I had an interesting conversation with a woman at the checkout in a Thriftstore. We were talking about the chaos in Egypt and she commented that she didn't believe it could happen here. I told her I thought it could. I proposed a couple of scenarios. If the power grid broke down or our food distribution system stopped happening, I said that there would soon be looting and violence in the streets. There is probably about a month's food or maybe six weeks food in stores and homes in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Once that food ran out, I said there would be violence in the streets. She disagreed, thought our technology for delivering food and power is secure.
I don't know but I think we are living in a technological house of cards. We are vulnerable to economic or technological collapse due to natural disasters, terrorist or military attacks. I may be profoundly wrong but I think something bad is going to happen, sooner or later. It could be just something bad or it could be really bad or it could even be the end of life as we know it.
Whadaya think? Are we vulnerable or secure?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Woodstock August 15 - 18, 1969 - Thinkin' About It
I told my nephew that I was watching the original Woodstock movie this weekend. He asked me was I there. No, I said, I was in the midst of hitchhiking from Woodstock, Ontario to Vancouver. (I'm actually from Woodstock, Ontario.)But I was there in spirit.
What was Woodstock? For me, most of my information comes from the movie which was released a year later. The movie is the event, the myth. Remember the movie (and your TV news) is a story told from a particular perspective. The people who planned the event for 50,000 people and lost money when 400,000 showed up, most without buying tickets, lost money - until Woodstock the movie came out. Then they made money. One of the purposes of the film, perhaps the main purpose says the Cynic in me was to make money. The purpose of the film was to tell an attractive story. The parts of the story that didn't fit the purpose ended up on the cutting room floor.
What was so great about "Woodstock?"
First the music - at least the music that made it into the film - was superb. Ten Years After blues rockin' Goin' Home still thrills my soul 40 years after first seeing it in the film. Hendrix's rendition of Star Spangled Banner still breaks the heart with longing for healing for a world that was coming apart due to the Viet Nam war. Janis never did find her man to love but she sure sang about it in a way that made us all want to find that someone. Top musicians at the top of their form and their best performances selected for the film.
Woodstock the Movie set me on a search for the next couple of years for Woodstock. I went to a few music festivals, rock concerts, parks and city centres but never found Woodstock. I smoked dope and kissed a few girls but I never found Woodstock.
What was Woodstock? It was a movie. A bunch of extra people showed up at a music festival, got high and listened to some great music. More people showed up and it rained. Food, water, toilets and medical attention were in short supply so everyone pitched in and cooperated including the army and local townspeople. Food, blankets and even flowers were brought in by helicopter. No one punched anyone, at least on camera. Some attractive women took off their clothes and some people played in the mud. They kept announcing from the stage that the world was being changed by this event. We all tried to believe it.
Within a few short years I had come to the conclusion that it was easy to have a 3 day festival of peace and love but that was about all we could manage. We didn't change the world for the better.We had a vision of a better world and out of that vision came a few songs and many broken lives. I honour the time and the hope that we had. I can still weep over what I wanted the world to be.
What was Woodstock? For me, most of my information comes from the movie which was released a year later. The movie is the event, the myth. Remember the movie (and your TV news) is a story told from a particular perspective. The people who planned the event for 50,000 people and lost money when 400,000 showed up, most without buying tickets, lost money - until Woodstock the movie came out. Then they made money. One of the purposes of the film, perhaps the main purpose says the Cynic in me was to make money. The purpose of the film was to tell an attractive story. The parts of the story that didn't fit the purpose ended up on the cutting room floor.
What was so great about "Woodstock?"
First the music - at least the music that made it into the film - was superb. Ten Years After blues rockin' Goin' Home still thrills my soul 40 years after first seeing it in the film. Hendrix's rendition of Star Spangled Banner still breaks the heart with longing for healing for a world that was coming apart due to the Viet Nam war. Janis never did find her man to love but she sure sang about it in a way that made us all want to find that someone. Top musicians at the top of their form and their best performances selected for the film.
