Visit earlier dispatches from past months.

April 26, 2004 | Words from Colby | Craig

Our always-missed friend Colby in San Francisco wrote this and asked us to post it as a memorial. Much love to Colby, and our hearts out to Nick's friends, and all the kids on the Haight.

a kid i worked with died on wednesday. we think it was chronic alcohol poisoning - me and the four of his friends who found him dead and dragged him out of the park to the ambulance. kids who seemed to barely feel it. most of them have watched friends die on the streets. we hung out tuesday, the day before he died. he was a sweet guy with a gentle heart, a mumbler who was painfully hard on himself. he deeply experienced the hatred of the homeless, the judgments of the housed.

the police harassed him daily. we can thank gavin newsom for heightening the police attack against the homeless. if newsom has his way more and more homeless people will die this year. and they'll die poorer, less sheltered, with less dignity, food, clothing, medical services, etc. as general assistance checks will be cut to $60 from $360/month in the next few months. fuck newsom. and fuck larkin st. for kissing his ass.

i work at a non-profit (read corporate machine) that preaches careerism, capitalism and condescending service-provision - not community support, radical redistribution and justice. nick and i subverted all that because we were friends (he loved to remind me) and i will never forget him.

nick meade, we will fight this shit in your name. we'll miss you.

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April 23, 2004 | Something something | Craig

Even though everyone knows that at heart (if not in practice, cf this website) I'm a luddite -- even though I know technology is a general condition that none of us really can choose to "opt out of," and even though I recognize that the romance of anti-machinery is nostalgic, in other words, refers to a no-place and no-time of nature -- I have to admire the reach of the internet. I found this translation of something I wrote while looking at paths to make. The glossary of terms at the bottom is my favorite part.

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April 20, 2004 | How jealous are you? | Craig

Hero to perverts and sci-fi geeks alike, Samuel Delaney did a reading at school yesterday from his new novel. The story itself was great but his style of presentation and general manner were truly captivating. I'm on a kick of being impressed with really self-possessed people right now, and his total production of the space and the air and the time and the language was incredible. Also, I love all the bears who showed up! They're the kind of gay I can really rally around.

Whambamtrans was wicked fun: amazing readings, super music, and all around good people in great abundance. After the performances, we shook it over at Luke's house and got to have some one-on-one chats with Claire (another organizer), and made new pals from Albany and elsewhere. The drive back, which began at 2.30 in the morning, was pretty much cake. We pulled up to the rental place at a quarter to 7, and I love the city on bright, quiet mornings like that.

What I really want to be writing about is what my near-and-dear Rania likes to call "hot sex on a platter," but I think I will keep things rated G for tonight. I'll just say I hope everyone is getting some spring-fling in.

Been on my bike for days. Bliss.

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April 16, 2004 | The road to Providence | Craig

Hopefully The Mean Corner won't have too much trouble getting to RI for Whambamtrans tomorrow, though apparently some essential bridge is closed. Only time will tell. Greg has decided the theme of the trip is Crossroads, so I'm cropping all me tees in preparation. Anyone in the land of Coffee Milk and Honey, please come see us. I guess the Dirt Palace got shut down, so check the website for current venue info.

I ended class 40 minutes early yesterday, after making people say what they did on their Spring vacation and declaring that I had Spring Break Fever and wanted to go outside while it was still nice. At some point while I was lecturing some instrumenta l music from an accompanying class suddenly filled my room, completely throwing me and the whole class into giggles, and I just kinda shrugged and said the night seemed to be a lost cause. Despite the evening's flakey performance, after class a student said to me, "You're good, you know that right?" which obviously made my year.

After class I walked 60 blocks downtown in the amazing weather, something of a feat considering the copious minutes of sleep I'd gotten the night before. Having a little trouble focusing on skoolwork these days. I am so ready for Summer.

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April 14, 2004 | Kids unite! | Craig

A note from our friend Katrina in California:

Hi Craig and Dean. I found this article about preparing your kids for protests and well, it spoke to me. I'm not sure if you're ready to move make.org in the kid direction but if you are, or if you just want to read up so you'll be ready when little baby Spade comes to visit you, then read on.

Also Craig I am sorry you had another shitty experience with the clinic people. It does make for good reading though. I guess you're good at turning poo into gold. Nice work.

love to you both - Katrina

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April 12, 2004 | STD clinics are the new Club Meds | Craig

My superfriend Franklin had the unenviable luck of bumping into me moments after I left a hellacious visit to the NYC Department of Health STD/HIV clinic to get the results of my recent tests. Despite my clean bill of health, I was in a complete state over the fact that I'd been given a confidential rather than anonymous HIV test, even though I requested anonymous when I went in. (Read this article on Names Reporting and HIV Surveillance to learn about the difference and why it matters.) This was after the hideous experience of the testing and "counseling" itself, which involved being admonished for my "lifestyle" and having a swab inserted into my, um, self, with no forewarning. That's one way to find out how you check for syphilis. I realize I was not at my best when trying to communicate my concerns about the unsafe, untrusting environment they were creating (there was a lot of standing up, yelling, finger-jabbing, and proclaiming: "What you all do here does not even begin to approach the concept of public health!") but I really wanted to try to express the implications of creating free testing that only discourages people from coming back.

Franklin helped talk me down and I joined him and soonafter Kaycee for coffee (as if I needed further stimulation) and a wee-bit of studying. Spring Break 2004 continues tonight with birthday drinks for a friend and some shaky-shaky on the dancefloor at the C-o-c-k. I think I should change out of my tie-dye t-shirt but it's the only Spring-thing going on in these dreary April showers.

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April 8, 2004 | Let the poison spill | Craig

So I've been feeling rather emotionally gothic since my parents left town and seem to be prone to public crying spells. Recently bringing tears to my eyes: Emily Jacir's text/photo pieces currently at the Whitney, documentation of a project in which she asked exiled Palestinians, "If I could do anything for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?" and then attempted to fulfill the requests. It's beautiful, simple, politically brilliant, heart- breaking.

Today, an article about two U.S. soliders who fled to Canada when their units were sent to Iraq. Did you know that "desertion during wartime" is a capital offense? That means punishable by death. Sites for the cases of Jeremy Hinzman (who is 25 years old) and Brandon Hughey (who is 18) offer more info about conscientious objection and support for their cases.

That's it for now, gotta clean my room and figure out how to salvage the remains of Spring Break 2004.

Soundtrack to my angsty teen regression: The Faint. Who knew hopeless depression could carry such a great, dancey beat?

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April 6, 2004 | Interview | Dean

I just finished this interview with Jesse, the creator of one of my favorite zines. Have a read if you're interested.

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April 6, 2004 | The new napster | Craig

Just woke up from a brief, emergency sleep on the floor of an office at the Grad Center. My parents are in town. I think I'll mostly leave the report to that. I had to do some work today so they visited me at school and I introduced them to my advisor. She was very nice to them. When the topic of my new favorite lifestyle activity came up, she said that Emily, our drummer, "is the only guy in the band." I think my parents had no idea what to do with that.

Speaking of (the band, not having no idea), The Mean Corner is way excited to be hitting the road for Providence next weekend. We'll be performing at Whambamtrans amongst a glittery assortment of incredible artisits. Our first tour! Even if it only has one stop...

This weekend, after my parents return to the sunshine state, Kaycee and I will be taking a spring break journey to Richmond. (VA baby, believe that!) Anyone with thoughts of good activities? Pass em along.

PS, greetings to Make's also recent (and much enjoyed!) visitors, Carolyn and Shannon, who me and Dean met through their activist work at CU. If any readers are contemplating a move, we hear Denver is a up and coming.

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