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A Public Action Safety Advisory…

It would, indeed, be a REAL SHAME if this information was to be shared WIDELY. (C&P from a post on the META platforms)

REMEMBER: #ActionSpeaksLouderThanThoughtsAndPrayers

“From a comrade:

It would be a shame if the protesters began making their signs out of quarter-inch-thick plywood to stop rubber bullets, forming a tight shield wall to prevent police from singling out and mobbing individual protesters. It would be a shame if the people behind the shield wall held up umbrellas so that tear gas canisters fired over their heads on the front line will be bounced away. It would be a shame if protesters began constructing improvised armor vests out of duct tape, hard-backed books, and ceramic tiles.

It would be a shame if protesters started wearing safety glasses, hard hats, respirators, and gardening gloves, all of which can be found at the same hardware stores as the plywood. It would be a shame if they started using traffic cones (the kind without the hole in the top), upside down buckets, or other improvised lids to contain teargas by placing them over the canisters.

It would be a shame if protesters learned that police scanners are legal to own in the US, allowing them to learn where police are moving, and what routes they intend to take. It would be a shame if they discovered that these scanners can be used to send as well as receive, allowing them to flood the scanner frequencies with noise.

All of this would be a terrible, terrible shame.

**An even worse shame would be to start donating these items to protesters.

It would be a TERRIBLE shame if they also started making these and distributing them.

Use a handheld scroll saw to cut the pieces out, and a blowtorch, sandpaper, or scotch Brite grinding wheel to deburr the edges.

To form them better to fit the body, you can use a heat gun to soften the plastic and make it more pliable, bend it to shape and then cool it rapidly in a storage bin full of water. You can alsop shape them by putting the pieces into a 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) oven for 15 minutes. From there you shape them as rapidly as possible (oven mitts are highlu recommended), and then quench to cool the plastic and set the shape.

Glue foam floor mat to the inside for additional shock absorption and assemble with straps. The original maker used leather, as he works leather as a hobby and generally have some lying around. I used Chicago screws to attach them, and locate to secure the threads, but really the attachment and assembly method isn’t a hard line to make these work, so use whatever method you prefer.

You can also get these barrels in black or white (use white to make armor for medics).

*It would be an awful shame if you copied and pasted this and saved the pics to post yourself, so that they couldn’t delete the original and all linked posts (again).”

Public Service Advisory

I’m linking to my original source for this story, but also to the organization that poster references in their statement. This crap has got to stop. Now.

#ActionsSpeakLouderThanThoughtsAndPrayers

https://www.facebook.com/AltUSNationalParkService

This is the organization mentioned at the end of the post:

https://immigrantdefensenetwork.org/

The following was posted on their Facebook account on Monday, 12 January, 2026 —

“Good morning,

My name is Brandon Siguenza, and I am a US citizen from Minneapolis. Yesterday, while doing legal observation, ICE stopped their cars to harass my friend and me. They sprayed pepper spray into the vent of our vehicle. We held our hands in the air and told them we were not obstructing, that the car was in park and they were free to drive forward and away. There was no active immigration raid. They returned to their cars, and drove forward a bit, then decided to stop again. They surrounded us, smashed the windows of our car, opened the doors (they were unlocked), ripped my friend and I out of the car and arrested us on charges of obstruction.

I was put in an unmarked SUV, separated from my friend. As I was put in the back seat an ICE agent tore the whistle off my neck and said “I’ll be taking this, I might need it later.” My phone was knocked out of my hand while being arrested. As we drove away I asked the driver and the passenger if they wouldn’t mind buckling my seatbelt, as they were driving erratically. I was ignored. I asked them if I could have the handcuffs loosened, as I was losing circulation, and was told no. At one point the passenger realized his own driver’s license was in the backseat next to mine, and tried to surreptitiously grab it without me seeing it.

We were taken to the Whipple federal building, where I saw dozens of brown people being processed in an unheated garage. I was frisked, told of my charges, and saw buses and vans being prepped. I later learned that these were being filled with detainees and driven to the airport for deportation. As we were led in, I noticed that the building was very busy. I got the impression that one of the 2 agents bringing me around was being trained. At multiple points throughout my stay, government agents were unable to open doors, not sure where they were meant to be going, and overall confused and overwhelmed. They couldn’t figure out how to use the building phones, or complained about a lack of cell service preventing them from checking the internet or making calls.

