I''ll be hosting this week's Tarheel Tavern

I'm thinking about making this week's Tavern..."The Cross-posted Edition". By this I mean that I hope to cross-post it at other venues, such as Blogcritics, Daily Kos, American Street, or other such places as would draw yet more eyeballs to each participant. And being a kindly old soul, I would like to extend my generosity by saying that you can write pretty much what you damn well please, and I will sift through and pick out what I need for my little scheme.

If there is something you would particularly want me to use, either mark it as such, or write to me at baruchthescribe at yahoo dot com whereupon I might light upon your suggestion with greater felicity and huffman. Sooner is better.

Jane at Pratie Place has already jumped in, with a piece called:
Christmas in the schools: music educators weigh in

She plays the role of "J.P.", and does a splendid job of it too. I want to invite you to participate in her discussion, which really should be our discussion, and so I am going to suggest that you weigh in. Comments are blogs, according to some, and so I may use your comment as your submission on The Tavern, and link it back to your homeblogsitethingimapoo, as the Germans say. You may also post a comment here, and alert me to the bostpost you would like for me to use.

As a Liberal Christian, or liberal christian, or progressive TAOIST, or practicefailing bUdDhIsT, or Presbyunitarian, or sufijudaistical mystic, or whateverrrr, one, which is to say I, agree with her on the subtle and blatant atavism that we bring forward, to a changed world, a changed demographic, and expect the people to adapt to the products, rather than have the products adapt to the people. I mean...who is boss here?

And while some may incorrectly guess "God", the real answer is that the onus rests on the slumponixonian shoulders of Mammon, and his gathering. Not a smattering, but a splattering hath this throwback foisted forth upon "we, the future", who should have known better, but who, in the meantime, are too busy rifling through carseats for change, as it is nowhere else to be found in our stay the course parade off lemming heathcliff. I mean Montgomery Clift. Mount Gomer.
(Pinterian pause)


As so it was that the Tarheel Tavern hath stepped proudly forth into this new realm beyond the yesterday, where songs needn't words, not words salads, nor salads breads, nor breads spoons, nor spoons nightmares, nor nightmares daze. These things I quoff into my hank gurdjieff, eternal footman, and butling, mathatma choate, all to lay before you, the treasures we all share, lest we not be here at all. As we are scarce as the breeze which cloaks all in her brief chancely dance, gasped as eternal. Fickle fackel tea.

So go. Rrrrrrrrrrrite!

Harold Pinter's Nobel Acceptance Speech

The playwright says what journalists dare not.
No wonder he gets to win a Nobel Prize.
Perhaps journalists should take a lead from his example.

Thanks to Michael Hawkins at Spontaneous Arising for the link, and this excellent blog post.

Tibetan Prayer Wheel

Tibetan Prayer Wheel

via the great Coffee House Studio

Loserman tapped to Win War on Terror

Liebestrom


I have heard some pretty crazy things before, but this one really takes the cake. Is it that they want Democrats to take the blame and heat when we pull out of Iraq? And how will all the folks who only know Joe as "Loserman" react to his being put in charge of winning a war?

Sure Joe has droopy skin and always sounds like he is constipated, but is that any reason to use him as Rummy's replacement? Why not find someone who is not droopy and constipative for a change? Staying the course again?

Joe dreams of being a Republican, so why not just let him become a citizen Republican, and not a high-powered Republican? Is that too hard? There are enough right-wingers already. No need to add another.

Now Wes Clark is another story. He could actually get the job done. Not be another Michael Brown. Let Wes have the job. Better yet, let him have Bush's job. Then get someone who would be great on the domestic front to take over Cheney's job. Like John Edwards. So many improvements available to us. Why wait for a vote?

Please tell me this whole thing about Lieberman is just a cruel joke. Things are bad enough already.

A soft goodbye

"When the light begins to fade,
And shadows fall across the sea,
One bright star in the evening sky,
Your love’s light leads me on my way.

There’s a dream that will not sleep,
A burning hope that will not die,
So I must go now with the wind,
And leave you waiting on the tide.

Time to fly, time to touch the sky.
One voice alone - a haunting cry.
One song, one star burning bright,
Let it carry me through darkest night.

Rain comes over the grey hills,
And on the air, a soft goodbye.
Hear the song that I sing to you,
When the time has come to fly.

When I leave and take the wing,
And find the land that fate will bring,
The brightest star in the evening sky,
Is your love waiting far for me."
- Celtic Woman

For Jude, who needs our hearts now.

The EContent 100

EContentMag.com
A "list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry."

Blogs at Charlotte.com (Charlotte Observer)

Check out the blogs at the Charlotte Observer

And I thought blogs were bad things!

Running Mate - Richard Rubin on Local Politics
Inside the Panthers - Pat Yasinskas
Marathon Woman - Deirdre McGruder
Stork-Raving Mad - Tracy Curtis on being 40 and preggies
Inside the NBA - Rick Bonnell
Girl About Town - Emily A. Benton on Entertainment and Young Life
From the Hip - Crystal Dempsey on fashion, beauty and trends

The Art and talent of Arroe Collins

Arroe Collins

Arroe Collins is all over the map, and his talent demands it. A 26 year veteran of radio, Arroe's work has made its way onto the Bob & Sheri Radio Show, helping them earn six Marconi nominations. He was 1/3 of the nationally syndicated Pam Stone Show, helping her earn two Gracie Allan Awards. Twice he was voted Jefferson Pilot employee of the year, and was nominated to replace Casey Kasum on American Top 40.

More on this multi-talented Renaissance Man can be found at the Carolina Art Blog.

