Tuesday, May 31, 2011
cut hours, not jobs
"Germany's success indicates that one way to fight unemployment would be some modest efforts to give U.S. employers incentives to cut hours, not workers." There's a Right Way and a Wrong Way to Deal With a Jobs Crisis -- Why Is Germany Doing It So Well? | Economy | AlterNet
fact of the day
"13 percent of all U.S. homes are now vacant." From Latest Home Sale Prices Show Downward Spiral With 'No Relief In Sight'.
Monday, May 30, 2011
maybe I'll post this every Memorial Day
My uncle and namesake was a pilot killed returning to his base in Italy by "friendly fire". Another uncle was a medic under Patton; he saw Germans shot down as they were trying to surrender, which may have created his alcoholism.
Soldiers are the tools of the rich, and like all tools, when they're useless, they're discarded.
There have never been good wars. There have only been bad peaces.
today's thoughts from the Class Guy
Emma laughed when she saw my comment about "Whitey on the Moon"—I am awfully obsessed with the fact that class trumps race in the USA. I laughed, too. You have to pity people who can't laugh at their own quirks.
But, thinking about "Whitey on the Moon" (which I do adore!), I realized two things:
1. It's easier to unite people if you give them a surface understanding of the problem.
2. Martin Luther King's thoughts on poverty would be better known if he'd sung them.
Now I'm trying to imagine the Birmingham Jail Blues and the Beyond Vietnam Stomp.
But, thinking about "Whitey on the Moon" (which I do adore!), I realized two things:
1. It's easier to unite people if you give them a surface understanding of the problem.
2. Martin Luther King's thoughts on poverty would be better known if he'd sung them.
Now I'm trying to imagine the Birmingham Jail Blues and the Beyond Vietnam Stomp.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Whitey on the moon - gil scott-heron
I left this comment at youtube:
It's a great bit of art, but here's something that was true when Martin Luther King said it in 1967 and is true today: "In the treatment of poverty nationally, one fact stands out: there are twice as many white poor as Negro poor in the United States. Therefore I will not dwell on the experiences of poverty that derive from racial discrimination, but will discuss the poverty that affects white and Negro alike."via NB_Chris Chris N. Brown by DougLain
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Windows users, a question
What do you have on your 'puter that you love or consider essential?
Don't say "Ubuntu", 'cause I plan to install it, though it'll be a while before I get around to it, I suspect.
Don't say "Ubuntu", 'cause I plan to install it, though it'll be a while before I get around to it, I suspect.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
if I owe you email, sorry!
I'm learning too much too slowly about electronic publishing. A couple of things I've learned:
1. Ebook publishing, especially for the Kindle, favors the Windows world.
2. Smashwords, the cheapest way to get books into Apple and the Sony bookstore, did not expect to sell books with more than one author.
So:
1. I'll be putting Windows on my Mac or I'll buy a cheap netbook with Windows.
2. Either Smashwords will agree to my proposed work-around, or, well, we'll find another solution.
Exit snarling.
1. Ebook publishing, especially for the Kindle, favors the Windows world.
2. Smashwords, the cheapest way to get books into Apple and the Sony bookstore, did not expect to sell books with more than one author.
So:
1. I'll be putting Windows on my Mac or I'll buy a cheap netbook with Windows.
2. Either Smashwords will agree to my proposed work-around, or, well, we'll find another solution.
Exit snarling.
Power, not gender, makes people more likely to cheat
“Gender did not moderate the effects we found. Among women who had an independent source of income (as all our female respondents did, since they were working professionals), power had a comparably positive relationship with infidelity as among men.”
from Power, not gender, makes people more likely to cheat - Health - Behavior - msnbc.com
from Power, not gender, makes people more likely to cheat - Health - Behavior - msnbc.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
quote of the day
"Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage—torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians—which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by 'our' side... The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them." —George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism, May 1945
commie news at NYTimes
Top Colleges Overlook Low-Income Students - NYTimes.com:
“We claim to be part of the American dream and of a system based on merit and opportunity and talent,” Mr. Marx says. “Yet if at the top places, two-thirds of the students come from the top quartile and only 5 percent come from the bottom quartile, then we are actually part of the problem of the growing economic divide rather than part of the solution.”
...The United States no longer leads the world in educational attainment, partly because so few low-income students — and surprisingly few middle-income students — graduate from four-year colleges.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
great article about black US soldiers in WW2
Marc Blitzstein, Roland Hayes and the ‘Negro Chorus’ at the Royal Albert Hall in 1943. It makes me like King George a little more and Winston Churchill a little less.
