Jan. 16th, 2006 @ 05:30 pm THE MEANING OF LIFE...
Current Mood: giddy
Current Music: No Music - Just Me, Using LJ VoicePost to Record This
VoicePost
1257K 6:07
 (Help) (no transcription available)


[And in case you were wondering, yes, this is the callback material that I submitted about a week ago. Wish me luck!]
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 16th, 2006 @ 05:30 am Why Did RRL's Death Upset Me So Much?
Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: Howard 101 (SIRIUS Ch. 101)
Simple. Aside from the fact that she was an ever-present figure when we were growing up, she's also the first MOM of an Inner Circle friend to die. And only the second parent of an Inner Circle friend to die. My parents are roughly the same age as RRL was. So everyone, especially those of us with parents who are already over 75, just got a little closer to death it seems. It scares the shit out of me, actually. I really don't want to lose them. My parents told me last night that they will never die, BTW. "We'll live to be 100!" my Dad said. Well, that's almost forever. It made me feel a little better.

Mom and Dad
The Folks

~~~

So we're setting everything up for THE MEANING OF LIFE here. Running some tests. It won't be long now. Stay tuned...
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 16th, 2006 @ 05:03 am RRL Has Left The Building...
Current Mood: sad
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
We read the news today, oh boy:

RRL, 78, died peacefully yesterday surrounded by her family, in her daughter's home. She is survived by her husband, her 4 children, and 11 grandchildren.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., the youngest of six, she was an Army nurse in Europe during the Korean War, a member of the women's hospital auxiliary, an interior designer in New York City, and an owner of a fine arts gallery in Florida. She had lived in Northwest NJ since 1956 and managed her husband's obstetrics-gynecology practice until his retirement in 1993.

There will be a private memorial celebration, followed by the casting of her ashes onto RRL's Ridge and then, at a later date, into the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans, in accordance with her wishes.

~~~

So... wow... she has made the transition. She has left this world and entered whatever's next. As for my friend, he's holding up OK. He's very strong. So is the rest of their family.

So... as I promised you all a few weeks back (and then delayed while we all waited for RRL to peacefully depart this wretched world of ours), I will finally be presenting THE MEANING OF LIFE. In all its glory. Only now it will be in honor of RRL. Watch for it later on today.

Yes, THE MEANING OF LIFE.

Be there.
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 13th, 2006 @ 05:30 pm 53/530: OMG, It's 2536 (A.I.) !!!
Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Howard 101 (SIRIUS Ch. 101)
What's up with 53, you might ask?

Why is the111experience.org "stuck" on Version 53?

Well, it's not stuck. It's just that I had to fix it on something and I figured 53 made sense. So it's 53.xxx and will be 54 someday I suppose (after 53.999). But why 53? Is it because as a fifth grader in 1973 we had to make tombstones for ourselves showing our epitaphs and I affixed 1962-2053 as My Lifespan?

No, it's because of this:

53. Herbie The Love Bug. My Halloween Costume at the time (yes, I was The Love Bug). A State Road (in NJ) that was very important to me as a child. And later on in life actually, as a way to get around the daily back-ups on 80 westbound in North Jersey. Get off at 202, cut over on Park Road to 53 (which is now called TABOR ROAD), then either jog south on 53 and go west on 10 or cut through Denville and then either get back on 80 right there or just go west on 46. It always seemed funny to me as a 7 or 8 year old that the 53 on the Love Bug (which I saw, BTW, at the old Movie House on The Green in Morristown, God rest its soul) looked exactly like the one on the highway sign (53 inside a circle).

Good Old 53

And then later on in life, of course, I learned that ATM sends data in cells that are always 53 bytes long. 5 of these bytes are the header information, leaving 48 bytes available for data. Even if you are sending 1 byte of data, an entire 53 bytes of bandwidth are consumed since ATM cells are always 53 bytes long. But that's neither here NOR there.

And what, you might ask, of 53's close relative? You know, 530? Well, here's an update on 530:

Q: What is "A.I" and how do Royal Arch Masons compute their year?

A: The Royal Arch Masons begin their computation with the year in which Zerubbabel began to build the Second Temple, which was 530 years before the alleged birth of Christ. So right now, the Masonic Year of the Royal Arch ("A.I.") is 530 plus 2006:

2536!!!

