Random Thinking

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
- Steven Weinberg

This was the quote of the day on Google. The author of the quote, Steven Weinberg, is a US Nobel Prize winning physicist. The quote is from a speech that Weinberg gave in 1999. Although it seems rather clever, it isn’t really correct because it gives too much authority to religion. Yes, good people can be convinced to do evil things using religion, but religion isn’t the only way to do that. All it takes is to make people think that they are serving a higher force. You can get people to toture suspected terrorists by using patriotism. You can get them to beat up immigrants by making them think they are protecting the jobs of their family. You can get people to enslave other people by convincing them that their race is better. In fact, the real problem is that it is so easy to convince good people to do evil things.

Coldplay is a British alternative rock band formed in London, England in 1998. The group consists of Chris Martin (vocals, piano, guitar), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass), and Will Champion (drums). Coldplay has been very successful having sold more than 40 million albums with all of their albums being multi-platinum. Their next release is planned for December of 2009.

Coldplay has been unique in refusing to allow any of their songs to be used for product endorsements turning down multi-million dollar offers from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and The Gap. The group is strongly activist supporting Amnesty International and Oxfam’s ongoing Make Trade Fair campaign. The band claims that 15% of their profits go to charity. The group was outspoken against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Coldplay’s most recent album is “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”. This album was number 1 everywhere. Virtually every music magazine including Rolling Stone and Spin ranked it among the top 10 albums of the year. The phrase “Viva La Vida” translates into “Long Live Life” which is an interesting combination with the second part of the album’s name. The phrase comes from a painting by Frida Kahlo, the acclaimed 20th century Mexican artist. But the album cover art (shown at upper right) is from an 1830 painting by French artist Eugène Delacroix entitled Liberty Leading the People which commemorates the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled Charles X.

The song “Viva la Vida” has become the band’s highest-charting single. When asked about the song, Guy Berryman said: “It’s a story about a king who’s lost his kingdom, and all the album’s artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerrillas. There’s this slightly anti-authoritarian viewpoint that’s crept into some of the lyrics and it’s some of the pay-off between being surrounded by governments on one side, but also we’re human beings with emotions and we’re all going to die and the stupidity of what we have to put up with every day. Hence the album title.”

Viva La Vida
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
“Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Really! That is what the NRCC says on their web site. The day that Microsoft has their first lay off ever… when hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost… when the economy is stuck in a recession with no sign of getting out of it. This is what the GOP thinks is robust and strong.

Paramore is a rock band formed in 2004 in Franklin, Tennessee consisting of Hayley Williams (vocals/keyboard), Josh Farro (guitar), Taylor York (guitar), Jeremy Davis (bass), and Zac Farro (drums). The name of the group is from the maiden name of a former member’s mother and was kept when the group learned of the meaning of the homonym. Most of the members of the group had not reached the age of 18 when success hit them with the release of their first album in 2005. The group’s second album released in 2007 has been certified platinum and four singles have come from it. In 2008, the group was nominated for a Grammy Award. There have been some personal issues within the band as some members have been upset about the media’s concentration on Hayley and the comparison of the group to other female fronted bands. The group briefly stopped touring in the Spring of 2008 in order to work these issues out. A third album is scheduled for release in the summer of 2009.

“Crushcrushcrush” is the third single from Paramore’s most recent album, “Riot!”. The song was released early in 2008 and reached number 4 on Billboard’s Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The song has been certified gold.

Crushcrushcrush
I got a lot to say to you
Yeah, I got a lot to say
I noticed your eyes are always glued to me
Keeping them here
And it makes no sense at all

They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies
They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies

Crush
Crush
Crush
Crush, crush
(Two, three, four! )

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two, of us who’s counting on
That never happens
I guess I’m dreaming again
Let’s be more than, this

If you want to play it like a game
Well, come on, come on, let’s play
Cause I’d rather waste my life pretending
Than have to forget you for one whole minute

They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies
They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
You little spies

Crush
Crush
Crush
Crush, crush
(Two, three, four! )

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who’s counting on
That never happens
I guess I’m dreaming again
Let’s be more than this now!

