Plastic Is Dangerous!!!!!!!
Friday, March 31, 2006
While unpacking a new keyboard today at work I looked down and saw the image on the packaging. After recovering from my laugh attack I decided to take a picture of it and post it for all of you to see. I also photocopied the plastic and a bunch of us have them hanging in our cubes. Yeah we are nerds but ones with a sense of humor.
Posted by mardenhill 3/31/2006 03:32:00 PM 4 comments
The Return of Matt Campbell
Blur to make 'dirty, nasty, filthy' new albumAlex James confirms the band's return
Blur bassist Alex James has confirmed the band have regrouped - to write a "dirty, nasty, filthy" new album.
The bassist told XFM that despite singer Damon Albarn's recent massive success with Gorillaz, he's found time to regroup his old band to make their first LP since 2003's 'Think Tank'.
James said: "We all got together before Christmas. Damon, Dave (Rowntree, drummer) and I and were making the most nasty, dirty, filthy rock music I think we've ever made...it was great."
He added: "And then Damon's been making his records, I've been busy with (new band) Wigwam and Dave's got this multi-media empire going on, but I think there's plans to reconvene really soon, I think probably towards the end of the year."
James reckons that the noisy, aggressive music they've been working on may well set the tone for the whole new album.
He confirmed: "It seems to be going like that. I mean, you never know what a record's gonna sound like till you've finished recording it, but it was sounding that way.
"Foo Fighters are gonna wet their pants when they hear it."
Posted by mardenhill 3/31/2006 10:54:00 AM 0 comments
Mark Your Calendars.....
RETAIL: Ikea store to open June 7Detroit Free Press, March 31, 2006
Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings store, will open its Canton Township store June 7, it said Thursday. The 311,000-square-foot store, on 21 acres at Haggerty and Ford roads, is the company's 28th U.S. outlet.
Store manager Mark McCaslin said the company is hiring and training some of the unit's 400 employees.
Ikea stores are known for their inexpensive, you-assemble-it furniture. Grand openings typically draw thousands of people.
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Erika and I talked about it and I think we will wait a couple weeks and then take a wednesday off of work to go. Its going to be a madhouse the 1st month on the weekends, I recommend trying during the week.
Posted by mardenhill 3/31/2006 08:09:00 AM 2 comments
New Douglas Coupland Book
Thursday, March 30, 2006
If you never read Generation X you need to its a must for any Gen X person who has held a dead end job at one point in their life. I think my other favorite book was Girlfriend in A Coma, its hard to explain whats its about, so just read it. Right now I am reading Elenore Rigby, a story about a 36 lonely woman who's 20 year old son comes into her life. His last couple books were more introspective, he dealt more with families, death, and self determination. I think this is why jPod will be a fun read, it will be back to the carefree, comedy and life of a modern adult coming of age.
jPod
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ethan Jarlewski and five co-workers are bureaucratically marooned in JPod, a no-escape architectural limbo on the fringes of a massive Vancouver video game design company.
The six JPodders wage daily battle against the demands of a boneheaded marketing staff, who daily torture employees with idiotic changes to already idiotic games. Meanwhile, Ethan's personal life is shaped (or twisted) by phenomena as disparate as Hollywood, marijuana grow-ops, people-smuggling, ballroom dancing, and the rise of China. JPod's universe is amoral and shameless - and dizzyingly fast-paced. The characters are products of their era even as they're creating it. Everybody in Ethan's life inhabits a moral grey zone. Nobody is exempt, not even his seemingly straitlaced parents or Coupland himself. Full of word games, visual jokes, and sideways jabs, this book throws a sharp, pointed lawn dart into the heart of contemporary life. JPod is Douglas Coupland at the top of his game.
Posted by mardenhill 3/30/2006 07:50:00 PM 2 comments
In A Perfect World.....
So much for the Red State vs Blue State, the tide is turning and we are all going Blue. Ok thats not quite accurate since this is just a measure of Bush's approval ratings but we can only hope that its a sign of good things to come.
Posted by mardenhill 3/30/2006 01:53:00 PM 3 comments
Move Over Royal Oak and Ferndale, Here Comes Berkley
www.detnews.com
Berkley draws new downtown
Plans call for plaza with fountain, amphitheater
BERKLEY -- Standing by while its neighbors Royal Oak, Ferndale and Birmingham revitalized their downtowns, Berkley has decided it's time to reinvent itself.
City planning leaders are focusing on a new master plan that calls for Berkley to create a more compact downtown, add housing across the city and increase park space.
Plans include creating a downtown city plaza with a fountain and amphitheater, building the city's first condos and townhouses, and designing a pathway and park along Coolidge Highway to lure thousands of Beaumont Hospital employees to the city.
Residents will get their first real look at the dramatic plans and a chance to ask questions of city leaders April 8 at an open house at the Berkley Public Library.
The city paid consultant LSL Planning Inc. of Royal Oak $40,000 to study land usage and develop recommendations to revitalize the city and downtown, said city planner Amy Vansen.
"These are projects that would use a lot of the existing fabric, and it's simply a tweaking," Vansen said. "The city has struggled with the fact we have a lot of commercially zoned property. The consultant said we may be overzoned for commercial use, and that's why we have a lot of vacancies."
Recommendations include breaking up the zoning along 12 Mile -- which is mostly commercial from Greenfield to Coolidge -- to attract more retail and cultural businesses and concentrate the downtown area around the former Berkley Theater at 12 Mile and Robina.
Another suggestion involves moving the city's Department of Public Works building and lot off a residential street to the more industrial 11 Mile and building some "live-work" housing in its place. Live-work housing typically has office space on the first level and housing above.
One idea that intrigues resident Tammy Velthoven is the concept of creating a gathering space for Berkley residents and visitors in the form of a civic plaza. Velthoven, 33, who lives less than a block from the downtown area, said she is ready for some changes to come Berkley's way.
"We moved here because we liked that we could walk to everything you need -- the grocery store, the post office," Velthoven said. "I think if you had a gathering place or location, people could see what Berkley has to offer."
The new master plan also calls for a park along Coolidge from Webster to 12 Mile on the same side as Roseland Park Cemetery, and a paved pathway to direct walkers to downtown Berkley.
The answer, resident Barney Bourgeois hopes, lies in creating a downtown and a city people want to come to. Bourgeois and his wife, Amy, moved to Berkley in 1993 because it was family-oriented.
Bourgeois is president of the St. John Woods Homeowners Association.
The 36-year-old would like to see bookstores and coffee shops and an expanded community center.
After the open house, the planning commission will regroup to discuss changes. The Berkley City Council is expected to consider the matter by July.
If the council and commission approve the plan, public hearings will be held in the fall. Final approval is expected in November.
Posted by mardenhill 3/30/2006 01:50:00 PM 0 comments
5+ Years So Far
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
MIAMI (Reuters) - Jack Abramoff, a disgraced Washington lobbyist at the heart of an influence peddling scandal that has rattled top Republicans, was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Wednesday for fraud in the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line.
Abramoff pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy and wire fraud charges, acknowledging he faked documents to get a $60 million loan to buy the SunCruz fleet of gambling ships in 2000. He is also cooperating with a federal probe into influence peddling within the U.S. Congress.
This was just for the Miami charges, Jack hasn't had his sentencing for his DC crimes. The DC judge postponed sentencing til til summer so Jack will be back in the news. He will not serve his time til the 2nd sentencing is overwith. This doesn't look good for all the republicans who are running from him in DC, Jack has nothing to lose. Jack has yet to officially name names but the Vanity Fair article pointed out a number of people and its just a matter of time til indictiments are sent out.
