Sederville

Majority Report Radio is Back! .. at .. www.majority.fm

2010-11-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

www.majority.fm

Please also note the links to the Sam Seder Show blog,

as well as Sam Seder on Twitter,

& majorityfm on Twitter.

Meet the Bloggers

2010-11-22T15:59:00.001-08:00

Note: this site has not been updated in some time

The Sederville Directory

a700hp

aimnoodle

air-ono

--- Hello Broken Mirror ---

AkulA

Alice

-- White Light Black Light --

allie

ammunition

Annette

Anonymous

Anonymous Coward

anti-neo-con-1

A Pen Warmed In Hell

--- Mr. Drinkwater -

apope56

army193

architrek

AstroCook

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B

-

bamboobob

Barrie

BCCpipes

bcjonathan

beach

beansighe

BestoftheLeftPodcast

bibimimi

bigO

Bill.Scher

--- Liberal Oasis ---

billwilsonwater

Bloppo

BlueBerry PickN

Blue Gal

bluzonie

Bob26003

bob drummond

BobMcCranie

bheartlib

braamer

Brett

bridge

brilliantatbreakfast

--- Brilliant at Breakfast ---

btchakir

--- Under the Lobsterscope ---

buckfush

Buckywunder

burepe

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C

-

CallMeTyner

Candlelite

Cat Chew

Catharine

Cathy in Seattle

caveman

cblogger

CeeCee

chanteuse

CharlieNine

Claricei

claudichameleon

christianslayer

chuck28

CJP

--- Conservatives Are CommunistSS ---

coder

conbo

--- Krush ---

corky

corky44

covey10

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D

-

dada

dagzine

dalefromchelsea

dan

DaveR

David Graper

Deb79

deershaman

denny laine

Detroiter

DietrichDaniels

DigitalComponents

dkandel

dodur

Dorothy Bauer

droat

drummond

Duke S

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E

-

EdificeWrecks

edna ellen poe

egotils

ellwort's blogspot

---LumpinProllie---

elruin

Emerson Crossjostle

- Crossjostle Gospel -

Emerson Troward

---The Emerson-Crossjostle ---

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F

-

Falwell Freak

FarmerGillian

Fernando

--- Rancho La Luna ---

FilthyRich

Finn

Frankenbastard

Frank in NJ

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G

-

Gary in Fair Lawn NJ

gatorron

GBC

geneortiz

ghettodefender

gilbert_stf

glassguy

gnocchi

godammitkitty

godddog

green m

greg in madison

gren1

grey

grey418

grischa

gulfstreamtoo

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H

-

HackensackShuffle

Hammerhead

hawk

heath

heraclitus

Homunculus

Hummingbird

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I

-

ICEKNIFE

Illinoisfrank

irishkorean

itman10

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J

-

Janet_in_Maryland

J_A_RAy

jason.cinema

jbenet

-Who is Holding the Lipstick?-

--- TrackCart ---

jdavidlara

Jeffinator

jenise

--- A Perfect Day ---

JJeske

Jmach1JP

--- THE-Jmach1p-Site ---

jmulick

JohnnyRyall

John Singer Sargent

j-rod

Julie

justme

-

K

-

kafkasmom

KateAnne

--- Peace Hugs ---

--- Quick TAKES

and tasty tidbits ---

Kat-in-Manhattan

keiran

Ken Ingram

Kevin ©

--- Free Democracy ---

koio

koran999

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L

-

Lady in Prague

lavender1

lea

lavender1

Leah

Liberal-at-large

liberalTXN

Lifesong

Limerick Liberal

Lisa B

lkooz

lmh

Lori_MD

Lucille

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M

-

Martha

Mary from Queens

MaureenWoods

maxinek

Meg

Media Czech

mgreenman

mhappenow

--- Happe Talk ---

--- Michelle Happe MA LADC

mhappenow's Book:

Shadow Story/

Enlightened Truth

MICHAEL 1836

MikeinCal

MissM

Mistress Daphne

mjhenshall

mk_c2002

mm

MMRules

--- Marc Maron Rules ---

Morse

mosseiran

mr.spock

Ms_Anthrope

--- The Open Piehole ---

msinfo

myrtletickner

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N

-

Nancy Cadet

Nefferkitti

negropontedeathsquads

neoanachronism

netson

Niceflyer

nightbird

Nobody

--- The Alpha Liberal ---

NoNo

nozini

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O

-

ottodachat

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P

-

pbbennett

pbtrue1

peccurypost

pee.ey.yoo.el

peggymarrin

Penny_Lane

perp93

personality_disorder

pigeonman

plooger

Political Punk91

poplist

ProgressiveReb

PunditFight

--- PunditFight ---

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R

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Rapscallion

raschmom

Rashala

rawfoodie

rdplum

renoray

restoman2006

RichDunn

RickinSF

Rick1000

Rick B

rlrr

RussKC

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S

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Sableenees

Sam Fisher

Sappho Marx

Schifty1

schwek99

scott70

scuppy

SEDER

1776

shawnzone

Sheila Samples

ShelaghC

Shelly

silvanet

singsing

Sir Real (the love dealer)

--- Old JED ---

60th Street

slag

snakehair

southsidemike

spennington

spikegirl

Spunk-Monkey

Stan Rosenthal

stravansky

--- Daylight on Demand ---

Sunshine Jim

Sweet Jesus

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T

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taosinks

taozen

TheKen

Theo

Thespian Lipstick Lesbian

13ben

toniD

--- Blue Roots Radio ---

toosinbeymen

trapper

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U

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UncommonSense

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V

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vastman

Vi_Veri_Veniversum_Vivus_Vici

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W

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Waiting for Cicero

--- Waiting for Cicero ---

Webster Hubble Telescope

what now toons

--- What Now! Toons ---

whizkid61

WiccanDruid

William Schubert

willow

wingip43

yoyojie

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Z

-

zhrzh

zimmie

zippy

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back to top

2009-07-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

(07/15/09)

Break Room Live Hits Raw Nerve & 3rd Rail

"...as show gets abruptly, and mysteriously,
cancelled by Air America Radio."

10 Radical Remedies America Needs

2009-06-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

-
Obama must use his leadership
to make necessary radical ideas mainstream.

These changes are essential if we are to build
an economy of broad prosperity.
-

by Robert Kuttner

-
This is one of those eras of national crisis
when the effective solutions to national problems
are still far outside mainstream debate.

Only a president can bring radical ideas
into the mainstream.

Under Abraham Lincoln, abolition of slavery went from
unthinkable to inevitable.

Thanks to Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
the White House embraced a radical social movement
for civil rights.

What will Barack Obama do to shift
the political center of gravity?

To date, President Obama has managed to enact
an impressively large stimulus bill
-- bigger than would have been possible even six months ago.

By contrast, his program to rescue the banks
is still a variant on one proposed
by the Republican Treasury secretary from Wall Street,
Hank Paulson.

Obama has overturned some extremist Bush policies.

What he has not yet done is use his leadership
to make necessary radical ideas mainstream.

However, there are several radical remedies
that cry out for presidential leadership.

Some of them are essential if we are to get the economy
into recovery.

Others are long-deferred reforms that America needs
to build an economy of broad prosperity.

Here are 10:

1. - Use Direct Government Loans
to Refinance Mortgages. -

At most, the complex and largely voluntary (to the banks) system proposed by the administration will refinance about one distressed mortgage in three. That's not enough to stem the foreclosure epidemic or to brake the collapse in housing values. The administration did shift to a direct-loan program for student loans. Why not for housing? Because the mortgage industry would be extremely upset. Prospects: not very good, unless things get a lot worse.

2. - Put Insolvent Banks into Government Receivership. -

It's a much more direct and efficient way of recapitalizing the banking system than the patchwork that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has just launched. Even if Geithner's plan "works," it will enrich a lot of middlemen at taxpayer expense, and it will provide a far slower path to a recovery of the banking system. Prospects: Obama is committed to the Geithner approach, unless it fails big time. So far, Wall Street loves it, and with good reason. It's another handout to the financial elite.