The people in the cells were extremely scared. We heard people screaming “let me out!”, crying, wailing and terrified screams. There were cells with as many as 8 people. I have no way of knowing how long they have been there, if they were allowed any contact with the outside world, or if they were being brought food or water. Most people were staring at the ground with almost no energy. I was not allowed to talk to anyone imprisoned. I distinctly remember seeing a desperate woman. She was staring at the ground with her head in her hands crying, hopeless, while her friend or family member sat on a bathroom seat observed by 3 men.

My friend and I were put in an area for “USCs,” which we eventually learned meant US citizens, separated by gender. We were imprisoned for 8 hours, during which my friend was never allowed a phone call. I was allowed to call my wife and tell her where I was. During my interview with Special Agent William and Special Agent Garcia, they asked me to empty my pockets. When I pulled out gloves, Agent William said those were meant to be taken when I was processed, and complained about having to fill out the form again. He frisked me once more, where he found glass in my pocket from when our car window was shattered. He filled out the form listing my personal items again, but put the wrong date. I was read my rights, I pleaded the fifth and was led back to my cell.

Food, water, and bathroom breaks were extremely difficult to acquire. I would ask over the intercom provided in the cell for a bathroom break, be told someone was on their way, then ask again 20 minutes later, be told someone was on their way, wait another 20 minutes, etc. Eventually they either turned off the intercom or it stopped working, because no one would respond. I could get water and bathroom breaks by pounding on the glass when someone happened to walk by and beg them directly. Hours would go by without anyone checking on us. I am vegan and the only food they offered were turkey sandwiches, fruit snacks with gelatin, and granola bars with honey. I eventually ate a granola bar out of hunger.

I was in the cell alone for between 1 and 2 hours, then another man was put into my cell, whose shirt was ripped open from his arrest, and an injured toe, who was carried aggressively into an unmarked car during his arrest. After about 4-5 hours, another man was brought in who had a cut on his head from his arrest. He told me he was tackled by 4 or 5 agents during his arrest. At no point was he offered medical assistance.

Later I was told that a lawyer was here to see me, and I was able to speak with him in a visitation room. The special agent told me that the door could not be closed all the way, so it was cracked during my interaction with my lawyer. I got the impression that they were not used to having lawyers present, and were trying to follow procedure as best they could. I asked an agent if the other detainees were allowed lawyers and was not answered.

At one point, 3 men from the department of Homeland Security Investigations brought me into a cell. They insinuated that they could help me out. After inquiring several times what exactly they meant they finally told me that they could offer undocumented family members of mine legal protection if I have any (I don’t), or money, in exchange for giving them the names of protest organizers, or undocumented persons. I was shocked, and told them no.

Finally, after hours of detention, I was told to follow an agent. At no point was I told whether or not I was being charged, or where I was going, but I was led out of the building. I asked if I could use a phone to call my wife to pick me up, and was told I could not. After pleading for several minutes eventually Special Agent William let me use his phone to call my wife. As I was escorted off the property by government agents, I was told to turn right. I was escorted to the protest area, where 5 minutes later, tear gas was deployed and I was struck by a paint ball gun. I was not protesting, I was simply being released without charges after an 8 hour detention. I was on the other side of the street, as instructed by the agents that released me and the agents shouting orders over a bullhorn. A passerby who was tear gassed was panicking and having an asthma attack, so I helped her find a medic to get her an inhaler. I used a stranger’s phone to co-ordinate pickup, and was picked up by my wife.

During my detention I knew that I was being released. I knew that as a citizen of the United States I have legal protection. The hundred or so other people being detained had no such protection. At this time I don’t need your help, it is the families that are being separated, abused, terrorized, harassed and killed that need your help. If this is happening to me, an American citizen born in the United States, then what is happening to the people in here that have no one calling lawyers on their behalf? That have no constitutional rights to due process? What is happening to the people that they will never be released to see their families, go to their jobs, or walk through their city ever again?

