Thursday, May 12, 2005
What the @#$! are we thinking?
Yet another repeated American utterance of:"International diplomacy? What's that?"
Yahoo News: Panel sends Bolton nomination to Senate
Is it too much to ask for condibushacheney to get it right just ONCE? If John Bolton gets appointed, we're ------ internationally. Yes, let's continue to foster hatred and contempt for all things USA around the globe. It's not like we're already hated enough or anything.
The guy criticized the United Nations openly. People who know him say he's got a temper. Not to mention that Idiot-in-Chief numero uno likes him.
Haven't you had enough, America?
Brandi at 4:07 PM
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
...
Hmm.
Brandi at 1:31 PM
Monday, May 09, 2005
The Coming Energy Crisis
Considering the average days most Americans are required to upkeep, early morning dedications to radio listening is understandibly hard-to-come-by. But, for those of you who missed last night's show of Coast-to-Coast AM, I feel I should at least provide a brief re-cap of the overall topic.
Weekend C2C host Art Bell welcomed guest James Howard Kunstler, a commentator, and author of The Long Emergency. Kunstler laid out what to expect, now that we are on the brink of global peak oil production. He predicted a long arc of depletion that will cause great hardships to the American economy. Suburbia, he declared, "is the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world," and will be particularly hard hit because it depends utterly on supplies of cheap oil. Its destiny is to become "dysfunctional and devalued," he opined.
Weekend C2C host Art Bell welcomed guest James Howard Kunstler, a commentator, and author of The Long Emergency. Kunstler laid out what to expect, now that we are on the brink of global peak oil production. He predicted a long arc of depletion that will cause great hardships to the American economy. Suburbia, he declared, "is the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world," and will be particularly hard hit because it depends utterly on supplies of cheap oil. Its destiny is to become "dysfunctional and devalued," he opined.
Yet large cities won't necessarily fare better in an era of energy shortages, he noted. The most successful places to live, he believes, will be smaller towns and cities that are in close proximity to local farms. "The age of the 3,000 mile Caesar salad is coming to an end," Kunstler quipped. American society will be "compelled to reorganize itself" focusing on localized efforts, he added.
National retail outlets like Wal-Mart will hit the skids by the end of the decade and regional areas dependent on cheap air conditioning such as the Southwest will face severe troubles, he forecast. Leadership in facing this upcoming crisis is lacking, said Kunstler. As a first step, he advocated for the restoration of a passenger rail system in the US, that would be akin to the efficient trains of Europe. This would help to boost national morale and get rid of the incentive to build more urban sprawl, he argued.
On tonight's show, which airs from 1 - 5 a.m. Eastern Time, will feature Author Frosty Woolridge, who will talk about how immigration and the overpopulation crisis in America will affect our resources and quality of life. For station affiliate information, reference the C2C Affiliates Page to find out where you can listen to Coast-to-Coast AM.
. at 10:14 PM
Monday, May 02, 2005
Blog Rings
The School for Doublethink is a member of the following blog rings:
PREVIOUS - NEXT - RANDOM - LIST
This site is a Reliable Alternatives net ring member.
Thanks to RingSurf
Brandi at 6:33 PM
See, this is what I'm talking about!
Today, while checking this blog at school, I clicked on the Military Free Zone link to show it to a classmate. The young white male behind me immediately cried out, "Oh good God, you people are so STUPID!" He followed with some kind of ironic apology and then turned his attention to the online quiz at the computer screen next to mine.I proceeded to explain to the classmate I was talking to how military recruiters are taking advantage of the underprivledged. The same boy interjected again, asking, "What other opportunities are there? If you're stupid, then you should join the military."
It's this exact apathy that explains why so many people get screwed over today and no one gives them a passing glance. This whole internationalist-NIMBY mentality that enforces the stereotype of the self-absorbed American. As human beings, I feel that we have an obligation to prolong humanity. And sending people over to die for a cause that they don't believe in is not the right way to go about that.
Read the full story here: http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/21897
Brandi at 6:03 PM
Sunday, May 01, 2005
RE: Big Brother is Watching You
I agree with Shiva in light of the large amount of examples exhibiting government intervention, observation, and control have come into my view more heavily now that 1984 is nearing completion. In addition to Shiva's link, here are two other sources of information I know of which (occasionally, if not frequently) go in-depth into matters such as this:- EducateYourself.com - (As of this posting) this website is currently down, but on the main page the creators have made a webform which you may fill out with your e-mail address so you can be notified when the site is launched (again). Educate Yourself is an independent online information and learning resource that goes in-depth, for the sake of semi-public awareness, on dyer matters ranging from the military draft, public and private surveillance (Re: Big Brotherish), to secret societies, and many other interesting topics. Online users should be aware: According to the site, some of the information that is published is such that the government 'does not want you to know anything about' and that your visit to the site will be tracked down by government computers which will identify you as an individual who has interest in matters that 'you are not supposed to be aware of'...which could possibly bookmark you as a candidate for private, future questioning? Anyhow, either timidman or risktaker, this is a site I recommend for anyone who thinks themselves a patriot.
