Caveat Populis
THE MORNING BRIEF, Vol. IV, #44 (October 29, 2001) --- Let the People beware.
CONTENTS
Marketing the
War
The Art of Parking
Apple's iPod
Great Moments in HR History
World Series Signage
While Hollywood is Cancelling Stuff
Classic Sports Stories
TOONAGE: Orbital @ The Palace
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SIX DISK CHANGER
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CONTRIBUTIONS
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UPCOMING
CONCERTS
MARKETING THE WAR >>> As flat out bored as I am with the constant media drivel that pours down on us daily, there's something I want to consider. In addition to the real-life activity that's going on now - troops in Afghanistan, heightened national security, a handful of anthrax cases - there's an enormous amount of marketing that's taking place to convince Americans and the rest of the world how necessary all of this is.
The speeches, the prayers, the flags, the hymns, the news stories, the press briefings, the public appearances, the propaganda. Some of my favorite moments (Enduring Freedom's Greatest Hits?) include Donald Rumsfeld trying to say "no comment" without saying "no comment." Both President Bush and Rumsfeld terming the U.S. efforts A Crusade, and then realizing they let the wrong word slip. Re-naming the campaign from "Infinite Justice" to "Enduring Freedom." And President Bush's new catch-phrase: "Make no mistake, we will defeat the evil ones."
While I believe it's right to take offense against the terrorist actions and to go forward as we're doing in Afghanistan, I'm wary of the on-slaught. Public opinion polls continue to validate war-like activity as if we've voted on it. But we're not voting, just reacting. It is a time-tested characteristic of the American public.
Last week Congress passed and the President signed a bill providing unprecedented powers for our government to identify terrorists in our midst. It also provides unparalleled opportunity for the goverment to usurp our rights to privacy. Maybe these powers will be used for all the right reasons, or maybe they're going to be perverted into some serious civil rights abuse. We shall see. A single representative voted against the bill in the House, and one Senator dissented...are they traitors or simply brave?
Do American people have the insight and fortitude to stand up against real challenges to their civil rights? Do they have the tools to decipher what is fact and what is marketing? While the American military is out drawing lines in the Afghanistan sand, it's imperative that U.S. citizens draw a few at home. Otherwise, we're all going to be consuming some seriously rotten living.
THE ART OF PARKING >>> When you were learning how to drive, did you ever think that the act of parking would one day have for you its own highly evolved set of tactics, strategies, philosophies? Valet, street, garage, parallel, sporting events. If schools were more practical, there'd be classes far beyond Driver's Ed on theories and skills for parking cars. We do that a lot more than we do calculus.
APPLE'S iPOD >>> By the time Apple announced it's new hardware gizmo last week, I was convinced it would provide the best of a PDA, MP3 player, wireless network, telephone, and cuisinart into the ultimate Swiss Army knife. What actually was introduced is still a breakthrough, if not the next revolution in personal productivity. The iPod combines an MP3 player, a portable hard drive, and Apple's cutting edge hardware and software design to create a very cool, very handy accessory for the music-loving Macophile.
Rather than taking on a whole other market (PDAs) and a whole other set of competitors, Apple has chosen to play to its strength. The iPod is truly Apple-like, and people are going to buy it, use it, and like it. Which is what Apple wants to do: give its customers more reasons to buy, use, and like Apple products for reasons that matter to them. A thousand songs in your hip pocket. Portable, easy to use, elegant. Very, very Apple.
GREAT MOMENTS IN HR HISTORY >>> Michael Greene, Chief Executive of the Grammy's organization, had a reputation for sexually harassing company employees. So the Grammy's hired an HR Specialist to help keep him on the straight and narrow. Mr. Greene is now defending himself in a sexual harassment suit filed by one Jill Geimer, the HR Specialist they hired to watch over Michael's willie.
WORLD SERIES SIGNAGE >>> Held up by Arizona fans during the 9th inning of Game 2 on Sunday night:
You Can't Yank R Johnson.
WHILE HOLLYWOOD IS CANCELLING STUFF >>> How about pulling the plug on those very special "World's Sexiest" lists in magazines and TV shows. Do we really need to hear two gossip columnists debating why Cameron Diaz is or isn't hotter than Julia Roberts? How much trivia can one immerse their life in without turning into goo?
CLASSIC SPORTS RIVALRIES >>> Driving my cherry red Alero across an decreasingly crowded Silicon Valley, I was amused to hear a radio commercial for "one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport." Of course they were referring to the UC Davis Aggies versus the Sacramento State Hornets.