3. - Nationalize the Federal Reserve. -

Wait a minute, isn't the Federal Reserve already a public agency? Alas, no. It is a "hybrid," meaning that the regional reserve banks are controlled by a board of directors dominated by bankers. Back in the 1930s, FDR made a run at turning the Fed into a true government institution but was mostly blocked by the power of Wall Street. Today we see the costs of a non-public Fed. The Fed's huge contribution to the rescue of banks operates in secret, with little public accountability. There are proposals to give the Fed new powers, to serve as a "systemic risk regulator." Any such regulator should be a true public institution. Prospects: not any time soon. The Fed belongs to the banks, and the banks want to keep it that way.

4. - Pass a Tobin Tax. -

The late Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin had the idea of enacting a tiny tax on currency trades. A tax as small as one-tenth of 1 percent could raise large sums of money, because these financial trades have grown to immense scale, over $3 trillion a day by 2007. A modern variant on the Tobin tax would levy a tiny tax on all financial transactions. For ordinary purchases of stocks and bonds, the cost would be trivial. But for the complex, highly leveraged derivative transactions that sunk the economy, the cost would add up and could damp down speculative excess. The revenue proceeds, running into the hundreds of billions a year, could also reduce the budget deficit. Prospects: getting better as government seeks new revenue sources that don't raise taxes on most citizens. But will be resisted mightily by the money markets.

5. - Put Tax and Regulatory Havens out of Business. -

The most abusive hedge funds and private equity companies operate in offshore havens that have virtually no regulation and that refuse too cooperate with the tax authorities of advanced countries. After September 11, President George W. Bush issued orders to track money laundering but explicitly prohibited using the intelligence gathered for tax-enforcement purposes. Tax experts estimate that hundreds of billions of dollars are illegally evaded every year through these havens. If the major nations of Europe and North America acted in concert and required all entities doing business with European or North American banks or clients to follow common reporting rules, we could shut these abuses down overnight. Prospects: dim unless Obama decides he wants to really take on Wall Street. Could get better as the government desperately needs more revenue.

6. - Enact a Carbon Tax. -

"Clean coal" isn't going to do it. And while windmills, solar panels, and energy retrofits are all part of the solution to climate change, nothing changes behavior like a shift in relative prices. Prospects: slim to none, unless President Obama brings us a major economic turnaround first, in which case he has a lot of political capital to spend. In this case, the opposition isn't just the entrenched energy industry. It's also consumers.

7. - Pass Comprehensive Pre-Kindergarten and High-Quality Child Care. -

There are lots of useful dollops of funding for existing programs in the stimulus package. But nobody is thinking seriously about a seamless public system. A century ago it took a social movement of professionals and parents -- the movement for universal kindergarten as part of public schooling -- to start kids in school at age 5. Today, all the evidence suggests the need to start earlier. The opposition includes both fiscal conservatives and religious ones. But free public education was a pretty radical idea in its time. Prospects: once again it depends on the president's capacity to think outside the box.

8. - Guarantee Workers the Right to Join a Union. -

The modern labor movement really took hold in the late 1930s, a time when unemployment was still close to 20 percent. Yet unions grew because of militancy on the ground backed by allies in Washington. When full employment returned with World War II, unions were in a position to demand that wartime contractor profits be shared with workers. As Obama himself has declared, it's hard to imagine a broad middle-class society without unions. Prospects: the Employee Free Choice Act could actually become law this year if the president decides to make it a political priority.

9. - Provide Health Insurance For All. -

Obama's plan hopes to take a big step toward universal health insurance without putting private insurers out of business -- by allowing private plans and a new public one to compete head to head. His way is more expensive than a single-payer system. If enacted, sponsors hope that it would logically lead to a comprehensive system, as the superiority and greater efficiency of the public plan became evident. But to get that tricky maneuver right will require as heavy a political lift as cutting directly to single payer, which would be my preference. Still, if Obama can pull this off, I will take my hat off to him. Prospects: an uphill battle. Bringing the insurance companies into the reform coalition is a delusion. They will destroy all the details needed to make the strategy succeed. Better to flag them as the opposition.

10. - Use Very Large-Scale Public Works. -

The Obama stimulus package is spending $787 billion over two years, about 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. The economy is now shrinking at the rate of at least 6 percent per year. In the Great Depression, despite FDR's large public-works programs, the unemployment rate never dropped below 14 percent until we mobilized for war. During World War II, government spending finally expanded to a scale adequate to end the Depression, and unemployment melted away. It should not take a war to realize that we have vast unmet public needs that can rendezvous with adequate public outlay. Prospects: Things have to get worse first.

