Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Thursday, January 15, 2009
We tortured. It's official.
Bush administration official Susan Crawford, admitted that a 911 co-conspirator was tortured repeatedly during his illicit detainment in Guantanamo. Watch and worry.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Weather Underground (full doc)
*Now that the 2008 Election is really really over (excluding the ever irritating Minnesota Senate debacle) I thought it wise to explore this ominous education professor, Bill Ayers, and the militant leftist organization of which he was once a member, "The Weathermen." We know The Weatherman bombed government buildings and police stations. Most of us no little else about them.
Like many of those who came of age in the 90's, I extrapolated my own warped time-line of events from that glorious and glorified era known affectionately as, "The Sixties." -------It was apparently so groovy, they decided it was worth spelling out instead of the old apostrophe-and-last-two-digits kind of linear thinking, which was so utterly '57.------- When first hearing about The Weathermen circa 1996, my keenly warped sense of assumptive chronology told me they were burnt out hippies who after too much Brown Acid (and a crippled barter economy due to the free love default swap scandal of' '72) became angry and disheartened enough to start blowing shit up.
As a man now in my 30's I attempt the occasional spackle-ing of the gaping holes in that assumed time-line. After watching The Weather Underground I realized 4 essential things: A) These people were smarter, and better organized than our current government. B) They genuinely believed there was a full scale revolution in progress. C) The only person killed or even injured in the multiple bombings was a Weathermen member in his home, an accident. And D) Their belief in this revolution was not entirely unfounded, and although deplorable, their means were not entirely unjustified.
Like many of those who came of age in the 90's, I extrapolated my own warped time-line of events from that glorious and glorified era known affectionately as, "The Sixties." -------It was apparently so groovy, they decided it was worth spelling out instead of the old apostrophe-and-last-two-digits kind of linear thinking, which was so utterly '57.------- When first hearing about The Weathermen circa 1996, my keenly warped sense of assumptive chronology told me they were burnt out hippies who after too much Brown Acid (and a crippled barter economy due to the free love default swap scandal of' '72) became angry and disheartened enough to start blowing shit up.
As a man now in my 30's I attempt the occasional spackle-ing of the gaping holes in that assumed time-line. After watching The Weather Underground I realized 4 essential things: A) These people were smarter, and better organized than our current government. B) They genuinely believed there was a full scale revolution in progress. C) The only person killed or even injured in the multiple bombings was a Weathermen member in his home, an accident. And D) Their belief in this revolution was not entirely unfounded, and although deplorable, their means were not entirely unjustified.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Art, Truth and Politics: Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
Playwright, Activist, Poet and Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter died of cancer last week at the age of 78. The adjective, "Pinter-esque," is often used to describe situations marked by, "Halting dialogue, uncertainty of identity, and an air of menace." His gripping, fiercely passionate speech in acceptance of his 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature reflects a man with no time left for fear, crippled by his physical shell, and yet liberated by his limited time to inhabit it. Pay particular attention to the Pablo Neruda exceprt towards the end. R.I.P. (1930-2008)
Crawford: George W. Bush moves to a 705 population town in East, TX (full doc)
***CLICK ON THE EDGE OF VIDEO TO GET FULL SCREEN: THAN ROLL OVER RIGHT SIDE OF VIDEO***
Crawford is a funny, often melancholy and wryly endearing glimpse into the tiny Texas town of Crawford, it's 705 residents, and the way their lives changed when the most (in)famous and powerful man in the world made it 706. Remember the Simpsons episode where George Bush Sr. moves to Springfield?
Related Video:
Best Bush Quotes Compilation
Link to George Bush Sr. Moves to Springfield Simpsons episode:
The Simpsons 713 Two Bad Neighbors
***footnote: Also the episode with the classic Homer rant about Ayatollahs and Skinner's tie rack bit.
Crawford is a funny, often melancholy and wryly endearing glimpse into the tiny Texas town of Crawford, it's 705 residents, and the way their lives changed when the most (in)famous and powerful man in the world made it 706. Remember the Simpsons episode where George Bush Sr. moves to Springfield?
