Lost Albatross year in review

In the grand tradition of navel-gazing, end-of-year posts, I offer you now the Lost Albatross anno mundi 2008! Here's wishing you all a festive and safe New Years Eve, and a good new year. And as always, thanks so much for reading.

Total posts in 2008:
307 (counting this one)

Posts with most comments:

• (16) No notes on a scandal
• (14) Vaudeville and politics
• (13) Misleading absentee ballots sent by McCain campaign
• (13) Chosen by God
• (12) Blogger in Fleischman case issues strange retraction
• (12) You're so vain
• (11) This woman won't vote for the woman

Posts with most hits:

• (1,479) Misleading absentee ballots sent by McCain campaign
  
• (681) Pizza Brutta is, uh, very good-ah
• (485) What rights for illegal immigrants?
• (319) Madison handgun laws

Top keywords:

• (353) lost albatross
• (343) pizza brutta
• (139) rights of illegal immigrants
• (126) the lost albatross
• (109) emily mills

Weirdest/most random keywords:

• albatross plastic
• obama babies
• the gutter post blogspot
• naughty nurses
• ron paul nutter
• techno emo bands

Most hits on the blog in one day:

• 249 on Sept. 16 - presumably in response to one of these posts.

Most fascinating series of rant-like comments from, one can only assume, the subject of the post himself:

• "Blogger in Fleischman case issues strange retraction"

(Current status of the case.)

Personal favorites:

• Thanks, Sarah
• Traveling tales: Stumbling onto the ultimate pizza
• The tree forts of our lives
• How to become an overnight rock star
• Recollecting my punk, jam band, emo, techno, rock-and-roll past
  

Here are some photos I took, by month:

February

We really did get an awful lot of snow last winter.

...which worked out fine for this guy, at the Madison Winter Festival.

The snow didn't keep then candidate Barack Obama, or the crowd of 70,000+, away from the Kohl center, either.

April

The Human Rights Torch, a protest against the Olympics being held in China, came through Madison in April.

May

Art Bike Rally!

Tegan and Sara performing at the Barrymore Theatre.

A trip to visit friends and nightmarish, post-apocalyptic landscapes in the Bay Area, CA.

June

Louisville, Kentucky, for their Kino chapter's 48-hour film Kabaret.

July

My first Madison Flickr group photo walk.

August

Ah, memories. The Civil War Experience up at Wade House.
I got to cover the National Poetry Slam finals, which was a lot of fun.

September

Monotonix performing at the first-ever Forward Music Fest. One of the best live shows I saw all year.
The Willy Street Fair! Always a good time.

October

The tenth annual International Drag King Extravaganza, in Columbus, Ohio.

November

Protesting the passage of Prop 8 in California, right here in Wisconsin.

My Brightest Diamond performing at the Orpheum Stage Door Theatre.

December

The Chin in person!

And last but not least, my sister's adorable chihuahua, taking a nap post Christmas festivities.

History may not be on their side

With so much bad blood over so many years flowing between them, Israel and Palestine face daunting odds when it comes to the dream of establishing a meaningful and lasting peace.

Many (but not all) Israelis believe that permanent settlement of the land is their God-given right, some have simply lived there all their lives and don't wish to leave a place they consider home. Meanwhile, Palestinians likely feel as though they live under an illegal occupation begun by UN mandate and continued through Israeli governmental force. It is, obviously, an incredibly volatile situation.

Neither side is wholly guilty or wholly innocent in this mess, but it can be extremely difficult for the various involved parties to see that, given the deeply personal stakes.

For anyone to criticize Israel is seen by some to be anti-Semitic. Who wants to be accused of that, especially when the specter of the Holocaust is raised as part of the accusation? But it is absolutely essential that we all be allowed to have an open and honest dialogue concerning the actions of the modern Israeli state in regards to their Palestinian/Arab neighbors. To ignore any and all abuses of power by them would be to do a gross disservice not only to those immediately effected by the problems, but also to those ancestors who actually lived through Nazi persecution.

I heard an Israeli man quoted on NPR yesterday in regards to the current bombing campaign in Gaza. He said he wanted to "see them eradicated." The utter irony of a Jewish person calling for the devastation of an entire people apparently flew right over his head, and that, quite frankly, is incredibly sad.