- Coast-to-Coast AM - This international radio phenomenon (aptly put) is the most listened to late-nite radio talk program in the world. The first-time Coast-to-Coast listener will soon find out that the material discussed on the program varies contrastingly (at least in America) from that of common daytime talk radio. This program, which could be defined beyond the popular 'fair and balanced' status, has often introduced to thousands of listeners information pertaining that of the weird, top-secret, political, religious, social, scientific, technological, spiritual, and supernatural. The program, which airs nightly out of Los Angeles from 10 P.M. - 2 A.M. Pacific Time, is known for it's myriad - and often recurring - first-source guests. In an average month, the program can be host to scientists, ex-government workers (there's always a reason), wiccans, psychics, geological historians, spiritual and religious teachers, ghost-hunters, and more. Often times, at least once-a-week, Coast-to-Coast will host an Open-Lines night, during which listeners can call in and chat about their chosen experiences or discuss that night's default topic, which is a treat because Coast-to-Coast listeners prove to be some of the most informed, experienced, and peculiar in all of radio. To find out where you can listen to Coast-to-Coast AM, reference their Affliates Page.
. at 11:33 PM
Big Brother is Watching You.
Maybe it's all the hype around 1984, but I keep seeing these instances of the government trying to exercise oversight over the thoughts and opinions of its people.
Brandi at 2:33 PM
Friday, April 29, 2005
Musical Proves to be 'Too Cool for School'
Across the country in the area some conservatives have deemed the 'left-coast,' a high school is facing possible action by the school board against a musical which hasn't even opened yet.
The theatre department of La Cañada High School, of La Cañada Flintridge, California, is in the pre-production process of their stage production of "Bat Boy: The Musical," a satirical comedy, which is slated to open June 1.
The musical, awarded for its music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and book by Brian Flemming and Keythe Farley, is about the alienation and bigotry against a half-human, half-bat mutant as he tries to assimilate. The musical opened Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre on March 3, 2001, and played its final performance on Sunday, December 2, 2001. In 2001 it also won the awards for "Best Off-Broadway Musical" by The Outer Critics Circle and "Outstanding Musical" by The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway.
The "Bat Boy" character is based on a series of bizarre articles previously published in the supermarket tabloid The Weekly World News. Playbill.com reported, "The paper, known for publishing photos of U.S. presidents posing with aliens, reported about a grotesque half-child/half-bat who was extricated from a cave and went on a multi state blood sucking spree."
Parents concerned that the play is too racy for high school students, with its references to incest, rape, bestiality, and murder, have asked the school board to cancel the play, but the school board has yet to act. The supporters of the musical observe that shutting the play down would be ceasing to censorship.
The drama director and principal of the high school have recently held several meetings with parents in the community telling them that the play had been toned down. "Obviously, you are not going to have a rape scene in the middle of a high school play," said Principal Michael Leininger.
Earlier in March, a production of "Bat Boy" suffered more severe circumstances at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Students at the school who were planning to produce their production of the musical by Flemming and Farley in May, who had already cast the show and started rehearsals, were floored when Homestead Principal Dianne Moake yanked it from the school's performance season, with active support from Southwest Allen County Schools Superintendent Brian Smith. "I think the principal attempted to look at areas that would need to be modified and the list was large enough that the focus of the play was going to have to change," Smith said. "I concur."
The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reported that "sources familiar with the situation said Ed Koczergo,” the Homestead drama director and fine arts chairman, “had already modified the play’s offensive sections. The same sources said Koczergo offered to resign as drama director.”
In an interview with "Bat Boy" co-writer, Keythe Farley, The Journal Gazette learned more about the story's plot. Farley told them that in the story, "Three teenagers find the bat boy in a West Virginia cave, take him to a veterinarian in town, and the veterinarian’s wife sets out to teach manners and speech to the boy. When the boy becomes refined, he wants to become part of the town, but the town is having problems. Its coal mines have dried up, a plague is killing cattle and residents want a scapegoat. They choose the bat boy." The Gazette added, "Farley said two scenes in the play that some people might find objectionable involve animals getting frisky in the woods to encourage bat boy to do the same with a young woman and a separate explanation of how bat boy was conceived."
Concerning the story in Indiana, I am discouraged with (drama director) Mr. Koczergo's offer to resign as drama director of Homestead. His position, acting as if he did something wrong, will only encourage more school supervisors to start unnecessarily cracking down on faultless drama departments, which I see only as another step toward complete tyrannical censorship of the community forum.
While I understand why parents would be concerned about what sort of ideas their children might interpret from this show, I don't believe they are giving these high school students credit, as people on the brink of adulthood, for the ability to make a rational differentiation of the story's material and its meaning. A proper and less-peripheral attempt of dramatic analysis should be taken into consideration. While this show's storyline does involve mature themes, it takes only a level-headed critic to accept the encompassing positive message of “Bat Boy,” and to view the musical's (claimed) 'offensive' sections as devices that propel the message of the story.
“Bat Boy” is a story about people who wrongly look for the cause of their problems in other people, especially someone as noticeably different and irregular as Bat Boy. Do I smell an artistic attempt to publicly bring forth a morality tale which depicts how human intolerance and indecency can uproot behavior in others that might be amoral and unethical? Clearly, lessons such as these are more than appropriate for any student 14 and up.
