A little weekend music

And since it is Feb. 14, here's a little something from Mr. Waits courtesy of Driftglass (see blogroll)

No one is above the law

Speaking of douche bags, Calgary is going to have a very special visitor on March 17. I hope he's given an appropriate reception.
Somebody make a call to The Hague and tell them to sweep out a holding cell. If the British and the Spanish can arrest and hold Augusto Pinochet, surely we can have the mounties grab an admitted violator of the Geneva Conventions who has bragged about having people tortured. It would be a shame if they had to taser anyone in the process. Surely, we can at least stop such people at the border.

So many douche bags, so little time

It's not a term I toss around lightly, but I just seem to be reading about so many complete and total douche bags lately that its getting a bit mind boggling. I already knew the Prime Minister was a douche bag, but this pretty much cements his status. And I knew there were a considerable number of douche bags in the born-again Christian antiabortion camp and in the military and in the media, but lately they seem to be everywhere. I'm seeng stuff about douche bags in academia, in business, in music, even (and I know this will shock you) in the Republican party.
The worst part is that they seem to get all the hot chicks.

Read some satire, win a free trip to Cuba

Go read this hilarious article by Barbara Ehrenreich, Rolling Stone journalist Peter Biskind and scientist Michio Kaku that claims that a nuclear weapon can be made ‘using a bicycle pump’ and with liquid uranium ‘poured into a bucket and swung round’.

Did you enjoy it? Good, I thought you might. Oh, and congratulation, you may have just won a free eight -year trip to a glamourous CIA prison in an exotic location like picaresque Pakistan, historic Poland, exciting Afghanistan or everyone's favorite extra-territorial dungeon of the disappeared, Guantanmo Bay. Waterboarding, stress positions and sleep deprivation all included free of charge.

If you're so smart, how come you're not rich

Since I've been resting here in my undisclosed location in the aftermath of the Canadian parliamentary crisis and the U.S. presidential inauguration, I've been very busy lately reading the conservative blogs and listening to the talk radio they pump into the lounge 24/7 to get the truth that the liberal MSM won't tell - you know about the victory in Iraq and how Barack Hussien Obama is really Malcom X's love child - that kinda stuff. This post started, as so many posts do, as a comment over on RossK's Gazetteer, so if it seems I am repeating myself, rest assured I am and that your engraved apology is on its way from the Woodshed's department of redundancy department.



One of the members of our blogging posse, RossK, is troubled lately. Troubled because grant money for research is drying up fast and as a researcher, that grant money not only pays for him to further humankind's knowledge and probably save lives in the future, but it also allows him to "put food on his family."

Science, bah! What has science ever done for us? Okay, the Internet, but what else? The only things more useless than science are liberals and maybe the roman empire.


Fund basic research to encourage breakthroughs that might lead to new technologies as a way to stimulate the economy? That's crazy talk! Everyone knows that is the moneymen - the brokers, the bankers, the leverage and arbitrage artistes - that drive economic innovation and deserve all the stimulus money! Who else could come up with a way to sell loans made to people who had no hope of paying them back as a AAA investment! Hooray for capitalism! If only government could be run like a business.

Come on RossK, science has its place in high school and stuff, but do you think those freewheeling capitalist Masters of the Universe can get by on a measly half a million dollars a year (plus whatever they can steal) without a big fat bonus? Do you think those Lexuses and 3,000 square foot ski condos are going to buy themselves?

Don't you realize that if the government takes the $120,000 grant that supports your biomedical research and pays the salaries of the three people you work with, and instead gives that money to a needy bank, brokerage or multinational corporation, those companies can pay the bonuses they need to pay to keep the kind of executive talent around that got them where they are today. And that money filters down into the economy through sports car dealerships, caviar importers and expensive escort agencies. That bonus money plays a vital role in the economy in other ways too. Do you really want the banker in charge of asset-stripping a borderline profitable small manufacturer that the bank has foreclosed on being distracted by wondering if he can afford another Rolex or a third country club membership? Do you want the people who run our economy stressed out over not being able to get a decent tee-off time just so your "research assistants" can squander the money that could have been spent building a private company golf course on bulk lentils, bus passes and cheap instant ramen noodles and clothing imported from China (a nation of communists)? Do you RossK? All in the name of "learning" and "scientific inquiry" and all that other egghead stuff? My god, you science geeks are a selfish bunch!