(Thanks, RAB!)
(Thanks, RAB!)
Donna Barr's A Little Death
This one isn't my favorite, but I let the comment on capitalism sway me. Some are funnier, some are sadder, some are just odd. It's a cool project.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Universalist quote of the day
"So, if it is a dreadful thing for men to say: 'There is no God', let us reflect that it is far more dreadful to say: 'There is a God, but off in one corner of his universe he keeps an eternal torture house.'" —Rev. Jabez T. Sunderland
via Erik Gunn
today's evil capitalism report
Some Dentists Reluctant to Treat Kids on Medicaid: Study - US News and World Report: "Even when calling Medicaid-enrolled dentists, just 68 percent of children with the Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Plan were able to get an appointment, compared to all of the privately insured children. Non-enrolled dentists offered an appointment to only 7 percent of kids with public insurance despite the fact that Medicaid reimburses all emergency dental care."
Sunday, May 22, 2011
five attractive black women
There're at least two problems with posting pictures of attractive black women to refute the idea that black women aren't attractive:
1. What race-obsessed people see and what the rest of us see are not the same.
2. No matter how long a list is, race-obsessed people can say these are exceptions that test the rule.
To which I say, screw it. Here are five attractive black women, posted purely 'cause it gives me an excuse to post pics of five attractive black women.
My first fanboy crushes on black women were almost certainly Diana Ross of the Supremes (though I didn't like their music), Nichelle Nicholls from Star Trek, and this woman, who I might've liked best, Gail Fisher of Mannix:
I dunno if there's any fanfic for Mannix, but if there is, it's all about Mannix and Peggy hooking up.
A couple of years later, I was so in love with Tina Turner:
And Angela Davis:
In the '80s, I adored Grace Jones:
And soon after that, the woman who should've played Storm in the X-Men, Angela Bassett:
1. What race-obsessed people see and what the rest of us see are not the same.
2. No matter how long a list is, race-obsessed people can say these are exceptions that test the rule.
To which I say, screw it. Here are five attractive black women, posted purely 'cause it gives me an excuse to post pics of five attractive black women.
My first fanboy crushes on black women were almost certainly Diana Ross of the Supremes (though I didn't like their music), Nichelle Nicholls from Star Trek, and this woman, who I might've liked best, Gail Fisher of Mannix:
I dunno if there's any fanfic for Mannix, but if there is, it's all about Mannix and Peggy hooking up.
A couple of years later, I was so in love with Tina Turner:
And Angela Davis:
In the '80s, I adored Grace Jones:
And soon after that, the woman who should've played Storm in the X-Men, Angela Bassett:
the Angry Black Woman's misinformation about Rosie the Riveter
I followed a link to the Angry Black Woman's series of pictures of attractive black women which she posted to refute some idiot's claim that black women are unattractive. The pics are swell, but there's a glaring error. In The Real Riveter (Her Name Might Be Rosie…), she suggests the original Rosie the Riveter was black, and a commenter agrees by saying, "Yes, Rosie *was* a sister."
It's true that Rosie was a sister, but it's only in the way that all working folks are kin. Here's a pic of two black Rosies that I love from The Pop History Dig » “Rosie The Riveter”1941-1945:
And here're two more Rosies who were partners on the assembly line:
Here's a bit from the article:
And if you do even the least bit of googling, you can find lots of pictures of Rosies who were white. Poor working women have always come in all hues. True fact: Marilyn Monroe was a Rosie.
If you want some black pride to connect to Rosie the Riveter, the group that made the song famous, the Four Vagabonds, was black:
(There's at least one mistake in the subtitles. Here are the actual lyrics:
It's true that Rosie was a sister, but it's only in the way that all working folks are kin. Here's a pic of two black Rosies that I love from The Pop History Dig » “Rosie The Riveter”1941-1945:
And here're two more Rosies who were partners on the assembly line:
Here's a bit from the article:
Sybil Lewis, an African-American riveter who worked for Lockheed Aircraft in Los Angeles, would later provide this description of women riveters:
“The women worked in pairs. I was the riveter and this big, strong, white girl from a cotton farm in Arkansas worked as the bucker. The riveter used a gun to shoot rivets through the metal and fasten it together. The bucker used a bucking bar on the other side of the metal to smooth out the rivets. Bucking was harder than shooting rivets; it required more muscle. Riveting required more skill.”Note that the black woman who is quoted there is not the black woman in the photo above, which suggests that interracial teams weren't all that unusual then.
