I'm jealous of the rain
That falls upon your skin
It's closer than my hands have been
I'm jealous of the rain
I'm jealous of the wind
That ripples through your clothes
It's closer than your shadow
Oh, I'm jealous of the wind, 'cause

I wished you the best of
All this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

I'm jealous of the nights
That I don't spend with you
I'm wondering who you lay next to
Oh, I'm jealous of the nights
I'm jealous of the love
Love that wasn't here
Gone for someone else to share
Oh, I'm jealous of the love, 'cause

I wished you the best of
All this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

As I sink in the sand
Watch you slip through my hands
Oh, as I die here another day
'Cause all I do is cry behind this smile

I wished you the best of all this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

 

 

 

Skyshale033
Subject: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Does anyone remember this kid's show? It was called Candle Cove and I must have been 6 or 7. I never found reference to it anywhere so I think it was on a local station around 1971 or 1972. I lived in Ironton at the time. I don't remember which station, but I do remember it was on at a weird time, like 4:00 PM.

mike_painter65
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

it seems really familiar to me…..i grew up outside of ashland and was 9 yrs old in 72. candle cove…was it about pirates? i remember a pirate marionete at the mouth of a cave talking to a little girl

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

YES! Okay I'm not crazy! I remember Pirate Percy. I was always kind of scared of him. He looked like he was built from parts of other dolls, real low-budget. His head was an old porcelain baby doll, looked like an antique that didn't belong on the body. I don't remember what station this was! I don't think it was WTSF though.

Jaren_2005
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Sorry to ressurect this old thread but I know exactly what show you mean, Skyshale. I think Candle Cove ran for only a couple months in '71, not '72. I was 12 and I watched it a few times with my brother. It was channel 58, whatever station that was. My mom would let me switch to it after the news. Let me see what I remember.

It took place in Candle cove, and it was about a little girl who imagined herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate ship was called the Laughingstock, and Pirate Percy wasn't a very good pirate because he got scared too easily. And there was calliope music constantly playing. Don't remember the girl's name. Janice or Jade or something. Think it was Janice.

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Thank you Jaren!!! Memories flooded back when you mentioned the Laughingstock and channel 58. I remember the bow of the ship was a wooden smiling face, with the lower jaw submerged. It looked like it was swallowing the sea and it had that awful Ed Wynn voice and laugh. I especially remember how jarring it was when they switched from the wooden/plastic model, to the foam puppet version of the head that talked.

mike_painter65
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

ha ha i remember now too. ;) do you remember this part skyshale: "you have…to go…INSIDE."

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Ugh mike, I got a chill reading that. Yes I remember. That's what the ship always told Percy when there was a spooky place he had to go in, like a cave or a dark room where the treasure was. And the camera would push in on Laughingstock's face with each pause. YOU HAVE... TO GO... INSIDE. With his two eyes askew and that flopping foam jaw and the fishing line that opened and closed it. Ugh. It just looked so cheap and awful.

You guys remember the villain? He had a face that was just a handlebar mustache above really tall, narrow teeth.

kevin_hart
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

i honestly, honestly thought the villain was pirate percy. i was about 5 when this show was on. nightmare fuel.

Jaren_2005
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

That wasn't the villain, the puppet with the mustache. That was the villain's sidekick, Horace Horrible. He had a monocle too, but it was on top of the mustache. I used to think that meant he had only one eye.

But yeah, the villain was another marionette. The Skin-Taker. I can't believe what they let us watch back then.

kevin_hart
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

jesus h. christ, the skin taker. what kind of a kids show were we watching? i seriously could not look at the screen when the skin taker showed up. he just descended out of nowhere on his strings, just a dirty skeleton wearing that brown top hat and cape. and his glass eyes that were too big for his skull. christ almighty.

