Audre Lorde taught us that power begins with knowing and accepting ourselves. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t. It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. The reading list for the contemporary poetry
Read moreOkay, the verdict is in. I’ve spun the eponymous Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats at least 20 times now and it’s a legit CD of the year candidate. I’m hearing influences ranging from Sam Cooke to Van Morrison to old Appalachian gospel. Let’s check a couple vids, shall we? Here’s the one people seem to be raving about, “SOB.”
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Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, says he did nothing illegal and that he’s going back to work. I don’t think Dr. Palmer understands the issue. He doesn’t grasp why people are so upset. He thinks we’re all mad because we mistakenly believe that he broke the law. No, Walter, we know you acted legally. We live in
Read moreThe other day I posted this shot, from Sarawub Intarot at National Geographic, on Facebook.
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We all love freedom and the Constitution. But is it really that simple? I’m a huge fan of a good debate. And by “debate” I don’t mean the sort of ginned-up scream-lie-and-spinfests we have come to associate with the term in the past few decades. No, I mean spirited, intelligent, thoughtful exchanges between parties with honest, good-faith disagreements. Lucky me, I tripped across
Read moreHaven’t done these in awhile. Ah, the perverse creative juices pumping through the intertubes…. Hey, remember that time The Beatles and Metallica did that collaboration? Here’s fellow scrogue Frank B’s favorite.
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I love Shaquille O’Neal. Seriously. He was a great player and is a smart, very funny guy off the court. But damn, is the man delusional. Shaq got involved in a little Twitter dustup this week with another hoops luminary, former Michael Jordan sidekick Scottie Pippen. Long story short, Shaq thinks the all-time greatest Lakers five would thump the all-time
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We love symbolic victories in the culture wars. But what is Obama doing while we’re distracted? Selling us out, just like Ronnie did. I used to argue that Ronald Reagan was playing the religious right like a wore-out banjo. Sorta. The big social issue of the day, of course, was abortion, and Ronnie did a lot of talking about how
Read moreSometimes bands we love break up. Or someone dies. Or … maybe they just slide from relevance. If you’re like me, there are a lot of acts who fit this description. I miss Space Team Electra so bad it hurts, for instance. REM faded away more or less gracefully, but still I long for 1984. Here are some bands and solo
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When I was in graduate school at Iowa State in the late 1980s I hit a period, during my second year, where a little homesickness set in. So I did something to remind myself of the place and people I was missing: I bought a Confederate flag and affixed it to my desk in the office, which I shared with
Read moreColorado Railroad Museum, Golden
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lullaby pit 