stream of crust

2011-01-20T12:50:00.001-08:00

The Tucson shooting has consumed me all this past week. I’ve wrestled with whether or not
Sarah Palin and the army of right-wing, propagandists are responsible in some way for the tragedy. After thinking about it for a week I’ve concluded that, though they are not directly responsible in a legal sense, I believe they are indirectly responsible in a spiritual sense. Their wreckless rhetoric has contributed to the atmosphere of hate and distrust for anyone who disagrees with them.

In the same way that they make connections with Karl Marx to Barack Obama over socialism, we can make the same kinds of connections from Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck to Jared Loughner over hate speech. Can you imagine who Rush Limbaugh would blame for the shooting if the victim would have been a Republican?

They have stoked the fires of hate for Democrats, liberals of all stripes and the Government with their inflammatory, over-the-top rhetoric on a thousand radio stations all across the nation.

Sarah Palin said in print and at a live appearance "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" She posted on her Facebook page a "target" map showing the districts of Gabrielle Giffords and other House Democrats in a rifle's cross hairs. Then, she appears on her tv show/campaign commercial looking through the crosshairs of a rifle, shooting a caribou. Just a few months earlier Congresswoman Gifford’s office doors were shot out after her vote for the Healthcare Bill. Giffords was clearly targeted and the animus was out there, boiling in a black cauldron of hate with fires stoked by right-wing leaders, talkers and commenters. Many of whom, talked of “Second Amendment Remedies”.

Just a few weeks ago I truly believed that Sarah Palin could become our next President. If they could put George W. Bush in the Whitehouse they could certainly put Sarah Palin in there. Now, I think it would be impossible because of political ads that could connect her to the Tucson shootings through the gun sight images she has so proudly used. Connect that to the carnage in Tucson and her own words and you have a biased, but effective ad campaign. She couldn’t get elected dog-catcher now.

At a rally a few months ago in Washington DC they carried signs that said, “I came unarmed...THIS TIME!” and “Where’s my gun?”. On Glenn Beck’s website comments are so over-the-top with hateful rhetoric I won’t quote them here for fear they would target me, too.

And, what has the Left done? They certainly have not tried to inspire people to take up arms and shoot people. The worst of the far left are the Anarchists. They have burned cars in a car dealership, they have set animals free in an animal research laboratory and they have rioted so they can loot. It’s just not the same as encouraging people to violence because our President has a “Deep-seated hatred of white people” and is destroying our nation as Beck has said.

Even, though they deny any responsibility for the tragedy in Tucson, they have indeed dialed back the rhetoric. Palin took down the map with the crosshairs on it and every conservative pundit from Pat Buchanan to Charles Krauthammer approved of Obama’s speech at the memorial service for the victims.

So, they have done what I have always wanted them to do: dial back the rhetoric a little bit so as not to inspire some loony-tune to go out and shoot someone.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR201101...

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/who-is-jared-lee-loughner

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/01/17/2236224/eugene-robinson-palins-egoce...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/sarah-palin-fumbles-and-f_b_8083...

2011-01-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here’s a 1919 Fresno Morning Republican newspaper I’ve had in my collection for several years.
It’s amazing these 90-year old pieces of newsprint are still in tact. Though yellowed with age, it's still readable and big. It was a different size, 22 inches tall, same as today’s Bee but much wider at 16 inches as opposed to only 11 inches in today’s paper. Every story was completed on the page it started and not continued on another page. Very little photography and most of it from far away like world leaders in Europe and national movie stars. A couple of local photos were of two boxers who were going to fight at the American Legion Hall. Johnnie Hayes of Auberry was to fight Roy Fain of Fresno for the San Joaquin Valley Bantamweight (118 pounds) Championship.

The Gottschalks ad was interesting with summer dresses from $4 each and 'dainty undermuslins' at $1.75.

Another difference was the relative lack of coverage of local stories on the front page. I had to dig into the middle of the 22 page paper to find local stories. Although, it is ironic that there was one local story on the front page about Fresno Mayor, W.F. Toomey announcing an anonymous donation of $40k to buy food to feed the hungry. It wasn’t going to be given away, but sold at cost at a special sale in the Municipal Auditorium. Some things never change. There’s always poor folks going hungry.

90 years ago there were 45,000 people here, now over half a million.

The Fresno Morning Republican newspaper was founded in 1876 by Dr. Chester Rowell the elder, who’s statue rests on the southwest corner of Fresno’s Courthouse Park and was mayor of Fresno from 1909-1912, the year he died. Perhaps, the ghost of Dr. Rowell walks the lanes of courthouse park late at night? The paper continued on, changing hands several times until it’s demise in 1932.

There were two Chester Rowells. The younger was Chester Harvey Rowell, nephew of the elder Rowell and was brought in to edit and manage the Fresno Morning Republican in 1898 and continued in that position till 1920. So, by the time of this 1919 volume he had been here for over 20 years and was coming to the end of his tenure as editor.

From his editorials, Chester Harvey seemed quite the liberal, favoring nationalization of the railroads and sympathetic to unions. He spoke in a language and tone that, to me was very intellectual but sounded like a public speech and felt stiff and made me wonder if conversation was also stiff in that time.

Chester H. Rowell was also a lecturer in journalism at UC, Berkeley (1911) and in political science at Stanford (1927-1934). He was also editor of the San Francisco Chronicle from 1932 to 1939. He was a member of the University of California Board of Regents from 1914 until shortly before his death in 1948.