Related Video:
Best Bush Quotes Compilation
Link to George Bush Sr. Moves to Springfield Simpsons episode:
The Simpsons 713 Two Bad Neighbors
***footnote: Also the episode with the classic Homer rant about Ayatollahs and Skinner's tie rack bit.
Towncraft: Little Rock's DIY Music Mecca
Until very recently, I only knew 2 things about Little Rock, Arkansas: Bill Clinton lived there, and that's the place where Chris Chambers, Gordy LaChance, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio battled trains, leeches, switchblade wielding hoodlums, and the infamous Chopper in search of Ray Brower's body. Then I saw Stand By Me again, and realized it takes place in Castle Rock, Oregon. Make it one thing I knew about Little Rock before seeing Towncraft.
After seeing Towncraft, I can only feel what can be described as a sense of tribal brotherhood. The depth and breadth of LR's music community through the 90's is as awe-inspiring as it is painfully honest, let alone it's unique parallels to my own Minneapolis roots. A true testament to the creative spirit, DIY ethics, and the awesome power of insular boredom.
After seeing Towncraft, I can only feel what can be described as a sense of tribal brotherhood. The depth and breadth of LR's music community through the 90's is as awe-inspiring as it is painfully honest, let alone it's unique parallels to my own Minneapolis roots. A true testament to the creative spirit, DIY ethics, and the awesome power of insular boredom.
Welcome To New Orleans Documentary (full)
"Welcome To New Orleans" is the full story as brought to light by Amy Goodman and the Democracy Now staff in the previous entry "Katrina's Hidden Race War." It is an entirely different look into the eyes of the storm. We are used to these panoramic Kubrickian shots from helicopters of the raging waters and the structural carnage. We saw people getting rescued from roofs and thousands squinting as they looked up at the chopper filming them. This doc brings you right into the fight, into a specific neighborhood and its efforts to "wring out" a semblance of community. As told through the words and wisdom of Malik Rahim, co-founder of the Common Ground Collective and future Congressional candidate.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Hurricane Katrina's Hidden Race War
Hurricane Katrina's Hidden Race War (part 1)
Hurricane Katrina's Hidden Race War (part 2)
Hurricane Katrina's Hidden Race War (part 2)
Pigeon John: At The Crossroads of Rap and Religion
Pigeon John: At The Crossroads of Rap and Religion
Pigeon John: At The Crossroads of Rap and Religion - Noah Cross
Pigeon John: At The Crossroads of Rap and Religion - Noah Cross
Friday, January 2, 2009
Circuit Bending: If These Old Toys Could Talk
Circuit Bending: If These Old Toys Could Talk
Circuit Bending: If These Old Toys Could Talk - Noah Cross
Circuit Bending: If These Old Toys Could Talk - Noah Cross
Take Back The Land
Take Back The Land: Homeless Families Move Into Miami's Foreclosures
This is change we can believe in. Convincing deed holding neighbors, police and city officials alike that indeed, "These are not the liabilities you are looking for." I'm saying though, this man is a Jedi. To learn more about this organization and to get involved click Take Back The Land.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Pita To Pate: Dinkytown Gets A Botox Injection
Pita To Pate: Dinkytown Gets a Botox Injection, is the first installment of the Work In Regress series. "A Work In Regress," illustrates specific examples of social gentrification in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gentrification is a mixed blessing, a Catch 22, a double-edged sword. This series focuses on how geographical gentrification effects social morale in local counter-culture. The core concept being, "Less is More."
~Pita To Pate: Dinkytown Gets A Botox Injection~
Every college campus has one. A disturbingly similar layout of CD re-sale shops, corporate burrito joints, and under-age bars line the 3 square blocks allotted to the 50,000 students enrolled at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). Welcome to Dinkytown, not your average campus adjacent land of markups. You can have a fine cocktail in the laid back, neo-Parisian Kitty Cat Klub, bask in the ornate decor and multi-level dining of the Loring Pasta Bar, or see national and regionally touring bands at the truly gorgeous (and notoriously hard to work with) Varsity Theater. White tablecloth dining has also arrived in Dinkytown with the establishment of the quaint Kafe 421. I went on a lovely and endearingly awkward quasi-date to Kafe 421. We both had veal for the first time, our shared dark secret. The food was tasty, the service was good. The place has an air of class without pretension. Overall, a pleasant addition to the wealth of cool places to spend your hard earned financial aid.
