Read more!
22 August 2008
Radiohead - Idioteque (Live) White River Amphitheater
More from radiohead live at White River--
Radiohead - 15 step (Live) White River Amphitheater, Auburn WA
The opening set to the best current live band touring today, Radiohead. Taken live from the White River show in Auburn, Washington...
Radiohead - All I Need (Live) White River Amphitheater
What an amazing set from the current gods of rock n roll.
21 August 2008
LeRoi
...listening to Bartender the night that LeRoi died..
You can really hear the distraction in Dave's voice, Carter playing the drums harder than I have ever heard him play... So much energy in this performance...
The song seems to be available via weeklydavespeak.com
I was out at the gym tonight listening to Dreaming Tree and thinking about just how sad and tragic it is that he is gone-- and my roomate brought to light an interesting point--
with all the money that LeRoi must have, how did modern science fail him? I am curious how such a blatant oversight could have possible have occurred-- how we have the greatest health care system for the privledged and yet something like this happens?
Sadness still lingers inside for someone whose music I have enjoyed so much. Read more!
You can really hear the distraction in Dave's voice, Carter playing the drums harder than I have ever heard him play... So much energy in this performance...
The song seems to be available via weeklydavespeak.com
I was out at the gym tonight listening to Dreaming Tree and thinking about just how sad and tragic it is that he is gone-- and my roomate brought to light an interesting point--
with all the money that LeRoi must have, how did modern science fail him? I am curious how such a blatant oversight could have possible have occurred-- how we have the greatest health care system for the privledged and yet something like this happens?
Sadness still lingers inside for someone whose music I have enjoyed so much. Read more!
20 August 2008
LeRoi Moore is no longer on the sax-a-phone....
Listening to Loving Wings and thinking about what a huge talent LeRoi was and will remain so because of all the tapes and digital recordings that we have of him in that space that he used so well to help define what the Dave Matthews Band really is.To lose such a wonderful talent to such a crazy thing like 4 wheeling on your own property makes you really think just how totally precious life really is.
LeRoi was a member of the band that I have the highest amount of respect for-- the one band that I have seen almost 50 times, had the pleasure of working with many years ago and one which is so inspirational to so many artists.
LeRoi is the one guy that just does his thing and does it so well--and now not seeing him up there, well, its got to be like Zeppelin playing without Bonzo--but the band seems to want to finish this tour and then see where things lie.
My thoughts and prayers are with the band and Moore's family. What a tragic loss for the world... Read more!
19 August 2008
Would-Be Protesters Detained in China
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: August 18, 2008
BEIJING — When Gao Chuancai slipped into the capital last week hoping to stage a one-man rally against corruption in his village in northeast China, he knew his chances of success were slim.
During his decade-long crusade, Mr. Gao, a 45-year-old farmer from Heilongjiang Province, had been jailed a dozen times. Two beatings by the police left him with broken bones and shattered his teeth, he said, but did little to temper his drive.
The government’s recent announcement that preapproved protests would be allowed at three sites during the Olympic Games gave him a wisp of hope. Two weeks ago he mailed in his application, and last week he came to Beijing to follow up. During a visit to the Public Security Bureau on Wednesday, the police interviewed him for an hour and then told him to return in five days for his answer. “They’ll probably arrest me when I go back,” he said afterward.
Mr. Gao did not have to wait very long. A few hours later, he was picked up by the authorities and escorted back to Heilongjiang. On Monday, his son, Gao Jiaqing, in the family’s village, Xingyi, said he had not heard from him.
A man who picked up the phone at the Wanggang police station, near Xingyi, acknowledged that Mr. Gao was being detained at a local hotel. “He’s under our control now,” said the officer, Wang Zhuang.
Mr. Gao’s ill-fated odyssey is not unlike the journeys of other would-be demonstrators who responded to the government’s notice that protest zones would be set up during the Games. At least three other applicants are in custody. Two, Ji Sizun and Tang Xuecheng, were seized during the interview process at the Public Security Bureau, according to human rights activists.