Rock and roll, baby
Don’t you know that we’re all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey
Don’t you know, baby, we’re all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey
Don’t you know, baby, we’re all alone now?
Gimme something to sing about

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who’s counting on
That never happens
I guess I’m dreaming again
Let’s be more than

No

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who’s counting on
That never happens
I guess I’m dreaming again
Let’s be more than
More than this
Oh

You might recall that I recently wrote about a thief who broke into sex shops, stole blow up sex dolls, and made use of the dolls in the alleys of the sex shops. The culprit was caught on January 20th. He had left fingerprints and DNA at the scene of his crimes but it was a tip that led police to the scrawny 23 year old man. Police have not released his name but they have released the culprit on bail. The man has been charged with four counts of breaking and entering.

That Went Well: Adventures in Caring for My Sister
by Terrell Harris Dougan

I think what I most hoped to get from this book is, what is it like to grow up with a sibling with a mental disability. I have a teenage daughter who is growing up with a younger, disabled sibling, and I thought this book might help me to understand what that experience is like. How do friends react and how does their reaction effect you? Does a disabled sibling make you angry? Upset? Disappointed? Do you look to friends to replace the sibling that you may have hoped for? Do you hide your sibling or are you proud of her accomplishments?

Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the book very much. The book is really about the author and her experiences and Irene is mostly pushed to the back of the story. Even when the author is working to create a world for Irene, Irene isn’t in it very much. We read about the author’s hard work to create services for the mentally disabled but little about what effect any of this had with the relationship between her and her sister. But most of the book is about the author’s college days, or her working on a film festival, or meeting some famous person. I could easily have lived without knowing any of these things and instead learned more about her relationship with her sister.

Anyway, the book isn’t bad and it is fast reading but it doesn’t come close to “Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey” as a book about siblings.

I had a seizure last night. Mikey had woken up in the middle of the night so I went in to get him back to sleep. While he I was in there, Michel heard me cry out and when she ran in I was having a seizure.

I was thrashing about and even pushed Mikey out of the bed. He went in and slept with Beth and Michel waited for me stop and then got me into bed. I kept insisting that I was fine and that I didn’t have a seizure but the lack of memory of the event is common in epileptic seizures.

I have felt awful all day, mostly exhausted. I slept until noon but I think I could have slept for about 24 hours.

We increased the dosage of my medication and I’m hoping that will make the difference. The doctor said that the dosage I was on was relatively low and since I have had no side-effects, increasing the dosage should not be a problem.

Andrew Wyeth. (American, born 1917, died 2009). Christina’s World. 1948. Tempera on gessoed panel, 32 1/4 x 47 3/4″ (81.9 x 121.3 cm). Purchased by MOMA in 1948 for $1,800.

The woman crawling through the tawny grass (Christina Olson) was the artist’s neighbor in Maine, who, crippled by polio, “was limited physically but by no means spiritually.” Wyeth further explained, “The challenge to me was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless.” He recorded the arid landscape, rural house, and shacks with great detail, painting minute blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow. In this style of painting, known as magic realism, everyday scenes are imbued with poetic mystery.

Wyeth was one of the greatest American painters of the 20th century. He died peacefully at his home in Pennsylvania.

Lit is a post-grunge band formed in Orange County, California in 1990. The group had several name changes and finally settled on “Lit” in 1996. The members of the group are A. Jay Popoff (vocals), Jeremy Popoff (guitar), Kevin Baldes (bass), and Allen Shellenberger (drums). The group was very successful at the turn of the century with three singles in the top 10 of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart and seven singles in the top 50. They have had one platinum album, released in 1999. The group has not had an album released since 2004 although they still play concerts. In May of 2008, Allen was diagnosed with a malignant glioma, a brain tumor that is difficult to cure. He is currently being treated. The group has announced that they are working on developing new songs and plan an album in the future.

“My Own Worst Enemy” has been the group’s most successful song reaching number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart. Beth told me that the song sounds very 90’s-ish.

My Own Worst Enemy
Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk
I didn’t mean to call you that
I can’t remember what was said or what you threw at me

Please tell me
Please tell me why
My car is in the front yard
And I’m sleeping with my clothes on
I came in through the window last night
And you’re gone

It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy
Cuz every now and then I kick the living sh*t out of me
The smoke alarm is going off and there’s a cigarette
Still burning

Please tell me why
My car is in the front yard
And I’m sleeping with my clothes on
I came in through the window last night
And you’re gone

Please tell me why
My car is in the front yard
And I’m sleeping with my clothes on
I came in through the window last night

It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy
Cuz every now and then I kick the living sh*t out of me
Can we forget about the the things I said when I was drunk
I didn’t mean to call you that

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