Elliott Smith: One Last Song

Just a few short days ago, over 8 years after his untimely death, a previously unreleased recording of an original song written and performed by Elliott Smith has leaked, and I have a copy of it to share with all of you. The song is called Misery Let Me Down. It's a short song, but with Elliott, it was always about "less is more," and the man never produced anything short of true artwork. The recording was made while Elliott was paying a visit to a WMUC-FM, the student radio station at the College Park campus of the University of Maryland. Coincidentally, I've actually been there personally. Click the play button below to hear the full track via this YouTube video.

If you'd like an mp3 of the song for personal use, please leave a comment along with an e-mail address and I will personally send you an mp3 of the version that I have, which includes about 15 seconds of Elliott speaking in the beginning, and just a very brief mumble at the end about warming up his voice. Hearing him speak and then immediately going into the song, since I've been listening to his music for several years now, but rarely listen to recordings of him speaking, since his death, is really chilling at times.

Elliott Smith, the Nebraska born singer-songwriter (originally born Steven Paul Smith) who shaped so much of the sound that we now call the indie/alternative genre, lived a short life, dying at just 34 back in October of 2003. He lived the majority of his adult life in Portland, Oregon but most of his childhood he was raised in Texas.

He was a musician in every sense of the word. He wrote his own songs, his own music and accompaniment, and his vocals are so chillingly beautiful you can't help but get goosebumps while listening to his particularly heart-felt and often melancholy tracks. Along with his weapon of choice, the acoustic guitar, he also played bass, drums, piano, harmonica, and clarinet.

Elliott hit the peak of his career when he signed a two album record deal with Dreamworks Records. Among those entrancing songs setting the stage for a a cold and naked recanting of human suffering and the apparent curing power of love, was the single entitled Miss Misery. Elliott Smith was nominated for an Academy Award under the category of Best Original Song in 1998; a truly humbling and incredible honor and form of recognition, just to be a nominee.

If you know Elliott's music, you know him. He always sang about crippling depression and addiction, codependency, and other issues that truly did haunt him in his personal life. Just five years later, at the age of 34, Smith was found dead as the result of two stab wounds to the chest. Rumors suggesting that these wounds were not actually self-inflicted still quietly circulate the folk singer-songwriter scene to this day, but one thing is undeniable: his talent was extraordinary, his vocals will forever be hauntingly beautiful, and the art he shared with the world will never be forgotten.

If you're in Los Angeles, you have to go by Solutions Audio, where the Elliott Smith memorial is painted outside. This is where the album cover for Figure 8 was shot. Fans and members of the FMLY arts and music collective commissioned the restoration of the mural to honor Elliott's memory.

Soundtrack to my November

What I've been listening to lately..
(you'll find a player at the bottom of this post to listen to each song in its entirety)

Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - "Broadripple Is Burning"

• This song is a few years old, but I just started listening to this band and they're incredible. I had to share them with you guys.

Margot & The Nuclear So & So's - "New York City Hotel Blues"

• One more example of the "less is more" stylings of a great indie band, mixed with some New York City vibes i can certainly relate to.

Drake - "Look What You've Done"

• His new album 'Take Care' leaked 2 days ago, and after listening to the whole thing, i think this is my favorite track on the record. He talks about real life and shows the human side of his music/lyrics. This song can be about romantic love or family love, it applies to both sides of the spectrum.
• My favorite quote from this song is: "You love me and i love you, and your heart hurts, mine does too. And it's just words and they cut deep but it's our world, it's just us two. I see painkillers on the kitchen counter, i hate to see it hurts so bad."

Childish Gambino - "L.E.S."

• On a lighter note, here's Childish Gambino's (aka Donald Glover) ode to New York City's Lower East Side, along with some Hipster references (both positive & negitive)

Death Cab For Cutie - "Codes & Keys (Yeasayer Remix)"

• The official "Codes & Keys" Remix EP won't be out for another 11 days, but i got a hold of this Yeasayer Remix to share with you Death Cab fans. The EP will also feature other artists including.. 2 bears, Cut Copy, RAC Maury, and Ulrich Schnauss (among others.)

Sigur Rós – “Lúppulagið”

• This Tuesday, the 15th, Sigur Rós will be releasing their new album 'Inni'. Here's a precviously unreleased studio recording of Lúppulagið. In case you were wondering, it means "Loop Song" in Icelandic.

Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

A word to the wise...

