Google It!
It is becoming a cliche. Someone makes a claim. Someone else asks for a source, asks what they mean, or challenges the bully in any way. The knee jerk response is to say Google It, frequently accompanied by an insulting comment about not knowing how to do online research. Is this the best way to handle the situation?
If you go to the shrine of the search engine, and submit Google It, the first page of results is connected to the information colossus. On the second page, you get the mandatory Urban Dictionary result: “An answer to a question that you are too lazy to answer.” There is also the inevitable arrogant joke-page: www.justfuckinggoogleit.com.
“Google Is Your Friend. All Smart People Use Google. It Appears That You Are Not One Of Them. Someone thinks you are an idiot because you were too stupid to check Google before asking a question. They gave you a link to this site as a joke. The fact that you followed it pretty much proves the point. Hope that helps. Have a nice day.” Idiots Served: 1344482
The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away. “Google does not endorse this site, and is not associated with it in any way whatsoever. I have added an information page” “WARNING: SITE ABUSES It has come to my attention that some sites are redirecting to this one when their users were not expecting it. I have no control over this. The only sites I have control over that have anything to do with this site are http://www.justfuckinggoogleit.com, and http://www.fuckinggoogleit.com. If any other site is sending you here, it is their problem, not mine. They may have been hacked, or they may be playing a joke. I don’t know, and I can’t do anything about it. Please stop sending me e-mail about this issue. Please direct abuse reports or server problems to webmaster@justfuckinggoogleit.com”
Should you respond, to requests for information, with those eight magic letters, Google It? As you may have gathered by now, saying GI is both arrogant, and intellectually lazy. It has bully overtones… I am telling you this, and how dare you challenge me? In a academic setting, GI is not a replacement for a footnote. Links are easy to install. You should show where you get your information.
Google is agenda neutral, unless your program includes sponsored search results. In other words, when someone accepts your dare to Google It, they may find out something you do not want them to know. If you want someone to learn what you want them to learn, you can control the process by including a link. If they want to challenge this, and Google It, they are free to do so.
@ShaunKing 7 people were killed by American police…YESTERDAY. That’s more people than police in most developed nations kill in an entire year. @RealMarr Post the stories, id like to read about them @clanie There’s a thing called the internet you can possibly find them on your own if you’re truly curious @RealMarr Wow lol pretty pissy on a Friday @clanie Suggsting someone do their own research is pissy? You’re too sensitive bro
When the going gets tough, the tough Google It. PG decided to investigate. Seven People Killed By Police was the result. None of the SPKBP involved questionable police conduct. When you shoot at police, they are going to shoot back. @ShaunKing probably was trying to stir the pot with his tweet. A bit of research (actually, a couple of hours worth) shoots his agenda down effectively. Pictures for today’s entertainment are from The Library of Congress.
Tim Curry
Tim Curry was born seventy one years ago today. It would be quite a while before April 19 was known as got a minute day. Mr. Curry is an actor, singer, and all around phenomenon. The role that made him a star was Frank-n-Furter in ” The Rocky Horror Show”.
Mr. Curry is best known for playing a flamboyant transvestite. His wikipedia page does not discuss his personal life. If you go to google, and type “is tim curry” the top five results are gay, married, dead, alive, died. A visit to some of the sites listed gave no definite answers. One of the sites tried to slip a *trojan horse* into this machine. Some things are better left a mystery.
After Dr. Furter went back to Transylvania, Mr. Curry made rock and roll albums. In 1978, a tour was put together to promote his vinyl debut. The first show in the United States was at the Agora Ballroom in Atlanta GA. PG was in the audience.
Riding into town on the 23 Ogelthorpe bus, PG got to talk to some ladies who were in town for a conference. They were worried about the crime. PG tried to reassure them by telling a recent news story. This lady was having breakfast in a downtown hotel, when she put her purse down on the floor. A handgun her husband had given her went off when the handbag hit the ground. The ladies breakfast companion was hit and killed.
Mr. Curry walked onstage eating a banana, grabbed a stool and turned it upside down. He appeared to be a bit tipsy. This did not affect his performance. Mr. Curry did most of the songs on his album, along with “Celluoid Heroes” by the Kinks. The latter song featured a Garbo impersonation.
Whoever put the band together for this tour had a lot of money. The guitar player played with Lou Reed on “Rock and Roll Animal”. The keyboard player, and musical director, was Micheal Kamen, formerly of the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble. (A song on the Curry album, “Sloe Gin”, was a NYRRE song, “Fields of Joy”, with new lyrics.)
The only song from “Rocky Horror” that Mr. Curry did was “I’m Going Home”. A few people were upset that he did not do “Sweet Transvestite.” He played another Agora show a couple of years later, and reportedly did perform “Sweet Transvestite.”
Tom Waits was scheduled to perform at the Agora the next night. PG was wandering through the balcony between shows, and saw Mr. Waits sitting at a table. A bodyguard was standing by, who said that it was just someone who looked like Tom Waits.
After the show was over, PG went to a nearby bar, and was talking to a friend about the show. A lady who was with the friend stood in front of him and screamed “What color are your eyes? They are brown, because you are so full of shit”.
