Friday, January 27, 2006
Intellectual Freedom: The Democrats' Secret Ingredient
Intellectual Freedom and Honesty, NOT Dogma, Secrecy and Spin
No one is asking you to say "ditto". We want you to think with your own head. We are Democrats.
If you are tired of all the dogma, secrecy and spin...consider joining the great Democratic Party. The party of the future. The party to go to.
Are you able to think your own thoughts without fear, coercion or social pressure?
Widen your world. Be a Democrat.
And think!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Collected Political Posts of Coturnix
Science And Politics: Looking for Politics on "Science And Politics"?
Great idea, Bora! I'm gonna hafta compile my two good posts...
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
LA Times on pseudopatriotistic pacifists and other wussies.
Warriors and wusses
I DON'T SUPPORT our troops. This is a particularly difficult opinion to have, especially if you are the kind of person who likes to put bumper stickers on his car. Supporting the troops is a position that even Calvin is unwilling to urinate on.
...
But I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition. MORE
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Post-Post-911: Moving from Fear to Love
Before 9/11, Americans were not consumed by fear. But then 9/11 changed everything. America became consumed by fear. And when you are fearful, you make bad decisions.
In this sense, Karl Rove was right. Democrats are pre-911...at least in the sense of not being consumed by fear. But what about those who ARE consumed by fear? Can we help those folks get over their fear? Can we help them to become post-post-911?
Decades are funny things. Oftentimes the first half is radically different than the last half. Look at the 60s...which didn't really get going until the latter part of the decade.
The same can be said for the decade we are in.
The first half of this decade has been dominated by post-911 fear. The latter half will be dominated by post-post-911 love. Wait and see. Better yet...join in!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Wake Politics: Raleigh News & Observer does blogging
From the blog:
"Check here for the latest on your local elected officials, community activism and upcoming political events of all stripes.
Some links on WakePol will take you to other sites covering local politics, including individual blogs, government Web sites, partisan interest groups and other news media. WakePol does not endorse any opinions expressed on those sites and cannot guarantee their accuracy.
This blog is maintained by Wake County reporter Ryan Teague Beckwith and Western Wake reporter Toby Coleman. "
Skating with Blogebrities
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Is George Jack's Monica?
TIME: When George Met Jack
Sure the boys wear funny hats...
Jack Abramoff must be sweating, now that we are discovering his shady associations. And now, with George...it just may be too much to bear.
Will Jack freak out now that we see that Mister Bush was one of his lackeys?
AND
Broke banks mounting?
What going on with the stock market?
Saturday, January 21, 2006
The old home place
Old Sleningford Hall, Ripon
Silksworth House
Thurcroft Hall
Featherstone Castle
Here's to downward mobility.
LONDON: Prince of Whales OR Trojan Whale?
...but will they find the whale filled with Iraqis, Iranis or Irishis?
These things and more...
John Murtha and the Murthanaries
By Jim Rassmann
Watching the assault on Kerry's military record by partisan operatives armed with falsehoods was a shock. Perhaps I was naive. Watching those same tactics used against another decorated Vietnam veteran, Rep. Jack Murtha, who, like Senator Kerry, dared to speak his mind, has been a reminder of not just why I felt compelled to get involved, but why I must remain involved.
As a veteran of Vietnam, I can't in good conscience remain silent in the face of the "Swift Boating" of Jack Murtha.
READ more about John Murtha and the Murthanaries who would silence him.
Remarkable Women: Nnenna Freelon
"The camera loves this woman. "
1 - 2
Thanks to PBS for bringing this amazing talent to my attention.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Is captured journalist, Jill Carroll, a descendant of Mohammed?
Christian Science reporter, Jill Carroll
A year or so ago, I was reading about descendants of Muhammed, and noted how some descendants were among the Spanish nobility, who had intermarried with French and English nobles, and that some of their offspring were among the founding families in Virginia and Maryland, if not other states.
Carroll is an old Maryland family -- one of the founding families. There is a county in Maryland named Carroll County. I'm not sure, but I seem to remember that name being in the Mohammed descendancy, along with Corbin, Sanchez, Navarre and others. Granted, it has been a while, and I may be jumbling names in the wind. If so, I apologize.
I would think that Miss Carroll's captors would think twice about putting a descendant or relative of their spiritual leader, Mohammed, to death.
If there are any knowledgeable genealogists here, who happen to know more about Mohammed's genealogy, I would appreciate your input.
Today is the day Miss Carroll is supposed to either be released or killed. The thought of her dying is too painful to entertain. Maybe by showing how connected we all are, minds and hearts might be changed, and Jill Carroll will be spared and released.
