SXSW…So Close, Yet So Far Away!
This week is Spring Break from my “Clark Kent Day Job” as a middle school Science teacher. For the past year, I have been looking forward to attending the week long learning opportunity and fun filled festivities that is SXSW in Austin. However, since their is a distinct possibility I may be one of the many thousands of teachers in the State of Texas that could be losing their jobs in May, I backed off and didn’t register for the film & interactive conferences and cancelled my hotel reservation near the Convention Center.
Curiosity though, got the best of me. Since I am embarking on a quest to generate a living online, I decided to drive to Austin anyway and join the teacher protest at the State Capitol and shoot video to go with my “makeover” from mild mannered Science teacher to Gonzo Citizen Journalist.
It was motivating seeing my fellow teachers (both active & retired), parents and school children exercising our Constitutionally guaranteed right of Freedom of Assembly and the right to petition our government for grievances that we may have with unfair laws and proposed laws that affect our daily lives. I shot a lot of video and will probably be cutting it into a video to post on this site and my YouTube account. But first, I need to get the workflow down between my new HD video camera and my Sony Vegas. With my old SD video camera, it would be a piece of cake to cut the video, add narration, titles, etc. and upload it. Therefore, this will be one of my most immediate projects.
This afternoon, I toured the area around the Austin Convention Center and 6th Street to take in the sights and atmosphere that is SXSW. It was amazing! I would have had a good time meeting and networking with those people I have read about and corresponded on the Internet from all across the country . It would have been really cool to attend the film panels and interactive functions to add to my knowledge base and generate new ideas. Hobnobbing with all those wonderful and interesting people, including the Hollywood elite would have been righteous! Running into Sandra Bullock or Matthew McConaughey would have been priceless!
However, due to the Texas budget cuts and the very real possibility of losing my teaching job, it was not to be this year. I add this to my dissapointment list, along with a few other less than stellar moments that have taken place in my life this year. However, nothing will deter me from developing my web business so it can generate enough income to pay my bills, fund my retirement and let me indulge my writing and filmmaking muse. I will never give up this goal. In fact, as I was leaving the capital grounds, I passed the stone monument that commemorates the heroes of The Battle of the Alamo and the words of William Barrett Travis became mine…see below for those mighty words that are part of the makeup of all true Texans.
Don’t Hate the Media, Become the Media
The title of this post comes from a quote from American musician Jello Biafra, aka Eric Boucher.
Time to take a new approach.
Over the last year I have come up with ideas on how to use the web 2.0 technologies to build a “micro conglomerate” that produces content and distribute that content through web brands that I develop. One of the major reasons that I started this blog was to let readers share in my attempt at this. Therefore, I am adding a new category to this blog entitled ” Empire Building Update.”
So stay tuned to read what I hope with be an interesting look at an one individual’s effort to build a “personal web empire”, as well as interesting commentary and feature stories that inform, entertain, and most of all, thought provoking discussion.
And Now…The Nexus
The end of 2010 is a little more that a half an hour away as I start to write this post. I am remembering memories of what has been and contemplating thoughts of what will be.
As I try to compose my thoughts, the foremost thing that comes to mind is that I/we are about to enter a nexus…a crossroads for me personally and a definite crossroads for America.
As I start to ramp up Black Flag Media, I see an opportunity. to not only achieve location independent self-employment, but to assist in adding to the national dialogue of what should be done to put America back on the right track.
I know that there will be detractors and nay sayers, but all I can say is bring it on! There will also be those who will try to suppress what I say, because I tried to speak out in 2004. However, I was persecuted by those in power and sold out by rotten Judas Goats that I once called friends. Payback IS forthcoming and all accounts will be settled soon enough!
So, God grant me wisdom to know the right turn to take as I enter The Nexus. Help make my mind sharp and my body strong. Lord, most of all, help my fellow Americans realize what needs to done to help us live up to our potential and fix our broken country.
Merry Christmas from Black Flag Media
On December 21, 1968, I was a young boy of nine years old and marveled at three interpid men from the Planet Earth who were the first individuals to leave the planet and travel to its nearest neighbor, the Moon.