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 13th, 2006 @ 07:07 am We're #2 on the Top 20 MEANEST Cities List? No Way!
Current Mood: confused
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
Here are the "top 20" U.S. cities who are antagonistic to homeless people, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, both in Washington. How in the world we came in number 2, I don't know. This city *seems* like a GREAT city to be homeless in! Poverty is nearly non-existent. There are three different places to get three square meals a day and at least 4 different extremely safe places to sleep at night. But they don't call it LA-LA-Lawrence for nothing. I'll be the first to admit that this place is a bit of a dreamworld. Happy-Happy-Joyland surrounded by VAST AMOUNTS of open space. And people from the rest of the state of Kansas (and the midwest) see us intellectual elitists. Can we help it if we're smarter than 90% of the rest of the country? But MEAN? Baffling. I don't see it...

1. Sarasota, Fla.
2. Lawrence, Kans.
3. Little Rock, Ark.
4. Atlanta, Ga.
5. Las Vegas, Nev.
6. Dallas, Texas
7. Houston, Texas
8. San Juan, P.R.
9. Santa Monica, Calif.
10. Flagstaff, Ariz.
11. San Francisco, Calif.
12. Chicago, Ill.
13. San Antonio, Texas
14. New York City, N.Y.
15. Austin, Texas
16. Anchorage, Alaska
17. Phoenix, Ariz.
18. Los Angeles, Calif.
19. St. Louis, Mo.
20. Pittsburgh, Pa.
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 13th, 2006 @ 05:03 am Pirates Illegaly Broadcasting Stern Show!
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
This is priceless!

Stern's pirated, naughty bits air

Brooklyn, N.J. get show free

BY DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Turns out Howard Stern isn't completely gone from terrestrial radio after all. Illegal pirate radio broadcasts of his Sirius Satellite program have been heard this week - for free - on broadcast radio, including 95.1 FM in Brooklyn and 101.5 FM in North Jersey.

That presented a potentially startling situation yesterday for listeners in the Newark/Secaucus area who suddenly heard Stern replaying the obscenity-laced Pat O'Brien tapes and song parodies using words that can't be printed here.

Such language is legal on Sirius, which has no Federal Communications Commission regulations on its content, but quite illegal on over-the-air broadcast radio.

Sirius spokesman Patrick Reilly said yesterday that the company had heard nothing about Stern popping up on free radio, and said he would have no comment on it.

FCC spokesman David Fiske, whose agency Stern accuses of driving him from terrestrial radio, said he didn't know of any complaints about the apparent pirate transmissions.

"Pirate broadcasting is something we take very seriously," Fiske said, "although the content per se would be of no concern to us in the case of Howard Stern, since the FCC does not regulate satellite radio."

Program director Eric Johnson of WKXW in Trenton, which broadcasts legally on 101.5 FM, said he had gotten no listener calls, "so the pirate must have been working in a small area."

Johnson said unknown pirates used the 101.5 FM frequency in Brooklyn this summer. "I don't know what you do about it," he said. "You'd like to catch them, but it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, they come and go."

The 95.1 FM frequency is vacant.

Technologically, said Tom Taylor of the trade magazine Inside Radio, it's "very easy" to take Stern's satellite program and transmit it on a broadcast frequency. Anyone receiving the Sirius transmission could download it to a computer or other receiving device, then broadcast it through an inexpensive antenna.

"You only need about $1,500 worth of equipment," Taylor said. "It's illegal, of course, but it's attractive to some people because even if you're caught, FCC enforcement can be a slow process."

Several dozen pirate stations operate regularly if erratically around the New York area, many playing Caribbean and other genres of music that don't have a regular home on city radio.

Fiske said the FCC doesn't comment on investigations or pending actions, though he suggested the country's largest pirate problem now is in Southern Florida.
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 11th, 2006 @ 05:30 am For 1/11: Essential Artifacts
Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
1965
Recorded in 1965


1968
Drawn in 1968


1976
ID Assigned in 1976


1978
Created in 1978


1982
Saved in 1982


The Middle Flatiron
High Atop the Middle Flatiron (1989)


All_Seven
The Precursor to the All_Eleven (1995)


The Three
The Three Pillars (1996)


All_Eleven
The All_Eleven (2004)


Me
A Rare Glimpse (June, 2005)


http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111/33289.html
The Roots Go Deep (September, 2005)


In Winter
The Winter Triangle (right now, 2006)
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 10th, 2006 @ 05:03 pm Impending Death Postpones THE MEANING OF LIFE...
Current Mood: sad
Current Music: Radio Classics 118 (SIRIUS Ch. 118)
Folks -

