I came across the above video at JonathanFields•Awake@TheWheel. Jonathan’s comment was:

Create an immersive experience that defines your own genre. And, devote yourself to mastery on a level that, along with your unique take, makes you remarkable.

Then share your abilities with the world…

I have two thoughts.

First, only someone who deeply understands guitar could truly appreciate Andy McKee’s playing by just hearing it. If Mckee didn’t have access to YouTube where we could see his playing, he might not have the acclaim he deserves. (This is also a really good argument for live performances, anyone can sound good out of the studio, but performing live, without a net, makes all the difference.)

Second, there was a time when someone became a Master at their craft by producing a Masterpiece that was judged worthy by the other Masters of that craft. You were a master carpenter when your work impressed master carpenters. We’ve lost that.

As a writer I’ve impressed the hell out of people who can’t really write. That is no great feat. I long ago stopped showing my work to people who don’t meet one of two criteria: either they are in a position to cut me a check for my work, or they are writers whose work blows me away.

All else is fluff.

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

It’s been a busy week in Wally World: the Universe’s source of cheap plastic crap. On The Writing On The Wal — the blog USA Today says should be on its readers’ radar — Jonathan Rees and I continue our work dedicated to drawing back the curtain on the Bentonvile Behemoth’s corporate disinformation and other flackery.

DEADLY WALMART DELI MEATS RECALLED.. Unlike Jonathan, I still eat a bit of meat, not every day, but enough to put me squarely in the omnivore category. If the only place that I could buy meat was Walmart, however, I would be devoted to my vegetables, fruits and nuts in no time. Keep reading…

WALMART NEEDS ANOTHER TAXPAYER BAILOUT… Free-market enthusiasts tend to sputter when asked to explain why, in a free market, their favorite business needs to suck at the public teat. Politics is not about stopping redistribution of wealth, its about deciding where you think the money should go. Keep reading…

LYLE DENNISTON ON DOCKET NO. 10-277… There is no one covering the Supreme Court whose words I trust more than those of Lyle Denniston. His decades-long record as a journalist is untouchable, his clarity of delivery at time enough to make me wonder I bother writing. Keep reading…

WALMART, CARREFOUR, TESCO IN CHINA RACE… The numbers are not all that close, but retailers Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco are in a race to grab as much of the lucrative Chinese retail market. The Communists have stolen a march on the Capitalists, playing catch-up is a race for second place. Keep reading…

WALMART AS THE HOMELESS ALTERNATIVE… Walmart has a long history of promoting its acres of parking lot as free stops for RVers. The policy builds good will and guarantees sales to travellers who need to stock up on all manner of foods, beverages and cheap plastic craps from China. Keep reading…

HIGHER MORALS, COST OR FEAR, YOU PICK… What caused New York state senate democrats to return a check for $15,000 to Walmart. Did someone grow a pair and say no to corporate influence? Was a decision made that the check wasn’t big enough? Or, my choice, was the grief just not worth it? Keep reading…

WALMART WILL DOMINATE NA$CAR… I really haven’t paid attention to stockcar racing since the days of Junior Johnson and Fireball Roberts, but I do understand the attraction and it amazes me that anyone could imagine that Walmart won’t be all over NASCAR in a very big way. Keep reading…

Share on Facebook

Via The Mother of All Grizzlies…

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

From 1730 today until 1830 tomorrow, I will be off-line. There will be no new posts during this time, nor will I be checking email. Go for a walk. Have coffee with a friend. Read a book.

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

[Updatge @ 0818:

Happy -- Remembering my camera AND remembering to use it... Sad -- Realization that coffee houses in Cleveland need to to go to the Sarah Wilson Jones School of Coffee House Marketing. With the exception of Civilization, traffic in the coffee houses I've visited on my Tm Russo In 2010 Coffee House Tour has been all but dead. They have good facilities, good barista and good coffee but, atleast in the mornings, no customers. What's up with that?]

This morning on the Tim Russo 2010 Coffee House Tour I’ll be drinking espresso at Lucky’s Café at 777 Starkweather. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in, introduce yourself, mention this blog post and the coffee is on me.

