tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43317609192024031952024-03-16T07:53:44.030-07:00Tom is CleverStarted as a place to post my academic writing on various subjects relevant to literature and philosophy, but I'm not really sure anymore.Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-13838805881193704222024-03-10T15:29:00.000-07:002024-03-16T07:53:12.583-07:00Its a Mario Day!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5aaYgZw08hjAuF2SUl9YuzMn2JdH-TurUxBVjRdGjV-1SIO81ICv7lE6FtguvWQ46_BlI8zt4NH_T8RKtm2kY5xsdgimm2btDN4PuocUMEj7ZKy-gM0z7mzP5TLVN47rewmxtyKrYI5AmBm5Jk9TrK-ulAqF4_6grXchhyfEGL_PBuqJuP1_x5FgCqc/s1008/mario.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5aaYgZw08hjAuF2SUl9YuzMn2JdH-TurUxBVjRdGjV-1SIO81ICv7lE6FtguvWQ46_BlI8zt4NH_T8RKtm2kY5xsdgimm2btDN4PuocUMEj7ZKy-gM0z7mzP5TLVN47rewmxtyKrYI5AmBm5Jk9TrK-ulAqF4_6grXchhyfEGL_PBuqJuP1_x5FgCqc/w314-h400/mario.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today is another one of those made up pop culture "holidays" created by internet people, but more likely its something socially engineered by Nintendo. This is very similar to May 4th being Star Wars day. March 10th only really makes sense when you abbreviate March, and also only in languages influenced by the Roman calendar. Mar 10... MarI0. Mario Day!</p><p>This video character, in fact the entire franchise, has become probably the most recognizable video game character of all time, and probably the first video game character to become a pop culture icon. Created in 1981 as the protagonist in Donkey Kong, Mario has appeared in over 300 games since either as the main character, or in cameos. Below are some interesting factoids about everyone's favorite koopa stomping plumber...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mario's last name is also Mario</b>. </p><p>Confirmed in 2015, Mario Mario is this dude's full name. Making his brother Luigi Mario, which actually makes the Mario Brothers make sense. Mario was known as Jumpman in the original Donkey Kong, and was almost name Mr. Video... so he was almost named Mario Video? I kind of like that better. Reduplicant names are dumb. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mario and Luigi were almost Carpenters</b>. </p><p>The idea was to create a working class everyman character. Carpentry was the first choice. Jumpman is a carpenter in Donkey Kong. The design of a dude in overalls seemed more plumber-like, and so Mario and Luigi became plumbers for their debut game Super Mario Brothers, which still fits the desired working class trope. Apparently plumbers are somehow synonymous with Italian-Americans in New York, so they became Italian-american plumbers from New York. Fix-it Felix from the Wreck it Ralph films is an obvious homage to Mario, and also has a working class occupation and design. This may make Mario a Socialist icon. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Other Characters could have been Very Different</b></p><p>The original designs for Bowser the King Koopa were not a giant snapping turtle. Bowser was supposed to be an Ox. Giant Dragon Turtle seemed like a better option. </p><p>Yoshi was going to be another koopa, but the design team created the green dragon character instead. </p><p>Super Mario 2 was originally a completely different game called Doki Doki Panic, and Mario character skins were ported in instead. This explains why the storyline isn't a direct sequel, or why there is an entirely different main antagonist who never appears again, and all new minor enemies not seen in the first game. Also... you throw turnips. I think Super Mario 2 is under rated. </p><p><br /></p><p>This character is as old as I am. This means there hasn't been a time in my life where Mario, and Luigi, and the princesses, and toadstool people, and Bowser, and his koopas, haven't existed. I grew up being fascinated with Nintendo properties, enjoying playing, and being frustrated by their difficulties. Happy Mar10 day to everyone!</p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-30774119261618621922024-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:002024-03-10T13:25:39.819-07:00Royals are Gross<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsRSe-baxaTjItGRS72T0ZvOXmLTU8lLTgUvED2TEGv9xcNiDVNMD48F_JrJdXzq55REpl8xqp_Zof5WUtIzGIkxiBxjIKRSP5RN87BJno2nelqPTRlvnDcBRPhr5h1gnfIPDeFNQSvHz6Dem-0TgnoxhZS31Wfe6zIprXEw4b0bfDQsx7OwQFj7-m2A/s580/6be4e4df7532547887a10dcd90bfc0e7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="580" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsRSe-baxaTjItGRS72T0ZvOXmLTU8lLTgUvED2TEGv9xcNiDVNMD48F_JrJdXzq55REpl8xqp_Zof5WUtIzGIkxiBxjIKRSP5RN87BJno2nelqPTRlvnDcBRPhr5h1gnfIPDeFNQSvHz6Dem-0TgnoxhZS31Wfe6zIprXEw4b0bfDQsx7OwQFj7-m2A/s320/6be4e4df7532547887a10dcd90bfc0e7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>There has been a trend recently in pop culture that I think is stupid. At this point, I'm careful to examine whether something bothers me because its stupid, or because I'm just old and not hip anymore. This has actually bothered me for a while, and it seems to be getting worse. </p><p>Using the words King and Queen as terms of endearment is dumb. While it is meant as a compliment, denoting that person as beautiful, strong, and showing leadership qualities, I'm pretty sure when confronted with what actual monarchs do, it should be seen as an insult. </p><p>Royal titles used by normal people to describe other normal people started out in the Black community sometime during the Black Renaissance. It stems from this idea that all Black Americans are descendent from African Royal families, who were among the first to be sold into slavery in the Americas. While the Triangle Trade did rely heavily on the participation of African Kingdoms, I couldn't find any actual evidence of royalty being kidnapped and sold. Regardless of the historic truth, this idea is still an important metaphor for potential African greatness, robbed by Colonialism. The consequences of this crime are shared by American Natives, Southeast Asians, and Indians. So much progress and development was held back and straight up stolen. There are many books, papers, and studies to attest to the damage Colonialism is responsible for. </p><p>While I understand the need to reclaim identities stolen by generations of racist supremacists, religious zealotry, and greed, trying to claim royal lineage of a bygone era is not the way to do it. In 2016, <a href="https://www.theroot.com/why-i-kinda-sorta-hate-it-when-black-people-call-other-1822523375" target="_blank">Damon Young wrote an essay</a> about this same thing for The Root. He puts it very clearly: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">If you’re from a place where kings and queens existed, there’s a small chance you actually directly descended from them. And a much, much, much, much, much, much, much larger chance you descended from people who were ruled <i>by</i> t</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">hem. And, if history is any guide, if you happen to be from a place with an unfathomably wealthy ruling class, that unfathomable wealth most likely ended with the ruling class. Everyone else was either some version of middle class (not very likely) or a peasant (very likely).</span></h4></blockquote><p>And this, basically, is my point. The chances that any American, no matter what their ethnic background, is actually a king or queen is near zero. This is very much like crazy white supremacists pining for Medieval Europe, because they think they'd all be knights and lords in an Aryan utopia. In reality, they'd most likely be serfs, and dying of plague in a Europe that was actually pretty diverse in the Middle Ages. More on Feudalism later.</p><p>First of all, there aren't that many monarchies left in the world, and those monarchies that still do exist are keeping very good records regarding who ascends to the throne. Karen from Alabama isn't on anyone's list. Also, even if there are a bunch of descendants of royals running around in America, only 1 can become king. That's how monarchy works. The word literally means "One Ruler". Also, whatever kingdom these hypothetical royals came from no longer exists. They'd be kings of nothing, unless you want to destroy an already existing state and set up a new kingdom. This sounds an awful lot like Colonialism, actually, which is where this all started. </p><p>This brings me back to why I hear an insult when I hear King or Queen being used. Royals are literally the point source for all the world's current problems with equality. Royals financially supported colonies to start with. The Catholic Monarchs in Spain sent Columbus. Henry VII of England sent Cabot. Manuel I of Portugal sent the Portuguese Armada to Brazil. James I of England authorized the Virginia Company of London. And these colonies are founded on the premise that non-Christians, and therefore most non-Europeans (and quite a few actual Europeans) are inferior. </p><p>Colonialism aside, though, why would anyone want to be associated with royalty? I know we have this weird fascination with princes and princesses in our entertainment which stretches back to some of the first ever fictional epics like Gilgamesh, and Beowulf. All of the ancient Greek heroes are kings. King Arthur. Most of Shakespeare's plays are about kings. Most of Disney's animated films are about princesses. But reading about actual historic royalty makes for some sick and twisted realities.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8RjpW72emF46OsH8WpuQHG5sWfxbqb-MYmIWE7CsuLesYZUQJgf2za-MR3OKnX8Oykk__WpeFtZ2NyMavUm-zAphswt5lZVeX4OovJmRYg82CERFfqsFakQbKHWRwvFe_hXnWC6WFwljpdbtdSgT-1nFL1tCjsbFx99Am7NDeYaDj14tLNn8KVGCoaA/s1500/Neuschwanstein-Castle-Panorama.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1500" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8RjpW72emF46OsH8WpuQHG5sWfxbqb-MYmIWE7CsuLesYZUQJgf2za-MR3OKnX8Oykk__WpeFtZ2NyMavUm-zAphswt5lZVeX4OovJmRYg82CERFfqsFakQbKHWRwvFe_hXnWC6WFwljpdbtdSgT-1nFL1tCjsbFx99Am7NDeYaDj14tLNn8KVGCoaA/s320/Neuschwanstein-Castle-Panorama.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The way Feudalism works, Royals are at the top of a pyramid of land owning Lords. Basically, one family owns all the land, and has the power to grant land rights to lesser lords, or take it away. Everyone actually living on the land is expected to pay these lords for the privilege to exist there, through goods, services, or taxes. Feudalism relies on this idea that the lords provide protection through military defense. But... if the Lords' manpower and money come from the people, why does the people need Lords to start with? So, really a Royal family, at its core, only appears to exist to exploit the people. Feudalism looks an awful lot like a Medieval Pyramid Scheme. But systemic exploitation isn't the only terrible thing Royals are known for.</p><p>The Hapsburgs, the best example of the Royal Ick Factor, were so inbred we named a genetic deformity after them, The Hapsburg Jaw. Consanguineous marriage as a way to "purify bloodlines" wasn't just a Hapsburg thing, either. The infamous King Tutankhamen shows signs of inbreeding, meaning this crazy practice goes back at least over 3000 years. The premise of this ridiculous concept originates in the narcissistic notion that royalty can't mix with common folk, for the normal people are somehow inferior. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbwJXJ-sk6k0yRmjzPHyisIpT9vi4EGlASrmJh9VcVItHPuqOGRPhDYP6LDPTG5saDVoPiq8O17-fQRLDkXhFhvB75xFfpDdy-XayFTekHFRyD0WPbHBj7ZiglzpnhpYnMVIwufUHGovJ0Ut-fOD-ok6npNBvbJzQOUDTYalu51Oe-FFhzAioprj5bs/s750/lip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="750" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbwJXJ-sk6k0yRmjzPHyisIpT9vi4EGlASrmJh9VcVItHPuqOGRPhDYP6LDPTG5saDVoPiq8O17-fQRLDkXhFhvB75xFfpDdy-XayFTekHFRyD0WPbHBj7ZiglzpnhpYnMVIwufUHGovJ0Ut-fOD-ok6npNBvbJzQOUDTYalu51Oe-FFhzAioprj5bs/s320/lip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Observe, for example, the "rules of etiquette" when meeting the King of England. When the Royal Family visited the US in 2009, a bunch of news outlets published articles about this. <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/21380/what-do-when-you-meet-queen" target="_blank">The Mental Floss</a> article is here. Basically, no one can speak before spoken to, no touching, they expect gifts. You are expected to be there before they arrive, and they have to depart first. According to the article, even the royal pets are assholes. They behave, essentially, like they're doing you a favor by meeting you. <p></p><p>This notion that Royals have distanced themselves from everyone else, created myths that they are superior to the very people they rule over is at the root of the problem I have with an entire culture identifying with royalty. Royals are perhaps the worst people on the planet, and are not the role models for the strength, beauty, empathy, and leadership that this nicknaming trend tries to <span style="font-family: inherit;">acknowledge. There has got to be better, more positive, more reaffirming titles you can give your loved ones. </span></p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-10920362285044142132024-01-20T18:09:00.000-08:002024-03-10T14:00:25.945-07:00Trying to Redeem Country Music<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOclxEEAb_YGlBEpsicOaxirkyeAj6xx9N362oz2j6gfxAIwigecd3Tb63qC3nrJdcR6dhXjpKKwEHBRVflhSNKSA_wILzr2E_mQ8B79gPhblcbBKarLAHl6XvP3tAWu8GjiVqFApSrPsXxyzEUOeNeoTNpyjFEy6-DWMH1J5siQ0rU9OlmFdvADILPg/s523/country%20sucks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOclxEEAb_YGlBEpsicOaxirkyeAj6xx9N362oz2j6gfxAIwigecd3Tb63qC3nrJdcR6dhXjpKKwEHBRVflhSNKSA_wILzr2E_mQ8B79gPhblcbBKarLAHl6XvP3tAWu8GjiVqFApSrPsXxyzEUOeNeoTNpyjFEy6-DWMH1J5siQ0rU9OlmFdvADILPg/s320/country%20sucks.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span> I've heard all the criticisms and complaints about country music. The genre is in the same company as disco, emo, mumble rap, and EDM, getting shit on by everyone who actually knows music. The genre is riddled with formulaic song structures. The recurring themes of trucks, alcoholism, farm life, sex, and men lost in their feelings, are regurgitated seemingly in every song. The genre trades in "good ole boyisms", which on the surface promote classic good manners, loyalty to family and friends, and simple rural living. However, misogyny, racism, and anti-intellectualism are baked-in features. There is a long history of the Country Music Industry making careers of POC and female performers difficult, from Charley Pride and Cleve Francis, to the Dixie Chicks, Maren Morris, and Lil Nas X. </span>However, apparently Beyonce is Country now, so maybe the genre is finally beginning to embrace its diverse roots. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All this combined, it shouldn't be a surprise artists are leaving the genre, reframing the music they make into other similar categories like folk, southern rock, and Americana. Americana itself was a genre created in 1999, borrowing the term from the 1940s, the goal was, as Rolling Stone put it,"to carve out a distinct marketplace for a wave of traditionally minded songwriters [. . .] artists whose work was no longer being served by (the) country music industry". This exodus of talent naturally leaves Country Music with the worst offenders, perpetuating the worst trends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I spent a long time disparaging this genre, like a lot of other people. I really couldn't see the appeal with the twangy country western sound. However, I do like similar adjacent genres, like folk, bluegrass, and blues. Bands like Creedance Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, and Brett Dennen are all favorites, and all flirt with country music sounds. I'm also a big fan of the Outlaw Country guys Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristopherson. Recently, I've discovered some new country acts that appear to stay out of the terribleness the rest of the genre fell into. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeY9MBtGBp10Le2IxgJWeMBFUQ9rYr3fq1ESjS9-ht6zTzGIBx6TGsfTWW4l6mFLJyhCv9-7afIfRRR7cZfmIH4jZ1CIYTbepg8vxKJqdqvETmA6MEp-a_gBWzPNURPGoJ4Qavr0P64eIXtNMV4GUpu5KpKPonTGV633HslcLVxBuFCfqvH476RfI69ZM/s316/That's_How_Rumors_Get_Started.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeY9MBtGBp10Le2IxgJWeMBFUQ9rYr3fq1ESjS9-ht6zTzGIBx6TGsfTWW4l6mFLJyhCv9-7afIfRRR7cZfmIH4jZ1CIYTbepg8vxKJqdqvETmA6MEp-a_gBWzPNURPGoJ4Qavr0P64eIXtNMV4GUpu5KpKPonTGV633HslcLVxBuFCfqvH476RfI69ZM/s1600/That's_How_Rumors_Get_Started.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><p><br /></p>From the Willie Nelson wing of Country Music, <b>Miss Margo Price</b> won awards from the Americana Music Awards, the American Music Prize, and the UK Americana Awards, and also was nominated for a Grammy in 2018. Being a female talent, Price suffers from the misogyny baked into the industry. Her debut album was heralded as a stellar new talent by several publications, and nominated for awards. Her newest album, above, is a must have. She is most certainly a country artist who moved into the Americana genre. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRG1vd8bu6Yim1DZDtQBmIW69L1w2LlIteIJaF443ywvhPaHrLikbE3k0gjBkqL7sFfcMWpbA3rT2IzolLG8QXrkBJm1tRLOL458a1dkhCZPIayaVBd-RIkl6AixIyOTnTAUu2fyldXU60fKJAUlUQZy7vw82Ig_APdHa7uueVaN9uz9mRb77K2q-KrE/s316/Sturgill_Simpson_A_Sailor's_Guide_To_Earth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRG1vd8bu6Yim1DZDtQBmIW69L1w2LlIteIJaF443ywvhPaHrLikbE3k0gjBkqL7sFfcMWpbA3rT2IzolLG8QXrkBJm1tRLOL458a1dkhCZPIayaVBd-RIkl6AixIyOTnTAUu2fyldXU60fKJAUlUQZy7vw82Ig_APdHa7uueVaN9uz9mRb77K2q-KrE/s1600/Sturgill_Simpson_A_Sailor's_Guide_To_Earth.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b>Sturgill Simpson</b>, unrelated to Jessica, Ashlee, or OJ, has been compared to Outlaw Country legends Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard. This Outlaw Country thing may be a bit of a theme in this post... The above record, <i>A Sailor's Guide to Earth, </i>won the Best Country Album Grammy, and was nominated for Album of the Year. He has opened for Guns n Roses, and played with Willie Nelson, Margo Price and Bob Weir. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9-fHi_xaVPp6nuLnXpszV_rrkLuyMh9ctRfTzIflLWT4tSC5TWTNerIkDYOriLXJ47fQYsMwkLxJx-w87Ped4dyix1jM2501UedUEoJs-BMiFznjVNoPmhV8rKGZUjw0HaUGiP0GukPjJU3JNm-EKUVTI6nQtP8oi0eEsijEbUIeWa9fBupR-ufhhck/s316/Revelry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9-fHi_xaVPp6nuLnXpszV_rrkLuyMh9ctRfTzIflLWT4tSC5TWTNerIkDYOriLXJ47fQYsMwkLxJx-w87Ped4dyix1jM2501UedUEoJs-BMiFznjVNoPmhV8rKGZUjw0HaUGiP0GukPjJU3JNm-EKUVTI6nQtP8oi0eEsijEbUIeWa9fBupR-ufhhck/s1600/Revelry.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Adeem the Artist</b> needs to be protected. They have a strong and important voice within the genre, however, they also identify as non binary and uses they/them pronouns.... so... within the milieu of Country Music, they're a target for the highly conservative, highly misogynist, and homophobic culture. This record dropped in 2022, and targets racism, homophobia, fundamentalist religion, and Southern culture. This is a songwriter to watch, with a message that can help dissolve the stranglehold hatred has on poor white Southern and Western communities. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BHqZAVszM4RWgirwGilcqOGnjY_1mub9OAQZgSwnJGjGl6w5z9mqJxjM_E3viuWLkIc8U-jkQVoGDTOG6VWa_zA0zM-98Ixg29maHxPJLK3UZV-RUNNx4PAHDgA9ay-G_6olNhk67WI_iz3v46sUk33tS4lWOwhBaDWmoeZuSyzF4Cab9PReYgRfR0E/s316/Lukas_Nelson_&_Promise_of_the_Real_Turn_Off_the_News_(Build_a_Garden).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BHqZAVszM4RWgirwGilcqOGnjY_1mub9OAQZgSwnJGjGl6w5z9mqJxjM_E3viuWLkIc8U-jkQVoGDTOG6VWa_zA0zM-98Ixg29maHxPJLK3UZV-RUNNx4PAHDgA9ay-G_6olNhk67WI_iz3v46sUk33tS4lWOwhBaDWmoeZuSyzF4Cab9PReYgRfR0E/s1600/Lukas_Nelson_&_Promise_of_the_Real_Turn_Off_the_News_(Build_a_Garden).jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Lukas Nelson</b>, actually related to Willie Nelson, and his band, <b>the Promise of the Real</b> are as much a fresh look at Country, as they are a throwback. Also Neil Young's current backup band, The Promise of the Real are the vanguard of the left wing of Country music. This band has ties to Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson, Bob Weir and Neil Young (obviously) and have toured with BB King, Willie Nelson (also, obviously), and John Fogerty. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GqIPT8dKLnf2kPkSrlt9G_RvbGU-k38m5le9v9WjjzGukJU77D0qQkhysLAMauwndFv4rufniF3QymOT9yIqMLcovAQxtt-szATdGCEm2FuO0waWNut1ApXDRHpQ_BHe-fFv9hvCkXnJGwgRRZKzgqotCx9JQ3awpUumvGx6v5JASoWMqgoaclA-Ij8/s1650/The-Dead-South-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GqIPT8dKLnf2kPkSrlt9G_RvbGU-k38m5le9v9WjjzGukJU77D0qQkhysLAMauwndFv4rufniF3QymOT9yIqMLcovAQxtt-szATdGCEm2FuO0waWNut1ApXDRHpQ_BHe-fFv9hvCkXnJGwgRRZKzgqotCx9JQ3awpUumvGx6v5JASoWMqgoaclA-Ij8/s320/The-Dead-South-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>The Dead South</b> are Canadian, and like Stompin Tom Connors, Neil Young, and Shania Twain, they carry on the legacy of country sounds from the northernest North American nation. Technically a band that puts themselves squarely in Bluegrass as a genre, they cover a lot of the same tropes and styles of Country, especially the Appalachian styles that propelled early Country, bluegrass, and folk music. </p><p>These three genres are very similar and share roots, and the Dead South does a great job of revealing that. In fact, the band has received criticism from "bluegrass purists" for dabbling country and "african" sounds, and for supporting a punk and metal ethos. This disregards the fact that bluegrass owes a lot of its genre defining sound to the banjo, a Black American instrument based on traditional African instruments. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p></div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-86149120024640884722023-03-19T18:11:00.018-07:002023-12-15T16:40:40.400-08:00Star Wars ReWrites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-wDz6OVr9nBdUaqoidZVeD6klz18dyftXxRirrE4A2mq63ed8NqGNYHFA32dfTwt3ZmAvrAJA50_6feJmcjnL3zlyNCoroCgWN5BiVbXdT2teLP9DC23pE74o9D-1EE9GoZqfv_OvV-EBneBRqf39nUH1jAMcwoq6VCOnaHehmgiHR8VAccCtVz1/s600/prequel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-wDz6OVr9nBdUaqoidZVeD6klz18dyftXxRirrE4A2mq63ed8NqGNYHFA32dfTwt3ZmAvrAJA50_6feJmcjnL3zlyNCoroCgWN5BiVbXdT2teLP9DC23pE74o9D-1EE9GoZqfv_OvV-EBneBRqf39nUH1jAMcwoq6VCOnaHehmgiHR8VAccCtVz1/w457-h257/prequel.jpg" width="457" /></a></div><br /><p>It is no secret that I am not a fan of the Star Wars movies episodes 1-3, and 8. Don't mistake <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2011/09/and-now-some-nerdiness.html" target="_blank">these huge critiques</a> for disliking the enitre franchise. I think THE Space Western overall is a very cool concept and story (mostly) and a cool sandbox to create in, which is evident by Jon Favreau's Mandalorian and Boba Fett shows. However, as I've said previously, the prequels are a hot mess. At the heart of this hot mess is a terrible plot. I understand while I can criticize the bad choices made for these three movies, I havent really come back with an alternative. So... here we go. For continuity sake, and to clarify, we are KEEPING episodes 4-7, and 9 probably in their entirety. Episode 8 doesnt really seem to be relevant to the overall plot, and can probably be thrown out altogether, although there are some intriguing ideas. We are also tossing everything Clone Wars related, but keeping Rogue 1, and Solo, as I don't believe the prequels are ever brought up in detail, so whatever we change, won't mess with continuity. </p><p><b>WHAT WE KNOW</b>: </p><p>George Lucas establishes in <i>A New Hope</i> a few things about this universe. There is a Galactic Empire, ruled by an Emperor. Previously, there had been an intergalactic war known as the Clone Wars. There was also an order of warrior monks called the Jedi with telekenetic abilities derived from a natural and spiritual essence known as the Force. They are an ancient religion, and they fought in the Clone Wars. </p><p>The Galaxy believes these Jedi had all been nearly wiped out somehow, but few may still be living in exile. Obi Wan Kenobi is one of these. Luke Skywalker's father was also a Jedi and knew Obi Wan, and was "betrayed and murdered" by Darth Vader. Han Solo knows the Jedi used to exist, but not much else, leading one to believe its been awhile since the Jedi disappeared, or they're so secretive, not much was generally known. Darth Vader is also a Force user, it is unclear what his relationship is to the Jedi Order. </p><p>We also know, from <i>A New Hope</i> that there is already an established group in open rebellion against the Empire. Not much is revealed about how they are organized, but later scenes show they have an established base of operations, and operate much like a standing army with heirarchical leadership. They also appear to be fully funded and have a wide array of weapons, including several squadrons of star fighters. </p><p>Conversely, we know the Empire appears to function as a government divided into several smaller territories run by governors known as Moffs. Grand Moff Tarkin being one of these. Darth Vader appears to be the senior representative of the Emperor, but not necessarily the Commander-in-Chief of the military, nor does he seem to have authority over the Moffs, as Tarkin appears to always have the last word. However, in <i>Empire Strikes Back</i>, Vader takes on more of an admiral role, and even has his own giant star destroyer. </p><p>In <i>Empire Strikes Back</i>, we also learn Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are the same person, and A: Luke is his son, B: there is another option if Luke fails and, C: Obi-Wan tried to train Anakin like he trained Luke and failed. </p><p>In<i> Return of the Jedi</i> we learn Leia is the other option because Luke and Leia are twins. They also have little to no memory of their actual mother, so they had to have been separated from her when they were very young. </p><p>The Mandalorian establishes at a point in the past, the Empire attacked Mandalore in retribution for something, seemingly making the planet uninhabitable, and forcing survivors to live in exile. It also makes clear, Mandalore was once respected in the Galaxy as a fearsome warrior society. </p><p>In addition to these things, and all characters that appear and are talked about in the canonical films, I do like certain prequel characters and think they still have potential. I've decided to keep Mace Windu, Darth Maul, Jar Jar Binks, and some others. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgCjIdVexuAOxBLoC2P1M2QifPjDnqIG4AX18wU7Yxdf-IpUU2cSPno8ad1imylS1LC58iJS9X7hUFPX3yBQMunhs0QXAeStyIhA_WTN0DwaDm8-hFn5rV8w3j21a6AQLnqIDdVwhXFocUGFDEjNmmH8J0qEX_qbklbBnDXPgTqY6yFvOWdf8u7O5/s1280/phantom.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgCjIdVexuAOxBLoC2P1M2QifPjDnqIG4AX18wU7Yxdf-IpUU2cSPno8ad1imylS1LC58iJS9X7hUFPX3yBQMunhs0QXAeStyIhA_WTN0DwaDm8-hFn5rV8w3j21a6AQLnqIDdVwhXFocUGFDEjNmmH8J0qEX_qbklbBnDXPgTqY6yFvOWdf8u7O5/s320/phantom.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Episode One: The Phantom Menace</b></p><p>The original prequels fail in that they don't provide a convincing reason how a centuries long government can finally collapse. An upstart trade federation is ridiculous. No government on Earth has ever been taken down by a trade group. Usually giant empires fall due to environmental disasters, exterior pressures and internal conflicts, or invasion. </p><p>My story makes far more sense, but can also use some of the element from the original plot. A galaxy is a pretty big space, with lots of diversity in both environments and lifeforms. However, economics is a shared element that can bridge all these differences. So, for hundreds of years, the Galactic Republic is able to secure trade and keep the peace. Everyone trades, everyone prospers, and all disputes are managed by the Republic's Diplomatic Corps and the Jedi Order of Knights. There is no standing Army or Navy, but several member systems maintain small forces to combat crime and piracy. </p><p>That is until the economy hits a once in a lifetime recession. Now a few member systems have doubts about the Republic's economic policies. This establishes an internal conflict. At the same time, there is a external threat to the Republic from another wing of the galaxy. </p><p>I looked into Star Wars Legends stuff for extant species to plunder for this purpose. Although the Yuuzhan Vong are intriguing on their own, created as an antagonist for the post-<i>Return of the Jedi</i> books, the Tof from the comics seem to be a better option. It is an Empire of its own, with several subject systems. They have a war-like culture, but are more interested in conquest than annihilation. </p><p>That should probably be the only thing we take from the Tof in the Comics. In the comics, these guys look like green skinned pirates from the Caribbean, complete with spaceships that looked like pirate ships with sails and rigging. They will have to be completely redesigned because that is dumb. </p><p>From another arm of the galaxy, until now not having any contact with the Republic, the Tof Empire begins raiding Outer Rim worlds, and making aggressive demands. The Republic is ill equipped to handle this situation, as there is no military force, only a diplomatic Corp and the samurai-like Jedi peace keepers. The Jedi ask for the Republic to act, as this is a threat unlike anything they have had to deal with in hundreds of years. </p><p>A few Senators from Outer Rim systems, lead by the Count Dooku, the Senator from Serenno, and Jar Jar Binks, Senator from Naboo, propose repealing the Republic's demilitarization policy. This would allow for a new military to be built. In the meantime, a Defense Force will be built quickly by retrofitting large transport vessels, and conscripting independent states' anti-piracy fleets. They also propose building a force of Marines using new but highly unethical cloning technology. This proposal is fought by Senator Palpatine of Grizmalt and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. Instead they propose sending Jedi to bolster the already existing anti-piracy fleets and defend Outer Rim sectors until they can open diplomatic channels with the Tof. </p><p>Bail Organa takes two Jedi, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, to Mandalore to secure mercenaries to help reinforce the defenses in Outer Rim systems. The Jedi win the Mandalorians' respect and swear allegiance. </p><p>Meanwhile, Palpatine, the biggest supporter of keeping the Union together, despite economic recession, thwarts an attempted assassination by Darth Maul. Jar Jar Binks uses this event to stoke fear in other Senators, calling the assassin an agent from the Tof. He succeeds in building a coalition for secession from the Republic. ("how can the Republic keep our home systems safe, when they can't even keep the Senate safe?") </p><p>Palpatine requests Obi-Wan and Anakin to investigate the assassination further. </p><p>A few Outer Rim systems have started building their Navy anyway in secret, led by Count Dooku and senator Mitth from Csilla (the Chiss). Their efforts are seemingly aided by two shadowy agents who have been traveling all over the galaxy making deals to secure the resources necessary. It is unclear who these two women actually represent, but they are protected by a ninja like figure (Darth Maul). The cloning begins, using infamous Mandalorian outcast Jengo Fett as its blueprint. </p><p>As systems begin to secede from the Republic due to economic recession and safety fears, the Tof raids in the Outer Rim continue to escalate. Jedi forces are taxed to their limit in protecting Outer Rim systems even with Mandalorian reinforcements. The Anti-Pirate fleets borrowed from Mid Galaxy and Core systems, have left these areas defenseless, leading to an unprecedented crime wave, strengthening the Hutt, Black Sun, and Crimson Dawn crime families. This creates even more uncertainty among Republic member planets and puts more pressure on the Union. </p><p>During their investigation of Bail Organa's assassination attempt, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his protege, Anakin Skywalker investigate a tip given to them by Senator Palpatine. They uncover the secret Navy being built by rogue Outer Rim systems in direct violation of the Republic's Orders. This scandal rips through the Republic. Several more systems secede. Obi-Wan continues to investigate the assassination further on his own. </p><p>Seeing the weakness, the Tof begin to invade Republic systems. They mount an invasion of Coruscant, but the Mandalorians, assisted by Jedi Mace Windu, Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker, manage to push the Tof away and defend the Core system and the center of Republican government. However, several other Outer Rim systems fall to the Tof. </p><p>After the narrow victory, Palpatine, with support from his biggest detractor Senator Dooku, calls for the Republic to give him emergency dictator powers to oversee the defense of both member and separatist systems. The motion passes, and Palpatine commandeers the secret Navy and the cloned Marines, and ramps up military spending and training across the rest of the Republic. The Jedi finally get the support they asked for and begin the Clone Wars against the invading Tof. Palpatine is seen as the great leader who has preserved the Union in a time of strife, and has rebounded the failing economy through his military spending. </p><p>Meanwhile, Anakin is seen as a hero of the Battle of Coruscant and is awarded his Masters robes by the Jedi Order at the request of Obi-Wan. He is charged by Yoda and Qui Gin Jinn to train the newest group of apprentices.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlGHPkzUjqK03DxNxvdH3FsPdtlBF_hB9TWuEqBcWA8opR3qQ6nWpGmj8CHY1R2PU6GtQlcwY21zi4BFAJ9jh7kT0f4c2Z6NE_I1mHcQDRAPww0yZ7wlLnuA1DxRexd0M1nDnBOrdQA0ejrtQb-1uY7kAMRBvUXMLJfkwQ4HpTWNJbdd456xuoWqZ/s1124/clones.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="1124" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlGHPkzUjqK03DxNxvdH3FsPdtlBF_hB9TWuEqBcWA8opR3qQ6nWpGmj8CHY1R2PU6GtQlcwY21zi4BFAJ9jh7kT0f4c2Z6NE_I1mHcQDRAPww0yZ7wlLnuA1DxRexd0M1nDnBOrdQA0ejrtQb-1uY7kAMRBvUXMLJfkwQ4HpTWNJbdd456xuoWqZ/s320/clones.webp" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>The Clone Wars</b></p><p>This second film opens with the Clone Wars already in full swing. Anakin, as a master, has been leading a strike force of Jedi apprentices. A new apprentice has been added to the group, Ahsoka Tano, a young Togruta girl. Meanwhile Obi-Wan and Mace Windu have been leading squads of clone troopers. As the movie begins, these 3 groups are reunited on the Bothan planet Bothawui, preparing a push to free the world from Tof control. During the ensuing campaign, Ahsoka begins to discover the true nature of Anakin's strike force. The Bothawui campaign is a success and proves to be the turning point in the Clone Wars. </p><p>As the war comes to an end, and the Tof are pushed out of Republic Territory. Bail Organa calls for opening diplomatic talks and ending the war, but Palpatine, refusing to give up his dictator powers, opposes the motion, and with Count Dooku, and Mithh, and Jar Jar Binks in his ear, seeks retribution for the Tof's aggression by invading the Tof Empire outright. The Republic Senate is left in an uproar. Meanwhile the Mandalorians discover the source of the clones (Jengo Fett, the banished Mandalorian), and despite the best efforts of the Jedi, they desert the Republic Armed Forces and return to Mandalore. </p><p>Obi-Wan Kenobi's investigation finally uncovers the assassin, at the same time, Ahsoka blows the whistle on Anakin. She informs Obi-Wan and Mace Windu of Anakin's seeming treachery, unclear of his motives, and of a plot to destroy Serenno. Obi-Wan asks for Mace Windu's assisstance. They attempt to arrest these alleged terrorists, and end up battling Darth Maul and his two female operatives. The female agents are revealed to be Padme Amidala and her sister Sola Naberrie from Grizmalt. </p><p>In the ensuing fight, Padme is killed. Darth Maul and Sola escape, and the Jedi are left to chase and stop the planned terror attack. </p><p>In the epilogue, we see Anakin, distraught. "This wasnt supposed to happen". A voice offscreen tells him they have the technology to clone. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCUYmVgkOlXUNpjXHi6QvlTd0PW7HHXk5Igv40anWvxZsugZN0pWRcZbELKyTpgmnrJO4BpA-tpJ9qUTSQyGGC6TdGAUhD8M3gyksnYsIegQH3wQD8-e_yAqx0mTFfHyVZRIIdA-kj7elC7BWv1QegUmF6lFjBj0_RSlpSjEX8rSQ1UZmCyh8SJlT/s1280/Sith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCUYmVgkOlXUNpjXHi6QvlTd0PW7HHXk5Igv40anWvxZsugZN0pWRcZbELKyTpgmnrJO4BpA-tpJ9qUTSQyGGC6TdGAUhD8M3gyksnYsIegQH3wQD8-e_yAqx0mTFfHyVZRIIdA-kj7elC7BWv1QegUmF6lFjBj0_RSlpSjEX8rSQ1UZmCyh8SJlT/s320/Sith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>REVENGE of the SITH</b></p><p>Darth Maul, and Sola are confronted by Mace Windu, and Obi Wan Kenobi. However, Sola escapes, leaving Darth Maul to fight the two Jedi alone. The Jedi understand Maul to be Sith, an offshoot of the Jedi Order obsessed with the Dark Side and thought to have been outlawed and eradicated. Before Maul is seemingly killed, he reveals there are Sith in the Senate, and he is but one of 4. </p><p>Meanwhile, Skywalker confronts Dooku. The Count is surprised the Sith have gone back on their deal. Dooku exposes the pact made between him and the Sith lords. They planned the economic recession, the war, the assassinations, everything to spark a coup disguised as legitimate procedure to defend the Republic. Dooku and his allies in the Senate would benefit from lucrative defense contracts previously banned by Republic law, and the Sith would gain power as Prime Senators for life. Skywalker tells Dooku the Sith had no intention of sharing power and wealth. Skywalker kills him.</p><p>Sola ignites the city, destroying it and polluting the planet. She escapes to rendezvous with Anakin. </p><p>The Jedi also escape and split up. Mace Windu takes two other Jedi Knights to share with Dictator Palpatine what they've learned about the Sith presence in the Senate, as news of the tragedy on Serenno reaches Corsucant. Meanwhile Obi-Wan Kenobi goes to confront Skywalker about his betrayal and arrest him. </p><p>While Obi-Wan fights Skywalker, Anakin reveals why he turned to the darkside. He could never understand why the Order had to be celibate, and renounce all wealth and power. His new Master, Darth Sidious showed him the kinds of wealth and power he can obtain while building a life and family with Padme that the Jedi refused to allow him. But now Padme is dead, and all he wants is revenge. Obi-Wan presses Skywalker about the identity of Darth Sidious, but he doesnt give up Palpatine. Obi-Wan incorrectly guesses Jar Jar Binks is the Sith Master. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhUkcErmDqypYTHrOExd79V7nc5E8AYRGyLNBV5v8-7kv_AEBLzjY7X0EJpqIqgIBiQgj7y8euOBUL3uzf9HWxXhPWHR4gZYKYHALVojsLjvvjTHWiB2S16ifsfE3h9dl-XxeCcXNy_B04SP-PFNWyPEGveXdeWVLUO8qfzekJigyxy7c6g00nnOw/s1103/imperial%20padme.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhUkcErmDqypYTHrOExd79V7nc5E8AYRGyLNBV5v8-7kv_AEBLzjY7X0EJpqIqgIBiQgj7y8euOBUL3uzf9HWxXhPWHR4gZYKYHALVojsLjvvjTHWiB2S16ifsfE3h9dl-XxeCcXNy_B04SP-PFNWyPEGveXdeWVLUO8qfzekJigyxy7c6g00nnOw/s320/imperial%20padme.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p>As Obi-Wan defeats Skywalker, cutting off his arm and leaving him to die in the fires of Mustafar, Mace Windu arrives in Coruscant. He intends to meet with Palpatine and the Economic Council, made up of the heads of the most powerful trade organizations in the galaxy. However, he is stopped by Senator Jar Jar Binks, revealed as the Sith Lord, Darth Tyranus, for the first time. Windu and the other 2 Jedi fight Jar Jar Binks. The Sith Lord manages to kill the other Jedi, but is overmatched by Mace Windu. Mace Windu defeats Darth Tyranus, but doesnt kill him. </p><p>Palpatine watches this all happen, a spectator this whole time. As Darth Tyranus is defeated, Sola enters and stands with Palpatine. Mace Windu recognizes Sola from their encounter in Serrano as Palpatine turns on him, revealing himself to be the Sith Master, Darth Sidious. Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Anakin were his apprentices. Dooku was only a manipulative pawn, "much like the Jedi Order itself". On a television screen to the side, a news broadcast shows a few Senators including Mithh at a press conference, revealing the Jedi Order are behind the deadly attack on Serenno, and Count Dooku has been murdered by Jedi operatives. </p><p>At the same time, the group of Apprentices trained by Anakin, turn on unsuspecting fellow Jedi, with the help of a small group of Mandalorian mercenaries led by Gar Saxon. Anakin and Palpatine have been poisoning these young Jedi, turning them to the Dark Side in secret. Dozens are killed, and the temple is burned down. This attack begins the Jedi Betrayal, which will culminate in the Jedi Purge, years later completed by Darth Vader and Gar Saxon. Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn and a small group of other Jedi are cornered. The group fights back, but are overwhelmed. Qui-Gon Jinn falls, sacrificing himself so Yoda and the rest of the group can escape. He vanishes in a pile of clothing (obviously). Yoda's group flees and contacts several Jedi operating off planet, including Obi-Wan. Dozens go into hiding. </p><p>Palpatine is able to overcome Mace Windu, with the help of Sola, killing him. </p><p>Anakin's apprentices rescue him from Mustafar and bring him back to Palpatine, to be rechristened Darth Vader. Palpatine casts the Jedi purge as the necessary response to their treachery, blaming the Jedi Order for inviting the Tof to start with. When the Tof invasion failed, he says, the Jedi destroyed Seranno, and killed Dooku in retaliation. In addition, Palpatine says, they attempted to do the same to Naboo and Grizmalt, and attempted to assassinate himself and Jar Jar Binks, but luckily they failed. </p><p>He then declares himself Dictator for Life and shuts himself away with his consort. Jar Jar Binks, and Wilhuff Tarkin expand the war and press into Tor space, unveiling new military, including Star Destroyers, Tie Fighters, marching storm troopers, and even a glimpse at plans for a Death Star. </p><p>At the very end, we see doctors at Vader's bedside, he is expected to make a full recovering, including some modifications. The cloning process, he is told, was successful. The doctor moves away and the Padme clone is revealed behind him. </p><p>In an epilogue, we see a new cabal of characters uniting to rebel against this new Empire, including Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Ackbar, Obi-Wan Kenobi, some wookies, bothans, and others. Of course, R2D2 and C3PO will be there. I want to include Owen Lars here too, maybe. See below for details. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvDbDZ-5__Q-ocpTK1QHzp6oBqGnVgchbjzW5tfOlSEcewBbNOIEgcBrpsOFE2P3hzNtYkj_dlLUhUtFstWdaHEnXUx7F0AybCrqpUdoBN5azBRPZs_Jmmcc9aW0w1-hJGAMkLhZnM6swZ2GppdgO0A6gayp1zTBYAT3xWJ--11RH5ELKR1KvU0BP/s600/tarkin.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvDbDZ-5__Q-ocpTK1QHzp6oBqGnVgchbjzW5tfOlSEcewBbNOIEgcBrpsOFE2P3hzNtYkj_dlLUhUtFstWdaHEnXUx7F0AybCrqpUdoBN5azBRPZs_Jmmcc9aW0w1-hJGAMkLhZnM6swZ2GppdgO0A6gayp1zTBYAT3xWJ--11RH5ELKR1KvU0BP/w448-h224/tarkin.webp" width="448" /></a></div><p><b>Afterward</b></p><p>You see... this plot sets up a more believable government in jeopardy. Because things like the Rule of Two don't exist, we can have a cabal of Sith Lords working together to create chaos and gain control. Because we have internal threats (failed economies) and external threats (outside pressures), the threat to eternal peace doesn't seem far fetched. We get a Space Western with Magic Space Samurai and Space Diplomatic Intrigue. We are actually getting a real Star War!</p><p>This scenario sets up Tarkin as an antagonist in A New Hope, sets up a good reason for the destruction of Mandalore (they deserted the Republic Navy), makes Darth Maul's resurgence in<i> Solo</i> more believable (he doesnt get cut in half). It also shows the potential for a Palpatine bloodline, which seemed to come out of nowhere in <i>Episode 9</i>. Also, the prototype planet destroyer, seen in <i>Rogue One, </i>will be seen in an even more protoypical stage as it rips through Serenna. </p><p>There will be a foundation for the kinds of rotten Capitalism shown in<i> Episode 7. </i>Fascist takeovers like described here can only be successful when the Upper Class either is in cahoots, or does nothing. In this case, Jar Jar Binks, Dooku, and Tarkin have all been working behind the scenes to make deals with the people who will become Palpatine's Ministers, and Grand Moffs. Speaking of Grand Moffs, introducing a Chiss character helps set up for Thrawn in the future AND gives an easter egg to some crazy fans. </p><p>It also gives Vader purpose. He needs to seek and destroy the Jedi and introduces his group of accolades (his Jedi apprentice Strike Force) who will be known as something like the Sith Inquisitors, or the Emperor's Hands, or the Knights of the Sith, which then makes the Knights of Ren more understandable, if Kilo Ren intends to reproduce Vader's legacy. </p><p>In addition, we don't get a huge spoiler by knowing who Luke and Leia are at the end of the 3rd Episode, thereby ruining the surprises in <i>Empire</i> and <i>Jedi. </i>Nor do we have to wrestle with the Prequels' weird Padme/Anakin relationship. She is no longer 10 years older than he is, or a virtuous protagonist. </p><p>Padme doesnt really die. I mean, she dies, which helps toss Anakin completely into the Dark Side. But... clones. We can bring her back. This also means Luke and Leia dont have to be born immediately. The Empire can exist for more than 18 to 20 years before the 2nd Death Star is blown up. We don't have to wonder why Obi-Wan Kenobi looks 30 something in Revenge of the Sith, and 70 in A New Hope, when he should only be in his early 50s. </p><p>Also, it allows for a movie or tv show about how Vader's twins end up kidnapped and separated. I imagine its probably an assassination attempt on Vader himself, but he's out of town, and Padme becomes the target instead. The Rebel assassins didnt plan for twin babies, and so they take them with. Or... something similar. Bail Organa takes Leia to Alderaan. Owen Lars, one of the rebel assassins, takes Luke to Tatooine, where he will retire to be a moisture farmer, disillusioned by his experiences in the Rebellion. He hopes raising this kid will atone for some of the terrible things he has done. </p><p>This scenario also allows Rey to mirror Luke and Leia as products of their upbringing, as opposed to slaves of their bloodlines. Even though Luke and Leia and Rey have evil, Fascist parents, they turn out to be virtuous defenders of the Light Side, by being raised outside of those families. </p><p>And, the best part, no Anakin as a child. Unnecessary. No mommy issues, no ties to Tatooine. No speed racer scenes. No midichlorian Force algae causing an emaculate conception. Oh, and no building a droid by hand who becomes an important main character in future movies and never mentions it once. </p><p><br /></p><p>There. I fixed it. </p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-47034938271529246482022-02-21T18:44:00.006-08:002024-03-10T14:02:51.374-07:00They Command No Respect<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS9hp4RVjXjgm9OUJL438Oc_Vp4YUoGEw2fOk6DudEV7O4fPGq0cN_RrYX9ginplPsR3qvWlrEmri52Tm2bRDzNruP5Pl6yQotMpn-VJmXyZxGiuog5jaLR14cVKyWqwRLXONTMarabEreQ_dw7RET6KMA59bMgMUFxv0sY7KG4c7Q0lsVTBtPuClZ=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1200" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS9hp4RVjXjgm9OUJL438Oc_Vp4YUoGEw2fOk6DudEV7O4fPGq0cN_RrYX9ginplPsR3qvWlrEmri52Tm2bRDzNruP5Pl6yQotMpn-VJmXyZxGiuog5jaLR14cVKyWqwRLXONTMarabEreQ_dw7RET6KMA59bMgMUFxv0sY7KG4c7Q0lsVTBtPuClZ=w400-h219" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>As anticipated, the NFL's Washington Football Team unveiled their new mascot and logo on February 2. After 18 months of contemplation, a year and a half of brainstorming and vetting ideas, the big brains within the Washington Football Club committed to....</p><p><b>The Commanders</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiacMPL20hbyfyIg_SdvNyk108D2vuao98XO6QKi_FCH3r9hv0rOQ6ayKnKwfX99tdVIFM811PmR6gb8ZW8W5srsm7kxSjlyJgOGXwFmf7_SyRBEc2VXeFtnrTrYQIaknJ0I0q3ayMkYZDoWzAwcOA__4ZPDYQYnRbIt3BNA2lTD3-Qa6sTJ4q55HVN=s1400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1400" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiacMPL20hbyfyIg_SdvNyk108D2vuao98XO6QKi_FCH3r9hv0rOQ6ayKnKwfX99tdVIFM811PmR6gb8ZW8W5srsm7kxSjlyJgOGXwFmf7_SyRBEc2VXeFtnrTrYQIaknJ0I0q3ayMkYZDoWzAwcOA__4ZPDYQYnRbIt3BNA2lTD3-Qa6sTJ4q55HVN=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p>At this point, everyone on Twitter has made the same jokes. But I'm going to put them here too, because they're funny, and this mascot is lame. For starters, team names often have shortened nicknames. The Patriots are known as the Pats, the Packers are called the Pack, the Cavaliers are known as the Cavs, etc, etc. The Commanders... wearing maroon... The Commies is just too easy!</p><p>Also, a name like Commanders is going to invoke allusions to other things.... like commanding organizational skills....</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiv7Fj1thENh_GLPvTyuOO9OOMIP81MDJEhh3f7SOMtKOrI7aydefICjNCfZT7Hyze9SZC1sHXOhZjhJAZb4wxqntluPzxk9-ehURyFpoUjJiNdlyg65uISvRMlY1x9YL9gF6EvFtluqh8XFbEsqRHdhxPohWI-AsMn_y0KSFt-oU8qMhWLte89IFyM=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiv7Fj1thENh_GLPvTyuOO9OOMIP81MDJEhh3f7SOMtKOrI7aydefICjNCfZT7Hyze9SZC1sHXOhZjhJAZb4wxqntluPzxk9-ehURyFpoUjJiNdlyg65uISvRMlY1x9YL9gF6EvFtluqh8XFbEsqRHdhxPohWI-AsMn_y0KSFt-oU8qMhWLte89IFyM=w320-h320" title="I guess it is an Organized Sport..." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess it is an Organized Sport...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even better than a cheap hook joke, most Gen Xers, and elder Millennials will more than likely make the GI Joe comparison...