Why the name Ranch Chimp? it was in humour because, science says that humans have similar DNA to a chimpanzee,so I felt some way related biologically to a chimpanzee. 2nd, everytime I was out of Texas on a vacation or for whatever reason I’m always asked things like, do I live on a ranch?,or have cattle? so I commonly call Dallas the Ranch. "Politically Depressed" was also humour inspired by the 1993- 2002 Bill Maher TV/ tele show "Politically Incorrect".
Monday, October 5, 2020
PANTERA: "Cowboys From Hell", "Domination", "Walk", "Primal Concrete Sledge", & "Interview with Dimebag and Phil" ... In Memory of Dimebag Darrell
**** pantera.com
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Pantera: Headbangers Ball Interview with Phil Anselmo & Dimebag Darrel- Paris, France (1992) ... Thanx to Sonic Warfare TV
This entry into the music/ arts honour roll society of this journal/ blog is to feature some of the work and classic pieces of the band "Pantera" out of Arlington, TX (Dallas- Fort Worth). But I been wanting to do a posting in memory of co-founder/ songwriter/ guitarist Dimebag Darrell (and his brother, a kick ass drummer Vinnie Paul) for some time ... Dimebag was an outstanding guitarist! ... swell guyz, and great work on the composition and engineering, too. I been attracted to, and influenced by a variety of music and upbeat stuff since about 6 years old, listening to my grandmother's records of 1920s/ 1930s swing/ jazz as a child. But the other day an old friend/ guitarist and I were having some small talk about a party Pantera threw to celebrate their first record release here in North Dallas, which was the summer of 1983, that we had attended ... which reminded me to get Pantera in here. The party they threw was a small intimate setting ... and Pantera catered in some 6'ft long Subway sandwiches for folks at the party ... which was cool, and they played a little music ... and I got pretty ripped myself (too many whiskey shots {:-) That first album was self made, and their producer was their dad, Jerry Abbott, who was a songwriter and country- western record producer. Dimebag was murdered (shot in head multiple times), by what they said was a deranged fan that jumped on stage during a 2004 show in Columbus, Ohio, as well as killing the head of security who tried to take down the shooter, and killing a fan who tried to render aid to Dimebag, as well as an employee of the venue who tried to disarm the shooter as shooter was reloading ... and 3 other fans shot, but survived. The gig they were doing in Columbus was post Pantera after they broke up, and Darrell and his older brother Vinnie Paul (drummer) formed a new band called Damageplan. In 2008 his brother Vinnie Paul also died ... so the Abbott brothers are gone, but their music still is enjoyed and still inspiring young musicians. Vinnie Paul, Darrell, and their mom are all buried in side by side graves in Arlington.
Since the dayz when they first formed in 1981 and playing the local clubs, they really moved up the ladder and gained quite an international reputation ... even Dimebag probably been on the front cover of every guitar magazine over the years. During the 1990s they really established their sound, which was more of a groove metal to me ... they were touring the world then on many bills, in the early 90s as an opening band for folks like Ozzy, Megadeth, Judas Priest, and other big name acts ... soon after, they became a big name headliner. This band was really tight too, the work of each member had a great chemistry ... it's one of those groups that you don't like to break up, because what each member had together, will not work the same with others. And Darrell is now known as one of the greatest all time metal guitarists today ... Eddie Van Halen buried a guitar of his with Darrell, that Darrell liked, and Gene Simmons of Kiss, donated the Kiss Kasket for Darrell to be buried. An interview at the top of the posting with Darrell and Phil (vocalist), in their early dayz touring the world as an opening act, with Vanessa Warwick for MTV Headbangers Ball ... she called Darrell "Diamond" in the interview, no, it's not a mistake, that was his nickname at first, and later he changed it to Dimebag. Some videos below I chose that are memorable pieces I really like, and I particularly love the way Darrell structured the guitar work on "Domination" ... that's the way to do it! I closed with "Primal Concrete Sledge", Zakk Wylde in the last part, comes on stage with his dog, and plays some guitar (hope his dog had some earplugs like musicians use {:-) ... I prefer to crank their music for "full flavour" .... Enjoy!
Pantera- Cowboys From Hell (Live @ Monsters of Rock, Moscow 1991) [HD] ... Thanx to PolVacf
Domination Live in Moscow 91' [HD] 1080 ... Thanx to Paradoxx
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***** "RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY" A THRU M
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PanterA Walk LiVE TV proshot 1996 HD 2012 720p ... Thanx to MetallicaSimpson
Pantera Primal Concrete Sledge (remastered) ... Thanx to Ultimate Barbarian
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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Wednesday, September 30, 2020
HALLOWEEN 2020: Stories with a Quest for Reprieve From the HAUNTINGS of The EVE (Mr. Nightmare) ... & The Residents "Demons Dance Alone" ... (HALLOWEEN PT.15)
This is Part 15 of the Halloween series for this journal/ blog, and also will be included in this blog's music/ arts honour roll society ... I wanted to go with some story telling, these are supposed to be true stories that were submitted to Mr. Nightmare on YouTube ... of some folks that had Halloween experiences that really creeped them out. And if they interest you, I suggest that you visit Mr. Nightmare's YouTube channel, he posts all kinds of present day horror stories weekly, year round ... his channel been around since 2014, and has over 657 million views. I also wanted to close out with a little music below that from an ole favourite of mine, The Residents, out of Shreveport, Louisiana. Wishing the viewer of this posting a great Halloween, and still keep safe practices for Coronavirus, for you, your families, and friends sake ... Enjoy!
4 Bone- Chilling True Halloween Stories ... Thanx to Mr. Nightmare
3 Creepy Real Trick- or- Treating Horror Stories- Part 2 ... Thanx to Mr. Nightmare
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***** PD | RCJ: "HALLOWEEN" ... PART'S 14 THRU 1
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The Residents- Demons Dance Alone (Live) ... Thanx to Virgil Pink
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
JACOB BLAKE: Black & Shot in the BACK, WITHOUT looking Back ... & The POLITICS of U.S. Policing Policies ... The "Protest in Detest" Edition ... (POLICE BRUTALITY PT.36)- (THINKING OF THE KIDS? PT.11)
Jacob and his kidz
This posting will be for 2 series of this journal/ blog, "Police Brutality" & "Thinking of the Kids?". I started this posting, got interrupted, came back to finish post a couple dayz later. It's to look at the recent shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, WI ... who was shot in the back at point blank range multiple times by police, after a woman called police on him, cops arrived at scene to question him, also found Jacob had an active felony warrant. But nothing, whether warrant, past, or this call/ stop, gives any reason for this officer to use this kind of force, and attempt to murder Jacob. It's remarkable that Jacob pulled through, but the damage to his body, arm, kidney, spinal cord, liver, etc, will be some challenge. And this is America, which means even a health insurance company may likely refuse to pay, if he is insured, using like an excuse of happening in a criminal offense or related ... because care, rehab, treatment, etc, would be most expensive in U.S. costs. This guy is only 29 years old and father of young children, 3 of which that were in the vehicle that their dad was shot in. And despite his condition, to where he can't even move the bottom half of his body, he is shackled to his hospital bed. Now unshackled, since bond was posted for Jacob's outstanding warrant, so without new charges, he cannot be shackled/ cuffed, and under guard/ watch. It's common to have a guard, if a person has charges against them, considered a flight risk, and even handcuffed to their bed. But in Jacob's case, considering his immobility, charges/ warrant, or whatever ... this is just insulting and disrespectful to his family and community. This is another reason why I posted this piece on what to do if being stopped by police in America ... because in America, especially if you're black, it's easier to get killed, or hurt bad. Not all officers are the same, but there are some out there, that no matter what training you try to give them, they may feel differently about how they treat people of colour, ethnicity, class, etc ... it's just something embedded in them, and with some probably goes back to childhood. These type officers, should be dismissed from their duties/ job ASAP, when made/ discovered, because several have many red flags, from previous encounters they had with civilians/ suspects. The opening video below, from family, is 2 minutes, summed up perfectly by Jacob's older sister, Letetra ... hear the woman out. Some news links below of overall events through the shooting. At the bottom, I'll add my input.
