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fegmaniax-digest        Wednesday, May 21 2008        Volume 16 : Number 607



                               Today's Subjects:
                               -----------------
  Re: crossing two threads.          ["kevin studyvin" <kstudyvin@gmail.com>]
  RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?  ["Stacked Crooked" <etews@inw]
  Re: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?  [Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.c]
  Re: crossing two threads.   ["Laura Golias" <gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>]
  Re: crossing two threads.                 [Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>]
  RE: crossing two threads.  ["Bachman, Michael" <Michael.Bachman@fanucrobot]
  Israel, copyeditors (though not Israeli copyeditors)  ["Benjamin Lukoff" <]
  RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?  ["Stacked Crooked" <etews@inw]
  RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?  ["Stacked Crooked" <etews@inw]
  Re: crossing two threads        [Michael Sweeney <m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com>]
  Band name of the moment!               ["Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>]
  Band name of the moment!               ["Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>]
  Re: crossing two threads.                   [2fs <jeffreyw2fs.j@gmail.com>]
  Re: crossing two threads    ["Laura Golias" <gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>]
  Re: Band name of the moment!                [2fs <jeffreyw2fs.j@gmail.com>]
  Re: the ongoing local crisis              [Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>]
  Re: crossing two threads           ["kevin studyvin" <kstudyvin@gmail.com>]
  Re: the ongoing local crisis    [Michael Sweeney <m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com>]
  Re: sickyboy 7" (plus radio question)          [Tom Clark <tclark@mac.com>]
  From a Browncoats posting - Tonight Live in San Jose  [Carrie Galbraith <m]
  Re: Band name of the moment!    [Carrie Galbraith <meketone@ix.netcom.com>]
  GOLDMINE REVIEW  Robyn Hitchcock I Wanna Go Backwards Yep Roc (Yep 2610) 5 CDs   [HwyCDRrev]
  RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?  ["Marc Alberts" <malberts1@ea]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 08:32:34 -0700
From: "kevin studyvin" <kstudyvin@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads.

> You could also try it with album titles.  "Snakes! Tarantula" and "Snakes
> for Sofia" would be pretty good, but you'd just have to love "Snakes Snake
> Diamond Role".
>

Or --

Snakes On Blonde
Snakes Island Baby
Snakes Of Troy
Snakes Buy a Thrill
Snakes Yerbouti
Snakes, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Snakes Don't Fail Me Now

ad nauseam.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 08:36:35 -0700
From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
Subject: RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?

<Some of these are considered crimes against humanity, but nuclear first
strikes are not to my knowledge included as a crime against humanity in any
international treaty.>

it'd be a violation of the geneva conventions' prohibition against attacks
upon civilians.  *perhaps* the use of so-called "bunker-busters" (AKA
"useable" nukes) wouldn't be, if there would truly be no civilian
casualties or ecological effects.  highly doubtful that this is the case, i
should think.


<On the other hand, Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, and as such has agreed that they will not build or attempt to
acquire the technology to build nuclear weapons.  In 2006, they were found
by the UN Security Council to be in violation of Article II of the NNPT and
they were ordered to stop their enrichment activities.>

iran has never been in violation of the NPT.
<URL:http://tinyurl.com/4mdslx>.  of course, it's argued that the iranians
are outwitting the inspectors -- but i think that everybody (not including
the mainstream media, natch) has at the least learned to not trust the
cheney-ites more than it trusts the inspectors.


<So in other words, war could be (hasn't yet been) justified as a means of
enforcing the UN order just like Operation Desert Storm was legally
justified in 1990 after the invasion of Kuwait.>

it looks like, in both cases here, you mean "authorised" rather than
"justified"?  otherwise, i'm having difficulty parsing this sentence.


<Actually, no--those crimes you list above were established as part of the
International Criminal Court as being officially war crimes.  Nuclear first
strike, however, was not and I doubt it would ever be.>

*any* first-strike (unless authorised by the security council) -- nuclear-
or non- -- is not only defined as a war crime, it's defined as *the supreme
war crime*, from which all others spring.  indeed, it's considered the
*single most egregious* violation of international law.


