Musick that Needed Work T: That Petrol Emotion
4 hours ago
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Only $378.80 (!)
Although it's actually a female pelvis and two fetal heads designed to demonstrate the birth process (here).
I reckon with a bit of fiddling it would make the best bedside light!
Terry Southern on 'Time On The Scows' with Alex Trocchi
Photo by Steve Shapiro
"We were barge “Captains,” as they called themselves—rather euphemistically since it was a job so lowly that it was ordinarily held by guys who had been kicked out of the Longshoreman’s Union—old winos and the like, being replaced now by this new breed, the dopehead writer. It was one of those classic writer’s jobs, like hotel clerk, night watchman, fire-tower guy, with practically no duties (“Just keep her tied up and pumped out”). Alex Trocchi found it by chance, wandering around the West Side docks after a few hours at the White Horse Tavern. The guy who did the hiring happened to be Scottish, a Scotsman called Scotty, in fact. So he took a fancy to Alex, Alex being a Ludgate Scholar from Glasgow, who had boss charm besides. (Scottish accent; “Have ye had any experience at sea, lad?” “Only with small craft, sir—punting on the Clyde and the like.” “Good enough, lad, I like the cut of yer jib.” So Alex was in. And about a half a dozen of us—of similar stamp and kidney—were quick to follow … under auspices of The Great Troc."
Full interview
The Killing of Furkan Dogan? (The Freedom Flotilla)
If this film is genuine - what does it tell you about the 'most moral army in the world' and their claims of self defence?
Ambush Journalism
Do we really want to live in a world where you can get fired because some guy comes up to you unannounced, launches questions for which you haven’t prepared, forces you to say things you had no plans to say, then edits the video down into the most damning soundbite before hanging you with it?MORE
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Ezikiel Ch 47: V 13
13: And it came to pass in the city of Jabeth that a dog did bismirch itself in the tavern.
14: Seth, a shepherd, was taken with a mighty thirst and did enter the tavern.
15: A great misfortune befell Seth as he bestrode the cur's befoulment.
16: Seth beslid into the wall with a mighty crash.
17; And Seth did wail and make great lamantations.
18: Jethro, a moneylender, did moments later enter the tavern. For he too was taken with a mighty thirst.
19: Jethro did also bestride the befoulment.
20: And once more there was a mighty crash and Jethro was filled with sorrow.
21: "Verily", quoth Seth, "I just did that".
22: And Jethro did smite Seth.
14: Seth, a shepherd, was taken with a mighty thirst and did enter the tavern.
15: A great misfortune befell Seth as he bestrode the cur's befoulment.
16: Seth beslid into the wall with a mighty crash.
17; And Seth did wail and make great lamantations.
18: Jethro, a moneylender, did moments later enter the tavern. For he too was taken with a mighty thirst.
19: Jethro did also bestride the befoulment.
20: And once more there was a mighty crash and Jethro was filled with sorrow.
21: "Verily", quoth Seth, "I just did that".
22: And Jethro did smite Seth.
One of the funniest blogs out there...
Pierre Littbarski declares his desire to takeover from Pim Verbeek
World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski fears Germany will be at its most vulnerable against a Socceroos side set to revel in their underdog status in Monday's group D showdown in Durban.
The Berlin-born former midfield general who played in two World Cup deciders, including the then West Germany's 1-0 final win over Argentina in 1990, rates Australia as his nation's hardest group opponents from Ghana and Serbia.
Littbarski, 50, admits to having a soft spot for Australia, having coached Sydney FC to the inaugural A-League crown in the 2005-06 season.
"Physically they can cope with the Germans, so that will be for us the most difficult game in the first round, when you're not yet in a rhythm," Littbarski said from Switzerland. "It will be a very good test of German strength.
"If you play high-speed football and pressure a team, Ghana and Serbia will fall apart, but Australia won't."
Littbarski revealed he would like to become Australia's coach as Pim Verbeek's contract ends after the World Cup.
Without a job after being sacked by Liechtenstein-based Swiss second division club FC Vaduz, German legend Littbarski appears long odds to have a genuine shot at coaching Australia.
"I'm absolutely interested in the Socceroos job," he said.
"Because I know the coach (Verbeek) is finishing, it's very enticing for me, but it depends what the federation (Football Federation Australia) thinks."
Littbarski dismissed Australia's 3-1 loss to the United States at Roodepoort Athletics Stadium on Saturday, saying warm-up matches counted for little.
