Open Thread - Wednesday October 7, 2015

Good Morning 99%'ers!

I have been battling a very ill computer for several days and while it is still working, I am drafting an Open Thread diary. I often draft up the skeleton in advance and then try to add a little meat after I have the skeleton complete. However, depending on what transpires with my computer in the next two days, this may be all you see.

So what happened to my computer? Sunday morning, I accidentally knocked over a cup of tea and some splashed on the key board of my lap top. Even though I immediately cleaned it up, Most of the keyboard refuses to operate. I was able to find an old desktop keyboard which I am using to compose this. But there have been times when my computer is locking up and not allowing me to log on or to type a comment. I keep hoping this glitch will eventually "cure" itself.

Today's music is highlighting the Grammy winning bluegrass band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. Brevard, where I spend most of the year, is home base for the SCR. Woody Platt (guitar and lead singer), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Mike Ashcroft (percussion) all come from and live in Brevard. SCR was originally formed in 2000 by Platt, bass player Charles Humphrey, and banjo player Graham Sharp, while they were students at the University of North Carolina. Shortly thereafter, Mike Guggino joined the group. The original fiddler left and for a while the group rotated guest fiddlers until the current fiddler, Nicky Sanders joined the group in 2004. In 2013, the SCR added long time local musician Mike Ashworth as percussionist.

This first song is one of their earlier ones. Goodbye Bottle of Whiskey.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5cHk3GXIOY]

Here's Tell the Ones I Love.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU_qshIQtV4]

Here's new song, Radio.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5fxHzKTmPM]

This instrumental is probably my favorite SCR's song. Here is Knob Creek.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z8kM3-nyIQ]

Here is Stand and Deliver featuring banjo player, Graham Sharp on lead vocals.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ej4bZnVFWc]

The Steep Canyon Rangers regularly play with Steve Martin and it has helped put them in the national spotlight. The way this came about is interesting and it has to do with fishing. Woody Platt is an avid fly fisherman. Several years ago, Martin met the band through his wife, writer Anne Stringfield who had met Woody Platt many years earlier when he acted as a fly fishing guide for her family when they vacationed in the Brevard area.

Fast forward a number of years and the Steep Canyon Rangers are a solid musical group. Steve Martin and his wife were vacationing here and through his wife, they invited Woody Platt and Mike Guggino to dinner and asked that they bring their musical instruments. After dinner, they had an informal jam session. And that is how Steve Martin came to regularly play with the Steep Canyon Rangers. Martin is no slouch on the banjo either. He really loves the instrument. Now he and his wife own a home in the Brevard area, so he is here often. Steve Martin recently appeared with the SRC at their annual fundraiser for the local boys and girls clubs, the Mountain Song Festival, which is held every September here in Brevard.

Here is The Crow featuring Steve Martin, Sam Bush, the McCourys, and the awesome Bela Fleck. Sadly, the sound on this one was not good. But I could not pass up an video with Bela Fleck in it.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lLOQ9Y9hwM]

Here is another collaboration with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Pretty Little One.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lFMK3UIa74]

Finally, another beautiful instrumental written by Mike Guggino who also wrote Knob Creek. This one is Graveyard Fields named after an area on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dykymXx0Csc]

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gulfgal98's picture

to do a morning walk. I am late today.

Hope to see some action here when I get back.

Have a great day! Biggrin

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

lotlizard's picture

Hello everybody! Aloooooha! Guten Morgen bzw. Guten Tag (4:30 pm in Central Europe)

(Imagine a cat face emoji and a hibiscus emoji here)
=^..^=
(Trying to use real emoji produces what looksl like a database error. Red box with debugging info in red type; then: "The website got an unexpected error. Try again later.")

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gulfgal98's picture

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

lotlizard's picture

Sunday afternoon I was able to take a walk with some friends along the beach in Noordwijk — a coastal resort town in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. Raw herring on a bun and a couple hours of sunshine and sea air did wonders.

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mimi's picture

it's already in the evening at EST, MD. My son has his lunchbreak in HI and you are hopefully having a good night sleep that fights your lung infection. Get well soon.