All of these ideas have four things in common.

They are essential if we are to restore broadly shared prosperity.

They are at the far fringes of political debate.

They require dislodging the political influence of powerful lobbies.

They would be supported by a majority of Americans
if a president decided to lead.

You will hear over and over from the political right
that Obama is spreading himself too thin.

They said that about Roosevelt.

But, a national economic crisis is a political moment
for broad reform on multiple fronts.

Social Security was an impossibly radical idea until it was enacted.

So was Medicare.

And, so were the great civil-rights acts of the 1960s.

Then they suddenly became utterly mainstream,
so well entrenched in the hearts of Americans
that they proved impossible to dislodge.

But, before they could be enacted,
a titanic struggle was required,
and a president had to decide
to put his prestige on the line.

That's the essence of progressive leadership.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=ten_radical_remedies_america_needs

2009-05-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

JED'S A MILLIONAIRE heading back to studio

2009-05-26T10:14:00.001-07:00

JED'S A MILLIONAIRE is currently making plans to head to Chicago for artistic and promotional reasons which I've been told are in relation to an upcoming CD.

Once back from Chicago, JED head's into the studio to record what promises to be their latest and greatest album, so far.

You've done yourself a disservice if you haven't yet picked up their last album, HAUNT... Not to mention how incomplete your CD library is without the album before that...KACHINA THEATER. They're at Zia Records now, and on iTunes,...so no excuses for not having them are valid. You'll realize that these albums are necessary for all music lovers. And with that said,...

Currently, a few finished, but not yet mastered, JED songs have made their way through the musical underground in Arizona. And, they're smoking.

But, as for the new CD, we'll have to wait for now...

-

WARNING: The video below contains dancing white people.

Urban Dictionary: Jed's a Millionaire

UPDATE: courtesy of the website, Ticklish Licorice ... TLC

It's official.

Arizona band and local favorite,
JED'S A MILLIONAIRE
... are almost finished recording their
4th CD.

(Okay, technically, 5th, but for mysterious reasons,
one of their CDs never officially got released.)

Anyhoo...

---

The new Jed's a Millionaire album
is being recorded at Revolver Recordings, in L.A.,
and is being produced by Mikal Blue.

---

We here at the Ticklish Licorice wish them all the best,
and look forward to hearing some leaked songs early, if possible.

---

Even as our two favorite songs from their last album, HAUNT,
are called "All" and "Nothing"
... alas,
we will gratefully settle for some leaked songs early.

-

If possible. ... (No pressure.)

No Cheezburger?

2009-03-20T22:45:00.005-07:00

How 'bout a new video of a good old song?

2009-03-20T22:45:00.001-07:00

Cosmic Consciousness: The Ultimate Goal

2008-12-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

(…from the book, “Mind Magic,” by Marta Hiatt.)

Spirit has been progressively evolving through the atomic, mineral, plant, and animal phases,
and finally to humankind.

It appears that it still has one more phase of development
before it finally merges back into itself, the All.

This sixth phase is termed the Cosmic or Divine phase of creation.

Cosmically conscious men and women were living in a state of awareness far advanced over those of the ordinary people we deal with in our everyday existence, those who are locked into the human phase and cannot conceive of anything beyond the material world.

Cosmic consciousness means
the state of awareness or knowledge you have
when you become consciously aware
of the organization of the universe
and of your oneness with it.

Furthermore, you will be able to translate this knowledge
into a living experience.

There are three forms, or levels, of consciousness:
simple, self, and cosmic;
and we can symbolically place everything that exists
on this continuum.

The first portion represents the lowest forms of life
with just simple consciousness,
...from inorganic matter to the least evolved human being,
primitive man.

The second portion begins with primitive man
and ends with the highest type of individual,
such as Albert Schweitzer, Buddha, or Socrates.

The third portion represents the lowest type of cosmic consciousness
on up to the fully developed divine awareness
typifying the perfect human being.

Everyone is situated on this scale.

Down through the ages there have been a number of individuals
who have developed this power of transcendent realization.

