Amazing Band

My friends and I stopped in to the Fireside Coffee Lodge in Portland during our Halloween venture and came across this amazing band.

I telephoned the Fireside to inquire about the name of the group, and... no one knew. They did say, however, that the group performs each Saturday night from 9-11.
No matter who they are, stop by and treat yourself to this talented group of fine artists.


Notice the fine notebook computer.

Halloween 6

Dan and Dan in front of a funhouse mirror. It seemed really funny at the time.

Halloween 5

My buddy Dan showcasing the mighty butterscotch dipped cone... Yum.

Halloween 4

Saying the word "moo" always brings me joy. I can't explain why.

Halloween 3

A happy Halloween commuter

Halloween 2

The cat, lookin a bit freaky.

Halloween

The cat, lookin a bit freaky.

**Update**
Sadly, the website hosting this media is no more.

I just called... to say.....

Thanks everybody for your kind birthday wishes, emails, cards, and phone calls. Have a listen to some of these fine singers.

**Update**
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Skyshow for my birthday

A sailboat on Lake Washington basks in the glow last night as the total lunar eclipse begins with a sliver of shadow starting its journey across the moon. Bellevue is in the background. The next total eclipse of the moon will not be until March 2007. Photo: TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Fantastic video shorts : Must see before voting

To see any one of the videos below, please click its title.

Video One
This or That
An important message featuring toe tapping music

Video Two
Top 5 Moments From The 2nd Debate

Video Three
Reading between the lines of Bush's acceptance speech at the RNC

Video Four
Cheney's "heart" : VP Debate

Video Five
Let's Start Over
I actually lost it when I saw this amazing video. I believe anyone watching this video by itself (behind Fahrenheit 9/11) simply can't vote for Bush.
In all seriousness, be advised that this very brief video contains graphic content, but I feel is extremely well done, worth watching and sharing with everyone. You can email this post to a friend by clicking the link directly below. Please add any comments you have by clicking the link directly below.

Integrity

The most telling aspect of Arizona State's 48-42 win on Saturday wasn't so much the performance on the field, but Dirk Koetter's decision to put his program in front of all else, including a win that would keep the 6-1 Sun Devils in the Rose Bowl battle. His decision to suspend Hakim Hill for violating an unspecified team rule left the Sun Devils with no scholarship running backs. They ended up beating UCLA with a walk-on, a quarterback and a linebacker taking the majority of the snaps at tailback. I think I saw their mascot Sparky take a handoff sometime near the end of the third quarter.
Koetter risked seriously jeopardizing his bowl chances to show his young men the importance of following the rules and that no one is bigger than the team. Koetter showed the integrity we should expect from college coaches.

Wednesday's total eclipse could give moon a seasonable glow

The full moon's face may glow like an orangish-red Halloween pumpkin during an 81-minute total lunar eclipse Wednesday evening. From 7:23 to 8:44 p.m., the moon will glide completely within Earth's shadow. The earliest stage will be under way when the moon rises in the east at 5:57 p.m. Forecasts for the Portland area indicate there will be partly cloudy skies, giving sky watchers a chance to see the eclipse. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes will enhance the view.
Weather permitting, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Rose City Astronomers will set up telescopes in OMSI's east parking lot at sunset so the public can view the eclipse. The next total lunar eclipse visible from Portland will be in August 2007.

Give a little whistle...

There is an amazing site that is quickly growing in popularity... http://del.icio.us. An oversimplified explanation of the site would be a place where you can store your bookmarks online, so you can access them from any computer. Anyone else can access them as well, which allows users to see which sites are getting bookmarked frequently. One of the pages within the site http://del.icio.us/popular/ tracks the most popular bookmarks within the last 24 hours. It's good to see that a page on how to whistle is in such high demand. I can't do the fingers in the mouth ultra loud whistle myself. Always wanted to learn.

Oregon's high-priced hospital of hurt

From Sunday's Oregonian...
MICHELLE ROBERTS
Oregon's high-priced hospital of hurt
The state mental hospital survives on legislative inertia, thwarting patients' recovery while costing taxpayers dearly

SALEM -- Oregon spends half of its annual $180 million budget for mental health on the Oregon State Hospital, an overcrowded, decrepit institution that serves less than 1 percent of patients who need psychiatric care.

Read the entire article here
Find your state and US legislator and contact them here

Mmmm.... Toasty.

