• 1,297 replies
    marye
    Joined:

    Nuclear power! Carcinogenic cell phones! The Stanley Cup! and the usual parade of kids dancing and shaking their bones, politicians throwing stones, etc. Discuss.

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    Yikes Mike!
    Too much reality there! That is usually my job. Glad you usurped it. Great observations. Noam Chomsky would be proud of you! I'm not happy about our panacea, the big V&V. I just got the updated statistic the other day -- If I remember correctly: 1 in 13 Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 will be incarcerated at some point in their adult life. One thing I would add to your observations. Our forefathers did a lot of the original stealing from the Indians and the Mexicans. The French, Spanish and Brits were the people who stole from those people and we then stole from them. The US cavalry invented the original biological warfare. Planting smallpox in Indian blankets. It's hard to believe that the USA pays for so many good and worthwhile social and humanitarian programs around the world with it's foreign aid budget (that many people regularly lament). The US would seem to have a very schizophrenic personality if it were a person. I guess even countries can't escape their origins.
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    Americs is a strange place, Badger
    There are many contradictions within our society. In Europe, a country this big would have split into 50 countries. That we have banded together as the USA has given us great strength and dominance throughout the planet. But as far as culture and social mores are concerned? We are pretty fractured. That is why you can see such anomalies. There is no doubting there is a nasty streak of violence and vindictiveness running down our backs like the bolt on your snout, Badger (I've always admired the creativity of that picture). Maybe that has something to do with the way we settled our country. We, the invaders, had to displace a lot of people and create our own laws and enforce some type of justice when there was none. To be very fair, Americans can be kind and loving and compassionate to the extreme, as you have pointed out a small example in NYC. The middle of our country is very well known for it's kindness to those in need as recent tornado victims can attest to, as well as many who are just run-of-the-mill unfortunate. In my own town I see panhandlers begging for food being swamped with in-kind and cash donations (perhaps because we are lucky enough to be a prosperous lot and can't stand to see the sight of the less fortunate, at least I like to think so). So, for good or ill, here we are again with our peculiar style of justice being served, no matter what the law says... It is hard to feel sorry for George Zimmerman. Racial profiling is odious and is a sad fact in our country, as is class profiling -- the police harassing those without nice cars and clothes. Lose your step, fall out of grace...
  • cosmicbadger
    Joined:
    bewildered
    I try to avoid criticising the USA here as it is too easy to make generalisations and offend nice people. But I am at a loss to understand how a country can be so super sensitive on the one hand ( 'NYC schools ban ‘birthday,’ ‘crime,’ ‘dinosaur,’ and ‘divorce’ from tests' see www.davidmcelroy.org/?p=11966) and on the other hand apparently allow its citizens to murder eachother with impunity, surely about the most insensitive thing you can do. Weird.
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    George Zimmerman goes down, down, down!
    For 2nd degree murder. The special prosecutor bypassed the Grand Jury. How scary is that? She claimed she could handle this herself and there was no outside pressure or petition by the public to prosecute the case. Hello? Ms. Prosecutor? That is the clearest case of denial I have ever seen by a person of your rank and importance in the justice system (at that level). Obviously there was a tremendous amount of pressure on her to get a charge laid on Zimmerman's head. She knew she couldn't trust a Grand Jury in Florida with the responsibility of bringing that charge so she had to do it herself. Its not that the Grand Jury would be racist (though there is a high probability that the majority of those making that decision would not be peers of Trayvonn Martin), there would also be the probability that Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law would have been interpreted the same way the police interpreted it -- letting Zimmerman go unprosecuted. There are many questions in this case. More than met the eye. It