Some of them are chronicled in an extremely interesting 1901 book,
Dr. Maurice Bucke’s Cosmic Consciousness.

It provides an extensive history of the Illuminati
before the twentieth century.

He explores the lives of people such as Spinoza, Emerson,
Walt Whitman, Dante, Buddha, and Christ.

Dr. Bucke writes:

“Along with the conciousness of the cosmos
there occurs an intellectual enlightenment
or illumination
which alone would place the individual
on a new plane of existence
—would make him almost a member
of a new species.”

Dr. Thurman Fleet, founder of Concept-Therapy, states:

“There are many other masters or illuminated souls
engaged in other work, both on this plane,
and on many other planes of existence,
who are interested in helping to advance
the consciousness of the world.”

To move into the Divine or Cosmic Phase,
one must develop and learn to rely on intuition.

The bargain intuition drives is that it will serve you,
if you serve it.

We must become increasingly aware of the inner world
and constantly tune our consciousness toward it.

What we are seeking is habitual, spiritual consciousness:
a constant awareness of our oneness with all of life.

Dr Bucke states:

“The immediate future of our race is indescribably hopeful.

The germ of cosmic consciousness
has been planted in many individuals;
and as this germ grows, more and more people
will come into an understanding of this higher state
until finally the majority of the race will have
some degree of cosmic knowledge.

Men and women will know that God is within them;
that the world is ruled by immutable laws,
and by knowing the laws they will know that it
is beneficial to obey them.

Each day lived will be a day dedicated to the Divine;
knowing that the entire universe with all its good
exists for, and belongs to it, forever.

Each person will come to know that
violation of spiritual laws does not pay.

Peace and happiness will be abundant everywhere.”

Cosmic consciousness comes to the person who learns,
and lives by, the higher spiritual principles that govern life.

You must become one with the cosmic by obeying the laws involved.

You may have a very great desire to attain cosmic consciousness,
but the will must be trained over and over again until,
by a natural habit, it will do the bidding of the higher self.

When a person is a disciple of the higher path,
he or she must be resolute about the quest.

Until the will has been sufficiently trained and developed,
all progress is rendered utterly impossible.

When people seek enlightenment with single-mindedness,
they are sure to get it.

Spirit is limited by the medium through which it expresses itself.

Its expression through our medium depends upon
the condition of that medium.

Through constantly learning to contact our inner self,
we can get our life in tune
with the Great Conductor of the Universe,
thereby becoming a perfect expression of Spirit Within.

This is our task as human beings.

congress

In one of the Concept-Therapy texts,
...Dr. Fleet states that:

“There seems to come a time for all of us when
our attention reverts to the world within.

Trying to figure out a solution to the problems of life,
we become seekers after truth.

If we persist in our journey,
we finally become aware
of the orderly arrangement of the universe.

We become cognizant of a great, all-pervading Power
which rules everything.

No longer does the material world absorb all our attention.
Something new has come into our lives.

We then enter the path leading to cosmic consciousness.

New life seems to come: our vitality is rejuvenated;
we eagerly absorb all that we can.

We study, we meditate,
and in our studying and meditation we find,
here and there, a bit of truth.

At long last one great truth dawns upon us:
the world and everything in it
is governed and operates by laws
—great cosmological principles.

We will find that which we have long sought,
the truth of the cosmic organization.

We take a firm hold on
the Eternal Principles of Natural law:
an awareness of the One.”

This, then, is our goal,
the goal toward which we are all striving,
whether or not we are aware of it.

Spiritual men and women are the saviors of the world,
and the spiritual person is also the creative one.

That individual’s life and thought proceed
from the spiritual realm,
thus bringing a creative life into the world
that is not dictated by the lives of others;
it is an original creation.

The truly spiritual person always changes the world in some way.
… (Plato, Kant, Schweitzer, Spinoza, … Walt Whitman)

It is the experience of the Infinite that enable us
to break through the isolation, anxiety, and estrangement
of self-conscious existence.

Spirit is all-pervasive in the universe,
and we are totally dependent upon this consciousness
for our existence.

In the certainty of the knowledge
of the omnipresent Spirit,
we can achieve inner peace.

The conscious awareness that
everything and everyone is its existence
means that we are in a holy place
even when we are in the most worldly place;
for everything is rooted in the Divine Life.