Any conservative will tell you that science is overrated. Whether its climate scientists yammer on about melting ice caps and drowning polar bears or biologists with all their "Darwin this" and "evolution that" -- don't they know it snowed in Delisle, Sask. just the other day and that God made the world -- as is -- in 168 hours. Just look at the success the new government of Canada has had removing science from such areas as food inspection and nuclear regulation. Industry can take care of itself, why can't science? If you Pointedexters are so smart, how come you're not rich?

huh? What's that nurse? It's time for my medication? NO! NO! NO! I like the voices in my head, they are my friends! They want me to be a success, just like the other blogging tories here on the ward! Don't come any closer! PUT DOWN THAT NEEDLE! I'M GONNA REPORT YOU TO STEPHEN HARPE........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

* * *

In all seriousness, Astro, one of the commenters over at RossK 's joint, suggests its time to stop letting the economists run things and start listening to the scientists. He's right, but I'll go him one better.

It isn't just time to listen to the scientists instead of the economists and moneymen, it's time to take most of econmists out behind the barn and put them down like diseased cattle. And it's long past time to take most of the moneymen and other latter-day would-be robber barons, strip them naked, and kick them out of the back of a moving van in Kabul or Dhaka or Port-au-Prince or Kitcisakik and see how far the Harvard MBA and the old boys clubs get them then. As far as I'm concerned, every single one of these bonus babies should be put in the stocks and the government should subsidize truck farmers by buy all their rotten produce and handing out to people to throw.

A little something for the Monday blahs



(With a grateful tip of the Fez to Rocky Torok from the Second Life posse.)

For added hilarity, read the comments and see 1)how some people can manage to get outraged by just about anything; and 2) why the vast majority of people who comment on YouTube posts should at the very least be marooned on an island somewhere if not just put up against a wall with blindfold and a last cigarette and Pop! goes the weasel. Honestly, sometimes I think the herd needs to be thinned.

This video is the second funniest thing I've seen this week, the funniest is here, (read it bottom to top) made even funnier by Harper fluffer Sandy Crux missing the boat entirely. I'm waiting for her outraged post about how This Hour Has 22 Minutes and SNL's Weekend Update are "using negative spin" and "disinformation."

Academy Award preview

A bit of guest blogging from my dad, fresh from screening the last of the five best picture nominees:

AUSTRALIA - This is a long but entertaining flick that reminds one of an old fashioned Saturday afternoon at the movies. It is an apparently serious epic with a side order of Roy and Dale, Indiana Jones and Gone With The Wind. The scenery is beautifully photographed and the performances are fine, especially the young Maori boy. Give it 3 out of 5 stars.

DOUBT - This is not a film for lightweights but it's a terrific, though provoking flick for drama lovers and great acting/screen writing afficionados. The title says it all. The viewer gets to make up his own mind on the issues raised. Doubt is everywhere throughout the whole effort. All four major acting roles have been deservedly nominated for acting awards. What can you say about a film featuring constant faceoffs between Hoffman and Streep. Absolutely rivetting! 5 out of 5 stars!

VALKYRIE - This is an above average film in the war, intrigue, action history genre. As with other reviewers, the only fault is in the casting. Every actor in the film is British (that's not a problem, they all do quite well, thank you) except for two. Tom Cruise in the lead role is one exception. While our boy Tom is quite ok, one has a difficult time at this stage in his career accepting him in this serious, good-Nazi role. His recent off-screen antics as a goofball, lightweight don't help him. The other exception to the all British thing is minor but made mechuckle. It occurs during the climactic sequence in the film when all hell is breaking loose and this Nazi officer rushes into the commandant's office to report on the hell-raising. Very serious stuff. However, the reporting officer is played by the German actor who used to play Sargeant Schultz on Hogan's Heroes. When he rushes into the commandant's office I expected him to announce, "I know noootthiiing! Anyway give it a surprising 4 out of 5 stars.

