Muscle Shoals Sound - Sons of Roswell

Support that Muscle Shoals Sound by supporting a band from the Shoals.... Sons of Roswell.

It's really simple to do. Just a few clicks and a few hours of kick ass rock and roll music to listen to.

I'll let J.D. from Sons of Roswell explain:

Details:

Go here: www.mytracks.com/sonsofroswell

For those of you who may not know, we are playing a showcase in Atlanta for the Atlantis Music Conference. We are involved in a contest to get another spot on the showcase and need your help! The link above will take you to our MyTracks page. The album, a full live set from the Hummingbird in Macon, GA and 5 new tracks have been loaded here for your listening pleasure for a limited time.

We get 1 point for every play, 3 points if you get a mytracks and add our song to your profile, and 6 points if you download a song. So please, at least head over and listen to the songs over and over again this week. That's all, this week... Everyday until Sunday.

Doing this helps us out a ton.

You can find out more about Atlantis here.

The Sons are currently numero uno. Let's keep it that way.

Atlantis People's Choice Awards Leaderboard

I'm currently listening to the very fine Live Hummingbird show. They opened for Jason Isbell at this show.

Support good damn music and people.

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He's ugly and nobody.... I mean NOBODY likes him.

With a knee banjo or without... zee love affair with Shrub in Bama is over.

Alabama. Always a few years behind.

Daily Kos: Bush Tanking in Alabama

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Might be a bit of a stretch to connect Bush with the Barry Bonds debacle but it makes for an interesting discussion.

Two people who are roundly loathed by all except their hometown folks.... Bonds and Bush.

Unfortunately, I live in Barry's 'hometown' and it is painfully striking too see otherwise very rational, smart people blindly support such a cheatin' POS as Bonds.

Hear me when I say blind loyalty is not just for conservatives.

The difference between the blindly loyal liberal and the blindly loyal conservative is that liberal blindly support a cheatin' jackass sports star.... guys doing nothing but swinging at a little ball and running around on a field.

Conservatives blindly support a cluster f*ck president who pisses on the constitution after ever 3rd near beer.... and cheatin' jackass sports stars.

Barry Bonds’ Homerun Race Puts Bush’s Steroids Record In The Spotlight:

With 754 career home runs, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds is one shy of tying the revered home run record set by Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. Bonds’ record will be “tainted by allegations he used steroids.”

In an interview with ESPN’s Karl Ravech earlier this month, President Bush was asked for his take on the Bonds situation. “You know, it’s hard for me to tell,” Bush said. Echoing a line he uttered in the early stages of the CIA leak scandal, Bush said he was waiting for the facts. “I know there’s a lot of implications, my advice is for people just to wait and see what the facts are,” he said."

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This is why 'very serious' news sources (the MSM) aren't really very serious at all. D.C. is like high school.

Why do we let these people run the show again?

You shouldn't look... but you know you will.

TheHill.com - 50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill - Top 10

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Dick

Hilarity from Wonkette:

Cheney Having Heart Surgery Tomorrow, Bush Will Briefly Be 'President':

"Last Saturday doctors performed surgery on George Bush’s asshole, and this Saturday they’ll do it again! But this time, it’s the other asshole, Dick Cheney. They are going to take apart his robotic pig heart and replace the core reactor."

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Apparently Bush comes from a long line of assholes:

BBC - Radio 4 Document - Greenham's Hidden Secret:

"The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.
Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American democracy."

Speaking of Bushholes....

WTF?!?

20 billion in arms given to the people who attacked us on 9/11?!? Isn't this the kind of bullshit that got us in trouble to start with? Remember all those Kurds Saddam gassed back in the 80s... the gassing Shrub used for his case to occupy Iraq?

Didn't Rumsfeld and the boys sell Saddam those chemical weapons?

Round and round and round we go.

ScienceDaily: Report: Bush sets $20b Saudi arms deal:

"WASHINGTON, July 28 (UPI) -- The Bush administration plans to ask Congress to approve arms sales to Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that may eventually total $20 billion."

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Duuuuude. If you don't want prison riots you'll let the prisoners take care of their own business.

Going Blind Justice :

"JULY 25--In a verdict that could chill lonely inmates everywhere, a jury today convicted a Florida inmate for masturbating in the privacy of his Ft. Lauderdale cell. After deliberating for only 45 minutes, a Broward County panel found Terry Lee Alexander, 20, guilty of indecent exposure for an episode last November. According to investigators, a female guard--who was monitoring Alexander's cell from a jail control room--spotted Alexander pleasuring himself while seated on his bunk. At the time, he was jailed on auto theft and gun raps (Alexander subsequently pleaded guilty to the felony raps and was sentenced to ten years in prison). Alexander, pictured in the below mug shot, was sentenced to 60 days in custody for today's indecent exposure conviction, though the time will be served concurrently with his lengthier sentence. No, you'll get no jokes from us about the penal system, doing 'hard time,' Alexander behaving like a jerk, or how his lawyer failed to get him off. (3 pages)"

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Science to save the day.

New Bacterium Discovered in Yellowstone:

"The wonderland known as Yellowstone National Park has yielded a new marvel — an unusual bacterium that converts light to energy.

The discovery was made in a hot spring at the park where colorful mats of microbes drift in the warmth.

'This thing was just bizarre,' David M. Ward, a professor of microbial studies at Montana State University, said of the bacterium.

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And just because I'm finally reading Dixie Lullaby here's some Allman Brothers.

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DBT Week in Review - 7/27/07

Playing around with the masthead. This one is a temp one but I suck at picture editing so I'm learning as I go.

DBT! DBT! DBT!

DCist: A Whimper, then a Roar: Drive-By Truckers at the 9:30 Club:

"It sounds like a great idea. The Truckers rock as hard as any band on the circuit, but they also have few equals when it comes to balladry: With Isbell gone, they’re back down to only two of the best singer-songwriter-guitarists around, in founding members Hood and Mike Cooley. Songs like Hood’s “The Living Bubba” or Cooley’s “Daddy’s Cup” — I could give a dozen other examples from each songwriter — have the kind of narrative momentum and incisive characterization that probably isn’t best appreciated at bone-rattling volume in a club. The opportunity to hear these songs performed acoustically, perhaps with some Storytellers-style commentary from their authors, sounds too good to pass up."