When you fully understand the real meaning
that you are a radiant expression
of the Divine Spirit in manifestation,
your behavior is always governed
by that one central concept.

To what have you dedicated your life,
your thoughts and actions?

That is your true religion.

That person’s entire existential relationship to life
will be motivated, governed, and directed
by his inner, existential relationship to the Divine;
thus, it would be impossible to be unfaithful
to that illuminated understanding.

It will not be an easy job,
but a lifelong struggle
requiring endless vigilance and rigorous self-discipline
for we are indeed giving up a part of ourselves
...our egotism.

We must be prepared to analyze our emotional make-up
and systematically eliminate all of our negative, destructive traits.

There is a probationary period we must go through
before achieving enlightenment
and being led into the full illumination.

It evolves through a person by a natural process
as one evolves his or her own consciousness
through studying, meditation, and living life.

Once we make the conscious decision
to align ourselves with the spiritual world,
persistently endeavoring to overcome our lower nature,
we seem to receive help from some unseen force.

We can feel safe in believing that help will come to us
through one avenue or another.

If we persist in our determination,
in our single-mindedness,
insight and strength will come to us
in various ways and from various sources.

In a sublime sense,
when we study the works of great thinkers
who have crossed the threshold before us,
our insight is awakened through appreciating theirs;
and we may discover inner realms they long ago explored.

Very few people have the necessary determination
to keep on with the struggle until they discover
the light on the path.

Usually an aspirant for the higher consciousness
has been brought to it by suffering much
from the superficialities of the world.

Suffering makes her long for a higher life,
and her inner cry is heard echoing throughout the universe!

She is then led here and there
to the knowledge that will enable her
to find the higher path.

She begins to attract assistance to herself.

Through the medium of the laws of resonance and vibration,
she draws to herself kindred souls,
from this plane and others,
who enrich her mentally and spiritually.

He knows intuitively that clinging to the lower self
will mean that the path will be beset with difficulties
and repeated pains, sorrows, and disappointments.

At times, while fighting the inner battle,
he secures brief glimpses of the beauty
of the spiritual realm;
realizes that he can no longer harm others
because all life is One.

Simultaneously, this person recognizes that helping another
also means helping himself,
and the truth of
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
becomes a reality in his life.

Dr. Fleet states:

“Having entered the region of reality,
you will accomplish everything without striving,
and all problems will easily be faced and handled by you.

You will concern yourself not with changing events,
but with the unchanging principle behind all things.

You will enter into possession of the knowledge of higher worlds.”

An all-embracing affirmation I particularly like is:

“I am becoming aware of my oneness with the Infinite.”

You might try saying this affirmation as you fall asleep each night:
you’ll be surprised at the difference it will make in your life!

Eventually, some day, in another dimension of awareness,
we shall achieve the final destiny of the evolution of consciousness,
complete unity of Spirit with itself,
the merging of our self-consciousness back into the One,
but with greater understanding and enlightenment.

As Dr. Fleet states:

“When we realize the profound simplicity of spiritual consciousness,
and have an unbiased, tranquil, blessed state of mind,
we will know that whatever happens to us is for our own good.

We will be content, and no longer the servant of the self,
but the servant of the Divine.

We will have nothing to defend, nothing to conceal,
nothing to attack, and no interests to guard,
therefore, we will be at peace.”

To become one with the Infinite is the goal of man,
and is a far greater possession
than anything else the world has to offer.

The man or woman who attains it will know the secret of immortality.

The New Westerns - "The Curse of Neglect"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.014-08:00

Phoenix NEW TIMES Reviews Latest Record
by Arizona band, The New Westerns

...and likes it.

(below)

You Asked For It: The New Westerns

The New Westerns
The New Westerns
(Radiofree Records)

By Martin Cizmar

Not too many bands morph from cover band to successful original act – especially when they start out playing covers of Ryan freakin’ Adams – but that’s just what the subject of this week’s
You Asked For It, ... Phoenix's The New Westerns, have done.

Formed in spring 2007, they started out doing covers, before recording their self-titled alt-country EP earlier this year.