And if you do even the least bit of googling, you can find lots of pictures of Rosies who were white. Poor working women have always come in all hues. True fact: Marilyn Monroe was a Rosie.
If you want some black pride to connect to Rosie the Riveter, the group that made the song famous, the Four Vagabonds, was black:
(There's at least one mistake in the subtitles. Here are the actual lyrics:
“Rosie the Riveter”
While other girls attend their fav’rite
cocktail bar
Sipping Martinis, munching caviar
There’s a girl who’s really putting
them to shame
Rosie is her name
All the day long whether rain or shine
She’s a part of the assembly line
She’s making history,
working for victory
Rosie the Riveter
Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage
Sitting up there on the fuselage
That little frail can do more than a
male will do
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie’s got a boyfriend, Charlie
Charlie, he’s a Marine
Rosie is protecting Charlie
Working overtime on the
riveting machine
When they gave her a production “E”
She was as proud as a girl could be
There’s something true about
Red, white, and blue about
Rosie the Riveter
Everyone stops to admire the scene
Rosie at work on the B-Nineteen
She’s never twittery, nervous or jittery
Rosie the Riveter
What if she’s smeared full of
oil and grease
Doing her bit for the old Lendlease
She keeps the gang around
They love to hang around
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie buys a lot of war bonds
That girl really has sense
Wishes she could purchase
more bonds
Putting all her cash into national
defense
Senator Jones who is “in the know”
Shouted these words on the radio
Berlin will hear about
Moscow will cheer about
Rosie the Riveter!
con appearances: 4th Street Fantasy 2011
I get a little nervous announcing con appearances since life recently forced us to cancel one, but Emma and I have bought our tickets for this year's Fourth Street Fantasy, a truly grand little convention with some of our very favorite folks.
beware the witchfinder generals of the world!
In my ongoing attempt to understand cults in general and capitalist antiracists in particular, I was struck by this sentence from an article that I recommend, How to spot a psychopath | Jon Ronson | Books | The Guardian: "'What if you've created armies of people who spot psychopaths where there are none, witchfinder generals of the psychopath-spotting world?'"
Cults are armies of people who see their opponents where they do not exist.
Cults are armies of people who see their opponents where they do not exist.
a few facts for Christian American patriots
Michele Bachmann Manages to Misquote Both Scripture and John Adams. If the first 3/4 covers things you already know, skip to the end. I'd never encountered the last quote. (Which is of particular interest to liberal Unitarians.)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
to understand one culture, look at another
Besides being awesomely cool, the comments about why this fashion is cool apply to every kind of cool. Beau Brummel would've understood.
YouTube - Behind The Seams - Mexican Pointy Boots: ""
via In the Labyrinth: B-Town Elves, Eat Your Hearts Out. Post- Modern Mexico Rocks the Boot
YouTube - Behind The Seams - Mexican Pointy Boots: ""
via In the Labyrinth: B-Town Elves, Eat Your Hearts Out. Post- Modern Mexico Rocks the Boot
a friend's article about Deep-Vein Thrombosis
You Must Be Trippin' - Avoid Deep-Vein Thrombosis: "Avoid sitting still for too long without stretching or standing. This is particularly an issue for frequent fliers, who can get confined in an airplane seat for many hours at a time. Even if you must inconvenience your seatmates by standing, make an effort to get up and move around every hour or two. The same advice applies to desk jockeys -- don't sit in that office chair all day without a break. You're asking for trouble."
Yep, it's another reason for a standing desk.
Jason, glad they caught it!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Matthew 23:8-10, Mark 3:35, Luke 14:26
"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ." —Matthew 23:8-10
Brother Will sez:
These verses are pure equalitarianism. In a world without masters, there's no room for feudalism, capitalism, or any form of favoritism.
Churches will claim their head guy is Jesus's Number One on Earth, but the Biblical support for that can most kindly be called ambiguous. In the four canonical gospels and Acts, Jesus's followers are supposed to share the good news about what's become the French motto: liberty, fraternity, equality. It's true that the early church had leaders who were chosen by their communities to share knowledge, but that was simple intellectual communism: their teachings were free for everyone, and they were subject to the approval of the community.
"Call no man father" may be a greater refutation of hierarchy than "don't be called masters". It's certainly the most personal. It denies privilege in families and invalidates all forms of patriarchy.
Matthew 23:9 is awkward for churches that use paternal language. Their followers will doubletalk the point, but they can't point to Jesus making exceptions about who can be called father.