On Monday, 10 days into the Games, the government had yet to permit a single demonstration in any of the official protest zones. According to a report on Monday by Xinhua, the official news agency, 77 applications have been received since Aug. 1, from 149 people.
All but three applications, however, were withdrawn after the authorities satisfactorily addressed the petitioners’ concerns, Xinhua said. Two of the remaining requests were rejected because the applicants failed to provide adequate information, and the last was rejected after the authorities determined it violated laws on demonstrations.
Protests are not illegal in China, but they require government approval, a prospect that often dissuades citizens, daunted by excessive bureaucracy or potential retaliation. Posters and slogans must be submitted to the police, and each participant must apply in person. Any rally deemed a threat to “social stability and public order” can be denied permission, and most are.
Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, a private group based in New York, said he and other rights advocates had been skeptical that China would fulfill its pledge to allow greater free speech during the Olympic Games. Still, he said, the International Olympic Committee should be held accountable for not pressing China on the issue. “The I.O.C. seems oblivious to the fact that they’re holding the Games in a repressive environment,” he said.
Giselle Davies, spokeswoman for the I.O.C., said that she hoped Beijing would follow the path of other host cities and allow demonstrations in designated areas but that the issue was one for local officials to decide.
The days Mr. Gao spent in Beijing were both nerve-racking and exhilarating for him. He said he knew that the police from Heilongjiang were on his trail, but he was buoyed by the possibility that a foreign reporter might tell his story. “With the Olympics here, now is the best time to remind the world that China still has problems that need to be solved,” he said.
His handwritten poster listed a series of grievances against Xingyi and Wanggang officials. He accused them of stealing money meant to compensate farmers after their land was confiscated and described how he was jailed and beaten for publicizing his allegations. Last year, he wrote, his wife swallowed a fatal dose of pesticides at the Wanggang government building in the futile hope that she might shame officials into releasing the money owed to Mr. Gao and his neighbors. Mr. Gao said that his wife had been suffering from breast cancer and that the couple could no longer afford treatment.
The police arrested Mr. Gao, saying he had given her the poison. A court released him, but the police warned him against continuing his campaign. Mr. Gao said the police told him that if he caused trouble again, he could be killed.
He was not deterred. When he arrived in Beijing, he slept in a different hotel or bathhouse each night. By checking in around midnight and leaving at dawn, he said he hoped to evade security officials who often trace people through their registration information. He made sure to leave his cellphone at home and called his son only from public phones.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Gao’s son said he was worried about his father, but he also expressed resignation.
“I used to try to stop him but now I don’t bother,” said the son. “He has been through so much but he keeps on chasing his dream of justice.” He sighed, then added, “I fully support him.” Read more!
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: August 18, 2008
BEIJING — When Gao Chuancai slipped into the capital last week hoping to stage a one-man rally against corruption in his village in northeast China, he knew his chances of success were slim.
During his decade-long crusade, Mr. Gao, a 45-year-old farmer from Heilongjiang Province, had been jailed a dozen times. Two beatings by the police left him with broken bones and shattered his teeth, he said, but did little to temper his drive.
The government’s recent announcement that preapproved protests would be allowed at three sites during the Olympic Games gave him a wisp of hope. Two weeks ago he mailed in his application, and last week he came to Beijing to follow up. During a visit to the Public Security Bureau on Wednesday, the police interviewed him for an hour and then told him to return in five days for his answer. “They’ll probably arrest me when I go back,” he said afterward.
Mr. Gao did not have to wait very long. A few hours later, he was picked up by the authorities and escorted back to Heilongjiang. On Monday, his son, Gao Jiaqing, in the family’s village, Xingyi, said he had not heard from him.
A man who picked up the phone at the Wanggang police station, near Xingyi, acknowledged that Mr. Gao was being detained at a local hotel. “He’s under our control now,” said the officer, Wang Zhuang.