"I don't give much thought to these games . . . some teams are still training hard and they're trying different things out," he said.
But if there is a weakness in Australia, according to Littbarski, it is their pace at the back, which could play into hands of German midfield prodigy Mesut Ozil.
Mona says:
Well it is going to be an interesting game as I think if Australia gets a good result (and that would include a draw) then they will have confidence going into the next games. The major stumbling block as far as I can see is that Verbeek seems to always play for a draw!
I also think that Littbarski could be a good choice as the 'Socceroos' coach as he knows the Australian
A-League. If Australia do well in this World Cup it will only help soccer in this country as was shown by events four years ago...
WTF???
LimeWire owes $1.5T http://is.gd/cI8wa. BP, $69M. So music sharing is 200,000x more damaging than catastrophic oil spill
Niels van Nimwegen - Once upon a time in Utrecht....
Tracklisting:
1. Axel Bartsch - Daight (Sven Tasnadi & Juno6 Remix)
2. Midland - More Than You Know
3. Afefe Iku - Bodydrummin'
4. Sonarpilot - Osaka
5. Space Dimension Controller - Journey To The Centre of The Unknown Sphere (Kyle Hall's I'm Only Breathing Remix)
6. Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane
7. Floating Points - Shark Chase
8. Echologist - Hustle
9. Sigha - Shake
10. Martyn - Is This Insanity? (Ben Klock Mix)
11. Herman - Prototype
12. Steve Rachmad - Electronic Afternoon
13. Marcel Dettmann - Captivate
14. Oni Ayhun - OAR4 - A
15. Mount Kimbie - Vertical (SCB Edit)
16. Basic Soul Unit - Jak'd Freq (A Made Up Sound Acid Bonus)
17. T Williams - Afric
18. Altered Natives - Oh My Zipper
19. Cosmin TRG - Groove Control
20. A Made Up Sound - Alarm
21. Geiom - Luna
22. MJ Cole - Thekla Riddim
23. Deadbeat - Grounation (Berghain Drum Jack)
24. Grievous Angel - Move Down Low V.I.P
25. Schuurman - Nu Ga Je Danse
26. Aaliyah - R U That Somebody (Brenmar Windy City Remix)
27. Doc Daneeka - Swine Flu
28. Mosca - Gold Bricks, I See You
29. YTAC - Switchism
30. Blawan - Iddy
31. Joe - Claptrap
32. Spatial - 90807
33. Mala - Lean Forward
34. James Blake - CMYK
35. I.D. & Baobinga - Still Tippin'
36. Zwart Licht - Dubtrip (FS Green Remix)
37. Kavsrave - Pclart
(For Son #1!)
Norwegian Boy saves Sister from Moose Attack using World of Warcraft Skills
Hans Jørgen Olsen, a 12-year-old Norwegian boy, saved himself and his sister from a moose attack using skills he picked up playing the online role playing game World of Warcraft.
Hans and his sister got into trouble after they had trespassed the territory of the moose during a walk in the forest near their home. When the moose attacked them, Hans knew the first thing he had to do was ‘taunt’ and provoke the animal so that it would leave his sister alone and she could run to safety. ‘Taunting’ is a move one uses in World of Warcraft to get monsters off of the less-well-armored team members.
Once Hans was a target, he remembered another skill he had picked up at level 30 in ‘World of Warcraft’ – he feigned death. The moose lost interest in the inanimate boy and wandered off into the woods. When he was safely alone Hans ran back home to share his tale of video game-inspired survival.
Matmos: Needle Exchange 24 Mix
Not to kiss Matmos‘ collective ass or anything, but we’re beyond honored to present the following collection of pause-button edits. (Yep, a mix of cassettes entitled “Rewind the Crystal Shells.”) We’d be surprised by the duo’s unconventional approach if they hadn’t spent the last 15 years stitching together samples of surgeries (A Chance To Cut Is a Chance to Cure), folky/frosty field recordings (The Civil War, Björk’s Vespertine era), a mighty mouse (Rat Location Program) and, well, the list goes on. Hell, Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt’s last record, 2008’s Supreme Balloon LP, was special because it was rather ordinary—an “ALL synthesizer” album according to their longtime label Matador.
