ambivalence, in the face of local power
originally posted by daiichi
originally posted by daiichi
The picture of him playing soldier suit on an aircraft carrier, the helmet under his arm like he just got back from a run over Baghdad, marks him as exceedingly dangerous. He believes he is a warrior president. He is not. He is a war dodger. Therefore, it is preposterous for George Bush to be a commander of anything. He doesn't have the right to send people to war.
originally posted by xowie
Beat waves by Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News:
6,000 hours of lectures, performances and classes featuring some of the greats of American arts and literature, particularly the beat poets, have been recorded at Naropa over the past 30 years.
Those voices include writers Gregory Corso, William S. Burroughs, Amiri Baraka, Michael Ondaatje, Andrei Codrescu and Ken Kesey; cultural agitator Timothy Leary; musicians John Cage and Philip Glass; and spiritual leaders Ram Dass and Chogyum Trunpa Rinpoche.
Already, Naropa is setting up a listening station in its library, and by summer plans to have part of the collection available to the public on the Web. It is also producing a boxed set of four CDs - Taylor calls it a "virtual workshop" - with poets Diane DiPrima, Ginsberg, Burroughs and Waldman.
Since McKinley returned to the United States in April, the vision of the dead marine’s face has sat in her mind like an elephant blocking the road. ‘‘When I first got home, the nightmares were him basically calling me selfish, asking why didn’t I help save him,’’ she said, her voice so grave and quiet that it was nearly inaudible. ‘‘And now it’s changed to he’s asking me why I didn’t go with him.''
originally posted by xowie
Did the President have to take time off from National Guard duty to do community service as a sentence for a crime?
originally posted by xowie
32. Which of these figures are of African-American descent:Metro Times: a quiz to make you go hmmmm.a) George Herriman, creator of the Krazy Kat cartoon strip. b) Best-selling novelist Frank Yerby. c) Carol Channing, actress and stage performer. d) Johnny Otis, 1950s rhythm and blues star.
originally posted by xowie
We wonder why, four days after, a glimpse of a hood-ornamented nipple warrants in-depth coverage in every section of the Los Angeles Times; why the FCC will spend tax dollars investigating so-called ‘indecency’ and not the free-speech-chilling effects of media consolidation; why it was Janet’s breast, and not general depravity, that persuaded parents in Laguna Beach that MTV should no longer infiltrate their high schools. Rarely does it occur to any of us that this outrage might be a healthy reaction to the systematic depreciation of an enchanting aesthetic feature peculiar to human females.
originally posted by xowie
CBS and Viacom said an ad featuring children to make a political statement was over the top. Yet a male entertainer stalking his female prey was not. The president was spared by the media moguls. Not so lucky were America's girls as CBS and Viacom told them it was just fine for boys to sing, "I'm gonna have you naked at the end of this song."
I am hoping to hear bell hooks on the story of the Super Bowl, but until such time I am hearing a lot of sense in Derrick Jackson's words.
Making fun of Asians and Asian-Americans is still perceived as socially acceptable in a lot of places.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is withdrawing its previously announced support of Howard Dean’s presidential bid.
AFSCME’s brilliant associate general counsel, Robert D. Lenhard, was nominated to the Federal Election Commission last summer.
originally posted by xowie
I've learned recently that some folks in the hip-hop community respect what I'm doing, and it's such a thrill. [One hip-hop guy's compliment] is like five pop guys telling you that your music's doing it for them. I like being myself and kinda sticking to that. Maybe that's kind of the part to be respected. I think also I'm a 'beat' guy. I'm a rhythm guy.
John Mayer plays electric guitar.
For Albert, the film's casting directors are seeking a 17 to 18-year-old African-American male who is "stout-hearted as well as stout ...exuberant, funny and sweet." The actor should also be able to rap, sing and dance. For Old Weird Harold, the directors are seeking a 17-year-old African-American male who is very tall (around 6'5) and somewhat awkward.
Many references to the iPod in this week’s SF Bay Guardian.
originally posted by xowie
Oh, there were plenty of times where at 2am I'd be sweeping a floor on a Friday night and wonder, "What the hell did I do?! Dear God!" 'Cause I was an old guy! I was 34 when I went to culinary school and it nearly broke me. The internships that I did -- going from being a commercial director where, you know, you were The Guy, to being nobody -- "Here's the broom; sweep the walk-in" -- was extremely humbling. It was a very humbling experience. But I'm sure glad I did it. Learned a lot about myself.
