Seven Reasons: Why We Need Net Neutrality Now!

from freepress.net

By Tim Karr, August 3, 2009

On Friday, Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) marched across Independence Avenue and up the steps of the Capitol Building to introduce a bill that could stand as the First Amendment of the Internet age.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 establishes the basic rules of the road for an open Internet. And its arrival couldn’t be more timely.

We are amid the greatest technological transition in our media since the invention of the printing press. An open Internet is driving this change. It’s a communications tool that, while still in its infancy, is already storming the gates of media’s old guard. But they’re not letting us in without a fight.

Traditional media fear a system that is more decentralized, participatory and personal. While their outlets still dominate, mainstream media are threatened by a generation of users who have embraced the Internet to control their information experience.

These users no longer passively consume the news; we actively participate in it. We no longer limit our civic involvement to watching television ads and reading editorial pages. We Google candidates to learn more, create our own political networks on Facebook, and use Twitter to stay on top of the issues we care about most.

As the Internet breaks down old political, economic and social barriers, it raises new concerns about free speech, control, privacy and equality.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act will safeguard the basic rights of our emerging media democracy. It makes Net Neutrality the standard, locking in the network’s greatest strength: its ability to give everyone a chance to be heard – whether a little-known blogger, local environmental group or giant multinational corporation.

Without Net Neutrality, this democratic Internet could fall prey to the companies that deliver Internet services. For them our new found media freedom is a threat that needs to be controlled for commercial gain.

We must act now to pass this bill. Here are seven reasons why:

1. Economic Recovery and Prosperity

"The Internet has thrived and revolutionized business and the economy precisely because it started as an open technology," Eshoo said in a statement on Friday. The Internet is so closely tied to U.S. economic recovery that President Obama and Congress earmarked more than $7 billion to help build out more high-speed connections at a time when our economy needs it most.

Obama and Congress also recognized that the economy cannot benefit by building a closed Internet. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act requires that all federally funded networks be services that meet "nondiscrimination and network interconnection obligations" – that abide by Net Neutrality.

"The Internet is an essential infrastructure," declares Markey and Eshoo’s bill. "The national economy would be severely harmed if the ability of Internet content, service, and application providers to reach consumers was frustrated by interference from broadband telecommunications network operators."

2. Free Speech

Freedom of the press extends only to those who own one -- or so the saying goes. It once rang true in a world ruled by newspaper chains, radio and television broadcasters, and cable networks. But the Internet has changed all that, delivering the press -- and in theory its freedoms -- to any person with a good idea and a connection to the Web.

This extraordinary twist to "mass media" has catapulted many an everyday YouTube auteur to celebrity-status, while turning ideas born in a garage or dorm room into Fortune 500 companies. It is the reason so many Americans are now passionate about protecting their free speech rights on the Internet.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act would stop would-be gatekeepers from re-routing the free-flowing Web. “To meet other national priorities, and to our right to free speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States,” the bill says, “the United States should adopt a clear policy preserving the open nature of Internet communications.”

3. Civic Participation

New media are more participatory and personal than ever before and have opened up new avenues for people to become involved with local, state and national politics. We saw it during the 2008 presidential election when tens of millions expressed their support for Obama and McCain via interactive Facebook, Twitter and e-mail forums. We are seeing it in 2009 from the streets of Tehran to the work of organizations like the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics, which use the Internet as the means to open governments to public scrutiny and accountability.

This wave of digital empowerment is the gathering force for a healthier democracy, and it all depends upon a more open, affordable and accessible Internet for everyone. Expanding Internet access alone doesn’t erase concerns over what kind of information people will find when they get online. Net Neutrality guarantees that we all have an equal opportunity to play a part.

4. The Marketplace of Ideas

The Internet was the great surprise of the 20th century. Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the standard that opened the World Wide Web to everyone with an idea and a connection. At that time, few could imagine that this open architecture would fuel such a powerful eruption of economic, social and political creativity.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act "will protect consumers and content providers because it will restore the guarantee that one does not have to ask permission to innovate," Rep. Markey said when he introduced the bill.

This is true regardless of your age, social status or location. Net Neutrality safeguards everyone’s fundamental right to an open Internet, making it possible for one person’s good idea to blossom into the next big business or, even, a movement of millions.

5. Social Justice

Broadband in America today is not equally accessible: Users are predominantly middle- or upper-class and live in urban or suburban areas. Poorer communities and communities of color, as well as communities in rural areas, have been largely left off the grid.

Imagine what it would mean, then, to provide a connection to disadvantaged areas without also extending to them Net Neutrality’s guarantee of openness. Dominant ISPs have argued for this exception, saying Net Neutrality prevents them from connecting more people. But it’s a false choice and far too high a cost to give network owners the power to shunt ideas percolating up from these communities to a digital backwater.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act guarantees equal and unbridled access to the Internet’s engine of opportunity, leveling the playing field so that we all have a chance to be heard.

6. The Rise of the Gatekeepers

A high-speed connection is useful only if you can connect to everyone else online. Net Neutrality leaves control over your Internet experience with you, the user. Yet network operators are considering charging extra money depending on where you want to go and what you want to do online. Some are deploying technology that would sift through and filter the content that you share with others online. Such discrimination endangers the open and level playing field that has made the Internet so democratic.

As more of us rely upon a high-speed connection to do all things media – watch and make video, follow the news, listen to music, Tweet, email and call our friends – legacy media are too tempted to get in our way, steering us back via old channels where they make all decisions for us. But there’s no going back to the analog oligarchy. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act keeps the gatekeepers at bay.

7. The Obama Opportunity

Forces are coming into alignment for Net Neutrality. We have a president who is an outspoken supporter, congressional leadership willing to fight for an open Internet, and a pro-Neutrality chairman newly ensconced at the Federal Communications Commission.

Since the fight for Net Neutrality began more than three years ago, 1.6 million Americans have picked up the phone, signed petitions, spoken out publicly and written letters to urge their members of Congress to get behind Net Neutrality.

The tides have shifted. Still, giant phone and cable companies aren’t going away. They think they can squash our movement -- and over the past six months alone, they have hired 500 lobbyists in Washington to try to stop this bill.

This is our best chance to beat them back once and for all.

SHARK WEEK!

from good ole' Laura Dawn over at MoveOn.org

I hate insurance companies who are trying to block real health care reform.

So I made another crazy ad with MoveOn.org--this time in honor of one of my favorite weeks of the year:

SHARK WEEK!!!