Too, the extreme degree of violence being leveled against the Palestinians by Israel is appalling. In alleged response to a couple of rockets (honestly, it probably goes back further than that), the country has sent its airforce to bomb various buildings throughout the strip. Doesn't this seem a little, I don't know, disproportionate? Here's another example of the disparity:
I see the frustration on both sides. Far too many people, both civilian and military, have been needlessly killed in this seemingly never-ending conflict. Most folks, both Palestinian and Israeli, simply want to be able to go about their lives in peace, with access to basic needs like clean water, food, and medicine, and with relatively safe streets and schools for their children.

But Hamas and other militant groups (and even heads of state) insist that they want to wipe Israel off the map, and/or kill all of the Jews. That, too, is disgusting and reprehensible. So is sending random rockets into civilian areas.

None of the actors in this are innocent, none without blood on their hands. But no one else should have to die, either. Someone has to step up and put an end to the ridiculous cycle of retaliation--no matter what. Set aside history, set aside pride, set aside political or religious ideology and just stop. That's what it will take.

I know, I know--it's not so easy as all that. There are always rogue players involved who will try their damnedest to spoil any attempts at peace. But let them become the outcasts, reviled for their violent tactics, while the rest rise above and work toward something far more meaningful.

Then again, maybe things are just too far gone. Maybe there can never be a peaceful co-existence between Israeli and Palestinian, regardless of any new partition or independence. That would be, in my opinion, a great tragedy - and a hard lesson learned about what happens when outside forces move into a place and impose their will without any consideration for the native population, and when religious extremism on all sides becomes the rule of the day.

Extreme reactions breed extreme reactions.

Scapegoating or no, it doesn't end here

I'm a little late to the game here, but I can honestly blame the holidays for the delay. What can I say? Blogging should always fall by the wayside when family is in town.

Anyway, an article in the Wisconsin State Journal (and probably several other news outlets) details the recent suspension of former 911 operator Rita Gahagan in response to how she mishandled the call from slain UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann back in April.

While I agree that some form of disciplinary action against Gahagan, who claims she couldn't hear the sounds of a woman screaming and an ensuing struggle (as recently declassified police reports state), and then failed to follow up on the call, is necessary - I don't feel comfortable saying that all blame lies on her shoulders alone.

Gahagan did, after all, request a transfer prior to the incident (why was that, anyway?), and otherwise seems to have had a stellar performance history at the center. Did she mess up on that particular call? It would absolutely appear to be so. But were there (and are there still) system wide problems within the 911 call center? That would also appear to be the case. And we cannot allow officials to sweep all of this under the rug with a simple 3-day suspension of a rank-and-file operator who has long since been demoted to a different department.

Much remains unanswered: Why did the public get several different (and often contradictory) stories from various officials immediately following the murder? Why did some of them then appear to attempt a cover-up of the facts? Why were the police reports "accidentally" unsealed recently? Why didn't Falk and others more quickly and effectively follow up on suggestions made by a consulting company years ago to update the 911 center's equipment and procedures?

We need to keep asking these questions, and demanding answers, until we get to the point where a tragic incident like the one involving Brittany Zimmermann simply cannot happen.

The 12 Days of Christmas: Lend a helping hand

December 25 marks the beginning of what's traditionally referred to as "the 12 Days of Christmas" - and if you don't know exactly what that is, I'm sure you're at least familiar with the song. But as defined, the 12 days are:

...the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide), are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). The associated evenings of the twelve days begin on the evening before the specified day. Thus, the first night of Christmas is December 25–26, and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. This period is also known as Christmastide.

The 12 days has its origins in the pre-Christian Scandinavian Winter Solstice, in which the Midwinter Feast lasted at least twelve days, hence the twelve days of Christmas.

This seems like as good a time as any to start a Lost Albatross tradition of giving--or, in this case, lending. I've set up a "lending team" through Kiva.org, a great non-profit site that connects people across the world through what are called microloans. I'll let them explain the process:

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

Go check out the site, look around a little, and please consider signing up to make a loan. Then when you do, you can opt to have your loan count toward the total for the Lost Albatross lending team! All repayments still go directly to you, but your efforts will be part of our little network, too.

This is the traditional time of year to think about giving, but I hope to continue these efforts into the "off-season" as well. I can't think of a better way to really help people get on their feet and then to sustain themselves. Instead of just giving a single gift, we're helping people in need to be able to provide for themselves and their communities in the long-term. And that, I think, is what it's all about.

Please consider signing up with Kiva, and joining the Lost Albatross team. And regardless, happy holidays!