Daniel is tearing through his tenure bid at John Hopkins University (he’s an English professor there) at the moment, but he still found the time to write us a little commentary below. He also had this to say about Matmos’ upcoming release schedule:
“There is another collaborative 12-inch LP by Matmos/Wobbly/Jay Lesser called Simultaneous Quodlibet, which will be coming out really soon on Important Records, and Martin’s other band Instant Coffee! just put out their debut vinyl only LP on the Algha Marghen/Planam label from Italy…We are working on a new Matmos album proper for Matador, but it’s going to take years to finish because it’s kind of elaborate.”
Hmmm, sounds like they’re up to…something. For now, there’s always Treasure State, a freshly-pressed collaboration with So Percussion. (Le) Poisson Rouge hosts a record release show for its special brand of madness tonight.
Thinking about how to approach this, we scrapped the idea of beatmatching techno with laptops and instead decided to do a mix that was sourced entirely from cassettes. Some songs and sounds are from new tapes made by our friends (mostly people based in Baltimore) and some are thrift store finds and some were loaned to us by family members, or made for us as mixtapes years ago. Sometimes it is hissy and quiet and sometimes it is really loud and harsh; some people get a full song and some people just provide a little glue between songs. Sometimes we get fancy and layer several tapes at once. We hope you enjoy it, and thanks for listening. — Drew Daniel
1. Dan Higgs, “Devotional Songs of . . .”
Dan was our neighbor, and one of the nicest things about living on our block is that sometimes we could hear him singing in his apartment if we sat quietly on our back deck and just listened. This whole tape rules but we just used a teaser from it as an introduction.
Dan was our neighbor, and one of the nicest things about living on our block is that sometimes we could hear him singing in his apartment if we sat quietly on our back deck and just listened. This whole tape rules but we just used a teaser from it as an introduction.
2. Drugs Bunny, “Weight Control”
A short sharp taste of real deal noise bros. Their set at the International Noise Conference was ridiculous: Beau [Crawley] was just flailing his hair around while clutching circuit-bent toys and NothingBerryPlasma was kind of haplessly laying on top of his equipment, seemingly trying to swim across his own gear.
A short sharp taste of real deal noise bros. Their set at the International Noise Conference was ridiculous: Beau [Crawley] was just flailing his hair around while clutching circuit-bent toys and NothingBerryPlasma was kind of haplessly laying on top of his equipment, seemingly trying to swim across his own gear.
3. Gem Vision, “Ants”
This guy has been blowing our minds at shows lately. He does beat-ier stuff as Kid Crusher, but he also brings the gentle tropical psyche-new age underwater muzak thing, and he makes really good video art too. One of those shy, talented people we like.
This guy has been blowing our minds at shows lately. He does beat-ier stuff as Kid Crusher, but he also brings the gentle tropical psyche-new age underwater muzak thing, and he makes really good video art too. One of those shy, talented people we like.
4. Sick Llama & Tree Tops, “Light Infection”
Honestly, you can only hear a wee twenty seconds of drone off this bad boy.
Honestly, you can only hear a wee twenty seconds of drone off this bad boy.
5. Black Vatican, “Now You’ve Been Told”
Owen (O.G. Teeth Mountain member, cellist, bachelor about town) is one half of Black Vatican, and he handed us this tape when we told him about our idea for a tape-based mix and we trusted him and now you can hear the results. Jangly and gentle, it’s the total opposite of Owen’s other band Janitor (who are quickly becoming the Birthday-Party-jams-with-Throbbing-Gristle-and-Omar-Souleyman of Baltimore).
Owen (O.G. Teeth Mountain member, cellist, bachelor about town) is one half of Black Vatican, and he handed us this tape when we told him about our idea for a tape-based mix and we trusted him and now you can hear the results. Jangly and gentle, it’s the total opposite of Owen’s other band Janitor (who are quickly becoming the Birthday-Party-jams-with-Throbbing-Gristle-and-Omar-Souleyman of Baltimore).
6. Night Porter, “untitled”
Night Porter is Ravi Binning, a tall, dark ‘n’ handsome goth-synth-noise dude who rattles between Brooklyn and Baltimore. We hope he comes back to Bmore for art history grad school so we can hear him throw down.
Night Porter is Ravi Binning, a tall, dark ‘n’ handsome goth-synth-noise dude who rattles between Brooklyn and Baltimore. We hope he comes back to Bmore for art history grad school so we can hear him throw down.
7. DJ Dog Dick, “Weird Lakeside”
DJ Dog Dick is Max Eisenberg, an alum of Nautical Almanac and a grand wizard of The Bank (deep West Baltimore ghetto noise party house and nerve central of good times). With his trusty Dog Synth he makes modular tones and groans, and this is one of his more melodic and floaty numbers. Can’t remember if one of the Wolf Eyes folks is also guesting on this tape? Help us out here.