GRAN TORINO - A must-see for Clint fans. Clint plays himself, which is to say Dirty Harry with arthritis. Do not go if you are offended by racial epithets but you just have to understand Clint's character, you see. This is the guy's acting swan song for goodness sake so live with it. Anyway, the climax is surprising and there is a message. For auto buffs, you'll love the title "character" and Clint's garage shop. And I loved the bluesy song over the closing credits. The song is more Oscar-worthy than most of the junk that gets nominated. Anyway, "Make my day" and give it 4 out of 5 stars.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - I went to this film prepared not to like it. I'd seen the previews and it didn't appear to be my cup of tea. However, it passed the stern test and won me over. It is an excellent film, period. The Art Direction and scenery are second to none. the special effects and make up are much more Oscar-worthy than some ridiculous science fiction or action junkpiece. And Brad and the rest of the cast are fine too. The story sounds really schmaltzy but it is well told and really interesting and emotional. Try it, you'll like it. A surprising 5 out of 5 stars.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - As with Ben Button I went prepared not to like this film. It's not my cup of tea again. This time, however, I liked it but not enough to say that it won me over. Recently, I read a review that called it a "shameless fairy tale" and compared it to "It's a Wonderful Life" (without the snow, I suppose). The review was entitled "Mr. Capra Goes To Mumbai", which I thought was rather clever and accurate. It is extremely well filmed often with hand-held cameras and the scenes of the Mumbai slums are striking to say the least. But the plot is predictable and there is no challenge for the viewer. The dance scene and catchy song at the end is supposed to make us feel good I guess but I was left wondering where Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly were. It's worth seeing but only 4 out of 5 stars from me.

FROST/NIXON - A terrific film highlighted by Ray Langella's portrayal of Tricky Dick. He is excellent and gives a portrayal of the former president that shows all of the pathetic warts. The climactic scene leaves one with a tight gut. However, the film is lifeless at other times, given to smiling and winking by Frost. It might have been interesting to let the viewer see more background on the formidable "talk show host" and his partner in crime Reston. On the other hand that might have detracted from the central character of Langella's Nixon. 4 out of 5 stars!

Headline clinic
As a professional word-using and language-rearranging guy I'm often called upon to listen to Japanese explain to me what the nuances of various English words are and why my 40+ years of speaking and writing my native tongue cannot possibly equal the fact that they went to a very famous Japanese university. Despite this, I still have yet to be arrested for assault and battery with a dictionary, so clearly I am a patient person. However, I am losing patience with my colleagues at CTV and Canadian Press. They seem to consistently grab the wrong end of the stick when reporting on political matters. Now I have to fix their headlines and copy too.

Departure of Tory strategist-- leaves 'massive hole leaves'
Updated Thu. Feb. 5 2009 6:53 PM ET
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- He was considered so critical to Stephen Harper's success that mere chatter about a possible election once forced him to cut short his honeymoon -- leaving his new bride alone in Japan.
Now Patrick Muttart is leaving Canadian politics.
The rarely seen, never-heard political strategist who left his stamp on the TV ads the Tories ran, the tax cuts they introduced, the slogans they uttered, and on their strategy for defending Canada's Arctic, has informed colleagues of his exit.
His objectives were consistent: win overconvince the middle class to screw themselves, use consistent messages and images to create a branddo whatever Karl Rove would do, and make the Conservatives the party of Canadian patriotism mouthbreathing knuckledraggers.
Publicly, his colleagues were loath to assess the impact of his departure. Privately, they said his influence was incalculable.
"This leaves a massive hole," said one government official.
"He taught the conservative movement in Canada how to win electionslie, cheat and steal again."
Friends expect that Muttart and his American wife may leave for the United Statescrawl back into the slime from whence they came, a place with myriad opportunities for a conservative political operative with a winning track record who is willing to lie, villify, cheat, and generally throw mud in ways that would embarass Joe McCarthy.

