SCOD Urban Architecture Notes

American architecture has ‘plurality and duality’. We have a variety of expression with scales of space and attitude, for the rich and poor. We have a modern design duality of rectilinear and organic architecture. Rectilinear modernists have been influenced by: Gropius, Loos, Corbu, Mies, Meier, Kahn, and Johnson. Organic modernist heroes are fewer, and there are fewer of us: Wright, Moss, Gehry, Solari, and Predock.

New Urbanist sprawl still faces the problems of commercialism vs community. Their planning principles have helped us to have more mixed-use zoning, but we still have the problems of Capitalism in decline, with an expanding lower class, destroyed middle class, and imperial upper class. New developments in Maryland and West Virginia seem to ignore the problems of population debt infrastructure, ecological devastation, agricultural decline, and transportation congestion all for the sake of profit.

Moynihan said our cities were ‘soulless’, like Diogenes he was holding a lamp for architectural self-examination. Cities are not as safe as we would like, and we should always remember their epitaphs are too often ‘military target’. Violence and migration are the main problems of our ‘urbane’ urban design. We have so often been wrong in our problem solving, it is clear we need to learn more from our past patterns of tradition. The corruption in politics that creates bad planning, can only be countered by an aware and active population willing to conspire and protest more than the elites can bribe, to bring attention to values which cannot be bought. 

‘A Pattern Language’ by Chris Alexander explains how architecture is about relationships. There are many cultural associations and historical traditions that can be better than soulless sterile machines for living. Architecture is sculpture for living, and we should not ignore sociology and heritage for the sake of industrial convenience to serve a consumer society that is destroying our global environment for profit. Yes we should have standards for structures that are able to shelter us without collapsing, but sustainability must also include the arts and nature.

 

References:

‘American House Now‘ by Doubilet & Boles

‘Better Places‘ Chapter in ‘Geography of NoWhere’

‘Pattern Language’ Relationships by Chris Alexander

‘New Urbanism, Second Generation‘ by Beth Dunlap

‘The Soulless City‘ by Moynihan

 

 

 

 

GND Tree Planting Plans

Thousands of forest acres have been lost in most counties nationwide in recent decades. The Green New Deal (GND) will replant trees. Currently in Frederick County there are local groups replanting 55 acres, to replace the 420 lost every year, but it is not enough. Bernie’s GND has several national strategies which would plant more.

1. Adding 20 million new jobs to Public Land Corps, CCC, & ACE

The Public Land Corps (PLC) is a work and education program for young people that is run by the United States land management agencies in association with state conservation and service corps. The objective is the rehabilitation and restoration of public land resources and infrastructure.

American Conservation Experience (ACE) has emerged as a national leader in recruiting, coordinating, and training volunteers to undertake practical environmental restoration projects in America’s national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public lands.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 17–28, as part of FDR’s New Deal. The CCC built heavy engineering projects for National and State parks, often using large stone masonry.

2. Supporting small family farms through RRA. Organic homestead farms have more trees and wildlife per acre than corporate farms because they are more ecological than profit driven, due to self interest and practicality. Small farms are more interested in sustaining communities and wildlife, and large farms are more interested in clearing land for increasing crop production profit, without needing to conserve natural resources for other uses.

3. Adding $40 billion to the CJRF. The Climate Justice Resilience Fund is a grant-making initiative dedicated to helping women, youth, and indigenous peoples create and share their own solutions for resilience. CJRF seeks to foster climate-resilient land management by communities; including agricultural practices, protecting public land and resource rights, and ensuring sustained access to wild foods.

4. Adding $200 billion to the eastern UN GCF. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UN-CCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. The GCF is based in Incheon, South Korea. Currently humanitarians and environmentalists warn that the deal is not sufficient in its current scope.

 

 

 

 

 

GREEN NEW DEAL – Our Revolution 2019

SCOD Transcript from the Sanders for President 2020 Website

The Green New Deal (GND) concept is public domain and so there are various versions (AOC, Sanders, SCOD) as thesis theories that propose comprehensive plans. This SCOD version is published as part of the Sanders’ ‘Our Revolution’ (evolved from Occupy) movement. Shout out to Standing Rock! [Listen to the Audio Recording of the GND read by Drogo Empedocles]

 

Statement Introduction and Assumptions:

The climate crisis is the single greatest challenge facing our country, The United States of America (USA); and also our single greatest opportunity to build a more sustainable egalitarian future in America, but we must act immediately. Climate change is a global emergency. The Amazon rainforest is burning, and Greenland’s ice shelf is melting. People across the world are already experiencing the deadly consequences of climate change; as extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and hurricanes have disturbed or destroyed millions of lives in communities, ecosystems, and economies. Poor lower working class and homeless people have borne this burden; many of them were formerly members of the devastated middle class who lost their jobs, families, homes, and property during the Great Recession. The scientific community tells us we have about a decade to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels, towards greater energy efficiency and sustainable renewable energy. We are going to make this planet great again, and healthy and habitable for us, our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Rising temperatures and extreme weather compounded by unrestrained crony corporate political power at the highest levels in government have created health and financial emergencies, causing many Americans to be disabled or commit suicide (see military statistics for soldier suicides and lethal drug epidemics). We must guarantee health care, housing, and a good-paying job to every American, especially to those who have been historically excluded from economic security (aka the basics of modern survival).

The scope of the challenge ahead shares similarities with the crisis faced by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) in the 1940s. FDR’s ‘New Deal’ was successful at creating a larger middle class by improving the livelihoods of lower class workers. Battling World War 2 on two fronts, from East to West, the United States came together within 3 years and restructured the entire economy in order to win the war and defeat fascism (corporate government). As president, Bernie Sanders will boldly direct our nationalist patriotic power to embrace the moral imperative of addressing environmental terrorism threats. Environmental threats affect us more than other forms of terrorism due to corporations that create climate change pollution, poison natural resources, and weaponize racism (Coal Mine Wars). Over-population combined with reduction of resources and wealth for the majority of the population has led to support for hateful mass murder (public shootings). Our environment is not just natural, but also social, cultural, economic, and political (artificial). Those artificial aspects of our environment are dependent on people, so we must mobilize millions of people across the country in support of the Green New Deal (The GND depends on us). From the Oval Office to the streets, Bernie will help generate cooperative ‘Our Revolution’ spirit for changing our system (We The People). We can gather sustainable will power together for energy and transportation technology, and economic progress. Bernie Sanders has the courage, the vision, and the record to face down the greed of fossil fuel executives, and the millionaire and billionaire upper classes who have sabotaged environmental action. While being a millionaire now, President Bernie will accept his share of national responsibility (wealth taxes), and welcome the hatred of those among his upper class who refuse to sacrifice to solve crises they helped create. Bernie will lead our country in this Green New Deal movement, and bring the world together to defeat the existing threats of climate change and corporate control. Please join the GND movement with us!

President, Bernie Sanders Will Avert Climate Catastrophe and Create 20 Million Jobs

Main Proposal Plan:

As president, Bernie Sanders will launch the decade of the Green New Deal, a ten-year, nationwide mobilization centered around justice and equity during which climate change will be factored into virtually every area of policy, from immigration to trade to foreign policy and beyond. This plan outlines some of the most significant goals we have set and steps we will take during this mobilization, including (SCOD consolidated bullet points):

1. Create 100% Renewable Energy – by expanding alternative sources for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030 and complete decarbonization by 2050; consistent with the United Nations (UN) Panel on Climate Change goals; by expanding the existing federal Power Marketing Administrations (PMA) to build new solar, wind, water, and geothermal energy infra-structure.

2. Create 20 million new green jobs needed to solve the climate crisis. These jobs will be good paying, union jobs with strong benefits and safety standards in steel and auto manufacturing, construction, energy efficiency retrofitting, coding and server farms, and renewable power plants. We will also create millions of jobs in sustainable agriculture, engineering, a reimagined and expanded Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Corps, and preserve our public lands.

3. Declare National Emergency for Transition – federal spending to be transferred from creating pollution, to ending pollution. Climate Change and the Great Recession are National Emergencies, so we will invest $16.3 trillion for public mobilization of resources to include more minority communities and democracy in the work-place.

4. Transition workers from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Workers often are neglected by corporations and politicians. We will guarantee five years of a worker’s current salary, housing assistance, job training, health care, pension support, and priority job placement for any displaced worker, as well as early retirement support for those who need it.

5. Save families money – weatherizing homes, lowering energy bills, building better public transportation, providing grants and trade-in programs for families and small businesses to purchase high-efficiency electric vehicles, and rebuilding our inefficient and crumbling infrastructure, including deploying universal, affordable high-speed internet.

