Well well - the Diocese of Bridgeport's unofficial homophobia gets a backhanded endorsement from Rome.... Now they can go right on denigrating and campaigning against gay rights and marriage in Connecticut with the Pope's blessing .... Oh wait, I think they already had that.....
The Episcopal Church in the U.S - half of which is somewhat gay friendly, is STILL at war with itself over the installation of gay bishops. I guess Rome is hoping to lure some of the homophobes and the breakaway congregations over to the Catholic camp by blessing certain parts of the Anglican liturgy to ease the transition and encourage conversions.
According to the New York Times, Cardinal William Levanda, who they cite as the Vatican's "chief doctrinal official" presented the plan at a news conference earlier today.
Of course I offer a remedy: Give up this anachronistic paternalistic god, along with all these man-made doctrines and leave the life and love commitments of the populace alone.
Here's a link to the New York Times article by Rachel Donadio
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/world/europe/21pope.html?hp
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Disingenuous insurance industry threatens consumers to keep status quo
OOOOH if you regulate us --- ooh we will just have to charge more and it will be your fault. You SEE HOW WE HELD THE LINE ON COST IN THE LAST TEN YEARS! HAHAHAHA. NOT.
No surprise here. Insurers don't want reform - they are making enormous ENRORMOUS profits!!! At the last minute before a vote - they have released this report that THEY BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.... hmmm, nothing slanted here oh no.. no ulterior motive....
Why should they want to change? Their anti-reform ads talk about a mysterious THEY who will choose what we can have or pay after reform. BUT WHAT THEY DON'T SAY IS THAT --- right now it's profit-seeking executives making huge salaries who choose! And they choose to terminate people with diseases or risk factors. After a lifetime of payments they can shuttle you off into NO COVERAGE LAND.
And the countries where universal insurance works are the same countries where the GOVERNMENT tells them what they can charge..... So either we need a public option or we need to tightly regulate glutenous insuranse companies who pay cadres of examiners to find ways to CUT your coverage any way they can.....
They have shown they can raise prices to astronomical levels all on their own - so lets try a little government intervention!
No surprise here. Insurers don't want reform - they are making enormous ENRORMOUS profits!!! At the last minute before a vote - they have released this report that THEY BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.... hmmm, nothing slanted here oh no.. no ulterior motive....
Why should they want to change? Their anti-reform ads talk about a mysterious THEY who will choose what we can have or pay after reform. BUT WHAT THEY DON'T SAY IS THAT --- right now it's profit-seeking executives making huge salaries who choose! And they choose to terminate people with diseases or risk factors. After a lifetime of payments they can shuttle you off into NO COVERAGE LAND.
And the countries where universal insurance works are the same countries where the GOVERNMENT tells them what they can charge..... So either we need a public option or we need to tightly regulate glutenous insuranse companies who pay cadres of examiners to find ways to CUT your coverage any way they can.....
They have shown they can raise prices to astronomical levels all on their own - so lets try a little government intervention!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Bent Pin: D. Jason Cooper & Karl Miller, post mortem on divinity - newlink
A new page is up on Bent Pin featuring a very funny bit of writing called God's Will by D. Jason Cooper as well as two poetic shorts by Karl Miller, called Communion Obsolescence and Once Last Insult. The combination twists the meaning of the works just a bit. Take a peek. <--this link has been repaired for the second time!!!!
UPDATE: Bent Pin closed in November of 2009. The Bent Pin Archive and Index are moving, albeit slowly.... to:
http://bentpinquarterly.blogspot.com Note: the author index now at http://bentpinquarterly.blogspot.com/p/author-index.html is part of the archive
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Gearing up for performance: testing the songs and the pipes
This past week at Wednesday Poetry both the open mic and the feature (Poet Will Nixon from Woodstock, NY), brought forth some novel and interesting material - and that always makes me happy. Nixon is a very funny guy which was a nice change from the heavy and the heart-rending - though those can be powerful. It was a great night. For me, I brought my guitar and tested out a song of mine that I had rescued from my forgotten tunes pile... It's called I Bet It All On You -You can listen to it over on my Youtube page. First I read it as a slam-syle poem, then I played it. The audience was very kind and appreciative.