DJ Dog Dick is Max Eisenberg, an alum of Nautical Almanac and a grand wizard of The Bank (deep West Baltimore ghetto noise party house and nerve central of good times). With his trusty Dog Synth he makes modular tones and groans, and this is one of his more melodic and floaty numbers. Can’t remember if one of the Wolf Eyes folks is also guesting on this tape? Help us out here.
8. Vangelis, “Memories of Green”
This is from his album See You Later; the whole thing’s great, but you know this one because, duh, it was used in the love scenes in the film Blade Runner. We bought our tape at a Goodwill in the Tenderloin in San Francisco for two dollars and it has that warbly sound that de-tunes some already wiggly synths. Just pretty.
This is from his album See You Later; the whole thing’s great, but you know this one because, duh, it was used in the love scenes in the film Blade Runner. We bought our tape at a Goodwill in the Tenderloin in San Francisco for two dollars and it has that warbly sound that de-tunes some already wiggly synths. Just pretty.
9. Lionel Davis, “Candy Pants”
This was put on a mixtape by my friend Erika Clowes; it was a thing of comedy gold and great savoir faire, so it was hard to play favorites, but this is a sentimental fave for both of us. You can track down the video for it on YouTube. The lyrics are the high point.
This was put on a mixtape by my friend Erika Clowes; it was a thing of comedy gold and great savoir faire, so it was hard to play favorites, but this is a sentimental fave for both of us. You can track down the video for it on YouTube. The lyrics are the high point.
10. Warren G, “St. Ides Sampler 94”
My friends Katie and Lecie got these tapes from liquor stores back in the ’90s; it’s an all-star cast of early ’90s rap dudes, smooth R&B dudes and G-Funk folk, singing and rapping about malt liquor. The whole tape is great, but this one is our favorite.
My friends Katie and Lecie got these tapes from liquor stores back in the ’90s; it’s an all-star cast of early ’90s rap dudes, smooth R&B dudes and G-Funk folk, singing and rapping about malt liquor. The whole tape is great, but this one is our favorite.
11. Chris and Cosey, “Jink Jive (Version)”
We have a small mountain of classic noise tapes. This is from a really amazing series of cassette compilations of industrial, proto-coldwave and experimental music called Rising From the Red Sands. This is C&C in minimal electro mode. Just amazing.
We have a small mountain of classic noise tapes. This is from a really amazing series of cassette compilations of industrial, proto-coldwave and experimental music called Rising From the Red Sands. This is C&C in minimal electro mode. Just amazing.
12. SV’s Discoji, “Dil Mein Toohi”
Owen from Black Vatican said that this was great Vietnamese (?) disco music, but that he didn’t know much more than that about it. I started to play some noise tapes on top of it for fun, so you will hear some of the following on there…
Owen from Black Vatican said that this was great Vietnamese (?) disco music, but that he didn’t know much more than that about it. I started to play some noise tapes on top of it for fun, so you will hear some of the following on there…
13. G. Lucas Crane, “Nonhorse”
This guy is a mysterious tape-manipulator who is a fiend with the pause button and the startling use of EQ. If you like, say, Phil Milstein’s Tapeworm album or Luc Ferrari, then you need to know more about this dude.
This guy is a mysterious tape-manipulator who is a fiend with the pause button and the startling use of EQ. If you like, say, Phil Milstein’s Tapeworm album or Luc Ferrari, then you need to know more about this dude.
14. Spykes, “untitled”
Spykes is John Olson from Wolf Eyes doing a solo trek to the center of the universe. His show at the Floristree was righteous, and so is this excerpt from his last double-cassette/box set thingie. That object is so heavily encrusted in collages and drawings that I have no idea what it is called.
Spykes is John Olson from Wolf Eyes doing a solo trek to the center of the universe. His show at the Floristree was righteous, and so is this excerpt from his last double-cassette/box set thingie. That object is so heavily encrusted in collages and drawings that I have no idea what it is called.
15. Sissy Spacek, “Norge EST”
These guys really need no introduction, but just in case you’ve stopped paying attention: noise/grindcore heroes from Los Angeles and beyond, John Wiese and his cohorts know how to fuse musique concrete and powerviolence like literally no one else on this planet. Plus they have great taste in movies. John Wiese has never recommended a bad film to me.
