What do these great blogs have in common?
(Feel free to click at random, and report back on what you learn.)
Planet GrenadaA la GaucheAcross the Great DivideAfter School SnackAjeebAll Facts and OpinionsAmerican ErroristAmerican SamizdatAn old soul...angela bowers : tales from under the barAngry White KidanonyMosesAnother Liberal BlogAnti-Zionist Notesanti-[everything]AntithetonApostate WindbagArancaytar's Little CornerArran's Alleyat easeAtavistic EndeavorBait and Switch PresidentBanality FairBarking DingoBenjamin Solah's blogBig BoardBiomes BlogBionic OctopusBlog d'Elissonblog me no blogsBlogosphere ZooBlur BeltBrian Patton*Brown Rab Girl FishBy Beauty DamnedBy the grace of GodCanadian Lefty in the Land of King GeorgecatamitebastardCat's BlogChicken Foot StewClass War NotescoadunateCoffeeHouseStudioComments From Left FieldContraWebConvoluted Insanity*Crack the BellCultural RevolutionCurmudgeonCurmudgeonly CrabCut to the ChaseD r. M e n l oDave's Big BeefDead Men Left*debwireDefCon4Democracy for CaliforniaDemocrat VoiceDemocrat Voice, All in OneDiaLogicdiogenesian discourse*Disillusioned kidDispatch from the TrenchesDissent ChannelDoug IrelandDr ForbushDrubloodDyskepticEl Osoet aliaEverything You Know Is Wrongex-lion tamerExecutioners Thong*FeministeFighting the War on ErrorFighting the War on ErrorFire Horse SocietyFishBowlFreedoms GateFront LineGentle BreezesGod of BiscuitsGreat Minnesota Progressive NewswireGreatScat!Guns, Germs & Steeledhalfgeek.netHammer and NailHeart, Soul & HumorHegemo's Creative Class WarfareHenry BaumHIV/AIDS News & OpinionHope 4 AmericaI protestIddyBudIdeological QuagmiresillogicallogicalityImpastoIn Search of UtopiaIn the DarkInspector LohmannInternational Rock CityIntolerable Banality of EvilIsland Dave's ViewJeebasJesus ReportingJews sans frontieres*JimtopiaJohn P. Hoke's AsylumJulie SaltmanKing of Zembla*Land of the Free, Home of the Bravelast 5 pagesLast Day of My LifeLast Left Turn Before HootervilleLeft End of the DialLEFT is RIGHT*Left of CenterLenin's Tomb*Liberal CenterLiberal-Feminist BiasLife in the Third LayerLoaded MouthLogical VoiceLOSLILucky White GirlMad KaneMadison County Young DemocratsMaitri's VatulBlogMajikthiseMaking Out with the Chaos DemonMarian's BlogMEDIACRITYMessenger PuppetMockingbird's MedleyMotor City Bad KittyMouse MusingsMullah BillDougNever Knew I was living in theNewsHogNick LewisNJ Spoken WordNo Religion NowNow ThenOdessa StreetOff-The-Record, Off-The-WallOhio LiberalOneWomanWreckingCrew*Orient LodgeOutside The AsylumO'eo CookieP!pas au-delaPBA HeadquartersPeace GardenPesky' Apostrophe*PharyngulaPinko Feminist HellcatPolitical StrategyPortaPulpitPostcards from NowherePrairieWeb BlogPreemptiveKarma.com*Princess Wild CowProgressive Change for Tsunami VictimsProgressive Co-OpProgressive Democrats of AmericaProgressive InkProgressive SocietyquintonotesRaks InfinityRampaging PMSRANDOM THOUGHTS on PoliticsRatboy's AnvilRay GarraudRed HarvestRepublic of T*Rising HegemonRob's Blog*Rooftop ReportRox PopuliRussell RantsSardonic SideshowScience And Politics*Scrutiny Hooligans*Semitism.netSense of UrgencyShabOOty's Madness*Shameless AgitatorShining Light in Dark CornersSilence is Consentsimianbrain.comSimply Appalling*SmokeWritingSpontaneous Arising*Stained Glass Soulstartle the echoesState Of The QusanStraight BannanaStreak's BlogSusannity!Swerve LeftT. Rex's Guide to LifeThatColoredFellasWeblogTheory of Powerthings as it isThoughts by MonikaThoughts from Kansas*Thoughts from Kansas*Threading the NeedleTildTileseyTotal Information AwarenessTown and PlanetTrebz.comTsuredzuregusaUnrepentant LeftistVast Dairy State ConspiracyWard ReportWatchingTheWatchersWatermarkWealth BondageWhat It Is TodayWhere the Dolphins PlayWhere We're BoundWhy are we Back in Iraq?Wilson's Blogmanacyour village voice and Zeldhead?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The Executioners Thong
A Pithing Contest cursed with imagination. More than a wordsmith, Greensmile is a wordjones. And a darned good one one at that.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Kiva: Microloans to the 3rd world
Heal the world. Make it a better place. For you and for me and the goddam human race.
(via Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing)
(via Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing)
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Animated Halloween Card - "Psychopumpkin" by Tom Priest
A Halloween greeting from my dear old friend from the coast of Massachusetts, Tom Priest.
Cream at the Royal Albert Hall
The Creams
New Release!
Cream - Royal Albert Concert Hall - 2005 - CD/DVD
Review by Freeway Jam
What do Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack the Bruce have in common?
Answer: They are the shit. They are also back.
I see this as a portent, and highly approve. Can't wait to see the show...
Breaking "The Gilligan Code"
Jesus and Mary Magdalene?
Now that Bob Denver has made it off the island, as we say in spiritland -- where no man is an island, indeed, no island is an island -- we can now begin to unravel the many mysteries presented by the television classic.
For example:
Consider this list...
- Gilligan
- the skipper
- the millionaire
- his wife
- the movie star
- the professor
- Mary Ann
Only the Alpha and Omega have actual names attached to them. Gilligan and Mary Ann.
Is this because they are in fact the Alpha and the Omega?
We know that Alpha is a hurricane, and Omega is a vitamin suppliment made of fish oil.
Hurricanes travel OVER water, and fish swim IN the water. But is this important?
Is the Pope important? We like to think so.
They all have names. Thurston Howell, of course. But Lovey Wentworth, Jonas Grumby (skipper), and Roy Hinkley (professor)? Sound familiar? Granted, Ginger Grant sounds a little familiar, but that might be because we had a president and a Lou named Grant.
But what else is it about Gilligan and Mary Ann? Is it that they were meant to be together from the very start, and that they are the only characters worth their salt? Salt too, remember, is IN the ocean, like fish, but that Salt II is something else entirely.
Or is it???
Were Gilligan and Mary Ann, in fact, desposyni? Did they have olive eyes? Are they the true vitalismen?
Now some will argue that the professor and Mary Ann are the only important characters...since they were first distinguished as being the original "and the rest". Clearly an important title.
But remember, Mary was the name of Jesus' wife and mother, and Ann was the name of Mary's mother, although she spelled it with an "e" although placing in the creative spot in the second space, producing "Aenn"...although she preferred the more friendly "Annie", at least according to dental records.
But such thinking is flawed, since there were no professors in biblical times, and the ones that did profess were considered wiseacres and numbnuts, and were typically forced to eat their falafel without ketchup, so to speak, and were thus rendered toothless, socially. Clearly the professor was not a major player in the Gilligan Code.
"And the rest"
The professor and Mary Ann were, at one time, the proverbial "rest". Requiem is the latin word for rest. Therefore, the professor and Mary Ann were the requiem. But so what? Who isn't these days?
So this leads us back to Gilligan and Mary Ann; the Alpha and Omega.
Were they meant to be an item? Is that what it is all about?
Is this just some fantasy on the part of the writers, anticipating Survivor and Lost?
Gilligan's Isthmus
And speaking of Lost, could it be, as some have said, that the crew were in fact not on an island, but an isthmus? This would make a lot of sense, since Isthmus rhymes with Christmas, and sense rhymes with since...but somehow this seems like a dead-end, since it was all filmed on a soundstage, which only rhymes with roundstage, which was popular during the Albionic Renaissance, as proved by Herr Shakesjoyce, writing between the lines.
As we explore the Gilligan Code, we will discover all manner of wild and wondrous connections.
We hope you will stay with us as the secrets are, at last, revealed.
Many thanks to Jude Camwell, the Iddybud of the Blogosphere, for her inspiration and amazing sleuthwork of this timely and touching matter.
Will Cheney Dick Bush?
As Dick Cheney's fate catches up with him, will he fall on the sword for Bush?
Here are some things being said around the country worth pondering.
TO believe that the Bush-Cheney scandals will be behind us anytime soon you'd have to believe that the Nixon-Agnew scandals peaked when G. Gordon Liddy and his bumbling band were nailed for the Watergate break-in.
Many Republicans say that Mr. Cheney, already politically weakened because of his role in preparing the case for war, could be further damaged if he is forced to testify about the infighting over intelligence that turned out to be false. At the least, they say, his office will be temporarily off balance with the resignation of Mr. Libby, who controlled both foreign and domestic affairs in a vice presidential office that has served as a major policy arm for the West Wing.
A majority of current and former military members surveyed this week in North Carolina disagree with how President Bush is handling the war in Iraq, according to a poll released Friday.
More than 56 percent of military members surveyed in an Elon University poll said they disapprove or strongly disapprove with how the president is running the war.
Nearly 53 percent disapprove or strongly disapprove of Bush's overall job performance.
The results are startling because military members almost always overwhelmingly support wars and the president, said poll director Hunter Bacot.
The incompetence and mediocrity of this administration has been clearly demonstrated time and again. Add to that corruption, greed, and lying...and some Republicans are going to realize that they don't want to fall on a sword for this closed group of global pirates. When you realize you are on the wrong horse...get off. And people are starting to climb down from the crosses they have had to bear for folks to whom a cross is just something one does to a "t" as they are cashing their bloody checks.
Here are some things being said around the country worth pondering.
TO believe that the Bush-Cheney scandals will be behind us anytime soon you'd have to believe that the Nixon-Agnew scandals peaked when G. Gordon Liddy and his bumbling band were nailed for the Watergate break-in.
Many Republicans say that Mr. Cheney, already politically weakened because of his role in preparing the case for war, could be further damaged if he is forced to testify about the infighting over intelligence that turned out to be false. At the least, they say, his office will be temporarily off balance with the resignation of Mr. Libby, who controlled both foreign and domestic affairs in a vice presidential office that has served as a major policy arm for the West Wing.