Here is an excerpt from the History of the Fresno Republican that explains the two Chester Rowells - fresnorepublican.com:

"Dr. Rowell's brother was a congressman in Washington whose son was Dr. Rowell's namesake. The younger Chester H. Rowell served as a Committee Clerk in Congress for his father after graduating the University of Michigan. He then took two years of post graduate studies at the University of Berlin before teaching college Latin, German, and French, in Baxter, Kansas.
On October 12, 1885, the Fresno City Township was incorporated. In 1895 young Rowell was hired by C. L. McLane, Fresno City School Superintendent for a teaching position at the 115 student, Fresno High School. Young Rowell was among its first five teachers.
Three years later, the younger Chester Rowell accepted the job as Editor of the Republican from his Uncle Chester Rowell. The name on the masthead was soon modified as the Fresno Morning Republican . The younger Rowell soon became well-known throughout the Nation as a crusading young journalist-editor attempting to cleanup Fresno's image of political graft and crime. He went after a change in the General Law for Cities of the Fifth Class.
Fresno operated without a Mayor under that law. Town government had been weak and run by five trustees. The Fresno Morning Republican campaigned for election of literate community leaders with commitment to limited government, clean streets and a responsible business community."

2011-01-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the backstory of a band is so good it's better than the music they make.

Toxic Shock started playing in 1980. That was 30 years ago! You could pay off a mortgage on a house in 30 years! Or, you could build up a following for a cool hc punk band.

Lead singer, Gary Bufkin, told me they were all buddies at Roosevelt High when they started the band, playing their first gigs on campus during lunchtime. He was a punk rocker and became class president. That was back when just being a punk rocker could get you in trouble. "These guys helped me get class president", he said backstage after their set. And they're still friends after all these years.

TS had a Farewell gig a few months ago, but this gig came up and now they're thinking about continuing on with some more gigs in the future. Nothing wrong with that. As long as they're able to play and people want to see them, more power to them. Buf said they have a gig tentatively set for April.

They have the coolest vintage gear. Being a musician myself, it's something I notice. And they know how to play well. Your chops can get mighty honed after such a long time. They had a great mix in the club last night from that monster PA at the Starline.

One of the highlights of their set was a punk version of Jingle Bell Rock. During the lead solo, Buf lept off the stage, into the audience and distributed candy canes!

They seemed so happy just to be there.

http://www.facebook.com/toxicshockfresnoCA

http://www.stagedive-records.com/toxicshock.html

2010-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest project, a rockumentary about my 80s Fresno punk band, Capitol Punishment - Pure Punk Pragmatists - 1981-1995 - CP1 1981

2010-11-22T08:45:00.001-08:00

2010-11-22T08:44:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpeRdko55sA

2010-08-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

C-SPAN had a good update this afternoon of the Al Sharpton rally and march that was a reaction to the Glenn Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. There was some video of the event but the link froze up. I suspect because there were so many people trying to access it. They already had over 600 views of just the phone report from Bob Cusack from The Hill.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/231823
Reclaim the dream rally and march report on cspan

2010-08-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Starve the Beast

Starve the Beast by Dale Stewart

V1
To help the weak and right the wrongs
I need my state to be very strong
Raise a tax to pay for it all
To benefit both big and small

Destroy the government by making it weak
And it becomes ineffective
Then point and say I told you so
That’s the way that it usually goes

Cho
In my heart I hear a sound
The search for truth I have found
The voice of reason diversity

V2
Sign a pledge not to raise a tax
And yet a tax would save the state
Starve the Beast and break it’s back
That’s the way they legislate

2010-06-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

2010-04-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

2010-04-09T09:10:00.001-07:00

The Blogger software is quite difficult to learn to use. I have a complete story, with photos I took myself and I can't quite get it posted on here. Once I have uploaded my photos, it's impossible to move them around on the page. Then, when I add my text that also cannot be easily moved around on the page.

Blogger is more like a very simple diary. Text only is the best with Blogger. Multiple photos makes it all too unwieldy. If you have multiple photos and would like to put a text box next to or under that photo it just can't be done. Now, I'm sure if I was much better at writing html it would all be easy as pie. But, that's what Blogger brags about: User-friendly software.

On my paid Yahoo website, with their SiteBuilder software it's quite simple and intuitive. But, my subject matter is more appropriate for a blog not a commercial website.

If I could quickly and easily make a page like this on Blogger I would do it:
http://www.stagedive-records.com/cajonhomemade.html

2010-03-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

2010-02-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

THINGS GROW IN FRESNO

2010-02-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

The Grammys are a bought and sold scam product of Payola - Always has been always will be and have nothing to do with what is really going on in the world of music.

There is a much, much bigger world of musicians, venues, recordings and promoters out there creating and playing music for a vastly larger audience than that of the Grammy artists.

Examples of NARAS bias:

In the 1950s, when Elvis was the biggest pop culture icon in the world they ignored him and gave awards to singers like Domenico Modugno and Percy Faith.

In the 1960’s when the Beatles were an even bigger pop culture phenomenon Grammys were given to Henry Mancini and Herb Alpert while the Fab Four were hung out to dry.

In the 70’s they dug their heels in further and refused to acknowledge Punk, New Wave and Metal and gave awards to artists like The Starland Vocal Band and Debby Boone.

In the 80’s as the grass-roots phenomena of Punk Rock swept across the world awards were given to artists like The Doobie Brothers and Kenny Loggins.

In the 90’s they famously ignored Grunge and the massive impact of Curt Cobain and Nirvana to give awards to Whitney Houston and Eric Clapton. After that I lost interest in the Grammys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Awards
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL9224402M/Contemporary_Music_Almanac

2010-01-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Fresno Fresh & Easy opening day 13JAN10

This is a good thing no matter how you slice it. And the best thing is the location: another grocery store in downtown Fresno!

We just did our grocery shopping on sunday so I didn't really need anything except cookies and a 24oz. bottle of beer. No single bottles of beer but they did have my favorite Loacker cookies for $2 a bag.