To be fair, they weren’t always slumming it with the Heartbreaker – their MySpace says they also did some Waylon for the resort crowds in Phoenix and Scottsdale – but I’m immediately suspicious of anyone who’s overly enamored of Adams.

On The New Westerns, they’re not nearly as bad as Adams
or as good as Waylon.

The Westerns – they do that annoying thing where they all have the last name Western, which was cool when the Ramones did it, and OK when the Donnas did it, but is otherwise endlessly annoying to me – have a decent sound, as evidenced
by the first song, “The Curse of Neglect.”

The music is good, with some nice mournful steel guitars and a jittery little rhythm, but the vocals need work.

I’m not a huge fan of Danny Western’s voice throughout the record, but here it’s at it's worst, mixed loud, hard and clear, as he sings some pretty decent lyrics (“I come from a long line of mad sons of bitches, the ones who aren’t afraid to come within inches”).

The vocals get much, much better on “Your Black Heart,”
my favorite song on the record,
when Danny comes in twangy after a woeful little melodica
(cross between a harmonica and an accordion) opening.

The EP is also plagued with occasionally self-indulgent guitar work, the most glaring example midway through the second song, “Railroad Gal,” but mostly the sound works,
though it’s obviously still maturing.

The New Westerns is a pretty down tempo record
– the first 1:05 of “So Long Tennessee” is actually silent (yawn) –
but it’s got a nice flavor, and I’d love to hear what this band can do
rocking out a little, with Danny’s twang in full effect.

Phoenix NEW TIMES

Sons and Lovers ... "live" on Marty's Corner

2008-12-13T22:20:00.013-08:00

Calle 13 - "No Hay Nadie Como Tu"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.011-08:00

Page the Village Idiot - "Dead Rock Stars"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.009-08:00

Planet Jam - "Crying Wolf"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.007-08:00

Grandmother-in-Law Poems

2008-12-13T22:20:00.005-08:00

Emerson's Note:

These poems were written by my wife's grandma,
who is still alive, and living down the street.

I recently uncovered these, typed them out & gave her 5 copies
as gifts for her to give to her children.

She currently lives three doors down from me, literally;
...in Tucson, with my wife's parents.

And, yes, that means my in-laws live three doors down.

Name: Marjorie Dodson
Age: 90

Poems written in 1988, ... at age 70

Valley of the Rio

In the valley of the Rio down Texas way
That’s where we live and eat and pray
The Rio winds down to the sea
In the land of the towering mesquite tree

You’re never lonely wherever you are
Nights filled with Spanish guitars
When the citrus is in the bloom
Heavenly fragrance fills every room

Vegetables grow row on row
Always plenty of weeds to hoe
The cotton fields are a beautiful sight
Bursting clouds of snowy white

One big harvest after another
Hardly ever a change in weather
Nights full of moonglow and starry skies
Days full of flowers and butterflies

God looked down and blessed this place
Filled with people of the Spanish race
We are proud of this valley of ours
Laying silent under Texas stars.

Looking for a Man

There’s gotta be one out there
Someone who needs me, somewhere
I’ve answered ads to Shelia
No one answered, not even one fella

I’m overweight, that I know
But, there’s lots of fat men on the go
Sometimes I despair
There’s gotta be someone out there

I’m lonesome as can be
Won’t someone take pity on me?

Christmas Time

Another year is nearly passed
Gee, I feel so old
I lay here and wonder if it’s my last
A winter filled with wind and cold

It’s been a good life
I might make it yet
God’s been good
And I mustn’t fret

It’s Christmas time once more

‘Twas in the parlor, grandchildren on the floor
Smell of pies and cakes coming thru the kitchen door

It’s Christmas time at Grandma’s.

Christmas Eve

We went to church on Christmas night
Stars on the snow were shining bright

Thoughts of the Christ child in our minds again
Born to bring peace and good will to man

One wonders what would He say
If He were here today.

Two Little Cats

Come over every morning
And curl up at my feet
They know I’m going to give them
Something good to eat

They listen to my troubles
All through the day
Don’t talk back to me
No matter what I say

Just sit and look at me
With Salem blue eyes
Once in a while
I’ll hear a little sigh

Whenever I open the door
They are there to greet me
Sometimes I’m met
By not two, but three

They fill my day with love
No one else will give
Make this world
A better place to live.