A majority of current and former military members surveyed this week in North Carolina disagree with how President Bush is handling the war in Iraq, according to a poll released Friday.
More than 56 percent of military members surveyed in an Elon University poll said they disapprove or strongly disapprove with how the president is running the war.
Nearly 53 percent disapprove or strongly disapprove of Bush's overall job performance.
The results are startling because military members almost always overwhelmingly support wars and the president, said poll director Hunter Bacot.
The incompetence and mediocrity of this administration has been clearly demonstrated time and again. Add to that corruption, greed, and lying...and some Republicans are going to realize that they don't want to fall on a sword for this closed group of global pirates. When you realize you are on the wrong horse...get off. And people are starting to climb down from the crosses they have had to bear for folks to whom a cross is just something one does to a "t" as they are cashing their bloody checks.
Brit Hume to Juan Williams: "Someone needs to hose you down."
Montgomery, Alabama
Shredder purveyor FoxNews' white Brit Hume usually just condescends to black Juan Williams by saying "Juan, Juan, Juan" or some other derogatory comment. Today Hume racheted it up a bit when he said "Someone needs to hose you down."
As a white Southerner who still remembers the dark days of our past, where whites would hose down black protesters, I am shocked by the comment, and think he should apologize for his poor taste in words.
34% of Americans think Adam and Eve rode to church on dinosaurs
While watching Weekend Update last night, I was struck by a recent poll which showed that:
66% of Americans think that Bush has done a poor job in Iraq
while the remaining 34% of Americans think Adam and Eve rode to church on dinosaurs.
America: Atavism's Cutting Edge
66% of Americans think that Bush has done a poor job in Iraq
while the remaining 34% of Americans think Adam and Eve rode to church on dinosaurs.
America: Atavism's Cutting Edge
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
anonyMoses presents...BushWorld Symphony
BushWorld Symphony is finally finished, and now I'm going to have to rest my music bone. BushWorld Symphony is a 16-part symphony composed mostly in the early 21st century, and finally cobbled together into a unified whole only days ago.
Songs with minimal descriptives. (Some have more than one part) . This is what the songs resemble, if only they good...
BUSHWORLD SYMPHONY by Anonymoses Hyperlincoln
March of the Plebeians
The symphony opens with a swaggering, half-drunk, Hindemithian intro with low horns, tympani and percussives.
Spatial Someone
The mudane gives way to the Cosmic. Kitaroesque.
Monks in the Wild
Shades of Arvo Part, Henrik Gorecki and Thomas Tallis.
God Breathing
Blinds of Britten, Vaughan Williams and Mahler.
Monks in Space
Orff on acid.
Human Love
Shades of Copland's "Tender Land".
Wars of Adolescence
John Williams meets Igor Stravinsky who then meets Phillip Glass, gets nervous and then returns to Igor who is now dating Stockhausen.
Love Theme
Shades of Morrocone or Aaberg.
Bold Pavane
Faure on Steroids.
Jeremiad for a Goofy Planet
King Crimsonesque lamentation. (Starless, Lark's Tongue)
March of the Patricians
Mickey Hart meets Arvo Part, has sex with Elliot Carter then roosts with Radiohead.
Songs with minimal descriptives. (Some have more than one part) . This is what the songs resemble, if only they good...
BUSHWORLD SYMPHONY by Anonymoses Hyperlincoln
March of the Plebeians
The symphony opens with a swaggering, half-drunk, Hindemithian intro with low horns, tympani and percussives.
Spatial Someone
The mudane gives way to the Cosmic. Kitaroesque.
Monks in the Wild
Shades of Arvo Part, Henrik Gorecki and Thomas Tallis.
God Breathing
Blinds of Britten, Vaughan Williams and Mahler.
Monks in Space
Orff on acid.
Human Love
Shades of Copland's "Tender Land".
Wars of Adolescence
John Williams meets Igor Stravinsky who then meets Phillip Glass, gets nervous and then returns to Igor who is now dating Stockhausen.
Love Theme
Shades of Morrocone or Aaberg.
Bold Pavane
Faure on Steroids.
Jeremiad for a Goofy Planet
King Crimsonesque lamentation. (Starless, Lark's Tongue)
March of the Patricians
Mickey Hart meets Arvo Part, has sex with Elliot Carter then roosts with Radiohead.
Goodnight sweet princess!
The elegant and brave Ms. Rosa Parks
The voice of Montgomery today...on the death of Rosa Parks. May she rest in peace.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Jones Theory of the Merry-Go-Blogosphere
How the Blogosphere Works...Really!
Blog veteran and mayor of Blogsboro, Billy (the blogging poet) Jones, explains how the blogosphere is not a sphere at all, but more like a record album, or perhaps, a merry-go-round. A record album is flat, and one starts at the edge and moves to the center over time. But, Mister Jones surmises, a merry-go-round might actually be a better metaphor since the same properties hold true, but the dangerous kickwork of those at the periphery also plays a big part...just as it does in the real blogosphere.
THESE THINGS AND MORE at Billy's new blog, inexplicably called BillysNewBlog. I fail to see the connection.
Blog veteran and mayor of Blogsboro, Billy (the blogging poet) Jones, explains how the blogosphere is not a sphere at all, but more like a record album, or perhaps, a merry-go-round. A record album is flat, and one starts at the edge and moves to the center over time. But, Mister Jones surmises, a merry-go-round might actually be a better metaphor since the same properties hold true, but the dangerous kickwork of those at the periphery also plays a big part...just as it does in the real blogosphere.
THESE THINGS AND MORE at Billy's new blog, inexplicably called BillysNewBlog. I fail to see the connection.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Get a jump on local internet advertising with CityAdNet
With CityAdNet, you hold the reigns. You decide what to say and how much you want to spend. It is the Priceline of local Internet advertising. It is also the Millard Fillmore of Foosball, but that's a different story.
Want to touch your toe into the net ad waters? Maybe you're ready to plunge right in. Either way, you can get it done, say what you want to say, sell what you want to sell, attract who you want to attract...at whatever price is right for you.
CityAdNet: The Future of the Present
Want to touch your toe into the net ad waters? Maybe you're ready to plunge right in. Either way, you can get it done, say what you want to say, sell what you want to sell, attract who you want to attract...at whatever price is right for you.
CityAdNet: The Future of the Present
Lay and DeLay: Caught and Cauter
The fingerprinting of Tom Delay
Cauterization is the burning of the body [politic] to remove or close a part of it. It is sometimes done for medical reasons, as to treat some kind of wound in an area, for instance, or sometimes performed as a recreational body modification.
Tom DeLay is being cauterized from The Body Politic in much the same way that Ken [de]Lay was cauterized from The Body Business. Getting Layed ain't what it used to be. And today we read that the former exterminator has been served his papers, and will be mugshat and fingerprinted...with Bible black ink, not the fashionable red or purple.
The Hula Hoop & The New Liberal Physical Policy
Ancient Liberating Device
The Hula Hoop (or Hoola Hoop if your brain is bad) is making a liberal resurgence, thus partially justifying a notion once held by the gigantic Robert Reich (not to be confused with the diminutive Robert Reich who was never Secretary of Labor) and ushering in an age of physical liberality which some predict will cause the physical conservatives to finally retreat into their wally white world where one wonders where the yellow went, but not much else, lest one include animadversive gasguzzle shokinah or other oopsishnesses.
According to the author of "Hands of Light", simply making these gyrating motions with the human thorax is juvenative and restorative, or in other words, evolutive -- anathemae to many with conservative physical policies. But such ignorationalistic damming of reality will not stand against the rising waters, the pent-up aching rivers, of Nature, even as she rises in us. And thus the brave Hula Hoop will have saved the day, and the world will, once again, love America, or at least North Carolina.
[Andy Griffith theme]
How A Hula Hoop Helped Save Gay Whales from Rational Nuking
The String Cheese Incident
Wilma Now Most Intense Atlantic Storm Ever
Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma swirled into the most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasters warned was "extremely dangerous."
Wilma was dumping rain on Central America and Mexico. A hurricane watch was in effect for the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, parts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Wilma's top sustained winds reached 175 mph early Wednesday in the most rapid strengthening ever recorded in a hurricane, said meteorologist Hugh Cobb of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. At the same time Tuesday, Wilma was only a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph.
Wilma was dumping rain on Central America and Mexico. A hurricane watch was in effect for the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, parts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Wilma's top sustained winds reached 175 mph early Wednesday in the most rapid strengthening ever recorded in a hurricane, said meteorologist Hugh Cobb of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. At the same time Tuesday, Wilma was only a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Noam Chomsky named top intellectual, passing over Bill O'Reilly who was 76,000,000th.
Noam Chomsky
The man who has spoken more truth to power than just about anyone has been voted the highly prized "top intellectual", according to a recent poll conducted in England, beating out anyone on FOX News by several million points. Or so I would guess.
His lectures at MIT were, and probably still are, a treat for the mind. Highly recommended.
What brave network, though, would dare put him on their payroll?
Any takers? Coresnot.
Chomsky has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. His works include: Aspects of the Theory of Syntax; Cartesian Linguistics; Sound Pattern of English (with Morris Halle); Language and Mind; American Power and the New Mandarins; At War with Asia; For Reasons of State; Peace in the Middle East?; Reflections on Language; The Political Economy of Human Rights, Vol. I and II (with E.S. Herman); Rules and Representations; Lectures on Government and Binding; Towards a New Cold War; Radical Priorities; Fateful Triangle; Knowledge of Language; Turning the Tide; Pirates and Emperors; On Power and Ideology; Language and Problems of Knowledge; The Culture of Terrorism; Manufacturing Consent (with E.S. Herman); Necessary Illusions; Deterring Democracy; Year 501; Rethinking Camelot: JFK, the Vietnam War and US Political Culture; Letters from Lexington; World Orders, Old and New; The Minimalist Program; Powers and Prospects; The Common Good; Profit Over People; The New Military Humanism; New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind; Rogue States; A New Generation Draws the Line; 9-11; and Understanding Power.
The Secret IM Conversations: Bush seeks advice from Clinton
The Huffington Post
(Thanks to Rob Urban for this find)
Kickass43: yo bill
Kickass43: u up
LadeezMan42: man im always up
LadeezMan42: whazzup witu
LadeezMan42: aint it past yr bedtime :)
Kickass43: laura kickd me out
LadeezMan42: been there dude...
