I read this on Merrill Markoe's Blog:
"Call me crazy but I am still deeply thrilled by the way Barack Obama constructs arguments full of sentences that contain logic and deductive reasoning. In my opinion, he is so easy to follow because he is deep inside of his own content when he speaks. He believes in and understands what he is saying. What a relief.
Not so, John McCain. who sputters and circles and loses track of a lot of his points in a way that kind of reminds me of that poor Miss Teen South Carolina from last year who hoped that if she just kept talking about 'U.S Americans' and throwing in the phrase 'and such as' she would finally wind up near a group of words that contained a real thought."
So I had to find video footage on YouTube of Miss Teen South Carolina, here it is. (And I do wish somebody would sync the audio with video of McCain.) Maybe she would be available as a running mate, if Palin drops...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Count the lies....
A nice follow-up to my last post:
Count The Lies, in the McCainpedia. This link will take you to a list of lies by McCain, many of which have been repeated by him even after having been proven to be just that, lies.
And also, here is Obama's new ad:
And also, here is Obama's new ad:
Politics at home...
Life is good here, I'm having a lovely time in Göteborg, Sweden. I'll post about that sometime soon.
My big concern right now involves the politics at home, and censorship in the media. I'll just post this link and let you all make up your own minds about it. But the truth about McCain's VP choice needs to get out, people need to know, at least somewhat authentically, who they are voting for. If Charles Gibson's interview wasn't enough to absolutely terrify you about her representing America to the world (come on, "The Bush Doctrine" should be known by her!) then this should make you somewhat concerned.
YouTube Censors Documentary About Palin
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/13/1538/09770
On a bright note, Palin is providing interesting fodder for comedians:
"I can see Russia from my house!"
My big concern right now involves the politics at home, and censorship in the media. I'll just post this link and let you all make up your own minds about it. But the truth about McCain's VP choice needs to get out, people need to know, at least somewhat authentically, who they are voting for. If Charles Gibson's interview wasn't enough to absolutely terrify you about her representing America to the world (come on, "The Bush Doctrine" should be known by her!) then this should make you somewhat concerned.
YouTube Censors Documentary About Palin
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/13/1538/09770
On a bright note, Palin is providing interesting fodder for comedians:
"I can see Russia from my house!"
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Bohea Rhapsody...
Yesterday I threw away a pile of tea from one of my now former-favorite tea companies. After informing them of the problem tea with several emails and calls, and being ignored, I realized the company no longer focused on the quality of tea that I am interested in. The last batch of two different white teas that I tossed looked like old lawn trimmings, and tasted like steeped stale nothingness. Very odd, an overpowering taste of "staleness" without any white tea subtle flavor.
That said and done, one tea company has yet to disappoint me. After innumerable visits and online ordering, The Tao of Tea reigns supreme in my pantheon of tea providers. Several of my favorite teas have been "unavailable" from them over the last tea season, and at first I was bummed, until a conversation with them informed me that the reason for the lack of availability was that the tea itself was not up to quality. They could've provided the tea, but it would've been crap like the other company. I respect such integrity, especially when it comes to tea.
What inspired me to pen this ode to Tao? A lovely pot of Bohea Black.
More focused on whites and pu-ers, I purchased this tea after a tasting at Tao. It is an amazing tasting beverage, so complex, not something I would want every day, but this morning it is the perfect cup. From the literature:
***************
Origin: Wuyishan, China
Plucking Season: Harvested from young leaves, in mid summer.
Introduction: Bohea is from a 400 year old tea garden in Tong Mu Guan of Xing Village, located in the heart of a pristine Wuyi mountains nature reserve, in Fujian, China.
Flavor Profile: Complex, sweet, citrus, and cocoa aromas are complemented by a subtle smoky character.
Ingredients: Ingredients: 100% Organic pure leaf black tea leaves.
***************
If you are unfamiliar with Wuyi, click here. What a stunning place.