Please take care of yourselves, your family, and your community. I am safe and healthy, if you feel compelled to help, please offer your help to the Immigrant Defense Network at https://immigrantdefensenetwork.org/. If you know someone detained by ICE, call or text CAIR-MN at 612-206-3360 for 24/7 legal intake.”

AI Trolls and Ghouls are at it

Wasting little time, the AI ghouls and troll have immediately started in on creating a false narrative round the murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

A brief look, from NPR:

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5671740/ice-minneapolis-grok-ai-renee-nicole-good


Gear Acquisition Syndrome

The dreaded Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or GAS as it is also known by, is a cousin to even more dangerous The Collector-Fetishist. Photographers and musicians know it all too well — it’s a constant battle against the impulse. The Fetishist is a real menace, keeping gear out of the hands of those competent to play/use it.

I think it falls most heavily on the musician, though, as parts of the instrument-making industry unnecessarily conservative when it comes to designing new performance instruments. This is especially evident when it comes to electronic/hybrid instruments that might incorporate new technologies. No, I’m not arguing that a 16th century violin needs that much innovation, but technologies surrounding electric guitars, synthesizers, and controllers are constantly changing and there seem to be an awful lot of small mammals racing around the scene.

I’m in the midst of a rethink about how I have used the guitar over the past 60-odd years and there are clearly still more changes ahead.

Watch/Listen to this space…

Now here’s a God Jul image to contemplate:

Image of snow covering buildings and the balcony.

Watch for ICE on the road, Traveler

Winter is barreling down upon us and the long, slow slide into the oligarchy that we are witnessing in the US right now is filled with so many new ways to watch and, in some cases, warn. One of the worries is that there is no clear record of the actions that ICE has been taking. We cannot allow this to happen. Taking control of the narrative is paramount when dealing with an all-out war of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lie.s

Currently, there is an initiative underway, coming out of Europe and outside the potential for prohibitions by US regulators, to document events and individuals involved in ICE activity and to allow private citizens to report it.

Here’s a link to a news story about it —

https://migrantinsider.com/p/news-ice-list-launches-wiki-to-expose

And another discussion about the project —

https://www.crustnews.com/p/were-building-the-wikipedia-of-ice

Screenshot of an ICE Wiki entry:

Screenshot of an ICE armed agent in the South Park area of San Diego, 2025-04-11.

And here’s the Wiki, so put it to good use and feel free to share these links as widely as possible—

Link to ICE Wiki

[The graphic above links directly to the Wiki as does this,
https://icelist.is/]

Rambling 01.05OCT2025

Splitting audio / each line treated as a totally independent instrument, literally an ensemble member who was the “solo” representative of that particular sound. The transformation of that signal into a MIDI stream which then be controlled with complete of the originating audio stream. This would allow painting different timbres, possibly diametrically opposed one, with one note. This would be especially true in the case of the advanced application of delays, reverbs, and reversal. This could be accomplished with the use of software and hardware and any combinations possible with them.

The use of guitar pedals on synths, the development of boutique boxes (I hesitate to simply call one of my favorites — the Empress Effects Zoia — a pedal), and the parallel development of the various “*-berry) Linux devices are examples of using various technologies in unintended manner with highly-desired results (from an aesthetic/artistic perspective).

The marriage of proven and robust MIDI implementations with increasingly sophisticated capabilities of digital technologies suggest a rich area for artistic exploration.

For those about to rock…

Whew! Improv isn’t just what you do musically, it’s what you do.

Period.

Last night, I played my first face-to-face live gig in a very long time. Streaming live from a studio, where you can perform in your pajamas (if that’s your thing and maybe you’re not doing video streaming) on a platform like Second Life has its own challenges (does it ever!) but the audience rarely sees what is happening*.

So last night was an exercise in real-time damage control, improvising a solution that would make them smile and applaud (throwing money, underwear, or t-shirts is always optional).

https://www.facebook.com/emom.mtl/videos/786197931074043/

Eric Wrazen, master of ceremonies and no slouch on the synth himself, presided over the first EMOM performance of the Fall season at The Wheel Club here in Montréal. It was my first performance there and only the second time I’d been there for an EMOM event (I was lucky to have learned of it, shortly after getting settled in to my new apartment here). If I said it went off without a hitch it would be a bald-faced lie.

