I am of the opinion that it is an American duty to culturally educate yourself on the etymology of the term "Wilbury."
I expect your essays on the topic on my desk first thing Monday morning, class. Now get out there and get some of that weekend sunshine.
Enjoy The Ride
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Singing Along with that Star-Spangled Bomber
G'day to you, freaks and freakettes. Let's cut right to the action.
From Wired.com: Prisoners Help Build Patriot Missiles
I'll give that a minute to sink in.
This story from Wired is a little old, dated March 8 of this year. The only reason I found it is because Disinfo.com shared the link with flavor text saying "file this in the 'in case you missed it' news cycle". And they were right. I for one sure as hell missed this.
Made even more relevant with the revelation of the profiteering involved in federal capital punishment unearthed with the death of Troy Davis, the article describes a corporation named Unicor involved in the system of federal prison labor. Previously called Federal Prison Industries, Unicor employs 20,000 federal inmates in over 70 prisons producing a veritable cornucopia of products ranging from clothing to office furniture, solar panels, and even military devices. *Cue Sesame Street's "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others"*
That's right. The incredibly specialized process of assembling these earth-shaking guided missiles is being performed by federal inmates for mere pennies. Ironic, especially considering these inmates would never be able to get a job doing the same thing on the outside world once they were released, due to having a criminal record. But what makes this even more insulting is the number of unemployed law abiding citizens who could use this kind of job offer. Apparently if you can train a prison inmate to do that job, then I'm guessing you don't need a college degree to be trained at the art.
Of course, Unicor's involvement in military production is not limited to guided missile components. They also created a tidy profit from selling helmets to the military, but they lost that contract when over 40,000 units were recalled due to shoddy quality. Sure makes you feel safe.
Some folks are born silver-spoon in hand
Lord, how they help themselves
From Wired.com: Prisoners Help Build Patriot Missiles
I'll give that a minute to sink in.
This story from Wired is a little old, dated March 8 of this year. The only reason I found it is because Disinfo.com shared the link with flavor text saying "file this in the 'in case you missed it' news cycle". And they were right. I for one sure as hell missed this.
Made even more relevant with the revelation of the profiteering involved in federal capital punishment unearthed with the death of Troy Davis, the article describes a corporation named Unicor involved in the system of federal prison labor. Previously called Federal Prison Industries, Unicor employs 20,000 federal inmates in over 70 prisons producing a veritable cornucopia of products ranging from clothing to office furniture, solar panels, and even military devices. *Cue Sesame Street's "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others"*
That's right. The incredibly specialized process of assembling these earth-shaking guided missiles is being performed by federal inmates for mere pennies. Ironic, especially considering these inmates would never be able to get a job doing the same thing on the outside world once they were released, due to having a criminal record. But what makes this even more insulting is the number of unemployed law abiding citizens who could use this kind of job offer. Apparently if you can train a prison inmate to do that job, then I'm guessing you don't need a college degree to be trained at the art.
Of course, Unicor's involvement in military production is not limited to guided missile components. They also created a tidy profit from selling helmets to the military, but they lost that contract when over 40,000 units were recalled due to shoddy quality. Sure makes you feel safe.
Some folks are born silver-spoon in hand
Lord, how they help themselves
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
See No Evil
The Three Monkeys are alive and well. Spreading their mantra through churches in Italy.
Hear No Evil
Speak No Evil
See No Evil
From NBCNewYork.com: Italian Worshiper Tears Both Eyes Out at Mass
Talk about feeling the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ.
Aldo Bianchini, 46, told the surgeons who were unable to save his eyesight that he tore out his eyes with his own bare hands during the sermon at a church near Pisa, Italy because "the voices in his head told him to do it." Parishioners reported watching in horror as the man began clawing at his face in an effort to gouge out his eyes, a feat that Bianchini's surgeon says requires super human strength. Not to mention a steel will and determination.