The voyage of Apollo 8 was probably one of the most important events in human history and one of the bravest voyages of exploration that Man had ever undertaken, up to that point. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders traveled the quarter of a million miles at a speed never achieved before. They arrived at the Moon and enterd lunar orbit on Christmas Eve.
As they orbited the Moon, the Apollo 8 astronauts delivered a message for the inhabitants of The Earth. The three intrepid explorers from Earth read the first ten verses of The Book of Genesis from The Bible and wished those of us back on Earth “good night, good luck, Merry Christmas and God Bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”
At the time, this was the most watched moment in television history. It really was special because these were our neighbors, astronauts that lived in the Houston area wishing the residents of the Earth a Merry Christmas.
On that December night, the truly special significance of that moment was not lost on that nine year old boy and to this day remains one of my fondest Christmas memories.
Merry Christmas to all and may the new year bring us the wisdom to start living up to the Christmas message “peace on Earth and good will towards men”.
A Tragedy for the World, Thirty Years Ago Today
Thirty years ago, I was informed of the assassination of John Lennon by Howard Cossell during the Monday Night Football telecast. Cossell called it “an unspeakable tragedy”. An understatement, for sure.
To people who were mild observers of all things Beatles, that was a bad thing. For those of us that really were “tuned in” to what was happening, it was utter devastation!
This was one of the Pillar Icons of the 1960′s that tried to help us evolve as a species and contemplate a world without war. Was that really so bad? Did my “government” really have to treat him as a persona non grata immigrant?
They tried to deport him on a minor marijuana charge that would draw the same penalty as a traffic ticket under today’s justice system. They followed him. They bugged his phone conversations, They monitored his every move.
They, meaning the U.S. Government…my government was undertaking this action against an undesirable “enemy of the state”. My only problem then, as now is WHO THE HELL decided this about John Lennon? Was this a finding from a court of law? Did the “accused” have the right to confront those who wanted to condemn him?
No it was the usual men behind the curtain”. Those who do the bidding of those in the shadows that run Amerika, the corporate oligarcy.
When I found out about his shooting, I was studying for a college chemistry exam with girlfriend at the time. I called a halt to the studying and went for a drive to the beach. There I tried to contemplate this senseless act of some duranged lunatic.
Seventeen years later, on a business trip to New York was there was only two things I wanted to see and experience. Those two things were to see and experience the Statue of Liberty and see The Dakota Loft and Strawberry Field where I knew his spirit dwelt.
In fact, to this day, I don’t consider it Christmas until I hear Lennon singing “Happy Christmas (War is Over)”.
As I taught my classes today, I thought about the Man from Liverpool that wanted us to contemplate a world without war.
Imagine!
Hammered!
It is about time that this turd gets flushed down the toilet before he stinks up the place. Tom DeLay has been the biggest political douche bag since he arrived on the Texas political scene in the late 70′s.
The days for his type of politician are over. Intimidation and “rigging the game” defeats the will of the voters and has no place in politics if we are to successfully address the problems of the country.
In 2006, I got a first hand look at the way this “servant of the people” operated. I went to a town hall meeting of Mr. Delay’s and witnessed a bizarre, surreal spectacle. First, there were secret service agents all over the place. The last time I checked, the Majority Leader of Congress is not part of the order of succession to the Presidency, so I was puzzled by their presence.
What I witnessed was the most pompous, rude, condescending asshole I had ever laid my eyes on. He conducted the meeting more like a Caesar instead of an elected representative of the People. He was rude and treated those who wanted to ask legitimate questions of their elected representative as “agitators” if the subject of their question did not agree with “his majesty’s” way of thinking.
I hope that the judge that sentences him “throws the book at him” and invokes the maximum prison sentence for this scumbag! However, I hope Judge Priest is an honest man. It bothers me that Delay wants a Judge to sentence him, instead of a jury. I know of a case in Harris County in 1993 that he allegedly helped “influence” the judge to let a toady of his practically walk from an open and shut case of Solicitation of Capital Murder. He surely has more influence now, so his sentencing trial should be interesting, to say the least!
I have much more to say about Mr. DeLay in a future post.
IF he does get what is coming to him and lands in prison, I hope his cell mates show Mr. DeLay what its like to be “hammered”! Hey Tom, don’t drop the soap in the shower.