Quibbling about 23:9 often begins with the claim that of course it's okay to call your actual father "father." But Jesus rejects the idea that "actual" family matters:
"For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." —Mark 3:35
"If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." —Luke 14:26
I agree with the scholars who say "hate" is a misleading translation. The meaning is that you should love God/Justice/Truth more than your family, and when you have to choose between them, God/Justice/Truth wins.
Brother Will sez:
These verses are pure equalitarianism. In a world without masters, there's no room for feudalism, capitalism, or any form of favoritism.
Churches will claim their head guy is Jesus's Number One on Earth, but the Biblical support for that can most kindly be called ambiguous. In the four canonical gospels and Acts, Jesus's followers are supposed to share the good news about what's become the French motto: liberty, fraternity, equality. It's true that the early church had leaders who were chosen by their communities to share knowledge, but that was simple intellectual communism: their teachings were free for everyone, and they were subject to the approval of the community.
"Call no man father" may be a greater refutation of hierarchy than "don't be called masters". It's certainly the most personal. It denies privilege in families and invalidates all forms of patriarchy.
Matthew 23:9 is awkward for churches that use paternal language. Their followers will doubletalk the point, but they can't point to Jesus making exceptions about who can be called father.
Quibbling about 23:9 often begins with the claim that of course it's okay to call your actual father "father." But Jesus rejects the idea that "actual" family matters:
"For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." —Mark 3:35
"If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." —Luke 14:26
I agree with the scholars who say "hate" is a misleading translation. The meaning is that you should love God/Justice/Truth more than your family, and when you have to choose between them, God/Justice/Truth wins.
Friday, May 13, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Deuteronomy 23:20
(reposted because Blogger had a bad day)
"You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess." —Deuteronomy 23:20
Brother Will sez: At first glance, this isn't in the spirit of socialism—it looks like the sort of restriction on capitalism that worshippers of the free market despise. But consider other verses about foreigners. Remember the Messiah Darius, who was a Zoroastrian, and Jesus's story of the Good Samaritan, who would have been hated by devout Jews as a heretic, then ask who is your fellow Israelite? Aren't we all the children of Eve?
For centuries, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were united in condemning usury. A Catholic writes in The Sin of Usury:
"You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess." —Deuteronomy 23:20
Brother Will sez: At first glance, this isn't in the spirit of socialism—it looks like the sort of restriction on capitalism that worshippers of the free market despise. But consider other verses about foreigners. Remember the Messiah Darius, who was a Zoroastrian, and Jesus's story of the Good Samaritan, who would have been hated by devout Jews as a heretic, then ask who is your fellow Israelite? Aren't we all the children of Eve?
For centuries, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were united in condemning usury. A Catholic writes in The Sin of Usury:
At one time the church called usury 'the queen of sins' and refused the sacrament to its practitioners. Though it has never officially abandoned this moral position, very few Christians outside of the Catholic Worker movement have any idea that such a teaching even exists. Catholic Worker groups have always called upon the church to reaffirm its prohibition of loaning money at interest. We recognize that this puts us on the fringe of a society whose very dynamic is fueled by usury, and opens us up to ridicule. But we realize that until relatively recently, the teachings on usury were at the core. In fact, much of the strident language now reserved for feminists and homosexuals was once directed toward those who lent money at interest. A usurer was barred from the church, and usury was denounced not only because it was, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, 'unnatural,' but also because it was prohibited by both the Old and the New Testaments.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Deuteronomy 15:1-2, Leviticus 25:10
"At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed." —Deuteronomy 15:1-2
"Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan." —Leviticus 25:10
Brother Will says: According to the early books of the Bible, every seven years, there's supposed be a shmita, the sabbatical year or the "year of release". Every fifty years, there's supposed to be a jubilee, which in Hebrew is a yobhel. Think of them as small freeings from debt and large ones. If anyone tells you this is a Christian nation, ask them when we last had a jubilee. Kings and priests and presidents have made only the most token concessions to these verses since they were composed. It took a civil war to give a jubilee to the USA's slaves. We're still waiting for one for everyone who has been in debt for seven years or more.
"Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan." —Leviticus 25:10
Brother Will says: According to the early books of the Bible, every seven years, there's supposed be a shmita, the sabbatical year or the "year of release". Every fifty years, there's supposed to be a jubilee, which in Hebrew is a yobhel. Think of them as small freeings from debt and large ones. If anyone tells you this is a Christian nation, ask them when we last had a jubilee. Kings and priests and presidents have made only the most token concessions to these verses since they were composed. It took a civil war to give a jubilee to the USA's slaves. We're still waiting for one for everyone who has been in debt for seven years or more.