And if it is further thoughts on language that you seek from the perspective of one who uses a lot of it, you can do no better than this.

A Preemptive strike
in the weekend ukulele wars

Some animals are more equal than others

It is one thing to chase an evil incompetent smirking son of priviledge from the White House and elect a decent president, but there are more, a lot more, where he came from and something must be done about it eventually.

From the Huffington Post (click through for more juicy robber baron audio)

Three days after receiving $25 billion in federal bailout funds, Bank of America Corp. hosted a conference call with conservative activists and business officials to organize opposition to the U.S. labor community's top legislative priority.
Participants on the October 17 call -- including at least one representative from another bailout recipient, AIG -- were urged to persuade their clients to send "large contributions" to groups working against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), as well as to vulnerable Senate Republicans, who could help block passage of the bill.
Bernie Marcus, the charismatic co-founder of Home Depot, led the call along with Rick Berman, an aggressive EFCA opponent and founder of the Center for Union Facts. Over the course of an hour, the two framed the legislation as an existential threat to American capitalism, or worse.
"This is the demise of a civilization," said Marcus.
"This is how a civilization disappears. I am sitting here as an elder statesman and I'm watching this happen and I don't believe it."

First, they destroy the economy through greed and ignorance. Then they belly up to the public trough demanding the taxpayers bail them out. Then they take that money and use it to expand their empires, fund executive perks, line their pockets and make sure the poor get poorer. -Fuck these "I'm all right, Jack"-asses.

From the New York Times

By almost any measure, 2008 was a complete disaster for Wall Street — except, that
is, when the bonuses arrived.

Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year. That was the sixth-largest haul on record, according to a report released Wednesday by the New York State comptroller.

(snipped for length, go read the whole thing)

On Wall Street, where money is the ultimate measure, some employees apparently feel slighted by their diminished bonuses. A poll of 900 financial industry employees
released on Wednesday by eFinancialCareers.com, a job search Web site, found that while nearly eight out of 10 got bonuses, 46 percent thought they deserved more.

And yet, when someone suggests that the progressive income tax could be a little more progressive after eight years of tax cuts for the rich, he's derided as a socialist who is engaging in class warfare. Sometimes I really wonder, in light of things like this, why there aren't angry pitchfork-and-torch wielding mobs in the streets of America

He also kneels to pray

In light of the General's explanation, I think this needs to be pointed out.

Yes, except for that one time, oh, and that one other time...and maybe those few other times.


If only he could just, y'know, admit it and move on





In a nutshell: Being gay --totally okay. Being gay while hiding it and telling people that God hates gays and they should too --not so much.






--yeah, you deserve some shit for that, Teddy. Being homosexual is not a "lifestyle choice" but being a meth-head hypocrite and all-around general douche bag certainly is.

And while we're on the subject, this is the funniest moment in Canadian television history, bar none.

The Revolution Will Be Streamed

ON SALE NOW

I know I blogged a bit about this before, but now that the MP3 album is finally available I thought I might tug on your sleeve about it one more time.

A killer collection of 14 tracks of folk, funk, rock, salsa, dance pop and country, The Revolution Will Be Streamed is a cooperative effort by musicians and political activists coordinated by me, with a lot of help from a lot of people. Don't take my word for the quality of the music - click that picture of the radio over there and listen, I'll be streaming the whole album for the next few days on Radio Woodshed. After that, you can go to the Amazon site and listen to free samples. And if my stream is down, you can go listen to the it at the General's joint (His inner Frenchman did the cover art).

All the money raised from the sale of the MP3s available now at Amazon.com (and in a few weeks at itunes) will go to support Netroots Nation in Second Life.