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*cough* BULLSHITROLLINGSTONE *cough* *cough* BULLSHIT

dbts : Message: Rolling Stone's Best Live Bands Playing Right Now:

"Despite numerous mentions in the Comments section that accompanies this article the DBTs still didn't make the final cut. They should at the very fucking top of the list:

Jonathan

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Via Jayne

Looks like DBT posters may be in an upcoming movie:

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When DBT played in Greensboro I couldn't quite place where they were playing. I went to grad school at UNCG and was very familiar with the city.

When I saw the pictures, I immediately recognized the placed. DBT played on the exact spot where I use to live. The house has been torn down but it was in between Spring Garden Bar and Grill (now called something else) and the ice cream/hot dog place Yum-Yum. Kinda weird to see DBT playing on a spot where you lived for 3 years.

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YouTube - drive by truckers-stephen talkhouse-tdu-7/18/07

YouTube - drive by truckers 7/19/07 puttin' people on the moon

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Great post by 'blue light' on Nine Bullets. The last line are words to live by:

Nine Bullets:

"blue light

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:28 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
I kind of weighed in on this on the Jason side of the board, but I want to do it over here as well. First off, I want to say that I LOVE Jason's album. I think he is a major talent and I think the album displays a maturity beyond his years. I am excited for all that is to come from him. As I also said on that side, I thought - especially when I heard A Blessing and a Curse - that their time together as a band was running out. And I believe their parting is a good thing. Jason is at a different place in his career than Patterson and Cooley. He needs to follow his own, bright star. We, as fans, will now be treated to MORE material from all of them than we would have been before. I, for instance, have been wanting more Cooley, now it looks like I'll get it. And I am a lot more excited about the prospects of the upcoming album than I was prior to Blessing. I once heard someone ask the Mother of a bunch of kids, 'how do you divide your love amongst them all?' And she answered, 'Honey, you don't DIVIDE your love, you MULTIPLY it.'"

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Via Jenn B:

Also, here are a few Jason Isbell links for ya - plus check out his new website for all kinds of great stuff, and to buy his awesome new album, 'Sirens of the Ditch' .

Hear Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit in a full band performance on NPR's World Caf�On Wednesday, August 15 between 2PM and 4PM ET. To find your local station go to: http://worldcafe.org

To listen on the web go to: http://xpn.org/listen_live/listen.php

Jason Isbell eCard: http://ecards.newwestrecords.com/jasonisbell/JasonIsbell_eCard_Amazon_Launch.html

To stay in touch with Jason:
Sign up for my email list http://www.newwestrecords.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=7"

Here's a nice Jason video from his appearance at Criminal Records in ATL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSFQO-BmyNQ

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dbts : Message: RE: [dbts] Jason Isbell Airplay:

"They’ve been playing “Brand New Kind Of Actress” nightly on Iowa Public Radio, plus David Dye’s been playing it during the national World Caf�.

Bill in Iowa

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Sia Furler

My musical taste veers in all kinds of directions.

Of late I've been taken by some of the Brit Chick Soul singers.

But I do believe I found the chartreuse of all chartreuses.

For the past 48 hours I've been completely enamored by Sia Furler.

Sia's originally from Australia... moved to Britain and is the niece of Colin Hay, lead singer of Men at Work.

I've been obsessed with Sia ever since I stumbled over 2 days ago.... obsessed to the tune of about 40 bucks at the local record shop.

Songs styles are often wildly different from 80s new wave pop, electronica/dance, ballads as sweet as honey dew, R&B/soul that puts Amy Declinehouse on much needed notice.

Here's, IMO, what may be one of the best pop songs to be written in several years with a crazy/wonderful video that has established quite the nylon fetish in yours truly. Touches of 80s synth pop with a modern twist.

It's off her forthcoming record out in the Fall. Really poppy and only a one of the several styles Sia sings in. Tis called 'Buttons':

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Here's her song called 'Breathe Me' that's given her some traction in the states. It was used on the season final of Six Feet Under.

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A couple more:

Sunday

Here's one that shows a different style as she sings with Zero 7:

Little Man

and an absolute Money song from Sia and Zero 7. I could put this song on a loop and listen to it all day:



Same song as performed on Jimmy Kimmel a few years back with Tina Dico singing harmony. droooool.

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So, yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with Sia at the moment. I know this music won't really appeal to some of the rockers that happen across this blog but I make know apologies for the music I dig. If it speaks to me, it speaks to me... and Sia speaks to me.

So quirky... so original... so freakin' cute... so goddamn talented.

www.myspace.com/siamusic

**> Sia <**

Sia interview 2007 :

"2006 was a busy year all around for Sia, with her song 'Breathe Me' featured in the unforgettable final scene of the Six Feet Under series finale. The US release of her album Colour The Small One saw Sia cited by Rolling Stone as one of '10 Artists To Watch'

Last year's Zero 7 album, 'The Garden', which features Sia's vocals on half the tracks, was also nominated for a Grammy, narrowly missing out only to Madonna.

Over 5 million MySpace plays are just an indication of the ever growing buzz surrounding one of the most innovative and interesting female solo artists of our time.

Her new album, Lady Croissant, recorded live at Bowery Ballroom in NYC is out in May 2007. I Like Music caught up with Sia to talk about her music, her collaborations and her doggies. "

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Young@Heart Chorus

Young at Heart Chorus | Celebrating 21 Years of Unpredictable Art at Home and Abroad

These folks put the AWE in AWESUM!

What a great story. This will warm your heart and make you think of your grand parents.

Singing seniors redefine rock songs:

"NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Fred Knittle wears his belt up high. His nose is tethered to an oxygen tank, and on stage he's confined to a folding chair. From this unlikely perch, he's turning rock 'n' roll on its head.

Singing Coldplay's 'Fix You,' Knittle transforms the song into a powerful ballad about a grandfather's healing wisdom. It means something different coming from an 80-year-old retiree suffering from congestive heart failure.

Knittle is a singer for the Young@Heart Chorus, whose members range from 73 to 92 years old. Singing songs they shouldn't even know, at an age when they're expected to be sitting quietly somewhere, they subvert all accepted notions of old and young.

Songs by bands like the Radiohead, OutKast and Nirvana take on a new dimension when performed by these 23 foot-stomping senior citizens. 'Fix You' or the Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' become about life and death."