<I don't believe Pelosi in this case is suggesting the "turn Iran into a
parking lot" use of mass nuclear attacks against civilian populations,
which is considered beyond the pale by the ICC, so we need to distinguish
this before we jump up and down assuming that any use of nukes must, by
definition, be a
crime against humanity.>

hell, i didn't think she was even referring to a nuclear strike at all --
although i can see how one would read it that way, given the similarity to
language that the bush administration has used.

anyway, <URL:http://www.cindyforcongress.org/>.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 08:55:48 -0700
From: Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?

On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 8:36 AM, Stacked Crooked <etews@inwa.net> wrote:

> <Some of these are considered crimes against humanity, but nuclear first
> strikes are not to my knowledge included as a crime against humanity in any
> international treaty.>
>
> it'd be a violation of the geneva conventions' prohibition against attacks
> upon civilians.


I seem to be more and more preoccupied each year with what's going on in the
average person's mind about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.  It seems
pretty clear that at some point a majority of humans will come to believe
that they, erm, weren't that cool of a thing to do... I'm just curious as to
how and when that will be articulated (cf. slavery).

np. Charlotte Hatherley, "Snakes Will Fade"

- -Rex

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 10:55:01 -0400
From: "Laura Golias" <gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads.

While that is awesome, I discovered that "Zombies" works just as well.
Zombies at Tiffany's
Zombies In The Mist
Wellm okay, maybe it doesn't work as well as snakes, but I don't like 
snakes.
I do have a bit of an obsession with zombies.
I think all movies would be better with zombies.
Imagine the possibilities..........Titanic, Dances With Wolves, Forrest 
Gump.........I probably would have actually liked those if there were 
zombies.
Laura "Zombie" Golias
gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net

> Re: The Michael Moore game
>
> Well, that';s OK if you haven't had a former political leader called 
> Michael Moore (thankfully he's usually known as Mike).
>
> However, given the recent talk of serpents as in a certain song's lyrics, 
> perhaps you may be intrigued by a pointless buut fun game for long car 
> journeys .
>
> A year or so back, I went into a video store where I found two rather 
> bored salespeople playing "Snakes". One of them had been thinking about 
> the movie title "Snakes on a plane" and realised that loads of movie 
> titles could be improved by replacing the first word with "Snakes".
>
> Some example titles included:
>
> Snakes with the wind
> Snakes of the Caribbean
> Snakes, actually
> Snakes in love
> Snakes of New York
> Snakes on a hot tin roof
> and, of course, Snakes like it hot
>
> James

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 09:39:25 -0700
From: Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads.

On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 7:55 AM, Laura Golias <gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>
wrote:

> While that is awesome, I discovered that "Zombies" works just as well.
> Zombies at Tiffany's
> Zombies In The Mist
> Wellm okay, maybe it doesn't work as well as snakes, but I don't like
> snakes.


Zombies vs. Ninjas vs. Pirates: Who Would Win?

I think that in any scenario other than a naval engagement, the pirates get
creamed.  Zombies would just keep coming no matter how many musket balls or
cutlass swings any pirate could reasonably accomplish before the zombie got
to his delicious brain.  Ninjas, however, are faster, so they might have
time to slice the slow-moving zombie into component parts too small to have
the ability to move on their own in any meaningful fashion.  But that's
only sword-ninjas... the ones with just those wussy throwing stars would be
pretty much screwed.  The ultimate winners would therefore, naturally, be
snakes.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 13:00:54 -0400
From: "Bachman, Michael" <Michael.Bachman@fanucrobotics.com>
Subject: RE: crossing two threads.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-fegmaniax@smoe.org [mailto:owner-fegmaniax@smoe.org] On
Behalf Of kevin studyvin
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:09 PM
To: michael wells
Cc: grutness@slingshot.co.nz; fegmaniax@smoe.org
Subject: Re: crossing two threads.

On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 9:01 PM, michael wells <braneout@earthlink.net>
wrote:

> > >title "Snakes on a plane" and realised that loads of movie titles 
> > could
> >be
> >improved
> >
> >Uh oh...
> >
> >The Snakes Witch Project
> >Snake Hand Luke
> >Snakes Having a Baby
> >A Snake at the Opera
> >Snaking the Monkey
>> 

>Snakes Of Wrath!

The Maltese Snake
Reservoir Snakes
The Snakes of War
A Man Called Snake
All Snakes Go To Heaven!

