Folks: I won't spend much time talking about the myriad of wonderful changes that have occured since my last post way back in July.  Most notably, we've "survived" a huuuge wedding for my dear sister (11/12/05)!  I shall def get to that in later blogs.  Today I want to talk about Google's impressive offering, Google Analytics

http://www.google.com/analytics" title="http://www.google.com/analytics" target="_blank"http://www.google.com/analyti...

Wow, I should also mention I am starting to fall back in love with tblog.  Great job with the sleeker interface.  Nice touch adding a "Post Key" below so that those spammers are gone (or at least diminished).  I was seriously contemplating a move because tblog became such a haven for garbage. 

OK, back to analytics.  I learned about it on Monday via /. (slashdot.org) and signed my company's website right up (I refrain from listing it here for privacy reasons...however I have a feeling I'll throw our URL up one of these days to add to our inbound link rankings  :o )  Data was slower to arrive, and I had to get a tech dude ('Bo' with analytics support) to email me and say "due to higher than expected demand...blah blah" so basically we are swamped and have been caught with our proverbial pants around our ankles.  But data finally arrived, albeit 24hours late, and it is impressive.

There is a cool flash map of the world showing where your traffic comes from, there are keywords, search engine "entrance" maps, marketing campaign managers, and so much more.  I think next I'll set up the "goals" feature that allows me to define a specific goal (in our case it will be reaching the RFQ page) and seeing if visitors abandon their goal, and if so where they abandon, how they "funnel" to that goal, etc.

So for all you haters, hey... this is FREE, and there are growing pains, but you get a service that until Sunday cost $199 per month (Urchin).

My next blog: Google Base --> Craig's List meets Amazon/Ebay (w/out the purchasing...yet) meets Google.

Happy Surfing!

P.S. its COLD in Chi-town today.  Good thing I'm headed to warm and sunny LA tonight =)

JSK

KSB

11am saturday, march 19th 2005 @ the APT (LP/Chi/IL)

On a beautiful pseudo-spring day a mere stone's throw from majestic Lake Michigan I sit and stare out the window, enjoying a glass of orange juice, catching up on world events, and of course adding another entry into this blog.  I see a young child, a rarity in this uber-trendy section of our Metropolis, frolicking in the park (Lincoln Park to be exact, right next to the favourite LP Zoo).  At first I am amazed and slightly concerned... where is his mother?  He's much to young to be running amongst the trees unattended; but lo, she is watching him from a distance, ensuring he stays out of traffic and harm's way but letting him enjoy his freedom nonetheless.

This leads me to another thought (it struck me just now), who is watching over us?  When we are out running and enjoying and playing free from worry, is someone there?  Have you ever had that uncanny sense of being watched over, and even saved?  Saved from some near-disaster; saved from an almost-tragedy; saved from taking a wrong turn or making a wrong decision?  Things could have gone either way, but they went a certain ONE way.  What control do we have?  Or is it entirely up to chance? 

Now, looking out again at that same park, I see so many children, much more than last month or even last week.  There a young couple sits on the bench, a girl dressed in a pink coat sits between them.  A mother pushes her baby stroller past two joggers.

We are all being watched over.  We are all taken care of.  At times we may feel alone and worry, but He is there always, helping us along the way.

2/21/05, 2am @ sko.il.us

So i'm hanging out in the big b's room, doing stuff on her comp, and listening to her convo to CM.  at long last, they've moved the ball past the old half-court line.  yep, the 'm' words are finally protruding from their collective lips in a realistic way, with actual dates and times and venues.  the item on the day's menu is the engagement.  i've pleaded and pressed and promoted for a wonderful 'ides of march' event, but i am happy to hear it will be in may. 

this brings me to another observation: the importance of a public, social event.  many argue that a marriage is the union of two hearts, two minds, and eventually two souls as one.  why, in such a personal and individualistic process do we place such importance on others?  why worry who is there when the ceremony has begun?  well, i'd like to hear some views, and share my own. 

but i must signoff, as MS Antispyware Beta is prompting me to close IE.  where is my dear firefox when i need him?