seems that young Trayvonn fought back against this guy following him. it seems that a camera caught Zimmerman without his face being beat on but after he emerged from the police station he had cuts and bruises. We begin to see the face of Florida justice emerge here. I think it is possible to say that the prosecutor brought a charge of 2nd degree murder to get a plea conviction of manslaughter here so that the foregone conclusion by many comes to be the reality. Justice will not be properly served in this case, though Zimmerman will likely get what he deserves -- Jail-time for a manslaughter conviction. Meanwhile, Stand Your Ground laws all over the country are being looked at and probably will be struck down in many blue states and amended in the red ones. We can only hope. Otherwise? An employee may some day claim that he shot his boss because he felt that he was being threatened with being sacked and that he had to protect himself and his family... Etc., etc., etcetera.
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    Santorum Surrenders @ Gettysburg
    The Opus Dei candidate gave up the fight for the Repulsivecan nomination for president after Mit Romney threatened to dump bucket-loads of money into the Penn. race, Santorum's home state. If Romney had laid waste to Santorum there and then salted the ground so nothing could survive, Santorum's political career would have effectively ended. Poor Rick. If he really had cojones he would have hung in there with his message of being the "true conservative" alternative to Romney. Now the Mitster can shake up the etch-a-sketch and tell us that he really has the working man's best interest in mind. Right. And if you believe that I've got an island in the middle of the Bay Area called Alcatraz that I happen to have inherited from my uncle that I could let you have for a really low price. The place is a mess but it does pull in a lot of tourists... Special discount o if you belong to LDS!
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    240,000 tons of food
    Thanks for the correction Ted. I'm sure that country could really use 240 million tons, but they're not getting any at all. I don't think N. Korea should be rewarded for their scary behavior but in all god conscious I can't support my government's decision to withhold food to starving people. It is beyond the pale. As are the Kim's with their crazy-talk sword rattling. What kind of world do we live in where maniacs like this can rule with nuclear weapons capability? It is like Kim is the crazy cousin in your family. The one who doesn't own a house and drives a beat-up car but has 7 automatic assault rifles and ten thousand rounds of ammunition and is manic depressive but won't take his lithium!
  • Gr8fulTed
    Joined:
    240,000 tons of food aid
    Kim Jong Un is sacrificing the nutritional needs of over 3 million North Koreans so he can rattle his nuclear saber and irritate the Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and the USA. He's even sent his meager fleet of diesel-electric Sang-O-class and Yono-class submarines out to stir up trouble with the South Korean naval fleet. I wonder how far away US subs and destroyers are?
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    North Korea
    Another 'Idiot Wind" dedication for the Kim family dynasty in N. Korea. The pictures on the news were incredibly grim. Workers dressed smartly in show factories praise the Kim's almost as if reading from a script. N. Korea is a Stalinist totalitarian country that perpetuates a cult-like following of it's leaders, The crazy Kims are at it again. This time they are launching a missile with a 1000lb payload capacity that is capable of reaching Hawaii or Alaska. At the same time they are building a tunnel to test another nuke. The third in four years. because of these actions the US is holding up shipments of 240 million tons of food for N. Korea's starving masses. This is such an insane situation. The S. Koreans are going crazy, the Japanese are going crazy. The Taiwanese are quaking in their boots. N. Korea is a rook of China on the international chessboard and nobody believes Kim is playing with a full deck. He's more than a little "toys in the attic" Sleep tight, America. This is another flashpoint for WWIII.
  • fluffanutter
    Joined:
    And your picture
    Is always a pretty flower, Sher Bear! Blessings to you like a shower of roses!
  • sherbear
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    ----------------------(----@
    "Every picture tells a story, don't it."
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Forums