Holidays

Snow on the mountain, what a beautiful sight
Colors shimmering in the pale moonlight
Looks like a Christmas wonderland
Listen to the music of the forest band

As the wind softly blows through the stately pines
Making music without any lines
Streams rush down to the valley below
Making a path through the glistening snow

We stand in beauty all around
Nature’s harvest of earth and sound
We bow our heads in wonder here
God’s showed us once more He’s ever near.

Colorado Storm

Springtime in the Rockies
Isn’t what it’s supposed to be
Floods come down the canyon
It’s quite a sight to see

Thunder storms across the valley
Sounds like pins in a bowling alley

The gods of wrath are waging a war
They want us to know they’re at our door

The garden laid flat by huge hail stones
Raging winds howl in awesome tones

So, you humans better watch out
God’s telling you what it’s all about.

Dear Child

Dear child who cannot walk
Dear child who cannot talk
The hours are long for you
Who hasn’t much to do

How can one be so patient
Never cry, but be content
Just sit, day by day
But, never complain in any way?

I see you’re trying so hard to walk
Equally so, when you want to talk
I hope and pray God may see
And make my boy whole for me

But, if He doesn’t
I’ll not cry
I’ll cherish this child
‘Til I die

For in my heart, he holds a place
I’ll always remember his sweet face
When at last he’s called above
He will take with him all my love.

How Things Are

We come into this world
And wonder why
The years pass
We get old and die

Life’s road
Is tough to travel
Full of lumps
And lots of gravel

Some of us are strong
And some are weak
Some are mean as ell
And some are meek.

Some troubles are many
And some are few
Guess it depends
On what you do

You get to the top
And then fall down
A lot of crying
Or courage, I’ve found.

Ruth

Days filled with sunshine
Nights filled with moonshine
Bouquets of roses through your front door
May you never have pain or hurt any more

Fly through the air on gossamer wings
Look down on us poor human beings
We regret that you had to go
We’ll all miss you, that I know

Feel sorry for us left behind
For we have to face this thing called mankind.

Love you always,

Marjorie

Desert Storm

Across the ocean in the desert sand
They fought in a hostile and arid land
For what they thought was good and right
Layed down their lives in a desperate fight

Many a life was lost out there
Showing the world that there’s still someone who cares
Fought day after day in the broiling sun
‘Til the task was over and done

Never to see
Their loved ones again
Layed down their lives in that awful war
Was it to be all fought in vain?

Will we have to do it all over again?

--

Here we go again back to the desert once more
Only the good Lord knows -- what for?
Our boys will fight ‘til their dying day
No matter how much we cry and pray

What’s the matter with the human race?
They act like someone from outer space
They say we must fight to save our land
The principles for which we stand

I hope they’re right or we’re in trouble
We will disappear like a giant bubble.

Bert

Sits alone in his house all day
Thinking of the one who went away
Watches the winds in the bushes outside
Wiping the tears he tries to hide

Because grown men aren’t supposed to cry
Although, I’ve often wondered why
Watches the sun go down
Hears the neighbors coming home from town

All alone in his bed at night
Waiting for the morning light
Another day will soon be here
Bringing hope for another year

This old man has had a long life
Filled with sadness, love and strife.

Golden Years

The golden years have come at last
The days are quickly sliding past

My body is drooping
Have troubles stooping
I cannot see
Wonder what’s become of me

My memory shrinks
My hearing stinks
No sense of smell
I look like ell

Everything is going fast
The golden years are here at last.

Getting Old

Got wrinkles I can’t erase
All over my hands and face
My walk is down to a shuffle
Isn’t that simply awful?

They talk to me and I can’t hear
Even though they’re standing near
Got the shakes in my hands
They can’t seem to understand

This all comes with getting old
At least that’s what I’ve been told

Oh, Lord, give me grace and let me find
I’ve won against this thing called mankind.

Leila Lopez - "Tonight"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.003-08:00

Leila Lopez Music Video

Emily Long - "Ringing Bells"

2008-12-13T22:20:00.001-08:00

The New Westerns - "Nothin' on my Girl"

2008-12-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

NOFX - "Re-Gaining Unconsciousness"

2008-11-29T14:21:00.000-08:00