These guys really need no introduction, but just in case you’ve stopped paying attention: noise/grindcore heroes from Los Angeles and beyond, John Wiese and his cohorts know how to fuse musique concrete and powerviolence like literally no one else on this planet. Plus they have great taste in movies. John Wiese has never recommended a bad film to me.
16. Kiowa Lodge Singers, “Looney Tunes”
Martin’s sister Victoria, who was a schoolteacher on a Native American reservation, loaned us this tape years ago. It’s a group of Sioux musicians who are making music for kids but using traditional drumming and singing styles. This song is about cartoons and it’s pretty much completely amazing. There isn’t another tape like this one.
Martin’s sister Victoria, who was a schoolteacher on a Native American reservation, loaned us this tape years ago. It’s a group of Sioux musicians who are making music for kids but using traditional drumming and singing styles. This song is about cartoons and it’s pretty much completely amazing. There isn’t another tape like this one.
17. Keith Fullerton Whitman, “A Bogan Apocalypse”
Keith is a powerful magic user and his control over the Doepfer modular synthesizer is just one manifestation of his skills. I layered some of him over the Kiowa Singers and it just seemed to click. Can’t wait to hear him play at the High Zero festival this September.
Keith is a powerful magic user and his control over the Doepfer modular synthesizer is just one manifestation of his skills. I layered some of him over the Kiowa Singers and it just seemed to click. Can’t wait to hear him play at the High Zero festival this September.
REpost: King Kenny!
(I once found a couple of day old kittens and named them Kenny & Dalglish - they turned out to be females!!! Ms Kenny & Ms Dalglish! Prompted my eldest son later to ask if I knew that there was a famous footballer named after our cats LOL!)
Bonus Audio:
The Barmy Army - Sharp As A Needle
The Barmy Army - Sharp As A Needle
John Oswald - Grayfolded
Taken from over 100 performances of the Grateful Dead's 'Dark Star' between 1968 and 1993. These are built, layered and 'folded' to produce one large, new re-composed Dark Star.
Oswald described it in the following way;
"It's not a performably possible version of 'Dark Star'. You can't have three generations of Jerry Garcias live on stage together - but there's this illusion of it being the Grateful Dead playing in concert"
"It's not a performably possible version of 'Dark Star'. You can't have three generations of Jerry Garcias live on stage together - but there's this illusion of it being the Grateful Dead playing in concert"
And on another occasion;
"I've made a very unorthodox 'Dark Star' but I haven't tried to submerge the performances under a lot of technique. I've tried to let the performances still speak for themselves"
"I've made a very unorthodox 'Dark Star' but I haven't tried to submerge the performances under a lot of technique. I've tried to let the performances still speak for themselves"
The CD booklet contains an extensive essay on Oswald, plunderphonics, Dark Star and Grayfolded. The booklet also contains a fold-out chronology of the contents of the discs indicating the source Dark Stars used throughout.
Grayfolded was originally released as a single CD, Transitive Axis, the first disc of this set. Purchasers of Transistive Axis were encouraged to pay for a second disc, Mirror Ashes, in advance, to be delivered when complete. Subsequently the two disc were released as a double CD set.
The term plunderphonics derives from a paper presented by Oswald to the Wired Society Electro-Acoustic Conference in Toronto in 1985, entitled, "Plunderphonics, or audio piracy as a compositional prerogative"
In an interview in 1995 Oswald described how the project came about;
"Phil Lesh called me up and talked me into doing it. At that point, I hadn't listened to any Grateful Dead music in about twenty years. I did think I was qualified, because I do think it's often a good idea to come into a project without a lot of prior knowledge and get kind of an alien's overview of what the music seems to be, and then put in your own two cents of what you think it should be. And I think that was the case for this. During the course of working on it, I went to a couple of Grateful Dead concerts, but other than that, I haven't listened to anything except these hundred versions of 'Dark Star' that I found in the vaults"
"Phil Lesh called me up and talked me into doing it. At that point, I hadn't listened to any Grateful Dead music in about twenty years. I did think I was qualified, because I do think it's often a good idea to come into a project without a lot of prior knowledge and get kind of an alien's overview of what the music seems to be, and then put in your own two cents of what you think it should be. And I think that was the case for this. During the course of working on it, I went to a couple of Grateful Dead concerts, but other than that, I haven't listened to anything except these hundred versions of 'Dark Star' that I found in the vaults"
On another occasion Oswald said that he had been asked (by David Gans) to produce something very short, he explained his response to this suggestion;
"What interested me most about the Grateful Dead was their extended playing style. I wrote a counter-proposal to David saying, 'Well, I've been thinking about it and all I can hear is the opposite - something very long."