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If you don't get misty after watching this you ain't human:



Here's their version of Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth.

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Death Kitty

First... have a little fun. Play Statetris.

MapMSG.com - Statetri

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Impeachment #1.

I wish more people would call it what it really is... LYING. Abu Gonzo's pants were literally smoldering yesterday.

The Raw Story | Documents contradict Attorney General's sworn testimony

The "Gang of Eight," prominent congressional leaders of both parties, were briefed about the President's terrorist surveillance program immediately before its intended expiration date, documents reveal.

The documents directly contradict the sworn testimony of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, heightening the questions of his credibility and fueling concern of perjury charges.

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How's that 'abstinence only' education workin' for ya, Texas?

Trying to stop teenagers from having sex is like trying to stop a dog from eating cat shit.

Texas leads U.S. in teen birth rate:

"HOUSTON --Texas had the nation's highest birth rate among teenagers ages 15 to 19 in 2004, according to a newly released study of children's health. The Kids Count study, which is updated annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, said the Texas rate of 63 births per 1,000 teens remained the same from 2003 to 2004."

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As a single, hetero lad the subject of love is one I ponder often. (That last sentence was a muted cry for help, so all you cute/hot single sassy smart ladies out there who dig good music, are politically aware with a twisted sense of humor..... call me... I have references).

How To Get Your Love On / What, you think you know? Think you have some tiny idea of how love works? Are you high?:

"Here is the big lesson, the thing that keeps coming at me, again and again and again: No one has the slightest clue how to make love work.

I know. Shocking. But truly, it's weirder that you might think."

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"Its like rain on your wedding day...."

How in the world do 'faith based' folks make this jive.

Popular San Antonio Pastor Dies from Lightning Strike During Hike:

"A 50-year-old pastor from a church here in San Antonio was killed Tuesday afternoon after he was hit by a bolt of lightning while hiking with his two teenage sons, authorities told News 4 WOAI."

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Death Kitty... There's got to be a band by that name.

Still, this is pretty cool.... or pretty creepy.

Oscar the cat Predicts Patients Death:

"PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live."

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One step closer to real cyber sex....

Japanese firm develops glove that 'feels' 3D images:

"Ever dreamed of being drawn close to a smiling Marilyn Monroe or feeling the muscles of fitness guru Billy Blanks? A Japanese firm on Wednesday unveiled a system that enables you to feel 'the shape and softness' of three-dimensional images using a sensor-loaded glove.

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A little bit of Labrador

Party above all else.

Daily Kos: The obstructionist Republican Senate:

"Republicans set out to break all manners of records when they took over in 1994. Fastest Congress to corrupt? Check. Biggest deficits in American history? Check. Biggest foreign policy disaster ever? Check. Biggest domestic policy disaster ever? Check. Most unpopular president ever? Getting close. Most obstructionist Senate ever? Also closing fast:"

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I'm thinkin' this movie may cause some problems for ol' multiple choice Mitt Romney when it comes out early next year. Not saying it should or that it would be fair.... just sayin' that more than likely... gonna cause him some trouble.

Apple - Trailers - September Dawn - Trailer

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Ah, sweet home.... where black is white, up is down and where the smartest have no power and the stupidest run everything?

Harassing and threatening the life of people on someone else's property. No problem. Cussing on your own property. Straight to jail.

The American Prospect:

"WOMEN'S HEALTH CLINIC DIRECTOR ARRESTED FOR CURSING. OPERATION RESCUE ALLOWED TO TRESPASS WITHOUT ARREST. When is it against the law to curse on your own private property? When you're the director of a woman's health clinic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Operation Rescue protesters have invaded your parking lot, that's when."

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Life gives us so many unique ways to die.

Line Drive Kills Minor League Coach:

"Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game."

Lightning Hits Diver's Air Tank, Kills Him:

"DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- Lightning struck a diver's air tank as he surfaced off Florida's Atlantic coast, killing him, authorities said.

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Smart is way sexy.... and so is rich.

Australian Survey Shows That Men Are Happiest With Educated Wives:

"MEN in search of true happiness should steer clear of bimbos and dumb blondes: research shows men are happiest if they marry smart women.

Every extra year of education a wife has under her belt significantly increases the chances her husband will report being highly satisfied with life. But Shane Mathew Worner, of the Australian National University’s economics program, says it may be that an educated woman’s earning power is her biggest asset.

A little bit of Maui Wowie, a little bit of Labrador..... a little bit Ben Franklyn.

Family Recovers Money Eaten by Dog:

"Debbie Hulleman's dog Pepper has been known to gnaw on lipstick, munch on shampoo bottles and chew on toothpaste. But Pepper got Hulleman into a real mess after gobbling nearly $750."

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It's close to midnight.....

.....and something evil's lurking in the dark

Let's start off fun today.

If I have to go to prison, I want it to be in the Philippines.

Why? More time working on choreography and less time getting butt raped.

Behold 1500 Philippines inmates performing "Thriller". Awesome.

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Can you feel the love?

Political Wire: Bush Hits 25% Approval

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Excellent article in the NY times. Hard to pick which part to snip so be sure to read the entire thing

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War - New York Times:

"The nation is heading toward a constitutional showdown over the Iraq war. Congress is moving closer to passing a bill to limit or end the war, but President Bush insists Congress doesn’t have the power to do it. “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war,” he said at a recent press conference. “I think they ought to be funding the troops.” He added magnanimously: “I’m certainly interested in their opinion.”
.......
Given how intent the president is on expanding his authority, it is startling to recall how the Constitution’s framers viewed presidential power. They were revolutionaries who detested kings, and their great concern when they established the United States was that they not accidentally create a kingdom.
......
John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States, noted in Federalist No. 4 that “absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for the purposes and objects merely personal.”

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Olbermann at his very best.... You can tell he's paying attention because he is pissed.

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Christians! Honest to God, real Christians. So refreshing.

These are the good guys.

Religious group praises Edwards' response to gay marriage question - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

"I'm Rev. Reggie Longcrier, I'm the Pastor of Exodus Missionary Outreach Church in Hickory, North Carolina. Senator Edwards says his opposition to gay marriage is influenced by his Southern Baptist background. Most Americans agree it was wrong and unconstitutional to use religion to justify slavery and segregation and deny women the right to vote. So, why is it still acceptable to use religion to deny gay Americans their full and equal rights?"