Pictures for this repost are from The Library of Congress. Photographs of Cornell Fresh. 8 and Cornell 2d Varsity, 1914 are from the George Grantham Bain Collection
#NationalHaikuPoetryDay
A day for haikus ~ A special day for poets ~ It’s snowing on Mount Fuji
A mighty voice cried ~ Get your damn hands off of me ~ You damn dirty ape
Almost stole game one ~ No shot for PG 13 ~ Series over now
An apple a day ~ two-hundred and eight dollars ~ So less than doctors
Branches rise in praise ~ Wind as music floats to heaven ~ Birds sing praises joy
cant do crack today ~ Piss test afternoon Tuesday ~ What color is blue
Climate Change is fake ~ I say as I sip a drink ~ On a Kansas beach
Creation awaits ~ Discover the world God made ~ We will be your guide
Do not woo at me ~ Do not talk during the jam ~ Please shut the fuck up
Drip drip says the rain ~ Kissing the window with soft ~ wet butterfly wings
During Good Friday ~ Learned about Satanism ~ Happy Easter Y’all
Facts are important ~ Alternative ones don’t count ~ Don’t be fooled snowflakes
Fishy sea creature ~ Made of shoes frisbees and forks ~ Earth week Washed ashore
Five syllables here ~ Seven more syllables there ~ ARE YOU HAPPY NOW
Haikus are easy ~ But sometimes they don’t make sense ~ Manufacturing
Here’s a thought for you ~ Aren’t we all time travelers? ~ We’re moving right now
I am hung over ~ I think I’m going to die ~ Never drink again
I cross two bridges ~ every day to get to you ~ and your feathered heart
I got lost somewhere ~ Between your soul and flesh ~ Ignited in flames
I really don’t see why ~ Every possible thing ~ Has a holiday
I’m a simple man ~ Mozzarella sticks keep me ~ Happy and well-fed
I’m ready to write ~ The coffee pot is empty ~ Sign or conundrum?
Khaki casket explodes ~ Fearlessly sandstorm cursing ~ Churchyard screaming eagles
Lets split the 1st bill ~ I will get the next plus drinks ~ Glass is purple pink
Life is meaningless ~ Purple monkey dishwasher ~ man Haikus are tough
little bird got sick ~ gave her nasty medicine ~ now she flies again
Lon Chaney sans legs ~ Pink tinted and grim ~ Will sing his cherished death song
My fashion stumble ~ Chip clip on cargos weakens ~ Come On laundry day
My New York #Knicks Suck ~ Don’t belong in The Garden ~ Move them to Jersey
Octopus seahorse ~ starfish Animal cookies ~ for little mermaids
“Progressives” deceive ~ The ends justify the means ~ Call out the statists
reading poetry ~ a challenging task for me ~ pass the potatoes
see purple flowers ~ shades of nature bring us joy ~ wait for more colors
She opens her eyes ~ I say good morning cutie ~ restraining order
Striped blue maroon black ~ Colors of the day that comes; ~ ends with rest and dark
Sun shining indeed ~ I hear birds chirping loudly ~ Spring is here enjoy
Swans are so graceful ~ So graceful and so carefree ~ Beautiful are they too
take this day dearest ~ take it and make it your own ~ with your light and soul
The wait is too long? ~ For pizza you’ll wait thirty ~ Cheese means more than meds
There was a burger ~ With bacon had to eat it ~ It was delicious
This is a poorly ~ written haiku from Austin ~ Texas blah blah blah
Time to get unstuck ~ Make paramount investment ~ Be the warm water
twirling round ~ dewdrops in cool grass ~ dancing barefoot in the rain
Vivid quite pensive ~ Nature’s canvas is our classroom ~ Respect all that heals
waiting all day for ~ those damned biopsy results ~ didn’t the phone ring?
Who ‘s gonna die ~ Eeny meeny miny moe ~ Kill your darlings Joe
World is caving in ~ I am under too much stress ~ Please let me relax
You like poetry? ~ Yeah me neither So I guess ~ I’ll just stop typing
yolo photgraphs ~ the library of congress ~ nineteen forty three
This Is Your Life
An all caps graphic washes up on the digital shores from time to time. The author, and copyright status, are not known. It was not written here. Reading it can be a chore, even though it looks cool. It is also selfish… the only opinion that matters is the individual reading it. It doesn’t have a good beat, but you can dance to it. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
This is your life.
Do what you love, and do it often.
If you don’t like something, change it.
If you don’t like your job, quit.
If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.
If you are looking for the love of your life, stop:
They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Stop over analyzing, life is simple
All emotions are beautiful.
When you eat, appreciate every last bite.
Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people,
We are united in our differences.
Ask the next person you see what their passion is,
And share your inspiring dream with them.
Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself.
Some opportunities only come once, seize them.
Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them
So go out and start creating.
Life is short. Live your dream, and wear your passion.