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep."

-Scott Adams

"People write their wishes on paper lanterns, light them, and launch them into the sky in the belief that they will come true." I'd like to think that's true; it's hard to imagine that something so beautiful would lack the ability to guide an honest, good-intentioned wish to the powers that be. The man explaining the purpose of the lanterns is Sheng-Fa Lin, a man from Taipei, Taiwan who took the above photograph. He calls it Flying Lantern. The picture was taken at the Lantern Festival in Pingxi, a town in northern Taiwan.

The above photograph is property of Sheng-Fa Lin, and is being displayed on Artistic Resistance under Creative Commons licensing. His photography can be viewed at this address.

UPDATE: Washington Square Park Protestors

The above video belongs to the YouTube user (Rohanharkinson) clearly stated at the top of the viewer.
I do not own or claim to own any rights to this video and am only relaying it onto you readers as a third party.

This video was taken at 12 midnight EST in the center of Washington Square Park, New York City, NY. Note the riot police in full gear, prepared to engage the protesters if they did not leave the park immediately. The cameraman was smart enough to leave, and the police officer in the light blue jacket was very polite and considerate of the rights of each of the protesters that were present there. The park was officially closed at midnight, so the police officers did have the legal authority to ask the demonstrators to leave. The officer that first approached the group was calm, polite, and stated the exact reason as to why the group was being asked to disperse and exit the park. You could tell that some of the other officers seemed more inclined to just arrest the camera operator while he was trying to exit the park from the South end.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it would be nice to have more officers like the one in the beginning of this video who treated the protesters with respect, specifically commented on the fact that he understands their voice and appreciates their decision to exercise their rights. He also said towards the end, "why get arrested?" and "we just want to go home, it's already midnight." Which was a moment of connection between the two parties, regardless of their stance or whether or not they were uniformed police officers or just a group of civilians.

BREAKING NEWS: Occupy Wall Street

While the exact details of this incident are not yet known, what we know so far is that TWENTY or more protesters have been arrested inside the LaGuardia Place branch of Citibank. An estimated fifty people entered the bank location with the intention of closing their bank accounts, in an effort to make a statement about their disgust for the United States' financial crisis, and the portion of fault belonging to the banks themselves.

Right now, protesters are preparing to start their march starting at Washington Square and culminating at Times Square later this evening. The non-violent, peaceful means of protest, choosing to go into one of their bank's various branches, and ultimately closing their accounts, have been treated as though they were criminal acts. I personally have seen footage from just minutes ago, where at least two people were arrested after leaving the bank. One woman in particular was first approached by a plain-clothes undercover police officer who briefly said to her "you were inside ... you were inside with everybody else." I clearly heard the woman respond to the uncover officer repeatedly, but in a calm and respectful manner, "I am a customer." She also had paperwork in her hand which appeared to have been given to her by an employee of the bank branch before she had left the building.

The young woman was not in any way acting aggressively, and she responded to the plain-clothes police officer when approached. She did not try to "flee the scene." Despite the fact that it was clear that there was no crime being committed in the first place, she did stick around to respond to the officer. After he repeatedly said "you were in there with everybody else," to her, as if he was suggesting that being inside of your bank, during regular business hours, for the purpose of speaking with a bank employee in regards to your bank account is suddenly illegal, he forcefully grabbed her and detained her. Excessive force was used, despite the fact that this poor young woman had not committed any crime, was not interfering with the police officer's "investigation," and was not causing a scene whatsoever. At least one other individual was approached in the same manner, after leaving the bank, and was also detained completely against their will and without cause.

At one point, the bank was actually locked down, keeping the people inside, and that reportedly is when the majority of the 20+ arrests took place. Some sources are now saying that the estimate the arrest total at about 23. As far as I'm aware at this point of the evening, all these people were doing was simply walking into the bank and attempting to close their bank accounts. Most, if not all, of the bank customers in question, have reportedly been charged with crimes such as criminal trespassing. Good luck explaining that one in court, guys. I've never heard of anyone being charged with criminal trespassing because they entered the bank where they are an established customer, and asked to close their bank account. The NYPD is going to have to think of a better story if they want to keep arresting New Yorkers that are choosing to take a stand and make a statement through non-violent, peaceful acts of protest.