~~JSK~~

8pmfeb192005sko.il.us

1. "We have observed an object only 20 kilometers across [i.e. 12 miles large], on the other side of our galaxy, releasing more energy in a tenth of a second than the sun emits in 100,000 years." --> now that's bright.  The event mentioned was initated when a magnetar, a special neutron star, created an intense magnetic field that triggered an explosion.  If it had occured only 10-light years away, it could have caused mass extinction.  Find out more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6994277/" title="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6994277/" target="_blank"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6... 

2. Should Municipalities and local governmental bodies offer their denizens free broadband wireless access?  What does this do to the myriad of providers investing billions into the networks?  Here is just one article: http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004870.html" title="http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004870.html" target="_blank"http://wifinetnews.com/archiv...

OK did any of you see Letterman Tuesday night?  He had on as a guest that Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai.  I've gotten much feedback from ppl about her American TV debut (oops, i forgot 60 mins last month...):

-"ewww she was soooo ditsy and DUMB"
-"man she looked hot!"
-"Aishwhatya?  Where the hell is Mumbai?"

and, my fav

-"dude, she needs to lose the jacket"

In other ramblings, North Korea has Nukes, Google uses Pigeons to rank its search results, and Microsoft has some interesting ideas about visualization.

Links:

http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/09ash .htm" title="http://us.rediff.com/movies/2005/feb/09ash .htm" target="_blank"http://us.rediff.com/movies/2... (aish)

http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank .html" title="http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank .html" target="_blank"http://www.google.com/technol... (google pigeons)

http://research.microsoft.com/research/vibe/" title="http://research.microsoft.com/research/vibe/" target="_blank"http://research.microsoft.com... (Microsoft vibe)

thats all for now kids!

((10pm @ Tengre'z/MelPark/Chi/IL))

i knew that heading would get your attention.. the 12" i am referring to (of course) is the amount of snowfall predicted for the midwest, great lakes, and northeast portions of this country (which, btw, is USA for all u overseas readers out there)

its gonna be a cold, snowy, wintery weekend.  we've gotten hammered as of late, and i don't (just) mean via beverages.  to add injury to insult (or vice versa) i've gotten several phonecalls from friends and family in warm, sunny places like Florida, Arizona, So-Cal, and even India.  all inqurie "what the HELL are you doing in Chicago??"  i merely reply "no one ever moves here for the weather..." no sir this love-hate relationship goes deeper than what's outdoors.  so what's the weather in YOUR part of the world?  drop us some comments and we promise to read them... honest

JSK,
~ksb

1pm @ LnclnPrk/Chi/IL/USa

Howdy pardners!  After a month-long hiatus, I again press flesh to keyboard to bring some semi-interesting words to screen.  A few things have changed, however most stay the same.  Here's a low-down into what 2005 brings:

1. 12 mos w/ the P's and I said 'ENOUGH!!'  I have gone a-packing and moved into the fair City.  For now I have a good view of Lincoln Park (the actual park, not the super-gentrified enclave, altho that is only a $4 cab ride away) and the LP Zoo, and if I crane my neck I can just see the deep blue waters of Lake Michigan beyond the treetops where the horizon meets her.  FAAAANTAASTIC!

2. The 'big B' has come home.  Just a stones throw from adding the letters 'J.D' to her name (btw its still the same... much to our chagrin :P ).  Perhaps that is why I was emboldened to make the big move?  Oh and CM also helped in convincing me... that guy is so dreamy! (j/k big_b, i know that's your line)

3. about 2 weeks ago, I bought a new car!!!  okay that isn't entirely accurate.  its not a 'new' car but rather a very old and well-used car ('pre-driven' in advertising parlance).  a white, 1993 Toyota Tercel, 2-door, STICK-shift (i feel just like speed racer --> trixie where r u?), NO radio, manual locks and windows, 135,000 miles, but she drives like a dream.  to be more accurate, i didn't actually PAY for it (yet), but i will soon... (unless i find my new dream car, a Dodge Ram pickup... its so hard to settle down)

there is more in store, but i'm afraid i must be off.. back into the frigid, snow-covered streets, where the wind whips you around in a frenzy, where the frost nips you where you shan't be nipped, where... OMG the meter is expiring in 5 mins!  gotta go

The Bhopal Disaster 20 years later: Justice delayed will not be denied.

