Curtis Joseph
A man who has never won the prized Stanley Cup yet has won 450 Games in his career, to this point. Measuring success for Cujo should not be based on the prized cup.
For years, playing for underachieving teams, Curtis Joseph stood on his head advancing his teams to win after win. Starting his career with the St. Louis Blues, Cujo was well renowned as a shining star. The Blues made the playoffs most years he was with them. Once Joseph made a move to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs (originally from Keswick, Ontario), he performed admirably, guiding us to two Semi-Final appearances alongside Mats Sundin. In fact, without his performance, the Leafs were a borderline playoff team. With Joseph and Sundin, the Leafs were respected throughout the League as a play-off force.
Moving to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, Cujo looked poised to capture his first Stanley Cup ring. It didn’t happen. In his recent years with the Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames and now back with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Joseph has become sidestepped as one of the best Goalies in the game. This has been a common occurrence for Joseph. In making the Canadian Olympic Team twice, Cujo was awarded one start. Make no mistake though, in the Hockey Community there is almost no other active Goaltender, neigh Martin Brodeur and Domenic Hasek, with the statistics Cujo has put up. He will surely be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame once he hangs up his skates for good.
Keep this in mind when thinking of Cujo; a lifetime save % of .907, 450 wins (to this point of his career), and 51 lifetime shutouts. Without him his teams, the year following, declined in just about every instance aside from his Red Wings’ days. Number 31 is a marquee professional, in every sense and a hero to children aspiring to take the game to the next level’ in making Pro.
Aside from Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, there was no other clear-cut choice to start a big game than Joseph, and Joseph has certainly won his share.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Defamation of Islam by Gråulf
The 57 state organization of the Islamic Conference has successfully brought a resolution prohibiting the defamation of religion to a vote of the United Nations every year since 1999. Now this same prohibition against free expression will be a central theme of the Durban II Conference, to be held in Switzerland next summer. While the title of the resolution appear benign, it singles out Islam as the victim of maltreatment, as no other religion is mentioned. The implications of such a resolution are far-reaching and scary, but that is not why I am writing this article. I am fascinated by the definition and interpretation of the term “defamation.”
My dictionaries define deformation as the publication of a false statement about a person, business, group, or government, all of which are tangible entities. Religion is merrily a set of beliefs held by some people, which cannot take offense or bring a tort or criminal claim against its detractors. Even if a religion could take offense, it’s standing to sue would be in question. For the purpose of a defamation claim, the religion would be required to prove that a statement against it was false, and no religion I know of has ever been able to prove its truth. By its nature, a religious belief is subjectively determined by its followers, and may be considered utter nonsense by anyone else. An impartial judge could not render a decision on such a matter, as the very nature of religion is inconclusive. But then, the judge in a deformation suit on behalf of Islam is not intended to be impartial, and would use the resolution to legitimize laws antithetical to the democratic values of free expression.
The purpose of laws to protect speech is not to defend a singular view by prohibiting criticism of that view, but rather to protect individuals and groups so they can share and develop their views. Therefore this resolution is nothing less than a political ploy by the Islamic Conference to stifle free expression and to prevent any criticism of Islam.
Gråulf.
My dictionaries define deformation as the publication of a false statement about a person, business, group, or government, all of which are tangible entities. Religion is merrily a set of beliefs held by some people, which cannot take offense or bring a tort or criminal claim against its detractors. Even if a religion could take offense, it’s standing to sue would be in question. For the purpose of a defamation claim, the religion would be required to prove that a statement against it was false, and no religion I know of has ever been able to prove its truth. By its nature, a religious belief is subjectively determined by its followers, and may be considered utter nonsense by anyone else. An impartial judge could not render a decision on such a matter, as the very nature of religion is inconclusive. But then, the judge in a deformation suit on behalf of Islam is not intended to be impartial, and would use the resolution to legitimize laws antithetical to the democratic values of free expression.
The purpose of laws to protect speech is not to defend a singular view by prohibiting criticism of that view, but rather to protect individuals and groups so they can share and develop their views. Therefore this resolution is nothing less than a political ploy by the Islamic Conference to stifle free expression and to prevent any criticism of Islam.
Gråulf.
The Negev, Israel
Mitzpe Ramon
By Moses
The day started out as normal, a typical Friday, a clear blue sky, and lots of sun. The weather in the Negev was predictable, especially in May. The only difference between today and the past 4 months was a planned trip into the Mitzpe Ramon Canyon. Mitch, Ben and Sammy had planned this since Mitch's return last month. "This place is incredible, "he'd said "and the sex wasn't bad either" fringe benefits of having a brief fling with a Kibbutznik.
It was 7:00 AM and they were in the cheder ochal gathering the food they'd need for the campout. This being a 3 day , 2 night excursion, the plan was to be on top of Har Ardon for dinner.
"Should I bring my inhaler?" asked Sammy. Ben cracked up. "You're in the desert in Israel moron. It hasn't rained in 3 weeks."
"Bring it" piped in Mitch. "Remember Beersheva?" Ben started howling again. "Meet us at the bustop. " Mitch continued, "and hurry, the bus is coming in 10 minutes."
The bus came promptly at 7:15AM and the 3 young men boarded.
Mitch being the oldest at 30 years of age had taken the role of older brother to Ben, who at 19 was seemingly comfortable in every situation, yet didn't realize he'd be capable of achievement outside of his parents waning interests. Sammy, mind you, had his own schtick. With a heavy speech impedement on the S's and his asthma inhaler at the ready, Sammy was a sight to see when the humidex reached 5%.
At 10:50 AM the bus pulled in for a pitstop. the passengers headed off into the restaurant for a quick coffee and smoke break from the ride.
"You said we'd be travelling through Mitzpe at around 11 Mitch." said Ben.
"Around there." Mitch replied. "Are we there?" asked Ben.
"No." said Mitch.
The bus headed back on the road and began a descent into some beautiful desertland, where
the rocks seemed almost phospherous, not the stereotypical sand plains that one would associate with 'desert'. After about 10 minutes of seemingly enjoying the ride Mitch turned pale.
"This looks familiar." Mitch sternly announced.
"What do mean familiar? asked Sammy.
"This looks like the canyon." Mitch said, as his face went even whiter.
After the bus driver explained to Sammy that they'd stopped in the town of Mitzpe for their coffee, he let them off, pointing in a general direction with the 3 gladiators looking somewhat defeated.
"Your joking." Ben almost cried as the bus cleared out of sight.
"Do you know where we are ?" Sammy asked Mitch.
"I think we're in the canyon." Mitch said, regaining his colour.
Ben was sitting on the ground. "We're going to die." he said, staring into what seemed like miles of disparity in every direction.
"I think we go that way." Mitch asserted, staring at a beat up path off the main road that wasn't
meant for any form of motorized travel.
"We're going to die." Ben muttered again.
As they travelled inward, away from the highway, a mountain inside the canyon began to visualize. "That's Har Ardon!" exclaimed Mitch.
Guessing they had about 13 kilometers before they reached the foothill of the mountain, Mitch decided to let the journey take it's course.
As the sun beat down at roughly 90 degrees fahrenheit, the heat was the least of their problems. Mitch had assured his companions that there would be a Bedoin camp somewhere in the canyon where they'd be able to replenish their water supply. The problem with 'somewhere' was that if they approached Har Ardon from the wrong direction, they'd be left with an additional 15 kilometers to travel as they'd have to walk around the mountain. In addition Ben and Sammy weren't exactly confidant in Mitch's judgement to this point.
"How many litres of water do you have left? " asked Ben.
"Four." replied Mitch.
"I'm still working on my first bottle." said Sammy. "and I've still got the 2 bottles in reserve."
This added up to 3 litres, as the norm for large size plastic pop bottles were only 1.5 litres
compared to the North American 2.
Ben looked at his watch, it was now 1:30pm. "We haven't even covered half the distance
to the mountain." Ben paused, then continued "I only bought 2 bottles."
"Don't worry, we'll be able to share if it comes down to it." Mitch said, as he came to a stop.
"The Bedoin camp should come into view in a couple of kilometers." he offered, trying to reassure the others, and himself.
Ben and Sammy both took off their rucksacks following Mitch's lead. "Throw me a green pepper Mitch." Sammy ate about three of them a day on the kibbutz, and created his infamous
green peeper sandwich, known only by those English speaking members of the Ulpan.
As the Kibbutz was run communally, food trays were always left accessible to the Kibbutzniks in the cheder ochel. The food, mind you, wasn't exactly corned beed and kishka. Vegetables , bread, and occasionally tasteless cheese were on the 24 hour menu. Sammy enjoyed his green pepper sandwichs to no end.
"Your a boner Mitch." Ben was still slightly pissed at their predicament.
"I know where we are." Mitch answered.
Sammy was laughing at this point. "So you think we'll make it?"
After a few more bites they continued their walk.
The Ulpan was a 6 month learning program for Jews abroad. Generally speaking, it was used by the Israeli government to assimilate Jewish immigrants into Israel. Teaching the people on the Ulpan Hebrew 3 days a week, and working them 3 days a week. The large number of Russian immigrants were given temporary homes, which could lead to permanant residence. Mind you there were Americans, Ethiopans, Brits, Canadians and people from elsewhere. Being a large Kibbutz, Revivim housed and fed about 40 Ulpaners per term along with their 500 kibbutz members (known as Kibbutzniks), and 40 volunteers. The kibbutzim was an integral part in this form of education as it displayed a quiet lifestyle that made the urban centres of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that much more of an experience, when visiting.
The Bedoin camp slowly came into view, displaying only two tents from a distance. The tension between Ben and Mitch dissipated. Relieved Ben confidantly took lead, and as they neared Ben approached a figure in front of the first tent. As he came nearer he realized it was a woman. A man from the second tent came storming out and ran towards him.
"Assoore Liddabeir! Assoore!!!" The man cried.
Not able to speak or understand much Hebrew, the meaning was lost on Ben.
"Slicha Adon." Sammy said catching up and involving himself in the altercation.
As Sammy smooth talked the Bedoin in broken Hebrew, Ben quietly asked Mitch "What just
happened there?"
"I don't speak Hebrew, but I do know that you never speak to a Bedoins' wife." Mitch answered.
Sammy stepped back and informed his friends that they were welcome in the Bedoins' tent.
"What was he yelling at me?" asked Ben.
"He said it was forbidden to speak. Don't you know you're not supposed to talk with a Bedoins' wife." Sammy replied.
The Bedoin man sat his 3 guests and served tea.
Being somewhere in his early 60's, the man was wiry, seemingly in good shape, albeit showing only a handful of teeth. It was well known that Bedoin men were married to more than one woman. The Bedoins' wife did not partake in this visit.
Notorious for being extremely receptive to the people that came to them. The man introduced himself as Asaf. After the introductions Asaf asked (gesturing) if the boys would like to hear
some music. Nods of acceptance brought Ben, Mitch, and Sammy a first look at a Bedoins' guitar.
With only two strings, this guitar played only 16 octaves, or so. The playing by their host was advanced, as music was an important part of Bedoin culture.
Realizing that they had only about 3 hours of clear daylight to make the trip up Har Ardon, Mitch announced their intentions of leaving, to the others. As it was courtesy to give a gift to a Bedoin that takes one into his tent, Mitch pulled out a Snickers bar and handed it to the elder statesman.
"Atta rotzeh lissachek!!" the Bedoins' blood was starting to boil again.
Not realizing what the Bedoin was saying, Mitch pulled out a bag of peanuts, and again offered to the man.
"Atta rotzeh lissachek!!!" this Bedoin was now just inches from Mitch, and getting closer.
"The man has no teeth Mitch. What are you a moron." Ben laughed through his words.
Literally escaping with their lives (and thankful for replenishing their water supply before entering the tent), they distanced themselves at about two and a half km from the foothill of the mountain, with about an hour and a half to hike up the mountain.
The two kilometers passed quickly, and as they entered towards the mountain, Mitch became concerned.
"We'll need some wood."
"What!?" Ben exclaimed.
"When we get to the top we'll need wood to make a fire. " answered Mitch.
"You're crazy you know that Mitch."
Sammy was laughing hysterically at Bens' remark.
Mitch headed off to gather wood from the nearby bushes. Sammy and Ben were both laughing at this point.
"You're paranoid Mitch! " Ben yelled "There has to be wood on top."
"It's not going to hurt though." said Sammy.
Ben sat while the others gathered wood for their hike.
After about 10 minutes Ben looked upon his compadres now carrying about 5 pounds of branches each.
"Let's go." Mitch said.
They began their climb. The accent was steep, but this was no mountain from Switzerland, even with Sammy holding branches in both hands they expected to on Har Ardon by 5:30pm.
Sammy was increasingly separating himself, he reached the upper plateau first. As his view of Mitch and Ben was distanced, he felt exhilerated. "Hurry up, you've got to see this!" he yelled.
From the top of the mountain, the crater was exposed. Calcium deposits exhibiting yellows, reds, blues in the earth became apparent. The sight-lines extended to expose the inversion of a mountain that was once there. "Hey!! You've gotta get a picture of this Sammy! " cried Mitch.
Being nominated pre-trip for the photography duties, Sammy not only had the best camera, but the sharpest eye. As the shots were taken, Ben started laughing. "You fucking morons, do you think there's enough firewood up here." he asked rhetorically.
Looking around the plateau, the exact same dispersement of shrubbs existed, as that from the base of the foothill. "Let's set up camp, it's overcast." said Mitch as he threw his rucksack and branches to the ground.
"It's not going to rain schmuck, it's May." retorted Ben.
As the thunder struck it was now Mitch's turn to laugh. "You little wise ass, check the caves for goat shit."
"I hear the Bedoin that travel here protect their herds in the winters. They use the caves to shield the young kids from the wind, " Mitch continued. "We have about an hour to set the tents before it starts pissing."
The rain came within the hour and the three sat sheltered sharing some stories over a few Noblesse
and some water. They grew an affinity towards one another. There was no way not to be vulnerable, male bonding at its’ finest.
By Moses
The day started out as normal, a typical Friday, a clear blue sky, and lots of sun. The weather in the Negev was predictable, especially in May. The only difference between today and the past 4 months was a planned trip into the Mitzpe Ramon Canyon. Mitch, Ben and Sammy had planned this since Mitch's return last month. "This place is incredible, "he'd said "and the sex wasn't bad either" fringe benefits of having a brief fling with a Kibbutznik.
It was 7:00 AM and they were in the cheder ochal gathering the food they'd need for the campout. This being a 3 day , 2 night excursion, the plan was to be on top of Har Ardon for dinner.
"Should I bring my inhaler?" asked Sammy. Ben cracked up. "You're in the desert in Israel moron. It hasn't rained in 3 weeks."
"Bring it" piped in Mitch. "Remember Beersheva?" Ben started howling again. "Meet us at the bustop. " Mitch continued, "and hurry, the bus is coming in 10 minutes."
The bus came promptly at 7:15AM and the 3 young men boarded.
Mitch being the oldest at 30 years of age had taken the role of older brother to Ben, who at 19 was seemingly comfortable in every situation, yet didn't realize he'd be capable of achievement outside of his parents waning interests. Sammy, mind you, had his own schtick. With a heavy speech impedement on the S's and his asthma inhaler at the ready, Sammy was a sight to see when the humidex reached 5%.
At 10:50 AM the bus pulled in for a pitstop. the passengers headed off into the restaurant for a quick coffee and smoke break from the ride.
"You said we'd be travelling through Mitzpe at around 11 Mitch." said Ben.
"Around there." Mitch replied. "Are we there?" asked Ben.
"No." said Mitch.
The bus headed back on the road and began a descent into some beautiful desertland, where
the rocks seemed almost phospherous, not the stereotypical sand plains that one would associate with 'desert'. After about 10 minutes of seemingly enjoying the ride Mitch turned pale.
"This looks familiar." Mitch sternly announced.
"What do mean familiar? asked Sammy.
"This looks like the canyon." Mitch said, as his face went even whiter.
After the bus driver explained to Sammy that they'd stopped in the town of Mitzpe for their coffee, he let them off, pointing in a general direction with the 3 gladiators looking somewhat defeated.
"Your joking." Ben almost cried as the bus cleared out of sight.
"Do you know where we are ?" Sammy asked Mitch.
"I think we're in the canyon." Mitch said, regaining his colour.
Ben was sitting on the ground. "We're going to die." he said, staring into what seemed like miles of disparity in every direction.
"I think we go that way." Mitch asserted, staring at a beat up path off the main road that wasn't
meant for any form of motorized travel.
"We're going to die." Ben muttered again.
As they travelled inward, away from the highway, a mountain inside the canyon began to visualize. "That's Har Ardon!" exclaimed Mitch.
Guessing they had about 13 kilometers before they reached the foothill of the mountain, Mitch decided to let the journey take it's course.
As the sun beat down at roughly 90 degrees fahrenheit, the heat was the least of their problems. Mitch had assured his companions that there would be a Bedoin camp somewhere in the canyon where they'd be able to replenish their water supply. The problem with 'somewhere' was that if they approached Har Ardon from the wrong direction, they'd be left with an additional 15 kilometers to travel as they'd have to walk around the mountain. In addition Ben and Sammy weren't exactly confidant in Mitch's judgement to this point.
"How many litres of water do you have left? " asked Ben.
"Four." replied Mitch.
"I'm still working on my first bottle." said Sammy. "and I've still got the 2 bottles in reserve."
This added up to 3 litres, as the norm for large size plastic pop bottles were only 1.5 litres
compared to the North American 2.
Ben looked at his watch, it was now 1:30pm. "We haven't even covered half the distance
to the mountain." Ben paused, then continued "I only bought 2 bottles."
"Don't worry, we'll be able to share if it comes down to it." Mitch said, as he came to a stop.
"The Bedoin camp should come into view in a couple of kilometers." he offered, trying to reassure the others, and himself.
Ben and Sammy both took off their rucksacks following Mitch's lead. "Throw me a green pepper Mitch." Sammy ate about three of them a day on the kibbutz, and created his infamous
green peeper sandwich, known only by those English speaking members of the Ulpan.
As the Kibbutz was run communally, food trays were always left accessible to the Kibbutzniks in the cheder ochel. The food, mind you, wasn't exactly corned beed and kishka. Vegetables , bread, and occasionally tasteless cheese were on the 24 hour menu. Sammy enjoyed his green pepper sandwichs to no end.
"Your a boner Mitch." Ben was still slightly pissed at their predicament.
"I know where we are." Mitch answered.
Sammy was laughing at this point. "So you think we'll make it?"
After a few more bites they continued their walk.