I'd like to point out that I have heard reports and seen footage of a very small amount of protesters ignoring direct orders from police officers and/or committing minor offenses such as disturbing the peace, and therefore being arrested. I am not trying to tell you that every one of these protesters is staying within the limits of the law, or that all of the police officers in these locations are abusing their powers. What I am saying, however, is that the vast majority of these protesters are exercising their rights to protest, and their legal right to freedom of speech. I have seen and heard of far too many NYPD police officers abusing their power, using excessive force, and making unlawful arrests.

Earlier today, I saw two different videos that showed an NYPD police officer on a motor scooter literally driving into crowds of people, and at one point, the officer drove right into a cameraman and proceeded to drive directly over the man's legs. This makes me sick; these officers need to be held accountable for their actions, and I wish that the law-abiding cops were doing more to uphold the integrity of the NYPD by holding these corrupt cops responsible for their gross misconduct and completely illegal and dangerous actions.

FREE Original Art Giveaway

Photo is licensed under Creative Commons and was taken by Longzero

So, one of the various things I've been doing lately in terms of my art, is making collages. The collages (for the most part) are made up of words, letters, numbers, symbols, photographs, magazine cut-outs, and freehand drawings all combined together, on everything from white printer paper, to recycled cardboard. They all generally have specific themes and messages that go along with them, and each one is 100% unique. No two are the same.

There have been more and more readers visiting Artistic Resistance lately, and I wanted to try to do something for you, the "audience." It's funny, because sometimes when I look at a webpage, I make assumptions about their reader-base according to the number of comments I see underneath each post. You however, my friends, don't seem like much of a commenting crowd. Lately it's gotten a bit more popular, which I'm very happy to see, but I'd love for there to be TONS and TONS of more comments. And I promise to write back to each and every one of you that writes to me here.

Just to give you an idea, as of the time that I'm typing this sentence, there have been 307 viewers to visit this site just in the past 12 HOURS alone. For some websites/bloggers, that's not really much to celebrate, but to me, a completely independent writer without ANY additional writers, contributors, and with ZERO advertising, those are figures I'm really proud of. That means our audience is solely coming via word-of-mouth, and from people doing Google searches that happen to be related to topics and keywords associated with these articles.

Previously, I had tried to put together a little contest for one lucky Artistic Resistance reader to win 2 FREE advanced-screening passes to a movie that was not yet even in theatres, but the contest really didn't go the way I had planned. The main reason that I think it didn't become popular was because I didn't really allow for enough time before the actual screening would be taking place. Also, I had specifically mentioned that in order to screen the film, you would have to be in the proximity of New York City (because that's where the theatre was located.) Out of the people that I do know personally, who often seem to enjoy discussing the latest articles I've posted, a handful of them asked me specifically about the screening passes. They were wondering who won them, and said things like "ah, I would have loved to go to that!" Well, all I really could say to that was, "why didn't you enter to win the tickets?!"

So here's the new idea I had. During this past week I've made three completed pieces, and I'm in the process of finishing a fourth, which is taking a bit longer because of its size and the material its made of. I'm only going to do this if there is enough of an interest being expressed by you, the readers, but I'd like to COMPLETELY RANDOMLY pool together the names of those that are interested in winning, and pick out 1-3 winners to receive one of these collage pieces that I've been creating. Each one is made by hand, completely by me, and is given a lot of time and thought. The winner(s) will be RANDOMLY selected. Whether or not I know you personally, you have an equal chance of winning, because I'm just going to put each entry into a program that shuffles the names randomly, and that's how the winner(s) will be selected. I'll also sign the piece for you as well, and if you want me to inscribe the back, I'd be happy to do that.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ENTERING TO WIN AN ORIGINAL SIGNED PIECE OF MY ARTWORK, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS...
1). Go up to the top left of this page and register as a SUBSCRIBER/FOLLOWER of Artistic Resistance.

2). Contact me either by commenting on THIS blog post (dated: Saturday, October 8th), -OR- by clicking on the "View Profile" button on the left sidebar, and sending me an e-mail by following the instructions that should be given right through there. **I know some of you have expressed that you prefer remaining anonymous on the actual webpage; I completely respect your privacy and I'm not going to push you to do anything differently.**

Once you've become a SUBSCRIBER/FOLLOWER of the blog, and left a comment or e-mail with at least a first name (or a nickname is fine,) then you will be officially entered to win. No other steps needed. Deadline, for now, is TO BE DETERMINED.
IF YOU ARE ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER, YOU CAN JUST LEAVE A COMMENT.
I HAVE THE LIST OF WHO IS ALREADY SUBSCRIBED.