"In answering Rev. Longcrier's question, Senator Edwards made an important commitment to not allow his personal religious beliefs to restrict the rights of any American," added Rev. Creech. "We congratulate him and encourage all leaders and candidates to give serious consideration to this issue and how they will represent the interests of this nation."

"Millions of gay Americans struggle every-day against the misuse of religion to perpetuate prejudice and inequality," said Creech. "These individuals don't just fight bigotry when they're denied the right to marry their partners, they combat it on the street, in the workplace, in their children's schools, and in every other aspect of their lives. Religion-based prejudices pervade and profoundly shape the daily experiences of these people and I'd like to commend my friend Rev. Longcrier for furthering the national dialogue for those and all Americas on this critically important subject."

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How to create an Angry American. Must see.

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A small, tinsy-eensy bitty bit of sanity returns.

Government To Lift Lighter Ban On Planes:

'Taking lighters away is security theater,' Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley told The Times in an interview."

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I leave you with gas.

best of craigslist : Wanfu Date Farts

... I just hope I have the courage to let my bowels loose with an echoing noise of displeasure next time I hear something I don't appreciate.

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JI400 Week in Review 7/20/07

Being jolted from a deep sleep is always fun:

Recent Earthquakes for San_Francisco

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Check out Jason's New Website!
Created by the lovely and talented...
Ms. Jenn Bryant!!!

7 reviews on Amazon and 5 stars across the board:

Amazon.com: Sirens Of The Ditch: Music: Jason Isbell

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Pretty damn snazzy numbers on Billboard:

Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Jason Isbell:

2007 Sirens Of The Ditch Top Heatseekers 10

2007 Sirens Of The Ditch Top Independent Albums 33

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Talent attracts talent:

blog.myspace.com/jasonisbellmusic: "

Great New News!

It looks like Derry DeBorja will be joining us for the month of July. He plays keys with Son Volt, but they're off next month, so he'll be with us. We're really excited.

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Southern Shelter taped two recent shows:

Southern Shelter: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ 40 Watt 7/9/07

Southern Shelter: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ The EARL 7/10/07

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Calvin posted a few concert pictures on his MySpace.

Isbell Show Pictures

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Politics and music are like peanut butter and chocolate:

From a thread on Nine Bullets.

Nine Bullets:

"So I gave this one a good listen and I think that it is one of the smartest songs I have ever heard. It took me a couple of times but I think it is about Bush. It makes me think of the pres., after a long day of having to fuck the American people, reflecting on how he is a puppet and that the Iraq thing might not have been such a good idea. i.e. “sometimes I don’t know what I got into”

Some of my favorite lines:
“No that ain't a rainbow son, just streetlamps on petroleum
Lets pull in here and get us some, supplies are running out now” – Makes me think of Chaney driving around Bush in a big ass white Cadillac and pulling over in the Middle East to gas up.

“they tried this all before but daddy wouldn’t let them” – Refers to Bush Sr.’s first Iraq war.

“It doesn't matter who we blame, as long as you all hear a name
All them bastards look the same, everybody's guilty
Everybody look away, look away, look away
It doesn't matter what I say, it's what I do that's shifty” – basically saying that we had to pin the tail on some donkey – why not Iraq.

“Devil is my running mate, this here is his favorite state
There ain't no other candidate, it wouldn't matter anyway” – I think this is a reference to how Bush stole the election"

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A shit ton of articles and reviews on Jason in about every media outlet thinkable.

Not sure if Tracy or New West is doing P.R. but whoever is doing it is doing a great job.

I've noted a few below and you can dig up more on the Jason Isbell Nine Bullet's discussion board.

Great interview in JamBase:

JamBase | Jason Isbell: Tied To The Mast:

"Sirens of the Ditch [out July 9 on New West Records], a stoned soul picnic that serves up all the best parts of the Southern musical spectrum, blending a fabulously tough rock attack with a whole lot of sway. Put another way, this music has hips and a wicked grin."
.....

"'The issue now is a lot of people who make rock 'n' roll music don't have the confidence in making soulful music that they used to have,' says Isbell. 'I think confidence is missing in general in rock 'n' roll right now. You look at Humble Pie or The Faces or even the Beatles, and the music they made white people wouldn't dare try to do right now. They believed they could pull it off. Sometimes you can't but there's a certain accident in there when you go for it and miss that can sometimes be very beautiful. I think it was Duane Allman who said it's never the note you play that's right or wrong, it's the one right after it.'"
......

"'CDs don't really work that way anymore. It was the one time when the stoned guy on the couch is gonna have to get up and go over to the record player, so you better give him something worth getting up for [laughs]. Consistency is not something that's as valued as it used to be. People are looking for singles more than entire records made of quality. Even some of my favorite artists are guilty of that. There's a lot of filler on records today,' laments Isbell."

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Memphis Commercial Appeal: Live Music:

"'I think one of the big reasons Muscle Shoals has so many good musicians is they're just used to music from an early age, and its not something you think of as a career first,' says Isbell. 'I went to my grandmother's funeral over the weekend, and there were dozens and dozens of people in that room that I had hardly ever seen without some sort of musical instrument in their hand. And that's where all the conversations went.'"

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Style Weekly:

Even for an ex-trucker, the urge to stay on the road is strong.

It’s what singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Isbell is planning to do, having left his role as a principal member of Athens-based Southern rock group Drive-By Truckers (which still features his ex-wife, Shonna Tucker).

“We both pretty much decided we should part ways — that’s all there was to it,” Isbell says by phone from his home in Muscle Shoals, Ala. “Those guys have kids and families, and they don’t want to be on the road all the time. I can’t say I blame ’em for it. But I wanted to hit the road.”

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village voice > music > Jason Isbell's Sirens of the Ditch by Don Allred:

"The Drive-By Truckers' Jason Isbell has now gone solo, but he hadn't yet quit the band while recording Sirens of the Ditch—cut with most of the current Truckers and their regular guests, the record smoothly lures and detours familiar, '70s-based rock-blues-country sounds and expectations while highlighting Isbell's character-actor flair. 'I'm a brand-new kind of actress/I'm the same old stubborn waitress,' a big-bottomed gal happily agrees with a yearning heckler (who's got a gun, it turns out) on the opening tune—however far she gets, she knows she's got the kind of balancing act (plus the audacity-times-tenacity) that an actress-slash-waitress needs."