The Ulpan was a 6 month learning program for Jews abroad. Generally speaking, it was used by the Israeli government to assimilate Jewish immigrants into Israel. Teaching the people on the Ulpan Hebrew 3 days a week, and working them 3 days a week. The large number of Russian immigrants were given temporary homes, which could lead to permanant residence. Mind you there were Americans, Ethiopans, Brits, Canadians and people from elsewhere. Being a large Kibbutz, Revivim housed and fed about 40 Ulpaners per term along with their 500 kibbutz members (known as Kibbutzniks), and 40 volunteers. The kibbutzim was an integral part in this form of education as it displayed a quiet lifestyle that made the urban centres of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that much more of an experience, when visiting.
The Bedoin camp slowly came into view, displaying only two tents from a distance. The tension between Ben and Mitch dissipated. Relieved Ben confidantly took lead, and as they neared Ben approached a figure in front of the first tent. As he came nearer he realized it was a woman. A man from the second tent came storming out and ran towards him.
"Assoore Liddabeir! Assoore!!!" The man cried.
Not able to speak or understand much Hebrew, the meaning was lost on Ben.
"Slicha Adon." Sammy said catching up and involving himself in the altercation.
As Sammy smooth talked the Bedoin in broken Hebrew, Ben quietly asked Mitch "What just
happened there?"
"I don't speak Hebrew, but I do know that you never speak to a Bedoins' wife." Mitch answered.
Sammy stepped back and informed his friends that they were welcome in the Bedoins' tent.
"What was he yelling at me?" asked Ben.
"He said it was forbidden to speak. Don't you know you're not supposed to talk with a Bedoins' wife." Sammy replied.
The Bedoin man sat his 3 guests and served tea.
Being somewhere in his early 60's, the man was wiry, seemingly in good shape, albeit showing only a handful of teeth. It was well known that Bedoin men were married to more than one woman. The Bedoins' wife did not partake in this visit.
Notorious for being extremely receptive to the people that came to them. The man introduced himself as Asaf. After the introductions Asaf asked (gesturing) if the boys would like to hear
some music. Nods of acceptance brought Ben, Mitch, and Sammy a first look at a Bedoins' guitar.
With only two strings, this guitar played only 16 octaves, or so. The playing by their host was advanced, as music was an important part of Bedoin culture.
Realizing that they had only about 3 hours of clear daylight to make the trip up Har Ardon, Mitch announced their intentions of leaving, to the others. As it was courtesy to give a gift to a Bedoin that takes one into his tent, Mitch pulled out a Snickers bar and handed it to the elder statesman.
"Atta rotzeh lissachek!!" the Bedoins' blood was starting to boil again.
Not realizing what the Bedoin was saying, Mitch pulled out a bag of peanuts, and again offered to the man.
"Atta rotzeh lissachek!!!" this Bedoin was now just inches from Mitch, and getting closer.
"The man has no teeth Mitch. What are you a moron." Ben laughed through his words.
Literally escaping with their lives (and thankful for replenishing their water supply before entering the tent), they distanced themselves at about two and a half km from the foothill of the mountain, with about an hour and a half to hike up the mountain.
The two kilometers passed quickly, and as they entered towards the mountain, Mitch became concerned.
"We'll need some wood."
"What!?" Ben exclaimed.
"When we get to the top we'll need wood to make a fire. " answered Mitch.
"You're crazy you know that Mitch."
Sammy was laughing hysterically at Bens' remark.
Mitch headed off to gather wood from the nearby bushes. Sammy and Ben were both laughing at this point.
"You're paranoid Mitch! " Ben yelled "There has to be wood on top."
"It's not going to hurt though." said Sammy.
Ben sat while the others gathered wood for their hike.
After about 10 minutes Ben looked upon his compadres now carrying about 5 pounds of branches each.
"Let's go." Mitch said.
They began their climb. The accent was steep, but this was no mountain from Switzerland, even with Sammy holding branches in both hands they expected to on Har Ardon by 5:30pm.
Sammy was increasingly separating himself, he reached the upper plateau first. As his view of Mitch and Ben was distanced, he felt exhilerated. "Hurry up, you've got to see this!" he yelled.
From the top of the mountain, the crater was exposed. Calcium deposits exhibiting yellows, reds, blues in the earth became apparent. The sight-lines extended to expose the inversion of a mountain that was once there. "Hey!! You've gotta get a picture of this Sammy! " cried Mitch.
Being nominated pre-trip for the photography duties, Sammy not only had the best camera, but the sharpest eye. As the shots were taken, Ben started laughing. "You fucking morons, do you think there's enough firewood up here." he asked rhetorically.
Looking around the plateau, the exact same dispersement of shrubbs existed, as that from the base of the foothill. "Let's set up camp, it's overcast." said Mitch as he threw his rucksack and branches to the ground.
"It's not going to rain schmuck, it's May." retorted Ben.
As the thunder struck it was now Mitch's turn to laugh. "You little wise ass, check the caves for goat shit."
"I hear the Bedoin that travel here protect their herds in the winters. They use the caves to shield the young kids from the wind, " Mitch continued. "We have about an hour to set the tents before it starts pissing."
The rain came within the hour and the three sat sheltered sharing some stories over a few Noblesse
and some water. They grew an affinity towards one another. There was no way not to be vulnerable, male bonding at its’ finest.
Economics and Principles - by Moses
The Economics of Monarchy
Whether it’s Prince Charles or Pope Benedict, something has to give. Prior to 1964, Great Britain encompassed the British Isles (Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland), Canada, Australia, Palestine, India, and Hong Kong.
It was at this time that Mahatma Gandhi exercised a hunger strike to unify Indian Hindi with Indian Muslims. The people of India stopped fighting during their Civil War under British Rule and Great Britain disbanded from the region. Although Muslim Sikhs and Sunni’s were still divided from the Hindi faith, this was the sign of independence in what we see today between India and Pakistan.
It was in 1980 that Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau initiated the Canadian Constitution (alongside Joe Clark and Ed Broadbent) dividing Canada from Great Britain finalized in 1981. Australia joined suit a few years later.
In 2001 the lease upon Hong Kong ran out and became part of China. Traditionally the average Chinaman was paid in Japanese Yen (in other words paid at a low premium). This was supposed to change in 2001. By my calculation, over the last seven years the Chinese have been screwed out of 875 Zillion U.S Dollars – 875 Trillion U.S Dollars = 874.125 Zillion U.S Dollars or 874 Giga-Zillion Japanese Yen.
This is the logic – In the U.S.A, Canada, Australia, England, and France the median household income is roughly $50,000 U.S (or Euro) / year – converted to Japanese Yen = 2,500,000,000,000 / year. The median Chinese household income is 50,000 Japanese Yen or $250 U.S (or Euro) / year.
‘It’s a Hard Rain Gonna Fall’ – lyric written by Bob Dylan
‘When the Levy Breaks’ – lyric written by Robert Plant
‘Just Don’t Be So Convicting When it Comes to a Man Being Worth Less Than An Eagle’ – lyric written by Moses
‘The Roman Empire Will Fall in the Year 2012’ – lyric written by Nostrodamas
In truth every man and woman is legally allowed to have a Bank Card (a.k.a identification – likewise a child). This allows a person to access the ‘Right to Life’. A brief synopsis;
The Creator of the Universe has all the Money and all the information.
This gets filtered down to every man, woman, and child around the World. This was the premise of ‘We Are the World’, ‘Band-Aid’, and ‘Tears Are Not Enough’. The premise being that EVERY HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET HAS THE RIGHT TO LIFE – ACCESS TO ?
Inalienable Rights / Innate Freedoms
Right to Life
Freedom of Thought
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Assembly
In theology the premise of the Right to Life is ongoing (through Mishna, Nebiim, and Talmud – the studies of the G-d most high). This ongoing dialogue is based on prior principles that were established (similar to the relationship of Case Law and Statute Law). Encompassed in this ongoing dialogue Governments conduct Inquiries, Treaties, Summits, and Court Proceedings to adhere to United Nations’ standards.
Whether it’s Prince Charles or Pope Benedict, something has to give. Prior to 1964, Great Britain encompassed the British Isles (Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland), Canada, Australia, Palestine, India, and Hong Kong.
It was at this time that Mahatma Gandhi exercised a hunger strike to unify Indian Hindi with Indian Muslims. The people of India stopped fighting during their Civil War under British Rule and Great Britain disbanded from the region. Although Muslim Sikhs and Sunni’s were still divided from the Hindi faith, this was the sign of independence in what we see today between India and Pakistan.
It was in 1980 that Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau initiated the Canadian Constitution (alongside Joe Clark and Ed Broadbent) dividing Canada from Great Britain finalized in 1981. Australia joined suit a few years later.
In 2001 the lease upon Hong Kong ran out and became part of China. Traditionally the average Chinaman was paid in Japanese Yen (in other words paid at a low premium). This was supposed to change in 2001. By my calculation, over the last seven years the Chinese have been screwed out of 875 Zillion U.S Dollars – 875 Trillion U.S Dollars = 874.125 Zillion U.S Dollars or 874 Giga-Zillion Japanese Yen.
This is the logic – In the U.S.A, Canada, Australia, England, and France the median household income is roughly $50,000 U.S (or Euro) / year – converted to Japanese Yen = 2,500,000,000,000 / year. The median Chinese household income is 50,000 Japanese Yen or $250 U.S (or Euro) / year.
‘It’s a Hard Rain Gonna Fall’ – lyric written by Bob Dylan
‘When the Levy Breaks’ – lyric written by Robert Plant
‘Just Don’t Be So Convicting When it Comes to a Man Being Worth Less Than An Eagle’ – lyric written by Moses
‘The Roman Empire Will Fall in the Year 2012’ – lyric written by Nostrodamas
In truth every man and woman is legally allowed to have a Bank Card (a.k.a identification – likewise a child). This allows a person to access the ‘Right to Life’. A brief synopsis;
The Creator of the Universe has all the Money and all the information.
This gets filtered down to every man, woman, and child around the World. This was the premise of ‘We Are the World’, ‘Band-Aid’, and ‘Tears Are Not Enough’. The premise being that EVERY HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET HAS THE RIGHT TO LIFE – ACCESS TO ?
Inalienable Rights / Innate Freedoms
Right to Life
Freedom of Thought
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Assembly
In theology the premise of the Right to Life is ongoing (through Mishna, Nebiim, and Talmud – the studies of the G-d most high). This ongoing dialogue is based on prior principles that were established (similar to the relationship of Case Law and Statute Law). Encompassed in this ongoing dialogue Governments conduct Inquiries, Treaties, Summits, and Court Proceedings to adhere to United Nations’ standards.
Standardization - By Moses
The Standardization and Industrialization of Technological Goods
At the point of a technology becoming labeled obsolete we see prices come down drastically. For example, in 1979 it would cost you $3,000,000 for a U.S.B flashcard that carried 8 gigabytes of R.A.M. Today it sells for $20. This is a statement in the advances we’ve reached in technology. The fact is that computers were standardized and is the main reason we see such low prices in hi-tech equipment today.
In 1710 Direct Current was invented by Benjamin Franklin. It used electricity as the barometer and resisters in Cable allowing the transference of electricity. I t was in 1821 that Tesla invented Alternating Current and because of its’ practicality was standardized into the Western World. This is what we see in the majority of developed Countries (even more-so since 1950) Worldwide. At the point of the standardization of personal computers into every home Worldwide we see the industrialization with respect to the material goods;
Plastic – mainframe, keyboard, accessories
Glass - monitor
Steel – mainframe, other components
Crystal – in the digital circuitry
Software – linking each hardware component to one another
Silicone – the actual chips
Fiber-optics – the actual cabling of information dependant on the protocol (ports)
In this example of a ‘good’ becoming standardized we see this particular ‘good’ as being the protocol (port), or the means. This allows essentially every home Worldwide to have a Home Computer that is affordable. Could you actually imagine a World in the present day that didn’t have computers?
The sentiment regarding Electricity was similar to this perspective as early as 1850 in the Western World. Times are changing, asking someone fifty years ago if they ever thought having a computer would be a necessity and they would laugh in your face. No, the person would commonly say. We don’t need them. Ask yourself this though, do we need cyborgs?
Features of Standardization;
Instantaneous broadcasting from the source (the event) and the monitor (i.e – the transcript).
E.C.U – Electronic Control Units. Knowing and having complete autonomy of a homes’ electronic signal flow controlled by speech.
Identification Cards – Being able to account for every good and service you use through the use of only one interface card.
At the point of a technology becoming labeled obsolete we see prices come down drastically. For example, in 1979 it would cost you $3,000,000 for a U.S.B flashcard that carried 8 gigabytes of R.A.M. Today it sells for $20. This is a statement in the advances we’ve reached in technology. The fact is that computers were standardized and is the main reason we see such low prices in hi-tech equipment today.
In 1710 Direct Current was invented by Benjamin Franklin. It used electricity as the barometer and resisters in Cable allowing the transference of electricity. I t was in 1821 that Tesla invented Alternating Current and because of its’ practicality was standardized into the Western World. This is what we see in the majority of developed Countries (even more-so since 1950) Worldwide. At the point of the standardization of personal computers into every home Worldwide we see the industrialization with respect to the material goods;
Plastic – mainframe, keyboard, accessories
Glass - monitor
Steel – mainframe, other components
Crystal – in the digital circuitry
Software – linking each hardware component to one another
Silicone – the actual chips
Fiber-optics – the actual cabling of information dependant on the protocol (ports)
In this example of a ‘good’ becoming standardized we see this particular ‘good’ as being the protocol (port), or the means. This allows essentially every home Worldwide to have a Home Computer that is affordable. Could you actually imagine a World in the present day that didn’t have computers?
The sentiment regarding Electricity was similar to this perspective as early as 1850 in the Western World. Times are changing, asking someone fifty years ago if they ever thought having a computer would be a necessity and they would laugh in your face. No, the person would commonly say. We don’t need them. Ask yourself this though, do we need cyborgs?
Features of Standardization;
Instantaneous broadcasting from the source (the event) and the monitor (i.e – the transcript).
E.C.U – Electronic Control Units. Knowing and having complete autonomy of a homes’ electronic signal flow controlled by speech.
Identification Cards – Being able to account for every good and service you use through the use of only one interface card.
Israel and Gaza by Gråulf
I have been watching the developing news from Israel and Gaza with my father-in-law, who is visiting from Israel. The news is abysmal, with headlines condemning Israel for killing innocent civilians and babies, that Israel’s response is out of proportion to the provocations, that Israel is guilty of an unprovoked attack on a defenseless population. When I had enough of the mealy-mouthed, mushy-headed reporting from the dominant news services, I signed on to the Canadian Free Press, and printed out a couple of their articles about the current Middle East situation for my father-in-law. Reading those articles restored his faith in humanity.
The liberal news failed to report that over 400 Hamas missiles has targeted Israel since Hamas refused to renew the truce 3 weeks ago, and that prior to that, Hamas fired several missiles into Israel every day off the truce. True to expectations, the UN was one of the first to condemn Israeli aggression against the poor Palestinians in Gaza, although the UN didn’t bother condemning Hamas rocket attacks on Israel prior to Israel’s attack on Gaza. Oh, but wait, they did condemn Israel for closing the border crossings from Gaza in response to Hamas shooting rockets into Israel. Some of the stories in Danish newspapers reported Muslim riots throughout Europe in support of Hamas, and explained the rioters are only burning cars and looting because they are upset by how Muslims are treated by Israelis.
It looks to me as if Israel only has one friend left in the world, and that is the U.S.A., and that may only last for another 6 weeks while George Bush is still President. After that it is anyone’s guess. Judging from Obama’s past record he will not be on the Israeli side of the Middle East conflict. But I promised myself not to criticize Obama until after he becomes president….
Gråulf.
The liberal news failed to report that over 400 Hamas missiles has targeted Israel since Hamas refused to renew the truce 3 weeks ago, and that prior to that, Hamas fired several missiles into Israel every day off the truce. True to expectations, the UN was one of the first to condemn Israeli aggression against the poor Palestinians in Gaza, although the UN didn’t bother condemning Hamas rocket attacks on Israel prior to Israel’s attack on Gaza. Oh, but wait, they did condemn Israel for closing the border crossings from Gaza in response to Hamas shooting rockets into Israel. Some of the stories in Danish newspapers reported Muslim riots throughout Europe in support of Hamas, and explained the rioters are only burning cars and looting because they are upset by how Muslims are treated by Israelis.
It looks to me as if Israel only has one friend left in the world, and that is the U.S.A., and that may only last for another 6 weeks while George Bush is still President. After that it is anyone’s guess. Judging from Obama’s past record he will not be on the Israeli side of the Middle East conflict. But I promised myself not to criticize Obama until after he becomes president….
Gråulf.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Global Warming Panic Merchants
Despite dire warnings about global warming, and atmospheric CO2 increasing by about 18% during the last decade, the average temperature has not gone up since 1998. In fact, last year the northern hemisphere had the most snow cover in 66 years, and 2008 has been the coldest year for a decade. This doesn’t make sense if “Global warming” is caused by CO2. In fact, there is no scientific proof what-so-ever that CO2 is responsible for more than a tiny portion of the global warming that has occurred since the end of the, so called, Little Ice Age, which ended 150 years ago.
There is also no scientific proof that CO2 is not causing global warming, although the evidence is weighted in favor of current global warming being a natural event. The Arctic and Antarctic ice cores clearly show that prehistoric global warming occurred prior to increased atmospheric CO2. More recently we had a period of global cooling from about 1960 to 1980, although post-industrial atmospheric CO2 rose rapidly during that period. At the time, many of the same people who are now touting “man made global warming,” were warning the public that catastrophic global cooling was imminent.
One of the most disturbing phenomena’s of the global warming event, are the fanciful warnings from professional panic merchants. All Gore warned that global warming will lead to more hurricanes, blithely ignoring data that there were more, and larger hurricanes during the first half of the 20th century than in the second half, and that 2007 and 2008 hurricane seasons had the least hurricane activity in the Northern Hemisphere in 30 years. In point of fact, it I reasonable to assume that storminess and weather variability will actually decrease in a warmer world. According to observations, climate changes are greater in the high latitudes than in the tropics. Thus, in a warmer world, we would expect that the temperature difference between high and low latitudes would diminish, leading to less storminess, and less violent weather variations.
That is the thing about the panic merchants; they don’t seem to care about actual observations on the ground. Essential to alarm is the fact that most current climate models predict a response to doubling of CO2 of about 4C, which is at least four times greater than one would expect the simple doubling of CO2 to produce. That is because the climate models all assume that water vapor and clouds will act in such a way as to amplify the effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. That is pure speculation, and actual observations make such conclusions implausible.