Michael B.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 10:18:58 -0700
From: "Benjamin Lukoff" <blukoff@alvord.com>
Subject: Israel, copyeditors (though not Israeli copyeditors)

> From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
> ~ suggesting that iran is a greater threat to the region than are the
> united states and israel immediately disqualifies pelosi from being taken
> seriously.
>
This is probably a dumb question to be asking of you, but how exactly is
Israel a threat to the region?


> From: Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>
>
> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 6:03 PM, gaseous clay <woj@smoe.org> wrote:
>
> > *Robyn Hitchcock to release 2nd in series of career documenting box
> > sets, out August 5th*
> >
> > The second in a series of Robyn Hitchcock retrospective box sets from
> > Yep Roc,
>
> Two references to this being part of a series... that seems to imply this
> isn't the last one.  Has there been some kind of breakthrough on the A&M
> front?
>
> (Or is it perfectly okay to be "second in a series of two"?  Either way,
> Yep
> Roc's copy editor still needs an assistant or something.)
>
I think a series requires at least three entries.
But what makes you think Yep Roc has a copyeditor at all?! :|

- --Ben, a copyeditor

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:51:59 -0700
From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
Subject: RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?

<iran has never been in violation of the NPT.>

wanted to clarify that while iran has never been in violation of the NPT;
the united states, pakistan, and india (and others) not only are currently
in violation, but have been for years...yet there have not been any
security council resolutions demanding their compliance.  (gee, wonder how
that could happen?)

israel, while in violation, is not a signatory.  huhn, this gives rise to a
most obvious resolution to the iran "crisis": iran needs must only withdraw
from the NPT, at which point the security council resolution would of
course be withdrawn as well, and the "crisis" would be at an end.  right?

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:51:59 -0700
From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
Subject: RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?

<iran has never been in violation of the NPT.>

wanted to clarify that while iran has never been in violation of the NPT;
the united states, pakistan, and india (and others) not only are currently
in violation, but have been for years...yet there have not been any
security council resolutions demanding their compliance.  (gee, wonder how
that could happen?)

israel, while in violation, is not a signatory.  huhn, this gives rise to a
most obvious resolution to the iran "crisis": iran needs must only withdraw
from the NPT, at which point the security council resolution would of
course be withdrawn as well, and the "crisis" would be at an end.  right?

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 19:01:44 +0000
From: Michael Sweeney <m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads

>A Snake at the Opera

...Even better:

Snake Night at the Opera


Also...

Snakes From New York
Snakes to the Future
Friday Night Snakes
Snake's Choice
Snakes of the Lost Ark
Snakes by Northwest
Snakes Almighty
Snake Times at Ridgemont High

...and, of course...

The Fabulous Snaker Boys


Michael "Also ducking" Sweeney
_________________________________________________________________
Give to a good cause with every e-mail. Join the im Initiative from
Microsoft.
http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join/Default.aspx?souce=EML_WL_ GoodCause

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 12:10:52 -0700
From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
Subject: Band name of the moment!

well, should-be, that is.  from
<URL:http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504035.html>: "Blanket
Of Vog"!!!  is that the fucking should-be band-name of all-time, or what???

er, and at the risk of making myself look even stoopider than i made myself
look with "verdigris", "vog" is *another* word i'd never encountered until
now...

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 12:10:52 -0700
From: "Stacked Crooked" <etews@inwa.net>
Subject: Band name of the moment!

well, should-be, that is.  from
<URL:http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504035.html>: "Blanket
Of Vog"!!!  is that the fucking should-be band-name of all-time, or what???

er, and at the risk of making myself look even stoopider than i made myself
look with "verdigris", "vog" is *another* word i'd never encountered until
now...

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:25:53 -0500
From: 2fs <jeffreyw2fs.j@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads.

On 5/21/08, Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 7:55 AM, Laura Golias <
> gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>
> > While that is awesome, I discovered that "Zombies" works just as well.
> > Zombies at Tiffany's
> > Zombies In The Mist
>
> Zombies vs. Ninjas vs. Pirates: Who Would Win?


I think this has potential to be a classic tripartite undecidability matrix.

Whuh-huh? Y'know - like rock/paper/scissors.