Question of the Week

survey solutions

Do What You Can (Part Two)

**UPDATE**

I should note that I had typed up that last post immediately following my encounter with the young man mentioned below. After I had briefly checked for any spelling and grammatical errors, I posted the blog entry from my phone, and went back to listening to some music, catching up on my 'Words With Friends' games, etc. As I mentioned earlier, this trip required taking two trains: the first one from New York City to a town on Long Island, and then the second train which I and the rest of the passengers boarded a few short minutes after that train had dropped us off, to take us the rest of the way to our respective towns. When I got off the train at my station, which happened to be about 2 hours after my rather brief encounter with my disgruntled fellow passenger, I wasn't really paying much attention to the other people around me. All of a sudden, I was forced to stop walking because I abruptly noticed that there was someone not only standing right in front of me, but also looking straight at me. It was the guy from the first train. I honestly had no idea what he was going to do or say (if anything) but I looked up from coiling up my headphones chord and saw that his fist was pointed right at me. I'll admit, this took me a second to evaluate what was happening, especially since when I had first met this stranger, he was anything but pleased to be in my company. He then made it clear that I was "leaving him hanging," so to speak, and I realized what was really going on.

He must have kept thinking about our verbal exchange, our discussion about good and bad, the idea that things have a funny way of working out for the best, and so on, the entire rest of the trip. I slowly lifted up my right arm, made a fist, and connected my hand with his. We each had a ring on the same finger of the hand we had raised, and they lightly pinged together.. an audible connection between myself and this stranger who just 2 hours before, had wanted nothing to do with me. Proof of our casual but deliberate recognition of one another and the surprisingly powerful exchange that had taken place between he and I. He looked me in the eyes, nodded his head with a look of closure and respect, and we headed our separate directions. When I first wrote about this young guy and my interaction with him, I spoke of how these seemingly mundane connections can sometimes truly speak volumes to one or both of the parties involved. This theory may not always prove to be true, but in this case, it was made clear that we both left having gained something from one another. So.. do what you can, if an opportunity presents itself; and don't do it as part of a hunt for personal gain, just wait and see what happens in your unique situation. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Do What You Can

As I write this, I'm sitting on a train, about half-way through a two hour trip. The subway I had planned to take to get to this train had been unexpectedly shut down, so I decided to get off at the closest East Side station and walk the rest of the way to the West Side. I knew this would really be pushing it for time, but I just planned to do my best to catch my train.

Armed with a well-practiced New York speed-walk, and the muscle memory to fly through the touchscreen ticket purchase, I made it onto the train just in time. Finding a seat that was vacant and wasn't between a family of four or made impossible by someone that's morbidly obese took a few minutes but I finally found my own side of a four-seater, facing another guy about my age who sat in the seat diagonal from me.

As I sat down, I offered a little smirk and one of those casual "half-nods." A few beats later I heard a muffled "ugh.. seriously..?" Not knowing what he was referring to, I made eye-contact and simply responded "what..?" He stared at me for a good twenty seconds, wide-eyed, and then finally motioning to my ticket, saying "I'm stuck wit' yo' ass the whole ride man.." Caught a bit off-guard, I wasn't quite sure what to say. "Well, this train only goes half the way there, then there's a connecting train anyway. This train's really crowded too, we're both lucky to have this amount of room."

I honestly think he expected me to just shrug out of defeat or fear (or both) and get up without a word, but I didn't see him as a threat.. maybe just a misguided young guy with a relative lack of a vocal filter. He took what felt like three minutes to take in what I had just said, and then responded "Yeah man.. you know what? You're right. I've just had a really bad day. It's all good, I do have plenty of room. Sometimes I just question the universe and I wonder if there's any reason for days like that, you know?" Now this dialogue might sound too whimsical to be a true account, but I promise you, that really is what he said, and it happened only minutes ago so there's no necessity for artistic licensing.

I processed this unexpected reaction of his, and the best I could come up with was "It's alright, I understand where you're coming from. But if you understand that your day went the way it did for a reason, then you'll understand that maybe you needed those experiences. Sometimes something seems completely mundane but it happens for a very particular reason, in terms of your overall timeline."

