"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;"
The 21st year of the reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred on NPR this morning due to the 4th falling on a Saturday. Pretty cool. Doesn't quiiiiiite rank as high as personally hearing it proclaimed from the steps of the National Archives in Washington, DC as I did on July 4, 2005 but it still brings chills. Enjoy. And please ruminate that this holiday means so much more than just hot dogs and summer.Morning Edition, July 3, 2009 · Twenty-one years ago, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.
Below is the original text of the Declaration, alongside photos of the NPR staff members and contributors who performed the reading.
The music for this year's reading is "Dawn at Yorktown" by Eric Weinberg.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
— Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.
A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
And that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Two-hundred and thirty-three years ago Saturday, church bells rang out over Philadelphia as the Continental Congress adopted Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Just a smidge off on starting gravity: 1.060 compared to 1.064-1.067, but I'll take it. Was a little leery of starting the brew day so late, but with a 2p-10p shift Wednesday, a late night cleaning up in the garage would work out just fine.
The Golden Mean
A main theme in Tartuffe is one of Aristotle’s philosophical theories, which states that virtue is a point between two vices. For example, love should be neither obsessive nor careless. And, Aristotle said:
“It is better to rise from life as from a banquet— neither thirsty nor drunken.
Orgon is a very happy man. He has a lovely family, a beautiful new wife, an incredible fortune and a spiritual advisor who promises him eternal bliss. Unfortunately, he is about to lose it all. He’s fallen into the trap of a pious imposter, the hilarious hypocrite Tartuffe. Preaching piety, two faced Tartuffe is plotting to steal Orgon’s fortune, marry his daughter, seduce his wife and take over his home. Can anything stop him? Triad Stage presents one of the world’s funniest comedies and dares to shake up a theatrical classic to find its very contemporary heart.
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Fake Umps Phenomenon Hits Nationals Park to Great Delight of Fans
Posted Jun 20, 2009 3:38PM By ANDREW JOHNSON
Filed Under: Blue Jays, MLB Fans, FanHouse Exclusive
WASHINGTON -- If you've tuned into a Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre this year, chances are you've seen Tim Williams and Joe Farrell. If those two names aren't ringing a bell -- and there's really no reason they should -- how about a description.
Williams and Farrell, both Jays season-ticket holders, often take their seats in the first row behind home plate dressed from head to toe as umpires. Their impersonation of the men in blue doesn't end there. For the entire game, Williams and Farrell mimic the calls of the umpires, raising their arms and bellowing out strike calls, sticking up their fingers to let fans behind them know the count and brushing one hand over the other emphatically to signal foul tips.
"There are 7 billion people on the planet. Do you know how many of them travel to another city to fake umpire a game? You're looking at 'em," Williams tells FanHouse Friday night at Nationals Park.
For the first time this weekend Williams and Farrell, who have a bit of a cult following in Toronto, took their show onto American soil, traveling to Washington for a three-game series between their hometown Blue Jays and the Nationals.
If the fans at Nationals Park -- even the stuffy ones sitting in the $325-a-game President's Club seats -- are any indication, that cult following could grow quickly.
During Friday night's game, a 2-1 Nationals win in extra innings, Washington team president Stan Kasten approaches Williams and Farrell to shake their hands and compliment their work. Scores of fans rush up during every half-inning to get their picture taken with the faux men in blue, while others take delight in either cheering or heckling their calls.
"We were out in the tent (a beer garden just across the street from the ballpark) having beers before the game, and we took 38 pictures with people," the pair explains. "They thought we were the real guys going to get juiced up before the game. We were like 'No, no, we're not gonna be on the field tonight, we're just fans.'"
Their appeal is undeniable.
"We love baseball, we love umpires, we love the Blue Jays and we like having fun. That's it." Williams says.
But the act doesn't pass muster solely because of their enthusiasm for their fake job. Williams and Farrell have authentic umpire uniforms. They have the short-brimmed hats, the official major league umpire shirts with numbers stitched on the sleeves, gray slacks, masks (which they only don when the Jays are pitching), clickers to track the count, brushes, pictured right, to clear dirt off of home plate and ball bags saddled to their right hips. Every time the actual umpire behind home plate throws a new ball to the pitcher, they dig into their bags, pull out a baseball and follow suit.
"We're the real deal," they say, explaining that there are 14 different ways for a pitcher to balk in the rulebook. (There are 16 different ways, according to Wikipedia.) I ask them to reel off all the ways and, fittingly, they balk at the task. Even more fittingly, Nationals relief pitcher Jesus Colome actually commits a balk moments later, moving Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro up from second to third base.