I was disappointed to see their reluctance to go below the $3 an item price point, something that The Joe does well.

We will definitely shop there from time to time, but I was disappointed in the stocking of major brands like Coca Cola and Fruit Loops, which I think is somewhat responsible for the fattening up and dumbing down of America.

A piece in the Fresno Bee yesterday said that "Americans are still among the chunkiest folks on the planet, with 68% of adults overweight or obese."

New data based on surveys by the AMA and published by the Center for Disease Control says that not only are adults overweight but 17% of children are obese, too.

40 years of advertising, telling the American people that eating cold cereal and drinking soda pop is good for you is partly to blame for this epidemic. That's why I look for foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar. But, it's an acquired taste.
It takes a long time and a lot of will to get off the unhealthy diet and start to enjoy healthier foods.

One way is to try to find foods that are healthier but are just as satisfying. But, it is difficult to do that when your choices are so slim as are found in most chain store supermarkets. There are about 5 corporations that sell most of the food in the US and they are the kings of high fat, high salt and high sugar content.

That's why I appreciate the selection at Trader Joes. They are the kings of Budget
Gourmet, quite unlike Whole Foods which is king of Expensive Gourmet. The Joe consistently finds ways to include fiber and reduce fat, salt and sugar in great tasting foods that have a relatively low price.

2009-12-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

It was the Night before Christmas (as read by Sen. Burris)

It was the night before Christmas, and all through the Senate
The right held up our health care bill, no matter what was in it
The people had voted a mandated reform
But Republicans blew off the gathering storm
We'll clog up the Senate, they cried with a grin
And in the midterm elections, we'll get voted in
They knew regular folks needed help right this second
But fundraisers, lobbyists and politics beckoned
So try as they might, Democrats could not win
Because the majority was simply too thin
Then across every state there rose such a clatter
The whole senate rushed out to see what was the matter
All sprang up from their desk and ran from the floor
Straight through the cloakroom and right out the door

And what in the world would be quite so raucous?
But a mandate for change from the Democratic caucus
The president, the Speaker, of course Leader Reid
Had answered the call in our hour of need
More rapid than eagles, the provisions they came
And they whistled and shouted and called them by name
Better coverage, cost savings, a strong public plan
Accountable options. We said, 'Yes, we can.'
No exclusions or changes for pre-existing conditions
Let's pass a bill that restores competition
The Democrats all came together to fight
For the American people that Christmas Eve night

And then in a twinkle, I heard under the dome
The roll call was closed, and it was time to go home
Despite the obstructionist tactics of some
The filibuster had broken, the people had won
And a good bill was ready for President Obama
Ready to sign and end health care drama
Democrats explained as they drove out of sight
Better coverage for all, even our friends on the right.

2009-12-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

How to make a cajon w/snare

http://stagedive-records.com/cajonhomemade

When my former percussionist brought a cajon to rehearsal I was intrigued but put-off because of the way I
thought it had to be played, bending way over to reach the striking surface, or Tapa. But, after I heard the
playback I was hooked. It sounded so cool and homemade, but kind of like a drum kit, with snare and kick.

I thought, if you had a crash you indeed would have an acoustic percussive instrument that could imitate a
drum kit. But, it would be hard to hit a crash cymbal bending over like that. Then I saw many different
configurations of the cajon, in many different sizes and shapes. And many you don't have to play bending
over. I have this problem with my back and so does my percussionist, so it was nice to see that you can
definitely play it standing or sitting up. And as it turns out, do it in an interesting way that records easily and
well. The ones on youtube that were miked in the hole sounded great. You could really get a loud, thumping
beat. Pumping it through a big PA, you could rival the volume of a drum kit.

When I looked online at how a cajon is made, I was amazed at the wealth of information out there. Many
different plans, videos and diagrams on how they are made, what they sound like and how the cajon
originated is available online. Just Google 'how to make a cajon'.

I printed out several plans from the net. It seemed like each plan left out some key details and so, puttting
them all together gave me a more complete vision of how to make it. I have to be able to visualize the
finished product and most of it's detail in my mind before I can feel confident enough to make it.

Materials

Wood: One sheet of 2'x4' 1/2" plywood
One sheet of 2'x4' 1/4" plywood
3/4"x3/4" hardwood square dowel
1"x2" furring strip

Orchard supply and Lowe's both had a good selection and low prices for
the wood. The half inch birch plywood was $13 and the quarter-inch was
$8. They've got the hardwood square dowels and furring strips, too.

4 guitar tuners and 4 bass guitar strings or a snare drum snare
20 or so screws OSH Wood screw brass, flat head phillips 7x3/4
Wood glue - Elmer's was lot cheaper than Gorilla and worked just fine
Minwax Wood Finish - Dark Walnut 2716 Stain/sealer

Tools
Circular or table saw
Jigsaw
VSR Drill or screwdriver
Clamps

I already had some painted, half-inch plywood and so I
used that for the three sides and top and bottom. As it
turned out my wood was a little warped and I couldn't see
where the blade was cutting with precision so I got some
pretty crooked lines that made for a box that was not
square. I now wish I would have started with a new piece
of birch plywood. The whole thing would have been more
square. And therefore would have been easier to glue and
would have looked a lot better. If I build another cajon, I'll
use a new piece of plywood and not paint it, but just
stain/seal it with Minwax Wood Finish.
I first drilled a small hole with the drill, big enough to get
the Jigsaw blade in it and then cut the 4-inch soundhole.

