There are few spirits with more mythology and lore than absinthe. Loved by many, loathed by as many, and known in name only to the majority. Absinthe began as a medicine, became a popular drink, obtained a cult-like status, was made illegal, and has a new life thanks to the rebirth of the craft cocktail renaissance. Absinthe or …
Ummm, I worked this morning and was grabbing groceries, etc. on the way home. The gentleman behind me in line insisted on paying for my whole cart. I said I still need to get ice. He said plz get two…
“…they call us heroes on the killing floor…” Haunting tune. https://www.facebook.com/heyheydellamae According to their Wikipedia entry, “Their name, “Della Mae” comes from the song, “Big Spike Hammer.”
Darren McKellin is well known around Tokyo as an avid practitioner of meditation and proponent of mindful action in all settings. He is also a gifted storyteller with an advanced sense of humor which he uses to challenge those around him to be better versions of themselves. I’m delighted that Darren has written Mind over …
“The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Why is the U.S. government so reliant on the use of threats, coercion, and military force around the globe, and why can’t our “policymakers” admit it is not working? The latest death and destruction in Afghanistan, with …
Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer / Portland Timbers Quoting former NFL coach Jim Mora from his famous postgame rant is kind of a cheap shot, but after the Portland Timbers fell 6-2 to archrival Seattle Sounders at home Sunday night, it’s apt. Despite an uneven season so far, the Timbers are still in line, somehow, for …
Bela Koe-Krompecher‘s new non-fiction book titled Love, Death and Photosynthesis chronicles the lives of several friends in the midwest independent rock scene of the late 1980’s and 1990’s. Today he has released a curated playlist of songs from the book and that inspired the book alongside a Book Trailer video, both debuting alongside a New Noise Magazine feature. With acclaim from Hanif Abdurraqib, …
Visited the George Floyd Memorial and Prince’s home/recording studios today. In the first pic (above), the blue chalk locates the exact spot where George was murdered.
One oft-overlooked aspect of the residential schools in Canada – run mostly by the Catholic Church and the Church of England in Canada, in conjunction with the government – is that the perpetrators documented their activities. Documented experiments such as introducing a child with tuberculosis to a classroom, and seeing how many others would contract …
Jews are being physically assaulted in London, Toronto, Belgium, Montreal, NYC, Florida, and here in LA. Synagogues are being vandalized all over the west. Chants of “Rape Jewish daughters!” “Who here is a Jew?” (Before beating random diners at a restaurant). Blood libel in our media, the mouths of colleagues, the well of the US …
NASHVILLE, Tenn – Country music standout, Patrick Gibson praises God and country with the release of his latest single titled, “The American Prayer.” This single stands firm to back the blue and show gratitude for the men and women that put their lives on the line daily for our safety. Gibson symbolizes the power of prayer and urges …
SMHSMHSMH. “I woke up this morning and I got myself a [rude awakening].” George Floyd Part II. WTF! I wrote in August 2020 about George Floyd and my familiarity with the site of the civil unrest in Minneapolis: https://www.eastportlandblog.com/2020/08/24/bola-wrap-non-lethal-police-tool-for-use-in-mental-health-crisis-interventions-by-mark-erickson/ This morning greeted me with the murder of Daunte Wright, another unarmed Black Male being murdered …
2020 needs to go to a corner and think about what it did this past year. What ill would next befall the land? Well, on December 37th, which was the first day of Epiphany where we pray for a shining light to guide us through the darkness, a rabid, repulsive, and revolting mob of insurgents …
Seattle firebrand songwriter Rawb Middleton wrote this awesome protest song last year and shares this lyric video with you today to amplify his message. Please listen. Here’s how I described it a year ago: “But the wildest, awesomest and most subversive tune is a red hot and perfect send up of southern call and response …
Twenty-four days ago my Dad died after a grueling three-year stay in a nursing home that he called his “jail cell.” Dad succumbed to a rare, progressive and irreversible neurological disease of unknown origin that is not hereditary. I wrote his obituary, and wanted to include Dad’s humble origins, which is why I wrote “born in a …