Netroots Nation is a group dedicated to pushing progressive causes and candidates in the United States. It grew out of the Daily Kos website and facilitates activism, political organizing and networking in the progressive community. They aren't the only reason Barack Obama was elected, but they were an important part of the campaign and Bill O'Reilly thinks they are worse than the Klu Klux Klan, which is a good enough reason to support them on its own. Thousands attend their convention each summer. Netroots Nation in Second Life makes it possible for hundreds more to attend the convention online by streaming the various speeches and workshops in Second Life. The massive Second Life effort run simultaneously with the real life event also affords the opportunity to do the sort of networking the convention is intended to foster.

Liner notes
As the famous anarchist "Red" Emma Goldman may or may not have said: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution"
There are few things more popular in Second Life than music and dancing. After all, in a virtual universe, we are all young and fit and we can all dance like the genetically cross-bred children of Martha Graham, Fred Astaire, Alvin Ailey, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and Gypsy Rose Lee. But while we dance, we talk, and as often as not, we talk politics.
And you can't dance without music, whether it's the hot salsa of Los Gatos, the sunny folk-funk of Richard Maynard-Langedijk, the brooding, country-flavored power-pop of Calliope's Radio or even the off-beat satirical stylings of Billy Bob Neck -- it's all here.
The proceeds from this album will go to aid Netroots Nation in Second Life in its efforts to support progressive politics through online activism, networking, advocacy and work on behalf of progressives running for elected office. We are grateful to the artists for the donation of the their inspiration, creativity and hard work. And to you, the listener for contributing to this worthy cause.
Special thanks to all the artists who contributed, Gen. J.C. Christian, Jillan McMillan, Jane2 McMahon, Rocky Torok, Michele Migrish, Jackson Street Books, and all the regulars at Cafe Wellstone, the Lonely Yak and the Red Zeppelin.
Check out the website:http://www.nninsl.org/

The Revolution Will Be Streamed
1. So Glad - Richard Maynard-Langedijk
2. My Strange Love - Brian Lillie and the Squirrel Mountain Orchestra
3. Super Evil - Spoon Spatula
4. Arianara - Los Gatos
5. Hank Paulson's Blues - The Black Tie Martini Club
6. Gimme a Job - the Extras
7. Jesus: The Anti-Rap - Billy Bob Neck
8. Endless Night - Richard Ainslie
9. Zumbro Valley - Zathras Afarensis
10. One More (Land of Beginning Again) - Katherine King Segal & Charlie Brown
11. Watcha Gonna Do? - Golgotha
12. Rachel's Song - Scott & Michelle Daiziel
13. Samba Do Sueno - Pete Siers & Los Gatos
14. Darker, Longer - Calliope's Radio

Who is on the album? Who are these wonderful, talented and generous people who have given their time and creativity (and royalties) up for good cause? I'm glad you asked.

Richard Maynard-Langedijk

This singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer, who has been a stalwart at the Hillside music festival, operates out of a fortified compound in Guelph, Ontario.

Brian Lillie and the Squirrel Mountain Orchestra

Brian Lillie is a folksinger from Ann Arbor, Michigan who has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 20 years. He has performed in everything from loud, weird rock bands to sufi-inspired dance groups, but his first love has always been simple, heart-felt acoustic music. Other works include Rowboats and Good Luck Fire Chief

Spoon Spatula

Better know in Second Life as Spoon Dastardly, the most dastardly spoon in Spoontown and King of all cutlery.“Super Evil” is about a terrified pedestrian walking through dark city streets while fruitlessly attempting to project the false image that he, himself, is dangerous. Written in Hollywood, CA, in 1994 as part of a collection of songs about Los Angeles.

Los Gatos

This Michigan-based Latin Jazz quartet has a pair of albums to its credit: "Cats Got Your Tongue" and "Insight". Los Gatos plays weekly at the Firefly jazz club in Ann Arbor as well as in numerous music festivals. They have been together since 1997. "Samba Do Sueño" was originally released on Insight and the previously unreleased "Arinañara" was recorded at the Michigan Jazz Festival in 2007. Check them on video here

Black Tie Martini Club

Lead by Second Lifer and podcaster extraordinaire Caleb Bullen. Sadly, the astounding podcast which can be found here or on itunes, is on semipermanent hiatus, though the management is still throwing fans an occasional bone. Thankfully, we still have the archives.

