THE STREAM (pay no attention to the screaming man behind the screen)

A need to make things work

2012-01-07T01:44:00.001+11:00

There must still be a great number of these type of old Deco picture houses around the planet it always baffles me that with all the style they possess I don't hear about any of them prospering.Sure they still operate but it seems that they're always on the brink of closure.Seems a shame ...

The Astor theatre is one in my neighborhood that fits the above description.The Astor is a well respected fixture but I run into many that have never been in it.We all ( citizens of Melbourne ) Drive , Walk & Tram past it daily but never go in.I have a desire to see it work ... I want to take it apart like the tape recorders, tv's and microphones I opened as a child.I do have a desire to make things work, could be why I have such a hard time letting go when they don't I'll either have to find a way to let go easier or...Find a way to make EVERYTHING work!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Take Me Away!

2011-06-01T18:20:00.001+10:00

Theres always a lot of talk about what we deserve...
or don't deserve
much "damn... I didn't deserve that" or
"What did I do to deserve this?"
But I think the real point lies in the idea that for some reason we tend to believe that the universe (for lack of a better term) has some interest in what happens to us.
I mean does the universe still sob over the fate of the dinosaurs?
Does it ponder still over the fates of the many we have all lost?
If I trip and fall in the path of an oncoming tram will the universe, god, buddha or the tooth fairy send a card to my mom to say " That was just fucked up what happened to your boy... we all regret it and hope you get over it soon."
I think not.
The fact is that in the grand scheme none of us matter much ... and that's ok.
Because we never did.
I wonder when mankind got the idea that we are the lynch pin of the universe?
Sure for a long time we believed we were the centre of it all but that was pure ignorance now that we know much better what do we do?
Will we finally kill off the gods that have shackled us since we invented them?
Maybe make some real progress?
It seems unlikely that we will
There will always be one group waiting for the return of this one or some event that will return us to our long lost & forgotten former glory.
In fact we have just lived through the latest rapture when the true believers were to be reunited with that long absent christian god... son of god?
Member of the holy trinity?
I can never be sure
but it came and past us by like a speeding car on a motorway.
I suppose the true believers were really disappointed
For my part I have always thought it a wild idea that the very entity that preaches non judgement , bloke peace would have the sack to condemn a very large segment of mankind to eternal servitude in the pits of hell.
I mean surely Jesus is one of the world's great pushovers ...
I mean a bit of " Jesus I have sinned", "I knew not what I did!"
"I'm on the path now!"
I mean if you believe it ( and I dare say you would if faced with the rapture) surely the big guy would let you in like a favorable door guy outside of 54.
"come on... get in before someone sees ya!" he'd say and you in the party, so whats to worry?
"And Jesus ?"
"Yes"
"Can I borrow the car ... & $20 ?"
"Sure" he'd say "now get in there you little scamp"

If you were a sinner
like myself
Even if I was sent down
just the fact that there was a satan and hell means that the opposite must be true so even while burning in hells everlasting fire I've gotta be happy for gods in his heaven with my family & friends and all is right in the world.
So take me away!
Its all good!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Negro travelers' Green Book Guide to Travel & Vacations

2011-03-04T00:25:00.002+11:00

It is quite shocking to me that I have never heard of "The Negro travellers' Green Book Guide to travel & vacations" If you are as unaware as I was I'll let you know what it's all about ...
This, I can only imagine, indispensable book points a safe route to travel in segregated America, it lists hotels, gas stations tailors, restaurants that would serve blacks in those dark days of segregation, so that if you were fortunate enough to be able to travel it could give you at least some hope of surviving America as it was then.
This book must have been a must have for every band traveling Jim Crow America so every tour manager, bus driver, booking agent & more MUST have known about it and it was a published for 30 years ... let me say that again 30 YEARS! and yet it is not common knowledge how can this be ?
Now, hear me clearly I'm not saying that it should be known to simply point out another injustice inflicted upon blacks that is a valid point to be sure but let's take a look at the other points that might make this an incredibly interesting topic for radio, television, and print ( and not only during black history month)
1. somehow in 1936 Victor H. Green found a way to compile and get published the first edition!
2. This book WITHOUT DOUBT saved countless lives by pointing a safe route of travel
3. It was printed for THIRTY YEARS!
4. Victor Green used his contacts in the postal service to compile his list of safe havens for the African American Traveler.
5. It was printed for THIRTY YEARS!

Printed on its cover were the words: Carry your "Green Book" with you, You may need it.
It must have been widely known & widely used so ... what happened?
Why did the knowledge of this book and Victor H. Green fade away into the mists of time?
The answer may not be as obvious as you think... after all in this case the bulk of the information was and is being held in "the community", my own mother, who lived through those times and spent some part of her life in the south must have come across it not to mention uncles, aunts Grandparents, friends, relatives...
so ...
I ask again...
What happened?
Why are there so many blank spots in the history of Black Americans?
Once we didn't know there were cowboys, and what happened to the free blacks we see from time to time in photographs of the 1800's ?
There has never been any doubt that there are uncountable omissions in the telling of the story of America...
I am beginning to think that it just may be access and use of the internet that will bring many of these obscured stories to light... wouldn't that be something?
Tales of Abolitionists, Librarians, shopkeepers, Travelers, Settlers...
What would happen if we (and I mean the all inclusive "WE" of humankind) could uncover the lost stories and complete the history?
Lets hope we find out soon.
Because it's been too long coming

Clues ... Where can I buy one?

2011-02-19T05:17:00.002+11:00

You know … it occurs to me , after all these years that there have been so many directional clues that I have not considered along the way to here .

Maybe I'm a little slow or maybe I just lost focus for a while... or maybe , and this is the part that scares me, maybe I have a fatal flaw when it comes to women, it's not that the women I have known were bad, far from it, I have been extremely lucky to have known every one of them, but I am sure now, that as much as I would have wished it were not so, in every case we were not suited to each other.

Is it the accumulating years that lead me to believe that the ones that I did not explore fully are the very ones I may have had the best chance with? Or is it just that crazy “road not taken” thing that does it?

I would have liked to grow with someone, but it seems that is not my fate.

I have wanted that thing , that ubiquitous “spark” I think in some cases I have tried to build the spark but that can't work. Other times I have hoped that the spark would come, or that it wasn't really necessary but the truth is I have always wanted Nora Charles... you know Nick's wife... from “The Thin Man” books.... Ballsy, interrogative, gutsy, faithful. Don't get me wrong every woman I've known has had these traits even if they didn't know it, I guess it was more about the other things we both brought along.

Still.... more than anything else I have wanted a partner, a partner in truth to share it all with without fear or shame. You see …

My problem is I have seen it …

I have seen quite a few couples that have achieved that balance, kind in nature and spirit, accepting, loving.... not perfect, Hell no, not that … but considerate and considered.

As much as I love and admire these lucky couples... my envy is almost too distracting.

Yes of course I want what they have... I'd love to find my match but maybe that is not for all of us, or maybe it's just for the ones that can read the clues.

An obese president?

2011-01-23T01:35:00.000+11:00

Recently while watching one of the news programs from the homeland and during one of the segments on politics I began to think, as the camera panned across a room of full figured politicians... Would America ever elect an obese president? ... Again.
You may be thinking that president W.H Taft was quite a large politico but that was a long time ago and on an almost entirely different planet.
The reality these days is for even a slightly overweight person to even run for the office is unthinkable.
There was a large form politician here in Australia that thought himself "fit" for the job of Prime Minister but for some reason he just couldn't quite get there ... eventually off he went to the political fat farm ( yeah I know there is probably not really a political fat farm but I like to think there is ) so he returns to the world of politics still a bit over the weight limit ... so no brass ring.
Listen, for my money I say there has never been a qualified politician, they operate in a world outside the one we all live in ... and by the way, that is the major problem with modern politics.
I think that considering the way we are all obsessed with Abs, pecs, and the appearance of fitness the chance that any person that can't fit into the mold of this years fitness, can never rise to lead.
This may mean that because of our "form over substance" issues we may be heading down the road to times of younger & younger "leaders" I wonder how that'll work out.

