Some Awesome Quotes--

"The Lord has shown that we cannot have the good work of perfect love if we only love those from whom in turn we know the return of mutual love will be paid in kind.  Hence the Lord wishes us to overcome the common law of human love by the law of Gospel love, so that we may show the affection of our love not only toward those who love us but even toward our enemies."

  - St. Chromatius of Aquileia (d. 406)

"It is certainly a finer and more wonderful thing to change the mind of enemies to another way of thinking than to kill them... The mystery [of the Eucharist] requires that we should be innocent not only of violence but of all enmity, however slight, for it is the mystery of peace."

  - St. John Chrysostom (347 - 407)

R.I.P. to my beautiful & awesome Grandmother--

Mi abuela!  An incredibly generous & beautiful woman, who passed away yesterday at the age of 93.
She lived a full & amazing life.  I hope she is reunited with my Papi, who passed away thirty years ago.  And they are both comforted by the amazing beauty of our Lord & Savior, Jesus the Christ.  No regrets and little sadness.  Mostly I feel blessed to have her generosity & love all these years.
Here I'm posting a photo of her when she was a beautiful young heartbreaker in Bogota, Colombia.

My father flew to Bogota this morning.  I wish I could be there for her memorial & funeral, but it's just not possible. I will, however, pray for her soul in front of & with the company of, Jesus Christ tomorrow evening when I spend an hour with Him in front of the Blessed Sacrament at Eucharistic Adoration.  And of course, she is always in my prayers.  R.I.P. abuela.  I love you.  m//r

"UNEARTHED: A SHORT FILM" by Dalang Films // Independent Science Fiction

    [An excellent independent sci-fi film. Great ending!! ♥ m//r]


 

The Pain..... (an original poem & a SOIA song with it...)

.....it still lingers.  It probably won't  ever  go  away.
It's like a blanket I wear around me, all the time.
It's heavy. 
It hurts.
There is no "out."
What do others do?
What do YOU do?
My uncle took his life in 2011.
Some say he didn't end his pain.
He just passed it along to others.
I don't think he had the answer.
Who does?
What is it?
I look in the mirror & I see nothing.
Empty.
The Mirror of Emptiness.
It's gone.
It fled.
It left me behind.
The pain it still lingers.
God knows. 
God knows it still lingers.

☦

☦   

this sums it all up...SOIA  SICK OF IT ALL

☦

Annunaki Don't Watch this Film!!! (great short documentary movie!!!)

SLAPSHOT "Insomnia" Get into it! ~

From the most hated SLAPSHOT album, "Unconsciousness" produced by the almighty Steve Albini.  Albini was, of course, the genius behind BIG BLACK, RAPEMAN, and SHELLAC.  He also played in PEGBOY for a bit. PEGBOY is ex-NAKED RAYGUN, of course.  Well this SLAPSHOT album does have a few gems on it, but "Insomnia" is not one of them.  It is an Ok song though.   Mos def weird for this "straightedge hardcore" powerhouse to write these kind of songs. Enjoy! m//r


 

A Plethora of New Buddhist Books--

Hot damn on fire!  Yesterday saw the arrival of seven awesome Buddhist books from the monks of the Thai Forest tradition monastery in Redwood, California!!  
I also picked up a few great titles from a used bookstore.  These are mostly of the contemplative & mystical Christian tradition.  My spiritual collection is coming along nicely.  I'm am surely blessed to have a veritable library of knowledge at my fingertips!!  That to a lifetimes' worth of reading material.  I shall not be bored again.  This is love m//r

Book List Book List Book List Book List Book List--

Holy smokes! Dug out three more boxes of books from storage!  Including doubles & triples of a few.  Those will go to my friends Catholic Men's House, "Friends of the Master" in Ypsilanti.  I've already donated around one hundred books to them, with about another hundred waiting to be transported.
I've decided I need to really make a serious inventory of what's here. And it's just as easy to put it on my blog as it is to put it in one of my hand-written journals. Wish me luck! m//r

note: I am NOT including novels & fiction (for the most part)

"Journey into Orthodox Alaska" A BEAUTIFUL short film--

"Ancient Voyages to America: Who Were The First Explorers?"