But anyone who spends $140 million a quarter trying to block the Public Option, hiring companies to ship in fake protestors, and lining the pockets of for-sale-congressmen & congresswomen--while reaping BILLIONS of dollars in profits, while fully aware that 50 million Americans can't afford coverage while thousands more are denied coverage (or dropped unceremoniously when they finally NEED the coverage they've been paying for)

well we all know who the real sharks are. If you like the ad, please put it up on your facebook page or email it around or Twitter it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Su9lEHVA8 [see above]

and please: get in the fight for health care reform. We SHOULD have the Dem votes in congress to finally get health care reform. The Public Option is a GREAT first step--it gives everyone the chance to have affordable coverage while keeping the choice of private insurance if they want it. And if anyone tries to tell you that they don't want "socialized" medicine like the Public Option, tell them you really admire how they are going to not use Medicare when they hit 65 and instead continue to pay 7 - 10k or more a year for private insurance.

We SHOULD be pulling this off. But we're in the fight of our lives. The big insurance companies are obviously not going to give up those billions in profit, and they've got a couple of key Dems in their pocket. We need to put the pressure on those Dems to do the right thing.

So, please help us fight for the health care this country so badly needs, if you can, and I hope you enjoy the ad. And Shark Week. : )

-Laura Dawn

Paul Krassner: "Who's to say what's obscene?" (video)

The latest episode of Richard Metzger's new online talk show (and blog)"Dangerous Minds" features...

...satirist, counter culture icon and all around iconoclast, Paul Krassner, author of the new collection, Who's to Say What's Obscene?: Politics, Culture, and Comedy in America Today. Topics include the definition of obscenity in today's America, the Obama presidency and what it means for political satire, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show's influence on younger people, the state of the "underground press" today and a lot more.

Dangerous Minds: Paul Krassner
(Thanks, Xeni, BoingBoing)

Punk, done well.

I was in Boston over the weekend for about 24 hours. Friday night i saw Shepard Fairey's show at the ICA (which was incredible). As was the closing party with Chuck D. performing. Before that I sat to be interviewed for the Shep documentary, with director Helen Stickler. Prior to that, just after getting off the train, i hung out with some really nice folks at the GLP creative studios, where i learned some interesting stuff about where digital photography is at right now.

On saturday morning before i left town i got to have breakfast and walk around town with my old friends Al and Nancy Barile. Al of course was the leader and lead guitarist of Boston's most important and influential hard core band S.S. Decontrol (he's doing fine!) But this post is about former Philadelphia scene den mother of Sadistic Exploits, Nancy Petriello Barile.

Since the old days Nancy has become an award winning high school teacher, who's had several articles written about her in the mainstream press. Here's one of my favorite USA Today clips:

At 35, she landed the job as an English teacher at Revere High, and since then, she seems to be making up for lost time. She attacks her job with the energy of a whirling dervish, using her easy laugh, infectious enthusiasm and creative teaching methods to push her students to succeed.

"Nancy's a constant innovator," says her department chair, Jonathan Mitchell. Barile works hard to make sure the students at Revere, many of whom come from struggling immigrant families and 63% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, stay interested in the subject matter and see the connections to their lives and the world around them.

In a discussion of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Kate Chopin's The Awakening in her Advanced Placement English class, for instance, Barile illustrates a point about the female characters' predicaments through references to Hillary Clinton and Gwen Stefani.

One of her favorite lesson plans is called "old school/new school." Students choose a piece of poetry from the literary canon and compare it with the lyrics of a favorite pop song. "Recently a student did an amazing analysis of a Phillip Larkin poem with a song by the Smashing Pumpkins," she says.

Says Mitchell, "She shows her students that poetry is timeless and that it's all around them."...


She lives in Revere, not far from the school, and she walks to and from work, purposefully walking along the roughest streets of the neighborhood in which many of her students live. "I think she's crazy," Mitchell says with a smile betraying admiration.

But walking where gang gunfights and drug deals have transpired over the years has brought reassurance to students who live in the neighborhood, says Tany Ban, a former student of Barile's who grew up along Shirley Avenue in a tough part of town.

"I'd see her on the street — she was always part of our community, and she was a role model. She made me think to myself: 'There are other ways to go about your life. You don't have to be here.' "

For her part, Barile was determined to see Ban go to college. So she signed him up for a Kaplan SAT prep course and paid for it, presenting him with the registration packet one day at school. "She makes it so you have no choice but to better yourself," Ban says, laughing. After attending Boston University, Ban, too, is back at Revere High — as a math teacher.

"Nancy's the complete package," says her principal, David DeRousi. "There are some people who can see what kids need both inside and beyond the classroom, and Nancy has that gift."

And here's a few other pieces:
Christian Science Monitor
USA Today
Hat's off! Much love, and respect to my old friend Nancy.

Keith Olbermann Exposes Congressional Opponents of Universal Health Care

Once again Olbermann let's loose like we wish all newscasters would.



(Thanks, Webmaster MichaelMoore.com)

Fugazi 1989

Here's two great video clips (although pretty poor sound) i stumbled across taken the same day as my picture above and at the bottom. In fact you don't even have to look too close to see me. I always think it's cool to see the other perspectives, angles, and textures from the same day as my own work.

(Design genius) Jonathan Ive on The Key to Apple's Success...

from Business Week:

Jonathan Ive isn’t prone to making wild proclamations about design, his boss, Steve Jobs, or Apple, the company at which he’s led the design team since 1996. Indeed, he’s not really one for speaking in public much at all. So it was with a sense of keen anticipation that a group of 700 or so Londoners descended on the Royal Geographical Society in posh South Kensington to hear Ive in conversation with Sir Christopher Frayling, rector of the Royal College of Art.

During the hour-long chat, Ive touched on many themes and topics. The main takeaway for executives looking to try and copy Apple’s success? Don’t. Instead, Ive said forcefully and repeatedly, companies need to define their own clear, high-minded raison d’être. That should drive the actions and decisions of every employee, from the C-suite down.
For Apple, he outlined, the end game isn't commercial success. "Apple's goal isn't to make money. Our goal is to design and develop and bring to market good products," he explained. "We trust as a consequence of that, people will like them, and as another consequence we'll make some money. But we're really clear about what our goals are." This focus, he continued, has driven Apple to produce only a small number of high quality products. "We try not to bring out another product that's just different," he said. "'Different' and 'new' is relatively easy. Doing something that's genuinely better is very hard."

And while Ive was clearly careful not to point fingers or name names, he was critical of companies that continue to lay emphasis on "new" rather than "better," churning out products simply in order to survive, with no thought of the impact of such rampant production. "It never ceases to amaze me what it takes to develop and bring to mass production a product," he said. "If you don't care, it's just wrong to drag so many resources and so much of people's time through that process."