Zombies beat Ninjas cuz they can't be killed by throwing stars, numchucks,
and the like...but lose to Pirates because Pirates have swords. Ninjas beat
pirates because they're stealthier than pirates (but lost to zombies). Etc.

If you don't believe me I'll build a diamond scissors and cut your rock in
two, or obliterate your paper with a rock by means of friction and a rough,
hard surface. Look: if my ZNP trio is arbitrary, surely "paper covers rock"
is the lamest kind of "beating" ever. I mean, c'mon - it's not as if rocks
are parrots and, thinking it's night-time, will then fall asleep, allowing
you to smother them or something. And if paper can cover a rock, why pray
tell can it not cover a scissors...so long as the paper sneaks up all
quiet-like on the scissors and catches it unaware.


- -- 

...Jeff Norman

The Architectural Dance Society
http://spanghew.blogspot.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:25:25 -0400
From: "Laura Golias" <gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads

3 Snakes And A Baby.
(sounds better than 3 Men And A Snake)
Snake Wars
That's all I have for now.
Laura Golias
gruntydawarthawg@verizon.net



> >A Snake at the Opera
>
> ...Even better:
>
> Snake Night at the Opera
>
>
> Also...
>
> Snakes From New York
> Snakes to the Future
> Friday Night Snakes
> Snake's Choice
> Snakes of the Lost Ark
> Snakes by Northwest
> Snakes Almighty
> Snake Times at Ridgemont High
>
> ...and, of course...
>
> The Fabulous Snaker Boys
>
>
> Michael "Also ducking" Sweeney
> _________________________________________________________________
> Give to a good cause with every e-mail. Join the im Initiative from
> Microsoft.
> http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join/Default.aspx?souce=EML_WL_ GoodCause 

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:28:06 -0500
From: 2fs <jeffreyw2fs.j@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Band name of the moment!

QQF "vog"?

On 5/21/08, Stacked Crooked <etews@inwa.net> wrote:
>
> well, should-be, that is.  from
> <URL:http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504035.html>: "Blanket
> Of Vog"!!!  is that the fucking should-be band-name of all-time, or what???
>
> er, and at the risk of making myself look even stoopider than i made myself
> look with "verdigris", "vog" is *another* word i'd never encountered until
> now...
>



- -- 

...Jeff Norman

The Architectural Dance Society
http://spanghew.blogspot.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 13:38:43 -0700
From: Rex <spottedeagleray@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: the ongoing local crisis

To add a little work-related randomness to the process, here are the titles
that have crossed my desk today, inna snakes stylee:

Snakes from the Darkside
Snakes of Dorian Grey
Snakes Dracula
Snakes Trek Generations
Snakes Neutron: Boy Genius
Snakes Sky
Snakes to Black
Snakes Dearest
Snakes of the Body Snatchers
Snakes Commandments

... and several different films called just plain Snakes.

I'm not sure what to do about titles starting with "The" or "A".  It doesn't
seem right to transform the simple article into "Snakes" ("Snakes
Untouchables"), but I also don't like keeping the article and subbing in the
"Snakes" for the second word.  It wasn't "The Snakes on a Plane", so "The
Snakes Who Fell to Earth" looks just slightly off-mission to me.

- -Rex

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 13:42:52 -0700
From: "kevin studyvin" <kstudyvin@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: crossing two threads

>> The Fabulous Snaker Boys
>>
>>
That may be the funniest one so far.  Also I thought of another album title
- - the Beatles' first masterpiece, Rubber Snakes.

Off to physical therapy now - ouch.


np Jackson Browne, Late For the Snakes

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 20:57:31 +0000
From: Michael Sweeney <m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: the ongoing local crisis

...When my GF Corinne heard of our most recent shenanigans, she wished to
add:

Snakes the Clown
Snakes: Rattle and Hum


...and I wanted to add (from the world of football nicknames):

Snakes "The Snake" Stabler


Michael "N.P.  Roxy Music, 'Snakes Plain' -- ha!" Sweeney
_________________________________________________________________
Keep your kids safer online with Windows Live Family Safety.
http://www.windowslive.com/family_safety/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refr
esh_family_safety_052008

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 14:21:38 -0700
From: Tom Clark <tclark@mac.com>
Subject: Re: sickyboy 7" (plus radio question)

On May 13, 2008, at 10:38 AM, JBJ wrote:

> I played this on my new radio show yesterday morning, and made sure  
> to burn a disc so I could isolate it and make an mp3 out of it.  
> Eddie, I'll make a flac for you at another time, when I can actually  
> clean the vinyl first and use a needle that I know the history of.  
> Cuz at KBOO yesterday, I saw the needle, and the damage done! (pun  
> totally intended)
>
> http://www.tuthorse.net/sickyboy.mp3
>
> I'm curious how many fegs either have had or currently have radio  
> shows. Given the breadth and depth of musical knowledge so visible  
> on this list, I'm guessing there's quite a few.