Here are the three 1/2" sides, the back, left and right. I
made a big mistake by painting them again with a gloss
Rustoleum, which is very slippery and made it even more
difficult to clamp and hold steady.
Bar clamps holding the sides glued with
wood glue. I let them dry overnight, but
found out just an hour or two in fall
weather was enough. Got the clamps at
Harbor Freight tools for about $5 each

I neglected to photograph the cutting,
glueing and clamping of the hardwood
frame, which was made of 3/4" square
dowels from Orchard Supply hardware.
But, once that was accomplished it was
just a matter of glueing and clamping
the frame to the sides of the body. There
again the crooked lines in the sawing of
the three sides made for problems at
this juncture. But, with enough clamping
it was forced into contact, no matter
how not square it was.
I found some old tuning keys from a
couple of beat up, old electric guitars I
had laying around and attached them to
to 6-inch piece of furring strip. Found
out later, as I installed the bass guitar
strings that the fatter bass strings would
not fit in the holes on the guitar tuners,
but the thinner, (.050 - .058 gauge)
bass strings would fit.

With bass tuners you could use a fatter
string and maybe get a fatter, slappier
sound on the Tapa.

I also tried regular guitars strings and
they were not functional at all. Because
they are so much smaller they tend to
rattle and ring too much, making a
musical note and would vibrate and
linger too long, getting in the way of the
percussive, rhythmic attack.

I do think that a snare drum snare would
work perhaps even better. Which is what
most of the factory-made cajons use.
But, I was attempting to make this with
as much materials I had on hand.
The strings must slap against the Tapa
to make the slapping sound, so they
have to be touching or lying against the
Tapa. Here I drilled holes for the strings
and tried some grooves to further seat
the strings right against the Tapa. It
was a trial and error process to find the
best position for the strings. I noticed
the hardwood frame was so much more
stable than the soft plywood.

The finished product with all it's crooked
corners and warped surfaces. It took some
tweaking of the tuners and strings to get it
to sound good. A slappy, snarey sound with
not too much overring. The strings
shouldn't be too tight, which is easy to do
with the tuners. I also added a small piece
of masking tape to hold the strings against
the Tapa and cut down on the ringing.

There again, the snare drum snare would
probably work better. But, since I am a
guitarist the whole idea of using bass
guitar strings was attractive

2009-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Ballad of Ramblin Jack video documentary

I knew absolutely nothing about this guy. It was a big empty hole in my record collection. About 5 minutes into the Ballad of Ramblin Jack I was turned off by his simple playing and seemingly phoney personna.

But, by the time the credits were rolling, and we had gone from the early 50's to the double naughts and I had this need to stay there and continue to be fascinated by this flaky traveling minstrel. It didn't do a thing to change my lack of interest in 'cowboy music' but it did put me firmly in the camp of fans of his blazingly colorful story. A
long life full of contradictions. Cliche and yet unique.

We laughed to the point of tears at some of his comments on stage and his off the wall adventures at odd times in his life. Film, video and stills document every move from birth to today and they fill this loving, yet honest look by his daughter.

I thought I knew what 'flat-picking' was, but I didn't. And now I must learn this technique that he was known for.

He's still gigging at nearly 80 years old and has a show coming up next month in San Francisco. http://ramblinjack.com/home

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Ballad_of_Ramblin_Jack/60001826?trkid=226870

Facebook | Dale Stewart

2009-12-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Facebook | Dale Stewart

2009-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Gilmore says first Assembly term may be his last

Sitcom Pitch: My Mother the Mayor. All about the zany antics of two feuding political families. Banana peels thrown in the hallways of the State House to uproarious laughter at the pratfalls. The mother constantly chiding the the two lead characters (based on Dean and Nicole) to get along and yet turns and churns up more bad feelings herself to more laughter when the son has to correct the mother. The underlying sexual tension builds as the audience yearns for the two handsome antagonists to get together. All the support characters are in some level of politics,
too. Even the kids are running for student body president.

After the story in today's Bee about Danny Gilmore's buyer's remorse I'm still convinced that a tv show about the two political families would be viable. Or at least funny as we speculate about the plot and characters.

2009-07-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm learning how to shape a bridge saddle on my D16. Bone sounds a lot better than the plastic one it came with. Might go back to the Clown Cage and get another one and try it again. 4th time should be a charm. But, this one sounds so good, I'll light here and rest awhile. I just can't get over how the notes ring and sustain. Yesterday I just couldn't put it down, played straight through till my hand hurt.

"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all other liberties." - Milton

2009-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

My Top Ten Lame Rock bands

Journey
Styx
Doobie Brothers
Bay City Rollers
REO Speedwagon
Poison
Twisted Sister
Men without Hats
Hanson
Leo Sayer

2009-06-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hope for local talk radio after all

Jocey and I were interviewed on KMJ back in the 80's before the right-wing hate talkers took over the spectrum. Thanks Donovan. Oh the good old days when the Bee owned seemingly everything in Fresno. Then they passed a law saying it was an unfair advantage for one entity to own the major newspaper, a tv station (ch.24) and the main radio station (KMJ). They basically gave the radio station to the right-wingers and left the Bee with only the newspaper. Now newspapers are going out of business.

I was listening with much frustration, as I usually do, to the Alan Autry radio show the other day as Bill McEwen sounded so intelligent compared to the former mayor when I thought, "They should give this guy a radio show. He's way more informed and intellectually honest than these "Obama is a communist" right-wingers".

KYNO 1300am got rid of stone-age Dr. Laura and replaced her with a talk show featuring Bill McEwen from the Bee. Finally some moderation in this boiling sea of intolerance that is talk radio in Fresno.

http://1300kyno.com/

I was going to put a link to the story by Rick Bentley in today's paper, but again, as usual can't find it at the confusing maze that is the Bee's website.

2009-06-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Conservative Media Freaked Out Over DHS Report

Considering what happened yesterday at the Holocaust Museum in DC this is especially poignant. DHS is doing their job and the right-wing media laughs it off and condemns it.