This is my prayer.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
PurpleStars: What Happen to MainStream Radio?
I was readng PurpleStars' disconsolation with mainstream radio, and responded, only to find comments were disabled. Here is my response:
I share your lamentation.
I tend to default to NPR, which is, bar none, the highest quality station on the radio. No one else even comes close, except, perhaps Air America Radio. But when it comes to music...a different matter.
Charlotte has 95.7 "The Ride", which played somewhat obscure works now and again, and will play the long versions of songs. In the mountains, there is a decent station coming out of the Isothermal Community College, strangely. Chapel Hill has some good stations, but are hard to get outside the area.
The mainstream is polluted.
The best thing to do is this:
Shut off noise and listen to your inner voice. It will make you unique, since everyone else if filling their heads with other people's thoughts. Even music competes with your thoughts. Think of driving as a time to reflect and enjoy the gift of your own mnd.
All the best,
Dave
Now...go fix your blog. Don't show a comment link if you really can't comment, as it wastes people's time.
My hope is that you enable comments, rather than remove them. Without them blogging is mere dictation.
Looking for a unique, free online Valentine?
Valentine's Day is approaching, and soon you will be looking for that unique Valentine to send to your loved ones. Well look no further! My dear and talented friend, Tom Priest, has created the only card you'll need this Valentines. It is fun, sweet, and sexy...in a subtle way.
Hope you enjoy it! And if you do...pop Tom a note and tell him so. He is soon to hit the big time, so you can say you knew him when...
Here is the link. (Have your sound up!)
How Fascistic are YOU?
14 characteristics of fascism:
-Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
-Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
-Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
-Supremacy of the Military
-Rampant Sexism
-Controlled Mass Media
-Obsession with National Security
-Religion and Government are Intertwined
-Corporate Power is Protected
-Labor Power is Suppressed
-Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
-Obsession with Crime and Punishment
-Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
-Fraudulent Elections
Monday, January 16, 2006
The Wuss Awards
Nominations for the Wuss Awards' coveted "W" are being accepted.
Who do you think was the biggest wuss of 2005?
We at Anonymoses have pondered this issue, and are in the process of narrowing down. So far, it seems Rush Limbaugh is leading the pack.
For those of you who do not know Mr. Limbaugh, let me just say that he is an entirely biased college dropout from the backwater of Missouri who is paid massive sums of money to say whatever is necessary to keep the ignorant from the truth, and to basically keep them angry. And although he claims to have a talk show, most of the talking is done by Rush himself, although he occasionally takes a caller, who invariably must wait and wait and wait for him to shut his nervous trap and allow someone else to speak.
Most of those who do get through are what are called "dittoheads" or "dittoholes" or "the uneducated". All they are there to do is to high-five Rush, and further pump up his already full-blown adolescent ego.
Should a dissenting voice make their way through the gatekeeper, Rush hyperventilates, yawps, and talks over them...then hangs up on them. Then he goes on and on about how the previous caller was a liberal this or that, and then goes on to argue with someone who is no longer even able to respond.
Like many. if not most, conservative bloggers, dictation is the rule. Comments are disabled. And their wussiness is complete.
But unlike their fearful leader, Rush and the Reichblog, do not actually kill and maim others...while sitting comfortably behind a desk or a Rove. This is perhaps the height of wussiness.
The Media deserve their own category of wussiness though, since they helped shoehorn the Wuss-in-Chief into office, and have shilled for his corporations ever since.
So many wussies, so little time...
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Carolina History Talks blog is born
Please help me welcome Carolina History Talks.
Friday, January 13, 2006
January 13th through history
January 13th was the day James Joyce died and the day GI Gurdjieff was born. King Crimson was also born on January 13. So was Anonymoses. It is also the day George W. Bush fainted allegedly after choking on a pretzel. January 13th is the Ace of Spade.
Births
1334 - King Henry II of Castile (d. 1379)
1832 - Horatio Alger, Jr., American minister and author (d. 1899)
1925 - Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
1948 - Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Jodhpur
1949 - Brandon Tartikoff, American television executive (d. 1997)
1954 - Trevor Rabin, South African musician (Yes)
1955 - Jay McInerney, American writer
1961 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress
1964 - Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
1966 - Patrick Dempsey, American actor
1977 - Orlando Bloom, English actor
1983 - William Hung, Hong Kong-born singer
Deaths
858 - King Ethelwulf of Wessex
1330 - Duke Frederick I of Austria (b. 1286)
1766 - King Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1723)
1864 - Stephen Foster, American composer (b. 1826)
1941 - James Joyce, Irish writer (b. 1882)
1962 - Ernie Kovacs, American actor and comedian (b. 1919)
Events
888 - Odo, Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks.