“Do you have to be a poet? If you don’t have to be a poet, be a prose writer. You’ll get further faster. Poetry — there’s probably more poetry published today than any time in the history of the world. Nevertheless, there is this — people think they have this blindness when they see a line in the typography of poetry, and it just blocks them. So if you can say the same thing in prose, you’ll probably be better off” Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Thomas Jefferson Said What?
PG was wasting time with facebook when he saw a friend say “Damn I love this quote”. The passage being praised was “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Desmond Tutu. The rhetoric alert started to flash. These days, the wolf and the sheep buy their clothes at the same Walmart. To hear some oppressors talk, they are the ones under attack. It is tough to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Often you can make things worse by getting mixed up. Sometimes the best thing to do is mind your own business.
Ok, now that is out of the way. Some lines sound good, but don’t hold up to a bit of thinking. As for the veracity of the quote, Desmond Tutu may very well have said it. (or maybe one of his rivals said it, and Mr. Tutu copied it.) The quote has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Burke, Patrick Henry, and probably others. Almost no one has a source, for the quote, from the dead white guys.
A post called MISQUOTING THE FOUNDERS did not mince words. “The only problem with this scene that has been repeated many times across the country is that Thomas Jefferson never said that, never wrote that, and quite possibly never thought it. Our aspiring politician had fallen victim to the perils of popular misattribution. You could fill a book with misquotes and misattributed quotes we hear repeated regularly today. Right now if I Google “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent” the entire first page of results wrongly attribute it to Thomas Jefferson. The quote and its many variants have been attributed in the past to Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke, but no record exists of the quote in any of their writings or contemporary accounts.”
On November 13, 1787, Mr. Jefferson wrote a letter to William Smith. The letter is full of zesty quotes. “What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”
A few lines above that, Mr. Jefferson said “God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.” Twenty years after he wrote this, Mr. Jefferson was President. He probably did not want to deal with a revolution when he was President.
Getting back to the quote about tyranny, Martin Porter wrote an entertaining essay, A study of a Web quotation. He gives credit, or blame, to Edmund Burke. First, a list of different versions is presented. This is a clue that something is awry. The conclusion: “There is no original. The quote is bogus, and Burke never said it. It is a pseudo-quote, and corresponds to real quotes in the same way that urban legends about the ghost hitch-hiker vanishing in the back of the car and alligators in the sewers correspond to true news stories.”
Mr. Porter wrote a follow up essay, Four Principles of Quotation. These principles are: Principle 1 (for readers) Whenever you see a quotation given with an author but no source assume that it is probably bogus. Principle 2 (for readers) Whenever you see a quotation given with a full source assume that it is probably being misused, unless you find good evidence that the quoter has read it in the source. Principle 3 (for quoters) Whenever you make a quotation, give the exact source. Principle 4 (for quoters) Only quote from works that you have read.
If these principles were to be used, then there would be a lot less hotheaded talking on the intercom. Those who are trying to influence you to the justice of their cause will not want you to read this. Pictures for this feature are from The Library of Congress. These pictures are Union soldiers, from the War Between the States. When war is discussed, all inspiring quotes are in doubt.
This is a repost. It is written like James Joyce. In the past year, doing due diligence on alleged quotes has become a hobby. Many people don’t care who said it, if they agree with the thoughts expressed. The prevailing thought is that an idea becomes more true with a famous name at the end. If the famous person is deceased, and cannot defend his/her reputation, that is not a problem. People do not like being told that Santa Claus does not exist.
If America Is So Racist
Lots of smart people have been writing about the 2016 election. One popular line of thought is that Donald Trump won the electoral vote because of racism. There are numerous studies that indicate this. This feature will not quote, or link to, these articles. The bottom line is that DJT was labeled racist, and enough voters either liked it to win the election.
There is a problem with this line of reasoning. In 2008 and 2012, the same population elected a dark skinned man. If America is so racist, why did Barack Obama win the Presidency twice? There is something not adding up here.
One possibility is show business. BHO was clearly a better performer than John McCain, or Mitt Romney. DJT is much more entertaining that Hillary Clinton. Some purists talk about issues, when the voting public is superficial.
Another option may be the way Democrats dealt with racial attitudes. HRC called DJT’s actions racist. If BHO did the same against his opponents, it did not get much attention. The supporters of HRC said repeatedly that anyone who votes for DJT is a racist. Again, it is unlikely that anyone said that anyone voting for Mr. Romney, or Mr. McCain, was a racist.
There is an urban-rural divide in America. Many people face tough economic times, and resent what they perceive to be a liberal elite. The reaction of the liberal elite is to label this resentment as racism. While racial attitudes may be part of the problems in rural America, it is far from the entire story.
It would have been better for HRC to win ugly, than to allow DJT to win. She handed millions of votes to DJT by labeling people as deplorables. Barack Obama won the support of many deplorables. Maybe he was just a better politician than her.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Nick Parrino took the pictures in 1943. The men were Army truck drivers, many stationed “somewhere in Iran.”