Why politicians are like bad car mechanics

2011-01-18T15:01:00.002+11:00

Just recently, I read a tweet with a link to a list of the top political leaders and it got me thinking ... how did we get here?
To my mind it is quite backwards to think of politicians as leaders, really at this point in history I hardly think this need be stated.
It is not their job to lead, to set moral guidelines, or to set the course of the nation... it is their job to listen! to listen to us, the people, it is our job to be involved & to watch carefully what they do.
This next bit sounds like a bad thing but really it's not so read carefully... We are not supposed to trust politicians! not because they are bad people but simply because they are...PEOPLE. I am not saying that you can't trust people, of course you can but you need to have a realistic assessment of their nature ( by the way... this is almost impossible the way we live today but maybe we'll get to that later) this is the reason why the story of the scorpion & the frog rings so true.
We cannot expect politicians to do the right thing of their own accord ( or anyone else for that matter) that is why there are checks an balances and there always have been, even before the constitution was written... for true.

Here is why I make the comparison that is the title of this post...

If your car breaks down and you can't fix it, its clear you know nothing about how it works, your mechanic knows this and may find it hard not to take some advantage... It's been known to happen.

Now...

If your car breaks down and you can't fix it and you have to take it to a mechanic, you would be in a much better position if you know a bit about how the car works, now... if your mechanic is an honest, nice guy, as many are, not only does that knowledge likely indemnified against being ripped off but the brief conversation you will have, may just make a friend or at least an ally.
What I'm trying to say here is if you don't have the information, you can be sold any bill of goods by a mechanic or even a politician and in the case of the politician the lack of knowledge & involvement is exactly what makes them think that they have the right to lead and the right to make decisions in our "absence" and have no doubt we have been absent for a long while.

Film: My Name is Khan... From the epiglottis

2010-12-06T23:23:00.001+11:00

Sometimes you hear about a movie and you want to like it for any of a number of good reasons, in my case I have never really got taken over by Bollywood films seen a few but to date ... My name is Khan had me even with the quite daggy line ... " My name is Khan ... and I am not a terrorist!" which is repeated over & over.
Don't get me wrong the film has a fantastic premise Indian man grows up close to his mother which makes his sibling jealous, mother dies, both sons end up in America ... then 9/11... lots of tension to work with there, he eventually goes on a pilgrimage to meet the president to say... " My name is Khan ... and I am not a terrorist!" even the fact that he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome could work and I can certainly see where it would make the character more acceptable to American audiences but it led to some very bizarre situations at some points, like Khan's visit to Willamina Georgia where he meets "mama" Jenny & Funny hair Joel two full blown black, southern cliches' and they all eventually suffer through an unnamed hurricane in what seems an abandoned baptist church while the congregation sings "we shall overcome". Whoo Boy! At points as strange as it sounds it reminded me a lot of Forrest Gump, Khan does repeat his mothers words of wisdom... "There are two types of people in the world, good ones & bad one's"
Listen you should definitely see it despite the flaws it's not a bad film, could've been great, but not bad.
In over 2 hours it did'nt really cover any of the many very powerful ideas but hey if you are one of the unfortunates that sat through say... hmm, Twin Peaks you could watch this easily.

The Field negro's guide...

2010-12-05T02:42:00.001+11:00

I like podcasts... I think that hearing the views of people be they famous or anonymous is interesting.
I listen to some casts on Photoshop, technology, Tai Chi & Dr Karl's triple J science podcast, Recently I added a new one to my list "The field Negro's guide to arts & culture" besides having a great title it has a couple of things going for it, namely the hosts, Comedian W. Kamau Bell & Guitarist Vernon Reid from what I've heard so far two literate, funny, knowledgeable & well spoken hosts.
Right off the mark the hosts made a disclaimer about this podcast not being about race, and from the first two episodes I can say that is true, but the fact that the statement had to be made in the first place... well that says something doesn't it?

Now as you probably know I am quite fond of long rambling dialogues, lengthy monologues (mostly My own) & stream of conscientiousness patter so really the podcast format is really made for me.
The next episode I have T'd up has an interview with Ernie Isley I'd give it a listen if I was you.

People that get a "pass" : Come on! It's frickin Paul Hogan!

2010-08-26T19:11:00.002+10:00

Now I know I've said this before but... I really must write more!

I really do believe in bogging and I want to be a part of it... Ahhh but time, I never have the time but this time...

No really …

… I quit smoking didn't I?

Yeah... I will do it!

So now what?

Right... A topic!

Hmmm...

I have it!

In honour of the shenanigans involving the ATO ( Australian Tax Office) and Paul Hogan I want to make a list.

People who get a pass on questionable behaviour

(Providing they are not caught... on tape... clubbing baby fur seals... in Klan sheets... while the camp-fire they made earlier using the bible, Torah, Koran, the Declaration of independence, the Magna carta & the collected works of Tom Clancy burns away in the background)

People who through their work or actions have enriched us beyond the point that we should ever give them grief about something stupid they may have said or done.

For example...

Paul Hogan... Actor, Director, Comedian (Stop laughing) He is all these things and more but most importantly for better or worse he stood as the Aussie Icon for more years than most of us could ever stand it... I mean can you imagine the types of inane conversations “hoges” would have had to be part of in America and worse in LA. Or how many times he's had to endure … “ that's not a knife... That's a KNIFE! Bit done badly in a bad Aussie accent.

No... Mr. Hogan definitely gets a pass! So at the customs desk... Wave em' through. You're frickin Paul Hogan! Or at the footy... sky box! ...You're frickin Paul Hogan! And certainly, under no circumstances does the ATO come after you... just after your mom has died, and tell you that you are now effectively a prisoner in your country... the country that you have gone a long way in helping raise to the status it now enjoys! No you get a pass...

Come on! It's frickin Paul Hogan!

Melbourne City Bikes

2010-06-24T12:36:00.002+10:00

Melbourne is the mistress of the "soft" launch...
We are the home of deaf & Mute art installations, ridiculously unpublicized concerts, clubs that have no profile ... I could go on & on.
And now with only a minimum of fanfare this fantastic, profoundly livable city has outdone itself with the understated ... strike that ... whispered launch of what could have been an important program.
Modeled on a European style hire system , not really but that's what they say.
This is a government program that could have been made much more successful with just the smallest amount of advance information as I walked through the city I practically stumbled over the bike racks on Swanston street and really only noticed them because of the one or two citizens there reading the instructions on the rental unit and scratching their heads an action I soon joined.
If we are going to have these ideas succeed there has to be some noise made ... at this point even a red balloon tied to one of the bikes would be a big step in the right direction.

A reason for concern

2010-06-02T23:11:00.001+10:00

Ok ... I don't want to be a worry wart but ... is anyone else concerned by a giant Ice burg off the coast of Western Australia.
For those that don't know... this is not an ordinary event!

Everyone has an opinion

2010-05-28T01:27:00.004+10:00

Listen I know that we are all entitled to say just about anything we want in the many forum, pages on the street and well just about anywhere but I just read a post written by a person that alleges to be a teacher, parent, spouse and American and while claiming to be all these things still found a place to keep the fear & hatred inside safe from the light of rationality.
This particular post was commenting on the Obama presidency what this person wrote is really irrelevant... it's the motivation that I think is most interesting.
We have all heard it before, griping from the loser in some contest ( in this case a presidential election ) but what is important to remember is that this is not a ball game or some other contest this is about the direction of our country and there is not supposed to be a loser. The idea is that whoever we pick the poor bastard should be working for us.
In the interest of full disclosure you should know I do not write from within the borders of America but know also it is not lack of love that drove me from America's bosom it was more the desire to see the world.
It is a sad and ultimately disappointing fact that there has hardly been a minute of my life that I have not longed for the promise that is America, not the promise of two chickens in every pot & a car in every garage or the American dream of house holding or the like, no... the promise I'm thinking of is the promise of a union... that we, a group of people as different as flakes of snow, and despite the differences still choose to live together to promote the common good.
I guess the problem is ... just what is the common good?
I have seen, in my travels, much commonality in the people I have met the needs in desires of one group are not so different from those of another, I have seen the artificial nature of the walls we have built between us and countless others before me have remarked on the same and somehow we all still seem to cherish our walls.
Imagine what we could get done if we had clear skies?
We might even make up for thousands of years of underachieving!

Groups

2010-04-08T01:17:00.003+10:00

Listen... It is sad to say but No matter how hard we try... none of us can avoid being put into some group.
Black, White, Asian, Jew.
Man, Woman.
Straight, Gay.
Those are just the easy ones... it seems the longer I live, the more subsets I hear of and/or are added to, I guess that just comes with the gift of life.
I have never really understood why the desire to break life down to subjective groupings is so attractive.
I have to accept it ... I guess... but i can't shake the feeling that we'd be much better off if we could take the judgment out of our little groupings.
There has... as long as I can remember, been one particular bit of nonsense that gets my blood boiling and sad to say that I have heard this same nonsense come from the mouths of just about every kind of person.
I'm sure you know it... it goes like this... " I have no problem with _ _ _ _ _ _ " or " _ _ _ _ control everything"
or " _ _ _ _ _ _ just need to get over it" or " _ _ _ _ _ commit all the crime" I have unfortunately been subjected to the "logic" that is always put forth to justify these ridiculous statements. The "Statistics", observations & half truths that never stand when challenged... the problem is they are almost never challenged!
I am still astounded when a acquaintance starts in with " Oh ... you know that _ _ _ _ _ own the whole neighborhood!" Or " it's never been the same since _ _ _ _ came into the block" and somehow they expect me to nod in agreement, it is even more astounding when considering the "group" I am placed in on first sight... I mean... I would have to be some kind of very special idiot to believe that the untruths that have plagued me throughout my life, the ones that have been widely accepted as truth, the ones that have made my existence at times a true horror would be true of another... without question!
It has always left me baffled when a person that I had always thought was reasonable ... somehow gets it in his/her mind that I could somehow be a receptive audience to their statements of " no ... really they're just genetically different!"
I guess that all I am trying to say in this run on sentence is ... I guess I am lucky indeed to have met enough people to say with full confidence that most of what is said about any group is ... Bullshit!
That being said ... Politicians do lie a lot! :)

Driving here and there

2010-02-16T23:11:00.005+11:00

Driving around Australia off and on for these years has taught me a few things ...
but I think the most important thing for me is that I learned how to pause... How to stop and take in the scenery... even scenery that doesn't have buildings in it!
There has been lots of time to consider the scenery and a fair bit of time to reflect on the images I have taken along the way.
I'd like to spend more time doing the same thing in the states as I remember it most places I experienced were blurred by the rush to get there our the rush to get back with barely anytime to just let it unfold ... I think I need to fix that!

Oprah quits !

2010-01-11T23:55:00.003+11:00

There is one thing that bothers me ... well actually there are a lot of things but for this post let's try to focus on one.
No it's not that Oprah will not be doing her thing on our TV screens ( It is a concern though ... think of all the comedy routines that will never be written) or the uneasy feeling I get when thinking that politics might be her next thing! Again... a valid concern but the real thing that gets me is a strange phenomenon that occurs anytime a "black story " happens.
Anytime Oprah, Michael Jackson or any other black personality find their way into the daily news report ( News... that is funny) a fantastical thing happens, Black reporters that have not been seen since that last "Black Story" suddenly appear on on our screens but hey let's not make this a black thing... same thing happens with Koreans , Latino, Chinese , Japanese ... it's like there is some strange journalistic Green Room where "ethnic" reporters wait for airtime.
It's not like this is a new thing there used to be a guy on eyewitness news in New York and he got pulled out of the Green Room for all the "urban" stories nowadays it's a bit different now it's like some mysterious PC council comes together to judge a story too sensitive for just any reporter... Roe v. Wade bring out the woman, J-lo story bring out the Latino, whaling story ... bring out the whale reporter.
My question? ... is Oprah quitting her show really a "Black" story?
I mean I could see it as an entertainment story, or financial... hell, it even works as corporate news.
Does it become a "black" story simply because Oprah is black?
(and the same goes for Woman, Latino, Whale and all the rest)
And just who sits on that PC council ?

CLUES

2009-07-04T00:23:00.002+10:00

You know … it occurs to me , after all these years that there have been so many directional clues that I have not considered along the way to here .

Maybe I'm a little slow or mybe I just lost focus for a while... or maybe , and this is the part that scares me, maybe I have a fatal flaw when it comes to women, it's not that the women I have known were bad, far from it, I have been extremely lucky to have known every one of them, but I am sure now, that as much as I would have wished it were not so, in every case we were not suited to each other.

Is it the accumulating years that lead me to believe that the ones that I did not explore fully are the very ones I may have had the best chance with? Or is it just that crazy “road not taken” thing that does it?

I would have liked to grow with someone, but it seems that is not my fate.

I have wanted that thing , that ubiquidious “spark” I think in some cases I have tried to build the spark bu that can't work. Other times I have hoped that the spark would come, or that it wasn't really nescicary but the truth is I have always wanted N ora Charles... you know Nick's wife... from “The Thin Man” books.... Ballsy, interogative, gutsy, faithful. Don't get me wrong every woman I've known has had these traits even if they didn't know it, I guess it was more about the other things we both brought along.

Still.... more than anything else I have wanted a partner, a partner in truth to share it all with without fear or shame. You see … My problem is I have seen it … I have seen quite a few couples that have achieved that balance, kind in nature and spirit, accepting, loving.... not perfect, Hell no, not that … but considerate and considered.

As much as I love and admire these lucky couples... my envy is almost too distracting.

Yes of course I want what they have... I'd love to find my match but maybe that is not for all of us, or maybe it's just for the ones that can read the clues.

More in justice

2009-06-20T19:40:00.001+10:00

Protest Rally - Against Iranian Election, Melbourne
Ok It seems that it will never end ... Fear political unrest, Killings in Burma , threats in Iran & fixed elections... Hmmm wonder where they could've got the idea that that kind of thing could be done? Refugees moving from one place to another in desperate attempts to keep their families together I hear that is what we all want to keep families together ... but apparently that only applies to certain families.
Nuclear games between the U.S. and Korea, Iran, China ...
Somalia, India... well you get it.
What can be done ... another protest, more signs , more interviews on the Tele.
Do we need to be told that we have built our lives on the wrong scale?
How can we manage to get up and do these useless things we do while on every front we are cming to the crisis point?
All the issues and situations that we have put on the back burners for so long are now all screaming for attention simultaneously!
It may get to the point where we will have to STOP EVERYTHING in order to get it straightened out.

I can't say for sure...

2009-06-12T01:35:00.001+10:00

There may be some kind of reason to this whole thing, logic would be too much to hope for but maybe the world is supposed to do something beside respond to the whims of mankind... I really do want there to be a point... more than wanting, needing, getting.
Times like tonight are when the waste of it all gets to me...
Fighting over god , money, love, hate, gender , sexuality ... all so small... and in the end they just take us away from doing anything that moves all of us forward. "all of us" ... funny, there isn't really an "all of us" such a tiny planet and we have never enjoyed peace and prosperity... through all our time there has always been someone that has had to endure incredible hardships to make all the good times possible.
Look at all we can do and yet right now in so many places people are dying of hunger... Hunger!
How can this be?
Money and food everywhere!
Or ... is it!
Who has enough?
What segment of our world has people that have enough?

A Decidedly Black Post- (advice for young lifers! ) part 1 of an exclusive 1,000,000 part Series

2008-03-30T16:57:00.001+11:00

That's it friends, . I've finally flipped it!

I'm going to keep writing on my favourite subject "Why humans (myself included) are so damn stupid", for a million posts or until the world's problems are solved... or fail to do so!

and then...

I'm going over to my window, to slide it open and shout... "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

I've had enough of these life sucking idiots constantly assaulting me with their half-baked ideas about how the world is shaped, conveniently over looking the very basic fact that we should be shaping our world and we would if we could get up off our big fat asses for more than 5 minutes to get involved

I can no longer take the endless waste and the resistance to truth that the way we live has brought.

So whatcha you gonna do about it ... Mr. Schmarty, pants?

well... glad You asked!

First we gotta go way back... to take a look at all the crap we refused to give proper consideration the first time round.

Not quite back to the time when the earth was cooling... but almost.

Although it might pay to take a look at that later... who knows... Maybe way back then somehow a molecule of "pure evil" was burred deep in the middle of what world become our earth and it's been screwing with us ever since!

I like that explanation better than the one that goes, we're Just stupid, evil and doomed to repeat every ridiculous error over and over until we blow ourselves up... or destroy our environment or create some other catastrophe that brings about our own end.

So ... Let me take you back to the early days of mankind ... back to a time when humans were just starting to build some sort of cohesive society ... there were the hard workers , the followers, the slackers, the damaged. & the different. All equal and all doing their part to make what they had better ... at night when the work was done and the settlement slowed to it's after hours pace

the slackers said to the Hardworkers "Slow down man you're gonna burn yourself out"

The followers said "yes that's right"

The Damaged said " We're all doomed!"

To which the followers said "yes... that's right!"

The Different said "we weed to take a fresh look at what we all need!"

To which the followers replied yes, that's right !

To which the hard workers said "What you all need to do is to pull your fingers out and get to work!"

To which the followers said "YES...That's right!"

And we have been running around in that same cycle ever since, and our little cycle has gone an to cause untold hardships all round.

(the point to me is that they're all right)

Now ... Consider this...

No matter what you believe... we can all pretty much agree that at some point there were a very small number of humans ... Yes?

and we and everybody else are descendents of those few humans. . . yes?

So for all these millennia we have of course been wiping ourselves out... wars, racism, crime, genocide... all the countless little terrors we inflict upon each other to bring us to our current position known as "the Brink", "up the creek" or my personal fave ... "All f**ked up!"

Does that sound bright to you?

So our little cycle has served us badly by making profit from misery acceptable, placing arbitrary borders between humans, and leaving us separated, unfocused & unable to effect any substantive change for the better for human kind.

Does anyone recall?... isn't that what we're supposed to be doing here?

TBC-

Too Long

2007-11-25T00:07:00.000+11:00

A few months ago , I took a run down to Port Campbell to see the 12Apostles in Victoria , Australia but due to an accident on the road the route was closed so I had to turn around and head back to Melbourne 8 + hours round trip ... with no pay off... Granted it was a much worse time for the accident victim, last weekend I got the chance to finish that trip.
click the kink and see what I saw.
It's a fantastic part of the world.

I think it is all too complicated.

2007-11-04T01:49:00.001+11:00

When I Think that I have spent all these years trying to do the right thing only to find myself in one uncomfortable situation after another... is it so wrong to want to be loved honestly & with honor?

All this searching was left me thinking... have I been wasting my time?

Is it even possible to find considerate love in these times? and what does it mean anyway?

All I know is I've come so far and I just won't take a life of sniping and bitching at my partner was it always this hard... or am I just not cut out for it?

Let's Think About our Environment

2007-10-16T00:15:00.001+10:00

So what if you had only one day left, one day for it all to come good, one day to fulfill the potential so many have seen in you, one day to make sure your kids would be safe... what would you do?

ok let hope we all have many years left to breathe the air, watch the sunset, and rise, swim in the ocean or rivers... so now we're gonna live so my question is the same ...

what will you do to make it it all to come good, to fulfill the potential so many have seen in you, to make sure your kids would be safe... what will you do?

and all that

2007-10-13T08:35:00.001+10:00

I took a survey today...

and while I was answering the questions about the application I realized that I really do use it, and like it

there's so many ways to access all this information I Really do wish that there could be one page that could take me every where I wanna be... how hard Could that be.

I got a new lappy and it has vista and I can see how all this can be useful I mean I'm writing this post with a writing pad with a handwriting recognition that works quite well it I has changed the way I do most everything from photography to web surfing. so now I am looking forward to living in a world where information is at my fingertips.

Are things really looking up?

2007-10-12T02:08:00.001+10:00

Sometimes it's the way you perceive a thing that makes all the difference.

There are so many times I could have avoided many problems by simply taking time to consider all the options, in fact it could be said that I would not be sitting here if not for the mysteries of perception I could've been finished in the Accident... or if I had left my Apt. in NYC 5 minutes sooner on on that fateful day when I met The former mrs. Peabody met I would not be here.

That world be a shame. . . but Just 3 short years ago I would not have called it a shame

Waiting for an ultimatum

2007-08-24T16:58:00.000+10:00

I can't remember when I have so anxiously awaited the release of a bit of Hollywood fluff
the saga of Jason Bourne has me riveted, (even with the memory of
the 70's version still in my mind) let's face it ...the story has been told
before. Amnesiac, killing machine struggling to get his memory and his life back!
Here in OZ it won't come out till August 30th!
Matt Damon... great actor but I think it's more about Bourne!

Just 6 more sleeps!

Sunrise... Sunset

2007-04-15T23:27:00.000+10:00

I was having a talk with my better half today when I realised that no matter how much you try sometimes the only thing there is to hold two people together is the moments they share.
simple?
maybe...but worth remembering.

Get Stuffed!

2007-04-07T22:49:00.000+10:00

This post is simply to say that I love

my new digi cam and from time to time a pic or two will show up here.

And here

Sweet Tooth!

2007-02-17T18:05:00.000+11:00

I have always had a taste for the sweeter things in life, particularly Reese's peanut butter cups. There were some very dark days in my history in Australia when they just not available for love or money.
Then there were the sweet sweet days when they were readily available from every Coles super market for the relatively low price of $1.00 and then poof!... they were gone!

Now I have found a little sweet shop that has plenty ok they always seem to be close to their use by date, but... hey it's all there is, not even the incredibly inflated price of 2.20 can keep me away!
So if your an American and ya don't know where to get Reese's, A&W root beer, Dr. Pepper give me a shout I'll sort ya out!

Just an immigrant

2007-01-03T01:12:00.000+11:00

I have never been one of those guys that wondered how and why people travel from one country to another even before I did myself I always thought that if someone had the balls to move with or without their family to an unknown place and maybe even an unknown language...
well that takes a special type of guts and if you asked me 15 years ago if I thought I had the stuff to do a thing like that I would not have even paused before I said NO.
So charge your glasses and let's drink to the immigrants of the world... Cause damn it's hard work!

When life is a carnival...

2006-12-12T03:16:00.000+11:00

We all know that life is not always ... Beer & skittles, but if there is enough joy to to get ya up in the morning then that alone should be enough to get you through.

Every morning you wake to find your not dead you are ahead of the game cause that same morning you wake up to feel your body and all it's aches, pains and such many are finding themselves in much worse situations.
So ride the coaster and the ferris wheel and don't worry too much bout how long you have to stand in line, cause you still get to ride as long as you got some life in ya.

Destiny cannot be escaped!

2006-11-26T01:20:00.000+11:00

Hello dear reader.... and probably it is "reader" in the singular quite literally.
There may not be many reading this these days, but I'll keep writing as if there are.
Anyway... the topic for this post is the way people deal with what seems to me logical conclusions & consequences.

One of the things I will never understand is why more often than not people will tend to believe that the worst will not happen, when the worst is happening all around the world every second, and has been as long as there have been people

Think of the person waiting for the results of their recent medical checkup... and horrors the prognosis is not good... and this person immediately say to himself or outlet..."why me?", "why me?" Maybe they smoke too mush, or drank too much it doesn't matter they could be a total health nut that treats the body like a temple... the answer to the question ... "why me?"is... "Why the Fuji not you!"
Then there is the person that spends life cutting corners taking the easy way and then when the inevitable reckoning comes it all "What did I do to deserve this?"
Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that everything that happens to people is deserved, it's just that most could be expect.
Take my first example... Smoking, drinking, and the like lead to a well known conclusion, so each time you take a drag on that smoke, you should realize that it maybe leading you to an early grave. (oh ... not for nothing but I feel I should say I am a smoker)
Then there are the social dilemmas that can be predicted ... but somehow sneak under the radar.
Like why don't my children have any respect for me?
Well since you've made no attempt to explain to them why there must be bounderies and such,
of course there will be a train wreck.
As sure as there is a sunset every evening.

What you look like is what you are

2006-10-23T00:23:00.000+10:00

It funny how people make all sorts of judgments about what you are based on outward appearances... Today wjile I was out testing my new digi cam all the people I ran into assumed I was a photographer. I guess the camera and associated gear was the reason. No one asked though they just needed to put me in a category and that was the easiest.
When I stumbled upon a trio playing in the Gallery Victoria they assumed I was a photographer never did it occur to them that I am in fact a guitarist.
It gave me a strange sense of freedom to be mis-labeled.

I love Photoshop too!

2006-08-23T22:27:00.000+10:00

I can never get enough of Photoshop is there anything it can't do?

Blogged with Flock

My camera... all beat to hell but I still love it!

2006-07-04T00:05:00.000+10:00

Well as you can see my little digi is as beat up as it can be, I've left pieces of it in from Melbourne to NYC and it still takes a great pic.

Some might say that it is time for a new one, truth be told I do have another but when I'm out for the day I always take the old one with it dodgy shutter button and lackey band that keeps the batteries in... I don't hold out hope of it being fixed or that some how it might heal itself... I just have such a wonderful history with it.

It's taken pics of my daughter, my mom harijuku, Abbey road and so many others... is it wrong to be faithful to an inanimate object?

My guitar says no.

technorati tags:camera, digital, favorite, pics

Blogged with Flock

No Answers Just More Questions

2006-06-20T16:41:00.000+10:00

No Answers… Just More Questions

After more than 15 years living away from America I think I have learned a few things about societies and the way they accept or exclude certain people.

My own country has had what I have always thought was a bizarre take on race & inclusion, who will be let in and who will be pushed to the outer ring of society seemed to be based solely on the our very familiar two colour scheme, but from where I sit now that idea seems painfully simplistic.
It is now becoming clearer to me what the real basis of American hierarchical structure is built upon, and to my surprise it is in fact not really any different to those same types of social structures of any other culture, and has much less to do with the colour line than I would have ever believed.
Could it be that the old idea of black versus white was never truly what it was really about?
Could it be that a lifetime in “the struggle”(both sides of it) makes one blind to the realities?
Could it be true that the real issue at the bottom of it all is the same one that has plagued mankind throughout history?
A very simple and basic struggle for power that would have panned out the same no matter who was at the top, or what race they called their own.
Just look around the world and you’ll see that’s true
Now don’t get me wrong here I’m not one of those that think that race plays no part in all the troubles that the world has had because as a black American I can tell you, it certainly has, but it is far from the root of the problem.
How did it all get so complicated and how did race get involved?

There are people on all sides of the issue that believe that race is the one and only factor that decides who is good and who is evil, lets just call these folks “suckers” then there are those that believe that our differences are something that must be tolerated… This idea that sprung from post modernist political correctness fits only the most delusional thinkers so lets just call them “dilusionals”.

In my opinion the real crux of it all is in those age-old bugaboos money and power, both of which corrupt the soul… if you let them.
So what if we got rid of them both?
This of course would not work because we are still children that cannot think past our basic instincts, our needs and wants still predominate our thoughts and lives.
Just think, we can’t even stop our dependence upon dangerous fossil fuels or cigarettes even as we see them choking the life from our planet and ourselves, so how can we be expected to live together peacefully?
There are more and more political, psychological & sociological reasons proffered each day to rationalize away the simple fact that society is driving itself into a very large and metaphorical ditch but though the ditch may be a metaphor the injuries are all too real.
I think it’s time that we revoke the societal driving licence, put the old jalopy on blocks and get off the road till we can stop killing each other.

Stuff Wot I made!

2006-06-18T13:01:00.000+10:00

Here area few things that have come out of my workshop lately Maybe I'll post some more soon.

Guitar / Mandolin / Music stand
A mission-ish style coat rack
and
A Go board

What not to wear

2006-06-12T11:56:00.000+10:00

What not to wear

It’s no mystery to those that know me that I have a bit of a thing for this British show.
There are plenty of people doing good deeds around the world, some small and some large.
Have no doubt that Trinny & Susanna are among them.

You can say what you want about fashion but when you realize what people would get up to without some guidelines well you get down and thank the fashion gods for decreeing that some things are just wrong if only someone would have stopped me from the rust coloured ‘Swedish knit pants, matching shirt & rust coloured white marshmallow sole shoes!
Granted it was the early 80’s and fashion hadn’t been invented yet.
I love to see the looks on the faces of the people that these two drag kicking & screaming into a new fashion future. It is absolutely unbelievable what can be done with a little fashion guidance.

The new word from the BBC is that What not to wear will go on without Trinny & Suze…
Shock, Horror!
Not that the two lovely host they have picked are not up to it, but this show is such a personal statement on fashion that I doubt that it can go on with new host.
Perhaps it is time for a new idea…
There are new ideas at the BBC … right?

The world's fastest Indian

2006-04-24T23:54:00.000+10:00

From the time I first heard about this film I thought to myself "sounds good ... Can't wait to see it!"
I have always been a sucker for a "true - ish" story, I don't know exactly how much of it is true but if 1% of it is then what the poster says is very true it is on hell of a story.
Anthony Hopkins is a pleasure to watch in any role but this one is particularly good, he plays an eccentric Kiwi motorcyclist determined to run his 1920 Indian at the Bonneville salt flats during speed week.
That's the basic story but as in life the real excitement is in the journey.
Mr. Hopkins' performance is clear and intense he seems to live the character and in no longer than five minutes I was rooting for Burt to win the day, I was there with him as he jumped every hurdle and sidestepped every obstacle and it was a great ride.
It is rare these days that a film is truly uplifting, and devoid of any downside, just pure entertainment.
Go see it!... NOW!

The real Burt Munro

The last thing we did shoulda been first!

2006-04-14T20:47:00.000+10:00

While we were in japan it had occured to me that it would be a great opportunity to indulge my great love of Zushi.
I had visions of wondering from one Zushi bar to another in a fish fuelled, wasabi flavored, saki adelled mission to eat my weight of the stuff (pretty odd for a guy that wouldn't even eat rice we he was young)
As it turned out we didn't even get any Zushi till our last day in Japan, while waiting for our flight we had a few hours to fill and fill them we did in the town of Narita.
We had stayed in a hotel near narita but we didn't really take a look around, so we just hit the streets and started walking round that's when we found this place.
When we walked in there were just a couple of patrons there two very nice women that seemd to be friends of the owners.
The owners a man and woman in there late 40's by my best guess had no english and we had little or no Japanese, but still we got our messages across
We had a sampler of of the best he had ... and boy was it great!
We wandered around Narita for the day stopping at a great gourmet coffee shop, a hardware store (yeah hardware... found a nice pull-saw there) some clothing shops and a Tyco drum dealer that spoke fantastic english ( boy could we have used him at the start of the japan leg) we had a great ol' time.
We should have started by seeing that town.
Oh well next time ... and there will be a next time.

Kiss Kiss bang Bang

2006-04-12T00:35:00.000+10:00

Just the other day I had the pleasure of seeing a film that had been on my 'to see' list for a while...
"kiss kiss bang bang.
I can't say enough good things about it, of course there is one thing that we should all know by now... A film with Robert Downey Jr. in it should be seen!
I mean even if everything about the film has gone wrong this fantastic actors performance will be worth seeing.
The pacing was just right & downey's naration left me rolling on the floor laughing.
The story is fantastic great 'pulp' novel stuff as well as some unique film-making
I won't say too much but just get to your local video shop, rent it & watch.

I am becoming a Val kilmer fan (there's some words i never thought I write) His performance as 'Gay Perry' was great although as a gay male... well... none the less he was good. the last thing I saw him in was 'Spartan' another great film.

Commander - In - Chief

2006-03-26T01:05:00.000+11:00

I've always had a thing for Geena Davis. But you know when it comes to television dramas you have to be very careful before you invest even an hour.

I must admit that Geena does as good a job as is possible with the material. ( hey... I'd vote for her)
I really loved her with Samuel Jackson in " Long Kiss Goodnight" I wonder if there could be a way to mix those two roles...
Something like... An amnisiac first female president hell bent on revenge.

Leave a message after the beep!

2006-03-22T19:23:00.001+11:00

After I'm gone you'll be sorry you didn't leave a comment!

Black.White

2006-03-06T00:40:00.000+11:00

I try to keep informed about the latest things going home in the states but I did not know this was in the works...
Here's the low down.
Two families, one black, one white
They are transformed through the use of make up, the white family black and the black family white and unleashed upon the unsuspecting world.
They also live together.
This is probably one of the better uses for reality TV.
Take a look for yourself.

...But she is beautiful!

2006-02-28T01:13:00.000+11:00

Had a couple of moments last week where I thought... "What would have happened if I had not left NYC?"
I know that this kind of thinking can do me no good.
I never want to go back to that place agin where I could not free my mind of visions of my old life.
I have to make a reminder to nip that kind of thing in the bud.

I was gone but now I'm back!

2006-02-16T11:07:00.000+11:00

Due to so many things ...
Moving house, net connection down, and other things, I have been unable to make posts on a regular basis.
But now with the new home settling , and my precious connection back I will be posting more than ever.
If there is anyone out there please stay tuned.

This is a world public service announcement!

2006-01-12T10:31:00.000+11:00

Check out Favorville

From time to time someone comes up with a really good idea, something that can help the world at large, and maybe you in particular... favorville is one of those ideas.

Simply stated it is a twist on the idea of the favor bank.
You can post your need for a favor or reply to a favor asked for, in your town or around the world.
It is all free and at the very least you should check it out for yourselves.

I've joined up... in my never ending effort to do whatever little things I can to make some kind of difference.
Nuff Said!

A short post from ruby

2005-12-30T02:52:00.000+11:00

I still don't know what all the fuss is about at this time of year!

That's another one in the bag!

2005-12-26T10:34:00.000+11:00

Yes, Christmas is over for another year.
The presents have been given, and received.
Families have gotten together and shared the love.
and the war rages on.
Fear not the assault on Christmas... but do fear the assault on sensibility.
Good luck... and good night!

Once you do a thing... it becomes easy to repeat it

2005-12-22T13:04:00.000+11:00

Can you believe that we have arrived at a place where American’s are advocating the use of torture by interrogators to get information out of prisoners?
We should all be clear that no matter what their political grouping, or philosophical beliefs they are Americans.
John McCain has had experience on one side of the experience, but what about the other side?
Doesn’t the act of torturing a fellow human being take something valuable away from the torturer?
Won’t the world think less of America (if that is possible) if we begin to do things that we have said we would stand against?
These are questions we must ask before we allow this type of thing to go on.
Before we allow the still yet to be realised dream of building a better society for all Americans to die, we had better be damn sure that the world that will follow the death of that goal is one we would want to live in.

What Is Happening to America?

2005-11-24T14:22:00.000+11:00

How hard is it to stand for peace, honour and justice?
As a child living in New York in the 70’s the fact that my country at least seemed to value these ideas gave me strength and sustained me through times when my fellow Americans found it hard to deal with the things that make me different.
The very simple ideas contained in the constitution and the bills of rights stood in my life then, and still stand, as ideals, but more than political ideals more as a map to a better life, to a better existence.
Not just for myself, but for all people.
I think of the ideas in the American constitution, bill of rights and many other documents that mankind has created to make sense of and in some way contain the evil that men do as more than politically relevant, they are ideas that have given me strength when that evil has come knocking, and it comes knocking often
The following words have always made me think about the gravity of my actions as they relate to the world at large, and don’t be fooled they do… as do yours.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Unfortunately, like all words, these words are open to interpretation… but the ideas are clear to anyone that cares to see them or live them.
So what is happening to America?
Exactly the things that the words above predict, we have allowed a government to run unchecked and allowed it to hurt the very people it has a mandate to protect.
It would serve us all well to remember a few things:

You cannot war for peace.

Honour is not a birthright it is learned.

Justice must be fought for and applies to everyone.

And finally…
Whether God exists or not is not something humans need to fight over.
A fight like that only brings more evil into the world, and we don’t want that… Do we?

The truth is...

2005-11-04T08:57:00.001+11:00

Living in Australia is much like living in almost any western country, there are cities and towns bent upon achieving their goals, good people and bad making their way through their lives seeking meaning and love.
There are tree lined streets like the one here and places that seem to be on a downward slide.
We all share the same disappointment and frustration with our elected representatives.
Really ... the differences are very subtle matters of politics & lifestyle.
At this time in history when both of the countries seem to be reading from the same political "playbook" I wonder how compatible the goals of these two countries really are?
From the moment I arrived in Australia the main grievance many Australians had with the country of my birth was what was then called "Cultural Imperialism" which to my mind did not exist 15 years ago or even 5 years ago, but now that we have all been drawn into this insane and counterproductive conflict I fear Australia has opened itself up for a true dose of "Cultural Imperialism" now that America feels that there is something to be gained by inflicting it goals upon this nation that like it's ecosystem knows little of the ways of natural predators.

Rosa Parks: One of us.

2005-11-03T18:08:00.000+11:00

I have just been watching and listening to an essay by Jeff Rosenblatt on the Newshour.
His subject today was Rosa Parks and the effects of her actions upon all of us, Mr. Rosenblatt brought an idea to the front of my mind that is not considered enough in these times, the actions we all take does truly effect us all.
They may not be world-changing actions but they all ripple through the world the same way.
It makes me wonder…do we really appreciate the effect we have on this world and if we don’t… then really what are we doing?
It is not impportant that we remember Mrs parks as a pioneering African American, but as simply a fredom fighter, fightiing to free herself and the man taking her fingerprints in the picture above.
She was not a saint or sent by any diety she was simply one of us, and we should remember we are ALL that.

Human suffering

2005-11-01T17:14:00.000+11:00

Why does is so much time on TV and in Film devoted to human suffering?
Don't get me wrong We need to know when our fellow humans are in distress... But to just observe these horrors and not help is just wrong.
To actually help should be the goal behind showing these things... Not charity, or sympathy but involvement.
How can it be justified by news agencies to spend millions upon millions to "cover" a horrible event and nothing to help?
Let's just put away that notion of "journalistic integrity" if it ever existed at all it is surely long dead now.
News bringer have long ago crossed the line and become news makers, so why not do some good?
Not theoretical good but real good... I mean they are there at the scene, with little to do but rehash a story over and over.
As for film... We all know that the budget for one "blockbuster" film could solve a lot of the world's problems.
You say they are helping ... Through their story telling?
Well that would be true if there was even a modicum of truth in any of their stories.
Does anyone doubt that when the story of New Orleans or of Natatlie Holloway are made ( and they will be) that the truth will be sacrificed for the sake of a good story?
Remember ... Life is not more complicated... people are just smaller.

How one word can change the world for the better!

2005-10-05T08:44:00.000+10:00

It is sort of my pet project to try to think of new ways to make society work in this peculiar age we have made, this age of ineffective protests & apathetic people.
You may have read my answer to politics "just say Duh" which I think is a valid response to politics as they exist today.
Now in response to numerous asinine statements by people that have not learned enough to know better I have come up with another response to help cope with another brand of "social nonsense".
It may be to late for some, like G.W. Bush, Kim Jong Il & certain Muslim clerics to name just a few and it does take a measure of civic responsibility (something society is not strong on these days).
Here's how it works (don't worry it's easy to say and easy to spell... I dare say you may have used it in your life already) the very next time you hear someone say the "Jews are all..." Or "the Blacks are..." Or "Women always..." Or "Men only want..." Or any of the many untrue generalizations we all know by now, there is no need to try to bend them to right with the force of your formidable intellect cause they're not going to get it anyway... No simply say " Hey!... I never noticed it before but, you're an a**hole!
There it is... My magic word!
It works in any place you can find idiots... Down at the pub, in your book club, at work, republican & democratic meetings.
I didn't say at home because you have of course already told your children how false and dangerous the statements above are... right? ...Right?
Anyway there's no need to shout it or get mad it's just a simple information exchange.

Here's a handy guide for proper usage:
"Hey Bob... You know I never noticed it before but... You're a real A**hole."

"Betty you know I've been thinking things might get better for you if you could stop thinking like an A**hole."

So there it is the one word that can save mankind!

Hmmm... I can see you are still skeptical... Well consider this, imagine if 25 years or so ago one of "dubya's" mates used it in response to his dodging out of his reserve responsibilities or not getting help for his alcoholism we could be living in a much different world.
So get out there... use the word well & often... Before it's too late!

Why does there have to be a racial component?

2005-09-03T13:38:00.000+10:00

Why does their have to be a racial component to everything?
People in Louisiana are suffering & dying, what the hell difference does it make what colour they are.
If we could agree that ALL people are the same not in legislation but in our hearts life would be much better.
Yes… simplistic I know but if it is… then why have we not done it?

Jumping on the Fire/paddy wagon

2005-08-24T17:13:00.000+10:00

Jumping on the Fire / paddy wagon

Listen I’m not jumping on the bandwagon of people that have a sudden reverence for those that have protected us for more years than anyone reading this has been alive.
I have always felt that these men and women deserved an amount of respect for fighting what is a basic human response… to run away from fire… to run away from gunshots and danger.
Now both these disciplines have their bad sides but we know what life would be like without them.
They are but humans doing a hard job just like the rest of us… I’ll be the first to admit if I blow the changes to Giant Steps no one gets hurt but if one of them does the job wrong someone might die.
There it is in a nutshell!
Thanks guys!
Nuff said!

Are we so different?

2005-08-18T09:48:00.000+10:00

When I started this blog my intent was to make a case for our sameness as a race... to highlight the falseness of the spaces that separate us.
I wanted to simply say to all the people on this planet ( My Family) that it is much wiser to get together than it is to continue down the road killing everyone we see for arbitrary reasons of our own creation.
Now don't get me wrong... I am not the salt of the earth, not filled with the milk of human kindness, nor am I the guy that would be described as one that would give you the shirt off his back.
I am a simple realist... It is simply "bad for business" to hate, and in my humble opinion quite simple-minded.
When I was young and still forming, the impulse to go along with the crowd just was not in me I don't know why. When I left my home to play or go to school it was always an adventure (it still is) I wanted to meet people... in my neighborhood, town, country, world... and as my circle got larger I realized that it was harder for me to hate people because of what they are on the surface.
The fact that I was hated, or judged for my surface might have had something to do with that.
Still my reality was that I had met people from all over early on... maybe no one told me I shouldn't.
The Jewish couple from the corner store, the Chinese lady at the dry cleaners, the guys @ calabria pizzeria, & the African-American owned market (Jeez... I hate that classification) that was just one block of my neighborhood.

Here's a lesson I learned...

Their relationships were shaky at best, but I saw no reason to follow that trend.
So I watched.
I found it funny that they all had something to say about each other... but rarely said a word to each other, these people had run businesses on that block for my entire life and for all my 10 year old mind knew for a thousand years before.
Even then I was quite a talker... I had a lot to say and if no one tried to stop me I'd say whatever was on my mind, I still struggle with that one... but the thing is that it was that childish verbal honesty is the thing that allowed those shopkeepers to open up as much as they did each one in turn giving me their wisdom about the character and culture of the others... as they saw it, or worse as they'd "heard" it, of course very little was said (to me) about the people at the market but ...
Anyway... they all spoke at length, to me, about each other when business was slow and that's when I learned about "How it is" before I learned "What it is".
I "learned" how "they" were sitting on a big stash of money, and how "they" spoke plenty English when no one was around, and how "those" guys were mobbed up, and the whispers about the people in the market? Well I knew those ones very well even at 10.
But... I was then, as I am now, so I asked each if any of these things were true?
Their answers were all basically the same, but when the question was asked, the undertone was identical in each case... Sadness, fear, anger for themselves & compassion... for me because I didn't "know" yet...
"How it is"
That's one reason why I can never hate anyone for the group they where born into, or the lessons they learned there, I saw these people that could see nothing but how they were different, but I knew how much they were the same.

...and that's what this blog is all about!
I'll try not to lose focus again!

Road to Queenstown

2005-08-06T16:20:00.000+10:00

Road to Queenstown
Originally uploaded by Monk Peabody.

Can't you just feel the alpine-y goodness?
New Zealands South Island. On a trip with "She who's name is not spoken"

4 guitar stand

2005-06-10T01:28:00.000+10:00

Hey ... I just love to make stuff! Here's my newest thing.
A home stand for 4 of my most used guitars.
It keeps them all to hand.
Ya can't play em' if they're in a case!
Wood is good!

The New Amp

2005-05-25T18:14:00.000+10:00

I'll say it again so it won't be missed... Berringer make a shit amp!
Ok then here we go. I went out and got a new amp to replace the DUD I got a while back.
This one looks like a goer!
I have not been a big fan of Yamaha amps but I have some faith in this one. bought it used from Cash Converter, so fingers crossed.
I gotta get a magic 8-ball to help with these decisions.
So now I'm searchin for a bass player to do some duo gigs with me.

Fox News: The Death Channel?

2005-05-19T11:32:00.000+10:00

Is it just me or has Fox news made some sort of deal with the grim reaper!
It seems to me like every time I tune it in there is a story of someone gone missing, someone's body being found or some kind of death watch.
What is the point of an interview that asks questions like ... " So you have no idea what has happened to ...? or "did anything seem wrong the last time you spoke to...?
How is that doing anyone any good?
I just use Fox as an example but this kind of thing goes on at every channel. I think it's time we took a loong look at the news we are getting ...and not getting.

What happened to self - government and the will of the people?

2005-04-06T13:58:00.000+10:00

"We exist, and are quoted as standing proofs that a government, so modeled as to rest continually on the will of the whole society, is a practicable government." --Thomas Jefferson to Richard Rush, 1820. ME 15:284

Thomas Jefferson was capable of truly stunning thought, but no more than we all are !
As a people our will can be a stunning force for the common good, for our world.

I realize that it is way too early in history to even hope for a world without borders or even one where our differences are praised, but neither is this country, this world, made of opposing parties each hoping to rule the others.
We have as Americans & as a world learned to sacrifice our common will to those with a "vision", our new "Kings" unfortunately we have also learned to believe that we have no right to self govern.
We play right into their hands, becoming more isolated, lonely & pathetic with every liberty that is taken from us, our power & strength being eroded away slowly until one day soon, our lives won't be worth living!
What fools we are!
We once protested any curtailing of our rights... And now we give them up freely.
We tell ourselves we have respect & reverence for our history, but our actions tell the real tale.
Protest has become comic and impotent.
So many sides pulling against the same piece of cloth tearing and ripping till there is nothing left and never thinking that the best fabric had been taken long before that threadbare swatch was thrown to us.

"The qualifications for self-government in society are not innate. They are the result of habit and long training." --Thomas Jefferson to Edward Everett, 1824. ME 16:22

Marshall McLuhan, reality T.V. & why The price of eternal vigilance is indifference.