**Update**
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Salute to the emergency responders

**Update**
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Senator fears loss of hospital

Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney said Friday that conditions at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem are so appalling the institution is vulnerable to a federal lawsuit and possible takeover by the courts.
"Not only will that cost the state a tremendous amount of money," Courtney wrote, "but (it) may result in a court taking over our public mental health system. The matter will be taken out of our hands if we do not act quickly." Read the article here

Bush Signs Youth Suicide Prevention Law

President Bush on Thursday signed into law a bill authorizing $82 million in grants aimed at preventing suicide among young people. The law authorizes grants to states, Indian tribes, colleges and universities to develop youth suicide prevention and intervention programs.
The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act is named for the son of Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, who championed the legislation as a tribute to his 21-year-old son, who committed suicide last year
Jerry Reed, executive director of the Suicide Prevention Action Network, said the law is the first federal law specifically aimed at youth suicide prevention.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 3,000 children and young adults take their lives each year, making suicide the third-leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 24. Each year, more that 600,000 young people require medical attention for a suicide attempt.

As truly happy as this legislation makes me, with all due respect to the Smith family and their tragic loss, its unfortunate it took the passing of a Senator's son for this legislation to come to pass. And with only a few days before the election, one has to question the timing of the announcement.
To be clear, I am thrilled that this legislation is finally in place.

Calif. Tax Would Boost Mental Health Program

NPR : Calif. Tax Would Boost Mental Health Program
Voters in California will decide on a controversial measure this November that would impose a 1-percent tax increase on millionaires only. The money would be used to expand the states' poorly funded public mental health program. You can hear the story here.

Michael Moore Video

Please feel free to check out the Michael Moore video I shot at a rally at Portland State University yesterday. Apologies for the shaky camera work. If nothing else, you can just listen to the audio. There wasn't room for a tripod and I was standing shoulder to shoulder with a massive crowd in the rain. ...It was well worth it. See the video here.
   
Ironically, a local FOX news affiliate was there. They interviewed me and other students for our reaction to Moore, scheduled to air on the 10 'o clock news last night. Not suprisingly, none of our comments made it to the air.


**Update**
Sadly, the website hosting this media is no more.

George Bush Gift Pack : Resurrected

With the debates now behind us, I've recently resurrected some of my favorite clips of "W". Watching them has a way of making one appreciate their own intelligence...forming basic sentences... and so forth. Click here.


**Update**
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No cold medicine for you, Sparky.

Retail sales of cold remedies that can be readily converted into illegal methamphetamine will be restricted temporarily under new rules approved Wednesday by Oregon state regulators.

"OIT... This is Dan..."

Obviously, I love computers. I love to help others with their computer woes and I try and show how technology can make things easier. Many teachers and students from all over PSU know that since I arrived in 2002. Now, I'll get paid to help the PSU community!
I interviewed with the Office of Internet Technology last month and found out today that I landed a position with them! So, if your computer is acting up and you'd like some help from Dan, you can still email me, or call me at home, and now at work! The number for OIT is 503-725-HELP (503-725-4357), or 5-4357 from any campus phone.

A real hero has passed

Paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve, who played 'Superman' shown in this scene from the first 'Superman' film in 1978, died, October 11, 2004. Reeve, 52, had been paralyzed from the neck down since suffering an irreversible neck injury after being thrown by a horse during an equestrian event in 1995. Reeve transformed himself through the event and became a worldwide advocate for spinal cord research. The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. REUTERS/Files

Hornacek returns as consultant at practice

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 11, 2004
FLAGSTAFF - Even when it meant a trade for Charles Barkley in 1992, nobody wanted to see fan favorite Jeff Hornacek go after six seasons.
Now, the Suns have Hornacek back. Hornacek, whose family returned to the Valley, will be a Suns consultant. Prior commitments limit the time he can invest until Jan. 1. Then his role will be re-evaluated, with hopes of expanding.

Register To Vote!

Tuesday October 12th is the last day to register to vote in Oregon. Please visit rockthevote.com for details. Tell a friend.

NBA on TV This Week!

Games on TNT and ESPN

Suicides lead universities to tighter intervention rules

From SHELBY OPPEL WOOD, in Wednesday's Oregonian:
Suicides lead universities to tighter intervention rules
A proposal would require students who clearly threaten suicide to get help or be removed from school
An upswing in student suicides on Oregon campuses and a string of lawsuits around the country have forced universities to find better ways to get students the help they need.

2004 World Mental Health Day

The theme for the 2004 World Mental Health Day examines the long existing gaps in treatment between physical and mental health, and the realtionships and co-ocurring disorders that exist between the two. The official World mental Health Day is October 10th, but many countries reognize this fantastic event with weeks, or months of programs each year.