The Extras

Terrific Canadian band from back in the day, best known for their paean to contraceptives "Circular Impressions" -- more can be learned here and here.

Billy Bob Neck

A fine upstanding conservative Christian man who's Hour of Being Good is a beacon in the darkness for us all.

Richard Ainslie

A mysterious man of mysterious talents who intends to keep it that way.

Zathfras Afarensis

Network geek? Raconteur? Rootsy, eclectic Second LIfe DJ with a KT Tunstall fixation? Minnesota-born folk singer and occasional songwriter? Guilty, on all counts.

Katherin King Segal and Charlie Brown

Katherin King Segal is a singer-songwriter from New York who is now based in Los Angeles. She teamed up with veteran studio guitarist Charlie Brown for their 2006 album Land of Beginning Again. And she is very understanding (we hope) about rookie producers who spell her name wrong.

Golgotha

Goth-tinged rockers featuring Second Lifer NTropy Sellers, "I'm not sure who this band is but they have great shoes."

Scott and Michelle Dalziel

Amazing husband and wife team who are much in demand musically in both first and Second Life. The fresh and soulful sounds of Scott and Michelle's voices, combined with their high energy performance, memorable and meaningful songwriting, and instrumental finess, put them in a category all their own. Said to have more sound than two people should be allowed, they cannot be confined to acoustic the Rock or Folk genres, as they continue to branch out intoThey R&B, Jazz, roots, and Blues. The duo were Kerrville Folk Festival finalists in 2004 and 2007, and they were selected as a featured artist of the month in 2008 by Folk Alley, one of the leading genre radio stations. Their 2007 CD, Thinking Out Loud, hit #12 on the International Folk charts.

They are also very understanding and forgiving of rookie producers who spell their name wrong in liner notes (we hope).

Calliope's Radio

Formed in mid-2006, Calliope's Radio is the dazzling product of many musical backgrounds, stories and styles. With Dana Komer's soaring vocals fronting a dynamic band, Calliope's Radio recounts haunting, beautiful and instantly classic musical stories. These Kitchener-based musicians are capable of capturing the audience with everything from Joplin-esque and Sheryl Crow alt-rock infused hooks to aching country-steel ballads, reminiscent of the Cowboy Junkies . Calliope's Radio is melody at its finest.

The General has more to say.

And for those of you among what my kids now call "Dad's cartoon friends" in Second Life - Fez Records (me) and NN in SL will be throwing a big release bash at the Netroot Nation Ballroom on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 7 pm until whenever - we will play the whole album, there will be DJs, including me, contests, prizes, dancing and plotting of revolution. Be there!

News Flash!

"The Revolution Will Be Streamed" is now available in the United States as an MP3 download at Amazon. Go there and listen at your leisure to samples or tune in to Radio Woodshed starting Monday when I and a few other bloggers will be playing the playing the album in an endless loop all day. It should be available by Feb. 23 on the U.S. and Canadian itunes stores as well.

Come back on Monday and I'll have a whole bunch of information about the artists involved --and the great big virtual release party we're planning in Second Life.

Bygones? I don't think so

Prosecuting people responsible for torture is not "controversial"  -- it is a legal international treaty obligation to the Geneva conventions for sake.
There have been dozens of torture deaths in U.S. custody ( more listed here) 

Waterboarding is unquestionably torture.
The Tokyo war crimes tribunal tried, convicted and sentenced a Japanese officer to 15 year hard labor for waterboarding GIs in World War II. 

Despite the best efforts of John Yoo and Alberto Gonzales to try to weasel around it, waterboarding is torture. Failure to prosecute for torture is itself a war crime. Obama has no choice -- he must order the Justice Department to investigate and charge people where appropriate.

Required Reading



Things you need to read this week include:



Top ten Hunter S. Thompson quotes



People who deserve it -- 'it' being a punch in the face



Stuff white people like -- Funny because it's true



A Town Called Dobson -- great political comic strip


A blog for those who like the cute animal pictures, but can no longer stand the lolcatz text

Speaking of protest music...