Father Lorenzo Tanganelli, who was delivering the sermon that day, said he called for assistance as soon as he discovered the cause for the commotion coming from the back of the parish, but paramedics were unable to arrive in time to prevent the Biblically grotesque self-mutilation. Bianchini was taken away to the nearest hospital, and a shaken Father and his flock continued in celebrating mass. Of course, while many of the faithful departed from church early that day, with the dedication of a vaudeville barker Tanganelli decided "The Show Must Go On." Likely he had not reached the point in the program where the collection plate gets passed around.
My question is, in a church full of so-called Good Samaritans, how was it that a man can cause such a ruckus without someone tackling him before he caused irreparable harm to himself? Surely you would think that at least one concerned member of the fold would have jumped to offer aid. Or an even better question - how the hell does NBC get off on calling this reporting without telling us what the topic of the Father's sermon was? They make a weak and contrived connection to the Gospel with a reference to Matthew's description of Jesus' famous quote saying "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell", but fail to say if that was the actual topic of the day. I for one am certainly curious to know which of these hallowed pages caused a man to be so consumed by the light and glory of the Lord.
In any case, it sounds to me like a loud revival of the old days of the fire and brimstone church. This is some serious Event Horizon shit right here. Old Testament style Wrath of the Righteous, Damnation of the Sinners, and so on.
Pure Evil by movieclips
All I know is somebody better call up Larry Fishburne before The Ride gets any more out of control.
Hear No Evil
Speak No Evil
See No Evil
From NBCNewYork.com: Italian Worshiper Tears Both Eyes Out at Mass
Talk about feeling the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ.
Aldo Bianchini, 46, told the surgeons who were unable to save his eyesight that he tore out his eyes with his own bare hands during the sermon at a church near Pisa, Italy because "the voices in his head told him to do it." Parishioners reported watching in horror as the man began clawing at his face in an effort to gouge out his eyes, a feat that Bianchini's surgeon says requires super human strength. Not to mention a steel will and determination.
Father Lorenzo Tanganelli, who was delivering the sermon that day, said he called for assistance as soon as he discovered the cause for the commotion coming from the back of the parish, but paramedics were unable to arrive in time to prevent the Biblically grotesque self-mutilation. Bianchini was taken away to the nearest hospital, and a shaken Father and his flock continued in celebrating mass. Of course, while many of the faithful departed from church early that day, with the dedication of a vaudeville barker Tanganelli decided "The Show Must Go On." Likely he had not reached the point in the program where the collection plate gets passed around.
My question is, in a church full of so-called Good Samaritans, how was it that a man can cause such a ruckus without someone tackling him before he caused irreparable harm to himself? Surely you would think that at least one concerned member of the fold would have jumped to offer aid. Or an even better question - how the hell does NBC get off on calling this reporting without telling us what the topic of the Father's sermon was? They make a weak and contrived connection to the Gospel with a reference to Matthew's description of Jesus' famous quote saying "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell", but fail to say if that was the actual topic of the day. I for one am certainly curious to know which of these hallowed pages caused a man to be so consumed by the light and glory of the Lord.
In any case, it sounds to me like a loud revival of the old days of the fire and brimstone church. This is some serious Event Horizon shit right here. Old Testament style Wrath of the Righteous, Damnation of the Sinners, and so on.
Pure Evil by movieclips
All I know is somebody better call up Larry Fishburne before The Ride gets any more out of control.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
To the Moon, Comrade!
Greetings, psychonauts!
Bet you thought I forgot about you today, didn't ya? Well, no such luck! Here we go.
Today on The Ride, a look back in history. On this day, October the 4th, in the year 1957, the Soviet Union cut the ribbon on the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik. Sputnik, named for the Russian word for "satellite", was launched into the night sky over the Kazakh Republic, where it began its 4 month journey whipping around the Earth, completing an orbit roughly once ever hour and a half.
Of course, what most people (in the United States at least, I can't speak for the rest of the world) remember about Sputnik is not the awe-inspiring achievement of the first artificially constructed satellite being launched into the heavens, but rather the fevered and wild fear that accompanied the fact that it was the Russians, the mortal enemy of our great nation, had made this accomplishment. And they simply couldn't be trusted.
