Sunday, September 28, 2003
Participate in an ancient tradition
"Recently, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of Homer; however, few ever hear or speak his lines. This reading is not a performance, not theater. It is a participation that borders on ritual. Through this contemporary practice of the ancient oral tradition, you will experience both the power of great poetry and the community created by sharing it."
THE READERS OF HOMER announce
a participatory, all night reading of
THE ILIAD-Friday October 24, 2003 7pm to 7am
at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts
172 Norfolk Street New York, New York
phone: 917-597-2520 email: hohlwein@mindspring.com
THE READERS OF HOMER announce
a participatory, all night reading of
THE ILIAD-Friday October 24, 2003 7pm to 7am
at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts
172 Norfolk Street New York, New York
phone: 917-597-2520 email: hohlwein@mindspring.com
Friday, September 26, 2003
A Conservatism That Once Conserved
Respect for local opinion was what enforced rural America’s conservatism a generation ago.
Those of us who live in rural America today face one of two sets of conditions, both radically changed since my grandfather’s time. We either live in places that are rapidly depopulating or places that are rapidly populating with sprawl. My bit of rural Montana falls in the latter category. My gulch has suburbanized in about 10 years.
During that time, I’ve gotten to know a few of my neighbors. Just a few; that’s the way the world works now. Many of those encounters arose through heated conversations, all with the same theme. For example, once I politely complained to a man that his rotund and rottenly spoiled child was using his filthy, obnoxious dirt bike to cut furrows up the side of my land, and it was not their crookedness that upset me. The man said, “We moved out here so my boy could ride his dirt bike wherever he wanted.”
The odd part is that this man and many of the rest of my neighbors call themselves conservative. I am not assuming; one only need read the stickers and flags covering their SUVs. Yet what is the foundation of this conservatism if it disregards what the neighbors might think, that is, ignores the community standard?
This is not a small matter. A misguided notion of freedom lies at the heart of the suburban cancer on the landscape. My neighbors will tell you they moved because in rural America you are free to do as you please. Where did they get this idea? Rural America, at least when there was a functioning rural America, never advertised any such freedom. Just the opposite.
All of this would be only so much personal vexation if they didn’t extend their disregard of community standards to the natural community. Miss the bluegrass lawn you had in New Jersey? No problem. Rip up that stand of Montana short grass prairie. No rain? Pump the aquifer dry to keep it green. Like horses? Go ahead. Fence that pasture big enough to feed 2.5 percent of one horse then put four in and graze it to rocks. [more...]
Those of us who live in rural America today face one of two sets of conditions, both radically changed since my grandfather’s time. We either live in places that are rapidly depopulating or places that are rapidly populating with sprawl. My bit of rural Montana falls in the latter category. My gulch has suburbanized in about 10 years.
During that time, I’ve gotten to know a few of my neighbors. Just a few; that’s the way the world works now. Many of those encounters arose through heated conversations, all with the same theme. For example, once I politely complained to a man that his rotund and rottenly spoiled child was using his filthy, obnoxious dirt bike to cut furrows up the side of my land, and it was not their crookedness that upset me. The man said, “We moved out here so my boy could ride his dirt bike wherever he wanted.”
The odd part is that this man and many of the rest of my neighbors call themselves conservative. I am not assuming; one only need read the stickers and flags covering their SUVs. Yet what is the foundation of this conservatism if it disregards what the neighbors might think, that is, ignores the community standard?
This is not a small matter. A misguided notion of freedom lies at the heart of the suburban cancer on the landscape. My neighbors will tell you they moved because in rural America you are free to do as you please. Where did they get this idea? Rural America, at least when there was a functioning rural America, never advertised any such freedom. Just the opposite.
All of this would be only so much personal vexation if they didn’t extend their disregard of community standards to the natural community. Miss the bluegrass lawn you had in New Jersey? No problem. Rip up that stand of Montana short grass prairie. No rain? Pump the aquifer dry to keep it green. Like horses? Go ahead. Fence that pasture big enough to feed 2.5 percent of one horse then put four in and graze it to rocks. [more...]
Arnold and Wesley: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Scathing-
"The candidacies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wesley Clark ultimately underscore the bankruptcy of a political system that is in deep denial about the fundamental dilemmas plaguing the American landscape." [more...]
"The candidacies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wesley Clark ultimately underscore the bankruptcy of a political system that is in deep denial about the fundamental dilemmas plaguing the American landscape." [more...]