Ive also had bad news for anyone looking to foster a design or innovation-driven culture within an enterprise that doesn't at heart "get" it. Unless the disciplines are acknowledged and embraced as core values by every employee, they won't gain traction. "We don't have identity manuals reminding us of points of philosophy for why our company exists," he said of Apple's internal culture. "I'm sure those things are very well meaning, but if you have to institutionalize stuff, you end up chasing your tail." In other words, unless the commitment to innovation or design is authentic and heartfelt, rather than this month's short-term strategy to cater to a hot trend, it will be nigh on impossible to build a true, innovation-led culture (and emulate Apple's success.)

So what does Ive look for when interviewing would-be Apple designers? Belief, passion and a commitment to strive for perfection. "When I'm interviewing people to join the team, the discussions go like this: 'this was my idea, this is how it turned out in manufacturing, and it's rubbish, isn't it? But it isn't my fault'," he recounted wryly, before becoming serious. "There's a list of excuses and reasons why it was somebody else's fault other than the designer's. Now I understand that, I've been there, I've been frustrated beyond words with other companies when I was working independently. But when you've gone through a whole portfolio like that, at some point you have to say: 'if you really do care about the quality of what ends up getting made, wouldn't you find an answer, some sort of alternative, and somehow figure out a way to take your idea and do something with it?'" It was a great reminder that design is about much more than the studio and the drawing board. Designers need to be fully engaged in a company's overarching mission, and should be resolved to oversee every stage of a product's life cycle, from concept to shop shelf and beyond.

Ive's own commitment to the design process is precisely why, he said, if you don't like Apple products, then you and he have a problem. Well, he didn't put it exactly like that. In delicate Ive speak, this was, "We maybe would have a difference of opinion, but I can say it's that way because that's the way we wanted it to be. There's not an excuse." Now, I know Apple is too often touted as the poster child for successful design-led innovation, but really, how many other corporate design chiefs can make the same claim?

Three is a Magic Number

I'll be here tonight supporting my friend and checking out his museum retrospective

Hey Glen:

As you may know, The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston was kind enough to host my first solo career survey. One of the proudest moments of my life so far has been my exhibition at the ICA, which opened in February and is coming to a close in mid August. It has been amazing to see how Boston has reacted to my art, both inside the ICA and on the streets.

While I’m sad to see it coming to a close, it won’t be without a bang. I was unable to DJ at the ICA opening party due to unforeseen circumstances, but that just gave me a great excuse to have an awesome closing party

On July 31st, the ICA is hosting the closing party at the museum from 9 pm to 1 am. Z-Trip and I will be DJing, and Chuck D of Public Enemy is performing as well. It would mean a lot to me if you could be there to help celebrate. To RSVP please respond to this email with your guests.

Cheers,

Shepard

By the way this show will be up until the middle of the month so if you have a chance to be up there you may want to check it out. He's had some incredible stuff up around town up there too.


Sheaprd's Peace Goddess unveiled at Boston City Hall

The Meat of the Problem

Yes I know you've probably been hearing this around, but i figure when it's written up well in the Washington Post, it's pretty mainstream and obvious, so obvious that only an idiot would ignore it's truth. So let me share this long over due sermon with you.

Gut Check
The Meat of the Problem
By Ezra Klein

The debate over climate change has reached a rarefied level of policy abstraction in recent months. Carbon tax or cap-and-trade? Upstream or downstream? Should we auction permits? Head-scratching is, at this point, permitted. But at base, these policies aim to do a simple thing, in a simple way: persuade us to undertake fewer activities that are bad for the atmosphere by making those activities more expensive. Driving an SUV would become pricier. So would heating a giant house with coal and buying electricity from an inefficient power plant. But there's one activity that's not on the list and should be: eating a hamburger.

If it's any consolation, I didn't like writing that sentence any more than you liked reading it. But the evidence is strong. It's not simply that meat is a contributor to global warming; it's that it is a huge contributor. Larger, by a significant margin, than the global transportation sector.

According to a 2006 United Nations report, livestock accounts for 18 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Some of meat's contribution to climate change is intuitive. It's more energy efficient to grow grain and feed it to people than it is to grow grain and turn it into feed that we give to calves until they become adults that we then slaughter to feed to people. Some of the contribution is gross. "Manure lagoons," for instance, is the oddly evocative name for the acres of animal excrement that sit in the sun steaming nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. And some of it would make Bart Simpson chuckle. Cow gas -- interestingly, it's mainly burps, not farts -- is a real player.

But the result isn't funny at all: Two researchers at the University of Chicago estimated that switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading in your gas guzzler for a Prius (PDF). A study out of Carnegie Mellon University found that the average American would do less for the planet by switching to a totally local diet than by going vegetarian one day a week. That prompted Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to recommend that people give up meat one day a week to take pressure off the atmosphere. The response was quick and vicious. "How convenient for him," was the inexplicable reply from a columnist at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. "He's a vegetarian."

The visceral reaction against anyone questioning our God-given right to bathe in bacon has been enough to scare many in the environmental movement away from this issue. The National Resources Defense Council has a long page of suggestions for how you, too, can "fight global warming." As you'd expect, "Drive Less" is in bold letters. There's also an endorsement for "high-mileage cars such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids." They advise that you weatherize your home, upgrade to more efficient appliances and even buy carbon offsets. The word "meat" is nowhere to be found.

That's not an oversight. Telling people to give up burgers doesn't poll well. Ben Adler, an urban policy writer, explored that in a December 2008 article for the American Prospect. He called environmental groups and asked them for their policy on meat consumption. "The Sierra Club isn't opposed to eating meat," was the clipped reply from a Sierra Club spokesman. "So that's sort of the long and short of it." And without pressure to address the costs of meat, politicians predictably are whiffing on the issue. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, for instance, does nothing to address the emissions from livestock.

The pity of it is that compared with cars or appliances or heating your house, eating pasta on a night when you'd otherwise have made fajitas is easy. It doesn't require a long commute on the bus or the disposable income to trade up to a Prius. It doesn't mean you have to scrounge for change to buy a carbon offset. In fact, it saves money. It's healthful. And it can be done immediately. A Montanan who drives 40 miles to work might not have the option to take public transportation. But he or she can probably pull off a veggie stew. A cash-strapped family might not be able buy a new dishwasher. But it might be able to replace meatballs with mac-and-cheese. That is the whole point behind the cheery PB&J Campaign, which reminds that "you can fight global warming by having a PB&J for lunch." Given that PB&J is delicious, it's not the world's most onerous commitment.

