Disqus - Latest Comments for TDub

Re: Trump warned evangelical leaders of 'violence' if GOP loses election: report

ProvRI — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 19:58:29 -0000

Trump really is just one punch bowl away from going full on Jim Jones.

Re: Will we ever have civility in American political discourse

ProvRI — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 22:56:40 -0000

If you're seriously asking then fair enough. The Quran actually specifically forbids the actions of groups like ISIS, and everything that falls under the context of terrorism. But like many Christian extremists skew their interpretation of the Bible to justify their warped and dangeous worldview, so do groups like ISIS adhere to a warped and corrupted interpretation of Islam.
Your best bet to learn more though, would be to visit an actual masjid and speak with a Mufti. I'm sure they'd be happy to field any Q&A.
Where the break is, though, is that I and many others believe it's alright to be intolerant of bigotry and racism. Opposing ideas are fine. But attacking some of the most vulnerable in the world, and attacking them because of intentional misinformation broadcast by outlets like Fox News, is abhorant and shouldn't be normalized. People are allowed to say whatever they'd like, but they need to be prepared to defend their points of view, just like if they present themselves as racist, bigoted assholes, they can't act surprised and pretend-hurt when society labels them as racist, bigoted assholes.

Re: A (d)ecade of Fail

ProvRI — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:34:22 -0000

Oh, boo. You're taking the easy way out, my friend. Nobody cold possibly argue that the past decade, as CNN dubbed it, was likely one of the worst decades we've experienced across the board, for a whole host of reasons. I think you're better then that). I challenge you to instead explore how so many managed to persevere in spite of. How many of us did manage to carry on, displaying strength, unity, courage, and found the strength, wisdom and a different sort of success that could only be brought forth and measured under the duress of the past decade's tests. Tell those stories. Explore hope, not fear.

Re: Meet Me at the Christmas Tree This Year

ProvRI — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:44:35 -0000

Here I am thinking high-end custom guitar shops, plus the major music retailers (though I think they've all since been bought up by GC...), all lumped together in this glorious avenue of rock....

....and you're thinking -cider-. From -Starbucks- no less. Have you truly fallen so far?

Re: Meet Me at the Christmas Tree This Year

ProvRI — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:53:18 -0000

Did you hit 48th St? If not, shame. Shame!

Re: A Vile Uniquely Human

ProvRI — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:10:16 -0000

Damn, man. There are times I swear you given Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace solid runs for their money, what with all the hyperbolic sensationalism. Borderline prisons? "Guns of the state"? And for Chrissake, dude. A bus is a fucking bus is a fucking bus.

None of that jives in the slightest with my experience working within the public school system, within an inner-city high school. None of that jives in the slightest with the experience I've had seeing my daughter all the way from Kindergarden to the now seventh grade. None of that jives in the slightest with the experiences and opinions of friends of mine who have taught. You, in a nutshell, are talking out of your ass. And we've enough of that in the mass media already. So cut it out already.

To explore the tangent however: The main problem public schools face, are largely rooted in the communities they're supposed to support, and that are supposed to support them. To wit: Education can not happen effectively, if children are not given the appropriate support, attention and awareness on the home front, from parents or legal guardians on the home front. It's a team effort. Too often however, one side isn't making much of an effort to keep up their end of the bargain. And it's certainly not the incredible men and women manning the chalkboards.

The world at large is an incredibly difficult one for a child to get through in one piece. Within the cities, that difficulty multiples exponentially, due to all the other influences they're beset with. Without the proper guidance, care, and love, those influences, simply, lay them the fuck out, and undermine any possible hope of learning how to build a brighter future for themselves. Inject those children into a school system then, and those influences are channeled directly into the educational systems bloodstream.

Teachers find themselves having to struggle to maintain order in the classroom more then they find themselves actually able to teach. Teachers find themselves called upon to often to play surrogate parent, which prevents them from filling their role as educator. And so the system fails because it is prevented from doing what it is supposed to do, often by the very people it's supposed to be helping and supporting.

You want a real example of the deterioration of our society? Look instead towards the role models and parents that we're producing. You want to know why shit's failing? That's a much better place to start.