'I don't want pity, I wan't change': Jacob Blake's sister gives emotional testimony ... Thanx to Guardian News
***** WBAY2 ABC | GREEN BAY: Police association: Jacob Blake physically struggled with officers before shooting ... (newsread)
***** ABC NEWS: Authorities identify Kenosha cop who shot Jacob Blake, say Blake had knife ... (newsread/ vdeo)
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***** PD | RCJ: "POLICE BRUTALITY" ... PART'S 35 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "THINKING OF THE KIDS?" ... PART'S 10 THRU 1
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Thomas Hudson Pickering (Ranch Chimp)
There is still much that will unfold in this, so this is changing by the day, because of the lengthy investigation, and who will be charged with what. This is not to jump the gun either, because of that ... but to take a look at what there is so far. I have watched these videos several times, I zoomed in as much as I could and slowed the speed. And hearing different stories about this "knife", as far as where it was, either in his hand, possession, under drivers side front floor mat, side of drivers side seat on floor, in the hand of Jacob as officers were trying to apprehend him, etc. Official report sayz it was on drivers side floor, yet officers say it was in his hand, and Jacob admitted to having a knife. I can't seem to see any knife in his hand so far, maybe it was small?, or the angle I was looking at?, and several witnesses at scene, said that he was not displaying any knife when officers confronted him, there was not much physical threat by Jacob that I could see in the other video, besides resisting, before he went to the drivers side to get in the SUV. All I see is a couple officers with guns pointed directly at him while he walked away refusing to comply with officers requests, Jacob didn't even turn around at that point, so he was not even facing them, not once as he walked to the drivers side door did he even look back. When he started to get in the vehicle, the officer held and pulled Jacob's shirt to perhaps stop him from getting in, while also shooting into his back at the same time. There was no regard from the officers for Jacob's little kids in the car, or the scene, because you never carelessly/ recklessly discharge your weapon with civilians and kids in striking distance (except in maybe a rare life/ death situation, like this), and this was only a few feet, and bullets ricochet, miss, etc ... there was also civilians and children within feet outside the vehicle. His children in vehicle will need trauma counseling, this should be also included filing for compensation for the kids. If this was mostly white people, in the same situation/ scene ... I doubt this would even happen, the cops would most likely handled it differently ... I mean, one of the reasons why I started this series years back, is because I witnessed this type of brutality and recklessness a few times over the years, first when I was a child myself. But of course, time after time in these cases, officers are going to say they felt threatened, a suspect can being lying face down, cuffed/ restrained, get shot point blank range in the back of the head, and the officer will say they felt threatened.
Yes, the use of force was way excessive of officer Sheskey, and remarkable it didn't end up a homicide. If the SUV that Jacob was trying to get into, was not his vehicle, as reports say, and he didn't arrive there with his 3 kids in back seat, that will change this case view quick, in a court ...or a district attorney assessing it, to decide what charges to bring against Sheskey. What I mean, is that, the initial report said that Jacob arrived at scene, and was breaking up a fight between 2 people. The police were called by a woman (said he was her boyfriend) that said he wasn't supposed to be on her property (restraining order?), and trying to take her vehicle keys. After this report/ complaint is called in, Jacob also gets a want/ warrant check that comes back flagged ... so the officer(s) responding to call, are told that the woman is being harassed and an attempt to take her keys, then find Jacob has outstanding warrant(s) for 3rd degree felony sexual assault, etc ... this is all that the officer(s) know that they're responding to. Officers on scene, get into squabble with subject/ Jacob, he refuses to comply, and argues with officers, they taser him twice, he doesn't go down from it, and walks around the vehicle that has the kids in it, which Jacob said was to check on kids. The defense for the officer in a court, may argue that his client (officer Sheskey) was acting in good faith of the children and following protocol, and worried that kids were going to be kidnapped, and Jacob told them he has a knife, was angry, etc ... just one of a few examples of how a defense team for Sheskey may present this. In a case like that, defense will say that officer also had no idea, because of the erratic behaviour of Jacob, outstanding felony warrant, and that Jacob may endanger the children, if Jacob drives off with them in that state of mind. After officers tased on 2 attempts and failed, they had approximately 7 seconds to make decision, of how to detain/ stop Jacob, as Jacob made his way around SUV ... that was the most importante seconds, and Sheskey being the veteran officer of the 3, made that decision to fire the shots, by himself only. It was intentional, and even as far as killing Jacob at that range, if that would have happened, but the circumstances, video, and all witnesses are going to decide what that District Attorney will charge Sheskey with ... and there's a chance that it may not be what the family of Jacob and community wants, or believe is fair, based on what you have at this point. But you have also outside investigations, and also possible civil rights violations.
The continuous protests are alwayz in order, and the only way you will get any decent action to begin with ... there was even a couple more police shootings going on, that isn't getting much media atencion ... this kind of thing is frequent in the U.S. The 17 year old Rittenhouse militia kid (NPR) that shot and killed 2 protesters, and injuring 1, most likely will use self defense. His defense already called it, but watching the video of that incident, I already knew how they were going to play that case, as far as his defense. I heard in the news that democrats and republicans in this election season, are blaming each other equally for the problems in America, as far as race, injustice, and these shootings, protests, etc ... this is where I agree with both parties at the same time ... because y'all both are part of the biggest problem in these policing policies and most of the other crap pushed upon people in this country. Much credit to the professional athletes, from Football, to Basketball, etc ... I'm a big fan of NFL Football, but this is more importante than missing some games. And this is the reason for continuing protests across the country week after week after week ... it's importante, just like the other day in front of Lincoln Memorial (Washington Post) ... taking it to the importante areas. Again, as I pointed out in earlier postings, you just don't want to protest in your community, or tear up your community, this is how they keep you contained ... you go to popular areas too, or you won't be heard. Example, last protests for George Floyd ... in Los Angeles this time, protesters didn't look much to South or East LA for getting their message out, they went up in to nicer sections of Beverly Hills and Santa Monica ... that's how you do it, in their face, of those with the power, money, and politics, and most importantly, make sure big business feels it. NBA or NFL players are importante, because it's a multi- billion industry, and when the big money gets disrupted and business as usual ... that's when you will get heard. Plus, it is those in big industries who will also pressure politicians when push comes to shove, because politicians won't do a bloody damn thing without being told to by their daddy (big business/ Wall Street). When you ask Washington "only", to act, they will talk, but nothing else, even though there is much they can do, to help get change. And when attempts are made on the floor in Congress, and bill drafts, they will make some lame last minute excuse, like the 10th Amendment, saying it's up to the states and local government's to make the change, although while campaigning, they all whine about criminal justice reform, and police brutality, inequality, etc, etc
Word Out ....