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Wasn't his top hat and cloak all sewn up crazily? Was that supposed to be children's skin??

mike_painter65
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

yeah i think so. rememer his mouth didn't open and close, his jaw just slid back and foth. i remember the little girl said "why does your mouth move like that" and the skin-taker didn't look at the girl but at the camera and said "TO GRIND YOUR SKIN"

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

I'm so relieved that other people remember this terrible show!

I used to have this awful memory, a bad dream I had where the opening jingle ended, the show faded in from black, and all the characters were there, but the camera was just cutting to each of their faces, and they were just screaming, and the puppets and marionettes were flailing spastically, and just all screaming, screaming. The girl was just moaning and crying like she had been through hours of this. I woke up many times from that nightmare. I used to wet the bed when I had it.

kevin_hart
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

i don't think that was a dream. i remember that. i remember that was an episode.

Skyshale033
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

No no no, not possible. There was no plot or anything, I mean literally just standing in place crying and screaming for the whole show.

kevin_hart
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

maybe i'm manufacturing the memory because you said that, but i swear to god i remember seeing what you described. they just screamed.

Jaren_2005
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

Oh God. Yes. The little girl, Janice, I remember seeing her shake. And the Skin-Taker screaming through his gnashing teeth, his jaw careening so wildly I thought it would come off its wire hinges. I turned it off and it was the last time I watched. I ran to tell my brother and we didn't have the courage to turn it back on.

mike_painter65
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?

i visited my mom today at the nursing home. i asked her about when i was littel in the early 70s, when i was 8 or 9 and if she remebered a kid's show, candle cove. she said she was suprised i could remember that and i asked why, and she said "because i used to think it was so strange that you said 'i’m gona go watch candle cove now mom' and then you would tune the tv to static and juts watch dead air for 30 minutes. you had a big imagination with your little pirate show."

Darth Vader. 

We only needed to write those two words and you know exactly to whom they belong to.

The fallen Jedi and one of the great Sith Lords, Darth Vader is one of the most famous movie villains of all time. His imposing presence, magical powers which include the infamous ability to force choke a man just by thinking about and ultimately tragic personal story have inspired all kinds of acclaim and a place in most Star Wars fans hearts.

But enough of this chit chat, here’s 11 crazy stories, facts and myths about Darth Vader that any Star Wars fan would be keen to know!






1. While Lucas had said post release of A New Hope that he had 9 Star Wars movies all mapped out, he didn't really. It was only on when developing the second draft of Empire Strikes Back with Leigh Bracket that Darth Vader became Luke's father. Indeed, in original drafts of A New Hope, Vader and Anakin Skywalker were different characters.

2. The famous reveal of the father and son relationship between Vader and Luke is often misquoted as "Luke, I am your father". The line is actually "No, I am your father".

Sebastian Shaw as Vader in Jedi

3. The character of Vader has been played by several actors. In the original trilogy David Prowse is famous as wearing the suit and Sebastian Shaw as the 'face' in Jedi. 

The prequels saw an idealistic Jake Lloyd tackle Anakin in The Phantom Menace and Hayden Christensen covered the next two movies as well. Bob Anderson also stepped in for sword fighting scenes and C.Andre Nelson helped out a bit with the redux versions of the original trilogy.

4. Hayden also appeared as the costumed Vader in Revenge of the Sith. He apparently begged Lucas to let him play him. The suit had to be designed to accommodate his smaller stature than Prowse's.

5. While Return of the Jedi saw Luke return the favour to Vader and cut his arm off, the idea for it actually came from the expanded universe novel, ‘Splinter of the Mind's Eye’. This book was intended to be turned into a sequel to Star Wars but when that movie became so popular, the idea was abandoned.

6. Vader was actually the only Star Wars film character to lose an arm three times! And both his legs as well. Obi Wan Kenobi got 3 of his limbs in Revenge of the Sith! (he had the higher ground...).

7. Darth Vader was referenced in the film Back to the Future by Marty McFly as being from the planet Vulcan. No one was sure who was more upset - Star Wars fans or Trekkies!