Dec. 3, 2004 Lake Forest (Chicago), IL.  On a clear, cold night in a posh north-shore enclave of Chicago a group of about 30 gathered on a quiet residential street where a prominent board member of Dow Chemical Corp. resided.  They came from various backgrounds and ethnicities including many Indian and non-Indian Americans, students from neighboring Wisconsin, young professionals, and others from groups such as the South Asian Progressive Action Collective and the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.  The common bond the group shared that night was simple yet powerful: We Demand Justice in Bhopal. 

Next to multi-million dollar homes the activists huddled in the dark, the cold not diminishing the fire in their hearts.  Kamayani Keki, an activist with the Association for Indias Development, read a statement from a disaster survivor who lost her entire family that fateful night in 1984 when the Union Carbide plant released a toxic cloud of gas: The survivor spoke of her family members slowly dying from the effects of the toxic gas because they could not afford treatment, "even the Government accused us of making up our symptoms".  Dow acquired Union Carbide in 2001.  Marching to the beat of a dholak, the crowd waved jhaadoos (traditional Indian brooms) in the air as symbols of solidarity with the people of Bhopal and shouted slogans like "clean up Bhopal"  and "jhaadoo maaro Dow ko!"  Among activists present was a visitor from New Delhi-India, Ms. V. Chandra from the New Trade Union Initiative, leading the crowd in the shouting. 

James Ringler, a member of Dow's board of directors, was home that evening.  He was presented with a jhaadoo and a letter highlighting global demands for Dow such as cleaning up the poisoned groundwater and contaminated areas outside the factory, releasing medical information about the toxicity of the poison gas, arranging for long-term economic rehabilitation of survivors, and forcing Union Carbide executives to face trial in India. 

When the friendly Lake Forest police finally arrived, their only request to the crowd was "please stop playing that drum."   But the drum beats are growing louder for Dow.  The long march towards justice for Bhopal will not be denied...

7:30pm @ dts/chi/il/us/ea/ss/mw/uv

Panic can strike anyone at anytime anywhere.  I read a very interesting article on asktog.com about this phenomenon:

we know panic as “ a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort that is accompanied by at least 4 of 13 somatic or cognitive symptoms... often accompanied by a sense of imminent danger or impending doom and an urge to escape...or desire to flee from wherever the attack is occurring.”

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition [DSM-IV]. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 394-403

The symptoms the DSM-IV list are:

1. palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
   
2. sweating
   
3. trembling or shaking
   
4. sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
   
5. feeling of choking
   
6. chest pain or discomfort
   
7. nausea or abdominal distress
   
8. feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
   
9. derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
   
10. fear of losing control or going crazy
    
11. fear of dying
    
12. paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations.
    
13. chills or hot flushes

To read the entire article, click: http://www.asktog.com/columns/066Panic" title="http://www.asktog.com/columns/066Panic" target="_blank"http://www.asktog.com/columns...!.html

In brief, I witnessed the following from my vantage point:

-the season's first snowfall last wednesday.  it was a crummy day at the office, but it was quite a beautiful site at nite.
-driving the sibling to ORD, then to Parivar Milan in Springfield, IL was a challenge. 
-Parivar Milan was, of course, a blast.  Hopefully I'll post my notes from the lectures and general observations sometime soon.
-Saturday night's "High School Reunion".  Two HS sweethearts, my buddy Teg and his now fiance Jigu, finally were betrothed at this venue in the 'burbs.

that's all folks.