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Jason Isbell | The A.V. Club:

"AVC: A couple of songs on the album, 'Dress Blues' and 'The Devil Is My Running Mate,' are pretty political. How comfortable are you with putting messages in your songs?

JI: I don't have any problem with it. If you're somebody who writes songs or writes fiction, a writer that people pay for your opinion in any way, you shouldn't be the least bit uncomfortable giving it to them. People want songwriters to tell them how they think and how they feel. That's what a song is. That's what I want to hear in a song."

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Longtown Sound:

"Longtown Sound 136

Mercury recording artist, Gary Nichols, Jason Isbell- formerly with Drive By Truckers, Chris Tompkins and Bo Bice got together at Nashville's Blue Bird Cafe in February 2007 and in today's Longtown Sound you'll hear cuts from that night of song pullin' and fun.

Lots of amazing sounds were sent to me by various means. Someone is always pokin' and proddin' Uncleshag and he likes it - A LOT! Thanks to you all and you know who you are.
Remember, these live, raw cuts are not at all close to studio quality. Each has been equalized and trimmed of as much external noise as possible and the fades are the editors choice. Hopefully you'll enjoy these new sounds of Nashville's writers and tomorrow's stars - as interpreted by the ears of Uncleshag.

-unc."

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DBT! DBT! DBT!

Patterson has some new solo dates posted. Check 'em.


Nine Bullets.org: VIDEO: 'Bulldozers & Dirt' from The Dirt Underneath tour:

" VIDEO: 'Bulldozers & Dirt' from The Dirt Underneath tour
Posted on Thursday, July 19 @ 11:11:38 PDT by NineBullets

Shot at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, April 28, 2007..."

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Pics from Stephen Talkhouse

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Ubiquitous Best of DBT thread

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Paste Magazine - Drive-By Truckers Talk Two New Albums:

"Music is often considered cyclical, like the solar eclipse or crop rotation, and sometimes bands find themselves singled out as direct inheritors of a much older band’s vision. A number of critics have pegged Drive-By Truckers as inheritors of The Band’s vision – even though the Truckers have yet to appear on an album doing back-up duty, which was how the members of The Band initially found prominence.

However, the Athens-based southern rockers will nullify that potential counterpoint with their presence on soulstress Bettye Lavette’s The Scene of the Crime (set to drop September 25 on Anti-). Truckers vocalist and founder Patterson Hood spoke with Paste about the collaboration, as well as his band’s next album, due early next year.

How’s the record coming?
We spent like five days recording and we’re off to a pretty great start. Wednesday of the first week, we ended up nailing like six songs. [Guitarist Mike] Cooley’s really been writing – he hit kind of prolific streak. He’s usually a two-real-strong-songs-a-year kind of guy. And all the sudden we’re working on this record with like eight new Cooley songs. I’ve always been kind of partial to his songs anyway, so the more the better for me."

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Nine Bullets:

capino
Location: Hattiesburg, MS
Sinkhole video from Voodoo Fest

The Drams

Two new absolutely hilarious tour diaries posted on The Drams website.

"...perfectly pan-seared Donkey Dicks...." Tony should consider stand-up.

the Drams:

"So I realize that the 'Tour Dairy' was pretty sucky,what with no descriptions at all. This is because we are going to change gears into my next 'off the cuff Tony's drunk-what -the -hell -is-he-saying-is- he - licking-toads- and watching-Wolfgang Puck-with nothing to do?' moment. Actually, Wolfgang Puck is on, and he sucks about 13 and1/2 perfectly pan-seared Donkey Dicks, with VEG-E-TA-BULS(say it like that turd and it's funny!)!"

And it gets even funnier from an outsiders perspective. Shaky Blake needs his own blog!

the Drams

Greetings from Texas! I know that it would be more exciting if I wrote this thing from Indy, St. Louis or KC, but I didn't have time. By the way, my name is Shaky Blake and much like I stole that moniker from one of The Drams songs, I have stolen this tour diary from Tony to give you a different perspective of the band on the road.
......
The only other notable part of Indy was getting the chance to kick the crap out of Keith. He kept challenging me to wrestle and Brent, Jess and Tony gave me the go ahead. My attack included a body slam, a face kick, multiple back kicks and a knee drop. He vowed revenge in St Louis, but I couldn't take him seriously.
....
And thanks to Keith for trying to wrestle me again. By night's end I think my two-day record against Keith was 37-0. He prides himself on his sleeper hold, but he can't use it when he is stuffed between the bed and the wall.

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The Wydelles

I've been meaning to post something on this stellar musical fellar and his band for a few weeks now but things come up.

Based in Athens.... 3 things you can count on in life: Death, taxes and if a band is formed in Athens, GA then John Neff must play in it. I think they actually passed a law in Athens to this affect.

Jenn B. and Patterson turned me on to Bo Bedingfield, the main man of the Wydelles. You most definitely need to check out his MySpace tunes from a, hopefully, soon to be released EP. I've heard it and it is fantastic.

The song Talk Shows is my favorite.

I ran the tunes by one of my lady friends and her response was:

Love. Voice is a Ben Folds/Pete Yorn combo w/alt-country musicianship. Yummy

Yummy indeed.

Here's some recent live stuff:

Southern Shelter: Bo Bedingfield & The Wydelles @ Star Bar 7/14/07

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Lauderdale

Lauderdale proud to be a Shoals-based band | TimesDaily.com:

"FLORENCE -- A need for a name is what led three Shoals musicians to call themselves 'Lauderdale.'

The rock trio could have easily have been called 'Colbert,' according to guitarist and vocalist Niles Lee.

'We were driving across (O'Neal bridge) into Lauderdale County, and I gave them the option of naming the band Lauderdale or Colbert,' the 30-year-old Lee said.

Lauderdale was the choice."

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Lauderdale MySpace.com: Read Bulletin:

"Show this Saturday - CDs in Florence and online

Hey everybody,

We're gonna be playing at Old Town Tavern on Saturday night with James Grant and the Golden Gears. Since there's gonna be 3 bands, it'll probably get started a little earlier than we usually start over there. James will probably go on around 9:30 with the Golden Gears between 10:30 and 11 and Lauderdale will go on around midnight or so. It's gonna be a fun show, so we hope to see you there.