1328 - Edward III of England marries Philippa, daughter of the Count of Hainault.
1559 - Elizabeth I crowned queen of England in Westminster Abbey.
1625 - John Milton, 16, is admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge.
1733 - James Oglethorpe and 130 colonists arrive in Charleston, South Carolina.
1830 - Great fire of New Orleans, Louisiana begins.
1854 - The accordion is patented by Anthony Faas.
1869 - National convention of black leaders meets in Washington D.C..
1898 - Emile Zola's J'accuse exposes the Dreyfus affair.
1990 - L. Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia.
"I was driving at sunrise this morning in southern South Carolina. It was foggy, the light was incredible. I had to stop and take some photos. The first one may be the most beautiful picture I've ever taken." - Dave Winer (January 13, 2005)
A beautiful shot indeed!
Seals Removed From Iran Nukes. Walruses get to stay.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Roof Collapses at Ky. Mine, Killing One
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Part of the roof collapsed Tuesday at a coal mine in eastern Kentucky, killing one miner, a state official said.
The rock fall occurred about 900 feet inside the Maverick Mining Co. LLC mine in Pikeville, near the Virginia line, said Chuck Wolfe, spokesman for the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing.
Symphony of Failure: A Metaphor for the Bush Administration
Demolitionists refer to the trifectae sequentialis of explosions as a "symphony of failure". It is this symphony of failure that allows a building to fall into its own footprint. It can be argued that Bush and his Mediocrities have allowed, or created, another symphony of failure that has caused America to fall into its own footprint... and is fast fossilizing into a mere shell of what it once was. And that this shell, like some tar-heeled and staythecourse-stuck mastadons and donnas, may well drown in the bathtub of its own footprint, the fingerprints of whose architection would lead to the likes of the villainous egoboy, Grover Norquist.
Perhaps it is Bush vs Gorecki after all! -- with Bush fast creating the sadder symphony...
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Sixth Annual Weblog Awards
Should you want to include me, try the writing section, even though there are better folks in every category.
( I voted for a dozen or so blogs, so don't be shy!)
-Nonny
The 11 hads
FUN WITH WORDS
Jack and Jill were in English class, when the teacher posed a question the answer of which was either "had" or "had had", as in "I had had a good time but it came to an end when I puked on myself."
Jack, while Jill had had "had", had had "had had". "Had had" had had a better effect on the teacher.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Tragedy in Richmond
PHILADELPHIA Two men arrested by Philadelphia police Saturday are accused of carrying out the brutal murders of two Richmond, Va., families – slaughters that included slitting the throats of women and children.
All seven victims were found bound with tape in their homes, authorities said. On New Year's Day, a well-known Richmond musician, his wife and their two young daughters were slit and their home set ablaze. In a similar incident on Friday, a couple and their daughter were killed and their home ransaked.
...
Bryan Harvey, 49, had been a fixture on the Richmond rock music scene since the mid-'80s -- most notably as guitarist and singer for the critically acclaimed duo House of Freaks, which released five albums on three labels from 1987 to 1995.
His wife, Kathryn Harvey, 39, was the half-sister of actor Steven Culp, who played Rex Van De Kamp on "Desperate Housewives." She co-owned World of Mirth, a quirky toy and novelty store in Carytown, a 12-block stretch of trendy boutiques, cafes and coffee shops just west of downtown.
The couple and their daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4, were found in their basement, bound with tape and with their throats cut, authorities said.
The Harveys had invited friends for a chili party on New Year's Day. Bandmate Johnny Hott, the first to arrive, entered the unlocked front door and was engulfed in smoke. He shouted for a neighbor to call 911, and authorities discovered a fire and the bodies in the basement.
Less than a week later, in another Richmond neighborhood, the bodies of Percyell Tucker, 55; Mary Baskerville, 47; and her 21-year-old daughter, Ashley Baskerville, were found Friday, also bound with duct tape. Monroe did not say how the three were killed.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
GOP must be relieved Pat Robertson never became president
Including these whoppers:
* Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land" -- giving Gaza to the Palestinians.
* Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Methodists are not true Christians. They represent the "spirit of the Antichrist."
* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a persistent Bush administration critic, should be assassinated by U.S. forces. "Take him out," Robertson said on his "700 Club" television program.
* The people of Dover, Pa., who voted against teaching intelligent design in their schools, will pay the price. "If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected Him from your city."
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Republicans win. America goes to war with Iran.
My headline read:
Democrats Win! World Erupts in Celebration!
