LoTek

aww, i looked but i didn't see a thread. maybe i didn't look close enough. i've seen Pink Dots. Amazing live, and i will definately be at the show, but Tear Garden has NEVER toured, as far as i know. the only way LPD can get better is LPD + cevin key.

the only way this coffee could be better is if they brewed narcotics into it.

now if we can get Tear Garden to tour......

Download tours for the first time in 14 years! My link crazy talk. who's going?

well if you ever get down this way, let me know, we'll work something out. i usually give 'travel discounts'. just give me a week or so notice to get something drawn up and we'll get you taken care of!

i would have to say zombies. simply because i don't want my entire lifetime of training for the zombie apocalypse to be in vein. i told everyone those hours and hours of watching zombie movies was 'preparedness'.

Great post Phee! “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” ~ Joseph Goebbels I recently was directed to this article that is very much in the same vein - i think you may find it interesting. http://www.cracked.com/article_18704_5-mind-blowing-ways-your-memory-plays-tricks-you.html

i totally dig sneaker pimps. with the girl (can't remember her name) and also with chris. i had the pleasure of seeing chris corner live with IAMX in chicago, fantastic show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNzEMISxr0A the older i get the more i get into downtempo...and this is a fantastic mix of two of my favorite bands. cool picture too!

Fantastic short films about the subject at hand. Text taken from Days of War - Nights of Love by the CrimeThinc collective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYym554_Vmg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdGkrvOHrHc

Once again i think there is a fundamental misunderstanding on the definition of anarchy. Anarchy is not chaos and lawlessness. Anarchy is not mad max. Anarchy is a group of people working together to accomplish a common goal, based on mutual respect and mutual ambition. It's difficult to distill it to such a statement, it is actually far far more complicated than that, but the heartbeat of anarchists is simply working together to build a better world. and i will refute the argument that it is naive and pathetic to think it could work. it IS working. there are anarchist organizations in every major city (aside maybe from detroit :/ ) that make it work everyday. there are programs that function solely on an anarchist/mutualist philosophy. Food Not Bombs operates in most major cities. Food Not Bombs provides absolutely FREE, delicious, healthy vegetarian food to ANYONE who wants it. no strings attached. There are bicycle repair shops that charge NOTHING to fix your bicycle. a step beyond that, these facilities teach YOU how to fix your bicycle, empower you, teach you a skill, and hope that you will teach others. There are free demonstrations on knowing your rights, free puppet shows for children, common houses shared...free of rent and obligations (other than respectful ones, such as cleaning up after yourself and whatnot.) it IS working. it works everyday. A shared meal with friends, where everyone brings something and prepares a meal together....that is anarchy in action. anything that subverts the traditional paradigm of 'you want it? you PAY for it!', is anarchist. anything that subverts the captalist ethos of commerse above all, the bottom line ruling, the share holders, that is anarchy in action. anarchy teaches us that there are alternatives to the current dominating system. (domination being key) you don't have to exploit one another to get by. furthermore, i think you will find that you enjoy people (in general) much more when you do NOT exploit them, and you yourself are not exploited. you can develop healthy relationships based on mutual trust and understanding, and not 'what have you done for me lately' thinking. imagine a world where you are justly rewarded for what the work you have done. the work to output ratio is stacked in your favor. you aren't scraping by with the minimum wage that your masters allow you, you actually make MORE for doing the same amount of work. i worked in factories for 10 years, i know that the harder i work, the more the company made. did i see any of that? did i see a profit share program? did my hard work benefit me at all? no, i made the same amount of money regardless if i pushed out 10 units or 100. WE are the ones doing the work, does the company deserve to make ALL of the profits? THAT is the current way things work. That is capitalism, my friends. they exploit you for profit. does the company care if you are sick, or a family member dies, or you need a day off to spend with a lover? absolutely not. they care that you are not there to create more meaningless product that they can shove down the throats of the people. products we probably don't need. there ARE alternatives. Kat said it best...learn a skill. i now am in a job (tattooing) where i am paid fairly for the work i do. i have a skill, people want that skill, and i give them a product they are happy with and i am fairly compensated for my unique skill. no one is exploiting anyone, everyone can leave the table happy. THAT, my friends, is anarchy in action. i haven't even come close to fairly describing the ideals that i live by. i have only scratched the surface, but it's a difficult thing to boil down into a catch-phrase or even a simple declaritive statement. Not only that but my thoughts and ideas on the subject are changing every day. And i couldn't be happier with that. -