I guess the biggest reason why I decided to post this for all of you was because it made me think about the whole "strangers on a train" phenomena (not so much in regards to the film, although the original black and white version is worth watching.) In a city of 8 million people, it only takes a one-time exchange with a complete stranger to alter your mindset. It'd be unrealistic for me to say that 100% of these interactions are beneficial, but having been on both sides of the spectrum, I strongly believe in the power and meaning of chance.

The experience that comes to mind right now was when I was in the hospital a few months back and this Emergency Room Nurse that wasn't even assigned to me just made eye-contact with me and decided to walk over to my bed. We ended up talking for about fifteen minutes and we talked about things that really stuck with me.. about life, love, friendship, family, and New York City. About 2-3 weeks ago, I passed her on the street and her eyes lit up with clouded but certain recognition. I gave her a nod and a smile and disappeared back into the crowd, but I'll never forget what she told me. That, my friends, is a story for another day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

True Blood Season 4 Episode 5

"I Hate You, I Love You"

Synopsis:

Lafayette goes to Mexico with Jesus to witness the power of a shaman; Bill becomes personally involved with the necromancy problem; Arlene and Terry hope religion can resolve a family issue; Sam teams up with Tommy.

Click Here to watch the latest episode of True Blood!
Season 4 Episode 5: "I Love You, I Hate You"
(Original Airdate Sunday July 24th @ 9pm EST)

Amy Winehouse Dead at 27

Say what you will about Amy Winehouse (most people have made more than a few stabs at her), but I'd like to do my part in helping to ensure that her death doesn't go without any real meaning or opportunity for enlightenment. The five-time Grammy award winning singer that smoothly blended up her own version of music that included influences of jazz, soul, blues, R&B, and Rock 'n' Roll fought a very public battle with addiction, which she ultimately lost today. The 27 year old recording artist was found dead by police in her home in Camden, London today, after police received a 3:54pm BST (British Summer Time) call for an ambulance. She was formally pronounced dead by Metropolitan Police shortly after.

We see these types of stories of celebrities and their addictions on a daily basis whether it's on TV, in the tabloids, online, etc. but we often don't stop for a moment to think about the fact that these people, however famous, however wealthy, however presented to the public.. are real people like you and I. At twenty-something, I've already had more than my fair share of experiences with friends and acquaintances that have fought the battle of addiction; some have lived to form a new healthy lifestyle, while others are now a memory. The truth of the matter is, addiction is an illness, whether the issue is alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or behavioral addictions (forgive me if I've left anything out.. they are ALL significant.)

Please take this young, talented artist's untimely, unfortunate, and unnecessary death as a wake-up call if someone that you care about or you yourself are fighting the battle of addiction, trying to cure yourself or your loved one of this horrible and unforgiving disease. If you have the opportunity to help someone or yourself, take it. We all deserve that much. The most common thing that I've seen on the web this afternoon while preparing to write this blog post was that Amy Winehouse's final age of 27 is all too familiar to us music fans. Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, all legendary artists that defined their time through their music, their art form, all died at the age of 27 and all battled sincere problems with addiction. I am not trying to tell you that this is a conspiracy; I don't think that is what this is. I just think that we need to remember all of those that have passed due to this preventable, treatable, curable disease, regardless of whether they were in the public eye or not.

Remember, your talents are too big, too important, and too beautiful to gamble your life away on drugs.

**One last thing I'd like to add is that I don't mean to speculate, although perhaps I already have, but it seems that essentially all of the media sources have taken the liberty to credit Winehouse's addictions to her death. Technically, there has not yet been an official cause of death ruled, and there is an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow, July 24th, in London.**

Weeds Season 7 Episode 4

"A Hole In Her Niqab"

(Original Airdate: Monday July 18th 9pm EST on Showtime)

Synopsis:

Nancy tries for a job at Doug's new office; Shane sets up their new house.

Click Here to watch the latest episode of Weeds!

Most of you probably know how DivX Player and the VidX website work, but in case you haven't used them before... the page you'll be redirected to requires you to click on where it says "Verify That You Are Human," and then you'll be taken to the video window. Click on where it says "Hide Ad and Play Video" to start watching your show!

If you use Artistic Resistance as your source this or any other shows, please leave a quick comment letting me know that you were happy with what was posted; comments mean a lot.

**PLEASE BE AWARE** A DivX Player error message is showing up periodically before you start the video; just ignore that. I test every single link personally before publishing any posts. In the event that this link (or any others on Artistic Resistance) ever seem to later be down, please let me know and I will replace it/them with a working link immediately. And one last thing.. you will obviously need to have the DivX plugin on your computer in order to view any DivX videos. If you do not already have the plugin, the video window above will automatically offer you a free download; it's quick and easy!

