A Thousand Words

Welcome back to "A Thousand Words," my new OT in which I post a picture of something I'd like to see more of in the world, because, well, you know what a picture's worth. Smile

I'd also like any of you who have a picture of something you want to see more of in the world to share it. The folks on this site spend a lot of time staring at what we don't want. While resisting denial, known errors, and lies is the duty of every intelligent man--as George Orwell famously said:

"We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”
--George Orwell

nonetheless, I think we could all use some more positivity about now. Perhaps we should remind ourselves of what we want to see: the products of our political imaginations rather than those of a bunch of corrupt psychopaths.

Last week, my picture was of the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) sharing a laugh with John Lee Hooker on Maxwell St. in Chicago--back before Maxwell St was gentrified.

My picture for this week:

joni_mitchell.png

This is a picture of Joni Mitchell leaning out the window of her house in Laurel Canyon. The photo was taken by Henry Diltz, a folk musician and rock photographer you can find here: https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/photographers/HZF6ag/Henry-Diltz. The photograph was taken in 1970, a few months before Joni Mitchell's superhit album Blue was released. Seeing the photo apparently inspired Graham Nash to write the song "Our House:"

Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you.

While I love Nash's unabashedly sweet celebration of their domestic happiness, what I like even better is Joni Mitchell's song. She wrote, not in celebration particularly of their house, but of everything that was happening in Laurel Canyon. What was happening? Well, an amazing assortment of musicians and artists had gathered there, as Joni records in her song "Ladies of the Canyon:"

Here's what Wikipedia has to say.

Laurel Canyon became a nexus of counterculture activity and attitudes in the mid-late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming famous as home to many of L.A.'s rock musicians, such as Joni Mitchell; Frank Zappa; Jim Morrison of The Doors; Carole King; The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; Canned Heat; John Mayall; members of the band The Eagles; the band Love; Neil Young; Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys as well as James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson;[38] and Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork of The Monkees. Tork's home was considered one of Laurel Canyon's biggest party houses with all-night, drug-fueled sleepovers, well attended by the hippest musicians and movie stars of the era.[26][39][40]

John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas took inspiration from their home in Laurel Canyon for the song "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)”, released in 1967. The following year, blues artist John Mayall recorded and released the album Blues from Laurel Canyon based on his experiences during a vacation that he spent in the Canyon.

Perhaps most famously, the area and its denizens served as inspiration for Joni Mitchell's third album, Ladies of the Canyon, released in 1970. The house she lived in was immortalized in the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, "Our House" (1970), written by her then-lover Graham Nash. The group is reputed to have first sung together in Mitchell's living room.[41]

Why do I like this photo? Well, it's not just because I wish it were 1970. I love the joy in Mitchell's face, something that is reflected in her song "Ladies of the Canyon;" the joy of being a member of an active, honest-to-gods creative community.

Wouldn't it be nice to have something like that?

Wouldn't it be nice to live together in the kind of world where we belong?

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Comments

magiamma's picture

Thanks for the great thread.

Here’s some good news

China pledges to become carbon neutral before 2060

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/22/china-pledges-to-rea...

China is the world’s biggest emitter, and had previously committed only to aim for peak emissions in about 2030. Its response to the coronavirus crisis has included plans to build new coal-fired power stations. But last week the country held an online summit with the EU, amid signals Beijing would take a stronger climate stance.

Last week, the EU also came forward with strengthened commitments under the Paris agreement, pledging to cut emissions by 55% by 2030. China’s pledge to bring forward a strengthened national plan is a major boost to the prospects for next year’s vital UN climate summit. Called Cop26 and to be hosted by the UK, the summit has been delayed by a year to November 2021.

Take good care everyone

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Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@magiamma

What will the U.S. do when it can't blame its failure to act on Russia and China?

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

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9 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Raggedy Ann's picture

I went looking for Laurel Canyon in the 70's, found it and drove through it. Wished I could live there, at the time ~ beautiful place.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Raggedy Ann

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Glad to see you have made a place for
good thoughts on hump day...

Thanks!

Arabian-Camel.jpg

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS

It's always good to "see" you, QMS.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

ggersh's picture

Stay safe everyone

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16 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

enhydra lutris's picture

theme and column too. Particularly fond of "Our House" here because:
boss twins 1

Crowded schedule here this week, at least until either the schedule or the week is done. Odd how those things go. But it is good to see you on Wednesday, and that icture is surely an auspicious beginning.

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Lookout's picture

CSN went to woodstock. Joni was on the today show or some such MSM, and couldn't make it there because of traffic. But she wrote the best song about the event...one I love and sing.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRjQCvfcXn0]

It is time to get back to the garden. And that's what I better do. Due a rain this pm but the babies have the be babied, so I'll water.

Been to town today, oil change, recycle, gas in the car, and grocery shopping. Lovely fall here. Wish the same for all of you! 50 F this AM.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

snoopydawg's picture

Fall colors are peaking across the country in some areas while not yet even thinking of turning in others. I t'was just 18 when I got my first SLR camera that my mom's boss gave me when he got a new one. It was a Pentax ME with a 50mm lens and boy did I become hooked on photography. Just after I got it my family went camping at Christmas Meadows in the Uinta mountains where I took this picture.

Xmas Meadows.jpg

I was working at the hospital in the laboratory when an Eye Center opened across the hall from it and they needed a dark room tech to develop and print the films and so I got to develop and print my own work too. For free. I just had to buy the paper to print them. Oh what fun. The first time I printed this it came out blue because in color photography you have to subtract colors so they turn out right. Live and learn.

This year I have a few extra bucks for gas so Charlie and I are heading to the mountains tomorrow to see what's happening to the leaves. Yellow Aspen are my most favorite fall tree. If you're wondering how the leaves are peaking in your area you can look at the Fall Colors Map and see how they're doing.

Joni Mitchell's Circle Song is one of my favorite songs.
Great to see you on Weds, CTMS.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Anja Geitz's picture

My picture for today's OT is a girl climbing a tree wearing her tutu. I'd like to see more of this in the world because for me it represents a few things: the wonder of exploring, the connection between humanity and trees, and the joy of being yourself.

girl climbing tree.jpg
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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz

oh what fun to be free in the trees
Wink
lot's to explore!

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Dawn's Meta's picture

My Secret Place. So much layering and visual evocations. I read that the album, 'Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm' had a lot of duets with other well known singers/songwriters.
This one was with Peter Gabriel

[video:https://youtu.be/50tn9Es5ORU]

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A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

lotlizard's picture

it was played on this very eclectic Japanese community radio station I often listened to via the Internet in 2012–2014.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W0SDyzKK0c]

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mimi's picture

on the other side of the pond.
26910978187_467420550f_k.jpg
She is getting rusty. She broke down several times but always got up again. She looked for you folks since two decades already and all she could see from behind the bushes were .. the Bushes. But she never gave up looking ... so, I lover her, even more in her old age.

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@mimi

funny tin lady inspecting the buds
glad you keep her on her mission

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wendy davis's picture

Sounds from Around the Milky Way, •Sep 22, 2020

A new project using sonification turns astronomical images from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory and other telescopes into sound. This allows users to "listen" to the center of the Milky Way as observed in X-ray, optical, and infrared light.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N9RnmwIWbA]

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