Also, we'll have CDs and shirts for sale at the show. If you can't wait until then to get a CD, they are for sale at Rivertown Coffee and Pegasus Records. If you go by there and they are out of them, let us know and we'll get some over there ASAP.

For those of you that are out of town, you can click on either of the links on our page to get the album. The Digstation link allows you to order mp3s of the entire album, or get the songs individually.. The CDbaby artwork link sends you to their site where you can order a physical copy of the CD.

Thanks!
Lauderdale"

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Sons of Roswell

Boy-howdy, I love this band. Go catch 'em live. They got several Southeast tour dates.

Check 'em.

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Dexateens

Dexateens have a snazzy new website and an albums in the works.

Can't wait.


D E X A T E E N S

Brothers and Sisters,

Welcome back (again) to the website, Mark IV. We've been busy doing actual band-related stuff lately, so the website got a bit cobwebby. No longer, friends. In addition to the dynamic (striking, even) new design, we also have a bunch of new photos up. In the coming days and weeks we'll have all manner of new content up. We've got live stuff, we've recorded about 25 new songs in the last year, and, as always, there's an overabundance of embarassing photos and video to share. In addition, for late breaking Dteens news, there's always myspace and the email list.

By the way, that weird square in the lower left is a widget for the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans this October. We're playing. And yes, I just called it a 'widget.' That's technical jargon. "

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Dexateen MySpace.com: Read Bulletin

"my blog is called A CABINET MAKERS NOTEBOOK and is at

http://hardwoodlumberandcassettetapes.blogspot.com/

please go there to read my blog

remember when televisions were big as hell?? like a piece of furniture unto themselves?? i built a guitar cabinet a while back that was inspired by those old TVs.

please go there and check my blog. tell me what you think in the comment section.

have a good weekend. dont be strangers."

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Glossary

Old article but worthy of a reread:

Indie Study: Glossary’s skronky, literate rock - MSNBC.com:

"Reconciling Saturday night with Sunday a.m."

Liquor and religion are staples of Joey Kneiser’s songs. Not that he can ever seem to point to either one as the answer.

His band, Glossary, has been together in one incarnation or another for 10 years. They play at times languid, at times skronky, literate rock. You could say Allman Brothers meets Dinosaur Jr., but the songs aren’t dumb enough for the former or noisy enough for the latter.

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Other Music News and Sundries

blog.myspace.com/jenniversive

Are you an artist, or art lover? Please read on!

On 5/31 of this year, Athens lost a lovely young artist. Sabina Hartley-Burke was a 9 year old girl and artist who lost her battle with cancer. You can find out more about her at www.simplysabina.com.

In her honor, friends of the family are hosting the Sabina Art Auction Reception on Tuesday, July 24th, for viewing of the art. The Reception will be at Cutters Pub and Grill on E. Clayton from 6 pm to 9 pm. The art will then be auctioned off on eBay during the following week.

Many area artists have donated works for viewing before the online eBay auction begins. Some works included in the event are from Michael Stipe, Jennifer Hartley, Jason Thrasher, and Chris Bilheimer, to name a few.

We are still gathering art! Unfortunately we have to have the pieces in our possession by Friday July 20, so keep that in mind.

The Reception will feature live music by one of our favorite local musicians, Bo Bedingfield, and a few others. Appetizers will be generously donated by The Globe, and the kind folks at Cutters are giving the Sabina Fund all the proceeds from the drink sales for those hours.

We will ask for a nominal donation at the door ($3-$5) to enjoy the festivities.

Please come out, enjoy the art of our community and help us raise some money to help defray the medical expenses incurred by Sabina's care.

(Local artists still have time to donate works to us- we will accept art pieces up until the 20th of July with a brief artist bio. Please send me a message if you wish to participate!)

Love to all, and all for love...
~j

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Finally, Thank jeebus. Now let's see how long it takes them to get GOOD draft beer.

Draft beer may flow by Sept. 1 - Florence, AL:

FLORENCE -- Draft beer drinkers will be able to have their first taste from the tap in the Shoals by Sept. 1 if city council members pass an ordinance Tuesday.

Florence sought permission from the state Legislature to sell draft beer. The legislation passed May 30, but the council must pass an ordinance authorizing businesses to begin selling draft beer."

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'Mystic Swirl' | TimesDaily.com:

"FLORENCE -- If you think you've got Steve Richerson pegged as only the funny guy, think again.

'Mystic Swirl,' the third offering from Richerson's Concrete Dream Pictures, is an emotional departure for the local filmmaker who's known more for making people laugh: The 30-minute movie is about a family grieving after a child's death from cancer."

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Oh, my fragile little British trainwreck....

You've got to give it to the Brits, though.... The come up with some hilarious titles for their articles:

Another Wine Mess
Amy Declinehouse

The Sun Online - Bizarre: How low can you go, Amy?:

"AMY WINEHOUSE has sunk to a new low with her latest horror stage show."

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I grew up a big fan of Squeeze. Still am.

Shit, when a liberal Southern boy here's somebody singing about black coffee in bed and you know he ain't talking about coffee, coffee... umm hmmm... forbidden fruit.

Squeeze, Crowded House on summer tours:

"Squeeze's partial reunion is an exercise in nostalgia and a business calculation. Crowded House is trying to make a mark with new music after its two surviving original members bonded again over the death of their drummer."

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Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl revival | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited:

The format was supposed to have been badly wounded by the introduction of CDs and killed off completely by the ipod-generation that bought music online.

But in a rare case of cheerful news for the record labels, the latest phenomenon in a notoriously fickle industry is one nobody dared predict: a vinyl revival. Latest figures show a big jump in vinyl sales in the first half of this year, confirming the anecdotal evidence from specialist shops throughout the UK."

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Keith Richards smoked their ashes.

Two stage hands die after Rolling Stones Spain gig - Yahoo! News:

"MADRID (Reuters) - Two workers died on Friday after part of the set from a Rolling Stones concert collapsed on top of them as they were dismantling it, emergency services said."

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Led Zeppelin to reunite? | News | NME.COM:

"Led Zeppelin are in talks to reunite for a memorial concert.

The band are apparently in discussions to reform for a one-off gig in London for their late record boss Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

It is thought singer Robert Plant guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will re-group alongside late drummer John Bonham's son Jason for the gig.