Posted by mardenhill 3/29/2006 01:36:00 PM 0 comments
HELP, HELP I'm Being Attacked
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Residents of the neighborhood of Sunset Circle say they have been terrorized by a crazy cat named Lewis. Lewis for his part has been uniquely cited, personally issued a restraining order by the town's animal control officer.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw," Janet Kettman, a neighbor said Monday. "They are formidable weapons." The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car. Some of those who were bitten and scratched ended up seeking treatment at area hospitals.
Animal Control Officer Rachel Solveira placed a restraining order on him. It was the first time such an action was taken against a cat in Fairfield. In effect, Lewis is under house arrest, forbidden to leave his home. Solveira also arrested the cat's owner, Ruth Cisero, charging her with failing to comply with the restraining order and reckless endangerment.
Posted by mardenhill 3/29/2006 09:03:00 AM 2 comments
Go Green Its All The Rage
http://www.treehugger.com/index.php
Tree Huggers unite, here is a blog devoted to eco friendly products and where to get them. Its actually a pretty cool site and they are doing a good job wrestling the eco image away from the dirty hippies and opening it up to the masses.
I came across this site while reading Gizmodo, they had a little piece on recycled ipod nano cases.
Jimi, makers of the anti-wallet we previously covered here, have just released their latest creation. The Jimi iPod nano case is a rigid plastic shell that snugly fits around the nano. It's a two piece solution available in six different colors—which means you can mix and match if you like. Best of all, it's made from 100% recycled plastic and Jimi donates 1% of their profits to environmental initiatives.
check out http://www.thejimi.com/ if you want to buy one. At this time they only have the nano, if they came out with a case for the standard ipod I would probably get one.
Posted by mardenhill 3/29/2006 08:47:00 AM 3 comments
Delay At It Again
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Tom Delay is at it again, attacking judges and condoning violence against them. I just wish Sandra would have called him out by his name a few weeks ago, it would make this whole thing that much more interesting. It goes to show that Delay is a pathetic piece of trash not worthy to scrub my toilet let alone be a US representative. His corruption has nearly destroyed the House of Reps and I cannot wait til the day he is out of office. I will be there laughing my ass off, I just wish I could see him in person when he loses.
Michael Schavio has come out swinging with a PAC to take on those who demonized him. Delay, Santorum and Frist are the top of the list and they deserve anything leveled agains them.
http://www.terripac.com/
WASHINGTON - Republican Rep. Tom DeLay said Tuesday that former and current Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg "don't get it" when they complain about conservative criticism of judges.
"Didn't you see the comments of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Ginsburg over the last couple of weeks?" DeLay, R-Texas, asked reporters after a speech to a group of Christian conservatives. "There's still a problem, they don't get it. There are three branches of government. All wisdom doesn't reside in ... people in black robes."
"Our faith has always been in direct conflict with the values of the world," DeLay said. "We are, after all, a society that provides abortion on demand, has killed millions of innocent children, degrades the institution of marriage, and all but treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition."
Below are some more Delay quotes regarding judges and Schavio:
"This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change," the Texas Republican said. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today."
Speaking with reporters later in Houston, DeLay said lawmakers "will look at an arrogant and out of control judiciary that thumbs its nose at Congress and the President."
Asked if that included the possibility of the House bringing impeachment charges against judges involved in the Schiavo case, DeLay said, "There's plenty of time to look into that."
Posted by mardenhill 3/28/2006 08:37:00 PM 1 comments
A White House In Crisis
This is such a good picture, it sums up all the scandals the administration is facing. We can only hope that Fitz and Abramoff continue to put pressure on the crooks running the country. Tomorrow Jack Abramoff has a sentencing hearing in Miami on money laundering charges. He is also involved in a murder for hire investigation. Abramoff's DC sentencing isn't til later this year, I hope tomorrow's does a good deal of damage and sets the stage for the end of the republican reign of terror.
Posted by mardenhill 3/28/2006 01:02:00 PM 1 comments
Chief Of Staff Andy Card Resigns.......
Bush's chief of staff Andy Card resigned today and the conspiracy theories are already flying. Below is a comment off of Raw Story regarding the resignation. Some of it makes sense, Andy could be trying to protect the president since he may get roped up in the Valerie Plame outing. With Rove helping out Fitz, Andy may be caught in the middle and face obstruction of justice charges. Or it could be that Andy is just tired and wants out. I like the Fitz scenerio better, it makes for a good scandal. Andy may be making a run for MA governer which could explain his early exit from the WH so that is anothe possible scenerio.Conservative pundits and politicans have been calling for changes but the retiring Card is being replaced with Joshua Bolton, another insider who just happened to be Card's deputy. This isn't the type of changes that need to be made but if Bush wants to do so, well then its his administration that is ready to implode.
| March 28th, 2006 at 09:21:16 | From: Revolutionary |
| All Out War INSIDE The White House .... | |
| Anyone who thinks for even a moment that Card's resignation at this time is just a coincidence is mistaken. Clearly, the "gloves are off" as Rove attempts to scapegoat Cheney/Libby and protect himself and Bush. Card was obviously a major player in the White House Iraq Group, and that group is in the crosshairs of Fitzgerald. Rove knows Cheney/Libby must take the hit if he is to avoid indictment and imprisonment --and one thing is true, Rove is like a hit man, he will do whatever it takes. In the days to come we will know the end is near if Card begins cooperating with Fitzgerald ...then the real dirty laundry will be aired nailing Bush/Rove. I still say an "insider" will bring down the house of cards at the WH. | |
Posted by mardenhill 3/28/2006 11:23:00 AM 1 comments
Latest On PlameGate
Monday, March 27, 2006
http://www.rawstory.com
According to one source close to the case, Rove is providing information on deleted emails, erased hard drives and other types of obstruction by staff and other officials in the Vice President's office. Pentagon sources close to Rove confirmed this account.
None would name the staffers and/or officials whom Rove is providing information about. They did, however, explain that the White House computer system has "real time backup" servers and that while emails were deleted from computers, they were still retrievable from the backup system. By providing the dates and recipient information of the deleted emails, sources say, Rove was able to chart a path for Fitzgerald directly into the office of the Vice President.
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This is an interesting twist in the Valerie Plame saga, we all know that Rove will do anything to save his precious king george but to throw Cheney under the bus, he's got balls. We have already seen what happens when Cheney is allowed guns, it might not be birdshot next time. I have always thought of Rove as the weasel in this whole scandal, playing both sides and if this story is true then my predictions will come true. The way I look at it, Fitz knows that Cheney was the one who leaked Valerie's name, he just didn't have the proof. Libby being the loyal assistant fell on the sword for Cheney but got caught in a perjury and obstruction of justice charge. Fitz is hoping to flip Libby but the chances of that happening are pretty slim. This is where Rove comes into play, we all know that Rove doesn't like Cheney, he even tried getting him off the ballot in 04. If Fitz plays Rove right, he can get him to turn on Cheney and deliver the goods putting both Libby and Cheney away. Rove walks away bruised and battered, maybe a slap on the wrist but he did the deed. I wouldn't mind seeing this happen but I would love to see Fitz pull a little ace out of his sleve and nail Rove at the end. Will this happen, probably not but we can only hope Fitz has a perjury charge lying around.....
Posted by mardenhill 3/27/2006 08:07:00 PM 3 comments
Rallys This Weekend
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Size of L.A. March Surprises Authorities By PETER PRENGAMAN LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Thousands of immigration advocates marched through downtown Los Angeles in one of the largest demonstrations for any cause in recent U.S. history. More than 500,000 protesters - demanding that Congress abandon attempts to make illegal immigration a felony and to build more walls along the border - surprised police who estimated the crowd size using aerial photographs and other techniques, police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr. said. Wearing white T-shirts to symbolize peace, the demonstrators chanted "Mexico!" "USA!" and "Si se puede," an old Mexican-American civil rights shout that means "Yes, we can." In Denver, more than 50,000 people protested downtown Saturday, according to police who had expected only a few thousand. Phoenix was similarly surprised Friday when an estimated 20,000 people gathered for one of the biggest demonstrations in city history, and more than 10,000 marched in Milwaukee on Thursday.
