Posted in Uncategorized on January 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
President Obama has called on all Americans to tae part in a moment of silence tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. for the victims of the tragedy in yesterday in Tucson. More details are contained in the following link:
president-obama-calls-moment-silence-victims-shooting-tucson-arizona
Posted in Guns, Handguns, politics, tagged Guns, handguns, The Brady Center on January 9, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The title reflects the number of victims of gun violence the United States during just the first 8.5 days of 2011. The running tally increased by five in the time it took me to prepare and edit this short post.
In 2010, 109,318 people were victims of gun violence in the United States. These are appalling and unacceptable numbers. They are not just statistics, but human beings who are the tragic victims of gun policies running amok.
Please do your part to oppose the NRA and other gun advocates from expanding and easing access to firearms. I personally made a donation to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence today. So should anyone else who abhors the easy access to handguns and assault weapons in this nation.
The following is a weblink to a message from Jim and Sarah Brady about the tragic events that unfolded yesterday in Arizona.
As of 5:00 pm on January 30th the number has climbed to 7,967.
Posted in politics on January 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There’s a very interesting post at Daily Kos today titled “Call Time.” It debunks the myth of grassroots donors having much of an effect on campaigns; the real money comes from donors who give $1,000 or more per cycle. And candidates spend a hefty amount of time courting those donors. The problem with that:
Within those four walls of the call time room is a reality that doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality endured by ordinary Americans. Elite donors often will obsess about the obscure and suddenly, a niche issue becomes all-consuming for a campaign. Not too many of these potential max-out donors spend their time with the candidate bemoaning declining wages or sky-high unemployment. For those who can afford to fork over a $2400 or $4800 check, the economy is doing pretty well. Candidates cast away in call time for most of their political careers are exposed to a one-sided view of the world: the view of the wealthiest among us. For even the most good-hearted, man-of-the-people politician, the pressure to conform to that view can be overwhelming.
It would be nice if people running for office had an equal amount of public funding to draw from so they wouldn’t have to spend so much time fundraising and then be beholden to elite donors. I think I’d rather my money go to aid conservative candidates than have those candidates be in the pocket of rich anti-environmentalists or pro-big business supporters.
Posted in art, Music, tagged Impact 89fm, MSU, music, Radio on January 9, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame members Queen sang about the potential that radio might just become background noise in their song “Radio Ga Ga.” In this day and age of corporate, pre-programmed radio blather, computer generated deejays or no deejays at all, and hypocritical radical conservatives, Queen’s prediction could still come true. However, there are beacons of refreshing radio that broadcast great music, are informative, and have no commercials!
Impact 89 fm (a.k.a. 88.9 WDBM) is Michigan State University’s student radio station and it is a regional and statewide treasure. On the air for nearly 22 years, the station is an oasis of great, cutting edge programming amid a massive desert of blandness or seriously annoying yap. It can be even hilarious when a student deejay makes an on-air mistake or pushes the wrong button. Why? Because it is the real thing, not some sanitized dribble.
Impact 89 fm has been chosen Michigan college radio station of the year 10 times in a row. There are shows for nearly all musical tastes, plus interesting interviews and talk in the early evening.
When I am asked where I learn about and hear all this new music, the primary source is Impact 89 fm, followed by websites like YouTube, Myspace, NME Radio from the United Kingdom, and Last.fm. There is a splendid array of great music floating out there waiting to be heard. Unlike when I was a teenager, you do not have to wait for some bozo to play your favorite song or to answer the request line on the one millionth ring.
I am sure there are other great student radio stations around the country and in Canada, though with budget battles and funding cuts, who knows what their future may be. If there is one near you, seek it out on your dial and listen to it, send donations to help keep it on the air, and promote/support it all you can. It is a treasure you definitely do not want to lose…ever.
You can listen to Impact 89 fm from anywhere on the internet via web-streaming through their website at http://www.impact89fm.org/.