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeRdGgilnZiN0jc-iicqMZiOmThbOe6cdvU7qXN6yS3d6M0QIxyRj-KU5GbmgAQIvIKEkTy73Kpkv46oe7UaXc_Arx9yHxFUrwa6UTA82bTa_hEuOvCa6kD62Dn9Bp8xStsB8sPjP1a1_uLEmUw43xQRkYK-aC0DF-k-khm90i1yOjGrgiKhSZ-FSZ=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeRdGgilnZiN0jc-iicqMZiOmThbOe6cdvU7qXN6yS3d6M0QIxyRj-KU5GbmgAQIvIKEkTy73Kpkv46oe7UaXc_Arx9yHxFUrwa6UTA82bTa_hEuOvCa6kD62Dn9Bp8xStsB8sPjP1a1_uLEmUw43xQRkYK-aC0DF-k-khm90i1yOjGrgiKhSZ-FSZ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Anyway... I obviously think this choice is a joke. But apparently, I'm not alone. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/poll-reveals-washington-commanders-nickname-unpopular-among-local-residents/ar-AAU8SBC" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> conducted a survey between February 2 and the 14th. As you can see below, fans who like or love the new name account for only 41%. Negative Opinions add up to 49%, and if you include "no opinion" as being apathetic and therefore also negative, that equals 60% of all polled. In addition, it appears most fans would have preferred remaining the Washington Football Team, which was the placeholder name until they came up with a new one. </p><table class="TableBase" style="background-color: #242424; border-spacing: 0px; color: whitesmoke; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Sans-sarif; font-size: 17px; overflow: auto;"><tbody><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><th class="header--cell">Interest level</th><th class="header--cell">Percentage points</th></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Love</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">5%</p></td></tr><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Like</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">36%</p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Dislike</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">32%</p></td></tr><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Hate</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">17%</p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">No Opinion</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">11%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table class="TableBase" style="background-color: #242424; border-spacing: 0px; color: whitesmoke; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Sans-sarif; font-size: 17px; overflow: auto;"><tbody><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><th class="header--cell">Team name</th><th class="header--cell">Percentage points</th></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Washington Football Team</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">43%</p></td></tr><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Commanders</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">26%</p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Redskins</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">22%</p></td></tr><tr style="background: rgb(54, 54, 54);"><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">Other</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">5%</p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">No opinion</p></td><td style="padding: 0px 10px;"><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}" style="margin: 0px;">5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>It seems this franchise can't get a break. But then again, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/592707-former-washington-football-staffers-detail-sexual-harassment-humiliation-and" target="_blank">all these investigations into office conduct</a> doesn't really make me sympathetic. In addition to lukewarm response to their new name, the team has also been called out for their new logo (shown above). Apparently they trademarked the dates for the Superbowls, not the championship season. This sounds like semantics (and it is) but the Superbowl played in Febuary of 1983 was for a season mostly played in 1982. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-washington-commanders-nfl-in-squabble-over-team-crest/ar-AAU0kzR" target="_blank">This article</a> explains the issue, and its pretty funny, because its such a stupid problem to have. </div><div><br /></div><div>At least they are no longer clinging to their old mascot and nickname. And I think most of us can agree on that. And perhaps all these issues they're having now is just karma earned from decades of propping up a racist slur. </div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-79356346552197925172021-08-01T17:28:00.004-07:002023-05-22T18:42:59.204-07:00Investing in Invasives<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently wrote a paper for a Climate Law class. I wanted to write about invasive species, as I find this to be intriguing. The consequences of cultural exchange, global trade, and colonialism are another sort of devastating conquest, an ecological invasion. This is an old problem, dating back to ancient times, and yet, it appears to be even more of an issue lately. I wanted to study this in depth. Has climate change played a role in making invasive species more prevalent, and more dangerous? Below is my abstract, followed by a summary of my paper. </span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS70R8N-gyPFDXXW8OF_ByIPpTr_OuKlFCArJC8AXK25G-OQuY9IAJMIPRPpV0mj3y0NEZU-YnjkWQEM3tUbefWRKOU2mF1LuYLjBSl4g9Tk4WEWOfFxCOijQDBaXBWV6ySsQIM8lHNJo/s910/Invasive-Species.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="910" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS70R8N-gyPFDXXW8OF_ByIPpTr_OuKlFCArJC8AXK25G-OQuY9IAJMIPRPpV0mj3y0NEZU-YnjkWQEM3tUbefWRKOU2mF1LuYLjBSl4g9Tk4WEWOfFxCOijQDBaXBWV6ySsQIM8lHNJo/w400-h271/Invasive-Species.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><br /><div style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(68, 114, 196); border-left: none; border-right: none; border-top: 1pt solid rgb(68, 114, 196); margin-left: 0.6in; margin-right: 0.6in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #4472C4 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-alt: solid #4472C4 .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt 0in; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoIntenseQuote" style="margin: 0.25in 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><b>Abstract:</b> Invasive
species have been a harmful issue to both ecosystems and economies for hundreds
of years. Invasives can both take advantage of and cause stress to
environments. Climate change is one of the biggest stressors to ecosystems in
the last 30 years and has been accelerating invasive species behavior,
exasperating the issue. It became clear, through research, that many of the
goals for combating invasives mirror those of combating climate change. This is
good news, as policy can be built together that will solve both issues. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), invasive species and climate change
are two of the four driving forces behind biodiversity loss. Since climate change and invasive species population surges have been linked, both driving forces, as
described by the USDA, can be seen as one larger connected driving force. This
paper will explore this idea and analyze the legal underpinnings of invasive
species regulation and determine if United States law is adequate to meet this
challenge to our ecosystems and reliant economies during this climate change
crisis. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">Climate Change, while not a new phenomenon, is at the moment an
important global issue. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) not only specifies that climate change effects are causing consequences
right now in water, energy, transportation, agriculture, and human health, but
ecosystems are also experiencing shifts in seasonal timing due to unusually
warmer summer seasons and shorter, warmer autumn and winter seasons.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Warmer seasons make extreme heat waves more likely. Studies in 2018 concluded the likelihood of an extreme heat wave will increase from 1 every 20 years to 1 in 4 by 2050. Winters, by comparison, will continue to warm, and produce up to 12 times fewer extreme cold days. This temperature disparity will impact snowpacks, reduce soil moisture, and greatly increase severity of droughts. These droughts can then lead to perfect conditions for wildfires. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only are the seasons changing, and extreme weather becoming more likely, but the composition of ocean water has changed acid levels. This affects marine ecosystems. In addition, rising sea levels increases risk of shore erosion, and surges in salt content to inland waterways. This affects wetlands ecosystems. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of this, due to manmade increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the ocean water acidity, the salt, the rise in temperatures, the increase in probability of extreme weather events, shifting in seasons all contributes to stress on ecosystems. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ecosystem stress is discussed in a paper published by The American Naturalist. “The ecosystem-level distress syndrome is manifest through changes in nutrient cycling, productivity, the size of dominant species, species diversity, and a shift in species dominance to opportunistic shorter-lived forms [. . .] Inability to cope leads to further dysfunctions and, perhaps, to irreversible ecosystem breakdown" This paper was published in 1985, and included over harvesting, pollution, and extreme weather events as major contributors to ecosystem stress. No doubt, if this paper were published recently, climate change would be at the top of the list. Although climate change is absent, invasive species is on the paper’s list of known stressors. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Invasive Species are defined as being a non-native species introduced to an ecosystem with the ability to cause harm. Because the existing ecosystems are unfamiliar with the invading species, there are often no natural defenses ready to keep the balance, and control the populations and growth of these alien species. Instead, the new species contribute to system stress, ravage host food sources, outcompete similar species, and alter soil and water compositions.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">Invasives can cause harm
in three ways: <b>biodiversity loss</b>, <b>disruptions to agriculture</b> leading to food
insecurity, and <b>disruptions to infrastructure and sustainability</b> which can harm
economies and quality of life. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><b>Biodiversity is key to sustainable ecosystems</b>. Why is this important to people? Ecosystems are not limited to Natural systems. Biodiversity affects economics, health, and water resources. Therefore, Biodiversity loss will impact poverty, hunger, health and water, and according to the UN, will undermine programs aimed at development targets to fight these issues globally. <br /></span><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A paper published in <i>Nature Communications</i> studied forest disturbance regimes in Europe. The paper concluded that even though wildfires and windfalls cause more damage, insect damage is on the rise and due to climate warming. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stressors reduce ecosystems’ resiliency. Both climate warming and pest populations are high stressors. Ecosystems haven’t high resiliency with alien pests to begin with, and combined with climate stress, invasive insects and plants could damage systems beyond repair. Once established, these alien species then challenge the native ecosystem, creating more stress and more biodiversity loss. <br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, according to another paper published in <i>Nature</i>, not only are insect pests positively affected by climate warming, “plant invasion is expected to be boosted by climate change” as well. Up until recently, invasive plant species were kept out of colder climates where frosts and temperate zone winters controlled spread. But warming has drastically altered the range for many plant and insect species.<br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Agriculture is tied to food security</b>. Those "No Farms No Food" bumper stickers aren't just a clever slogan. Agriculture focuses on reproducing certain cultivars in large volumes for higher yields. Not only that, but we’ve spent thousands of years breeding crops with reduced defense systems, and higher tolerances of being planted in high volumes in close proximities. <br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rise of industrial farming has made monocultures very popular. The monoculture, or single mass reproduced species, is beneficial to commercial agriculture. It is easier and cheaper to plant, manage, and harvest single varieties of a product, especially at the quantities required in an industrial business. By removing the complexities of a variety of cultivated species, the business is able to speed up the planting and harvesting process, identify and correct problems in the growth cycle earlier and quicker, and continue to utilize the same land repeatedly for the same product. There is no need for crop rotations, or resting acreage. There are drawbacks, and invasives pose a real threat to this model.<br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Infrastructure is more than roads</b>. The Invasive Species Advisory Committee published a white paper in 2016 that studied invasives’ impacts on infrastructure. The paper highlights a few species that cause damage to four major categories of infrastructure: Power, Water, Housing, and Transportation. Some of the species highlighted include zebra mussels, which are so damaging, we created an entire Act of Congress to deal with it, a few other mussel species that behave very much like zebra mussels, giant land snails, comb jellyfish, and bufflegrass. These species alone contribute to billions of dollars in infrastructure damage and property loss. <br /><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of Acts of Congress, since this isn't a new phenomenon, what has the US government done for ecosystem protections, and non-indigenous species invasions? </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lacey Act</span></b></h3><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">The Lacey Act is the first federal mandate on environmental protection,
drafted and introduced by John F Lacey, Republican from Iowa, and signed into
law by President McKinley. Since its adoption, the act was amended several times since to incorporate more species. This act was originally
a response to declines in game populations due to commercial hunting, and built
to address this issue. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span><span>The original purpose of the act was to prohibit the poaching of certain
species with the intent to trade or sell. The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to
“import, export, sell, acquire, or purchase fish, wildlife, or plants that are
taken, possessed, transported, or sold” in two ways: if in violation of U.S. or
tribal law, or in violation of state or foreign law in interstate or foreign
commerce. The act regulates in two ways. Not only does it protect native
species from being moved within the country’s borders by limiting interstate
trafficking, but it also regulates international trafficking. <br /></span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over time, this act has been used successfully to restrict the trafficking of wildlife across borders, mislabel imports and exports, and cut down on introducing harmful species. It can be used to limit the exotic pet trade, like pythons introduced to the Florida everglades. However, it does nothing to address accidental introductions, like the wooly adelgid, the emerald ash borer, or zebra mussels. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The National Invasive Species Act</b></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">In 1990, the Non-Indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act
(NANPCA) was introduced into the House by Dennis M Hertel from Michigan’s 14<sup>th</sup>
district. Initially, the act gave powers to the Secretary of the Coast Guard to
prevent further spread of aquatic nuisance pests into the Great Lakes region. In addition, it set up an
Aquatic Nuisance Task Force to study ballast exchange, determine the effects of
species introduction on the economy, and “determine need for controls”. The
task force includes the Coast Guard and the EPA, but also Fish and Wildlife, NOAA,
the Army Corp of Engineers, the Forest Service, the National Parks Service, and
the Bureau of Land Management. The act also mandates the secretary to confer
with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for international
cooperation.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span><span>The NANPCA was amended in 1996 as the National Invasive Species Act
(NISA). This amendment included more aquatic species, and several other key
waterways, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay,
and Hawaiian and Floridian inland waters. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span><span>NISA does have its drawbacks. Coordinating all those federal agencies into one </span>cohesive group is difficult. Coast Guard funding for ballast control has to be reauthorized every year. But most importantly, NISA has no targets or goals to meet. There are no reduction goals, or a timeline, or even the appropriate population numbers for pest species. They release guidelines, but have no measurable policy objectives. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />In contrast, the IMO does have certifiable standards of enforcement, with achievable benchmarks. But the US has decided to go it alone instead of join the IMO ballast exchange treaty, which has been signed by 78 other nations. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Endangered Species Act</span></b></h3><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Endangered Species Act was meant to replace the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. The 1973 edition, signed by Nixon, combined the endangered list created by the 1966 act with comprehensive coverage for habitats, and ecosystems, with a much expanded definition of protected species and classes of fish and wildlife. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>In addition, there were some other new features created within the act that changed pest management. The act created the Office of Pesticide Management within the EPA. This office uses the endangered species list, and protected ecosystems to determine pesticide label restrictions. The 1973 act, therefore, promotes integrated pest management approaches, and reduces reliance on chemical controls.</span><span><span> </span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Legislation can only go so far. The law can only be as strong as its enforcement. This brings us to a brief history of Executive Orders pertaining to invasive species enforcement and management. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Executive Orders</b></span></span></h3><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1999, President Clinton signed Order #13112, which used the Environmental Policy Act of 1969, NISA, the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act to create the Invasive Species Council within the Cabinet. This body authorized the creation of the Invasive Species Monitoring Plan, and created federal policy authorizing action needed to identify, and respond to invasive species threats.<br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The Clinton Order revoked an earlier President Carter Order #11987. This earlier order attempted to address invasive species threats by ordering the DOI and USDA to "restrict introduction of exotic species". The order failed miserably, mostly due to the Reagan Administration</span> failing to enforce it. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Barack Obama signed Order #13751 in 2016. This order, unlike Clinton's, bolstered the older order, strengthening it, instead of revoking it and attempting to rewrite it. The Obama Order clarified department duties, strengthened cooperation, and most importantly, included provisions for public safety, and climate change. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With both legislation and
executive policy in sync, enforcement of the laws and policy need to be
examined. What exactly are we doing to limit invasive species population
growth?</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Management Tactics: What are we Doing?</span></h1><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The prevailing wisdom for invasive species management is
a three-fold response. To effectively manage pest populations, the vectors for
entry must be closed, the pest population must be lowered to acceptable,
healthy levels, and the environment must be rebuilt to withstand future
infestations.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The legal backbone for
the management plan and its initiatives appears to be strong enough combined to
give the executive branch power to create the policy. A big drawback seems to
be how these initiatives go from recommendations and coordinated plans to
actual action on the ground. As discussed previously, Executive Order 13751
allows for the task force to set up a fund, and make recommendations on how
that fund is used, but doesn’t actually have the power to fund the
recommendations. The funding has to come through Congress, and budgets need to
be reallocated every year, also as previously discussed in Coast Guard ballast
water enforcement.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">Real working policy on climate change is going to require
investment, global cooperation, and longterm strategies across multiple
departments and agencies. This sounds very much like the same requirements
needed for invasive species management. The big difference between climate
change policy and invasive species policy, is the government framework already
exists. We already have coordinated, cooperating agencies mandated through
executive orders and supported by settled legislation. The Invasive Species and
Endangered Species Acts already give government authorities to adequately
combat these problems, both domestically and with foreign cooperation. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">So,
then, what is missing? How can we best invest and act on these existing legal
frameworks? Recently, Congress introduced a resolution pledging investment,
restructuring, and longterm strategies aimed at combating climate change. This
resolution should also include invasive species management. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><h1><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">What Exactly is The Green New Deal Anyway?</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">In 2019, the 116<sup>th</sup> Congress submitted the
Green New Deal in House Resolution 109. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and
House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced this resolution to
Congress. The idea for a Green New Deal actually dates back to 2007 when Thomas
Freidman coined the term as a solution to Climate Change. He realized that this
issue could only be solved with money, effort, and upsetting of norms not seen
since Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Depression. Since then, the term Green
New Deal has been discussed by Barack Obama, Jill Stein, and Howie Hawkins. The
Green New Deal was the centerpiece of Ocasio-Cortez’s run for the New York’s 14<sup>th</sup>
district. It is now a reality.<br /></span><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">But what is in this resolution? The non-binding Green New
Deal is not legislation. It acts more as a framework going forward, guiding
principles and goals for future legislation and policy. The resolved contains four
conclusions, containing goals for a sustainable future. It calls for achieving
net-zero emissions, building economic security for all, building infrastructure
to sustain a 21<sup>st</sup> century economy, securing clean air, water, providing
climate and community resiliency, and access to healthy food, nature, and a
sustainable environment.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Some of the ways the Green New Deal will do this include
investing in sustainable agriculture, restoring ecosystems through
afforestation and land preservation, and working with the international
community on climate change solutions. These are all also the
goals of invasive species management. I propose adding invasive species management
as a critical step in achieving Green New Deal aspirations.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Currently, in Europe, a similar strategy is being
implemented. The European Union proposed its own Green Deal in 2019. Inside
this deal is the Biodiversity Strategy. The targets for this strategy include
reforestation, recreating free flowing rivers, and diversifying agriculture.