I am getting ready for the four forty-minute sets deal again, and trying to bring the songs I used to play back into working memory. I am right at the stage of prep, where my voice sounds good, and words come, but sometimes right in the middle of something, I draw a blank on the next chord. I know this means I need to get out there to open mics as much as I can to harden up the muscle memory again. Over the years, I have learned that muscle memory really helps in performing and the only way to seal the memory is to heat it up repeatedly (sort of like the hardening process for metals) - that is, to play under fire in front of an audience over and over.
So, I thought I would re-enforce my Wed, Night experience with a little Friday trip. So Friday I rolled down the hill to a nearby open mic - one that's not advertised much - at the East Coast Music Mall. Customers and students are invited at checkout or during their lessons. It's really open mic/jam every other Friday night from six to nine, right in the store. (Sometimes it's weekly call the store for details) There are lots of under-age players with their parents. It's a nice supportive environment for young players to get used to an audience.
Nonetheless, this old bat (me) waded on in there and signed the list. There were other gray heads as well as a metal head or two, and styles ranging from folk to jazz with a lot of rock sandwiched in the middle. When my time came, I asked for advice on the settings of my Cort's builtin equalizer and pickup, then I said hello and gave my name, and launched into the first tune. I played "I Bet It All On You" and "Love Makes You Free" and then tried to quit -- but the audiences requested one more (you get a full 15 minutes), I turned to the sound guy. "I know you have at least one more tune in there..." he said so I played "Smooth As A Wishing Stone"(Long pond is cold) too.
Folks there were so very kind... Both the parents and the young players were very complimentary and encouraging. A couple suggested I should go on the coffee house circuit. Another said he was glad I played the extra tune and that he would have been happy with a half hour more or so.... Of all the things I do and have done - my own songs with my own voice yield the most positive responses....
Like the little polish priest Father Olbrys told me "Choose to do that which only you can do......" Though I am a firm atheist, I'm running with his advice.....
I am getting ready for the four forty-minute sets deal again, and trying to bring the songs I used to play back into working memory. I am right at the stage of prep, where my voice sounds good, and words come, but sometimes right in the middle of something, I draw a blank on the next chord. I know this means I need to get out there to open mics as much as I can to harden up the muscle memory again. Over the years, I have learned that muscle memory really helps in performing and the only way to seal the memory is to heat it up repeatedly (sort of like the hardening process for metals) - that is, to play under fire in front of an audience over and over.
So, I thought I would re-enforce my Wed, Night experience with a little Friday trip. So Friday I rolled down the hill to a nearby open mic - one that's not advertised much - at the East Coast Music Mall. Customers and students are invited at checkout or during their lessons. It's really open mic/jam every other Friday night from six to nine, right in the store. (Sometimes it's weekly call the store for details) There are lots of under-age players with their parents. It's a nice supportive environment for young players to get used to an audience.
Nonetheless, this old bat (me) waded on in there and signed the list. There were other gray heads as well as a metal head or two, and styles ranging from folk to jazz with a lot of rock sandwiched in the middle. When my time came, I asked for advice on the settings of my Cort's builtin equalizer and pickup, then I said hello and gave my name, and launched into the first tune. I played "I Bet It All On You" and "Love Makes You Free" and then tried to quit -- but the audiences requested one more (you get a full 15 minutes), I turned to the sound guy. "I know you have at least one more tune in there..." he said so I played "Smooth As A Wishing Stone"(Long pond is cold) too.
Folks there were so very kind... Both the parents and the young players were very complimentary and encouraging. A couple suggested I should go on the coffee house circuit. Another said he was glad I played the extra tune and that he would have been happy with a half hour more or so.... Of all the things I do and have done - my own songs with my own voice yield the most positive responses....
Like the little polish priest Father Olbrys told me "Choose to do that which only you can do......" Though I am a firm atheist, I'm running with his advice.....
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Bent Pin: Cortney Davis, Stephen Muret, Ken Pobo, Lisa Siedlarz
POST ABOUT MY NOW DEAD EZINE:
This week's Bent Pin is unusual in that it features four writers instead of the usual pair. Each work offers a different twist on religion. I have titled the page brand loyalties, since there are so many competing varieties of religion. Take a peekFriday, September 25, 2009
At the Monday J-Cherry Open Mic
Went to Middletown Monday night to check out the J-Cherry Anything-goes Open Mic at the Buttonwood Tree. I found at least one person I know there -, that wildman beataphile poet Sympetalous. He gave one of his energetic type 60's style poetry performances. The posting below which I found on YouTube is not the performance I heard. But it gives you the idea....
