Towards the end of an otherwise interesting article about the evolution of song to performance in the Financial Times (via):

Black styles continued to dominate the dance floor in white neighbourhoods but they were [rarely?] heard on records. And rock simply ignored the evolving rhythmic trends. It is startling to contrast the blend of black and white at Freed’s 1950s rock ’n’ roll festivals with the dazzling whiteness of both audience and performers at Woodstock.

OK, I get the point, but let’s be fair:

First day, first performer @ Woodstock : Richie Havens
Second: Swami Satchidananda
Fifth: Sweetwater
Ninth: Ravi Shankar
Second day, third Band: Santana
Eighth: Sly & The Family Stone
And the final act of the show: Jimi Hendrix. No need to link to anything about him.

Yeah, the article was talking about the differences between “black” (=dance) music and “white” music, and maybe Woodstock wasn’t about dance music (though I don’t know how you could say Sly wasn’t…). But, there were plenty of non-white acts at Woodstock. It was more white than anything else, but it was hardly “dazzling” in its whiteness – at least from my vantage point.

I nitpick because I have nothing else to do.

John Cole says:

Yet another reason I have no interest in organized religion- this long and tedious discussion at the American Spectator examining whether or not Ted Kennedy was a good Catholic. Religion isn’t so much about God and spirituality and your fellow man for these wankers, it is just another competition and another way to exert control over people.

In the words of the prophet, Britt Daniels:

Jonathon then says it’s a sin
But he don’t think twice cause to him
Religion don’t mean a thing
It’s just another way to be right wing

Amen.

My fourth time out running with the FiveFingers yields a handful of insights:

1. I am actually getting used to them. My first two running intervals were nearly comfortable.
2. As the route wore on, I wore out, and I found I couldn’t maintain the necessary form unless I went faster, which was hard to do because I was tired. Hopefully this will become less of an issue as I build running strength.
3. I ran in the rain today, and even though my feet got wet, I didn’t get that mushy, squishy foot feeling; these shoes don’t let your toes touch directly, and there’s not really anywhere for water to build up between them.
4. I have no idea how to run downhill. even the slightest decline has me pounding the hell out of my heels. There must be a way to do this besides Damn The Torpedos, I’m Full-out Sprinting Down The Whole Thing!!

I’m still not used to these things. And I’m starting to wonder if I ever will be. But, it’s only been a week. I should probably reserve judgment for a bit longer.

Let us begin.

1. REM – King Of Birds
2. Live – Turn My Head
3. Bauhaus – Telegram Sam . Compare to the original
4. The Cure – A Forest (studio demo)
5. Jurassic 5 – A Day At The Races
6. Bright Eyes – Old Soul Song
7. Soundgarden – Power Trip. See also.
8. Peter Gabriel – Shaking The Tree
9. Grateful Dead – Me And My Uncle
10. Os Mutantes – Baby (1968)

And so it was.

Via The Dish:

As Roger Nicoll, a neuroscientist at UCSF, puts it: “The brain makes its own marijuana.” Smoking a joint just helps you make more of it.) While these cannabinoid receptors have been targeted for the treatment of a wide variety of ailments and disorders, from obesity to chronic pain, I think they might hold the most promise for the treatment of anxiety. There’s now good evidence that mice lacking a normal cannabinoid receptor have difficulty forgetting or unlearning fearful memories.

Which is a roundabout way of saying what everybody knows: pot makes you forgetful. But now it’s a feature, not a bug. Awesome!