There is also a provision for funding, calling for €20 billion a year earmarked
for biodiversity, the same biodiversity threatened by invasive species. By
collaborating with this European New Deal, the US can start to fulfill the
international community outreach provision in the resolution. It is also a
provision seemingly ignored in NISA.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> By folding invasive species management into the Green New
Deal, we can better realize our goals for harmonizing the many enforcement agencies
participating in the Invasive Species Management Plan. Shoring up discrepancies
between agencies like we saw between the EPA and Coast Guard with regards to
ballast exchange will make it more difficult for agencies to issue exemptions,
or make deals based on adjacent legislation. In fact, by collaborating with the
EU Green Deal, the US can honor its pledge to collaborate with ballast water
exchange by joining the IMO’s ballast water treaty. This would allow the Coast Guard to enforce NISA
with real goals and targets, and universally approved systems and standards that
align with the rest of the maritime community. <br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The Green New Deal will be able to provide funding for
crucial habitat restoration projects, repairing areas damaged by invasives, and
strengthening systems at risk of being overrun. Biodiversity is crucial to
withstanding invasive species degradation, and is also at the heart of the
Green New Deal. Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a Climate Corps, a plan to resurrect
the FDR era Civilian Conservation Corp using Clinton’s AmeriCorps model, to
provide the labor resources for rehabilitation projects. The newly proposed corps
would hit many of the Green New Deal goals by providing jobs to complete
projects aimed at rebuilding sustainable ecosystems, creating community
resiliency, and building infrastructure for reliable clean energy.<br /> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In addition to civilian jobs corps, there have been, in
recent Congresses, proposed legislation to bolster invasive species response.
For example, Senator John Barrasso from Wyoming introduced the Federal Land
Invasive Species Control, Prevention, and Management Act in 2017. This bill
would have mandated the Secretary of the Interior to draw up plans and set
management goals to curb invasive species populations on federal lands in coordination
with states, and also set annual funding requirements.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Peter Welch, Congressman at Large from Vermont,
introduced a bill recently to combine eradication efforts with forest
restoration. The aptly named Invasive Species Prevention and Forest Restoration
Act seeks to amend the Plant Protection Act, expand emergency authorities for
invasive species management, and create grants for forest reclamation. <br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;">Both of these introduced pieces of legislation are
seeking to strengthen environmental protections, introduced by members of both
parties. Framed within the Green New Deal, this could be a chance to bring
bi-partisan support to solving long lasting problems. </span></div><div style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div></div><h1><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In Order to Summarize</span></h1><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">To sum up, both climate change and invasive species create
stress to planet-wide systems. Together they compound the stressors and make
recovery much more difficult. They go hand in hand and are causing harm to both
industry and quality of life. The estimated damage to infrastructure, economic
yields, ecosystems, and contributions to flood and fire disasters is priced in
the billions of dollars annually. My policy recommendations are to use the
Green New Deal resolution and our already existing legal frameworks to
harmonize our enforcement. Our agencies need clear goals, and benchmarks to hit
with regards to enforcement. Regulation is meaningless without clear
expectations.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Because climate
change and invasives are so intertwined, policy must also be intertwined.
Biodiversity, economic diversity, sustainability, reducing ecosystem stressors,
and reducing economic harm are all goals of the Green New Deal and invasive
species management, it makes sense to connect them.<br /></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I recommend planting Invasive Species Management firmly
in the context of a system stressor influenced by climate change and empowered
to do more damage because of climate change. If the Green New Deal recognizes
invasive species management as a goal that will help reach other goals in the
resolution, policy will benefit from already existing legal and enforcement
frameworks created for invasive species management. Invasive task forces and
management plans, after all, are blueprints for combating environmental
stressors and have bipartisan support, which is something the Green New Deal
desperately needs.<br /> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The Green New Deal resolution can provide long lasting
funding packages allowing the new conservation core the ability to support
sustainability programs and ecosystem rehabilitation. The philosophy of the IPM
plan can be modified and implemented for climate change rehabilitation.<br /></span><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Green New Deal can make joining the IMO’s ballast
water treaty an executive priority. Both climate change and invasive species
are global issues. As a global trade hub, the United States must put itself in
a leadership role. The Green New Deal resolves to reach out for international
support. Joining an already existing treaty meant to decrease global ecosystem
harms seems like a good first step. The two predominant executive orders
discussed above make invasive species management priorities across all
executive branch departments and agencies. Joining a treaty resolved to uphold
these same values should also be an executive priority in keeping with those
already existing orders.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div id="ftn5"><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><br /></p></div></span></div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-9690212118412549862021-07-27T17:16:00.004-07:002021-07-27T17:16:34.501-07:00The Spiders are Dead, Long Live the Guardians<p> I post an awful lot about Indian mascots. Last Winter I posted about Cleveland Baseball's decision to drop their racist name and search for a new one. Well... search they did, and they found one. Please welcome the new Cleveland mascot, the .... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7woncImFSBTbDyWq65TKX30g6PcPoLDg8r28_kIgG8JiWsrcWI5phIYvW8hCX6EA8KlaMPwAX5vQucw3tMbVQVdqcfNst0aYdbiVdBnVUwOXlB6ECmUCBXzNiNGnqfs3bIhI_L7tswqo/s750/cleveland-guardians-logo-new-indians-team-2022.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="750" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7woncImFSBTbDyWq65TKX30g6PcPoLDg8r28_kIgG8JiWsrcWI5phIYvW8hCX6EA8KlaMPwAX5vQucw3tMbVQVdqcfNst0aYdbiVdBnVUwOXlB6ECmUCBXzNiNGnqfs3bIhI_L7tswqo/w400-h263/cleveland-guardians-logo-new-indians-team-2022.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>At first it seems pretty lame. If you remember, before the Indians, Cleveland's baseball team was the Spiders. There was plenty of speculation the franchise would go back to the Spiders moniker. Instead they chose this nonsense. It sounds awkward. </p><p>I looked into it though. It makes sense for Cleveland. Way more sense than using a Native mascot. In 1932, Henry Herring and Frank Walker built a bridge across the Cuyahoga River. The bridge itself isn't very memorable, but at the ends stand four giant statues. These statues represent the progress of transportation, and each hold a mode of transportation representing that progress, from hay wagon to automobile. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJQi0xB0UC6XFmbnd0NUf2hr8VnvfeHIZuh5UhjoyFFuRKG36AZ2_87ametS5uzXgY01qnHC2wVD4G55IhQ0iJCntkB_e4tY2xY_mHl4qqyEgXxsshrvIZILz57qHgIgACy0sbSE1EWY/s1040/thumbnail_IMG_9161-e1627055570977.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1040" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJQi0xB0UC6XFmbnd0NUf2hr8VnvfeHIZuh5UhjoyFFuRKG36AZ2_87ametS5uzXgY01qnHC2wVD4G55IhQ0iJCntkB_e4tY2xY_mHl4qqyEgXxsshrvIZILz57qHgIgACy0sbSE1EWY/w400-h220/thumbnail_IMG_9161-e1627055570977.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>These statues are known as the Guardians of Transportation. And there you have it.... the Cleveland baseball team has officially partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation. </p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-6887027317775801922021-01-09T12:13:00.008-08:002022-02-21T18:58:59.418-08:00Energy Futures Won't Explode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6HGoV6t6u0imQKQ4o-rV0Ijbw37FiuYvGtH75X4gLst1pQl7PW7ojmKNNtRBkFbLooOoXg3eJZyIIisz21WpjpL4cF2CEagij75DhIyjs756RmD_aQbFUqz9fMIEOjK-a6UfwcPafPg/s500/hydrogen-atom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6HGoV6t6u0imQKQ4o-rV0Ijbw37FiuYvGtH75X4gLst1pQl7PW7ojmKNNtRBkFbLooOoXg3eJZyIIisz21WpjpL4cF2CEagij75DhIyjs756RmD_aQbFUqz9fMIEOjK-a6UfwcPafPg/s320/hydrogen-atom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">It's story time. </h3><div class="separator">Once upon a time, I was on my High School Debate Team. We played in the Policy Debate format, meaning we were divided into teams of two, I had a partner, and there was one topic, or resolution, for the entire season. Each team prepared to either agree with the resolution and argue to affirm it, or disagree and argue to uphold the status quo. The debate is structured around four 8 minute speeches, one given by each team member, each speech rebutted by a 4 minute cross examination, and then closed with a 4 minute rebuttal closing speech. The debate is mediated and judged by an impartial debate judge, usually an adult/teacher. </div><p>In the late 90's the National Policy Debate Resolution one year was as follows: </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">That the Federal Government Should Establish a Policy to Substantially Increase Renewable Energy Use in the United States</h3><div><br /></div><div>My partner and I were both first year debaters. We were persuaded to debate as the Affirmative Team. There are some advantages to that. The Affirmative Team goes first in the debate structure. We get to define the terms of the resolution, and set the agenda for what will be debated and what can be challenged by the other side. Not only does the Affirmative Team have to show why the resolution should be adopted, but also create a plan for implementation. In contrast, the Negative team has to address and defeat each of the opposition's assertions for necessity, but also cast the plan in doubt. </div><div><br /></div><div>We set to work establishing our argument. While researching renewables, we ran into a few obscure articles on hydrogen fuel cells. At the time, the use of hydrogen fuel had barely begun to make a resurgence, long abandoned after the '40s. The papers, articles, and anecdotes we were able to collect told a story of a very real possibility of a clean burning fuel source, theoretically renewable, able to fully supplant coal and oil in fixed point power plants, but also theoretically replace gasoline in transportation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our plan... 1: Hydrogen captured, burned for energy 2: waste water then collected and split using energy from solar farms. 3: Hydrogen recaptured , burned for energy 4: rinse. repeat. </div><div><br /></div><div>The arguments against were predictable. </div><div><br /></div><div>What about the waste water? Physically speaking, combustion happens when a substance is ignited, it combines with oxygen and burns, releasing energy. Hydrogen + Oxygen = H2O and nothing else. We found proof that hydrogen fuel waste water was safe enough to drink. </div><div><br /></div><div>Where does the energy come from to split the water back into hydrogen and oxygen? Solar power cells at the time would not be able to yield the power needed on a small scale for the continuous electrolysis needed to split molecules. Also, solar battery storage at the time was not good. However, as the Resolved points out, we only need to argue for policy change, and eventually the research and investment will yield future technology. Our sources predicted with proper investment, solar and hydrogen technologies would make leaps in the next 10 to 20 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest set back? Public opinion. </div><div><br /></div><div>You see... at the turn of the 20th century, rigid airships were newly engineered transport vessels. These vessels were created from massive fixed metal frames which housed ballasts filled with lighter than air gases, allowing for flight. Helium was the preferred gas used for these things, but due to helium shortages and US trade embargoes, hydrogen became a substitute, despite being more volatile. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZBZqE_JqAVpSUG-mtNo8pZ9N8U4zI_m9GJisYNdQm6sKMUquVOxIgGdgB-kGJAQu-w46S2T6DQctoPTipqRy7Am-8WoQXmw0MZTWlozFSf6ROsipkg2mMdxbZgaIJCOrS0gO44Je0Sk/s1200/Graf_Zeppelin_stamp_65c_1930_issue.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1200" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZBZqE_JqAVpSUG-mtNo8pZ9N8U4zI_m9GJisYNdQm6sKMUquVOxIgGdgB-kGJAQu-w46S2T6DQctoPTipqRy7Am-8WoQXmw0MZTWlozFSf6ROsipkg2mMdxbZgaIJCOrS0gO44Je0Sk/w400-h188/Graf_Zeppelin_stamp_65c_1930_issue.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If anyone has some of these stamps, let me know</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>This volatility became a real public issue when, in 1937, the Hindenberg caught on fire at the Lakehurst Naval Yard in New Jersey. The incident was widely broadcast, famously by Herbert Morrison from WLS Chicago, and documented by newsreel footage. The newsreels, still photographs, and radio broadcast are even now easily recognized. 36 people lost their lives.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchLAdCUIKH2KCQF_3xDaOe-CdluUq2-OSfBSA_QnwJB5YiBScp-XkwEARZbsQw68urenl6cgwnx4uBr2kgjWG7bOo9b3ByCq4eu8ZSgDwFqDm8rOuC5_YCn1-yTxF4eZJ9eaOL3OdgRc/s800/Hindenburg_burning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="800" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchLAdCUIKH2KCQF_3xDaOe-CdluUq2-OSfBSA_QnwJB5YiBScp-XkwEARZbsQw68urenl6cgwnx4uBr2kgjWG7bOo9b3ByCq4eu8ZSgDwFqDm8rOuC5_YCn1-yTxF4eZJ9eaOL3OdgRc/w400-h305/Hindenburg_burning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As a consequence, zeppelin technology was abandoned, and would have been eclipsed by passenger jet aircraft anyway. Hydrogen as a fuel would suffer the same fate, despite several other issues and factors contributing to the deadliness of the accident.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, my partner and I understood the easy arguments to dismiss hydrogen as dangerous and outdated, and we worked hard to find information to counter these biases born more than 60 years ago and reinforced by every high school history textbook ever since. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The gas itself is no more flammable, or combustible than gasoline, and materials used to store this material are far advanced compared to 1930s technology. And, speaking of technology, just like solar tech, these things will also develop over time and become safer and more user friendly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">During the debate season, we fared pretty well. Not many Negative Teams had prepared to argue against such an obscure fuel source plan. When we were mediated and judged by impartial judges, we usually won. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Read that again.... "When we were mediated and judged by IMPARTIAL judges...."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Despite the rules for hearing and judging debates, we still ran into judges that awarded the debate to the other side simply due to the fact that they couldn't get past hydrogen as being dangerous and impractical, even when the Negative Team failed at arguing and winning that point based on the rules. Keep in mind, these judges were all either public school teachers, or debate league volunteers, not our high school peers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Yes, this still makes me salty. It's been 20 years and I'm still mad. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lately, though, my partner and I have been vindicated. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have been finding more and more articles from Popular Mechanics, SciTech Daily, and other science and engineering publications about hydrogen fuel cell innovations. <a href="https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/green-hydrogen-using-solar-energy-for-water-splitting/">In fact, one article, by Fuel Cell Works, specifically details the kind of water splitting fuel cells we hypothesized</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Below are some more linky links. As you can tell, I'm proud of my teenage self for predicting the future. Also, this is my big F U to those biased judges of the past. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fuelcellsworks.com/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTJ7TO2h-_2R-YB5TTSXNVzI7jZLAs3_4iiKh5LrTxSxyo-JAItvqwAzFxfEnx_YsrRdZEu1HUmpFTakpO7x2Qnvv4tH-zBTJqel5FczWINMtnPM6PuzVZzLo6-FKCYRRyKPsZr9meOY/s320/Gaz-with-Hydrogen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuel Cells Works<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a34824959/salt-caves-store-hydrogen/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw98O6lrY27vQJZcVI1m0Ea_K5vKOJKVSFxhyx1qdI2qZRdEpBlzkKGi1EuJJ9oSu4YwjnLMedS9HjDaViHqisE_IsfxVHviWSNpZDoVvCw6NwN_MDyLVZHm9oc6kGG3OPaEEyfdHHypo/s320/logo_POP.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt Cave Storage</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scitechdaily.com/speeding-toward-improved-hydrogen-fuel-production-with-a-new-nanomaterial/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="110" data-original-width="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5n4joVN77jfNkX3Cn5GYMXFAPEZGkQY4dh3TPiQo5Pn8bOhfTcyW_iJ5tccOEHmdXrgqrWqc1wDnGoA3TeCGj5WG9PDzcFuNXEuJ60TdRoLnluh23-5XPvVZB2Kz1Bp_ihsIoMT5RD8/s0/scitechdaily-logo.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanotech Materials</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-37497736845548116392020-12-20T15:35:00.008-08:002020-12-29T14:11:22.512-08:00The Indians are Dead, Long Live the Spiders<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFxn6FHCAhh4ubtOO0ORR7eI1MnyAJ691-Z980uOBirMJAsOGygxHY2aKt1VqkHg0BoN-VJxPz-D-pzOn3FH_b3FLvPuiBMJj4rPDFJbOsNq2SBDxy2ZgHgFTM2gleAijNsqXMjXMOf0/s680/EpOCtNzXUAAafvx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="680" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFxn6FHCAhh4ubtOO0ORR7eI1MnyAJ691-Z980uOBirMJAsOGygxHY2aKt1VqkHg0BoN-VJxPz-D-pzOn3FH_b3FLvPuiBMJj4rPDFJbOsNq2SBDxy2ZgHgFTM2gleAijNsqXMjXMOf0/w400-h225/EpOCtNzXUAAafvx.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last week, The Cleveland Baseball Franchise released the above statement. The New York Times broke the story that a name change would be announced the day before, and on December 14th, there it was. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2020 was an incredibly awful year, but for the Change the Mascot organization that has been battling to leave old native themed sports mascots in the past, this year has been a huge success. Since the 70s this movement has been successful in changing mascots at the grade school and collegiate level, and in minor and semi pro leagues. Professional league teams, though, have resisted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something changed this year, making the previously improbable finally a reality. The worst professional league offender, the Washington Redskins, retired the name and logo. They changed to the classy, simple Washington Football Team, and started using a wordmark instead of an Indianhead. And now, following suit, the Cleveland Indians, one of the oldest American baseball teams, using the same name for 105 years, has decided to change. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This shouldn't be a huge surprise. Cleveland has been making strides in the last few years to move to this obvious conclusion. They retired their racist caricature mascot Chief Wahoo in 2018. However, like the mascot, the Indian name will survive for one more year, the 2021 season being its last. And the franchise will undoubtedly hold onto the trademark as long as possible by releasing Indians imprinted merchandise periodically. I wouldn't be so concerned about this. It's a business decision, and in a year, the franchise will be rebranded and busy peddling their new rebranded merchandise. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of that... I hear the franchise may be planning on resurrecting the mascot from a Cleveland precursor franchise. The Spiders could be the second arthropod mascot of a major league team, after the Charlotte Hornets. <a href="https://richmond.com/sports/college/richmond/with-nickname-on-way-out-cleveland-baseball-club-creeping-toward-spiders/article_0173ddd6-256b-5729-a89e-030e4afc8934.html" target="_blank">University of Richmond might be pissed</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A cause for celebration, surely, even though the Indians could have done as Washington did, and discontinue use immediately. Instead they will wait an entire season. Below is an article from the Washington DC ABC affiliate, which showcases reaction tweets from Indian fans. Some are uplifting and supportive, and some are disappointedly not. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/mlb/indians/reaction-fans-cleveland-indians-name/95-f82dc6ce-a7e5-4e11-951f-518ad34a60c2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="70" data-original-width="269" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNYfO52pLRFOmjkneg0GMaLDEkJRIrY88bZLytgk0Quz2MDjxbN5AGjWH-ME1Pa6EHqZmJchG87hq4jSMLlOqL5pVO5EJLP5iHozrTPqJ_qpCZvDfWVKyl_3a0Dyy_lFNHkO6v_mh_So/w400-h104/wusa.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-89170699096413628712020-08-23T07:38:00.002-07:002021-01-09T12:40:23.272-08:00Identity Crisis: Sports Edition<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/washington-football-team-nfl-name-change"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/washington-football-team-nfl-name-change"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_gbi7aPWJ4WOXHjZt-yhrMjl6YEmSbseKguDnFMkuBUzuwbgUK6kMWGxDUcC8pYCg1JvT7SI8I1UljMbdA3WpWKS0sFfob1wfyn8Y1U-forCSJMZzr3zzozZ_zMsy66pgRCzg9zUxKc/s679/EdoQENZX0AAv-P5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.nfl.com/news/washington-football-team-nfl-name-change" border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="679" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_gbi7aPWJ4WOXHjZt-yhrMjl6YEmSbseKguDnFMkuBUzuwbgUK6kMWGxDUcC8pYCg1JvT7SI8I1UljMbdA3WpWKS0sFfob1wfyn8Y1U-forCSJMZzr3zzozZ_zMsy66pgRCzg9zUxKc/w400-h225/EdoQENZX0AAv-P5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/national-football-league/washington-redskins-name-change-nfl-statement-latest-a9616061.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/national-football-league/washington-redskins-new-name-change-football-team-2020-nfl-latest-a9635001.html" border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="2497" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPHFHonlYwXIQV6SdkCP4ZHu4kNYgLUxtoNWZ-apZANoFmeXwZrGRFwNTs02I2K84lcd9bO1Yt_ZmaCkDSjtCe02z_f09L6u2CPC0vUeEs757lYXKOKR3NtCToEtBUfkqDRe93gMSq80/w400-h69/Independent_logo_logotype.