8. Vader has his own theme song written by John Williams. Known as the Imperial March it was introduced in the Empire movie and used in Jedi and in the prequels to show when Anakin was turning to the dark side of the Force.

9. James Earl Jones is famed for providing the voice for Vader however he didn't do the famous breathing effect. This was done by Ben Burt placing a microphone inside the mouth piece of a breathing apparatus and recording it being used.

10. George Lucas at one stage considered using the great Orsen Welles as the voice actor.

11. Anakin Skywalker really is the ‘Chosen one’. While Yoda and Obi Wan may have thought a mistake had been made in the reading of the prophecy, Anakin was the one who actually killed Sith Lord Palpatine by throwing him down the Death Star’s reactor shaft in Jedi and thus restored balance to the Force.

DTC No.	Condition	Malfunction Indicator Lamp
P0031	Front HO2S heater circuit low input	ON
P0032	Front HO2S heater circuit high input	ON
P0037	Rear HO2S heater circuit low input	ON
P0038	Rear HO2S heater circuit high input	ON
P0101	MAF sensor circuit range/performance problem	ON
P0102	MAF sensor circuit low input	ON
P0103	MAF sensor circuit high input	ON
P0107	MAP sensor circuit low input	ON
P0108	MAP sensor circuit high input	ON
P0111	IAT sensor circuit range/performance problem	ON
P0112	IAT sensor circuit low input	ON
P0113	IAT sensor circuit high input	ON
P0117	ECT sensor circuit low input	ON
P0118	ECT sensor circuit high input	ON
P0121	TP sensor stuck closed	ON
P0122	TP sensor circuit low input	ON
P0123	TP sensor circuit high input	ON
P0125	Excessive time to enter closed loop fuel control	ON
P0132	Front HO2S circuit high input	ON
P0133	Front HO2S circuit problem	ON
P0134	Front HO2S no activity detected	ON
P0138	Rear HO2S circuit high input	ON
P0140	Rear HO2S no activity detected	ON
P0300	Random misfire detected	Flash/ON
P0301	Cylinder No.1 misfire detected	Flash/ON
P0302	Cylinder No.2 misfire detected	Flash/ON
P0303	Cylinder No.3 misfire detected	Flash/ON
P0304	Cylinder No.4 misfire detected	Flash/ON
P0327	KS circuit low input	ON
P0328	KS circuit high input	ON
P0335	CKP sensor circuit problem	ON
P0340	CMP sensor circuit problem	ON
P0403	EGR valve (stepper motor) circuit problem	ON
P0420	Catalyst system efficiency below threshold	ON
P0443	Purge solenoid valve circuit problem	ON
P0480	Cooling fan control circuit problem	OFF
P0500	VSS circuit problem	ON
P0505	IAC system problem	OFF
P0506	Idle control system RPM lower than expected	ON
P0507	Idle control system RPM higher than expected	ON
P0511	IAC valve circuit problem	ON
P0602	PCM programming error	ON
P0610	PCM vehicle options error	ON
P0661	Variable intake-air solenoid valve circuit low input	OFF
P0662	Variable intake-air solenoid valve circuit high input	OFF
P0703	Brake switch input circuit problem	ON
P0704	CPP switch input circuit problem	ON
P0706	Transaxle range (TR) switch circuit range/performance
P0707	Transaxle range (TR) switch circuit low input
P0708	Transaxle range (TR) switch circuit high input
P0711	Transaxle fluid temperature (TFT) sensor circuit range/performance (stuck)
P0712	Transaxle fluid temperature (TFT) sensor circuit malfunction (short to ground)
P0713	Transaxle fluid temperature (TFT) sensor circuit malfunction (open circuit)
P0715	Input/turbine speed sensor circuit malfunction
P0731	Gear 1 incorrect (incorrect gear ratio detected)
P0732	Gear 2 incorrect (incorrect gear ratio detected)
P0733	Gear 3 incorrect (incorrect gear ratio detected)
P0734	Gear 4 incorrect (incorrect gear ratio detected)
P0741	Torque converter clutch (TCC) (stuck off)
P0742	Torque converter clutch (TCC) (stuck on)
P0745	Pressure control solenoid malfunction
P0751	Shift solenoid A stuck off
P0752	Shift solenoid A stuck on
P0753	Shift solenoid A malfunction (electrical)
P0756	Shift solenoid B stuck off
P0757	Shift solenoid B stuck on
P0758	Shift solenoid B malfunction (electrical)
P0761	Shift solenoid C stuck off
P0762	Shift solenoid C stuck on
P0763	Shift solenoid C malfunction (electrical)
P0766	Shift solenoid D stuck off
P0767	Shift solenoid D stuck on
P0768	Shift solenoid D malfunction (electrical)
P0771	Shift solenoid E stuck off
P0772	Shift solenoid E stuck on
P0773	Shift solenoid E malfunction (electrical)
P0850	Neutral switch input circuit problem	ON
P0894	Forward clutch torque transmission
P1260	Immobilizer system problem	OFF
P2006	Variable tumble shutter valve stuck closed	ON
P2009	Variable tumble solenoid valve circuit low input	ON
P2010	Variable tumble solenoid valve circuit high input	ON
P2096	Target A/F feedback system too lean	ON
P2097	Target A/F feedback system too rich	ON
P2177	Fuel system too lean at off idle	ON
P2178	Fuel system too rich at off idle	ON
P2187	Fuel system too lean at idle	ON
P2188	Fuel system too rich at idle	ON
P2195	Front HO2S signal stuck lean	ON
P2196	Front HO2S signal stuck rich	ON
P2228	BARO sensor circuit low input	ON
P2229	BARO sensor circuit high input	ON
P2502	Charging system voltage problem	OFF
P2503	Charging system voltage low	OFF
P2504	Charging system voltage high	OFF
P2507	PCM B+ voltage low	ON
U0073	CAN system communication error
U0121	Communication error to ABS HU/CM
U0155	Communication error to instrument cluster

