Shortfest as opposed to Longfest which exists later

Shortfest Palm Springs. It exists as a transient thing. A passing whimsy to most who see the posters plastered to the windows of local businesses. Citizens passing by watch as these displays slowly decay, the paper rusting at its edges. The colors faded from the sun, dull and disappear. Eventually, after the tape has melted into the window and the fest has long since been completed they are taken down either by business owners cleaning up their windows or by the methodical pounding of the harsh desert wind.

I have stood up though! I have said enough is enough what is all this ruckus about. And so I leapt into the fray offering both my time and experience in order that I might view the festival from all angles. In the few volunteer shifts I have done, I have met a fair amount of interesting people. A lady from Korea whose film was selected to appear. A couple from Austraila, a woman from England, a pair from Ireland. It is truly a diverse network. The local flair is no less satisfying. Hopefully this web being woven is lucrative in both entertainment and opportunities.

Sitting quietly in the brilliant lobby of the Palm Springs Hilton I wait. Interesting folk passing by ; coming and going as quickly as the icey chill of the desert night. The door to the pool area with a broken sensor opens and closes intermittently for some unseen ghostly entities. A breeze of heat passes through each time it does. These short films liven up the normally lethargic elderly into hustle and bustle. If you get the chance. Go and see one of the 90 minutes thematic selections. I presume you will not be disappointed.

Moussavi and Martyrdom

Continued Iranian bloodshed from Tehran this evening. It disgusts me to see the election turn so sour. All though my geographic isolation from all of the events surrounding Iran should push me toward ambivalence, I still feel pain at another term for President Ahmadinejad. A man who pushes hate and ignorance. A man who destroys economic prosperity and social advancement. How in the world could he have won when so many were ready for change.

Last night on the corner of Tahquitz Canyon and Palm Canyon four lonely protestors were holding signs to end the war. This image of a closed minded people is disturbing. Even in the calm of the desert night they think they are pushing the edge of activism. An astonishing action given the intense martyrdom of the millions of saddened Iranians hoping to spur the world to action. Moussavi has stated he is prepared to die in opposition to Ahmadinejad. A better protest in the shadow of Mt. San Jacinto on the streets of downtown Palm Springs would be one that supports Moussavi and perhaps an external system of vote counting for Iran. Why protest to bring our troops home when they are already scheduled to return. Isn't that a little bit of a waste of time. Now, I tend to be liberal on these issues but when ruminating upon it, I am reminded of why the rest of the world hates us. We, like the Catholic church in the Rennaissance, define the world only in relation to ourselves. To conservatives, America has become a giant all encompassing church. The only nation supported by God. Americacentric hypotheses flourish in this hostile environment. The nations of the world should revolve around us. Our small lacerations should be treated long before we mend the broken bones of Arab nations.

This situation reminds me of the PRI and their authoritative command of the voters throughout Mexico in the last half of the 20th century. It truly makes me wonder at the legitimacy of the vote. Is it possible that the ballots were rigged? Is our world so barbaric? Kim Jong Il step in and become a leader of heightened morality (please?). We need miracles in a world that has never known them.

A note on the title that is given for the name of this blog

Ruminant Mammal. Surely a much more sophisticated title. Inherent religious, evolutionary, even philosophical symbolism can be found in that title. Each of which very definitely pertains to my brother Danny. And although my title includes animals that are non-kosher it relates to my brothers blog that may be forever stopped. Ruminant mammals have a system that digests plants through a series of chambers in the abdomen. Clearly humans are not such creatures. Monogastric (pigs, humans, horses etc) creatures have only one chamber. A chamber which enjoys occasionally digesting meat.

By labeling myself as a Monogastric Mammal I reduce my title to pure adjectivity. I might as well call my blog Caucasian Male. I particularly do not want to write a blog like one writes a journal. After having read both my brother Danny's blog as well as the Guide to Writing Style in the Digital Age, I want something novel. Grammar, punctuation. Hah who needs them. Colloquial sayings and terse incomplete sentences. That is what writing online is all about.

This is not professional. This is not some analysis of business statistics or a report on chemical runoff from a nearby firm. This is, forgive the irony, the ruminations (philosophically) of a Monogastric Mammal sitting in the heat of an unforgiving desert in the middle of supreme economic turmoil.