In a break from music, some poetry to take you into the night.
T.S. Eliot – “The Hollow Men”
Jill Scott – An Evening of Poetry at the White House
Langston Hughes – “The Weary Blues”
Pablo Neruda – “Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines”
Jorge Luis Borges – “Waking Up (El Despertar)’
Richard Blanco – “One Today”
Lawrence Ferlinghetti – “The World is a Beautiful Place…”
This is the music of the spoken word night owl chat.
The Obama Diary 
forward!!
#FORWARD with you, 4more!
Congrats on #1 🙂
Spoken word! Nice!
But it’s Debbie’s birthday!
Ooooooo…. I love the selections here LL!.
Permission to tweet profusely?!! 🙂
Proceed, Number One.
LL – at some point, don’t forget the Simon & Garfunkel night!! 🙂 🙂 No rush, just a gentle ‘minder.
My fave…..
Now that’s what I’m talking ’bout!
Love this … and Blondie up above too.
Thanks hf 🙂
LL – GREAT SELECTION!!
UT – SUPERLATIVE coverage of the Women of Texas emerging as a major force.
Chips, LP, UT – thank you for all the coverage today of the Obamas in Tanzania
Anyone I missed – endless gratitude for expanding the impact of TOD!
#FORWARD Together
All of it X ME !!!
LL – Great night for poetry! No matter how annoying so many things have been today, ’round the world, seeing the President “dancing” (ha ha ha) just brightened up my evening! Thank you for continuing that good feeling, sir!
And thank you, also, for bringing “Narrative” magazine to our attention here. I just entered their poetry contest today. Wish me luck!
TY Bobfr, I’ve been feeling iffy last few days….. wish I had contributed more, but as everyone can see there are many able hands steering the ship!
So Joy is going to be hosting THREE shows tomorrow?
She’s good, but why exhaust her, especially since MSNBC is all-Zimmerman-trial-all-the time now.
Give her Chris “Idiot” Hayes timeslot for a lively engaging and thoughtful hour. Reposting this from the prior thread, because it’s just too good.
Pushback from the right-wing pajamas media. Too delicious.
I must say that Inaugural poetry reading was not well-received, at least by those in the vicinity around me. The consensus seemed to be that it lacked expression and was way too long.
Personally, I loved it. I mostly loved it because he loved being there so much, and I heard some of his stories after the Inauguration, about the experience of meeting the President. He was gushing.
See! You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, and .. and ,,,,but …ahm.. whatever
Little Eddie Snowden Doesn’t Wanna Play Whistleblower No More
By Oliver Willis
———————————–
Edward Snowden’s statement by way of Wikileaks is hilarious and sad. I don’t know if it was Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, the Russian government or someone else who whispered sweet nothings in his ear as he went undercover to leak national security secrets to the world, but he sounds like he’s all tuckered out.
It is as if Snowden thought the process would go like this:
——————————————-
http://thedailybanter.com/2013/07/little-eddie-snowden-doesnt-wanna-play-whistleblower-no-more/
https://twitter.com/Our4thEstate/status/351883205068066817
typo corrected …
That dude #Snowden’s fanciful notion of ‘stateless’ is the very least of his problems.
The folk who pulled his strings and paid the freight, to the extent he has any idea who they are, right about now are probably calculating just how much danger he would be to them if he started squawking. Without doubt, the safest haven he has is under the protection of US Embassy staff in Moscow and a ride home on a US gov plane.
#TrustBarack
Did you see this from the prior thread?
Today’s front page NYT article starts to put the #Snowden pieces together.
Jun 29:
President Obama dismissed Snowden as a two-bit hacker.
Jul 1:
NYT reports that Snowden was basically a well-paid government hacker, which answers a lot of questions as to how he got his security clearance with a relatively spotty CV.
But the question that now begs to be answered is whether Snowden was a “plant” to dig into govt records for the sole purpose of exposing the NSA “surveillance state.”
Looking at you, @ggreenwald.
I just read Snowden’s statement – rather reminds me of my 14 year old daughter telling me it wasn’t fair because I was on the teacher’s side when she didn’t like some events that were happening at school.
I have seen enough spy movies (and I think a lot of movies mirror reality) so I would not want to be Snowden right now. He has got to be scared out of his freaking mind …. too bad; so sad.
Wow, what a cool collection, LL!
Meals on wheels, Veterans benefits, Student loans, Nat. Security & Jobs….any a priority for the GOP? Deficit hawks instead want 60 billion….
” The most trusted name in news” ……… This is CNN.
A ‘cracker’ is salty and white and goes good with soup or chili. I’m not sure about the “N” word though. Somebody help a brother out here.
Okay, taking a risk here, but I know you TOD folk are forgiving people. Right now, poetry makes this come to my mind. I am not a connoisseur of poetry. A while ago I was looking for material on the Biblical story of the woman at the well. I found this piece on youtube and it really struck me. I had to listen several times and kept coming back to it over several weeks.
I enjoyed it, thought provoking. TY.