"Because I myself, and my own presence, has its beginnings in my mother": Utada Hikaru releases her much anticipated new album "Fantome"

--

Music listeners all over Japan have been waiting. It’s fair to say that this is not simply hyperbole. Finally ending her hiatus, her 6th original Japanese album and first in 8.5 years, “Fantome” will be released on September 28th. A French word meaning “ghost” or “shadow,” the album is a dedication to her mother who passed away in 2013. It’s her first step forward into a new chapter, and we talk with her and her feelings.

--

— This is you resuming activities after roughly 6 years…

When I announced my break, a lot of people were asking “Why?,” and I didn’t really know how to answer. I wouldn’t really say inertia, but once something starts moving it’s hard to stop, and when something’s stopped it’s hard to move. There was such an immediate commotion around my debut, and from there this identity of “Utada Hikaru” grew so much. The bigger it got, like a big truck it got hard to steer, and I found myself unable to choose my own direction. I thought, “This isn’t good,” so I decided to take a break.

— And now after 8.5 years, this new album. Why the title “Fantome”?

I knew that I wanted this album to be a dedication to my deceased mother, so I was thinking about this idea of Samsara (Buddhist idea of the cycle of death and rebirth) and the word “shadow.” There was a point where anything I laid my eyes on made me see my mother, and even seeing my son’s smile made me sad. But through the process of making this album, these jumbled feelings I was having became a bit more sorted. This feeling of, “Well if I’m feeling my mother’s presence as a shadow, that’s ok. Because I myself, and my own presence, has its beginnings in my mother.” And so as I was thinking about the title, I didn’t like the idea of using English like before, and the Japanese words that came to mind were just way too heavy, so this thought of “French seems to fit” came about. I began searching for French words, and I came across the word “Fantome,” which means ghost or shadow, and I thought “This is it!”