MORE
(Thanks to Rob Urban for this find)
Kickass43: yo bill
Kickass43: u up
LadeezMan42: man im always up
LadeezMan42: whazzup witu
LadeezMan42: aint it past yr bedtime :)
Kickass43: laura kickd me out
LadeezMan42: been there dude...
MORE
Monday, October 17, 2005
The American Conservative: "Money for Nothing"
Billions of dollars have disappeared, gone to bribe Iraqis and line contractors’ pockets.
When the final page is written on America’s catastrophic imperial venture, one word will dominate the explanation of U.S. failure—corruption.
When the final page is written on America’s catastrophic imperial venture, one word will dominate the explanation of U.S. failure—corruption.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Dark Clouds Over Toledo
The National Socialist Movement (also called "NSM" or "NSM88") is the largest neo-Nazi Party operating in the United States of America, with "Units" and members in all 50 states and around the world. They co-operate with other "white nationalists", such as the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Skinheads and National Alliance. The "88" in its name is a code word for "Heil Hitler", H being the 8th letter in the alphabet. The name America's Nazi Party is sometimes used, but this should not be confused with the revived American Nazi Party, a different group.
So says Wikipedia about the neo-fascist group that has brought the storms to Toledo.
Art from Faith: North Carolina's Cathy Sigmon
"field of daisies 2" by Cathy Sigmon
Primarily a self-taught artist, Cathy works from her studio in Faith, North Carolina in colored pencil, watercolor and acrylics. She has won numerous awards in local and regional exhibitions and conducts workshops for regional art guilds.
A Signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, Cathy has participated in CPSA international exhibitions in San Diego, Detroit and Houston. Her work is included in "The Best of Colored Pecncil 4", published by Rockport Publishers and distributed in the U.S. and abroad by North Light Books.
Friday, October 14, 2005
The beloved Joanne Shenandoah
Joanne Shenandoah & small friend
Shenandoah has become the most critically acclaimed Native American singer of her time... - Associated Press
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
MacArthur 'Genius' Grant awarded to Harvard's Sue Goldie
Sue Goldie
Physician, researcher applies decision science to global women's health
Public health researcher Sue Goldie, associate professor of health decision science at Harvard School of Public Health, has been awarded a $500,000 MacArthur grant "for genius and creativity" in applying the tools of decision science to evaluate the clinical benefits, public health impact, and cost-effectiveness of alternative preventive and treatment interventions for viruses that are major public health problems.
Goldie's faculty research page
mistersugar: Tar Heel Tavern #34: T-Shirt & Shoes Required
Anton is going to be hosting the Tarheel Tavern this week.
Here is what he says he would like as a theme:
Tar Heel Tavern #34: T-Shirt & Shoes Required
Next week, I’ll again host the Tar Heel Tavern, a carnival of North Carolina bloggers. Here’s the theme: t-shirt tales:
That’s right. I’m asking bloggers to dig into their t-shirt drawers, find a shirt with a story behind it—best if it’s got something to do with North Carolina—and share the tale with the rest of us. (See this post for an example of one of my archived posts.)
If you’ve got the means, post a picture of the t-shirt to your blog or Flickr (tag it “tarheeltavernT”).
Submission deadline is Saturday, October 15 at noon.
BONUS: While you’re at it, why not get rid of the t-shirts you haven’t worn in the last year by donating them to your local clothing bank, a Hurricane Katrina drive, or me (I’ll send them to my Peace Corps village in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu).
UPDATE: I’ll accept other, non-t-shirt posts, too. The more crowded into the tavern, the merrier.
Here is what he says he would like as a theme:
Tar Heel Tavern #34: T-Shirt & Shoes Required
Next week, I’ll again host the Tar Heel Tavern, a carnival of North Carolina bloggers. Here’s the theme: t-shirt tales:
That’s right. I’m asking bloggers to dig into their t-shirt drawers, find a shirt with a story behind it—best if it’s got something to do with North Carolina—and share the tale with the rest of us. (See this post for an example of one of my archived posts.)
If you’ve got the means, post a picture of the t-shirt to your blog or Flickr (tag it “tarheeltavernT”).
Submission deadline is Saturday, October 15 at noon.
BONUS: While you’re at it, why not get rid of the t-shirts you haven’t worn in the last year by donating them to your local clothing bank, a Hurricane Katrina drive, or me (I’ll send them to my Peace Corps village in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu).
UPDATE: I’ll accept other, non-t-shirt posts, too. The more crowded into the tavern, the merrier.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Narcissistic Graffiti on ConvergeSouth
Excellent coverage on the Herb Everett, Dave Winer, Amanda Congdon and Duncan Black (Atrios) sessions, and more...
John Lennon's Day
John Lennon October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980
Working Class Hero
by John Lennon
As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function you're so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and class less and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
Speaking of Greensboro, I was in Greensboro when I heard the news about Lennon's death.
There was a nice and moving candlelight vigil at UNCG with good folks like John S. Jones, Bill Poole, Chuck Newman, Maria Robbins, Lucy Biron, David Grogan, John Pope, Eric, Chance, Dayna, Fred and Stan in attendance. Hard to believe 25 years has passed since then...
Good to see Greensboro is still a groovy place, because it certainly was back then. Long live Greensboro!
Long live the memory and music of John Lennon!
Friday, October 07, 2005
The ConvergeSouth Blog
Converge!ConvergeSouth, taking place this weekend in Greensboro, has a blog, featuring some of the speakers.
convergesouth
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Inheriting the Winds of Tammy
Computer Model shows direct hit on Charlotte
Granted, it is only one several predictions, but there is a prediction that "Tropical Storm Tammy", as she's called , or its remnants, will pass through Charlotte, North Carolina and environs.
Tammy Bakker Testified in Charlotte right before Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte. You could say she inherited the winds. And now another massive package of wind named Tammy is threatening Charlotte.
Granted, it is only one several predictions, but there is a prediction that "Tropical Storm Tammy", as she's called , or its remnants, will pass through Charlotte, North Carolina and environs.
Tammy Bakker Testified in Charlotte right before Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte. You could say she inherited the winds. And now another massive package of wind named Tammy is threatening Charlotte.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Monday, October 03, 2005
Panther Pussycats Don Cat Costumes
The Charlotte, North Carolina Panthers
We at anonyMoses are predicting that the Panther cheerleaders, The "Top Cats" will change their name to "The Pussycats" or "Panther Pussycats", and that they will start wearing cat costumes, and dance to songs from the Eliot play.
We also want to urge the team to study tai chi, judo, ballet, and public speaking. They should also focus on not only being better, but different...like Mohammed Ali, filled with charm and grace. Spiritualized like a cat. Like a Panther and a Pussycat.
Earning one's high pay. Being better than anyone ever.
Gods.
At least more than just a jock.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Emmanuel Hands Reynolds Arse on Plate
Ass on a plate
Rahm Emmanuel, like Barak Obama, John Edwards, and indeed, Wes Clark, represent the best hope for the future of the Democratic Party, and today, one of them, Mr. Emmanuel, showed how and why the future will be Democratic, and thus a benefit to health and humanity.
On today's "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert, Emmanuel was paired with a boring old man named Reynolds, who will doubtless have any impact on the history of our great nation. And yet he had to sit there beside a gentleman whose equals rank among the pantheon of truly great presidents.
Without raising his voice, without losing repose or composure, Mister Emmanuel layed out the future, while all the boring old man could do was ululate and hyperventilate apothegms so barren of meaning as to render its bearer foolish and obsolescent.
He was handed his arse on a plarte, to be polite, passive and neologistic about it.
The five-point plan layed out by Mr. Emmanuel deserve serious consideration. These are bold ideas. They will get us out of the hole which the other guys would have you keep digging.
Here is where Rahm lays out the future:
REP. EMMANUEL: Let me address, though, the future of this country. I'll give you five quick ideas. One, we make college education as universal for the 21st century that a high school education was in the 20th.
MR. RUSSERT: And who pays for that?
REP. EMMANUEL: The American people, because it offers--Let me get to it. Second, we get a summit on the budget to deal with the $3 trillion of debt that's been added up in five years and structural deficits of $400 billion a year. Third, an energy policy that says in 10 years, we cut our dependence on foreign oil in half and make this a hybrid economy. Four, we create an institute on science and technology that builds for America like, the National Institutes has done for health care, we maintain our edge. And five, we have a universal health-care system over the next 10 years where if you work, you have health care. That says fiscal discipline and investing in the American people by reputting people first. The policies that the Republicans have offered have gotten us in the ditch we have today.
Ideas. Good ones. If the Republicans had ideas, they didn't bear fruit. And they've had five years. Staying the course is only digging the hole deeper. And we've already hit Hell.
They carry on:
MR. RUSSERT: (To Reynolds) What do you think of that program?
REP. REYNOLDS (as if to say "O come now, Emmanuel!"): Sounds to me like a liberal agenda: bigger government, raise more taxes to pay for it. That's the failed liberal policies. The last 40 years, the Democrats were in control of the Congress.
REP. EMMANUEL: Tom, in the last five years the government's gotten bigger...
REP. REYNOLDS: And when we look at this...
REP. EMMANUEL: ...under Republican rule...
REP. REYNOLDS: I have not heard...
REP. EMMANUEL: ...than anytime in the history.
REP. REYNOLDS: ...any agenda coming out of the Democrats in Congress. It has been all slash and burn, nay. There has been no debate, Tim. This is not the debate of Dole and Moynihan. This is slash and burn, have no new ideas, and attack.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Anonymoses welcome Mecklenburg Electric to the Blogosphere
If you need an honest and reliable electrical contractor to handle your wiring needs, look no further than Mecklenburg Electric. They have been wiring Charlotteans for over 25 years, and the owner, George Kirby, has been a trusted friend for even longer. They have decided to start blogging, and their blog can be seen here. Call, email, or comment to the Wiring For Charlotte blog, and George or someone on his staff will get back to you. Tell then that Dave sent you, and you will get a nice discount on any services rendered.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
What would Jesus the Clown do? (WWJTCD)
Jesus the Clown
These are trying times, these are tiring times. These are the times that try men's souls, and the time to change men's tires. These are unctuous times.
At times like these there is no greater hope, no greater voice, no greater emulator of sad sAtisfaction than our very own Jesus the Clown: President of War. A frightful thought now that one thinks of it.
