Techno Poet - Science is Art

On the one year anniversery of the Mumbai attack, and the week of a state dinner honoring the friendship of the American and Indian people I want to list seven things I love about India!

1. Largest democracy in the world. They prove how powerful Democracy is, and how it can thrive in poor and populous countries.
2. Born of non-violence - how many countries can show they pushed invaders from their land and set up a government without voilent bloodshed. To this day they continue a long friendship with England. India, the birthplace of Ghandi...'nuff said.
3. Thanks for Nothing - India invented the Zero. I mean think about it. Before Indian mathemeticians no one on earth had thought of zero.
4. Yoga - can't speak enough about how wonderful this gift to the world is. It can change your mind, heal your body and make people around you happier.
5. Martial Arts - We can't say any country "invented" martial arts. But India was probably the first place to have a formalized system of training that was later adopted by China and the Asian countries. The root of just about all styles can be traced back to India.
6. Religous Diversity - The majority of Indians may be Hindi, but they tolerate a wide variety of religions, and they live together in remarkable harmony. Even after the Mumbai attacks there weren't a lot of attacks on muslims. India has a small but ancient Christian population that was said to have been founded by the apostle Thomas.
7. Indian Americans - Our country is so rich because of the two million Indians living here. As with many imigrant populations I continue to be amazed at how they often come here with nothing and wind up rich.

The Indian and American people have always been friends. We share a common set of values based on the principles of freedom and democracy. I hope we continue to strengthen our relationship with this country, and will conitnue to enjoy those Indians in my life.

Dear Austin,

We had such a dry hot summer that it might have been easy to forget I love you. I do love you, and I want to write this letter to express my love for all the world to see. My friend Kewal the Daring Young Man wrote a love letter to Austin, maybe others could do the same. You deserve it!

My dear Austin, we have been going together since 1993 when I packed a truck full of junky furniture and came here to start my first real professional job. When I saw my first apartment it backed up into a wooded valley overlooking the city. I asked if we could walk in the woods down there. The lady looked at me like I was crazy. I thought she didn't like the woods, but the truth is you had this wonderful greenbelt five blocks away.

I would go down there and wander through your woods in the middle of the city. Oh how close we were. You consoled me there when my grandfather died, and provided for countless dates (you were an open lover). I practiced Tai Chi with your skyline in the background, hung out with a bunch of slackers at Whole Foods, and watched fireworks every fourth of July.

And over the years you provided a rich enviornment of creative and committed people who helped me advance my career. You are a vibrant city, full of ideas.

I think it is the people who live within you that I love the most. They are ecclectic, and unique. What other city has a chamber of commerce that says "Keep Austin Weird"? I have been to so many cities and never have I seen so many beautiful women. They light up the city. And I love to sit in coffee shops and listen to people arguing politics, (even as I wrote this letter, I stopped and talked to Organizing for America reps.) discussing some yoga move, or some nerdy geek game. You have more book stores and cofee shops per square feet than anyone else.

You are a tolerant city with every race religion and more than your share of people who are so weird I feel normal.

I love to exercise with you. Town lake is a perfect running place. The best Martial Arts school I have ever known resides in your borders. Thousands of peope do yoga here, I think it is more popular than Tennis.

You are a low maintenance lover that lets people buy (and keep) their own home. While other cities are going down, my house gets more valuable each day, and I own a lot of it. There is always something free to do, or some low cost festival.

You introdced me to my wife, and gave us a beautiful lake in the middle of Town to walk and talk. You provided a great neighborhood for us with trees and an enormous yard. It is such a dog friendly town with lots of dog lovers and dog parks.

Oh you are not perfect. You put on way too much allergenic perfume. It makes me cry every spring, and then you baste me in the fire of your sun for the summer. But you remain my beloved city; Austin, like Berlin in the Cold War you stay blue in a sea of red. I want to be yours forever.

Labels: Austin, keep austin weird

Story idea

-An asteroid is heading towards the earth that will doom mankind. But as the asteroid hones in the moon turns out to actually be an asteroid blaster. The story revolves around finding out who built the asteroid blaster and why.

These old World War 2 Posters show the mindset of the "Greatest Generation" in terms of pollution prevention. You can find a complete list at:

Labels: fight waste

Liz worked on headstands last night. I am getting there, I can almost kick-up without assistance. I can't tell if it is that I lack the strength to get my legs (and ass) up or if I need to overcome fear of tipping over. I do know that I can hover tentatively for a moment before clunking back to the ground.

Labels: anyusara, headstands

Master Ali helped us with forms. I can tell I am improving because this time he waited until the first move to offer correction. The last time he started at "ready position". The higher your rank the more exacting the instruction becomes. There is no end to the detail.

Labels: Martial Arts, Solom Huan, Tukong, Tukong Moosul

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.