A source close to the band said: 'Page, Plant and Jones spoke and agreed to do the memorial concert. They are waiting for a definite date.

'And no one can quite believe it, but during discussions about the concert they all gave the green light to a tour if it all does well and they don't all fall out."

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WTF?

Bon Jovi scores first No. 1 album since 1988 - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bon Jovi topped the U.S. album charts for the first time since 1988 on Wednesday, while rock duo the White Stripes scored a personal best with a No. 2 debut for their latest release.

Bon Jovi's "Lost Highway" sold 292,000 copies in the week ended June 24, the rock troupe's biggest one-week sum since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991. The Island/Mercury Nashville set is Bon Jovi's third No. 1 album, joining 1988's "New Jersey" and 1987's "Slippery When Wet."

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Deepest Purple: 1,800 Guitarists Set World Record Playing 'Smoke on the Water' - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News:

"Eighteen hundred guitarists playing 'Smoke on the Water' simultaneously: That adds up to a whole lot of rock -- and a new world record.

Let there be rock: 1,800 guitarists play 'Smoke on the Water' in Germany to set a new world record.

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It's Business Time

Business Time, Y'all:

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Hmmmmm, check 0ut this trailer. Teaser indeed:

Apple - Trailers - 1-18-08 - HD

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Even more riveting video with the 101st Fighting Yellow Elephants:

Generation Chickenhawk: the Unauthorized College Republican Convention Tour

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Who the f*ck are you?!?

Study: Americans Don't Understand Others:

"Rugged American individualism could hinder our ability to understand other peoples' point of view, a new study suggests.

And in contrast, the researchers found that Chinese are more skilled at understanding other people's perspectives, possibly because they live in a more 'collectivist' society."

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OK, now its picture time. Grab some pop corn!

A few Saturday's ago... early Saturday.... like 7:00 a.m. early... the bike portion of the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon occurred right out side my window complete with cameramen on motorcycles, helicopters hovering overhead, and 3 little girls working the route screaming their heads off at the bikers.

What's one to do but get out of bed and take pictures.

Here are a few from my recent trip back to The Shoals:

Went float fishin' from my parents pier with some very committed worms (read the last line on the container)....

Though I am a bit miffed that the Northern Alabama worm production industry has been off shored to Western Tennessee. WTF? Our worms ain't good enough?!?

This worms sacrifice will not be forgotten....

I catch them over there so we don't have to catch them over here.

I fought this monster for a good second... 2 seconds. Hook wasn't really in his mouth. He just grabbed the line and I yanked his ass on the pier.

My niece rocks... as does my nephew but he's 13 and in the midst of growing from 5 foot to 6'4" thus, the camera is not to kind.

Mmmmmm.... laziness.

Clouds startin' formin. 5 o'clock p.m.......

My artsy-fartsy water tower pictures before a gully washer:

Here's my buddy B.R.'s business. He's a lumber man and has some great old buildings on his lot that use to be a nitrate (main ingredient in bombs) plant during WWII:

B.R. recently built a full on fight/wrestling gym above his office. There's probably not a better fight gym in all the south east. It is bad ass... stays about 100 degrees in the room.

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Gettin' Lewd with the Food

Great post by The Agonist. I've clipped a big chunk of it here, but the entire post is a most worthy read if you want to know the exact non-strategy of the Republicans.

It reflects on what I've stated previous. Democrats need to stop playing a separate game from the ones the Republican's are playing. Dems must play the Republican's game in a far more vicious fashion than the Republicans could ever imagine. When we beat them at their own game then, and only then, can we change the game to something more productive and respectable.

When All They Understand Is Fear or Force | The Agonist:

"Republicans, as Krugman has observed, are a revolutionary power. They do not accept the legitimacy of the bipartisan non-parliamentary form of government that ruled the US for most of the post-war period. They do not accept that all three branches of government are co-equal. They do not believe that everyone has to obey the law. They are in Washington to get what they want, and if they can't get it they will bring the entire machine to a shreeking halt.

The Republicans in general, and the Bush administration in particular really have only strategy - they always, always, give the other side nothing of any significance. They never cooperate, they never admit a lie, they never back down unless forced to do so. They understand only the most primal of motivations - fear and force. If you can't force them to do something; if you can't make them fear the consequences of not doing something, they won't do it."

This is a very powerful strategy. You've probably observed it in your life when you've seen a customer in a store scream until someone gives them what they want (or calls the cops). You've seen it from people in power - from cops who will beat you bloody because they know they can get away with it and know if you fight back, you're screwed. In schools kids will use it with teachers, knowing that the teachers aren't allowed to use force anymore. Just do whatever you want - what's the teacher going to do? In business just lock your employees in the store (Wal-mart) or just dock wages whether it's legal or not. What are they going to do?
......

The strategy breaks down the same way playing a game of chicken does. It breaks down when someone else is crazier or tougher than you are.

This is how you deal with bullies and thugs - you break them. There is no other way - you can't "reason" with them. They are not 9 year olds who need a "time out" or whom you can sit down with and say "that's not nice". They are adults who respond only to force and to fear - who obey only when broken.

......

In the words of the Untouchables - if they bring a knife, you bring a gun; if they put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue. When people understand only force, you must respond with maximum force. Anything else is taken as weakness and they will walk all over you.

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Sick cults of personality should only exist in Hollywood... never D.C. Yet......

Glenn Greenwald - Salon:

"As George Bush has become more and more isolated, and as his presidency has collapsed around him, he has increasingly arranged White House events where like-minded admirers come and gather around him and genuflect to his greatness. As The Washington Post's Peter Baker recently reported, these events are attended exclusively by small groups of right-wing pundits, 'journalists' and neoconservative theorists and activists who sit around the President and both soak in and bolster the Rightness of his choices."

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The worst of the worst... A Democrat acting like a Republican.

Progressives have two mountains to climb. One is ensuring that we defeat Republicans at the polls with solid, progressive candidates and two is ensuring that we defeat incumbent, fake Democrats who are no better than the Republicans.

We have two houses to clean.

The Blotter: Critics Slam Intel Chair's Secrecy Over Bribery Report:

"A senior lawmaker is facing tough criticism for burying a report on criminal behavior on his committee.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Tex., chairman of the House intelligence committee, did not respond today to questions from the Blotter on ABCNews.com about why he refuses to release a report on the abuses of power by former committee member Randy 'Duke' Cunningham.