My Pilgrimage to Owl Farm
Being a school teacher in America does still have one key benefit…we only work 187 days a year! I usually spend at least one week of the summer wandering around the country. The first part of my summer vacation was spent conceptualizing what I wanted to do with Black Flag Media and put together a business plan that would allow me to transition from educator to online entreprenuer that operates “location independent”.
However, I knew where my first destination would be, and that would be a pilgrimage to Woody Creek, Colorado…the infamous stomping grounds of the “Father of Gonzo Journalism”, Hunter S. Thompson. Hunter Thompson’s work defined my generation’s take on political journalism.
The trip started off pretty uneventful, until I came close to the road in Colorado that turns towards Independence Pass and the road towards Aspen, Colorado. Before I started up the mountain, I stopped to grab a bite to eat at what Colorado considers a Mexican restaurant. The food barely passed for what a Texan would consider Mexican food, but the margaritas made up for it. The margaritas were necessary to set my mind in the proper condition to channel Hunter’s essence (along with a little “gift” given to me by a friend before I started the trip, saved for just this moment). Fortified with alcohol and ” that other thing”, I was ready to ascend the mountain and pay my respects to Hunter.
Ascend the mountain…and, I mean MOUNTAIN!
The problem with the typical road map is that it doesn’t give you all the necessary information one might need. The main problem is that as I started along Independence Pass, it started to rain…and I mean RAIN! The immediate problem was that it wasn’t raining on me, as much as raining around me. See, Independence Pass is part of the Continental Divide and is 12,095 feet at its summit. Therefore, I was driving through the bloody rain clouds!
The visibility was barely fifty feet in front of me, there were sections of the road that were gravel mixed with mud, some hairpin turns had no guardrails and massive drops of 1000+ feet if one made an error in judgement. Additionally, the locals (including large logging trucks) were whizzing down the Pass road at breakneck speeds toward me, their headlights glare mixing with the rain and the occasional cloud to make this a treacherous drive on a really foul night.
To further complicate the matter, the intoxicants I had ingested earlier were really starting to bite down hard on my brain. Being a “child of the coast”, my experience with such things was based on operating at sea level. At 10,000 + feet, the effect was multiplied. It was then I started feeling paranoia and doubt that I would make it off the mountain alive.
However, eventually after what seemed an etenity of the road levelled off and I started to see advertising signs along the road for businesses and tourist attractions in Aspen. Then the City of Aspen came into view. I drove past the infamous Hotel Jerome and some of the town’s other landmarks. I would have stayed and explored, but down the road was Woody Creek, my intended destination and I kept going.
As I was heading out of Aspen towards the direction my map said Woody Creek lay, the rain started again…great! As I am blasting down the highway, out of the corner of my eye I see a sign saying Woody Creek exit. In fact, the sign was so small , I had blasted past it and had to execute a “bat turn”. As I started driving down this road, it became apparent it was a road going up a mountain and I was going to have to traverse it in the rain…great…or as Hunter would have exclaimed, Ye gods!
I spent the next 30 minutes wandering aimlessly around this mountain road, seeing some houses occasionally, but nothing that one might think of as Woody Creek. Then, I went past a road that had a light that I could barely see through the rain, but for some reason, that light beckoned me onward. It was a warm and inviting light. Then, as I drew closer, the mist abated and…son of a bitch, I’ll be damned…it was the infamous Woody Creek Tavern! I was in Gonzo country, at last!
I looked at the time and it was 11pm and the place was open, so I eagerly went to the door and stepped into the place…a sacred place…Hunter’s neighborhood watering hole. There was only one other person in the place at the time, but a nice younger guy working at the bar served me a Woody Creek Ale and gave me the unofficial tour and shared a few stories. I soaked up the atmosphere of the place and could imagine in my mind’s eye Hunter sitting on the bar stool next to me holding court as he probably did many nights in that establishment. In fact, for all I know Hunter could have been sitting there on the stool next to me, the Yoda of Gonzo, now communing with the force and just like in the movie Return of the Jedi. The thought of this warmed the soul and brought a smile to my face.