That there is the cover of the MP3 album I have spent the last month putting together. And man, is it suh-weet!  14 tracks of great music and all the money goes to Netroots Nation in Second Life. And I'll send a free copy to whoever is the 50,000 visitor to the blog, which should be sometime today -- if you think it's you, leave an email address in the comments so I can send you your prize. 

I'll be putting the album into heavy rotation on Radio Woodshed when it shows up for sale on Amazon.com as an MP3 download soon -- it should be on itunes in Canada and the US in February. In the meantime, here's the liner notes and song list:

As the famous anarchist "Red" Emma Goldman may or may not have said: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution"

There are few things more popular in Second Life than music and dancing. After all, in a virtual universe, we are all young and fit and we can all dance like the genetically cross-bred children of Martha Graham, Fred Astaire,  Alvin Ailey,  Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and Gypsy Rose Lee. But while we dance, we talk, and as often as not, we talk politics.

And you can't dance without music, whether it's the hot salsa of Los Gatos, the sunny folk-funk of Richard Maynard-Langedijk, the brooding, country-flavored power-pop of Calliope's Radio or even the off-beat satirical stylings of Billy Bob Neck -- it's all here.

The proceeds from this album will go to aid Netroots Nation in Second Life in its efforts to support progressive politics through online activism, networking, advocacy and work on behalf of progressives running for elected office. We are grateful to the artists for the donation of the their inspiration, creativity and hard work. And to you, the listener for contributing to this worthy cause.

Special thanks to all the artists who contributed, Gen. J.C. Christian, Jillan McMillan, Jane2 McMahon, Rocky Torok, Michele Migrish, Jackson Street Books, and all the regulars at Cafe Wellstone, the Lonely Yak and the Red Zeppelin.

Check out the website:http://www.nninsl.org/

The Revolution Will Be Streamed

1. So Glad - Richard Maynard-Langedijk

2. My Strange Love - Brian Lillie and the Squirrel Mountain Orchestra

3. Super Evil - Spoon Spatula

4. Arianara - Los Gatos

5. Hank Paulson's Blues - The Black Tie Martini Club

6. Gimme a Job - the Extras

7. Jesus: The Anti-Rap - Billy Bob Neck

8. Endless Night - Richard Ainslie

9. Zumbro Valley - Zathras Afarensis

10. One More (Land of Beginning Again) - Katherine King Segal & Charlie Brown

11. Watcha Gonna Do? - Golgotha

12. Rachel's Song - Scott & Michelle Daiziel

13. Samba Do Sueno - Pete Siers & Los Gatos

14. Darker, Longer - Calliope's Radio

Update: We have a winner and it's JJ at Unrepentant Old Hippie!

The rest of you will have to make do with this video of the closing track for the time being, but the album should be available at Amazon within a few days and on itunes next month

So long, and thanks for all the bullshit

The Wall Street Journal editorial on the legacy of Dubya reminds me of the Douglas Adam's observation in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

“Man has always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much...the wheel, New York, wars and so on...while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man...for precisely the same reason.”

The piece lauds Bush for all same things that about 75 percent of the electorate criticism him for; the war in Iraq, the establishment of the national security torture state apparatus, the erosion of the public school system, the baby steps toward banning abortion, the administration's response to the financial catastrophe. It stops short of congratulating him for drowing all those annoying poor people in New Orleans, but maybe that is just part of his "record of unparalleled success that will be increasingly appreciated in the years to come."

Given that the author of this hagiography is none other than Marc Thiessen, Dubya's own speechwriter and former apologist for Jesse Helms, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But most newspapers didn't ask Joesph Goebbles to write Hitler's obituary in 1945 or G. Gordon Liddy to reflect on the legacy of Nixon on the day he slunk from office.