Re: Undead: A Pre-Existing Condition

ProvRI — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:17:05 -0000

I'm waiting for the Twilight LARP march through D.C. in protest of the government hiding microchips in the Swine Flu vaccines, and the Senate's delay in passing the bill to further extend unemployment benefits, myself.

Re: Living in The Twilight Zone

ProvRI — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:51:06 -0000

"American culture closely resembles this small Ohio town, where our speech and our thoughts are policed, monitored, controlled, directed, and molded until it’s PC-approved."

I'm curious as to the facts and figures you're basing this statement on as really, it simply sounds like baseless rhetoric and tin-foil hat wearing hyperbole. Both of which I think we've all had quite enough of from the media these days.

From Fox News, to CNN, to the New York Times, to the Daily Show. From Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace, to Arianna Huffington and Jon Stewart. The countless blogs (I don't imagine the Men In Black have stopped by to talk to you yet, for example. Have they?). The results of the recent 'Town Hall' meetings for the public health care initiative, in regards to the actions of those who attended (e.g. rolling in to see the President, carrying an assault rifle). Even looking at the various political statements made on the arts side of the spectrum between films being made, music being recorded, and books being written.

Not all of that are/were productive or positive methods of communicating or expressing one's self. But wherever one looks, it's easy to see the right to free speech at work. For better or worse. Hell, our right to free speech is so broad and all-encompassing, that we don't even have the right to hold people accountable for what they say, or demand responsible and accurate reporting (looking at you Fox News).

Re: Skateboarding Is Not A Crime

ProvRI — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:30:22 -0000

Who's right, exactly, when there seems to be so little respect on either side of the table? Nobody, I'd argue. Nothing is gained when any side pushes just to see how far they can push, before the other side feels forced to respond in kind. Being an "insufferable dick" ruins it as much for the rest of us who seem to be so often caught in the middle, as much as being an iron-fisted bully on the other side does.

Total fail all around. No progress is made, and worse, any steps forward have likely been lost.

There's nothing 'noble' or righteous anywhere in that video. The skaters were breaking the law and, if tampering with city property, likely knowingly so. Blondy there would also have been well advised to choose, perhaps, a more productive way of expressing his frustration (I have a difficult time agreeing that his comments demonstrated 'restraint'). The officer certainly crossed a line himself, in response to, but certainly not justified or appropriate. And the onlookers? Not really helping either(e.g. the whole 'gun thing').

Your general points aren't invalid in the slightest and are quite good, but basing them on the actions of any of the participants in the video weakens them a great deal I think.

Besides. Don't think I've forgotten how you were one traffic violation away from getting my soup-holding, just-along-for-the-ride ass, hauled in along with you because -somebody- couldn't be bothered to reregister his damn car. Still think you should've gone along with us getting a ride back to work in the back of the patrol car though.

Re: Why Guinness Was Invented

ProvRI — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:10:38 -0000

I get it now! Given constant and consistent access to fresh Guinness is a difficult hurdle on this side of the pond, you instead went and found an excellent analog with your hair style.

The truth really IS out there. Who knew?

Re: Fireflies Now Available On Mr. Furious ...

ProvRI — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:32:34 -0000

It is however required that upon reception of the album, you shoot and post a video of yourself trying to down a gallon of chocolate milk between the time you hit play, and when the record ends.

It's kind of a tradition.

Re: Gonzo Podcast #19: Let It Be

ProvRI — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:20:13 -0000

Just be glad they didn't try to do a 'reboot' or a reinterpretation ala Hollywood's entire licensed IP catalog developed over these past five/ten years.

I mean, they COULD have done: "The Beatles! Featuring Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers!"

It could always be worse.

Re: The Unfiltered Sewer

ProvRI — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:18:44 -0000

"The US has a history of portraying its current enemy as subhuman..."