6. Supporting small family farms – by investing in ecologically regenerative and sustainable agriculture. This plan will transform our agricultural system to fight climate change with agro-ecology, provide perma-culture local foods, and break the corporate stranglehold on farmers and ranchers. [see Revitalizing Rural America plan (RRA)]

7. Justice for frontline communities – special help for under-resourced groups, communities of color, Native Americans, people with disabilities, children and the elderly through a $40 billion Climate Justice Resiliency Fund (CJRF); providing those border or fence-line communities a just transition including real jobs, resilient infrastructure, economic development.

8. Reduce global emissions throughout the world – by providing $200 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), rejoining the Paris Agreement, and reasserting US international leadership in the global fight against climate change.

9. US emission reductions – The United States has for over a century spewed carbon pollution emissions into the atmosphere in order to gain economic standing in the world. Therefore, we have an outsized obligation to help less industrialized nations meet their targets while improving quality of life. We will reduce domestic emissions by at least 71 percent by 2030 and reduce emissions among less industrialized nations by 36 percent by 2030; the total equivalent of reducing our domestic emissions by 161%.

10. Massive investments in research and development. We will invest in public research to drastically reduce the cost of energy storage, electric vehicles, and make our plastic more sustainable through advanced chemistry. [see free Community College plan]

11. This GND plan pays for itself over 15 years. – by Making the fossil fuel industry pay for their pollution, through litigation, fees, and taxes, and eliminating federal fossil fuel subsidies; by Generating revenue from the wholesale of energy produced by the regional Power Marketing Authorities. Revenues will be collected from 2023-2035, and after 2035 electricity will be virtually free, aside from operations and maintenance costs.; by Scaling back military spending on maintaining global oil dependence.; by Collecting new income tax revenue from the 20 million new jobs created by the plan.; by Reduced need for federal and state safety net spending due to the creation of millions of good-paying, unionized jobs – Making the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share. The cost of inaction is unacceptable. Economists estimate that if we do not take action, we will lose $34.5 trillion in economic activity by the end of the century. And the benefits are enormous:  by taking bold and decisive action, we will save $2.9 trillion over 10 years, $21 trillion over 30 years, and $70.4 trillion over 80 years. Also the ecological value of preserving living green resources should be calculated into our current economy.

12. Environmental Economy vs Corporate Greed – We cannot accomplish any of these goals without taking on the fossil fuel billionaires whose greed lies at the very heart of the climate crisis. These executives have spent hundreds of millions of dollars protecting their profits at the expense of our future, and they will do whatever it takes to squeeze every last penny out of the Earth. Bernie promises to go further than any other presidential candidate in history to end the fossil fuel industry’s greed, including by making the industry pay for its pollution and prosecuting it for the damage it has caused. Most importantly, we must build an unprecedented grassroots movement that is powerful enough to take them on, and win. Young people, advocates, tribes, cities and states all over this country have already begun this important work, and we will continue to follow their lead. Regional Economic Development – Provide targeted regional economic development. Communities especially in need of assistance during our transition to a clean energy economy will be eligible for an additional funding for economic development investments through regional commissions and authorities. Our federal regional commissions make targeted economic development investments in rural America. These commissions have funded projects that enhance workforce competitiveness, build and repair infrastructure, and increase community capacity like broadband projects, clean drinking water, organic farming, and energy efficiency.

Funding will be distributed Regionally as follows:

• $2.53 billion for the Appalachian Regional Commission
• $506.4 million for the Delta Regional Authority
• $304 million for the Denali Commission
• $405 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission
• $94 million for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission 
• $2.02 billion for Economic Development Assistance Programs

• Infrastructure investments for impacted communities. We will provide $130 billion for counties impacted by climate change with funding for water, broadband, and electric grid infrastructure investments.
• Connect consumers with local farms and healthy foods. Establish a victory lawns and gardens initiative through a $36 billion investment to help urban, rural, and suburban Americans transform their lawns into food-producing or reforested spaces that sequester carbon and save water. Lawns account for 40 million acres in America, and we spend tens of billions of dollars each year taking care of them each year. Let’s reinvest that money in climate smart practices that encourage everyone to be a part of the solution.
• Invest $14.7 billion in cooperatively owned grocery stores. Local groceries and co-ops are more likely to buy local products, which will help grow markets for farmers to sell their goods. We will also use these funds to bring grocery stores to food deserts ensuring all people have access to healthy, local food. 
• Incentivize schools to procure locally produced foods. Institutional purchasing can be a huge boost to local producers and build local farm economies. We will give a meal incentive for schools that acquire at least 30 percent of their food from local sources. Invest $31 billion in local food processing, including slaughter and dairy processing. Rampant consolidation in processing has led to a lack of facilities for small-scale, local producers. Investing in local facilities will help smaller producers to compete with the Tyson Foods of the world. Allow meat slaughtered at state inspected facilities to be sold across state lines, to compete with imported meat.