I think when all goes lucky today, my son doesn't have to sleep in a bunkbed hostel situation or temporary overpriced filthy places (or his truck) anymore and got his own room and bed rented. Wish me and him luck. After years of bunk bed or shared sleeping arrangement in the military, on and off in HI hostels, on the cruiseship, it's time he gets his own apt and some privacy. Wow, it would be nice if they wouldn't fire him from his job, give him a raise and let him feel like a decent human being who can manage his life on his income.

Mahalo to the Hawaiian goddess. Or whoever up there or down there, who sent him a little luck. May it last longer than a month ...

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lotlizard's picture

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enhydra lutris's picture

I report for jury duty. Meanwhile, computer has updaed and demands a reboot, so ...

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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 --

hecate's picture

Russian serial killer is rabidly rubbing his micropenis and screeching gleefully about his MIC.

Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, in a television meeting with Shoigu, said the missiles were fired from "the water of the Caspian Sea from 1,500 kilometers away."

Putin added that the strikes "destroyed all the planned targets," which he attributed to "the good preparation and the enterprises of the military-industrial complex and the good training of the personnel."

Before drones, these naval back-shootings were the most cowardly way serial killers slaughtered human beings. Just sit on a ship, push a button, then lean back and drink some coffee, while missiles speed to kill people 900 miles away.

Now, of course, with drones, the cowardly serial killers can back-shoot from 9000 miles away.

From their cockpit at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, the pilot and co-pilot are flying a pilotless Predator on a bombing mission over Afghanistan, 8,000 miles away. A forward air controller in another unmanned drone spots the target and the Predator bomber takes off under local control from Kandahar in Afghanistan. Minutes later, control of the bomber is handed over to satellite control in the cockpit at Creech.

Two hours later, the crew sees on the cockpit screen two suburban vehicles stop in front of the targeted mud-baked house. Half a dozen bearded men hurry into the dwelling that intelligence had spotted as a Taliban command post. Seconds later, the bombardier in Nevada squeezed the trigger and a 500-pound bomb flattened the Taliban dwelling with a direct hit.

Watching the action on identical screens are CIA operators at Langley, Va., who can call in last-minute course corrections.

Their eight-hour mission over, pilot and co-pilot climb into their vehicles and drive home. Thirty minutes later, they are playing with their children.

Let it bleed, Vladimir Obama. Dirty, cowardly fuck. Bleed all over the world.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnd_7H0Trk8]

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link

With industry spending cuts totaling $130 billion, the market is now improving and prices may rise in the coming months, yet the supply overhang means the current situation could last as long as two years, he said...
Oil companies worldwide will cut investments in oil exploration and production by a record 20 percent this year, which will eventually reduce or eliminate oversupply, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said....“We are about to see a pretty dramatic decline in U.S. production growth,” Papa said.
...
..The nation will pump 4 million barrels a day within a year of the end of sanctions, said Mehdi Hosseini, the chairman of Iran’s oil contracts restructuring committee. It produced 2.8 million barrels a day last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“Our baseline forecast is for $45 with a trough of $38 during the autumn,” he said Tuesday. The bank said last month that prices may even fall as low as $20. “What’s driving that trough, and what was the genesis of our $20 scenario, is essentially blowing out storage capacity,” Currie said.
U.S. crude stockpiles were already about 100 million barrels above the five-year average even after the nation’s production fell 5 percent from a peak of 9.6 million barrels a day in June. They expanded by 3 million barrels last week, adding to a gain of 4 million in the prior period, according to EIA data. Total inventories in rich industrialized countries were a record 2.9 billion barrels in July and preliminary data suggest they rose again in August, according to the IEA.
OPEC alone can’t clear this surplus because it was created by producers outside the group, El-Badri said.
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US government not talking

Edward Snowden says he's offered "many times" to go to prison in the United States as part of a deal to return from exile in Russia but is still waiting for an answer from the American government.

The former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents about top secret mass surveillance programs told the BBC in an interview he would be willing to reach a plea bargain with U.S. authorities.

"I've volunteered to go to prison with the government many times. What I won't do is I won't serve as a deterrent to people trying to do the right thing in difficult situations," Snowden said in the interview in Moscow, where he took refuge two years ago after his revelations about the scale of the NSA's snooping activities sent shock waves around the globe.