Poverty Oppression And Pain
display of a link here does not indicate approval of content ~ White House Meeting With Egypt’s Tyrant Highlights Key Trump Effect: Unmasking U.S. Policy ~ Georgia Has Too Damn Many Counties and That’s Contributed to Atlanta’s Traffic Disaster ~ On Political Correctness ~ commodification of african american suffering ~ john says a mouthful ~ Putin Derangement Syndrome Arrives ~ Fact or Fiction? How Good Are You at Spotting the Truth? ~ Hell Burns Hotter Than The I-85 Fire ~ Black and Bullied: How This Sex Positive Blerd Unlearned Her Anti-Blackness ~ Pepsi “Live For Now Moments Anthem” starring Kendall Jenner & feat. “Lions” by Skip Marley ~ Institutionalized ~ Bette Midler – Continental Baths Concert (1971) ~ The #PepsiLivesMatter Ad Turning A Protest March Into Coachella Is Exactly Why White People Must Be Stopped ~ CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN ~ @moscowtimes ~ It’s now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin as a gay clown ~ @boingboing ~ English has a traditional solution to gender-neutral pronouns ~ Police search for killer in ‘senseless’ road rage shooting ~ Man arraigned in alleged hatchet attack ~ The Real Targets of Trump’s Strike Were His Domestic Critics ~ This Image of Vladimir Putin Is Now Banned in Russia. Well, Possibly, No One’s Quite Sure Which One. ~ Does Travel Cure Bigotry? Why Only the Rich Think So ~ Mark Twain’s full of shit regarding travel ~ Manlyfesto 8 – Belief vs. Knowledge ~ How academia uses poverty, oppression, and pain for intellectual masturbation ~ Sean Penn Confirms Steve Bannon Was A ‘Bitter Hollywood Wannabe’ Bannon was then, as he is now, simply another bitter Hollywood wannabe who went rogue by way of toxic narcissistic iconoclasm. But, deep in his heart, he’s just a conniving hateful bloated punk who despises mankind. And then there are also the bad things about him… ~ trump voters ~ My Pussy Feels Like Jesus ~ when you say racist as a gratuitous insult, you choose the side of the oppressor ~ Abuse of people who give the appearance of being unhappy , sometimes called “Resting bitch face / negative attitude,” is a form of prejudice. ~ my mother used to say “ministers should do more than lay people” #naughtybaptist ~ You can help your favorite podcasts by completing this short, anonymous survey. It should take no more than 5 minutes. Your answers will help us to match podcasts with advertisers that best fit the sensibilities of each show and its listeners, like you. ~ sing @A_single_bear, sneezing fun until it snot,y ogi boo boo day ~ yes but i have a quota of emails for my buddy Ivan to sell ~ when you say racist as a gratuitous insult, you choose the side of the oppressor ~ the phone rings. a lady(?), possibly machine generated, says she is conducting a survey. She asks if she is speaking to an adult. I answer, I don’t know. Next she asks if I am on a cell phone, and if so, am I in a place where I can speak safely, without injuring anybody. I say I am not going to injure anybody. The lady thanks me for my time, and hangs up. ~ @sullydishpanics Blogger, Obamicon, Drama Queen. OhMyGodWeAreAllDoomed … ~ This is someone who played piano for Bette Midler at the Continental Baths. ~ @BetteMidler Pensive nymph, hausfrau and martyr ~ How are they going to build this without Mexican construction workers? ~ There is no bad publicity. People are talking about pepsi today. ~ ‘Putin as a gay clown’ image is now illegal in Russia ~ @SlavojTweezek If you did not wish to know about my harrowing struggles with first-order Lacanian dialectical conundra then why did you ask how I was? ~ ALL I WANTED WAS A #PEPSI AND #KendallJenner WOULDN’T GIVE IT TO ME #PepsiLivesMatter ~ Douglas Hofstadter ~ Guidelines: Please keep your comments smart and civil. Don’t attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Comments that violate these standards, or our privacy statement or visitor’s agreement, are subject to being removed and commenters are subject to being banned. To post comments, you must be a registered user on toledoblade.com. ~ Maybe it is unintentional satire. ~ And if they forgot for one minute, the democrats would remind them ~ Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. They were censored for many years. A previous feature including some of the photos, Funny Names, is included. ~ selah
PG stumbled onto a blog called Vast Public Indifference. It is still published today, which is unusual for blogs from 2008. The feature being utilized today is Urban Legend Names. The blogwriter is a historian in training, and became fascinated by name stories. She did some research, and learned a few things. The names are in bold below, with the “status” underlined.
Asshole: Unconfirmed. However, I can confirm that there are several people named Anal, including Anal Exceus of Houston, TX (b. 8/26/1988 — happy birthday!), Anal Singh, and Anal Shah. I noticed that several people named “Anal” are South Asian, so I suspect that it might be a variant spelling of “Anil,” the Hindu god of wind.
Clitoris: Unconfirmed. Variant forms can be confirmed, viz. Clitty Jones of Somers, OH (b. 1895, married to Walter, confirmed in 1920 and 1930 census). The name “Clit” appears in several census records, but cannot be independently confirmed (ex: Clit Mangum, Commerce, GA, 1930 census).