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Bush has done an outstanding job in Afghanistan.... if your Pete Doherty.

U.S.: Afghanistan to break opium record:

"KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's heroin-producing poppy crop set another record this season, despite intensified eradication efforts, the American ambassador said Tuesday.

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HWJMHB. How Would Jesus Market His Brand.

Jesus.

Of course, it's Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart To Test Bible Action Figures In 425 Stores:

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) said Tuesday it will test sales in some stores of biblical action figures whose makers say they are aimed at Christian parents who prefer their children play with Samson, David or Noah rather than with a comic book character or Bratz doll."

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Bloggers who make money blogging... Or, people I'd like to be.

Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks:

"Part of it has to do with the nature of the medium: Blogging creates a direct connection between authors and readers, a conversation with distinct voices carried out in comments and e-mails and other blogs. Nakagawa wants to see how big that conversation—not to mention his business—can get. 'It's kind of like, how far can you take it?' he says."

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Who let the dogs out?

Apparently, Michael Vick let the dogs out.

Michael Vick indicted by federal grand jury in dogfighting probe:

"RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal dogfighting."

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I'm quite sad over the fact that I'll be losing HBO when I move to a different crib in a couple of weeks.

HBO has some of the best shows on TV: Entourage, Big Love and my current favorite, Flight of the Conchords. The show is hilarious. Check out a clip:



Oh, hell, go crazy and check out all the clips!

HBO: Flight of the Conchords - Video

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Now do your f**king jobs!

Its been foggy and blahhy in San Francisco the past few days... can bring a brother down, fo' sho'. Feeling kinda icky this morning until I checked my email and you'll never guess what I found in my in box. Some dude named Lopez emailed me and said he was a pro at getting people laid and could have me all sexed up in a matter of days.

'Nother fella wrote me and said he could increase the size of my penis by 4 inches. 4 INCHES!

Now I'm thinkin' today's not looking so bad after all. The future's lookin' bright!

Check out my buddy Shipper who lives in Palau:

He was tuna fishing off his boat the other day and caught something that was a non tuna.... a shark. Dave looks all manly in this picture like he's king of the jungle.... ocean.... ocean jungle.... whatever... but, per Dave: "When it started thrashing around in the boat, I screamed like a little girl".

The shark was safely returned to the water after a few pictures. Getting the hook out must of been a bitch, though.

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Senator Russ Feingold posted a diary on DailyKos yesterday regarding his view on impeachment. I dig Russ' progressive stances on most issues. He's one of the good guys.

But he's dead wrong on the impeachment issue and several other DailyKos diarist let him know it.

His view is the same as Pelosi's and I let her know weekly via email or phone message how wrong she is.

If we do not hold these people accountable then the precedent set has the great possibility of eventually destroying this country. I, never again, want a Republican or a Democrat to have the power or ability to do what this administration has done.

This is a great example of the type of constructive dialog that occurs on DK.

Daily Kos: The Question of Impeachment - UPDATED

Sen Russ Fiengold

It is clear that there are many people in this country, including myself, who demand accountability from this Administration for the terrible mess it made in Iraq and its egregious and even illegal power grabs throughout its six-plus years in power. I believe that the President and Vice President may well have committed impeachable offenses. But with so many important issues facing this country and so much work to be done, I am concerned about the great deal of time multiple impeachment trials would take away from the Congress working on the problems of the country. The time it would take for the House to consider articles of impeachment, and for the Senate to conduct multiple trials, would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Congress to do what it was elected to do – end the war and address some of the other terrible mistakes this Administration has made over the past six and a half years.

.......

While some have pointed to Republicans’ decision to impeach President Clinton, I am also concerned about the over-use of impeachment. And I am conscious of the fact that I would have a specific role to play as a sworn, impartial juror should an impeachment be tried in the Senate. If charges come to the Senate, I will approach them and the trial with the same seriousness that I had when I participated in the Clinton impeachment trial. I would not prejudge the case one way or the other should it come to this.

.......

I fully respect the anger and frustration many Americans feel with this Administration. I share much of it. But on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.

Responses:

Daily Kos: The Answer Of Impeachment:

"This is an important point of agreement. The question is why anyone would allow any Administration to get away with such crimes. It's disrespectful of the Constitution and the rule of law, and it also sets an extremely dangerous precedent."

Daily Kos: A Waste of Time Senator?:

"I would argue that there is no more egregious and illegal act than deliberately going before the American people and knowingly providing false information with the intent to take us to war."

Here's the more angry response to Russ.

Daily Kos: A Word to Senators and Congressfolk:

"We’re sick to death of all your lame excuses! We want action – and we’re not saying pretty please anymore. We’re not even asking. We’re telling you! We are demanding that you do the only conscionable thing in the present circumstances – bring those criminals to justice! And don’t you dare insult my intelligence by saying they ‘may have’ committed impeachable offenses. What planet have you been living on?

The only question is do you have the spine to deliver. Let me remind you, we are the rightful owners of this country, and the owners have spoken! Now do your fucking jobs!"

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I'm not so naive as to believe that the South will quickly swing to the good guys side, but this is encouraging none the less.

Political Woes Dog Republicans Across the South - WSJ.com

The indictment is just one of the political headaches across the South that are making Republicans look more vulnerable than they have in years to losing ground in the region's legislatures and statehouses. Though there isn't any sign of them losing their dominance in the region, the once-formidable "Solid South" coalitions they forged in the 1980s and 1990s to end a century of Democratic dominion have given way to messy schisms and infighting. Today, they look a lot like the bitterly divided Democrats of three decades ago.

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This is way weird.

I was coming back to SF across the GG bridge the other day and I spotted a sign in the Presidio that was for a Coyote crossing.

I thought, WTF? This is in the middle of the city. We've got coyotes?!

Apparently so... in our freaking parks.

Coyotes attack dogs in Golden Gate Park:

"San Francisco officials posted warnings in Golden Gate Park on Sunday after the first known coyote attack in the city in decades, when a pair of the wild canines charged two leashed dogs on a small path in the park.

'We're taking this very seriously,' said Deb Campbell, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Animal Care and Control Department. 'We have officers looking for the coyotes, and we are letting the public know about these coyotes.'"

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