Again, a somewhat out-of-character (for me) Blog entry: regular old personal-life-type details. Yet again. 2006 is off to a funny start. I'm just sayin'. Does anyone else feel like it's been about a month and half since 1/1? There is SO much going on right now, I don't know where to start. And then, in the midst of all that activity, there's also this:

Over the past 24 hours it's become quite clear that the mother of one of my Inner Circle partners is near death and may actually die in less than a day - it may even happen on 1/11. This woman is kind of like a close aunt to me. Always has been. I've known her for over 35 years. Well over 3/4 of my life. Please note: since both my parents were only children, I don't have any REAL aunts or uncles or cousins. So when a "fake aunt" is near death, my world does slow down and nearly come to a grinding halt along with the rest of the family as we all wait for the inevitable to occur. It's hard to believe she's leaving us! But she appears to be at peace with this and is staying with her daughter right now and really does appear "ready" for what will be happening next. She's nearly 80 and has lived a truly remarkable life. The wife and nurse and business manager for her gynecologist husband, she raised 4 amazing children who all turned out to be doctors too (OK, one of them is a dentist). She was a savvy business woman in her day. Always with a project going. She actually helped back the start-up of a major motion picture studio too (you would definitely recognize the name). Pretty darn cool lady. A classy lady.

So... in recognition of this somber time, I am postponing THE MEANING OF LIFE reveal for a few more days. I will post it soon after she passes. Like most long-time friends of the family and parents of Inner Circle partners, she always called me "Jimmy" --- and she wouldn't hesitate to give me hell when I needed it! I respected her for that and always appreciated her insights into the human condition. She was a fucking riot too! A *very* funny lady. We always told her she should have her own TV program where she could tell everyone WHAT WAS WHAT. Listen, I'm getting choked up even writing this. When I spoke with my friend earlier today, the two of us were balling our goddamn faces off by the end of the call. Crying is good. We can't hold it in. Gotta let it out.

I'm awaiting his call. It will be soon. I may make the trip back to NJ for whatever form of memorial they might hold (she is being cremated). But then again, they may have a very private ceremony and only want the immediate family there. I will leave it up to them. If they want me there, I'm on the next flight through Chicago to LVI (Lehigh Valley International). Time will tell.

And THE MEANING OF LIFE, she's a-gonna have to wait a few more days.

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 9th, 2006 @ 09:00 pm DAY ONE - The Revolution Has Begun!
Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: DAY ONE Replay on Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
The best review I've read so far:

Boldly going where no $%*!# has gone before
Stern proves he's worth every dime on first day on satellite radio
MSNBC, Updated: 4:43 p.m. ET Jan. 9, 2006

The eve of the first Howard Stern broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio, three questions hung in the air. Without a common enemy to rage against, such as the FCC, will the show lose its spirit? Without the “decency” limits of terrestrial radio, will the show become overly gratuitous and unlistenable? And perhaps the most burning question: Did Howard and girlfriend Beth Ostrosky get married recently while on vacation in Mexico?

All three questions were answered before the 6 a.m. show hit its second hour. A fourth question, as to whether any of Stern’s listeners would pay $12.95 a month to hear him, was answered by Christmas, when 180,000 new subscribers activated their accounts. It was confirmed on Sunday, January 8, the day before Stern’s Sirius debut, when subscription telephone activation was delayed nine hours due to caller volume. New York City-area Best Buy and Circuit City stores sold out of Sirius receivers that same weekend.

The Stern-inspired spike boosted Sirius listeners to more than 3 million. Whether satellite radio can stay afloat remains to be seen. As to the quality of Stern’s show, it remains as great (or has horrible — depending on individual tastes) as ever.

Yes, Stern is still irritable and potty-mouthed. The dynamic between his crew remains amicably contentious. Yes, there is cussing — enough to drown Stern in FCC fines had it been a terrestrial radio broadcast — though no more than an average conversation between teenagers on a city bus. No, Stern did not get married — though he pranked both his staff and audience by initially telling them he did. For the most part, it’s business as usual. And yes, it’s worth the money.

