In June of 1966, Joplin joined the band. She and Gurley shared a brief affair while performing together. Gurley died only two days shy of his 70th birthday.
Friday, 25 December 2009
James Gurley RIP
In June of 1966, Joplin joined the band. She and Gurley shared a brief affair while performing together. Gurley died only two days shy of his 70th birthday.
Bibliokleptomaniacs dig god… and beatniks
But perhaps the most intriguing bookworm of all is the bibliokleptomaniac, or what we like to call the kleptobrainiac. These people are book thieves, the nerdiest outlaws this side of Hogwarts. Fascinated? Appalled? Exposed?
In Margo Rabb’s recent New York Times essay, we learn that only 40 percent of books that are read are paid for, and only 28 percent are purchased new. What about the rest? They’re shared, lent, given away or stealthily taken by a customer with a case of the happy hands.
Depending on who you ask, the number one shoplifted book of modern times is either The Bible or The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. After these two, (and like these two) the top 10 list is male-penned. In fact, according to store owners surveyed by Rabb, the most-nicked books share two things: fiction as a genre and a male author...
Only in the US I suspect that the bible would be the most nicked book, they obviously hadn't got up to the "thou shalt not steal" part...
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects
Just stumbled on this beauty of an xmas song by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. I love the little "ho-ho-ho" that she throws in there towards the end. I love her singing, and the Dap-Kings...those dudes can fucking play. If you haven't seen their live act, you are truly missing out. The next time they play near you, do whatever it takes to get there. Take out another mortgage on the house, break open your mama's piggy bank, becanse they're that good.Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings > Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects
@'Pop Molecule'
Amy Winehouse charged with assault
Amy Winehouse was charged Wednesday in connection with an assault at a theater, police said.
The 26-year-old soul diva was arrested after she presented herself at a police station with her lawyer, Thames Valley Police said in a statement.
She was charged with a public order offense and common assault under the name Amy Civil, following a Saturday incident at Milton Keynes Theater, police said. Winehouse was granted a divorce from her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, in July.
She is free on bail and must appear in court on Jan. 20.
Police did not provide details on the incident, but British media have reported that the singer allegedly struggled with a member of the theater's staff after heckling at a performance.
Winehouse was acquitted earlier this year of assaulting a fan who asked to take her picture, after a judge said he could not be sure whether she lashed out at the woman deliberately. Prosecutors said Winehouse was drunk when she punched the woman in the eye, but the singer said she had merely acted to fend away an over-friendly fan.
Winehouse shot to international stardom with the Grammy-winning album "Back to Black" in 2006, but her music has been overshadowed by reports of drug use, run-ins with the law and a tempestuous marriage.
Is Ayatollah Sane’i The Next Montazeri?
When Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri died three days ago, perhaps the most nagging question on everyone’s mind was who would replace a man of such stature. Asked about who he had designated as his successor, Montazeri’s son Ahmed replied calmly that his father told him, “The people will decide.” And the people have decided. Maybe not as openly as one would wish, but they surely have.
The next spiritual leader of Iran’s reformist movement is none other than Montazeri’s old friend, Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sane’i. Perhaps no other cleric seemed as obvious a choice: not only are his credentials important, but so are his political, religious and social views. And his rise is being helped by the Iranian Government.
Tuesday started with Government-owned media quietly inserting the word Imam before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s name. This is surely not only a mockery of the Shi’ite faith — according to which Khamenei is not even a source of jurisprudence –— but also of common sense. It is a direct consequence of candid suggestions by reformists and clerics alike to elevate Montazeri posthumously to the rank of Imam. Khamenei was quick to order his men to do the same for him before anyone else did it for the cleric whom he had pushed aside as Supreme Leader in 1989 and later placed under house arrest….
Tuesday started with Government-owned media quietly inserting the word Imam before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s name. This is surely not only a mockery of the Shi’ite faith — according to which Khamenei is not even a source of jurisprudence –— but also of common sense. It is a direct consequence of candid suggestions by reformists and clerics alike to elevate Montazeri posthumously to the rank of Imam. Khamenei was quick to order his men to do the same for him before anyone else did it for the cleric whom he had pushed aside as Supreme Leader in 1989 and later placed under house arrest….
At the same time, reports from inside Iran suggested the government has ordered Basij and other paramilitary troops to enter Qom and surrounded Sane’i house and office, as well as Montazeri’s. It was claimed that security forces broke into Sane’i’s office and hung a picture of Khamenei on the wall. Rumors abounded as to what would be the fate of the cleric.
Sane’i, with his official website, has been one of the most vocal critics of the government and Ahmadinejad — see, for example, the August video of his denunication of the President. The Ayatollah has repeatedly called for the halting of hostilities against peaceful protesters by the security forces, is now paying for those statements. In response, the Government seems to have made up its mind that now that Montazeri is gone, Sane’i must be silenced.
That plan would work perfectly, if the Iranian people did not have something to say about it.
As the news of the attack on Sane’i’s house circulated, droves of people from the nearby cities of Isfahan and Najafabad started flocking to Qom. Witnesses reported hundreds of people departing for the city with one purpose only: to protect Sane’i. Within those people, there were cries of hatred and anger for the government and of love and affection for the successor of Montazeri’s legacy. And why not?
Sane’i is the perfect man to replace Montazeri. He represents the same brand of moderate Islam that Montazeri espoused. This includes his stance that women have equal rights with men and can be judges and sources of jurisprudence. He has denounced suicide bombings, considers nuclear weapons as being against the soul of Islam and forbidden and perhaps shockingly, even believes that followers of other religions if they are sincere would go to heaven.
These are the qualities that endeared him to the late Montazeri and this is the reason why today, thousands of people from around Iran announced their willingness to defend him against the government. It seems likely that the government will continue to press Sane’i. People have already begun to flock towards him. The question is, is he ready to pick up Montazeri’s pen and fight tyranny? Considering what he’s been doing the past few months, the answer is a resounding yes.
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Just arrived in the stocking
The new album from Danger Mouse & James Mercer from The Shins.
(Oops gone from there already but I am sure if you look hard enough you will find 'Broken Bells')
Ho! Ho! Ho! (?)
I can't stand Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson but this was a request from someone who complained that for an Australian blog I actually don't have that much Australian content.
I hope this makes you happy...
I hope this makes you happy...
Thursday, 24 December 2009
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