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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Thursday, August 20, 2020
JOE BIDEN | KAMALA HARRIS 2020: And Strategies for Building Strength and Determination to Demand Dignity and Democracy ... The "Trumpster to the Dumpster" Edition ... (America's Vote Boat PT.8)
It's a beautiful day here on the Ranch (Dallas) considering it's August in Texas, and the last thing on my mind was a posting on politics, I'm seriously burned out on politics ... but, we are in a unique political situation. So this posting will serve as Part 8 of the "America's Vote Boat" series of this journal/ blog. It will be this blog's endorsement and support for Biden and Harris for President and Vice. I'm also posting this as a progressive, because so many progressives, and even non- progressives, are angry and dislike both Biden and Harris, and in some cases, for good reason. Frankly, politicians are going to have some controversial unpopular things they supported or were against in their past ... both left and right. I myself didn't even care to hear the Democratic Convention, or the Republican Convention, nor to hear the pointless bitch fighting and debates between these 2 parties, good and evil bullshit, repetitious platitudes, plastic prayers, etc, etc. The people need to be more engaged and determined to strengthen our stand ... if you don't apply pressure, and only allow corporate interests to be heard, without giving them Hell ... you can't expect to change a thing in Washington. I wanted to open below with a short video from former President Obama, because it's short, straight to the point, simple, and common sense. I will add some words/ views of my own below.
Barack Obama condemns Trump in powerful Democratic convention speech ... Thanx to Guardian News
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***** PD | RCJ: "AMERICA'S VOTE BOAT" ... PART'S 7 THRU 1
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Thomas Hudson Pickering (Ranch Chimp)
Right now, I feel the most importante thing the people of this country can do, is to get rid of this President, Trump, and all his selections for various importante positions in his cabinet and various departments, especially those he put in these positions to destroy the functioning of these departments, whether education, housing development, energy, consumer protections, etc. These departments, that were designed to help, balance, and strengthen our society, and have helped us across the board, need to be strengthened if anything, not weakened, and not politically biased, their functions are to serve the interests of the country, of all, business, workers, consumers, citizens, etc. President Trump is taking this country into a deeper hole than what it is, with leadership qualities you would expect in a banana republic. Other countries that are even allies and key business partners are becoming weary and worried what this President may do, he sends the stock markets into dives just from his Tweets alone, and then builds them up with welfare/ tax break giveaways and false hopes. He is putting some countries that are NOT very stable, and like him, on the edge, and making us more vulnerable for attacks. He has also tried his luck at pushing paramilitary and military forces into American cities, without talking it out with cities or anyone else, and disregard for the Constitution ... thinking his office gives him the right to just kill folks if he feels like it. Do we realize that his decisions, and lies, contributed to the deaths of thousands of Americans? ... by the intentional and inconsiderate way he handled this pandemic? Which is what really is the most damaging thing he done in my view, and he continues to do this ... I hardly hear anyone talking about it ... why? Do you realize if a doctor, for example, had even overprescribed a drug that ended up killing a patient, he/ she would be immediately removed, their license taken, and be facing criminal charges on their negligence that led to the death of the patient(s)? They (doctors) have went to prison for this ... President Trump should be prosecuted in my view ... he is responsible for misleading the people he took an oath to protect (especially if a pandemic, crisis, or war), and thousands have died and continue to die for his irresponsible orders, and failure to take any responsibility, nor care who is dying, because of his "chosen" actions. I have conversed with what are called notorious convicted murderers, in particular, Rick Ramirez, and Charlie Manson, who had shown more regard for people in casual talk, than President Trump has.
Much of the politically progressive media sites that I enjoy following, are focusing too much on the records of Biden and Harris, on issues like drafting the 1990's crime bill during President Clinton's term, or prosecution of pot cases or related petty offenses of Harris as a former prosecutor ... what's done, is in the past, we need to fix it now. I appreciate these sites pointing out these things and their work, it's importante. But too much focus is on some past mistakes, and not focused enough on the challenge we face now, if Trump gets reelected ... besides saying he's bad ..."bad" is putting it lightly. Frankly, I don't care about the platform of the DNC, or if they didn't even have one, or their hours of speeches, or whatever. I myself, as one can see in this journal, would like to see a third party that is competitive in strength to these two parties ... but thinking that not voting or voting for Green Party (a party that has internal problems and unstable, at this point) will do us no good between now and November, and only work to Trump's advantage ... it will do progressives, not one bit of good. The logical simple objective at this point, should be to vote in every Democrat you can, to have a majority in the House and Senate, and Oval Office. No, it's not going to fix the political mess we have in this country, that took decades to get where it is ... but this is the only chance available right now, of getting rid of Trump and the far right of the GOP. If you can get a Democrat majority in control, right now ... it will be better for balance, and negotiating for the people, and better for dealing with this pandemic, most importantly. Democrats will have a little more consideration for people, and what they are going through as a result of COVID, and we need that. Don't worry about too left, or too right ... they are way more balanced between the two than the GOP ... and importantly having a growing membership of more progressives getting voted in to office. Having this, will make them have to negotiate within the party, their own sort of left and right. Right now the only reason why establishment Dems are so gung- ho on leaning right, choosing the picks they do, is because they owe to their big money donors, and they have to do and say whatever, to continue to get that money, too. Or the wealthy donors, will use their money to try to destroy them ... and spend more on Trump ... the big money is what controls much politics and legislation. If we can get a majority of Dems ... we can start day one, 2021, to stay vigilant, and apply pressure to them.