2009-05-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Jocey's Hard Rock Mix 22MAY09

1 Alice Cooper - I’m 18 2:55 Billion $ Babies 1973
2 Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion 4:34 Toys in the attic 1975
3 Kiss - Rocknroll all nite 2:45 Dressed to kill 1975
4 Montrose - Rock candy 5:17 s/t 1973
5 Robin Trower - Little bit of sympathy s/t 4:20 1973
6 Van Halen - Runnin with the devil s/t 3:32 1978
7 Roxy Music - Love is the drug 4:05 1975
8 Heart - Magic man 5:35 Dreamboat Annie 1975
9 Led Zeppelin - Stairway to heaven zofo 7:55 1972
10 Alan Parsons Project - Be like you 3:19 I Robot 1977
11 Edgar Winter Group - Free ride 45 3:05 1972
12 Jeff Beck - Ain’t superstitious 4:53 Truth 1968
13 ZZ Top - La Grange 3:51 Tres Hombres 1973
14 Motorhead - Ace of spades comp LP 1980
15 Beach Boys - Sail on Sailor 3:15 Holland 1973
16 Genesis - Firth of fifth 9:36 Selling England 1973
17 10cc - Blackmail 4:35 Original soundtrack 1975
18 Rolling Stones - Shattered 45 3:46 1978
78:02 787.7MB

This what we've been listening to the last week or so.

2009-05-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

BUY LOCAL
I like buying local as long as it has good value. And the guy isn't a total crook. I see the buy local tag in the Bee on ads from only certain businesses, like Fresno Volvo and Fashion Furniture. By their definition buying a Volvo is still buying local. Maybe they're making Volvos in Arkansas like Hondas. I noticed Michael Volkswagon doesn't have the buy Local tag on their ads. Maybe it's because they know everybody thinks VWs are made in Germany and it would be a stretch to ask people to buy a VW and call it buying local.

We bought a dining set recently from Macys. On the bottom of the table is an easy to find tag that says, made in China. Checked out a lot of dining tables at other well-known furniture stores in Fresno and could not find one that didn't say made in China.

I think these are the same people who worked so hard to convince us that shipping all the factories overseas in the 90's was a good idea. And continued to give them tax breaks for doing so. And now they want us to buy local when it's not really buying local. The sales tax benefit is cited yet they have been against every tax that has ever come along.

The best argument for the buy local ad campaign is the massive Bee Buy Local section 30MAY09. Talk about math, I'm still going through it all. Anyone would have to be crazy to go against such a massive campaign supported by so many local heavyweights.

It all makes sense until you scratch the surface.
Call me crazy, but I have learned over the years to never, ever believe what is said in advertising.

These local high rollers now want us to buy local when we little people buy stuff, but where do the sellers of the luxury merchandise buy when they buy stuff?

Where are the things manufactured they sell? When they buy the labor to make the stuff where do they go to get it? They buy their manufacturing labor overseas.

I'm a really local guy, but this buy local advertising campaign is phoney. They were the ones who got us into all this financial mess and now they want to tell us how and where to spend our money?

I think the people have spoken. They don't want to buy those bloated gas guzzlers, they want a greener world to live in, universal health care and a government that works for them.

All the things the Republicans have been against for the last....ever.

Article from NYTimes in the Bee 20MAY09
Totally explains this typical top down Republican, pro-big business strategy. They can say it's 'local' even though it's actually manufactured or grown hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Buy my 'local' music:
www.stagedive-records.com/mailorder

2009-05-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Voting today?

We went over the sample ballots last night and discussed it again this morning. The wording/purpose is confusing on several of the measures.

1A - This one is somewhat clear, in that, it creates a rainy day fund. Sounds like a good idea, but wouldn't just spending less solve the budget shortage?

1B - This is confusing. What are supplemental payments to local school districts? I'm all for generous funding of schools but this is unclear.

1C - We have to have a special election to "modernize the Lottery"?

1D - Take away money from children's services to balance the budget?
No way.

1E - Take away money from mental health to balance the budget? No way again.

1F - This one should have been 1A. It's clear that it says "Prevents pay increases during budget deficit years." We had to have a special election to determine this???

I've gone back and forth as to voting all yes or all no or not voting at all to protest these damn special elections/propositions.

2009-05-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

MLK day 19JAN09 with my song, "Flatlanders" mixed into the soundtrack. A great holiday for all Americans. Civil rights in downtown Fresno. The marching bucket brigade was a highlight for me. I'll definitely go back next year. It was fun and inspiring.

2009-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

3 car accident at Blackstone and McKinley Fresno. No one was seriously hurt. 4:20pm 11may09

2009-04-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

I listened to KMJ today because they had the big march from Mendota to Firebaugh. Heard several of the politicians try to speak over the wind in the phone to the radio station. At one point ex-mayor Jim said the wind was louder than the one speaking. So, it was windy. On the local news later today they should have videos of how windy it was.

How windy was it?
It was so windy you could hear voices in your head telling you that a coalition between Republicans and Farm workers will turn out just peachy.

Must've been a lot of dust blowing out there, too.

Dust Storm Warning today
http://www.weather.gov/alerts/ca.html...

DUST STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT WEDNESDAY
FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...
WIDESPREAD BLOWING DUST IS OCCURING...REDUCING VISIBILITY TO NEAR
ZERO AT TIMES. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 40 MPH WITH
GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH POSSIBLE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A DUST STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERELY LIMITED VISIBILITIES ARE
EXPECTED WITH BLOWING DUST. TRAVEL COULD BECOME EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS. PERSONS WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SHOULD MAKE
PREPARATIONS TO STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

2009-02-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Clash of Ideologies 2feb09

Passage of the stimulus package comes down to whether a few Republican Senators can support it. The Dems have a 57 member majority and they need 60 to keep the opposition from stopping the legislation.
This is a good time to tune in to the debate on C-SPAN2 because anywhere you jump in it's easy to understand what's going on.