"What interested me most about the Grateful Dead was their extended playing style. I wrote a counter-proposal to David saying, 'Well, I've been thinking about it and all I can hear is the opposite - something very long."
CD1 • "Transitive Axis"
1 Novature(Formless Nights Fall) (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
2 Pouring Velvet (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
3 In Revolving Ash Light (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
4 Clouds Cast (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
5 Through (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
6 Fault Forces (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
7 The Phil Zone (Lesh/Skjellyfetti)
8 La Estrella Oscura (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
9 Recedes(While We Can) (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
CD2 • "Mirror Ashes"
1 Transilience (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
2 73rd Star Bridge Sonata (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
3 Cease Tone Beam (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
4 The Speed Of Space (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
5 Dark Matter Problem / Every Leaf Is Turning (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
6 Foldback Time (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
The 'Dark Stars' on Grayfolded are taken from Grateful Dead shows between 1968 and 1993.
The musicians involved are therefore;
* Tom Constanten
* Jerry Garcia
* Keith Godchaux
* Mickey Hart
* Bruce Hornsby
* Bill Kreutzmann
* Phil Lesh
* Ron McKernan (Pigpen)
* Brent Mydland
* Bob Weir
* Vince Welnick
Performed by the Grateful Dead.
Produced, assembled, designed and compiled by John Oswald
1 Novature(Formless Nights Fall) (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
2 Pouring Velvet (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
3 In Revolving Ash Light (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
4 Clouds Cast (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
5 Through (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
6 Fault Forces (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
7 The Phil Zone (Lesh/Skjellyfetti)
8 La Estrella Oscura (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
9 Recedes(While We Can) (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
CD2 • "Mirror Ashes"
1 Transilience (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
2 73rd Star Bridge Sonata (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
3 Cease Tone Beam (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
4 The Speed Of Space (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
5 Dark Matter Problem / Every Leaf Is Turning (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
6 Foldback Time (Oswald/Skjellyfetti)
The 'Dark Stars' on Grayfolded are taken from Grateful Dead shows between 1968 and 1993.
The musicians involved are therefore;
* Tom Constanten
* Jerry Garcia
* Keith Godchaux
* Mickey Hart
* Bruce Hornsby
* Bill Kreutzmann
* Phil Lesh
* Ron McKernan (Pigpen)
* Brent Mydland
* Bob Weir
* Vince Welnick
Performed by the Grateful Dead.
Produced, assembled, designed and compiled by John Oswald
Words from
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Birther Queen: Obama Persecuting Me with Placenta Painting!
Orly Taitz, the queen bee of the birther movement, sounds distraught. “I’m going through hell,” she says. The California dentist-lawyer had called to tell me about what she says is a campaign to scare her family so that she’ll abandon her quest to become California’s next Secretary of State. She says she’s endured death threats and an attempt to tamper with her car. But this time, she says, her opponents have gone too far. The final straw? An elaborate oil painting of a nude Taitz, legs splayed, giving birth to… a pancake.
First, a little back-story. For two years, Taitz has been demanding that California’s secretary of state request more evidence that President Obama is truly an American-born citizen. In March, she got herself on the ballot to run for the job in the Republican primary. But since declaring her candidacy, Taitz says that Obama supporters have been targeting her children—she has two in high school and one in college—via their Facebook pages with disturbing messages and images of their mother.
Exihibit A, says Taitz, is a series of paintings of her by Dan Lacey, the so-called “pancake painter,” who achieved minor celebrity during the 2008 presidential race for his numerous depictions of a naked, muscular Obama perched atop a unicorn. He’s also painted Sarah Palin, John McCain and Mother Theresa, among other famous figures, with a pile of pancakes atop their heads.
The famously litigious dentist has not sued Lacey, saying she fears that doing so would only bring him more publicity. But she has used the paintings in a legal filing against someone else: her opponent in the GOP primary for secretary of state, Damon Dunn. In March, Taitz sent a criminal complaint to the Orange County registrar of voters accusing Dunn of voter fraud and demanding an investigation into alleged intimidation aimed at her and her children. Taitz observes in the complaint that Dunn, a former NFL player, had never voted until nine months before deciding to run for the state’s top elections position. She also accuses him of having been registered a Democrat in Florida until just a few months before he declared his candidacy in the Republican primary—a fact his campaign has conceded.