Some More Reading Material Worth Mentioning--

This week the mailman brought me the new issue of "Sophia: Journal of the Melkite Catholic Church."  I plan on writing more about this real soon, because this issue is full of excellent articles (many of them reprinted from other more obscure & hard to find sources.)  Some great features about the work our new Pope & others in the Roman Catholic & Eastern Catholic Churches are doing to attempt to heal the schism between us & our Orthodox Christian brothers & sisters.

I also received the new issue (a double issue at that!) of "Orthodox Word" published by the St. Herman of Alaska monastery in CA., as well as two other Eastern Orthodox journals from two other monasteries here in America.

"N.Y.H.C. Documentary" A Firm Classic in My Book!--

I love this movie! That kid from DISTRICT 9 is hilarious! It's either all the weed he smokes, or the angel dust he says he tried a few days ago, that's melting his mind! Anyhow, this is a classic. Right below "Another State of Mind" & "Suburbia" but not quite side-by-side with those two CLASSIC classics. You know what I mean. m//r
 

"Don't Watch This Film" [Anunnaki & The Origins of Humankind]

This is an incredibly succinct summary of the travails of mankind (humankind). 
I love this and you will too!  Keep an open mind & give yourself a break.
Always use love.  I love you, in case no one has told you that today!
Don't let the Zionist puppeteers & slave masters grind you down!
You are worth it.  WE are worth it.  m//r


  
Don't Watch this Film from LopezCarlos on Vimeo.

"American Nomads" Documentary & Learning "Patience"

This is great!

"Egypt Exposed: True Origins of Civilization By Robert Bauval" Fascinating Documentary Movie--

I love Robert Bauval & own a few of his books. The man is a genius & is looking for the truth. m//r

New Books Received & Many More on the Way a.k.a. "Why I'm Always Broke"--

Got a shit ton of new reading material to keep me busy! Almost finished with "The Celestine Prophecy" & still balls-deep in "Ishmael." Plus, trying to navigate my way around two dozen other books that I continually revisit. 

SHAM 69: "Adventures Of SHAM 69" Awesome Newer Documentary & Concert--

Ishmael--

Started reading the book, "Ishmael" yesterday.
Cant. Stop. Reading. It. 
Great book so far!  I can't believe I slept on this for a decade now.

"She's My Ex" by the Fabulous ALL (DESCENDENTS)--

"She's my ex. I can't cross her from my memory
She meant everything to me she meant every word she said
When she said, "I'll never love again. Be my ex until the end."
And I know I'll never feel that way again
She's just my ex
She's my ex. She marks the spot where I'm the weakest one
I can't expect she'll change her ways; can't accept the things she's done
She's just my ex. Nothing more nothing less but she'll always be my ex
She's my ex. Don't cross her path she still belongs to me
She'll be my ex till I say when till I get her back again
'Cause I know I'll never love again. Never need another friend
And I know I'll never feel this way again
She's my ex. She'll cross my mind a thousand times today
Still have a million things to say, guess I'm better off this way
Cause I know she'll never love again. She

She'll be my ex until the end
And I know I'll never feel this way again
She's just my ex. Nothing more nothing less but she's still my ex
And I, and I could never kiss that face goodbye
But I, but I could never stop to wonder why
She looks so pretty, she looks so pretty
And I know I'll never feel this way again
She's just my ex..."

"The Arena" by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov--

Got this in the mail a few days ago!  A book I've been wanting to read & own for a couple of years now, "The Arena" by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov.  Reprinted by Holy Trinity Orthodox Monastery.

[Amazon link to review book]

DREAM Psychedelic & Acid Folk-Rock Magazine--

"DREAM" Psychedelic Folk / Acid Rock Magazine (link)

Some New Books & Other Goodies--(updated 07/14/13)

Got some outstanding new books in the mail last week. My bookshelves are swollen over capacity and it's high-time I found a new storage system! Does anybody else find it extremely difficult to store books away in boxes or in a distant storage unit?  I'm the kind of person who MUST have his books at arm's length all the time.  I tend to easily forget about what I own if I don't have it nearby to remind me!  Thus, I've been known to double-purchase a book, 'zine, or record before!  LOL, it's a waste of energy & money to buy something more than once!  Anyhow, here's what's new (to me) over the past couple of weeks.  m//r

Gnosis - Pyramid Code Complete Series | Documentary

This is a great documentary! Watch, learn & enjoy. m//r 

 

"Punk: The Early Years" Old Documentary--

Such an awesome documentary movie, start to finish!!! I love this! 