The Definition of Marriage

I have been thinking long and hard about Obama's selection of Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. It's hard not to take it as a slap in the face to the LGBT community, and those who've fought for their equal rights in general. But it's also hard not to see it as a purely political maneuver. Warren is, after all, one of the more palatable of the evangelical super-pastors, what with his heavier focus on poverty and environmental issues. And Obama is, after all, a politician hoping to draw in a larger coalition of supporters. If you're going to appeal to the conservative, evangelical base without completely alienating your more liberal supporters, Warren may seem like the smart choice.

I can see all of that, and I'll be the first to point it out when people start raving about how ridiculous they think Warrengate is - and yet, I also agree with them.

We're talking about the fundamental rights and equality of our fellow citizens here. It is not something that should be left to the whims of political tactics or fickle majorities. At the same time, though, we don't want to completely ostracize those who disagree with our beliefs. We want them to come over to our side. It is difficult, however, to balance a no-bull approach to attaining equal rights with the patient, educational, compassionate approach needed to bring more people into the fold.

After all, it is quite difficult to understand how and why some folks continue to wish to deny basic rights to their fellow man.

Warren is an interesting case, and somewhat illustrative of the larger anti-gay marriage movement these days. He has stated, on record, that he thinks of gay marriage as being synonymous with pedophilia and bestiality, which is about as ridiculous and insulting as it gets.*

Worse, in responding to an interview with Beliefnet wherein he equated gay relationships with pedophilia and bestiality, he went semantic and claimed that:

...he didn't mean to say that gay relationships are like incest and pedophilia, just that gay marriage is. "I was not saying those relationships are the same thing", he says, adding that "I'm opposed to any redefinition of the definition of marriage."

And there's the buzz phrase: "redefinition of marriage." What folks who keep trotting this defense out fail to grasp, no matter how many times it's pointed out to them, is that marriage has been redefined hundreds of times throughout history and across cultures. Marriage today is not even the same thing that it was 50-100 years ago, when women were still predominantly expected to take their husband's name, get handed off by their fathers, have few rights over their children in the case of divorce (if even allowed to divorce in the first place), etc. Heck, a woman wasn't even allowed to say "no" to sex with her husband and have it be considered rape if he forced her into it anyway.

Things change. And they should change. I, for one, have no desire to live in a society where women are treated as property, with no say in how a marriage progresses, no control over her own body, and even no control over just how many wives her husband might decide to take. That's traditional marriage, so you'll excuse me if I have to laugh when people still make that argument.

Unless that's what they secretly want back. In which case, we have even less common ground than I thought, and this is a much larger problem.

Ultimately, I believe that religious marriage should be left entirely up to the individuals and churches involved. You can marry (or not) whoever you like, but it's not going to be recognized on a federal or state level. For all of the actual rights and regulations, we should really stick to a federal civil unions type agreement for all couples, gay and straight. Keep church and state separate, you know?

Thing is, I suspect at least some of the people crowing about "traditional marriage" wouldn't like that solution, either, because deep down, they're just plum uncomfortable with gay folks in general. That's why their surface arguments don't make any sense. They're not being honest, and instead grasping at slightly less inflammatory straws. Frankly, I wish they'd just come out and say what they mean, because at least that way, we'd be able to more effectively deal with the real issues: homophobia and fear.

I'm not happy that Obama chose Warren to give the invocation, and I suspect there were better choices out there, but it's not a deal-breaker, either. I have to hope that, in addition to the political maneuvering involved, Obama did this as a way to extend compassion even to those who disagree with us--which is an important part of the march toward true equality. We must remember, though, that while we shouldn't hate or cause violence toward those with different viewpoints, we should also refuse to compromise on that equality. We can maintain a sense of civility and a loud, strong, proud voice for change, all at the same time. It may not be easy, but it is possible--and, I would argue, necessary.


*Equating things like pedophilia, bestiality, and polygamy with same-sex marriage is not only insulting, but also extremely fallacious. The former arrangements cannot be consensual, being that they involve minors or animals (who we define as being unable to give consent) - or in the case of polygamy, are unequal and sexist situations wherein a man basically owns several women. Same-sex marriage, on the other hand, is a consensual agreement between two adults who are not immediately related (by blood) to one another. So you can argue until you're blue in the face about how "unnatural" you think it is, but you cannot argue that gay marriage is anything at all like pedophilia, etc.

Favorite new music of 2008

Oh for cryin' out loud, I can almost hear you thinking--not another year-end "best of" list!

Well, I can't help myself. We're all prone to a little nostalgia now and then, and in this case I can at least excuse the exercise by noting that it's my way of sharing some awesome tunes with everyone.