Granted, I am no Lee. I have no ear of JTC, nor any pull. But if'n you were to have a quextion whose answer has undeniable universal appeal, I will see if I can get Red Roverer, his make-up artist, to construct a reasonable simulacrum.
OFFER DOES NOT INCLUDE POSTAGE, BATTERIES, OR HANDLING FEES. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A LIGHTNESS OF WALLET OR DIFFICULTY URINATING, IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE YOU HAD SEX WITH A SLATTERN AND A STRUMPET, AND YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE THE OFFENDING ORGAN REMOVED. DO NOT TAKE JESUS THE CLOWN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT AS IT MAY INDUCE EXISTENTIAL VOMITING OR A SARTRIAN STRABISMUS. USE ONLY AS DIRECTED.
Fun with words: Glossary of Linguistics and Rhetoric
Hey kids! Loopy about linguistics? Ready for some rhetoric?
Here goes a page with many fun greek terms for oblique ways to tweak what you speak...and make knees weak with wonder.
Here is a sample of what you will learn:
adnoun
the use of an adjective as a noun. Blessed are the merciful. See also: adnominal.
anadiplosis
rhetorical repetition of one or more words, particularly a word at the end of a clause. "Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state; servants of fame; and servants of business." -- Francis Bacon. See also: anaphora, epistrophe, symploce.
anastrophe
transposition or inversion of normal word order; a type of hyperbaton. "Once upon a midnight dreary..." -- Edgar Allan Poe. "The helmsman steered; the ship moved on; yet never a breeze up blew." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge. See also: hyperbaton, synchysis.
antanaclasis
repetition of a word whose meaning changes in the second instance. "Your argument is sound...all sound." -- Benjamin Franklin.
apophasis
mentioning something by declaring that it shall not be mentioned. Same as "paralepsis" and "preterition." "I need not remind you to get your Christmas shopping done early." See also: autoclesis, parasiopesis.
aposiopesis
a halting or trailing off of speech caused by the speaker seemingly overcome by an emotion such as excitement, fear, or modesty; a form of brachylogy. "When your father finds out...." See also: brachylogy.
asyndeton
lack of conjuctions between coordinate words, phrases, or clauses; a form of brachylogy. "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground." -- Abraham Lincoln. See also: brachylogy, polysyndeton.
...and those are just some of the A-list.
Here are some I put to use. Can you guess which rhetorical device was used?
- ...like mind from a thought did spring.
- ...til night doth shut our eye.
- Immortal lips from words did spring.
- Let me die, and pierce the blade across my chin.
- Let me live, and ward off sad silence once more.
- I will say nothing of his virtue, though I find him to be courageous of spirit, untiring of conscience and a friend and brother eternal.
- When the victory? When the Peace?
- Thought makes the man; thought is the quintessence of what motivates man.
- Still he chased ambition -- ambition, that trickledown juicecarrot (Judas Carrot) which dangles in perpetuity, yet jangles in but the pocks of few.
- Arrogance took no swipe at Belvedere; and he fed no coin into arrogance.
- Happy is he who calls God love and Love God.
- Raising Hell and my children.
- She charged my senses and my dinner.
- His wisdom will the nation's food.
All entries will be accepted until the ughten on the fortnight of yesternoon.
Here goes a page with many fun greek terms for oblique ways to tweak what you speak...and make knees weak with wonder.
Here is a sample of what you will learn:
adnoun
the use of an adjective as a noun. Blessed are the merciful. See also: adnominal.
anadiplosis
rhetorical repetition of one or more words, particularly a word at the end of a clause. "Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state; servants of fame; and servants of business." -- Francis Bacon. See also: anaphora, epistrophe, symploce.
anastrophe
transposition or inversion of normal word order; a type of hyperbaton. "Once upon a midnight dreary..." -- Edgar Allan Poe. "The helmsman steered; the ship moved on; yet never a breeze up blew." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge. See also: hyperbaton, synchysis.
antanaclasis
repetition of a word whose meaning changes in the second instance. "Your argument is sound...all sound." -- Benjamin Franklin.
apophasis
mentioning something by declaring that it shall not be mentioned. Same as "paralepsis" and "preterition." "I need not remind you to get your Christmas shopping done early." See also: autoclesis, parasiopesis.
aposiopesis
a halting or trailing off of speech caused by the speaker seemingly overcome by an emotion such as excitement, fear, or modesty; a form of brachylogy. "When your father finds out...." See also: brachylogy.
asyndeton
lack of conjuctions between coordinate words, phrases, or clauses; a form of brachylogy. "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground." -- Abraham Lincoln. See also: brachylogy, polysyndeton.
...and those are just some of the A-list.
Here are some I put to use. Can you guess which rhetorical device was used?
- ...like mind from a thought did spring.
- ...til night doth shut our eye.
- Immortal lips from words did spring.
- Let me die, and pierce the blade across my chin.
- Let me live, and ward off sad silence once more.
- I will say nothing of his virtue, though I find him to be courageous of spirit, untiring of conscience and a friend and brother eternal.
- When the victory? When the Peace?
- Thought makes the man; thought is the quintessence of what motivates man.
- Still he chased ambition -- ambition, that trickledown juicecarrot (Judas Carrot) which dangles in perpetuity, yet jangles in but the pocks of few.
- Arrogance took no swipe at Belvedere; and he fed no coin into arrogance.
- Happy is he who calls God love and Love God.
- Raising Hell and my children.
- She charged my senses and my dinner.
- His wisdom will the nation's food.
All entries will be accepted until the ughten on the fortnight of yesternoon.
Cats of Peace
Notes on "Darconville's Cat"
protoglottalogical theory that words initially began as shouts
beauty palliates evil
imperscrutible winds of autumn
nomadic gulsar
lugubrious frontispiece
obligate room
spare as the skite of a recluse
archonic wardens of Heaven
blinking anablept
desperviews
sapphonically whisper
strained against their cinctures
sententious ballachers
praeternatural somnolence
astropoetic light
soft as nainsook
intervenient with
the slippered voluptions of his prose
pteriopes wrapped in procinian cloaks
electuaries
projecticians
slonk
a nulliverse of stifling monotony
cattle, skewbald, roan and dappled
rantipole heroes
acromegalic jaw
unijugate ears
chawbacons
klonvocated
klankraft
pantomancing
hypocause of fate
horror dorsifixed him
maidens blushworthily abud
obliviscible
Anti-Peace Rally Draws Over a Hundred Numbskulls
Anti-War & Anti-Peace. Looking Left, Looking Right.
While over a hundred thousand anti-war protestors descended on Washington, DC this weekend, a little over a hundred of the anti-peace clueless also showed up...apparently unaware that there already was no peace in Iraq. Doh!
Blessed are the peacemakers. Cursed are the warmakers...
Songs for Katrina: Sting
Moon Over Bourbon Street
-Sting
There’s a moon over bourbon street tonight
I see faces as they pass beneath the pale lamplight
I’ve no choice but to follow that call
The bright lights, the people, and the moon and all
I pray everyday to be strong
For I know what I do must be wrong
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
It was many years ago that I became what I am
I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb
Now I can only show my face at noon
And you’ll only see me walking by the light of the moon
The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast
I’ve the face of a sinner but the hands of a priest
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
She walks everyday through the streets of new orleans
She’s innocent and young from a family of means
I have stood many times outside her window at night
To struggle with my instinct in the pale moon light
How could I be this way when I pray to God above
I must love what I destroy and destroy the thing I love
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
-Sting
There’s a moon over bourbon street tonight
I see faces as they pass beneath the pale lamplight
I’ve no choice but to follow that call
The bright lights, the people, and the moon and all
I pray everyday to be strong
For I know what I do must be wrong
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
It was many years ago that I became what I am
I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb
Now I can only show my face at noon
And you’ll only see me walking by the light of the moon
The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast
I’ve the face of a sinner but the hands of a priest
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
She walks everyday through the streets of new orleans
She’s innocent and young from a family of means
I have stood many times outside her window at night
To struggle with my instinct in the pale moon light
How could I be this way when I pray to God above
I must love what I destroy and destroy the thing I love
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over bourbon street
Monday, September 19, 2005
Senator John Kerry's Speech at Brown University
Providence, RI - I want to thank you for what the Brown community has done to help and comfort the many victims of Hurricane Katrina. This horrifying disaster has shown Americans at their best -- and their government at its worst.
And that's what I've come to talk with you about today. READ ON
EXCERPTS:
Katrina stripped away any image of competence and exposed to all the true heart and nature of this administration. The truth is that for four and a half years, real life choices have been replaced by ideological agenda, substance replaced by spin, governance second place always to politics. Yes, they can run a good campaign -- I can attest to that -- but America needs more than a campaign. If 12 year-old Boy Scouts can be prepared, Americans have a right to expect the same from their 59 year-old President of the United States.
This is about the broader pattern of incompetence and negligence that Katrina exposed, and beyond that, a truly systemic effort to distort and disable the people's government, and devote it to the interests of the privileged and the powerful. It is about the betrayal of trust and abuse of power. And in all the often horrible and sometimes ennobling sights and sounds we've all witnessed over the last two weeks, there's another sound just under the surface: the steady clucking of Administration chickens coming home to roost.
They didn't listen...
This is the Katrina administration.
And that's what I've come to talk with you about today. READ ON
EXCERPTS:
Katrina stripped away any image of competence and exposed to all the true heart and nature of this administration. The truth is that for four and a half years, real life choices have been replaced by ideological agenda, substance replaced by spin, governance second place always to politics. Yes, they can run a good campaign -- I can attest to that -- but America needs more than a campaign. If 12 year-old Boy Scouts can be prepared, Americans have a right to expect the same from their 59 year-old President of the United States.
This is about the broader pattern of incompetence and negligence that Katrina exposed, and beyond that, a truly systemic effort to distort and disable the people's government, and devote it to the interests of the privileged and the powerful. It is about the betrayal of trust and abuse of power. And in all the often horrible and sometimes ennobling sights and sounds we've all witnessed over the last two weeks, there's another sound just under the surface: the steady clucking of Administration chickens coming home to roost.
They didn't listen...
This is the Katrina administration.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Brian Williams: NBC News to open a bureau in New Orleans
Brian Williams Look-alike
On the NBC front, we're all thrilled at our decision to open a formal bureau here. It's simply a recognition of the obvious: this is going to be an ongoing story, with ramifications and recovery stretching years ahead of us. While our compound here operates beautifully, it still amounts to a collection of RVs, tarps and folding tables. It will be great to have a bricks-and-mortar operation.