It’s astounding…time is fleeting…and the 2020 election is nearly here. Earlier in this unthinkable year, everyone’s favorite rock band Tenacious D – comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass – announced they would be touring throughout the fall in Swing States across the country to help encourage a massive voter turnout in this year’s election. Called “The Purple Nurple Tour – Twisting Hard …
My wife and I left Illinois for the first time in 2020 to take a much needed break. Earlier this year we canceled trips to Utah (to see several national parks) and to Barcelona. Last week we drove into Michigan to visit the Sleeping Bear dunes and Mackinac Island in lieu of Barcelona to celebrate …
In 2019, Iceland’s Hatari (meaning “hater” in the native tongue) qualified for the Eurovision music contest, which was created in 1956 in the aftermath of WWII. Tel Aviv, Israel, hosted the event that year, a year that also included the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to support Palestinians trapped in the Israeli apartheid state. …
John Lomacang Delivers the Best Sermon Since the Sermon on the Mount. It is titled, “Shaken.” https://www.amazingfacts.org/
Colin Kaepernick on police use of force against people of color "As police officers continue to terrorize black and brown communities, abusing their power and then hiding behind their blue wall of silence and the laws that allow them to kill us with virtual impunity…"Powerful words from Colin Kaepernick.#BlackLivesMatter #RightsNow Posted by Amnesty International USA …
For the most part, life while sheltering in place hasn’t been that much different since my last entry three weeks ago. Same routine of working from home, exercising in the evenings, grocery shopping on the weekends in a mask while using a precious bottle of sanitizer in my car in between stops. My supply comes …
A handful of words often tell you everything you need to know. When asked, who is Kate Tempest? She gives a brief, albeit telling answer. “Kate Tempest is the words,” she responds. You haven’t ever seen, heard or experienced anyone quite like her. Tempest uncovers the missing link between the Golden Ages of literature and hip-hop. The …
I can’t stop thinking about how I saw Jamaicans struggle with choosing data on their phones over food. I kept thinking that eventually that day would come for the average American. I have seen the homeless with laptops and smartphones. I have a homeless friend that depends on social media as an escape from his …
This is a nightmare. I better come out of this thing like Robert f☆cking Johnson. Not the dead version. Well at least Woody Guthrie. Not the one Bob Dylan sang to in a hospital bed. There a few possible outcomes and endless variations. At a certain point as touring and venues either collapse or stay …
You know what bugs me every single day and says to me that nobody is really at the wheel? The dog sh☆t lie that musicians are non essential. Not essential to what? Art is what keeps people alive. It’s essentially suicide prevention. People don’t want to admit it, and some people don’t know it, but …
For Biden to win in November he needs to deliver what he said Bernie could not. The former Vice President must do this after killing Bernie’s campaign like Wellington and the Coalition that brought down Napoleon: No… more like Lyndon B Johnson signing overdue Civil Rights legislation after JFK was killed by the interests of …
Not much different to report from my corner of the world this week. Grocery stores are tightening their social distancing policies, almost by the day, with some items returning to the shelves and others disappearing. Authorities seem increasingly to be acknowledging publicly that the situation is going to last much longer than was previously hoped, …
Trump plays checkers. All he does is jump back and forth over people and then he says, “King me”. He’s not sophisticated. He just makes a huge commotion, and while he steals what ever used to be headlines, his accomplices steal more sh☆t while nobody’s looking. Stop acting like it’s more complicated than that. When …
If destroying the dominance of the American dollar was your game, Donald Trump is your name. In less than four years he not only undid what Obama rightly did, he is taking it back. Way back. Way past Eisenhower. He’s going back to Hoover. The American dollar is now backed by Trump Steaks and sweat …