Howard Zinn - Historian and Civil Rights Advocate, Passes on at 87

"The lesson of that history is that you must not despair, that if you are right, and you persist, things will change. The government will try to deceive the people, and the newspapers and television may do the same, but the truth has a way of coming out. The truth has a power greater than a hundred lies.."

Howard Zinn, in an address to Spelman College in 2005.

There is an Obituary at the NAACP site:
http://www.naacp.org/news/press/2010-01-29/

Microsoft Paying For Ubuntu Development? One For the Geeks

I was reading another Slashdot post today. I dunno, I reckon it's more a case of Microsoft helping to pay for Ubuntu development through Yahoo! searches. Pretty prophetic stuff:

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ubuntu Moves To Yahoo For Default Firefox Search                                             |
|   from the can-you-say-bing dept.                                                            |
|   posted by kdawson on Wednesday January 27, @08:16 (Yahoo!)                                 |
|  
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/10/01/27/0118244/Ubuntu-Moves-To-Yaho
| o-For-Default-Firefox|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Starting in Ubuntu's Lucid Lynx release, [0]Firefox's default search engine will be switched from Google to Yahoo.
The switch was made after Canonical 'negotiated a revenue sharing deal with Yahoo.' Google will still be available as a choice. Since Yahoo search is now powered by Microsoft's Bing, this would seem to mean that Microsoft will be paying people for using Ubuntu."

Discuss this story at:
    http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/01/27/0118244

Links:
    0. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2010-January/030065.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

I am a New Fan of Folk Uke

I'm not much of a ukulele fan...nor do I like country music as a rule. I could count on one hand the 'Country and Western' that I'll listen to. However, I do like some of Willie Nelsons stuff, especially his cover of 'Blue Skies' and Gorrel & Carmichael's 'Georgia'.As a kid, I got hooked on CW McCall's 'Convoy' and still remember the lyrics, but I don't tell too many people. I even had a fling with John Denver, thanks to my mother's love of his music, until she found out he got high when he wrote songs. My appreciation of his music deepened after that news. I think mum threw his records out.

But I'm not talking about 'country' music. I'm talking about folk music. Now, folk music I like. Michelle Shocked, The Waifs, Arlo Guthrie and now, 'Folk Uke'.

Folk Uke have some brilliant lyrics and some song titles that will test your safe filter. I won't try to describe them. You need to listen and watch. Folk Uke have a strong musical background, but I'll let you discover that for yourselves and let their music stand on its merits, rather than its pedigree.

This first video kind of gives away their 'little' secret:

'Shit Makes The Flowers Grow'

'Knock Me Up'

You'll find a good interview/bio here:
http://www.cincygroove.com/?q=node/344

Chinese Pull 'Avatar' Due to its 'Anti-Authoritarian' Theme

This comes direct from Slashdot...

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| 2-D Avatar To Be Pulled From Theaters In China                                               |
|   from the hard-to-be-blue dept.                                                             |
|   posted by kdawson on Tuesday January 19, @17:43 (Censorship)                               |
| 
|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

SimonTheSoundMan notes that [0]Avatar is being pulled from screens in China for being too successful, and too provocative in its anti-authoritarian message. (The 3-D and IMAX versions will remain.) "The communist nationb s state-run movie distributor China Film Group is unexpectedly yanking the James Cameron-directed blockbuster 'Avatar' from
1,628 2-D screens this week in favor of a biography of the ancient philosopher Confucius starring Chow-Yun Fat. ... According to a report in the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, the move was made at the urging of propaganda officials who are concerned that 'Avatar' is taking too much market share from Chinese films and drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue of forced evictions."

Discuss this story at:
    http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/01/19/2241229

Links:
    0. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/01/avatar-pulled-from-2d-screens-by-chinese-government.html

Another 'My Favourite Movie' List

In no particular order, these are some of the Aussie movies that I like (well, those I can remember off-hand anyway)...

Running On Empty
 

Mad Max

Mad Max 2

Stone
(and here)

He Died With A Felafel In His Hand

I Think His Name is Bruce

He featured on the cover of the British 'Oz Magazine', the October/November 1969 issue.

I've always liked this image. I wonder if he is still alive, or if anyone knows anything about him.
Maybe I could hunt down a back issue of Oz and see if I can find out.

Get ready. Nimbin MardiGrass is in May

Get ready, cause here it comes:

MardiGrass is the biggest and best pro-cannabis festival in Australia. This year, MardiGrass will be held  on the 1st and 2nd of May, in Nimbin of course.