Stern’s Sirius stations, Howard 100 and 101, have been on the air for months, featuring various shows of a “Howard sensibility.” But the weekend before Stern’s debut, the stations remained in relative radio silence – only a heart beat and occasional sound bites spanning Stern’s career. “Join the Revolution! 1-9-06,” scrolled across the Sirius receiver LED screen. By 6 a.m., “SHUT UP!” silenced the quickened heartbeat, and the 800 Stern phone number replaced the scroll, spelling an expletive with its corresponding letters.

The theme to “2001: A Space Odyssey” began, with flatulence as the lead instrument. Musical bodily functions are a staple of the Stern show, so it was business as usual. The familiar baritone of George Takei (Sulu on “Star Trek”) announced the cast. After the introduction, Stern announced that Takei, the good-natured victim of many Stern-show pranks, is now the official show announcer.

Despite the much-ballyhooed high-tech studio, technical difficulties were somewhat a problem during the first few minutes of the show. Long-time Stern fans, however, are familiar with his constant kvetching over equipment. Stern’s tinny earphones and comedian Artie Lange’s microphone were quickly addressed while sound effects man Fred Norris played Tom Petty’s “The Last D.J.” Music provided the only breaks during the day, as the debut show was commercial free. (Following shows will feature six-minute commercial breaks per hour).

Stern addressed swearing right off, announcing that he would avoid expletives, as it gets old fast. “We are going to new places, and that does not mean the F-word,” he said. “What it means is something really important. We can do anything we want.” Within minutes of this announcement, Stern let a few expletives slip, and quipped that these particular words were no longer considered swearing.

The most blatant expletive abuse came from tapes the Stern show couldn’t air while on terrestrial radio. Specifically, “Insider” host Pat O’Brien’s notorious sexually explicit telephone message was played in its entirety.

Captain Janks, the most successful Stern crank caller, phoned in with recent recordings of expletive-laced calls to CNN. The tapes only emphasized Stern’s contention that this stuff gets old. Frankly, Janks calls are much more creative when he operates within the constraints necessitated by terrestrial radio.

Stern, however, never approached the obscenity critics foresaw, and the show’s energy never flagged. The most anticipated moment was possibly the best of the day. Stern casually announced to a caller that the rumors are true, he was recently married. His crew exploded (figuratively). Co-host Robin Quivers demanded the million dollars she wagered when Stern said many times before that he would never remarry. Lange wanted to know about a prenup, bemoaning that now he would have to get married too. Producer Gary “Baba Booey” Dell’Abate questioned why Stern would advise against marriage and then do it himself.

Finally, Stern ended the joke, announcing that he wasn’t really married. But the topic didn’t end there. At the 8:30 a.m. news conference, reporters (including members of the Howard 100 news team) repeatedly asked Stern whether he was married. For his part, Stern remained confident and articulate, and stuck to the talking points — that he does not feel 43 cents a day is too much to pay for satellite radio, given its many features, that Sirius subscriptions are soaring, and that satellite radio is the future. Of course, Stern also threw around the obligatory banter, making graphic sexual revelations and complementing female journalists on their cleavage.

~~~

Another informative review:

George Takei joins Howard Stern show as announcer

George Takei, the actor best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek, has joined Howard Stern on Sirius as the official announcer on Stern’s radio show.

Even hardcore Stern fans were surprised that Takei, whose voice has been used heavily via sound clips, was live in the studio. Stern said Takei will sit in the studio all week and then will be heard presumably on pre-recorded bits.

Takei displayed a good sense of humor as Stern probed him about his recent coming out, queried him about the meaning of the c-word and engaged in frank sexual discussions that didn’t seem to throw the legendary actor.

Stern also announced that Jon Hein, creator of jumptheshark.com, has joined the Stern crew full-time and will host an hour-long wrap up program with Stern producer, Baba Booey, also known as Gary Dell’Abate. The show will air immediately after Stern’s morning show ends weekdays.

howardstern.com announced his temporary programming schedule as Stern launches his Howard 100 and Howard 101 channels on Sirius satellite radio.