— I heard that the reaction from listeners to the songs “Hanataba wo Kimini” and “Manatsu no Tooriame” which were released digitally in April, had a big impact on the final album?

There were a lot of listeners who heard these 2 songs and realized, “I wonder if these are about her mother?” And it wasn’t sympathy, but more empathy or this sense of the importation of feelings. I had never really encountered with my own songs, where the reaction was so different from my expectation. And both in a good and bad sense, I’d never allowed that sort of reaction to influence my next material. But the reaction to these 2 songs in particular felt so positive to me, that unlike any other albums, I Iet the reactions influence the outcome. During the final half of the recording process, it felt like I received the courage to finish writing the remaining lyrics. The majority of the lyrics from the album were written in the roughly 3 months after that. Definitely the shortest recording up until now. With that being said, the theme for “Hanataba wo Kimini” and “Manatsu no Tooriame” was very delicate so it took a while, and 8.5 years is obviously a long time (lol). And, because everyone knew this was “about my mother,” I had this strong sense of responsibility to not make an album that would paint my mother’s face in mud.

— “Hanataba wo Kimini” was a song that was written specifically for NHK’s Asadora “Toto-Neechan,” correct?

Because it’s such a national program, more than usual I wanted to make the lyrical entry point as wide as possible. Like the (Japanese groups) OFF COURSE and TULIP, and also Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” I imagined something light and open, and that’s what I was aiming for. Something that a lot of different listeners could apply to a lot of different situations.

— On the other hand, “Manatsu no Tooriame” has very strong, literary lyrics. I was really taken aback by the beauty of the Japanese language.

For this song, before I even got started, I had made the decision to write the lyrics only in Japanese. I wanted to pursue the significance of singing in Japanese, and the idea of singing a true Japanese “song.” It didn’t seem like a song that had room for English, and it also felt that for me at this moment, using English would just be an easy “escape.” I didn’t want to feel the buzz of the Roman, but rather the natural stain of the Japanese language. I wanted something that could feel beautiful, now and ever.

— The album as a whole, other than a few words in English and French, are completely written in Japanese.

From the very early stages of production, I very consciously wanted to go to battle with this album as “Japanese language Pop music.” The English phrases in my lyrics up until were really used when I didn’t want to directly sing about something, or I just wanted to add some color. But this time, I only wanted to line up the most crucial Japanese words, and only sing lyrics that I felt were beautiful.

— The album jacket, shot by French photographer Julien Mignot, is also very beautiful and artistic.

Thank you so much. I had actually known him before. When I had met him he was just a fledgling photographer, but when I recently went to his website, I saw he was so popular and his photos had gotten so good (lol). With all of my album jackets up until now, one of my directors would suggest photographers, but this was the first time that I personally said, “I think this person is great, what do you think?” I personally contacted him, and all of the scheduling and location scouting was decided by the two of us, and we shot it in Paris. It was the first time where I didn’t feel this sense of work or roles, but just as a normal girl, meeting someone and having them take my photos. It felt very natural, very human, and very freeing. That also ended up tying into my confidence with this album.

— The album opens with the danceable track “Michi.” After going through your mother’s death, your marriage, the birth of your son, the oath like lyrics to the song feel like a frank condensation of all of your current feelings.

Yes. Like, “I’m alright! Let’s go!” (lol). Through the process of writing the lyrics to this song, I felt like I was able to grasp the true subject of this album. I felt relieved being able to say what I wanted to say.

— It’s been 8.5 years, and compared to your previous albums, your voice and lyrics sound even stronger, gentler, and I get the sense that you’ve really grown up.

Besides “Michi,” I made the arrangements of the tracks very minimal, to make sure that my voice and words could be clearly heard. It was to the point of saying, “If you can’t hear the words then there’s no point,” and so my singing too is a bit more gentle and polite.

— I’d agree. The 2nd track, “Ore no Kanojo” is much more adult than anything you’ve done.