The alarm surrounding the issue of global warming seems peculiarly inconclusive and irrelevant to the predicted catastrophes. The panic merchants fail to note there have been many sources of climate change, and that climate change occurred many times both before and after man appeared on earth. Given the ubiquity of climate change, it is improbable that all change will be for the worse. Moreover, the coincidence of increasing CO2 and the small amount of warming over the past century hardly establishes causality.
The impact of CO2 on temperature is nonlinear in the sense that each added unit contributes less than its predecessor. So, if doubling CO2 from its pre-industrial value of 290 parts per million by volume or ppmv to 580 ppmy causes a 2% increase in temperature, then to obtain another 2% increase in temperature we must increase CO2 by an additional 580 ppmv rather than by another 290 ppmv. At present, the concentration of CO2 is about 380 ppmv. The easiest way to understand this is to consider adding layers of paint to a pane of glass. The first layer of paint cuts out much of the light, and subsequent layers cuts out more, until the painted pane is essentially opaque.
Unfortunately, the scientific community appears committed to the maintenance of the notion that alarm and fear of global warming is essential to the maintenance of funding. A good indicator of this is the widespread scientific agreement that the Kyoto Agreement would have no discernible impact on climate. This fact clearly is of no importance to the thousands of negotiators, diplomats, regulators, and advocates whose livelihood is tied to climate alarmism.
Gråulf.
There is also no scientific proof that CO2 is not causing global warming, although the evidence is weighted in favor of current global warming being a natural event. The Arctic and Antarctic ice cores clearly show that prehistoric global warming occurred prior to increased atmospheric CO2. More recently we had a period of global cooling from about 1960 to 1980, although post-industrial atmospheric CO2 rose rapidly during that period. At the time, many of the same people who are now touting “man made global warming,” were warning the public that catastrophic global cooling was imminent.
One of the most disturbing phenomena’s of the global warming event, are the fanciful warnings from professional panic merchants. All Gore warned that global warming will lead to more hurricanes, blithely ignoring data that there were more, and larger hurricanes during the first half of the 20th century than in the second half, and that 2007 and 2008 hurricane seasons had the least hurricane activity in the Northern Hemisphere in 30 years. In point of fact, it I reasonable to assume that storminess and weather variability will actually decrease in a warmer world. According to observations, climate changes are greater in the high latitudes than in the tropics. Thus, in a warmer world, we would expect that the temperature difference between high and low latitudes would diminish, leading to less storminess, and less violent weather variations.
That is the thing about the panic merchants; they don’t seem to care about actual observations on the ground. Essential to alarm is the fact that most current climate models predict a response to doubling of CO2 of about 4C, which is at least four times greater than one would expect the simple doubling of CO2 to produce. That is because the climate models all assume that water vapor and clouds will act in such a way as to amplify the effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. That is pure speculation, and actual observations make such conclusions implausible.
The alarm surrounding the issue of global warming seems peculiarly inconclusive and irrelevant to the predicted catastrophes. The panic merchants fail to note there have been many sources of climate change, and that climate change occurred many times both before and after man appeared on earth. Given the ubiquity of climate change, it is improbable that all change will be for the worse. Moreover, the coincidence of increasing CO2 and the small amount of warming over the past century hardly establishes causality.
The impact of CO2 on temperature is nonlinear in the sense that each added unit contributes less than its predecessor. So, if doubling CO2 from its pre-industrial value of 290 parts per million by volume or ppmv to 580 ppmy causes a 2% increase in temperature, then to obtain another 2% increase in temperature we must increase CO2 by an additional 580 ppmv rather than by another 290 ppmv. At present, the concentration of CO2 is about 380 ppmv. The easiest way to understand this is to consider adding layers of paint to a pane of glass. The first layer of paint cuts out much of the light, and subsequent layers cuts out more, until the painted pane is essentially opaque.
Unfortunately, the scientific community appears committed to the maintenance of the notion that alarm and fear of global warming is essential to the maintenance of funding. A good indicator of this is the widespread scientific agreement that the Kyoto Agreement would have no discernible impact on climate. This fact clearly is of no importance to the thousands of negotiators, diplomats, regulators, and advocates whose livelihood is tied to climate alarmism.
Gråulf.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Vikings
One of my hobbies is history, and I am just finishing a new book about the Vikings. It irritates me that, despite all the new knowledge that has been discovered about Viking history, many historians are still mystified about the cause of the Viking period.
Most traditional historians see overpopulation as the main reason for the Viking Age, but that is blatantly absurd. The first Viking raids bear no resemblance to the great movements of the earlier migration period. Scandinavia was not over populated at 800 A.D. It is estimated the population of Scandinavia at the start of the Viking Age was 800,000 people, which was well within the population Scandinavia could support under the favorable climate in the north at that time. Denmark’s climate was similar to that of present day France. Besides, the Vikings raided, but didn’t settle for the first 70 years of the Viking Age.
Other historians believe that Scandinavians were too fragmented to have acted in unison, to begin the Viking Age. It is true that Scandinavia was an ever-changing tapestry of small, feuding kingdoms, but that is only part of the story. In many decisive respects the Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians were closely bound together. They shared the same language, religion, law, social organization, art, and culture, and they shared the same legendary and historical past. The contacts and common interests of individuals endlessly reinforced these similarities. Most important in this context, the religion of Scandinavia was a powerful unifying force for two reasons: it was their only religion, and before the Viking Age it was theirs alone. That was enough to unify the Scandinavians in action when Charlemagne’s Christianity reached the Eider after his campaign against the Saxons in 772-85.
I learned my Danish history from Saxo Grammaticus, who wrote a history of Denmark about 1200 A.D., so I knew exactly why the Scandinavian’s began the Viking Age. Saxo described Charlemagne’s campaign against the Saxons as genocidal evangelism. The campaign started with the cutting down of the Saxon's most sacred tree, their version of the World Tree or Yggdrasil. Then, in 772, at Quierzy, he issued a proclamation that he would kill every Saxon who refused to accept Jesus Christ, and from that time on he kept a special detachment of Christian priests who doubled as executioners, and in every Saxon village in which they stopped, these priests would execute anybody who refused to be baptized. Thousands of innocent men and woman were killed and horrible atrocities were committed. Babies were burned alive, young woman were raped and torched in the name of Christ. Then in 782, at Verden, Charlemagne rounded up 4,500 Saxons who had returned to the pagan religion they had been forced to give up upon pain of death, and had them all beheaded. Scandinavian’s watched the cruelties inflicted upon their pagan brethren, the Saxons, at the hands of Charlemagne, and watched his armies approaching their southern border. Their hatred of the church, the cross, and against monks and nuns was extreme, and they retaliated. The first recorded Viking attack was a well-planned attack directed against the wealthy monastic settlement of Lindisfarne in 793. For the next 250 years the Vikings delighted in the burning of monasteries and killing the inhabitants by the most gruesome means possible.
Eventually the Scandinavian Pagans lost to Christianity. Viking Paganism was thousands of years old, and in no way inferior to Christianity, but the Christian Church was better organized than the Pagans, and Scandinavian kings saw Christianity as a means of consolidating their power. The kings converted, but for the most part left the people alone to practice the “Old Customs” in private. Some of those old customs are still being practiced, such as the tradition of the straw goat at Christmas, and indeed Christmas itself.
Happy Solstice!
Gråulf.
Most traditional historians see overpopulation as the main reason for the Viking Age, but that is blatantly absurd. The first Viking raids bear no resemblance to the great movements of the earlier migration period. Scandinavia was not over populated at 800 A.D. It is estimated the population of Scandinavia at the start of the Viking Age was 800,000 people, which was well within the population Scandinavia could support under the favorable climate in the north at that time. Denmark’s climate was similar to that of present day France. Besides, the Vikings raided, but didn’t settle for the first 70 years of the Viking Age.
Other historians believe that Scandinavians were too fragmented to have acted in unison, to begin the Viking Age. It is true that Scandinavia was an ever-changing tapestry of small, feuding kingdoms, but that is only part of the story. In many decisive respects the Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians were closely bound together. They shared the same language, religion, law, social organization, art, and culture, and they shared the same legendary and historical past. The contacts and common interests of individuals endlessly reinforced these similarities. Most important in this context, the religion of Scandinavia was a powerful unifying force for two reasons: it was their only religion, and before the Viking Age it was theirs alone. That was enough to unify the Scandinavians in action when Charlemagne’s Christianity reached the Eider after his campaign against the Saxons in 772-85.
I learned my Danish history from Saxo Grammaticus, who wrote a history of Denmark about 1200 A.D., so I knew exactly why the Scandinavian’s began the Viking Age. Saxo described Charlemagne’s campaign against the Saxons as genocidal evangelism. The campaign started with the cutting down of the Saxon's most sacred tree, their version of the World Tree or Yggdrasil. Then, in 772, at Quierzy, he issued a proclamation that he would kill every Saxon who refused to accept Jesus Christ, and from that time on he kept a special detachment of Christian priests who doubled as executioners, and in every Saxon village in which they stopped, these priests would execute anybody who refused to be baptized. Thousands of innocent men and woman were killed and horrible atrocities were committed. Babies were burned alive, young woman were raped and torched in the name of Christ. Then in 782, at Verden, Charlemagne rounded up 4,500 Saxons who had returned to the pagan religion they had been forced to give up upon pain of death, and had them all beheaded. Scandinavian’s watched the cruelties inflicted upon their pagan brethren, the Saxons, at the hands of Charlemagne, and watched his armies approaching their southern border. Their hatred of the church, the cross, and against monks and nuns was extreme, and they retaliated. The first recorded Viking attack was a well-planned attack directed against the wealthy monastic settlement of Lindisfarne in 793. For the next 250 years the Vikings delighted in the burning of monasteries and killing the inhabitants by the most gruesome means possible.
Eventually the Scandinavian Pagans lost to Christianity. Viking Paganism was thousands of years old, and in no way inferior to Christianity, but the Christian Church was better organized than the Pagans, and Scandinavian kings saw Christianity as a means of consolidating their power. The kings converted, but for the most part left the people alone to practice the “Old Customs” in private. Some of those old customs are still being practiced, such as the tradition of the straw goat at Christmas, and indeed Christmas itself.
Happy Solstice!
Gråulf.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Fifty Greatest Hockey Lines of All-Time - By Moses
Fifty Greatest Hockey Lines (94.3%)
1. Esa Tikkanen Wayne Gretzky Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers
2. Kevin Stevens Mario Lemieux Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Toe Blake Elmer Lach Maurice Richard Montreal Canadians
4. Ted Lindsey Sid Abel Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings
5. Esa Tikkanen Mark Messier Glenn Anderson Edmonton Oilers
6. Gerard Gallant Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings
7. Clark Gillies Bryan Trottier Mike Bossy New York Islanders
8. Bobby Hull Billy Hay Murray Balfour Chicago Black Hawks
9. Bill Barber Bobby Clarke Reggie Leach Philadelphia Flyers
10. Hank Bauer Milt Schmidt Dit Clapper Boston Bruins
11. Bill Mosienko Max Bentley Doug Bentley Chicago Black Hawks
12. Wendel Clark Doug Gilmour Dave Andreychuck Toronto Maple Leafs
13. Wendel Clark Doug Gilmour Steve Thomas Toronto Maple Leafs
14. Steve Schutt Jacques Lemaire Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadians
15. Marian Stastny Peter Stastny Anton Stastny Quebec Nordiques
16. Rene Robert Gilbert Perreault Rich Martin Buffalo Sabres
17. Joe Malone Cyclone Taylor Newsy Lalonde (CIRCA 1912 - Quebec Bulldogs)
18. Busher Jackson Joe Primeau Charlie Conacher Toronto Maple Leafs
19. Johnny Bucyk Phil Esposito Ken Hodge Boston Bruins
20. John LeClair Eric Lindros Mark Recchi Philadelphia Flyers
21. Luc Robataille Wayne Gretzky Bernie Nichols L.A Kings
22. Craig Janney Adam Oates Cam Neely Boston Bruins
23. Yvon Cornoyeur Jean Beliveau Boom Boom Geoffrion Montreal Canadians
24. Dave Taylor Marcel Dionne Charlie Simmer L.A Kings
25. Doug Mohns Stan Makita Kenny Wharram Chicago Black Hawks
26. Mats Sundin Joe Sakic Owen Nolan Quebec Nordiques
27. Alexander Mogilny Pavel Bure Vancouver Canucks
28. Alexander Mogilny Pat LaFontaine Buffalo Sabres
29. Aurel Joliet Howie Morenz Montreal Canadians
30. Brad Richards Vincent Lecavalier Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightening
31. Gary Roberts Joe Nieuwendyk Theoren Fleury Calgary Flames
32. Wendel Clark Mats Sundin Mike Gartner Toronto Maple Leafs
33. Kevin Stevens Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins
34. Al Secord Dennis Maruk Mike Gartner Washington Capitals
35. Brian Propp Ken Linesman Tim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers
36. Adam Oates Brett Hull St. Louis Blues
37. Tiger Williams Darryl Sittler Lanny McDonald Toronto Maple Leafs
38. Bobby Hull Ulf Nielson Anders Hedberg Winnipeg Jets
39. Michel Goulet Marc Tardif Real Cloutier Quebec Nordiques
40. Al Secord Denis Savard Steve Larmer Chicago Black Hawks
41. Dale Hawerchuck Thomas Steen Winnipeg Jets
42. Norm Ulman Alex Delvechio Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings
43. Terry O’Reilly Rick Middleton Peter McNabb Boston Bruins
44. Errol Thompson Darryl Sittler Lanny McDonald Toronto Maple Leafs
45. Todd Bertuzzi Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks
46. Daniel Alfredsson Jason Spezza Dany Heatley Ottawa Senators
47. Vic Hadfield Jean Ratelle Rod Gilbert New York Rangers
48. Gary Unger Red Berenson St. Louis Blues
49. Brian Bellows Bobby Smith Dino Ciccarelli Minnesota North Stars
50. Evgeni Malkin Sydney Crosby Peter Sykora Pittsburgh Penguins
1. Esa Tikkanen Wayne Gretzky Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers
2. Kevin Stevens Mario Lemieux Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Toe Blake Elmer Lach Maurice Richard Montreal Canadians
4. Ted Lindsey Sid Abel Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings
5. Esa Tikkanen Mark Messier Glenn Anderson Edmonton Oilers
6. Gerard Gallant Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings
7. Clark Gillies Bryan Trottier Mike Bossy New York Islanders
8. Bobby Hull Billy Hay Murray Balfour Chicago Black Hawks
9. Bill Barber Bobby Clarke Reggie Leach Philadelphia Flyers
10. Hank Bauer Milt Schmidt Dit Clapper Boston Bruins
11. Bill Mosienko Max Bentley Doug Bentley Chicago Black Hawks
12. Wendel Clark Doug Gilmour Dave Andreychuck Toronto Maple Leafs
13. Wendel Clark Doug Gilmour Steve Thomas Toronto Maple Leafs
14. Steve Schutt Jacques Lemaire Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadians
15. Marian Stastny Peter Stastny Anton Stastny Quebec Nordiques
16. Rene Robert Gilbert Perreault Rich Martin Buffalo Sabres
17. Joe Malone Cyclone Taylor Newsy Lalonde (CIRCA 1912 - Quebec Bulldogs)
18. Busher Jackson Joe Primeau Charlie Conacher Toronto Maple Leafs
19. Johnny Bucyk Phil Esposito Ken Hodge Boston Bruins
20. John LeClair Eric Lindros Mark Recchi Philadelphia Flyers
21. Luc Robataille Wayne Gretzky Bernie Nichols L.A Kings
22. Craig Janney Adam Oates Cam Neely Boston Bruins
23. Yvon Cornoyeur Jean Beliveau Boom Boom Geoffrion Montreal Canadians
24. Dave Taylor Marcel Dionne Charlie Simmer L.A Kings
25. Doug Mohns Stan Makita Kenny Wharram Chicago Black Hawks
26. Mats Sundin Joe Sakic Owen Nolan Quebec Nordiques
27. Alexander Mogilny Pavel Bure Vancouver Canucks
28. Alexander Mogilny Pat LaFontaine Buffalo Sabres
29. Aurel Joliet Howie Morenz Montreal Canadians
30. Brad Richards Vincent Lecavalier Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightening
31. Gary Roberts Joe Nieuwendyk Theoren Fleury Calgary Flames
32. Wendel Clark Mats Sundin Mike Gartner Toronto Maple Leafs
33. Kevin Stevens Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins
34. Al Secord Dennis Maruk Mike Gartner Washington Capitals
35. Brian Propp Ken Linesman Tim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers
36. Adam Oates Brett Hull St. Louis Blues
37. Tiger Williams Darryl Sittler Lanny McDonald Toronto Maple Leafs
38. Bobby Hull Ulf Nielson Anders Hedberg Winnipeg Jets
39. Michel Goulet Marc Tardif Real Cloutier Quebec Nordiques
40. Al Secord Denis Savard Steve Larmer Chicago Black Hawks
41. Dale Hawerchuck Thomas Steen Winnipeg Jets
42. Norm Ulman Alex Delvechio Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings
43. Terry O’Reilly Rick Middleton Peter McNabb Boston Bruins
44. Errol Thompson Darryl Sittler Lanny McDonald Toronto Maple Leafs
45. Todd Bertuzzi Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks
46. Daniel Alfredsson Jason Spezza Dany Heatley Ottawa Senators
47. Vic Hadfield Jean Ratelle Rod Gilbert New York Rangers
48. Gary Unger Red Berenson St. Louis Blues
49. Brian Bellows Bobby Smith Dino Ciccarelli Minnesota North Stars
50. Evgeni Malkin Sydney Crosby Peter Sykora Pittsburgh Penguins
The One Day Strike - By Moses
The One Day Strike
By Moses
It was January 5th 2009, and every business, Government office, and trade venue closed for 24 hours in every Country in the World.
The United Nations calculated the entire worldwide population to be worth $30 U.S/ Head. This meant that the total amount of donations to be $180 Billion U.S.
This treaty had been announced 1 year prior, and with this success of money making, poured donations to Fifth World Nations. The promotion was called ‘Feed the Poor’, and with its success came a Mandate from Fifth World Nations to distribute the donations equally to each ‘Poor Nation’, indiscriminate of size (geographical or by population).
This idealism caught fire. U2 played alongside B.B King and Buddy Guy in a free blues concert for the masses the following week. Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, and FIFA each donated their revenues for 1 game of each team. Before long the donation amount exceeded 1.8 Trillion U.S Dollars.