Taitz believes Dunn’s campaign is merely one cog in a larger conspiracy to keep her out of office. Her letter to the registrar includes a reference to the Lacey paintings and emails sent to her kids:
This isn’t the first time Taitz has complained of harassment. In December, in one of her many lawsuits challenging Obama’s legitimacy, she insisted that someone had tampered with her car (she included an explanatory drawing).
But for all the vilification that Taitz describes, she’s keeping her eyes on the prize. If she prevails in her bid for office, she’ll become the gatekeeper for the entire California elections system, meaning that Obama will have to go through her to get his name on the presidential ballot in 2012. And Taitz is emphatic about her intentions if she wins. She writes, "If I become Secretary of State, I will demand proper original vital records from Obama." Pancakes or no pancakes.
First, a little back-story. For two years, Taitz has been demanding that California’s secretary of state request more evidence that President Obama is truly an American-born citizen. In March, she got herself on the ballot to run for the job in the Republican primary. But since declaring her candidacy, Taitz says that Obama supporters have been targeting her children—she has two in high school and one in college—via their Facebook pages with disturbing messages and images of their mother.
Exihibit A, says Taitz, is a series of paintings of her by Dan Lacey, the so-called “pancake painter,” who achieved minor celebrity during the 2008 presidential race for his numerous depictions of a naked, muscular Obama perched atop a unicorn. He’s also painted Sarah Palin, John McCain and Mother Theresa, among other famous figures, with a pile of pancakes atop their heads.
But Taitz doesn't feel flattered to be in such company. She maintains that the painting titled Orly Taitz, Pancake Birther actually portrays her holding a placenta rather than a pancake. "This is really despicable,” she says, theorizing that one of her many political enemies put Lacey up to the work. But she says she’s more concerned about the effect the paintings are having on her children.
For his part, Lacey quips, "I thought all of these were rather sweet paintings of her giving birth so I don't know why her family would be upset. Perhaps her children now suspect that they are actually pancakes." He confirms that some of the original Taitz paintings were commissioned (though he won't say by who). But most of them, he says, were his own inspiration. Lacey listed the paintings on eBay, where one sold for about $200. "Orly remains a popular auction subject,” he explains, "though not quite as popular as Michael Jackson."The famously litigious dentist has not sued Lacey, saying she fears that doing so would only bring him more publicity. But she has used the paintings in a legal filing against someone else: her opponent in the GOP primary for secretary of state, Damon Dunn. In March, Taitz sent a criminal complaint to the Orange County registrar of voters accusing Dunn of voter fraud and demanding an investigation into alleged intimidation aimed at her and her children. Taitz observes in the complaint that Dunn, a former NFL player, had never voted until nine months before deciding to run for the state’s top elections position. She also accuses him of having been registered a Democrat in Florida until just a few months before he declared his candidacy in the Republican primary—a fact his campaign has conceded. Taitz believes Dunn’s campaign is merely one cog in a larger conspiracy to keep her out of office. Her letter to the registrar includes a reference to the Lacey paintings and emails sent to her kids:
These e-mails were clearly sent with the intent to cause severe emotional distress to my children and to me and with an attempt to harass my whole family, and to intimidate me into dropping out of the race for the Attorney General [sic]. While the e-mail was signed as coming from Damon Dunn, I actually don’t believe that Mr. Dunn personally sent these e-mails. I believe these e-mails were sent by his supporters or by supporters of Mr. Obama, as I currently have an active legal action in the Washington DC Taitz v Obama 10-cv-151-RCV.One of the Facebook messages allegedly sent to Taitz’s children came from someone pretending to be Dunn. It said:
Will you be visiting your mum in jail after she's sent there for approving of, publishing and encouraging her supporters to issue death threats against the family members (little children) of federal court judges in order to intimidate and coerce them into ruling in her favor?Another, which went to her husband, read:
Is there some reason her family (ie you) haven't put her into some form of treatment centre for her full blown paranoid delusional state at this point?In her complaint against Dunn, Taitz also mentions voicemail messages that have been left on her cell phone and offers to submit them to law enforcement for verification. She says one caller told her that, “the best thing you can do for America, is slid [sic] your wrists, you fucking bitch.”
