Tennessee Arts Commission, and Tennessee Film, Entertainment Commission.

Media sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Blues Revue, BluesWax, Downtowner, House of Blues Radio Hour, Living Blues, Memphis Flyer, WREG-TV, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio B.B. King’s Bluesville.

BIOGRAPHIES OF RECIPIENTS:

Art and Photography: Michael Maness, Memphis, Tennessee
Michael Maness colors his world in blues. His vibrant impressions of Arthur Williams and Luther Allison provided the basis for the 2006 and 2007 Blues Music Award posters, but his gallery of blues performers and musicians is a bold collection of everyone from B.B. King and Buddy Guy to Elvis and Brother Ray. His love of Memphis and its music is evident in the paintings and posters that feature Sun Studios, the Peabody, Isaac Hayes, Stax, Al Green, and Willie Mitchell. From the age of eight, Michael has been drawing or writing something for somebody. “I try to pick a story to paint rather than a moment passing through time. I hope that as a person views my work they feel a story, one that has a beginning, character development, a problem to solve, and a happy ending.” With his dynamic kaleidoscope of colors, Michael lets his paintings tell Pulitzer Prize stories.

Blues Club: Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee, Florida
It may be the coolest juke joint experience outside Mississippi. Drive down a secluded dirt road through fields of cornstalks and massive Spanish-moss-covered live oaks until you see the glowing, cinder block juke in the distance and you’ve found it. Featuring live blues every Friday and Saturday night since 1964, the BBC has hosted blues royalty like Bobby “Blue” Bland, Bobby Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Pinetop Perkins, Little Milton, James Cotton, Nappy Brown, Ms. Lavelle White, Kenny Neal, Big Jack Johnson, E.C. Scott, Maria Muldaur, Son Seals, and a host of others. When the music gets too hot, you can always go outside to join the crowd surrounding the roaring bonfire (a rarity in today’s world) or listen to the blues from the bonfire stage. New owners Gary and Kim Anton took over the club eight years ago and have worked hard to change little.

Blues Organization: Connecticut Blues Society
Since it was founded in 1993, the Connecticut Blues Society has been at the forefront of blues events and programs in the Nutmeg State. Though most of its events are music related – supporting weekly jams at a variety of Connecticut blues clubs, sponsoring many blues festivals and events, and running the most extensive IBC band and solo/duo competitions – the CTBS is also very active in many service programs. In the past, it has run benefits for the March of Dimes. It also holds two fundraising events each year with the local Hannon-Hatch VFW Post. In addition to its education outreach programs, the CTBS assists with monthly concerts at the Connecticut Veterans Home and Hospital. Because this society covers an entire state, it offers a model of music, history, and community service for any affiliated society.

Education: Spencer Bohren, New Orleans, Louisiana
Four decades of international touring and many years of visiting schools have helped Spencer Bohren develop an innovative approach to blues education titled “Down the Dirt Road Blues.” Using a single African melody as a starting point, he follows the song as it travels through America’s history and culture, using appropriate vintage instruments to orchestrate his story. The song finds its way into the repertoires of Charley Patton, Son House, the Skillet Lickers, Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and the Rolling Stones, among others, before setting a young Spencer Bohren on his life’s path. “Down the Dirt Road Blues” was first performed in 1997 for the Montana Performing Arts Consortium and has since been presented to 20,000 students from elementary through university age in the U.S. and Europe. Peggy Seessel, director of education for ArtsMemphis, praised “Down the Dirt Road Blues”: “Every child in every school should be exposed to this fascinating, enlightening story.”

Festival: Heritage Music Blues Festival, Wheeling, West Virginia
The Heritage Music Blues Festival began in 2001 when Bruce Wheeler envisioned a blues music festival in a newly constructed waterfront park on the bank of the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling. The fact that Wheeling had no blues scene or even a blues club, band, or solo artist did not deter Wheeler from developing a festival. Promoted as “A Weekend of Award-Winning Blues,” the festival today gets raves from coast to coast. Wheeler’s festival features two stages, a main stage with Blues Music Award winners and up-and-coming IBC solo, duo, and band acts, and a second stage dedicated to local and regional artists from West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The festival is run year-round solely by Bruce Wheeler and his family, so a family atmosphere spills over to the audience members, who have come from 25 states and four countries for the annual August event.