The question as to why it hadn’t happened sooner was never asked. The answer to this question was simply ‘It Happened’.
Donations
Six Billion people just donated 1 Cent U.S each to buy food for the poor. This translates into $60 Million U.S.
Six Billion people just donated 10 Cents U.S each to buy food for the poor. This translates into $600 Million U.S.
Why doesn’t the U.N Mandate this recourse?
Does anyone have an issue donating 10 Cents U.S / Month?
This would translate into $7.2 Billion U.S per year. Compounded monthly at 2% per, the interest alone would total $144 Million U.S each month, after the first year. At the end of the 2nd year the accumulated total of capital and interest would exceed $16.428 Billion U.S (or $16,428,000,000 U.S).
Humanitarian Efforts and Testament
In 1972, Roberto Clemente, as usual, finished his tenure as a ballplayer annually by buying medical supplies and flying with them to his native Country, Puerto Rico. His plane crashed and he died before his annual supplies reached there. It is efforts like these that inspire me.
In Ethiopia today the average life expectancy is 52 years of age and there are still those that are justifying this population control. If I had $1 Million in the bank I would buy $400,000 worth of food, water, and medical supplies for my dying brethren. As these are many peoples’ aspirations it leaves this writer wondering what most people tell them-selves before they go to bed in Million Dollar homes.
By Moses
It was January 5th 2009, and every business, Government office, and trade venue closed for 24 hours in every Country in the World.
The United Nations calculated the entire worldwide population to be worth $30 U.S/ Head. This meant that the total amount of donations to be $180 Billion U.S.
This treaty had been announced 1 year prior, and with this success of money making, poured donations to Fifth World Nations. The promotion was called ‘Feed the Poor’, and with its success came a Mandate from Fifth World Nations to distribute the donations equally to each ‘Poor Nation’, indiscriminate of size (geographical or by population).
This idealism caught fire. U2 played alongside B.B King and Buddy Guy in a free blues concert for the masses the following week. Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, and FIFA each donated their revenues for 1 game of each team. Before long the donation amount exceeded 1.8 Trillion U.S Dollars.
The question as to why it hadn’t happened sooner was never asked. The answer to this question was simply ‘It Happened’.
Donations
Six Billion people just donated 1 Cent U.S each to buy food for the poor. This translates into $60 Million U.S.
Six Billion people just donated 10 Cents U.S each to buy food for the poor. This translates into $600 Million U.S.
Why doesn’t the U.N Mandate this recourse?
Does anyone have an issue donating 10 Cents U.S / Month?
This would translate into $7.2 Billion U.S per year. Compounded monthly at 2% per, the interest alone would total $144 Million U.S each month, after the first year. At the end of the 2nd year the accumulated total of capital and interest would exceed $16.428 Billion U.S (or $16,428,000,000 U.S).
Humanitarian Efforts and Testament
In 1972, Roberto Clemente, as usual, finished his tenure as a ballplayer annually by buying medical supplies and flying with them to his native Country, Puerto Rico. His plane crashed and he died before his annual supplies reached there. It is efforts like these that inspire me.
In Ethiopia today the average life expectancy is 52 years of age and there are still those that are justifying this population control. If I had $1 Million in the bank I would buy $400,000 worth of food, water, and medical supplies for my dying brethren. As these are many peoples’ aspirations it leaves this writer wondering what most people tell them-selves before they go to bed in Million Dollar homes.
Friday, December 19, 2008
The True Meaning of Yuletide - by Uncle Wednesday
A very good friend of mine said last week: “I don’t do Christmas. I lock myself away, take the ‘phone off the hook and hide until it’s all over.” She is not the only one among my friends who take this attitude; there are at least two others, also loners but by no means ‘sad loners’, just highly independent people.
I pondered on why someone would wish to distance themselves from what, to me, can be a wonderful and magical time of year. I still believe in Father Christmas (although I refer to him as Yulefather these days); I continue to hope – against the odds – for a fall of snow; and, despite the fact that this is the first time in many years that I will be on my own for most of the festive season, I have to have the tree with its baubles and lights standing in the corner of the room.
So why don’t some people like this holiday? I was once in a profession that involved meeting a wide variety of people. Oh, to hell with it: I’ll admit it – I was a chiropodist, and a damn good one too. In the half-hour that I would devote to tending a patient’s toenails, corns, callouses, verrucae and so on, we would get the chance to chat. (In a roundabout way, I heard their opinion of me: “Mad as a hatter, but a damn good chiropodist.”)
Around this time of year, when daylight endures for a mere 8 hours or so and the Yule festival is approaching, I frequently heard the plaint: “Oh, I will be glad when it is all over! Such an effort – all the shopping, all the cooking and putting up with relatives that you would prefer not to see.” This already gives three dimensions for preferring to avoid the holiday. A fourth was added when I ventured into the centre of a major city in England on the afternoon of 23 December (on that occasion the last working day before Christmas), seeking to buy some last-minute presents. The city centre was full of roaming bands of drunken youths and the police were out in force and never in groups of less than three. I could not get on the bus out of town fast enough.
Believe it or not, it can get worse. On top of all the materialism, the forced gluttony, the strained contact with relatives, the fearful avoidance of random violence and (I forgot this bit) the slavish watching of absolutely dire TV programmes as we sit, farting and belching after the ‘Christmas dinner’, there comes the political correctness. Oh, sorry, forgot to capitalise it: Political Correctness. I received a chain email from a cousin today. It showed an image of a ‘Christmas’ tree (ok, I use the term as the most familiar) and went on to state: “Take a look: This is not a ‘Holiday Tree’; it is not a ‘Hanukah tree’ or a ‘Kwanza bush’. It is a CHRISTmas tree and we celebrate the birth of JESUS CHRIST!”
The irony is that I have never known my cousin to be any great Christian; he passed on the email simply because he, like many other people, is annoyed at the hijacking of the ‘traditional Christmas’ by other elements, usually politically-correct activists rather than the Jews, black people, Moslems, Hindus or other minorities on whose behalf the PC rent-a-mob claim to be offended. As an adherent of the Asatru faith, I could also have got on my high horse and written a terse reply concerning the true origins of our winter festival. I did not because I understood his motivation, misguided though it was.
Let’s get some wider perspective on the whole issue of Yuletide, Christmas or whatever name you choose to give it. In Europe it has its origins in many festivals, most of them heathen. Our Mid-winter festival has been hijacked, banned, reshaped and corrupted enormously over the course of the past 1,500 years. It has been hijacked as early as the 6th Century by Christian missionaries who knew when they were on to a good thing and melded the old folk-festivals into the new religion. There is no evidence that Jesus was born at the winter solstice; they merely substituted the birth of the ‘son’ for the re-birth of the sun. In the furore of the Protestant revolution in England, the midwinter revels were banned for a decade and they have never properly recovered since. In the 19th Century, the icons and images were fundamentally reshaped in the light of Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Prince Albert’s input with the (now ubiquitous) ‘Christmas tree’. Since then, the festival has been corrupted to become almost purely a commercial occasion. Every medium of communication, be it radio, TV or internet, calls upon us to spend to the utmost to satisfy the material desires of ourselves and our kith and kin.
So why celebrate it all now? I can give a few reasons. We can celebrate the fact that the sun has reached and passed its nadir and that the days will extend again for the next 6 months. We can have a time for revels and joyous activity to counteract the depressive feeling of the darkest time of the year. It is a time for relaxation and a (little) bit of gluttony when there is not much to do on the farm and the harvest is long gathered, and it is, furthermore, a time to put aside old feuds and grievances for at least 12 days in the ‘peace of Frodhi-Frey’.
To go back to my chiropody patients, as I tended to their feet, my response was: “So why do you do it?” To which they would reply with resignation: “Well, you’ve got to, haven’t you?”
My response was: “No. Break out of it. You don’t have to do this. Why torture yourself in the time of year that should bring nothing but magic and joy?”
There is nothing that prevents us making this a wonderful season. If relatives expect you, by dint of habit, to visit them (or, conversely, expect you to invite them) then exploit every reason to break that routine. Find or invent a reason. Eat what is a special, delicious meal for you; never mind the turkey, spouts and roast potatoes, eat Indian or Mexican if that is what suits you better. As for the materialism and high spending of the Yuletide period, I can only offer the example of a similar but related festival.
In the Netherlands, they celebrate the Feast of Sinterklaas on 5 December. When I lived in that country, there was little commerciality attached to the festival and I shared a student house with 4 others (apart from my fiancée). As none of us had much money to spend, the rules for our ‘Sinterklaas’ celebration were that we were, firstly, to buy a present for each of the other five. Secondly, the said present should cost no more than 5 guilders (a ridiculously small amount, so we had to search very hard); thirdly, we had to pack the present in an inventive manner and, finally, write a doggerel poem that said something about the person, the present and the reason for giving it. As an example, I had to make a present for a vegan member of the household; I packed it in the form of a cow and gave a scurrilous poem on the evils of failing to eat meat. There were many such ironical examples and we all had a good time, interspersed with adequate measures of Heineken. The whole event lasted all evening, we got merrily drunk, it displayed our inventiveness and it cost, in financial terms, very little.
I believe we need to break out of the current paradigm and inventively seek to re-establish the magic of Yuletide. It breaks my heart that I have, on the one hand, friends who say: “I don’t do Christmas” and, on the other hand, acquaintances who say: “I hate it but feel obliged to do it.” Let us re-adopt Yuletide as it ought to be – a time when we relax, enjoy, welcome old friends and look forward to a new season of growth and fertility.
A very good friend of mine said last week: “I don’t do Christmas. I lock myself away, take the ‘phone off the hook and hide until it’s all over.” She is not the only one among my friends who take this attitude; there are at least two others, also loners but by no means ‘sad loners’, just highly independent people.
I pondered on why someone would wish to distance themselves from what, to me, can be a wonderful and magical time of year. I still believe in Father Christmas (although I refer to him as Yulefather these days); I continue to hope – against the odds – for a fall of snow; and, despite the fact that this is the first time in many years that I will be on my own for most of the festive season, I have to have the tree with its baubles and lights standing in the corner of the room.
So why don’t some people like this holiday? I was once in a profession that involved meeting a wide variety of people. Oh, to hell with it: I’ll admit it – I was a chiropodist, and a damn good one too. In the half-hour that I would devote to tending a patient’s toenails, corns, callouses, verrucae and so on, we would get the chance to chat. (In a roundabout way, I heard their opinion of me: “Mad as a hatter, but a damn good chiropodist.”)
Around this time of year, when daylight endures for a mere 8 hours or so and the Yule festival is approaching, I frequently heard the plaint: “Oh, I will be glad when it is all over! Such an effort – all the shopping, all the cooking and putting up with relatives that you would prefer not to see.” This already gives three dimensions for preferring to avoid the holiday. A fourth was added when I ventured into the centre of a major city in England on the afternoon of 23 December (on that occasion the last working day before Christmas), seeking to buy some last-minute presents. The city centre was full of roaming bands of drunken youths and the police were out in force and never in groups of less than three. I could not get on the bus out of town fast enough.
Believe it or not, it can get worse. On top of all the materialism, the forced gluttony, the strained contact with relatives, the fearful avoidance of random violence and (I forgot this bit) the slavish watching of absolutely dire TV programmes as we sit, farting and belching after the ‘Christmas dinner’, there comes the political correctness. Oh, sorry, forgot to capitalise it: Political Correctness. I received a chain email from a cousin today. It showed an image of a ‘Christmas’ tree (ok, I use the term as the most familiar) and went on to state: “Take a look: This is not a ‘Holiday Tree’; it is not a ‘Hanukah tree’ or a ‘Kwanza bush’. It is a CHRISTmas tree and we celebrate the birth of JESUS CHRIST!”
The irony is that I have never known my cousin to be any great Christian; he passed on the email simply because he, like many other people, is annoyed at the hijacking of the ‘traditional Christmas’ by other elements, usually politically-correct activists rather than the Jews, black people, Moslems, Hindus or other minorities on whose behalf the PC rent-a-mob claim to be offended. As an adherent of the Asatru faith, I could also have got on my high horse and written a terse reply concerning the true origins of our winter festival. I did not because I understood his motivation, misguided though it was.
Let’s get some wider perspective on the whole issue of Yuletide, Christmas or whatever name you choose to give it. In Europe it has its origins in many festivals, most of them heathen. Our Mid-winter festival has been hijacked, banned, reshaped and corrupted enormously over the course of the past 1,500 years. It has been hijacked as early as the 6th Century by Christian missionaries who knew when they were on to a good thing and melded the old folk-festivals into the new religion. There is no evidence that Jesus was born at the winter solstice; they merely substituted the birth of the ‘son’ for the re-birth of the sun. In the furore of the Protestant revolution in England, the midwinter revels were banned for a decade and they have never properly recovered since. In the 19th Century, the icons and images were fundamentally reshaped in the light of Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Prince Albert’s input with the (now ubiquitous) ‘Christmas tree’. Since then, the festival has been corrupted to become almost purely a commercial occasion. Every medium of communication, be it radio, TV or internet, calls upon us to spend to the utmost to satisfy the material desires of ourselves and our kith and kin.
So why celebrate it all now? I can give a few reasons. We can celebrate the fact that the sun has reached and passed its nadir and that the days will extend again for the next 6 months. We can have a time for revels and joyous activity to counteract the depressive feeling of the darkest time of the year. It is a time for relaxation and a (little) bit of gluttony when there is not much to do on the farm and the harvest is long gathered, and it is, furthermore, a time to put aside old feuds and grievances for at least 12 days in the ‘peace of Frodhi-Frey’.
To go back to my chiropody patients, as I tended to their feet, my response was: “So why do you do it?” To which they would reply with resignation: “Well, you’ve got to, haven’t you?”
My response was: “No. Break out of it. You don’t have to do this. Why torture yourself in the time of year that should bring nothing but magic and joy?”
There is nothing that prevents us making this a wonderful season. If relatives expect you, by dint of habit, to visit them (or, conversely, expect you to invite them) then exploit every reason to break that routine. Find or invent a reason. Eat what is a special, delicious meal for you; never mind the turkey, spouts and roast potatoes, eat Indian or Mexican if that is what suits you better. As for the materialism and high spending of the Yuletide period, I can only offer the example of a similar but related festival.
In the Netherlands, they celebrate the Feast of Sinterklaas on 5 December. When I lived in that country, there was little commerciality attached to the festival and I shared a student house with 4 others (apart from my fiancée). As none of us had much money to spend, the rules for our ‘Sinterklaas’ celebration were that we were, firstly, to buy a present for each of the other five. Secondly, the said present should cost no more than 5 guilders (a ridiculously small amount, so we had to search very hard); thirdly, we had to pack the present in an inventive manner and, finally, write a doggerel poem that said something about the person, the present and the reason for giving it. As an example, I had to make a present for a vegan member of the household; I packed it in the form of a cow and gave a scurrilous poem on the evils of failing to eat meat. There were many such ironical examples and we all had a good time, interspersed with adequate measures of Heineken. The whole event lasted all evening, we got merrily drunk, it displayed our inventiveness and it cost, in financial terms, very little.
I believe we need to break out of the current paradigm and inventively seek to re-establish the magic of Yuletide. It breaks my heart that I have, on the one hand, friends who say: “I don’t do Christmas” and, on the other hand, acquaintances who say: “I hate it but feel obliged to do it.” Let us re-adopt Yuletide as it ought to be – a time when we relax, enjoy, welcome old friends and look forward to a new season of growth and fertility.
Wassail!
Uncle Wednesday
Global Warming in History, by Gråulf
I am not a climatologist, so my opinion is worth about as much as All Gores, but I am a fairly good historian with a well-developed BS detector, and I double and triple-check all data that looks suspicious. When All Gore, shows a “Hockey Stick” temperature graph done by Mann, Bradley and Hughes (1998), and has to hoist his fat ass up on a crane to point to present day temperatures, and then announces that the last few years have been the warmest on record for the past 125,000 years my BS alarm goes off. Mann, Bradley and Hughes claim the Medieval Warm Period, and the Little Ice Age were insignificant, and local fluctuations in temperature, presumable because it would be inconvenient for them to explain how large temperature variations took place prior to man-made industrial pollution. The infamous hockey stick graph has since been discredited for using flawed data and methodology. However, man-made global warming advocates continue using the graph, and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change relied on the data in the flawed graph.
Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas, astrophysicists from the University of Harvard, wrote a paper called Proxy Climatic and Environmental Changes of the Past 1000 Years, which was published in the Journal of Climate Research in 2003. The paper presented solid evidence that the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age had worldwide imprints, and suggested that the 20th century is not the warmest or a uniquely extreme climactic period of the last millennium. Well, you would have thought they pissed in the Holy Grail from the response they got from the man-made global warming advocates. The editor of Climate Research was hounded out of his job for publishing the paper, and the scientific community, led by Mann, Bradley and Hughes, vilified the authors.
In the 10,000 years since the end of the last major ice age, which closed the Pleistocene Epoch, Earth's climate has undergone a series of global warmings and global coolings. Between 6,000 and 4,000 years ago, for example, during a period known as the "Holocene Maximum," global temperatures were about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than they are today. Rainfall patterns were also different. There were forests and savannas in what is now the arid core of the Sahara desert; hippopotamuses and crocodiles thrived in lakes and swamps. Moister conditions in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley aided the development of agriculture and humanity's first great civilizations in these regions. Now, Scandinavian scientists have published research indicating that the Arctic Ocean was ice-free in the summers during this time, and that was the reason the Eskimo could migrate from Alaska, across northern Canada, to Greenland in such a short time period.
There were several other cooling and warming periods since then, and one of these cooling periods caused the great migrations out of northern Europe that eventually toppled the Roman Empire and established the foundations of the great nations of Europe.
During the present millennium there was a period of mild climate called the Medieval Warm Period, lasting from about 800 to 1300 AD. Europe enjoyed an undeniably balmy climate during this period. Agriculture flourished farther north and at higher elevations on mountains than is possible even in today's warmish climate, and harvests generally was good. Farmers raised wine grapes in England 300 miles north of present limits, and Norse settlers grazed sheep and dairy cattle in what are now icebound parts of Greenland.
By about 1300 A.D., the climate had cooled to temperatures comparable to today, and continued to cool, bringing on the Little Ice Age, which is well documented in art and literature. The Little Ice Age lasted until 1850, and the climate is still warming. Contrary to All Gore’s claims, today’s climate is not the warmest since the last Ice Age. When Leif Ericson sailed to America the tree line was 200 miles further north than it is today, and his father, Eric the Red, was able to grow cereal grains on his farm in Greenland.