Officially, Sputnik was launched to gather data and broadcast it back to Earth over a simple radio transmission. Any amateur radio operator with the right gear could tune in as Sputnik flew over their corner of the world and listen to the steady beeps of the transmission. Of course, in the social climate of the Cold War, being able to listen as a Soviet satellite flew invisible over your head every 90 minutes results in a prime breeding ground for panic and paranoia. And thus, the Space Race was born!
After all, it simply wouldn't do to all those pinko scum to control the very heavens. Mastery of the celestial sphere could only belong to good, God-fearing American capitalist interests. And so, in January of 1958, the United States had launched its first satellite in response to the Soviets. Of course, by this time Sputnik's orbit had already deteriorated, causing it to fall from the sky. But by the time the US had launched their satellite, the USSR was already on to bigger and better things with Sputnik 2, which they used to launch the first dog into space. In fact, the Soviets remained steadfast in keeping their spot at the front of the space race, until of course the US made a fantastic leap by placing the first man on the moon with the Apollo missions. But we won't get into the complexity of that argument now.
And here we stand, 54 years later. The Soviet Union has been dissolved. The United States stands supreme in their position as a super power, at least for now. Yet what I find interesting, in this post-Cold War world, is that the loss of freedom that so concerned the ruling political body of that era appears to have come about at its own hands. I know I keep bringing this up, but the daily footage from the Occupy Wall Street protests do a lot to show you the kind of police state we live in in America these days. And what kind of videos do we see from Russia? Well, how about this one.
That's right. A fucking motorcycle with a full drum kit and guitar amplification. When I first saw this video, the first thing that went through my head was "This has to be the most American thing I have ever seen." Until I read the description and discovered it was filmed on a Russian highway. How's that for freedom? Those guys aren't even wearing helmets! Meanwhile, in New York City, the police are herding people like cattle into precincts to keep them from disrupting the continued abuse of the American public at the hands of the capitalist bankers we spent years fighting the communists to protect.
It's a Brave New World kids. Strap in.
The Ride is always getting Weirder.
Bet you thought I forgot about you today, didn't ya? Well, no such luck! Here we go.
Today on The Ride, a look back in history. On this day, October the 4th, in the year 1957, the Soviet Union cut the ribbon on the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik. Sputnik, named for the Russian word for "satellite", was launched into the night sky over the Kazakh Republic, where it began its 4 month journey whipping around the Earth, completing an orbit roughly once ever hour and a half.
Of course, what most people (in the United States at least, I can't speak for the rest of the world) remember about Sputnik is not the awe-inspiring achievement of the first artificially constructed satellite being launched into the heavens, but rather the fevered and wild fear that accompanied the fact that it was the Russians, the mortal enemy of our great nation, had made this accomplishment. And they simply couldn't be trusted.
Officially, Sputnik was launched to gather data and broadcast it back to Earth over a simple radio transmission. Any amateur radio operator with the right gear could tune in as Sputnik flew over their corner of the world and listen to the steady beeps of the transmission. Of course, in the social climate of the Cold War, being able to listen as a Soviet satellite flew invisible over your head every 90 minutes results in a prime breeding ground for panic and paranoia. And thus, the Space Race was born!
After all, it simply wouldn't do to all those pinko scum to control the very heavens. Mastery of the celestial sphere could only belong to good, God-fearing American capitalist interests. And so, in January of 1958, the United States had launched its first satellite in response to the Soviets. Of course, by this time Sputnik's orbit had already deteriorated, causing it to fall from the sky. But by the time the US had launched their satellite, the USSR was already on to bigger and better things with Sputnik 2, which they used to launch the first dog into space. In fact, the Soviets remained steadfast in keeping their spot at the front of the space race, until of course the US made a fantastic leap by placing the first man on the moon with the Apollo missions. But we won't get into the complexity of that argument now.