Festival International: Piazza Blues, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Where else can you dance to the music of some of the finest American blues legends in a piazza guarded by three ancient hilltop castles? Amid a jumble of outdoor cafes, trattorias, and medieval churches, the piazza has the feel of an intimate, outdoor blues bar. Since its start in 1989, Piazza Blues has aimed to bring blues music, from its origins up to the present day, to a wide audience. Major blues performers including B.B. King, Albert Collins, Albert King, James Cotton, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Honeyboy Edwards, Koko Taylor, Luther Allison, Charlie Musselwhite, Otis Rush, and John Mayall have performed, and today, 21 years later, festival President Daniele Jorg, Artistic Director Fritz “Big Daddy” Jakober and Vice-President Lucio Robbiani, the son of the festival’s founder, also showcase younger blues talent such as Ryan Shaw, Corey Harris, Diunna Greenleaf, and Shemekia Copeland. Piazza Blues is acknowledged throughout the blues world as one of the top European blues events each summer.

Historical Preservation: Eric Leblanc, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Eric LeBlanc combined his love of blues, jazz, and discographical data. Though he has been active since 1968 in blues radio in Canada, Eric understood that proper verification of the music’s vital statistics is necessary. Thus he has been collecting and sharing vital data and documentation that have been an essential part of the music books and magazines we read. The print publications Goldmine, Down Beat, Blues & Rhythm,
Living Blues, and Juke Blues are some that have relied on his data. Since the early 1990s, he has been providing fans and researchers on various listservs with data to verify performers’ names, important dates, and discographical data. The principal ways to access his work have been through www.bluesworld.com and Pre-war-blues@yahoogroups.com. Since retiring in 2005 from the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, he has joined the Jazz Faculty of The Victoria Conservatory of Music, teaching the Jazz &

Blues Survey courses. In 2010, Eric co-authored, with Bob Eagle, the Blues volume in the Greenwood Press Guides to American Roots Music.

International: Finnish Blues Society, Helsinki, Finland
Starting with Jukka Wallenius’ idea of publishing a blues magazine, the Finnish Blues Society has been the blues force in Finland since 1968. Within a few weeks it published the first issue of Blues News, which continues to appear today, 239 issues later. Its circulation is about 1,500 copies, six issues a year of approximately 70 pages. During the late 1960s, the Finnish Blues Society also began to arrange jam sessions for Finnish blues musicians, then concerts with international blues artists, from Champion Jack Dupree, Professor Longhair, and J.B. Hutto in the ’70s to Luther Allison, Long John Hunter, and Johnny Bassett in the ’90s. The society started its own blues label, Blue North Records (originally FBS Records), in 1969, mainly associated with its collaboration with Eddie Boyd, who was living in Finland between 1971 and 1994. Today there are over 900 members who support the magazine, record releases, concerts, and lectures. In 1995, the FBS and Blues News opened their website as an archive for all blues fans in Finland.

Journalism: David Fricke, Rolling Stone, New York, New York
When there’s a story about the blues in Rolling Stone, the byline often reads David Fricke. Though Fricke, now a senior writer, has been on staff at the magazine since 1985, he has written about music in a variety of other outlets including Mojo, Melody Maker, Musician, and People. As a senior writer, Fricke’s stories can be about newcomers such as Derek Trucks or John Mayer where he illuminates their blues roots, or a cover story like “Blues Brothers,” an interview with Keith Richards and Jack White where each articulates his blues core. Fricke reviews everything from Jelly Roll Morton to the newest cutting-edge band on the scene, but always with an ear to the blues. For Fricke, blues is ground zero, the earthy beat that connects the music of past rockers like Led Zeppelin to today’s mega-popular Green Day. The taproot of his stories is his awareness that blues is an important part of the foundation of American music. Making those important connections is an essential part of the stories he tells.

Literature: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson, Tom Graves, Memphis, Tennessee
Tom Graves has taken the most widely known pre-war blues performer, Robert Johnson, and chipped away at the widespread myths that have been associated with this blues legend. For example, Graves tackles the various ideas associated with Johnson’s strychnine poisoning at a juke. Graves took that idea to a toxicologist for answers. The book offers a condensed look at Johnson’s life, style, songs, death, and after-death fame. Chapters cover the period after the recordings were released in 1961 on Columbia, the lost photos, the 1986 movie Crossroads, the 1990 release of the million-selling Sony Legacy Complete Recordings boxed set, and the paternity case that discovered his son, Claud. Graves’ book is the easiest way to enter the tangled world of Robert Johnson. From there, and through his extensive bibliography, each of us can conduct his own Robert Johnson inquiry.