I just wanted to put in a plug for JBJ's radio show.  I've been  
listening to Monday morning's edition all week and its been great.   
Extra points for the Malkmus track!

- -tc

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:49:15 -0700
From: Carrie Galbraith <meketone@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: From a Browncoats posting - Tonight Live in San Jose

Just posted on the SF Browncoats group:
On WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MAY 21st, Christian Kane will be playing live in
SAN JOSE, CA at RODEO CLUB. This is a KRTY Listener Event. Christian
will join Jimmy Wayne and David Nail for this event. Brian Nutter (of
Keith Urbanbs band) will be supporting Christian on guitar and
vocals. - 18 and over only. - Info at The Rodeo Club
(www.therodeoclub.com) or call KRTY at (408) 575-KRTY (5789). You can
print out FREE tickets at www.ktry.com or they are $10 at the door.

This is Christian Kane (from Angel) and he is doing a tour from SF to
LA.
Link to radio shows he is doing in CA:
<http://whedonesque.com/comments/16406#more>

- - c
np - Leonard Cohen, Ten New Snakes


**************************************
Questions are a burden for others.
Answers are a prison for oneself.
**************************************

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:58:45 -0700
From: Carrie Galbraith <meketone@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Band name of the moment!

On May 21, 2008, at 12:10 PM, Stacked Crooked wrote:
<URL:http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504035.html>:  
"Blanket
Of Vog"!!!  is that the fucking should-be band-name of all-time, or  
what???

er, and at the risk of making myself look even stoopider than i made  
myself
look with "verdigris", "vog" is *another* word i'd never encountered  
until
now...


And why would you if you never visited or lived in Hawaii? Or on Maui  
in particular, who get the brunt of it.

I'm not at all certain what it is called elsewhere but it always  
seemed like a "local" term in the islands. The one year I lived in  
Lahaina we dealt with the double-whammy of vog and, during certain  
times of the year, the heavy ash-fall from the burning of the sugar  
cane (although I doubt they have the sugar cane problems anymore -  
it's all big houses and condos now). On Oahu where I lived about 10  
months, the worst we dealt with (on the Honolulu side) was the  
occasional Tsunami warning from earthquakes in Japan.
- - c


- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
- ------------
"A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is strong enough to take everything you have." Thomas Jefferson
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
- ------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 21:09:14 EDT
From: HwyCDRrev@aol.com
Subject: GOLDMINE REVIEW  Robyn Hitchcock I Wanna Go Backwards Yep Roc (Yep 2610) 5 CDs 

GOLDMINE REVIEW  
Robyn Hitchcock
I Wanna Go Backwards
Yep Roc (Yep 2610) 5  CDs
Grade:  ****
http://www.goldminemag.com/article/Reviews_Chuck_Berry_King_Crimson_Robyn_Hitc
hcock/

No  one can ever accuse Robyn Hitchcock of being anything less that an 
unrepentant  over-achiever. All the evidence needed comes courtesy of I Wanna Go 
Backwards,  an ambitious five-disc box set that retraces three of Hitchcockbs 
earliest  albums and tacks on a generous array of bonus tracks in the process, 
not to  mention an additional double disc of rarities and outtakes exclusive to 
this  collection.

Being the first phase in yet another overhaul of Hitchcockbs  catalog, it 
forces ardent Hitchcock completists to ponder the possibility of  acquiring 
further editions of albums they may already own in order to obtain  nearly two 
dozen otherwise-unobtainable gems.