It didn’t.

I think it was Dwight Eisenhower who said that plans mean nothing, planning means everything. What I’d planned, while only mildly complicated considering all that was involved, and what happened were two quite different things. My original “blueprint” involved using two main audio sources: the Arturia MicroFreak and the Modal Argon8m. I’d brought The Three Sisters (my three Empress Zoias, Amelie, Brigitte, and Chloë — yes, the instruments are named and labelled so it’s easier to keep track of what’s been programmed), a Boss RC-1 for some simple looping, and an RC-500 for reverb on the Argon8m. Finally, I’d brought a Focusrite Scarlet to interface the iPad with the Argon8m.

What I find continuously challenging with Argon8m is using the software — I am not a big fan of using a laptop in live settings after having a hard drive catastrophically fail just moments before doing a gig in Fort Worth many years ago (yes, I salvaged the performance and no one even knew what happened). Rather than use a laptop, I’ve been using an iPad Pro, which has brings its own issues (Gee, THANKS Apple for making it so damned difficult to interface externals with the iPad, ESEPCIALLY the whole “Pro” series — another discussion for another day, but I’ve been using a Pro in one form or another since Generation 1.0 before I ever left the States). The MODALapp is pretty dependable on the computer, less so on the iPad, so it’s always a tiny gamble.

And last night, the gamble failed. Hard.

I could not get the Argon8m to send audio to the mix. For whatever reason, nothing from “that side” of the mix was working, or sending me output to the little mixer I had brought along. As I was the first person scheduled to perform, the pressure was on to get it sorted out and time was working against me. Eric was gracious enough to start without me and I frantically began pulling cables and re-configuring the set up to work with the ‘Freak and two of the Zoias. I managed to come up with a working arrangement and then it was “showtime!”

Give a listen to the video excerpt above; I have a WAV of the performance that I will be listening to in hopes of pulling some usable audio out of for later.

*At one point in the history of performances in Second Life, the question came up as to whether or not certain performers were actually “performing” live or simply having their avatar appear and running a prerecorded track — the VR version of lip-synching. The controversy is still there and, to my mind as a performer, has cast a permanent shadow over the whole scene.

WHAT NIJ RESEARCH TELLS US ABOUT DOMESTIC TERRORISM: The Report

So the DOJ removed this report that that concluded that far-right extremists had killed more Americans than left-wing or radical islamist extremists. Well, what’s a lapsed archivist/librarian to do when someone is trying to deliberately (and with malice, I might add) alter the historical facts?

Well, share it of course! So here’s a link to it:

https://a.nwps.fi/306123.pdf

… should that link disappear, I’ll make sure the report is still available.

#Resist #Persist #NoMartyrsForMAGA

The water is boiling and the frog is oblivious…

#Persist #Resist #WeStandWithJimmyKimmel #TheWholeWorldIsWatching

It’s nearly Friday over in this part of the world and the news cycle seems to have accelerated such that it is a continuous spin cycle. What will happen tomorrow that The Regime will try and spin for us to forget over the weekend remains to be seen.

One thing is clear: Authoritarianism is already in the USA. No waiting for the markers of pre-WWII or the Soviet Union — it’s here. Now. The title comes from the story of placing a frog in a pan of water and slowly bringing it to a boil. The frog remains in the water until it is dead. Drop a frog in a pan of already boiling water and it will do its damnedest to leap out.

Analogy for Amerika? Oh, yeah. There is no sugar coating it, given the events of the past week.

Many Americans still enjoy a lifestyle seemingly untouched by the changes of the past nine months. How much longer that can be said remains to be seen. A friend shared this earlier today and I was shocked reading just how far along The Regime, and Project 2025 has succeeded in reaching their goals:

https://www.project2025.observer/en

Forty seven percent today. And it’s only Thursday, nearing the second week of September. Winter is coming.

You face a choice. I suggest reading this essay and think about it. Feel free to share it, too.

https://the.ink/p/essay-what-are-you-waiting-for

Image of Jimmy Kimmel with text reading, "I stand with Jimmy Kimmel"

Google and The Right to Be Forgotten

In a case in Canada, Google is refusing to comply with a court decision involving “the right to be forgotten.” As an archivist, I have mixed feeling about this, but I think Google is in the wrong here…

Google refusing to comply with privacy commissioner’s ‘right to be forgotten’ decision

Bringing it back: “Silence = Consent”

Cut and paste and pass it on… #Resist #Persist #SandInTheGears

WHAT TO DO AT AN ICE CHECKPOINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE and/or FEEL THE NEED TO JAM UP THE WORKS.
Here’s the deal:
🔘 Border Patrol can verify citizenship within 100 miles of a border or “external boundary.” This includes coastlines, so NYC, Philadelphia, and all of NJ are within the 100-mile zone.
🔘 Border patrol can only ask brief questions about citizenship, and they cannot hold you for an extended time without cause.
🔘 You always have the right to remain silent. You do not need to answer their questions.
🔘 WITH THAT SAID, IF YOU ARE A BORN CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE, YOU NEED TO SPEAK THE FUCK UP.
🔘 The most important acts of resistance are the small ones. Make it difficult and uncomfortable for ICE agents to do their jobs. They are counting on citizens to turn a blind eye and allow them to deport undocumented citizens without challenge. Disabuse of that notion.
🔘 If you are on a train, bus, or anything else and ICE or CBP boards, you need to stand up and loudly let everyone know that they have the right to remain silent or only answer questions in the presence of an attorney, no matter their citizenship or immigration status. There have been numerous reports that confronting the agents in this way has caused them to leave without verifying citizenship. THIS CAN SAVE LIVES. 🙌
🔘 If you see anyone being held up by immigration, loudly ask if they are being detained and if they are free to go.
🔘 Immigration officers cannot detain anyone without reasonable suspicion, an agent must have specific facts about you that make it reasonable to believe you are committing or committed, a violation of immigration law or federal law. If an agent detains you, you can ask for their basis for reasonable suspicion, and they should tell you.
🔘 Always say no to a search and let everyone know that they can and should refuse consent to a search.
🔘 They cannot search or arrest anyone without facts about that make it probable that they are committing, or committed, a violation of immigration law or federal law.
🔘 Silence alone meets neither of these standards. Nor does race or ethnicity alone suffice for either probable cause or reasonable suspicion
🔘 White citizens, you have a level of privilege which protects us from retaliation from ICE for being “rude” and making a scene, which makes it our DUTY to speak up and make sure people without the same privilege know their rights. GET LOUD. YELL. YELL IN SPANISH IF YOU KNOW IT. LET PEOPLE KNOW THEY DON’T HAVE TO SAY SHIT. MAKE ICE UNCOMFORTABLE. THROW SAND IN THE GEARS OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
⭐️ Bonus info ⭐️
🔘It is perfectly legal to record immigration agents as long as you are not on government property or at a port of entry. If your train/bus gets boarded, pull your phone out and start videotaping immediately.
🔘 If you are detained or see someone getting detained, get the agent’s name, number, and any other identifying information. Get it on video if possible.
And get any detainees’ names and (even rough) birthdate information – this will make it easier for them to be found in the system.
🔘 Contact the ACLU or your local immigrant/migrant support orgs if you see someone’s rights being violated.
(this has been copy and pasted — please do the same)

“…isn’t dangerous enough to remain in detention”

“Haaretz reports that Hathaleen’s killer, Yinon Levi, was released to house arrest while he’s investigated for manslaughter, with a judge deciding that he isn’t dangerous enough to remain in detention.

This decision comes less than a day after Levi shot and killed Hathaleen in broad daylight, with the attack caught on camera. Witnesses said that Levi later said of the shooting, “I’m glad I did it,” per Al Jazeera.

https://truthout.org/articles/no-other-land-contributors-killer-released-as-israeli-soldiers-raid-mourners/

I can only ask, “What the fcuk?” In broad daylight, in from of cameras.

#NotInMyName #TheWholeWorldIsWatching