11/23/04 11:30pm @ sko.il.usa

opening jab:  hotmail SUX!  they stopped supporting Outlook unless u shelled out 20/yr and they never even bumped up the capacity on my free hotmail account like they promised.  w/ gmail.google.com u can have lots of storage, connection to an email client, and not be supporting evil corporate empires.  anyways, i wrote them to  complain and they have (temporarily) restored access via Outlook/OExpress.  we'll see how long this lasts.

i would go into the ssue: ukraine about the problems ppl have w/ their government but i'm sleepy

ok last things first... dearest dadaji and ba have left!  the past 6 months went by with lightening speed.  all the chaa-paani's at 7:30am at motamama's house w/ dada and ba; the monday night shiv mahimna's; those oh-so-frequent lectures and comments by ba about 'nakee kar nakee' (decide, decide!) w/ regards to finding a life-partner (luckily i didn't have to bear the brunt of that, but it was considerable nonetheless)... ba's haath-ferav thing where she petted my hair and mussed it up (it was always unkempt); those dhinchak-a-dhinchak moves, that one crazy girl at the beach ba always used to imitate; her rambling on and on or repeatedly saying the same thing over and over much like dear old mom, altho momma was NEVER that cute...) 

so, these are all memories now, huh?  we have so many memories with these people, with many people, but these two individuals in particular have made an immense impact on my life, in nothing but a positive way.  life can be so many wonderful, exciting things.  it can take u so high and drop u so far down. u can be revered by the masses, successful beyond your wildest dreams, everything.... but if you don't have people close by who you can say w/ confidence about "those are my people" and love and have them love you, then you are missing out... dearly.

JSK/KSB

the headlines read: "Old Dirty Bastard dies at age 36";  for the un-initiated, this gives major pause.  how the hell can someone be old at 36?  what constitutes a bastard?  and how, pray tell, do you earn the designation 'dirty'?? 

ODB (recent alias: dirt mcGirt), real name Russell Jones, was a prominent member of the Wu Tang Clan rap possee.  apparently he collapsed at a stuido and died.  an autopsy is still pending.

i was introduced to the Wu during my mid-teens.  back in '94/'95, in high school.  we used to rock the tape decks and cd's; headz steady noddin' to the beat, marvelling at their lyrical mastery, w/ the political and social innuendos thrown into the verbal assualt.  of course there was inspectah deck, u-god, gotsface killa, masta killa, method man, the rza, the gza, raekwon the chef, cappadonna, and the other johnny-come-latelys, but you always had that dirty, stanky, filthy sound of the Dirt...

cleanliness is next to godliness, but luckily for the ODB (and indeed, some of us too) the good Lord has an extra large bar of soap and a good scrubbing washcloth ever-ready.

Happy Diwali !! 

Diwali is celebrate across the world as the 'festival of lights'.  The story behind Diwali is a long one.  In brief, it celebrates Ram's triumphant return to Ayodhya upon vanquishing the rakshasa-king Ravan.  Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil; of light illuminating the darkness; of realization and intellect over the forces that contribute to ignorance and nescience.

May the Good Lord's sun shine brightly on you and your loved ones today, and every day!

pass them pendaa

i know i have been posting a bevvy of political blogs as of late.  i promise to cut back and return to the roots of this weblog... namely my random, self-promoting (and oftentimes surreptit iously narcissistic) rambli ngs sparsely peppered with the occasional useful tidbit or inspiring anecdote. 