Thank you, CarolMae
😉
My TL tells me that both Hayes and Maddow are in full Snowden-defense mode this evening. Then MSNBC tries court lost viewers by having Joy Ann Reid fill in on almost every available show now. MSNBC wants to eat it’s cake and have it. Don’t insult viewers with Libertarian crap night after night after night, and then force them to watch every silly show they otherwise would not watch just because you have Joy Ann filling in.
You nailed it. Can you send all that to MSNBC? I highly recommend it. They think we can’t see them. (Well, actually, a lot of us are seeing them less and less!)
Nailed to the wall!
dang I just posted this down thread..lol. Great minds think alike
Redux:
{{{{{{{{OOOOMMMMGGGG}}}}}}}}
Find me a naughty mat……..
I’m right next to you, Anna!!
NICE!
Swooooon!
Starbucks is more famous than Microsoft … really?
Since we’re going into the spoken word, lets go deep. The following vid is long and dated but worth it. You decide.
Wooo-weeee, Sailor. You went like 20,000 leagues deep! Go ‘head wit you bad self! 🙂
Didn’t mean to. I thought that this might possibly offend some sensibilities. Hope I didn’t.
In art, religion & politics, somebody’s bound to get offended.
Does the truth count?
I was actually looking for some James Baldwin, but my search-fu was a bit off.
There’s some around. Keep looking. 🙂
While the Congress that are paid by taxpayer dollars will be in session 16 days between now and Labor Day, Gabby Giffords is visiting 7 states this week:
“Two and half years after being shot in the head, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords visited a shooting range and fired a gun, her first stop on a seven-state, seven-day bus tour to push for expanded background checks for firearms purchases.”
snip/
“Besides Nevada and Alaska, the tour also will stop in North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Maine and New Hampshire.”
AWESOME SAUCE!!!!!!!
Great commend under the video on YouTube:
“I like it. Has a good beat, and you can subvert the patriarchy to it.” 😀 😀 😀
Yes!
Nobody wants this maggot
hahahaha – he really thinks Austria, France, Germany or India would take him – definitely delusional
Well, if he has no allegiance to the country of his birth, what should their expectation be? I think that creepy critter is between a rock and a hard place.
I think he has reached the place where he wants “Mom or Dad” to solve the problem. I think this is why his father spoke out recently – the man-child was asking for help. Sometimes no-one can save us from ourselves.
Pierce Brosnan’s Daughter Dies of Ovarian Cancer
After a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, Pierce Brosnan’s daughter Charlotte has died, PEOPLE has learned.
“On June 28 at 2 p.m. my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer,” Brosnan, 60, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She was surrounded by her husband Alex, her children Isabella and Lucas and her brothers Christopher and Sean.”
“Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon,” the actor continues. “We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences.”
Charlotte, who was 41, passed away in London. She leaves behind husband Alex Smith, their daughter, 14, and son, 8.
Charlotte’s mother, Cassandra Harris, also died of ovarian cancer. She passed away in 1991 at age 50 while married to Pierce, after losing her own mother to the same disease
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20713827,00.html
Oh how terribly sad.
So very sad, and I’m sorry for him and his entire family. I remember the coverage of his wife’s death in ’91.
This is totally off subject, but I have to say it to someone, and since my three year old grandson won’t listen, I’m saying it to you. I just heard the police tape of the questioning of George Zimmerman. He is lying.
We know. Sometimes that doesn’t matter a hill of beans in a high-profile court case though.
You’re so right. I’ve avoided the case precisely because I know that.
Yes he is.
Here are the 21 countries Snowjob applied to:
Monday, July 1, 2013
The 21 Nations Edward Snowden Applied For Asylum To…
Via WikiLeaks,
the Republic of Austria,
the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
the Federative Republic of Brazil,
the People’s Republic of China,
the Republic of Cuba,
the Republic of Finland,
the French Republic,
the Federal Republic of Germany,
the Republic of India,
the Italian Republic,
the Republic of Ireland,
the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
the Republic of Nicaragua,
the Kingdom of Norway,
the Republic of Poland,
the Russian Federation,
the Kingdom of Spain,
the Swiss Confederation,
the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
the Republic of Ecuador and
the Republic of Iceland
http://thepoliticalline.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-21-nations-edward-snowden-applied.html?spref=tw
LMAO!
Wikileaks leaking on the leaker
Now he’s crying that the US is the cause of his situation and is doing nothing to help him. Duh?
Crybaby isn’t he? Thanks for the debate. Everyone is contributing such great stuff. I can’t keep up. 😀
Thanks for posting the youtube video of the President’s speech at the University of Cape Town on the “Tanzania: The Day in Images”. Last night I spent a long time looking for it but could only find excerpts or one that had a still graphic instead of the President. I really appreciate Chips because I couldn’t watch it live. Does the President have a toothache or something? (This is a serious question, not sarcasm.) I’m worried that he is really tired, any human with the weight he carries would; or that he is sad, there are dozens of reasons he could be; or there is something problem behind the scenes that is a big strain. It just seemed to me that he didn’t have the optimism he usually does. Any comment?