I hope to see you there.

My schedule for the rest of the tour is:

06 August at 7:30 a.m., Moko Coffee at 1505 Euclid Avenue;
9 August at 7:30 a.m., Steve’s Family Restaurant at 4457 Broadview Road;
11 August at 7:30 a.m., Gabe’s Family Restaurant at 2044 Broadview Road;
13 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1700 East 9th Street;
16 August at 8 a.m., Artefino at 1900 Superior Avenue East;
18 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1300 West 9th Street;
20 August at 8 a.m., Civilization Coffee House at West 11th Street and Kenilworth Avenue;
23 August at 8 a.m., Loop Coffee House at 2180 West 11th Street;
24 August at 7:30 a.m., Shipley’s Coffee House at 3664 E. 65th;
25 August at 8 a.m., The Coffee House At University Circle at 11300 Juniper Road;
26 August at 9 a.m., Algebra Tea House at 2136 Murray Hill Road; and finally
27 August at 8 a.m., Lucky’s Café at 777 Starkweather.

I won’t be hard to find, I’ll be the blogger with the bright yellow Why Vote Russo For County Council sign on the back of his laptop screen.

And the very special bit was that after I closed up my laptop and stepped outside I saw all the wonderful sunflowers planted in the outdoor section of Lucky’s; truly a special part of Tremont.

More photos after the jump… Continue Reading »

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

How Ralph got here…

Previously…

Share on Facebook

Personally? I’m on the side of Team Evil.

Via Mano Singham…

Share on Facebook

[Update @ 0911:

Sad -- Algebra was closed and had no sign saying at what time it would open... Happy -- Presti's Bakery was open...

Sad -- Presti's has no wifi... Happy, Presti's had a large table of older Italian gentleman enjoying their morning coffee and pastry who excitedly began talking about Russo, Russo, Russo the moment I stepped in door...

Sad -- I could only allow myself to buy one pastry when I wanted to eat the whole case... Happy --One of the Italian gentleman had spoken with Tim and remembered with good humor Tim's "not related to Frank," line.]

This morning on the Tim Russo 2010 Coffee House Tour I’ll be drinking espresso at Algebra Tea House at 2136 Murray Hill Road Presti’s Bakery, 12101 Mayfield Road in Little Italy. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in, introduce yourself, mention this blog post and the coffee is on me.

I hope to see you there.

My schedule for the rest of the tour is:

06 August at 7:30 a.m., Moko Coffee at 1505 Euclid Avenue;
9 August at 7:30 a.m., Steve’s Family Restaurant at 4457 Broadview Road;
11 August at 7:30 a.m., Gabe’s Family Restaurant at 2044 Broadview Road;
13 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1700 East 9th Street;
16 August at 8 a.m., Artefino at 1900 Superior Avenue East;
18 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1300 West 9th Street;
20 August at 8 a.m., Civilization Coffee House at West 11th Street and Kenilworth Avenue;
23 August at 8 a.m., Loop Coffee House at 2180 West 11th Street;
24 August at 7:30 a.m., Shipley’s Coffee House at 3664 E. 65th;
25 August at 8 a.m., The Coffee House At University Circle at 11300 Juniper Road;
26 August at 9 a.m., Algebra Tea House at 2136 Murray Hill Road; and finally
27 August at 8 a.m., Lucky’s Café at 777 Starkweather.

I won’t be hard to find, I’ll be the blogger with the bright yellow Why Vote Russo For County Council sign on the back of his laptop screen.

Share on Facebook

0627: 11:30-12:30pm The Inaugural The Pulse of Pepper Pike Live-Chat!

0617: We had a great planning/training session…

Share on Facebook

It’s been a busy week in Wally World: the Universe’s source of cheap plastic crap. On The Writing On The Wal — the blog USA Today says should be on its readers’ radar — Jonathan Rees and I continue our work dedicated to drawing back the curtain on the Bentonvile Behemoth’s corporate disinformation and other flackery.

