"Until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death."

Today is the Anniversary of the day that Nick Drake met his demise. If you don’t know you need to make this part of your musical Cannon. Despite his limited commercial success during his life, since his passing his music has been extremely influential to other musicians such as; Paul Weller, The Cure, The Black Crows, R.E.M. among others. What I find to be the most amazing quality about his music is how timeless it sounds, the depth and structure are completely independent and do little to indicate his influences. His music seems to be more relevant now then in context of the music that was being played when it was recorded in the 70`s, and it will probably continue to preserve that quality for generations to come. None of Nick Drake`s albums ever sold more then five thousand copies while he was alive. In recent years there has been a documentary, exposure on a Volkswagen commercial, and he was voted among one of the 50 most influential English songwriters of all time (BBC.COM), therefore his music has regularly reentered the charts over the last ten years. I don’t usually like to highlight these days especially since it was never clear if his death was accidental or intentional, however I have always believed that even if someone meets their demise in what started out as "intentional", in light of the horrible consequences, it always ends up being a tragic accident, its especially true in this case Nick Drake was 26.(19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974)



In kind of a related way I heard this while watching TV last week, I thought you might enjoy it. I am not going to say that I was flipping through the channels, I like this show. Dont get me wrong I am not a biker, I never have been and I never will be. I have never tried to put to much energy in trying to portray myself as something I am not, Hell! It takes to much energy trying not to be the things that I know I am. But anyway, the show reminds me of a day when bikers were the crazy guys that made me nervous, lived in the cul de sac at the end of the block, no shirts on a Saturday night racing suicide shift, short pipe bikes down the street all night long, no grass in their yard, mean old dogs, flat black trucks, three piece patch, and you knew they were up to some crazy crooked shit! this was long before we passed the tipping point of every cube jockey and commercial sellout wanting to buy back part of their character and self esteem by blowing their tax return on a Harley. I am sure there are still bikers out there, somewhere, but I dont know any. It might have been a novelty at one time for a biker to have a “straight” job, but now it’s a farce, the mainstream and the flock have gutted the ideal.

"If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately. "

On this day in 1963 the then adolescent media circus had been working overtime for the last 48 hours covering the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination. Around noon the live coverage of the preparations to have the former president lie in state at the capitol rotunda were interrupted. Millions of TV viewers were shown live the transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald from the Police Station in downtown Dallas to the County Jail.

On this day in 1971 D.B Cooper parachuted out of the cargo hold of a 727. He had departed Sea-Tac airport at 7PM where he collected $200,000.00 and released all the passengers, who stated he "seemed rather nice," he ordered the flight crew meals and sat on the plane drinking bourbon and soda. Once over the forest of southern Washington he had the crew slow the plane to 200mph and drop to 10,000 feet, he then plunged into the dense cloud cover of the cold Washington night and into the imagination of a nation. His name is actually fictitious borrowed from an early suspect. D.B. Coopers`s actual name identity and whereabouts are still a mystery. There have been several suspects since, some with plausible credibility however, a partial DNA profile acquired by the FBI in 2007 from a ‘clip on’ tie that was left on the plane has since cleared all suspects furthering the mystery.

On this day in 1986 Abbie Hoffman along with 15 others including Amy Carter (the Daughter of former president Jimmy Carter) are arrested for occupying an administration building on the UMass Amherst campus. The occupation was in protest of the illegal recruitment of students on campus by the CIA. During the trial Abbie Hoffman called witnesses including former American military analyst for the RAND Corporation Daniel Ellsberg, former United States Attorney General William Ramsey Clark, and former Contra leader Edgar Chamorro, detailing the CIA's illegal and inhumane activities, all sixteen were acquitted. During the closing argument Hoffman quoted Thomas Paine; "Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceded it. Man has no property in man; neither has any generation a property in the generations which are to follow."

"Art is knowledge at the service of emotion"

Today is the Birthday of José Clemente Orozco born November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949. He was a radical Marxist Mexican muralist whose artwork still exists from Mexico City, Orizaba, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Jiquilpan, Michoacán. To Claremont, California, in what is now the New School in New York and Dartmouth College in Hannover New Hampshire. His socialist ideals were just “provincial” enough to not be threatening to the American Government and his style was just symbolic enough to poignant and satirical. I have always found fascinating his interpretation of intellect and the value intellectual esteem in what was one of among 24 panels painted at Dartmouth College. Known as the “Gods of the Modern World” this panel warned of intellect that was static and outdated and was not opened to being emergent and continually redefined.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. "

Fort Worth, Nov. 22, 1963

For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike. that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage. And unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge--and more.