This weekend there were massive protests around the country regarding the latest republican legislation to criminalize illegal immigration. I belive something needs to be done but the current legislation would make it illegal for churches to provide food and clothing not sure if that is a good idea. How will this go over with the christian coalition and all the faith based organizations Bush has pandered to over the last 6 years?
Corporations need to be held accountable, they are a big part of the problem. According to them cheap labor trumps any laws. The republicans are in a pickle here, the xenophobes who are screaming to kick all illegals out are up against big business who pad the wallets of the party. Bush has been trying to court the hispanic vote but this legislation will kill any effort going forward.
Bush has had 6 years to do something about it, but as you can tell nothing has been done. This is the new gay marriage for the republican party, they will use racism as a way to divide people to gain votes in november. Building a wall will only get you so far, holding those who promote illegal immigration is where we need to start.
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Associated Press Writer
Posted by mardenhill 3/26/2006 03:27:00 PM 0 comments
Wine Deals
Wine Cellars over in Clawson is moving across the street and had a 30% off everything sale to help clean out the stock. I stopped by today and loaded up on some great bottles.
Below is a list of stuff I picked up, I spent $100 but got 7 bottles out of the deal.
Ephipany Late Harvest Chardonnay 97
http://www.epiphanycellars.com/epiphany_cellars.htm
We love dessert wines, I have never had a late harvest chardonnay so I figured I would give it a shot.
Peachy Canyon Zindfandel Port
http://www.peachycanyon.com/
Rutherford Hills makes the best zin port but I am willing to try others.
Winemaker's Notes:
This is a blend of 5 vintages, starting with the 2000. The Port is made in a tawny style, it is smooth and easy drinking. Hazelnut and walnut notes are present along with light fruit flavors.
Seebrich Niersteiner Olberg Riesling Eiswein 99
http://www.germanwineestates.com/
Never had a German ice wine so I decided to give it a try. This wine comes from the Rheinhessen region.
Les Pentes Pouilly Fume 04
This is a white from the Loire Valley in France and is made with the sauvignon grape.
Pouilly-Fumé AC
[poo-yee few-MAY]
APPELLATION that produces some of the better-known wines in the central part of France's LOIRE region. The vineyards are scattered around seven villages including Pouilly-Sur-Loire, which lends its name to the appellation. The word fumée is French for "smoke," and it's said the name comes from the SMOKY or FLINTY quality of these wines. The only grape allowed in the Pouilly-Fumé AC is SAUVIGNON BLANC, which produces wines that are generally CRISP, TART, and somewhat GRASSY.
Chateau La Cardonne Medoc 2000
http://www.medoc-wines.com/default-eng.htm
http://www.medoc-wines.com/rubriques-eng/resultats-new.asp?pos_fiche=13
This is a Bordeaux from the 2000 vintage, one of the best in recent years. Its a blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc, and is located on the right bank of the Gironde river.
Cloudline Pinot Noir 04
http://www.dreyfusashby.com/USA-Cloudline.htm
This is the 3rd vintage from Cloudline and is being distributed by Dreyfus Ashby. The vineyard is located in the Willamette Valley in Oregon which is home to some of the best pinots in the country. I decided to try it, I figure you can't go wrong when it comes from Oregon.
Momokawa Diamond Sake
http://www.sakeone.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/?E+scstore
I love sake, its hard to explain its taste you just have to drink it.
Style - Junmai Ginjo: Made with only rice, water, yeast and koji with the rice milled to 60% of its original size.
Tasting Notes - Off-dry with melon and tropical fruit flavors with spice and mineral notes.
Posted by mardenhill 3/26/2006 02:05:00 PM 1 comments
Grant Lee Phillips & His New CD
Friday, March 24, 2006
http://www.grantleephillips.com/index.html
Newsworthy
January 2006
Greetings all:
Here’s to a brand new year! The presses have collected some dust over the holiday season, nevertheless I’m delighted to crank up the wheels once again. Thus far, we’re off to a vigorous start. Having initiated an album of some of my favorite cover tunes some time ago, I’m finally approaching the finish line. Gravitating towards some of the most influential songs and artists of my formative years, I settled on eleven tracks, generally culled from the era that brought you Reganomics, frozen yogurt and dayglow. NINETEENEIGHTEES exhumes an age whose underground music has long outlasted the more popular songs of it’s airwaves. At least for me, anyway, and that’s basically the spirit of this album.
It’s my personal mix tape, just as it’s reeled around in my head for decades. In truth, there nothing like the real thing. The originals are thankfully available and easily itunable for the most part. And yet these melodies, these words demand to be sung, strummed and passed down as is oral tradition. What’s taken shape in the late hours of my downtime is a semi-acoustic rendering of cult classics by The Pixies, Joy Division, REM, The Cure, Robyn Hitchcock, The Church, Nick Cave, New Order, Echo And The Bunnymen and The Smiths. My aim was to highlight the lyrical and melodic strength of these songs. In some cases, free the song of it’s burdensome production, an unfortunate carbon dating of the period.
My own NINETEENEIGHTEES dwells somewhere between the minimal acoustic realm of LADIES LOVE ORACLE and the subtle rythmic backing of VIRGINIA CREEPER. I played and recorded about 99% of the instruments myself, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, ukulele, lap steel, mandolin and hand percussion. I also enjoyed the addition of drummer-Kevin Jarvis, bassist - Dave Carpenter and violinist-Eric Gorfain on a few select tracks. As I got inside of these songs, with nothing much more than a guitar or a piano, their personality came through on new levels and my appreciation for them ever deepened. While their influences are often sited today, you would be hard pressed to find most of these bands on the Billboard charts of the 1980s however.
None of this really mattered then, nor does it now. For all of the hacky, plastic being pooped out of the corporate labels back in the 1980s, for every hokey hair band there was once an alternative, a parallel universe, existing just below the conservative, pastel surface. It was the same unstoppable energy that would come to erupt in the form of Nirvana in the early 90s. NINETEENEIGHTEES is a nod to some of the songs and some of the people that made a lasting impact on my own songwriting and musicianship.
Some of these artists, I’ve got to know and work with over the years. This is something of great personal value. It’s also the source of some anxiety and my apologies to them in advance for the sum total of disfigured chords and apostrophe abuses. Mostly I want to thank them for writing these songs that I’ve been singing along to for so long.
I hope you will too.
Grant-Lee
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After reading about Buffalo Tom I decided to check on one of my other favorite musicians Grant Lee Phillips. I didn't know about this project and I am very excited to hear it. The Pixies, Joy Division, REM, The Cure, Robyn Hitchcock, The Church, Nick Cave, New Order, Echo And The Bunnymen and The Smiths, its like listening to Woxy Vintage but being sung by Grant Lee. Cover cds can be hit or miss but I have a feeling this one will be out of the park, you can't go wrong with songs from these legends. Mark Lanegan just released a duet earlier this month which is fantastic. Now if only Mike Johnson, Nick Cave, Ryan Adams and the Cure were to release something, 2006 would shape up to be the best year in music in a long time.
Posted by mardenhill 3/24/2006 01:28:00 PM 4 comments
New Buffalo Tom CD In The Works
March 06 Newsletter:
Holy moly, chips and guacamole, It sure has been a long time, eh? Well, there has not been much new music-wise for me to write about. I probably wrote about the bi-annual Hot Stove Cool Music event prior to the show. One of the year’s most fun nights for me, still. Granted, things have slowed down for this guy. But so have they for you, don’t lie.