I don't believe this is a trait that can be laid solely at the feet of the US. Rather, it seems to be a de facto mentality applied to whomever one is warring with, throughout most/every culture throughout history - modern and ancient alike. The psychology of a nation/city/village/tribe at war is both fascinating as it is frightening. I think the dehumanizing of one's enemies is more a product of our psychological need for rationalization and justification as a species to inflict harm upon another one of us. There are also the two major factors - fear and ignorance, which go hand in hand. This is ultimately where the media is not only failing us, but as Jon Stewart stated during his appearance Crossfire, actively hurting us.

However - I think it's unfair to characterize the modern day US as, as a whole, giving into this dehumanizing mentality. Sure many have, but I'd argue many more haven't. They made themselves known last November. They seem to be in the majority. That's something, I'd argue, that one can be proud of. Paradigm overhauls are never easy or quick - but I believe we're in the midst of maybe not even just one, but several.

Re: Your Childhood, Now Straight-to-DVD

ProvRI — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:37:10 -0000

The Uncanny Hannah Montana?

Magneto's Lackey Toad's Wild Ride?

Doomsday's Four Horsemen featuring Zack and Cody as Pestilence and Death?

The Morlocks of Waverly Place?

That's So Shadow King?

Big Sentinel Mountain Railroad?

Oh, this is fun!

Re: Plaxico and the Police-Prison State

ProvRI — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:56:44 -0000

Dude had a handgun. Loaded. Which he brought with him to a trendier nightclub. I'm assuming so he could perform twirly gun tricks at the bar, and fire off a few rounds at the club's shooting range, in between glasses of Cristal? Where due to his, if not inexperience (which I've no way of gauging), his ineptitude - shot himself in the foot.

How do you imagine the rest of the club-goers felt, after learning Burress was an irresponsible jackass who willingly and knowingly put them all in harm's way, simply so he could accessorize with an image I'm guessing he wanted to portray?

As best I understand it - he was charged as he was because they cut him a rather large break. I don't imagine he had a permit for concealed carry, for example. I'm personally in agreement with Mayor Bloomberg - Burress' demonstrated decision making skills suck, and other people could have suffered for them. Will it send the hoped-for message? No. It's not likely. But Burress certainly earned far more then a 'tsk tsk' and a sternly shaken finger.

Why does "freedom" need to demand the acceptance that I should be alright with other people putting me and/or my family at risk due to their negligence and irresponsibility with firearms? Shouldn't I be able to be free to go out for an evening, or just out about town, and not have to worry about getting tagged by a mis-fire or careless jackass? Which freedom trumps which freedom?

I mean - I can only imagine what might have happened if folks were allowed to attend Shaft shows armed. Club owners and goers alike.

Re: Riots for Ratings

ProvRI — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:55:25 -0000

Oppose the entire government, or just specific aspects of it?

I oppose the war quite a bit.

The State has also had my family's back for over a year now, what with my wife and I both being unemployed (me since July '08, my wife since February). The State has provided us with some manner of income which has allowed us to continue to feed and shelter our three children. The State is helping to provide medical insurance for our three children.

I should bite the hand that's quite literally feeding me, and so many others, because I also oppose the war? The hand that also wants to find a way to offer people like my wife and I who are uninsured, some manner of health care?

Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, I dunno. I think the war, any war, is a terrible thing. I think many of the decisions made by the federal government are well deserving of harsh criticism, and demands for accountability and positive and productive change. But I also know the government is quite capable of, and accomplishes, a great deal of success and 'good'. To throw all of that under the bus along with 'the bad' does not lend itself well to a fair and balanced approach.

Not the least of which - I'm constantly amazed that media outlets and pundits don't dig into what's working, only what's not working. I keep thinking to myself that investigating and exploring the successes as a means of learning what to do more of, as opposed to focusing on what to do less of or not at all, might be a productive change of pace.

Re: Replaced by the Algorithm

ProvRI — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:45:19 -0000

Oh, I don't think it can really be defined as either 'bad' or 'good'. Just "progress". I might value a good, (and quite literally now) old fashioned record store, but that doesn't mean it has any actual value outside of the nostalgic and the sentimental. Though is also doesn't mean it DOESN'T have value just because it's not as limitless as the internet.

In the end - it just is, what it is.

Re: Replaced by the Algorithm

ProvRI — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:02:52 -0000

Jeezus. Make a guy cry, why don't you.