On September 3, I had expressed just such a hope on a blogpost for Daily Kos:
My hope is that Brian Williams, Bob Woodruff, Shepard Smith, Anderson Cooper, and the other brave new stewards of the poor and disenfranchised, will stay in New Orleans, and be the voice of those whose need is most great.
Congratulations to NBC News for this new development.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
3 Cheers for George Bush the Liberal
George or Andy?
The Andy Griffithization of George W. Bush
I am not in the habit of saying complimentary things about our current president, but when it is warranted, I will freely give credit. Notwithstanding the opening paragraphs, the New Orleans speech is the best speech of his career. It is also his most liberal, certainly in terms of heart. And I suspect it will go a long way toward helping people understand the importance of liberality.
But here's the weird thing.
I think the president enjoyed being liberal. I also think David Brooks enjoys his newfound freedom. This speech represents a trimph of liberalism, if not Liberalism. And maybe that too. A liberal triumph benefits everyone. Since Bush needn't worry about re-election, he can be as liberal or magnanimous as his maturing soul might demand.
Here is another completely unscientific proof of his recent, and perhaps televised, evolution:
He resembled Andy Griffith.
Let me explain. While normally, Mister Bush will resemble Paul Wolfowitz, Pat Robertson or Karen Hughes, being a shape-shifter and all -- on tonight's performance, he, during his best moments, looked like Andy Griffith. The consummate liberal. And during his first presidential campaign, he sounded like Martin Luther King. I suspect he would watch or listen to these folks, on tape or in person, and then imitate, consciously or un-, that person.
I don't know if he actually met with, or studied, Andy Griffith. I like to think he didn't, and that, instead, he evolved into Andy Griffith, much like Walt Whitman was reputed to have evolved into cosmic consiousness.
Andy Griffith is who people want to see being the sheriff, or chief law dude, as the kids say.
A benevolent friend who uses his power to make life better for everyone.
May Bush become that benevolent friend who uses his power to make life better for everyone.
Everyone.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Robert Benchley Society announces winner
The Daily News Online
This winter, members of the Robert Benchley Society announced a writing contest that would be used to identify the second coming of the renowned 20th-century humorist. They believe they have found him in Kelso, Washington.
In May, the Society named Joe Daggy's essay, "When You Can't Sleep," the first-prize winner. Daggy spent Labor Day weekend in Boston, where he accepted the award. The essay will be published in Espree magazine.
Congratulations to Joe Daggy for a job well done.
This winter, members of the Robert Benchley Society announced a writing contest that would be used to identify the second coming of the renowned 20th-century humorist. They believe they have found him in Kelso, Washington.
In May, the Society named Joe Daggy's essay, "When You Can't Sleep," the first-prize winner. Daggy spent Labor Day weekend in Boston, where he accepted the award. The essay will be published in Espree magazine.
Congratulations to Joe Daggy for a job well done.
End of the Bush Era
The Bush Era is over. The sooner politicians in both parties realize that, the better for them -- and the country.
E.J. Dionne explains how and why the Bush era came to an end on September 2, 2005...
Excerpts:
And so the Bush Era ended definitively on Sept. 2, the day Bush first toured the Gulf Coast States after Hurricane Katrina. There was no magic moment with a bullhorn. The utter failure of federal relief efforts had by then penetrated the country's consciousness. Yesterday's resignation of FEMA Director Michael Brown put an exclamation point on the failure.
But the first intimations of the end of the Bush Era came months ago. The president's post-election fixation on privatizing part of Social Security showed how out of touch he was. The more Bush discussed this boutique idea cooked up in conservative think tanks and Wall Street imaginations, the less the public liked it. The situation in Iraq deteriorated. The glorious economy Bush kept touting turned out not to be glorious for many Americans. The Census Bureau's annual economic report, released in the midst of the Gulf disaster, found that an additional 4.1 million Americans had slipped into poverty between 2001 and 2004.
Promises! Promises!
Broken promises!
E.J. Dionne explains how and why the Bush era came to an end on September 2, 2005...
Excerpts:
And so the Bush Era ended definitively on Sept. 2, the day Bush first toured the Gulf Coast States after Hurricane Katrina. There was no magic moment with a bullhorn. The utter failure of federal relief efforts had by then penetrated the country's consciousness. Yesterday's resignation of FEMA Director Michael Brown put an exclamation point on the failure.
But the first intimations of the end of the Bush Era came months ago. The president's post-election fixation on privatizing part of Social Security showed how out of touch he was. The more Bush discussed this boutique idea cooked up in conservative think tanks and Wall Street imaginations, the less the public liked it. The situation in Iraq deteriorated. The glorious economy Bush kept touting turned out not to be glorious for many Americans. The Census Bureau's annual economic report, released in the midst of the Gulf disaster, found that an additional 4.1 million Americans had slipped into poverty between 2001 and 2004.
Promises! Promises!
Broken promises!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Sweet Neo-con (song by The Rolling Stones)
SWEET NEO CON
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
You call yourself a Christian
I think that you're a hypocrite
You say you are a patriot
I think that you're a crock of sh*t
And listen now, the gasoline
I drink it every day
But it's getting very pricey
And who is going to pay
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con.... Yeah
It's liberty for all
'Cause democracy's our style
Unless you are against us
Then it's prison without trial
But one thing that is certain
Life is good at Haliburton
If you're really so astute
You should invest at Brown & Root.... Yeah
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con
If you turn out right
I'll eat my hat tonight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah....
It's getting very scary
Yes, I'm frightened out of my wits
There's bombers in my bedroom
Yeah and it's giving me the sh*ts
We must have lots more bases
To protect us from our foes
Who needs these foolish friendships
We're going it alone
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con
Where's the money gone
In the Pentagon
Yeah ha ha ha
Yeah, well, well
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Neo con
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
You call yourself a Christian
I think that you're a hypocrite
You say you are a patriot
I think that you're a crock of sh*t
And listen now, the gasoline
I drink it every day
But it's getting very pricey
And who is going to pay
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con.... Yeah
It's liberty for all
'Cause democracy's our style
Unless you are against us
Then it's prison without trial
But one thing that is certain
Life is good at Haliburton
If you're really so astute
You should invest at Brown & Root.... Yeah
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con
If you turn out right
I'll eat my hat tonight
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah....
It's getting very scary
Yes, I'm frightened out of my wits
There's bombers in my bedroom
Yeah and it's giving me the sh*ts
We must have lots more bases
To protect us from our foes
Who needs these foolish friendships
We're going it alone
How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con
Where's the money gone
In the Pentagon
Yeah ha ha ha
Yeah, well, well
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Neo con
The Sunk-Cost Fallacy
Bush falls victim to a bad new argument for the Iraq war.
In recent speeches, President Bush has offered several reasons for staying the course in Iraq. One of them is the almost 2,000 Americans who have already died in the war. "We owe them something," the president said on Aug. 22. "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."
Psychologists, decision scientists, and economists have a name for this type of argument: the "sunk-cost fallacy." It has gotten the United States into trouble once before. As casualties mounted in Vietnam in the 1960s, it became more and more difficult to withdraw, because war supporters insisted that withdrawal would cheapen the lives of those who had already sacrificed. We "owed" it to the dead and wounded to "stay the course." We could not let them "die in vain." What staying the course produced was perhaps 250,000 more dead and wounded. Read on...
In recent speeches, President Bush has offered several reasons for staying the course in Iraq. One of them is the almost 2,000 Americans who have already died in the war. "We owe them something," the president said on Aug. 22. "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."
Psychologists, decision scientists, and economists have a name for this type of argument: the "sunk-cost fallacy." It has gotten the United States into trouble once before. As casualties mounted in Vietnam in the 1960s, it became more and more difficult to withdraw, because war supporters insisted that withdrawal would cheapen the lives of those who had already sacrificed. We "owed" it to the dead and wounded to "stay the course." We could not let them "die in vain." What staying the course produced was perhaps 250,000 more dead and wounded. Read on...
Friday, September 09, 2005
KANYE WEST: Bush, Football fans don't care about black people
When rapper, Kanye West, beamed into football stadium in the hinterlands south of Boston, the wan plebeians gave him their best racist non-welcome, proving, scientifically, that football fans don't care for blacks either.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
New Yorkers Remember 9-11 by Lobbying for Peace
On Friday, September 9, 2005, from 1-2pm on the steps of City Hall, a group of New Yorkers will gather to speak about the Department of Peace (DoP) legislation being reintroduced to the 109th Congress on Wednesday, September 14, 2005; and to thank the 9 New York and 2 New Jersey Congress members who are among the bill’s 53 co-sponsors. Each local co-sponsor has been invited to attend the press conference, along with NYC Council member Bill Perkins, who helped sponsor the press conference and supports the creation of a Department of Peace.
Four years have passed since the worst terrorist attack to happen in New
York City occurred, and many steps have been taken to ensure it does not
happen again. Every necessary precaution to protect this great city should
be enacted, and many New Yorkers are getting behind a proactive solution:
the creation of a United States Department of Peace.
The Department of Peace would work collaboratively with other federal agencies to research, facilitate, and articulate nonviolent solutions to conflict at home and abroad. The DoP New York chapter is sending a delegation to Washington, DC over the anniversary weekend of September 11th, to attend the National Department of Peace Conference where Walter Cronkite is a scheduled guest speaker. Then they will march, but not in the streets of our Nation’s Capitol. Instead they will march through the halls of Congress meeting with lawmakers to win support for this bill.
They have also organized a one-day phone-a-thon, complete with pledge packets that are available on their website (www.nyc-dop.com). There is a twist however, the “pledges” aren’t asking for money, they ask for a promise to call Congress on September 14, to support the bill.
Please join us on Friday, September 9, 2005 from 1-2pm on the steps of City Hall to learn more about this historic legislation and the elected officials working for its passage.
Four years have passed since the worst terrorist attack to happen in New
York City occurred, and many steps have been taken to ensure it does not
happen again. Every necessary precaution to protect this great city should
be enacted, and many New Yorkers are getting behind a proactive solution:
the creation of a United States Department of Peace.
The Department of Peace would work collaboratively with other federal agencies to research, facilitate, and articulate nonviolent solutions to conflict at home and abroad. The DoP New York chapter is sending a delegation to Washington, DC over the anniversary weekend of September 11th, to attend the National Department of Peace Conference where Walter Cronkite is a scheduled guest speaker. Then they will march, but not in the streets of our Nation’s Capitol. Instead they will march through the halls of Congress meeting with lawmakers to win support for this bill.