In spite of the American people voting in favor of increasing the majority of the Dems in the last few elections the Republicans still cling to their hardline idiology of tax cuts as a solution to all problems. Not one Republican voted in favor of the stimulus in the House. But, they were able to get 3 moderate Republicans in the Senate to support it. The debate goes on all this week. What's your opinion on this issue?

2008-08-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Democratic National Convention 29AUG08

What a great Democratic Convention! I thought speeches by Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana were some of the brightest moments. Tears of joy on the faces of some people in the audience was surprising.

I didn't care too much for Hillary's speech. She seemed conflicted and it came off as slightly dishonest. Although she did have a self-deprecating joke about the "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pantsuits" that showed some humility.

Of course Barack's speech at Invescoe Field was spectacular. But what overshadowed the quality and substance of the speech for me was the sheer volume of people attending: over 84,000! That giant stadium was filled to the rafters. I couldn't believe how high up the top balcony was. And Jocey and I couldn't see any empty seats. Just amazing.

These gigantic crowds Barack is drawing shows his wide appeal and massive support from the general public for his policies. I can't help but look for other Democrats in history who have had such popularity. JFK and FDR come to mind. And similarly we are at a once-in-a-lifetime point in history where Democratic principles can be legislated. Our majority in the House and Senate are set to expand and we will also have the White House. They will not be able to stop us from passing legislation that will turn this nation around and actually help the American people.

As a musician I have to comment on the wonderful orchestra that played during the first 3 nights of the convention at The Pepsi Center. They knew how to groove and use the music to make the event fun and meaningful. Excellent selection of Classic Motown and disco hits that lent an atmosphere of celebration to the historic event.
Stevie Wonder on the last night was just excellent. You could tell he was no stranger to arena-rock events as he belted out "Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours" with a few newly added verses just for this performance. But, it was a wide selection of music genres that gave it all a democratic feel. I heard a bluegrass band opening at the football stadium. Didn't catch their name but I noticed the bass player was using the largest bass amp known to man: an Ampeg SVT. I guess when you're playing bluegrass in a football stadium an SVT comes in handy.

2008-08-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

How many indicted Republicans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
100 - 1 to screw in the light bulb and 99 to take the bribe!

2008-04-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

I wonder if Liberal am talk radio will ever come back to Fresno? Maybe when HD radio kicks in a station in the area will have the bandwidth.

2008-02-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

Gig flyers torn down by Fresno City Code Enforcement
I was at Livingstones yesterday afternoon and saw a guy methodically taking down gig flyers from the telephone poles at the Ban of America, Livingstones and the Starline. At first I thought it was a bank employee or some disgruntled wingnut but when I asked hin what he was doing I noticed he had on a City of Fresno jacket that said Code Enforcement. He said he was there because it's against the law to hang up these flyers.

I asked him what about the bulletin board at the old Archer's Music just down the block and he said he was going to have to give them another $200 ticket for not removing the flyers from their property. What about the kiosk on the corner of Olive and Wishon I asked. He said that was ok because it was designated for such flyering.

I think someone had to call Code Enforcement to get them to send someone down to tear down the few flyers he actually got to. He couldn't begin to take down all the flyers as some are glued on, taped on or out of reach, etc. If he comes back every day for the next year there will be more flyers hung up. A city who claims to be local musician-friendly and yet takes down our flyers directly in front of the venue is highly conflicted.

2008-02-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

As of Thursday, Feb 7 with 99% of California Precincts reporting, nearly twice as many Democrats voted in this Primary than did the Republicans. That is a significant number and reveals an energized electorate. I believe we are motivated by the events in politics over the last 7 years. Namely, it is the extreme displeasure of the electorate with the incompetent Bush administration and his corrupt cronyism. “Heck of a job, Brownie.” Bush said yesterday that he is praying for the victims of the deadly tornadoes in the South. And that he is sending FEMA down there to help out. I imagine they should be seeing them arrive there sometime early next year. Maybe he can give them a tax cut, too. That should help out a lot with all the loss of life and property.

Clinton 2,107,758
Obama 1,717,681
Others 234,274
total 4,059,713

McCain 975,363
Rominey 790,515
Huckabee 268,622
Others 290,163
total 2,324,663

2008-01-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

Why I like Barack Obama for President 31JAN08

Don’t get me wrong I like The Clintons. She would definitely bring more policy expertise to the office than Barack. And coupled with her husband they would be a powerhouse of policy development. But, the very thing that would make them effective, (and I say “them” because we all know Bill would be a de-facto Vice President) is the thing that makes them vulnerable.

I was listening to Hannity the other day and heard a most hateful criticism of Hillary’s candidacy.
It was the usual smear and innuendo that paints her and her husband as sleazy charlatans that can’t be trusted.
They might steal the nation’s family silverware or he might cheat on his wife and embarrass everybody. He just pulled a chapter out from the Clinton Hate Playbook from 1998. It’s a well thought out and extensive playbook that’s already written.

That’s why my main reason for supporting Obama is strategic. The Right-Wing Hate Machine has to start all over from scratch when it comes to attacking Obama. Sure, they already have the Drug-Addled Limbaugh schtick of drawing comparisons between Obama and Osama, but a few one-liners is no book. They will also make fun of his middle name. But, his obvious vulnerability is going to be a lot harder to attack.

Even in the world of macho sports announcing it is taboo to be racist. And if you’re caught being overtly racist it could cost you your job. That’s why Rush lost his job announcing football, because of a racist comment. If they Swift-Boat Barack because of his race it could cost them their job. And the reason they spew out this hate year after year on talk radio is because that’s how they make money.