Re: A Hundred Legendary Bands After 1975

ProvRI — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:29:32 -0000

I'll admit - I'm not seeing the Foo Fighters myself. But I'm also not a huge fan so that my color my perspective.

I'm willing to yield Jewel, but the Breeders will remain on MY list because they, as wilth Hole, offer up an important evolution of another lady's work:

WhatEverNumberWe'reOn) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

But then, I wouldn't expect somebody so afflicted with testosterone poisoning as you to understand.

Re: A Hundred Legendary Bands After 1975

ProvRI — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:49:03 -0000

Can't deny the impact Metallica is had in any way shape or form - but just look at the legions of guitarists Dave Mustaine has inspired and influenced (even if the Metallica connection is there too, sort of). I might go so far as to put forth that more horns have and will continue to be been thrown his way by would-be acolytes honing their metal chops, then at Kirk Hammett.

Re: Breeders vs. Pixies. Bite your tongue. That's like saying Foo Fighters is covered by Nirvana.

Good call re: Black Flag, but I'd put forth that given the unique and significant influences that bot Jello and Henry played independently - both deserve to be on The List. At least with an eye on what's been carried forward from both bands by and through others who've followed in their respective footsteps.

And Jewel: I think, perhaps, you're reacting to her largely dropping off the radar since, hell. The late 90's? But I'd argue that she's a significant and worthwhile force as a creative roll-model, and that she will play such a role for whatever generation rolls around next, within which we once again see an interest in the singer-songwriter.

Re: A Hundred Legendary Bands After 1975

ProvRI — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:16:32 -0000

In no particular order:

63) Jeff Buckley
64) Blur
65) The Chemical Brothers
66) Hole
67) Sublime
68) Red Hot Chili Peppers
69) Bjork
70) Pantera
71) The Dead Kennedys
72) Jewel
73) Iron Maiden
75) Stevie Ray Vaughn
76) George Clinton (& co.)
77) The Breeders
78) Megadeath
79) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
80) Liz Phair
81) Sarah McLachlan

...it just doesn't stop...

Re: Steve Soto on Punk Rock Karaoke

ProvRI — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:46:04 -0000

I swear that "portly 16-year old girl" is just the spitting image of you, Rob. It's -eery-.

Re: The Departed And Those Among Us Still

ProvRI — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:25:42 -0000

On a brighter but related note:

Due to the anaesthesia my daughter was under during her surgery, one of the main parts of her body that goes sleepy time, is her digestive system. In short, it's some time before she can drop a deuce, and it's something that's monitored fairly closely for fear of things backing up to too great a degree. She's been in a fair amount of discomfort for a few days now, and despite best efforts, we haven't been able to get things moving. Hit a point this morning, where we decided to bring out the big guns. In addition, my wife was suffering from a severe headache, and one of the toys Santa brought was without a suitable power source. It all added up to an early trip to the one CVS open today.

I step up to the counter and unload the items from my basket: a pack of D batteries, a suppository, an enema kit (both of those, giggle-inducing enough, made by a company called 'Fleet'), a box of latex gloves, and lastly, a bottle of extra strength Tylenol. The young cashier behind the country tallied up the items before her, and flashed me a confused yet curious look.

With a shrug, "Yeah. We tear it up pretty good at Christmas."

Re: http://www.dreamnotoftoday.com/?p=1627

ProvRI — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:15:25 -0000

Playing a cello is something most cellists should be able to do. And hopefully most any musician worth their salt has some sense of time, even if it's only the ability to hold a steady 120-ish bpm down. Most bands should also be able to play in time together, live, without the need for any sort of click track. The presence of those elements are not good criteria for defining 'a good band' or 'a worthwhile creative venture'. I mean, hell. Celine Dion can sing fretlessly, in tune, in different tempos, backed by a variety of different ensembles. And yet she still fucked over Rob's mom.

I'm also not quite sure how the parallel is being drawn between someone like Cage, and these folks. They are a small ensemble, yes, but their music is not minimalistic. Rather, they seem to strive to create fairly dense compositions, but with as few individual voices as possible.