They have also organized a one-day phone-a-thon, complete with pledge packets that are available on their website (www.nyc-dop.com). There is a twist however, the “pledges” aren’t asking for money, they ask for a promise to call Congress on September 14, to support the bill.
Please join us on Friday, September 9, 2005 from 1-2pm on the steps of City Hall to learn more about this historic legislation and the elected officials working for its passage.
Monday, September 05, 2005
The Many Sides of Labor
...slowly she turned: tarheel tavern #28 - labor day edition
On Labor Day, what better thing to contemplate than...Labor!
Laurie, at "...slowly she turned" takes on Labor for this week's Tarheel Tavern, and lays out her treasure before you. Enjoy!
On Labor Day, what better thing to contemplate than...Labor!
Laurie, at "...slowly she turned" takes on Labor for this week's Tarheel Tavern, and lays out her treasure before you. Enjoy!
Hope, haven found in Charlotte
Charlotte Observer | 09/05/2005
Hurricane Katrina survivors find a warm welcome and comfort in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Hurricane Katrina survivors find a warm welcome and comfort in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On the Coming Recession: Poverty matters. More to Come...
Ancient Chinese oracle, "I Ching", says recession is in the cards.
I'm not sure why but the Sage is very good to me. So when I asked about Hurricane Katrina, it said, among other things:
"When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune. Recession is not slow in coming."
Katrina hit during the eighth month. I suspect recession will come in its wake.
Best to be prepared. Foreknowledge is a good thing.
That said...what to do to prepare? Idears?
Other things it said were:
The transition from disorder to order is not yet completed.
The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the forces now tending in different directions.
The hexagram BEFORE COMPLETION represents a transition from chaos to order. It points to the fact that every end contains a new beginning. Thus it gives hope to men. The Book of Changes is a book of the future.
Interresant!
I'm not sure why but the Sage is very good to me. So when I asked about Hurricane Katrina, it said, among other things:
"When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune. Recession is not slow in coming."
Katrina hit during the eighth month. I suspect recession will come in its wake.
Best to be prepared. Foreknowledge is a good thing.
That said...what to do to prepare? Idears?
Other things it said were:
The transition from disorder to order is not yet completed.
The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the forces now tending in different directions.
The hexagram BEFORE COMPLETION represents a transition from chaos to order. It points to the fact that every end contains a new beginning. Thus it gives hope to men. The Book of Changes is a book of the future.
Interresant!
Iddybud is the guest blogger of John Edwards' One America Committee Blog this week
Jude Camwell's excellent blogging on Iddybud has earned her the honor to be guest blogger on the One America Committee blog this week.
Go and give her a shoutout!
Sunday, September 04, 2005
OVERKILL: Military to take on American "Insurgents"
“This place is going to look like Little Somalia”
Somalia? That's in Africa, right?
Something doesn't smell right. This could well be the nightmare scenario. American troups killing Americans on American soil. And for what? Trying to stay alive?
“We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.”
What is wrong with humanitarian relief? Why torture the soldiers like this? Indeed, why torture fellow Americans like this?
Why do I think this will be just another bad mistake?
Is the Bush mantra:
"When you find yourself in a hole...stay the course!"?
Or worse... "dig faster!"?
Just when you think things are about as bad as they can get, the current misadministration finds new lows in their incessant digging of holes to Hell.
They complain that people are shooting at them...but then they were the ones who talked the citizens into arming themselves in the first place.
In a decade of living in Boston, I never once heard a gunshot. Here in the gunbelt, I hear them on an almost daily basis.
Freaked out that citizens are well-armed? Well... who is to blame for that? Go complain to the NRA!
And Mr. Bush... you might do well to remember how public opinion shifted during the 70s, when people saw their fellow citizens attacked by uniformed police and military.
We are not at war with the people of New Orleans. We are trying to help them. Right?
“This is making a lot of us think about not reenlisting.” Ferguson [Spc. Cliff Ferguson of the 527th Engineer Battalion] said. “You have to think about whether it is worth risking your neck for someone who will turn around and shoot at you. We didn’t come here to fight a war. We came here to help.”
Rehnquist is dead
Now God or the Devil can explain to him why Bush v Gore was an opprobrious decision.
Remember that scenario that Al Gore talked about before the selection?
You wake up. The coffee is brewing, nice music on the radio, sunny outside...and the paper reads: "Gore Wins!"
OR You wake up. Sleet and freezing rain. Miserable weather. The newspaper is soaked.
Through the smears you can see "Bush Wins".
Well it has been Bushweather ever since. And has peaked with Katrina.
It rained on his inauguration. It rains wherever he has gone. The man against nature is finding that nature is also against him. And sadly, us.
Rehnquist was part of the coup that put Mr. Foulfeather into office.
I don't know him, so I won't miss him. Old people die. People with cancer die.
I feel sorry for his family.
He did, however, have some cool robes. And William is a pretty popular name.
But with all the suffering that America and the World has had to go through because of his poor decision-making, don't expect any great outpouring of sympathy. One man has died.
But thousands of others have died needlessly because of him.
I mourn for the thousands.
Mister Bush must be happy to know that Rehnquist's death knocked Katrina coverage off the Sunday talk shows.
Watch for the hairy Justice Scalia to take his place. And for weather to get even worse.
Remember that scenario that Al Gore talked about before the selection?
You wake up. The coffee is brewing, nice music on the radio, sunny outside...and the paper reads: "Gore Wins!"
OR You wake up. Sleet and freezing rain. Miserable weather. The newspaper is soaked.
Through the smears you can see "Bush Wins".
Well it has been Bushweather ever since. And has peaked with Katrina.
It rained on his inauguration. It rains wherever he has gone. The man against nature is finding that nature is also against him. And sadly, us.
Rehnquist was part of the coup that put Mr. Foulfeather into office.
I don't know him, so I won't miss him. Old people die. People with cancer die.
I feel sorry for his family.
He did, however, have some cool robes. And William is a pretty popular name.
But with all the suffering that America and the World has had to go through because of his poor decision-making, don't expect any great outpouring of sympathy. One man has died.
But thousands of others have died needlessly because of him.
I mourn for the thousands.
Mister Bush must be happy to know that Rehnquist's death knocked Katrina coverage off the Sunday talk shows.
Watch for the hairy Justice Scalia to take his place. And for weather to get even worse.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Chavez & France offer assistance as "Flyover Presidency" runs out of gas
Meanwhile Journalists become, well, journalists
The president's 35-minute Air Force One flyover of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama was the perfect metaphor for his entire presidency: detached, disconnected, and disengaged. Preferring to take in America's suffering -- whether caused by the war in Iraq or Hurricane Katrina -- from a distance. In this case, 2,500 feet.
-Arianna Huffington
There will be several good things to come out of the Katrina nightmare - a better understanding (at least by some) of the horrors of poverty, a federal government which will be eyed more suspiciously by the public, and perhaps a new awareness by the media of how to do their jobs.
- Hoffmania
How Cindy Sheehan and Katrina Woke the Media from their Somnolence
I have a codeword for it. I call it "Sharks and Condit". Others may call it different things. What "it" is is, for lack of better words, journalists resting on their laurels, otherwise known as asses.
You saw it on 9/10 and the months before. And it has been the zeitgeist from whence these well-heeled articulates go to bat for their corporate sponsors. I mean, report the news. You'd almost think that they were paid to keep their mouths shut. But alas, this is America, and things like that don't happen here. Not in an ideal America. But we haven't had an ideal America since, let me check, never.
But what can you expect from a "War President" or, in other words, a Prince of War? War is Hell. A war president presides over Hell. President of Hell. Hmm. Isn't there another word for that?
THE PRESIDENT OF HELL
Do the math. War is indeed hell. And this war was elective. Bush and his collaborators elected to spread Hell, and sadly it has found its way back to its source. At least its source nation. Even though Hell's refugees were, in the main, excluded from the selection process. One wonders how soundly the Supreme Court sleeps...
So the Supremes lose a few hours sleep. You still don't see them anywhere near New Orleans. They are safe within their cocoons. They won't even have to do a flyover. They are members of the insouciant class. The journalists in New Orleans no longer have the luxury of insouciance. The molecules of the dead are flowing through their bodies, as they breathe the stench of Truth, spreading like genocide before their eyes. And they realize who they are. And whom they best serve.
DAVID BROOKS: I think it is a huge reaction we are about to see. I mean, first of all, they violated the social fabric, which is in the moments of crisis you take care of the poor first. That didn't happen; it's like leaving wounded on the battlefield.
...in 9/11 you had a great surge of public confidence. Now I think we are going to see a great decline in public confidence in our institutions. And so I just think this is sort of the anti-9/11 as one of the bloggers wrote.
My hope is that Brian Williams, Bob Woodruff, Shepard Smith, Anderson Cooper, and the other brave new stewards of the poor and disenfranchised, will stay in New Orleans, and be the voice of those whose need is most great. Even those far removed from harm's way are being moved. David Brooks said he assumed that those for whom he has been fighting, would rush to the aid of the poor. I think the fact that they didn't will cause him to reject them more generally. David cannot long defend Goliath. And I think Mister Brooks is realizing that John Edwards, and not George W. Bush, is the one who stands up to Goliaths, and will, himself, cease being a brave defender of the rich and powerful.
Hurricane and Tsunami Katrina will prove to be far more devastating than even 9/11. It is 9/11 in slo-mo. And it is hard to take. Every day is worse than the last. But we don't want happy talk. We need truth. And peace. How can you uplift with one hand, when with the other hand you kill?
WHAT WOULD SOLDIERS DO?
If given the choice:
1- I want to stay in Iraq and kill.
2- I want to stay in Iraq and be killed.
3- I want to go to New Orleans and help save lives.
...I think you would find that the overwhelming desire would be to help out in our own backyard, their own backyard. Bush said he wanted to fight the war "over there"...and yet the most urgent battle, as regards American lives, is the battle for New Orleans. It matters not whether American lives are threatened by foreign terrorists or natural disasters. It is still American lives. And it is a reality, not just a vague notion of some future scenario, the Grand Protector from which, luckily benefitting the Bush family of corporations.
Terror has reached our shores. And the only thing that keeps it from being Bush brand terror is the lack of malice, or I should say malice...beforehand. Katrina was probably even more nonchalant about the destruction is was going to inflict, than Bush pushing the Shock-and-Awe button, or the thousands of other similar acts of kindness. Any malice regarding Katrina came afterwards, in the form of "too little, too late". Had the late-niks prescience, the malice might have come beforehand, but I am not that cynical. It is bad enough already.