Frankly, ever since I was but a wee lass, spinning my mom's old 45's on a little plastic Fisher Price record player, I've been a huge music nerd who wanted nothing more than to share great music with other people. I used to record myself on tape cassettes, pretending to be a radio DJ and playing everything from "My Blue Heaven" by Fats Domino to "Turtle Power" by Partners In Kryme (the K and Y stand for awesome, and also jelly) from the TMNT movie soundtrack. Boss!

Anyway, a friend of mine recently introduced me to the year-end mix tape concept, wherein you compile your favorite songs that came out in the year past and then hand them out as a gift to all of your friends and such. Good idea, I thought! But since I can't hand you said mix tape through the internet (that would probably be illegal or something), I thought I'd at least give you the list and some handy links, so you can choose whether or not to check out some of my recommendations--or just deride me for having no taste. Your pick!

Here we go: Emily's Favorite New Music of 2008!
(in no particular order)

1. "Pluto" by Clare and the Reasons, from the album The Movie (on Frog Stand Records).
I first heard this beautiful band live, when they opened for My Brightest Diamond. Both adorablely sweet and many-layered, their music is infectious and lovingly crafted. This particular song, more-or-less about the cast out planetoid, is a great example of their overall work.

2. "The Romance of Wolves" by Roma di Luna, from the album Casting the Bones (indie).
Thanks to the Just Sayin' Is All blog, I now have this wonderful little band from Minneapolis in my life. With resonant female vocals, and a cross between gypsy and indie country sensibilities, I wouldn't be surprised to see this band taking off in the near future.

3. "Bus Bus" by Amy Ray, from the album Didn't It Feel Kinder (on Daemon Records).
Good ol' Amy Ray. It wasn't enough for her to be one-half of the always popular Indigo Girls, she had to break out the electric guitar for some very fine solo work, too. This is just solid, fun, foot-stomping rock and roll right here.

4. "Lights Out" by Santogold, from the album Santogold (on Downtown/Lizard King Records).
I have NPR to thank for introducing me to Santogold. And I love this album. It goes from super catchy, well thought out indie rock (with definite hints of early 80's new wave like Siouxie and the Banshees) to crazy awesome dub electro without skipping a beat.

5. "People Not Places (ft. Abeer)" by Invincible, from the album Shapeshifters (on Emergence Records).
Who cares if Invincible is a female rapper? She's just damn good. This particular song is a great mix between deft rhymes, lovely guest vocals, and expert production work.

6. "Thou Shalt Always Kill" by dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip, from the album Angles (on Sunday Best).
Scroobius Pip deserves heaps of credit for coming up with a hilarious and poignant commentary on popular culture, but the unsung hero is definitely dan le sac, who puts together some really fantastic beats and bloops to accompany it with. Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.

7. "Magic Doors" by Portishead, from the album Three (on Island Records).
Sigh. Oh how I love this group. And it had been quite a long while since their last record. Perfection takes time! On their third release, Portishead manages to maintain their signature sound without rehashing old ground, producing music that is both innovative and comforting. Seriously, if you don't have this record yet, why not?

8. "Harry Potter" by El Guante, from the album El Guante's Haunted Studio Apartment (on Tru Ruts/Speakeasy Records).
Yeah yeah, so El Guante is something of a friend of mine, but I can honestly say that I really, really like his music. This most recent effort shows a great deal of maturity, both in Guante's vocal stylings and the production work. The Twin Cities agree with him. Plus there's some amazing beat box work by See More Perspective. This particular song, though, gets extra credit for working in Harry Potter references without becoming corny.

9. "Electric Bird" by Sia, from the album Some People Have Real Problems (on Hear Music).
How does such a beautiful, soaring, intense voice come out of such a cute little blonde Englishwoman? I have no idea, but I'm glad it does. Sia has the rare talent of being the producer of finely crafted, epic-seeming music that never takes itself too seriously. And her music videos are always highly entertaining. In this song, though, it's the horn section that takes center stage, and to great effect.

10. "Skinny Bones" by the Ditty Bops, from the album Summer Rains (on the Green Witch Society).
I have a crush on the Ditty Bops. I've been fortunate enough to see them live every time they've swung through Madison, and every time they've put on some of the best stage shows I've ever seen. With elements of swing, jazz, folk, pop, and more, they create incredibly catchy, heartfelt tunes and promote excellent social causes all along the way. And hey! They've been nominated for a Grammy for the jacket design on this album, which they should totally win.