DEBORAH SHANK: 1955-2010… Deborah Shank has died. According to the Southeast Missourian, Shank died of natural causes. Jim Shank said he was grateful for the support his family received throughout the years. “I want to thank all of the friends that came forward and helped.” Keep reading…

THE WILDERNESS IS HALLOWED GROUND TOO… People get all out of joint over a house of worship opening in Manhattan, but not enough get pissed over a Walmart next to a Civil War battlefield. 3,000 and religion v. 30,000 and shopping. Our priorities are so screwed up.
Keep reading…

THE POWER OF YARD SIGNS… I’m presently part of a local election campaign supporting Tim Russo in Cuyahoga County Council District Seven and yard signs are part of the battle. Putting them up and then replacing them when opponents steal them is all part of the political game. Keep reading…

THE NOT-A-WALMART-SHOPPER CREDO… While reading Zen Habits I followed a link to mnmlist blog where I found articulated a particular peeve of mine: that we are not consumers and that if we think of ourselves as consumers the corporations have won. All those people at Target? So not consumers. Keep reading…

WEIRD WALMART HAPPENINGS IN CHINA… OK, so maybe not weird, but definitely worthy of head scratching. Chinese workers are loosing fingers and hand working at foot pedal-powered equipment and a group of students and scholars is demanding that Walmart fix the problem. Huh? Keep reading…

HA! HA! FOOLED YOU…! Back in July while I was at my writer’s retreat I needed a bowl to put popcorn in. The only place to go was to the local Walmart in Spruce Pines where I bought the bowl pictured above for $1. When I washed it the first time I made an amazing discovery. Keep reading…

ANOTHER ANGLE ON RUSSIAN WALMARTS… My coverage of Walmart in Russia is perhaps the most noise about nothing. I first wrote about a Walmart invasion way back in January 2007, it has been one long bit of Macbeth’s sound and fury. Now we have a ménage à trois with Walmart, X5 and Kopeika. Keep reading…

UPDATE: CONSUMER VS. PEOPLE CITIZEN… Normally if I have an update for a story, I simply add it to the post, but last Friday I wrote about what I labeled the Not-A-Walmart-Shopper Credo and this morning I found a similar piece written by my friend Mano Singham.
Keep reading…

SETTING UP A WALMART WIN IN DUKES… While I, and others here, maintain a tight focus on Dukes v. Walmart, the case will almost certainly go before the Chief Justice Roberts’ version of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the players are positioning themselves for that final showdown. Keep reading…

DANG… THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG… To hell with appeals and district courts. Walmart need to squash the Dukes bug as quickly as it can lest it actually be held responsible for its alleged reprehensible behavior in a court of law. No, Walmart believes in going right to the Supremes. Keep reading…

Share on Facebook

Back in 2008 I wrote that presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama would be the last chance I would give to the Democratic Party to field a progressive candidate who was citizen-friendly and not business-friendly (the two are mutually exclusive in our present economic system).

As Mano Singham tells us in his newest post, President Barack Hussein Obama is failing that standard and the clock, in my head, is now ticking on whether or not I’ll vote for his re-election and possibly turn my energies to a third-party candidate. Defeating the evil Republican candidate is no longer a sufficient reason to vote Democratic.

Mano writes:

I came across these torture memos (thanks to the Progressive Review) just after reading The Translator, a memoir by Daoud Hari who lived through the horrible carnage in Darfur and then worked as an interpreter for western media, in the process getting captured and tortured by the various rebel groups and the government of Sudan. The similarities of what he experienced with the torture practices of the US government were chilling. When are Americans going to realize that they have allowed their government to adopt the practices of some of the worst dictatorships in the world?

Those who voted for Obama thought that he would undo the excesses of Bush-Cheney and restore some moral backbone. The fact that he has expanded and extended those abuses shows clearly that when it comes to civil liberties, Obama and his Democratic Party supporters are hypocrites.

Recent newspaper reports have said that Obama is worried about losing liberal support. Really? What a surprise! But he needn’t worry. As long as people are locked into the mindset that they must support their party at all costs, he is somewhat safe.