Eczema: Possible. Three women show up in the census records as “Eczema”: Eczema Wright of Indiana, Eczema Hugey of Missouri, and Eczema James of Texas.
Male: Confirmed David Male Tiumalu (b. 8/1/1953, Alameda Co., CA), Linda Male Osmer (b. 5/8/1952, Texas), Male Joseph Cotton (b. 3/29/1974).
Latrine: Confirmed. Latrine seems to be a legitimate name. Examples: Latrine Sharmine Olive (b. 11/24/1979, Sacramento, CA), Quiana Latrine Phillips (b. 4/1/1988, Los Angeles, CA), Latrine Nicole Cook (b. 1/21/1976, Dallas, TX), Charlotte Latrine Martin (b. 2/8/1971, Wichita, TX). A variant form, Latrina, is actually quite popular, even cracking the top 1000 baby names in America for six years running during the 1970s. There are nearly 500 girls named Latrina in the Texas and California birth records alone. One unfortunate example of this name is Latrina Pickens-Brown of Nevada.
Lemon Jello/Orange Jello: Unconfirmed. Perhaps this rumor got started by someone who heard the Neapolitan surname “Lemongello.” Another possibility is Shirly Q. Liquor.
No Smoking: Confirmed. Nosmo King Cheatam (b. 11/26/1918 d. 11/10/1997). Mr. Cheatam was a veteran of the United States Navy and is buried in Texarkana, TX.
Pajama: Possible. I found several people named “Pajama” in the public phone/address records, including Pajama Ngongba of Alexandria, VA and Pajama Howanitz of Alabaster, AL, but was not able to confirm their names independently.
Placenta: Confirmed. Placenta Ann Woodard (b. 8/7/1953, Freestone Co., TX, married Rahman Hassan 11/10/1986 in Tarrant, TX), Placenta Ayala (b. 10/5/1951, Howard Co., TX), Placenta Theresa Bennett (b. 7/21/1958, Caldwell Co., TX). Others show up in the census — the picture at right is of the entry for Placenta M. Duncan of Green Bay, Iowa in the 1860 census.
Shithead: Unconfirmed. Shirley Q. Liquor has a baby named Shithead, pronounced Sha THEED.
Testicles: Unconfirmed. Only one person named “Testicles” appears in the census records — a Sioux boy born in 1892 in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. The U.S. Indian Census Schedules (1885-1940) record Native Americans’ names as well as the English translations of those names. The records indicate that the boy’s name, Susu, means “testicles.” I really enjoyed looking through these records and recommend them to anyone interested in names or in Native American history. Some of my favorite names from Susu’s community include Itekanpeskawin (“Face Like an Ornament”), Hotaninmaniwin (“They Heard Her Voice”), and Tawakanhdiwayakapi (“They See Her Electricity”).
Urea: Confirmed. Urea Pyle of Delaware Co., PA (married to Reece Pyle, confirmed in 1900, 1910, and 1920 census records), Elton Urea Juniel of California (married in Las Vegas 3 times: married Tish Denise Harris 6/27/1981, married Beverly Jean Mills, 8/17/1991, married Julie Marie Bossin 9/23/2003), Sophia Urea Nelson of Los Angeles, CA (b. 1/11/1991). The Texas birth records contain information for six babies named Urea:
Urine: Confirmed. Nora Urine Workman (b. 10/13/1940, Lamar Co., TX), Jonathan Urine Smith (b. 12/3/1996, Denton Co., TX), Urine Adkins of Coeburn, VA (b. 6/15/1896, d. March 1972). Urine Thibideoux, Louisiana.
Vagina: Confirmed. Vagina Ann Williams (b. 3/18/1934, Hall Co., TX), Ellen Vagina Goode (b. 9/13/1918 Lee Co., TX), Lorene Vagina Cranfield (b. 7/26/1938 Rowan Co., NC), Vagina Harper Bland (b. 1/19/1842 in Virginia, d. 5/4/1927 in Kentucky). One that caught my eye was “Vagina Glasscock” who lived in Somerville, Alabama in 1910.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is written like James Joyce.
Use Two Boulders This Time
PG used to have a job making local deliveries in Marietta. He often found himself behind a red light next to the Big Chicken. The Big Chicken is his friend. One day PG discovered that he could talk to G-d while waiting for the light to change by the Big Chicken. This is a repost
So G dude, whatever happened to that boy of yours.
Man, I wish I had never met Mary. That boy was more trouble than you can imagine.
He did seem to have a mouth on him. Hey, just one thing before the light changes. The Jesus Worshipers seem to think it was the Jews who offed Jboi
NO NO NO. It was the Romans. They ran the show. They wrote the history to blame the Jews
That sounds like something they would do.
But the Jews screwed up too. When Jboi finally died, I knew he was going to try to pull something. I told the Jews to put two boulders in front of the cave. Two. That way he was going to stay in that stinking cave, and I wouldn’t have to hear his whining any more. But the Jews thought they could save money, and only used one boulder
The car behind PG was honking. The light had turned green. Pictures from The Library of Congress.