Buffalo Tom News So yeah, up until now, not a lot of new shows to let you know about. But there has been a pretty good amount of stuff going on behind the scenes. Mainly, we have been slowly – s l o w l y – chipping away at the next Buffalo Tom record. It seems that momentum is in short supply. Since we do not do it full time anymore, we can not set aside a bunch of weeks consecutively like we used to. But I don’t think any of the three of us thought that it would take so friggin’ long. The way we have been approaching it, I guess as much by default as by design, is to write a small batch of songs, say 3-5 at a time, and then go in a record them from top to bottom, more or less.
It has been a nice way of watching the record slowly take form. But there were so many huge breaks where many months would go before we got back in to the rehearsal room and then the studio. Holidays, kids, jobs, yadda, yadda, would all get in the way before we were able to get back on the same page. Well, you can see I am mostly talking in the past tense. That is because we are in the home stretch. All the tracks have been written and recorded. Now we are just finishing overdubs and then will start mixing the songs. I believe we have 13. I am really, really happy with the record. Chris has brought some really great song ideas and his singing and lyrics are better than ever. I think I have grown as well. Tom sounds like he has been practicing drums, though I am not sure that he has. I am pretty sure he hasn’t had much time, so I am not sure how that works.
But the songs and the production are very moody, fairly raw. Some remind me of Neil Young’s classic LP Tonight’s the Night. But most simply sound sort of mid-period Buffalo Tom, I guess. I am not going to try too hard to describe it, and I always thought we were working on our best record ever as we were in the process, but I psyched with the way this one is going. Especially since there were points during our hiatus from recording when I was not sure we were going to ever make a record again.
FAQ’s will include: When is it coming out? What label will be putting it out? When and where will we do shows? Will there be any special costumes arranged for the shows? Does this officially make us ineligible for American Idol? Will any of us be available for free kisses? I know, I know. The answers to all of them are: I don’t know. So what do you want from me? Believe me, you will be the first to know. Live ShowsSo no Buffalo Tom shows planned. But please come on out or listen to your radio or the internet for any of these:
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Buffalo Tom was one of my favorite bands and to see them making a new cd is music to my ears. Bill Janovitz has put out 2 solos, worked with Crown Victoria and is a real estate agent in Boston. I would love to see them tour again, I saw them back in the mid 90s at St Andys and it was an amazing show. I got the set list and had Bill sign it, I have a collection of others, I should look at selling them on ebay.
I just got the Crown Victoria/Bill Janovitz cd from emusic, it came out in 04 but I forgot about it. There is a lot of BT in it, not the early J Mascis era but more of the later keyboard laden, melodic sound.
Posted by mardenhill 3/24/2006 12:05:00 PM 1 comments
Buy Blue And My Latest Political Rantings
Thursday, March 23, 2006
This site has been around for a while but I think its important to bring it up expecially in this election year. Buyblue lists corporations in all sectors that are socially, environmentally and politically conscience. They also list what companies donate to the political parties of this country. You can see that places like Costco, Starbucks, REI, Caribu Coffee, Apple Computers and eBay donate to the Democratic party. Walmart, Amazon.com, Anheuser Busch, Dell & Microsoft are just a few who donate heavily to Republicans. Ratings on issues like environmental responsibility, employment equality, labor and industry practices are also included.
I had an interesting discussion with a co-worker today who is a staunch republican, he is a small business owner and is more or less an old school repub by definition. We went round and round about buying american cars and that I am a hypocrite for wanting to buy an import since US automakers refuse to make a fuel efficient car comparable to the Prius. He said that since I am a democrat and that union workers are democratic I should be supporting them. I should just settle for what the US produces and not worry about fuel economy. He said thats what America is about, driving big SUVs, not to is unamerican.
I had a few laughs about this then went on the offensive. I said that I put my values above loyality and compromising to be an "American" is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. At that point he realized what he was saying and said that I was right. This is the mindset that the Bush administration has pushed for the last 6 years, if you don't agree with them then u are somehow a terrorist or unamerican. This has trickled down to how and where you shop, if you don't frequent certain stores then something is wrong with you.
When Republicans say that Dems don't have any values its a flat out lie. Social justice, environmental, social & fiscal responsibility, equal rights for all, fair trade, human rights, religious freedom are just a few of the values we hold. The right would like you to think that religious tolerance means that you don't support Christianity, how they were able to spin this I do not know. We cannot let the right continue on spreading lies that we stand for nothing and are morally bankrupt people.
Think about the latest "hip" companies out there, Whole Foods, Apple Computers, Starbucks, Costco, Google, all are innovative & socially responsible corporations. Whats hot on wall street are companies that can think "outside the box". Hip = Democratic values, a coincidence, I think not. Think entertainment, indie rock, independent films and renegade publishing all have roots in the democratic cause. What's hip these days are speciality stores, good music and thought provoking entertainment. The tide is turning, the culture is coming back to us, now we just need to bring it back politically.
Check out buyblue and see if the stores you shop at are listed. Remember, shopping locally, eating at family own restaurants and avoiding big box stores except for a select few is good for the country. Supersized lifestyles are no longer cool, they are like the republicans in office and its time to move on.
Posted by mardenhill 3/23/2006 09:43:00 PM 0 comments
A Pictures Worth A Thousand Words
I don't know where this was taken but it really sums up the last 6 years of hell we have gone thru.
Posted by mardenhill 3/23/2006 02:34:00 PM 2 comments
South Park Vs Scientology Round 2
By DAVID BAUDER, AP
NEW YORK (March 23)
Isaac Hayes' Chef character got a true "South Park" send-off Wednesday night - seemingly killed off but mourned as a jolly old guy whose brains were scrambled by the "Super Adventure Club."The thinly disguised satire continued the show's feud with Scientologists in its 10th season premiere on Comedy Central. The soul singer has voiced the Chef character in "South Park" since 1997, but left recently because of what he called the animated show's religious "intolerance and bigotry."
Founders Matt Stone and Trey Parker said Hayes, a Scientologist, was mad that "South Park" mocked the religion in an episode last November. A rerun of that Scientology episode was mysteriously pulled off the air last week amid published reports that actor Tom Cruise, another Scientologist, had used his clout to bury it. A Cruise spokesman denied that. Hayes didn't participate in making Wednesday's episode; the character's lines appeared to be patched together through tapes of past dialogue.
Chef repeatedly said he wanted to "make sweet love" to the "South Park" elementary school kids - it seems the "Super Adventure Club" turns its members into child molesters. The children try to rescue Chef, but in the end he turns to head back to the "Super Adventure Club" - until he falls off a bridge onto rocks, is burned, stabbed and mauled by a mountain lion and bear. Then he apparently dies.
"A lot of us don't agree with the choices the Chef has made in the last few days," one of the children eulogizes him at a funeral. "Some of us feel hurt and confused that he seemed to turn his back on us. But we can't let the events of the past few weeks take away the memories of how Chef made us smile. "We shouldn't be mad at Chef for leaving us," the eulogy concludes.
"We should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his brains." The door for Hayes' return wasn't completely closed. In the show's final scene, members of the "Super Adventure Club" try to revive Chef, and it's not clear he's really dead
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Matt & Trey couldn't have asked for a better publicity stunt, this whole war with Scientology has got them a ton of free press. All the major news outlets covered the story and CNN did a segment on it this morning. Unfortunately I missed it, I am hoping the rerun it because it sounds like it would be a good one.
I said it before and I will say it again, never get into a war with comedians because they will always have the last laugh....
Posted by mardenhill 3/23/2006 11:39:00 AM 2 comments
Keane Round Two
Keane announce new release
It's the first chance to hear the new album Keane are set to release a video download to give fans a preview of their upcoming second album 'Under The Iron Sea'.
Produced by the band and Andy Green, the follow-up LP to 2004's debut 'Hopes And Fears' is scheduled to hit the shops on June 12.
However a digital release of the album track 'Atlantic' will hit the internet in mid-April.
According to Music Week, the first single proper to be lifted from the album will be 'Is It Any Wonder?' on May 29.