Manager: Pat Morgan, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Dr. Patricia Morgan has been involved with the blues community since her early 1980s work with local musicians, venues, and festivals in the San Francisco Bay area. Pat began working with Pinetop Perkins in 1996 during a difficult time in his life. Within a year, Pat was able to turn his life around. Since that time, under Morgan’s guidance Pinetop has received six Grammy nominations. In 2000 he received the National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship Award, and he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and won a Grammy in 2008. Ten years ago, Morgan also created the Pinetop Perkins Homecoming Jam at Hopson’s Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Recently Morgan started the Pinetop Perkins Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping young musicians at the beginning of their careers and helping older musicians with respite care at the end of their careers. Since 2005, Morgan has been doing the same job for Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, helping him transition successfully from drums to harmonica. Leading his own band, with two well-received CDs, Willie Smith has a revitalized career as evidenced by BMA first in 2009, nominations in both Instrumentalist-Harmonica and Instrumentalist-Drums.

Print Media: Block, Almelo, Netherlands
What began as a small fan magazine in 1975 has grown into one of Europe’s finest blues magazines. Block (the name is an amalgam of “blues” and “rock”) was first published 35 years ago by Rien Wisse and his wife, Marion, in the Netherlands. Like most of these efforts, the magazine is financed primarily by their love of the blues and their own money. In 1982, Rien dropped rock coverage and turned Block into the Dutch blues magazine. The magazine is published four times a year and features articles written by American blues journalists such as Bill Dahl, Dick Shurman and Scott Bock. The beautiful photos are part of Block’s 30,000-photo file, which dates back to the magazine’s early days. Is 64 pages concentrate on profiles, reviews of records and performances, and the Wisses’ travels throughout the American blues landscape.

Producer: Andy McKaie, Santa Monica, California
Andy McKaie wasn’t in the Chess studios when Leonard and Phil recorded Muddy, Wolf, Walter, Etta, Bo, Chuck, and others. But since 1986, he has shepherded hundreds of Chess and other Universal/MCA blues reissues. As senior vice president of A&R for Universal Music Enterprises, McKaie has been the man at the controls for virtually all of the reissues, compilations and box sets from the catalogue of Chess recordings. He has also been the producer of numerous other Universal Music blues collections, the Chess 50th Anniversary collections, the Millennium, Definitive and Gold collections, the Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues series, and, most recently, the Hip-O Select series of complete Chess Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Little Walter sets. As the producer of these classic recordings, McKaie conceives the project, selects the tracks and masters, mixes multi-tracks, and researches the credits. In addition to the 21 Muddy Waters reissues he’s responsible for, McKaie has had a production hand in 18 B.B. King records, including co-producing B.B.’s Blues Summit album and co-executive-producing the blues legend’s 80 set. From Muddy to B.B. and everybody between, Andy McKaie has kept hundreds of blues records alive.

Promoter: Pozitif Productions, Istanbul, Turkey
Can you picture Bobby Rush in 20 different Turkish cities performing his signature chitlin-circuit show? For 20 years, Pozitif Productions has been promoting a blues tour called the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival, which runs for over 30 days with more than 20 shows throughout Turkey, and sometimes overseas in countries such as Russia, Serbia, Romania, and even Kazakhstan, with the support of Turkish beer company Efes Pilsen. Based in Istanbul, Pozitif is dedicated to developing music audiences through its festivals, live music venue, artists, albums, and concerts spanning a broad spectrum of music encompassing all world styles. When Ahmet Ulu, the blues festival director and co-founder of Pozitif, books American blues acts, he does it so that he can bring international blues musicians together with local artists. This year Shemekia Copeland, Terry Evans, and Ray Schinnery spent six weeks as the featured performers, but the 20-year roster includes Shemekia’s dad Johnny Copeland, Kenny Neal, Honeyboy Edwards, Magic Slim, Nappy Brown, Buckwheat Zydeco, Gatemouth Brown, and many others. Every musician who has experienced Turkish hospitality raves about the first-class treatment during the weeks abroad.