im looking to expand my portfolio by actually tattooing things i WANT to tattoo. i've been on a biomech kick lately, and haven't had a whole lot of chances to do some, so in an effort to expand my clientelle base and promote our new shop i'm offering FREE or severely discounted (i have to clear all of this with my new boss, so i can't say for sure how it will work. generally a 300-400 dollar tattoo for 100.) all my designs are custom, one time usage. i am a professional tattooist, i have been tattooing for four years. i am licensed and certified (meaning blood tests, blood bourne pathogen training, cpr training, health department certified) in St. Joseph County, Indiana, and as licensed and certified as one can be in Michigan. (they have pretty lenient rules, unfortunately) I have always tattooed professionally, never out of the house, i underwent a year long traditional apprenticeship, i have a physical portfolio available and a small selection online, available upon request. i pride myself on working with customers and hand drawing a design that best suits them. i take great care in placement on the body, focusing on fit and flow (making sure *you* wear the tattoo, not the tattoo wearing you), i prefer my work to compliment whatever body shape you have. if anyone is interested, let me know, i will only do a very limited number of these, like maybe two, on a first come first serve basis. after that i will still give DGN discounts, and will hook a brother up, but i can't feed my family with free tattoos. ive attached a quick sketch, poorly scanned, to give you an idea of what i'm looking to do. generally my biomech has more flow to it, but this design was too fun to draw to NOT want to tattoo it on someone. the timeline on this offer is probably two to three weeks out, so save your spot now!

okay, candyman, i want to engage you in this conversation, as you clearly are interested, but i have to ask...are we talking about the same thing here? just because i said i don't EXACTLY agree with direct action, doesn't mean i won't be on the front lines. i think you might be a little confused. i may be wrong, but it seems to me like you are latching onto this idea of US (meaning anarchists) vs. THE GOVERNMENT (big business), in some kind of hand to hand, American Gladiator, mortal combat kind of scenario. this is fun to think about, but is not realistic at all. I don't even own a handgun, and the government has predator drones. it will NEVER come to US vs. THEM. they represent US...or at least are supposed to. what im talking about here is not direct war with our government, that would be absurd and suicidal. i'm talking about hearts and minds here, changing peoples viewpoints. in this scenario, there is no NEED for a standing army. certainly not an invading army. look, this idea isn't for everyone. it isn't supposed to be. some people NEED order, and laws, and to be governed....and that is fine. i don't. my comrades don't. i understand your position, if you are indeed a soldier like i assume you are, and that this is natural for you to react to an idea such as this in the manner you are. if it comes down to that, and our government starts shooting kids in the street, you better fucking believe you will have an uprising. i would like to think that not even the most right wing tea partier dipshit would stand for that. not to mention, i don't think most soldiers, at least the ones i know, would fire on american citizens. it would never come to that. and if it does, you really need to ask yourself who you are fighting for. do you fight for the government? or do you fight for the people? i guess that is something you need to ask yourself.

also, i don't exactly agree with direct action. that would be kids throwing bricks, or fists, or each other into windows. in fact, a good portion of anarchists completely disagree with such actions. i do however, UNDERSTAND direct action, and can sympathize. i understand that communication can cause a larger change, maybe more than most. that is why i started this post. but to play the devils advocate, im not sure that our founding fathers would agree with your statement. they felt that causing damage and harm to the british was the ONLY way to gain freedom, and independence. so once again, its all about perspective, and how you look at things.