Gråulf.
Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas, astrophysicists from the University of Harvard, wrote a paper called Proxy Climatic and Environmental Changes of the Past 1000 Years, which was published in the Journal of Climate Research in 2003. The paper presented solid evidence that the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age had worldwide imprints, and suggested that the 20th century is not the warmest or a uniquely extreme climactic period of the last millennium. Well, you would have thought they pissed in the Holy Grail from the response they got from the man-made global warming advocates. The editor of Climate Research was hounded out of his job for publishing the paper, and the scientific community, led by Mann, Bradley and Hughes, vilified the authors.
In the 10,000 years since the end of the last major ice age, which closed the Pleistocene Epoch, Earth's climate has undergone a series of global warmings and global coolings. Between 6,000 and 4,000 years ago, for example, during a period known as the "Holocene Maximum," global temperatures were about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than they are today. Rainfall patterns were also different. There were forests and savannas in what is now the arid core of the Sahara desert; hippopotamuses and crocodiles thrived in lakes and swamps. Moister conditions in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley aided the development of agriculture and humanity's first great civilizations in these regions. Now, Scandinavian scientists have published research indicating that the Arctic Ocean was ice-free in the summers during this time, and that was the reason the Eskimo could migrate from Alaska, across northern Canada, to Greenland in such a short time period.
There were several other cooling and warming periods since then, and one of these cooling periods caused the great migrations out of northern Europe that eventually toppled the Roman Empire and established the foundations of the great nations of Europe.
During the present millennium there was a period of mild climate called the Medieval Warm Period, lasting from about 800 to 1300 AD. Europe enjoyed an undeniably balmy climate during this period. Agriculture flourished farther north and at higher elevations on mountains than is possible even in today's warmish climate, and harvests generally was good. Farmers raised wine grapes in England 300 miles north of present limits, and Norse settlers grazed sheep and dairy cattle in what are now icebound parts of Greenland.
By about 1300 A.D., the climate had cooled to temperatures comparable to today, and continued to cool, bringing on the Little Ice Age, which is well documented in art and literature. The Little Ice Age lasted until 1850, and the climate is still warming. Contrary to All Gore’s claims, today’s climate is not the warmest since the last Ice Age. When Leif Ericson sailed to America the tree line was 200 miles further north than it is today, and his father, Eric the Red, was able to grow cereal grains on his farm in Greenland.
Gråulf.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Real Story of Hamlet, by Gråulf
I was poking around, looking for some information about the history of Roskilde, Denmark, and found some passages from Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish historian who wrote a history of Denmark at the time of Bishop Absalon. It all looked familiar, and I realized the old-fashioned history book I studied in school was Denmark’s history according to Saxo.
One of the stories I remember reading in that old history book is the real legend of Hamlet, which Shakespeare stole from Saxo, and made into his own sissy story about a nutty prince. According to Saxo, Geryendill was king of Jutland, and was succeeded by his sons Horvendill and Feng. Horvendill distinguished himself in battle, winning the enmity of his brother, who had Geryendill murdered. Feng then married his brother’s widow, whose name was Gerutha. Geryendill and Gerutha had a young son whose name was Amleth, who was old enough to figure out that his uncle had it in for him, and that he was likely to share his father’s fate. Amleth therefore pretended to be a harmless idiot, and sat all day in the ashes of the kitchen fire, muttering to himself while whittling wooden hooks and sharpened stakes, which he hardened in the fire. Uncle Feng was suspicious of the dirty little urchin, and Saxo delights in recounting all the sneaky tricks Feng tried to trip Amleth up, and get him to reveal that he was not as stupid as he let on. Amleth was to smart for him, but Feng was not assured, and eventually sent Amleth of to Britain in company of two trusted attendants, who bore a rune stick asking the king of that country to put him to death. Amleth knew that the king of Britain and Feng were old pals, and guessed that he was not being sent on this trip for his health, so he found the rune stick while the attendants slept, and altered the runes to read that he should marry the king’s daughter, and the two attendants should be put to death. Amleth returned to Denmark at the end of a year, and arrived in time for a funeral feast, held to celebrate his untimely death. Hamlet rolled in the ashes of the kitchen fire, and put his grubby clothes back on, and acted the total idiot while he encouraged his uncle’s retinue to drink a lot of mjød. When everyone was good and drunk he pulled the woolen tapestries off the wall, and fastened them together over the drunks with his wooden hooks, and then he pegged everything down with the sharpened pegs he had made as a child. That done, he said goodnight to his uncle by running a sword through his belly, and as he left the hall he threw a match over his shoulder setting fire to the alcohol drenched drunks. The next morning Amleth told the assembled multitude who he was, and why he had barbequed their king, and the people proclaimed him his uncle’s replacement.
As far as I am concerned, that is a much better story than Shakespeare’s version.
I did find the story I was looking for, about the origin of Roskilde. When I was very young, and we lived in Roskilde, we used to walk by a spring called Roars Kilde. My mother told me that Roskilde was named after the spring, and I have always been curious about the rest of the story. I found the answer in Lejrekroniken (the Chronicle of Lejre), which was written down about 1160. According to the chronicle, king Roar moved the town of Lejre to the present site of Roskilde because Lejre had become landlocked, and he wanted a place that would be better for trade. The site he chose was on a fjord, where a large spring came out of the hillside above the shore. Thus the name Roar’s Spring – Roskilde.
Gråulf.
One of the stories I remember reading in that old history book is the real legend of Hamlet, which Shakespeare stole from Saxo, and made into his own sissy story about a nutty prince. According to Saxo, Geryendill was king of Jutland, and was succeeded by his sons Horvendill and Feng. Horvendill distinguished himself in battle, winning the enmity of his brother, who had Geryendill murdered. Feng then married his brother’s widow, whose name was Gerutha. Geryendill and Gerutha had a young son whose name was Amleth, who was old enough to figure out that his uncle had it in for him, and that he was likely to share his father’s fate. Amleth therefore pretended to be a harmless idiot, and sat all day in the ashes of the kitchen fire, muttering to himself while whittling wooden hooks and sharpened stakes, which he hardened in the fire. Uncle Feng was suspicious of the dirty little urchin, and Saxo delights in recounting all the sneaky tricks Feng tried to trip Amleth up, and get him to reveal that he was not as stupid as he let on. Amleth was to smart for him, but Feng was not assured, and eventually sent Amleth of to Britain in company of two trusted attendants, who bore a rune stick asking the king of that country to put him to death. Amleth knew that the king of Britain and Feng were old pals, and guessed that he was not being sent on this trip for his health, so he found the rune stick while the attendants slept, and altered the runes to read that he should marry the king’s daughter, and the two attendants should be put to death. Amleth returned to Denmark at the end of a year, and arrived in time for a funeral feast, held to celebrate his untimely death. Hamlet rolled in the ashes of the kitchen fire, and put his grubby clothes back on, and acted the total idiot while he encouraged his uncle’s retinue to drink a lot of mjød. When everyone was good and drunk he pulled the woolen tapestries off the wall, and fastened them together over the drunks with his wooden hooks, and then he pegged everything down with the sharpened pegs he had made as a child. That done, he said goodnight to his uncle by running a sword through his belly, and as he left the hall he threw a match over his shoulder setting fire to the alcohol drenched drunks. The next morning Amleth told the assembled multitude who he was, and why he had barbequed their king, and the people proclaimed him his uncle’s replacement.
As far as I am concerned, that is a much better story than Shakespeare’s version.
I did find the story I was looking for, about the origin of Roskilde. When I was very young, and we lived in Roskilde, we used to walk by a spring called Roars Kilde. My mother told me that Roskilde was named after the spring, and I have always been curious about the rest of the story. I found the answer in Lejrekroniken (the Chronicle of Lejre), which was written down about 1160. According to the chronicle, king Roar moved the town of Lejre to the present site of Roskilde because Lejre had become landlocked, and he wanted a place that would be better for trade. The site he chose was on a fjord, where a large spring came out of the hillside above the shore. Thus the name Roar’s Spring – Roskilde.
Gråulf.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
My Favourite Movies
My Favorite Movies
By Moses
The Natural – starring Robert Redford, Wilfred Brimely, and Barbara Hershey – Folklore.
Raiders of the Lost Ark – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Harrison Ford – Action – Archeology - Facing the wrath of the Lord – Archiving.
The Sting - written by David S. Ward – Action/Drama/Comedy – Confidence games.
Once Upon A Time in America – starring Robert DeNiro and James Woods – Mafia – Heroine.
After Hours – directed by Martin Scorcese – starring Griffin Dunne, John Heard and Roseanne Arquette – Black Comedy – Chronological.
A Clockwork Orange – directed by Stanley Kubrick – starring Roddy McDowell – Futuristic Psycho-Thriller - science – Psychiatric treatment.
Papillion – starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman – Action/Drama – Plageurism – Security – Escaping – Editing Versions.
Mississippi Burning – starring Gene Hackman and William Dafoe – Documentary Drama – White Supremacists.
Rocky – starring Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers – Action/Drama – Opportunity and multiculturalism.
E.T – directed by Steven Spielberg – Space/Technology – Ethiopia – Sephardiim.
Field of Dreams – Written by Ray Kinsetta - starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster – Mystic – Passages – Self realization – Thinking of the dead – immortal.
Bull Durham – starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon – Comedy – Tutolage – Manager – Different levels of ability.
Clear and Present Danger – written by Tom Clancy – starring Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones and William Dafoe – Military – Lindu Coffee brand – Cocaine – Americanization – War.
The Matrix – written by the Wolcholski brothers - starring Lawrence Fishbourne and Keannu Reeves – Film Noir – Conceptual Philosophy – A controlled environment vs. Zion – Freedom – boundaries.
The Outsiders – starring Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, and Emilio Estevez – Film Noir - Drama - The Greasers vs. the Mods.
The Godfather Part 2 – directed by Francis Ford Coppolla – starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino – Mafia – Heroine - Custom – Judah – Priesthood.
Star Wars – written and directed by George Lucas – starring Harrison Ford – Space/Action Agnostic – Jedi – Empire – Empires – Fundamentalism – Laser – Technology.
Shawshank Redemption – starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman – Drama - Tradesmen – Slavery – Identity – Profession.
Malcolm X – directed by Spike Lee – starring Denzel Washington – Documentary Drama/Theology - By Whatever Means.
‘2001’ – directed by Stanley Kubrick – Futuristic - Does a computer and a child dream.
Silkwood – starring Meryl Streep – Documentary Drama - Nuclear Energy – Plague – Radiation.
Batman – directed by Tim Burton – starring Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton – Film Noir – Drama - Protagonists – Antagonists – the Super-Ego (restraint).
Good Will Hunting – written by Damon and Affleck - starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck – Comedy/Drama - Ingenious – Street smarts – Blue collar – School smarts – White collar.
Forest Gump – starring Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise – Documentation - Innocence.
Moscow on the Hudson – starring Robin Williams – Comedy - Is a Soviet (Russian) legal in New York City in 1985?
The Frisco Kid – starring Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder – Comedy – Two distinct cultures; Judeo/Christian.
Pulp Fiction – directed by Quentin Tarantino – starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis – Action/Comedy – Doing what you’ve ‘got to do’ and using refrain (with Biblical reference)..
Enemy of the State – starring Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, and Lisa Bonet – Conceptual/Action – Monitoring the monitors.
Animal House – directed by John Landis – starring John Belushi and Tim Matheson – Comedy – Fraternities and the Military.
Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke – written by Tommy Chong, starring ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy Chong – Comedy – The liberal dope smoking 70’s – Expanding Consciousness.
Fiddler on the Roof – directed by Norman Jewison – Drama/Comedy – Customs changing over time.
Saving Private Ryan – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Tom Hanks – Drama - Mandating the survival of a Mother’s geneology.
Schindler’s List – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley – Documentary Drama - Industrialists role in fighting Nazi Party regulatory practice. Standing behind your constitution.
Stargate – starring James Spader and Kurt Russell – Conceptual Archeology – Root History – Derivatives.
Die Hard – starring Bruce Willis – Action – Visionary and Terrorism – Crime.
‘Cheech’ and Chong’s Next Movie – directed by Tommy Chong – starring ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy Chong – Comedy – Expanding Consciousness.
Stripes – written and directed by Harold Ramis – starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy – Comedy – Military Training – Authority (Big Toe) – Advancement.
‘48 Hours’ – directed by Walter Hill, starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte – Action – Using resources to solve a case.
Zodiac – directed by David Fincher, starring Robert Downey Jr. – Psycho-Thriller/Historical – Detective work – Addressing psychotic behavior.
De Vinci Code – directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks – Conceptual Theology. Sang Real – Royal Bloodline – Vestige (Mary Magdallan. The Priory Sang – Keepers of the Royal Bloodline – Pagan – Masonic – Opus Dei – Secret division of the Church, the goal being to slaughter the Priory. Symbolism – Sign of Venus Per Se- Cryptic Codes – Anagrams – 10 digit password – Laser print on key – A. Pope. Templars of the Priory – Exist today and were given unlimited power for their duty by Pope Pius iv. Spanish Conquestodors – considered to be High Priests – Robes similar (identical) to KKK Robes. Gatekeepers of heaven and hell.
The Godfather – directed by Francis Ford Coppolla – starring Marlon Brando, James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and Talia Shire – Mafia – the families’ decisions – Heroine Trade - Clout.
Greystroke – Legend of Tarzan – directed by Richard Attenborough - Fictional documentary – The story of Tarzan.
The Waterfront – starring Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger – Drama – How hard does life have to be?
Jerry McGuire – starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tom Cruise – Comedy/Drama – An agents role towards his client – Honesty.
Meatballs – starring Bill Murray – Comedy – Summer-camps – ‘It just doesn’t matter.’ – pep- speech’s – guidance.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – starring Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito – Sociology – Are psychiatric facilities voluntary or involuntary by nature?
Gandhi – directed by Richard Attenborough – starring Ben Kingsley – Documentary Drama – Theology –Independence. ‘Take the Muslim mans’ son that you killed and as a Hindu raise him to be a devout Muslim.’
Nightshift – directed by Ron Howard – starring Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, and Shelley Long – Black Comedy – Prostitution, the world’s oldest profession. Pros – means nothing, tit – tits, tu - two tits, tion – means nothing.
Dead Poet Society – starring Robin Williams – Drama – Carpes Diem – Seize the Day – Des Cartes. Following your dreams regardless of the consequences.
Death on the Nile – written by Agatha Christie - starring Peter Ustinov – Mystery - Detective work by using deduction through the eyes of Hercule Poirot.
Diner – directed by Barry Levinson – starring Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Ellen Barkin, and Kevin Bacon – Comedy/Drama – Relationships.
Witches of Eastwick – starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pheifer, and Susan Sarandon – Comedy – Demonic posession and polygamy.
Hoosiers – starring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper – Documentary Drama – Coaching, and fathering.
‘Bugsy’ – starring Warren Beatty, Annette Benning, and Ben Kingsley – Historical – Mafia.
Lord of the Rings – directed by Peter Jackson – Folklore – Wizardry.
Heaven Can Wait – starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie – Comedy/Drama – the afterlife. The possibility of reincarnation in the here and now.
Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back) – written and directed by George Lucas – starring Harrison Ford – Space/Drama – Good vs. evil – Empire vs. free spirit – Technology.
Full Metal Jacket – directed by Stanley Kubrick – starring Matthew Modine – Military – Training techniques – Suicide – War.
Midnight Run – starring Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin – Comedy/Drama – Bounty hunters – Tracking – Choices.
The Blues Brothers – directed by John Landis – starring Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi – Comedy – The genre of the Blues and fighting those fucking Nazi’s along the way.
Beetlegeuse – directed by Tim Burton – starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, Alec Baldwyn, and Geena Davis – Comedy/Horror – the afterlife. Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse.
Good Morning Vietnam – directed by Barry Levinson - starring Robin Williams and Forest Whitaker – Historical comedy – Vietnam War.
Slapshot – starring Paul Newman – Comedy – Hockey – Scorer vs. Tough-guy. The role of the Owner and upper management at the point of moving a Franchise.
Rear Window- directed by Alfred Hitch cock – starring James Stewart – Psycho-Thriller – Solving a crime.
Patch Adams – starring Robin Williams – Comedy/Horror – Education and coming off pharmaceutical treatment. The idealism that humor can heal a persons’ psyche.
Boyz in the Hood – directed by John Singleton – starring Lawrence Fishbourne and Cuba Gooding Jr. and Angela Bisset – Drama – Combating gang activity – Racism.
The Fugitive – starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones – Action – Innocence – Using science to solve a crime.
Apocolypse Now – directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando – Historical Time Period – Fighting a war.
The Jerk – starring Steve Martin, Jackie Mason, and Bernadette Peters – Comedy – multiculturalism – all it takes is an idea.
The Jungle Book - Tarzan
Absence of Malice – starring Paul Newman – Drama – Legal issues – Ethics.
And A River Runs Through It – directed by Robert Redford – starring Brad Pitt (Narration by Robert Redford) – Drama – Relationships.
Lawrence of Arabia – starring Peter O’Toole – Historical – Sovereignty – Laws of the land.
The Titanic – directed by James Cameron – starring Leonardo DeCaprio – Historical – Social classes.
Sleepless in Seattle – directed by Rob Reiner – starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan – Comedy – Coping with death in the family.
Die Hard 2 –written by Goldman - starring Bruce Willis, Samual L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons – Action – Crime Mastermind. Hero – protagonist vs Villain – antagonist.
The Fight Club – directed by David Fincher - starring Brad Pitt – Conceptual terrorism – How does a man deal with Hate? What is real and what is a figment of a persons’ imagination?
Tootsie – directed by Barry Levinson – starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, and Bill Murray – Comedy – The rights of a feminist.
The Lost Boys – starring Kiefer Sutherland – Film Noir - Conceptual thriller – Vampire’s.
Rocky 11 – starring Sylvester Stallone, Meredith Burgess, and Carl Weathers – Action - Re-match.
Arthur – starring Dudley Moore – Drama/Comedy – Pompous and not caring vs. defined social classes.
Philadelphia – starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington – Social Commentary – The Aids issue in the workplace. What right’s does the individual have? Relationships.
Poltergeist – starring Drew Barrymore, and Craig T. Nelson – Sci-fi Horror – Living inside a Television – absolute truth.
Platoon – written and directed by Oliver Stone – starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and William Dafoe – Action – War stories – the Role of a Unit/Platoon.
Romancing the Stone – starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito – Comedy/Action – A quest and a love story.
The Karate Kid – starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchia – Action – Mentoring – Martial Arts – Fighting dirty.
Raging Bull – directed by Martin Scorcese – starring Robert DeNiro – Documentary Drama – A boxer who is out of control with his personal life.
Apollo 13 – directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks – Space/Drama documentary – Technology being maximized to its’ fullest.
The Color Purple – starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover – Drama – Slavery – The relationship between an African-American man and woman - Slavery.
Angel Heart – starring Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet – Film Noir - Thriller – A soul that is owned by Hell. ‘Louis Cypher’.
Fatal Attraction – starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close – Thriller – A woman that is demonized and willing to torture to get her way.
Blue Velvet – directed by David Lynch – starring Dennis Hopper – Film Noir -Thriller – Psychotic behavior in a social context.
Johnny Handsome – starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, and Forest Whitaker – Crime/Action – The mind of the common criminal and his re-adjustment into society after large-scale plastic facial surgery.
Midnight Express – directed by Alan Parker, starring Randy Quaid and John Hurt Action/Documentary – Cultural differences – Crime and punishment – Scapegoating an American due to politics – personal exodus.
Fast Times at Ridgemount High – starring Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, and Forest Whitaker – Comedy – High School in the U.S.A – 80’s.
Kramer vs. Kramer – starring Dustin Hoffman – Drama – Parents fighting over the custody of a child – relationships.
Risky Business – directed by Jonathon Demme – starring Tom Cruise – Comedic Drama – The average American just before entering Post-Secondary Schooling.
American Beauty – starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning – Thriller – Doing what it is you want to do with your life.
Maximum Overdrive – starring Emilio Estevez – Sci-Fiction – Technology taking over the analog domain. Analog vs. digital.
Eight Men Out – starring John Cusack – Documentary Drama – The infamous ‘Black Sox’ of 1919.
Do the Right Thing – directed by Spike Lee – starring Spike Lee, John Tuturro, and featuring Samuel L. Jackson – Drama – Will America ever treat African-Americans as equals?
By Moses
The Natural – starring Robert Redford, Wilfred Brimely, and Barbara Hershey – Folklore.
Raiders of the Lost Ark – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Harrison Ford – Action – Archeology - Facing the wrath of the Lord – Archiving.
The Sting - written by David S. Ward – Action/Drama/Comedy – Confidence games.
Once Upon A Time in America – starring Robert DeNiro and James Woods – Mafia – Heroine.
After Hours – directed by Martin Scorcese – starring Griffin Dunne, John Heard and Roseanne Arquette – Black Comedy – Chronological.
A Clockwork Orange – directed by Stanley Kubrick – starring Roddy McDowell – Futuristic Psycho-Thriller - science – Psychiatric treatment.
Papillion – starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman – Action/Drama – Plageurism – Security – Escaping – Editing Versions.
Mississippi Burning – starring Gene Hackman and William Dafoe – Documentary Drama – White Supremacists.
Rocky – starring Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers – Action/Drama – Opportunity and multiculturalism.
E.T – directed by Steven Spielberg – Space/Technology – Ethiopia – Sephardiim.
Field of Dreams – Written by Ray Kinsetta - starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster – Mystic – Passages – Self realization – Thinking of the dead – immortal.
Bull Durham – starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon – Comedy – Tutolage – Manager – Different levels of ability.
Clear and Present Danger – written by Tom Clancy – starring Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones and William Dafoe – Military – Lindu Coffee brand – Cocaine – Americanization – War.
The Matrix – written by the Wolcholski brothers - starring Lawrence Fishbourne and Keannu Reeves – Film Noir – Conceptual Philosophy – A controlled environment vs. Zion – Freedom – boundaries.
The Outsiders – starring Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, and Emilio Estevez – Film Noir - Drama - The Greasers vs. the Mods.
The Godfather Part 2 – directed by Francis Ford Coppolla – starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino – Mafia – Heroine - Custom – Judah – Priesthood.
Star Wars – written and directed by George Lucas – starring Harrison Ford – Space/Action Agnostic – Jedi – Empire – Empires – Fundamentalism – Laser – Technology.
Shawshank Redemption – starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman – Drama - Tradesmen – Slavery – Identity – Profession.
Malcolm X – directed by Spike Lee – starring Denzel Washington – Documentary Drama/Theology - By Whatever Means.
‘2001’ – directed by Stanley Kubrick – Futuristic - Does a computer and a child dream.
Silkwood – starring Meryl Streep – Documentary Drama - Nuclear Energy – Plague – Radiation.
Batman – directed by Tim Burton – starring Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton – Film Noir – Drama - Protagonists – Antagonists – the Super-Ego (restraint).
Good Will Hunting – written by Damon and Affleck - starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck – Comedy/Drama - Ingenious – Street smarts – Blue collar – School smarts – White collar.
Forest Gump – starring Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise – Documentation - Innocence.
Moscow on the Hudson – starring Robin Williams – Comedy - Is a Soviet (Russian) legal in New York City in 1985?
The Frisco Kid – starring Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder – Comedy – Two distinct cultures; Judeo/Christian.
Pulp Fiction – directed by Quentin Tarantino – starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis – Action/Comedy – Doing what you’ve ‘got to do’ and using refrain (with Biblical reference)..
Enemy of the State – starring Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, and Lisa Bonet – Conceptual/Action – Monitoring the monitors.
Animal House – directed by John Landis – starring John Belushi and Tim Matheson – Comedy – Fraternities and the Military.
Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke – written by Tommy Chong, starring ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy Chong – Comedy – The liberal dope smoking 70’s – Expanding Consciousness.
Fiddler on the Roof – directed by Norman Jewison – Drama/Comedy – Customs changing over time.
Saving Private Ryan – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Tom Hanks – Drama - Mandating the survival of a Mother’s geneology.
Schindler’s List – directed by Steven Spielberg – starring Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley – Documentary Drama - Industrialists role in fighting Nazi Party regulatory practice. Standing behind your constitution.
Stargate – starring James Spader and Kurt Russell – Conceptual Archeology – Root History – Derivatives.
Die Hard – starring Bruce Willis – Action – Visionary and Terrorism – Crime.
‘Cheech’ and Chong’s Next Movie – directed by Tommy Chong – starring ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy Chong – Comedy – Expanding Consciousness.
Stripes – written and directed by Harold Ramis – starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy – Comedy – Military Training – Authority (Big Toe) – Advancement.
‘48 Hours’ – directed by Walter Hill, starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte – Action – Using resources to solve a case.
Zodiac – directed by David Fincher, starring Robert Downey Jr. – Psycho-Thriller/Historical – Detective work – Addressing psychotic behavior.
De Vinci Code – directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks – Conceptual Theology. Sang Real – Royal Bloodline – Vestige (Mary Magdallan. The Priory Sang – Keepers of the Royal Bloodline – Pagan – Masonic – Opus Dei – Secret division of the Church, the goal being to slaughter the Priory. Symbolism – Sign of Venus Per Se- Cryptic Codes – Anagrams – 10 digit password – Laser print on key – A. Pope. Templars of the Priory – Exist today and were given unlimited power for their duty by Pope Pius iv. Spanish Conquestodors – considered to be High Priests – Robes similar (identical) to KKK Robes. Gatekeepers of heaven and hell.
The Godfather – directed by Francis Ford Coppolla – starring Marlon Brando, James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and Talia Shire – Mafia – the families’ decisions – Heroine Trade - Clout.
Greystroke – Legend of Tarzan – directed by Richard Attenborough - Fictional documentary – The story of Tarzan.
The Waterfront – starring Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger – Drama – How hard does life have to be?
Jerry McGuire – starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tom Cruise – Comedy/Drama – An agents role towards his client – Honesty.
Meatballs – starring Bill Murray – Comedy – Summer-camps – ‘It just doesn’t matter.’ – pep- speech’s – guidance.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – starring Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito – Sociology – Are psychiatric facilities voluntary or involuntary by nature?
Gandhi – directed by Richard Attenborough – starring Ben Kingsley – Documentary Drama – Theology –Independence. ‘Take the Muslim mans’ son that you killed and as a Hindu raise him to be a devout Muslim.’
Nightshift – directed by Ron Howard – starring Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, and Shelley Long – Black Comedy – Prostitution, the world’s oldest profession. Pros – means nothing, tit – tits, tu - two tits, tion – means nothing.
Dead Poet Society – starring Robin Williams – Drama – Carpes Diem – Seize the Day – Des Cartes. Following your dreams regardless of the consequences.
Death on the Nile – written by Agatha Christie - starring Peter Ustinov – Mystery - Detective work by using deduction through the eyes of Hercule Poirot.
Diner – directed by Barry Levinson – starring Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Ellen Barkin, and Kevin Bacon – Comedy/Drama – Relationships.
Witches of Eastwick – starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pheifer, and Susan Sarandon – Comedy – Demonic posession and polygamy.
Hoosiers – starring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper – Documentary Drama – Coaching, and fathering.
‘Bugsy’ – starring Warren Beatty, Annette Benning, and Ben Kingsley – Historical – Mafia.
Lord of the Rings – directed by Peter Jackson – Folklore – Wizardry.
Heaven Can Wait – starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie – Comedy/Drama – the afterlife. The possibility of reincarnation in the here and now.
Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back) – written and directed by George Lucas – starring Harrison Ford – Space/Drama – Good vs. evil – Empire vs. free spirit – Technology.
Full Metal Jacket – directed by Stanley Kubrick – starring Matthew Modine – Military – Training techniques – Suicide – War.
Midnight Run – starring Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin – Comedy/Drama – Bounty hunters – Tracking – Choices.
The Blues Brothers – directed by John Landis – starring Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi – Comedy – The genre of the Blues and fighting those fucking Nazi’s along the way.
Beetlegeuse – directed by Tim Burton – starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, Alec Baldwyn, and Geena Davis – Comedy/Horror – the afterlife. Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse.
Good Morning Vietnam – directed by Barry Levinson - starring Robin Williams and Forest Whitaker – Historical comedy – Vietnam War.
Slapshot – starring Paul Newman – Comedy – Hockey – Scorer vs. Tough-guy. The role of the Owner and upper management at the point of moving a Franchise.
Rear Window- directed by Alfred Hitch cock – starring James Stewart – Psycho-Thriller – Solving a crime.
Patch Adams – starring Robin Williams – Comedy/Horror – Education and coming off pharmaceutical treatment. The idealism that humor can heal a persons’ psyche.
Boyz in the Hood – directed by John Singleton – starring Lawrence Fishbourne and Cuba Gooding Jr. and Angela Bisset – Drama – Combating gang activity – Racism.
The Fugitive – starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones – Action – Innocence – Using science to solve a crime.
Apocolypse Now – directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando – Historical Time Period – Fighting a war.
The Jerk – starring Steve Martin, Jackie Mason, and Bernadette Peters – Comedy – multiculturalism – all it takes is an idea.
The Jungle Book - Tarzan
Absence of Malice – starring Paul Newman – Drama – Legal issues – Ethics.
And A River Runs Through It – directed by Robert Redford – starring Brad Pitt (Narration by Robert Redford) – Drama – Relationships.
Lawrence of Arabia – starring Peter O’Toole – Historical – Sovereignty – Laws of the land.
The Titanic – directed by James Cameron – starring Leonardo DeCaprio – Historical – Social classes.
Sleepless in Seattle – directed by Rob Reiner – starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan – Comedy – Coping with death in the family.
Die Hard 2 –written by Goldman - starring Bruce Willis, Samual L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons – Action – Crime Mastermind. Hero – protagonist vs Villain – antagonist.
The Fight Club – directed by David Fincher - starring Brad Pitt – Conceptual terrorism – How does a man deal with Hate? What is real and what is a figment of a persons’ imagination?
Tootsie – directed by Barry Levinson – starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, and Bill Murray – Comedy – The rights of a feminist.
The Lost Boys – starring Kiefer Sutherland – Film Noir - Conceptual thriller – Vampire’s.
Rocky 11 – starring Sylvester Stallone, Meredith Burgess, and Carl Weathers – Action - Re-match.
Arthur – starring Dudley Moore – Drama/Comedy – Pompous and not caring vs. defined social classes.
Philadelphia – starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington – Social Commentary – The Aids issue in the workplace. What right’s does the individual have? Relationships.
Poltergeist – starring Drew Barrymore, and Craig T. Nelson – Sci-fi Horror – Living inside a Television – absolute truth.
Platoon – written and directed by Oliver Stone – starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and William Dafoe – Action – War stories – the Role of a Unit/Platoon.
Romancing the Stone – starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito – Comedy/Action – A quest and a love story.
The Karate Kid – starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchia – Action – Mentoring – Martial Arts – Fighting dirty.
Raging Bull – directed by Martin Scorcese – starring Robert DeNiro – Documentary Drama – A boxer who is out of control with his personal life.
Apollo 13 – directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks – Space/Drama documentary – Technology being maximized to its’ fullest.
The Color Purple – starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover – Drama – Slavery – The relationship between an African-American man and woman - Slavery.
Angel Heart – starring Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet – Film Noir - Thriller – A soul that is owned by Hell. ‘Louis Cypher’.
Fatal Attraction – starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close – Thriller – A woman that is demonized and willing to torture to get her way.
Blue Velvet – directed by David Lynch – starring Dennis Hopper – Film Noir -Thriller – Psychotic behavior in a social context.
Johnny Handsome – starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, and Forest Whitaker – Crime/Action – The mind of the common criminal and his re-adjustment into society after large-scale plastic facial surgery.
Midnight Express – directed by Alan Parker, starring Randy Quaid and John Hurt Action/Documentary – Cultural differences – Crime and punishment – Scapegoating an American due to politics – personal exodus.
Fast Times at Ridgemount High – starring Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, and Forest Whitaker – Comedy – High School in the U.S.A – 80’s.
Kramer vs. Kramer – starring Dustin Hoffman – Drama – Parents fighting over the custody of a child – relationships.
Risky Business – directed by Jonathon Demme – starring Tom Cruise – Comedic Drama – The average American just before entering Post-Secondary Schooling.
American Beauty – starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning – Thriller – Doing what it is you want to do with your life.
Maximum Overdrive – starring Emilio Estevez – Sci-Fiction – Technology taking over the analog domain. Analog vs. digital.
Eight Men Out – starring John Cusack – Documentary Drama – The infamous ‘Black Sox’ of 1919.
Do the Right Thing – directed by Spike Lee – starring Spike Lee, John Tuturro, and featuring Samuel L. Jackson – Drama – Will America ever treat African-Americans as equals?
Marxism and Economies of Scale
An Ideological Essay regarding Marxism
By Moses
Distribution of wealth – A billion dollars, broken down into groups of $50,000, would result in 20,000 recipients. This is not communism, nor is it socialism, nor is it capitalism.
This is an economic principle known as economies of scale.
If a mans’ business brings in a profit of one billion dollars/year, than distributing these profits is his
business and not the Governments. In distributing these profits, the economic principle of economies of scale is used. Having 20,000 well fed, well clothed, and well housed people, keeps people happy. Having 200,000 people earning $5000/year creates poverty.
In Israel, the average yearly household income is $20,000 U.S / year
In Egypt, the average yearly household income is $500 U.S / year
In Canada, the average yearly household income is $50,000 Cdn / year
In the U.S.A, the average yearly household income is $50,000 U.S / year
These incomes do not include the top 10% income earners nor do they include the bottom 10% income earners.
In the 1950’s in America the top 10% income earners earned 20 times more than the bottom 10% income earners.
Today in America the top 10% income earners earn 220 times more than the bottom 10% income earners.
If 20,000 people earn $50,000 / year and each save half their income then each person would have $250,000 after ten years.
If they were to hire five people each (at $50,000) in starting their own business then there would be 100,000 more people making $50,000 / years.
After another ten years, those 100,000 people would have $250,000 (if they saved half their income each year).
If those 100,000 people started their own business and hired five employees each at $50,000 then there would be another 500,000 earning $50,000 / year.
Here is the variable:
Should each business bring in a 20% profit / yearly than that profit would compound as 20% + 100% is 120%, and 20% of 120% is 144%, and 20% of 144% is 172.8% etc…
500,000 people saving $25,000 / year for 10 years at this rate of exchange;
Formula – [ 25,000 x (1.2) to the exponent 10 ]
By Moses
Distribution of wealth – A billion dollars, broken down into groups of $50,000, would result in 20,000 recipients. This is not communism, nor is it socialism, nor is it capitalism.
This is an economic principle known as economies of scale.
If a mans’ business brings in a profit of one billion dollars/year, than distributing these profits is his
business and not the Governments. In distributing these profits, the economic principle of economies of scale is used. Having 20,000 well fed, well clothed, and well housed people, keeps people happy. Having 200,000 people earning $5000/year creates poverty.
In Israel, the average yearly household income is $20,000 U.S / year
In Egypt, the average yearly household income is $500 U.S / year
In Canada, the average yearly household income is $50,000 Cdn / year
In the U.S.A, the average yearly household income is $50,000 U.S / year
These incomes do not include the top 10% income earners nor do they include the bottom 10% income earners.
In the 1950’s in America the top 10% income earners earned 20 times more than the bottom 10% income earners.
Today in America the top 10% income earners earn 220 times more than the bottom 10% income earners.
If 20,000 people earn $50,000 / year and each save half their income then each person would have $250,000 after ten years.
If they were to hire five people each (at $50,000) in starting their own business then there would be 100,000 more people making $50,000 / years.
After another ten years, those 100,000 people would have $250,000 (if they saved half their income each year).
If those 100,000 people started their own business and hired five employees each at $50,000 then there would be another 500,000 earning $50,000 / year.
Here is the variable:
Should each business bring in a 20% profit / yearly than that profit would compound as 20% + 100% is 120%, and 20% of 120% is 144%, and 20% of 144% is 172.8% etc…
500,000 people saving $25,000 / year for 10 years at this rate of exchange;
Formula – [ 25,000 x (1.2) to the exponent 10 ]
Durban II - by Gråulf
The World Conferences against Racism (WCAR) are international events organized by the UNESCO in order to fight racist ideologies and behaviors. There have been three conferences held so far, in 1978, 1983 and 2001. The 1978 World Conference against Racism was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The focus of the conference was South Africa's apartheid policies of racial segregation and discrimination. The 1983 World Conference against Racism was also held in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 2001 the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance was held in Durban, South Africa. What began as a seemingly well-intentioned effort to focus the international community on the problem of racism quickly degenerated into a noxious series of speeches and statements dominated by anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism. Israel was condemned for allegedly pursuing a racist Zionist agenda and committing crimes against humanity. The US was criticized for a litany of perceived crimes, including racism, a foreign policy that was claimed to be responsible for racial oppression around the world, denial of economic rights, and refusal to adopt UN treaties without reservations. The last point is particularly disturbing; since it is well known the US cannot accept any treaty requirements that are incompatible with the US Constitution.