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>As released on the franchise twitter machine, and the NFL, the team formally known as the Redskins will take a page from the soccer playbook and rebrand themselves as the Washington Football Team. </p><p>As reported by the Independent, this move will at least be for the 2020/2021 season, and perhaps longer, but as the NFL story seems to say, it won't be a permanent solution. The colors will stay the same, the mascot will "retire", and the helmet logo is to be replaced by players individual numbers, which is something that teams have done in the past, and some colleges still do. </p><p>So... finally the worst offender of racial mascots in post modern history has come to an end. And, in contrast to what detractors have been saying for decades, the team identity doesn't seem to be hurt at all by this. They will still be (literally) their city's team. In fact, due to the name change, presumably the team will be allowed to actually relocate back into the city limits. </p>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-38615498857884295462020-07-13T18:05:00.002-07:002020-07-13T18:06:04.916-07:00Redskins No MoreIt finally happened. The Washington Football Team has officially decided to retire their logo and nickname. I've been posting about this a lot in the past. use the search bar here to see all the posts labeled "American Indian" and "sports", you'll find them. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/13/redskins-change-name-announcement/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="1885" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLWIWjwy62FLXb5MvTvVDpLWQax0_cp9D20EkdlrAYTRlNQqdOr2ztC72LrsISWaKv48pORxYZ-3IzuqCVD_Y9nznUuf0h-C4AniHb44Ps_7K7W3jbFbr1JS4Fwv5GE79FQMz64oYURw/s320/WP+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/12/redskins-name-change-come-sooner-later/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="718" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jXLZJPoUG63oKL3CGpgwi2yZT20bYHYbVtpwoy8KzTBuci_cuGV0wDZ7rIg-CttAsZja4K6MVzXyIdWOidoAmUJT7QHHukhQSP4ElVaacIZNLqc0dmbJbXrGrUIGvyAskLtcMs-QxYs/s320/TWTlogo3.5238e37e24b5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>This decision is huge. The Anti-Indian Mascot movement has been seeking this outcome since the 1970s. Dan Snyder had previously vowed to never change the name as long as he's owner. It has been a one-sided debate against an opposition that was tone-deaf and unwilling to listen. So... what happened to suddenly change minds?</div><div><br /></div><div>1: There has been a trend in the last ten years to end the use of culturally insensitive mascots in public schools, and public and private universities. California and Maine recently passed legislation. The Cleveland Indians retired Chief Wahoo, The Braves retired the Laughing Brave. </div><div><br /></div><div>2: George Floyd's viral death which strengthened Black Lives Matter to a point where the movement can not be ignored anymore. Suddenly, it became very bad for business to be seen on the wrong side of racial civil rights issues. And at the heart of the Indian Mascot issue is colonialism and racism. </div><div><br /></div><div>3: Business partners, and advertisers, and then finally minority share holders began to jump ship. This is what ultimately forced the franchise's hand. </div><div><br /></div><div>How long will this take? Unclear. It's actually unclear at the moment if there will even be an NFL season starting in 2020 (unlikely). If there is, it is doubtful that the Washington football team would even be able to compete with new branding and a new nickname. There aren't even any official ideas yet for a name change.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, this idea of changing the name isn't new. Previously, Snyder was granted trademarks to the Washington Warriors. But that trademark had been voided. Other nicknames that had been suggested in the past include the Griffins, Generals, Sentinels, Senators, Renegades, Red Wolves, Redhawks, and Red Tails. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully we wont have to wait long until the new name is revealed. At the moment, I'm sure there are plenty of terrible human beings making it clear how angry they are at even the prospect of a new team identity. And I'm also sure there will be plenty of throwback merchandise proudly displayed at NFL games for the foreseeable future. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://99designs.com/blog/community/presenting-the-winner-of-our-washington-redskins-rebrandin-contest/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3V8zf9Oul5d7m0DeBI9QeLkC6VxyQl5RWjXW1YYdQF5K53oGXUUnkm-PCDht7WVnTWQ8aJZ_MoYAXXjnlkcbxBqhqhyphenhyphenuhpjDyT2NTNLkKhajsA7-R0HEzhCfgLNwuPtMp6XZq5bQgiY/s320/logo11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-5902217968187993882020-04-25T12:23:00.003-07:002023-09-30T10:31:35.470-07:00Age of Corona: Movie Edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwChwtlNdxm4sKy5JfGAMqiLIqDRPAJnqOBj5dv-R1xWAtCtE4ZnAMjaM0zhWrfxl2c1csqV8cFZPBaD79O9e6rhlp3s4UbysQwnN2zptGvY4f2VcXKhwUvHGKNOCqRkjEfYY-lWUglTc/s1600/B3_EB711_TVHOTZ_GR_20190523122547.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwChwtlNdxm4sKy5JfGAMqiLIqDRPAJnqOBj5dv-R1xWAtCtE4ZnAMjaM0zhWrfxl2c1csqV8cFZPBaD79O9e6rhlp3s4UbysQwnN2zptGvY4f2VcXKhwUvHGKNOCqRkjEfYY-lWUglTc/s320/B3_EB711_TVHOTZ_GR_20190523122547.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hot Zone said this would happen</td></tr>
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This pandemic has us all inside, with our televisions and take out. Joke's on it, we've been practicing for this for decades! What do we watch? Well, movies about how much worse it could be, or maybe a preview into our futures couldn't hurt, right? I'm talking about post apocalypse films. We all love 'em, and we've been making them since the the beginning of film. Everyone knows the <i>Hunger Games</i>, and <i>Planet of the Apes</i>, <i>Dawn of the Dead</i>, and <i>Mad Max</i> franchises. Those are the easy, most recognizable ones. Here's a bunch of other good ones probably lost in the shuffle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDkj6oKsojlWjoKG1xZ8nUsPZ8-AG8ZpYu5ACxF3YDRigKrrugg0GbxwX_3Ks46bJzyNYydSZKfq1G1YMzTIS09RP0eIcM7c627GNh3oOoKOYMnkg_3bcVtkAsVPS1ONrsZeNj9skRDc/s1600/9-movie-poster-9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDkj6oKsojlWjoKG1xZ8nUsPZ8-AG8ZpYu5ACxF3YDRigKrrugg0GbxwX_3Ks46bJzyNYydSZKfq1G1YMzTIS09RP0eIcM7c627GNh3oOoKOYMnkg_3bcVtkAsVPS1ONrsZeNj9skRDc/s320/9-movie-poster-9.jpeg" width="224" /></a></div>
After a robot-led mass extinction, nine dolls given sentience struggle to bring life back to a desolated earth. Not only is this post apocalypse, but also an alternate time-line story. Written and directed by Shane Acker, it was released in 2009.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Nclf8e7BXP5dl4kQxxJpBh_E6xMT_xQGSAatWEHmUWnvpkWKO8qAYwe8QL-EETH94_Sub2s9YBX36GlfVcunwSwQcST0E4yBqQ3PU7w0edcTs3IHOYSUyWc-p1GAKI-XZRe_zb7KW8/s1600/3BrIoX5ycXBJP0SNThWVhHed4OU.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Nclf8e7BXP5dl4kQxxJpBh_E6xMT_xQGSAatWEHmUWnvpkWKO8qAYwe8QL-EETH94_Sub2s9YBX36GlfVcunwSwQcST0E4yBqQ3PU7w0edcTs3IHOYSUyWc-p1GAKI-XZRe_zb7KW8/s320/3BrIoX5ycXBJP0SNThWVhHed4OU.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Technically taking place in a post apocalyptic society that turned Manhattan into a penal colony, the plot is a basic escape and survive story. The basic premise is also used in the <i>Batman Arkham City</i> videogame. Released in 1981, written and directed by John Carpenter, this one has a real classic '80s action film feel and deserves its cult following.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChKRTNm7pVryCZ0Bi1zlFpkQeFx2ii9ZIwqBrNr0TEhThyOFWPQJ8QX2OpHkiZ0PyqcT45DwGPwYxGcUI33lHfSLAE_8d9wiGhxE4LwVp1BGGyHea4IotwWCMUx2dZD5Xm3ajNgczc10/s1600/snow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChKRTNm7pVryCZ0Bi1zlFpkQeFx2ii9ZIwqBrNr0TEhThyOFWPQJ8QX2OpHkiZ0PyqcT45DwGPwYxGcUI33lHfSLAE_8d9wiGhxE4LwVp1BGGyHea4IotwWCMUx2dZD5Xm3ajNgczc10/s320/snow.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Most post apocalypse stories explain the current state of the world as being due to nuclear war, zombies, disease, or robot overlords. <i>Snowpiercer</i>'s endtimes catalyst is climate change. The film addresses social status systems even in times of crisis. Directed by Boon Joon-ho, also the director of Parasite, this one should be a new classic in the genre. Plus Captain America is the star. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokRdAg4deXSXOOVFffMfDMLMTZ0dN_pZQFgaOP_PnFwGfhZH44eA7lkEZbEErZm6n_jqeVbtBStKLicObqNyQ446fUTWxOzN3QJ6D0tzklrOyAloqG-5q1-6L0z-IQ2OM1adKKBkT2ac/s1600/tankgirl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokRdAg4deXSXOOVFffMfDMLMTZ0dN_pZQFgaOP_PnFwGfhZH44eA7lkEZbEErZm6n_jqeVbtBStKLicObqNyQ446fUTWxOzN3QJ6D0tzklrOyAloqG-5q1-6L0z-IQ2OM1adKKBkT2ac/s320/tankgirl.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Another cult classic apparently in a long list of post apocalyptic themed cult films, this one was adapted from the 1988 indie comicbook of the same name by Alan Martin and James Hewlett. Tank Girl is exactly as advertised. Its about a girl, who owns a tank. The plot diverges from the comic, leaving out important characters like Booga the Kangaroo. The film should be experienced if only for the set design, style, and music. There are plans for a reboot/remake to be released in the next few years starring Margo Robbie, probably. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGwIWKP9sCLkgEuOJCuqbA-SZr28lnHXXUyWibQZ-S4CPWbZaFI28cTGT_9u_nbYtgirj49Z824XqgUrTZuGWj0wAfLnkDk7wU7rIZHr1t9JAas4TBKUz6ID7qdc-R2acL9XNwwhiOik/s1600/dredd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGwIWKP9sCLkgEuOJCuqbA-SZr28lnHXXUyWibQZ-S4CPWbZaFI28cTGT_9u_nbYtgirj49Z824XqgUrTZuGWj0wAfLnkDk7wU7rIZHr1t9JAas4TBKUz6ID7qdc-R2acL9XNwwhiOik/s320/dredd.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Speaking of remakes, and stuff based on indie comicbooks, this movie is chronically underrated. The original <i>Judge Dredd</i>, starring Rambo, flopped in 1995. This film did better, and unlike its predecessor, it has the creator's approval. Comic writer John Wagner said it was "unlike the first film, a true representation of Judge Dredd [...] The character and storyline are pure Dredd". This storyline takes place after nuclear war, and the remaining world population lives within giant city sprawls called Mega-cities. Law and order are carried out by the Judge System, which uses Wild West Sheriff-style Judges that act as police, judge, jury, and executioner. This movie got the Judge Dredd character correct, and deserves a sequel that wont ever happen. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_N0Cf1gsePxpbISZLazUqyK-SGB41a6bjaKlm9U1IlkP0SlKYYBt2X0RaCU5GZWJMGhhF4RNZWG7qm8iv0K2RECkHeHjmW-9GQExeq-7oBqrNK3YhXuwRYoa5kwfdHkHsc71u8bYdVY/s1600/zombieland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_N0Cf1gsePxpbISZLazUqyK-SGB41a6bjaKlm9U1IlkP0SlKYYBt2X0RaCU5GZWJMGhhF4RNZWG7qm8iv0K2RECkHeHjmW-9GQExeq-7oBqrNK3YhXuwRYoa5kwfdHkHsc71u8bYdVY/s320/zombieland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Because I haven't featured a zombie film yet, here's this one. I'm a huge fan of horror-comedy. Since I saw <i>Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein</i> when I was a kid, this genre has been one of my favorites. Zombieland may be one of the best horror comedy films out there. <i>Shaun of the Dead</i> is very good too, but it isnt exactly a <i>post</i>-apocalypse film. That movie is about Shaun and his friends experiencing the apocalypse as it unfolds. <i>Zombieland</i>, in comparison, is about what happens to survivors after the monster making pandemic has hit its stride. We get to see the characters adapt to new life, and trying to solve problems like what to do about a twinkie craving in the midst of a food shortage. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsQEPaJTS9N4ZxSK9Fsamhyphenhyphen9X8xe4FKpAnu3bjCXRv0WzR7LQQ4Nm8VzbFNmo__vnsuvuD-irMNMupotTiPR2Gp3hRmkK0Oi5lyjVDx7hCGBoZctsbY3XFKoxdUjdhMEruJ-kDmzqGXY/s1600/turbokid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsQEPaJTS9N4ZxSK9Fsamhyphenhyphen9X8xe4FKpAnu3bjCXRv0WzR7LQQ4Nm8VzbFNmo__vnsuvuD-irMNMupotTiPR2Gp3hRmkK0Oi5lyjVDx7hCGBoZctsbY3XFKoxdUjdhMEruJ-kDmzqGXY/s400/turbokid.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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I saved the bestest for the lastest. </div>
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Not only is this film a retro sci-fi masterpiece, its also an over the top action film, and a feel good story about friends. Set in the mid '90s in an alternate timeline where, presumably, the world ended in robot perpetuated nuclear holocaust, a teenager meets new friends and fights a despot hoarding water resources. Also, there is a power glove. Also it's a Canadian film, eh. </div>
Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-36338069083603206272020-01-04T10:22:00.001-08:002021-01-09T12:27:57.885-08:00Impeached PresidentiallyUnless you're been living in a box in the middle of Nowhere for the last year, we've all had a very big share of impeachment news recently. Predictably, there has been a lot of misinformation and general confusion about the process, mostly because, Presidentially, we've only had 3.<br />
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Impeachment is the act of impeaching someone. Where does the word come from, and what does it mean? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to impeach means, in law, at first in a broad sense, "to accuse, bring charges against"; more specifically, of the king or the House of Commons, "to bring formal accusation of treason or other high crime against (someone)". The word evolves from the broad term in the 14th century, to the more specific "accusing a public officer of misconduct" by the 1560s.<br />
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Breaking this definition down, impeachment then is the process by which a legislating body, the people's representation in government, can indict a sitting executive for abuses of the power of the office they hold. The US Constitution defines these abuses as "high crimes and misdemeanors". Impeachment, then, is not a trial that will remove a governing official from office, necessarily. Usually it is a first step in that process, and this is true in the United States. <div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the US Constitution, obviously the idea of impeachment predates the United States. The Constitution borrows this concept from the UK's parliamentary system. This idea of impeachment is also shared by several other sovereign governments. There are 29 other countries with impeachment as part of their constitutions. Both Brazil and South Korea impeached and removed their presidents recently, in 2016.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKXrJBI9J9T92z6-O_KCwap_HvSnLF2yH-fld-UpWDt0M1vqdiFl48PqRY5Jvqaha8sPzMTXBh2VN0-gogMOlMrFRn1apFcRE_Bsij6QsFSDvWPraASxhq8-3GsAZDBGtgY_tuQoqSxQ/s1600/Presidents-Andrew-Johnson-Bill-Clinton-and-Donald-Trump.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="650" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKXrJBI9J9T92z6-O_KCwap_HvSnLF2yH-fld-UpWDt0M1vqdiFl48PqRY5Jvqaha8sPzMTXBh2VN0-gogMOlMrFRn1apFcRE_Bsij6QsFSDvWPraASxhq8-3GsAZDBGtgY_tuQoqSxQ/s400/Presidents-Andrew-Johnson-Bill-Clinton-and-Donald-Trump.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Impeachment in the United States is not only for presidents. In the Constitution, the president, vice president and "all civil officers" can be subject to impeachment and removal. Civil officers, in this case, means people in government not necessarily elected to office. This has basically meant justices, but also any executively appointed position. In addition to our three presidents, we have also impeached 1 senator (William Blount), 1 Secretary of War (William Belknap), and 15 federal judges. 15 of these 20 officials were then removed from office by the Senate. Both Bucchanen and Nixon had impeachment proceedings started, but not completed. Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment, and Bucchanen was found to not be responsible for the rampant corruption in his administration, and therefore not impeachable.<br />
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Our current president has a list of actions that could be deemed impeachable. Let's compare these accusations with historic charges that ended in impeachment.<br />
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1: Obstructing Justice<br />
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By blocking federal access to information important to an investigation into the president, firing federal prosecutors tasked with investigating the president, intimidating and influencing witnesses through speeches, press releases, and twitter.<br />
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Three other cases included obstruction of justice. Two were the presidents Nixon and Clinton, the third was Samuel Kent, a judge.<br />
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2: Ignoring the Emoluments Clause<br />
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Refusing to step away from businesses and business interests while in office, Trump had opened himself up to scrutiny whether he'd be able to govern in a fair and balanced manner without personal bias. There are many instances of Trump properties and business contacts getting preferential treatment.<br />
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There have been 5 impeachment cases due to corruption. Robert Woodrow Archibald was impeached specifically for accepting gifts in exchange for rulings.<br />
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3: Soliciting Foreign Interference in US Elections<br />
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This one is a bit specific, and as such unprecedented. However, there have been two impeachments that dealt with treason. William Blount was impeached for making deals to take Spanish territory on behalf of Britain. And the US judge West Hughes Humphries was impeached for supporting the Confederacy. In addition to the treasonous argument, this one is connected to the Obstruction of Justice charge.<br />
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4: Abuse of Power<br />
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This one seems to be a catch-all for just about everything else. In addition to the above charges, which can also be categorized as abusing power, Trump has called for violence and insurrection, engaged in reckless conduct as a diplomat, called for the prosecution and persecution of political opponents, attacked the free press, and violated campaign finance laws.<br />
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Four other impeachments were made using the Abuse of Power charge. Nixon was also accused of Abuse of Power.</div>Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-71306487625901882022019-11-12T10:14:00.001-08:002020-07-13T18:22:49.118-07:00Gathering No Moss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpHJUohN5s5IB9tSHUPrlGcAy7UBtnyGl6OQjIBRvSBnaSbRBsFMEjazPHWut5AnHh9gq5klUA8qX0dLZ_uUZ5jPVLEhnEmbwyCxWsbCRXa2ibjVIyFUtIg-3ArtGJQnMDMy3uODKchk/s1600/876f4fa9f62e32fe67b152f0fb800fd7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="339" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpHJUohN5s5IB9tSHUPrlGcAy7UBtnyGl6OQjIBRvSBnaSbRBsFMEjazPHWut5AnHh9gq5klUA8qX0dLZ_uUZ5jPVLEhnEmbwyCxWsbCRXa2ibjVIyFUtIg-3ArtGJQnMDMy3uODKchk/s400/876f4fa9f62e32fe67b152f0fb800fd7.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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The second most influential (probably) band ever, and certainly the longest continuously working band we've ever seen, The Rolling Stones has been called the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. Rolling Stone Magazine (no relation) listed this band at #4 on their Greatest (musical) Artists of All Time list, behind Elvis, Dylan, and the Beatles. That is pretty good company, but I think due to stage presence, song writing ability, and longevity, the Stones deserve that #3 spot, instead of Elvis. Here are the Stones records I own, just like in previous Music Project posts about <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2011/06/blues-traveler-suite-part-one.html" target="_blank">Blues Traveler</a>, <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2011/07/flex-the-cerebellum.html" target="_blank">Rage Against the Machine</a>, <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2012/06/not-welcome-here.html" target="_blank">Bad Religion</a>, and <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2011/08/long-time-to-be-gone-and-short-time-to.html" target="_blank">the Grateful Dead</a>.<br />
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Rolling Stones</div>
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<b><i>Beggars Banquet</i></b></div>
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Decca, 1968</div>
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produced by Jimmy Miller</div>
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Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, percussion</div>
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Keith Richards - guitars, bass</div>
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Brian Jones - guitars, mellotron, sitar, tambura</div>
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Bill Wyman - bass, percussion</div>
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Charlie Watts - drums, percussion, </div>
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Nicky Hopkins - piano, mellotron, organ</div>
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singles - </div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Street Fighting Man/No Expectations</li>
<li>Sympathy for the Devil/Prodigal Son</li>
</ul>
Released in 1968, this album was delayed months due to a real life Spinal Tap moment. Decca refused to release the album with the <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/Beggar_Banquet.jpg" target="_blank">original proposed cover art</a>. Apparently a graffitied toilet was too much for 1960s sentiments. It is Brian Jone's last recording.<br />
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Critics called it a return to form, a record for "Left Bank heroes", a return to Rock and Roll, and the Stones "rawest, rudest, most arrogant, most savage record yet". It does feature the two singles above. Combined with <i>Salt of the Earth</i>, and <i>Factory Girl</i>, the album has a strong working class feel, moving the band away from previous psychedelic sounds and back into the blues. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifs-ZepW8RuSmY66YQRsSiiAaqz0NfIXy0P0WCGyTS9dSEtlO1OBaT6i87AuAnGdKOE_pHMh6aXOAJkyKgKMHoeJsBx2LGEGeZoPOurw-_2ldBG83p1WES8ssF8-4Avg-XfQ4lk9DyTeA/s1600/the-rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-album-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1383" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifs-ZepW8RuSmY66YQRsSiiAaqz0NfIXy0P0WCGyTS9dSEtlO1OBaT6i87AuAnGdKOE_pHMh6aXOAJkyKgKMHoeJsBx2LGEGeZoPOurw-_2ldBG83p1WES8ssF8-4Avg-XfQ4lk9DyTeA/s400/the-rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-album-cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Rolling Stones</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Let it Bleed</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Decca, 1969</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
produced by Jimmy Miller</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, guitar</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Keith Richards - guitars, bass</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Bill Wyman - bass</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Charlie Watts - drums</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mick Taylor - guitars</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nicky Hopkins - piano, organ</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