some very good valid points hollywood, however i feel like you missed the mark. when i mean that someone else cannot dictate what is best for me, i do mean by governing. how can someone legislate what they feel is the best for me? or simply, for us? how can you legislate my body, or my wifes? i feel like i am the only one qualified to decide what to do with my body, as long as i am not harming anyone else. i don't feel it is the governments job to do that. but you bring up an interesting subtopic, about doctors and their qualifications. do not be decieved into thinking that doctors always have your best interests in mind. they recieve hefty kickbacks from drug companies to push prescriptions onto you. a lot (not all, mind you) receive a monetary compensation, or a 'bonus', if they prescribe a certain pre-determined amount of any given medication. you can't tell me that money isn't going to motivate them to maybe give you something you don't actually need. i mean, we're about talking people that charge an $80 dollar fee, just to SPEAK to them. i feel maybe their priorities are on their car payment, or their morgage, and less on what YOU need as an individual. now that isn't to say all doctors are like that, or that even the ones that are, are evil people...it seems to me to be indicitive of the larger problem. the emphasis we as a society put on objects, on money, and on possessions....over the emphasis we put on one another. we have created a system where it is okay to exploit people, to HURT people, to destroy people's lives for simple monetary gain. in fact, your share holders EXPECT this of you. and these same people pound the bible and tell you that GOD wants it this way. remember, we are only a great nation because we are gods favorite nation. at least thats what fox news tells me. all i ask is that you think about it. trust your instincts. about the native americans. yes, you are absolutely right. i do not mean to paint them as peace loving hippies, getting along with everyone. they fought INCESSANTLY amongst other tribes. sometimes even simply for the joy of killing. but my intent was to spotlight their community standards. generally, one member of a tribe would not kill another member of the same tribe over material possessions. that is not to say it never happened, but i find it hard to believe that it happens on the scale that you see in our modern world. you hear about kids killing each other over nike's on a regular basis. this is because, once again, society has placed a higher value on status, on possession, than on human life. i hope this helps to clarify, and please, if you have anything else you would like to discuss, i would be more than happy to talk about it. i like having discussions like this, more often than not i talk to people that already mostly agree with me, so it's nice to hear opposition. the best way to grow as a person is to take in many different ideas, and other peoples view points, and formulate your own opinions. through this kind of discussion i can define my own ideas, this back-and-forth helps me to solidify how i feel, and allows me to modify my own way of thinking. thanks!

thanks everyone, for making me feel welcomed!

well thank you sir, that is very kind of you. i'm not sure what our schedule is next week, i think we may start working at our new jobs tuesday or wednesday, either way we got off at 8:00pm....so i'm sure we can still work something out, if that is not too late. i feel i must forewarn you, it's a hot mess up there, so be prepared for total coiffure chaos, endless stray hairs and complete weirdness. i will you PM you my information as soon as i get a chance. Again, i can't thank you enough, and look forward to meeting you!

well, from what i've read i stayed away from wax for a number of reasons; the way i understand it, and i could be wrong here, is that natural locks form by friction between the hairs, which cause the hairs to knot up and dread. the wax, as my understanding goes, prohibits friction. also, i've read that wax repells water, forcing it into the core of the dread and can cause wicked molding. i've also been told that the wax can collect foreign matter like a magnet, be it cat hair or dog hair or even just lint. it was explained to me by someone who had beautiful locks, and whom i trusted, that wax was there to make your hair look like dreads, and was used for more of a short-term 'dreadlook' kind of thing, whereas 'natural' was a more permanent solution. now there are many MANY different camps on this subject, so it's hard to distill it down into what works for you. mostly im just looking to be more educated on the subject, so i can make an informed decision as to where to go from here. im tired of looking like a crazy homeless man, and while they are starting to form nicely, they really are only dreaded at the roots. i can be a patient person, but my job entails me working with the general public, and i am judged harshly on my cleanliness and apparent sanitation. while i actually wash my hair MORE now that i am dreading, i still deal with the negative stereotypes associated with dreads. this is a learning process with me, i've learned to let go about what others may think, to embrace the craziness of half dreaded head....but it's getting old. really, to get down to it, i just need someone that is willing to walk me through the final steps, help me with ripping (it terrifies me), and a nice pat on the head. or at least to point me in the right direction. thanks for your time!