well we had a # of in-ams running for public office this season.  here's how they fared (thx to the ppl on the SAPAC listserv for compiling this).  most notable are the extremes, with Bobby Jindal garnering 78.3% of the vote (aside: Bobby J gives me mixed feelings; on the bright side he is a rising republican star w/ a degree from Oxford; he fixed the Louisiana Health Care system and he is now a Congressman at the age of 33!; however he also denounced his born-religion of Hinduism and embraced Christianity... i knew there was a catch).  faring even better was Nikki Randhawa-Haley with 98.9% of the votes to put her into the South Carolina House of Representatives as a Republican (i shall overlook her 'hyphenated' surname at the moment and forgoe commentary)

at the other extreme (at least politically) is Sheela Kini with a paltry 1.1% of the vote for office of San Francisco County Supervisor... sorry Sheela that's Frisco for ya'. maybe you are not gay enough?

lastly, i just HAD to mention this next pb (pravasi bharatiya or Indian in a foreign land... a term i introduced to replace the divisive ABCD/FOB acronyms).  Eduardo Bhatia ran for mayor... of San Juan Puerto Rico!  They have Indians in PR???  What's next, we find out Jose Cuervo's middle name is Singh??  Mucho Respecto, Sr. Bhatia... you got 46.3% of the vote.

WINNERS:

Bobby Jindal  (R-Louisiana)
U.S. House of Representatives, Louisiana 1st Congressional District
WON with 78.3% (217,719) of the vote

Swati Dandekar (D-Iowa)
Iowa House of Representatives, District 36
WON with 54.4% (9,772) of the vote

Nikki Randhawa-Haley (R-South Carolina)
South Carolina House of Representatives, District 87
WON with 98.9% (14,420) of the vote

Shinku Sharma  (Calif.)
Board Member, Saratoga Union School District (Santa Clara County)
WON with 25.5% (1,895) of the vote

Jagrup Sidhu  (Calif.)
Council Member, Kerman City Council (Fresno County)
WON with 41.4% (937) of the vote

Harry Sidhu  (Calif.)
Council Member, Anaheim City Council (Orange County)
WON with 18.3% (17,846) of the vote

Mital Gandhi  (DC)
Advisory Neighborhood Commission of Northwest Washington
WON with 59.3% (303) of the vote

Rajendra Ratnesar  (Calif.)
Member, Board of Directors, Eden Township Health Care District (Alameda County)
WON with 35.8% (35,794) of the vote

LOSERS:

 Sylvester Fernandez  (R-New Jersey)
U.S. House of Representatives, New Jersey 6th Congressional District
Lost with 31.0% (69,389) of the vote

Jay Rao  (R-North Carolina)
North Carolina Secretary of State
Lost with 42.9% (1,327,265) of the vote

Brian Jayakumar  (D-New York)
New York State Senate, District 47
Lost with 31.5% (29,762) of the vote

Sid Das  (D-New Hampshire)
New Hampshire House of Representatives, District 27 (Hillsboro County)
Lost with 2.6% (5,204) of the vote

Rano Singh  (D-Arizona)
Arizona House of Representatives, District 6
Lost with 26.3% (19,195) of the vote (98.3% of Precincts Reporting)
 
Eduardo Bhatia  (PPD-Puerto Rico)
Mayor of San Juan
Lost with 46.3% (89,916) of the vote

Lakhvir S. Ghag  (Calif.)
Council Member, Live Oak City Council (Sutter County)
Lost with 23.5% (478) of the vote

Kash Gill  (Calif.)
Council Member, City Council of Yuba City (Sutter County)
Lost with 17.4% (4,421) of the vote

George James  (R- New Jersey)
Council Member, Borough of Westwood Council
Lost with 24.3% (2,245) of the vote (96% of Vote Reporting)

Gyan Kalwani  (Calif.)
Council Member, Elk Grove City Council, District 5 (Sacramento County)
Lost with 12.9% (3,494) of the vote

Sheela Kini  (Calif.)
Supervisor, County of San Francisco, District 7
Lost with 1.1% (249) of the vote

Deepka Lalwani  (Calif.)
Council Member, Milpitas City Council (Santa Clara County)
Lost with 18.7% (3,429) of the vote

Tej Maan  (Calif.)
Council Member, City Council of Yuba City (Sutter County)
Lost with 6.8% (1,730) of the vote