11. "Gobbledigook" by Sigur Rós, from the album Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (on XL Recordings).
Known mostly for creating elaborate and painfully beautiful soundscapes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sigur Ros's new album branches out a bit into some more up-tempo work--all without losing the core of what makes the music great.

12. "Ojo de Culebra (ft. La Mari)" by Lila Downs, from the album Shake Away (on Manhattan Records).
Lila Downs will own your soul!

13. "Freeway" by Aimee Mann, from the album Smilers (on Superego Records).
Solid. Good. Some people are still stuck on the whole 'Til Tuesday thing, but c'mon, Aimee Mann has put out a ton of far better music since then and those folks really ought to get with the times. Her new record, and this song especially, is just lovely stuff.

14. "Creature Fear" by Bon Iver, from the album For Emma, Forever Ago (on Jagjaguwar).
The new hotness for the latter half of '08, Bon Iver may be one of the rare instances of a next-big-thing actually deserving of the praise. It doesn't hurt that he wrote this album while cloistered away in the woods of northern Wisconsin (woo! woo!).

15. "Apple" by My Brightest Diamond, from the album A Thousand Shark's Teeth (on Asthmatic Kitty Records).
Two words: thumb piano. Plus, MBD's Shara Worden possesses one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices of anyone making pop music today. With deft string arrangements, interesting lyrical stories, and enchanting (yeah, I said it) melodies, this is a fabulous record and a really cool song.

16. "Something In My Mind" by One-Two, from the album The Story of Bob Star (indie)
I stumbled onto this song completely at random and fell in love with it. This is what pop is supposed to be. Plus, the song is part of a larger rock opera. A rock opera! Awesome.

17. "The Horror" by Aporia, from the album Aporia (indie).
Faux-paux! This is totally my band, and that's totally me screaming lines for classic horror flicks. I don't care. I like this song and think it's tons o' fun.

So, this certainly isn't a comprehensive list - it's just new music that I happened to stumble onto and/or know about this year, and liked very much. Feel free to make your own recommendations in the comments section! I love nothing so much as being lead to other fabulous music. And please, if you dig any of these songs, support the artists by buying the records!

(cross-posted at dane101.com)

I wrote a book!

It's true! Last year, I actually buckled down and completed a novel as part of National Novel Writing Month (wherein you must hit the 50k word mark in 1 month). Since then, I've been hacking away at it, drafting a few writer friends to help provide edits and suggestions, and generally whipping it into shape.

Now, I am giddily excited to say that said novel, The Fix Up, is available in honest-to-goodness book form. I went through a company called CreateSpace (which is an Amazon affiliate), which provides really high-quality print-on-demand services for books, CDs, and DVDs. Turned out to be a pretty good deal, really.

I realize that this is just self-publishing, and not as fancy pancy as getting a novel published by some big publishing house (that'll come, just you wait!), but I still happen to think it's pretty cool. Honestly, this whole print-on-demand thing may well be the future of publishing for everyone.

In the meantime, it's my present. And I would love it if I even sold, like, 10 copies. So hey! If you're in the mood for some entertaining fiction, head on over to my store and check it out.

I will also be making copies available through me, myself, and I, for just $10 (I should mention that this will happen in about a week, at which time I will post about it again). Heck, I'd even sign 'em if for some crazy reason you were into that sort of thing. So if you're interested in that method, drop me a line at lostalbatross at gmail.com and we can arrange to either make the trade in person or by mail (U.S. only, and no extra cash for shipping).

Here's the somewhat generic teaser I whipped up for the book, to wet your whistle:

Chapel's not having a good decade. Released from prison for a crime she doesn't particularly want to talk about, she's looking to lead a more normal, legal life - but life, that bastard, has a few curve balls aimed at her head.

Befriended by a couple of well-connected street punks, Chapel finds herself navigating a treacherous underworld filled with drugs, betrayal, sexual ambiguity, crime, crooked cops, and death. All she really wanted to do, though, was make rent.

Inspired by the short film series and character created by Rob Matsushita, The Fix Up is equal parts suspense thriller and introspective, darkly humorous personal journey.

Those short films I reference are "Complicated" and "Distracted," in case you're curious.

So yeah, it's not the Great American Novel, but I'm happy with it. Nice to actually finish a novel for once in quite a long while, too. I may post a small excerpt from it in the near future, so you can get a better idea of what you'd be in for. That seems fair, anyway. Regardless, please check it out! And have a great weekend.