 

Hardcore: Love It Or Leave It--

Great quote here.  Stolen from the Radio Silence site--

______________________________________

In the late 1960s, two bands hailing from Michigan laid the groundwork for punk. The Motor City Five and The Stooges aren’t the center ring on punk’s tree, but they stand as the most recognizable starting point. Both bands’ revved-up version of the blues garnered attention, major label deals, and devout fans, but the landscape wasn’t yet ripe for a revolution. Ultimately, a shitload of heroin and the typical cast of clueless suits caused both bands to end prematurely.

And while wearing swastikas for shock value, disrespecting the Royal Family, and displaying a disdain for anything considered “normal” was punk’s calling card, its roots remained firmly in the streets of New York, the art scene of Los Angeles, and London fashion; places totally foreign to kids in suburban America. As romantic as it was to be a starving artist living like shit in New York City most kids just fucking hated their parents and liked to light fires in the woods.

As punk migrated to the suburbs the sound and attitude changed. Something snapped in American culture; kids who loved the speed and fuck you attitude of punk took hold of its spirit, got rid of the “live fast, die young” bullshit and made a revision: hardcore. It wasn’t a direct fuck you to punk’s aesthetic and sound, hardcore was moving too fast to give a shit. With an actor elected as President and a defense initiative named after Star Wars, the decade was as dire as it was absurd. Cocaine was huge, AIDS surfaced as global epidemic, and the suburbs were really fucking boring. Hardcore’s direct and naïve stood out as the most honest commentary put to music at the time.

- Anthony Pappalardo, Instinct and Attitude: The Art of Necessity

TERROR "Never Alone" Lyrics...

I still think TERROR are  one of the best bands in the hardcore scene....if there IS such a thing as a scene anymore.  Scott Vogel, singer of TERROR, is a dude who's my age (early 40's) & has been playing in hardcore bands since 1990 or so.  I know he played drums in FADEAWAY, then sang for SLUGFEST, DESPAIR, BURIED ALIVE, & presently TERROR for the past 12+ years.  He is one of the nicest, coolest, and most sincere people I've ever met!  I've seen most of his bands, dozens of times.  He really loves hardcore, probably as much as I do.  And to that end he's done a shit-ton of work, all in the name of hardcorepunk!  This song, "Never Alone" is on the album, "The Damned, The Shame" which came out in 2008 or so.  Solid album start to finish!  Keep on keepin' on...m//r

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Never alone!!!You've got to know...You're never alone!
So lost in these days, when there's nothing to believe.I couldn't see, couldn't breathI turned my back on everything.All my will, all my drive, put you to the test.When all that you love, all that you know is pushing you to your death.When you're down reach for me,With all you strength and I won't let go.It's you and me against this world.You've got to know that you're never alone!Never alone!You've got to know.....
You're never alone!In troubled times, I'll see you through.I feel the strains, the same pain that you do.When you're down reach for meWith all your strength and I won't let go.It's you and me against this world!You've got to know you & I are never alone.You've got to know!
Never alone!You've got to know!Never alone!

EMBASSY self-titled LP (More Excellent 90's Hardcore!)

Like the DOWNCAST records I also posted, this is 90's emotional hardcore (aka "emo") at it's finest! So much was great about that era of music & camaraderie in punk. I can't even adequately explain it most of the time. It's just a feeling that I'll always have with me. Now THAT sounds emo! m//r

DOWNCAST 7" & LP Records In Full Here-- (Great 90's hardcore!)