Born To Run
Born To Run, the Bruce Springsteen autobiography, is due back at the library. When PG requested it, there were 96 people ahead of him in line. Renewing a book this popular is not permitted. PG is on page 420, after the funeral of Frank Sinatra. It is time to write the book report.
Amazon has lots of Bruce product for sale. One suggested item is Bruce Springsteen: The Coloring Book: A Tribute to the Rock & Roll Boss Born to Run. One star reviewer Kevin P. said: “Sorry, but this is the creepiest thing ever.”
The story begins in New Jersey. Bruce lives in a lively neighborhood, with a troubled father. At some point Bruce starts to play guitar. His bands find success on the Jersey shore. They play a lot of shows, and many stories could be told.
Some how, they get a new years eve gig in California. Driving in shifts through the night, the two vehicles get separated. Bruce is forced to drive. This is a problem, since he never learned how. Somehow, the truck makes it to Big Sur in one piece.
The story goes on. Bruce signs a management contract with Mike Appel. This works well for a few years. Then Born to run, the album, comes out. Bruce is a superstar, but has little money to show for it. After spending a few years suing Mike Appel, Bruce is free to make more albums, and become a super duper star. Somwhow, Bruce made it work.
We should note at this point PG’s ambivalence about Bruce Springsteen, inc. The man has written some good songs, and is reported to give good concert performances. PG has long since gotten over seeing Bruce on the covers of Time, and Newsweek, at the same time. Bruce Springsteen puts his New Jersey britches on one leg at a time.
One of the problems of autobiography is the tendency of authors to put them self in the best possible light. Bruce does that, but still mentions that he sees a shrink, got divorced, and can be a ego happy control freak. It is lonely at the top.
If you are a fan, you will probably enjoy the book. It is better than most self help stories, and will probably motivate you just as well. It is not the greatest thing PG ever read, nor is it the worst. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
The Iggy Pop Story
Speaking of Iggy Pop, and music merchandising, he has a collection of music for sale. Included in this package is a show he did at Richards, across the street from Grady Stadium. One night Iggy was singing at Richards, when Elton John appeared onstage wearing a gorilla suit.
The greatest achievement of Mr. Pop is living so long. (He was born April 21, 1947). He has done heroin by the kilo, jumps off stage into crowds of punk rock fans, and is a general mess. He still has a great smile, although it is not known how many of those teeth are his own.
One night in 1980, PG saw a performance by Iggy Pop. The site was the 688 club, a storefront on Spring Street, across the expressway from Georgia Tech. 688 Spring Street had been the site of Roses Cantina, where PG had seen George Thorogood. Some other blues band did Amphetamine Annie with the original lyrics…instead of speed kills, they said love gun.
Roses was a cool place, a long narrow space with the performers in the middle, and a pool table behind the stage. Nightclubs are a tough business for capitalists, and Roses shut down.
At any rate, by the time PG got back from Seattle, some brave investors decided to have a punk rock club at 688 Spring Street. Soon, Iggy Pop was playing a week there. In the seventies, the bands would play for five days at the great southeast music hall or the electric ballroom, two shows a night, and if you were really cool you would go on a weeknight before it got too crowded. Soon after that, it was one night in town only, and you either saw it or you didn’t.
PG had a friend at the Martinique apartments on Buford Hiway. There was someone living in the complex known as ZenDen, who sold acid. You would go to his place, wade through the living room full of grown men listening to Suzi Quatro, and purchase the commodity.
On to the the 23 Oglethorpe bus, and downtown to 688 Spring Street. Before anyone knew it, the band was on the stage. A veteran of the Patti Smith Group, named Ivan Kral, was playing bass. Mr. Kral sneezed, and a huge white booger fell across his face. He was not playing when the show ended.
There was a white wall next to the stage, and someone wrote the song list on that wall. That list of songs stayed on the wall as long as 688 was open. “I want to be your dog” was on the list, as well as the number where Iggy pulled his pants off and performed in his underwear. Supposedly, in New York the drawers came off, but the TMI police were off duty that night.
The show was loud and long, and had the feel of an endurance event…either you go or the band does. Finally, the show was over, and PG got on the 23 Oglethorpe bus to go home. You got the northbound bus on West Peachtree Street. You could look down the street and see the Coca Cola sign downtown.
Thirty years later,PG, like Iggy Pop, has a full head of teeth, which, in PG’s case are his own. PG has a full head of white hair, as apparently does Mr. Pop, although he does appear to touch up his hair. Maybe he really is a blond. This post should be over, but if there are 37 more words then we will have 688. The space on Spring Street is still standing, which is pretty good for Atlanta. It is now an emergency room, or something.
