2006 : wrap up

My 2006 was filled with a few highlights and luckily not too many real low points.

Best/favorite meal:
M Cafe in Los Angeles

Best shows:
-108 + Gather at 924 Gilman. (I haven't gone off like that in as long as I can remember. Even severely injuring my knee doesn't dampen that night.)
-Never Healed at The Woodpile. (People going off! House shows remind me of good ol' days.)
-Ceremony, Lights Out, Broken Needle, + more in Santa Barbara.

Best music:
-AFI - "decemberunderground". Easily my most listened to music of the whole year.
-Too $hort - "Keep Bouncin" & "Blow The Whistle". Short came back, jumped on hyphy, and kept me bouncin'.

Most fun I had might have been Folsom Street Fair in SF.

I also seriously enjoyed my vacation to San Diego and LA.


(thanx to all my family that I saw and who helped me get to SD. thanx to all my friends who I always cherish. thanx to Melanie.)

old Sammy Winston

Mr. Drunk Tommy conducted a video interview with Frisco Savage Sammy "The Mick" Winston.

Sammy is a serious veterano of the NorCal HC/punk scene and our scene is very proud to have him.
This interview shows how much an individual can contribute to a community and how much the community gives back to that person.

Well done.

(note: the volume is super low due to YouTube quality restrictions.)

Rosie's Chinese "accent"

racism:

Her "apology" is completely arrogant and shows even more racism:


note:
White people always want to be the one's deciding what is racist and what is not racist.
We/They do not want to cede the power of decision to those actually affected by racism.
This was excellently demonstrated by Rosie O'Donnel who insists that her "accent" was not racist (read: she is not racist) because her intetnion was humor and because she can find 3 Asian women who think she is funny.
Flip to Michael Richards who White people could easily declare racist only because he used the word "niggers." White people hate to acknowledge racism that isn't completely overt.

Rosie should be driven from her job.
The White Left really needs to pick up the slack here... even right-wing lunatic Michelle Malkin is deriding Rosie.

too good to pass up

Yul Kwon: race war Survivor

All over the entertainment news, they applaud Mr. Yul Kwon for winning the race war TV show Survivor and for supposedly breaking racist Asian stereotypes.

Now I realize that living in the Bay Area and interacting quite extensively with Asians, my perception of Asian men and Asian stereotypes may be a bit different than most White Americans but let's take a look at this.

I think "breaking stereotypes" for Asian men simply means being attractive.
As if it is a shock that Asian men can be sexy after we are all forcefed asexual deviants like Long Duck Dong.
As a matter of fact, that is the ONLY factor any of the media outlets applauding Kwon go into.

Beyond that, Kwon is as cookie cutter stereotypical as you can get to represent Asian Americans.
Yul Kwon is a first generation child of Korean immigrants in Northern California. After becoming his high school's valedictorian, he apparently went on to attend Stanford and Yale where he majored in symbolic systems, which includes cognitive science, computer science, logic and philosophy.
With his winnings, Kwon plans on caring for his parents.

I guess good hearted Liberals don't care about positive stereotypes.

All anyone can be shocked about is "He's tall, athletic, staggeringly handsome".

I am not putting any of this on Kwon.
He actually backed out of the race-war Survivor season before being coaxed back in.
Aside from his working with right-wing fuck Joseph Leiberman, attending USMC officer candidates school, and drafting sections of the Homeland Security Bill, I got no qualms with this Korean dude.

However until Americans and American media can address actual racial stereotypes of Asians, I don't wanna hear any self-congratulatory shit about being able to find an Asian man attractive.




(thanx Mel)

Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow

On 21 December, His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov Türkmenbaşy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers died of apparent cardiac arrest. It is speculated that he actually died days before the 21st and may have been poisoned.
Due to his possession of omnipotent power, I tend to go with the poisoning (Afterall those fuckin Uzbeks were after him!).

He will never be forgotten as several schools, airports and even a meteorite bare his great name. We also have the spiritual guidance of his Ruhnama.

Saparmurat Niyazov created the new Turkmen culture. That is no small feat!
He replaced words, names of months, even the alphabet.
This cultural task also demanded the banning of ballet, car radios, and beards.
In April 2004 he urged young people not to get gold tooth caps or gold teeth, suggesting instead that they chew on bones to preserve their teeth.

"Let the entire world know that there has never been a place for evil and violence on the blessed Turkmen soil"

Rancid punx

This weekend Rancid wrapped up their North American tour with 3 dates in SF.

I attended 2 of them (the 3rd was VIP invite only, so I was not cool enough).
I must admit these were my first times seeing Rancid live. Back when opportunities were aplenty, I was probably wouldn't admit to liking them or was not interested in the bands they played with.