"So far, they've said they won't torture me, which is a start, I think, but we haven't gotten much further than that," he said.

Asked whether he and his lawyers were actively discussing a deal with the government, Snowden replied, "We're still waiting for them to call us back."

I wouldn't trust the 'no torture' pledge.

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lotlizard's picture

Can't you just see them deciding, "Hey, we only promised we wouldn't torture him for the national security leaks. We never promised we wouldn't torture him for having outdated toothpaste."

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gulfgal98's picture

"I've volunteered to go to prison with the government many times. What I won't do is I won't serve as a deterrent to people trying to do the right thing in difficult situations," Snowden said in the interview in Moscow

This citizen would rather see Snowden come home to a hero's welcome than go to jail.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

MarilynW's picture

if he pleads guilty, there won't be a long public trial to bankrupt his family and everyone who ever knew him will not be harassed by the government. Of course he will be tortured in any case because he will be put in solitary confinement for ages and that is acknowledged to be torture. The US government has not acknowledged that.

They would like to be able to get people like Greenwald in court too.

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To thine own self be true.

gulfgal98's picture

we are a police state now and they must make an example of him for the rest of us citizens peons.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

link

regime change in Syria has been the policy of the U.S. government as far back as 2006. Even more horrifying — after hundreds of thousands of deaths, untold lives ruined and 4 million people displaced — is the evidence that Washington has had a policy of promoting sectarian warfare in the country for the purpose of destabilizing the Assad government. A cable from the top U.S. embassy official (the chargé d’affaires) in Damascus in December 2006 offers suggestions for how Washington could exacerbate and take advantage of certain “vulnerabilities” of the government of Syria. Vulnerabilities to be exploited include “the presence of transiting Islamist extremists” and “Sunni fears of Iranian influence.”
...
The cables also show that U.S. support for efforts to overthrow the Syrian government beginning in 2011 were not a response to the Assad government’s repression of protests but rather a continuation of a years-long strategy by more directly violent means.
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[video:

]

We desperately can't afford any more Wall Street Democrats.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

my choice seems to be two or zero. Just click one. Biggrin

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

gulfgal98's picture

It is worth watching twice! Good

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

link

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday said removing President Bashar al-Assad is the top priority in Syria.

Clinton, speaking at a town hall meeting in Hollis, said the United States should pursue a diplomatic solution in resolving Syria's internal conflict.

Her comments come at a time of a growing gulf between Russia and the U.S. on the appropriate place of the Syrian President in the fight against ISIS.

War Pigs

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I suggest Hillary for the front of the line.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

lotlizard's picture

When the "moderate" rebels backed by the U.S., U.K., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, and who-knows-who else impale Assad.

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gulfgal98's picture

is really what got to me. It was really evil. I cannot believe that anyone who saw that video would vote for someone who laughs at killing people.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

joe shikspack's picture

if she can fight as well as she can screech bloody murder, then she might win the war single-handed.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

By no means is this a sensational story, but it is a very heartening one.

Wink

Photo 4, Olive Adopted After 11 Years, Yonkers Animal Shelter.jpg
[Olive, Yonkers Animal Shelter]

Here's a little fellow who's known nothing but 'kennel life' since she was a young pup, already so 'senior' that her eyes show marked signs of old-age sclerosis.

Yet, finally, someone recognized how truly special and deserving she is--giving her a 'forever home.' Something to celebrate, even if it's not spectacular.

Shelter Staff In Tears As Dog Heads To New Home — After Waiting 11 Years
By Caitlin Jill Anders, 30 September 2015

Olive was only a puppy when she came to the shelter, and no one could have known exactly how long her stay would be. . . .

Olive's journey to her new forever family began with a Facebook page. . . . She had seen Olive's story being shared and thought about her for a while before making her decision, and as the process of adopting Olive progressed, she posted updates on the page.

Olive The Dog Adoped After 11 Years, Photo 3.jpg
[Olive, Yonkers Animal Shelter]

The Yonkers Animal Shelter posted a tribute to Olive on its Facebook page, saying,

"As you can imagine it is a bitter sweet day at the shelter. While we are beyond thrilled for her, we will selfishly miss that sweet face that has been part of our lives for so long. Many tears have been shed here today, but for a change, they are happy tears."