Well well well...I hadn't really listened to this 7" record in about 12+ years or so, but I played it yesterday, along with DOWNCAST's self-titled album.  The music is on my hard drive, and it's labelled as the "original mix."  So I guess it was re-mixed (and maybe remastered?) and re-released.  I don't know for sure, but there was probably a situation where the whole band thought the original mix "can suck it" so they reinterpreted the record for future pressings.  This is what JUDGE did, eh?  The Chung King produced album mix wasn't up to speed--well either the mix or simply a shitty recording.  So JUDGE went ahead & re-recorded the album & thus "Bringing It Down" was born!  And Revelation Records pressed up 100 copies of the og mix, making it a collectors item!  Someone told me recently that a "Chung King Can Suck It" album went for $3,500 on Ebay!!! Holy shitzzle!  
But this post is about DOWNCAST  not JUDGE.  This raw-as-fuck recording is bloody powerful!!!  I'm digging it & feel the emotion seething through.  Good, good stuff!  Early 90's emotional-political-hardcore at it's finest! m//r






P.S. I'm sure you can find a download link somewhere. I did.

The Thai Buddhist Forest Tradition, Thudong: Forest Monks and Hermits of...

"Mystery of the Man Who Fell to Earth" Short BBC Story--

This is just plain weird with a large dose of sad. African man falls from a passenger airline & lands in a British street. Apparently he was a stowaway in the plane's landing gear compartment and when the plane was preparing to land & the wheels lowered, he fell to earth. WOW.

UFOs Crop Circle In depth view Live Crop Circle made by UFO and Crop Cir...

This is incredible! Watch are UFO "orbs" make beautiful crop circle patterns in a wheat field. Amen. m//r

New Books That Have Arrived in the Mail--

Let me just say that I STILL LOVE getting mail! Real, physical, tangible mail.  "Snail-mail" so to speak. [I wonder where that term first originated? And by whom?]  In the early to mid 90's I had a post office box (p.o. box), especially useful when I was doing 'Book of Lies' fanzine (which incidentally never actually got finished & printed. In many ways this blog is a continuation of that 'zine) & receiving lots & lots of mail, music for review, letters, and ads for records & labels. Over a fifteen year period or so I had two different p.o. boxes. Nowadays the mail just gets delivered to my house & is more convenient than having to go check the ole' p.o. box everyday or so.  But little else has changed & I still get excited whenever the mail lady comes! I'm blessed to receive so many books, magazines, journals, fanzines, & letters! But in my insatiable thirst, it's still 'never enough.'  This is one of my biggest character defects. And believe me, I'm working on it (kind of).
Here are several books that I've received over the past week. m//r

Cleveland Bound Death Sentence Discography CD--

A masterpiece!!
Aaron Cometbus, the author/artist/mastermind behind Cometbus fanzine, plays drums in this band and wrote many of the lyrics!  He also played drums in legendary punkrock band, CRIMPSHRINE in the late 80's/early 90's (at least I THINK that's when they were active! Check the Lookout Records website from more info on CRIMPSHRINE.  Also check the Microcosm Publishing & Distro site for info on Cometbus 'zine!)  If you are NOT familiar with Cometbus, than I don't even know what to tell you.  Cometbus is one of the greatest fanzines ever produced!  Aaron's writing is just so awesome & he is hands down the BEST storyteller I've ever come across!  He's been doing the 'zine since the early 80's as well as being active in the punk scene.  From what I know, CLEVELAND BOUND DEATH SENTENCE is kind of a "superstar of punk" band.  At least one, if not two, of the members are also in Minneapolis punk-pop legends DILLINGER FOUR!  Get into it!  And get the CRIMPSHRINE album, "Duct Tape Soup" or the 7" record, "Sleep, What's That?" 

"ST. NIKOLAI THE SERB" Great Documentary On This Orthodox Saint!--

DISCHARGE "Fight Back" E.P. 1980

This is an awesome, monumental, and crucial record! I never got into these guys too hard back in the 80's.
I can't say why, I guess there is only so much time to hear every band.

Thank God for file sharing sites in 2013! 

The true originators of the style known as "D-Beat hardcore" right here!
Man, it seems like DISCHARGE released a ton of 7" records in a very short amount of time. A 7" every other month, they were on fire.

 

BAD BRAINS Live in Florida,1987--

Here we have an incredible set from BAD BRAINS in 1987!
This show starts off with an extremely pumped up HR at his finest! He knows all his lyrics, sings them just like on the album, & is full of energy! I love it!
This video is about a year before I got to see BAD BRAINS for the first (& only???) time, in Detroit at the legendary St. Andrew's Hall!  