singles-</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Live With Me</li>
<li>Honky Tonk Women/You Cant Always get What you Want</li>
<li>Let it Bleed/You got the Silver</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is Mick Taylor's first appearance as a band member. It charted top 4 in all UK/US/Australia charts. The band continues their journey into working class country and blues on this record. Jason McNeil of PopMatters stated <i>Beggar's Banquet</i> and <i>Let it Bleed</i> were the "greatest" albums the band (or anyone) ever made. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Gimme Shelter is the most well known and popular song from this record and became a staple of their live show. Greil Marcus said it was their best song, and they "never did anything better". The <i>Honky Tonk Women</i> single was rewritten as a more country/bluegrass tune for the record, and renamed <i>Country Tonk</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLSqLYZ1GRrxAYzfKNM2Hb82N6Fk9_Erjqgrr9RMtUgS6FgVHttjWT3H05rO0H-kQub_Iw8CUCpr9omVGadnWwyZOPOCPgWXavd73OH2FuTg7tRennGIW4Do3vnoMAOZRl5Nd-KWJUYg/s1600/A384RmGHYoPNBdkg2K4yRd-1200-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="981" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLSqLYZ1GRrxAYzfKNM2Hb82N6Fk9_Erjqgrr9RMtUgS6FgVHttjWT3H05rO0H-kQub_Iw8CUCpr9omVGadnWwyZOPOCPgWXavd73OH2FuTg7tRennGIW4Do3vnoMAOZRl5Nd-KWJUYg/s400/A384RmGHYoPNBdkg2K4yRd-1200-80.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rolling Stones</div>
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<i><b>Exile on Main Street</b></i></div>
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Rolling Stones, 1972</div>
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produced by Jimmy Miller</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica, guitars, percussion</div>
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Keith Richards - guitars, bass, piano</div>
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Mick Taylor - guitars, bass</div>
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Bill Wyman - bass</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Charlie Watts - drums, percussion</div>
Nicky Hopkins - pianos<br />
<br />
singles -<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Tumblin Dice/Sweet Black Angel</li>
<li>Happy/All Done the Line</li>
<li>Rocks Off</li>
</ul>
Exile is considered by many to be the greatest Rolling Stones record. Originally a double record, when vinyl could only fit so much music, Exile contributed greatly to the Stone's live sets throughout the rest of their performance career. It charted #1 in the US, UK, Spain, Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands, and was top five in four other countries, and has since been certified platinum in the US, UK, and Australia. Rolling Stone (no relation) ranked it 3rd in their 1987 100 Best Albums list, and ranked it 7th on their 2003 500 Best Albums list. Both Jagger and Richards cite the album as their favorite.<br />
<br />
The 1972 tour for this record is legendary. Known as the American Tour 1972, They were supported by Stevie Wonder as an opening act, between the release of <i>Music of My Mind</i> and <i>Talking Book</i>. The setlists included tracks from the new record, <i>Sticky Fingers</i>, <i>Beggars Banquet</i>, and<i> Let it Bleed</i>, with virtually no pre-1968 songs performed at all. The tour has a laundry list of arrests, riots, fines, and cameos by Hugh Hefner, Tsa Tsa Gabor, Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, Andy Warhol, and Truman Capote.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMN-HAs3Nnu4sxQPqa1dDu0bRRr0NWO3aZOI8E1uiUvZUHiLv-2fGglJrhMIfifUtbLQFi8w-N3YoGIfb0DKcByXEutuhP38a7u11H0pPxFYwOZYkOsEpLdbVCg4N-pM5Ei2ZWLAdBgSg/s1600/goats_head_soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="301" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMN-HAs3Nnu4sxQPqa1dDu0bRRr0NWO3aZOI8E1uiUvZUHiLv-2fGglJrhMIfifUtbLQFi8w-N3YoGIfb0DKcByXEutuhP38a7u11H0pPxFYwOZYkOsEpLdbVCg4N-pM5Ei2ZWLAdBgSg/s400/goats_head_soup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Rolling Stones</div>
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<i><b>Goats Head Soup</b></i></div>
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Rolling Stones, 1973</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
produced by Jimmy Miller</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mick Jagger - vocals, guitars, harmonica, piano</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Keith Richards - guitars, bass</div>
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Mick Taylor - guitars, bass</div>
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Bill Wyman - bass</div>
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Charlie Watts - drums, percussion</div>
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Nicky Hopkins - piano</div>
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<br /></div>
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singles - </div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Angie/Silver Train</li>
<li>Heartbreaker/Dancing with Mr. D</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm not going to lie, I bought this record because of the <i>Angie</i> single. This is the first record since 1967 to feature all originals (no covers), and Jimmy Miller's last as producer. Critically, this record was a dud, but there are plenty of good songs on here that are not <i>Angie</i>. <i>Heartbreaker</i>, <i>Silver Train</i> and <i>Star Star (Fuck a Star)</i> are great, and <i>Fuck a Star</i> specifically seems to be chronically under rated. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDta0avOqOJ8LFH1rdyptGxBLCWKAcgGrkbAW3f7jMPKPicxcSIY4wB7XuAdlZNR0JCAWxB7rkrZ5jrleObxz2wumPqHiN7zX8_ZeXDu6qcIu4eE0igHvyR_IAGNPU4eO0mNdy4hoEqIs/s1600/tattoo_you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDta0avOqOJ8LFH1rdyptGxBLCWKAcgGrkbAW3f7jMPKPicxcSIY4wB7XuAdlZNR0JCAWxB7rkrZ5jrleObxz2wumPqHiN7zX8_ZeXDu6qcIu4eE0igHvyR_IAGNPU4eO0mNdy4hoEqIs/s400/tattoo_you.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Rolling Stones</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><b>Tattoo You</b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rolling Stones, 1981</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
produced by the Glimmer Twins and Chris Kimsey</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mick Jagger - vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Keith Richards - guitar, bass</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ronnie Wood - guitar, bass</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bill Wyman - bass, guitar, synths</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Charlie Watts - drums, percusion</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mick Taylor - guitars</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nicky Hopkins - pianos, organs</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
singles -<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Start Me Up/No Use in Cryin</li>
<li>Waiting on a Friend/Little T&A</li>
<li>Hang Fire/Neighbors</li>
</ul>
This record is basically a compilation of a bunch of previously recorded work that didn't make it onto other records, hence the participation of Mick Taylor, who had left the band in 1974. The producer credit is the Glimmer Twins, the nickname Jagger and Richards had given themselves, but really Chris Kimsey should have the credit, as the entire Frankenstein-like idea of cobbling together previous outtakes was all his, and the Jagger/Richards relationship was on the ropes. These tracks came from studio sessions for <i>Goats Head Soup</i>, <i>Black and Blue</i>, <i>Some Girls</i>, and <i>Emotional Rescue</i>. It would be the last Rolling Stones record to reach number 1 on the US charts. </div>
Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-686924822832935232019-11-01T14:26:00.000-07:002019-11-01T14:26:36.400-07:00Flying Hippopotami!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoCVncAkrdnmnMsby6spjMnt5H7tDSV7mhyMj1AKZc-PrfaBmgNtDk36ckaHAwZsDbcUViifP887VNgOLN_x9DUALXXt6zo6dEs9xqGxTPXHNErgWJNce9axYMtXVxr6jwVaUlQUpDJ0/s1600/Tom_Morello_The_Atlas_Underground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoCVncAkrdnmnMsby6spjMnt5H7tDSV7mhyMj1AKZc-PrfaBmgNtDk36ckaHAwZsDbcUViifP887VNgOLN_x9DUALXXt6zo6dEs9xqGxTPXHNErgWJNce9axYMtXVxr6jwVaUlQUpDJ0/s400/Tom_Morello_The_Atlas_Underground.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tom Morello</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Atlas Underground</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mom+Pop Music, 2018</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Tom Morello - guitars, bass, vocals<br />
Carl Restivo - guitars, synths, drums, vocals<br />
Dave Gibbs - bass<br />
Eric Gardner - drums<br />
<br />
Guest Appearances by:<br />
Knife Party - production<br />
Big Boi and Killer Mike - vocals<br />
John Gourley - vocals<br />
Whethan - poduction<br />
Marcus Mumford and Miguel - vocals<br />
Tim McIllrath - vocals<br />
Steve Aoki - production<br />
K. Flay - vocals<br />
Pretty Lights - production<br />
Gary Clark Jr - guitars, vocals<br />
Nico Stadi - production<br />
LeiKeli47 - vocals<br />
RZA, and GZA - vocals<br />
Herobust - production<br />
<br />
This is not Tom Morello's first solo record. However, it is the first that bears his own name. Most of the record is made with his long time buddy Carl Restivo, who also worked on other Tom Morello projects The Nightwatchman, and Street Sweeper Social Club. As you can see by the huge list of collaborators, each track features a different guest, which contributes to a bunch of different sounds not previously heard from Tom Morello.<br />
<br />
Although the guest list is pretty great, and the tracks produced are also similarly great, I was disappointed to not see Serg Tankian, Bootsy Riley, DJ Lord, or other familiar Tom Morello collaborators of the past.<br />
<br />
The iconography is a rendering of the flying hippo stickers on Morello's Arm the Homeless guitar. The title likely is a reference to the resistance to Ayn Randist politics.Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-9698256115588691092019-06-30T09:28:00.002-07:002019-06-30T09:50:12.615-07:00Thanks for the Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/06/05/white-oak-middle-school-considering-changing-native-american-logo/1340514001/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="1424" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivurYeIsEpuiNfbSA4oRFLUZU8ih8VqM4L3Arn89YYmyODKZAdQaR_k7nILHS0jQ_EOtHpRnSp2-yzuyyjez-vS89Uha8zUraXWXSyaUTkY4ySfHHqPLZMDD9FFJS1jVmmccRvGWaYA6g/s400/site-masthead-logo-dark%25402x.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I posted about the State of Maine banning American Indian mascots entirely, in name and symbol. Apparently this is the first state to do so, following California's partial ban that targeted the name Redskins exclusively.<br />
<br />
Following this event, a middle school in Ohio is also contemplating a name change. While this is not that eventful on its own, I think the coverage is interesting. The masthead above has the link (click it). Also, <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/06/05/white-oak-middle-school-considering-changing-native-american-logo/1340514001/" target="_blank">linked here....</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/06/05/white-oak-middle-school-considering-changing-native-american-logo/1340514001/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJtZv4tqBer5sEmuS6OVxpPIu1KjzABdBv8GXafUNmyS4hyphenhyphenUTTHwYbNVD_vDuYAzLcpGYY29CWIX0avyTFrPPTxw_JshSmSY1GEBkLCeOl6Qma7oN2SxvY9kc0xwgj8JmfNm_3imzQLE/s320/8e8df5e4-9a41-4f81-9b83-6a3d4be93625-logo.jpeg" width="313" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The school appears to be moving in the right direction, but, like with all institutions fearing public backlash, they're being cautious and seeking public opinion first by survey. Apparently majority consensus determines wrong or right. Imagine Lincoln issuing a survey before signing the Emancipation Proclamation.<br />
<br />
The story tries to show both sides of the issue. Predictably, the reasons for keeping the mascot are limited to tradition, keeping it "just for the memories". Nostalgia isn't a reason to even have a mascot to begin with. Keep in mind, this particular story involves a middle school, not a high school or university, or professional club.<br />
<br />
There are younger people interviewed expressing need for change, and of course, older people who want the mascot to stay. All people interviewed are beyond Middle School age, by the way, and one woman is 71 years old. I wonder what actual middle school students think about the issue. I know, it's a crazy idea, asking the group most affected by this symbol (even if they're affected at all).<br />
<br />
Hopefully, the White Oak middle school, and the City of Cincinnati will do the right thing.<br />
<br />
Some ideas for the future....<br />
<br />
Cincinnati has several nicknames, some more old school than others. But... Queen City, Blue Chip City, and Porkopolis can lend themselves to some pretty cool mascot ideas.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsIMvnx1Bj3Awkt2F5p5XvVPIrL8c7Ouzm534wnLB_eWQt3J9zBuc1wxYqqbsmzPrT7M09KHDQQJVDxw1pAyZ22GoVutaW87IOq-7LHkVCvEIFIEwQzg3_dtXXA7MJFtmAo6n9MAplec/s1600/brown-badge-and-pig-head.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsIMvnx1Bj3Awkt2F5p5XvVPIrL8c7Ouzm534wnLB_eWQt3J9zBuc1wxYqqbsmzPrT7M09KHDQQJVDxw1pAyZ22GoVutaW87IOq-7LHkVCvEIFIEwQzg3_dtXXA7MJFtmAo6n9MAplec/s320/brown-badge-and-pig-head.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School Mascots derived from Porkopolis would be the most fun<br />
<a href="https://www.designevo.com/create/logos/pig.html">https://www.designevo.com/create/logos/pig.html</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-61985731714134646722019-06-01T08:01:00.002-07:002023-09-30T10:47:41.091-07:00Worst of the Decade: Music Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I have come to the conclusion that, while there are plenty of terrible bands out there, There seems to be one, every ten years or so, that rises to the top (or the bottom?) of the rubbish bin. Notorious because of inept, formulaic song writing, unearned brand recognition (the sell-out phenomenon), and stupid, childish antics taken way too serious, these bands transcend bad music, way past the point of satire.<br />
<br />
Before I start listing the cream (or scum) off the top of the garbage heap, here are some honorable (dishonorable) mentions:<br />
<br />
<i>Van Halen:</i> Yes I know, everyone over 40 just shit themselves. But think about this, without David Lee Roth, this band wouldn't be on this list. The guy is the number one clown of Rock music. Also, Eddie Van Halen is probably the most self centered douchebag in all of Guitar Town. Also also, they enabled so much terrible crap from a generation of copycat bands. I guess the fact that Eddie, specifically, influenced so many other good (better) guitar players later on keeps them from not deserving to be on this list after all.<br />
<br />
<i>Imagine Dragons</i>: "Overproduced shlock" is how Kory Grow from Rolling Stone describes them. Which is pretty much a bullseye. I like to think of them as leading the charge in the second coming of disco. More on this later.<br />
<br />
<i>Five Finger Death Punch</i>: How many times can a band write a song with a spoken word bridge gimmick? Apparently, every time. This band and its false tough guy bravado is why Metal is dying. They are the epitome of But Rock. (See Below). <br />
<br />
<i>Coldplay</i>: A big theme here is going to be authenticity. No one likes a copycat. And while there is an argument to be made that all bands that fit into a genre, by definition, are fitting into a mold defined by the genre, this is different than attempting to be another band to the point of being indistinguishable. This is why people hate Greta Van Fleet, and why Stoned Temple Pilots and Creed received so much criticism in the 90s. Coldplay also gets criticism for trying to be Radiohead. Lately, they seem an awful lot like Maroon 5, which is weird, because Coldplay came first. In addition, the music itself is safe, boring, predictable.<br />
<br />
<i>The Eagles</i>: I think this has more to do with the band's attitude, and the fact that the sum of the parts doesn't equal the greatest of these dudes when they do solo work. I love Joe Walsh, but Joe Walsh + The Eagles, while the best kind of Eagles, still sucks. I read articles about this Eagle-hating phenomenon, and adjectives like "wallpaper", and phrases like "easy listening elevator music" are used many times. While I think those are great descriptors, it comes down to the fact that they sound safe, boring, and predictable, like Coldplay, but from the 70s.<br />
<br />
So, here we are, my list by decade, of the worst bands in history. Every decade has one. Starting from this decade, I present my theory:<br />
<br />
<br />
<u> The 20teens</u>:<br />
<br />
While Imagine Dragons, and AWOL Nation are pretty good choices, I found a better one.<br />
<br />
<i>21 Pilots</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5Rq25E5yITRf0vdRWve6lmuogYfUQwns6C-BqAetgKds1UkVYR4ud1mkS7efPsO7udLRHSfjZBJ0EI_E0t0TE4mcv1z4I36nOF72lwoHrSkkjC-Q3HCPuZbJbF_4N1Lmsd0PBEOgBe0/s1600/518766060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="970" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5Rq25E5yITRf0vdRWve6lmuogYfUQwns6C-BqAetgKds1UkVYR4ud1mkS7efPsO7udLRHSfjZBJ0EI_E0t0TE4mcv1z4I36nOF72lwoHrSkkjC-Q3HCPuZbJbF_4N1Lmsd0PBEOgBe0/s400/518766060.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ma! Where's my juice box!"</td></tr>
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Aaron Cooper of Bearded Gentlemen Music (its like hipster Pitchfork... if you can imagine an even more hipster Pitchfork) describes this band as appealing to "People who are too young to appreciate legitimate art regardless if they don’t understand it, or people who refuse to become functioning adults and have accepted the mediocrity of eating Taco Bell for dinner for the rest of their lives". They are heralded as experts in blending genres. I guess that is true, they do take synth EDM and blend it with Hip Hop (sort of) and try and throw in angsty teenage rock lyrics. But the resulting product is just what I like to call the new disco. It's mass produced pop garbage for clubs, if those clubs were exclusively for depressing goth kids.</div>
<div>
<br />
I get it, this music isn't for me. It is targeted at a certain age group. But still, music for teenagers doesn't have to be filled with so many awful cliches, and overused themes. Kids deserve good music too. And, as an aside, these two dudes are way way past young adult status and are trying to pass off what they do as "art". There are plenty of good bands with substance whose songs appeal to teenagers. Good music is universally enjoyable. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u> The 2000s:</u><br />
<br />
This one is an obvious choice. <i>Nickelback</i>, for the win!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UG1jbxzy40Kxqee_zaTPaAAn2EQ129oX5VqUKpt5Z8h6CSCLDwMrPkLm3iHfjz9WLVbvKFEUtu66fup3AdH8s1XbeSEYBpThfm6z6NzQ8XxQapRQ6Kt1aSDdhRXMFZn9HxETkqxLKWI/s1600/1130canada-police-nickelback.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="620" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UG1jbxzy40Kxqee_zaTPaAAn2EQ129oX5VqUKpt5Z8h6CSCLDwMrPkLm3iHfjz9WLVbvKFEUtu66fup3AdH8s1XbeSEYBpThfm6z6NzQ8XxQapRQ6Kt1aSDdhRXMFZn9HxETkqxLKWI/s400/1130canada-police-nickelback.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They couldn't look any more basic. Its a Band of Dads</td></tr>
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There has been plenty written about how Nickelback went from a relatively uninspiring pop rock band in a sea of other similarly sounding bands from this decade, into one of the most notorious and hated successful acts of all time. They spawned an entire generation of mediocre rock (Medio-core, as Fat Mike calls it) known as But Rock. The term comes from a mid-2000s rock radio station tag line "nothing <i>but rock</i>". </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While there are plenty of bands that are contemporary to Nickleback and published similarly terrible But Rock (3 Days Grace, Seether, Buck Cherry, Shinedown), the hate for Nickelback is summed up by Salli Antonin's title for her paper "Hypocritical Bullshit Performed Through Gritted Teeth". Her hypothesis revolves around how hatred stems not from the music itself, but from how the band creates the music, preferring to craft hit songs as a factory would turn out furniture, building things they know will sell based on genre sounds, instead of innovating or creating anything new. People can smell a phony, and Nickelback is as phony as they come. Also, they are incredibly arrogant about the whole thing. Chad Kroeger is perhaps the doucheiest rock star since Eddie Van Halen.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>The 1990s:</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It may be too easy to just throw the Insane Clown Posse out here, I have to keep in mind that this is about rock music, specifically, and the ICP does consider themselves hip hop. And also, in their defense, they have managed to build a brand and fanbase so strong, it has become a counter culture. So I went with the next worse thing from the 90s....<br />
<br />
<i>Limp Bizkit</i>. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmWMKqwwIqlvKK8Ys7ePAwQUz0fm8p0IdTBJk1UAsT0tzU6S6dTcNBD_4i_F3AapprzaAn0tDgvfEK2320F4t202NGakVNJ_3jJZ4ufG6E0RMKw6bYEGXvFb23EJw9erbPQFzmBjEmqM/s1600/MI0003439702.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmWMKqwwIqlvKK8Ys7ePAwQUz0fm8p0IdTBJk1UAsT0tzU6S6dTcNBD_4i_F3AapprzaAn0tDgvfEK2320F4t202NGakVNJ_3jJZ4ufG6E0RMKw6bYEGXvFb23EJw9erbPQFzmBjEmqM/s400/MI0003439702.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photobombed by the Death Metal kid</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
These guys are probably the worst band on this list of worst bands, regardless of the decade. I mean... G.G. Allin is pretty terrible, if you consider a psychotic, Nazi, Iggy Pop wannabe to be a rockstar, but that abomination aside, Fred Durst is the worst person ever. This band hits all the other horrible band benchmarks. <br />
<br />
They're unoriginal hacks, riding on the backs of rock/hiphop pioneers 311 and Rage Against the Machine. The only song worth hearing was a George Michael cover. The fanbase seems to be made up of dudes who are too conservative to be punk rock, but still want to posture and brag about how tough and apathetic they are. If Johnny Rotten also played lacrosse and Call of Duty and spent all his time talking about smashing chicks, he'd be Fred Durst. <br />
<br />
All of this would be acceptable, there are plenty of rock icons who piggy backed on other greater influences, and also were all about sex, if it wasn't for the substance of the music. The music is awful, playing to the lowest common denominator (the lyrics read like a Dr Suess book for adult morons). The band is a joke, and not the good, clever kind of joke like Steel Panther, but the bad kind that gives you VD and makes you question your life choices. In comparison, this band makes Nickelback look good. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u>The 1980s</u>:<br />
<br />
I've established many times how much I hate 80's music. If the entire decade can be summed up as having one good genre (punk rock), and also 6 or 7 actually good bands that are not that genre, the decade is probably trash. But the worst of the worst has got to be....<br />
<br />