It's also worth saying that this is not a call for asceticism. It's not a value judgment on anyone's choices. Going vegetarian might not be as effective as going vegan, but it's better than eating meat, and eating meat less is better than eating meat more. It would be a whole lot better for the planet if everyone eliminated one meat meal a week than if a small core of die-hards developed perfectly virtuous diets.

I've not had the willpower to eliminate bacon from my life entirely, and so I eliminated it from breakfast and lunch, and when that grew easier, pulled back further to allow myself five meat-based meals a month. And believe me, I enjoy the hell out of those five meals. But if we're going to take global warming seriously, if we're going to make crude oil more expensive and tank-size cars less practical, there's no reason to ignore the impact of what we put on our plates.

Ezra Klein can be reached at kleine@washpost.com or through his blog at http://www.washingtonpost.com/ezraklein.

(Thanks, Simone)

Single Payer Health Care RallyJuly 30th Washington DC

check out local New York City Congressmen spelling it out for the knuckleheads:



HEALTHCARE-NOW! is a group organizing for a National Single-Payer Healthcare System. HR 676: One Plan, One Nation.

Single-payer is a term used to describe a type of financing system. It refers to one entity acting as administrator, or “payer.” In the case of healthcare, a single-payer system would be setup such that one entity—a government run organization—would collect all healthcare fees, and pay out all healthcare costs.

In the current US system, there are literally tens of thousands of different healthcare organizations—HMOs, billing agencies, etc. By having so many different payers of healthcare fees, there is an enormous amount of administrative waste generated in the system. (Just imagine how complex billing must be in a doctor’s office, when each insurance company requires a different form to be completed, has a different billing system, different billing contacts and phone numbers—it’s very confusing.)

In a single-payer system, all hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers would bill one entity for their services. This alone reduces administrative waste greatly, and saves money, which can be used to provide care and insurance to those who currently don’t have it.

Please read further details here.

And check out Obama's Own Family Physician, Dr. David Scheiner As He Prescribes Single-Payer for America:

You Tube deletes my channel - WTF?

Dear Glen,
We are required by law to terminate accounts when they are found to repeatedly infringe copyright. Because you have had other videos rejected in the past, we are unable to reinstate your account.

Sincerely,
Jacob
The YouTube Team

Well the other videos i had rejected were short TV clips, that never even made it on YouTube. This current clip in question was a news report from Time Warner's NY1 news channel. But the irony is the news story was about the 1st phase of my "Liberty Street protest" - So I called the licencing dept. at NY1 spoke to some one there and they sincerely apologized and said they would write YouTube explaining the situation and if i left the video off they'd support me getting my account back.

Well no such luck. Not so bad for the clips I posted (other than Evan Bernards "Pound which got almost two million views since i posted it) because the best ones people have copied and posted or i have posted other places on the Internet, the really bad news is that I lost all the videos i marked as favorites and they won't even send me those URL's... Am i supposed to remember those? That's why i "favored" them! I think YouTube is amazing, but don't ever expect a fair shake from their legal department.

So even after NY1 wrote them, to tell them I was not such a bad offender;

We understand that the account... was closed down due to a copyright infringement complaint made by us. We’ve been in contact with the owner of the account, Glenn Friedman, and have settled the matter. We would like to help Glenn get his account re-opened ... Please let us know how we can assist Glenn.
Thank you,
Rxxxx Bxxxxxx
TWC Local News Division
Licensing & Clearances

Decent enough for them to write that. Then I get this back:

Dear Glen,
Based on the communication we have had with NY1, we will not be able to restore your account.
Sincerely,
Jacob
The YouTube Team

Damn...

UTFO, 1985 - previously unpublished

This was the very first time i ever shot a photo of a real hip-hop group. I had never even met them prior. I was inspired! Just before i took this photo they came out with their mega-classic smash, Roxanne, Roxanne (one of the all-time hip-hop classics) and got this big show in L.A. (if i remember correctly they were opening for Kurtis Blow). I along with everyone else in the world at the time thought the song was amazing. Check out the only video of it i could find, it's of them on the short lived Richard Belzer talk show:



The thing was I had just done that classic photo session with the Beastie Boys (who still could not really be considered a "hip-hop group" just yet, at least not to me) that everyone at RUSH management liked. So when i heard that UTFO were coming to town (I was still living in Los Angeles) i called RUSH to see if they could arrange for me to get a ticket to the show and possibly a few minutes for me to do a photo session w/UTFO. As it turned out Bill Adler (the O.G. Hip Hop/RUSH/Def Jam publicist) was able to help me out, even though UTFO were not a part of the RUSH roster.

The day of the show I spoke to the road manager, went to the venue and was waiting around for a while. Finally i get to meet the promoter or manager, i can't remember who, but they knew i was waiting for these guys so i could get some photos - although i felt like no one understood why in the world i would want to take pictures of them. - A while later the manager, or whoever it was says, "They are still at the hotel. Here take the keys to this car, and go pick them up and bring them down here" - "what?" - "Go pick them up, here's the keys" - I never met the guy, i had no ID or credentials, nothing other than perhaps i was the only white guy in the building, and he just gave me the keys... OK. So I went down to the hotel, and brought them back for sound check. Afterward we came back to the "Holiday Inn", where I took these photos on the terrace. Later in the evening, before they went on stage, I took a few more backstage, one of those classic shots is in my book FUCK YOU TOO.



Although not a well known recording by UTFO, this song and more particularly this video above was at the top of the game when it was released (Steve Salem R.I.P. would be happy if he knew I said that). Just check the oversized crusher trucks of the era and the laser disc's being used as records on the turntables, and you'll have to admit this one belongs in a time capsule without a doubt.

Afghan kids skateboarding (still strong since my last post)

I mentioned the first article i saw about "Skatistan" back in February when i discovered the great story and video on NewYorkTimes.com, This week an update was brought to my attention from the Los Angeles Times:

In a country where girls are rigidly segregated from boys and rarely participate in sports, Skateistan has managed to bring boys and girls together. Dozens of children swarm across the fountain every day, sharing boards and showing off improvised skating moves.

Several former street beggars are paid a few dollars a day to instruct playmates on basic techniques. Others are middle-class children who otherwise would have little contact with poor street kids, or with children on the other side of Afghanistan's volatile ethnic mix.

"The boards are just our carrots," Percovich said, shouting over the clack-clack-clack of skateboard wheels. "They're a way to connect with kids and build trust."