, Inaugural Address, 1961 John F. Kennedy (May 29^th 1917–November the 22^nd 1963)

"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil. "

Hello
I wanted to say Hi its been awhile since my last post, however I have been a little preoccupied with a few things, my family seems to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver like its contagious and we are all living in a fishbowl.
Its been kind of a slow month for news, I am trying to think if there is any thing new?...? OH yeah!! A BLACK PRESIDENT!!, I remember how happy I was when Morgan Freeman played the President in the movie; Deep Impact (1998) and this is real! I know everything has already been written about the whole election process, but there is one recent development that is starting to annoy me. The obnoxious Liberal Haute Bourgeoisie is running around patting themselves on the back for their benevolence in saving this nation. There are so smarmy and so condescendingly proud of a nation that had the foresight to look past their hang-ups to usher in the dawn of a "brave new world". There is only one thing worse then someone that is going to limit your civil liberties for their profit, that is someone that is going to limit your civil libeties for "your own good". However I did not see the lanslide that they are all discussing over cups of " Kool Aid with the funny aftertaste" that's not the case the popular vote was still split 52% and 46%. I heard in the news Wolf Blitzer asking some talking head if; 'this was the end of racism?' ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Do you think the LAPD is going to stop kicking my ass!! Or maybe my white middle class neighbor will invite me over for tea and crumpets (whatever those are). Maybe when I walk to the bodega the Haitian clerk will stop following me around. These people are idiots! I still want my 40 acres and a mule!! I want some justice up in this piece!! Attica!! Attica!! Attica!! … okay I’m calm now … bye the way, I had a strange premonition that occured to me while watching Obama`s victory speech, tell me if you had the same one... Oprah is the anti-christ! ... But really! Let’s not jump up and down and start throwing candy at each other just yet. I want to say this election was about two alternate ideologies not black and white, eventhough the Hillary campaign couldn't seem to stop pulling out some racial slander every other week, I really want to commend Obama and McCain for attempting to run somewhat civil campaigns, even though they did have their moments, like the Obama being a Muslim?, that's just over the top, who cares? Or who should? What religion was McCain? Or Hillary? Hell!! Malcolm X was Muslim! and I definitely would have voted for that guy!! …again I digress … the point is that the agent of the alternate ideology was John McCain a man who has forgotten more about intestinal fortitude then I will ever know! most people have forgotten that in Mid 06 Bush’s disapproval rating had started to slide from 50 to 60% and at that point we all knew that the next president was going to be a democrat, if it would not have been for two factors it would not have even been close, one; Hillary and "What’s his Chops`s?" tasteless campaigning, and two; McCain striking such a deep chord in the American psyche. The media is trying to pull apart his decision making process and second guess his running mate choice, however the fact that he got as close he did was amazing. Don't get me wrong Obama deserves every praise, but more for what 'he did' then what 'we did'. The country voted almost exactly the way it had 4 years ago when both candidates were middle aged white guys. The South, including Texas, some Midwest, and the Plains States, went to the Republicans. And the Northeast, some Midwest, the West Coast, and Pacific Northwest, went to the Democrats. However there were a few notable exceptions; Florida, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois (where Obama is from) all went Democrat. However some of these states were so close they were not counted as democrat until after California had reported. These states were primarily won due to two factors; expanding demographic of the average voter being younger then ever and, the sheer number of first time voters. And this is what Barack Obama did; he was logistically and motivationally brilliant. However the credit should really go to the young and first time voters. and not the Liberal aristocracy, why are they taking credit for single handedly dragging this nation to the mountain top when most black people that I have spoke with still cant believe it, had the electoral college process stole the election again or had the incumbency somehow in the 11th hour wrangled victory from the face of defeat it would have been par for the course. I think the end of racism is true equality. If somebody beats you up for two hundred years and comes over and says “its over, lets be friends now” what are you going to do (personally I would want some payback) but ultimately you need time to purge that ingrained victim mentality that becomes part of the individual identity. I find it sad that as an appendix to every conversation I have had about Obama (with black people, white people wouldn’t say this) There has been glee, tears, and a general censure of disbelief at this moment in history, and at the very end, at the very end … “you know they are going to shoot him don’t cha?” “Yeah… yeah I know.” “Hey but its pretty amazing isn’t it?” “yeah… have a nice day” “okay you too”