But not from me.

In honor of Mano, Where would you hide Roper…

And more on this later, but I will not be voting for Lee Fisher for Senator this fall. I could have gotten behind Jennifer Brunner, but Fisher is just an embarrassment. I’ll be voting for Dan La Botz.

Share on Facebook

[Update @ 0811:

Happy -- Everyone slowing down to check out the Why Vote Russo? sign on the back of my laptop... Sad -- Forgetting my feckin' camera again...

Update @ 0732:

Happy -- Arabica raisin scones as good as I remember... Sad the last of the Arabica troika -- Arafreeka on Coventry, Arachica on Shaker Square and Aragreeka on the Case University camnpus] is gone, replaced by the banal The Coffee House At University Circle…]

This morning on the Tim Russo 2010 Coffee House Tour I’ll be drinking espresso at The Coffee House At University Circle at 11300 Juniper Road. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in, introduce yourself, mention this blog post and the coffee is on me.

I hope to see you there.

My schedule for the rest of the tour is:

06 August at 7:30 a.m., Moko Coffee at 1505 Euclid Avenue;
9 August at 7:30 a.m., Steve’s Family Restaurant at 4457 Broadview Road;
11 August at 7:30 a.m., Gabe’s Family Restaurant at 2044 Broadview Road;
13 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1700 East 9th Street;
16 August at 8 a.m., Artefino at 1900 Superior Avenue East;
18 August at 8 a.m., Phoenix Coffee at 1300 West 9th Street;
20 August at 8 a.m., Civilization Coffee House at West 11th Street and Kenilworth Avenue;
23 August at 8 a.m., Loop Coffee House at 2180 West 11th Street;
24 August at 7:30 a.m., Shipley’s Coffee House at 3664 E. 65th;
25 August at 8 a.m., The Coffee House At University Circle at 11300 Juniper Road;
26 August at 9 a.m., Algebra Tea House at 2136 Murray Hill Road; and finally
27 August at 8 a.m., Lucky’s Café at 777 Starkweather.

I won’t be hard to find, I’ll be the blogger with the bright yellow Why Vote Russo For County Council sign on the back of his laptop screen.

Share on Facebook

0745: WCPN Sound of Ideas on Regionalism

0646: In two weeks, we’ll find out how Tim Russo does in the Democratic primary for the Cuyahoga County District 7 County Council race

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

Previously…

Share on Facebook

MYANMAR/BURMA — Taking a lesson from the Chinese who were careful to seal of Tienanmen Square and herd foreigners, particularly journalists, away from the protests before cutting the lights and rolling in the tanks, Myanmar’s State Peace and Development Council (aka, the military dictators) will impose a waiting period with increased scrutiny on all entry visas beginning 1 September.

From the Democratic Voice Of Burma:

Burma will next month stop its newly-introduced visa-on-arrival scheme two months prior to controversial elections.

The move, due to come into play on 1 September, means that foreigners looking to visit the country will have to apply for visas at local embassies, which can take weeks to process and are heavily vetted by Burmese authorities.

The visa-on-arrival scheme was introduced in May this year in an attempt to boost tourist numbers – total tourism arrivals in Burma during the fiscal year 2009-2010 stood at 300,000, up from 255,288 a year earlier. But the sudden change is being widely seen as an attempt by the ruling junta to block foreign media and observers from entering before and during the elections, slated for 7 November.

The country’s Election Commission (EC) has ruled out the possibility of allowing monitors in to observe the voting, while Burma already has some of the world’s strictest media laws and is likely to tighten the clamp on foreign and exiled journalists seen to be critical of the polls.

“We think the real motive for this measure could be to prevent outside reporters and monitors from entering the country ahead of the 7 November elections,” a private tour operator told Reuters.

Burma’s so-called visa ‘blacklist’ is notorious among foreign media, activists and aid workers, with reporters known to be critical of the junta regularly banned from entering.

If you’re forced to hold a fixed election, you don’t want pesky observers watching.

Share on Facebook