U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD

You don't say...
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs had deteriorated into only hopes and dreams by the time of the U.S.-led invasion last year, a decline wrought by the first Gulf War and years of international sanctions, the chief U.S. weapons hunter found.
The report of weapons hunter Charles Duelfer was presented Wednesday to senators and the public in the midst of a fierce presidential election campaign in which Iraq and the war of terror have become the overriding issues.

Going... and going...

Mount St. Helens steamed briefly tonight while quakes rattled beneath the lava dome. Steam emerged from two vents in the crater about 5:30 p.m. and tremors were detected by instruments at the University of Washington.

New blast may be just a start

New blast may be just a start
With its third and by far most dramatic blast in four days, Mount St. Helens on Tuesday was declared by U.S. officials to be remaking itself and that the release of churning, ash-laden plumes may well become routine in the coming weeks or months.

Remember me?

NAMI Blasts CBS for Television Malpractice

NAMI Blasts CBS for Television Malpractice
"Dr. Phil Primetime Special" Insensitive, Irresponsible; May Put Children’s Lives At Risk
Arlington, VA—NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) today charged CBS Television with gross irresponsibility and potential endangerment of the lives of children with mental illness as a result of its September 22 broadcast of the Dr. Phil Primetime Special: Family First.
"Not only did the show represent a breach of professional ethics, but also, in the opinion of many, malpractice," declared NAMI executive director Michael J. Fitzpatrick, in a letter to CBS Chairman & CEO Leslie Moonves, co-signed by Suzanne Vogel-Scibilia, MD, a child psychiatrist who chairs the Child & Adolescent Policy Subcommittee of NAMI’s national board.
"The show was especially troubling because the child’s behavior may have suggested symptoms of bipolar disorder, requiring treatment vastly different from a father being admonished to spend more time with his son to ‘go fishing.’

Mt. St. Helens Tuesday

Mt. St. Helens Tuesday

Mt. St. Helens Tuesday

We Be Rockin'

Mt. Hood Does Some Shaking of Its Own
By Kristian Foden-Vencil
PORTLAND, OR 2004-10-04 (OPB Radio) - Mt. St. Helens isn't the only mountain on the move in the Pacific Northwest today. At about 7 this morning Mt. Hood experienced a magnitude 2.7 earthquake.
Willie Scott with the US Geological Survey says the two events are not linked.
Willie Scott: Mt. Hood has earthquakes quite frequently. It's one of the more seismically active Cascade volcanoes. This is a typical event for Mt. Hood, they sometimes come a little bit larger, but it occurred and is being followed by a series of smaller earthquakes.
Scott says Mt. Hood has been relatively quite since 2002 when an earthquake magnitude 4.5 occurred.

Go 'Zona State!

5-0 Devils rise to No. 19 in AP
Fewer than 20 Division I football teams remain unbeaten and only six of those are 5-0.
The USA Today/ESPN coaches poll puts ASU at No. 22, up three places off a 28-13 win at Oregon. In the Associated Press media poll, ASU is up two places to No. 19.
Other 5-0 teams are: Utah, No. 11 in both polls; Minnesota, No. 13 in both; Wisconsin, No. 15 AP/No. 16 ESPN; and Navy, receiving votes in both.
ASU gets to sit this week out before playing at USC on Oct. 16.

Boom 2

Mount St. Helens erupts Monday, Oct. 4, 2004, at Castle Lake Viewpoint. The eruption contained mostly steam and ash. Scientists said it was unclear whether a larger eruption was still expected. (AP photo /Rick Bowmer)

Photo by US Forest Service/Reuters

Mount St. Helens erupts steam and ash Monday, Oct. 4, 2004, at Castle Lake Viewpoint. Scientists said it was unclear whether a larger eruption was still expected. (AP photo/Rick Bowmer)

Cubs Out

The Cubs led the wild-card race with nine games left, then lost seven of eight in a dramatic collapse before being eliminated Saturday.

First 2004 Presidential debate available free at iTMS

First 2004 Presidential debate available free at iTMS | MacMinute News
October 3, 2004 - 13:52 EDT   Apple's iTunes Music Store is offering a free download of the first 2004 Presidential debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry. The hour and a half debate, moderated by PBS' Jim Lehrer, took place Thursday, Sept. 30, at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The focus was on foreign policy and the war in Iraq.

Boom! Mt. St. Helens Erupts

Mount Saint Helens in Washington blew steam and ash 15-20,000 feet into the air around noon today.

1980 Mt. St. Helens Eruption

**Update**
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