The decision to put out a video download was explained by Island Records Group president Nick Gatfield, who said: "We really thought long and hard about how we would want the record to be perceived. The visual side is hugely important to the band."
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Our favorite piano playing Coldplay rip off band is back and I am looking forward to their release. I have always liked Keane, I think they are worthy of some good praise. Not sure how this one will sound but I think they will keep the no guitar sound going. I like how they mix a bit of electronic into their sound, if they experiment with a little more of this I will be happy.
Posted by mardenhill 3/23/2006 09:21:00 AM 2 comments
89.1 WIDR Kalamazoo
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I stumbled across my old college radio station yesterday and found out that they are streaming over the internet. I added the link to my itunes and have been checking them out off and on the last 2 days. They are pretty good, it seems like the program director has changed the daytime program to have a rotation and not just play unlistenable pretentious indie rock. Back when i was a dj, it was more or less a free for all. I had a daytime slot but played good music that people could enjoy. I then moved to an early evening slot for my Brit Rock radio show that I co hosted with Aaron Lambrix. We were on the air during the Oasis vs Blur wars and the rise of the Spice Girls. We had a great time with that show, we would get a copy of NME and read all the good gossip to the masses. This was before there were music websites that would post news daily. I also had an evening show which I created and died with my departure from radio. My show Excursions was a mix of Acid Jazz and Trip Hop, hence the blog address excursionsemi.com. I stumbled across the style of music on accident, I picked up an Acid Jazz cd in 94 but hated it. I pulled it out about a year later and really got into it. I then found a few good labels that put out the music and also discovered the Trip Hop in the process. I was and still am a big fan of the Ninja Tune style of Trip Hop. This label specialized in the jazzier side instead of the heavy acid beats that you find in The Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method and other electronic bands. If you are craving some good ole WIDR check out www.widr.org .
Posted by mardenhill 3/22/2006 11:12:00 AM 2 comments
Pearl Jam Live
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Pearl Jam has announced some tour dates and they will be playing Detroit May 22nd. As for ticket price they are about $50 a piece I guess that whole $20 lets fight Ticketmaster was just a 90s thing. I havn't seen them since 92 and would love to see them again. I just need to decide if its worth $50 + a ticket. My Morning Jacket is opening, they are ok but not enough to say "hey I need to check them out also". I think they go on sale this week, I will keep you posted if I find out. You can sign up for pre-sale on the Pearl Jam website.Posted by mardenhill 3/21/2006 09:25:00 AM 0 comments
John McCain Maverick, Straight Shooter? I Don't Think So
Everyone's favorite straight shooter has now picked up Terry Nelson as a senior advisor to his 08 campaign. You may be wondering why is that such a big deal well it goes something like this. Terry was Bush's national political director and worked at the RNC. Terry was also named in the Tom Delay lawsuit regarding money laundering in Texas. Delay took the corporate campaign donations, funneled them thru the RNC and Terry sent checks back to Delay for the exact amounts. In Texas it is illegal for corporations to donate to candidates, so Delay setup this scheme to bring the money back. Terry was in on it and John has taken him on as an advisor. Last time I checked, McCain was a straight shooter, the force behind campaign finance reform. How does one who wrote legislation to ban soft money give a job to a person who helped funnel money into campaigns? McCain will do anything to get the nomination, he started pandering to the religous right and his latest stunt was down in Tennessee a couple weeks ago. McCain knew he would lose the straw pull and to try and stem the embarassment told all of his delegates to vote for Bush. Everyone saw thru this and it just made him look even worse.McCain has fought some great battles but he is caving to the RNC money machine. He will do anything, sink to any level, hire any crook to get him to the top. What's going to happen when Delay goes to trial and Terry is brought up? What does McCain do, does he cut him loose? Does he go back on all his principles and say that is was just an honest mistake and it wasn't money laundering?
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000137.php
Posted by mardenhill 3/21/2006 08:43:00 AM 2 comments
When Cheney Couldn't Lie Anymore, He Does
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Cheney's at it again, 3 years after the Iraq invasion, he is still claiming that we would be greeted as liberators and the insurgency is in its last throes. And his staff wonders why his poll numbers are in the teens and why no one trusts the guy. Cheney goes on to blame the media for the Iraq quagmire, I said this before and I will say it again. This fall the republican party will blame the media and all the dissenters for its failure, they will not accept responsibility even thought it was their policy and votes that got us where we are.
Cheney on Face The Nation this morning.
Transcript:
SCHIEFFER: Mr. Vice President, all along the government has been very optimistic. You remain optimistic. But I remember when you were saying we’d be greeted as liberators, you played down the insurgency ten months ago. You said it was in its last throes. Do you believe that these optimistic statements may be one of the reasons that people seem to be more skeptical in this country about whether we ought to be in Iraq?
CHENEY: No, I think it has less to do with the statements we’ve made, which I think were basically accurate and reflect reality, than it does the fact that there is a constant sort of perception if you will that’s created because what is newsworthy is the carbomb in Baghdad, it’s not all the work that went on that day in 15 other provinces in terms of making progress in rebuilding Iraq.
Posted by mardenhill 3/19/2006 12:10:00 PM 4 comments
Now This Is Good News
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Roxy Music reform with Brian Eno They're making a new album
Roxy Music are working on their first album of new material with their original line-up for more than 30 years.
The band's last album was 'Avalon' in 1982, but this new effort will be the first to feature Brian Eno since 1973.
All five original members of the group - Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson and Eno are involved, reports Ananova.
The band, who rose to fame in the early Seventies glam rock era, have been recording with producers Rhett Davies and Chris Thomas although no release date for the album has yet been set.
Roxy Music first reunited in 2001, and last year got together for a series of concerts including the Isle Of Wight festival. Eno was not present in the line-up at any of those shows.
More concerts are planned for this year in Europe although dates and venues have yet to be confirmed.
Ferry quit the band in 1983 to go solo, while Eno went onto release his own acclaimed solo albums and become one of the world's most in-demand producers working with U2, Talking Heads and James among others.
Posted by mardenhill 3/18/2006 11:03:00 AM 1 comments
Jack The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Friday, March 17, 2006
www.dailykos.com
Abramoff Sentencing Delayed
Recall that earlier this month, a federal judge refused to grant admitted felon and Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff a delay in his sentencing for bribery and other crimes. Abbe Lowell, Abramoff's lawyer, wanted to delay the sentencing because of the explosive nature of what would be disclosed in the process:
"We will name names. We will provide the public with evidence of what is going on out there," Lowell said. "It seems to me that is not in the interest of law enforcement."
Today, we learn that the federal government now has asked for--and was granted--a delay in Abramoff's sentencing:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal judge Friday delayed sentencing of Jack Abramoff, a move the prosecutors requested to further the former lobbyist's cooperation with their investigation. [...]Federal investigators, citing Abramoff's cooperation, wanted to defer until at least June a status conference, initially set for next week, that could have led to Abramoff's sentencing.
The delay is "in order to allow Mr. Abramoff's cooperation to continue uninterrupted," according to a joint motion for a new status conference filed late Thursday.
So Abramoff's sentencing has been delayed from March 29th to sometime after June. Not only is Abramoff giving the feds something so juicy they want him to keep talking, but the "naming of names" will now take place closer to midterm elections. In the months before voters go to the polls to determine the fate of the Republican majority in Congress, Abramoff's summer sentencing will cause the Republican culture of corruption to dominate the campaign news cycle. This latest development has to make Republicans very, very nervous.
Posted by mardenhill 3/17/2006 09:14:00 PM 1 comments
South Park vs Scientology
"South Park" has declared war on Scientology. Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the animated satire, are digging in against the celebrity-endorsed religion after a controversial episode mocking outspoken Scientologist Tom Cruise was yanked abruptly from the schedule Wednesday — with Internet rumors it was covert warfare by Cruise that led to its departure.