Narinder K. Mann  (Calif.)
Council Member, Kerman City Council (Fresno County)
Lost with 22.4% (507) of the vote

Atul Mitra  (Calif.)
Board Member, New Haven Unified School District (Alameda County)
Lost with 16.7% (5,452) of the vote

Jay R. Shah  (Calif.)
Supervisor, County of San Francisco, District 2
Lost with 4.0% (1,020) of the vote

Shantu Shah  (Oregon)
Board of Director (Position 1), of the Proposed Washington County Public Utility District
Lost with 13.2% (33,720) of the vote

Brahama D. Sharma  (Calif.)
Mayor of Pismo Beach (San Luis Obispo County)
Lost with 3.9% (151) of the vote

Rakesh Sharma  (Calif.)
Council Member, Fremont City Council (Alameda County)
Lost with 13.5% (11,263) of the vote

Paul Reuben Singh  (Calif.)
Council Member, Live Oak City Council (Sutter County)
Lost with 16.2% (330) of the vote

things were neck and neck just until the end, right?  not really.  before bush caught dreaded 'foot-in-mouth' syndrome during this first debate in october, kerry wasn't looking too good.  but he came back roaring... it was never enough, though.  he had far too much ground to cover and couldn't quite catch-up to bush (even w/ Heinz helping him along).

just when you thought it was safe to put away your cowboy boots and big, shiny belt buckle;

4 more years indeed...

1am @sko.il.usa

GWB 269
JFK 221

looks like dubya will take it, but Ohio is still iffy for some... those provisional votes may play a role.  nevada is less than a margin of 2000 at this pt.  www.drudgereport.com (drudgereport) declares GWB winner, www.foxnews.com (foxnews) and www.msnbc.com (msnbc) say its inevitable.  some last minute shenanigans by kerry's campaign manager mary beth cahill (who's incessant emails flood my inbox some days) is trying to keep it in play.  rather and cbs are trying to be 'extra accurate' and avoid embarrasment again (remember that stupid national guard forged papers scandal?)

~manana~

current electoral breakdown:

GWB: 170
JFK: 112

it is only 9pm here and we have already seen a 17 hour day go by.  bush just gave a brief 'press statement' although they didn't play the sound.  (his two girls were sittin pretty though :lol: ) 

in related news: the p's are at a post-election party.  earlier today i saw a pic of momma w/ obama in the paper.  it seems voting this time around instantly makes you cool and hip.

ok this just in: dubya now has 181 to kerry's 112 accdg to pete jennings @ abc.  i'll update more later... this sandwich is calling my name

12:30am @ sko.il.usa

exhausted, and its only just beginning.  i just finished setting up the 'staging ground' (aka the old dining room).  in less than 5 hours, a bunch of people from the ICIRR will be at our door, setting up shop to mobilize voters who have expressed their support for our initiatives during the intense canvassing over the last weeks and months.  i hope they don't mind the smell of fresh paint, newly lain hardwood flooring with clear varnish, & of course dear mom's eclectic creations for the day...  what will the day hold in store for us, for the citizens of this Nation, and indeed, for the entire world?  i guess we'll have to wait until wednesday to answer that question.

its pretty darn exciting, if u ask me.  i mean voting has never been this glamorous, important, necessary, and dare i say 'sexy' ?  listening to the radio, reading the blogs and news sites, and just plain talking to your average 'jose Q public' it is clear we are on the verge of witnessing historic times, nay- of participating in historic times.  and yet my mind drifts back... back four years to this date... to the unfamiliar surroundings that feel so much like a part of me now.  walk with me again, won't you?

the year was 2000.  the month november.  it was cold and raining, much like it is in Chicago now.  but i was far from the midwest, i was in Appalachia, in a land with fabled Southern hospitality, rolling hills, the greenest, tallest pines around, and rusted, red-orange dirt.  the martian-like soil was so unlike my rich, black prarie land.  things still grew here.  that night grew long, and i sat transfixed until the dawn.