(Punctuation added.)

Photo 5, Olive, Yonkers Animal Shelter.jpg
[Olive, Yonkers Animal Shelter]

Since arriving in her new home, . . . She's still adjusting to her new life, but every moment that Olive is there, she seems more and more comfortable.

It's as if she knows that, after way too long, she's finally where she belongs.

Happy New Beginnings, Olive!

Wink

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey, enjoyed this OT, Nancy! Quite impressed by Steve Martin's banjo picking--never knew anything about that. I'm sure that it must be fun to have him be a part of your NC community.

Hope to drop back for a 'positive' news story, later.

Below, I'll repost the FT excerpt about the Administration's 'tax reform' policy. It is pretty much self-explanatory, and depressing, IMO. Also, here's a link to the EB comment.

According to participants in closed-door meetings last week between Mr Obama and congressional Republicans, the president said he was committed to a revamp of US corporate taxes that would lower the top rate from its current level of 35 per cent, which is among the highest in the developed world.

Crucially, Mr Obama reassured Republicans that he was looking to make the effort “revenue neutral” – meaning it would be fully paid for by curbing or scrapping tax breaks, but it would not seek to hit corporations with additional revenues for deficit reduction, which the liberal wing of the Democratic party would like to see.

I share the concern of many in the Dem Party that employers--by refusing to pay a "living wage"--are passing along the costs of many social welfare programs to the taxpayer. Even unions back this position, especially when advocating for a $15 hour minimum wage.

Some of the corporatist Dem proposals are actually very conservative. For years, because I never stopped to really think about it, I thought the EITC was a great "liberal" program.

That is, until I heard a Mercatus Center Fellow--MC is a Koch-sponsored libertarian think tank at George Mason University--extol its virtues on a NPR program, and call for its expansion. Why? Because it is/has been often used in place of raising the minium wage, and it passes onto the greater society (taxpayer) the responsibility for the support of millions of American workers.

IOW, it is a financial mechanism that greatly favors the wealthy, and corporations, by passing on their rightful responsibility to their employees (i.e., to pay a living wage) to the taxpayer--pure and simple.

Now, I would never want to see this program dismantled--until we are able to push through a "Living Wage" law. That goes without saying--there needs, and has to be, something as a stop gap measure. I have no problem with that.

But, according to the Mercatus Fellow--the EITC is one of the primary mechanisms which the PtB have employed to keep down the federal minimum wage. (Which, BTW, he was very much in favor of, since he was a conservative/libertarian.)

Anyhoo, IMHO, we cannot continue to allow our lawmakers [on both sides of the isle] to go down the path of continually proposing legislation that spares business, at the cost of the so-called ordinary American taxpayer.

Again, this transfer of responsibility is happening at the same time that they are relentlessly driving down their own marginal tax rates.

And that's exactly what we're getting ready to witness, when Congress finally pushes though its long-sought-after 'tax reform' package.

*Sigh*

Have a good one, Folks!

Bye

Mollie


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller

"Integrity and courage are powerful weapons. We have to learn how to use them. We have to stand up for what we believe in. And we have to accept the risks and even the ridicule that comes with this stance. We will not prevail any other way."

Chris Hedges, Journalist/Author/Activist, Truthdig, 9/20/2015

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

gulfgal98's picture

of lowering the corporate rate to 28% for ever since I remember.

Yes, by not paying a living wage and keeping employee hours down, thus forcing many people who work multiple jobs, if they can find them or if they are not on a staggered/on call work schedule, employers like fast food restaurants and WalMart are being subsidized by the taxpayers through various assistance programs to bridge the gaps. We are making up the pay gaps that these corporations refuse to pay a living wage and refuse to allow many or even the majority of their employees to work over 30 hours a week which gets them off the hook for providing benefits. In addition, they use varying schedules and require employees to be on call which is also another form of wage theft.

Obama is no friend of the poor or lower classes.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

gulfgal98's picture

I have never seen him around town and do not know how much they are here or even where their house is located. It is very easy to remain anonymous even in this small town. We have seen Woody Platt and Mike Guggino at other events. Woody's wife, Shannon Whitworth, is also a singer and a painter, so we have seen Woody and Mike at an opening for her show.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy