papsrus

I'm not so sure lack of education is the problem. There are lots of students today who don't care about education because they see it's not necessary. They can make (relatively) good money fixing cars, which might be what they like to do anyways. But the best students today are almost certainly more learned and more in number than the best students of a century ago. The increase in population and advance of knowledge alone would make it almost impossible for it to be otherwise. We have wonderful universities stuffed full of bright young kids. ... A century ago, ?? I read this article over at Salon the other day, and it dovetails with my own sense that one of the big problems we have today is this: With the advance of knowledge and the wide availability of a broad range of information today, people become convinced of a certain thing and once they are, almost nothing will move them from viewing it with certainty. I see that in the recent discussion here of the Kennedy assassination, for example. ... (I make no claim either way). As the author of the above-linked article outlines, the way in which we become convinced of something is not necessarily through a dispassionate assessment of the knowable facts. Far from it. From the article: Whatever you might think of the article, it does offer one explanation of why we have so many people running around today convinced of everything from flying saucers to a 6,000-year-old earth. And why nobody really listens to opposing views once they become convinced of something. And, to get back to the title of the thread, that is one of the strongest criticisms of the people running the country today and the source of many of our current problems. They are convinced they are right. They don't listen to anything that doesn't reinforce already-held views. It's the extremism of certainty. (Of course, I'm not sure I'm convinced of any of this ... just thought I'd throw it out there ...)

I pre-ordered this album a few weeks ago and it should arrive this week. Her band Sticks and Stones has a couple of nice releases also, titled "Sticks and Stones" and "Shed Grace." A really creative player.

Thanks for the link Bev.

No apologies necessary, from where I sit. I'm somewhat in the same boat as you are in regard to "discovering" Ellington in particular, but also other big band music ... and the journey continues. Yours sounds like a great -- if sometimes detailed -- job (hardly seems right to call it a 'job'). Count yourself lucky, even if in "relative poverty." I'm guessing you do. ...

I don't disagree that Buckley was a significant figure in the conservative movement (obviously). Whatever one's politics, that isn't in dispute. It's Brooks I find shallow. This is a lazy piece, IMO.

This is a lazy piece of drivel. There are ways to express one's admiration without boring everyone with your school paper prose, fond recollections of the good old days and name-dropping all over the article. Sheesh. ... I don't even get the last line. What's that supposed to mean? Buckley was far too great a man to relax? Too self-obsessed to find inner peace? ... Brooks is just an awful and annoyingly self-centered writer. This entire piece is more about him than it is about Buckley.

before you discount the existence of ritual abuse based on the wikipedia entry, note their own warning: This article or section has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations which do not verify the text. * An editor has expressed concern that the article is unbalanced. after a careful reading of the article, i can see multiple examples of all three points of contention. Noted. Thank you

That's because they don't want you to know. I was afraid of that ... What else are they hiding under those black capes and pointy hats?!

Wiki has a not bad overview of conspiracy theories, lines of argument used to justify, that sort of thing. They list some of the biggies: (I didn't know about the satanic ritual thing. ...)

Hi PristineAudio, Sounds like a fantastic album. Always nice to have Ellington coming through loud and clear. Have you seen the Duke Ellington Corner in the Artists section?

I was talking with a college student who works as an intern at my job a week or two ago and he said firmly that he thought the moon landing was a hoax. He'd seen some documentary somewhere that had persuaded him. I asked him what the biggest single piece of evidence was for his belief that it was a hoax. He said that the flag stood straight out and everyone knows there's no wind on the moon. .... This was an otherwise seemingly well-educated guy. He added that he thought subsequent landings were real. Just the first one was a hoax. Space race and all.

I contacted Jeff Chan via email and he kindly wrote back directing me to sound samples at allmusic. Unfortunately, either the format doesn't like Macs or there's something I'm doing wrong. Won't play. I feel pretty good about ordering "In Chicago" blind (or deaf, I guess) so I'll probably go ahead and snag that one shortly. Thanks for the help gents.

... Is this some kind of plot?

Buckley had nothing to do with the JFK assassination ... I think. He found much disagreement with the neocons who have hijacked the Republican Party, I believe. I recall reading somewhere that he was shunned during a conservative cruise a year or two ago for expressing views that weren't sufficiently bloodthirsty. He was an entertaining guy, more reasonable -- or reasoned -- than much of what passes for conservatism today, certainly. RIP.

Picked up a these at a new CD store I discovered. Lots of used stuff. Great prices. and ... with all the good discussion of the blues lately, picked up a compilation CD titled "Born for the Blues" that includes tracks by Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sonny Boy Williamson and Blind Boy Fuller among others.

The gorilla/orangutan/monkey photos are especially good. Love the dolphin, too. Thanks.

Thank you for posting that. A far more even-handed review, and one that I think gives me a much better sense of the book and the subject matter.

Oh yeah! Happy Birthday .... .....

Marsh's criticism is that the author is (pardon the phrase) whitewashing the history of the emergence of the Delta blues. Is this anywhere near an accurate criticism of the book Allen? Marsh points out that some prominent figures are barely discussed, or not discussed at all. He may be overly harsh in his review, but if these omissions are the case, doesn't he have a point? At the same time, I'm under the impression that there is some strength in Hamilton's argument, as far as I can understand it -- that there is no small degree of mythology built into how the blues emerged. That white record labels (among other factors) dictated the course of the music to an extent (who would play what, that sort of thing). Please forgive any misinterpretations I might have, but I'm curious about this. (Brutal review)

I hope not. ... I can handle cracked jewel cases, loose discs and all that, but busted prongs is a pain in the ass. Gotta pull the damn thing apart to get all the artwork out and stuff it it a new case. ... If you can buy new cases that hold 4 CDs, get a few for me MG Here's one (I think):

I hope not. ... I can handle cracked jewel cases, loose discs and all that, but busted prongs is a pain in the ass. Gotta pull the damn thing apart to get all the artwork out and stuff it it a new case. ...

After some poking around and sampling, just pushed the button on these three: The Quadromania was a super good deal. New copy, four CD set for $8.10 at amazon marketplace. So ... these will be my first taste of each of these players.

Thanks, appreciate that. I'll shoot him an email with the address alocispepraluger102 provided and see what happens. The Chicago scene is an area of interest. Sounds like it was a good move. Thanks again.

There's definitely something going on. Messenger and hotmail both kaput again here. ... My Verizon email is working fine though.