TOONAGE: Orbital @ The Palace >>> One of the few great, live techno acts, Orbital mixes samples, loops and keyboards into a very big, very danceable sound that really fills the room. In support of their newly released 2 CD set, "The Altogether," brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll have assembled their coolest live set yet, with a backdrop of segmented plastic panels (think huge, flat, white Legos with golf-ball dimples). The panels provide a clean backdrop for viewing the full-sized video projections. When they rotate, and they turn and flip in all directions (so cool), the images break out into smaller, trippier segments just to blow your mind.
And the band rocked. Playing a cross-section of their most popular songs interspersed with the best of "The Altogether," the live experience magnified what's most catchy and fun about their recordings. The venue changed at the last minute from The Hollywood Palladium to The Palace, a fair trade-off of more space for much better acoustics. The Palace is sounding as good as it ever has, standing up capably to the test of Orbital's rich, soaring, often gorgeous sounds. Musical highlights included "Illuminate," "Halcyon and On," and "Way Out."
@ @ @
SIX-DISK CHANGER >>> With the New Order's first new album in six years.
1. Chocolate Genius, "Godmusic"
Soul, heart, intelligence, art. Marc Anthony Thompson beats the sophomore jinx.
2. Aphex Twin, "Drukqs"
Good songwriting plus lots of enthusiasm equals great fun.
3. Sparklehorse, "Good Morning Spider"
Brooding, gorgeous, haunting. Clearly the work of a sublime madman.
4. Zero 7, "Simple Things"
My vote for record of the year; emotional, thoughtful, catchy. Perfect.
5. St. Germain, "Boulevard"
Acid-Jazz, with emphasis on the jazz.
6. Orbital, "The Altogether"
Two CDs of new ideas from British dance-meisters. "Illuminate," with vocals by David Gray, is pure gold.
7. New Order, "Get Ready"
A case can be made that New Order are the forebearers of the modern techno-movement. With "Get Ready" the band seems to be getting comfortable in this role. The band's still making that characteristic blend of real guitars with sound samples. The lyrics are deadpan, yet subtly catchy. Their Joy Division roots have never been more visible; an endearment to those fearing a sell-out. And a very fresh album from a group that's been making new sounds for a very long time. They're not getting older; just re-ordered.
@ @ @
Have a great week.
Your pal,
David.
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Now you're reading between the lines.
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The Morning Brief can be read every wwweek @ www.smmirror.com -- in the Web Stuff section.
You can also find prior Briefs at www.morningbrief.net if you've got the time. Or load it up from www.avantgo.com and get your Briefs to go.
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DISCLAIMAGE >>> Please feel free to forward The Morning Brief to whomever you like. If you do, in part or in segments, or if you'd like to re-publish, please copy me or just let me know. Thanks for reading!
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Notable shows in and around Southern
California.
Highly
recommended shows this color.
Red
alert; must see!
10.30.01 - Ahmad Jamal @ Jazz
Bakery
10.31.01 - Ahmad Jamal @ Jazz Bakery
10.31.01
- The Negro Problem @ 14 Below
10.31.01 - Denny Tenaglia @ Giant
11.01.01
- Clare Muldaur @ Genghis Cohen
11.01.01
- Tool w/Tricky @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
11.01.01 - Ahmad Jamal
@ Jazz Bakery
11.03.01
- Deep Dish @ Orion (8th and Spring)
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11.06.01
- Superchunk @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
11.06.01
- The Beta Band @ The Mayan
11.06.01
- Built to Spill @ House of Blues
11.07.01 - Built to Spill @ House of Blues
11.08.01
- Lee Scratch Perry w/Mad Professor @ El Rey Theatre
11.09.01 - Sounds
Eclectic Evening (Sparklehorse, Pete Yorn, elliott Smith, Ozomatli) @
Wiltern Theatre
11.11.01
- MeShell Ndegeocello @ Roxy Theatre
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11.12.01
- U2 w/ No Doubt @ Staples Center
11.12.01 - MeShell Ndegeocello @ Roxy Theatre
11.12.01
- The Roots @ House of Blues
11.13.01
- Spiritualized @ Wiltern Theatre
11.13.01 - U2 w/ No Doubt @ Staples Center
11.13.01 - Femi Kuti @ House of Blues
11.14.01
- Maxwell @ Shrine Auditorium
11.15.01
- Digweed/Sasha @ Mayan Theatre
11.15.01 - Mr. Scruff @ Sugar
11.15.01
- King Crimson w/John Paul Jones @ Universal Amphitheatre
11.15.01 - Uziq @ El Rey Theatre
11.15.01 - Tori Amos w/Rufus Wainwright @ Wiltern Theatre
11.15.01 - Beachwood
Sparks @ The Troubadour
11.16.01
- Bill Frisell, Petra Haden @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
11.16.01
- Tori Amos w/Rufus Wainwright @ Wiltern Theatre
11.17.01 - G. Love & Special Sauce w/Nikka Costa @ Hollywood
Palladium
11.17.01 - Tori Amos w/Rufus Wainwright @ Wiltern Theatre
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11.19.01
- U2 w/ No Doubt @ Staples Center
11.21.01
- Frank Black (acoustic) @ The Mint
11.23.01 - Mike Watt @
Knitting Factory Hollywood
11.23.01 - Weezer w/Tenacious D @ Long Beach Arena
11.24.01
- Stereolab @ The Palace
11.24.01
- Nikka Costa w/ Miranda Lee Richards @ Knitting Factory
Hollywood
11.25.01
- Stereolab @ The Palace
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11.27.01
- Natalie Merchant @ Royce Hall
11.29.01 - Poe @ Roxy
Theatre
11.29.01
- Diamanda Galas @ Royce Hall
11.30.01 - Goldfrapp @
Knitting Factory Hollywood
12.01.01
- Bebel Gilberto @ House of Blues
12.01.01 - Goldfrapp @
Knitting Factory Hollywood