Yeah, it was '88 or '89....That was such a fantastic night! The club reeked of marijuana smoke, and there were positive vibes amongst all the punks, skins, hardcore kids, hippies & Rastas in the crowd. They played a 35 minute set, took a 15 minute break and then played another 30 minute set! A guy from Ann Arbor was in the pit barefoot, ouch!
They went downhill after the "Quickness" album around 1991.
HR lost his mind and went off the deep end. 
About ten years ago a friend saw them play and HR was wearing a motorcycle helmet singing to a birdcage that he was holding up! And HR doesn't seem to remember his own lyrics or even care enough to miming along.  
I will say that the rest of the band still seem to rip just as hard as they did in 1982! 

 

" Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer " Documentary--

Here we have an excellent movie on prayer & meditation. More specifically, the "Jesus Prayer." It is a prayer of the Eastern Orthodox & Eastern Catholic faith's. Thousands of monks & priests have been saying this prayer since who-knows-when! It is an ancient prayer, and a simple one. "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen." There is also a great book that recently came out that is kind of the same thing as this movie. It's an interesting read.

THE BRETHREN: A Documentary About the World's Northernmost Orthodox Monastery--

Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery. Meditation time, solitude & prayers. I love this kind of stuff. One day I just may take monastic vows. I've been celibate for basically three years now, live simply & modestly, eat very little, & I don't own expensive, flashy things....Unless books, magazines, and fanzines count as "flashy!" I try to love. I try not to belittle and hurt people. Do I fall short? Yes, of course, everyday, every minute, all the time. I'm a puny human. But I'm also a child of God. I have a purpose, a reason, and a RIGHT to be here. I try to thank God everyday for giving me life. I try my hardest not to kill myself with alcohol & tobacco. I try. All I can do is try. m//r ♥

 

"The Heritage Of St. Paul In Orthodox Spirituality Pt. 1: A Word from the Holy Fathers"

Here we have a link to a great podcast from Ancient Faith Radio, one of my favorite Eastern Orthodox websites/podcasts/internet radio stations.   "A.F.R." has sooooo many GREAT shows & podcasts! 
Get into it! ♥ m//r

"The Heritage Of St. Paul In Orthodox Spirituality Part 1: A Word from the Holy Fathers" via Ancient Faith Radio--(link)

The Art of Punk - Black Flag - Art + Music - MOCAtv

A most excellent brand new documentary! Interviews with Rollins, Keith Morris, Raymond Pettibon, Chuck Dukowski, and many others (including Flea from RHCP!) This is really neat, and I'm psyched to have found it on YT for free! Get into it! m//r

 

Mikey Is Getting Old, Old, Old. It's His Time (Cat Content)

Warning, sad content: We have an old-ass cat here who must be 16-17 years old now. I think he has arthritis & obesity. He is over 20 pounds now. His fur is matted in thick, giant clumps. He doesn't do anything but eat and sleep. My mama can't afford him anymore. She has been asking us to take him to the Humane Society of Washtenaw County for YEARS now. My brother & I finally looked into it and it's a $20 "surrender fee" to have him euthanized.  So we will have to take him there this week. It needs to be done and I feel bad, but what else can we do?  His name is "Mikey" and he was my (our) cat for many, many years. Goodbye Mikey, it was a pleasure having your company. I'll see you on the other side.
m//r

Sat. June 10, 2005--

Yesterday was June 10. It would have been my 8th wedding anniversary. On that date in 2005 I married my soulmate. At least I thought she was my soulmate. We had been together for over five years then. Marriage seemed the logical next move, at least to her it did. Needless to say it didn't work out. Still, when June 10 rolls around, it's always a bit difficult for me. TODAY's meditation from one of my little books said: "Trust Me and don't be afraid, for I am your Strength & Song..." I like that. God is all powerful. He is always here with me. He is everywhere. There is nowhere that He isn't. He is the creator of everything I can & can't see. There is so much more to life than just THIS. Than just NOW. Yet THIS & NOW are all I have. And I don't even have it. Neither do you. Only one person does, and that person is God. Forever present in the Holy Trinity. Three Persons in One. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
Always here. 
Always with me. 
Trust. 
Liston. 
Love. 
m//r