 

* END SCOD Summary of the GND *

Art Evolution

Everyone is an artist, just some realize it more than others. Art is any natural or artificial creation that is a design, whether intentional or not. Art needs no intention or viewer, and it does not matter what it is called; but the importance is in the contemplation of it, and conclusions it inspires.

To artists of all kinds, remember the folly of Metallica vs Napster and free your mind to flow with the evolution of the arts. Love and sharing should always come before hatred and snobbish stinginess. Relative “Quality” of the art is subjective, and in the arts is mostly opinion as it is not restricted to functionality. A trick of any trade is to be critical of the work of another, in order to make yourself look better. Some go to their grave never learning the lessons of Scrooge. Share your expressions with the World, and let others enjoy what you give or sell as they will. Most of the time you will be rewarded, and if any seek to hurt you despite your kindness, the hurt will fall back on them.

I have such a strong belief in an integrative transcendental theory of music, movies, and art, i am not sure i want to attend conventional shows anymore; to me the evolution of the arts is for people to fully support diverse artists as equals no matter how ‘talented’ or ‘successful’ the artists; and the artists must in turn consider the ‘fans’ as equals that can freely play with them, not just as observing members of their god-head cult who are unworthy to taint their ‘possessions’.

New Age Collaborative Art does require redefining terms, like changing ‘good quality’ to include collaborate improvisational spirit and skill relativism; and realizing that having skill should not be the same thing as being an exclusive snob ‘asshole’ or ‘dick’. It is fine to want to do your own art alone, or to want to make minimalist art solo; but that is very different than indulging egotism and selfishness as a demagogue or dictator. Modern art opened the definition of art to include the finger paintings of a child, mental patient, or even other animals; just as Philip Glass, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Nirvana opened the definition of popular music to include natural sounds, machine sounds, and otherwise ‘bad noises’.

I certainly feel possessive of ideas, things, and people often; but it i recognize it is often a source of social suffering when i do. Anger, hate, and isolation are natural feelings and actions; but we can decide how much we will allow from ourselves and others.

I was told all my life not to pursue a career in Art or Music because they dont make money; even my liberal artsy parents told me that… now after having died a few times and been reborn, i have a few things to say about that common statement. Popularity and Finances are only two aspects of the game called LIFE. First off we should not all strive to be Mega-stars who ‘make it big’ because the very concept is based on the framework of oligarchy and i do not want to encourage plutocracy. Secondly in an equal democracy of citizen artists we have the ability to schedule or freely live our own lives and walk out our doors without getting assaulted by pop-art-artsy (capitalist journalism). Thirdly i would rather live in a nut-house with no bills to pay, than not be able to draw or make noise.

“Copyright is an outdated concept.” – DJ Rainbow Wizard

Harpers Faery Magic Bible

 

New-Age Testament & Neo-Pagan Scripture

by Drogo Empedocles 2013

Introduction

Multiple religious myths and spiritual magics for polytheistic Neo-Pagans

This book is a modern eclectic Pagan Bible. It is the personal beliefs of Prophet Drogo Empedocles, and his interpretation of world religions, New-Age philosophy, and Neo-Pagan magic. Polytheistic Celtic-Wiccan influence is finally proudly written here, in contrast to many Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim beliefs; because of their doctrines of cultural war against Pagans. As a handbook guide of holy Pagan scripture, this book is meant to be a shield and a sword for our faith, in the hands of the chosen guardians. This Pagan Bible includes stories about the magical town of Harpers Faery, and is a combination of historic-fiction, occult magic, and autobiography.

Eclectic-Pagan Celtic-Wiccan New-Age Bible

The word bible, is from the Greek word biblia, meaning simply books. According to religious tradition a bible is also a canon of holy scripture; an authoritative collection of rule books. The dominant rule of this Neo-Pagan Bible is the proclamation of a new covenant with ancient religions, modern Paganism, culture, and individuals in the form of universal spirituality, and acceptance of unique personal magic, and our diverse environments within the Universe. Most of the major religious rule books are now outdated guides. Please help spread the good news of the Pagan Bible!

The word pagan, from Latin paganus, means “rural country folk”. Paganism usually refers to religions or beliefs which are polytheistic or indigenous (non-Christian). Within Paganism are categories such as polytheism, shamanism, pantheism, or animism. Neo-Paganism is the revival of the ancient old ways, adapted in a new way for our modern times. There are many important reasons for this “New-Age” movement, but perhaps most of all Neo-Paganism exists because Mother Earth deserves some respect again, more than ever before!