<i>Poison</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVyIurdm0oqBZVsRy-_lxGgWgGCVKbuA0nGm5Qi08MDly3CF2GXpOI0qHw00dSaMwngky3BOywqxXz692n9G2u928bJIK1j5xaAB2V0s90dWvJ4jQmwAePS50BWjUaoPL6Gy_Ac54v7E/s1600/dd328f7dc63ded6fe8f464bd22d0653d.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVyIurdm0oqBZVsRy-_lxGgWgGCVKbuA0nGm5Qi08MDly3CF2GXpOI0qHw00dSaMwngky3BOywqxXz692n9G2u928bJIK1j5xaAB2V0s90dWvJ4jQmwAePS50BWjUaoPL6Gy_Ac54v7E/s320/dd328f7dc63ded6fe8f464bd22d0653d.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy George called... he wants it all back, fellas</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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The '80s was a time when rock was littered with Van Halen wannabes like Ratt, Wasp, Motley Crue, and other similar Alice Cooper/KISS inspired shows that seemed more devoted to how much glitter they could shove down their skintight pants than their song writing. The bright spot for this era of rock is the creation of my favorite joke of all time:<br />
<br />
Q: What has 9 arms and sucks?</div>
<div>
A: Def Leppard.<br />
<br />
But of all the terrible terribleness of the 80s, Poison rises through it all (or sinks like a brick?). They embody all that makes the genre of glam/hair metal so bad, while also being slandered by their own peers. Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue thinks they suck. Guns n Roses hated them. That's like all the other clowns from the circus looking down on the same dude for making the worst balloon animals. I think the reason I cant stand them, aside from the fact that the music is not good, is the motivations for becoming a band to start with. According to the band, they wanted to "get chicks". And while sex is an awesome perk of being a rockstar, making music should probably be the top priority. Even Nickelback puts music first.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>The 1970s:</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I want to put the Eagles on this throne. But after some reflection, there are better candidates. Ted Nugent comes to mind. I had a single "ah ha!" moment, and figured out exactly which band belongs here.</div>
<div>
<br />
<i>KISS.</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SwIkJy9h3h1K9Zeif-OCUNKs_pM115c6eOkEhjn7B7TE7uFboYFvdPBYN0zs3ZwOcsKBqJe6ea85sCZ1u9xdxcNzEnNcn4wqzgakK1Mp4pYMyH7nObAnpg2T6ec4qRQQSzcZnxYWPBY/s1600/kiss-compilations.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SwIkJy9h3h1K9Zeif-OCUNKs_pM115c6eOkEhjn7B7TE7uFboYFvdPBYN0zs3ZwOcsKBqJe6ea85sCZ1u9xdxcNzEnNcn4wqzgakK1Mp4pYMyH7nObAnpg2T6ec4qRQQSzcZnxYWPBY/s400/kiss-compilations.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is too much WTF going on in this picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you had no idea what KISS were, and just happened to stumble upon some of their unending line of merchandise, it would be easy to assume they are anything but a band that plays actual music. The monochrome facepaint and goth/sci-fi costumes fit better in crazy 80's children's television programming, or a setting from a Robert E Howard book. They look like a young wrestling fan's fever dream, and yet they sell out stadiums.<br />
<br />
That's the part that seems unimaginable. How does this visual trainwreck sell out stadiums, while other bands in the same time period doing similar crazy onstage stuff, like Alice Cooper, and the New York Dolls, struggled? It took Twisted Sister 10 years to even secure a record contract. True, they do set things on fire, and blow things up, and spit blood, but then so does Iggy and the Stooges (only its not an act).<br />
<br />
To sum up, this review from 1974 by Patrick MacDonald says all that needs to be said: "the music is strictly on the moron level, being made up of simple cords any child could learn and lyrics that are there because they rhyme". This isn't enough, though for me to declare them "worst of the '70s". If simple cord progressions were the only criteria every American Hardcore band would be on this list, but Black Flag is awesome.<br />
<br />
MacDonald also points out they are "a very flashy glitter band that tries to make up in theatrics what it lacks musically". And that is what connects all of these terrible bands on this terrible list. But these guys did it first, and influenced all the Poisons and Nickelbacks, and garbage formulaic pop songs, and man eating plant puppets, and flame throwing codpieces, and every single Spinal Tap-esque moment in rock music history.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Spinal Tap... if comic geniuses create a parody act about you and your very serious music career, you're probably a colossal joke. KISS is the real life Spinal Tap. Gene Simmons is far more interested in selling his brand, making money off an icon. And while this is great for Gene Simmons, the PT Barnum of Rock, it makes me question the intelligence of the KISS Army that continues to buy stupid things.</div>
Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-83311216659400099492019-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:002019-10-28T06:43:09.517-07:00Racists Ruin EverythingThis post may get whiny real quick. But, it is something I've been thinking about for a while, and watching unfold in real time. White Nationalism/Supremacy and Neo-Nazis are co-opting whatever cultural heritage I have, and it sucks.<br />
<br />
Growing up, for lack of better information, I thought I was half German, and equal remaining parts Irish, Scottish and English. Turns out, I'm mostly German, maybe a bit Polish, and also smaller equal bits Irish, Scottish and English. So, really, from the start, this confrontation with the bad sides of my cultural make-up should have been foreseen.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGs10t1xsn4m6pRj7iv4Hr-JnmuprK3uUsZuOr2_BXLIeDhU6fTYLn_XHZmVC8gyWg0f3Yw43bfPCf06U6wu7HoPNE60eZawtAetmwB8siY3Apkvv4FytLy4qi12rWRCyGGRPvJfUne04/s1600/Know+nothing+cartoon+german+irish.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="797" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGs10t1xsn4m6pRj7iv4Hr-JnmuprK3uUsZuOr2_BXLIeDhU6fTYLn_XHZmVC8gyWg0f3Yw43bfPCf06U6wu7HoPNE60eZawtAetmwB8siY3Apkvv4FytLy4qi12rWRCyGGRPvJfUne04/s400/Know+nothing+cartoon+german+irish.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seems like a natural friendship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What exactly am I talking about? White Supremacy, obviously, and specifically, all the crazy propaganda and symbolism. Hate groups, specifically white racist hate groups, love symbolism. They fly them on flags, and get them tattooed. Most of the iconography these groups use are linked directly to the Third Reich, or are specific to the Klan, which can easily be avoided. But they also like to co-opt a narrow set of culturally specific iconography, most of which just happens to also be mine.<br />
<br />
Pretty obviously, anything German, or Germanic related has already been discovered, and reimagined by supremacy groups, mostly by Hitler's Nazis. White Supremacists are fond of Norse and Germanic runic symbols, and Crusader-era crosses. I am not Scandinavian, but a lot of the Norse imagery used by these groups is shared by Germanic people. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find anything Germanic that hasn't been used or utilized in one way or another by one or more hate groups. Even the part of me that may be Polish isn't immune. There are Polish Nationalist groups out there, and Poles and Germans do share ancient history, and a fascination with eagle logos. The Anti-Defamation League has a long annotated <a href="https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resource-knowledge-base/hate-symbols" target="_blank">list of Hate Symbols here</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitn3QyEfm7fvM6Wdmq3LIXcG1OU7gjA3n3FrETeT4I1dshH7M8wbq1I5Wv6D7JY8nxCIazLknYjpeRpf1xRMAAIaF6l7g-9kagHCcZXjIc6yqu9oWMGqfbXNe8IHiDbd95hPYUEEoZoPs/s1600/borussia_dortmund_20130818_1553234862.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitn3QyEfm7fvM6Wdmq3LIXcG1OU7gjA3n3FrETeT4I1dshH7M8wbq1I5Wv6D7JY8nxCIazLknYjpeRpf1xRMAAIaF6l7g-9kagHCcZXjIc6yqu9oWMGqfbXNe8IHiDbd95hPYUEEoZoPs/s320/borussia_dortmund_20130818_1553234862.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">even this unofficial football logo is suspect</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of Germanic/Norse imagery, there is nothing White Supremacy loves to do more than pine for the good old days when Europeans lived like kings in "racially pure" times. The times when waging wars against the evil Muslims in the Holy Land was a cultural past time, and everyone north and west of the Mediterranean needed lots of sunblock. The Middle Ages is right in the white supremacy wheelhouse. There are plenty of articles out there about the struggles Medieval Studies is having with white supremacy, <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Medieval-Scholars-Call-for/243919/" target="_blank">like this one from The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>. But, they also like to go even further back... before Christianity gobbled up Europe and consolidated the cultures. Before Christians and Crusades, before the Romans even, there were Celts.<br />
<br />
The Celts, if you hadn't ever taken a European history class, are this Iron Age (800-450 BC) cultural group that spanned Europe from the Urals (Russia) to the Iberian Pennisula (Spain). By the first century AD, the Celts were absorbed by, or pushed further west by Romans and Germanic tribes. The last remnants of this culture that used to span Europe exist within Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Brittanic culture groups, and even then it barely lives on through language.<br />
<br />
However, White Supremacy groups view the Celts as the mythical Aryan master race, which was a theory highly prized by Hitler's Nazi party, and therefore by all descendant Neo-Nazi ideologues. Aryan, a word used for other culture groups from the Indian sub-continent, had been used by Freidrich Max Muller, and later Arthur Gobineau, and Charles Morris. But this "Aryan" race probably never existed, and are early terms created to explain ancient culture shifts. Modern and contemporary Archaeology names early proto-cultures very differently.<br />
<br />
Regardless of historical truth, these racist groups use Celtic imagery also. In addition to all of the other stuff, Celtic knots and Irish crosses also have been taken by the White Supremacists.<br />
Sierra Lumota at the University of Pennsylvania wrote about her experiences <a href="https://www.inthemedievalmiddle.com/2016/12/white-nationalism-and-ethics-of.html" target="_blank">with the National Policy Institute here</a>, which includes a bit about a tattoo artist specializing in Celtic imagery.<br />
<br />
So... here I am, a white dude in the United States, a country with its own history of racist icons, Nazi sympathizers, and White Nationalist fervor, unable to enjoy, or display any cool cultural symbolism without worrying that I may be confused for these other hate groups.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvJ823ppXhwmka77GWeUcqb-shnG-l7_yUmpuehvK8BlF-DaQqrETC-u2qpQaNfvcx_ZBqSkdVbNGJKz13-V9XyvAW-7t-k2qfwMbWPETXNk-0Y8ezphXX0p_xkF0vJQc2Bx7x8LYRAs/s1600/il_fullxfull-376531364_4x8r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1500" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvJ823ppXhwmka77GWeUcqb-shnG-l7_yUmpuehvK8BlF-DaQqrETC-u2qpQaNfvcx_ZBqSkdVbNGJKz13-V9XyvAW-7t-k2qfwMbWPETXNk-0Y8ezphXX0p_xkF0vJQc2Bx7x8LYRAs/s400/il_fullxfull-376531364_4x8r.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just want to be Knotty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have no desire to belong to or be associated with these die hard ideologues that believe in half-truths, mythologized histories, and hate-filled rhetoric. I wish they'd picked someone else's cultural groups when cherry picking their iconography.Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-86742774631226164392019-03-08T09:44:00.001-08:002019-03-09T09:17:20.308-08:00One by One, Change will ComeUp until recently, the State of Maine had one remaining high school with an American Indian mascot. Skohegan is the county seat of Somerset County, the Skowhegan Regional school district services 5 other neighboring communities. The Press Herald published the following story earlier this week about a press release from Maine's Department of Education. The link is below.<br />
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<a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2019/03/01/maine-education-department-urges-schools-to-refrain-from-using-native-american-mascots/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnAaLXB6EMR1RtxVtJvBRMEUFJ4_wM6RMdHXZVva1WHpXaZ7DBFi19GsvWh9c9QM3SO-iHV0vscTVSuSIWuBLq6WNtMh9Mwyv6J5Lznx03bY48ElNDUhUhmomuHkzrFOpeDGFS-bX51c/s1600/download.png" /></a></div>
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The history of Maine and tribal relations revolves around a series of wars with the Wabanaki Confederacy. By 1725, the 4th Anglo-Abenaki War ended with the native population of the Somerset area either pushed out or massacred. This history, like most American relationships with local tribes, makes using the mascot far more uncomfortable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknE_Xfla3PrnPKyltwArzi1mleZfpAnWUIfhlnRrZdXstx88lJY-UkgEfJ-1LiXpnT43mAGcsAYj55hLnKTmC4wZ10VhON4i_-chB0gNrPGDbHREOPTrCE8RefKibDSR6oe8d1VGnv_o/s1600/2804392_20190115-Skowhegan-Indian-1024x919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1024" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknE_Xfla3PrnPKyltwArzi1mleZfpAnWUIfhlnRrZdXstx88lJY-UkgEfJ-1LiXpnT43mAGcsAYj55hLnKTmC4wZ10VhON4i_-chB0gNrPGDbHREOPTrCE8RefKibDSR6oe8d1VGnv_o/s320/2804392_20190115-Skowhegan-Indian-1024x919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Later in the week, Skowhegan held a meeting to discuss the mascot. Apparently, the meeting concluded with a resolution to discontinue the name. The story is below, reported by the local ABC affiliate. The State of Maine no longer has American Indian mascots in their schools.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wmtw.com/article/skowhegan-school-board-votes-to-remove-mascot/26756648" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlyDrqPNYK8QPiG93NVcoNcowJcoaDzzCrIn5NXulft_U33VwhnvG3ncXIWisYVHTrdaYKHfDhT8vCvlP2jSNx5th8Ce23YqLSLxcWiafauVs5I7doVBaRbiJa7vCggOcIYum5D7EWDo/s200/unnamed.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-77159838946600376812019-02-11T09:58:00.002-08:002019-05-25T06:47:41.351-07:00Utilitarianism: A PrimerSometimes I am accused of being, or lumped into a box called The Left. While it may be true that I am Left leaning on the political spectrum, I think it is important to distinguish how, like the Right, there are many different philosophical groups within the Left.<br />
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I like to think of myself as a Utilitarian mostly because A: for it's flaws, it mostly makes sense to me as a broad plan to make decisions B: the over arching theme spells a death for individual exceptionalism. No one is special. C: It's basics are echoed by many other Leftist philosophies. So what is it exactly?<br />
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<b>Utilitarianism: </b></h2>
A branch of Consequential Philosophy declaring that consequences of utility should be the basis for decision making. Basically, actions should produce the most utility for the largest group of people. Utility in this case means "good". Also, to clarify, the philosophy as a whole considers all human beings to be people and to be equal. There is no special determinations made for wealth, gender, or age. As Utilitarianism has evolved, it has merged with deontological ethics, bridging the two philosophies.<br />
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In 1780, Jeremy Bentham published the first ideas of utility as a basis for morality. As a consequentialist philosophy, Bentham argued that "the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people" is the measurement for morality, right and wrong. Instead of rules and laws laid down ahead of time that can be very black and white, consequentialism views the outcome as the indicator of morality, not the actions that lead to the outcome. In Utilitarianism, if the outcome benefits more people, than the actions are justified.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo0-Ao5nKaDjNbgEr2AejBAdPiIhao6B4piM9rUx50KmEFenbxauXzXHpyZ7pHoi5F-ILZnwafFodr_cVab9KmIHLPaxiZvJY8cWgm58YQqY7ZSEIcy6ATT8_hunbk71r5kYK9G76GN0/s1600/Jeremy_Bentham_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo0-Ao5nKaDjNbgEr2AejBAdPiIhao6B4piM9rUx50KmEFenbxauXzXHpyZ7pHoi5F-ILZnwafFodr_cVab9KmIHLPaxiZvJY8cWgm58YQqY7ZSEIcy6ATT8_hunbk71r5kYK9G76GN0/s320/Jeremy_Bentham_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill_detail.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bentham</td></tr>
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Bentham was more interested in earlier Hedonism, popularized by Aristipuss and Epicuris, but Utilitarianism evolved under John Stuart Mill, who moved the definition of utility from "utility=pleasure" to "utility=well-being". Mill was pretty clear to separate Utilitarianism from Hedonism. Hastings Rashdall and G.E. Moore continued to separate the two ideas at the turn of the 20th century. Ideal Utilitarianism is a rejection of Bentham and focuses on promoting beneficial experiences, and relationships, and limiting pain, hatred and contempt.<br />
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One of the biggest challenges to early Utilitarianism was the rejection of rule/law. Mill wrestled with this, as did Richard Brandt and Brad Hooker. Act and Rule Utilitarianism attempts to mitigate the problems that arise from attempting to weigh consequences for each and every decision. The probability of choosing less than the best utility are high. So... Act Theory states that an act is right if it maximizes utility. Rule Theory maintains that an act is right if it adheres to a rule/law meant to maximize utility.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3APboez0IH8QycW5aFwpld1sWGAbuDDS_uOkCdx6iGrU_F5gBvfmPeTRlM_iXQ-tNR8OKrqn2f8vpAweqQ6e5utQl7SmttIXfBdFr347XQj23lrW8hBBiZ3sxi6z6XvsVKXxEuvadxc/s1600/John_Stuart_Mill_by_London_Stereoscopic_Company%252C_c1870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3APboez0IH8QycW5aFwpld1sWGAbuDDS_uOkCdx6iGrU_F5gBvfmPeTRlM_iXQ-tNR8OKrqn2f8vpAweqQ6e5utQl7SmttIXfBdFr347XQj23lrW8hBBiZ3sxi6z6XvsVKXxEuvadxc/s320/John_Stuart_Mill_by_London_Stereoscopic_Company%252C_c1870.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Stuart Mill</td></tr>
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Robert Merrihew Adams then took Act/Rule theory in 1976 and rolled it all into Motive Theory, which posits that Utilitarianism should be used to create motive and disposition which would then dictate choice of action and applied rules/laws. This allowed Utilitarianism to shed its Consequential Hedonist past and merge with Kantian ethics.<br />
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The biggest issue with Utilitarianism is the definition of utility. How do we quantify it? If we use the earliest, most vague notion of utility as happiness/pleasure, than this criticism has weight. Hedonistic happiness seems to be short term, individualist, and subjective. But, when the idea of utility changes to well-being, the ability to measure that on a grand scale becomes easier, and it evolves from a short-term consequence, into a longterm, more objective, more group-based happiness.<br />
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There are definitely parallels to Socialism here. Many Socialist ideals hinge on the greater good for the most number of people (the working class population far exceeds management/shareholders). However, Utilitarianism is not without casualties. The ideal is the "Greatest Good for Greatest Number" after all, not "Greatest good for Everyone". Realistically there will be losers, the plan is to minimize the losers, but still acknowledge that reducing that number to zero is not always possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6NGmxCvyiWpcmFNZtgxaNrv5euOIs4vSBTkytldpJDh4F3DkGuGAg2xcCJ-TecrOyYC_4DBOWckLOeJhUpUizLxZdrr0LYmDQAJ-6u3TDXPKqWL_74IDiyAeQy2ZsC5MSotInUmK1xg/s1600/636000834449830730579440549_trolly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="902" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6NGmxCvyiWpcmFNZtgxaNrv5euOIs4vSBTkytldpJDh4F3DkGuGAg2xcCJ-TecrOyYC_4DBOWckLOeJhUpUizLxZdrr0LYmDQAJ-6u3TDXPKqWL_74IDiyAeQy2ZsC5MSotInUmK1xg/s400/636000834449830730579440549_trolly.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are plenty of ethical scenarios that play with this idea. Grim scenarios abound, like, "If you have to sacrifice one child to save the lives of millions, do you do it"? Utilitarianism would say yes, by the way, if that is the only, best option. This makes Utilitarianism out to look unfeeling, robotic in the way it weighs consequence, turning people/populations into equations rather than appealing to lives as more significant. I don't believe it does this at all. I think the fact that the end goal is to lift up majorities is enough to prove Utilitarianism does in fact value human life as significant, far more significant than any one single individual.<br />
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It seems to me that Democratic Socialism, or as they used to say, Democracy, as a form of government would be the best way to govern through Utilitarianism. If everyone has a voice and vote, it is an easy way to calculate what most of the society wants. At this point, it is pretty easy to study society and figure out best practices to be used to best defend our welfare, maximize social capital, and promote healthy lifestyles on a grande scale, without limiting liberty.<br />
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Utilitarianism does not place anyone's own personal ambitions above others, which is why it isn't really a Capitalist philosophy. If the consequence of the actions leaves one person rich, and many others scrambling to survive, that isn't maximizing group utility. If laws protect and serve only one groups' utility and undermine the utility of minority groups, than that doesn't fit into this philosophy.<br />
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By framing my thinking this way, like Adams said, I have changed my motivations, which has led to changing my opinions about many political issues. Utilitarianism, at its core, ignores systemic groupings like race, culture, religion, and class. It ignores the ambitions, and desires of the individual for the betterment of the welfare of the group. This appeals to me.Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-51510044039645483572018-09-23T10:32:00.003-07:002018-12-01T09:49:26.628-08:00Can a DC Movie Universe be Successful?Obviously from prior posts I'm a bit of a comics nerd. I adore storytelling, and the medium of comics lends to storytelling very well. They are the new pulp fiction, the new serial, the new short story; published monthly, and later collected and published in larger volumes. Lately, comics have become fodder for other mediums. We get to watch comics unfold on both the big and small screens, live action and animated. It's awesome.<br />
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Of the top 5 comics publishing companies, Marvel and DC have the biggest stakes in licensing material for non-print media, and Marvel has been crushing it with their massively popular shared movie/television universe. I've seen everything they've produced (except Agents of Shield and the Inhumans because I watch good television) and they're stuff is fantastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEfqzpt4CLkq2ZoSkIDyLt8x5JAx1ylYTDt9xVQ7JCX61Dv9VACFXPZKi3SHtz4nrbXMIae1rkLoDe2gvTD7WEnnlxQhylHsm3o6w_MnJ2g7wu26v0JNNlmRsom7Eo3GsEFYdrgKEq1A/s1600/dc_comics_logo_dark.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEfqzpt4CLkq2ZoSkIDyLt8x5JAx1ylYTDt9xVQ7JCX61Dv9VACFXPZKi3SHtz4nrbXMIae1rkLoDe2gvTD7WEnnlxQhylHsm3o6w_MnJ2g7wu26v0JNNlmRsom7Eo3GsEFYdrgKEq1A/s320/dc_comics_logo_dark.0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, I am, and have always been a DC guy. </div>