A mere 10 years ago this was not the case. Cheap Chinese, and fast food prevailed. The only place to see or play music was the Library Bar, which catered mostly to the drunk and pasty.
Kafe 421 sits in the shell of the infamous Bon Appetit. "The Bone a.k.a. Bon App" was a campus institution for cheap eats. I nearly got them to put my regular order, "The Noah Special," on the chalkboard menu. I figured out I could get a veggie sandwich with fresh avocado and garlic sauce, fries and a small soda for $5.00 even, after tax. A steal for a dorm dweller like myself.
Pleasure Pause, Monday madness 1998
It was 1998 when the lovely and lanky counter-girl come drum + bass fanatic DJ Gilmer convinced the lovable, post-Rockwellian, Lebanese owner (and keeper of the secret sauce) to get a special permit to allow DJs to play records in the tiny smoke-filled backroom. "Musique Du Jour," became the first weekly event, and the first step toward the triumphant and fleeting DIY music mecca to come. Soon came the hippies for funk/improv trio Pleasure Pause on Mondays
and stoney mid-western hippy-hoppers, 4:20 All-Stars on Wednesdays. Underground Hip
Hop heads were soon to follow.
Left to Right: Deitrich, Big Zach (of Kanser), DJ Syrum (of Leroy Smokes); Co-founders of groundbreaking Hip Hop showcase Headspin
"Headspin Sundays," at Bon Appetit was the longest running Hip Hop showcase of its time. This was well before the Hip Hop renaissance that befell Minneapolis in recent years. To give you an idea of the times, I attended a warehouse party that very winter where Slug of Atmosphere, and Eyedea of Eyedea and Abilities headlined for a whopping guarantee of $50! (--footnote-- ***A friend recently offered Atmosphere $25,000 to perform at a music and camping event at Harmony Park, a private 3,000 person outdoor venue in southern Minnesota. They declined.***) Atmosphere, Brother Ali, E+A, Odd Jobs, DJ K-Salaam, and many more who would eventually grace the national stage used this as a proving ground to hone their skill and persona.
It ran smoothly for nearly a year, until a small scuffle that happened to involve some younger people of color was used as the Dinkytown Business Association's long awaited and undeniably racially motivated excuse to yank the cardboard from beneath Headspin.
These were the days of exactos and glue sticks, Kinko's and Xerox. 3 dollar cover charges, and second-hand smoke. There was no twitter, no My-Face, no text message spam, I didn't even have an email address. It was DIY, community built, grassroots fed....FUN! The cover charges barely paid for the Emcees (Rappers) drink tabs. It manifested organically, on its own volition, and was birthed out of necessity. We needed to Rap. We needed to listen to Rap. We needed a place to listen to Rap. It was that simple.
Now, there is everything from Jazz to Emo any night of the week, in every grade of venue. Inch thick layers of glossy color posters mummify every lamp post, cleverly designed to seem like they're promoting a larger touring act.
Venues like the Dinkytowner keep the underground vibe alive and it has become home to many an Emcee on the "Come-Up," as it were. Here is the paradox: I don't want to hang out in a divey basement with 7 foot ceilings when there are nicer places around the corner. Nicer dives even. Yet when I sit sipping a fine single malt and water, watching art-folk-electronica in my Euro-shoes, I quietly miss the days of yore. With so many options, what impetus is there to Do-It-Yourself?
Continued Reading:
~A great story from music journalism main-stay Peter Scholtes, published in City Pages in 1999 on the sordid details of Headspin's demise:
Related Video:
A crap-tastic band I don't remember, playing at Bon Appetit in 2001, at least you get a feel for the-one-step-above-a-garage-charm the place had.
Slug and Eyedea freestyle on the Wake Up Show With Sway and Tech
Kanser Live at the Dinkytowner
Every college campus has one. A disturbingly similar layout of CD re-sale shops, corporate burrito joints, and under-age bars line the 3 square blocks allotted to the 50,000 students enrolled at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). Welcome to Dinkytown, not your average campus adjacent land of markups. You can have a fine cocktail in the laid back, neo-Parisian Kitty Cat Klub, bask in the ornate decor and multi-level dining of the Loring Pasta Bar, or see national and regionally touring bands at the truly gorgeous (and notoriously hard to work with) Varsity Theater. White tablecloth dining has also arrived in Dinkytown with the establishment of the quaint Kafe 421. I went on a lovely and endearingly awkward quasi-date to Kafe 421. We both had veal for the first time, our shared dark secret. The food was tasty, the service was good. The place has an air of class without pretension. Overall, a pleasant addition to the wealth of cool places to spend your hard earned financial aid.