Williams and Farrell, both traders at the Toronto Stock Exchange, got their equipment after a chance meeting with a few umpires (they neglect to name which ones) at a local steakhouse.
"You can't buy these anywhere," they boast. (Who knows? Perhaps their following will grow, compelling Major League Baseball to sell umpiring gear online?)
Funny enough, the enthusiasm, authenticity and commitment to their act seems to actually be paying dividends. The umpiring crew always notices them.
"Oh yeah, yeah, [the real umpires] laugh." Farrell says. "Did you see C.B. Bucknor over at second base? Can't even control himself! He went into a conniption when he saw us."
They were planning to visit with Blue Jays players in the clubhouse Saturday in Washington. And next month, when the Jays head to New York for a series with the Yankees July 3-5, Williams and Farrell will be in their customary seats in the first row behind home plate at new Yankee Stadium. Ordinarily those seats, located in the Legends section, would cost more than $1,000, but they were such a hit on a YES Network broadcast last month that the Yankees arranged to have them fake ump the July series.
And they also amused and befuddled YES color man, and ex-major leaguer, Ken Singleton.
"[Singleton] couldn't even put a sentence together," Farrell says. "When we rung up Alex Rodriguez in [the fourth] inning, he goes 'multiple umpires ring up A-Rod," and Ken Singleton's a pretty serious stiff, eh."
"He's a very strait-laced guy and he couldn't even put a sentence together," Williams confirms happily.
"While that game was going on, I had a best friend in a bar in New York, and he's watching the Yankees," Farrell continues. "Even before he told them he knew us, there were 500 people in the bar who loved us. They were going ballistic. And he goes, 'I can get 'em to wave,' and [someone in the bar] goes 'What's that guy's name?' Our friend says 'Farrell,' and he had 500 people in the bar going 'Farrell! Farrell!'"
The Williams and Farrell world tour is only beginning. In addition to the New York and D.C. trips, they are planning to be in Oakland for a series that will span the end of July and the beginning of August. And there's plenty more to come.
"We're just going to sporadically pop up," promises Farrell.
"Randomly, randomly," Williams says. "Dude, you'll be watching a Cincinnati Reds game one night and you'll go 'those guys!'"
Even if their antics don't leave you rolling on the ground, you have to give Williams and Farrell this. Their motioning and gesticulating is orders of magnitude more interesting than someone waving and talking into their mobile phone.
Zimmerman picks it up and turns to the crowd at the edge of the backstop netting. He makes eye contact with me and James. He then lobs the ball in our direction. It veers towards James on the aisle and his long arms reach it before mine. He hands the ball to me with the statement, "You're the one who loves baseball, what am I going to do with it?"
About 10 miles out of town in the village of Milford lies Cooperstown Brewing Co. Opened in 1994 with baseball themed brews: Old Slugger Pale Ale, Nine Man Golden Ale, Benchwarmer Porter, Strike Out Stout, etc. That buttery nastiness from Ringwood yeast is actually held in check with these guys. The butterscotch and slick oily mouthfeel is calmed down. Such an aggressive yeast it takes over a brewhouse and these guys have no hope of using a different yeast (that's even if they wanted to). A tiny operation with a tiny crew. Distribution puts up a fight in that they don't want to push more than 4 labels....even though the brewery puts out 7 beers. 7 beers that we all got to sample at 10:30 in the morning before the 11:00 tour! A tight space with a leaky roof. A mixed case came home with me. And with Cleveland Indian Napoleon Lajoie on the t-shirt for Old Slugger?....SOLD!
"Belgian Brewing in America". Opened in 1997 as a family-owned business, now under the Moortgat umbrella of Belgian brewers (Duvel, Maredsous, LaChouffe). Funky Belgian-style beers in upstate New York. Started out with tiny sample tastings of Witte, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Ommegang, Three Philosophers, and Biere de Mars. A quick tour, fast-paced. Almost a "let's just get this done". The sampling before the tour was more informative and cordial. Some glassware souvenirs, and a "Make Beer Not War" shirt. All their brands are available in NC, so no samples came home.
Oldest brewery in the state, starting up in 1888. Four generations of the Matt family running the show. A smidge over 45 minutes away from "home base" out to Utica. Most organized and "corporate" of the three tours today. Immense gift shop to browse before touring. Sadly, a devastating fire from last year has abruptly shortened the tour. We couldn't go past the fermentation tanks (large enough to take 88 years for one person to drink dry if they drank 10 beers a day. Think about it.) Construction was still going on even though they are functioning, so the general public can't go further in for a few more weeks. But of course, they still charge full price ($5) for the tour. After this tour though, two full-sized pints are offered. Both other tours were just samples, with Cooperstown beating out Ommegang's thimbles for quantity quaffed. A lot of frou-frou "brewery tour headquarters" touring, as opposed to proper brewhouse viewing. A lot of dark wood, manly dens, and rich mahogany tones. Nice to see, but I want to smell some grain! I might still return one day to see the whole tour however.