SAMIAM " Home Sweet Home " One Of My Favorite "Emo" Songs--

" Pyramids of Bosnia " & " Exotic Energy Generation " Two Great Documentaries--

Did you know there are ancient pyramids in the country of Bosnia? I only learned this fact recently on my journey of pyramidology! I love this stuff! from what I know there is some controversy involving the pyramids & the Bosnian government. Ostensibly the govt is pretending like the pyramids don't exist, that they are simply hills that LOOK like pyramids! But when some notable pyramid experts investigated the situation, they concluded that these are in fact pyramids dating back 10,000 or more years! Like I said, I'm just learning more about these, so I don't know a whole lot yet. But I will mos def write some when I get it sorted out.

Cheers! m//r

 

" The Great Pyramid: Gateway to the Stars " Documentary Movie Based on "The Orion Mystery" Book--

This is great! Lots of great information in this 45 minute documentary movie. I love discovering new videos on YouTube, but I hate it when folks re-upload a video with a different name!  Ugggh!  I click on the video only to discover that I've already seen it.  Oh well, high class problems, I've got. m//r

" 97% Owned - Economic Truth " Excellent Documentary--

The Secret of Oz - Winner, Best Docu of 2010 v.1.09.11

"Arkangel" Animal Liberation Fanzine

 I found this site that has many old fanzines available for download,
including "Arkangel." I just recently dug out an old issue
of this fantastic militant animal liberation fanzine from my storage
unit in the basement of my mother's apartment. 

I will say that I am NOT vegan anymore.  And I haven't been
for a long time.  I was vegan in the early 90's but stopped for a couple of years
due to circumstances out of my control.  In 1998 I went vegan again until about 2008. 
It is something that was important to me at one time though
it no longer is.


"Arkangel Animal Liberation Fanzine" (link)
(Edit Aug 10, 2013 --this link seems to be dead.  I will try to find another source for this great fanzine.)

On This Date in 1967 Israeli Military Attacked an American Ship--

Terrorist attack. 
June 8, 1967 the USS Liberty was savagely attacked by the Israeli military ships & planes.  34 people were instantly killed--blown to bits, literally.  Hundreds more were wounded. There still has never been a REAL investigation into this.  An extremely sad day for the world. Israel holocausted our American serviceman while they were legally working in international waters.  After it was all said & done the crooked, dirty, lying Israelis claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, which is complete & utter bullshit. 

Our American government is occupied by a foreign power: Israel.  AIPAC has politicians in their front pocket. It can't get much worse than it is now. 

R.I.P. to those who lost their lives on that tragic day.

Current Playlist For the Soundtrack To My Life--

Do not be mistaken by this post, I am NOT suicidal.  Depressed some, maybe.  Pissed off & angry?
Yeah, some. I've been told by a couple of people lately that I seem to be "full of anger."  I wouldn't say that I'm full of anger though.  Like all human being, I am multi-faceted and at times a walking contradiction of myself.  I do want there to be love & understanding at every step of the way in my life.  I do want there to be peace everywhere in the world.  I do want for everyone to get along & work together for the common benefit.  But we all know that you can't always get what you want.  Even the ROLLING STONES knew that!  So some of the time I am extremely angry & bitter & some of the time I'm super positive, optimistic, happy & content.  I suppose that when I was younger, as a little punk rock teenager, I was very angry all the time.  That seemed to be the nature of being punk.  You were angry at society, the world, and the rulers of this fucked up system.  THAT's what punk rock was all about, or so I thought.
But now, today, being a bit older I don't necessarily see things the same way.  Also, being forced to play the hand I've been dealt has given me a different perspective on things.  However I suppose I'm a bit more outspoken when I'm angry, so I see how some friends could convict me of being "full of anger." Because, after all, when you stand accused of something, you must be ready to be convicted.
Still--as always--take care of each other & look out for one another. And enjoy the music here.
We're all in this together. m//r
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

NEGLECT


COLD AS LIFE


NEGATIVE APPROACH



GBH


DANZIG

DEATH THREAT