I'll be there this year come Hell or High Water.

Check out more information at the following sites:

http://www.nimbinmardigrass.com/

http://www.nimbinmardigrass.com/2010/

http://www.youtube.com/nimbintelevision

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62X4rpvuP54

Medical Marijuana Inc Announces First National Educational Expo

Medical Marijuana Inc (PINKSHEETS: MJNA) is proud to announce the launch of its first National Educational Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Theatre Room on January 16 & 17, 2010. Featured prominent industry experts and celebrities include the former NORML Director and current CFO of Cannabis Science, and the founder, editor, & publisher of Marijuana News, Richard Cowan; and Medical Marijuana Inc Chairman, Bruce Perlowin. Special guest speaker and long suffering marijuana defendant, Robert Platshorn, author of "The Tuna Diaries" (featured in "The 35 Year Anniversary Issue of High Times Magazine") will regale you with tales of smuggling, federal court trial and "doing hard time" (3 decades in prison). Bobby's post release commitment to changing public opinion through education and information is engaging. Interact with The Executive Officers of MJNA, including the Director of Investor Relations, who will be present and available for consultation.

Complete announcement is here:

Medical Marijuana Incorporated Unveils a Sampling of Its All Star Cast of Industry Speakers to Appear at Upcoming National Educational Expo in the Los Angeles Convention Center

Education site links to pro-marijuana page - wanna buy some feminized cannabis seeds?

I was doing some more online research today, looking for something that might interest the two people who read this blog. I have a few Google Alerts set up so that any news from the cannabis front gets to me sooner than I could search for it. The information/horse do-do ratio is pretty good, but every now and again a gem comes along that begs to be brought to the attention of all (yes, you two sitting there).

The website is called 'Education Review; all about Education'.

The Statistics You Didn't Know About Cannabis is the title of the article. It caught my attention as I read it mainly because of its *lack* of statistics. In fact, it read like a number of anti-pot articles I've seen over the years...stuff like this:

Marijuana has the same effects as smoking tobacco such as respiratory problems, phlegm production, lung infections etc. Perhaps even more as normally, the smoke is held longer compared to the puff in and puff out habitual smoking on regular cigars or cigarettes.

Ok, so I thought to myself that this looks familiar and did a little plagiarism check. The links weren't much, but then I decided to see exactly who the 'author' claimed to be.

The credit looks like this:

The Statistics That You Did Not Know About Cannabis

Specialist writer in the subject of cannabis. For more information visit http://www.lowryder-2.co.uk/.

Lowryder is definitely a specialist..

I should clarify that the education website is owned by 'Aus Business Review'. The submission process for articles is unmonitored and the service is free. I guess it's a valid way to sell pot seeds if you can find a willing audience.

Marijuana, Jazz, Opium Addiction and Time Magazine

I was doing a little research not long ago and got into one of those link clicking zones. You know, when you find a link and read a bit, then see a link on that page that leads to something even more interesting, til eventually you see something really, *really* interesting....

...like this article from Time magazine dated July 19, 1943.

Music: The Weed

 So, what did Time magazine say of pot back then? Here are a few snippets that might prompt you to read the full article:

So, how did you score back in the forties?

In most U. S. cities the marijuana salesman peddles his cigarets to known clients in public places. He is known to his clients as a "pusher." His clients are known as "vipers." Etiquette between pushers and vipers is necessarily delicate. When he wants to buy, the viper sidles up to the pusher and inquires "Are ya stickin'?" or "Are ya layin' down the hustle?" If the answer is affirmative, the viper says, "Gimme an ace" (meaning one reefer), "a deuce" (meaning two), or "a deck" (meaning a large number). The viper may then quietly "blast the weed" (smoke). Two or three long puffs usually suffice after a while to produce a light jag. The smoker is then said to be "high" or "floating." When he has smoked a reefer down to a half-inch butt, he carefully conserves it in an empty match box. In this condition it is known, in Mexican, as a chicharra, or in English, as a "roach."

 ...and what of the dangers of being a pot head?

Because of its non-habit-forming character, doctors have recently been experimenting with the drug as an aid in curing opium addiction. In the world of hot jazz, marijuana's relatively benign effects are attested by long experience. Lushes often die young from cirrhosis of the liver or apoplexy, often spend their final days in delirium tremens. But vipers frequently live on to enjoy old age. In You Rascal You, a viper addresses an imaginary lush : "I'll be standing on the corner high when they bring your body by."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,777874-2,00.html