You are better off with having the next term under a majority of Democrats, and even Biden and Harris, than having to deal with a GOP majority, driven and dictated to by Trump. Otherwise more and more of your dignity and democracy will go down the drain. Folks that may say that Democrats are going back on Medicare for All, public option, or related ... some Democrats were not even sincere about pushing for M4A to begin with, the lobbies and funding are controlling their decisions. But thinking you will even get any kind of health care worth anything out of Trump and Republicans, is even worse chances, you'd be lucky to get a scaled down shitty version of ObamaCare (aka RomneyCare) out of Trump/ GOP ... they're more likely to set up voucher health clinics at a 7- Eleven store, Walmart, McDonald's, or with volunteers at faith based tents. Not only health care issues ... but the economy ... thinking that Trump will be able to tackle jobs losses in this post COVID era, and miraculously/ quickly, as he states, fix the economy, is ill thinking. COVID destroyed so much ... the figures you hear in the news about a strong economy is only talking about stocks and the "financial economy" ... the average worker/ consumer lives in the "real economy". Trump only moved to extend unemployment through executive means, because of elections, he's worried that the Congress is taking too much time reaching an agreement, which they are ... but only because the Republicans are trying to force Democrats into giving them most of what they want. Trump's looking out only for himself, in fact, if he gets another term, that's likely the last you'll hear about unemployment help ... just like what he promised with his simple, fair "postcard" tax filing, if you support his tax plan. Democrats, even corporate Democrats, will be more considerate and willing to help more with folks that lost their jobs, homes, or folks needing temporary help ... they will also do more to try to curb and deal with this pandemic, and help small business more. The way Trump is dealing with this pandemic, has been way more detrimental to the real economy and jobs ... in fact ... if he would have dealt with this early on, instead of trying to hide it ... our real economy would be better off now, being already 8 months into COVID and when he first learned of it. What do we have after 8 months of this COVID in this so called good economy? ... more homelessness, food lines, soup kitchens on wheels, unemployed, etc ... he didn't do one damn thing with all his power to deal with this and our problems, right. And this is why, Trumpster should be tossed in the dumpster.
Word Out ....
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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Thursday, August 13, 2020
CAM COLE: "Cam Interview on Guitar History", "Away", "Myself", "New Age Blues", "Truth Be Told", "Mama", & "I See"
**** Cam Cole- Official Homepage
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Cam Cole- Cam Cole & his Guitar- 2Seas Sessions- EXTRAS ... Thanx to 2Seas Sessions
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This entry into the music/ arts honour roll society of this journal/ blog is another I been intending for some time, to showcase some of the music of Cam Cole out of London. Cam is just an outstanding songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and performer ... he is also considered by many to be the best one man band in the world. Although some of the video here, will also show a drummer that worked some with Cam ... but most of his stuff, he does the percussions himself with his feet, on some self- made system that he rigged up. I heard one musician say, that Cam played drums better with his feet, than some drummers he jammed with ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) Cam made his start doing street busking in Camden, and nearby areas of London, probably around 2014, then travelling the UK ... and it has such a rich history of music/ arts in this area (I myself stayed in Fitzrovia over there, lots o' good local music talent {:-) If you can set up on the streets there with a jerry- rigged system, gain and sustain the rep and following locally that this man had done ... you're doing it RIGHT! Cam also built a couple of his amps. Today Cam is starting to tour Europe and elsewhere, doing studio work, and has released 3 albums, one in 2019, and two in 2020. Which brings me to the video above, where Cam is trying to explain his guitar. I myself was so curious when I seen this guitar he was using and the sound it put out. Cam said he picked it up at some guitar shop, that he heard from the owner, that some Polish guy came in and used it as trade on the purchase of a newly manufactured guitar ... it's still a mystery of the brand/ make and where it came from. The neck of the guitar is large, and look at the antique style bridge on it, also the year "1931" is etched in it, look at the thick strings that Cam put on it, and how he arranged the strings and changed it to 5 strings ... one thing for sure, it certainly will strengthen your fingers, playing something like that ... but check it out, very interesting. When I first saw the guitar and sound, I was thinking back to times of Robert Johnson and Django Reinhardt ... it looked aged and tattered, but Cam brought such good sound out of it, or the guitar brought such good sound out of Cam {:-) ... they were definitely made for each other!
There is long line of influences that Cam sayz inspired his songwriting, from Delta Blues to Grunge, that goes back from the 1930s through the 1990s. I mean I could definitely hear that Mississippi Delta sound from back in the mid 1930s, and what great slide work he incorporates into his rhythms. I also heard much of the raw late 1960s/ early 1970s classic rock sounds, and vocals of that era, including Elvis ... his foot work/ dance style has been compared to a mix of Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger/ Stones. I wanted to mix it up a bit below, keeping most of it raw, and some from his earliest performances in the street ... I did include "New Age Blues", being one of his first and recent studio vidz. The street performance of "I See" at the bottom, was street busking in 2016, but was not released on record until 2019, so I wanted the live street version. I started with the 2 song vid below, "Away" and "Myself" to start it more mellow/ laid back, then some more upbeat style in vidz after ... he puts out alot of energy also as a singer and guitarist in some of his work ... packing his performance well. I'm looking forward to much more great work to come out of this artist, he's still just starting, and his potential hasn't yet been fully ripened ...so expect some good stuff to come. Thanx for the great music, and wishing Cam much more fun, and a decent living to invest into his music and pay bills ... Enjoy!
Cam Cole- Away and Myself at Extinction Rebellion Protest (London) ... Thanx to MrCamCole
Cam Cole- New Age Blues (Official Music Video) ... Thanx to MrCamCole
Cam Cole live Truth be Told ... Thanx to LaRockaForte
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Cam Cole streets of London- Mama ... Thanx to tehdebil
CAM COLE LIVE THE MAIN STAGE CAMDEN ... Thanx to John Murphy **** this song is called "I See"
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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Thursday, August 6, 2020
MARS IN 4K 2020: A Place Where A Bird In The Hand Has No More Worth Than 2 With No Bush ...The "Escape to a New Landscape" Edition .... (ABOVE & BELOW PT.22)
This posting will be a part 22 for the "Above & Below" series of this journal/ blog. This just seemed like such an excellent video, and interesting the way it was put together from all these images, which is explained below in the video. But the definition blew me away as well, nice quality! I remember as a young teen watching the first moon landing in black and white on the tele, and I was so fascinated ... yet the quality back then wasn't very good, and it looked so grainy ... but still, blown away by it. I also noticed that this video had 270,000 likes, and 10,000 dislikes ... reading some of the comments was amazing ... such as proof of alien life ... to being all fake ... to being filmed on Earth, like in Arizona or similar, to trick us, etc. Mars is a planet, and I would assume, that many planets have some similarities to even Earth. Although some may say it's just a desert area, maybe comparing it to "some" parts of Arizona for example ... one thing I don't see those asking, is why it's completely barren? I drove (a few times) completely across over a thousand miles of desert, from Midland/ Odessa west Texas through southern Arizona and New Mexico, into southern Nevada, through the Mojave and into Death Valley, California (as well as a long stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico) ... I love the desert for its unique landscape. In all these areas of desert, there was alwayz something like desert plants/ cactus, tumbleweed, snakes, lizards, bones of animals, etc, sparsely here and there ... at some point within eyes view.
There is a point in the video, if you pause it at 7:57, right before it gets to 7:58, look at the center of the screen, and there is a shape, that could be mistaken for a bird on the landscape ... at least some folks could mistaken that for a bird, although it's a rock. I mention this, is because some folks see things like that ... and assume there may be birds on Mars, instead of closer review ... and say they seen a bird, or even something man made, which will spread through word of mouth, and millions may think that there is aliens or giants on Mars. A religious person into some of the religious mythology for example, could look at that bird shape, and try connect it to a dove and/ or pigeon of the Islam prophet Muhammad, or perhaps the dove at the baptism of the Christian messiah, Jesus ... then you would have a whole story built off that, and before you know it, it could turn into a couple million folks believing that this is proof of God on other planets. You may have heard the proverb "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" ... which makes me say that Mars is "a place where a bird in the hand has no more worth than two with no bush" ... because there is no hand, bird, or bush on this planet. I recommend full screen for the video ... Enjoy!