Bordering on the insane

An American academic and former 1960s radical accused by U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin of being a “terrorist” friend of Barack Obama's has been denied entry into Canada to speak at an education conference.
William Ayers, a distinguished education professor from the University of Illinois at Chicago, said he was perplexed and disappointed when the Canada Border Services Agency declared him inadmissible at the Toronto City Centre Airport on Sunday evening.
He said he has travelled to Canada more than a dozen times in the past.

Of all the dumbass, pig-ignorant, petty, moronic, pissy, neocon attempts at revenge, this is one of the most ill-timed. No, I don't think border services called Steverino up at 24 Sussex for marching orders, but I do know that to be denied entry you either have to arouse suspicion in the border guard that inteviews you or have you name on a list somewhere. So either the border guard involved is a FOX-watching nitwit who thought he was doing his job and "teaching those pinkos a lesson" or the someone more senior in the relevant ministry made a completely tone-deaf and idiotic decision, likely in the belief that they were doing their job and "teaching those pinkos a lesson."

All things considered, I suppose we should all be grateful he wasn't tasered to death with impunity or anything.

"This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender"




Pete Seeger was born in 1919 and has been a lifelong political activist. He and Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly and Alan Lomax - all friends - pretty much invented American folk music. He was jailed in the 50's over his refusal to testify at the McCarthy Hearings. He put out his first studio album in 12 years a little while ago. Short of digging up Martin Luther King, I can't think of anyone better suited to preside over leading a half a million people in song on the Mall in Washington on the occasion of the inauguration of the first African American President.

Just look at that old rascal grin.

"In the square of the city, in the shadow of  a steeple,

by the relief office, I'd see my people,

As they stood there hungry, I stood there whistling,

This land was made for you and me

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;

The sign was painted, it said 'Private Property'

But on the other side, it didn't say nothing,

That side was made for you and me.

Nobody living, can ever stop me

As I go walking  that freedom highway

Nobody living can ever make me turn back

This land was made for you and me"

I noticed the HBO version of this was taken down at You'Tude within hours of being posted. Some thoughts on certain copyrights:

"This song is Copyrighted in the U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don't give a durn. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that's all we wanted to do."
--Woody Guthrie

No doughnuts, just holes

What is it with wingnuts and doughnuts?
Admit it, you didn't think they could top the weirdness of the boycott of Dunkin Donuts over a scarf worn in an advertisement, did you? Sadly, you were wrong. This tops CC's discussion with a conservative for the funniest thing I have seen all year. And it isn't even intended as a joke.

KRISPY KREME CELEBRATES OBAMA WITH PRO-ABORTION DOUGHNUTS

Washington, DC (15 January 2009) – The following is a statement from American Life League president, Judie Brown.
"The next time you stare down a conveyor belt of slow-moving, hot, sugary glazed donuts at your local Krispy Kreme you just might be supporting President-elect Barack Obama's radical support for abortion on demand – including his sweeping promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as soon as he steps in the Oval Office, Jan. 20.

The doughnut giant released the following statement yesterday:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies -- just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet "free" can be.

Just an unfortunate choice of words? For the sake of our Wednesday morning doughnut runs, we hope so. The unfortunate reality of a post Roe v. Wade America is that "choice" is synonymous with abortion access and celebration of 'freedom of choice' is a tacit endorsement of abortion rights on demand.
President-elect Barack Obama promises to be the most virulently pro-abortion president in history. Millions more children will be endangered by his radical abortion agenda.
Celebrating his inauguration with "Freedom of Choice" doughnuts – only two days before the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion – is not only extremely tacky, it's disrespectful and insensitive and makes a mockery of a national tragedy.
A misconstrued concept of "choice" has killed over 50 million preborn children since Jan. 22, 1973. Does Krispy Kreme really want their free
doughnuts to celebrate this "freedom.""

I know, I know, you read it and you think "Wow, the Onion is really pushing its luck." I wanted to invoke Poe's Law , but I checked it out and it seems to be a actual organization that is run by and caters to people who really need some professional psychiatric help. Seriously, the reeducation camps cannot open soon enough.
The somewhat popular diabolical conservative ridicule machine has more