As you can see from this video, one really fine feature of this open mic is the music folks will sort of jam behind the poets, so Stan had a backup band more or less. This also happened behind a poetess who's name I am not sure of. It worked out fairly well both times. They have congas, and some chime style percusion, sometimes someone has a keyboard or a guitar etc. You really don't know what will transpire here. Once a musician named Tom who had improvised an a capella song, got up and tap danced!
Got a chance to hear a relatively new duo Spencer and Sparks. Their harmonies worked very well and they sang original material. They are working on a CD to be out soon.
I played three of my original songs, I Bet It All On You, Love Makes You Free and Wishing Stone. and plugged my myspace page. I was a little surprised to get up there and find behind the music stand, a tiny olympus digital recorder with its red recording light on.
You can hear one recording of Spencer ad Sparks on the event's myspace page where some of those recordings end up. And as you can see from the video above sometimes someone puts it on YouTube as well.
This did give me pause for thought that anytime you perform in public someone maybe recording you with one these tiny devices or with their phone - and if you are having an off night or just testing something out - well, some one posses it out there. Maybe without your knowledge or permission. Anyway its something to ponder in this new world file sharing world. And even before the recording question came up - it's long been a world where singers and bands cover their favorite famous performers and never ever credit the actual songwriter......
As you can see from this video, one really fine feature of this open mic is the music folks will sort of jam behind the poets, so Stan had a backup band more or less. This also happened behind a poetess who's name I am not sure of. It worked out fairly well both times. They have congas, and some chime style percusion, sometimes someone has a keyboard or a guitar etc. You really don't know what will transpire here. Once a musician named Tom who had improvised an a capella song, got up and tap danced!
Got a chance to hear a relatively new duo Spencer and Sparks. Their harmonies worked very well and they sang original material. They are working on a CD to be out soon.
I played three of my original songs, I Bet It All On You, Love Makes You Free and Wishing Stone. and plugged my myspace page. I was a little surprised to get up there and find behind the music stand, a tiny olympus digital recorder with its red recording light on.
You can hear one recording of Spencer ad Sparks on the event's myspace page where some of those recordings end up. And as you can see from the video above sometimes someone puts it on YouTube as well.
This did give me pause for thought that anytime you perform in public someone maybe recording you with one these tiny devices or with their phone - and if you are having an off night or just testing something out - well, some one posses it out there. Maybe without your knowledge or permission. Anyway its something to ponder in this new world file sharing world. And even before the recording question came up - it's long been a world where singers and bands cover their favorite famous performers and never ever credit the actual songwriter......
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Molly Darcy's with Future Tense
Last Saturday I was at a writer's meeting all day, and drank about four pots of coffee. So Saturday night, at about 9:30pm I hit on the idea of going out, since I was still raging on with the after-effects!
So I went to Molly Darcy's where I knew a few friends and relatives were taking a rock band called Future Tense. It was a great time and I really enjoyed myself in the crazy rock 'n roll madness of the evening: with a great band, blinking lights, dry ice smoke, a packed dance floor, a multi-generational crowd, Mike and Paulette at the mic - and Dave that great bass-player, DR on the keys, was that Ed Lange on the drums? The new guitar guy spun out some great solos too.
This band has just been together for decades and it shows because they are tight! For the facebook group, they have a fan page there..... it's at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Future-Tense/58230551679?ref=ts
So I went to Molly Darcy's where I knew a few friends and relatives were taking a rock band called Future Tense. It was a great time and I really enjoyed myself in the crazy rock 'n roll madness of the evening: with a great band, blinking lights, dry ice smoke, a packed dance floor, a multi-generational crowd, Mike and Paulette at the mic - and Dave that great bass-player, DR on the keys, was that Ed Lange on the drums? The new guitar guy spun out some great solos too.
This band has just been together for decades and it shows because they are tight! For the facebook group, they have a fan page there..... it's at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Future-Tense/58230551679?ref=ts
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