United American Emigrates, things and rules to get bent, throwing bags of drugs against buildings, Randy Newman and fun with bigotry, 75 degrees, 45 days, Red Sox blog, no-necked oilmen from Texas
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ARE THERE 45 DAYS LEFT TO RE-EVALUATE THE PORTS DEAL? I look forward to the great changes American citizens will be going through in these 45 days as, no doubt, all Americans "will get behind their President" and realize that liking the United Arab Emigrates is "as American as apple pie."
I heard someone joking that we Americans should try to get Colombia to take over the U. S. Customs offices in Miami while we're outsourcing and out-managing parts of our national interests. Would Colombians be more likely to allow in illegal drugs? Would UAE'ers be more likely to allow in terrorists and/or their weapons? I don't think throwing bags of marijuana against buildings will do much to terrorize Americans. Bags of drugs can't hijack and usually don't blow up.
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YESTERDAY, I GAVE A LECTURE-PRESENTATION on racism in music to a group of university students. I did not know anything other than that it should last for 45 minutes (there's that 45 number again). I assumed that I should discuss white oppression of blacks in the U. S. and not discuss racism, bigotry and oppression outside of the U. S., or of other non-black minorities in the U. S. (or outside the U. S.), and not sexism inside of outside the U. S.
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I thought to divide this subject into the following ten (10) categories:
Describing the problems (Holiday, Simone, Broonzy, Wonder, etc.)
Attacking the problems (Brown, Chuck D, etc.)
Attacking the message or the messenger (Chuck D, etc.)
Songs that are extremely insensitive (Al Jolson, Luke The Drifter)
Minorities proud of their heritage (James Brown, Wonder)
Others proud of minorities (Beatles, Neil Young, Cash)
Unique Message (Bob Dylan - Only A Pawn)
Positive Message (Sly & The Family Stone, Wonder, Brown, etc.)
Coded message (Chuck Berry, Beatles, etc.)
Humor and racism (Randy Newman, Eddie Murphy)
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THE FIRST SONGS THAT CAME TO MY MIND WERE THESE (arranged alphabetically even though/because I do not conceive alphabetically, dream alphabetically or dream in black and white):
Beach Boys - Trader
Beatles - Blackbird
Chuck Berry - Brown-Eyed Handsome Man
Big Bill Broonzy - Black, Brown And White
James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud; Soul Power
Byrds- Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man
Johnny Cash - Pocahontas; The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
Bob Dylan - Oxford Town; Ballad Of Hollis Brown; The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll;
Only A Pawn In Their Game
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Mississippi John Hurt - Stack O'Lee Blues
Al Jolson - Sewanee; Mammy
Luke The Drifter (Hank Williams) - The Funeral
Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier
Milton Nascimento - Curi Curi
Randy Newman - Rednecks; Christmas In Capetown; Yellow Man
Pearl Jam - W. M. A.
Public Enemy - Fight The Power
Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam
Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People
They Might Be Giants - Your Racist Friend
Stevie Wonder - Livin' For The City; Black Man; Cash In Your Face; Happy Birthday; Conversation Peace
Neil Young- Alabama; Southern Man; Cortez The Killer; Inca Queen; Like An Inca; Pocahontas
GREAT songs, huh?
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PRPARING FOR THIS - STUDYING, LISTENING TO, WATCHING (I used a video of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," as well as some Time/Life stuff, All In The Family, and Eddie Murphy as a white man in a white world from SNL) - made me want to teach a course on this. I have taught related courses. Someday maybe I will.
I couldn't resist and had to mention songs that address problems of native North Americans, as well as Asian Americans and Indians of the Amazon (Milton Nascimento's "Curi Curi."") Whenever I set a rule, or anyone does, that rule needs to GET BENT, as does the author. Ah, "get bent" ......a phrase from high school days.
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The BOSTON GLOBE has a Red Sox blog. I'm usually one who wants to steer clear of "corporate blogs," as they seem to be incompatible, but I think I should make this exception with this Red Sox blog.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/
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TOMORROW I GET TO DO ANOTHER NOT-NORMAL TALK. (By "not-normal," I mean not part of a usual workplace activity.) This will be about originality and creativity. As with racism, I will have lots to express and am getting wound up for it right now.
TIME to hike Radnor Lake with tech podcasts. It's 75 F right now. [This has been updated because I received more accurate weather information, from my car and other local/non-Internet sources.]
http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/37064?locid=37064&from=36hr_fcstHourLink_undeclared
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CLOSING THOUGHTS/CLOSING QUOTE
RANDY NEWMAN - from "Rednecks"
"...We got no-necked oilmen from Texas
And good ol' boys from Tennessee
And college men from LSU
Went in dumb - come out dumb too
Hustlin' 'round Atlanta in their alligator shoes
Gettin' drunk every weekend at the barbecues..."
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