theway2k’s Neighborhood

... the Huffington Post no less.

Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks By Sam Harris

Geert Wilders, conservative Dutch politician and provocateur, has become the latest projectile in the world's most important culture war: the zero-sum conflict between civil society and traditional Islam. Wilders, who lives under perpetual armed guard due to death threats, recently released a 15 minute film entitled Fitna ("strife" in Arabic) over the internet. The film has been deemed offensive because it juxtaposes images of Muslim violence with passages from the Qur'an. Given that the perpetrators of such violence regularly cite these same passages as justification for their actions, merely depicting this connection in a film would seem uncontroversial. Controversial or not, one surely would expect politicians and journalists in every free society to strenuously defend Wilders' right to make such a film. But then one would be living on another planet, a planet where people do not happily repudiate their most basic freedoms in the name of "religious sensitivity." ...

What's the best thing about your mom?

My mother had patience and elegance.  She could do anything with nothing, she was amazing!  She passed on when I was 7, and I can remember to this day the parties and decorations she would have for our home.  She would spend weeks baking cookies for christmas, not a batch or two, but dozens of dozens of the most elaborate cookies.  The dinners with china from her home in England, silver she had family in England send.  Linens and wineglasses, the works!  She could do laundry, polish silver, arrange flowers and be ready for a crowd and think nothing of it.  I can remember sitting at the top of the staircase, watching guests arrive, and her just being so elegant.  She threw her very being into being the best mother and wife a woman could be.  Her private letters home to her parents and sister tell the story, and now after she has been gone 40yrs and I'm now a mom, I appreciate her letters all the more.  She was homesick and worried about them, and yet her love and dedication to us was all encompassing.  She was amazing, she was my mother.

 05/11/2008 20:54:06  ♥ written by vu ()

Mates of State - My Only Offer Mates of State Tour Dates 05/16/08 Toad’s Place New Haven, CT 05/22/08 Slims San Francisco, CA 05/24/08 Les Schwab Amp Bend, OR 05/25/08 Sasquatch Festival Quincy, WA 05/28/08 Henry Fonda Theater LA, CA 06/06/08 Wakarusa Festival Lawrence, KS 06/07/08 Slowdown Omaha, NE 06/08/08 Bluebird St. Louis, MO 06/10/08 Bricktown Ballroom Oklahoma, Ok 06/11/08 Granada Theatre Dallas, TX 06/12/08 Warehouse Live Houston, TX 06/13/08 Emo’s Austin, TX 06/14/08 Rev Room Little Rock, AR 06/15/08 Hi-Tone Memphis, TN 06/17/08 Southgate House Newport, KY 06/18/08 Mr. Small’s Theatre Pittsburgh, PA 06/21/08 Popped! Festival Philadelphia, PA 06/25/08 Pemberton Festival Pemberton, BC 08/01/08 Lollapalooza-Grant Park Chicago,IL 08/08/08 All Points West  Liberty State, NJ 09/26/08 Austin City Limits Festival TX Discography [2000] My Solo Project [2002] Our Constant Concern [2003] Team Boo [2006] Bring it Back [2008] Re-Arrange Us

Mates of State are back with Re-Arrange Us, coming out May 20^th. Let me tell you that this girl-boy duo knows great pop music.

Mates of State - Fraud In The '80s

I first heard about them on a 2003 CMJ compilation with a little song called "Ha Ha", but I didn't think much of it. By 2006, after being signed to Barsuk Records, I remember I started seeing that distinctive "indie cover" artwork with Mates of State's husband and wife team, Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, in a very strange half embrace.

There's some great pop tunes on Re-Arrange Us, but the song that the record label approved us to use is "My Only Offer", which I already liked so I have no problem with using this particular song. I thought the trumpet, played by Gary Olson, was a very nice addition to the song.

There's a few great songs, including, "Jigsaw", which basically has Jason repeating lyrics sung by Kori (actually, after reading the credits, it lists Ben Gibbard, from Death Cab For Cutie, as backup vocals). It's really easy to sing along, so I think this would be a great live concert pleaser. Also would play great is "Now", which has the simple, but catchy "Now now now now now now. Now now now now now now, who who who?"

I also really dug "The Re-Arranger", which is basically what the album was named after.  This song sounds like it's escaped from the 60s and made a stop in the 80s, before resurfacing now.

The duo are currently doing some tour dates to promote Re-Arrange Us, so catch them if you're able. According to their official website, if you pre-order the album, it should arrive in your mailbox on the 20^th, but you can usually find Barsuk records at most good record stores.

Little Boxes

http://weheartmus...

The third season of the Showtime series Weeds recently began. The popularity of the show has incr...

PS, apparently the band is a fan of the "Little Boxes" song (there is a live rendition on their myspace).  I wonder if they got involved with the song because of Death Cab for Cutie's version or because they're also doing a theme song for Weeds?

Links: matesofstate.com myspace.com/matesofstate barsuk.com

~Snooper~

By popular demand, the Screamin' Eagle will "appear" on the American Truth Warriors Show this coming Tuesday (13 MAY 08) for a special 2-hour event beginning at 1900 hours EST (7 PM for you civilians out there).

Much to our surprise, once he got to Kuwait, the return trip was light speed when considering we are talking about the US Army. His trip home last Christmas took nearly a week...this trip was 18 hours of flight. Simply amazing.

This show was to be scheduled for at least 30 days but he has returned 28 days early so, here we are. He wants to speak with you all and he has some plans that he needs help with. He has already started a charity program because the troops need things that they are NOT getting which they are in desperate need of. So far, it is Top Secret...you know how those Eagles are. Ask CP.

Be there! Come one. Come all. Call and welcome a Soldier home. 646-652-2670

Hillary

I predict Hillary will be in the White House soon.  She will run as a 3rd party and win.  Her base will be Democrats and Republicans, because McCain and Obama are not popular to many voters.  Seniors, working class European Americans, women, and Hispanics will support her.

Hillary will win with the most popular vote (not necessarily a majority) in the following states.  Thus, she will capture the accompanying electoral votes:

She can concede the entire South, with the exception of Florida, to McCain and Obama.  They will spit the remaining electoral votes between them.