"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!" the "South Park" creators said in a statement Friday in Daily Variety. "Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies... You have obsructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail!"
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When will people learn that you do not piss off comedians, this is the worst thing a person can do, comedians will lampoon you night and day and there is no excaping. You can go to battle against anyone else and come away in decent shape but against the world of comedy, you're done. Issaac Hayes this week bowed out of South Park siting religous intolerance which is BS, it was because South Park exposed Scientology. Issac had no problem making fun of every other religion, ethnic group, stereotype but when it came to his own he draws the line and shouts intolerance. That is one of the reasons I love South Park they never single out any one type of person, they equally make fun of everyone. Over the last 10 years I cannot think of one person who hasn't been in the crosshairs. The same goes for the Simpsons, there is no discrimination here everyone is lampooned.
Tom, John and Issac better be ready for a battle because this war is far from over. With more people considering Tom Cruise the new Michael Jackson, I am putting my money down on South Park.
Posted by mardenhill 3/17/2006 07:27:00 PM 1 comments
So Who Is The Party Of National Security?
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Right-Wing Blocks Funding For Port Security, Disaster Preparedness
Moments ago, the House of Representatives narrowly defeated an amendment proposed by Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN) that would have provided $1.25 billion in desperately needed funding for port security and disaster preparedness. The Sabo amendment included:
– $300 million to enable U.S. customs agents to inspect high-risk containers at all 140 overseas ports that ship directly to the United States. Current funding only allows U.S. customs agents to operate at 43 of these ports.
– $400 million to place radiation monitors at all U.S. ports of entry. Currently, less than half of U.S. ports have radiation monitors.
– $300 million to provide backup emergency communications equipment for the Gulf Coast.
Meanwhile, the Bush budget – which most of the members who voted against this bill will likely support – contains an increase of $1.7 billion for missile defense, a program that doesn’t even work.
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Once again the Republicans who are supposed to be the National Security party vote to deny 1.25 billion from going to Port Security. Instead its more important to raise our debt limit, and pour more money into Iraq which has surpassed 450 billion. I am interested to see how they will spin this one, pathetic i tell ya. Next time any stinking republican says to you that Dems are pre 9/11 and are weak on terror, punch them in the face and spit on their cowering body. They are wrong and need to be held accountable. I cannot wait til November, I hope all the scumbags who are left after Abramoff are swept out of office......
Posted by mardenhill 3/16/2006 04:31:00 PM 1 comments
Why My Music Is Better Than Yours...
Check out this bumper sticker you can get from Amazon for $3. I would like to thank Kathy for this find. Its so true tho, I argue with a couple people here about music and tell them every day their stuff sucks. They make fun of me for my Woxy Vintage and Fred on Sirius but that represents the best era of music ever. 1996 was the year that American music took a downward sprial, grunge was over and the music scene as split between bad rap and nu metal. By 2000 it was boy bands and the rap/metal crossover. It wasn't until the last couple years that indie rock broke thru and got the kids listening to good music once again. The UK watched as they lost the music scene to Seattle back in the early 90s and returned with a vengence. You saw the Blur vs Oasis epic battles and you had Pulp, Supergrass, Charlatans UK, Suede and a ton of others. By 2004 the UK scene had died and they were into what was good here. The White Stripes put Detroit on the map and made the Motor City the place to be. The Strokes & Interpol influenced a ton of crappy bands on both sides of the pond with Franz Ferdinand being the only survivor. Now in 2006 I still think the US has the lead on good music. We have a thriving indie rock scene and the alt country has been humming along for 15 years with no sign of stopping. The UK has had its moments but there is definitely a void that screams to be filled over there. The Artic Monkeys and Babyshambles are trying but they will never reach Oasis levels of the mid 90s. You can thank the WB & FOX for bringing indie rock to the highschool level, shows like the OC introduced DCFC to the masses. At least the high school kids these days will have a good class song and not Boys To Men like a number of people in the class of 92 had. A few of us our senior year rigged the ballot to get "Dont You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds instead of "Its Too Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by Boyz II Men as our class song.Posted by mardenhill 3/16/2006 02:00:00 PM 3 comments
Funny
Political Joke of the Day
"Everybody excited about March Madness... the big NCAA tournament? Here's how it works: It starts at 65, then 64, then 32, then 16. It's just like Bush's approval rating."-- David Letterman
Posted by mardenhill 3/16/2006 10:27:00 AM 1 comments
Guess Who Lost Half Her Staff But Is Staying In?
Yep that would be Katherine Harris, she announced on Hannity & Colmes last nite that she will be using 10 million of her own money for the senate race. I think Katherine should stay in the race, I would love to see her blow 10 million and still lose big time. We would finally be done once and for all with her......Harris Loses Top Fundraiser
Despite pledging to pump $10 million of her own money into her Senate campaign, the Miami Herald notes Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) lost another key staffer last night. "Just hours before Harris' appearance on Fox, Anne Dunsmore, who had come aboard as Harris' national fundraising director in December, left the campaign."
Earlier this week, Harris lost her pollster.
In a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted before the announcement, 39% of Florida voters believed it would be good news for Florida if Harris dropped out, 30% said it would not be good.
Posted by mardenhill 3/16/2006 08:51:00 AM 2 comments
Debbie, Debbie, Debbie
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Debbie had the sign up yesterday in the senate to help push the point that Bush has short changed the nation when it comes to funding for national security. I think she should have made the sign in another color or picked a different jacket because they blend together and it looks like she is the one that is incompetent. Frank Lautenberg is notorious for props, I think Debbie should just leave it to him and stick to talking. The blogs have hit her over this stunt and the republicans have taken footage for commericals. Looking at the numbers I think Debbie is safe but you never know.
In Michigan, Stabenow Keeps Double Digit Lead
In Michigan's U.S. Senate race, a new Strategic Vision (R) poll shows
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) beating Mike Bouchard (R), 48% to 37%.
Against Keith Butler (R), Stabenow does even better, 51% to 28%.
In the GOP Senate primary, Bouchard leads Butler 34% to 23%.
In the gubernatorial race, Gov. Jennifer Granholm leads Dick DeVos (R), 50% to 33%.
Posted by mardenhill 3/15/2006 12:41:00 PM 1 comments
Stereolab Live
ftp://ftp.burntclutch.com/pub/Check out the site above for a bit of Stereolab video from the other nite. An un-named source shot a few minutes with their casio, it came out pretty good for coming from a camera. I tried recording the show via my ipod but I stood too close to the speakers and it was all muffled. Next time I will have to stand further back. I had the great idea of using the italk voice recorder, the concept is great just not sure it will work in the real world. I am going to see if I can manipulate it a bit in garageband and clean it up.
Posted by mardenhill 3/15/2006 12:30:00 PM 2 comments
Update: Free Coffee
Well I took advantage of the free coffee can't pass up a free cup. The line was out the door and the girl making drinks was standing on the counter grabbing orders 15 people deep. Latte's were not free just the coffe but that was good enough for me.
Posted by mardenhill 3/15/2006 10:29:00 AM 2 comments
Free Coffee
I was listening to Rachel Maddow this morning and she gave me this great tip on some free coffee. From 10am-12pm EST Starbucks will be giving out free coffee for their promotional Coffee Break with Starbucks campaign. It may have to do with McDonald's introduction of premium coffee but I am not one to turn down a free cup.I checked the Starbucks website but there was nothing promoting the campaign so it makes me wonder how true it really is. I have one across the street so I am going to run over there in about an hr and a half and will let you know what I find out.
I go back and forth between Starbucks and Caribou Coffee beans. Target usually sells Starbucks pretty cheap but I have been addicted to the Caribou the last couple months. I just got a pound of the Discovery the other day and its amazing. I like the layout of Caribou better than Starbucks, some of the shops have a total mountain cabin feeling going on.