This is a repost. The original was posted seven years ago. Iggy is still alive. So is PG. 688 Spring Street stands. 23 Oglethorpe is the answer to a trivia question. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Stupid Questions
display of a link here does not indicate approval of content ~ Sixteen Mind-Blowing Facts About Who Really Killed John F. Kennedy ~ Christians: More Like Jesus or Pharisees? ~ #NotAllWhitePeople, The Quiz ~ Why don’t the Palestinians have their own country? ~ Sophia Loren Finally Tells the Story Behind That Infamous Jayne Mansfield Photo ~ Censorship, Not the Painting, Must Go: On Dana Schutz’s Image of Emmett Till ~ Stop Portraying White Millennials as Less Racist Than Their Votes and Poll Responses Suggest ~ Why Do We Assume Good Musicians Are Good People? ~ After 12 Rejections, Apple Accepts App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes ~ Modern art was CIA ‘weapon’ ~ Democrats edited anti-capitalist, pro-socialist message out of photo in promo image ~ The 9 Russian Words That Explain KremlinGate ~ RuPaul Has Some Choice Words About Bachelorette Parties In Gay Bars ~ An elaborate hoax ~ Beware The False Temptations Of The Russia Story ~ What Neil Gorsuch Won’t Say About Abortion ~ Murder, robbery suspects arrested ~ Maybe the translators and scribes got it wrong. Maybe Jesus did not say to love your enemy. Maybe what Jesus said was to show kindness to everyone. This is a practice thing, rather than a belief thing. It is not as much fun to be nice to someone, as it is to scream about life after death. Kindness does not need to be justified by a quote from a magic book. You just need to do it. ~ https ~ How to set up a VPN in 10 minutes for free (and why you urgently need one) ~ Silence U: Is the University Killing Free Speech and Open Debate? | We the Internet Documentary ~ Black Lives Matter Disavows Atlanta ‘President’ Sir Maejor ~ This Road Is Closed For Domestic Terrorism ~ stown music ~ American survivors tell the inside story ~ Charles Bukowski Rails Against 9-to-5 Jobs in a Brutally Honest Letter (1986) ~ Sanders defends Trump voters: I don’t think they’re racists, sexists or homophobes ~ woke aryeh @tweetertation ~ “‘Til the swear jar’s full”: Penances, pennies, and profanities ~ While looking through my archives, I found a 2015 post. Somebody had compared Mike Pence to Lester Maddox. There is this line: “Getting back to Lester, it is ironic that he is this famous forty four years after his term in office ended. There is no shortage of bad things to say about Mr. Maddox. However, Georgia survived having both him, and smiling Jimmy, as Governor. It is highly unlikely that anyone will know who this Pence person is in forty four years.” As usual, the pictures are better than the text. ~ Trending topics one and four are #LasVegasRaiders and #JohnnyRotten ~ The space where the Cherokee Plaza Theater was is now the produce section at Kroger. The space where the Broadview Plaza GSEMH operated is now the parking lot for a Home Depot. ~ Hair is either fine, or coarse. If you are found guilty, and owe the court money, they call it a fine. ~ @ConnerHabib You are allowed to ask questions. Even ones people say are stupid/you should be ashamed of. Even forbidden ones. Especially forbidden ones. @chamblee54 what about forbidden twos? ~ Can you publish this transcript? I would like to comment on this monolog, but my transcription skills are not what they should be… maybe I am a cis-scriber. ~ @EricaJong What is the context of that quote? When and where did you say it? What is a metaphor for a meme graphic quote without a source? ~ @AryehCW trump grammar twitter, this is a sentence fragment, haiku middle line ~ Separation of church and state is a sweet deal for the church. Let the government do the messy, though necessary, job of making the country work. Let the church do what it does. The government does as good a job of nourishing the soul as the church does of picking up garbage. ~ KimKierkegaardashian @KimKierkegaard I feel forsaken by God. He’s just not that into me ~ I had always heard that Tattletales was a hot club. ~ This video is unlisted. Be considerate and think twice before sharing. ~ with listening to music and birds singing i can’t keep up with the handful of podcasts i already follow then #stown came along… ~ From the comments: AJ Garcia • Sorry for the loss but I just wanted to be known that a rainbow flag doesn’t represent me as a gay person it stereotypes me and I don’t like it Stryka Pose Will someone find a flag with an asshole on it so AJ can be respectfully represented? ~ Good morning my friend. I am thinking about the April Heart Circle at my house. A while back I believe you posted information about heart circles. As part of the opening ritual would you share some of that history and information with those of us who are gathered. ~ I am not sure what I would say. I am also not sure that is a good idea. To me, the concept of the heart circle is simplicity. One person speaks, and the others listen. The talisman/talking stick is held by the person who speaks, and given to the next person to speak. Only the person holding the stick can speak. The stick can either go around the room, or can go to the middle, to be picked up by the next to speak. As for history… I really don’t know the history. ~ there is a lovely quote, which i cannot find easily but will try to recreate: a heart circle is a faerie technology. It is a cross between a quaker meeting, a room temperature sweat lodge, and the collective experience of cruising Christopher Street in 1972 ~ I don’t recall doing that. I really don’t know about the origins. I know when i was first going to faerie events, they would have a check in, where everyone said something in turn. At gatherings, they would have a morning circle, with announcements and check in. I never heard the phrase heart circle until the nineties, when I was reading about California gatherings of something called the billy club ~ Marta expansion would have had little to do with the i85 collapse. Ironically, the fire was across the street from Marta’s rail car storage yard. ~ @ScienceAndJokes Two atoms are walking along. One of them says: “Oh, no, I think I lost an electron.