After settling in, I hit up Main Street for some dinner and window shopping. The amount of baseball-related shopping here is mind-boggling. And truthfully, I didn't do all that much "window shopping"...I frankly cut to the chase and did outright shopping. Caps, a personally-engraved bat, an old-style glove, shirts; hell, this town (village) is my personal heroin!!!
Before the concert, and after settling into my room, I hailed a cab to take me to the harbor and Fells Point. There is a "beer nerd destination" there called The Wharf Rat. Two beer engines for handpulled cask ale; anad plenty of smooth and creamy English Ales, brewed as Oliver Ales. In true English pub fashion, it offers counter service. Come to the counter and place your order, then go sit down. No waiters. Your bartender is your cook is your server. 
From there, another cab to the Lyric Opera House. The concert is nigh. Beforehand, the "event staff" was going up and down the lines imploring people to take their cameras back to their cars. Do NOT bring them in. Apparently, bootlegs and unauthorized photos are the bane of his existence. Even cameraphones were threatened. WHAT? Go back to my hotel to drop off my phone? Methinks not.Walking the Cow
Brain Damage (intro)
Sometimes
Trouble
Around The Bend
I Am Mine
Far Behind
No Ceiling
Guaranteed
Rise
Picture In A Frame
You're True
Atlantic City
Driftin'
You've Got To Hide You're Love Away
Let My Love Open The Door
Parting Ways
Elderly Woman Standing Behind a Counter in a Small Town
Porch
-----
Society
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Golden State
Forever Young
Wishlist
Arc
-----
Hard Sun
It's a mystery to me
we have a greed
with which we have agreed
You think you have to want
more than you need
until you have it all you won't be free
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
When you want more than you have
you think you need
and when you think more than you want
your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
you need more space
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
There's those thinking more or less less is more
but if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make your level drops
kinda like it's starting from the top
you can't do that...
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, have mercy on me
I hope you're not angry if I disagree
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
Reznor says Bonnaroo his last U.S. concert
Nine Inch Nails continues tour in Europe and Asia
updated 9:25 p.m. ET, Sun., June 14, 2009
MANCHESTER, Tennessee - Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor said their performance Sunday at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was their last in the U.S.
The industrial rock group performed in the early morning hours Sunday at the Tennessee festival, shortly after Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band wrapped up.
"It just dawned on me that this is our last show ever in the United States," Reznor said during his band's set. "Don't be sad. I'll keep going. But I think I'm going to lose my fucking mind if I keep doing this, and I have to stop."
Nine Inch Nails just completed a U.S. tour with Jane's Addiction. Their summer tour continues in Europe and Asia. The tour, dubbed "Wave Goodbye," was conceived as a farewell tour to mark the 20th anniversary of their first album, "Pretty Hate Machine."
Friday night you saw I took a drive down to Charlotte for a concert. Saturday begins in earnest a week-long vacation to points northward. But first, visitors....
Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.
Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE. Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.
In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing.
Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Is there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope. Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does. Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.
Trent
...it's hard to know what Reznor has in mind. He may simply be retiring the NIN name – or he may be retiring from music altogether. The last time Nine Inch Nails "disappeared", after 1999's The Fragile, it took six years for Reznor to return. That gap stands in stark contrast to the past four years, which has seen the group release four separate albums.
home
somewhat damaged
wish
march of the pigs
piggy
metal
i'm afraid of americans
head down
burn
gave up
la mer
the fragile
non-entity
the downward spiral
survivalism
suck
--------
hurt
the hand that feeds
head like a hole
SPEAK UP! I CAN'T HEAR YOU VERY WELL THIS MORNING!!!!! 44 minutes ago
I'm going to go out on a limb and say perry farrell is a little more flamboyant than trent reznor. GREAT SHOW! - about 11 hours ago
Jane's addiction next. Last time for a long time to hear "bow down before the one you serve / you're going to get what you deserve"? - about 12 hours ago
NIN up next. The "wave goodbye" tour. Shirts say 1989-2009. No tours for "quite a few years" according to the internets. I am sad. - about 14 hours ago
"Street sweeper social club" onstage now. Tom morello RAWKS. - about 15 hours ago