Mr. Gao’s ill-fated odyssey is not unlike the journeys of other would-be demonstrators who responded to the government’s notice that protest zones would be set up during the Games. At least three other applicants are in custody. Two, Ji Sizun and Tang Xuecheng, were seized during the interview process at the Public Security Bureau, according to human rights activists.
On Monday, 10 days into the Games, the government had yet to permit a single demonstration in any of the official protest zones. According to a report on Monday by Xinhua, the official news agency, 77 applications have been received since Aug. 1, from 149 people.
All but three applications, however, were withdrawn after the authorities satisfactorily addressed the petitioners’ concerns, Xinhua said. Two of the remaining requests were rejected because the applicants failed to provide adequate information, and the last was rejected after the authorities determined it violated laws on demonstrations.
Protests are not illegal in China, but they require government approval, a prospect that often dissuades citizens, daunted by excessive bureaucracy or potential retaliation. Posters and slogans must be submitted to the police, and each participant must apply in person. Any rally deemed a threat to “social stability and public order” can be denied permission, and most are.
Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, a private group based in New York, said he and other rights advocates had been skeptical that China would fulfill its pledge to allow greater free speech during the Olympic Games. Still, he said, the International Olympic Committee should be held accountable for not pressing China on the issue. “The I.O.C. seems oblivious to the fact that they’re holding the Games in a repressive environment,” he said.
Giselle Davies, spokeswoman for the I.O.C., said that she hoped Beijing would follow the path of other host cities and allow demonstrations in designated areas but that the issue was one for local officials to decide.
The days Mr. Gao spent in Beijing were both nerve-racking and exhilarating for him. He said he knew that the police from Heilongjiang were on his trail, but he was buoyed by the possibility that a foreign reporter might tell his story. “With the Olympics here, now is the best time to remind the world that China still has problems that need to be solved,” he said.
His handwritten poster listed a series of grievances against Xingyi and Wanggang officials. He accused them of stealing money meant to compensate farmers after their land was confiscated and described how he was jailed and beaten for publicizing his allegations. Last year, he wrote, his wife swallowed a fatal dose of pesticides at the Wanggang government building in the futile hope that she might shame officials into releasing the money owed to Mr. Gao and his neighbors. Mr. Gao said that his wife had been suffering from breast cancer and that the couple could no longer afford treatment.
The police arrested Mr. Gao, saying he had given her the poison. A court released him, but the police warned him against continuing his campaign. Mr. Gao said the police told him that if he caused trouble again, he could be killed.
He was not deterred. When he arrived in Beijing, he slept in a different hotel or bathhouse each night. By checking in around midnight and leaving at dawn, he said he hoped to evade security officials who often trace people through their registration information. He made sure to leave his cellphone at home and called his son only from public phones.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Gao’s son said he was worried about his father, but he also expressed resignation.
“I used to try to stop him but now I don’t bother,” said the son. “He has been through so much but he keeps on chasing his dream of justice.” He sighed, then added, “I fully support him.” Read more!
18 August 2008
Road Trip Jacobe Style...
As the plane touched the ground in Fort Myers, Florida, I knew I was in for a long run on the road. I had no idea what sort of condition my place was going to be in Mobile, Alabama. I hadn't been there in over two months and it was the dead of summer on the Gulf Coast so at the very least I was expecting a few cockroaches.
The drive to Mobile was much longer than google maps or myself had anticipated--I was thinking 10 hours of mediocre driving would get me there, so I pushed the speed a little more than usual, but at 3 in the morning, some eight hours into a twelve hour jaunt through Florida, I find myself on the side of the road, thanks to the Florida State Patrol. By the time I make it to Mobile, the sun has risen in the skyline and I have been up for more than 24 hours since leaving my new wife in Germany, thanks to the department of Homeland Security.
As I pull into the parking spot, I see that the townhouse is still there, but there is a slip of paper on the door, which is never a good sign.
