Michael Lang

Speaking of Woodstock, here is me with Music producer and one of the chief figures who made Woodstock possible, Michael Lang during a stop at the Odyssey Book store in the center of South Hadley to promote his new book “The Road to Woodstock”.

Woodstock Goes Satelite

This month it will be four decades since the three day concert and festival that shook the world and marked the high point of the 1960s counterculture.

Now, Sirius XM satellite radio has announced that it will dedicate Sirius channel 16 to three days of Woodstock recordings, coverage, and conversation.

In the meantime though, above is Jimi Hendrix at the 1969 festival wailing out a rendition of the star spangled banner on his guitar, the way only Hendrix could.

Ahh Peaceful

Made these rock sculptures at my grandparent’s house

Common Sense Prevails

Oregon becomes the latest state of six this year to dismiss the ridiculous hysteria surrounding industrialized hemp and pass legislation allowing people to grow it.

Raw Story:

Oregon’s House of Representatives voted Monday night to legalize the cultivation of hemp, becoming the sixth state to do so just this year.

Oregon’s Senate voted 27 to 2 in favor of the new law last week. Monday’s 46 to 11 House vote means that the measure will become law, barring an unlikely veto by Governor Ted Kulongoski.

The move is part of a rapidly growing nationwide trend to liberalize laws relating to marijuana. Hemp is a botanical cousin of marijuana, traditionally used to make clothing, rope and other durable fiber goods.

Meanwhile on the federal level, HR 1866 sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA,4) as well as Republican maverick and former 2008 Republican Primary Contender Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX, 14) would seek to do the same at the Federal level.

This Date in History: The Beatles

In what would become one of the hallmark anthems of that generation, the Beatles first perform thier new song “All You Need is Love” on television on this date in 1967.

"I before E" no more?

Rarely would I ever consider blogging about grammar, but here is a big change in the teaching of grammar that will evoke memories for just about all of us.

MSNBC:

LONDON – It’s a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned — “i before e, except after c.”

But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions.

The “Support For Spelling” document, which is being sent to thousands of primary schools, says the rule “is not worth teaching” because it doesn’t account for words like ‘sufficient,’ ‘veil’ and ‘their.’

Summer Equals Miami Vice?

Yeah I know most of you will ridicule me as a dork. But for the past eight years the classic cop show Miami Vice (1984-1989) has always popped into my head in summertime.

Jar of 17th Century Urine Found in Greenwhich Village

Peeing in a jar is usually something reserved for the just flat out s*&t-faced. But peeing in a jar, adding hair, pins, and finger nails before burying evidently is an old superstition done to ward off witches.

MSNBC:

During the 17th century in England, someone urinated in a jar, added nail clippings, hair and pins, and buried it upside-down in Greenwich, where it was recently unearthed and identified by scientists as being the world’s most complete known “witch bottle.”

This spell device, often meant to attract and trap negative energy, was particularly common from the 16th to the 17th centuries, so the discovery provides a unique insight into witchcraft beliefs of that period, according to a report published in the latest British Archaeology.

Lead researcher Alan Massey, a former chemist and honorary fellow of Loughborough University, believes “the objects found in witch bottles verify the authenticity of contemporary recipes given for anti-witchcraft devices, which might otherwise have been dismissed by us as being too ridiculous and outrageous to believe.

Citizen’s Arrest, Citizen’s Arrest

FYI above is obviously not footage from the incident, but a clip from the Andy Griffith Show.

A Pizza man who was robbed later ensures that his perpetrator gets his just deserts. Okay, enough with the food puns. Its just great to see reminders that lady Karma can be a bitch for all those who do wrong and inflict Wooten harm.

TheBostonChannel.com:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A sharp-eyed pizza delivery driver who was lured to a vacant Providence house where he was beaten and robbed by three men helped police catch the suspects after spotting one hanging out near his work.

Ceasar Lopez, who was beaten with a pipe during the May 6 robbery, tells The Providence Journal he spotted one of the suspects Sunday hanging around outside a restaurant near the Domino’s pizza shop where he works.

With the help of his wife, he chased the man down and held on to him until police arrived.

Michael Long was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery and conspiracy. On Monday, police arrested Long’s alleged accomplices, Elvin Delacruz and Markus Matthews, on the same charges.

All three are being held without bail.

Editors Note: Back from ‘The Dead’ and a Holyoke Sun Article

Back from a weekend of extended family, a day of toiling alongside the family, some down time, and of course the Dead Show with Michaela! It was an amazing rockin show and I recommend that all go to one of their many upcoming venues if and when they get the chance. Warren Haynes was rockin, however nobody can completely fill the shoes of Jerry.

The scene was great and vibrant with the energy of thousands filing around vendors and dancing in the isles.

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Meanwhile back at home here is a blog post of an article I wrote for the Holyoke Sun. It is on their blog so comment here and leave comments there.