New: Mars In 4K ... Thanx to ElderFox Documentaries
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***** PD | RCJ: "ABOVE & BELOW" ... PART'S 21 THRU 1
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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Tuesday, July 28, 2020
PORTLAND PEOPLE'S PROTESTS 2020: And the Preparations for Repugnant U.S. POLICE STATE Policies ...The "Terrorism of Fascism" Edition ... (THE AWAKENING PT.58)- (PUBLIC PATRIOTS PT.66)- (NEOLIBERALISM PT.14)
**** "Fuck the feds," shouted a young woman in a helmet and gas mask who declined to give her name. "You want war? We'll give you war. We will win" ... (PDX protester quote)
This posting will serve 3 series of this journal/ blog ... "The Awakening", "Public Patriots", and "Neoliberalism". I been following all the resistance in Portland/ PDX to what is basically leaning towards more fascist type policies, this time directed by President Trump, cloaked in the name of things like protection, goodness, love of the American People, patriotism, and Jesus ... or other related political charlatan neoliberal nonsense. But, yeah, this is very importante, if we want to keep anything that slightly resembles a democracy ... and credit here to these people of Portland, who are patriots for democracy. And in my view and experience of PDX ... I have also viewed PDX as one of the last of the great American cities ... I mean, it'd be sad to see this unique American city get turned into a mundane cookie cutter corporate communism American shithole. To see this President try to suppress and destroy the spirit of liberty, this city, and democracy, is shameful, and the response from Portlanders, in defense of their liberty and Constitution, is appropriate. Now this administration is using various excuses to enforce these repugnant anti- American policies on other cities around our country. I selected a few videos and articles below for a briefing, out of a number of pieces I been reading. I felt it was appropriate to first hear out U.S. Navy vet Chris David, a native Portlander who was injured by these sort of national special police officers/ soldiers, when he approached them to ask a question. Other pieces below look at how a judge is reacting to this ... some of the events on the ground ... expanding surveillance powers and new funding for DHS, specifically for this ... a PDX journalist on how they instill fear in citizens ... a couple pieces on how a Mayor and District Attorney of 2 large American cities are handling this ... and a video from trial attorney, Devin Stone, who also runs the popular YouTube channel, LegalEagle, to explain and look at the legal end of this. At the bottom, I'll add some of my views.
Navy veteran beaten at Portland protest talks real message after video goes viral ... Thanx to ABC7 News Bay Area
***** CBS NEWS | ASSOCIATED PRESS: Judge orders federal agents to keep hands off journalists at Portland protests ... (newsread)
***** THE GUARDIAN | Chris McGreal: Portland: protesters bring down fence as confrontation with Trump agents rises ... (newsread)
***** THE INTERCEPT | Ryan Grim: As Trump Threatens Secret Police Deployment Nationwide, Democrats Debate Expanding Surveillance Powers And New Money For DHS ... (newsread)
***** THE OREGONIAN | Henry Latourette Miller: Opinion: Protesting an authoritarian police state is terrifying ... (opinion/news)
***** IN THESE TIMES | Hamilton Nolan: Philly D.A. Larry Krasner He's Ready to Charge Invading Federal Agents with Crimes ... (newsread/ interview)
***** BUSINESS INSIDER | Connor Perrett: Chicago mayor defends her decision to work with federal agents but says the can't 'play police' when 'they don't know the first thing about our city' ... (newsread)
Portland Occupied by Secret Federal "Police"? LegalEagle's Real Law Review ...Thanx to LegalEagle
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***** PD | RCJ: "THE AWAKENING" ... PART'S 57 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "PUBLIC PATRIOTS" ... PART'S 65 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "NEOLIBERALISM" ... PART'S 13 THRU 1
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Thomas Hudson Pickering/ Ranch Chimp (1982 photo)
Where are all the Constitutionalists in all of this? ... please, come out ... you know, those who fight tooth and claw endlessly to protect our 2nd Amendment right. What about the 1st and 4th amendment for example? ... shouldn't y'all be out in the streets with these folks with your AR-15s in hand? ... after all, some protesters desecrated a federal building ... certainly something that y'all would support, with your disdain for the federal government, eh? Where are all these folks that endlessly proclaim that the states individually should make their own decisions, and have the right to contest the Washington "elite" and federal government? This U.S. Navy veteran, Christopher David, that had his hand broken by these soldiers illegally beating him, for asking a question ... why didn't our President, who supports veterans above most, not meet with Chris, apologize to Chris, and publicly in front of the White House with Chris, as he would do for most any veteran support photo op? Speaking of President Trump ... where is your support publicly for these protesters/ freedom fighters for democracy? It was just earlier this year, that the President, with bipartisan support from other Washington political elitists, that y'all were loudly praising the Hong Kong protesters, and encouraging them to "tear shit down", and to fight the communist government of China, for their oppression of the people of Hong Kong. The President himself even threatening sanctions against China, if they didn't ease their brutality and oppression ... what in Hell happened over the last few months, that makes you respond to PDX freedom fighter protesters, like communist China would? I mean, we all know that you're a fascist ... do you also want to go down in history as one of the greatest communist leaders, as well? First the President labels these Portland citizens as "Antifa" ... I guess someone told him what "Antifa" actually means, because he now is calling them "Anarchists". No, Mr. President, you had it correct the first time, they should be called Antifa, because they ARE anti- fascist ... in other words, they are calling you by your right title, as a fascist ... not a President of any democracy ... they're fighting for their liberties, and against your policies and acting like a fascist dictator, Mr. President. And NO, the people of Portland are not out of order, they are doing the American thing ... and NO, there shouldn't be any goddamn peace, without justice ... nor should we have any respect for those who are out to destroy our democracy, rights/ liberties, and lives ... that have no respect for the majority of people.
Some of the mainstream media, in this case FOX News, has been painting this as anarchy taking over the country, to destroy everything American ... as far as Portland, and any large American cities, being ran by what they call liberals. What you see in PDX, is a small 4 block or so section of downtown, that has these protests, it has been consistent, and mostly orderly ... some vandalism, but the majority has been within the law. This is not nearly as heavy as what they praised in Hong Kong ... and this is no reason to gas, and shoot rubber bullets at mothers, dads, grandparents and the rest, that are simply asking to protect the rights of their families and children. Not only PDX and Oregon should be filing lawsuits here, but the UN should also be taking some kind of action ... this should be illegal, and probably is, on a global scale, by even international law. The reason they want to send troops into Chicago, has to do with a recent surge of gun violence, which I look at as largely gang related, not to do so much with the fight for democracy or George Floyd ... but yes, constant oppression as well. Completely different than PDX, but they will have and legislate various laws, to have reason to go into any city, if you allow it, for any reason, as this can easily become a slippery slope. I mean, Chicago has a history of gang violence that goes back to the 1800s/ 19th century ... you have a recent spike ... and Chicago has a history of city government corruption that goes back for nearly as many years too. But too, on the other hand, such as PDX, Seattle, NYC, Philly, or wherever ... this reaction to oppression, racism, police brutality, neoliberalism, has built up a growing amount of anger, and continues to. The police murder of George Floyd brought out alot of anger that been brewing over our government's policing policies for decades. I had this journal/ blog now for a decade ... and just in that short time, look at how much this country has deteriorated on these issues ... which is the whole reason I started covering this stuff a decade ago ... because at some point, we will come to some kind of awakening, the sooner, the better. This is why I support these folks like in Portland, or any other U.S. city that stands for democracy, because what we see today, is not democracy or even freedom by a long shot. Again, this resistance will NOT die out, but increase globally, wave after wave, as long as they push anti- democratic policies ... whether it's American protests, or folks like the French "Gilets Jaunes", or the German's "Aufstehen" movement ... we are all up against a common global enemy.