The sign notes that the water in the apartment has been shut off for non-payment earlier this afternoon. I sigh. This is just my type of luck--just a few hours short of getting a water bill. If this is all that goes wrong, things can't be all that bad. I am such a daze anyway it doesn't really matter, all I want is a bed and a shower-- but just the bed will do.
I have been thinking of my bed for several hours now and the sight of it almost brings tears to my eyes--there is something about this bed that really rings comfort to me. I lay on top of the bed, allowing my thoughts to mill over the last month of my life, a wedding in Germany, an impromptu Turkish honeymoon and now the tying of loose ends in Alabama, a long journey back to Seattle--my thoughts reel me into a slumber that should last for days.
It doesn't. I know that there is so much to be done and this weighs on my mind heavily. I have about two days until my good friend Jacobe flies down from San Francisco to help me finalize things for the movers and drive with me back to his San Francisco and then I will go to Seattle.
The time of course slips by as it always does and I find myself driving to pick him up at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, my favorite American city. I have not been so delighted to see someone is quite some time. We head into the French Quarter at 1am, just to see what could possibly be going on for a Sunday night. Of course since it is the French Quarter in the wee hours of the night, there is always something going on--the streets smell just like they always do, like piss, booze and vomit--oh how I miss that smell from time to time. It is the smell of pure sin.
We decide that we aren't quite in the New Orleans state of mind and instead head to Mobile...
...more later. Read more!
The drive to Mobile was much longer than google maps or myself had anticipated--I was thinking 10 hours of mediocre driving would get me there, so I pushed the speed a little more than usual, but at 3 in the morning, some eight hours into a twelve hour jaunt through Florida, I find myself on the side of the road, thanks to the Florida State Patrol. By the time I make it to Mobile, the sun has risen in the skyline and I have been up for more than 24 hours since leaving my new wife in Germany, thanks to the department of Homeland Security.
As I pull into the parking spot, I see that the townhouse is still there, but there is a slip of paper on the door, which is never a good sign.
The sign notes that the water in the apartment has been shut off for non-payment earlier this afternoon. I sigh. This is just my type of luck--just a few hours short of getting a water bill. If this is all that goes wrong, things can't be all that bad. I am such a daze anyway it doesn't really matter, all I want is a bed and a shower-- but just the bed will do.
I have been thinking of my bed for several hours now and the sight of it almost brings tears to my eyes--there is something about this bed that really rings comfort to me. I lay on top of the bed, allowing my thoughts to mill over the last month of my life, a wedding in Germany, an impromptu Turkish honeymoon and now the tying of loose ends in Alabama, a long journey back to Seattle--my thoughts reel me into a slumber that should last for days.
It doesn't. I know that there is so much to be done and this weighs on my mind heavily. I have about two days until my good friend Jacobe flies down from San Francisco to help me finalize things for the movers and drive with me back to his San Francisco and then I will go to Seattle.
The time of course slips by as it always does and I find myself driving to pick him up at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, my favorite American city. I have not been so delighted to see someone is quite some time. We head into the French Quarter at 1am, just to see what could possibly be going on for a Sunday night. Of course since it is the French Quarter in the wee hours of the night, there is always something going on--the streets smell just like they always do, like piss, booze and vomit--oh how I miss that smell from time to time. It is the smell of pure sin.
We decide that we aren't quite in the New Orleans state of mind and instead head to Mobile...
...more later. Read more!
17 August 2008
Olympics...
I have been keeping quiet about the Olympics on the blog for a reason. I really didn't want to make any judgements or comments about the games or the Chinese until I had enough time to really think about it.
Firstly, I think that the Chinese have really managed to pull off quite the show, if you watch the games from a strictly NBC perspective. There have been a lot of different things happening with the Olympics that beg investigation, yet NBC is probably not going to lead these discussions because they have so much at stake with the coverage.
Here is a short list of issues:
1. The opening ceremonies were doctored slightly to give a more impressive feeling overall. I find this to be interesting as the computer imaging didn't really need to happen, but the Chinese were sure to go as over the top as possible.