~NC:

for those who remember, it was a close race.  one the vice-president, who fathered the internet but was rumored to be made of wood, the other a Cowboy with a catchy middle initial and a swagger in his step.  there i sat, watching them, from my spacious apartment, the corner unit on Duck Pond Circle with the cobwebs on the lantern, devoid of a single piece of furniture.  yes i spent a good chunk of my 21st year there, no bed but a heavy brown sleepingbag, a black-and-white TV w/out remote (the kind with the large dials you have to turn) donated by G's parents, at first my only friend the green-blue glow of a lava lamp (boy how that would change).  that night i did not sleep.  i was transfixed... who would lead us? whom would we call our 43rd president?  did it really matter in the end? 

wait, one of them conceded defeat and congratulated the other... waaaait now he's rescinding...  what's going on?  separate networks declaring separate winners??  i couldn't help but watch... it was now 2am... now 3am... i had work in the morning.  eventually sheer exhaustion took over (even peter j., tom b., and the like looked terrible by this point; their makeup was in disarray, their speech slurred)  it was time to go, to drift into sleep, more tomorrow, but now-  must-  go....

::goodnight & goodluck; we'll need it more than those 2 guys::

"This year Halloween fell on a weekend
Me and Geto Boyz be trick-or-treatin
Robbing little kids for bags
Till a law man got behind our a$$
So we speeded up the pace
Took a look back and he was right before our face
He'd be in for a squabble no doubt
So I swung and hit the ni66a in his mouth
He was going down, we figga'd
But this wasn’t no ordinary ni66a
He stood about six or seven feet
Now, that's the ni66a I'd been seeing in my sleep
So we triple-teamed on him
Dropping them mf beads on him
The more I swung the more blood flew
Then he disappeared and my boys disappeared, too
Then I felt just like a fiend
It wasn't even close to Halloween
It was dark as ** on the streets
My hands were all bloody from punching on the concrete

God damn, homie
My mind is playing tricks on me"

Geto Boys (1992)

dtsHQ/chi/il @ 6pm

ONE WEEK till Election Day!  What are u doing about it?  At the very least, if u are a registered voter, plan on taking 15 minutes to exercise your right of franchise.  If you want to do more, there are plenty of places you can help.  Here are two that I have been involved with to help GOTV (get out the vote) these past few months:

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR): www.icirr.org

South Asian Progressive Action Coalition (SAPAC): www.sapacchicago.org

What about your neck of the woods?  There are tons of groups, NGOs, NPOs, PPOs, and d HO'z (ok stay away from them dirrtay HOz but the others are ok) that are doing voter mobilization, canvassing, cold calling, demonstrationaning, and all those other -ings that = making a difference.

Remember, in 4 years we may or may not have such an opportunity... be a part of history.

2am @ sk.il.us

After over 2 decades of near-misses, I finally stepped foot on blessed Golden soil.  That mythological, enchanting land embracing the grandest of oceans has beckoned me with her long, curved finger and that electric smile; her bright, snow-covered peaks and lush, dense valleys have intrigued me since childhood.  Many a year have I resisted; I denied her, rather, I deferred her.  At long last we met.

In biblical times, the 12 tribes of Israel, wandering the wilderness, sought Canaan, the land of milk and honey.  Was this the land they sought?  The land of palm trees and palm readers, fault lines and no-fault divorces, world-famous celebrities and infamous individuals, buxom silicone beauties and cellulite cuties.  Milk and honey, indeed!  I think I have tasted prune juice and tofu... California, I have arrived.

How did I find our first meeting?  Like all women of this world, Cali is vast and complex.  There was no way I could hope to know all of her upon our initial meeting.  Thus I tried to introduce myself to her most vocal representative, Los Angeles, the City of Angels.

There is much to tell, and much more to hear.  I ask only, my dear reader, your patience.