For now, Percovich uses the skateboards to entice children into informal lessons and counseling sessions. But starting this fall, he hopes to bring the kids into classrooms.

A few miles away, ground was broken this summer on a $1-million indoor skateboard park that Skateistan is building with local and international donations on land given by Afghanistan's Olympic committee. Percovich says the children will be able to attend English and computer classes and learn "life skills" at the 19,000-square-foot park.

The park, outfitted with skateboarding surfaces and ramps, will be Afghanistan's largest indoor sports facility when it is completed, Percovich said.

In another initiative, Percovich has persuaded private donors to pay $60 a month to send children to Afghan schools. That program targets girls and young children.

"Maybe we can play some small part in keeping these kids from becoming insurgents later on," Percovich said. Skateistan's logo features a skateboard crushing an assault rifle.


... Despite the widespread violence in Afghanistan by the Taliban and other Islamic militants, Percovich said he doesn't feel threatened. In fact, he said, his reception as a skateboarder has been worse in many other countries.

Read the full story here at LosAngelesTimes.com.
And check out some great photos here.
(Thanks, Cathy)

Trompe-l'œil video projection on building facade

Urban Screen's mesmerizing building facade video: "How it would be, if a house was dreaming." (Via Dangerous Minds) - (Thanks, BoingBoing)

XXXL - Why are we so fat?

Here's the beginning of an interesting article in last week's New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert.

One of the most comprehensive data sets available about Americans—how tall they are, when they last visited a dentist, what sort of cereal they eat for breakfast, whether they have to pee during the night, and, if so, how often—comes from a series of studies conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants are chosen at random, interviewed at length, and subjected to a battery of tests in special trailers that the C.D.C. hauls around the country. The studies, known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, began during the Eisenhower Administration and have been carried out periodically ever since.

In the early nineteen-nineties, a researcher at the C.D.C. named Katherine Flegal was reviewing the results of the survey then under way when she came across figures that seemed incredible. According to the first National Health study, which was done in the early nineteen-sixties, 24.3 per cent of American adults were overweight—roughly defined as having a body-mass index greater than twenty-seven. (The metrics are slightly different for men and women; by the study’s definition, a woman who is five feet tall would count as overweight if she was more than a hundred and forty pounds, and a man who is six feet tall if he weighed more than two hundred and four pounds.) By the time of the second survey, conducted in the early nineteen-seventies, the proportion of overweight adults had increased by three-quarters of a per cent, to twenty-five per cent, and, by the third survey, in the late seventies, it had edged up to 25.4 per cent. The results that Flegal found so surprising came from the fourth survey. During the nineteen-eighties, the American gut, instead of expanding very gradually, had ballooned: 33.3 per cent of adults now qualified as overweight. Flegal began asking around at professional meetings. Had other researchers noticed a change in Americans’ waistlines? They had not. This left her feeling even more perplexed. She knew that errors could have sneaked into the data in a variety of ways, so she and her colleagues checked and rechecked the figures. There was no problem that they could identify. Finally, in 1994, they published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In just ten years, they showed, Americans had collectively gained more than a billion pounds. “If this was about tuberculosis, it would be called an epidemic,” another researcher wrote in an editorial accompanying the report.

During the next decade, Americans kept right on gaining. Men are now on average seventeen pounds heavier than they were in the late seventies, and for women that figure is even higher: nineteen pounds. The proportion of overweight children, age six to eleven, has more than doubled, while the proportion of overweight adolescents, age twelve to nineteen, has more than tripled. (According to the standards of the United States military, forty per cent of young women and twenty-five per cent of young men weigh too much to enlist.) As the average person became heavier, the very heavy became heavier still; more than twelve million Americans now have a body-mass index greater than forty, which, for someone who is five feet nine, entails weighing more than two hundred and seventy pounds. Hospitals have had to buy special wheelchairs and operating tables to accommodate the obese, and revolving doors have had to be widened—the typical door went from about ten feet to about twelve feet across. An Indiana company called Goliath Casket has begun offering triple-wide coffins with reinforced hinges that can hold up to eleven hundred pounds. It has been estimated that Americans’ extra bulk costs the airlines a quarter of a billion dollars’ worth of jet fuel annually.

Please go here to read the entire piece.

Hot dogs should carry a warning label, lawsuit says

from the Los Angeles Times

"Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer."

The nonprofit Cancer Project filed a lawsuit today on behalf of three New Jersey plaintiffs asking the Essex County superior court to compel the companies to place cancer-risk warning labels on hot dog packages sold in New Jersey.

"Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer," says Neal Barnard, president of the Cancer Project and an adjunct professor at the George Washington University medical school in Washington, D.C. "Companies that sell hot dogs are well aware of the danger, and their customers deserve the same information."

The defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, include Nathan's Famous Inc., Oscar Mayer-owner Kraft Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corp., Marathon Enterprises Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc., which owns Hebrew National...

The Cancer Project is a branch of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group that lobbies against animal research and pitches the adoption of meat-free diets.

In the lawsuit, the Cancer Project cites the role of nitrites, a preservative used in cured and processed meats such as hot dogs in the development of cancer-forming agents. During digestion, it breaks down into nitrosamines and other N-nitroso compounds that are considered carcinogens.

to read the entire unbalanced article go here.

It's so obvious, it's stupid, to read this article, but interesting points are brought up, that of course meat industry dismisses just as the tobacco industry once did with tobacco products. Read it and see how thick the baloney is in this country in the industrial food business. Read between the lines, it is obvious and should make you as sick as the hotdogs themselves.

(Thanks, Doug)

Bruce Lee playing ping pong with nunchucks?

Is this just crafty advertisement for Nokia or did they just lift the footage to promote their shit? I don't know, but this is kinda incredible.



Update:
Well maybe it's all fake?
As my friend A-Dog says "It's real enough"
I'm not 100% sure
but here's another clip from the same crew apparently:

Z-Boy, "Baby Paul" Cullen, youngest member of the original Zephyr team, dies.

UPDATE:

I was told by the family that anyone who wants to attend the service is welcome. It is being held this SATURDAY 7.25.09 @ 10:30AM St. Monica Catholic Church, 725 California Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403. also a SUNDAY, 9AM, VENICE PIER PADDLE OUT MEMORIAL.

Check out the page dedicated to Paul on the Z-Boys.com web archive. Lots of pictures and the classic "Who's Hot" SkateBoarder magazine profile written by C.R. Stecyk III from the mid seventies.

R.I.P.

2nd Update
original post deleted by request of the family.

Terrorism is auto-immune war; war-on-terror does the terrorists' job.