Three basic facts about the war in Afghanistan
From Sojourners:
- Financial: The U.S. is spending more than $100 billion per year in Afghanistan
- Human: 1,570 Americans killed, more than 10,000 wounded
- More than 10,000 civilian Afghan deaths, 3,000 in 2010 alone
Malcolm X rejected identity politics
"We must approach the problem as humans first, and whatever else we are second." —Malcolm X / El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
Quoted in Malcolm X, A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable. Like most of my favorite quotes from the man, that's from the last year of his life, when he was looking more clearly at the nature of identity and privilege.
Quoted in Malcolm X, A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable. Like most of my favorite quotes from the man, that's from the last year of his life, when he was looking more clearly at the nature of identity and privilege.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Psalm 133:1
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" —Psalm 133:1
P.S. See Hine ma tov. (Thanks to Andrea in the comments!)
P.S. See Hine ma tov. (Thanks to Andrea in the comments!)
commie post at New York Times
Why Greece Should Reject the Euro:
Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt and cut loose from the dollar. Most economists and the business press predicted that years of disaster would ensue. But the economy shrank for just one more quarter after the devaluation and default; it then grew 63 percent over the next six years. More than 11 million people, in a nation of 39 million, were pulled out of poverty.
Monday, May 9, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Leviticus 25:23
"The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land [is] mine; for ye [are] strangers and sojourners with me." —Leviticus 25:23
signal boost: Pima Writers’ Workshop
If you're around Tucson and looking for a writers' workshop, this is a mighty nice one:
The Pima Writers’ Workshop features a dozen authors and literary agents leading sessions on writing and publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and stories for children.
The conference, in Tucson, is May 27-29, with a meet-the-authors reception the evening of the 26th. Cost: $100.
For more information: Meg Files, 520-206-6084, mfiles@pima.edu.
The conference, in Tucson, is May 27-29, with a meet-the-authors reception the evening of the 26th. Cost: $100.
For more information: Meg Files, 520-206-6084, mfiles@pima.edu.
Friday, May 6, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Acts 20:35
"I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." —Acts 20:35
Thursday, May 5, 2011
two questions about the assassination of Osama Bin Laden
My question: If Cuba had sent an elite team of soldiers into the US to kill Luis Posada Carriles, how would Americans react?
A question from The Agendas Behind the bin Laden News Event by Paul Craig Roberts: "No explanation has been provided for why an unarmed bin Laden, in the absence of a firefight, was murdered by the SEALs with a shot to the head. For those who believe the government’s story that 'we got bin Laden,' the operation can only appear as the most botched operation in history. What kind of incompetence does it require to senselessly and needlessly kill the most valuable intelligence asset on the planet?"
Possibly of interest:
Pakistani Army Chief Warns U.S. on Another Raid - NYTimes.com
The killing of bin Laden: Was it legal? - CNN.com
Chris Hedges: Chris Hedges Speaks on Osama bin Laden’s Death - Truthdig
A question from The Agendas Behind the bin Laden News Event by Paul Craig Roberts: "No explanation has been provided for why an unarmed bin Laden, in the absence of a firefight, was murdered by the SEALs with a shot to the head. For those who believe the government’s story that 'we got bin Laden,' the operation can only appear as the most botched operation in history. What kind of incompetence does it require to senselessly and needlessly kill the most valuable intelligence asset on the planet?"
Possibly of interest:
Pakistani Army Chief Warns U.S. on Another Raid - NYTimes.com
The killing of bin Laden: Was it legal? - CNN.com
Chris Hedges: Chris Hedges Speaks on Osama bin Laden’s Death - Truthdig
socialist Bible verse of the day: Leviticus 19:18
"Love your neighbor as yourself." —Leviticus 19:18
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
socialist Bible verse of the day: Luke 22:26
"The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." —Luke 22:26 (New International Version)
Brother Will sez: The King James Version isn't bad: "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve." There's no evidence King James ever paid any attention to that saying, of course.
Brother Will sez: The King James Version isn't bad: "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve." There's no evidence King James ever paid any attention to that saying, of course.
pacifist Bible verse of the day: Matthew 5:44
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." —Matthew 5:44
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
pacifist Bible verse of the day: Proverbs 24:17
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth." —Proverbs 24:17
(Thanks, Amysue Chase!)