It's in order if this is about only protecting the Federal Courthouse in Portland from vandalism or related ... whether a federal courthouse, park, monument, or whatever else. What is not part of that so called "detail", is breaking away from the courthouse protective perimeter, going a couple blocks away and just grabbing citizens off the street at random wearing masks, which they are supposed to, to protect themselves/ others from COVID as well, and detaining and interrogating them without legal cause to, they don't charge them with anything, because they're committing no crime. As for Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago, saying she wants these militarized federal forces to help them in Chicago, but with strict oversight and limits ... that's fine ... and it's common for folks to want help ... but there is no reason to believe that, that won't also lead to a slippery slope. As far as hundreds of protesters showing up outside Mayor Lightfoot's home, they should, and make sure their voices are heard loud and clear ... politicians should be fearing the people, not the other way around, they impose fear on the people constantly. The District Attorney of Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, is taking the more sensible route ... being that, if these troops break their local laws, he will charge and prosecute them, plain and simple. As far as the President thinking he's just going to send forces to all these cities, and crack heads or whatever ... that is ill thinking, which is quite common for him. "IF" you start to just mobilize these militarized forces across the country ... it will make many go underground, then you will really have to worry about pockets of anarchists and trouble. People, especially the younger more tech proficient, are not dumb ... thinking that you'll just track them all on their phones or whatever is also ill thinking ... they will devise and use alternative communications and organizing methods, and some will recruit ex- military sympathizers, with demolitions engineering backgrounds, counterinsurgency backgrounds, intelligence/ counterintelligence backgrounds, to special forces/ weapons backgrounds, etc, who will teach others ... then you'll have a new challenge. Because the forces the American people will be resisting are actually terrorizing the people and country ... at the request of fascists and multinational tyrannical oiligarchs. This is also NOT Hong Kong, there are millions of more guns here than population, and access to many tools that others across the globe may not have. It would be harder, for any U.S. military branch and/ or law enforcement branch, to contain and crush a strong determined resistance ... and this is much larger and more populated than Afghanistan or Iraq. And how long will it be, as the economy gets disrupted, and society increasingly turns against these tyrants attacking us ... that many of these militarized forces personel start realizing that they are doing wrong by taking orders from these anti- democracy tyrants, to attack our citizenry on/ in our own grounds/ country ... and decline to do it any further ... with some starting to join the people and their families to fight back?
As far as Washington and the Congress debating new funding and expansion of surveillance powers, etc ...well, this is nothing new, look at what has happened just over the last 30 years ... you can barely wipe your ass without some tech device picking it up, nothing to worry much about, because it's the reality, but certainly to be aware of. Of course there will be bitch fighting back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, but you can bank on it, that they will be beefing up surveillance and law enforcement. And you want to be careful of asking to dismantle/ defund police departments, because that will lead to privatization of police forces (example here of a privatized Fire Department in Tennessee), and wealthy investors marketing it. This is not only to keep tabs on what everyone is doing, but what they are spending, eating, or whatever else. Most they will label as for the common good, after all ... people who have committed horrible crimes, including murder on others, have been easier to track and bust, because of technology. Hell, if it wasn't for our phones, we wouldn't even have all these clear cases of police misconduct and killings of innocent people ... there is a flip side to everything, eh? This is one of those things, that Democrats will even have enough to support it, and pass it, many with public approval, because so many fears and uncertainty people have. People want a certain amount of protection, and to be watched to some degree. But, these things also have a flip side, and has a history of turning into a slippery slope. It was events like the North Hollywood Shootout (wikipedia) in early 1997, that started to even more, add military type gear to the police uniform and gear, when all these cops who responded to the bank robbery in progress, had no adequate protection, from these well equipped bank robbers. The 3 strikes laws against violent offenders, led to folks stealing a sandwich from a 7-11 to eat, getting decades in prison for it, which led to private profit/ investor driven prison/ detention facilities, unpaid forced labour, and so forth ... so you see how the slippery slope works without control, especially in a society where everything is market driven. The recent George Floyd protests, are evidence, that you can get change with strong protesting ... look how many corporations have changed things overnight from the protests. Major sports leagues changing their attitude, NFL supporting kneeling ... even changing the name of the "Washington Redskins", removing Confederate monuments, to taking Aunt Jemima off the pancake box ... I could go on and on. You have never seen this kind of change in such a short time frame from any political party/ politician ... it was the actions of the "people" and their protesting that brought this about, so don't expect these politicians to change a damn thing ... the people need to make the demand, and change things. Continuous protests and civil disobedience, over and over and over, is what will bring any change in any decent time frame.
Word Out ....
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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Friday, July 17, 2020
CAB CALLOWAY: "Interview", "Jumpin' Jive- feat The Nicholas Brothers", "Calloway Boogie", "Some Of These Days", "Reefer Man", "Minnie The Moocher", & "St. James Infirmary" ... (BLACK HISTORY | HARMON LOFT PT.17)
**** Cab Calloway Official Site
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***** CUNY TV: Day at Night: Cab Calloway, singer and bandleader ... (video/ interview 02 April 1974)
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This entry into the music/ arts honour roll society of this journal/ blog will be to honour the great jazz legend "Cab Calloway" (wikipedia). I also decided to add this in the "Black History | Harmon Loft" series of this journal/ blog, because I think that my friend Harmon, would have wanted Cab in this series, Harlem was Harmon's area of New York City, and that series is for/ of Harmon. Cab was from Rochester (NY), moved to Baltimore at age 11, and his desire started there as a kid to pursue singing and entertaining, then trying to get to Chicago to sing, and finally New York. He says his dad wanted him to be a lawyer, like his dad, he even took his shot at law school in Chicago, but was hooked on music. Cab was also in a number of movies, and recieved many awards, to being inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. The first black artist to sell 1 million records off a single, "Minnie The Moocher" (1931) ... and back then, I believe it was on the old 78 rpm shellac 10"/ 12" inch disk record ... my grandmother actually had some of them. I been intending to get Cab in here for some time, since I like jazz and swing, especially that 1920s to 1940s era, because Cab had such a long line of musicians that he influenced up to present day ... today you have folks like "Caravan Palace" with some great work. One of the last appearances Cab made on the screen, would have been in Janet Jackson's "Alright" video (YouTube), which was about Cab, and in his fashion, this was 1990. I particularly loved his unique trademark style of scat singing, jazz vocals, piano, and jazz orchestra work. For those interested, I included a 1974 interview with him above, which he really gets into detail about how his career kicked off, folks he worked with from the clubs to Broadway. Lucky for Cab as well, was not only looking up to Louis Armstrong (wikipedia) as a influence he loved for his horn and vocal work, but actually being able to play and sing for Louis as well, who probably gave Cab the biggest break of his career, in my view. I remember the first time I seen JG Thirlwell (as Foetus), I was thinking ... Cab Calloway as an influence, not just vocals, but the music and horns. Cab even set a sort of fashion trend in his day, wearing the zoot suits, the jacket was because he liked jackets with long tails, and the hat he designed himself. He also had his trademark with the way he got his audience to participate, which he said came accidentally, as far as the "Hi- De- Ho" sing- along.