Rancid is close to being one of the most solid bands to ever come from The Bay Area.
They play some of the best what-I-would-consider "folk music." Sure, I know they are a punk band but the lyrical narratives they weave stand well next to any "folk" artist.
(I am not as keen on any of Tim Armstrong's Hollywood projects.)

I am disappointed I missed Rancid with Brett Reed. I am even a little disappointed to see them carry on without him.
Another disappointment was lack of older cats in the crowd.

I am a little embarrassed to even admit how much I prefered the ska-influenced joints live.
The acoustic numbers were amazing!
The band was even joined by Jesse Michaels for the playing of OPIV's "Unity".

Big thanx to Mel for taking me!

Gangsta Gangsta

Right now, my favorite show on TV is American Gangster; BET's docu-series chronicalling notorious Black crime legends.
Or as BET puts it: "While exploring the lives of drug dealers, murderers and thieves, each "AMERICAN GANGSTER" episode will have a strong moral dimension. The Black victims of these criminals will be heard. Judgment will be passed, and amoral behavior censured."

The first episode featured Stanley "Tookie" Williams.

The highlight of this episode was the detailed history of the founding of the Crips.

The second episode was about "Freeway" Ricky Ross.

I was super hyped for this episode and it did not disappoint.
Ricky Ross IS crack cocaine! His entire empire was based on the CIA & Reagan's covert plan to move narcotics into the US to fund right-wing armies in Nicaragua.
I was super sad to find out that Gary Webb, the journalist who broke the story, got so much shit and couldn't get work that he killed himself.

The third and most recent episode's topic was Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols.

I didn't know much about this King of Queens NY before the program.
The most fascinating aspect of Nichols and associates' rise to power was how it ran parrallel to hip hop.
We got to see them partying with Melle Mel and Busy B. They rocked massive diamond bracelets and tossed money into crowds a full decade before hip hop stars did the same.
(I was juiced to finally learn about and see Pappy Mason- made famous to me for getting name dropped in "The World Is Yours" by Nas.)

Now within hip hop, you have a major beef centered around Nichols' associate, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff.

As ruthless as these 3 featured men were (/are), the pseudo-Robin Hood aspect they all seemed to possess is intriguing.
It is proof that often-times those who come from the same background as these men understand the complexities of their livlihoods as well as not necessarily embrace the laws dictated from outside of their communities.
_______________________________

I recently discovered a new blog that is extremely interesting.
Gorilla Convict Blog

Gorilla Convict is all about convicts, street legends, prison gangs, the mafia, life in the belly of the beast, and the drug game.

You can read a lot of interesting articles and interviews about
The Supreme Team/50Cent/Murder Inc beef
MS-13
Green Dragons


______________________________

Something a lot less gangster and probably a lot more important:

Check out Davy D's discussion with a barber in Lebanon about Black Americans.

Cal Robbins

J. Robbins (Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels) and his wife Janet Morgan's baby boy Cal was born with a serious genetic condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Though there is no cure for this condition, there are lots of treatments that promise to give Cal the best possible quality of life. Unfortunately, many of these, especially the alternative treatments, are not covered by health insurance.

You don't get rich pioneering hardcore punk. Giving so much music to our community doesn't get you healthcare.
We must look out for one another in this scene.

DeSoto Records are hoping you can see in your hearts to help them out now:

Gay Heroes

The supporting character of Zach on the TV show Heroes is gay.

Everyone knows that... including show creator Tim Kring and the show's writers (the show's official site admitting the character's sexuality in a transcript).

Then all of a sudden, Zach "is not gay for sure" according to an NBC spokesperson.
(The mention on the site transcript has been edited out.)

So... Why???
What (social?) pressure forced NBC to erase any homosexual from their hit show??

ویکیپدیا مرکز خراب اخبر است

The Iranian Foreign Ministry recently hosted the "International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust" and caused a big uproar in Europe and USA.

The conference was set up not to deny or confirm the holocaust of Jews by Nazis but to supposedly provide "an appropriate scientific atmosphere for scholars to offer their opinions in freedom about a historical issue."
This seems to be a kind of slap in the face to many European Liberal Democracies because such a discussion or debate would be illegal.
Questioning the extent of the holocaust is considered Holocaust denial and is illegal in twelve European countries including France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and Poland.

Furthermore, the conference was to explore " the hidden and unhidden angles of this most important political issue of the 20th century."
This is what gets Iran and specifically Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into trouble. Iran confronts the fact that the fallout of this holocaust has had ramifications. One such ramification that Iran especially likes to address is, of course, the construction of the Zionist state and the subjegation and oppression of native Palestinians.