Nuclear power! Carcinogenic cell phones! The Stanley Cup! and the usual parade of kids dancing and shaking their bones, politicians throwing stones, etc. Discuss.

user picture

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

I could do BOTH jobs....post spam and DELETE it, TOO!!...Who wants to hire me??
user picture

Member for

16 years 10 months
Permalink

I REFUSE to trade SPAM for COOKIES!!
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

I am big boy in the casino. When Google give me offer to post spam I go all in! Right CoCo? Now you got to deal with me every day I not in the casino. You can call me Chen or Zue or asshole. I don't not care. Just keep hitting my links you dumb American twits!
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

for piece rate spam remover. The poor guy needs a job and nobody hates it more than him. C'mon Rhino/Dead.net! Hire Johnman for .10 cents per strike and free up MaryE for other, more important issues on this site. If he goes power-mad with the spike you can always chop him off at the knees, though i don't see that as a problem.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

...while the Brits and French try to get a little government moving in Tripoli. It seems like they'd rather sit back and drink until Khadaffy is rounded up in the Southern part of Libya. I don't think the new rebel government is at all AQ. Libya has really moderate Muslims. But they sure are taking their sweet time to get to Tripoli while they might still have to dodge a few sniper rounds. What is more unbelievable about the whole Libyan fiasco? Obama and company started the rebels on the path to victory and then threw the whole flap into the hands of NATO and they proved they were stumbling all over themselves trying to fly close air support, You can say whatever you want about America's empire, but the fact is we are first rank world-class ass-kickers and everybody thinks really hard if they want to go up against us.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Laura Carlsen, Op-Ed: “In the 1930s, a church group commissioned a film ‘to strike fear in the hearts of young people tempted to smoke marijuana.’ But it was not until the 1970s that Reefer Madness—billed as ‘the original classic that was not afraid to make up the truth’ due to its grotesque portrayal of the supposed dangers of marijuana—obtained cult status. After the scare tactics of the 1930s, U.S. marijuana policy varied depending on the political climate, even as scientific research consistently debunked extreme claims that the plant caused uncontrollable violent behavior, physical addiction, and insanity.” READ the rest at nationofchange.org.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

A little bit FURTHUR than you've gone before! I'll check in from time to time. ~ The sails are fillin', the wind is willin' & I'm good as gone again ~
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

...or a threat !? LOL Gimme a buzz if yer passin' thru the heartland (I-70)
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

No matter where you stand on the subject of the death penalty in the US, the following list should not exactly make you stand up and cheer for the good ol' US of A (note, I see different rankings from different sources, but the general idea doesn't vary much), given our inclusion on this list of apparently like-minded nations.... Most executions in 2010 by country: 1) China (blows away the rest of the world, no pun intended) 2) Iran 3) North Korea 4) Yemen 5) USA
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

makes you think, doesn't it Dean?********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Yeah, but where does Texas rank? Where does the US rank without Texas? Food for thought....
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

It's been in the news a lot lately. Obama said recently: "It's math, not class war." when he was referring to his jobs proposal. I tend to throw the term around a lot. I'm an old lefty. Class war was first talked about in this country around the end of the 19th century with the advent of Karl Marx. The rise of union organizers used the term a lot. It grew out of favor with the rise of McCarthyism in the 50s. Nobody wanted to be associated with it. Also, most people in the USA believe there is mobility between the classes and therefore the concept is really not appropriate. It has also been a non-starter for those organizing social justice movements. However, NPR also had another story about how many millionaires are members of Congress. About 250 out of 535. It makes you think if any of this class of people will ever vote to dismantle the Bush tax cuts.... In my opinion there is a "class war" going on out there. The rich are struggling as hard as they can to hold on and pass down their wealth as America's piece of the pie shrinks. Some people have an understanding that these people must be made to share with their less fortunate. Thus we have Boehner and Cantor (Repub. leadership) screaming Obama is waging class war. That is not the way to create jobs! We need to get the lazy off welfare and on the tax rolls. I definitely say we need welfare reform, change the incentives to get people to work. But we also need the other side -- corporations used as shields for rich people to hide behind, pay little or no taxes and influence Congress in a way the middle class can not. THIS method of organizing our society needs to be changed first You can not believe class war is real and/or choose not to use the term. You can ignore the analysis between capital and labor but the reality is these are life and death issues in a democracy. Just yelling "Vote or don't complain!" or "Vote the bums out!" IS NOT the extent of our civic duty. OK, rant over (for now)
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

thanks for the invite Ted. I'm due Northeast of you a couple hundred miles tonight. I'll take a raincheck. Or if I see you on this tour the beer is on me! Gonz
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I'll be at the 3rd Red rock show....staying in Lakewood, west Denver, 10/2
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I gave some thought to breaking out Texas as a separate "country," but was too lazy to pull up the stats. But yeah, good point. Hope your trip is going well!
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Do anything at all? I thought it would attach a message to the original. Guess not...
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

CO2 levels have rose from 280 parts per million to 369 ppm in just the time since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Global temperatures rose 1.1 degrees in the years 1900-1999. The Arctic summer ice cap has shrunk to half it's usual size and is expected to vanish by the year 2035, give or take, I like to watch Globe Trekker on Public Television and you rest assured that the Antarctic is melting also, though the rate of acceleration is less than in the Arctic, it doesn't seem to matter much. The import of the article was that Americans that consider themselves conservative-minded are falling into a dangerous morass of DENIAL on this issue. While liberal-leaning people remain 70% convinced global warming is real. To talk about this debate is surrealistic in that the handwriting was on the wall in about 1980. That was the deciding point. If the world had stood together and said "We're shit**** in our own nest. It's time we all stopped and agree to a human rate of self-destruction. But, nations didn't do it even at Kyoto climate talks in 1997. Nor are they doing it now. India, China, Brazil and many other countries where many reserve the right to catch up to the most advanced nation. You can read the rest of the article by Charles Hanley of the Associated Press. I read this in the Sunday Eugene Register-Guard newspaper
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