Despite the replication,  itbs ultimately worth the investment, given the 
opportunity to sample more of  the quirkiness so essential to Hitchcockbs DNA. 
Black Snake Diamond Role sets  the standard, a brash combination of tuneful 
melodies (first track, bThe Man Who  Invented Himselfb provides an apt, upbeat 
introduction), arched psychedelia and  inexplicable weirdness. As Hitchcockbs 
maiden excursion following the  dissolution of The Soft Boys, it varies little 
from the jangly retro pop at the  core of that bandbs signature sound. Kinetic 
rockers like bMeatb and bI Watch  The Carsb keep things grounded b sort of, 
anyway b while the eight add-ons  nearly double the length of the original 
disc. 

Theybre a varied bunch, from the evocative imagery evoked by bIt Was  The 
Nightb and the lazy back-porch ballad bGive Me A Spanner Ralphb to the  strange 
storybook narrative bHappy The Golden Princeb and the groovy bGrooving  On A 
Inner Plane.b The latter, a nascent attempt at rap and hip hop, clearly  
shows that while he gave due homage to predecessors like Syd Barrett, John  Lennon 
and Captain Beefheart, Hitchcock was also b in his odd, eccentric and  
unlikely way b clearly ahead of his time. 

Hitchcock also may have been  something of a seer when he unleashed his 
initial acoustic set, I Often Dream Of  Trains. Recorded almost entirely solo, it 
qualifies as one of the first of what  would later be deemed bunpluggedb 
offerings. Yet, despite its sparse trappings,  itbs seeped in imagery and invention 
thatbs both surreal and sublime, a bizarre  blend of Syd Barrett and Nick 
Drake peering through a stark, spooky ambiance.  

Hitchcock didnbt let the lack of instrumental accoutrement limit his  
parameters; songs like bSometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girlb evoked a vision of  
masturbatory delights, while the psycho-babble encrypted in bUncorrected  
Personality Traitsb and bFurry Green Atom Bowlb further affirmed his penchant  for 
wacky rumination. Far more effective, at least in terms of mingling melody  
with mayhem, are bSounds Great When Youbre Dead,b an exceptional acoustic  
rocker, and bTrams Of Old London,b a song thatbs part tribute, part travelog  
that also finds him waxing reflectively on his hometown. Already an ample  
package in its original format, an additional 10 tracks, all in acoustic mode  and 
representing varying degrees of merit and strangeness, bring Trainbs count  up 
to a hefty two-dozen entries.  

Released nearly five years later,  Eye was an apt sequel to Trains, similarly 
solo and equally obtuse. More so than  before, 
therebs a demo-like quality to the set, a feeling that these were  sketches 
for songs that were destined to be fully framed at some point later on.  
Naturally, it was teeming with enticing melodies; the stately instrumental  bChinese 
Water Python,b the lonely, nostalgic bLinctus Howeb and the soothing  b
Queen Elvis IIb again attest to Hitchcockbs gift of caress. However, he also  
showed his willingness to plunge headfirst into allegory, as evidenced by the  
historical discourse, bCynthia Markb (a pointed barb denouncing Britainbs  
attempts to appease Hitler) and his further fascination with transgender desire  
and the trappings of fame via bQueen Elvis.b

Edging away from his oddball  stance, the earnestly strummed bBeautiful Girl,b
 a dire bCenturyb and the  gorgeous ballad bThe Beauty of Earlbs Courtb 
suggest a more sobering stance and  the sense that Hitchcock was ready to assume 
a headier poise. 

It speaks  volumes that a good portion of the rarities set is easily as 
impressive as the  tracks tapped for the actual albums. Indeed, the bonus double 
disc, pointedly  titled When Thatcher Mauled Britain, boasts not only a stunning 
amount of extras  and add-ons but several worthy keepers as well. 
Interspersed among the usual  wacky interludes are lovely ballads like bBirdsheadb and b
Raymond Chandler  Evening,b a modest little rocker bCaptain Dryb and a 
radiant alternative take on  bQueen Elvis.b However, in Hitchcockbs hands, even a 
straight blues ramble can  convey insurgent intentions. bIf I was a hairless 
spinster covered in festering  boils/Would you make love to me or would you 
recoil?b he croons convincingly on  bI Got A Message For You.b Although 
instrumentally unadorned, When Thatcher  Mauled Britain makes an ideal companion piece 
to You & Oblivion, the Rhino  rarities disc that previewed some of these same 
selections.  