And here we stand, 54 years later. The Soviet Union has been dissolved. The United States stands supreme in their position as a super power, at least for now. Yet what I find interesting, in this post-Cold War world, is that the loss of freedom that so concerned the ruling political body of that era appears to have come about at its own hands. I know I keep bringing this up, but the daily footage from the Occupy Wall Street protests do a lot to show you the kind of police state we live in in America these days. And what kind of videos do we see from Russia? Well, how about this one.
That's right. A fucking motorcycle with a full drum kit and guitar amplification. When I first saw this video, the first thing that went through my head was "This has to be the most American thing I have ever seen." Until I read the description and discovered it was filmed on a Russian highway. How's that for freedom? Those guys aren't even wearing helmets! Meanwhile, in New York City, the police are herding people like cattle into precincts to keep them from disrupting the continued abuse of the American public at the hands of the capitalist bankers we spent years fighting the communists to protect.
It's a Brave New World kids. Strap in.
The Ride is always getting Weirder.
Monday, October 3, 2011
All ThoughtCrimes Will Be Persecuted
How we doin', kids?
Today on The Ride - we plunge back into the world of ethical journalism. Check this out.
From ButAsForMe.com: Orwellian NY Times: The Times Alters the Occupy Wall Street Storyline
As they say, a picture tells a thousand words. A quick look at the side by side comparison of an original piece posted to the New York Times website last night at 6:59 PM - laid next to the "updated and revised" version which was posted 20 minutes later at 7:19 PM - speaks volumes.
The original text of the story explains how the NYPD herded protesters from the OccupyWallStreet protest out onto the Brooklyn Bridge, where they could then begin to unjustifiably arrest the protesters en masse. 20 minutes later the words are completely changed. What once told the story of the unscrupulous methods employed by the police department to control the protesters now reads as a sensationalized account of a "tense showdown" between police and protesters. What once started as the police "allowing [protesters] onto the bridge" before arresting them, becomes protesters "marching onto the Brooklyn Bridge's roadway". And with a simple change of two quick sentences, the Gestapo-esque practices of the New York Police Department becomes the valiant efforts of a few good men trying to keep the streets safe for you and your family.
And where did these edits come from? Well, if you look at the story, the original text was authored by a man named Colin Moynihan. The story as it was updated 20 minutes later claims authorship by both Moyniha, and a man named Al Baker. Who is Al Baker, you ask?
So hooray for journalist integrity! Hooray for honesty in the media!! Hooray for America!
But above all - hooray for those beautiful protesters. Keep fighting the good fight. The Whole World is Watching.
Here is some footage from the Brooklyn Bridge incident from this weekend, accompanied by an interview from a protester who was actually there on the bridge. Watch the clip - you decide who to trust. Your neighbors - or the police.
Today on The Ride - we plunge back into the world of ethical journalism. Check this out.
From ButAsForMe.com: Orwellian NY Times: The Times Alters the Occupy Wall Street Storyline
As they say, a picture tells a thousand words. A quick look at the side by side comparison of an original piece posted to the New York Times website last night at 6:59 PM - laid next to the "updated and revised" version which was posted 20 minutes later at 7:19 PM - speaks volumes.
The original text of the story explains how the NYPD herded protesters from the OccupyWallStreet protest out onto the Brooklyn Bridge, where they could then begin to unjustifiably arrest the protesters en masse. 20 minutes later the words are completely changed. What once told the story of the unscrupulous methods employed by the police department to control the protesters now reads as a sensationalized account of a "tense showdown" between police and protesters. What once started as the police "allowing [protesters] onto the bridge" before arresting them, becomes protesters "marching onto the Brooklyn Bridge's roadway". And with a simple change of two quick sentences, the Gestapo-esque practices of the New York Police Department becomes the valiant efforts of a few good men trying to keep the streets safe for you and your family.
And where did these edits come from? Well, if you look at the story, the original text was authored by a man named Colin Moynihan. The story as it was updated 20 minutes later claims authorship by both Moyniha, and a man named Al Baker. Who is Al Baker, you ask?