Sara, the president has many reasons to be sad–the critical condition of Nelson Mandela, the horrific death of 19 firefighters in AZ and the explosive situation in Egypt and other areas of the ME. He has even more reasons to be tired–this trip is exhausting and he is always “on” having to deliver brilliant, thoughtful speeches, negotiate agreements and answer endless stupid questions. But PBO has always shown the most remarkable resilience and ability to refresh his energy of anyone I have ever seen. I’m sure when he steps on board AF1 on the home trip and has time with his family and a good rest, he’ll return to DC with a big smile and the energy to attack the work ahead. Plus he’ll enjoy the added benefit of having Congress leave town, which always makes DC a happier place.
Also Sara, in addition to the stuff that Jackie mentioned, this trip may have an emotional significance that stems from issues unrelated to the Presidency – that is this the continent from which his deceased father hails. Tanzania is very close to Kenya – so there’s added meaning associated with this trip and we just can’t imagine the emotional toll it takes
Other than that, I really didn’t notice PBO was particularly down to the point where I would feel that level of concern. The trip was not really meant to be a “fun” trip. It was a business trip, mixed in with visits to historical sites that would naturally evoke feelings of sadness, anxiety, regret, etc. (E.g., Slavery door of no return, Mandela’s jail cell, etc.) So if PBO showed any of these emotions, it’s totally understandable.
Only the so-called journalists are whining and they’re doing nothing.
Hmmm, so apparently Greenwald going on Fox News tomorrow morning. Yeah, I’ll make sure to set my alarm…(eyeroll)
I posted a comment – what happened to it?!? 🙂
Ok will post just the tweet then.
Link not working, hf:)
http://thepoliticalline.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-21-nations-edward-snowden-applied.html
On my FB page; “The love Michelle and I and the girls have felt on our arrival, I want to assure you that love is reciprocated and given back in return.” —President Obama to the people of Tanzania: http://at.wh.gov/mz4LX
On mine too … what a message, yes?
Yes and great photo too.
My Girl Nikki …
Oh, yes!
Ms. Dudette, you got juice, girl…..a bad ass DJ and the spoken word, by the one and only Nikki!
Well, just shut my mouth, Honey! ( as they would say in Athens, Ga.)
Beautiful, that you thought to send that. Thank you.
PBO’s robben island pic made the FP of indian newsies y’day.
Do you think India would accept Snowden? 😉
No.
I was just teasing AMK, the king of teasers. 😉
afaik, there is no snowden is a hero sentiment here. So my guess, would be no.
😉
Bloodshed in Iraq
April 2013: 712 deaths (including 595 civilians); 1,633 wounded
May 2013: 1,045 deaths (including 963 civilians); 2,397 wounded
June 2013: 761 deaths (including 685 civilians); 1,771 wounded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23139975
May darth, dumbya, dumbsfeld and the neocons rot in hell.
I’ll settle for somebody snatching their sorry asses and “renditioning” them to adjoining cells in The Hague.
Second Dudette, or send the stooges to Iraq with a one way ticket with families.
This one.
I’m up for a necktie party with a straight drop into a starving alligator pit, but I always did have a mean streak, amk.
LL: Thanks a lot for the ‘change’ tonight. 😀 I enjoyed some of the poems; I really did.
In a post dated June 28, the head of the Virgin Group shared a complaint letter titled “An open letter to LIAT” that originally appeared in the BVI Beacon, a newspaper in the British Virgin Islands. LIAT is a Caribbean airline with destinations primarily in the Lesser Antilles, and according to the less-than-pleased passenger Arthur Hicks, with a circuitous route map.
Originally published in April 2013, the letter gained momentum online after Branson tweeted his more than 3 million followers in June, “How to write a complaint letter – read this hilarious note from a frustrated airline passenger.”
Dear LIAT,
May I say how considerate it is of you to enable your passengers such an in-depth and thorough tour of the Caribbean.
Most other airlines I have travelled on would simply wish to take me from point A to B in rather a hurry. I was intrigued that we were allowed to stop at not a lowly one or two but a magnificent six airports yesterday. And who wants to fly on the same airplane the entire time? We got to change and refuel every step of the way!
I particularly enjoyed sampling the security scanners at each and every airport. I find it preposterous that people imagine them all to be the same. And as for being patted down by a variety of islanders, well, I feel as if I’ve been hugged by most of the Caribbean already.
I also found it unique that this was all done on “island time,” because I do like to have time to absorb the atmosphere of the various departure lounges. As for our arrival, well, who wants to have to take a ferry at the end of all that flying anyway? I’m glad the boat was long gone by the time we arrived into Tortola last night — and that all those noisy bars and restaurants were closed.
So thank you, LIAT. I now truly understand why you are “The Caribbean Airline.”
P.S. Keep the bag. I never liked it anyway.
Great writing. Was it amk?
New Post: http://theobamadiary.com/2013/07/01/night-owl-jukebox-pt-2/ ……..chat on!