wellsish: interests
             
 

Here are some of my passions in life. I will provide more information, links, photos, etc. about my various interests as time allows...right now time isn't allowing much of anything except taking care of new baby girl Eva!

Politics
Skiing
Digital Music Technology & the Internet
Writing

Politics

~ George W. Bush Is A Thief of the Highest Order.

For a little fun, tickle Bush's upper lip...

  • Watch as he sells the spoils of US aggression around the globe to his (and Dick Cheney's) very special interests (big oil has never had it so good!)

  • Watch as he and his administration (and highly partisan Republicans in Congress) craft tax legislation that protects the interests of our nation's wealthiest citizens at the expense of the rest of us. Ever wonder why there is less and less money for education and other important social needs? Don't act surprised when years after this administration is gone, that we discover just how much they benefited the wealthy at the expense of our nation's overall well-being.

  • The Patriot Act is the most unpatriotic act we've seen in our government in years. Eroding our freedoms to fight 'terrorism' is a cynical excuse for making it a crime to dissent from government policies. Don't take my word for it - the so-called Justice Department is using the Patriot Act to investigate our citizen's activities that have nothing whatsoever to do with 'terrorism,' and this abuse of the law by Attorney General Ashcroft must stop now.

  • Is it really worth it to sell out the environment for the sake of economic growth? When do we stop destroying the environment, when there's nothing left for our children?

Shame on Bush and his administration, and shame on us, for letting them get away with these crimes.

~ Thoughts on Terrorism

Terrorist acts such as the horrible and tragic destruction of the World Trade Center and the murder of almost 3,000 innocent people need to be prevented; the road to solving these problems is not to invade sovereign nations. To truly fight terrorism, we as Americans need to examine the ways in which our nation has historically conducted itself on the world stage. Most people don't hate America because we are a democracy; they hate us because we invade and occupy their lands, and rob their nation's resources for the benefit of our businesses. In the words of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, "the Administration, with its policy in Iraq, has isolated the United States from the international community and threatens to make our country less safe not more safe."

When recently asked about the ongoing attacks against US forces in Iraq, Bush made irresponsible and dangerous comments that in effect are taunting Iraqi insurgents to "bring it on." Another Democratic presidential contender, Al Sharpton, put it best when he said, "I think that that is the kind of language you hear gang leaders talk in south-central L.A., not world leaders that are trying to convince the world that we are there to protect democracy and to establish a state. This kind of schoolyard bravado is beneath the dignity of the one superpower in the world. I think that it was reckless, and he owes an apology to his troops that are there and the families that are praying for their safe return."

~ Resources

To learn more about the current state of US politics and social issues, check out the Indy Media Center.

Another Mother For Peace is a great organization that has the mission of reminding us that no matter how much we rationalize the necessity of war, we can never justify the killing of women, children and all other living things. Next time you're making excuses for why it's necessary to bomb a country, think about your own family, children, grandchildren. Collateral damage is flesh-and-blood people.

If you're interested in learning just how much the Bush administration is jeopardizing our environment with their pro big business policies, check out the Sierra Club website.

Skiing

Keep on eye on this page for info about my (and my friend's) skiing adventures, as well as general skiing info. In the meantime, click here to learn about my favorite Washington state ski resort, Crystal Mountain.
 

Digital Music Technology & the Internet

The migration of music to the Internet has pretty much defined what I've done for a living since I quit trying to make a living as a musician. My career over the past six years has included marketing and editorial work for Amazon.com Music and my most recent role was as music and video-on-demand services manager for broadband Internet service provider Speakeasy Network. More to come on this rapidly evolving industry soon, so stay tuned.

I'm proud to have sat on a panel at the O'Reilly Peer-to-Peer and Web Services Conference to discuss the role of the ISP in P2P. Click here for more.

In the meantime, if you're interested in this stuff, check out the incredible book "Code & Other Laws of Cyberspace" by legal scholar and Digital Age visionary Lawrence Lessig.
 

Writing

  • To read my handy guide to independant record labels, click here
  • Here's a partial list of CDs that I reviewed during my time as a music editor at Amazon.com:
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