~~~

The schedules for both channels:

HOWARD 100
6:00a - 10:30a: Howard Stern Show
10:30a - 11:00a: Rotating Howard 100 News Stories (Starts with LIVE Headline-times approximated/actual run time will vary)
11:00a - 12:00n Wrap-Up Show with Gary Dell’Abate & Jon Hein
12:00n - 1:00p: Howard 100 News at Noon
1:00p - 6:00p: Rotating Howard 100 News Stories w/ Live Hourly Headline Updates
6:00p - 7:00p: Howard 100 News at 6
7:00p - 8:00p: Special Programs (ie, SuperFan RoundTable on Thursdays)
8:00p - 9:00p: Rotating Howard 100 News Stories
9:00p - 2:00a: Howard Stern Show Replay
2:00a - 6:00a Rotating Howard 100 News Stories

HOWARD 101
6:00a - 9:00a: Rotating Howard 100 News Stories
9:00a - 1:30p: The Howard Stern Show (Replay of Howard 100)
1:30p - 2:00p Rotating Howard 100 News Stories (Replay of Howard 100)
2:00p - 3:00p The Wrap-Up Show (Replay of Howard 100)
3:00p - 4:00p: Howard 100 News at Noon (Replay of Howard 100)
4:00p - 8:00p: Bubba The Love Sponge Show
8:00p - 9:00p: Howard 100 News at 6 (Replay of Howard 100)
9:00p - 10:00p: Special Special Programs (Replay of Howard 100)
10:00p - 6:00a: Howard 100 News
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 8th, 2006 @ 07:44 am Other News: THE MEANING OF LIFE Reveal Postponed Until 1/11
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
Hi.

I decided to postpone the big reveal for THE MEANING OF LIFE until 1/11. We were so close anyway. And I didn't want to steal any of Howard's thunder.

So to recap: THE MEANING OF LIFE, Here in LJ & MySpace, Wednesday (1/11) --- BE THERE!!!

Heh.

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 8th, 2006 @ 07:18 am The Revolution Begins at 6AM on 1-9-2006 !!!
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
YES! I ADMIT IT! I MISS HOWARD STERN IN THE MORNING!

Yes, I am a proud and loyal listener. A fan of the show for over 20 years, in fact. I'm not ashamed of that. At all. But I have gone without Howard for long enough! And as of Monday (1/9), I will GO WITHOUT no more! Yes - the Howard Stern Show comes to SIRIUS Ch. 100 and Ch. 101 (hmmmmm! 100/101! hmmmmm!) on Monday Morning at 6AM Eastern (which loyal fans all know means 5:55AM). If you listen to Howard 100/101 right now, you will hear a human heart beating. It's counting down the seconds until Howard Goes Live. It's counting down the seconds until THE REVOLUTION begins.

I do miss HOWARD. A lot. Trust me, it's not all strippers and dick and fart jokes. It's actually a high-brow ensemble comedy. The characters in the ensemble are all the people who are on the show (and the guests). Here's what we techie-types used to say back east: "You know, only REALLY SMART people listen to Howard." Yup. We said REALLY SMART. And we meant it. Anyway, he arrives at SIRIUS in less than 24 hours.

I'm hooked on SIRIUS, by the way. Every SIRIUS channel also streams 24x7 on the Internet too. And you get that as part of your subscription. Check out the lifetime sub - for a flat-fee of around $400 you get SIRIUS for the rest of your life. That's the deal I've got.

GET SIRIUS! NOW!
The New
http://www.sirius.com/

Have a good rest of your weekend, folks. And remember: THE REVOLUTION BEGINS TOMORROW MORNING AT 6AM!!! Be there!!!

~~~

Other News:

Stern ad offends the clergy

Two Chicago-area billboards for Howard Stern's move to Sirius Satellite Radio have been taken down after complaints from a Catholic priest. The priest said the billboards were insulting to those involved in the civil rights movement with their depiction of an upraised fist and the tagline "Let Freedom Ring." Of course the other half of that copy read, "And let it be rung by a stripper, so the priest may have a valid point. When I saw the signs that was the first thing I thought of, that it came dangerously close to co-opting a civil rights hallmark to sell satellite radio programming so it's nice to know I wasn't completely out of my gourd (at least not on this).


Chicago Priest Finds Stern Ads 'Disrespectful'

Two billboards touting Howard Stern's switch from terrestrial to satellite radio have come down in the Chicago area, after a Catholic priest complained that the ads were insensitive to African Americans, according to The Chicago Defender. The ads featured a stylized, cartoonish fist raised in the air along with the caption, "Let freedom ring. And let it be rung by a stripper." The fist is in black on a white background.

One of the billboards in question is owned by Clear Channel Outdoor, the other by Viacom Outdoor. The priest, Michael Pfleger, claims that Howard Stern has nothing to do with Dr. Martin Luther King or the civil rights movement, which the billboard and its "Let freedom ring" caption refers to.

He is quoted by NBC News as saying, "As we prepare to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, we will not tolerate this kind of disrespect... we should not have to tolerate it in our communities."