Some advocates against the censorship of dramatic material would choose rather to drop a production of the show that was edited outside of the author’s intent, but I would rather the school board realize the value of such an opportunity to speak to youth. Even considering the thematic elements, most people would strongly agree that the overlying message of acceptance of peers is better than most of the other inspiring influences set out by music videos and godlike worshipped celebrities.
But then again, there will forever be those disagreeable boys and girls who suffer from nearsightedness.
The theatre department of La Cañada High School, of La Cañada Flintridge, California, is in the pre-production process of their stage production of "Bat Boy: The Musical," a satirical comedy, which is slated to open June 1.
The musical, awarded for its music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and book by Brian Flemming and Keythe Farley, is about the alienation and bigotry against a half-human, half-bat mutant as he tries to assimilate. The musical opened Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre on March 3, 2001, and played its final performance on Sunday, December 2, 2001. In 2001 it also won the awards for "Best Off-Broadway Musical" by The Outer Critics Circle and "Outstanding Musical" by The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway.
The "Bat Boy" character is based on a series of bizarre articles previously published in the supermarket tabloid The Weekly World News. Playbill.com reported, "The paper, known for publishing photos of U.S. presidents posing with aliens, reported about a grotesque half-child/half-bat who was extricated from a cave and went on a multi state blood sucking spree."
Parents concerned that the play is too racy for high school students, with its references to incest, rape, bestiality, and murder, have asked the school board to cancel the play, but the school board has yet to act. The supporters of the musical observe that shutting the play down would be ceasing to censorship.
The drama director and principal of the high school have recently held several meetings with parents in the community telling them that the play had been toned down. "Obviously, you are not going to have a rape scene in the middle of a high school play," said Principal Michael Leininger.
Earlier in March, a production of "Bat Boy" suffered more severe circumstances at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Students at the school who were planning to produce their production of the musical by Flemming and Farley in May, who had already cast the show and started rehearsals, were floored when Homestead Principal Dianne Moake yanked it from the school's performance season, with active support from Southwest Allen County Schools Superintendent Brian Smith. "I think the principal attempted to look at areas that would need to be modified and the list was large enough that the focus of the play was going to have to change," Smith said. "I concur."
The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reported that "sources familiar with the situation said Ed Koczergo,” the Homestead drama director and fine arts chairman, “had already modified the play’s offensive sections. The same sources said Koczergo offered to resign as drama director.”
In an interview with "Bat Boy" co-writer, Keythe Farley, The Journal Gazette learned more about the story's plot. Farley told them that in the story, "Three teenagers find the bat boy in a West Virginia cave, take him to a veterinarian in town, and the veterinarian’s wife sets out to teach manners and speech to the boy. When the boy becomes refined, he wants to become part of the town, but the town is having problems. Its coal mines have dried up, a plague is killing cattle and residents want a scapegoat. They choose the bat boy." The Gazette added, "Farley said two scenes in the play that some people might find objectionable involve animals getting frisky in the woods to encourage bat boy to do the same with a young woman and a separate explanation of how bat boy was conceived."
Concerning the story in Indiana, I am discouraged with (drama director) Mr. Koczergo's offer to resign as drama director of Homestead. His position, acting as if he did something wrong, will only encourage more school supervisors to start unnecessarily cracking down on faultless drama departments, which I see only as another step toward complete tyrannical censorship of the community forum.
While I understand why parents would be concerned about what sort of ideas their children might interpret from this show, I don't believe they are giving these high school students credit, as people on the brink of adulthood, for the ability to make a rational differentiation of the story's material and its meaning. A proper and less-peripheral attempt of dramatic analysis should be taken into consideration. While this show's storyline does involve mature themes, it takes only a level-headed critic to accept the encompassing positive message of “Bat Boy,” and to view the musical's (claimed) 'offensive' sections as devices that propel the message of the story.
“Bat Boy” is a story about people who wrongly look for the cause of their problems in other people, especially someone as noticeably different and irregular as Bat Boy. Do I smell an artistic attempt to publicly bring forth a morality tale which depicts how human intolerance and indecency can uproot behavior in others that might be amoral and unethical? Clearly, lessons such as these are more than appropriate for any student 14 and up.
Some advocates against the censorship of dramatic material would choose rather to drop a production of the show that was edited outside of the author’s intent, but I would rather the school board realize the value of such an opportunity to speak to youth. Even considering the thematic elements, most people would strongly agree that the overlying message of acceptance of peers is better than most of the other inspiring influences set out by music videos and godlike worshipped celebrities.
But then again, there will forever be those disagreeable boys and girls who suffer from nearsightedness.
- SOURCES FOR THIS STORY -
. at 8:35 AM
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
A Dedication...of sorts.
Just as a note, I'd like to pay my respects to every man, woman, child, and thing who has ever spoken up on account of their beliefs. To anyone who has ever believed in a cause through all the shit that other people disagree with. To anyone that has ever defended something or someone that didn't deserve persecution, even when their own image was in jeopardy. The world needs more people like that.Brandi at 3:09 PM