This tea hints at the smokiness of a Lapsang, but the smoke is part of the complexity, rather than at the forefront. Delicious, and highly recommended.
That said and done, one tea company has yet to disappoint me. After innumerable visits and online ordering, The Tao of Tea reigns supreme in my pantheon of tea providers. Several of my favorite teas have been "unavailable" from them over the last tea season, and at first I was bummed, until a conversation with them informed me that the reason for the lack of availability was that the tea itself was not up to quality. They could've provided the tea, but it would've been crap like the other company. I respect such integrity, especially when it comes to tea.
What inspired me to pen this ode to Tao? A lovely pot of Bohea Black.
More focused on whites and pu-ers, I purchased this tea after a tasting at Tao. It is an amazing tasting beverage, so complex, not something I would want every day, but this morning it is the perfect cup. From the literature:
***************
Origin: Wuyishan, China
Plucking Season: Harvested from young leaves, in mid summer.
Introduction: Bohea is from a 400 year old tea garden in Tong Mu Guan of Xing Village, located in the heart of a pristine Wuyi mountains nature reserve, in Fujian, China.
Flavor Profile: Complex, sweet, citrus, and cocoa aromas are complemented by a subtle smoky character.
Ingredients: Ingredients: 100% Organic pure leaf black tea leaves.
***************
If you are unfamiliar with Wuyi, click here. What a stunning place.
This tea hints at the smokiness of a Lapsang, but the smoke is part of the complexity, rather than at the forefront. Delicious, and highly recommended.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Recent Tea Acquisitions...
Three great teas recently added to my arsenal...and, shockingly, two oolongs. (I usually stick with the pu-ers and white teas.) BTW, recommendations are just shared out of the joy of tea, I have no affiliation with the Tao of Tea, other than love of their product and service.
So first: I just purchased another brick of the 2002 Tibetan Puer...wonderful! (David Borgo and I shared a pot of it yesterday while working on the software we will be using for our upcoming gigs in Sweden and The Netherlands.) A delicious, full-bodied tea, with just the right amount of caffeine.
Right now I'm having a cup of "Frozen Summit" (Tung Ting) from a small three acre farm in Taiwan. A surprising, but not overpowering, sweetness in this tea among the complexity of flavors.
Last week I tried, and loved, the Wenshan Baozhong, also from a small farm (the same?) in Taiwan. The description from the Tao of Tea nailed it, "Several texture levels on the upper palate. Light, toasty, smooth buttery brew." Really excellent. And the leaves are beautiful when they open up in the gaiwan or pot.
So first: I just purchased another brick of the 2002 Tibetan Puer...wonderful! (David Borgo and I shared a pot of it yesterday while working on the software we will be using for our upcoming gigs in Sweden and The Netherlands.) A delicious, full-bodied tea, with just the right amount of caffeine.
Right now I'm having a cup of "Frozen Summit" (Tung Ting) from a small three acre farm in Taiwan. A surprising, but not overpowering, sweetness in this tea among the complexity of flavors.
Last week I tried, and loved, the Wenshan Baozhong, also from a small farm (the same?) in Taiwan. The description from the Tao of Tea nailed it, "Several texture levels on the upper palate. Light, toasty, smooth buttery brew." Really excellent. And the leaves are beautiful when they open up in the gaiwan or pot.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Art is Dangerous...
GENEVA (AFP) – A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday.
The art work, titled "Complex S(expletive..)", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.
The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said. The art work has a safety system which normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away.
Steiner said McCarthy had not yet been contacted and the museum was not sure if the piece would be put back on display.
The art work, titled "Complex S(expletive..)", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.
The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said. The art work has a safety system which normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away.
Steiner said McCarthy had not yet been contacted and the museum was not sure if the piece would be put back on display.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Gold.Berg.Werk
Those of you who've known me a while, are familiar with my obsession with Bach's Goldberg Variations, and yes, particularly Glenn Gould's interpretations.
