Our previous webhost, Westnic, is a bunch of rude and incompetent boobs. Last week, they made ANOTHER dumb change to their servers without warning me. Most of my 20 or so sites ceased to function -- but being a lazy webmaster I didn't notice until someone pointed it out to me. So rather than argue with the jackass support people at Westnic, I switched servers.

Smokincat is one of the first of my sites to escape the tyranny of stupid that baths all things digital at westnic. Don't use them for your webhost. Here's a few other opinions on the matter.

Don't just take my word for it here's some other opinions

Some kid in Chicago was brought up on criminal charges resulting from an essay he wrote for school. It turns out that the teacher was scared of his essay. It's just the latest of a series of events in Chicago that make the city look like an experiment in 'Giuliani' methods of re-vitalization. New York and Chicago are only two of America's large cities that have decided they have the authority to control many small aspects of the citizen's lives. Laws are passed and enforced in these cities regarding what foods can be eaten, what sort of dancing can occur in which places, how much gaudiness is acceptable in a building. Because this 'hands-on' approach to city leadership has produced lower crime rates and higher property values in New York other cities are following suit (ala Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, etc). These large population centers have made 'Giulianianism' the new paradigm of America. Trade liberty for lower crime, but still use the word 'free' to describe your situation (I can always go to the park without a permit!)

These laws have the unintentional effect of making the populace into a bunch of helpless, unthinking boobs. The people will increasingly call authorities for small infractions against societal norms. Perhaps I should say, perceived infractions against societal norms. A person must measure each act they witness against their own interpretation of public morality. As more laws are passed which remove the right of people to make decisions, the narrow band of moral acceptance will become narrower. More reported infractions will occur, and more laws will be passed. It's a cycle that will continue until the money runs out. The fault of the Giuliani paradigm is already apparent to everyone I know on LJ. However, this particular case makes it so simple to see that I thought it was worth writing up.

Personally, I think that the Giuliani paradigm of government is a natural part of the cycles governing humanity. When there is a new resource or opportunity people will look to exploit it in the most effective method possible (ie Capitalism, laisse-faire, liberty) with the least amount of resource spent on enforcing social mores...

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I also made a slightly shorter version. This one also includes a freakishly shameless plug.

I really and truly intend to make some Chupacabra figurines and other swag. Hopefully this weekend.

For the time being, I have some shirts and bumper stickers available from Cafe Press.



More stuff is available after the cut.

Chupacabra has been successfully destroyed once again. Sent back to the ether in a blazing inferno.

My writing this morning is a little hampered by the combination of late nights and early mornings of the weekend. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun at this year's burning. Good food and much libations were had by all. The party atmosphere was very festive and friendly, despite some recent personal disputes among the participants.

I have a few pictures I took during the creation of the beast, which I want to share (as well as catalog for research into future improvements. In the end, this years Chupacabra was just over 4 feet tall (appx 51") and probably weighed in around 30 pounds. The whole thing was constructed using no metal, glue, or other substances that would release unhealthy smoke.

I'm going to toss in an ad for my store, just in case someone carelessly copies this post as though it were their own content. Buy electric accessories and appliances for your car, RV or Truck from 12v Auto Tech.

Pictures and an explanation follow the cut. A video of the extravaganza will also be available shortly.