From the NYT website: Al Baker, police bureau chief for The New York Times — and the son of a police lieutenant — brings you inside the nation’s largest police force every Thursday.Well then. Talk about conflicting interests interfering with the objectivity of the news. Astounding that the NYTimes resident police reporter and chief is allowed to make such extreme editorial decisions without any oversight. Unless of course, the NYTimes is no more trustworthy than FOX News, shaping the headlines until they are formed into a worthy tool for the indoctrination of its readership.
So hooray for journalist integrity! Hooray for honesty in the media!! Hooray for America!
But above all - hooray for those beautiful protesters. Keep fighting the good fight. The Whole World is Watching.
Here is some footage from the Brooklyn Bridge incident from this weekend, accompanied by an interview from a protester who was actually there on the bridge. Watch the clip - you decide who to trust. Your neighbors - or the police.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Yo man, let me get a nickel bag.
On March 1st 2011, I shared a story here on the blog talking about discussions being brought to the table with the goal of changing the laws in the Netherlands that allowed foreign tourists to legally purchase cannabis at their famed coffee shops.
Today, the hammer comes down with force.
From CNN.com: Dutch city's coffee shops close doors to most cannabis tourists
So here we have it. Seven months to the day after I first brought your attention to this story, we have the final word in.
First, take a quick breather. The decision, as it stands, only effects the city of Maastricht, and the ban only effects foreign tourists. The coffee-shops have agreed upon a "neighbor" policy, in which the only tourists that will be allowed to purchase cannabis legally are those holding passports from the neighboring nations of Belgium and Germany.
Shockingly, this decision has apparently come not from the lawmakers, but the Society of United Coffeshops. The police and judges will have no jurisdiction to enforce these regulations - that labor is laid solely on the backs of the proprietors of the coffee shops. The choice to bar these shops from foreign tourists came after the city council decided that "something had to be done" about the 2.2 million tourists per year that were clogging the city's narrow streets. Apparently, in this atrocious global economy, such flagrant and wanton spending from foreign bank accounts is simply unacceptable.
The concern here is that the barred doors will result in a rise of the illegal street trade. Say what you will about the laws regarding prohibition in the Netherlands, but one can not deny that they have successfully removed the criminal aspect of the trade from their society. As I said in my original post on 03/01/11 regarding the possibility of these changes, only time will tell how these changes in regulations will effect the black market in these cities.
Anything to keep these kind of animals off the streets, right kids?
"Prohibition is so gay...Fucking 80s style"
Today, the hammer comes down with force.
From CNN.com: Dutch city's coffee shops close doors to most cannabis tourists
So here we have it. Seven months to the day after I first brought your attention to this story, we have the final word in.
First, take a quick breather. The decision, as it stands, only effects the city of Maastricht, and the ban only effects foreign tourists. The coffee-shops have agreed upon a "neighbor" policy, in which the only tourists that will be allowed to purchase cannabis legally are those holding passports from the neighboring nations of Belgium and Germany.
Shockingly, this decision has apparently come not from the lawmakers, but the Society of United Coffeshops. The police and judges will have no jurisdiction to enforce these regulations - that labor is laid solely on the backs of the proprietors of the coffee shops. The choice to bar these shops from foreign tourists came after the city council decided that "something had to be done" about the 2.2 million tourists per year that were clogging the city's narrow streets. Apparently, in this atrocious global economy, such flagrant and wanton spending from foreign bank accounts is simply unacceptable.
The concern here is that the barred doors will result in a rise of the illegal street trade. Say what you will about the laws regarding prohibition in the Netherlands, but one can not deny that they have successfully removed the criminal aspect of the trade from their society. As I said in my original post on 03/01/11 regarding the possibility of these changes, only time will tell how these changes in regulations will effect the black market in these cities.
Anything to keep these kind of animals off the streets, right kids?
"Prohibition is so gay...Fucking 80s style"
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