This is a song that I’d been messing around with since before my hiatus began. At the demo stage, half of the lyrics were kind of a joke, but I decided I wanted to keep the “Ore no Kanojo” line (lol). I think because I debuted at such a young age, before my hiatus, the thought of directly talking about sex felt taboo. When I would ever hint at something erotic, I avoided expressing it in a direct way. But this time, it kinda felt like going from PG13 to R (lol). I think I imposed on myself a type of censorship, so this time I just really freely picked words. Even simple words like “Dakiau (to embrace)” I felt free to use, and coming to terms with “death” and “life,” I finally felt able to utilize this idea of “sex,” which is such an integral part of “life.”

— On this track, similar to the album title, you use French.

Without any previous experience or any clear calculation, the French words just kinda came to me and I was a little shocked. I think I maybe wanted something very cool and also just very sensual sounding. Moreso than English, French requires a very evocative vocalization method. And also, right when I finished writing the lyrics to this song, I started thinking through the album title.

— Well let me ask some questions about some other tracks. “Ningyo” is very unusual for your songs in that it has a very rustic, acoustic sound.

After my mother had passed away, at a point where I felt like “I don’t know if I can make music anymore,” I picked up a guitar and this song kinda just happened. This was another song that I really felt this urge to write a “beautiful Japanese language song,” hence I struggled a lot with the lyrics. I hemmed and hawed for about a year, and at a point where I just didn’t think I’d be able to reach my goal and was about to give up, all of a sudden these words started pouring out of me. I think due to this sense of accomplishment, this is the song I’m most proud of. Actually, in the original paper-cut MV for “Hanataba wo Kimini,” there’s a scene where this woman who’s been living in this village as a human, suddenly goes to the sea and jumps in and returns to her original form as a mermaid, and when I saw the original storyboards, I felt as if the artist was comforting me, warmly supporting me, and more than anything, just truly understood and accepted “Hanataba wo Kimini,” and I just couldn’t stop crying. And that’s where this mermaid motif took over.

— On “Kayou no Ookami” my ears were really taken by the sighing sounds.

During the final stage of production, when I had run out of ideas, just through sheer momentum this was quickly created (lol). When I was having tea with a friend, we were discussing how we both liked Hermann Hesse, and from there I remembered his novel “Steppenwolf,” and that’s where it tied into the lyrics. I undertook it after the main vocals had been all recorded, and the entire album recording session was ended with these sighs (lol). With “Hanataba wo Kimini” as well, I felt something was missing so I added in the sighs. Actually, using these “breaths” as expression is a mini theme of the album.

— The album comes to a close with “Sakura Nagashi”

There really wasn’t anywhere but the end that this song could be placed. Up until now, I’d take a tracklist proposal from the album production team and we’d all work through it together, but this time I did it on my own. So in that sense as well, with this album, in a lot of ways, as a project leader I had to really take control. Due to my mother’s death and also coming into my own as a mother, I had to suddenly become a proper adult. Knowing that no one else could show me what road to follow, and experiencing this frantic need to keep moving forward, allowed me to grasp a sense of confidence that I’ve never had.

— The lyrics, whether direct or indirect, use the motif of your “mother.” And yet, even though these songs are so personal, the quality of these songs is so high that everyone is able to share in that music. I just have so much admiration for that.

But don’t you think this theme of a “mother” is actually one of the most “pop” motifs? I’d say that for most people, your mother or some kind of presence similar to that, becomes the basis for your own nucleus, and your world sort of forms around that. I’d say that is very very “pop.”

— Yeah when you put it that way it makes sense.

I actually think that’s why the reception to “Hanataba wo Kimini” was so strong. And I think that’s why right now, more than anytime before, I have a strong sense of trust with the listeners.

— Then finally, for you, what sort of album did “Fantome” turn out to be?