"If the official version of the Holocaust is thrown into doubt, then the identity and nature of Israel will be thrown into doubt. And if, during this review, it is proved that the Holocaust was a historical reality, then what is the reason for the Muslim people of the region and the Palestinians having to pay the cost of the Nazis' crimes?"
-Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki

The conference brought a pretty wild group together.
It included David Duke: US racist fascist fuck (his new fucked up plastic surgery makes him look like a burn survivor!), several Europeans who deny the holocaust happened and have been imprisoned for such beliefs, and members of Jews United Against Zionism.
An invited Israeli Arab lawyer, Khaled Kasab Mahameed, was denied permission to attend the conference by Iran after the discovery of his holding Israeli citizenship. Iran does not grant visas to Israelis.

Now, I know the Nazis perpetrated a holocaust against Jews (along with Roma, Catholics, homosexuals, and others) during their reign but what interests me is that any discussion of this genocide is condemned if it is not pre-designed to support the state of Israel and Zionism.

Katrina: You forget?

Juvie didn't forget what happened and is still going on in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

a rose is a rose

Over the past couple of years I have come to witness a lot of people creating what I have come to call "subjective reality."

The author Derrick Jensen writes quite a bit on the subject.

One can deny the material facts and literally convince themselves of a subjective "reality" that makes them more comfortable and/or upholds their preconceived social constructs.

Someone can adopt the conventional language of a counter-culture or a progressive ideology without living according to either and believe themselves to be taking part.

Someone can subscribe in theory to oppose certain social codes (usually those of normality)yet pay no heed to that opposition in actual desires/beliefs/actions.

Someone can so convince themselves that others' actions have hidden/ulterior motives so that it is convincing that those actions fulfill a preconceived fear or assumption.

Oftentimes, someone will enter into a relationship that they want (on a surface level) to be atypical. Without applying a critical analysis of the relationship, they instead adhere to a delusional subjective language that confirms the objectives in language only.

Usually, someone uses subjective reality to define themself. One's notion of ideal or positive is affected by their social environment. Someone wants to be defined (both internally and externally) as a person that lives up to their social environment's positive attributes. Without paying anymore than lip service to these social atrtributes, someone usually just applies them to themself.
Someone might even defend their position by using the (now empty) language of their social ideals.

Chances are all of us reading this notice these atrributes. We probably can think of individuals that fit into some/all of these descriptions. None of us probably think it includes ourselves. Afterall, according to our (subjective?) realities, it doesn't apply to us.

epilogue:
None of this is to say that it is impossible to live in and apply objective ideas/"reality".
Quite the opposite; I firmly believe that we are capable of criticizing ourselves and others based on the honest application of ideas we believe to be true and based in material reality.

American Front

Yesterday, on the freeway around Lafayette/Walnut Creek a familiar insginia on a truck caught my eye:

I haven't seen this shit since the early 90's.

fuckin' Nazis!

Is this shit coming back??
Are we gonna have to mobilize to beat these boneheads out again??
Is this what we get for not remaining vigilante??

Fuck thinking Nazi imagery is cool.
Fuck right-wing kids.

Evanescence does AFI

Evanescence has made a career of faux-goth videos/image.
(Anything to distract our attention from the fact that the band is all fat nu-metal dudes, I guess.)

Did Evanescence just ask for a video that straight up bites AFI's "Love Like Winter"?!

Galactica shark jumping

Battlestar Galactica (the re-imagined series) was once a powerful political drama set against the backdrop of science fiction genocide and real world allegories.
The show reached its zenith (thus far - that's hopeful thinking) with the occupation/resistance story arc. We got to see the characters out of their usual environment adapting to new situations. We also got to see a somewhat realistic take on war/resistance that had obvious nods to the US occupation of Iraq. Viewership increased and the show seemed headed for only good things.
Then, all of a sudden Battlestar Galactica hit a fuckin brick wall!
All continuing plots disappeared and far-too-simplistic devices were used to create a space soap opera.

A Wired blog by Annalee Newitz details the biggest issues facing Battlestar Galactica.

10. Show co-creators Ron Moore and David Eick are both developing multiple other projects.

9. Crucial subplots are left danglings.

8. Rather than developing characters via personal transformation, character development is charted via hair length, presence/absence of beards, and weight gain/loss.

7. The only way the writers imagine they can showcase Edward James Olmos' considerable acting talents is via long-winded speeches.

6. Cylon threesomes. (I have to say that I am bored to death of the much hyped Cylon sub-plot -shane)

5. Too much intimacy with the mysterious Cylon makes them seem campy rather than scary.

4. Entire episodes are clumsily devoted to single-word social issues like "torture" and "genocide."

3. Next season will bring more flashback-heavy episodes.

2. A retcon turns Adama into the cause of the Cylons' attack on the twelve colonies. (I just keep telling myself that this is only Adama's guilt and not fact -shane)

1. Boxing is used as a thin excuse for an episode that could have been written (better) by shippers.


(thanx sergio)