(Thanks, Amysue Chase!)
socialist Bible verse of the day: James 5:1-6
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
Brother Will says: Modern versions are easier for modern readers, but I have to admit I especially love the old translations when they're condemning the rich.
Luke 5:4 is beautifully socialist. Any red would agree that the profit in capitalism is the hire of the laborers which is kept by fraud.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
—James 5:1-6 (King James Version)
Brother Will says: Modern versions are easier for modern readers, but I have to admit I especially love the old translations when they're condemning the rich.
Luke 5:4 is beautifully socialist. Any red would agree that the profit in capitalism is the hire of the laborers which is kept by fraud.
updating the Bin Laden assassination
Administration Backs Off Tale Of Osama Bin Laden Using Wife As Human Shield | TPMMuckraker:
Turns out the woman that was killed on the compound wasn't bin Laden's wife. Bin Laden may have not even been using a human shield. And he might not have even been holding a gun.
Monday, May 2, 2011
about the alleged fake Martin Luther King Jr. quote
What's fake may still be true. And from what I've read of King, he would agree with that one.
Which is my answer to Out of Osama's Death, A Fake Quotation is Born - Atlantic Mobile.
ETA: Though a fake quote may tell a truth, lying sucks, y'all. Especially when the lie is meant to bolster a truth. Just sayin'.
Which is my answer to Out of Osama's Death, A Fake Quotation is Born - Atlantic Mobile.
ETA: Though a fake quote may tell a truth, lying sucks, y'all. Especially when the lie is meant to bolster a truth. Just sayin'.
"the socially progressive, post-racial superhero event movie you didn't know you wanted"
Fast Five is the superheroes-assemble movie you’ve been waiting for (Sorry, Avengers): "Fast Five is the socially progressive, post-racial superhero event movie you didn't know you wanted."
Also: Seven pieces of conventional wisdom disproved by 'Fast Five'
(Thanks, Jeff G!)
Also: Seven pieces of conventional wisdom disproved by 'Fast Five'
P.S. I haven't seen it, though I plan to. If it's sexist as hell, well, catch Peking Opera Blues or The Heroic Trio for some female superhero fun. (Why, yes, I am disappointed that the upcoming Avengers movie has a mostly male line-up, but let's save that rant for my movie review.)
Martin Luther King quote of the day (update: is actually by Jessica Dovey)
'I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.' - Martin Luther King, Jr. Jessica Dovey
ETA: Corrected this. My support for the sentiment has not changed.
ETA: Corrected this. My support for the sentiment has not changed.
socialist Bible verse of the day: Amos 6:1
"Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!" —Amos 6:1 (King James Version)
Zion is Mount Zion, near Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. The mountain of Samaria is the site of capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. They're both strongholds of the rich. Saying someone is "at ease" in Zion or "trusting in" Samaria is like saying a millionaire is "comfortable" or "secure". Amos, writing 750 years before Jesus, is another voice in the wilderness crying, "Woe to the rich!"
Zion is Mount Zion, near Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. The mountain of Samaria is the site of capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. They're both strongholds of the rich. Saying someone is "at ease" in Zion or "trusting in" Samaria is like saying a millionaire is "comfortable" or "secure". Amos, writing 750 years before Jesus, is another voice in the wilderness crying, "Woe to the rich!"
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Happy May Day!
YouTube - Union Maid w/ Billy Bragg, Mike & Ruthy Merenda, Dar Williams, New York City Labor Chorus.
via Anne Schmitt
via Anne Schmitt
two secret gay pop songs from the mid '60s (with female drummer!)
YouTube - Honeycombs - Have I The Right (High Quality): ""
YouTube - The Honeycombs - Eyes (1965)_HQ: ""
Googling the first song brought me to the tragic story of Joe Meek, producer for the Honeycombs.
first video via Undulant Fever: The Ethics of Earworming
YouTube - The Honeycombs - Eyes (1965)_HQ: ""
Googling the first song brought me to the tragic story of Joe Meek, producer for the Honeycombs.
first video via Undulant Fever: The Ethics of Earworming
socialist Bible verse of the day: Luke 3:11
"He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." —Luke 3:11 (King James Version)
Brother Will says: That's John the Baptist speaking. "Meat" in King James' day just meant food. I like the simplicity of the New Living Translation:
Brother Will says: That's John the Baptist speaking. "Meat" in King James' day just meant food. I like the simplicity of the New Living Translation:
John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."How any rich person can claim to be a Baptist, I'll never understand.
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