~~~

Helpful sites:

http://www.sternfannetwork.com/
http://www.howardstern.com/
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 8th, 2006 @ 07:07 am A Long Overdue Tribute to my Alma Mater...
Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: A Tape Recording of The Stevens Alma Mater (Fall, 1980)
Stevens

(OK - I'll sing Tenor I - my High Gs are stronger than ever!)

Where flows the Hudson River out to the mighty sea.
On Castle Point so proudly stands there in majesty.
Stevens, our Alma Mater, homage to Thee we pay.
With loyal hearts and voices true to the Red and Gray.

There's a College of engineering
That is known as the Old Stone Mill;
Every part of it is dear
To a Stevens Engineer
From the shop to the Castle on the hill;
And where her sons and daughters gather
And you bet your life they'll say:
"The Engineers the Engineers
Are in the lead again today."
Stevens, we're true to you
And to the old Red and Gray;
Stevens, we're going to raise
Your colors high today.
"I'm a rambling wreck from Stevens Tech.
A mechanical engineer"-
We can hear the old song still,
And it means we're going to fight, fight, fight,
For the Old Stone Mill.

Where flows the Hudson River out to the mighty sea.
On Castle Point so proudly stands there in majesty.
Stevens, our Alma Mater, homage to Thee we pay.
With loyal hearts and voices true to the Red and Gray.

http://www.stevens.edu/
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 8th, 2006 @ 06:52 am My Case of ANS3 Arrived!
Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: Howard 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
That's right, ANS3 (or as I like to call it – for obvious reasons – ANSIII) was released in mid-December and serves as a pre-release for the rest of the country (the rest of the country will see it - or a slightly tweaked version of it - in March). This version will only be available only in PA/NY/NJ. I received my fresh case of ANS3 this past week from my regular supplier in NJ. Every title is a gem! See for yourself. But be forewarned: These aren't your father's Wacky Packages! Some are definitely NOT for the squeamish. BOO! Kids these days...

Full set details:

http://www.wackypackages.org/stickers/3rd_2005/3rd_base_set.html

Enjoy!

ANS3
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 5th, 2006 @ 05:55 am Compassion for THE VILE...
Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: HOWARD 100 (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
Hello.

I'm very focused these days on developing tools and techniques for having true compassion (and, dare I say, LOVE?) for human beings who I currently put into the HIDEOUSLY VILE bucket. This would cover, but not be limited to, the following:

1) Pretentious, poser-like pseudo-intellectuals who, let's face it, barely made it out of high-school but who are now pretending (via an internet presence) that they are somehow qualified to be Political and/or Social Commentators. These people run amok here (in LJ and MySpace) and in various Forums across the Internet in a most annoying fashion. They are unchecked for the most part as they spread their "pearls of wisdom" to anyone who happens to drive by their pretentious, poser-like pseudo-intellectual blogs and/or Message Board entries.

2) LIARS. People who spread false truths of any kind. These false truths can be presented in the form of Paranormal Achievements (as was the case with [Name Redacted] and the [Order Name Redacted] Order) or they can be simple LIES about basement-level achievements or possessions or living quarters or LIES related to health (physical, emotional, spiritual) issues (AKA - "The I'm SO healthy" LIE).