The Yorkshire Ranter recasts terrorism as an "auto-immune war" -- a war intended to inflict maximum damage by getting the host's defense mechanisms to overfire, damaging the host well beyond than the actual terrorist attacks:

Specifically, auto-immune war is a strategy, but its tactical implementation is the creation of false positive responses. Security obsession gums up the economy with inefficiencies. Terrorism terrorises the public; security theatre keeps them that way. As Kilcullen points out, every day, millions of travellers are systematically reminded of terrorism by government security precautions. Profiling measures subject entire communities to indignity and waste endless hours of police time. Vast sums of money are spent on counterproductive equipment programs and unlikely techno-fixes. National identity cards and monster databases are the specific symptoms of this pathology in the UK, just as idiotic militarism is in the US.

Accidental Guerrilla; Part 2, Strategy (via Futurismic)
[thanks BoingBoing]
WORD.

Where Did The Money Go?

How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck

click on the image to see it full size and legible.

from visualeconomics.com
(thanks, boingboing)

I Love Cornel West . . .

I went to the event tuesday night, at City College in Harlem, as mentioned tuesday on the blog. It was pretty interesting - if you want to listen go HERE.

As usual Dr. Cornel West, although I don't always agree with him on everything, proves again to be the man. While Carl Dix also had lots of interesting and important things to say, much of which i did agree with, it just seemed to lack some answers regarding the actual execution of his ideals. Listen and make up your own mind...

Here's a nice portrait i got of Cornel just before they went on stage.
(he was gracious as usual, with the big hugs, and even remembered me! perhaps since contributing some words to my own favorite book The Idealist.)


And here's a shot i took from the audience (with the little digicam i got recently), a little later in the evening.



Update: here's the video of the event:

Why the FUCK Do We Swear? For Pain Relief

from Scientific American

Dropping the F-bomb or other expletives may not only be an expression of agony, but also a means to alleviate it.

By Frederik Joelving

Bad language could be good for you, a new study shows. For the first time, psychologists have found that swearing may serve an important function in relieving pain.

The study, published today in the journal NeuroReport, measured how long college students could keep their hands immersed in cold water. During the chilly exercise, they could repeat an expletive of their choice or chant a neutral word. When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer.

Although cursing is notoriously decried in the public debate, researchers are now beginning to question the idea that the phenomenon is all bad. "Swearing is such a common response to pain that there has to be an underlying reason why we do it," says psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University in England, who led the study. And indeed, the findings point to one possible benefit: "I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear," he adds.

How swearing achieves its physical effects is unclear, but the researchers speculate that brain circuitry linked to emotion is involved. Earlier studies have shown that unlike normal language, which relies on the outer few millimeters in the left hemisphere of the brain, expletives hinge on evolutionarily ancient structures buried deep inside the right half.

One such structure is the amygdala, an almond-shaped group of neurons that can trigger a fight-or-flight response in which our heart rate climbs and we become less sensitive to pain. Indeed, the students' heart rates rose when they swore, a fact the researchers say suggests that the amygdala was activated.

That explanation is backed by other experts in the field. Psychologist Steven Pinker of Harvard University, whose book The Stuff of Thought (Viking Adult, 2007) includes a detailed analysis of swearing, compared the situation with what happens in the brain of a cat that somebody accidentally sits on. "I suspect that swearing taps into a defensive reflex in which an animal that is suddenly injured or confined erupts in a furious struggle, accompanied by an angry vocalization, to startle and intimidate an attacker," he says.

But cursing is more than just aggression, explains Timothy Jay, a psychologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who has studied our use of profanities for the past 35 years. "It allows us to vent or express anger, joy, surprise, happiness," he remarks. "It's like the horn on your car, you can do a lot of things with that, it's built into you."

In extreme cases, the hotline to the brain's emotional system can make swearing harmful, as when road rage escalates into physical violence. But when the hammer slips, some well-chosen swearwords might help dull the pain.

There is a catch, though: The more we swear, the less emotionally potent the words become, Stephens cautions. And without emotion, all that is left of a swearword is the word itself, unlikely to soothe anyone's pain.

(thanks BoingBoing)

Vegan Earth Day

United States becomes first nation in the world to formally recognize Vegan Earth Day.

The worlds first annual Vegan Earth Day celebration was held at Pierce College in Woodland Hills California, USA, on June 21, 2009. The brainchild of Bob Linden, producer and host of Go Vegan with Bob Linden, a California-based global radio program, Vegan Earth Day immediately received national recognition. Mr. Linden conceived of the idea of Vegan Earth Day out of a concern that the largest contributors to climate change were not being addressed in other Earth Day celebrations. He stated "In 2006, the United Nations told us that the livestock sector contributed 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Now we understand that climate change is advancing faster than scientists predicted, and that methane from cows is over 20 times more deadly a greenhouse gas, and nitrous oxide from cows over 200 times more potent. This means the livestock industry is even more culpable in addressing climate change than we ever imagined. The only true green lifestyle then is vegan. It's shocking, but meat and dairy cause global warming more than all transportation combined. So I started Vegan Earth Day so people would understand that the most important thing they can do to save the planet is eat a vegan diet. Let's not depend on governments to save the environment. It's up to us, each of us individually, to go vegan today, and then every day will be a real earth day!"

Two time US presidential candidate and current Democratic Member of the House of Representatives, Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, who is a vegan himself, showed his full support. He recognized VEGAN EARTH DAY in a statement, delivered from the floor of the United States Congress, and documented permanently in the Congressional Record, declaring June 21, 2009, as Americas first official Vegan Earth Day, making the United States the first country in the world to formally recognize the importance of adopting an animal free diet to sustain and preserve our earth. To further indicate his support, Mr. Kucinich sent his congratulation remarks via video, in which he declared that adopting a vegan (animal free) diet was one of the best decisions he has made in his life.

The speakers and musicians, including several US celebrities, were also all vegan. They showed their full support for the first annual Vegan Earth Day.

Guest speakers included Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, one of the foremost heart specialists in the world and author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Mr. Chris DeRose, former television actor, animal activist, and founder of Last Chance for Animals, Ms. Christine Garcia, founder and lead council of the Animal Law Office in San Francisco, and host of the television show Ethics and Animals, Lorri Houston, founder and director of Animal Acres, and Rip Esselstyn, world class triathlon athlete turned firefighter and author of the New York Times Best Seller, The Engine 2 Diet. Vegan musicians included Joanelle Romero, actress, producer, and CEO of the first American Indian television station, Red Nation Indian, the Luminaries, a 10 piece band, international reggae recording artist, Bushman, and Sony Music / Epic Records vocalist Naomi Striemer, among others. Details on future viewing of the webcast will be posted at http://www.GoVeganRadio.com.