This isn’t the first time Taitz has complained of harassment. In December, in one of her many lawsuits challenging Obama’s legitimacy, she insisted that someone had tampered with her car (she included an explanatory drawing).
But for all the vilification that Taitz describes, she’s keeping her eyes on the prize. If she prevails in her bid for office, she’ll become the gatekeeper for the entire California elections system, meaning that Obama will have to go through her to get his name on the presidential ballot in 2012. And Taitz is emphatic about her intentions if she wins. She writes, "If I become Secretary of State, I will demand proper original vital records from Obama." Pancakes or no pancakes.
Stephanie Mencimer @'Mother Jones'
Thom Yorke tells high school students 'it's only a matter of months till the music business folds'
Thom Yorke has revealed that he thinks it's "only a matter of months" till the collapse of the mainstream music business.
In an interview for a new high school textbook called The Rax Active Citizen Toolkit, the Radiohead man claims that the music industry is dying, reports ThisIsLondon.co.uk.
"[It'll be] only a matter of time," Yorke says. "Months rather than years before the music business establishment completely folds."
Advising aspiring musicians not to tie themselves to such a "sinking ship", Yorke adds that despite the fall of the music business, that it will be "no great loss to the world".
The textbook, which is due out on July 1 and is written by Jamie Kelsey, also features interviews with Ms Dynamite and broadcaster Jon Snow, and is aimed at helping 15 and 16 year olds become more politically literate.
In an interview for a new high school textbook called The Rax Active Citizen Toolkit, the Radiohead man claims that the music industry is dying, reports ThisIsLondon.co.uk.
"[It'll be] only a matter of time," Yorke says. "Months rather than years before the music business establishment completely folds."
Advising aspiring musicians not to tie themselves to such a "sinking ship", Yorke adds that despite the fall of the music business, that it will be "no great loss to the world".
The textbook, which is due out on July 1 and is written by Jamie Kelsey, also features interviews with Ms Dynamite and broadcaster Jon Snow, and is aimed at helping 15 and 16 year olds become more politically literate.
Plumes of Oil Deep in Gulf Are Spreading Far
The government and university researchers confirmed Tuesday that plumes of dispersed oil were spreading far below the ocean surface from the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, raising fresh concern about the potential impact of the spill on sea life.
The tests, the first detailed chemical analyses of water from the deep sea, show that some of the most toxic components of the oil are not necessarily rising to the surface where they can evaporate, as would be expected in a shallow oil leak. Instead, they are drifting through deep water in plumes or layers that stretch as far as 50 miles from the leaking well. As a rule, the toxic compounds are present at exceedingly low concentrations, the tests found, as would be expected given that they are being diluted in an immense volume of seawater.
“It’s pretty clear that the oil that has been released is becoming more and more dilute,” Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in an interview. “That does not mean it’s unimportant — far from it. The total amount of oil out there is likely very large, and we have yet to understand the full impact of all that hydrocarbon on the gulf ecosystem.”
Scientists outside the government noted that the plumes appeared to be so large that organisms might be bathed in them for extended periods, possibly long enough to kill eggs or embryos. They said this possibility added greater urgency to the effort to figure out exactly how sea life was being affected, work that remains in its infancy six weeks after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded.
“I’m glad to see the levels are low,” said Carys L. Mitchelmore, an aquatic toxicologist at the University of Maryland who was not involved in the research. “But we’re talking about a huge Gulf of Mexico here. I want to see evidence that this is one of the main plumes and there’s not something way more concentrated somewhere else.”
The announcement of test results came as the White House said President Obama would make his fourth trip to the region next week, visiting Mississippi, Alabama and Florida on Monday and Tuesday.
The results on the plumes came from samples taken by researchers at the University of South Florida, in St. Petersburg. NOAA helped finance the research and joined in Tuesday’s announcement.
The test results, from samples taken in late May aboard the research vessel Weatherbird II, appeared to confirm information first presented three weeks ago by another group of researchers, who found evidence of large plumes of dispersed oil droplets in the deep ocean.
Those scientists have not yet completed their analysis of water samples, but one of them, Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia, supplied additional information at a news conference on Tuesday, including instrument readings taken on her most recent research cruise.
Those readings suggest that a large plume, probably consisting of hydrocarbons from the leak, stretches through the deep ocean for at least 15 miles west of the gushing oil well, Dr. Joye said. The top of the plume is about 3,600 feet below the sea surface; the plume is three miles wide and as thick as 1,500 feet in spots, she said.
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