Loring, by Wyle (top photo) One of the biggest problems with so many oversimplifying explanations of how society ‘really’ works is that these theories always seem to leave out one of the most interesting and important parts of any society – its
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Simple sigh, man. Are you done yet, dad? Can we go now, dad? (top photo) Had a nice Six K jaunt today – and though I turned my ankle twice (not at all normal), my main distance-walking muscles felt absolutely delighted to
Who is a rebel – what is the system? What is oppressive conformity, and what is heroic resistance? Where is corruption? Who and what holds real power? When is knowledge dangerous, who gets to decide? How free are we really willing to
Reopening and vaccinated at last. It is time to get the world-engaging side of my productivity-engine chugging again. So I’ve been cleaning out the boiler, checking gaskets, reviewing supplies of coal and water on hand and scouting new tracks, routes and customers.
Photo Credit: Catherine Barnes I had a strange experience this week, which seemed to bring together a number of questions which have been troubling me recently, and also suggest a curious new arrangement and focus for some answering ideas. For the first
Top photo – One part Osiris, two parts Horus Hello my friends, time for another podcast. This time some ideas about how we all got here, to this rather fraught moment. By ‘we’ I often mean western civilization in general, but I
What is a person? What is a statement, a critique, an opinion? What is the value of a very loud and egotistical person screaming about a petty injustice? What is the weight of a modest and self-effacing person’s quiet sober testimony? What
I was seventeen years old when I first met Catherine and her sister through a friend from my work. I was in my full club kid phase, and also working in a super-straight and strict corporate office as the “administrative services clerk”
Do you have a “Luminato” festival in your town? A urban art festival full of light sculpture and insomniacs? I’m starting to wonder if it might be time to introduce a ‘Fulminato’ festival as well – one night every year dedicated to
Hello my friends. This one is more of a short film than a music video – and for that I have to thank and apologize-to many inspiring chums who gave me innumerable clever ideas for it, and are also much better at
Hello my friends – I have something truly nifty to share with you today – a product of play and learning both. Some of you already know that I spent a quarter of a century as an expert audio technician for both
One of the strangest revolutionary problems, is how to broaden the membership enough to give the movement political weight, without overly diluting, or even completely losing the original principles and message. Considering how complicated and intellectual many revolutionary theories are, this has
For a long time, I considered the exquisite contrast drawn by the following to be the subtle but crucial thing the right didn’t understand about the left. I now often find myself wondering if this is the thing which the left no
Hey folks. Time for a serious dose of SILLY! (Insofar as I am eptified for same). I can honestly say that I haven’t got the slightest idea where this stuff comes from – but since I am lucky enough that it does
Podcast time again – and once again my title is a play on words, rather than any sort of an ornery sentiment. I come bearing practical hope of expansion of compassion and embracing love – not to win an argument. Hope it
Why do we so often say “here’s what I think” – when we know that we all have several kinds of thinking going on inside us, and are therefore capable of a whole range of different responses to any one particular idea
Men Are Not For Burning – print by Leon GolubShown at the Ryerson Image Gallery in – Attica USA 1971: Images and sounds of a rebellion. One of the most incredible works of intellect and human insight I ever came across was
My friends, this podcast is a sh1t kicker, but needed – I apologize and you’re welcome in advance. I can’t tell you how weird it is for a guy like me to be put in the position of talking about the value
I talk a lot about unconventional learning – getting philosophical insights from biography, or finding life-hacks within innovative and courageous approaches to music. But I don’t want to sound pompous or fancy – nor is my sincere atheist spiritual-seeking merely a trick
I want to be this playful in my late eighties! On the surface, visual arts are all about looking – which feels like obvious and objective stuff – but sculpture is always a tricky challenge for a photographer, because a sculpture can
I mentioned some months ago that working as a model has given me a funny insight into self control. With practise (and the right exercises) one can extend one’s ability to tolerate discomfort to an extraordinary degree. But even though my experience
While researching an article about the Black Panthers not too long ago, I came across their splendid and still powerful ten points and added them as a footnote to the story. For today’s show I found this. In 1851, Pierre Joseph Proudhon,
Hi folks As my friends of longstanding will have already noticed, I seem to have wound up with a little bit of talent at almost everything – except for that small but important range of mercenary skills. This is by no means
I’m only asking Santa for one thing this year – patience. The fact that patience is something that I usually have easily available in unusual quantity suggests that I am not the only one concerned by a worrisomely short supply, who is
There are a lot of people out there, far better studied and credentialed than I, who are eager to tell you emotionally engaging tales about what’s wrong with the world and who is to blame for our problems. But when I think
I have to open this with an apology – I have been meaning to get it done and posted or awhile now. On the other hand, this may be the perfect moment. By now most of us are facing the prospect of