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m positive.” ~ I don’t know about the newspaper, but DJT seems to be recycling Nixon ~ The democratic obsession with racism helped get Mr. Trump elected. They knew the entire litany of problems with the orange haired idiot, and chose to focus on his racial attitudes. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Russians paid the Democrats to run this clueless, racism obsessed campaign. It helped get their stooge elected. ~ the choice was between a sexual predator and the enabling wife of a sexual predator ~ After you sonnetize, give it an acrostic retrofit. Especially if you name has 14 letters. …. the spell check suggestion for sonnetize is monetize…. good luck. ~ Thank you for posting this. Getting past I85 is going to be difficult for the next few months. ~ Know the difference between having your soul on fire, and your pants ~ This page is currently offline. However, because the site uses Cloudflare’s Always Online™ technology you can continue to surf a snapshot of the site. We will keep checking in the background and, as soon as the site comes back, you will automatically be served the live version ~ the irony of a “lay elder” discussing the “billy graham rule” about proper behavior ~ pictures are from The Library of Congress. Dorothea Lange took the pictures in June 1937, in Texas ~ selah
S-Town
SPOILER ALERT The first time PG had to pause S-Town was some time in #1. There is a break in the weirdness for a blue apron commercial The commercial is an announcement, in a meeting or classroom. The announcement was a pitch for Blue Apron. For some reason, this struck PG as funny… this yuppie food delivery outfit, advertising on a show about Shit Town, Alabama.
S-Town is an NPR podcast. Some earnest young reporter leaves his wife behind in New Yuck, or some other place where npr-sters like to stay, and goes to Alabama. Supposedly, there has been a murder in Bibb County, Alabama. John B. McLemore lives in the county, and is showing the reporter around. (The spell check suggestion for McLemore is Memorable.) The southern accents, and southern gothic ambience, is no doubt amusing to the latte sipping trendsters who like to binge listen.
The second time PG has to pause the show… maybe there are more, but you don’t want to think about this too much … is at 8:11 of episode #2. There is a conversation. “It is racist, and non-nonsensical, and has multiple uses of a terrible word.” Let the hand wringing begin. After a minute of so of this… the man is saying something about paying taxes to support young ladies on welfare… the reporter mentions that his girlfriend then/wife now is black. This rantlette has little to do with the rest of the story. It may have been included as a bit of picturesque racism, for the pearl clutching enjoyment of the listening audience.
John B. McLemore is a piece of work. He is skilled at repairing antique clocks, a horologist. He built a hedge maze on his land, with 64 gates to change the course at will. John B. has a lot of opinions, which he generously shares in profanity seasoned offerings. John B. is forty nine years old, single, and lives with his aging mother. There is an assumption about men like this, which is covered, in a bit more detail than required, in episode #6.
The second show ends with news of a suicide. John, the rural eccentric, has killed himself. There are five more episodes to the story, so this is not the end of the story. Meanwhile, PG is constructing a graphic poem. The idea of internet meme poems…. this time with photographs of railroad grafitti in the background … is something else that a southerner does.
The next pause-the-show moment is at 36:11 of episode #5. John is dead. Some cousins appear out of nowhere. People start to fight over John’s assets. It is getting ugly. Rita, the Florida cousin, wants John’s nipple ring. She can’t understand how someone can do an autopsy, “you’ve cut him from neck to private, and you can’t get a nipple ring off? Cut his nipple off, he’s dead.”
Episode #5 and episode#6 come and go. The town sucks, the town isn’t so bad. John had friends, and possibly lovers, but drove them off. Then, in episode #7, we learn that the local rich family has bought John’s property. At 24:24, PG needs to cut off the show, and make a note. Before he does this, PG exports the changes he made to a picture he is editing. There is no point in getting mad, and closing the file, with the changes unsaved. The fact that the picture is the black family, of a West Virginia coal miner… that is an ironic touch.
The new property owner has a lumber yard, K3 Lumber. KyKenKee, Inc. got it’s name honestly. “In 1980, after having been in business many years as I.L. Burt and Sons, the family decided to change the name. Having named us, Kyle, Keefe and Kendall, she took the first syllables of each name and rearranged them until they fit just right, Ky Ken Kee.”
This is not good enough for Brian Reed. “I did get a chance to ask him, if there is a double entendre with a certain white supremacy group?””I’m assuming you’re one of those left wingers we upset with the election.” “He said he doesn’t have a problem with the name K3.” Mr. Reed does not mention the origin of the name. It might be a joke, that is not a joke. The Burt family probably knew what it was doing. The spell check suggestion for KyKenKee is Yankee.
The show ends with episode#7. Outside of a few upcoming court dates, there is not much left to report. In the end, there are few sympathetic characters in the story. Life in small town Alabama goes on. Meanwhile, in booming Atlanta, the main interstate through the northeast part of town has been shut down indefinitely. We are screwed. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marion Post Wolcott took the pictures in West Virginia in September, 1938.
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