But prescience can come in handy. For example, Bush says we don't need to bring our soldiers home to help. "We have plenty of resources. We can get both jobs done." he says, lacking prescience. He is, in fact, getting neither job done. Surely both will get worse. No question.
His echolaliac "stay the course" is only making him sound mechanical. Maybe he is! Not everyone is conscious. It takes individual effort, and then some, to become conscious. Until then you are basically mechanical. Pre-conscious. Twice removed from cosmic consciousness.
Consciousness might allow Mister Bush to realize that allowing our dear soldiers to come home and help save lives might reverse any negative effects from having to basically do the opposite...because of what? His own personal cruelty? Impatience? Revenge? Greed? Subservience?
What better prevention of post-stress disorder, which is a near inevitability for soldiers today?
It would not only be better for the soldiers, it would obviously be better for the refugees in New Orleans. And Lord knows...it might even be better for the people of Iraq.
It is not cutting and running, but rather defending the homeland. New Orleans is on our soil, right? Americans are dying and crying out for help, right?
It is not too late to become the Ideal America. It is not to late to become the Humanitarian Superpower of which so many dream. It is how true, lasting respect is won.
While the President fiddled, New Orleans burned. And drowned. Maybe 10s of thousands. And while Tasmanian devils like Grover Norquist might relish the fact that government too is being drowned, just when fellow citizens are crying out for their help, most people find their humanity awakened. Even journalists. And while the president fiddled, the mother of a dead soldier cried out in the streets of his own howntown. Bats have flaps on their ears. Is this why Bush loves baseball?
BlogCritics Edition
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
One Foot in the Grave: Blog of a now-dead soldier
"I'm the most real thing on TV!"
Raw Story on Sgt. Thomas Strickland, 27, who posted an entry on his blog sharing his anger about the situation in Iraq, in which he questioned the United States' 'fucktarded' Iraq war plan. He was killed in combat in Baghdad.
Raw Story on Sgt. Thomas Strickland, 27, who posted an entry on his blog sharing his anger about the situation in Iraq, in which he questioned the United States' 'fucktarded' Iraq war plan. He was killed in combat in Baghdad.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Katrina & The Shock and Awe of Global Warming
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama look like Iraq today. Where will global warming shock and awe next?
RUMSFELD ON FREEDOM AND LOOTING
"Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." -Donald Rumsfeld
"Now we have a humanitarian crisis, people live in fear of constant violence but they are free to do what the hell they like, whether it be looting hospitals or raiding government buildings. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what freedom is all about and that is what we have brought the Iraqi people." - Donald Rumsfeld
Oops! Have we set a bad example?
RUMSFELD ON FREEDOM AND LOOTING
"Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." -Donald Rumsfeld
"Now we have a humanitarian crisis, people live in fear of constant violence but they are free to do what the hell they like, whether it be looting hospitals or raiding government buildings. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what freedom is all about and that is what we have brought the Iraqi people." - Donald Rumsfeld
Oops! Have we set a bad example?
Monday, August 29, 2005
MANDARIN DESIGN
...this will
look like some of the pullquotes and styles we see
in magazinelayout...
The copy and paste code makes Magazine style pullquotes easy. Just start typing your text here. We used the named colors silver and gray.
It's easy to plug in your own colors.Full instructions
for making the first letter big are in the Drop Cap copy and paste style tutorial. For this drop cap we forced the first big letter to span more than five lines. The font-size is adjusted to exactly 100 pixels while the line height is 80 pixels.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
FLHurricane.com: Google Map Plot of Katrina (2005) Google Maps Hurricane Track Overlay
Thanks to The Real Paul Jones, we know two great places to track the coming tragedy, and perhaps convince the slowheaded to vamoose, scram, hit the trail, make like a tree, save your freakin' life.
Wikipedia
and
FlHurricane where Google maps are put to the service of humanity.
Wikipedia
and
FlHurricane where Google maps are put to the service of humanity.
Bush's Latest Premature Celebration
"ANOTHER week in Iraq, another light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday President Bush saluted the Iraqis for "completing work on a democratic constitution" even as the process was breaking down yet again. But was anyone even listening to his latest premature celebration?"
Frank Rich on the Vietnamization of Bush's Vacation
NOW including such nostrums as these:
"We have long since lost count of all the historic turning points and fast-evaporating victories hyped by this president. The toppling of Saddam's statue, "Mission Accomplished," the transfer of sovereignty and the purple fingers all blur into a hallucinatory loop of delusion. One such red-letter day, some may dimly recall, was the adoption of the previous, interim constitution in March 2004, also proclaimed a "historic milestone" by Mr. Bush."
and
"With a shove from Pat Robertson, her [Cindy Sheehan] 15 minutes are now up, but even Mr. Robertson's antics revealed buyer's remorse about Iraq; his stated motivation for taking out Hugo Chávez by assassination was to avoid "another $200 billion war" to remove a dictator."
and
"The president, for one, has been forced to make what for him is the ultimate sacrifice: jettisoning chunks of vacation to defend the war in any bunker he can find in Utah or Idaho."
and
"Mr. Bush's current definition - "as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down" - could not be a better formula for quagmire."
and
"For his part, Mr. Hagel backed up his assertion that we are bogged down in a new Vietnam with an irrefutable litany of failure: "more dead, more wounded, less electricity in Iraq, less oil being pumped in Iraq, more insurgency attacks, more insurgents coming across the border, more corruption in the government."
and
"Anyone who can read a poll knows that support is gone and is not coming back. The president's approval rating dropped to 36 percent in one survey last week."
and
"The Leo Burnett advertising agency has been handed $350 million for a recruitment campaign that avoids any mention of Iraq."
and
"Mr. Feingold also made the crucial observation that "the president has presented us with a false choice": either "stay the course" or "cut and run."
and
"The marketing campaign will crescendo in two weeks, on the anniversary of 9/11, when a Defense Department "Freedom Walk" will trek from the site of the Pentagon attack through Arlington National Cemetery to a country music concert on the Mall. There the false linkage of Iraq to 9/11 will be hammered in once more, this time with a beat."
BUSH PRODUCTS: Misleading Americans since 2001
Frank Rich on the Vietnamization of Bush's Vacation
NOW including such nostrums as these:
"We have long since lost count of all the historic turning points and fast-evaporating victories hyped by this president. The toppling of Saddam's statue, "Mission Accomplished," the transfer of sovereignty and the purple fingers all blur into a hallucinatory loop of delusion. One such red-letter day, some may dimly recall, was the adoption of the previous, interim constitution in March 2004, also proclaimed a "historic milestone" by Mr. Bush."
and
"With a shove from Pat Robertson, her [Cindy Sheehan] 15 minutes are now up, but even Mr. Robertson's antics revealed buyer's remorse about Iraq; his stated motivation for taking out Hugo Chávez by assassination was to avoid "another $200 billion war" to remove a dictator."
and
"The president, for one, has been forced to make what for him is the ultimate sacrifice: jettisoning chunks of vacation to defend the war in any bunker he can find in Utah or Idaho."
and
"Mr. Bush's current definition - "as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down" - could not be a better formula for quagmire."
and
"For his part, Mr. Hagel backed up his assertion that we are bogged down in a new Vietnam with an irrefutable litany of failure: "more dead, more wounded, less electricity in Iraq, less oil being pumped in Iraq, more insurgency attacks, more insurgents coming across the border, more corruption in the government."
and
"Anyone who can read a poll knows that support is gone and is not coming back. The president's approval rating dropped to 36 percent in one survey last week."
and
"The Leo Burnett advertising agency has been handed $350 million for a recruitment campaign that avoids any mention of Iraq."
and
"Mr. Feingold also made the crucial observation that "the president has presented us with a false choice": either "stay the course" or "cut and run."
and
"The marketing campaign will crescendo in two weeks, on the anniversary of 9/11, when a Defense Department "Freedom Walk" will trek from the site of the Pentagon attack through Arlington National Cemetery to a country music concert on the Mall. There the false linkage of Iraq to 9/11 will be hammered in once more, this time with a beat."
BUSH PRODUCTS: Misleading Americans since 2001
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Moog is Dead
Robert Moog with his synthesizers
The Man Who Democratized Music Has Died
New York Times:
Robert Moog, the creator of the electronic music synthesizer that bears his name and that became ubiquitous among experimental composers as well as rock musicians in the 1960's and 70's, died on Sunday at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was 71.
MORE
Who hasn't heard of a Moog Synthesizer? And how many of those correctly pronounce it "mogue" as in "vogue" or "rogue"? Fact is, everyone has heard of a Moog Synthesizer, even if they call it a "mood simplifier", a subset that would include me, mainly because I happen to think it does simplify the mood. Not, of course, because I am a buffoon, like the others who call it that. I taught my precocious nephew how to play when he was but six or seven. And I taught myself on the minimoog and then on the maximoog, the granddaddy...which was housed at the university in Greensboro, along with a monster ARP. Wires and levers were the fashion in those earlier days.
The first one though was the Minimoog, which was made available for public use at Reliable Music, back when it was in the backroom of a pawn shop in downtown Charlotte. Early 70s.
While most people there were hogging the guitars, I was hogging the Moog. Several years would pass before I got the opportunity to goof with the classic Moog, which resembled a telephone switchboard with all the patchcords. A friend of mine was studying electronic music at UNC-Greensboro, and she let me come to the lab and goof around on it.
A few more years would pass, when my old friend, Ken Phillips (who had come for one of his always interesting visits) and I were walking down Mass. Ave in Cambridge, and on a pole outside the MIT campus was a flyer that said Moog and Ray Kurzweil were going to be presenting their latest creation.
My God. My jaw dropped open, and nothing seemed to make it close...as Ken and I sat and listened to what I believe was the first public display of the amazing Kurzweil keyboard, of which Bob Moog had a hand. Another decade would pass before I had my own...which I've never regretted, since it allowed me to create 20 or 30 tapes of music before passing it on to my dear musical wizard and friend, Woody, who is still having a blast with it, and probably has as many CDs.
Once upon a time classical music was reserved for a small coterie of society somebodies, but then symphony orchestras were created and now you can have many violins, many oboes, many contrabassoons, and you can invite in more people. Classical music was being democratized.