Karlheinz Essl, a compatriot of the Max/MSP community, recently recorded a version of the Goldberg Variations based on an existing string trio arrangement. Essl uses his Max/MSP rig, with a large dose granular synthesis, to create a choral-like call-and-response with the trio. I find it quite beautiful. Here is an excerpt from YouTube:
Karlheinz Essl, a compatriot of the Max/MSP community, recently recorded a version of the Goldberg Variations based on an existing string trio arrangement. Essl uses his Max/MSP rig, with a large dose granular synthesis, to create a choral-like call-and-response with the trio. I find it quite beautiful. Here is an excerpt from YouTube:
Friday, August 08, 2008
Bats and Owls....
(A rare photo of me being physically active in the daylight.)
I really enjoyed being at my folks place, biking around the lake and practicing late at night (with my Bremner Shhh Mute, of course) on the deck overlooking their property. Sometimes it would get wild, bats everywhere, owls swooping...quite a late night show. Also deer, opossum and other lovely creatures cruising around. And the clean air was amazing.
A few nights in a row, there was a massacre of birds by a predator (this vegan wishes all animals could just eat tofu)...the scattered remains of violently removed feathers showed the signs of brutal attacks, probably an owl or something else.
For those of you that don't know, my mother (Betty Kaiser) is a columnist for the paper in her town, and she wrote about the deaths in her weekly column. You can find it here.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Nice blurb in Eugene Weekly
From the Eugene Weekly:
Welcome to the Machine
Barry Threw’s laptop-generated soundscapes immerse listeners in ominous clouds of music occasionally lit by bolts of electronic sound. It’s no surprise that the San Francisco-based electronic musician often works with visual art installations. Threw has collaborated with Southern California trumpeter/composer Jeff Kaiser, who’s also played with important avant improv musicians such as Eugene Chadbourne and Emily Hay and written and performed music for films and TV. His microtonal music drifts toward ambient, with strange ripples and bursts of sound flashing through oddly compelling textures. Eugene’s own Warning Broken Machine wrings subtle beauty from ostensibly non-musical sources such as amplified stones, glass and found pieces of metal. Springfield’s [view] uses obsolete medical equipment such as muscle stimulators as sound sources. Though they come from disparate origins — improvisational music (so-called “creative” jazz, free jazz and non-jazz-based improv); the digital music cybersphere; ambient and noise bands — all use mechanical or electronic means to create fascinating soundscapes (some gentle, some searing) in which texture and atmosphere take precedence over traditional musical means such as melody and rhythm. They should make DIVA an ear- and mind-expanding place to be this Saturday. Jeff Kaiser, Barry Threw, [view] and Warning Broken Machine perform at 8 pm Saturday, Aug. 2, at DIVA. $5. — Brett Campbell
Welcome to the Machine
Barry Threw’s laptop-generated soundscapes immerse listeners in ominous clouds of music occasionally lit by bolts of electronic sound. It’s no surprise that the San Francisco-based electronic musician often works with visual art installations. Threw has collaborated with Southern California trumpeter/composer Jeff Kaiser, who’s also played with important avant improv musicians such as Eugene Chadbourne and Emily Hay and written and performed music for films and TV. His microtonal music drifts toward ambient, with strange ripples and bursts of sound flashing through oddly compelling textures. Eugene’s own Warning Broken Machine wrings subtle beauty from ostensibly non-musical sources such as amplified stones, glass and found pieces of metal. Springfield’s [view] uses obsolete medical equipment such as muscle stimulators as sound sources. Though they come from disparate origins — improvisational music (so-called “creative” jazz, free jazz and non-jazz-based improv); the digital music cybersphere; ambient and noise bands — all use mechanical or electronic means to create fascinating soundscapes (some gentle, some searing) in which texture and atmosphere take precedence over traditional musical means such as melody and rhythm. They should make DIVA an ear- and mind-expanding place to be this Saturday. Jeff Kaiser, Barry Threw, [view] and Warning Broken Machine perform at 8 pm Saturday, Aug. 2, at DIVA. $5. — Brett Campbell
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