Therefore, I think Barack is a stronger candidate because he has less vulnerability than Clinton. Talk radio would have to start from scratch to develop an attack strategy. And, just as he said in his victory speech in South Carolina a few days ago, “Our time for change has come”. And putting the Clinton’s back in the Whitehouse to start that same 90’s political war all over again is not as big of a change as America yearns for. “Turn the page”

2007-10-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hillary Clinton at Fresno High 22OCT07

It was a good speech. She doesn't need notes. Very well thought out. Support the troops not the war. After the speech she greeted folks. All the waving hands hoping to get an autograph or a handshake was touching. The most interesting part for me was where I was standing was where the 'protesters' were. There were about 15-20 of them holding various anti-Hillary signs. There was a biker with two big american flags on his Harley. There was a disabled guy in a wheel chair who yelled out, "Yeah, free abortions for all!" The grey-haired Republican women, who had t-shirts on that said they were the life of the party. One of them held a sign up that said: "Hillary lives in upscale Govt housing for free" I didn't understand the point of that one. The Ron Paul supporters and the IWW kids vied to be which one yelled out the loudest, angriest accusations. Seeing these two groups on the same team was funny. The Far Left (IWW) went so far to the left that they met up with the far right (Ron Paul Libertarians) and became allies in their common dislike of Hillary. Politics does make strange bedfellows.

2007-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

FILE SHARING HURTS LOCAL INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS, TOO

Making this argument is like standing in the middle of highway 99 and trying to stop a giant tractor-trailer rig headed right at me. But, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple years now and I have to let it out.

Will the judgment against Jammie Thomas for $220,000 for file sharing handed down in a Duluth courtroom a few days ago slow down file sharing? I don’t know. I know it probably won’t slow down the file sharing of independent and out of print music. That is more widespread than ever before. The silence of local musicians and songwriters on the issue is due to the digital divide. A lot of small-time musicians and songwriters are being ripped off and they don’t even know about it. I highly recommend Google Alerts for finding out if there is anybody out there giving away or selling your music on the Internet.

I have refrained from criticizing file sharing until now because I wasn’t confident that I knew enough about it. Plus, I was afraid to speak out against this because of fear of reprisals. But I know enough now that I feel like my argument is logical and ethical.

There are some legitimate reasons behind the argument in favor of file sharing that I totally agree with. They all kind of come under the heading of: Major Label- Bad. The reason they are bad is because total power corrupts totally. I have been saying this for over 25 years. Thanks for coming to the party. They have had a near-total monopoly of the music business for many decades. We are, I believe at the beginning of another revolution to unseat the power of the majors. But, it’s going to be one hell of a war because this isn’t the first time they have fended off such an attack. And they won’t go peaceably. They will fight this with everything they have. This is also driven by the crux of the shift from the physical recording to the digital file. How far will it go? Will there be physical copies of albums in the future, or just digital files?

The majors have been unfair in the pricing of records they have sold over the years and people are wise to that now. They have also treated some of their artists unfairly, too. While they pour immoral amounts of money into a few top sellers they cast off smaller artists while at the same time selling their back-catalog and then turn around and refuse to pay royalties to these lesser knowns. Heck, I believe they won’t pay ANY artist royalties unless they are forced to do so under the threat of litigation.

But, if file sharing has made it hard for the majors to sell music it has also made it hard for anyone to sell music. Including local, independent musicians and labels.

There has been an awakening in Cities over the last few years over the value of local creative types. Localism is another issue I have embraced for decades and I’m glad they have come to this party as well. I have never had a problem with people making a few copies of my music to give to a few friends. In the rare instances when I find an album I like enough to buy, first thing I do is make a few copies to give to my friends. But, when someone uploads it to a web page and lets a whole album’s worth of music, artwork, photos, logos and track listings sit there 24 hours a day for perpetuity they distribute a lot more than just “a few copies to friends”. And it only takes a few of these guys to completely wipe out what little bit of sales a small-time musician/band could get.

What is it about the hard work that goes into writing, performing and recording music that these people feel isn’t worth being paid an honest days wage for an honest days work? I would be happy to get just a living wage for my efforts. Someday they will find a way to steal on the same scale other intellectual property like books and T-shirts. Maybe then it will stop.

I have learned to live in a new world of lowered expectations. Ok, so you won’t let me sell the 10 or 20 albums a year I could possibly sell if things were going really well. Will you at least let me be the one to give it away? So I can at least have the fun and prestige of distributing my own music? And know that I have retained at least some form of ownership of the music I have spent a lifetime writing, performing, recording and archiving? No, they won’t even let me have that. They even stole my ability to be the one to give it away.

2007-07-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Dem’s CNN/YouTube debate fresh and interesting 24jul07

It was such a smart move for CNN to partner with YouTube to sponsor this debate. It puts the old cable news organization on the high road to being up to date with the now generation. Last night’s debate with the 8 Democratic presidential candidates was unusual to say the least with the questions being submitted to YouTube and then played for the candidates. It was just so refreshing to have questions asked in unusual ways. Some were songs, some were jokes and many were filled with heart-felt honesty. It was the first time I ever saw a common person ask a presidential candidate a question and then the moderator turn right around and ask the guy if his question was answered! And he eventually said, no! This new format encouraged the candidates to be honest.

Anderson Cooper did such a bang up job as moderator. My respect for him just grows with time. Openness and honesty is what we crave in our leaders and this new team hit a home run in that department.

And what’s Fox News doing? I tell you, they’re not partnering with any cutting-edge technology to bring more relevance and clarity to issues. That would go against their prime directive. No, they had political correspondent Carl Cameron telling us all the inside poop about the hate-filled, raging rivalry between Hillary and Obama. And the implication was, as it always is with Fox/Limbaugh that Hillary and Obama are lying, vengeful charlatans and are not to be trusted.