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Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and a plethora of larger than life heroes, several decades older, at times darker and more philosophical than Marvel. They always seemed to me, since I started reading comics, to be more grown up. There are clear analogies to Neitzsche, and Machiavelli in the three major characters. I agree with Laurence Maslon and Dr. Kate Roddy when they claim superheroes are our new mythologies. DC characters specifically fit into the classic myth versions of heroes. They are kings, and princesses, and aristocrats, rich one-percenters with money, and education, and privilege who go through journeys and defeat monsters in order to save the general public. It is a shame Warner Brothers, the DC parent company, is so bad at storytelling.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pulp fiction mythologies</td></tr>
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This seems to be the real success with Marvel's shared universe. They write good stories first, and then tie them together. They took their time with the project, a whole decade to make films, and thread commonalities between them. They made good casting decisions, allowed writers and creators to create good plots and interactions for the characters, and never appeared to try to do too much in any one film (except maybe Civil War and Infinity War).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">living large</td></tr>
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The Cosmonaut Variety Hour put it this way: while Warner Brothers and DC were busy trying to make movies based on a few already existing plots from the comics, Marvel allowed writers with a knowledge of the entire canon to create new stories and plots based on story and character elements. Most of the time the Marvel movie writers get it right, like in <i>Iron Man</i>, and the<i> Avengers</i>, but sometimes we got <i>Iron Man 3</i>. Meanwhile, DC is the complete opposite, creating movies like <i>Justice League, Suicide Squad</i> and <i>Batman vs Superman </i>which were colossal messes, but sometimes they make <i>Wonder Woman</i> just to give us fans a little hope. </div>
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The problem seems to be Warner Brothers' decision to do what Marvel did, build a shared cinematic universe. Instead of doing it in the logical way of gradually introducing heroes in their own stand alone films and then connecting them all for a blockbuster crossover event, they decided to do it backwards and introduce all their characters in one blockbuster movie and then break off into solo films. Why would you decide to do that? The only reason I can think of is just to be different, I guess. Overloading one movie with so many major characters makes for a bad movie, and the reason we never had an Avengers or Justice League movie decades ago. Marvel's plan was a huge gamble based on contemporary movie making thinking.<br />
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The good news is DC did manage to build a pretty decent television universe on the CW network. The only thing seeming to hold it back from being Marvel-sized is the inability to use Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman on the live-action small screen. I have no idea what the rationale for this decision/rule but everyone would love to see an Arrowverse Batman.<br />
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My solution for DC/Warner Brothers... Continue your movie franchise, as it does make money, but put all your effort into television. Comics and television are a natural fit. Comics are serialized issue by issue with large story arcs playing out over several issues. Television is serialized episode by episode, with large story arcs playing out over a season. Bring in Batman and Superman, and Wonder Woman! Give people what they want, not a show like Gotham which is Batman without Batman, or Smallville which is Clark Kent before he becomes Superman, but not really, or whatever Lois and Clark was (literally no one asked for these shows, stop trying to be clever and just do the show we want). Also, Wonder Woman? Can we get a follow up to the 1970s show, please?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaVZXsKyhcm3EoEdSNIUmjgG5ios6164-RjhnhDVhTDTzg3YYBF2qJISlAXxm7jyrpVbMRtKO43W6RD8FAKtitRkdVatU7vIZdvphtQZwmBVeaj5PEeQJFIuFNIStyckAingcTVVXpNk/s1600/1429467669-018eb7a139dfb0aa01db43e004a42626-600x321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaVZXsKyhcm3EoEdSNIUmjgG5ios6164-RjhnhDVhTDTzg3YYBF2qJISlAXxm7jyrpVbMRtKO43W6RD8FAKtitRkdVatU7vIZdvphtQZwmBVeaj5PEeQJFIuFNIStyckAingcTVVXpNk/s400/1429467669-018eb7a139dfb0aa01db43e004a42626-600x321.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just give them what they want!</td></tr>
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DC is actually really good at their animated television shows, it cant be that difficult to do live action. In fact, Marvel has already proved quality television can be done in short miniseries with the Defenders franchise of shows. </div>
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Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-54788143952021253022018-08-18T12:29:00.002-07:002018-09-10T15:42:08.845-07:00Parodies Piss Off RacistsThe other day Frederick Joseph, a Manhattan area activist, went out wearing a Washington football team parody t-shirt. Instead of the Indian head mascot, the logo featured the bust of a white dude with the term "caucasians" underneath instead of the actual team name. He documented it on instagram and twitter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vxFotpVHMGN_5TJhNV34hZJv3a7APSrJsIlUP6YKXKm1tpwlOQ9gGvCYP0e9lW5zUYm34Hwxcspzc2DfwdhmMRUzoquPo_Cot7-bsRCue3exnz3Va2VTE7OgNy38cFCpE2irrGd2YPY/s1600/4EC1171E00000578-0-image-a-61_1533179157775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vxFotpVHMGN_5TJhNV34hZJv3a7APSrJsIlUP6YKXKm1tpwlOQ9gGvCYP0e9lW5zUYm34Hwxcspzc2DfwdhmMRUzoquPo_Cot7-bsRCue3exnz3Va2VTE7OgNy38cFCpE2irrGd2YPY/s400/4EC1171E00000578-0-image-a-61_1533179157775.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
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Joseph's interactions with the public were actually not that surprising. He said himself, the reactions were disappointing, but not unexpected. Sports fandom can be pretty rabid and nonsensical to start with, but the backlash to Colin Kaepernick and the whole national anthem craziness doesn't make rude, obnoxious and ignorant responses to such a subtle parody shocking. You can read all about this public opinion experiment on several news outlets, including <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/he-wore-a-t-shirt-now-hes-getting-death-threats/2018/08/08/df7c392e-9afd-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html?utm_term=.ad34107fe74b" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/08/02/my-caucasians-shirt-exposes-hypocrisy-over-racist-logos-redskins-column/888706002/" target="_blank">USA Toda</a>y, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/black-panther-challenge-creator-looks-raise-awareness-washington-caucasians-shirts-224016536.html" target="_blank">Yahoo Sports</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvcE1-r1Qjo" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and many others.<br />
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Predictably, Washington fans lept to defend themselves. Joseph pointed out a particular poll was cited as evidence that 9 out of 10 American Indians polled think the current mascot name is okay. I posted about <a href="http://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2016/05/poll-position.html" target="_blank">this poll before</a>. Joseph points out the poll was debunked by <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/on-the-shameful-and-skewed-redskins-poll/" target="_blank">The Nation</a>, and Joe Rosenstein wrote about the dubious poll for the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-do-native-americans-really-feel-about-redskins-nickname_b_10199688.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> as well. It took me a while to track down these articles, after searching for terms such as "Redskins Poll Debunked", or "false Redskins poll" or other similar phrases. The results were dominated by the original press releases by the Post and CBS, and even ESPN celebrating the original Washington Post poll.<br />
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These articles confirmed my earlier suspicions of foul play. It is a bit of a coincidence that the Washington Post, which covers Washington football, conducted and published the poll. But also, the poll, done by telephone, only polled 504 people claiming to be Native, without any sort of background check, or confirmation of actual Indian status. This highly publicized poll attempts to counter similar polls and studies done across the country by various other civil rights groups, and universities.<br />
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Once again, it seems that a false or misleading narrative has garnered the loudest, most easily found voice on this subject. The good news is change will come. The right people, in the right places are agreeing with these sentiments. California banned Indian mascots from all high school athletic departments. Lord Jeff is no longer the unofficial mascot at Amherst College. The Laughing Brave and Chief Wahoo are no longer part of the Braves or Indians marketing. These are big strides, and the end game will be a Washington football namechange. It's coming, patience. </div>
<div>
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Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-16987331154240936442018-08-15T18:14:00.002-07:002019-03-04T16:44:30.297-08:00That's What the Papers Say<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qoWIPzsn-NUeqvPkI8aNTnaa0AFv5bWV_hof13alFG53_E_4AiwBrrlPlFnyMYwaVlnl4FIKy9ThYo745TEg3eJi9-28zkawAn4v9azNNT87dqXgNsmZ7eTkUGbaPSKNVe4su55eRN8/s1600/Theworldusbombs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qoWIPzsn-NUeqvPkI8aNTnaa0AFv5bWV_hof13alFG53_E_4AiwBrrlPlFnyMYwaVlnl4FIKy9ThYo745TEg3eJi9-28zkawAn4v9azNNT87dqXgNsmZ7eTkUGbaPSKNVe4su55eRN8/s400/Theworldusbombs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
US Bombs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>the World</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1999, Hellcat</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Duane Peters - vocals</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Kerry Martinez - guitars</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Johny Two Bags Wickersham - guitars</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Wade Walston - bass</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Chip Hanna - drums</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I always thought this album title was clever. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The band is US Bombs, a street punk band from the Clash/Buzzcocks school. Punk always championed the independent, band owned record label, ever since Black Flag put together their own SST label in 1978. Hellcat Records was <a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2011/10/the-other-minor-threat.html" target="_blank">Rancid</a>'s label, imprint of Epitaph (<a href="https://tomisclever.blogspot.com/2012/06/not-welcome-here.html" target="_blank">Bad Religion</a>'s label). The World is the 2nd record the US Bombs released on Hellcat. This record has classic street punk themes coupled with political anti-war themes.<br />
<br />
My friend, in high school, got his hands on a US Bombs t-shirt. It was simple, with just the band's wordmark across the chest. I didn't know it was a band, and thought it was a boobs joke. My friend was a guy.<br />
<br />
At the time, I was thrilled to add this to my music library. And now, I feel the same. </div>
Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-19974175840167570782018-07-28T11:25:00.000-07:002019-11-13T13:57:32.825-08:00The Ministry of Truth is Real Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQumA_TwqsjzG1f2LKC31sJ8LCWsdql9uqb1PpKlAmffkOOadEofotZzmfYXlSPdXxoGR19CqJQyCeZiF8tW7uoUdSoGsz2IYFo_xNWcWVRl9xRPCnNMG6G7GPrUwCHHOgrVeMIsJLLo/s1600/The_fin_de_si%25C3%25A8cle_newspaper_proprietor_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1525" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQumA_TwqsjzG1f2LKC31sJ8LCWsdql9uqb1PpKlAmffkOOadEofotZzmfYXlSPdXxoGR19CqJQyCeZiF8tW7uoUdSoGsz2IYFo_xNWcWVRl9xRPCnNMG6G7GPrUwCHHOgrVeMIsJLLo/s400/The_fin_de_si%25C3%25A8cle_newspaper_proprietor_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sure by now, everyone is quite familiar with the term "fake news".<br />
<br />
While I was experiencing the 2016 campaign, a thought occurred to me. No matter what happens on November 4 (spoiler alert: Clinton lost, somehow), Trump has already made a mark on American culture, probably in the worst way. Terms that he coined during the election are going to become buzzwords. Fake news, bigly, convfefe (whatever the fuck that is), and even actual phrases like "some people say", and "believe me", and "its gonna be huge" are all worming their way into the American linguistic culture, and I hate it. Even people who use the terms in jest are helping to feed the Trump influence on our society.<br />
<br />
But, let's go back to Fake News.<br />
<br />
Back in 1951, after Fascism in Europe was defeated, and the Red Scare and Cold War were ramping up, Hannah Arendt wrote that the Nazis and Communists were not the "ideal subjects of totalitarian rule". She argued that the targets of these regimes are people "for whom reality of experience, and the standards of thought" no longer can be distinguished. Example: people who would be unable to grasp the concept of a stapler painted red, even though we have the technology to paint other things red, because they've only ever seen black staplers. Basically, people who discount facts, reason, and logic, and rely instead on personal anecdotes, and real life experiences put themselves in a position to be easily manipulated by demagogues, cults, and conspiracy theories.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwabbAczWW5HOowsXNGce6Orb_XUQhaT7Q9nLN8SFnx6zMzH87VbEQWZM5StCgH02Kbd1uIdkEvMezbxDzV5rCVIT9MQuCkSAFjYk08FgRaMyduktPJaHWzC6gYvPTNAoOUL-KusuET4/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwabbAczWW5HOowsXNGce6Orb_XUQhaT7Q9nLN8SFnx6zMzH87VbEQWZM5StCgH02Kbd1uIdkEvMezbxDzV5rCVIT9MQuCkSAFjYk08FgRaMyduktPJaHWzC6gYvPTNAoOUL-KusuET4/s400/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">totally made-up bullshit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Humans have figured out how to manipulate Truth thousands of years ago. Mostly through omitting facts, banning things, and limiting educational resources. There is a reason the Catholic Church banned translating the Bible from Greek and Latin into domestic languages. We as a species are not new at this sort of thing. The lie can be very powerful. The idea that a lie, when repeated enough, will eventually be accepted by the masses as Truth has been echoed by many throughout history. Lenin, Goebbels, Willie Brown, Ron Amundson, Laurence Blair all have said similar things regarding fabricating the truth. I find this amazing that after all these centuries, we still get fooled.<br />
<br />
A good example of fabrication of Truth can be seen in the "fact" that people swallow on average 8 spiders a year while sleeping. In 1993 Lisa Holst published an article in <i>PC Professional</i>, which included this bit about spider swallowing. Her plan was to see how long it would take to circulate a myth. Not only did we get to see how long it would take for made up "facts" to be accepted as real, but how long those accepted "facts" would remain within the culture even after being debunked. Search "swallowing 8 spiders a year" and see how many recent hits come up.<br />
<br />
Getting people to believe they swallow spiders in their sleep is pretty harmless. But what about things that are far less harmless? What about stories and ideas that cause irrational fear, and promote negativity towards entire groups of people?<br />
<br />
There are plenty of examples of poor research, fabricated evidence, and outright urban myth lies that resulted in people believing in crazy things. When the AIDS epidemic took off in the 80's someone spread the fear of catching AIDS from toilet seats. It seems pretty ridiculous now, if someone tried to convince you that a sexually transmitted disease can be caught be touching an inanimate object, but back then your average person had no clue. AIDS was scary, and because it was prevalent within the gay community, any misinformation helped fuel homophobic rhetoric. It took years of PSAs, and a generation of public school health classes to educate and overturn this, and other similar misinformation. There are still groups out there though, that believe "the homosexual lifestyle" is unclean, dirty, and prone to diseases and health risks. Some even go as far as to claim AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuality, which is nonsense. AIDS isn't sexuality specific.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZHPebw-qbjIHrHhEeX3ZipOzOXqLKQWRtAcZrTsoP2QYho158MXhsCIe_02-_dHWrX97XDouqoskH2EKsCtbliuP5HEVvqVHxyRf5MsubV352WdXzBNGQmKwZQPQPL8e5EIXGLKCuYs/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZHPebw-qbjIHrHhEeX3ZipOzOXqLKQWRtAcZrTsoP2QYho158MXhsCIe_02-_dHWrX97XDouqoskH2EKsCtbliuP5HEVvqVHxyRf5MsubV352WdXzBNGQmKwZQPQPL8e5EIXGLKCuYs/s320/download+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this helped too</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anti-vaxxers too still cling to evidence from a 1997 paper published by Andrew Wakefield. This paper has been throughly debunked, Wakefield lost his license to practice medicine, and The Lancet Journal wrote a retraction. And yet, people still claim vaccines cause autism. Far more effort was put into debunking these fake stories than was used to create them, which is the dangerous part. Once out there, it can be nearly impossible to truly delete it.<br />
<br />
At this moment, the term Fake News is being thrown around a lot, politically. It is used to discredit actual news, and actual inquiry aimed at keeping the powerful accountable. Questioning the Truth of stories has always been important, but now it has been weaponized, and by the very people that need to be held accountable and be questioned.<br />
<br />
I believe this started as a backlash to justifiable claims that unabashedly Right wing news outlets were, in fact, Reactionary Right wing biased. As a countermeasure, every other news outlet not espousing toxic conservative sentiment was labeled as liberally biased. This actually grows out of a decades long conspiracy theory that the media is controlled by Jews, and Jews are liberally biased. The actual truth, aside from a few obvious outliers, is that most news sources are not polar opposites of Fox News, Breitbart, and the Blaze. Eventually, this turned into every media outlet who didn't agree with Alt Right sentiment was labeled liberally biased and discounted by the very people most susceptible to Fake News. There are plenty of credible myth busting assets out there, but they are useless when falsely framed as Leftist.<br />
<br />
Don't fall for that "both sides do the same thing" nonsense either. It is a false equivalency, and it's used as a weapon to discredit good journalism and inquiries of accountability. CNN, the AP, Reuters, and NPR are not partisan, or deal in politically biased coverage like Fox News and Breitbart have. There is no Leftwing equivalency to the Alt Right.<br />
<br />
During the 2016 election, I said it would be impossible to convince a group of the actual Truth using facts and news, history and Reason, when the group believes in none of those things. And so here we are, halfway through a Trump presidency, already witnessing our cultural language change, with no good answer for how we fix the damage done to the confidence in what is True. Just like with AIDS toilet seats, and swallowing spiders, and anti-vaxxers, it will take so much more time and effort to reverse the damage done to the trust in our journalism, and the changes made to our language.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidFQC2qzGsMcgvu5lH0qOV4e6bbg54kn8BCzsDF0oSpC9tQRQJYPPukUhkAXS8KmDpypCl4s4NKhAKzxgSt6pJ90ne6HvROcRcAthmaWbTOPigH0NoyxGpvfYYy5dOyQyA4waHSexUYo/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="611" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidFQC2qzGsMcgvu5lH0qOV4e6bbg54kn8BCzsDF0oSpC9tQRQJYPPukUhkAXS8KmDpypCl4s4NKhAKzxgSt6pJ90ne6HvROcRcAthmaWbTOPigH0NoyxGpvfYYy5dOyQyA4waHSexUYo/s400/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4331760919202403195.post-43119098875053365482018-03-03T13:29:00.001-08:002018-09-30T17:31:36.285-07:00Then and Forever the Andrew Jackson Jihad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kEIARPfhQ3hOU355BCfwS_n71SWVJS1A6fo-QA-kLmDSCqGe3qHzWchB4ghRPvpLjYc6HMbK4DURBX45C-qkvWo9pm-piGQa31DRzd_P76H9asNzb-tsAR_Pira6LrsT9oidU7YWX8M/s1600/a2344894986_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kEIARPfhQ3hOU355BCfwS_n71SWVJS1A6fo-QA-kLmDSCqGe3qHzWchB4ghRPvpLjYc6HMbK4DURBX45C-qkvWo9pm-piGQa31DRzd_P76H9asNzb-tsAR_Pira6LrsT9oidU7YWX8M/s400/a2344894986_16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
AJJ</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>The Bible 2</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
SideOneDummy, 2016</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
produced by John Congelton</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sean Bonnette - guitars, vocals</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ben Gallaty - basses (electric, and double)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Preston Bryant - keyboards, piano, guitars</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mark Glick - cello</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Deacon Batchelor - drums</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
singles: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>Goodbye, Oh Goodbye</li>
<li>Junkie Church</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This band is pretty slick. I discovered them in 2007 when their song <i>No More Tears</i> appeared on the <i>Plea For Peace vol. 2</i> comp released by Asian Man Records. They are considered Anti-Folk, a genre that lumps Regina Spektor, Laura Marling, Michelle Shocked, Death Cab for Cutie, and Beck all in the same group. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A band with initials, or numbers, makes people wonder what the initials or numbers mean. AJJ changed their name right before this album was announced. They are now referred to as AJJ, formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad. This, of course, explains the initials. The original name was super creative, and even though the band explained the official change as a desire to no longer be associated with the "odious" historic figure, nor with the "disrespectful" use of the term jihad (they aren't actually muslim, after all). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The combination of the 7th US president and a term meaning both a religious armed struggle against unbelievers, and a praiseworthy struggle is a pretty good satirical way to describe Jackson's political career. He publicly waged wars against the budding American aristocracy, the National Bank, and American Indian tribes, and abolitionists. I guess I understand not wanting to be forever linked to America's most famous civil rights violator, and a politically/cultural/religiously charged term. But, changing your name to just the acronym isnt really changing anything, right?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, this album is pretty good. </div>
Tom Grimble Gromblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537837834322693165noreply@blogger.com0