Ray's X-Blog

Back in February 1994 I didn't bother to note the publication date of the first issue of my zine, Ray X X-Rayer . I just say it debuted on Groundhog Day. I started my zine as something to do during another long insufferable winter. I was learning how to use the latest computers with mouses and windows through practical means: wordprocessing and layout. It was a way to keep my mind active instead of letting it be damaged by hibernation rot. I struggled with a program called PageMaker to format each issue. It was tricky learning how to format columns with "windowshades." Those windowshades had to be pulled up and down just right with the mouse. Now I just get along with Microsoft Word, a simpler way of doing the same thing (No shades, daddy-o). While the computer part has become easier, the writing half is still sometimes a struggle. If you told me back in 1994 I would still be producing the same zine, I would've been surprised. And if you told me I woul...

As mentioned in the previous post there was someone in the neighborhood with severe mental problems that was causing me some concern. Apparently that person has moved out; I haven't even seen the individual around town. Maybe the so-called safety net is helping. But I doubt it... At least with that person gone I can concentrate more energy on slogging thru another long winter. Maybe spring weather will come early this year – like May 1st.

In a recent email Robert Jennings, editor of Fadeaway zine (29 Whiting Road, Oxford, MA 01540-2025) wrote regarding my zine: "I am still wondering why you bother to monitor the loons on the ‘Liberty Net’. These people are clearly drop-the-net whackos. I always wonder how people like that rationalize their beliefs, the ones they scream out so clearly and hysterically, when the government doesn’t turn into a communist dictatorship, they do not get rounded up and put into concentration camps, and the world continues spinning merrily along totally ignoring their rants and beliefs? It must be daunting, at least, to realize how completely wrong and also how completely inconsequential they actually are in the passing parade of the real world. Or maybe not. Delusional people always seem to have an excuse to explain why things don’t happen the way they believe they will. They also seem to be able to come up with even more stupid reasons to keep on believing the things they do...

To get the big picture you have to include the ads. When Rebecca Watson introduced the new look for the skepchick.org Website, a commenter observed that there was an empty column on the page which looked weird. Explaining what was causing the problem, Watson wrote: "Using Adblock on Skepchick makes the baby jesus cry." So what kind of ads is Skepchick running? If you deactivate Adblock you'll be treated to such stuff like "Date 12000 Asian Women Online" and "ColumbianCupid.com." Both ads feature attractive young women posing for the guys, not really cheesecake shots but... (Click on image to enlarge.) These ads popped up on a post by Watson about her being treated as a sex object , how someone sent a link to a very crude cartoon depiction of her. I don't condone the cartoon; I think it's gross and stupid. But I do find the ads that accompany her post to be incongruous, to say the least, when Watson complains about how are women ...