In various religious and spiritual writings, we may find some answers; or at least stories we can relate to, and are helpful. We may also become upset or troubled by what we read. One curious pattern to notice about written history and other bibles, is how their texts ignore and degrade goddesses, women, and nature-based faiths in general. While mythical stories may be interesting, it is only through our own self-realized connection to civilization and nature that we may put ourselves in context with the true Universe. Remember we are not alone, even when we feel alone.

My name is Drogo Empedocles, and I am a faery. Well, part faery anyway. It is complicated, so I will explain my blood line later. I call myself a faery because fae magic is in my blood, and most of my friends are faeries of one kind or another. I wrote this as my Bible, and it is based on my beliefs and my home town. I encourage everyone to write their own bible. History happens to real people everyday (before it becomes history). This Bible supports polytheism, faerie equal rights, and bloody swear words; in addition to conventional biblical morality and multicultural ethics. This is my Bible.

– Dr. Rev. Drogo F.H. Empedocles

HFM Chapters

World Religious Mythology

Harpers Faery Creation Myth

Harpers Faery Songs & Poems

New-Age Testament of Drogo

Harpers Faery Spells and Rituals

Images, Bibliography, References

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1st Edition Ebook – Available on Amazon Kindle!

1st Edition – Buy the Paperback Book on Amazon!

2nd Edition –  Paperback  /  Kindle

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New-Age Neo-Pagan Holy Glory

New-Age is a modern spiritual movement, influenced by global cultural knowledge and wisdom. New-Age zeitgeist is born from an environmental and social awareness of the need to break from some rigid traditions, while taking what we need from various traditions to evolve towards living in harmony with our World the Earth. New-Age multiculturalism celebrates social and religious diversity, and encourages exchange and adaptation. Enlightened New-Age spirituality runs parallel with advances in science, such as the importance of bio-diversity; and mathematical fractals. Enlightened magical thinking has always run parallel with science, as both have their roots in medieval alchemy and astrology. The term New-Age referred to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius. We are concerned with the relationship between ourselves (mind, body, and spirit), and Universe, and other dimensions (micro-macro cosmos, quantum physics, alternate planes). While we tend to embrace many main-stream trends, we also seek alternative fringe concepts. New-Age refuses to be confined by dogmas, but is often willing to include empowering motivational psychologies, self-help, holistic health, parapsychology, consciousness research, ecological design, and their inter-connectedness.

Polytheist Neo-Paganism is part of the New-Age and one of the best religions the World has. Neo-Paganism embraces the freedom to worship one, none, or many deities. The three main types of Abrahamic Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, & Islam), all have rich and powerful demagogues claiming that they must be obeyed exclusively, based on a “One Way” theory. Neo-Pagan Polytheism has no rich evangelist missionaries, nor the intent to propagate or to proselytise by saying that all other ways are wrong. In fact we see other ways as good, ok, or valid; so long as the faithful are not being told to persecute other faiths. In Paganism there is no eternal punishment doctrine that dictates other religions are doomed to a place like Hell.

In Paganism there is no single leader, scripture or religious philosophy. Most Pagans, however, believe in the divine character of the natural world and Paganism is often described as an “Earth religion”. In Neo-Paganism many of us are both polytheist and pantheist, and are free to worship any gods, even deities that are claimed to be monotheist by their followers (it is not a Sin). While I am advocating the positive aspects of Neo-Paganism beliefs, it really comes down to individual interpretation of scriptures. Neo-Paganism should be proud to be associated with Witchcraft, because the emphasis of that label is on the individual as a natural priest. We have the power within us to commune with Nature, and any other higher powers that we wish to pray to; and reserve the right not to pray.

To be fair it should also be said, that Neo-Pagans often have contemporary liberal values; that are not only at odds with certain understandings of Abrahamic Monotheism, but also ancient Paganism. For example if most ancient Druids were involved with human sacrifice, most modern Neo-Pagan Druids are not involved with human sacrifice, for ethical and legal reasons. Truths or myths of the past are like teachers, they should guide us to find our own ways. It is often very important for new generations to distinguish themselves from their parents. New-Age beliefs embrace this common universal paradigm.