But with Moog, and because of Moog, a single person could create symphonies, and actually hear the final product. Before Moog, many may write symphonies, but finding one to play it was a different matter. This de facto gatekeeper has been removed, and it is largely because of Robert Moog. And now he is gone.
There isn't a musician or composer today that doesn't owe him a debt of gratitude.
Long live his legacy!
Play one for Mister Moog!
And speaking of which... I'd love to see folks like ELP, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, PDQ Bach, Tomita, Kitaro, Radiohead, Faust, Morton Subotnick, Pauline Oliveros, Einsturzende Neubauten, The Beach Boys and so on, converge on Asheville to do a benefit concert, with their Moogs, to raise money for one of Moog's favorite charities.
Who can get that done?
_______________
Reprinted on Blogcritics
Monday, August 22, 2005
Rush Limbaugh inciting violence in Texas, and should be removed from the radio.
1:15 PM, Aug 22, 2005
I cannot believe how desparate Mister Limbaugh has become of late.
While listening to his hyperventilations, just minutes ago, he worked himself into a frenzy, thinking about liberals I suppose, and started exhorting Texas hunters to take on the Sheehan protesters. Of course he cloaked the message, but only slightly. Anyone listening would know that he meant for Texas hunters to arm themselves and do whatever they wanted, as regards the protesters. (Media Matters will pick up on this, one would assume.)
He may as well be Osama Bin Laden. These are Americans he is trying to have killed...of course by proxy. He will try to wiggle out and say he was just speaking words, and it meant nothing. Just an entertainer.
Rush. Go watch "Fisher King" then learn some manners. Your vitriol and suggestions are only spreading violence. You are not a gentleman. Gentlemen and women should shut you off. Grace, wit, taste, class, humor, love, friendship, brotherhood, community, tolerance, beauty, sweetness and light. Not monobloviation. Not even masterbloviation.
You cannot stand to lose. You got sucked into the Sports frame. Life is not like Sports. You only lose when you play a win-lose game. So you think you are losing, and therefore you want to drag others down with you. May as well be the princes and princesses of peace.
You need to clarify your remarks. You need to make clear that you do not want "Texas Justice" inflicted upon Americans. We have had enough, thank you very much.
Time for Sheriff Andy Taylor to show us the higher path.
I cannot believe how desparate Mister Limbaugh has become of late.
While listening to his hyperventilations, just minutes ago, he worked himself into a frenzy, thinking about liberals I suppose, and started exhorting Texas hunters to take on the Sheehan protesters. Of course he cloaked the message, but only slightly. Anyone listening would know that he meant for Texas hunters to arm themselves and do whatever they wanted, as regards the protesters. (Media Matters will pick up on this, one would assume.)
He may as well be Osama Bin Laden. These are Americans he is trying to have killed...of course by proxy. He will try to wiggle out and say he was just speaking words, and it meant nothing. Just an entertainer.
Rush. Go watch "Fisher King" then learn some manners. Your vitriol and suggestions are only spreading violence. You are not a gentleman. Gentlemen and women should shut you off. Grace, wit, taste, class, humor, love, friendship, brotherhood, community, tolerance, beauty, sweetness and light. Not monobloviation. Not even masterbloviation.
You cannot stand to lose. You got sucked into the Sports frame. Life is not like Sports. You only lose when you play a win-lose game. So you think you are losing, and therefore you want to drag others down with you. May as well be the princes and princesses of peace.
You need to clarify your remarks. You need to make clear that you do not want "Texas Justice" inflicted upon Americans. We have had enough, thank you very much.
Time for Sheriff Andy Taylor to show us the higher path.
New York's CBGB Outlived Ramones, May Fall to Real Estate Boom
Here's a piece by my old friend, Rob Urban, on New York's changing landscape...
Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- CBGB, the birthplace of punk rock on New York's Lower East Side, outlived Sid Vicious and all but one of the Ramones. It may not survive the city's real estate boom.
The club faces eviction Aug. 31 when its 12-year lease expires unless it can settle a dispute with the landlord, a homeless agency that runs a shelter upstairs. Owner Hilly Kristal, 74, has drawn support from Tommy Ramone, Blondie's Debbie Harry, the Talking Heads' David Byrne and E Street Band guitarist Steven van Zandt, who is trying to mediate.
Read the full article at Bloomberg.
Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- CBGB, the birthplace of punk rock on New York's Lower East Side, outlived Sid Vicious and all but one of the Ramones. It may not survive the city's real estate boom.
The club faces eviction Aug. 31 when its 12-year lease expires unless it can settle a dispute with the landlord, a homeless agency that runs a shelter upstairs. Owner Hilly Kristal, 74, has drawn support from Tommy Ramone, Blondie's Debbie Harry, the Talking Heads' David Byrne and E Street Band guitarist Steven van Zandt, who is trying to mediate.
Read the full article at Bloomberg.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Creative Loafing does Charlotte Bloggers
...and mentions ConvergeSouth. (Not the movie)
In this week's Creative Loafing, you can find out about blogging in Charlotte. At least it will get you started. One of the problems with paper, I suppose, is that it is finite. One reason to get a blog. Blogs are infinite.
If you don't know Creative Loafing, let me just say that they are the premiere alternative weekly in the Charlotte and Greater Davebeckwith County region, which is a part of the fiefdom of Anonymoses. Obvious, I know, but important, although not here.
Anyway, this, this Creative Loafing, this alternativity is, well, essential to Charlotte and Anonymoses, as well as thousands of other non-conformists in the uniformity of Charlottality.
And that they would devote the time and energy to figuring out this weblog weirdness is commendable, regardless of their patience. May they start a weekly column, and may they have me do it, and may they pay me large sums of money for doing it.
You may recognize some of the people discussed. Karen Shugart did a fine job with this primer. She even mentioned ConvergeSouth...so maybe more Charlotteans, or Charlatans, or Charlhestons for that matter, will get involved. For if they do, they will find that the blogosphere is actually the latest stage in social evolution, and that magazines can even benefit from partaking in the blogversation.
Some day, CL, as it's lovingly typed by lazy typers throughout the county, will seize the reins and become an essential part of this latest manifestation of democracy, because when it comes to that Schopenhauerian question: "Champagne or Freedom?, they opt for Freedom.
"Fries. And biggie-size it!", my corpulent amanuensis carked at the polyester semaphor with ears for orders. "And make it snappy!"
So yes. Make it snappy. Then make it a point to send representatives to ConvergeSouth in order to see and be seen. The future leaders of the world are gathering. And a few knuckleheads.
Blogs mentioned are these:
ace pryhill
anonymoses
converge south
charlotte capitalist
charlotte101.us
anna-banana.net
pam spaulding
tbo talks
save cms kids
dump cms
the 704
drunk-in-a-midnight-choir
charlotte mommies
Thanks, Creative Loafing and Karen Shugart, for the complimentary and informative article.
(via Pryhills)
In this week's Creative Loafing, you can find out about blogging in Charlotte. At least it will get you started. One of the problems with paper, I suppose, is that it is finite. One reason to get a blog. Blogs are infinite.
If you don't know Creative Loafing, let me just say that they are the premiere alternative weekly in the Charlotte and Greater Davebeckwith County region, which is a part of the fiefdom of Anonymoses. Obvious, I know, but important, although not here.
Anyway, this, this Creative Loafing, this alternativity is, well, essential to Charlotte and Anonymoses, as well as thousands of other non-conformists in the uniformity of Charlottality.
And that they would devote the time and energy to figuring out this weblog weirdness is commendable, regardless of their patience. May they start a weekly column, and may they have me do it, and may they pay me large sums of money for doing it.
You may recognize some of the people discussed. Karen Shugart did a fine job with this primer. She even mentioned ConvergeSouth...so maybe more Charlotteans, or Charlatans, or Charlhestons for that matter, will get involved. For if they do, they will find that the blogosphere is actually the latest stage in social evolution, and that magazines can even benefit from partaking in the blogversation.
Some day, CL, as it's lovingly typed by lazy typers throughout the county, will seize the reins and become an essential part of this latest manifestation of democracy, because when it comes to that Schopenhauerian question: "Champagne or Freedom?, they opt for Freedom.
"Fries. And biggie-size it!", my corpulent amanuensis carked at the polyester semaphor with ears for orders. "And make it snappy!"
So yes. Make it snappy. Then make it a point to send representatives to ConvergeSouth in order to see and be seen. The future leaders of the world are gathering. And a few knuckleheads.
Blogs mentioned are these:
ace pryhill
anonymoses
converge south
charlotte capitalist
charlotte101.us
anna-banana.net
pam spaulding
tbo talks
save cms kids
dump cms
the 704
drunk-in-a-midnight-choir
charlotte mommies
Thanks, Creative Loafing and Karen Shugart, for the complimentary and informative article.
(via Pryhills)
Monday, August 15, 2005
Flights of Fancy Captivated by Mandie
...as the Tarheel Tavern opens it's doors for the 25th Edition: "Flights of Fancy".
Thank you for choosing Mandie's Transport. The airport is the next stop. All those heading out of state or country can now retrieve your luggage...
The tavernous headbirth of Blogmeister Bora Coturnix, graciously dubbed "Tarheel Tavern" by its caring 'tender, never ceases to amaze and thrill as it evolves, week by week, as if flying in the face of those who would cage evolution itself, then lower it into a pit of acid, that it might not compete with the official doctrine of reaction disguised as creation, and these weekly evolutions fan out and dance their wondrous fractal math of chaos and growth and change, such that a lesser shepherd might lay down his panpipe and take up the sackbut. But not Mandie! For Mandie carpaid the blogum and molded it into a shape not unlike herself, that is, if she still looks like the portraits on display at the Postal Service.
Of course I jest. All is good.
Go look!
Thank you for choosing Mandie's Transport. The airport is the next stop. All those heading out of state or country can now retrieve your luggage...
The tavernous headbirth of Blogmeister Bora Coturnix, graciously dubbed "Tarheel Tavern" by its caring 'tender, never ceases to amaze and thrill as it evolves, week by week, as if flying in the face of those who would cage evolution itself, then lower it into a pit of acid, that it might not compete with the official doctrine of reaction disguised as creation, and these weekly evolutions fan out and dance their wondrous fractal math of chaos and growth and change, such that a lesser shepherd might lay down his panpipe and take up the sackbut. But not Mandie! For Mandie carpaid the blogum and molded it into a shape not unlike herself, that is, if she still looks like the portraits on display at the Postal Service.
Of course I jest. All is good.
Go look!
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