Celebration, relief and good cheer spread across the globe, as war-happy madman is replaced by sane and beautiful leaders who respect all peoples.
OR...
Republicans win. America goes to war with Iran.
Foolwells get their Armageddon. Millions die needlessly. A handful of suits reap windfall profits.
Today the Jerusalem Post reports this:
'US planning strike against Iran'
Bush's philosophy?
When stretched thin...snap!
Friday, December 30, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
"The Nightingale" on PBS tonight at 8pm
This amazing performance is on as I type. Mesmerizing.
The music is by Stravinsky, and the staging is reminescent of the works of Robert Wilson and Twyla Tharp. Beyond the beyond.
[Repeat]
BUT THEN..."Shallow Hal" is also on concurrently...on FOX. Also a very good pick. Besides...it was filmed right here in Charlotte...AND it features friend of a friend Gwyneth Paltry...in her skivvies.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all...
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
When will conservatives learn their role?
Now by conservative, I mean people who are not creative, but who are, in the main, reactionary.
In America, it has long been the case that the creative class tended toward liberality, since that is, in large part, what enables them to be creative. Creativity is a generative and generous act.
But many of those who are not creative make the mistake of becoming, or being, reactive, as if reactivity balanced creativity. But this is not the proper order. The proper thing for the non-creatives to do is to be receptive, not reactive. Creativity is the yang, receptivity is the yin.
All of life is infused with both characteristics. No one is completely one way or the other. There are simply aptitudes and orientations.
America is prevented from evolving naturally by this miscalculation. Instead of great ideas being nurtured and developed by those who would be receptive, instead they are reacted against, shot down, and the balloon bursts...if it is ever given wind in the first place.
The second mistake of the reactives is that reaction is, to the extent that it is mechanical, the antonym of consciousness. As DH Lawrence once wrote: "Death is not evil. Evil is mechanical."
And so it is with mechanical humanity -- if the oxymoron hasn't already smacked you on the face or fundament. And mechanicality is a state against which one must ever struggle, as modernity itself seems to lull one into its hypnotic laze. (Here laze is meant to indicate the gestalt of laziness...and to not neologize might be a glaring example of said laze.)
Allied with this unconscious, mechanical reactionariness are the onion layers of delusion (Maya) caused by the buffers from reality caked on with each ego-centered supposition, as if every knucklehead were indeed the actual center of the universe.
Creatives, for their part, need to understand that a gift is a gift, and that gifts can be taken away if not stewarded with proper care. Midwiving reactives into receptives may be a role you have to take up. Alas, friends are better than foe. Make it all worthwhile.
Americans are growing weary of the ululation, the pounding fists, the adolescent bravado. Fix the most basic structures, and the rest will become much easier to attend.
These things and more have been uttered under the influence of Anonymoses, uncle of all blogs, and may not be taken as medicine. If conditions persist, consult your physicist.
BULLETIN: Bush Elected President of Iraq
(hattip to Rah Bourbon of the European Bourbons)
"Growth is Good" by J. "Bradfold" Delong
[Note the prominent typo in his name.] :)
Blogger Brad DeLong, Harvard ’82, Ph.D. ’87, is professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley, and is at work on “The Economic History of the Twentieth Century: Slouching towards Utopia?”
We have been nominated for Best Writing/Koufax Awards
Along with these other good folks:
Best Writing
Lance Mannion - Creek Running North - Nancy Nall - Neil Shakespeare - Michael Berube Online - Anonymoses - Rana - Echidne - Amanda Marcotte - Shakespeare's Sister - Stirling Newberry - Jeffrey Feldman - Matthew Nisbett - Paul Rosenberg
Thanks to Bora at Science and Politics for the nomination. Personally, I think he is the better writer. And color-coordinated!
Two Minute Television
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The Disnification of Harvard Square
In its heyday, the Brattle offered Boston film buffs the best movie education in town. For many, it is still hard to recall scenes from Francois Truffaut's "400 Blows" or Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" or Humphrey Bogart's farewell to Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca" without thinking of the Brattle.
The Brattle Film Foundation, the nonprofit that has operated the theater since 2001, has launched a campaign to save the place by raising $400,000 before its lease runs out in February.
The last performance I saw at the Brattle was Spalding Gray performing Swimming to Cambodia. May the theater not suffer a similar fate...
Monday, December 26, 2005
Vid-blog Emmy awards
Video blogs and podcasts are eligible for Emmy awards. The LA Times reports: "The New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences...is creating an award for Outstanding Achievement in Content for Non-Traditional Delivery Platforms ? and the first one will be handed out at the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 28, airing on ABC."
Details on applications and rules at vlogLab.
via Ed Cone