True Blood Season 4 Episode 4

"I'm Alive And On Fire"

Synopsis:

Alcide joins Sookie in her search for Eric; Marnie needs help breaking a spell; Bill finds something in common with the Bellefleurs; Jason pleads for his freedom from Hotshot; Sam tries to learn more about Luna; Tommy gets back to his roots.

Click Here to watch the latest episode of True Blood!
Season 4 Episode 4: "I'm Alive And On Fire"
(Original Airdate Sunday July 17th @ 9pm EST)

This is a High Quality Streaming DivX video with no time limit!

Advanced Screening Pass Giveaway!

We're giving away 2 ADVANCED SCREENING PASSES to see the movie "Attack The Block" in New York City this Tuesday, July 19th. This is a full 10 DAYS before it's released to the public. If you win, you will get both passes so you can bring a friend. All you have to do to be entered to win is two things. First, click on the link in the top left of your screen where it says "Join this site" and become a follower of Artistic Resistance. The second thing you have to do is just leave a comment below on this post with the e-mail address you used when you became a follower, your first name, and the first letter of your last name (just so we can keep track of the entries.)

IF YOU ARE THE WINNER, WE WILL CONTACT YOU.

Contest ends Saturday the 16th at 12pm EST. Good luck!

Trailer:

CLICK HERE to read reviews of the film, along with a brief synopsis

NYPD Goes Electric

Although the Mayor's comments regarding the financial crisis, as well as his concerns pertaining to the health and safety of the New York City residents during this particularly hot weather were certainly relevant and important, I decided to break up my response to the press conference into two parts. This way, the information is more spread out and there's less thrown at you all at once. As mentioned in the previous post, Mayor Michael Bloomberg had a few things that he came to discuss at his press conference yesterday where he was accompanied by Stephen Goldsmith (Deputy Mayor for Operations), David Bragdon (Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability), and Edna Wells Handy (Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.)

The last and (I think) most interesting issue that the Mayor brought to the table was a big announcement regarding electric vehicles, and their growing use in New York City. The City of New York already has over 360 electric vehicles being used right now for various government-run programs and services. This number is higher than any other city in the country. Tuesday's announcement marked the largest single addition of electric vehicles ever to the city's fleet. This announcement came as part of the Mayor's "plaNYC agenda to create a cleaner and greener New York City," Bloomberg told the crowd.

The Mayor further explained that NYC.gov will soon have its own separate website dedicated to electric vehicles and their benefits (both immediate and long-term, financial and health-related.) The website will not only feature information pertaining to the city's own fleet of government-owned and operated electric vehicles, but it will also be a resource for residents that are considering purchasing an electric car but would like to get more information before making the decision. The Mayor quoted a study in which results showed that New Yorkers (when in the market for a new car) were "20% more likely to buy an electric car once they've learned more about them."

Now, to the specifics. As of yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg reported that the City of New York was "completing receipt of 50 new extended-range hybrid Chevy Volts, 10 fully-electric Transit Connect Cargo Vans, 2 fully-electric Navistar eStar Utility Trucks (with another 8 more Utility Trucks coming in next week, for a total of 10.)

With the addition of these 70 total electric vehicles being added to the New York City government's fleet, the number of electric vehicles being used by the City will increase by roughly 20%. These vehicles will be utilized by the Department of Sanitation, the NYPD and the Department of Corrections, the FDNY, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, City-Wide Administrative Services, the Parks Department, and the Taxi & Limousine Commission.

The Chevy Volt in particular is capable of operating completely on battery without having to even turn on the "back-up gas engine" for a reported average range of about 40-50 miles on one battery charge. These figures are rough estimates, and can vary depending on the particular driver, the average speed and acceleration, etc. The Mayor made an effort to point out the plans for the Chevy Volt in particular: "our goal is replacing a significant portion of light-duty vehicles which make up nearly half of the almost 27,000 vehicle city fleet with such Electric powered cars, vans, and trucks."