In  addition to the bounty of music b well more than 100 songs in total, half 
of  them bonus tracks b the packaging is a plus. Reconfigured as digipacks, 
the  albums fit snugly in a slender box that saves space on the shelves and 
condenses  the collection (The reissues of the original albums also are available 
 separately).  Hitchcockbs occasional liner notes provide historical  
context, but the lack of consistent track-by-track detail and analysis will  leave 
even the most ardent Hitchcock scholar bewildered as to origin and  
circumstance. However thatbs an incidental detail; Hitchcockbs prolific prowess  makes I 
Wanna Go Backwards all the more reason to look ahead.  www.yeproc.com

b Lee Zimmerman
 



**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with 
Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.      
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 18:46:19 -0700
From: "Marc Alberts" <malberts1@earthlink.net>
Subject: RE: Er, can you say, "FUCK THE DEMOCRATS!"?

> <iran has never been in violation of the NPT.>

First, this is not correct.  Evading the IAEA is a violation of the NNPT.
Your blogger source disagrees with other groups, such as the Federation of
American Scientists, the group responsible in the US for probably the best
non-partisan analysis of nuclear weapons issues.  In June and November of
2003, for example, the IAEA publicly reported that Iran was in violation,
and as the NNPT states that the IAEA is the responsible body for determining
compliance that means that Iran was in violation.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/nuke/

Most reasonable people would conclude that if "corrective actions" were
required in order to comply with a law that, prosecuted or simply warned,
the law was broken.  In the case of Iran, the "corrective actions" that took
place required Iran to agree to special extra-treaty investigation
procedures stricter than what other countries have to do, and they have
violated those protocols as well, which allows your blogger to state that
they haven't violated the treaty but merely haven't complied with the
additional protocols.  This is pure sophistry, as the reason those protocols
were enacted (and, by the way, evading IAEA investigators in the first place
is a violation of the NNPT.  Check Article III, Paragraph 1, which states
the verification requirement) was because Iran was determined to have
violations in the first place.


> 
> wanted to clarify that while iran has never been in violation of the
> NPT;
> the united states, pakistan, and india (and others) not only are
> currently
> in violation, but have been for years...yet there have not been any
> security council resolutions demanding their compliance.  (gee, wonder
> how
> that could happen?)

I have never seen any sane analysis that suggests the US is in violation in
the sense that the IAEA has made that determination.  I have seen screeds
that suggest that the US is in violation of Article VI, which states:

"Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good
faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race
at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and
complete disarmament under strict and effective international control."

The US engaged in SALT and other treaties in good faith very soon after the
ratification of the NNPT, and has had ongoing talks for decades on
disarmament.  The sticking point has always been that the other weapons
parties tend to not want the same verification standards required for
"strict and effective international control" that the US wants and vice
versa, which means that none of the sides can agree to the new treaty terms.
Talks are essentially perpetual, but haven't made real progress for quite a
while (I'm thinking the Clinton first term, but I would have to look it up
and don't have time).

There have been other, more sensible objections of US policy in terms of
NATO sharing of nuclear weapons, but as those weapons remain 100% in US
control with the intention that they would only be transferred to the other
party (say, Belgium) in the case of nuclear war, in which case the NNPT
wouldn't hold.  

I'm not sure how India and Pakistan can be in violation of the treaty,
though--they're not signatories just as Israel is not (which you duly note
below).


> 
> israel, while in violation, is not a signatory.  huhn, this gives rise
> to a
> most obvious resolution to the iran "crisis": iran needs must only
> withdraw
> from the NPT, at which point the security council resolution would of
> course be withdrawn as well, and the "crisis" would be at an end.
> right?

Yup.  Here is what the treaty says (Article X, Paragraph 1):

"Each Party shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to
withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to
the subject matter of this Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of
its country. It shall give notice of such withdrawal to all other Parties to
the Treaty and to the United Nations Security Council three months in
advance. Such notice shall include a statement of the extraordinary events
it regards as having jeopardized its supreme interests."

I'm not sure why Iran doesn't withdraw, personally.  My guess is that there
are other trade agreements tied o the NNPT that encourage countries to
withdraw only when they are more advanced and ready to actually do test
detonations.

Marc

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