The highlight of the event was the evening conference, Vegan Earth Day for a Vegan World. Hosted by Bob Linden, the guest of honor was Supreme Master Ching Hai, world renowned humanitarian, spiritual leader and artist. Winner of the Gusi Peace Prize, World Spiritual Leadership Award, and World Citizen Humanitarian Award, and 3-time speaker at the United Nations, Supreme Master Ching Hai actively promotes the vegan diet as the primary way to sustain our earth, halt climate change, and achieve world peace. Although unable to attend in person, Supreme Master Ching Hai delivered her address via video. Stating meat is murder, she explained that meat consumption not only causes indescribable anguish to the 55 billion animals killed each year for food, it is also the number one killer of human beings, and is responsible for more deaths than all the wars in the world combined. Quoting scientific evidence, she described the environmental costs of meat consumption, including rain forest deforestation, acidification of our earths oceans, pollution, and inefficient resource use. She also provided medical evidence of how an animal-based diet is devastating to our health. Supreme Master Ching Hai concluded that we can achieve world peace only when we learn to live in harmony with our animal co-inhabitants.

KRS-ONE still hittin'em where it hurts after all these years

KRS-One and Buckshot - "Robot"

Cornel West & Carl Dix discuss Obama - to do tonight in New York

I am going to try to make this event tonight. Not only will we see two incredible speakers but all the proceeds will go to benefit the Revolution Books store here in NYC, who desperately need help keeping their doors open these days.

THIS EVENT promises to be a crackling evening of passionate and penetrating conversation over matters that many are seriously concerned about but have not dared to discuss out loud and in public. Cornel West and Carl Dix will break the silence and address from their different philosophical perspectives what the election of Obama really means for people in the U.S. and around the world. And they will exchange over the need for resistance and the prospects for and path to liberation for the oppressed in the U.S. and indeed, for all of humanity.

CORNEL WEST is one of America's most provocative public intellectuals and has been a champion for racial justice since childhood. His writing, speaking, and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. The New York Times has praised his "ferocious moral vision." Dr. West currently teaches at Princeton University.

CARL DIX is a longtime revolutionary activist and a spokesperson for the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. Carl was one of the Fort Lewis 6 - six GI's who refused orders to go to Vietnam in 1970. Carl served 2 years in Leavenworth Military Penitentiary for this stand.

Proceeds of this event will benefit Revolution Books in New York City and the Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund, which provides subsidized subscriptions to Revolution newspaper and other revolutionary literature to prisoners. Information about the Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund is available at www.prisonersrevolutionaryliteraturefund.org

When ‘Disco Sucks!’ echoed around the world

from MSNBC.com contributor Tony Sclafani



“Disco sucks!”

It was a catchphrase you couldn’t avoid hearing three decades ago when a backlash started to develop against the ’70s dance music genre that dominated Top 40 radio stations. The resentment culminated in an unexpected riot July 12, 1979 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was there fans charged onto the field during a promotional event called “Disco Demolition Night,” after Chicago DJ Steve Dahl blew up a box of disco records.

Smashing up disco records was a stunt Dahl did at area bars, but he got to bring his shtick to a wider audience when White Sox management started arranging publicity stunts to boost attendance. Over the years, the event has come to signify something larger in the culture — a point at which the implicit musical divide between whites and African-Americans became uncomfortably explicit. It also helped kill disco as a viable genre.

The hostility towards disco came to a head less than two years after the movie “Saturday Night Fever” was released, mostly because radio listeners grew tired of how dominating disco had become. Additionally, the music got associated with the lifestyle of the rich and famous because of its connection with New York’s swanky disco Studio 54. That’s ironic, because disco was forged much the way rock music was — by people who were considered outsiders...

start to read the entire story at MSNBC.com and continued here.

© 2009 msnbc.com.

GreenPeace - Behind-the-scenes video of Mount Rushmore banner hang

"Climbers hung a banner on the face of Mount Rushmore to issue a challenge to President Obama: "America honors leaders, not politicians: Stop global warming." The action is part of a global day of action staged by Greenpeace to urge world leaders attending a G8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, to take the actions necessary to avert runaway climate change.

“We are at a key moment in history when we must challenge our president to take real leadership. The steps taken so far have been frankly inadequate. If President Obama wants to take his place among the great leaders of history, he must take aggressive measures to combat climate change and prioritize a strong deal in Copenhagen,” said Carroll Muffet, Deputy Campaign Director for Greenpeace. "We're here at Mount Rushmore to inspire Americans to take action, and remind the world that heroism and leadership are part of our nation’s history — and must be a part of our future.”

from the GreenPeace staff blog:

We just posted this amazing new video – shot by our team in the field at yesterday’s banner hang on Mount Rushmore – to YouTube. Check it out, there’s some cool behind-the-scenes footage, and then you can see just how windy it was. Our climbers get tossed around pretty good. Just goes to show how incredible of a job they really did.



In addition to heaps of praise and words of encouragement, we’ve been getting a lot of flak from people who were upset that we would deface a national monument. My response to them is twofold: First, there are already climbing leads established on the rock, which the park employees use to clean the monument. Our climbers used those leads and were extremely cautious not to do any harm to the monument, and in the end they did not do any damage.

Second, all of the sanctimonious claims about our disrespect for what Mount Rushmore represents are completely baseless. We have utmost respect for the accomplishments of the great leaders who built this country, that’s why we chose it as the site for issuing our challenge to President Obama to be a leader on global warming. But Mount Rushmore was built on a mountain stolen from Native Americans. Adding insult to injury, we then carved a bunch of white people’s faces into it. So you gotta ask yourself: What does Mount Rushmore really represent?

For the record, a member of the local Oglala Sioux tribe has published an op-ed praising our action.

And our larger point still stands: If President Obama wants to be considered equal to the pantheon of great American leaders depicted on Mount Rushmore, he needs to start providing real leadership on global warming, the greatest challenge of our time.

The pesident is currently meeting with the rest of the G8 leaders in L’Aquila, Italy. Yesterday they held a press conference to announce that they were setting a target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. But that is not what real leadership looks like – that target had already been endorsed by 109 nations even before the G8 announcement.

Plus, as worthy as this long-term goal is, the truly critical issue is that President Obama and the rest of the world’s leaders still have not laid out an adequate roadmap for how we’re going to get there. In other words, they haven’t set short-term goals that are ambitious enough to get us to the long term goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. Scientists have clearly stated that the United States and other industrialized countries must cut their emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. But the Obama Administration, like Congress, continues to promote short-term emissions reductions targets that fall far short of what science demands.