Never Compete

The Art of Worldly Wisdom

114. Never compete. Every competition damages your reputation. Our rivals seize occasion to obscure us so as to outshine us. Few wage honorable war. Rivalry discloses faults that courtesy would hide. Many have lived in good repute while they had no rivals. The heat of conflict revives and gives new life to dead scandals, digging up long-buried skeletons. Competition begins with belittling, and seeks aid anywhere it can, not only where it should. And when the weapons of abuse do not effect their purpose, as often or mostly happens, our opponents seek revenge and use them at least for beating away the dust of oblivion from anything that is our discredit. People of goodwill are always at peace, and those of good reputation and dignity are of goodwill. - Balthasar Gracian

Judge Roy Moore: The "Ayatollah Of Alabama"

The Charlotte Capitalist on the guy who ain't too keen on people, but who is running to govern Alabamie anyway.

Dave Brubeck: Take 85...right into Charlotte!

One of my favorite Dave Bs, Dave Brubeck, turns 85 today, and I, for one, am going to celebrate by pulling out "Time Out" and giving it a thorough ear. Dave is one of America's great treasures, and I would urge anyone who hasn't heard him to run out pick up "Time Out".
Total classic, and a great way to learn time signatures and strange rhythms.


Dave on Wikipedia
"Blue Rondo A La Turk" is a play on Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca", and the 9/8 metre of traditional Turkish music, the country in which the band was touring when the tune was written.

Jack Klugman's blog: Tony And Me

Tony And Me honors Jack's friendship with the late Tony Randall. Includes interviews.

(Thanks to Toby Bloomberg over at Diva Marketing for this find.)

Big Pharma's Shameful Secret

Bloomberg on this new chapter in the Serpent's Egg.

Square Yon Virgin

What if the Jesus family had been uncool?

Most people will agree that Jesus had a pretty hip family. I mean, they were pretty liberal and progressive for their time, and even somewhat mystical. They burned incense, healed people, peregrinated around in sandals and talked about philosophical matters. They never bothered with trying to fit into any so-called "mainstream". They must have known that great minds and hearts; great men and women are never nourished this way. They were not squares. But what if they had been? What if Mary were a square yon virgin?

All theories and nostrums will be considered...

We Have Lost

Iddybud and William Rivers Pitt remind us of all that we have already lost in this new century and millennium. No so-called potential "victory" in Iraq will pay for all we have lost, and sadly we're still losing.

Imagine seeing big headlines in tomorrow morning's paper saying "America wins!" "US Finally Beats Iraq" or some other variation, like "US Kills Final Terrorist". Now go and put a dollar and lives figure on that exuberance.

What? Not exuberant? Well put a dollar and lives figure on it anyway.

Now compare that will the actual dollar and lives figure.

Good investment?

Stay the course?


When many people are being killed, They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why a victory must be observed like a funeral.
- Tao te Ching

OR versus AND: The Politics of Inclusion

You CAN have it both ways

My yogi friend, Rodney, and I were discussing the observation that some people are AND people and others are OR people, and this discussion became the seed of an observation I have had regarding current American politics. American Politics can be divided into AND people and OR people as well. One might say that the AND people are to so-called "big-tenters", since they are the ones most likely to tent their windows.
But what is this? The word I am thinking of is actually spelled "tint"?
OK. AND people are "big-tinters". But they are also big-tenters. And this is simple math.

Locally, the OR People are bemoaning the fact that Charlotte will soon be able to drive in cars AND ride on Light Rail. But they act like people will have to give up their precious automobiles, and say things to make other people think that as well. That they may do this to appease the auto dealers who advertise on their shows is a point worthy of investigation.

In truth, no one is going to have to give up their cars, but may, if they so choose.

AND People say you can have yet another mode of transportation. Choice. Options.

OR People tend to have dogmatic religious beliefs. It is not acceptable that one might abide by the teachings of Jesus AND Buddha, say, or Mohammed AND Jesus. But wisdom is not a zero-sum game. No one person has horded all the wisdom, and, as such, one may find it in many places.

There are other examples, but there are surely examples to the contrary.
If you have some of your own, please leave a comment, and perhaps a useful discussion will ensue. OR maybe it won't.

IS GEORGE BUSH THE WORST PRESIDENT -- EVER? - Yahoo! News

This is what those historians said -- and it should be noted that some of the criticism about deficit spending and misuse of the military came from self-identified conservatives -- about the Bush record:

He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process;

He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich;

He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state;

He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign;

He has proved to be incompetent in affairs domestic (New Orleans) and foreign (Iraq and the battle against al-Qaida);

He has sacrificed American employment (including the toleration of pension and benefit elimination) to increase overall productivity;

He is ignorantly hostile to science and technological progress;

He has tolerated or ignored one of the republic's oldest problems, corporate cheating in supplying the military in wartime.



In a related story from Bloomberg, Americans Want Different Type of President Next Time, Poll Says

Dec. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Three in five Americans want the next U.S. president to be completely different from incumbent George W. Bush, according to a poll by Time magazine.

Bush's policies in Iraq and high gasoline and energy prices had a ``very negative'' effect on his overall job rating for 45 percent of respondents, according to the poll, conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. The results showed 36 percent would like the next president to have policies similar to those of Bush, compared with 60 percent who want a different type of leader.

The findings indicate Bush is failing to reverse flagging approval ratings after laying out his strategy for Iraq in a Nov. 30 speech. The poll showed 41 percent approve of the job Bush is doing while 53 percent disapprove, little changed from results in September after Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. Of those who disapprove, 76 percent said they were unlikely to change their opinion of Bush.