To me, what really made his work such a big influence in jazz, was his years with the Cotton Club. In 1931 when Cab and his Orchestra were asked to fill in for Duke Ellington, while the Duke was on tour, is what done it ... that led to being offered the permanent position for them at the club. I mean, when you get a permanent position/ house band like that at a place like The Cotton Club, which was like the place to be back in that day, for New York late night entertainment, it builds and sustains a large following over time, like any successful long running show. I chose some videos below to try to catch some of that spirit of then. The opening piece "Jumpin' Jive", from the 1943 musical/ film "Stormy Weather", I included the colourized version, and a treat in here features "The Nicholas Brothers" (wikipedia), these guys are outstanding, some really good dance/ choreography. Songs like "Minnie The Moocher" and "Reefer Man" were quite controversial back in those dayz, with lyrics that refer to cocaine, opium, and marijuana use ... which was actually quite widespread back in those dayz, as far as drug usage ... but kept in the closet. The "Some Of These Days" cover is short, I love the orchestra, guitar, and vocal work on it by Cab ... this song goes back to 1910 from Sophie Tucker, written by Shelton Brooks. I wanted to close out with the long classic "St. James Infirmary", which Louis Armstrong made famous in 1928, another cover that so many have done ... here is Bobby Blue Bland also doing it ... and another cover of it here with a unique twist, by Bridge City Sinners (2016). And Thanx to Cab and his Orchestra for all the great music .... Enjoy!
Stormy Weather in color- The Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway | Colorized with DeOldify ... Thanx to Black Pepper Swing **** the name of this song is "Jumpin' Jive"
Calloway Boogie- Cab Calloway ... Thanx to Lloyd T.
Cab Calloway "Some Of These Days" 1937 ... Thanx to harryoakley
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***** "RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY" A THRU M
***** "RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY" N THRU Z
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***** PD | RCJ: "BLACK HISTORY | HARMON LOFT" ... PART'S 16 THRU 1
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Cab Calloway- Reefer Man (1932) ... Thanx to PilotOfTheAirwaves1
Cab CALLOWAY "Minnie The Moocher" !!! ... Thanx to JUSTASITTINANDAROCK
Cab Calloway- St. James Infirmary (1930 version) ... Thanx to UbiquitousLazar
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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Saturday, July 11, 2020
MELISSA REIN | QANON KAREN: Don't SCREW with a White Blonde $40,000 Rolex wearing JEW ... The "Pumped on Trump" Edition ... (LADIES a Lil on the HOT & SPICY side PT.11)- (DON'T BE ALARMED PT.22 ... "You're in Trump Country")
This posting will be for 2 series of this journal/ blog ... "LADIES a Lil on the HOT & SPICY side" and "Don't Be Alarmed" ... I had no idea what a "Karen" was, or what "QAnon" meant, I had to look it up. Just a little humour here, because I kept laughing when I seen this video the other day of Melissa Rein in front of a Target store in Arizona saying "Baaaaaaa ... Baaaaaaa" to customers coming out of the store wearing masks, referring to them as sheep! {:-) She also went into Target and started taking all of the face masks off the racks and throwing them around, angry as Hell over masks. Then she gets questioned by police at her hotel later, that was unrelated to the Target incident ... who her husband (ex), Jared Lively, called on her, to do a wellness check, she ends up getting busted for something or another, etc. She said Target was only harassing her, because she is a blonde white woman wearing a $40,000 Rolex watch ... and told the cops at her hotel that she was a spokesperson for the White House and Trump, and that the cops were some Nazi gestapo deep state shit, harassing her because she is Jewish ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) The first link below is a article she wrote in the Scottsdale Independent, she was very concerned with the coronavirus, and not enough being done about it ... which is interesting, because it's like a complete opposite view. The 2nd link is how this all led to her getting dumped by hubby Jared ... who is so in love with her and worried about her mental health, that he gave her the boot ... a "very american" trait ... kind of like apartment complexes, telling you they are concerned about you not being able to pay your rent on time, because of lay off or hours cut, etc, so they tell you, you have 72 hours to get out, call the cops on you, and throw you in the fucken street. The 3rd link, is a look at some trouble she been having with a PR firm before all this.
Melissa has been really a go getter, she had her own PR firm, she was CEO and founder of, a fairly successful husband, hung out at all the right places and social circles, knew the right people to make good business, etc, etc ... she does pretty well, in my view. So what in Hell happened? I think it was just all the shit she been going through, and with the restraining orders against her, hubby, etc ... like the perfect storm ... and then getting pumped on Trump, which you shouldn't listen to much of anything he sayz, because it's all just garbage, and can make you miserable, if you don't let it go in one ear and out the other ... face it, he's (Trump) just a miserable guy. I included the videos below that had me laughing ... and included a video I want to dedicate to Melissa below, called "Dust Devil" ... concerning "BAAAAAAA ... BAAAAAAA" {:-) Hope she gets well, and gets past this, and has some fun for a change. And for you guyz out there like me, that likes them galz a little on the edge and the hot and spicy side ... Melissa is now single, she's beautiful, full of fire, and ready to go ... you go grrrrlll !!
Word Out ....