3) Careless, clueless, and selfish ANNOYING ASSHOLES who are pushing around old, disabled people in wheelchairs at Walt Disney World who cut into line in front of you (at the new Stitch ride in Tomorrowland) and then proceed to run over your Significant Other's foot with the wheelchair's wheel - while pretending they've done nothing wrong! Jeez - WHAT NERVE!

~~~

These are to be considered "high-level" categories, mind you. They each break down into additional offenses and will serve as a foundation for continued discussions relating to compassion.

I will LEARN TO FEEL COMPASSION for these vile creatures. I will also (at some point) stop referring to them as "vile" and will examine all the mitigating factors around what's really behind their actions. For instance:

- How could I have the nerve to call someone a SELFISH ASSHOLE when they are pushing around an old, disabled person in a wheelchair? Well... that's part of what we will explore.

- And WHY LIE? What about those LIARS? Why do they feel the need to make shit up? Well, this will hold a key to how I will be able to (one day very soon) feel a great deal of compassion for them.

- And the obviously undereducated pseudo-intellectuals who don't even know they are undereducated pseudo-intellectuals who go ON AND ON AND ON helping to "educate the masses" with their so-called wit, their wisdom, and their amazing insights into Society's Ills? Well, we'll create techniques for FEELING THE LOVE for them too.

Despite how VILE anyone is, they really all are a part of the One Being. This is what I will call The Primary Key. Very early on in 2006 you will begin to notice me transitioning into a Kinder, Gentler Jim Ward-Nichols. Yup. There's not that far to go, BTW. But COMPASSION FOR THE VILE really is the sticking point.

For starters - who says they are VILE? Well... I do, of course. And even if IT'S A LANDSLIDE (meaning, they are "judged" as VILE by not just me), we can still feel compassion for them. And not be annoyed by them (at all). And that's the trick.

More to follow...

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience

p.s. --- But before we do any of that, please look for THE MEANING OF LIFE from me before the week closes (maybe on Saturday if I have time?). Yes, I did in fact say THE MEANING OF LIFE. Watch for it! Heh.
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 5th, 2006 @ 05:30 am Callback Mode...
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: STANDARD TIME (SIRIUS Ch. 75)
Just a quick out-of-character-for-me-but-very-in-character-for-most-LJ-blogs update (BRAG) on my personal life: I am basically in a "callback" situation for a paid job as a writer on a nationally broadcast radio program. And no, I don't mean an INTERNET RADIO PROGRAM (which, let's face it, *anyone* with a microphone can do!). I mean an actual radio program that gets broadcast through the airwaves. No other specific details that I care to share with you just yet. Other than that. This wouldn't be something that I would have to quit The Day Job for but it would be a chance to work with a bunch of really creative people who are also quite... ummm... well... I don't want to say any more just yet. Don't want to spill any more beans until the time is right. I should know some time over the next few months and promise to share something when there's something more concrete to share.

So... NEATO!
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 3rd, 2006 @ 05:30 am The Winter Triangle...
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Jerry Garcia's "Space Funk" on Jam_ON (SIRIUS Ch. 17)
If you're lucky enough to live in a place where you can actually see the stars at night, you might have noticed the Winter Triangle hovering out there in the skies to the East.

Winter Triangle

The Winter Triangle is formed by Betelgeuse, Procyon, and Sirius. This triangle connects the constellations of Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Orion.

Enjoy!

Or, if you're hopelessly locked into an urban or suburban area, get yourself to a place where you can actually see it and THEN enjoy!

Heh.

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Jan. 1st, 2006 @ 11:11 am For 1/1: Our One Being
Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Edgar Winter's "Free Ride" on Classic Vinyl (SIRIUS Ch. 14)

Happy New Year!!! We had a wonderful vacation with my parents in Florida and then we all flew up to Maryland to celebrate the entrance of 2006 with my brother and his family. We even squeezed a little Disney World mini-adventure in there too (2 days/2 nights with ultra-sweet accommodations at The Polynesian!). We arrived home just a little while ago after picking up Mika from the awesome folks at Kitty Condos. He was VERY happy to be back in his Kingdom. As are we. Vacations are great. But there's no place like home.

My first statement for 2006 is as follows: there's no denying it - the idea that we are all part of ONE BEING resonates very strongly with me. My good friend for the past 14 years, Solara, really sums it up quite nicely. This material can be explored in greater depth at her website - http://www.nvisible.com

Enjoy!!!

~~~

We are all part of One Being...
one vast, organic, living organism.

This One Being is far vaster than our old concepts of unity and Oneness.
It is a living, breathing, organic entity which encompasses everything.

Our One Being is composed of all life forms upon this planet and beyond:
all of nature including the mountains, the wind, the stars, the water,
the rocks, plus everything that has been created by man:
our cars, books, televisions, computers, clothes, buildings, etc.
Together we form a vast One Being.

Everything and everyone is part of our One Being.
Our One Being exists whether we are aware of it or not.


Quickening Our One Being

The Activation and Quickening of our One Being
is the key to our future evolution.

The evolutionary roads we have been taking will soon come to an end.
Our next step is the conscious awareness and embodiment of our One Being,
The Quickening of our One Being is vital to our personal evolution
and to the survival of the planet as a whole.

To activate our One Being we must step BEYOND our separate Selves
and align with something far greater.
As long as we identify solely with our personal, individual Selves,
we will not be an active part of our One Being.
It is vital that enough of us consciously step BEYOND our separate Selves
and activate our One Being.
This is how we move into the Greater Reality.