But, they are free to say what they wish. And it’s up to us to ferret out the truth. I’ll bet you the Republican presidential candidates will have a big problem with the YouTube format used last night when CNN does this with them in September. Can you imagine Bush subjecting himself to such a questioning format?

I honestly think any of these candidates would make a better president than the current administration. I like all of them. Hillary has a substance and experience that Obama doesn’t have but, my favorite candidate is Obama. I think he is a born leader and would bring a huge wave of hope and prosperity to our country.

They were genial, articulate and a few times quite funny. I roared with laughter when Anderson said they couldn’t find anyone to the left of Kucinich. I also liked the honest comments by Clinton and Biden about the logistics of getting our troops out of Iraq. They have been saying for many months now that it just can’t be done overnght. It has to be done in an orderly fashion to protect our troops and minimize civilian casualties.

2007-06-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

Train derailment McKinley and Blackstone ave. Fresno

The derailment today (19jun07) at McKinley and Blackstone is another exclamation point for the Rail Consolidation struggle. These railroad tracks cut right through the heart of town. Thousands of people cross hundreds of times a day at dozens of crossings. It's only a matter of time until another tragic accident happens. And will the really big one come any time soon? I hope not because I live just a half block away.

The fact that Railroad tracks carrying over 40 trains a day run right through the middle of Fresno City College campus is amazing.

On Sept. 13 2001 Junior Puletapuai, an FCC football player was killed trying to beat the train as he returned from football practice. It was the last straw and they finally put in an undercrossing on the campus. Another young man was killed trying to beat the train just a few months ago, too. It is a nightmarish recurring theme. To put the blame solely on the people who err in judgement and chalk it up to stupidity is insensitive and selfish.

These tracks should be moved. And probably will be moved at some point in the future. According to www.movethetracks.org about $100 million of the $600 million needed to make it happen was approved in the last election. We're a long way away, but it's a start.

The loss of life. There have been so many people killed on these tracks, most by accident, some by suicide. The lurking danger day after day for everyone that crosses the tracks and for everyone that lives nearby has become unbearable.

If that tanker car would have released it's flammable gas into the air how many people would have been injured or killed?

The intersection of McKinley and Blackstone will be closed today (wed. june 20) as the crews fix the damaged road, tracks and crossing arms.

2007-04-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Unraveling of the Neocon agenda

On November 7th, 2006 the American people spoke loudly to the Republicans: "Throw the bums out!" We Democrats didn't win just The House and The Senate but, also the majority of Governorships and many State House elections, too. This happened not because of a new and effective strategy by the Dems but by the corruption and incompetence of the Republicans.

In the last few months leading up to the elections, after The Jack Abramoff scandal , The Duke Cunningham scandal , The Tom Delay scandal and The Mark Foley scandal even many Republicans had had enough! It had become very clear to the general public what we Dems had known for quite a while: The Neocon (Republican) philosophy is flawed.

Many of the key points of the Contract with America that the Republicans had touted as their mandate when they swept into power in 1994 has not been enacted. In fact, since they have had near complete power for the last 12 years they have plainly done the opposite. Their main point was to clean up the corruption in government but the 109th Congress turned out to be the most corrupt in recent memory.

The Republicans have used the government to establish institutional corruption by bringing in special interest groups into the chambers and committee rooms to craft legislation to benefit those groups. In return those special interests such as, The Oil companies, The Auto Industry, Insurance, Banking, Pharmaceuticals and anybody else with a lot of money gave huge donations to political campaigns, PACs and "charities".

We couldn't have engineered this. They did it to themselves. We didn't win because we were so good, we won because they were so bad. After the exorbitant expenditure of time, effort and money in 1998 to impeach Clinton based on his lying about an extramarital affair their piety in '06 seemed so phony. They are the very epitome of hypocrisy. Nothing Clinton or the Democrats have ever done was as corrupt as the 109th Congress and their cronies.

So, it is fun to sit back and watch the unraveling of the Neocon agenda. To hear Rush Limbaugh lament at the point of tears that he "won't carry their water anymore". Even the religious folk who came to the polls in droves now see that they were just pawns used by the Neocons to gain power. Behind their backs they ridiculed them and didn't really enact their policies.
They can't stand up and say, "Vote us in, we 'll clean up Washington ". Nobody believes that anymore.

Even the one Conservative issue that makes sense to me, Fiscal Responsibility has been trashed by these Neocon crooks and morons. They went on a 12 year extravagant spending and borrowing spree that eclipses anything in the past. We will never forget "The Bridge to Nowhere ". They can't say anymore with a straight face, "Vote for us, we 'll control spending ".

I read an Op Ed piece by a Conservative leader in the Fresno Bee saying that, in the wake of all the Republican scandals, people shouldn't hate the philosophy. They should just hate those corrupt individual persons. I had to laugh. It sounds like more flawed logic. What happened to love the sinner, hate the sin? Those crooks will serve prison sentences so I don't have to waste my time hating them. It's those policies based on their ideology that enabled them to be corrupt. No, I can 't afford to get into hating every corrupt individual. It 's nothing personal. It's their ideology that is so wrong and undermines the intent of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

2003-06-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

2003-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

"People can't figure out who owns what" - Sen. Ron Wyden(D) Ore. 6-2-03 FCC rules change hearing

The other night I dreamed only 5 corporations owned every business in the world. Everything you bought you had to buy from one of them. They controlled all the media sales. Every CD, movie, book and show. Every channel I turned to was owned by one of those guys. Every channel was playing something owned by of those guys. They controlled what was played on the radio so they controlled what was sold in the record stores. They eliminated every last shred of competition till there was only 5 guys left. And you could never figure out who owned what.