Classic Protest Songs from Folkways

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Stephen Pate

From Smithsonian Folkways

The Smithsonian Folkways label has issued a CD of folk protest songs. If you are feeling nostalgic for the folk boom of the 1960′s or are curious, this CD might a good start.

Protest songs are as old as man had music and the little guy wanted to speak out without losing his head. Folk singers like Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie created some of the early protest songs of the last century. Jazz singer Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” was a protest song against Negro lynch mobs.

The folk boom of the 1960′s made protest songs part of the popular culture. Bob Dylan’s early career was built on protest songs like “Blowin in the Wind”, “Masters of War”, “Maggie’s Farm” and “Time They Are A Changing”.

Warning – Explicit Content follows

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Susan Boyle comes in second, who cares?

Posted on May 31, 2009 by NJN Network

Susan Boyle’s second place finish demonstrates how dumb those contests are

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 31 2009 with story from Associated Press

Susan Boyle placed 2nd on “Britain’s Got Talent”. She lost to another group called “Diversity”. Enjoy her singing. Forget about winner-take-all-contests. Continue reading →

Little Boxes

Posted on May 31, 2009 by NJN Network

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 31 2009

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAch3MypvoA
Joan Baez singing the title music from “Weeds”

It’s ironic to think we heard this song in the 1960′s, sang along and ended up living in the burbs. Probably because the human experience is shared. We’re all moving together, rebels or not.
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PEI School closings – Georgetown, Parkdale and St. Jeans open. the rest will close

Posted on May 29, 2009 by NJN Network

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 29 2009 with story from CBC

The early votes of the Eastern School Board save Parkdale, Georgetown and Charlottetown schools from the axe. Continue reading →

Be nice

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Nice ass (photo by esteban escobar)

Last night watching TV my gal warned me -

“The next thing out of your mouth better be nice.”

Just then a commercial with a girl in jeans flashed by on the screen.

“Nice ass,” I said.

Whack!

Conference Board of Canada admits plagiarism, recalls “expert” reports

Posted on May 29, 2009 by NJN Network

Conference Board of Canada, high priced intellectual dishonesty

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 29 2009 with story from Michael Geist

The prestigious Conference Board of Canada has recalled three expert opinion reports on intellectual property admitting they were partially plagiarized and biased. Michael Geist broke the story and proved the Conference Board had been intellectually dishonest using US based media lobbyist groups for its so-called original research. Continue reading →

What’s been did and what’s been hid

Posted on May 28, 2009 by NJN Network

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 28 2009

Please accept a mea culpa on the number of stories this week. We are in the work stages of converting formats – not sites !. If you’ve done this or watched the agony from a distance, you’ll accept it’s a lot of work. Hence, writing time is being diverted for this week to technical matters. If you’re waiting breathlessly for the latest Little Girl Lost episode or our normal take on politics, music and all things of interest, please accept our apologies. Hang in there. We will get past this.
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Lobster fisherman set to take a hosing

Posted on May 27, 2009 by NJN Network

Ed Frenette PEI FA (CBC photo)

Looks like the government bail-out is an offer they can’t accept

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 26 2009 with story from CBC

PEI lobster fisherman are learning quickly the Federal and Provincial governments are long on talk and short on help. The latest self-funded buy-back scheme means fisherman may get out of the industry but future fisherman will pay the tab. Continue reading →

40 million Americans outside institutions are disabled

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Stephen Pate

New US Census Bureau report highlight significant disability numbers

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, May 26 2009 with story from US Census Bureau

The US Census Bureau has released fast facts about the numbers and severity of the American disability population. 40 million Americans over the age of 15 are living with a disability outside institutions. The total number exceeds 50 million.
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Judge agrees dorm search for evidence illegal

Posted on May 26, 2009 by NJN Network

Boston College forced to give back student's computer

Since when did knowing more than the campus cops about computers make you a criminal?

Story from EFF

As we reported in Since when was using command prompt illegal?, police at Boston Campus College seized a student’s computer because he was suspected of using the “command prompt”. As Jay Leno would say “OOOOOOHHHH! That’s a big one.”

A judge from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled the student should get his laptop back along with any other property that was taken. Boston State College infringed the student’s right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Hooray for freedom in a democracy but look at the effort. EFF had to hire a lawyer in Massachusetts to defend the student.

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