It’s an album that I was able to “accept,” and have “accepted.” I wouldn’t call it self-therapy, but listening back to “Michi,” I’ve begun to think “I’m not sad. I’m gonna be alright.” It also might be the first time that I’ve felt this sense of, “listen to this!” so strongly (lol). It’s an album that I really want people to hear. If some kind of feeling can reach the listener, and be accepted, I’d be happy. I plan on continuing to make music after this, but I really don’t think I’ll be able to make an album like this again.

Original interview in Japanese: http://trendnews.yahoo.co.jp/archives/450841/

Star-Spangled Bigotry: The Hidden Racist History of the National Anthem

Most people don’t know there’s more than one verse to the national anthem, and it’s the third that’s a doozy.

 

 

 

Americans generally get a failing grade when it comes to knowing our “patriotic songs.” I know more people who can recite “America, F–k Yeah” from Team America than “America the Beautiful.” “Yankee Doodle”? No one older than a fifth-grader in chorus class remembers the full song. “God Bless America”? More people know the Rev. Jeremiah Wright remix than the actual full lyrics of the song. Most black folks don’t even know “the black national anthem.” (There’s a great story about Bill Clinton being at an NAACP meeting where he was the only one who knew it past the first line. Bill Clinton: Woke in the ’90s.)

In the case of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” perhaps not knowing the full lyrics is a good thing. It is one of the most racist, pro-slavery, anti-black songs in the American lexicon, and you would be wise to cut it from your Fourth of July playlist.
“The Star-Spangled Banner,” as most Americans know it, is only a couple of lines. In fact, if you look up the song on Google, only the most famous lyrics pop up on Page 1:

Oh say can you see,
By the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed,
At the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly streaming.
And thy rocket’s red glare,
Thy bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through thee night,
That our flag was still there.
Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

The story, as most of us are told, is that Francis Scott Key was a prisoner on a British ship during the War of 1812 and wrote this poem while watching the American troops battle back the invading British in Baltimore. That—as is the case with 99 percent of history that is taught in public schools and regurgitated by the mainstream press—is less than half the story.
To understand the full “Star-Spangled Banner” story, you have to understand the author. Key was an aristocrat and city prosecutor in Washington, D.C. He was, like most enlightened men at the time, not against slavery; he just thought that since blacks were mentally inferior, masters should treat them with more Christian kindness. He supported sending free blacks (not slaves) back to Africa and, with a few exceptions, was about as pro-slavery, anti-black and anti-abolitionist as you could get at the time.
Of particular note was Key’s opposition to the idea of the Colonial Marines. The Marines were a battalion of runaway slaves who joined with the British Royal Army in exchange for their freedom. The Marines were not only a terrifying example of what slaves would do if given the chance, but also a repudiation of the white superiority that men like Key were so invested in.
All of these ideas and concepts came together around Aug. 24, 1815, at the Battle of Bladensburg, where Key, who was serving as a lieutenant at the time, ran into a battalion of Colonial Marines. His troops were taken to the woodshed by the very black folks he disdained, and he fled back to his home in Georgetown to lick his wounds. The British troops, emboldened by their victory in Bladensburg, then marched into Washington, D.C., burning the Library of Congress, the Capitol Building and the White House. You can imagine that Key was very much in his feelings seeing black soldiers trampling on the city he so desperately loved.
A few weeks later, in September of 1815, far from being a captive, Key was on a British boat begging for the release of one of his friends, a doctor named William Beanes. Key was on the boat waiting to see if the British would release his friend when he observed the bloody battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Sept. 13, 1815. America lost the battle but managed to inflict heavy casualties on the British in the process. This inspired Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” right then and there, but no one remembers that he wrote a full third stanza decrying the former slaves who were now working for the British army:

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

In other words, Key was saying that the blood of all the former slaves and “hirelings” on the battlefield will wash away the pollution of the British invaders. With Key still bitter that some black soldiers got the best of him a few weeks earlier, “The Star-Spangled Banner” is as much a patriotic song as it is a diss track to black people who had the audacity to fight for their freedom. Perhaps that’s why it took almost 100 years for the song to become the national anthem.