With co2 emissions rising unabated and the two global poles melting at an alarming rater it seems that we have started the experiment to see how we will adapt. As there will be no arctic summer ice in 2035 we will see if the Polar bears and other species who rely on summer ice flows will change their habits. The chances aren't good. Anybody have any happy news on the environment. I could use some.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Denial works. As "intellectual" as human beings are, we're still slaves to our senses. CO2 is colorless, odorless, tasteless, so is it real? And greenhouse impacts occur so slowly that without some kind of inborne equivalent of stop-action photography, it's tough for people to get a visceral sense of the changes that are happening. Thus easy to disbelieve, especially as humans are also notorious for not accepting things that they just plain would rather not be true. Add those facts to the raft of knucklehead "leaders" whose vision extends only about as far as the end of their outstretched hand ("alms for the deniers! We'll make the enviro boogeymen go away!")...not good at all. Time for a slew of big-ass volcanic eruptions to cool things down for a while...
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

...is currently trending. How can we most easily adapt to the REAL global changes that are upon us?
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

12.8% of the terrestrial part of the planet (outside Antarctica) now falls within some official type of proteted area (nature reserve, national park etc) compared with 8.8% in 1990. That's more than 100,000 sites in almost every country in the world. And although there is still much to do to achieve really good protection of many of these sittes. their overall management effectiveness is increasing too. The picture is not so good with marine protected zones, but 7.2% of territorial waters are now protected. Still much more to do on the open ocean and on planning the future network to adapt to climate change.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 1 month
Permalink

Oh yeah baby, the American drone death of Anwar al-Awlaki eliminates a leading figure in Yemen's branch of al Qaeda...Obumma has taken out yet another "brown-skinned" Islamofascist !!! I guess the "Deadheads For Obama" t-shirt wearing cats I was so disgusted with at some shows back in '08 may have been onto something afterall...If he keeps up the "W"-like pressure on those warriors of peace i just may join them and vote for this empty suit next time around...
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

nice banner, south korea at the football game: "Let's celebrate Japan's big earthquake".apparently it was by "an indiscreet spectator, not by our supporters". you mean like the monkey faces and gestures by a large section of the crowd and by that idiotic player in your national team, looking straight into the camera? your planting of a slogan on a japanese tv drama, in code which everyone knows means "fuck Japan"? "whaaaaaaaaaa, we suffered such harsh colonial rule from 1910-1945, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..........." get over yourselves and get out of the Japanese government.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Happy German Holiday Today "Tag der Deutsche Einheit" or Reunification Day. The jury seems to be still out whether this day is for celebrating or mourning.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Which will be in Panama City. These preparations set the stage for the Durban talks later this year where, supposedly, treaties can be signed by delegation leaders from 196 countries. These are the nation signatories (as well as those who didn't sign) to the Kyoto Protocols which are set to expire in 2012. Of course, we know which large and developing nations did not sign on to that treaty -- The US, China, India, Brazil. I again reiterate the surreal nature of these talks. It is like going through the looking glass and coming into Alice's wonderland, which I have been doing a lot lately. Meanwhile certain Pacific island nations are desperately fighting off fresh water well contamination from rising ocean levels.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Without Dewlover's gleeful mirth, I also am somewhat heartened by the passing of this American born person from New Mexico. To the extent that he had the power through the web to recruit and mobilize, he was a traitor and enemy who wished to kill thousands of Americans in terror attacks. Will that stop AQ on the net. No, but one major component is gone. DL? Glad you're voting for Obama 2012!
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

it's all in your mind, guys. the real terror begins at home. major component.... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha........ oh COME ON!!!! get a grip. some people will swallow more than Debbie, a resident of Dallas.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Christy doesn't want to runMichael Jackson's Doctor hid his his illegal use of propythal Ahhhhh!!!!! I know there are other things going on in the world. WTF? Has CNN been outclassed by the BBC and Al-Jazeera? Why don't the American people get news? You want NEWS? I want the NEWS! You can't handle THE NEWS!!!!
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

touching, really. thank God (the white, long-haired male kind, naturally.....) i was born in England. pulse? check. critical faculties? check. discernible gagging reflex? check. almost adorable in it's sweetness; wide-eyed innocence wrapped in cotton wool swaddling; a Linus blanket to ward off reality's nasty cough mixture. naivety, almost a blessing. i'll take your news and double it. or add some hard-fought, limp-wristed protective sugar and gulp it all down. go back to sleep, little baby. all is well. seriously. honestly. you believe me, right?
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

‘The Taliban are running out of bullets. Operation ‘Get our troops to absorb them with their bodies’ is finally paying off. The Taliban are finding it impossible to get hold of essential supplies – at last we’re fighting on equal terms. But let’s not get complacent. Just because they’re running out of bullets we mustn’t assume our boys won’t get shot. Remember, the US troops have still got plenty.’ MC FB to the AD/BC.
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

So much for the extra security measures ehhh??
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

to what we were seeing last week, this is a vast improvement. It's slowed down by at least an order of magnitude. Whether it will ever be perfect is questionable, as the bad guys have a strong incentive to devise workarounds. That said, we'll stay on it. Also, it is not necessary to exclaim over spam all the time. For one thing, I will have it cleared out within hours of its appearance. For another, your remark will look strange forever after sitting there out of context.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Not that I love spam, or even talking about it, but I noticed that Steve Earle's website shut down its forums because of spam attacks, directed everyone to Facebook. I'm hoping that doesn't happen here...
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

that was my first ever comment regarding spam... people comment on it all the time .. i could care less if there is spam on here or not other than the fact that typing in the security words prior to posting is a pain especially if it doesn't work. again I apologize for saying anything..
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

it's not that big a deal, but the best thing to do with the jerks is ignore them as their departure is most efficient that way and leaves no traces, so to speak. Are you getting the captcha every time you post?
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

believe me, that is not the intention here. And it's not like the spammers haven't discovered Facebook, too... I have to chase them off of people's pages there also!
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Captcha with every post. Even when you're editing an existing post. Apparently the mod has super-security clearance, gets to bypass the long line at the screening checkpoint?
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

hm. I encountered it on a non-mod account, but I rarely use it. Interesting, thanks.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

how much longer do you search and destroy terrorists?tick tick tick....... mmm, probably time to go now. Wall Street is all very well, but is anyone occupying Obama's head?
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

sure, we're all idiots here.every one of us. whatever you've got, we'll swallow it. idiots. every last one of you. so consumed with retardation that a decent humbug fails you. an Iranian plot? oh, now, really? an insult that we've brought upon ourselves. throat muscles super-taut and a stomach to infinity. the FBI, pathetic fucks who fabricate for the hungry masses. luring into existence the disenfranchised then claim a foil of terrorist proportions. wouldn't exist without the sting. Iran as much of a threat as my soiled trousers. still, keep swallowing. Congress owned by Israel. let's see Iran GONE! go for it, America. Start on Iran and watch the Islamic world own you. again. paranoia breeding paranoia. you haven't got time to lie about averting mass casualties in Washington; enough on your plate killing your own in Afghanistan. never mind. passes the time doesn't it? children banging toys on a picture of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. makes us all feel better doesn't it? having a villain; keeps minds off poverty and social disintegration. well, most of them are black anyway, so what the heck. right? and the rest of the world laughs.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

a simple reminder of what escapes us on a daily basis.UnkleSleazy from the future.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

that's irony for you.or should that be irany?
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

or should that be farce, from the articles I've read. I'm more worried about the negative influence fatcats like the Koch brothers have on American media and politics. President Obama will have a tough time weathering the next year or so.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Hmmm, more strange site weirdness...but anyway: With the flap over this "Mormonism as a cult" nonsense, it makes for an interesting reading to find these tidbits on Romney's election website: Mitt has developed a lot of his values as a person and leader from his Mormon faith, but he decided before ever running for political office that he would never impose those values on his constituents. Mitt is one of the greatest champions of religious freedom the United States has seen in modern history. Mitt and Ann Romney were awarded the Becket Fund’s highest honor, the Canterbury Medal, for their contribution in expanding religious expression in the public square in 2008. So, maybe the "greatest" statement is a bit of campaign hyperbole, just a bit, but it is interesting to see on the same FAQ page this statement: Governor Romney opposes the construction of the mosque at Ground Zero. The wishes of the families of the deceased and the potential for extremists to use the mosque for global recruiting and propaganda compel rejection of this site. So by "religious freedom" do we mean leave MY (cult or not) religion alone, but those Muslims are fair game because they are all, apparently, potential extremists? Extremists, as we all know, are evil and as such have seemed to have forfeited their right to freedom of religion. Both these quotes are on the same FAQ page from 2010 (the ground zero quote is easy to find at the bottom of the FAQs, the religious freedom statement is in the LDS section, last question concerning the affect of Mormonism on Romney's decisions as POTUS): http://mittromneycentral.com/?s=mosque+ground+zero
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