"I think we have somebody who's fainted there," Mr. Kerry said, hopping off the stage to check on the man as the murmuring crowd made way for him. Moments later, he reclaimed the stage and said calmly: "Ladies and gentleman, he's all right. He's all right. He's a World War II vet, and he's been standing for a while on his legs and he needs a little air and a little water."NYT: A Winning Kerry Loosens Up, and Crowds React."You should be president!" a woman in the crowd called out.
originally posted by xowie
I don't think about race that much. I forget that I'm Asian. I don't know why. Maybe it's because my eyes are in my head. (laughter) But when I'm reminded that I'm 'different' it shocks me. I was on a plane and the steward was coming down the aisle, serving lunch to everyone, and he's coming down the aisle: "Asian Chicken Salad…Asian Chicken Salad…Asian Chicken Salad…" and he gets to me and he's like, "…Chicken Salad?" What does he think I'm gonna do?..... "This is not…the salad of my people!"
originally posted by xowie
Looking for the roots of bluegrass? Think Floyd, says The Washington Post.
At one point during my visit with the Badirs, I pull out my cell phone and make a call. Before it even connects, Shadde, who is sitting across the room, recites all 12 digits perfectly. Ramy smiles at the parlor trick. "It used to be disgusting to be blind," he says. "Today, you scare people. You possess skills that those with sight cannot possibly understand."
originally posted by xowie
Rocky Mountain News: Books: Raucous times with beat poets.
Kashner arrives in Boulder ready to "eat death and live poetry" at the feet of the these Wild Men of the Fifties, who experimented with drugs, sex, sanity, and words with mad, reckless abandon. What he found were old men: in 1976, William Burroughs was 62; Ginsberg was 50; Jack Kerouac had been dead seven years. As Kashner points out, this was "the Beat Generation in a weird retirement phase."
Not that they had lost all their moxie. No sooner has Kashner settled into his student apartment, than he is enlisted in a midnight drive into the mountains with Burroughs and a few others to harvest a marijuana field the old renegades have been tending.
‘Gone Postal,’ as the Jeep is known, has 40 batteries, each weighing 40 pounds, with a peak draw of 4,000 amps at 240 volts. It is the pride of the EV racing crowd, who consider its shape ideal. People who don’t like the look of it ‘don’t understand the concept of the sleeper,’ says its creator, Roderick Wilde. ‘It’s the little-old-lady-from-Pasadena theory — you get something that doesn’t look like it goes very fast, and then it blows everyone away.’
originally posted by xowie
When, in a simple act of defiance, thousands of Indians marched to the sea and made their own salt, they broke the salt tax laws. It was a direct strike at the economic underpinning of the British Empire. It was real. While our movement has won some important victories, we must not allow nonviolent resistance to atrophy into ineffectual, feel-good, political theater. It is a very precious weapon that must be constantly honed and reimagined. It cannot be allowed to become a mere spectacle, a photo opportunity for the media.
originally posted by xowie
The Blogging of the President: 2004 details are as follows: “The time of the show is Sunday, Jan 25, from 9pm-11pm EST (check your local listings to be sure). Guests include Atrios, Andrew Sullivan, Gary Hart, The list of the stations is here. If you don’t live in one of these areas (final list will be posted tomorrow), you can stream from a lot of these over the web:” It’s a call-in show so give the country your what-for. I’ll be recording the show with Audio Hijack Pro.
Ms. Farley, now 79, is a proponent of natural childbirth and chairwoman of the board of the Maternity Center Association in Manhattan. Being around hospitals a lot, she was disturbed to see how many people died alone, with no one to nurture them through their final days. In 1998, while at a conference dealing with end-of-life issues, Ms. Farley listened to a talk by Dr. Sherwin Nuland, a professor of surgery and an author. He stressed how important it was for sick people to have companionship to help them accept death, and he used the Yiddish word for funeral, "levaya," which means "to accompany."
The New York Times: Final Days: In Death Watch for Stranger, Becoming a Friend to the End.
So Dick's little hunt was not all that rare. Which of course makes it no less stupid, no less of a brutal blood rush. It was a taxpayer-supported trip taken solely for the sake of ... what? Not sport. Not gamesmanship. Not food. Just the little thrill that comes from killing something that never had a prayer? Is that it, Dick? Kick up the defibrillator a notch? Must be.
originally posted by xowie
Well, the thing that kind of bothers me is that all the girls are white.