Neo-Pagans believe it is ok to believe in deities your own way. This allows for Agnostic, or even Atheist, interpretation of mythology. Pagans are free to believe in deities that are Jungian archetypes, or just really cool fictional characters; because it is the meaning of myths to the individual that matters most. Witches and warlocks can determine for themselves what it means to believe in the powers of their faith. Human psyche is liberated in the New-Age to be diverse, and in Neo-Paganism we can be united in our diversity. With tolerance, we can coexist, and even harmoniously respect our neighbor’s deities.

Witch Murders

Between 1300-1700, tens-of-thousands of Europeans (mostly women) were executed for “practicing witchcraft”, in a church-government sanctioned mass hysteria academics call the ‘witch craze’. People were burned, drowned, hanged, beaten, and crushed after “trials” in both secular and religious courts; orchestrated or lynched by vigilante mobs. By the most conservative estimate, Dr. Ronald Hutton’s count of execution records, between 35,184 and 63,850 witches were killed (at least 17,000 in Germany). Sociologist Nachman Ben-Yehuda estimates the combined death toll could have been as high as 500,000. The phenomenon of ‘witch hunting’ was a massive concerted prolonged crusade.

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Musical Psychology – Temporal Bias

Popular Psychology Regarding Music and Temporal Associations

People tend to associate old music with the old mentalities born during the same period, vs associating new music with change. Often it has to do with the person thinking such things, and less to do with society. For example one person may have been addicted to drugs during their high school “Led Zeppelin” phase, and so they look down on listening to that music now. And someone that enjoyed themselves during their Led Zeppelin period, may love that music still. Even people not from the era the music was made, can have totally opposing feelings about their different associations.

In music for me it is about being open to the way other people play, and try to play with them. If they are not open to the way I play overall, there is not much to be done about it. There has to be a willingness to compromise and play together, just like in friendships. I have been making music since i was a kid, and this is my philosophy.

Make your own music, they way you want to make it. I encourage others to express themselves, especially if it does not hurt anyone else. Never mind if no one else likes the way you sing or play an instrument as much as you do. Playing music for yourself, is a very valid exercise and meditation.

I wonder how many public performers get told they suck, simply because the audience is grumpy or does not like their style??  Also technical issues with instruments can make people think players are far ‘worse’ than they are when not being affected by a glitch. I think most opinion works on vague impression. There is a reason most people that care about you will tell you ‘who cares what others think, play for yourself’; it is not that they really don’t care about the opinions of others, it is that they realize we care too much for people that want to bring us down to make themselves feel better. One reason people do not want to be in bands is because of ‘egos’; which means at least one or more people in the group being overly egotistical, controlling, and too selfish. When people want everyone to play only their way of playing, play becomes work to please the boss, and things get exclusive quickly.

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Renewable Energy Radio Shows

NPR WYPR-FM Alternative Energy Ideas and Information 88.1

NPR Baltimore Radio host Dan Rodricks hosts a show called “Mid-Day”. This week he has dedicated every day to talking about a plethora of various (electrical) Energy options we have to Power America. He has had many different guests to debate the positive and negative effects of each existing and/or potential energy resource. Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuclear, Wind, Solar, Hydro, Geothermal, etc… Dan has been tackling them all for us.

When I asked him “After a week of hosting shows dedicated to Energy Resources, are you discouraged or encouraged about our future? Or are your feelings too mixed to say?”; Mr. Rodricks told me: “I’m excited about all the innovation and enthusiasm for renewables — it’s real this time.”

It is real. It is time. Thank you Sir Rodricks! Visit his Radio Show online: NPR Midday Website

photo taken by Drogo 2001: Solar Panel fields on the Road in California

PJ Harvey – Musician

A Review of PJ Harvey’s Music

PJ Harvey’s songs were heard at my colleges during the 1990’s. I remember hearing her at college, but was not a fan. Now that I am putting the name (and face) with the specific music (because of interviews), I do hear 2 styles. Her older 1990’s style seems more “Rock’n’Roll” with fast low pitched vocals (gritty blues), and the newer style does seem more “Pop” with slow high pitch vocals (more like Bjork). She said she was trying to make the latest album “Let England Shake” “nice to listen to” and “the vocals fit for each song”. So she intentionally sang these War Songs more like a little girl, way less adult than her previous style; which is a very odd mismatch, yet a pleasant experiment.

I guess the softer sound will appeal to a more gentle pop audience. I was most interested in her family’s bio as rock quarry/musicians. Her life story must be very interesting! This review is an opinion and observation, not a critique (those are reserved for snobby critics that put artists down at whim). Her new album was thought-provoking to me, and I recommend it as she humbly asserts she has tried to touch on serious topics while communally entertaining.