***** SCOTTSDALE INDEPENDENT | Melissa Rein Lively: Lively: Mayor Lane needs to protect Scottsdale residents now before it's too late ... (opinion/ newread)
***** 2OCEANSVIBE NEWS | Carrie: This US Mask Meltdown Video Ends In Divorce ... (newsread) *** and Jared Lively Facebook post
***** PHOENIX NEW TIMES | Elizabeth Whitman: Jason Rose's PR Firm Feud Escaltes From YouTube to Restraining Orders ... (newsread)
Insane Karen with '$40,000 Rolex' trashes Target face mask display And Plays Jew Card ... Thanx to Content Wealth
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***** PD | RCJ: "LADIES a Lil on the HOT & SPICY side" ... PART'S 10 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "DON'T BE ALARMED" ... PART'S 21 THRU 1
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Butthole Surfers Dust Devil ... Thanx to hutrputr **** I wanted to dedicate this ol' favourite song of mine to Melissa, with love from the Ranch, from the Butthole Surfers out of San Antonio (TX) ... the LYRICS HERE are fitting to help understand and ease your frustration, Dear .... BAAAAAAA .... BAAAAAAA {:-) ..... XOXO Ranchy
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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Tuesday, July 7, 2020
VOODOO DOUGHNUT'S SOLIDARITY UNIONISM: The 'Magick' is The 'Will' of the RIGHT to FIGHT, & The Workers That Have YOUR BACK ... When The DECK is STACKED ... The "Collective Objective" Edition ... (AMERICAN JOBS PT.15)- (PUBLIC PATRIOTS PT.65)
**** IWW | Voodoo Doughnut Workers Union
This posting will be for the "American Jobs" and "Public Patriots" series of this journal/ blog ... and it's some good news in our trying times. It will focus on "solidarity unionism" and a group of workers that are making it happen ... a more aggressive and different approach to unionizing workers, led by workers themselves, instead of the complex channels and system we currently do as far as how, when, and where to organize and negotiate. I myself have never belonged to a union ... but due to the circumstances workers are now facing, I think it's importante for workers to stand stronger, than any other time in my life that I seen. This posting will focus on the recently formed union for Voodoo Doughnut Workers in Portland (OR), who I also view as public type patriots, for their strength in these trying times, because of the coronavirus, and this neoliberal corporatized culture in the workplace that has been growing. Voodoo Doughnut (wikipedia) is a unique and very popular business that started as one location in Portland/ PDX years back, and has now been expanding with new locations in Oregon, California, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. Even though their requests/ demands had not been met at this time, some of that has to do with the pandemic, and the decrease in business ... but these workers are on the right track, and are providing inspiration, channels, and tools, for so many other across the country. Sticking to their needs and making their voices heard through action, can only make progress, which otherwise, doing nothing, is no progress.
Some newsread for a briefing on what has been going on and why below in the Al Jazeera News piece. Then a video where Jimmy Dore sits down with Voodoo Doughnut Union organizer and activist, Samantha Bryce (also a local LGBT activist/ organizer), affiliated with Portland IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), to explain some of the recent actions, reason for action, plans, and strategies. And credit to Samantha on organizing these folks, and the IWW for their backing, since too many folks in these type jobs, can't get support from your big unions. The reason why there has been so many more benefits for workers in places like western European countries, is because after WWII, the people started to make demands, and they managed to diversify their politics more than here ... and they stayed hammering it ... again, it was the workers/ consumers/ people, that made it happen. The same applies thoughout history ... take a look at what actually brings change, instead of what you are told by the ruling establishment, of their guidelines to bring change, eh? At the bottom I'll add a few of my thoughts, and to close out with a video and letter to the upper management of Voodoo Doughnut from Apollo Fernweh, who was laid off from Voodoo Doughnut ... Apollo sums it up well, and straight to the point. I doubt that Apollo will get brought back onboard after a letter like such ... but it inspires others to think and act. I also agree with these workers and their affiliates 110% ... which is why they are in these series and journal/ blog.
***** ALJAZEERA | Shane Burley: Coronavirus fight: Some US worker unions become more aggressive | Some US workers are breaking from generally accepted union procedures to respond to coronavirus- related risks ... (newsread)
Workers Organize Themselves! -- Voodoo Doughnut Organizer Interview! ... Thanx to The Jimmy Dore Show
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***** PD | RCJ: "AMERICAN JOBS" ... PART'S 14 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "PUBLIC PATRIOTS" ... PART'S 64 THRU 1
***** PD | RCJ: "THE AWAKENING" ... PART'S 57 THRU 1 **** (a related series)
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Ranch Chimp (Thomas Hudson Pickering)
If this was a small mom/ pop type doughnut business, I could understand the strain on the business, even without the pandemic, as far as being able to give employees some benefits. I have never been to Voodoo Doughnut, but have heard and read about them ... they are very popular, even considered a tourist attraction, and I can see why. This is not the late night/ after hours corner shop it once was, that caters to the underground/ alternative music crowd and related ... and credit to the owners on the concept and work they done developing this. What I see is a winner, with much potential from a marketing perspective ... and it shows, looking how booming this business is, wherever they set up ... I mean, this is the kind of place that can become a giant like Starbucks. They are now moving into pop- corporatized hipster places like Hollywood's Universal CityWalk, and trying to cater to these Santa Monica type fashionistas, and places like Universal Orlando Resort/ CityWalk, it's now focused on tourists, wannabe hipsters with money, and family hot spots with folks that spend out the ass. When you hire employees for a business like this, it takes a certain personality and spirit to try to keep some of its authenticity ... you're not looking for someone with a cap and bowtie who served coffee and donuts at some mega corporate donut chain. Many of Voodoo's employees put their heart and creativity into things like decorating these doughnuts, it's like an art to some, and the comfortable and friendly unique atmosphere that they give off to customers ... they too, are a part of what Voodoo calls their "magic". This business is a specialty type artsy service, from the personalized packages they sell, to the weddings, to the unique decorations of the doughnuts, and atmosphere ... which is also making good sales just off mechandising itself, with all the novelties/ memorablilia they sell. These employees are part of what makes that happen ... and if you want to keep that raw authenticity, you must listen to the employees too, or else you just become another corporate behemoth. The owners, of all people should realize this, considering their backgrounds, and dealing with music/ arts and that alternative scene.
What employees like Samantha, Apollo, and others are asking for, is very basic ... and giving your crew a sense of security, is giving your business security, and paving the future for its longevity. These simple requests are a small price to pay for a bigger reward that you will get from it ... and to make sure it stays as unique as it started ... unless you plan to just make it huge, and then have the usual giants like Disney/ Fox buy it out, then it goes in the shitter and loses much of what it once had, and the giants will destroy a large part of what it was ... turning it into something that gets bought out again, by someone like the Communist Government of China, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) Whether it's Voodoo doughnuts or other places, like mentioned in the Al Jazeera article ... employees taking action is needed and past due ... and I even am excited to see things like wildcat strikes ... I mean, this is for the employees and consumers, all of which allows business and free markets to flow and grow. Acting on this, and consumers and workers taking action out of line with the chain of command in Washington, is what will bring change ... waiting for bureaucrats/ politicians to change anything, with their incremental shit ... you'll spend a lifetime waiting, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) This includes a mass response as far as protests, picketing, boycotts, etc ... and continuous. For example ... take the recent George Floyd protests, this brought out millions of people nationwide (and even worldwide) to vent their frustrations with this system on various levels of issues we have faced for decades. Look at how much progress has been made in just this short time ... they not only been getting symbols and statues of racism removed ... they actually got corporations concerned to the point, to where giants such as multibillion dollar PepsiCo/ Quaker Oats had to take ol' Aunt Jemima off the pancake box ... to the multibillion dollar NFL to recognize racism, and asking talented folks to play again like Colin Kaepernick ... police departments wanting to compromise, etc. This is because the people of this country made the change, which is what democracy is supposed to be about ... I'm 64 yrs old, and can say that there has never been a political party or politician that has brought this kind of change in this short of time frame in my entire life.
Word Out ....
STAND WITH THE VOODOO DOUGHNUT WORKERS UNION ... Thanx to Apollo Fernweh
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
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