Discovery Blend
This proprietary blend of premium beans from the highlands of East Africa and the highest peaks of Central America is craft-roasted to mellow its bright acidity, developing the soft, rich, and luxurious flavors buried within these rare beans. This premium coffee — Caribou's first new blend since 1999 — will appeal to fans of both our Darker and Lighter roasts. Flavors of citrus and blackberries that are normally found only in our lightest roast have been deepened to make a more subtle and silky cup, more commonly found in a darker roast. Roasted to its peak flavor — the darkest of our lighter roast — Discovery Blend will satisfy even the most discriminating palate.
Posted by mardenhill 3/15/2006 08:44:00 AM 1 comments
Stereolab
Monday, March 13, 2006
Here are a couple pics of the Stereolab show last nite. I used my phone so the quality isn't that good. Stereolab was great the opening band was a bit boring. They were a bunch of heroin hippies playing slowcore and psychadelic music. Stereolab started the show off with some new songs and the 1st 45 minutes or so was a good chunk of music from the last 3 cds. They played more of the free jazz style but did break in with the heavy droning keyboards and wall of sound the last half hour. Everytime I have seen Stereolab there are about 3 songs that I recognize. I always think I will know more the next time but it never happens. I have decided that when we win the mega millions jackpot I am throwing a party and inviting Stereolab to play. I am going to pick the song list and its going to the best show ever.Posted by mardenhill 3/13/2006 04:46:00 PM 1 comments
Re-Elect Gore 2008
Like a completely refurbished "pre-owned vehicle," Al Gore seems to be positioning himself to Hillary Clinton's left and greener than John Kerry for a run at the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. His slogan might well read "reelect Al Gore," writes former Bill Clinton adviser Dick Morris in a syndicated column Monday. (Excerpted here since some were having trouble getting site to load. Full editorial here.)The former vice president's slashing attacks on the administration and his stalwart, if misguided, opposition to the Iraq war leave him without the complications and complexes that will devil Clinton as she seeks to appeal to the unforgiving left of the Democratic Party.
And Gore may be a man whose time has come in his party. It was he who warned of climate change and predicted its consequences. Hurricane Katrina was just a fulfillment of the prophesies Gore wrote about in his late-1980s book "Earth in the Balance." He has been an energy-conservation nut for years, and his obsessions with alternatives to oil will play better and better as we come to realize how our addiction to oil has led us to dependency on the dealers of this particular drug - Iran, the Saudi royal family and Hugo Chavez.
The Democratic base's anger at Gore's defeat in 2000 was assuaged by the worse Kerry defeat of 2004. The idea he was an incompetent candidate has been replaced in Democratic iconography by the idea he was cheated out of the presidency. The hiatus has healed his reputation with the base in much the same way the negative rap on Nixon for losing in 1960 was ameliorated by the Goldwater wipeout of 1964.
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I am on board for an Al Gore run, I have always liked him and think he would do a great job. I thought his 2000 campaign was pathetic, he tried too hard to distance himself from Clinton rather than running on the positives of the previous 8 years. With gas prices flirting at $3 a gallon people may be interested in someone who actually believes in alternative energy. I am not putting all my support behind Al for 08, there are too many candidates out there that I don't know enough about. I still like Mark Warner, Bill Richardson, John Edwards and Hillary. I do not want John Kerry to make a run for it, and Barak needs to wait a few more years. Everyone keeps saying that its going to be Hillary but I don't believe it, I think there will be a dark horse who appears and snags the nomination.
Posted by mardenhill 3/13/2006 11:13:00 AM 0 comments
Post Modern Furniture
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Why settle for a boring couch when you could have a piece of furniture that grows with you. You can lay across it, build it into a chair, fold it in half like a blanket, the list goes on. As for price you need to visit the website and fill out a request. I was poking around and found a few more interesting things, chairs made of flexible wire and tables that grab hold of things when placed on them.http://www.animicausa.com/animi.html
The Anima Causa “Feel” Seating System is made of 120 elastic fabric-covered balls that move around with you, changing their form with what the designer calls “the emotional state of the body.” Inspired by molecular structures, it can be arranged in a nearly unlimited number of positions. Fold it up into a seat, lay it flat as a bed, or wrap it around you. Looks like fun. Check out the animation on the company’s website. If you want to know how much it costs, well, they’ll get back to you.
Posted by mardenhill 3/11/2006 09:38:00 AM 2 comments
Bye Bye Gale Norton.....Good Riddence
Friday, March 10, 2006
Hey guess what? Its a picture of Gale Norton the head of the Dept of Interior with none other than Jack Abramoff and a few tribal clients. And what did Gale do today, she abruptly resigned today to "spend more time with her family". Below is a bit on her connection to Jack, one more down but plently left to go. Below the picture is an email linking our favorite American Taliban member Jim Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family to Abramoff. In 2002 the head of the Christian Coalition Ralph Reed a close friend to Jack got Dobson on board to help with the tribal casino scam. Reed and Dobson have denied their involvement but they helped extort money from god fearing christians and funneled it into a scheme to promote gambling. Reed is trying to run for Lutenient governer in Georgia but I doubt that will last much longer. As you can see Jack is radioactive all over Washington and with many different groups of people.
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Abramoff's tribal clients donated $50,000 to a conservative environmental group founded by Norton, hoping to win face time with the Secretary. They eventually did.
Former DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy helped Abramoff arrange a meeting with Norton, and within months, the lobbyist's clients were making huge contributions to the environmental group Norton started, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy.
“Do you think you could call that friend and set up a meeting?” then-DeLay staffer Tony Rudy asked fellow House aide Thomas Pyle in a Dec. 29, 2000, e-mail obtained by the Associated Press titled “Gale Norton-Interior Secretary.” President Bush had nominated Norton to his cabinet the day before.
More from AP:
"Rudy wrote Abramoff that same day promising he had “good news” about securing a meeting with Norton, forwarding information about the environmental group Norton had founded, according to e-mails obtained by investigators and reviewed by The Associated Press. Rudy’s message to Abramoff was sent from Congress’ official e-mail system.
"Within months, Abramoff clients donated heavily to the Norton-founded group and to DeLay’s personal charity. The Coushatta Indian tribe, for instance, wrote checks in March 2001 for $50,000 to the Norton group and $10,000 to the DeLay Foundation, tribal records show.
"The lobbyist and the Coushattas eventually won face-to-face time with the secretary during a Sept. 24, 2001, dinner sponsored by the group she had founded.
"Abramoff’s clients were trying to stop a rival Indian tribe from winning Interior Department approval to build a casino."
Posted by mardenhill 3/10/2006 05:40:00 PM 2 comments
And They Fall And Fall And Fall.....
Bush's numbers continue to fall, I am just wondering at what point will a terror alert be issued.......latest AP-Ipsos poll.
70% of Republicans think civil war will break out in Iraq.
70% of Americans think US is on wrong track
37% approve of his job performance
74% of Republicans approve his performance, down from 82% in February
36% approval rating on domestic affairs, down from 39% last month
43% approval on foreign policy and terrorism
40% approval on Iraq and economy
2/3 disapprove of Congress job performance
Posted by mardenhill 3/10/2006 11:03:00 AM 3 comments
Evangelicals And The Democratic Party
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Take a moment to read this article, its very interesting. It talks about moderate evangelicals leaving the GOP. It makes sense since some of the issues have been framed quite differently over the last few years. Take the environment, it was just a bunch of liberals and hippies that cared but now evangelicals are on board. You frame environmentalism as saving the planet that God created and you have a new group of people interested. Abortion, evangelicals do not support abortion but you work with them on methods to lower the occurances instead of outlawing it, you got them on board. Helping the poor, we have seen what the Bush administration is capable of when it comes to helping those who need it most. Now the Dems don't seem too bad afterall. When you consider a number of the Dems values they match closer than those in the GOP. The Dems care about the environment, the working class, helping those in need, public education, fair trade and religious tolerance. The Dems and evangelicals will always differ on certain social issues but I think there is more ground that is shared between the two. I am not saying I want the american taliban on my side, the GOP can keep the Dobson's, Robertson's and Falwells but we will take the moderates who are tired of being played.