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Still the only ones who do what they do....Dead Shoreline
Okay-the Dead were KILLER!!!! KILLER SHOW!!!! VERY KILLER AND GOOD AND EXCELLENT SHOW WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE DAMMIT!!!!! I GIVE THAT SHOW A RINGING ENDORSEMENT!! :-) There.
Anyway, Joan is actually a real great addition, and the chemistry is wonderful, much, much better than the Donna days, if I say so myself. No screeching, powerful voice, the boys share a lot more of the vocals with her, she takes a lot of the Jerry tunes and has the Jerry emotive style down, only it's female. When she is not singing she dances and shimmies, and dances a little in Phil's space, and dances a little in Bob's space and adds that great nubile female energy and the boys in the band like it and the boys in the audience like it and the girls like it and she made me cry during Days Between, and Peggy-O was beautiful with her singing Peggy's part, and Phil singing the narrative and Bob doing the Sweet William-O parts and it was totally killer and Jimmy is learning to play less notes like Jer did and their sound dynamics are a lot better, they can go from loud to pin drop on a dime, and they sound 100% better than last December and they don't jam too long and it was really, really, really good.
And Joan is way cute and has a powerful voice and can do the ballads and rock the house, and damm I hope they do this again and that the boys stay alive for a while longer cause I ain't done with em yet and they ain't done with us yet and it ain't done, yet. I hope.
Did I mention that Days Between was majestic and heart rending and awesome and omigod?
Anyway, Joan is actually a real great addition, and the chemistry is wonderful, much, much better than the Donna days, if I say so myself. No screeching, powerful voice, the boys share a lot more of the vocals with her, she takes a lot of the Jerry tunes and has the Jerry emotive style down, only it's female. When she is not singing she dances and shimmies, and dances a little in Phil's space, and dances a little in Bob's space and adds that great nubile female energy and the boys in the band like it and the boys in the audience like it and the girls like it and she made me cry during Days Between, and Peggy-O was beautiful with her singing Peggy's part, and Phil singing the narrative and Bob doing the Sweet William-O parts and it was totally killer and Jimmy is learning to play less notes like Jer did and their sound dynamics are a lot better, they can go from loud to pin drop on a dime, and they sound 100% better than last December and they don't jam too long and it was really, really, really good.
And Joan is way cute and has a powerful voice and can do the ballads and rock the house, and damm I hope they do this again and that the boys stay alive for a while longer cause I ain't done with em yet and they ain't done with us yet and it ain't done, yet. I hope.
Did I mention that Days Between was majestic and heart rending and awesome and omigod?
Get on the Love Train, the Love Train
Yes, let's get the recall election out of the way and move on to whatever fresh insanity is being cooked up by the idiots running the show and the idiots who support them.
Here is my view-I will vote against the recall because it is uncalled for no matter how odious Mr. Davis is. I will also reluctantly vote for Bustamante to keep the state in Dem hands only because it has to be so. The Dem party and especially the DNC and DLC have definitely borne out the idea that in voting for one of their candidates I am voting for the lesser of two evils.
On the other hand, I may just vote for Huffington or Camejo for the hell of it. They are who I would really vote for, and dammit, a message needs to be sent. The reason the Dems have denounced the Greens so vehemently is that they are frightened of what the Greens represent.
If Arnold wins, it will doubtless be a fiasco. I am sure one could fill a page or two speculating about that. Aside from his sexism and racism (ha!) he is more socially liberal than most of the Neandertha....I mean Republicans. I shouldn't insult Neanderthals like that.
Finally, out of the four main players, Davis, Busta, Arnie, and McClintock, the one that strikes me as the best choice from a character point of view is McClintock, although I would never vote for him and disagree with him about 90%.
Here is my view-I will vote against the recall because it is uncalled for no matter how odious Mr. Davis is. I will also reluctantly vote for Bustamante to keep the state in Dem hands only because it has to be so. The Dem party and especially the DNC and DLC have definitely borne out the idea that in voting for one of their candidates I am voting for the lesser of two evils.
On the other hand, I may just vote for Huffington or Camejo for the hell of it. They are who I would really vote for, and dammit, a message needs to be sent. The reason the Dems have denounced the Greens so vehemently is that they are frightened of what the Greens represent.
If Arnold wins, it will doubtless be a fiasco. I am sure one could fill a page or two speculating about that. Aside from his sexism and racism (ha!) he is more socially liberal than most of the Neandertha....I mean Republicans. I shouldn't insult Neanderthals like that.
Finally, out of the four main players, Davis, Busta, Arnie, and McClintock, the one that strikes me as the best choice from a character point of view is McClintock, although I would never vote for him and disagree with him about 90%.