The Mayor went on to explain that on average, these light-duty vehicles each travel no more than about 35 miles total in one day. Of course on occasion, this number might be a little bit higher, but if that estimate is correct, picture it this way.. that means, if the entire current fleet of light-duty vehicles were eventually replaced one by one with Chevy Volts, it would be feasible to say that about 13,500 (50% of the total 27,000 city vehicle fleet) would be using ZERO gasoline on an almost-daily basis. This concept just really blows my mind, but I'm so pleased to see that we have someone in office like Mayor Bloomberg that cares enough about this city and the environment to start to do something about it now, so that eventually we can get to the point where oil dependance is an old habit that nobody likes to talk about anymore. I know this is not going to be an overnight change by any means, but think about how much cleaner the air could be if we stuck to this course of action. It's a fight forth fighting.

Links:

To watch the full press conference speech delivered by Mayor Bloomberg click here.
(the link is working, not to mention ad-free, it's just not large picture or ideal quality.)

For the Mayor's Office official "News from the Blue Room" press release, Click Here.

** The individual vehicle links listed in the above article are reposted here below for your convenience**

Chevrolet Volt........ Click Here

Transit Connect Cargo Van........ Click Here

Navistar eStar Utility Truck....... Click Here

Mayor Bloomberg's 7/12 Press Conference (Part One)

Yesterday, Tuesday July 12th, Mayor Michael Bloomberg conducted a press conference inside one of the New York City Sanitation Department's parking garages. He was accompanied by Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith, Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability David Bragdon, and Edna Wells Handy, Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, along with various members of the press. I think my invitation got lost in the mail.

The mayor did briefly touch on a few other topics such as the budget deficit, about which he said the following: "New York City's economy is on the mend of 2008, but defaulting on our debt, I think, would be a huge setback. Now, I understand that both parties in Washington had different plans on how to reduce our debt, and I hope that they can come to an agreement soon, but that debate should not be tied to the debt ceiling. America's good name and credit are just too important to be held hostage to Washington's gridlock, and I hope that in the end cooler heads will prevail and agreements will be reached quickly."

The other important (much more temporary and localized) issue that the Mayor wanted to make sure he addressed was the current heat wave going on here in New York City. The National Weather Service declared a Heat Advisory effective through 9p.m. yesterday. Yesterday got up to almost 100 degrees in parts of the city and with the humidity levels so high, it certainly felt as hot, if not hotter. The mayor went on to mention the 450 "cooling centers" that officially opened Tuesday in Senior Centers, Libraries, Public Housing Developments, Salvation Army Communities Centers, and other various public locations throughout the five boroughs that were not specifically mentioned in his address. A lot of people take this kind of service for granted, but for those that can not afford air-conditioning and/or fans for their home, or for those who unfortunately do not have a place to call home, these cooling centers could mean the difference between life and death (when you consider the risk of heatstrokes, dehydration, etc.) For outdoor options, the public beaches and swimming pools are open to the public from 10am to 6pm. For more information you can call 311 or visit NYC.gov.

True Blood Season 4 Episode 3

Click Here to watch the latest episode of True Blood!

Season 4 Episode 3: "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?"

Google+ is Here!

Hey everyone! Tonight's post is just a very quick sidenote. I just started using Google+ the other day, and I don't know too much about it yet, but so far it looks like a cleaner, more user-friendly version of Facebook. One of my favorite features is the ability to videochat with a whole bunch of friends at the same time (more users than any other free website or software I've ever seen before.)

The demand Google has been receiving for Plus accounts has been very high, so they currently are still not allowing new users to just register for an account on the website. In order to get an account, you must be invited by a current user and follow an invitation link that they can send to you; all they need in order to invite you is your e-mail address.

If any of you would like me to send you an invitation, I'd be more than happy to do so. All you have to do is just submit a comment on today's blog entry with your e-mail address. Whether you're a regular follower of Artistic Resistance, or you just stumbling on this page for the first time, I always love to have new readers, as well as those of you that have been keeping up with the blog for quite a while now. It's always a good feeling when I run into someone and they mention something about my blog, so thank you all for that. I'm really determined to start writing on here a lot more now. I know I've said that before, but I've just been so busy recently with a lot of different things going on to keep me more than occupied. Please come back, and spread the word!

Once again, if you would like me to send you an invite to Google+ all you have to do is leave a comment on today's post with your e-mail address (some people have been asking, it does NOT have to be a Gmail account.) Also, if you know of someone else that's been waiting for an invite, feel free to refer them to Artistic Resistance and I'd be happy to set them up with one as well.