Howard Dean set out to bring religion back to the Democratic party, he got a lot of flac for it but I think it was a smart thing to do. The Dems never hated religion they just didn't like how the Christian Coalition twisted religion into a business. Hillary has embraced the evangelicals and reading this article Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have also. That is why the Dems had the new governer of VA give the followup to the State of the Union. He can talk about religion and still support the Democratic cause. 2006 is proving to be an interesting election year. If the election was tomorrow I have a feeling the GOP would lose both houses. We have to wait and see what happens over the next few months but I think the GOP has enough scandals to keep them busy.
Posted by mardenhill 3/09/2006 09:48:00 PM 1 comments
Can't Wait To See The Fallout Of This One
I wonder if the king and queen of the country world will get swiftboated like the Dixie Chicks did over their latest comments. I am glad to see more Americans are speaking up for the hurricane victims, they need all the help they can get. I am waiting to see if the country radio stations will start a boycott and what Rush will say about them. If Rush comes out and critizes them, it opens the door for Bill O and Hannity to come out swinging. If you pay attention, Rush is the 1st one out there carrying the water for the admin, when its safe for the rest of the wingnut pundits to jump on board they follow suit. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw -- two stars who usually stay out of politics -- blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
The country music artists -- who are natives of the storm ravaged states -- were at times close to tears, and clearly angry when the subject of Katrina came up during a news conference today. They had met with reporters in Nashville to promote their upcoming Soul2Soul II Tour, but when asked about the hurricane cleanup, the stars pulled no punches.
McGraw specifically criticized President Bush. "There's no reason why someone can't go down there who's supposed to be the leader of the free world … and say, 'I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done. And you're held accountable, and you're held accountable, and you're held accountable.
Hill, who grew up in Jackson, Miss., echoed those sentiments. So overwhelmed, she uncharacteristically unleashed an epithet, calling the situation, "Bull- - - -"
"It is a huge, huge problem and it's embarrassing," she said.
"I fear for our country if we can't handle our people [during] a natural disaster."
Posted by mardenhill 3/09/2006 12:14:00 PM 0 comments
Origami Revealed
Here are some pics of the new Microsoft Origami which is now termed ultramobile pc. Here are some specs: it's a 779g (1.7 pound) 9 x 5.5 x 1-inch mini-tablet with a 7-inch touchscreen LCD, Celeron M ULV processor, 40GB drive, 512MB RAM, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS and DMB options (of course), and Windows XP Tablet with Touch Pack. Price wise its listed at $600-$1000 probably depending on configuration.
I like the concept, you can watch movies, play games, listen to music, surf the web, do actual work. Pretty much anything you can do on a laptop you can do on the ultramobile pc. The keyboard is interesting, you use your thumb to type which then gets your screen all dirty. It reminds me of a portable playstation just bigger. You could sit in a coffee shop, grab the wi-fi and chill out.
Would I ever buy one, probably not since I think its too much money. If it was $300 I would but $600 its not worth it.
Posted by mardenhill 3/09/2006 09:42:00 AM 0 comments
Rumors, Rumors, Rumors
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Harris Pressured To Drop Out? The talk of Florida today is that the upper echeleon of Rep. Katherine Harris's Senate campaign is imploring her to drop out of the race.
A statement of some sort is expected from Harris's campaign within the next few hours.
Well the internet is awash with the rumor of Katherine bowing out of the FL senate race. Either she is a lightweight or this scandal is bigger than what has been reported. Inquiring minds want to know........
Posted by mardenhill 3/08/2006 04:35:00 PM 2 comments
Now This Is A Real Tour
Sonic Youth get surprise inspiration for new albumSeventies rock and the 'Friends' theme tune feature...
Sonic Youth are taking inspiration from Seventies rock dinosaurs on their upcoming new album.
Tracks for the follow-up to 2004's 'Sonic Nurse' , out in June, sound like Blue Oyster Cult, according to Sonic Youth mainman Thurston Moore.
The star says that 'Lights Out', 'The Neutral', 'Rats' and 'Turquoise Boys' take their inspiration from the band who scored a huge worldwide hit in 1978 with 'Don't Fear The Reaper'. "Like their third, fourth album," he admitted.
Moore also disclosed to Rolling Stone that the track 'What A Waste' sounds like the 'Friends' theme tune, 'I'll Be There For You' by The Rembrandts.
He commented: "What was that band - The Rembrandts? We're inspired by that! And 'Freaks And Geeks', which is totally awesome and also early, thrash-era Go-Gos."
The band plan to tour the US later this year with The Flaming Lips, whose new album 'At War With The Mystics' is out on April 3.
"We like each other," Moore revealed. "We've played together - but it's always at some festival in Brazil or something. So we thought we should really cut across the US together."
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This would be a good show, Sonic Youth and the Flaming Lips talk about an indie rocker's wet dream. Screw you Franz and DCFC, this is how real indie rockers rock out. No backpacks, skinny ties and trucker hats need apply. I am thinking this will be a state theatre show, I can't think of another venue that would work. Other than Chene Park, all outside venues are too big and they are not quite Pine Knob level.
Posted by mardenhill 3/08/2006 01:53:00 PM 2 comments
Jack Abramoff & Vanity Fair
Our buddy Jack Abramoff gave an interview to Vanity Fair which will appear in their next issue. In it he talked about his rise and fall and all of those who have abandoned him. Below are some exerpts on a few more people who may not have been linked to Abramoff over the past year. Don't forget you still have Delay, Ralph Reed, Grover Noquist and Bob Ney.On Republicans
"Any important Republican who comes out and says they didn't know me is almost certainly lying."
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On Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Every appropriation we wanted [from Burns's committee] we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it's a little difficult for him to run from that record.
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On Sen John McCain (R-AZ)
"Mr. Abramoff flatters himself," Mark Salter, McCain's administrative assistant, tells Margolick. "Senator McCain was unaware of his existence until he read initial press accounts of Abramoff's abuses, and had never laid eyes on him until he appeared before the committee."
Abramoff says, "As best I can remember, when I met with him, he didn't have his eyes shut. I'm surprised that Senator McCain has joined the chorus of amnesiacs."
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On President Bush
President Bush, who claims not to remember having his picture taken with Abramoff. According to Abramoff, at one time, the president joked with Abramoff about his weight lifting past: "What are you benching, buff guy?"
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On Ken Mehlman (RNC)
Ken Mehlman, who recently claimed he didn't really know Abramoff. According to documents obtained by Vanity Fair, Mehlman exchanged e-mail with Abramoff, and did him political favors (such as preventing Clinton administration alumnus Allen Stayman from keeping a State Department job), had Sabbath dinner at Abramoff's house, and offered to pick up Abramoff's tab at Signatures, Abramoff's own restaurant.
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On Newt Gingrich (R)
Newt Gingrich, whose spokesman Rick Tyler tells Margolick that "Before [Abramoff's] picture appeared on TV and in the newspapers, Newt wouldn't have known him if he fell across him. He hadn't seen him in 10 years." A rankled Abramoff says "I have more pictures of [Newt] than I have of my wife." Abramoff shows Margolick numerous photographs: "Here's Newt. Newt. Newt. Newt. More Newt. Newt with Grover [Norquist, the Washington conservative Republican Über-strategist and longtime Abramoff friend] this time. But Newt never met me. Ollie North. Newt. Can't be Newt ... he never met me. Oh, Newt! What's he doing there? Must be a Newt look-alike.... Newt again! It's sick! I thought he never met me!"
Posted by mardenhill 3/08/2006 12:07:00 PM 0 comments