We can’t continue to put off for tomorrow what science tells us we need to do today. While the 2 degree commitment would appear to recognize the severity of the crisis we're facing, the Obama Administration and the G8 have failed to provide any plan for staying below this critical threshold. Sign our petition now and ask Obama to be a leader on global warming, not just here in America but for the world as well.

permalink GreenPeace staff blog

Bill Moyers Show Reveals Insurance Lobby's Secret Plan to Attack 'Sicko' and Michael Moore‏

We've just been informed that Bill Moyers, on his show, will expose for the first time the health insurance industry's secret campaign against Michael Moore and his film, "Sicko." It contains a stunning revelation and admission by a top health insurance executive -- the former head of publicity for CIGNA, one of the top health insurance companies in the country -- that the disinformation and attacks on Michael and the film were extensive and well-planned. Their job was to stop the movie from reaching a wide audience (and, more importantly, from having the widespread political impact the industry feared "Sicko" would have).

Wendell Potter, former Head of Corporate Communications at CIGNA (which provides health insurance to nearly 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies) admits that, in fact, "Sicko" "hit the nail on the head" and told the real truth about how much better people in other countries have it when it comes to their health care.

from Michael Moore

Triumph meets the Beastie Boys

Some funny shit as usual with Triumph. This happened last week or so, but the link was just sent to me from my friend Luke.

I think this is the first time i've ever seen the Beastie's left virtually speechless, 'cause you know they can usually hold their own pretty damn well against insults in the comedy realm. But this was straight up .

World Leaders, Protesters Gather in Italy for G-8; Global Financial Crisis & Climate Change Top Agenda

From Democracy Now:

President Obama arrived in Italy from Moscow this morning where leaders from eight of the world’s richest nations are gathering in the town of L’Aquila, for the annual Group of Eight summit. The three-day meeting is expected see high-level talks on the global economic crisis, climate change, food security and Iran. Protesters are also gathering for the G-8. We speak with Loretta Napoleoni, author of “Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality.”

O.G. Hot Rods

I used to love these things when I was a little kid. The Tijuana Taxi, S'cool Bus, Red Baron, and the Paddy Wagon still hold a special place in my pre-teen memories (as well as my mom's attic!).

Anyway I just read on BoingBoing about this crazy auction of some cool old cars:

1850 'Boothill Express' Custom Show Rod: Built by Ray Fahrner, Boothill Express is based on the 1850s funeral coach that reportedly carried James Gang member Bob Younger to his grave. Powered by a 426 cu. in. Chrysler Hemi with extra-tall Hilborn fuel injection stacks, it has been the subject of numerous scale models and is certainly one of the wildest and most iconic custom creations to come from the show rod era of the 1960s.

1965 Dodge "Deora" Concept Car: A radical design interpretation of the Dodge A100 forward-control pickup truck, the Deora’s striking lines were penned by California-based designer Harry Bradley and constructed in stunning detail by the Alexander Brothers of Detroit. Their unique creation was honored with the coveted Ridler Award in 1967, and it was pulled out of storage in 1998 before being fully restored back to show quality with the assistance of Harry Bradley himself. Immortalized by various Hot Wheels cars and AMT scale models, the Deora is one of the most recognizable and desirable 1960s Concept Cars.

These two amazing hot rods will be up for bid in September's Icons Of Speed & Style auction at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Many of the vehicles look like rad Revell plastic model kits or Hot Wheels. That's because those scale models and Hot Wheels were based on some of these actual cars. From the auction listings:

Icons of Speed & Style auction

The Adolescents... another great underrated band from the 80's

Here's a little clip i just found someone slapped together of The Adolescents. Coincedentally the first photo images are the portraits i shot of them on thier first and my first album cover (no group shot by the way because i could never get them all together at one moment!) . The song is Wrecking Crew, one of my favorites they ever did, certainly a southern california classic. One of the great original Orange County punk bands, in their original incarnation one of the all time best. There's also a few other photos of mine scattered in there.

classic - JUNKYARD BAND

I was planning on uploading this Junk Yard band photo to share a few weeks ago, held it to the side, then this week I get a call from SPIN magazine who are doing a feature on "top 50 singles" or "most underrated singles of the 80's", or honestly i don't remember at the moment. Either way I thought it was great that the Junk Yard band was getting any press. Anyway, here's a shot from the same day, I don't think this is the one they will be using.

I shot this photo down in their own neighborhood in Washington D.C. back in 1986 or '87 for Def Jam. Rick Rubin asked me if I would go down and do the publicity shots, free trip to DC to see my friends, and I could stay over at Dischord House, so sure I was happy to. Besides the record was really cool (just a 12" single). On top of that Ian said he'd be happy to come along with me ("assist") just to check them out over there and keep me company (actually, I think the photo of Ian sitting on his porch in the front of "Keep Your Eyes Open" was on the same roll of film as this shot). Of course he had seen them playing on the streets of DC, so to check them out on their home grounds where they started he thought would be cool. It was.

check out this track "Sardines"

Pilger Calls UK National Health Service a Treasure, Blasts US Lawmakers for Being “in Bed with Powerful Interests” and Neglecting “Their Own People"

from Democracy Now

some more for you "The Original Jam Master"

Grant Green - Ain't It Funky Now


(thanks, again Basheer)

Happy birthday Ezio!

My son turns two today. So sing happy birthday and comment if you actually sang it out loud. Thank you.

Single Payer Action TV "Everybody in nobody out"

Who We Are
* Single Payer Action is a national non-profit.
* Founded by activists.
* For the American people.
* Seeking to implement a single payer health insurance system in the United States.
* Medicare for all.
* In our lifetimes.

What We Don't Do
* We don't do coalitions with front groups.
* We don't do inside the beltway politics.
* We will never compromise on single payer.

What We Want
* Single payer.
* Simple.
* Direct.
* Everybody in.
* Nobody out.



What We Do
* We do direct action.
* Face to face with the health insurance industry.
* In front of the home office of your member of Congress.
* In front of your member of Congress, wherever he or she may be.
* Until we get single payer.

Why We Do What We Do
* We are sick that 22,000 Americans die every
year from lack of health insurance.
* We are sick of health insurance companies jacking up premiums while their health insurance company CEOs make out like bandits.
* We are sick of high deductibles, co-pays, and the in-network, out-of-network Rube Goldberg system we live under.

check'em out:
Single Payer Action

Dope Track: Idris Muhammad - Superbad

dig it.

(thanks, Basheer)