After loading up on Woody Creek Tavern souviners, I got back in the car and decided to try to find somewhere to stay for the night. As I followed the road away from the tavern, I spied a road that intersected the one I was on and its gradient immediately started up a steep hill. Somehow, I knew…this was the way to Hunter’s place…the infamous Owl Farm. I started driving up the road and there were many attractive ranches and cottages. Then, there it was on my left, the front gate to Owl Farm. It was unmistakeable because of the famous buzzard metal sculptures I had read about were looking down on me from the high fence post, a sort of Gonzo gargoyles sending their subliminal message to any would be tresspasser not to chance becoming a dead interloper. I couldn’t see much, so I made a note of where it the road was in relation to the highway and left, eager to return when the sun rose to have my Owl Farm encounter.
I ended up staying in the parking lot of a nearby ski resort that was virtually empty. I was really exhausted after the long, greuling journey, but found it difficult to sleep,
At daybreak, I headed back towards Owl Farm and what I had been fantasizing about, to see the famous fortified compound of Hunter. As I drove slowly down the road around the perimiter of the property, I began to understand why Hunter chose this to be his “Fortress of Solitude” and cherished homestead.
From the road, I could see some of the house and the deck. I could imagine Hunter sitting their have a “daycap” before retiring for his day sleep. I noticed smoke coming from the chimney…that meant Anita, his widow was home. I was SO tempted to drive up the driveway and ask for an impromptu tour. However, I’m sure that she has had many people attempt this most presumptious act. In my mind’s eye I imagined having a conversation with her over coffee and hearing her personal stories about being married and working with one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and sitting in “his chair” at his workspace off the kitchen. However, Hunter was all about his privacy and to drive onto his property unannounced would have been a crime against his spirit and would have definitely creeped out Anita, therefore I restrained the overwhelming urge to act upon my feelings.
However, I knew Hunter would have wanted me to have a souviner of my visit to his home. I looked around for some small momento of my visit that would endure…I picked up three rocks from his driveway. Hunter’s ashes were blown out of the top of the large Gonzo roman candle at his memorial and I’m sure the billions of his atoms are now part of the environment at Owl Farm and cover many plants and inanimate objects. So, one of these rocks could have some of Hunter riding along on their surface. That makes them holy relics in my way of thinking.
And if the rocks don’t contain any of the remains of Hunter’s physical essence, I am a Science teacher and know that nature has given me an “ace in the hole”. Quantum physics has a concept known as “spooky interaction at a distance”, or quantum entanglement as it is more formally known.
Basically, it means that one atom can affect another, even when they are seperated by vast distances. So, even if the rocks I collected have no atoms of Hunter on them, there are surely other rocks in that driveway that have some of Hunter’s atoms mixed in with them. That means that my rocks would be tied to all the other rocks in Hunter’s driveway, and therefore in contact with those atoms that are part of Hunter’s remains, so because of the way the universe works, I will always have a piece of Hunter with me…physically and in my soul.
Selah.
The Wolves are Growling and Smell Fresh Meat
About two years ago on my previous blog I wrote a piece that spoke about my theory of how America will eventually be taken down. I called the theory The Wolf Kill. In this scenario, I compared the way wolves kill large prey, such as a bison by surrounding it and working cooperatively by charging in one at a time from different directions and taking a bite and withdrawing until an opening for the coup de gras presented itself. When the prey becomes exhausted, one wolf moves in for the bite to the throat, ending things for the prey animal.
In that post, I was speaking about the potential of various Middle East countries to play the role of the wolves and The United States in the role of the bison. I wrote that post almost three years ago to the day. At the time, we were bogged down in Iraq, the “surge” hadn’t started yet and our military also had its hands full in Afghanistan.
Fast forward to today. Our troops are still in Iraq. The U.S. Military is being confronted with renewed vigor from the Taliban, and now things are starting to get dicey on the Korean penninsula.
Last May, the North Koreans sank a South Korean patrol boat in disputed waters. Now, Kim Jung Il’s thugs have shelled a South Korean island killing soldiers and destroying buildings with an unprovoked military attack.
Why has North Korea become so belligerent as of late? I think the human troll doll, Kim Jong Il wants to try to take out America before he achieves “ancestor” status. If he were to heat up things to where the American military became entrenched in Korea, we would have our military stretched way too thin with our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. All it would take would be one nuclear blast to make the situation a definite “game changer”, especially if he uses one of his few nukes in an EMP attack on The United States.