“I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home. We don’t have the right to bear arms because of burglars; we have the right to bear arms to resist the supreme power of a corrupt and abusive government. It’s not about duck hunting; it’s about the ability of the individual. It’s the same reason we have freedom of speech. It’s well known that the greatest defense against an intruder is the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back. All these gun shootings that have gone down in America since 1950, only one or maybe two have happened in non-gun-free zones. Take mass shootings. They’ve only happened in places that don’t allow guns. These people are sick in the head and are going to kill innocent people. They are looking to slaughter defenceless human beings. They do not want confrontation. In all of our schools it is illegal to have guns on campus, so again and again these guys go and shoot up these f***ing schools because they know there are no guns there. They are monsters killing six-year-olds.” (source)

“The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al-Qaeda, and any informed intelligence officer knows this. But, there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an intensified entity representing the ‘devil’ only in order to drive TV watchers to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the United States.” – Former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook

Edward Snowden is a hero. I like what he did. My idea of treason is that you sell secrets to the enemy. He gave information to the American people. Snowden didn’t take information for money or dogmas. Governments claim to write endless laws to protect us, a law for this, a law for that, but are they working? I don’t think so. The consequences are that there is a staggering loss of freedom for the individual. I look at the drug wars and they are absolutely f***ing ridiculous. There is a black market and the prisons are overcrowded and it’s not preventing drug use. There’s a corruption that goes all the way to the top.

will guide us through bad and good times

Praise to the Most High, Jah Rastafarai

O Most High Heavenly Jah, please bless those who are still blind

Those on the verge of knowing you and those who want to know you more  Thank you for your Word which comes in many different forms to us earthly people

I thank you Jah for my everyday life

Blessed be my family, enemies and friends

May all the souls of the good departed Rest In Peace

 Jah Bless

Our Father who is in the highest mountain of Zion

The bread that we need everyday bring it to us today

For you are the father of peace love and harmony

Bring unity among Jah people

Prevent any evil men from controlling Our destiny

Praise in the name of Jah Ras Tafari

When one is frustrated, when their hopes are dashed, when they are greatly disappointed.

That is a great trial on our rational mind. 

Whenever you feel disappointment, that is the time you must reach for The Creator to give you balance, because at that moment of insanity you may hurt yourself, and others as well.

Can we end the thumb pandemic? 

Truth is, no one can get your information from your License Plate unless you're an upstanding member of our community. (DMV, Cop, Lawyer, etc) 

It's called the Drivers Privacy Protection Act and it was signed on September 13th, 1994 by President Bill Clinton. 

If you're still worried someone can get your information.. 

Think about this: 

Your license plate is on display EVERYWHERE you drive.

Yes, every time you drive your vehicle on a public street someone sees it, and guess what? 

You're still alive, you still have your vehicle. 

 No one will get your address, social security number, phone number, senior yearbook photo, or any other information from it. 

So let's save the thumbs.  

Please feel free to share this post on all buy/sell and car pages.

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Let's imagine... if you glimpsed the future, you were frightened by what you saw, what would you do with that information?

You would go to... the politicians, captains of industry?

And how would you convince them? Data? Facts? Good luck!

The only facts they won't challenge are the ones that keep the wheels greased and the dollars rolling in.

But what if... what if there was a way of skipping the middle man and putting the critical news directly into everyone's head?

The probability of wide-spread annihilation kept going up.

The only way to stop it was to show it. To scare people straight.

Because, what reasonable human being wouldn't be galvanized by the potential destruction of everything they've ever known or loved?

To save civilization, I would show its collapse.

But, how do you think this vision was received?

How do you think people responded to the prospect of imminent doom?

They gobbled it up like a chocolate eclair! They didn't fear their demise, they re-packaged it.

It could be enjoyed as video-games, as TV shows, books, movies, the entire world wholeheartedly embraced the apocalypse