Also: Minimalist composers tended to try and make specific points with their compositions. Cage's 4'33" had a very specific purpose. The point of the composition was to emphasize to the audience, the sounds that occur naturally all around them. People coughing, clothes rustling, programs opening and closing, seats squeaking, nervous and confused applause, and so on, and how all that could be interpreted as music in and of itself. Which is very neat conceptually. But he could have made the same statement by composing a piece titled: 1'33", and I don't know that anybody would have complained about the piece being too short (True story: I did an funk arrangement of the piece for wind ensemble in college - gave most of the solos to the timpani - and shortened it to 1'33". It went over pretty well once it was explained to the audience what we were on about). The point being, it was abstract and esoteric by design. Loop!Station, as best I can tell, is not aiming for either of those targets.

I went through Loop!Station's site, and auditioned all the tracks that could be auditioned via the supplied links (which I think was their entire catalog). They do some very neat things conceptually, and as Rob has already stated, they're competent musicians. "blues cadenza and etude" for example, or "wintertime sucks", do really nice jobs demonstrating Mr. Bass' cello chops. And Ms. Coomer really does have a lovely and rich voice that she has excellent command of. But many of their tracks didn't have the harmonic evolution, or rhythmic progression, that makes music interesting. For me, at least.* The ideas that would bubble to the surface, I thought, were often great. But. I often found that after a minute or so...I'd gotten the point. And very often, I found myself looking for a contrasting section that just never seemed to materialize.

Even minimalist composers understood that the audience's patience was finite. Which is why there are so many minimalist pieces that are two minutes or less (that and the whole 'minimalist' thing). The longer pieces tended to be rooted, to simplify it, in chaos theory. Wild change, constant evolution, and consistently protean harmonic, rhythmic, melodic and even instrumentation structures (4'33" is an excellent example of a piece designed to hit all those bases) are what allows minimalistic approaches to music to be interesting.

If anything, I'd have like to have heard a kit drummer added. I think that would have created both a complimentary voice, but could also have provided a good contrast to the repetitive loops and the vocal melodic explorations, that both while often interesting, weren't always able to carry the weight of providing the needed momentum and movement. Plus, I just like the idea of somebody playing 'lead drum kit'.

* DISCLAIMER: It's okay if you love this band, like you have never loved a band before. It doesn't make you a bad person, nor are your personal tastes invalidated by my personal opinion. So. Relax.

Re: Holding Court With Lords or Fools

ProvRI — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:06:52 -0000

Is this a case of ESL? IM chat speak? Or both? If both, then I will continue to stand by my opinion that exporting IM slang and jargon, continues to be one of the worst evils ever perpetrated by this country.

That and Twitter.

I'm not seeing the jealousy? Instead I'm seeing a valid point. The lifestyles of Saudi royalty are well known and publicized. That lifestyle is pretty much completely funded by oil. As the US' dependance on oil decreases, which I think is an inevitability given the evolution of public opinion, increasing market demand for technologies driven by alternative energy, and the potential for a pretty much national ownership of our very own auto manufacturer(s) -

[TANGENT] At least one of the packages, and I think the one favored, for the auto industry bailout mandates the development of alternatively powered vehicles. The next step I'd love to see, would be to see the government subsidize some car models for lower income families. If they're going to dip into public pockets to fund these corporations, might as well use what you're buying for the public good. [/TANGENT]

- the money well will dry up, likely before the oil wells do. Granted US dollars aren't the only ones floating into Saudi Arabia, but it would be a sizable chunk that if/when that goes away, the ruling class can't avoid feeling the sting.

I don't know that, that translates into quite the possible threat Rob puts out though. One might hope that, while they've got the cash, we might see Saudi funded development of alternative energy sources. At this stage in the game, it seems a wise investment that's likely to pay off. Plus, I don't know that anybody would mind seeing two countries in a race to see who can develop the best solar panel, as opposed to who can get a nuke off the line first.

Either way, I'd be more worried about Chavez. That fucker's neatly packaged his crazy, and a desire to build a dictatorship, within the guise of Venezuelan democracy and nationalism. Historically, that sort of shit never turns out good for anybody.