Publicist: Richard Flohil, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
For more than 50 years, Richard Flohil has been committed to the blues. As a concert promoter, he was involved with the first appearances in Canada (in the late ’50s and early ’60s) of Sleepy John Estes, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland, and Buddy Guy, among others. He started his first publicity company, Richard Flohil and Associates, in 1970. In the years since, he has handled the Canadian publicity for Canada’s leading blues and roots-music record label, Stony Plain Records, whose roster includes Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur, Amos Garrett, Ronnie Earl, Big Dave McLean, the late Long John Baldry, and others. Some of his current clients include Shakura S’Aida, Roxanne Potvin, Paul Reddick, Treasa Levasseur, and the estate of the late Jeff Healey, for whom he worked for five years; Flohil also handled publicity for Canada’s Downchild Blues Band for 39 years. Flohil served on the board of the Toronto Blues Society for 12 years, and remains a member of its programming committee. He continues to work as a club and concert presenter.

Radio (Commercial): Charles Evers, WMPR, Jackson, Mississippi
Born in Decatur, Mississippi, in 1922, Charles Evers has been an ardent advocate of civil rights and equality. In 1969 he was elected mayor of Fayette, Mississippi, and was named the NAACP’s Man of the Year. Since 1987, Charles Evers has been the station manager for WMPR. He launched a career in radio as a disc jockey at WHOC in Philadelphia, Mississippi, in 1949-50. Daily programming includes blues shows every morning from 5 to 9 a.m. and every afternoon from 4 to 8 p.m. In addition to overseeing the station’s daily blues segments, he also hosts the weekly talk show Let’s Talk. For 46 years, Charles Evers and B.B. King have promoted the Medgar Evers Homecoming Festival, a three-day annual event held the first week of June in Mississippi. This event features parades, gospel festivities, and a blues show to celebrate the life and work of his brother, the assasinated civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

Radio (Public): Rick Galusha, KIWR-FM, Omaha, Nebraska
For the past 20 years, Sundays have been blues days in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Pacific Street Blues is a long-running radio program that focuses on blues and Americana music and airs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon on 89.7 The River. The show is still hosted by its creator, Rick Galusha. In addition to programming a wide spectrum of blues, Galusha has hosted many legends such as B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Dr. John, Luther Allison, and others in the studio. He’s a major supporter of the Omaha Blues Society and its Kids Ed program. In addition to his work on radio, Galusha is instrumental in booking and promoting shows including artists like Rod Piazza, Sue Foley, Coco Montoya, Indigenous, Bernard Allison, and many other household blues names. As the former president of Homer’s Music Stores, Galusha supported blues in retail; he still writes reviews for BluesWax ezine.

Record Label: CrossCut Records, Bremen, Germany
CrossCut Records was founded in 1981 by owner Detlev Hoegen with the goal of promoting the blues in Europe. In 1984, CrossCut was the first record label to release a set of previously unissued live radio recordings by the late, great Freddie King. Rockin’ the Blues – Live was released by special agreement with the King estate and won a W.C. Handy Award in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album of the Year. The list of artists who have recorded for CrossCut reads like a who’s who of the blues: Terry Evans, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Clay, Charlie Musselwhite, the Nighthawks, Mighty Sam McClain, Sherman Robertson, Sharrie Williams, John Mooney, Roy Gaines, Ronnie Earl, and many others. CrossCut has also released a 7-CD set of live recordings called In the House: Live from the Lucerne Festival. Today, it features current recordings by Philipp Fankhauser, Memo Gonzalez, JW-Jones, and B.B. & The
Blues Shacks.

Visual Broadcast: Film, Television and Video, Pocket Full of Soul Everyone in the blues has a journey to talk about. For director Marc Lempert and producer Todd Slobin that journey centered around the harmonica, a staple of the blues. Their journey – more like an odyssey – took them deep inside the instrument, its players, and its culture. They, like others who have embraced the harmonica and made it a part of their lives, soon discovered the power and mystery of the instrument. Since the harmonica is the only instrument where one has to breathe in and out to produce sound, it forms an undeniable connection to the player as it captures the body and spirit of each individual who puts it to his mouth. With Huey Lewis as the narrator, the film travels the world to illustrate the instrument’s history, ubiquity, and present impact. The interviews, stories, how-tos, and performances by masters such as James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, John Popper, Magic Dick, Lee Oskar, Rick Estrin, Delbert McClinton, Jerry Portnoy, Kim Wilson, and Jason Ricci are thrilling enough to get you to find that old Marine Band and start drawin’ some blues riff on the reeds.
Submitted by The Blues Foundation