Woodstock the Movie set me on a search for the next couple of years for Woodstock. I went to a few music festivals, rock concerts, parks and city centres but never found Woodstock. I smoked dope and kissed a few girls but I never found Woodstock.
What was Woodstock? It was a movie. A bunch of extra people showed up at a music festival, got high and listened to some great music. More people showed up and it rained. Food, water, toilets and medical attention were in short supply so everyone pitched in and cooperated including the army and local townspeople. Food, blankets and even flowers were brought in by helicopter. No one punched anyone, at least on camera. Some attractive women took off their clothes and some people played in the mud. They kept announcing from the stage that the world was being changed by this event. We all tried to believe it.
Within a few short years I had come to the conclusion that it was easy to have a 3 day festival of peace and love but that was about all we could manage. We didn't change the world for the better.We had a vision of a better world and out of that vision came a few songs and many broken lives. I honour the time and the hope that we had. I can still weep over what I wanted the world to be.
Monday, January 10, 2011
2nd Crack at Blogging: Getting Autobiographical
2nd crack at blogging. Still thrashing around in the menus but obviously making some progress.
I was surprised to see that I had written "the remarkable fellow that I was." I was?!! I still is.If my faith is true, I always will be. So what was that, a Freudian slip? I think it was just a case of how my mind works when I'm thinking autobiography. It is written for those who will be here when I aint.
I'm wondering if this is the place to post autobiographical stuff. Is there a specialty blog for autobiographists? I shall check that out.
Just to put something autobiographical in here, part of what I'm writing on right now: Between the fall of 1969 and the spring of 1974 I hitchhiked:
regularly between Waterloo and Woodstock
up to Kapuskasing, Ontario
between Woodstock Ontario and Vancouver about six times (including taking the train once each way)
St.Thomas, Ontario to New York City
from London, England to Nepal and back (taking the occasional bus or train on the way back). That included Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal
I was surprised to see that I had written "the remarkable fellow that I was." I was?!! I still is.If my faith is true, I always will be. So what was that, a Freudian slip? I think it was just a case of how my mind works when I'm thinking autobiography. It is written for those who will be here when I aint.
I'm wondering if this is the place to post autobiographical stuff. Is there a specialty blog for autobiographists? I shall check that out.
Just to put something autobiographical in here, part of what I'm writing on right now: Between the fall of 1969 and the spring of 1974 I hitchhiked:
regularly between Waterloo and Woodstock
up to Kapuskasing, Ontario
between Woodstock Ontario and Vancouver about six times (including taking the train once each way)
St.Thomas, Ontario to New York City
from London, England to Nepal and back (taking the occasional bus or train on the way back). That included Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal
Sunday, January 9, 2011
First Blog
I feel like a cat thrashing around in a bag. It has taken me 15 minutes to figure out how to post this first blog. Now I've thrashed my way to here and assuming that I can figure out how to actually move this text onto the blog space which doesn't look too difficult it will be possible to make this available for your viewing.
I suspect getting my first viewer here will be more than a 15 minute job but millions have managed to promote their blogs and get a bit of a following so it can be done.
I've kept my NY's resolutions really vague this year but one of them is to develop an online presence. I want to find an audience.
I lead a very interesting life and I'd like to share it with a few peeps. I'd like to be a little bit famous.
I'm writing my autobiography right now, bits and pieces at a time and I can lay it out here and maybe someone will read it and realize what a remarkable fellow I was.
I suspect getting my first viewer here will be more than a 15 minute job but millions have managed to promote their blogs and get a bit of a following so it can be done.
I've kept my NY's resolutions really vague this year but one of them is to develop an online presence. I want to find an audience.
I lead a very interesting life and I'd like to share it with a few peeps. I'd like to be a little bit famous.
I'm writing my autobiography right now, bits and pieces at a time and I can lay it out here and maybe someone will read it and realize what a remarkable fellow I was.
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