Romney and Huntsman shouldn't have to be worried about their religious faith in a run for president of the US. What could be relevant is what the LDS Church is about in Disney/Technicolor terms, or perhaps 3D? If you can believe in that stuff you could be convinced of anything -- any little reason the sky is about to fall. Having said that, Romney & Huntsman are fine candidates, just nobody I'd vote for.
user picture

Member for

15 years 10 months
Permalink

Been meaning to throw this out there. Why the hell is he targeting MMJ dispensaries?? There was less scrutiny with Bush in office. One less vote for you Obama, you haven't done anything anyway and now this??? Impose your federal tax, take your money and then back off and let the states handle it.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

I wouldn't worry about Obama, Gr8fulTed. remember, he isn't in charge anyway. two good things news-wise this morning; one was seeing footage of the occupy wall street congregation cleaning up after themselves after being told by the mayor they would have to leave the area temporarily for tidying purposes. just can't beat a toothbrush between cracks in the pavement. secondly, the story of Jon Fishman & his wife Briar planning to help their community in Lincolnville, Maine - http://bangordailynews.com/2011/10/12/news/midcoast/as-general-store-pr… one (just one? surely you jest, pancake...) piece of bad news; the U.S.'s plans for their naval base in south korea. you know, i'm real glad about this occupation thing and the nation wide marches; you know, you folks in america (and not just you, intelligent human beings everywhere - the UK could sure do with a heck of a lot less complacency and apathy) really do need to get out there and make a change, because, not for the first time, there is a creeping tide of anti-american sentiment coming up the beach. if you really want to make yourselves loathed worldwide, then you're going the right way about it. people must realise that they are in charge, not the monkeys in government or the corporate clowns. the people of america are getting tainted again, with the colour of brown. and it's beginning to get a lil' ripe in here. other countries are getting sick of occupancy by your military. sick of the bullying and sick of the sight of you. which we all know is a travesty. on many levels. others countries can do their bit, certainly, but we need you to do yours (which in many under-advertised ways, you are). let's hope these marches are the start of a continuation; don't let the momentum drop, because once you do, you, and by association, us, will be back up that creek with a turd for a paddle. a lot people just sigh and build that wall of resentment when they hear the words "america" or "the U.S.". which is doing a massive, monumental disservice to the millions of damn fine folk who live, breathe and create in there. don't mistake this for being patronising; this is coated with optimism and a tingling in the heart, a stirring in the Soul for more enlightened times. one way to make change is to peacefully demonstrate; one way to make change is bypass their "products" (material and moral); one way is to do what the Fishman's are doing and invest, inspire and nurture that community in your own towns and cities. spreading gradually for the future. anyone know the closest venue the Dead played to Lincolnville? i feel a theme for my listening habits today.
user picture
Default Avatar
Permalink

not really current affairs, although i could (tenuously? no, i don't see why?!!) link it through the vibration that is community. i know i'm a little late in mentioning this documentary (oh, come on, only 8 years off...); but i saw it this morning and what with the blue sky shining again in London, it made me feel aglow with positivity. it is a programme about Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews visiting Africa to play with Orchestra Baobab - how wonderful to see two people so humble, borderline terrified! poor ol' Dave looked like he was going to be sick, bless him! and all the more wonderful for it. how exciting to continue and encourage such connections on a regular basis. imagine other performers in the family scene; Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mike Gordon, Les Claypool, Warren Haynes, Railroad Earth, String Cheese, Galactic, (Chali 2na & Senegalese rappers? you betcha!! hey, it worked for Positive Black Soul and the mighty KRS-One) and many many more. some production company start a documentary strand and series here right now! the artists go to Africa, the African artists come to the U.S. each sitting in and improvising, visiting the local towns and exchanging culture that only the joys of music can provide. there has been cross-pollination before, of course there has; i remember some guy called...oh, what's his name?......Dickey Bart or something............ Bela Fleck too amongst many others; but this documentary is very heartening in it's rawness. no big budget, slick production values or cloying "world music" (whatever that is) blandness. just local performance and immersion in the creative language. the weekend is looking good for the human race!!