Despite the disaster of its predecessor, the U.N. is busy planning for Durban II, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009. The U.N. General Assembly placed responsibility for organizing Durban II with the Human Rights Council, whose members include Cuba, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other noted human rights advocates. The council has elected Libya to serve as chair of the Preparatory Committee, and Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and South Africa to be vice-chairs. Not surprisingly, Islamophobia is one of the most important issues on the proposed agenda for Durban II. The committee would like to make criticism of Islam equal to racism, and because Muslims equate criticism of Muslim countries to criticism of Islam itself, it would make criticism of Sharia law a punishable crime. Another item, high on the committees agenda, is a proposal to place economic sanctions on Israel, as was done to South Africa for apartheid in 1978.
Several countries have announced their intention to boycott the Durban II Conference, but the U.S. is leaving the decision of whether or not to participate up to the Obama administration. It will be the first tests of where the new administration stands on the spread of Islam throughout the western world.
Gråulf.
In 2001 the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance was held in Durban, South Africa. What began as a seemingly well-intentioned effort to focus the international community on the problem of racism quickly degenerated into a noxious series of speeches and statements dominated by anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism. Israel was condemned for allegedly pursuing a racist Zionist agenda and committing crimes against humanity. The US was criticized for a litany of perceived crimes, including racism, a foreign policy that was claimed to be responsible for racial oppression around the world, denial of economic rights, and refusal to adopt UN treaties without reservations. The last point is particularly disturbing; since it is well known the US cannot accept any treaty requirements that are incompatible with the US Constitution.
Despite the disaster of its predecessor, the U.N. is busy planning for Durban II, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009. The U.N. General Assembly placed responsibility for organizing Durban II with the Human Rights Council, whose members include Cuba, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other noted human rights advocates. The council has elected Libya to serve as chair of the Preparatory Committee, and Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and South Africa to be vice-chairs. Not surprisingly, Islamophobia is one of the most important issues on the proposed agenda for Durban II. The committee would like to make criticism of Islam equal to racism, and because Muslims equate criticism of Muslim countries to criticism of Islam itself, it would make criticism of Sharia law a punishable crime. Another item, high on the committees agenda, is a proposal to place economic sanctions on Israel, as was done to South Africa for apartheid in 1978.
Several countries have announced their intention to boycott the Durban II Conference, but the U.S. is leaving the decision of whether or not to participate up to the Obama administration. It will be the first tests of where the new administration stands on the spread of Islam throughout the western world.
Gråulf.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Midgard Journal -by Pindsvin
My ambition for some time has been to have a Blog site that has a significant reader list. I started Blogging about a year ago with lots of enthusiasm. I thought that I had something of interest to say and that there would be readers out there on the net that would be interested in my articles. I soon discovered that I was writing to myself, and that my Blog was little more then a personal diary.The way Blogs work is that the more you post the more likely it can be picked up by search engines and be accessible to people. So writing one 300+ word Blog a week will never get you noticed anywhere. If you look at very successful Blogs you will notice that they have a numberof authors and that one or more postings are made per day. So the answer to having a Blog that has any hope of being noticed and read is to have numerous authors.
I will ask each Author to focus their area of interest and expertise so the Blog will cover a wide range of subjects. The name I chose was Midgard Journal. http://midgardjournal.blogspot.com/
The subjects that I would like to deal with on Midgrad Journal are:
-world politic-American and European political issues,
-social and economic issues.
-religions; especially Christian and Islamic extremists.
-the Arts,
-world politic-American and European political issues,
-social and economic issues.
-religions; especially Christian and Islamic extremists.
-the Arts,
-sports.
Authors will have a wide range of independence on social and political issues, There are a few points that authors will need to have in common; such as:
-men and women are equal.
-secular democracy is the least harmful way to govern a country.
-no ethnic group is superior to another.
-there is to be no proselytizing of religions,
Anyone who is interested in joining me in making this Blog a major contender, please contact me offline at http://pindsvin@ymail.com Your home e-mail address will not appear in the Blog, and I will ask everyone to use a pseudonym rather their given name. The reason for this is that freedom of speech continues to be challenged, and what is legal to say today may not be tomorrow.
I am asking for a commitment of a minimum of one article a month of 300 or more words. At this time we have five Authors, and have published about twenty article. Also, Google have noticed Midgard Journal. When you Google the Blog name it will come to the top of the list.
Cheers
Pindsvin
Is he a Usurper
I was at a dinner recently, where the conversation was all about Obama’s great victory, and the evils of the Bush administration. This was a group of people who have hated George Bush since he became president, and never get tired of talking about how he stole the election from All Gore, so I generally ignore their political rhetoric. Then they began talking about throwing Bush out of the White House for violating the US Constitution, and installing Obama instead, so he can get to work on fixing all that is wrong with this country. I pointed out that, despite appearances to the contrary; Obama has not been elected president yet, because the Electoral College elects the president of the US. Besides, I told them, if it the Supreme Court decides Obama is not a natural born US citizen that may never happen. The comments shouted at me varied from “That is just something dreamed up by right-wing lunatics,” to “If the Supreme Court steals another election I will personally go to Washington and kill the whole bunch of them,” and “I don’t care if he was born on the moon.” The commotion created quite a stir in the restaurant.
There is little doubt that Obama is an American, just as there is little doubt he is hiding something about his birth that could make him ineligible to become president. Otherwise he would have settled the whole issue of his citizenship by releasing a copy of the long form of his birth certificate, which would show the name of the hospital where he was born, and have the signature of the doctor who delivered him. Instead he has engaged three high-powered law firms to keep the long form of his birth certificate hidden. The short form of his birth certificate is a document that would have been issued when his birth was registered in Hawaii, no matter where he was actually born. Obama’s African grandmother claims he was born in a hospital in Kenya, and that she was present at his birth. The US code at the time states that a child born in a foreign country, to an American mother, is a citizen of the US if the mother has lived for at least 10 years in the US, five of those years after the age of 14. Obama’s mother was 18 when he was born.
I actually don’t care that much about the details of Obama’s birth, but I do find the constitutional process related to this issue fascinating. The lower courts have dismissed the various suits challenging Obama’s qualification to be president, because the courts found the people who filed the suits didn’t have standing. None of the courts have ruled on the merits of the various lawsuits. How can a US citizen not have standing to file a lawsuit on a constitutional matter? What is the responsibility of the Electoral College if the standing of the president elect is in doubt? If Obama becomes president, and later is found to be a usurper, are any bills or laws he has signed valid? Why is it that no one seems to be responsible for assuring a presidential candidate has constitutional standing for the office he/she seeks? Why would a legitimate presidential candidate want doubt about his standing to cloud his presidency, if all he has to do to make the issue disappear is provide the vault copy of his birth certificate?
Gråulf.
There is little doubt that Obama is an American, just as there is little doubt he is hiding something about his birth that could make him ineligible to become president. Otherwise he would have settled the whole issue of his citizenship by releasing a copy of the long form of his birth certificate, which would show the name of the hospital where he was born, and have the signature of the doctor who delivered him. Instead he has engaged three high-powered law firms to keep the long form of his birth certificate hidden. The short form of his birth certificate is a document that would have been issued when his birth was registered in Hawaii, no matter where he was actually born. Obama’s African grandmother claims he was born in a hospital in Kenya, and that she was present at his birth. The US code at the time states that a child born in a foreign country, to an American mother, is a citizen of the US if the mother has lived for at least 10 years in the US, five of those years after the age of 14. Obama’s mother was 18 when he was born.
I actually don’t care that much about the details of Obama’s birth, but I do find the constitutional process related to this issue fascinating. The lower courts have dismissed the various suits challenging Obama’s qualification to be president, because the courts found the people who filed the suits didn’t have standing. None of the courts have ruled on the merits of the various lawsuits. How can a US citizen not have standing to file a lawsuit on a constitutional matter? What is the responsibility of the Electoral College if the standing of the president elect is in doubt? If Obama becomes president, and later is found to be a usurper, are any bills or laws he has signed valid? Why is it that no one seems to be responsible for assuring a presidential candidate has constitutional standing for the office he/she seeks? Why would a legitimate presidential candidate want doubt about his standing to cloud his presidency, if all he has to do to make the issue disappear is provide the vault copy of his birth certificate?
Gråulf.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
RUSH By Moses
Terry Brown
Chronology of Work
1994 - Worked with FM on the live album 'Retroactive Archives Volume 1' as producer and engineer.
1992 - Worked with The Northern Pikes as the producer.
1984 - Worked with Rush on 'Grace Under Pressure' as the producer.
1982 - Worked with Rush on 'Signals' as the co-producer.
1981 - Worked with Rush on 'Exit Stage Left' as the producer, and he engineered the live show.
1981 - Worked with Rush on 'Moving Pictures' as the producer and engineer.
1980 - Worked with Rush on 'Permanent Waves' as the co-producer and engineer.
1978 - Worked with Rush on 'Hemispheres' as the co-producer and engineer.
1977 - Worked with Rush on 'Farewell to Kings' as the co-producer and engineer.
1976 - Worked with Rush on 'All the World's a Stage' as the co-producer.
1976 - Worked with Rush on '2112' as the co-producer and engineer.
1975 - Worked with Rush on 'Caress of Steel' as the co-producer and engineer.
1975 - Worked with Rush on 'Fly By Night' as the co-producer and engineer.
1974 - Worked with Rush on 'Rush' as an engineer on the 'remixes'.
Working Philosophies
Brown is known for evolving microphone techniques on the percussion section (prevalent in Xanadu - Farewell to Kings). His long tenure with Rush produced new effects for each project as Brown never succumbed to just favorites. Brown's subtle use of delays (flanging, phasing, chorusing) can be found on most of the albums he has produced with Rush. He is known to be able to capture unique spacial sounds (24 tracks that are individually placed in different places of the mix - panned, gain level, effects) as heard in '2112'. Brown has worked as both a studio producer and engineer, and as a live show producer and engineer. He was a pioneer in using MIDI applications for live performances.
Terry has established himself as a 'name' producer, and his flexibility as an engineer has made him sought after by rock acts in the industry.
Chronology of Work
1994 - Worked with FM on the live album 'Retroactive Archives Volume 1' as producer and engineer.
1992 - Worked with The Northern Pikes as the producer.
1984 - Worked with Rush on 'Grace Under Pressure' as the producer.
1982 - Worked with Rush on 'Signals' as the co-producer.
1981 - Worked with Rush on 'Exit Stage Left' as the producer, and he engineered the live show.
1981 - Worked with Rush on 'Moving Pictures' as the producer and engineer.
1980 - Worked with Rush on 'Permanent Waves' as the co-producer and engineer.
1978 - Worked with Rush on 'Hemispheres' as the co-producer and engineer.
1977 - Worked with Rush on 'Farewell to Kings' as the co-producer and engineer.
1976 - Worked with Rush on 'All the World's a Stage' as the co-producer.
1976 - Worked with Rush on '2112' as the co-producer and engineer.
1975 - Worked with Rush on 'Caress of Steel' as the co-producer and engineer.
1975 - Worked with Rush on 'Fly By Night' as the co-producer and engineer.
1974 - Worked with Rush on 'Rush' as an engineer on the 'remixes'.
Working Philosophies
Brown is known for evolving microphone techniques on the percussion section (prevalent in Xanadu - Farewell to Kings). His long tenure with Rush produced new effects for each project as Brown never succumbed to just favorites. Brown's subtle use of delays (flanging, phasing, chorusing) can be found on most of the albums he has produced with Rush. He is known to be able to capture unique spacial sounds (24 tracks that are individually placed in different places of the mix - panned, gain level, effects) as heard in '2112'. Brown has worked as both a studio producer and engineer, and as a live show producer and engineer. He was a pioneer in using MIDI applications for live performances.
Terry has established himself as a 'name' producer, and his flexibility as an engineer has made him sought after by rock acts in the industry.
RUSH - By Moses
It leaves a sour taste in my mouth that RUSH has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Starting as a Band in 1973, RUSH was composed with band members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Rushdie was their drummer.
After they recorded their first Album titled ‘RUSH’ they changed drummers and the final piece to the puzzle was accomplished. Neil Peart became the soul of the band and also took on role of lyricist. Their first Album together was titled ‘Fly By Night’.
The Band teamed with Producer/Engineer Terry Brown (and later Paul Northfield)
Here’s a look at the list of Albums they released;
- RUSH – Working Man
- Fly By Night – Fly By Night, In the End
- Caress of Steel –
- 2112 – 2112, A Passage to
- All the World’s a Stage *
- A Farewell to Kings – Xanadu, Closer to the Heart, Signus X-1
- Hemispheres – Hemispheres, Signus X -2, The Trees, La Villa Strangiatta
- Permanent Waves – Natural Science, Spirit of Radio, Freewill
- Moving Pictures – Tom Sawyer, Limelight
- Exit Stage Left *
- Signals – Subdivisions,
- Power Windows
- Grace Under Pressure – Red Sector A
- Hold Your Fire
- A Show of Hands *
- Presto – Show Don’t Tell, The Pass
- Counterparts
- Roll the Bones – Dreamline, Roll the Bones
- Test For Echo – Test for Echo, Resist
- Different Stages *
In my estimation this level of cohesive music should be recognized at the ultimate highest level in Rock and Roll. In fact in the year 2008, Madonna and Leonard Cohen were both inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with nary a Rock and Roll feel.
* Signifies Live Albums
Great Bands
Great Bands - By Moses
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Vocalists – Bob Marley
Peter Tosh (Macintosh)
Albums
1. Kaya – Stir it Up, Get Up Stand Up, Buffalo Soldier
2. Uprising – Redemption Song
3. Legend – Greatest Hits Compilation
The greatest Reggae band of all-time is Marley and the Wailers.
Bob Marley was (and still is) considered the most recognizable Reggae musician. His brilliant songwriting and lyrics are the result of his upbringing as a poor boy growing up in Jamaica. ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and ‘Buffalo Soldier’ recount the fighting within his native Jamaica when Marley was a child, the result of a Dutch Colony that was controlling Jamaica at the time whose leader was Michael Manley. The Wailers were extremely influential in the underground upheaval of the British/Dutch regime bringing Jamaica a true democracy.
‘Redemption Song’ Marley’s greatest musical accomplishment, is a true cry for Freedom and brought to light social inequities.
Marley and Tosh complicated each-other well. Marley was harmony and Tenor, while Tosh was baritone. In Soul Shakedown, Tosh’s vocals in ‘Stop the Train’ add a dimension to the Wailers that few Reggae artists had, a second lead vocals. ‘Duppy Conqueror’ (my favorite Wailers tune), is a masterpiece detailing the ways of the world. ‘The bars could not own me, force could not control me. They tried to keep me down. They tried to push me around. I’m crying.’
Known as a practicing Rustafarian Bob Marley was a true diplomat, and his band took a lot of negative press in North America for their views. For this I would have to say that the Wailers are the most influential band of all-time. It was during an interview with the C.B.C (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) that the question of marijuana use was asked by the broadcaster. Marley was even keel when he said ‘it is part of Rustafarian custom’. The broadcaster was floored that Marley could take such a stance. Marley ended looking like the sane one (I’ll take honesty over passive aggression any day).
The Beatles
Drummer – Ringo Starr
Bass – Paul McCartney
Rythem Guitar – George Harrison/John Lennon
Lead Guitar - George Harrison/John Lennon
Producer and Audion Engineer – George Martin
The Beatles were an underground band in Hamburg, Germany when they put together their first record ‘Love Me Do’, second record ‘Please, Please Me’ and third record ‘Twist and Shout’ – all written by Lennon/McCartney. Their records sold like crazy in Europe and North America. This breakthrough came in 1962. In early 1964 the Beatles toured North America and were introduced to many Americans on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ upon arriving in America in late ‘63. They became a mainstream band through this tour, officially starting the British Invasion (alongside the Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Band among others).
When they took to the studio again in late 1964 they put together ‘Rubber Soul’ (title track – Eleanor Rigby) and was considered their best studio recording to date. ‘Rubber Soul’ carried a classic strings section, the first Rock and Roll Band to implement overtures of classical music. This led them to ‘Abbey Road’ in 1966. This album carried a number of fictitious characters such as ‘Mean Mister Mustard’, ‘Polythene Pam’, and ‘Maxwell Silver Hammer’. Not only did music critics rave about the style of writing but also at George Harrison’s ballad ‘Here Comes the Sun’, and Paul McCartney’s raspy voice in ‘Oh Darling’ (the rumor there was that McCartney screamed at the top of his lungs for three hours to get that effect)., and McCartney’s songwriting in ‘Hey Jude’.
Their next critically successful album was ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The title track is considered many to be their time of pinnacle (‘Yesterday’ was on this album – originally titled ‘Scrambled Eggs’ and written on Piano).
The band worked harmoniously through the years. John Lennon and Paul McCartney teamed as a songwriting duo unsurpassed. George Harrison provided a second element of songwriting that complimented Lennon/McCartney, and Ringo Starr was a recognizable figure throughout their years together.
Pink Floyd
Bassist – Nick Mason
Lead Vocalist – Roger Waters
Lead and Rythem Guitar – David Gilmour
Drummer – Various
Producer and Engineer – James Guthrie
Signature Albums
1. Animals (1972)
2. Wish You Were Here (1974)
3. Darkside of the Moon (1976)
4. The Wall (1978)
5. The Final Cut (1981)
Guthrie did most recording at -20 to -40 dbu. This added the element of depth to the recordings that many people confuse with the element of reverb. By recording at low line levels, peak levels carried that much more impact on vinyl.
‘Wish You Were Here’ – ‘Welcome to the Machine’ was the first cut on this album and showcases Waters vocal range and sets the stage of the record. The next track is ‘Have a Cigar’, and is one of Gilmour’s greatest riffs (notable others - ‘Dirty Woman’ and ‘Run Like Hell’). In ‘Have a Cigar’ Guthrie probably recorded on an AKG 414 with Guthrie dampening his guitar by recording at low-line level with steel plate reverb and shine at 2 kilo-hertz. ‘Wish You Were Here’, the title track, is probably their greatest ballad. ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ is an extension of the flow of the record.