2. The gymnastics controversy--the Chinese gymnasts are suppose to be 16 in order to compete in the events, but there are a lot of questions as to the passports that they provided to prove their age. I can tell you from experience--the Chinese passport is not exactly one of the more legitmate documents out there. I do not understand why there is not further investigation into this.
3. The ugly duckling scenerio: Not allowing the girl with most beautiful voice in the world to sing her own piece of work is just embarrassing, but so Chinese--why? This is all about image--the Chinese are hell bent on making sure that the west doesn't see behind the red curtain and the easiest way to do that is to make everything as beautiful as possible.
4. China has 1% of its annual GPD on the games--thats 40-60 billion dollars on these games! It is also important to note that the Government does not spend nearly that much on education or health care for the 1.3 billion people it has in it country.
5. Attendance of the games: Are you like me and wondering exactly why the stands at most sporting events are so ill attended? Check out this link:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article4547323.ece
6. World shattering records: Ok, give it up for Phelps, who shattered the previous records of Spitz, but I keep wondering, how can this Olympics be the one that smashes so many records in so many different sports? By the time that this thing is over this will be the most record breaking Olympics in our time--and I just have a strange feeling that perhaps some of the construction is just a tad off in design--there has already been a lot of talk about the incredibly "fast pool" which Phelps has brought home his 8 solid golds. We will more than likely never know the truth about that one, but it is something to think about.
There are more issues, but these are the main things I have been thinking about. I do think that the Olympics is a great thing for China and I do hope that it does continue to open huge doors for the people of China, but there has been very disturbing news that the country will enter a huge recession once the games are over-and that might just be enough to send the country back undercover again while it licks its wounds from the Olympics. Read more!
Firstly, I think that the Chinese have really managed to pull off quite the show, if you watch the games from a strictly NBC perspective. There have been a lot of different things happening with the Olympics that beg investigation, yet NBC is probably not going to lead these discussions because they have so much at stake with the coverage.
Here is a short list of issues:
1. The opening ceremonies were doctored slightly to give a more impressive feeling overall. I find this to be interesting as the computer imaging didn't really need to happen, but the Chinese were sure to go as over the top as possible.
2. The gymnastics controversy--the Chinese gymnasts are suppose to be 16 in order to compete in the events, but there are a lot of questions as to the passports that they provided to prove their age. I can tell you from experience--the Chinese passport is not exactly one of the more legitmate documents out there. I do not understand why there is not further investigation into this.
3. The ugly duckling scenerio: Not allowing the girl with most beautiful voice in the world to sing her own piece of work is just embarrassing, but so Chinese--why? This is all about image--the Chinese are hell bent on making sure that the west doesn't see behind the red curtain and the easiest way to do that is to make everything as beautiful as possible.
4. China has 1% of its annual GPD on the games--thats 40-60 billion dollars on these games! It is also important to note that the Government does not spend nearly that much on education or health care for the 1.3 billion people it has in it country.
5. Attendance of the games: Are you like me and wondering exactly why the stands at most sporting events are so ill attended? Check out this link:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article4547323.ece
6. World shattering records: Ok, give it up for Phelps, who shattered the previous records of Spitz, but I keep wondering, how can this Olympics be the one that smashes so many records in so many different sports? By the time that this thing is over this will be the most record breaking Olympics in our time--and I just have a strange feeling that perhaps some of the construction is just a tad off in design--there has already been a lot of talk about the incredibly "fast pool" which Phelps has brought home his 8 solid golds. We will more than likely never know the truth about that one, but it is something to think about.
There are more issues, but these are the main things I have been thinking about. I do think that the Olympics is a great thing for China and I do hope that it does continue to open huge doors for the people of China, but there has been very disturbing news that the country will enter a huge recession once the games are over-and that might just be enough to send the country back undercover again while it licks its wounds from the Olympics. Read more!
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