Once we truly know that we are all part of a greater, infinitely vaster Being,
that we all bring needed qualities to our One Being,
that we all share this Earthly journey together and together, function as One, then our One Being has been activated.

Each of us is a microcosm of our One Being.

The challenges that we experience, the lessons we learn, are learned for all.
The sadness we feel, the frustration and anger,
the exhilaration of our joy and love--
are part of the vast emotions of our One Being.
When we master something,
it adds to the mastery of our One Being.
As we move forward on the evolutionary spiral,
the spiral turns for everyone.


The Power of One

Once our One Being is quickened,
we can experience the true Power of One.
This is when the door to amazing miracles is flung open
and all things are made possible.

When we activate our One Being,
we will unleash our huge collective power
and manifest our magnificent creative potential.

Unfettered of the confining, choking yoke of our perceived separateness,
we will be able to create great and momentous changes upon this planet.
We will be able to experience unlimited abundance
so we can birth the New without hindrance.

The Greater Love of our One Being will impermeate everything,
effortlessly dissolving away any last entrenched pockets of duality.
A New World will be born!

Bringing the whole of our One Being
back into full conscious Oneness is our Homeward Journey.

About this Entry
Permanent Link
Dec. 21st, 2005 @ 01:11 pm The TMP_CLOSURE Has Begun...
Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: OCTANE 20 (SIRIUS Ch. 20)
TMP_CLOSURE

See you in 2006! Get ready for a totally WILD and unpredictable ride! Duality-Based Non-Believers & MISCELLANEOUS PARANORMAL FRAUDS Beware! 2006 is gonna GRIND YOU UP. And it won't be pretty. The "Grinding" process never is, you know.

Heh.

1by1as1,
I AM Jala*AN.
Lawrence, KS, USA
http://www.the111experience.org/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jlwn111
http://blog.myspace.com/the111experience
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Dec. 21st, 2005 @ 12:35 pm "The River Temoc - In Winter!"
Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: SIRIUS Holiday (SIRIUS Ch. 2)
"Temba - his arms wide!" [Read: MERRY SOLSTICE!]

The River Temoc
The River Temoc [18:35 UTC, 12/21/2005]
About this Entry
Permanent Link
Dec. 21st, 2005 @ 05:30 am Lawrence Pinpointed as Center of Google Earth
Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: HOWARD 100 News (SIRIUS Ch. 100)
Lawrence pinpointed as center of Google Earth
City’s prominent location on map 'intentional'
Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Finally, there’s proof that Lawrence is the center of everything.

Start up "Google Earth," a free satellite photo mapping program available on the Internet, and you see a distant view of the planet. Use the zoom feature to magnify the planet, though, and you end up with a bird’s-eye view of Lawrence.

"A lot of people think that Kansas is in the middle of nowhere," said Mayor Boog Highberger, who first heard about Lawrence’s Google distinction a month ago in an e-mail from Georgia. "I prefer to think that we’re in the middle of everywhere. And Google apparently agrees."

The director of engineering for Google Earth is Brian McClendon, whose online biography says he is a 1986 graduate of Kansas University.

"It's intentional," said Megan Quinn, a Google spokeswoman, when asked about Lawrence's prominent location in the middle of the map. McClendon was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.

The program debuted online last summer. Users can type in any address or latitude and longitude and the location zooms into focus, creating the sensation of flying over the landmark. A professional version of the program is used by news organizations, such as CNN, to spotlight news locations.

The New York Times on Tuesday reported the alarm Google Earth has caused in some foreign countries, including India, where officials have said the satellite imagery might reveal too much detail about military installations.

But officials at Meadowbrook Apartments in west Lawrence — the ultimate centerpoint on the opening Google Earth map — were thrilled.

The complex, at the intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and Crestline Drive, has about 1,000 tenants. Many are KU students, but apartment managers on Tuesday didn’t know if the Google Earth creator had ever been one of them.

Steve Schwada, whose father built the complex more than three decades ago, wasn’t surprised.

"I meet people everywhere who have lived at Meadowbrook," he said. "Chicago, on the airplane, friends of friends."

Schwada said he might try to use the news in some advertisements. But he’s not taking Meadowbrook's place on the map for granted.

"I suppose," he said, "that the city will try to get the focal point moved to City Hall."
About this Entry
Permanent Link