Dark Side of the Moon was Floyd’s most successful album on the charts remaining in the top 10 in England for six years. The tracks ‘Money’, and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ were the best known from this record, likewise was ‘Dirty Woman’ which some consider among the most brilliant guitar work ever put out, done by the master David Gilmour.
‘The Wall’ will probably be remembered as Pink Floyd’s signature album. It was made on both audio and video platforms, as Alan Parker directed the movie ‘The Wall’ (the lead character played by Bob Geldoff).
This album carries classical themes throughout and is probably Floyd’s greatest musical accomplishment. ‘Run Like Hell’ comes to mind when I think of this album. The movie depicted Waters’ character shaven head to toe in utter shellshock.
The Final Cut was Roger Waters last Album with Pink Floyd. It had classical overtures, similar to ‘The Wall’. One conspicuous Waters Lyric ‘That’s the only time I can really speak to you.’ ‘A memory that is too painful to relive the light of day.’ Is another vivid lyric on the album. My favorite track off the Final Cut would have to be ‘Paranoid Eyes’.
Led Zeppelin
Lead Vocalist – Robert Plant
Guitarist – Jimmy Page
Bassist – John Paul Jones
Drummer – John Bonham
Defining Albums
1. Led Zeppelin 1
2. Led Zeppelin 2
3. Led Zeppelin 3
4. Led Zeppelin 4
5. Houses of the Holy
Defining Tracks – Over the Hills and Far Away, Many Times Been Bitten, Cashmere, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, Ramble On, Gallows’ End, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Stairway to Heaven, Houses of the Holy, Fool in the Rain
The sound of Led Zeppelin pierced through to the listener as the first real ‘Power Rock’ band. With Paul and Bonham setting a hard rhythmic percussion on the 2 and 4 beats of 4/4 time (the downbeats), this unique sound defined Zeppelin as a pioneer of what many now consider ‘Grunge’.
With Jimmy Page (recruited from the Yardbirds), Zeppelin had one of the best guitarists ever. Page and Plant were masters with respect to songwriting and lyrics, and seemingly pushed the boundary of what was acceptable on the airwaves (notably a seven minute song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ getting airplay to no end when it was released).
In their signature to the music world, Zeppelin 4, the ballad ‘Stairway to Heaven’ appeared and was critically acclaimed. The cuts ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ reaffirmed Zeppelin as the new leader in Metal/Hard Rock.
Considering that they were a mainstay as a band for over 10 years indicates that they fulfilled their promise. It’s still a sour spot to most Rock and Roll fans as to what might have been had John Bonham not passed on suddenly during their prime.
U2
Artists – Bono –Vocals and Lyricist
Edge – Guitarist and Songwriter
Albums that are defining of their music;
1) Boy
2) War – Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day
3) The Joshua Tree – Where the Streets Have No Name, If I Could, With or Without You
4) Rattle and Hum – Desire, When Love Comes to Town
5) Achtung Baby – She Moves in Mysterious Ways, One
U2 is widely considered the greatest band of our day. In the early 80’s they released their critically acclaimed albums ‘Boy’ and ‘War’. Bono’s performance in Band Aid was definitely the cry heard loudest ‘Well tonight Thank G-d it’s them, instead of you.’
By the mid-eighties, through U2’s release of ‘The Joshua Tree’ they proclaimed themselves as a polished sound, with releases ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, and ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’.
Bono and Edge have combined as an unparalleled modern day songwriting duo in the mold of Lennon/McCartney.
The albums ‘Rattle and Hum’ and ‘Achtung Baby’ just reiterated their professionalism. Always looking for that next sound has made U2 the success that they are. When B.B King played alongside U2 in ‘When Love Comes to Town’ he put it best regarding Bono by saying ‘His lyrics are years ahead of his age’.
The Rolling Stones
Lead Vocalist – Mick Jagger
Lead Guitarist – Ron Wood
Rythem Guitarist – Keith Richards
Bassist – Bill Wyman
Drummer – Charlie Watts
Producer – Phil Spector
Defining Albums
1. Let it Bleed – Sympathy for the Devil, You Can’t Always Get What You Want
2. Sticky Fingers – Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar
3. Tatoo You – Start Me Up, Beast of Burden, Little T and A, Waiting on a Friend
The staying power of the ‘Stones is unsurpassed. The Rolling Stones started up in 1964 (around the time of the Beatles) and they’re still going strong. When the ‘Stones released ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’, they established themselves as one of the top bands globally.
Before Ron Wood, the ‘Stones lead guitarist was Mick Taylor, and although Taylor was instrumental in the bands’ success, he was dropped. Wood came around 1972 for the studio album ‘Let it Bleed’ on the suggestion of Keith Richards (who admired Wood). It was at this time when the ‘Stones went from Rock and Roll stars to the ‘Bad Boys’ of the Rythem and Blues scene.
Mick Jagger is probably the most recognizable front-man of all-time (next to Bob Marley), and provides excellent showmanship as a performer. Keith Richards and Ron Wood have teamed as a great ‘axe’ team, as evidenced in ‘Sticky Fingers’ – a Blues inspired album (Honky Tonk Woman and Brown Sugar come to mind).
By the time ‘Tatoo You’ came out ‘The Stones’ had reached critical acclaim as a band that never commercialized. ‘Tatoo You’ was an album in which Keith Richards shined. His guitar work in ‘Beast of Burden’ was brilliant. In ‘Little T and A’ and ‘You Shouldn’t Take it so Hard’ Richards sang lead vocals and more than held his own. Due to their commitment to the Blues, including ‘Symapthy for the Devil’ the music is what defines the ‘Stones’.
AC/DC
Lead Vocalists – Bond Scott/Brian Johnson
Lead Guitar – Angus Young
Rythem Guitar – Malcolm Young
Defining Albums
1. Dirty Deeds – Dirty Deeds, Sink the Pink
2. Highway to Hell – Ride On, Highway to Hell
3. Back in Black – Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long
4. Who Made Who – Who Made Who, DT, For Those About to Rock We Salute You
When AC/DC started out they were a true Rock and Roll band. It was about sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll. Their first lead vocalist, Bond Scott, was the defining image and persona of the band. In their sound, AC/DC employed an edge in guitar-work by the ultra-talented Angus Young. Make no mistake though, this was Scott’s band. Putting out ‘Dirty Deeds’ made them synonomous as ‘Rockers’, however, it wasn’t until they released ‘Highway to Hell’ that they were recognized as being among the elite (Touring as the opening act for Triumph in a worldwide tour).
The band pulled together in 1983 and brought in a fresh new voice to their music. Most thought Scott was irreplaceable. When Brian Johnson joined the band they decided to pay homage to Bond Scott and his craft, and AC/DC put out the critically acclaimed ‘Back in Black’. Johnson did his part, however surprisingly it was Angus Young who became the leader of the band. To this day Angus is considered one of the greatest guitarists ever, playing a bluesy lead to such classics ‘Hells Bells’ and ‘Who Made Who’, likewise his guitar-work in ‘DT’, ‘Back in Black’ and Highway to Hell’.
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Vocalists – Bob Marley
Peter Tosh (Macintosh)
Albums
1. Kaya – Stir it Up, Get Up Stand Up, Buffalo Soldier
2. Uprising – Redemption Song
3. Legend – Greatest Hits Compilation
The greatest Reggae band of all-time is Marley and the Wailers.
Bob Marley was (and still is) considered the most recognizable Reggae musician. His brilliant songwriting and lyrics are the result of his upbringing as a poor boy growing up in Jamaica. ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and ‘Buffalo Soldier’ recount the fighting within his native Jamaica when Marley was a child, the result of a Dutch Colony that was controlling Jamaica at the time whose leader was Michael Manley. The Wailers were extremely influential in the underground upheaval of the British/Dutch regime bringing Jamaica a true democracy.
‘Redemption Song’ Marley’s greatest musical accomplishment, is a true cry for Freedom and brought to light social inequities.
Marley and Tosh complicated each-other well. Marley was harmony and Tenor, while Tosh was baritone. In Soul Shakedown, Tosh’s vocals in ‘Stop the Train’ add a dimension to the Wailers that few Reggae artists had, a second lead vocals. ‘Duppy Conqueror’ (my favorite Wailers tune), is a masterpiece detailing the ways of the world. ‘The bars could not own me, force could not control me. They tried to keep me down. They tried to push me around. I’m crying.’
Known as a practicing Rustafarian Bob Marley was a true diplomat, and his band took a lot of negative press in North America for their views. For this I would have to say that the Wailers are the most influential band of all-time. It was during an interview with the C.B.C (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) that the question of marijuana use was asked by the broadcaster. Marley was even keel when he said ‘it is part of Rustafarian custom’. The broadcaster was floored that Marley could take such a stance. Marley ended looking like the sane one (I’ll take honesty over passive aggression any day).
The Beatles
Drummer – Ringo Starr
Bass – Paul McCartney
Rythem Guitar – George Harrison/John Lennon
Lead Guitar - George Harrison/John Lennon
Producer and Audion Engineer – George Martin
The Beatles were an underground band in Hamburg, Germany when they put together their first record ‘Love Me Do’, second record ‘Please, Please Me’ and third record ‘Twist and Shout’ – all written by Lennon/McCartney. Their records sold like crazy in Europe and North America. This breakthrough came in 1962. In early 1964 the Beatles toured North America and were introduced to many Americans on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ upon arriving in America in late ‘63. They became a mainstream band through this tour, officially starting the British Invasion (alongside the Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Band among others).
When they took to the studio again in late 1964 they put together ‘Rubber Soul’ (title track – Eleanor Rigby) and was considered their best studio recording to date. ‘Rubber Soul’ carried a classic strings section, the first Rock and Roll Band to implement overtures of classical music. This led them to ‘Abbey Road’ in 1966. This album carried a number of fictitious characters such as ‘Mean Mister Mustard’, ‘Polythene Pam’, and ‘Maxwell Silver Hammer’. Not only did music critics rave about the style of writing but also at George Harrison’s ballad ‘Here Comes the Sun’, and Paul McCartney’s raspy voice in ‘Oh Darling’ (the rumor there was that McCartney screamed at the top of his lungs for three hours to get that effect)., and McCartney’s songwriting in ‘Hey Jude’.
Their next critically successful album was ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The title track is considered many to be their time of pinnacle (‘Yesterday’ was on this album – originally titled ‘Scrambled Eggs’ and written on Piano).
The band worked harmoniously through the years. John Lennon and Paul McCartney teamed as a songwriting duo unsurpassed. George Harrison provided a second element of songwriting that complimented Lennon/McCartney, and Ringo Starr was a recognizable figure throughout their years together.
Pink Floyd
Bassist – Nick Mason
Lead Vocalist – Roger Waters
Lead and Rythem Guitar – David Gilmour
Drummer – Various
Producer and Engineer – James Guthrie
Signature Albums
1. Animals (1972)
2. Wish You Were Here (1974)
3. Darkside of the Moon (1976)
4. The Wall (1978)
5. The Final Cut (1981)
Guthrie did most recording at -20 to -40 dbu. This added the element of depth to the recordings that many people confuse with the element of reverb. By recording at low line levels, peak levels carried that much more impact on vinyl.
‘Wish You Were Here’ – ‘Welcome to the Machine’ was the first cut on this album and showcases Waters vocal range and sets the stage of the record. The next track is ‘Have a Cigar’, and is one of Gilmour’s greatest riffs (notable others - ‘Dirty Woman’ and ‘Run Like Hell’). In ‘Have a Cigar’ Guthrie probably recorded on an AKG 414 with Guthrie dampening his guitar by recording at low-line level with steel plate reverb and shine at 2 kilo-hertz. ‘Wish You Were Here’, the title track, is probably their greatest ballad. ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ is an extension of the flow of the record.
Dark Side of the Moon was Floyd’s most successful album on the charts remaining in the top 10 in England for six years. The tracks ‘Money’, and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ were the best known from this record, likewise was ‘Dirty Woman’ which some consider among the most brilliant guitar work ever put out, done by the master David Gilmour.
‘The Wall’ will probably be remembered as Pink Floyd’s signature album. It was made on both audio and video platforms, as Alan Parker directed the movie ‘The Wall’ (the lead character played by Bob Geldoff).
This album carries classical themes throughout and is probably Floyd’s greatest musical accomplishment. ‘Run Like Hell’ comes to mind when I think of this album. The movie depicted Waters’ character shaven head to toe in utter shellshock.
The Final Cut was Roger Waters last Album with Pink Floyd. It had classical overtures, similar to ‘The Wall’. One conspicuous Waters Lyric ‘That’s the only time I can really speak to you.’ ‘A memory that is too painful to relive the light of day.’ Is another vivid lyric on the album. My favorite track off the Final Cut would have to be ‘Paranoid Eyes’.
Led Zeppelin
Lead Vocalist – Robert Plant
Guitarist – Jimmy Page
Bassist – John Paul Jones
Drummer – John Bonham
Defining Albums
1. Led Zeppelin 1
2. Led Zeppelin 2
3. Led Zeppelin 3
4. Led Zeppelin 4
5. Houses of the Holy
Defining Tracks – Over the Hills and Far Away, Many Times Been Bitten, Cashmere, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, Ramble On, Gallows’ End, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Stairway to Heaven, Houses of the Holy, Fool in the Rain
The sound of Led Zeppelin pierced through to the listener as the first real ‘Power Rock’ band. With Paul and Bonham setting a hard rhythmic percussion on the 2 and 4 beats of 4/4 time (the downbeats), this unique sound defined Zeppelin as a pioneer of what many now consider ‘Grunge’.
With Jimmy Page (recruited from the Yardbirds), Zeppelin had one of the best guitarists ever. Page and Plant were masters with respect to songwriting and lyrics, and seemingly pushed the boundary of what was acceptable on the airwaves (notably a seven minute song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ getting airplay to no end when it was released).
In their signature to the music world, Zeppelin 4, the ballad ‘Stairway to Heaven’ appeared and was critically acclaimed. The cuts ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ reaffirmed Zeppelin as the new leader in Metal/Hard Rock.
Considering that they were a mainstay as a band for over 10 years indicates that they fulfilled their promise. It’s still a sour spot to most Rock and Roll fans as to what might have been had John Bonham not passed on suddenly during their prime.
U2
Artists – Bono –Vocals and Lyricist
Edge – Guitarist and Songwriter
Albums that are defining of their music;
1) Boy
2) War – Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day
3) The Joshua Tree – Where the Streets Have No Name, If I Could, With or Without You
4) Rattle and Hum – Desire, When Love Comes to Town
5) Achtung Baby – She Moves in Mysterious Ways, One
U2 is widely considered the greatest band of our day. In the early 80’s they released their critically acclaimed albums ‘Boy’ and ‘War’. Bono’s performance in Band Aid was definitely the cry heard loudest ‘Well tonight Thank G-d it’s them, instead of you.’
By the mid-eighties, through U2’s release of ‘The Joshua Tree’ they proclaimed themselves as a polished sound, with releases ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, and ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’.
Bono and Edge have combined as an unparalleled modern day songwriting duo in the mold of Lennon/McCartney.
The albums ‘Rattle and Hum’ and ‘Achtung Baby’ just reiterated their professionalism. Always looking for that next sound has made U2 the success that they are. When B.B King played alongside U2 in ‘When Love Comes to Town’ he put it best regarding Bono by saying ‘His lyrics are years ahead of his age’.
The Rolling Stones
Lead Vocalist – Mick Jagger
Lead Guitarist – Ron Wood
Rythem Guitarist – Keith Richards
Bassist – Bill Wyman
Drummer – Charlie Watts
Producer – Phil Spector
Defining Albums
1. Let it Bleed – Sympathy for the Devil, You Can’t Always Get What You Want
2. Sticky Fingers – Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar
3. Tatoo You – Start Me Up, Beast of Burden, Little T and A, Waiting on a Friend
The staying power of the ‘Stones is unsurpassed. The Rolling Stones started up in 1964 (around the time of the Beatles) and they’re still going strong. When the ‘Stones released ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’, they established themselves as one of the top bands globally.
Before Ron Wood, the ‘Stones lead guitarist was Mick Taylor, and although Taylor was instrumental in the bands’ success, he was dropped. Wood came around 1972 for the studio album ‘Let it Bleed’ on the suggestion of Keith Richards (who admired Wood). It was at this time when the ‘Stones went from Rock and Roll stars to the ‘Bad Boys’ of the Rythem and Blues scene.
Mick Jagger is probably the most recognizable front-man of all-time (next to Bob Marley), and provides excellent showmanship as a performer. Keith Richards and Ron Wood have teamed as a great ‘axe’ team, as evidenced in ‘Sticky Fingers’ – a Blues inspired album (Honky Tonk Woman and Brown Sugar come to mind).
By the time ‘Tatoo You’ came out ‘The Stones’ had reached critical acclaim as a band that never commercialized. ‘Tatoo You’ was an album in which Keith Richards shined. His guitar work in ‘Beast of Burden’ was brilliant. In ‘Little T and A’ and ‘You Shouldn’t Take it so Hard’ Richards sang lead vocals and more than held his own. Due to their commitment to the Blues, including ‘Symapthy for the Devil’ the music is what defines the ‘Stones’.
AC/DC
Lead Vocalists – Bond Scott/Brian Johnson
Lead Guitar – Angus Young
Rythem Guitar – Malcolm Young
Defining Albums
1. Dirty Deeds – Dirty Deeds, Sink the Pink
2. Highway to Hell – Ride On, Highway to Hell
3. Back in Black – Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long
4. Who Made Who – Who Made Who, DT, For Those About to Rock We Salute You
When AC/DC started out they were a true Rock and Roll band. It was about sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll. Their first lead vocalist, Bond Scott, was the defining image and persona of the band. In their sound, AC/DC employed an edge in guitar-work by the ultra-talented Angus Young. Make no mistake though, this was Scott’s band. Putting out ‘Dirty Deeds’ made them synonomous as ‘Rockers’, however, it wasn’t until they released ‘Highway to Hell’ that they were recognized as being among the elite (Touring as the opening act for Triumph in a worldwide tour).
The band pulled together in 1983 and brought in a fresh new voice to their music. Most thought Scott was irreplaceable. When Brian Johnson joined the band they decided to pay homage to Bond Scott and his craft, and AC/DC put out the critically acclaimed ‘Back in Black’. Johnson did his part, however surprisingly it was Angus Young who became the leader of the band. To this day Angus is considered one of the greatest guitarists ever, playing a bluesy lead to such classics ‘Hells Bells’ and ‘Who Made Who’, likewise his guitar-work in ‘DT’, ‘Back in Black’ and Highway to Hell’.
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