2005-03-17T13:31:00.000+11:00

Ok I'm gonna take the risk of sounding like some flipped out media student here but I have a few things to say about Television.
Yes... That's Television with a capital "T".
First make no mistake I love my T.V. in fact I have a few of them and I love them all equally and unconditionally, but I don't trust them!
Only a fool would!
Television brings entertainment, Information and even info-tainment (if you let it) into our lives. Television can do good things but we as watchers shouldn't let ourselves believe that it or the people that control it "care" about us!
Television should not only be watched but observed, for it has the potential to do us great harm. These days we seem to be so willing to give over so much of our belief to "The Box" and all those that find themselves on it, it is starting to become common belief that there is something special about our celebrities.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
They are made up of the same stuff as all humans, this is something to bear in mind when we are watching.
Yes... "The medium is the Message" but is it a message we should trust?
Of course not!
If recent history has taught us anything it is that we can't trust the people that have the awesome responsibility of presenting news, current event or even "reality" to us, we have now well & truly entered another age of the personal agenda.
Every bit of content is now subject to the point of view of those that present it, or those that control them.
We can't even be sure that what we are being shown is in our best interest in, fact we can be sure it is not.
For example now that we are at war and Michael Jackson's trial has started what has become of the millions dying in Africa?
What's going on in Bosnia?
These questions and so many more beg to be answered but somehow go unanswered how is this with news media budget rising to incredible new highs?
Why are we seeing the same stories aired at 11, 4, 5 & 11 again?
And why is the media leading us like lemmings to the precipice of vengeance in so many cases?
But most importantly why are we sitting on our fat asses and taking it?
Television could finally put the trouble between the races to bed, inspire us to really embrace "Personal Responsibility" for our world and it's people or even simply make us realize that we all share the same lives and the same fate.
Yes all that and more could happen...
If only we could just get real!
So if you do happen to find yourself on T.V. or working in it, start your day by remembering all the people you love and reminding yourself of how they are, in a very real and tangible way connected to the rest of us... and then behave the only way you can baring those facts in mind.

Come on down to Guitartown!

2005-03-11T15:02:00.000+11:00

Come on down to Guitartown!
Yeee Ha!
Jeez... I just love Guitars!
The look of em'
The feel of em'
The sound of em!
Not just mine, but damn near every one I've ever seen, I'm still working towards the day when I can walk into any shop and say " I'll have one of each!"
"Now... put em' on the truck!"
Just recently i stumbled across this site that let's you put images on stuff,
I just put up a few items that i think you'll like . Click on in and check em out!

This is what I am.

2005-01-26T02:40:00.000+11:00

I can feel that it's about time I started playing again! I've been laying off for too long now.
For so long i have been taking my time in getting back, from a injury I though would end it all, but that's all over now and i am back in the pink (if not pink then a lovely coffee brown) . Time to get some while the gettin's good.

Step up Groover!

2004-07-18T02:12:00.000+10:00

It's no mystery to anyone that life can be very complicated.
How do you get from here to where you want to be!
Yes my friend life is filled with uncertainty.
And then, other times... your path is very simple.
The hows of your life... the what to do's become very basic.
If you're lucky this will happen @ regular intervals in your life, those small moments of total clearity.
I have never known anyone that was lucky enough to have a life without ever wondering... am I doing the right thing?
That being said...
Sometimes the point is simply to groove!
It don't matter much what the situation is, could be your life, could be your job.
You could be sittin' in with a Jazz combo when it comes on slowly.
Suddenly the way is clear.
The clouds between your ears part and you can hear the drummer laying some down, then you start to hear the bass, maybe some thick slabs of B3 come next.
(Stabbing horn section optional)
All this information starts crawling around the bandstand and it all becomes so clear!
You've done the work & all the pieces are there.
So you just groove!
Man, you are the groove!
All hot & slippery, solid & vaporous
Full bright light & joy.
Finally the light inside is switched on.
Everyone in the group is having their say, you can hear the conversation develop, then, when the groove is rock solid & you're deep in it.
You start passin' it around, tradin' fours, eights.
Each in their turn says what they feel, what they truly feel, cause ya can't hide nothing here...in this place at this moment there is only one truth.
You are there... in the moment.
You groove, take it all in, till finally eyes start to glance at your way and they have only one message.
Step up Groover!

Life at the chain link

2004-07-16T05:19:00.000+10:00

What would you do if this was the last thing you ever saw?
If 2 chain link fences & a box car were all that seperated you from the sweet hereafter?
Would you regret the life you've led?
Could you find a way to make love to the last 20 paces of your life or cry like a baby?

The streets of Times Square.

2004-07-09T09:52:00.000+10:00

Someone once said that a picture says more than a thousand words.
I believe this is true but will the words be truth? take this picture for example. Times square looks pretty damn good! You could think of thousands of words to go along with this pic, but i doubt that any would touch on the desperate depravity that will always exist in this area of manhattan.
So many people with so many agendas all meeting at this incredible crossroad.
They pass, bump, tussle. All alone but flowing together never knowing the strength that lay dormant in their gathering and when they leave ...it's back to the flow of their own lives leaving that potential there, abandoned on the streets of Time Square.

Whatever happened to the guitar solo?

2004-06-18T00:12:00.000+10:00

What ever happened to the guitar solo?
I am not sure if it is an result of getting older but when i listen to music these days i feel something is missing.
There's no doubt that music sounds better, the technology has come a long way! I am not looking for a return to the past that way. I ain't givin' up my MP3 player. It's too neat! You'll have to pry it from my cold dead hand! To paraphrase some cold dead guy.

Yes, the music sounds better but where are the Guitar solos? I miss them so much! Ok, today's music has "PHAT BEATS" aplenty...but Where is the improv factor?
That 8 or 16 or 32 bars of pure self expression?
Where is Ernie Isley taking flight and trading endless ideas on "Who's that lady"?
Where's the emotional solo's of say stevie ray?
Where is the part of the song that says "We've said plenty... But here's how I feel about it!"

Some believe the guitar solo to be self-indulgent wankery.
I see it as a metaphor for personal freedom, that chance for the guitarist to soar over the changes free to improvise, play with the time & be in the moment.
The moment when the 'Head' comes around and says "Do ya feel lucky?...Well do ya ...PUNK? And you gotta step up and fill that space with the only thing you got...your SOUL!

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home filled with Jazz & jazz players that knew the importance of the solo. For all instruments.
To all of them and all the others that made or didn't make the changes... I thank you!
I'm sure guitar solos will make a comeback, and when they do I'll be there to take the trip and take my chances!
I'll see you at the "A" section!

Question your definitions! / We make our own choices!

2004-05-15T17:30:00.000+10:00

GRAFFITI! This stuff has been around since some caveman etched "cave 57 SUCKS!" on a cave wall.
And as it is with most things, handling the idea of someone writing on walls is just a matter of perception and reaction.
You can perceive it to be and eyesore
or you can see it as an opportunity to experience personal expression at street level.
You can react from fear
or you can save your reaction for later as you would after a visit to any other gallery!
The choice is yours.

It is a small world!

2004-05-15T01:22:00.000+10:00

We live in a world of much fashion but no sense.
Form but no substance.
Passion but no compassion.
A time when we have allowed more than one case of ethnic cleansing to go on unchecked has happened to our outrage,the feeling that we are here to do some good globally.
This a time when we give our hearts & minds over to men and women that we imbue with powers they don't have. Small people. People that feel nothing for us and worse feel detached from us.
Yes there is much evil in the world and what is worse much selfishness. In theory we have joined together in society to enhance the lives of ALL that live within it, our brothers and sisters under a common banner. In practice though, we most often find that banner cannot cover us all. We need a BIGGER banner.
Day after day those that we have chosen to administrate make choices that will excise those that in their opinion will not serve the banner, but i ask you who gave them the right to inflict upon us their opinions! These men do not serve us well with their opinions. Their job is not to develop opinions but to determine the consensus of we the citizens. We that share this society. This world society. It is only through disinterest that we find ourselves in this sorry state, and soon enough we will begin to realize that our lives are bigger than our differences. But will it be too late.Will we find that this world is only big enough for those that have the power.