Also, his secret pall Iran might become emboldened and strike at Isreal and U.S. interests in the Middle East. One recent development that the main stream media (MSM) hasn’t given too much coverage is that the Iranian parliment tried to impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the wacky Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamemi nullified the actions of the parliment. Since Mahmoud might be feeling like his days are numbered, he might just go for broke and make that attack if we become involved in any Korean conflict.
Then there is China.
China has been claiming all the small islands with disputed ownership, most recently the Diaoyu Islands that are also claimed by Japan. What will happen if China decides to claim that other “disputed” island that America has a protection treaty with…Taiwan. If America becomes involved with Korea, the Chinese masters in Beijing might decide it is time to bring Formosa back into the fold.
China knows that their best “debt addicited” customer is starting to realize that they intend to eventually wreck of currency and markets. Why not take advantage of us to remove their only competition and get back the island of Taiwan to destroy any remaining American credibility in the world.
ALL THIS AND AMERICA IS SADDLED WITH THE WEAKEST PRESIDENT/COMMANDER IN CHIEF SINCE PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER!
We could be in BIG TROUBLE SOON!
New Changes Coming
Before I describe the changes coming to Black Flag Media, I need to speak my mind, so please indulge me.
Over last weekend, I met an amazing gentleman named Dov Simens. Dov runs a company called The Hollywood Film Institute and offers a two day course called The Dov Simens 2 Day Film School. For $ 395.00, he condenses the movie industry down into a very comprensive two day course. His goal is to take aspiring filmmakers and give them the information and resources to go out and make their first full length feature film. I have been hesitant over the previous two years to sign up for his course because it sounded “too good to be true”. Almost a year ago, I purchased his book From Reel to Deal, which is basically a synopsis of the intensive two film school course. After reading it, I decided that if he was ever in Houston with his seminar, I would sign up.
Well, I found out two weeks ago, that Dov was bringing his two day film school to Houston. Almost the same day as seeing the ad in Filmmaker magazine, I was told that the school district that I worked for would be contemplating massive layoffs. I was scheduled before that to attend SXSW in Austin for the week to begin research and establishing networking leads to grow my new business. I decided, that since I possibly might get layed off, I would go to Austin for two days to see what SXSW was all about. It was amazing! I knew that I wanted to be there as a PARTICIPANT, not a spectator!
Even though I knew there was a possibility that I would be “RIF’ed”, I decided to pay the fee and attend Dov’s seminar. Well, not more than three days after paying the fee for the seminar, I found out I was put on the “chopping block” (unfairly so, in my opinion). However, I had no case of “buyers’ remorse”, because I somehow knew that was what I was supposed to do.
Well, the course was phenomenal! However, the man, Dov Simens was larger than life itself! He not only taught the attendees the true path to getting a feature film made and then how to turn it into a “movie”, in which you can generate multiple revenue streams as the producer. I wanted to make documentary films like Albert Maysels and Errol Morris before the class, but now I want to produce and direct narrative films, as well.
However, Dov shared some of his beliefs and philosophies with us and I found a man who believes as I do, that the world is insane and tearing itself apart! A belief that Dov & I share is that before someone, or some country acts out of anger or fear against another, they should talk to each other and workout problems before nasty, negative things like war happen. This man, Dov Simens was a refreshing change from stereotypical person one sees from Hollywood these days.
The best message Dov had to share, interlaced with his back story, was that he considered himself a blessed man. He said that he accumulated enough wealth to direct his life to the “beat of his own drum” and more than adaquately take care of his family. Dov said that his blessings started accumulating when he decided to “really” start showing up to work and found God was already on the job!
I like that philosophy!
I showed up at PISD for the last 5 years (6 1/2 years, actually) and I am sure God was there, or I wouldn’t have had the level of success that I was blessed with. However, someone has definitely indicated that they don’t want me to continue in the job I was best suited for (more on this later). Therefore, that person will soon be the focus of an in-depth investigation!
Therefore…
BlackFlagMedia.com will be changing its format to one more appropriate for a website whose focus is citizen journalism.
You can follow my personal insights and educational rants at my personal blog at www.bayareatexan.com
It’s time for a teachable moment!