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12.02.01
- Tindersticks @ El Rey Theatre
12.03.01 - Mercury Rev @ The Troubadour
12.04.01 - Robert Earl
Keen @ The Roxy Theatre
12.06.01
- Wilco @ El Rey Theatre
12.08.01 - Jane
Siberry @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
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12.12.01
- Elton John @ Universal Amphitheatre
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1.12.02
- Blind Boys of Alabama @ Royce Hall
1.18.02 - Buena Vista Social Club (Gonzales/Ferrer) @ Royce Hall
1.19.02 - Buena Vista Social Club (Gonzales/Ferrer) @ Royce Hall
2.17.01 - The Coen Brothers and Down from the Mountain @ Universal
Amphitheatre
__________________________
HAVE YOU seen something amazing? HAVE YOU figured something out? HAVE YOU found a new haven? HAVE YOU changed your mind recently? HAVE YOU got a bug in your butt? HAVE YOU been remembering to breathe?
RE: CHEMICAL WEAPONS >>> Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and keep things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons, munitions, and training expert.
Lesson number one: In the mid 1990's there were a series of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured (the injured were better in a few hours) and only one percent of the injured died. 60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve gas could kill a thousand people, well he didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop was theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep the recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in a novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again out loud!)! These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm, you will probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their "Experts," make it sound.
Chemical weapons are categorized as Nerve, Blood, Blister, and Incapacitating agents Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they are not weapons of mass destruction they are "Area denial," and terror weapons that don't destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always leave the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk; soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why they need all that spiffy gear.
These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity to kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used. Every day we have a morning and evening inversion where "stuff," suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion is why allergies (pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the day. So, a chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of so either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and airborne particles they are heavier than air so they will seek low places like ditches, basements and underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin too fast. They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it for it to work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high enough to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's wasted. What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for terrorists. The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how hard it is to use.
We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house, plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. All nerve agents work the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the signals your nervous system uses to make your body function. It can harm you if you get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to inhale it. If you don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area you're probably gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve agent, they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh air and staying calm. Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning. Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have pinpointed pupils), Runny nose, Excessive saliva or drooling, Difficulty breathing, Tightness in chest, Nausea, Stomach cramps, Twitching of exposed skin where a liquid just got on you.
If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask yourself, did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too?
Is there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor where it shouldn't be?
If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside. Fresh air is the best "right now antidote". If you have a blob of liquid that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or scrape it off and away from yoursel f with anything disposable. This stuff works based on your body weight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the residue off the ground for while. Remember they have to do all the work, they have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several minutes while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit breathing it by putting space between you and the attack.
Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something and folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are blue lips, blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's antidote is amyl nitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up. Fresh air is the your best individual chance
Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to even handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also limited to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get large, painful blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them, if you must, don't let the liquid from the blister get on any other area, the stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy.
Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you, to herd you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your life. The odds are really on your side.
Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the ground! The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one out going, and one on it's way back. Don't stand up to see what happened after the first wave; anything that's going to happen will have happened in two full minutes.
These will be low yield devices and will not level whole cities. If you live through the heat, blast, and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably live for a very very long time. Radiation will not create fifty foot tall women, or giant ants and grass hoppers the size of tanks. These will be at the most 1 kiloton bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT. Here's the real deal, flying debris and radiation will kill a lot of exposed (not all!) people within a half mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions this is about a half mile circle of death and destruction, but, when it's done it's done. EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse and it will fry every electronic device for a good distance, it's impossible to say what and how far but probably not over a couple of miles from ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones, computers, ATMs, you name it, all will be out of order.
There are lots of kinds of radiation, you only need to worry about three, the others you have lived with for years. You need to worry about "Ionizing radiation," these are little sub atomic particles that go whizzing along at the speed of light. They hit individual cells in your body, kill the nucleus and keep on going. That's how you get radiation poisoning, you have so many dead cells in your body that the decaying cells poison you. It's the same as people getting radiation treatments for cancer, only a bigger area gets radiated. The good news is you don't have to just sit there and take it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic. First; your skin will stop alpha particles, a page of a news paper or your clothing will stop beta particles, you just gotta try and avoid inhaling dust that's contaminated with atoms that are emitting these things and you'll be generally safe from them.
Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum physics makes my brain hurt) and they create the same damage as alpha and beta particles only they keep going and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through your body. It takes a lot to stop these things, lots of dense material, on the other hand it takes a lot of this to kill you.
Your defense is as always to not panic. Basic hygiene and normal preparation are your friends. All canned or frozen food is safe to eat. The radiation poisoning will not effect plants so fruits and vegetables are OK if there's no dust on em (rinse em off if there is). If you don't have running water and you need to collect rain water or use water from wherever, just let it sit for thirty minutes and skim off the water gently from the top. The dust with the bad stuff in it will settle and the remaining water can be used for the toilet which will still work if you have a bucket of water to pour in the tank.
Finally there's biological warfare. There's not much to cover here. Basic personal hygiene and sanitation will take you further than a million doctors. Wash your hands often, don't share drinks, food, sloppy kisses, etc., with strangers. Keep your garbage can with a tight lid on it, don't have standing water (like old buckets, ditches, or kiddie pools) laying around to allow mosquitoes breeding room. This stuff is carried by vectors, that is bugs, rodents, and contaminated material. If biological warfare is so easy as the TV makes it sound, why has Saddam Hussein spent twenty years, millions, and millions of dollars trying to get it right? If you're clean of person and home you eat well and are active you're gonna live.
Overall preparation for any terrorist attack is the same as you'd take for a big storm. If you want a gas mask, fine, go get one. I know this stuff and I'm not getting one and I told my Mom not to bother with one either (how's that for confidence). We have a week's worth of cash, several days worth of canned goods and plenty of soap and water. We don't leave stuff out to attract bugs or rodents so we don't have them.
These people can't conceive a nation this big with this much resources. These weapons are made to cause panic, terror, and to demoralize. If we don't run around like sheep they won't use this stuff after they find out it's no fun. The government is going nuts over this stuff because they have to protect every inch of America. You've only gotta protect yourself, and by doing that, you help the country.
Finally, there are millions of caveats to everything I wrote here and you can think up specific scenarios where my advice isn't the best. This letter is supposed to help the greatest number of people under the greatest number of situations. If you don't like my work, don't nit pick, just sit down and explain chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare in a document around three pages long yourself. This is how we the people of the United States can rob these people of their most desired goal, your terror.
-- written by SFC Red Thomas (Ret), Armor Master Gunner; Mesa, AZ; forwarded by Arthur Loomstein (Dad!).
RE: CYBER-SECURITY >>> Now more than ever, issues of Security are heightened as businesses of all types and sizes are targets of unwelcomed intruders.
As such, Spinnaker would like to extend a special invitation for a timely discussion on the importance of keeping your proprietary business assests secure. As a part of this critical seminar, several of the Security field's most important figures will be presenting their thoughts and recommendations on how to ensure that your business remains protected.
To learn more about, and register for, the Corporate Securities Conference 2001, please visit www.corp-sec.com or kdennington@spinnaker.net.
-- Kate Dennington.