Hope you all have a really great week, and I promise you'll be hearing from me again at least once before the end of the week. If you guys are interested in me making a post specifically about Google+ (whether it's a general overview, or a tutorial, etc.) please let me know in the comments below, and if there's enough interest in the topic, I'd be happy to do that for you guys.

Music Monday

This track was just leaked by Mike Posner who has apparently been working on some sick covers in the studio lately. Below you'll find a link to listen to his cover of Coldplay's 'The Scientist' in its entirety.

The Scientist (Mike Posner Remix) by jarcher28

First Love

The following is quite possibly one of the most charming things I've ever seen in my entire life.. If these two don't end up getting married, I'm going to lose the entirety of my faith in humanity. Their names are Elliott and Bowie.

Mea Culpa

"And I don't remember the exact moment everything changed, I just know that it did. One minute I was impenetrable; nothing could touch me. The next, my heart was somehow beating outside my chest, exposed to the elements. Loving you has been the most profound, intense, painful experience of my life. In fact, it's been almost too much to bare..."

- Hank Moody

I want to be a lost poem in a stranger's coat pocket, that conveys the importance of you; to assure you of my desire, to assure you of dreams. I want all the possibilities of you in writing. I want to give you your reflection. I want your eyes on me. I want to travel to the lightness with you and stay and there and I want everything before you to follow us like a trail behind me. I want never to say goodbye to you; even on the street corner or the phone. I want so much.. I'm breathless. I want to put my power into a poem to burn a hole in your pocket, so I can sew it. I want my words to scream through you. I want the poem not to mean that much, and I want to contradict myself by accident, and for you to know what I mean. I want for you to be distant and for me to feel you close. I want endless day when it's day and nighttime never to end when it's night. I want all the seasons in one day. I want the sun to set before us and come up in front of us. I want water up to our waists and I want to be drenched by the rain up to our ankles with holes in our shoes. I want to think your thoughts because they're mine. I want only what's urgent with you. I want to get in the way of the barriers and I want you to be tough when you're supposed to, like you do already. And I want you to be tender, like you do already. And I want us to have met for a reason, and for that reason to be important. And I want it to be bigger than us, I want it to take over us. I want to forget, I want to remember us. And when you say you love me, I don't want to think you really mean New York City, and all the fun we have in it. And I want your smile always, and your grimaces too. I want your scar on my lips, and I want your disappointments in my heart. I want your strength in my soul and I want your soul in my eyes. I want to believe everything you say.. and I do. And I want you to tell me what's best when I don't know. And when you're lost I want to find you. And when you're weary, I want to give you steeples and cathedral thoughts, coliseum dreams. I want to drag you from the darkness, and kneel with you, exhausted with the blinding light blaring on us.

New Year Through the Same Eyes

So it's a new year, isn't it? Which brings across thoughts of memories past, moments not yet experienced, maybe a couple resolutions.. just lots of thoughts I guess. I'm on Long Island for a little while now; a couple weeks I guess. I've been doing my best to keep up with my creative writing (my poetry, prose, etc.) and I'm thinking about looking into doing a LI reading but I'm not sure yet. The NYC readings have gone so well that I'd really like to keep up with doing these readings.

Some people who follow the blog have been asking me to add some of the new material on here. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that yet. I might want to keep the material fresh for readings for a little while first. Whether or not I do a reading on Long Island before I head back to Manhattan, I'll definitely be reading in the city soon. I'm trying to work out as many cool places as possible, so I promise you'll all be the first ones to know about that, and if you're going to be in the NYC area I'd love to have you there. The reading at Kouzan was an incredible experience; the love and support I received there from friends, loved ones, colleagues, and mentors was just overwhelming, in the best way possible. Not to mention, having our own private room in such a nice venue was a great set-up for us.

So with all of that being said, please continue to check back and look for updates on either my writing, or the other material and issues I discuss on the blog. If you haven't already, please take the time to officially become a follower (it's super easy and quick, I promise.)

One last thing.. a lot of people have been asking me what I've been reading lately since I haven't blogged specifically about any particular books lately. I'll probably be finishing Kerouac's 'Big Sur' by the end of Tuesday I believe. That's another great book of his, I'll make a separate post about that, so I won't get into it now. In the meantime I've also started reading some of Marcel Proust. Him I could probably blog about for a month, there's a lot of everything there between his personal life and his written work.

Happy New Year, I wish you all the best in 2011.. health, happiness, success, and so much more.