A mere 10 years ago this was not the case. Cheap Chinese, and fast food prevailed. The only place to see or play music was the Library Bar, which catered mostly to the drunk and pasty.
Kafe 421 sits in the shell of the infamous Bon Appetit. "The Bone a.k.a. Bon App" was a campus institution for cheap eats. I nearly got them to put my regular order, "The Noah Special," on the chalkboard menu. I figured out I could get a veggie sandwich with fresh avocado and garlic sauce, fries and a small soda for $5.00 even, after tax. A steal for a dorm dweller like myself.
Pleasure Pause, Monday madness 1998 It was 1998 when the lovely and lanky counter-girl come drum + bass fanatic DJ Gilmer convinced the lovable, post-Rockwellian, Lebanese owner (and keeper of the secret sauce) to get a special permit to allow DJs to play records in the tiny smoke-filled backroom. "Musique Du Jour," became the first weekly event, and the first step toward the triumphant and fleeting DIY music mecca to come. Soon came the hippies for funk/improv trio Pleasure Pause on Mondays
and stoney mid-western hippy-hoppers, 4:20 All-Stars on Wednesdays. Underground Hip
Hop heads were soon to follow.
Left to Right: Deitrich, Big Zach (of Kanser), DJ Syrum (of Leroy Smokes); Co-founders of groundbreaking Hip Hop showcase Headspin"Headspin Sundays," at Bon Appetit was the longest running Hip Hop showcase of its time. This was well before the Hip Hop renaissance that befell Minneapolis in recent years. To give you an idea of the times, I attended a warehouse party that very winter where Slug of Atmosphere, and Eyedea of Eyedea and Abilities headlined for a whopping guarantee of $50! (--footnote-- ***A friend recently offered Atmosphere $25,000 to perform at a music and camping event at Harmony Park, a private 3,000 person outdoor venue in southern Minnesota. They declined.***) Atmosphere, Brother Ali, E+A, Odd Jobs, DJ K-Salaam, and many more who would eventually grace the national stage used this as a proving ground to hone their skill and persona.
It ran smoothly for nearly a year, until a small scuffle that happened to involve some younger people of color was used as the Dinkytown Business Association's long awaited and undeniably racially motivated excuse to yank the cardboard from beneath Headspin.
These were the days of exactos and glue sticks, Kinko's and Xerox. 3 dollar cover charges, and second-hand smoke. There was no twitter, no My-Face, no text message spam, I didn't even have an email address. It was DIY, community built, grassroots fed....FUN! The cover charges barely paid for the Emcees (Rappers) drink tabs. It manifested organically, on its own volition, and was birthed out of necessity. We needed to Rap. We needed to listen to Rap. We needed a place to listen to Rap. It was that simple.
Now, there is everything from Jazz to Emo any night of the week, in every grade of venue. Inch thick layers of glossy color posters mummify every lamp post, cleverly designed to seem like they're promoting a larger touring act.
Venues like the Dinkytowner keep the underground vibe alive and it has become home to many an Emcee on the "Come-Up," as it were. Here is the paradox: I don't want to hang out in a divey basement with 7 foot ceilings when there are nicer places around the corner. Nicer dives even. Yet when I sit sipping a fine single malt and water, watching art-folk-electronica in my Euro-shoes, I quietly miss the days of yore. With so many options, what impetus is there to Do-It-Yourself?
Continued Reading:
~A great story from music journalism main-stay Peter Scholtes, published in City Pages in 1999 on the sordid details of Headspin's demise:
Related Video:
A crap-tastic band I don't remember, playing at Bon Appetit in 2001, at least you get a feel for the-one-step-above-a-garage-charm the place had.
Slug and Eyedea freestyle on the Wake Up Show With Sway and Tech
Kanser Live at the Dinkytowner
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