I've searched the forums and only found a particularly old thread about dreadies. very few of the posters seem to be active anymore so i thought i would start a new thread. i started dreadlocks in May, completely natural (NO WAX!), started with a touch of backcombing and then just let them do their thing. i'm at the point now where it's getting to be time to start maintenance, and while i've read a metric shit-ton on the subject, i'm definately more of a visual, hands-on kind of person. so, to get to the point: are there any experienced dreadies around, or can anyone point me in the direction of a natural loctician in the area? i've done some research on locticians in the area and all i have found are scamming hair dressers that want to put nasty wax in my hair, or people that are inexperienced with caucasion hair. i'm looking for someone with some kind of experience that will help me with the back and sides (that which i cannot see), in exchange for monies, undying love, or possibly tattoo work.

Thanks! Happy to be here! i think i answered most of these questions in my previous post, but for the sake of clarity i will do so again, gladly. Current location? Shelby Township. Where from? Originally, Pleasant Ridge. Recently, NW Indiana. Gender? Male. Work? Yes, Lucky Devil Tattoo - Tattoo Artist and Piercer. School? Columbia College Chicago - Film. Kids? No. Married? Yes. Single? No. Hobbies? Film, Music, Activism, Reading, Painting etc. How Did You Find DGN? Years ago via an old friend, recently via search engine. Other Stuff? Im fairly open, any questions just ask.

i can assure you of its seriousness. let's redefine something immediately. anarchy is NOT simply chaos. anarchy is (and this is where it gets tricky, because 10 different anarchists will define anarchy 10 different ways) simply put, the power to govern yourself. Proudhoun said it perfectly "Let no man make laws for me" and, the more inflammitory, "Whoever puts his hands on me to govern me is a usurper and a tyrant, and i declare him my enemy." now let it be said outright, that i am not naive enough to think that anarchy can work on a nationwide scale. at least not at this point in our history. i believe in a personal approach to anarchy, based a mutualist angle. i will not enter into any relationship that is not mutually beneficial. that is to say, i will exploit no one (to the best of my abilities, shopping can be tricky) and i will not allow myself to be exploited. simply put, i believe that no one has more authority to govern myself more than i do. how can someone tell me what is best for me, when they obviously are protecting their own interests....not mine. i believe in giving other people those rights as well. i believe that a majority of our problems, socially, are created by the forced coercion of capitalism, and the system which has innundated us from birth. would the native american peoples have killed each other over a pair of shoes? doubtful. they existed in a beautiful state of togetherness, of solidarity, where possessions where shared amongst the people. they didn't value *things*, possessions, the way modern man does. they valued relationships...they valued each other. capitalism does not allow for that. keep in mind that anarchy, as i see it, is not a form of government. it is a dream of people being responsible for our own lives, our own destiny. it is a shared meal. a community coming together to rebuild a neighbors house after a fire. it is respect for each other and respect for yourself. THAT is anarchy in action. no gods, no masters. and don't tell me it can't be done. look at the amish. they live in a closed ecosystem, governing themselves, participating in society only on their terms, completely sustainable.....although they muck it all up with an oppresive religious state. that being said there are models for this kind of thing. this is far more difficult to do as a one sided conversation, via the interwebs....and its way early and my coffee is just now being poured down my throat so i apologise that i wasn't as eloquent about the subject as the subject rightfully deserves. it has taken me years to formulate my own opinion on this subject, years of reading and discussing and employing different techniques...and learning from failure. and im still learning and changing my opinions every day. i certainly don't expect to change anyone's mind on this. at least not overnight. i would at least like to discuss it with people, and show everyone that there are alternatives to the current system. if you are fighting than you have already won.

I've found a disturbing lack of anarchist activists in this city. it saddens me that in a city that needs hope the most, there is no resistance to be found. so let's talk about it. i'll start. When they send in the National Guard, we'll take chainsaws to the telephone poles to halt their progress - and they will throw down their guns when they see their nieces and nephews on the other side of the barricades. That night we will drag all the funiture out of the offices and department stores to build great bonfires in the intersections; we'll sit around them, passing food and drink and telling the unbelievable stories of how we arrived there. The next morning we'll venture out one by one, then in pairs, to survey the remains - and perhaps after the initial shock it will appear to us as a great playground. We'll gaze at the carcasses of the dead machines in wonder that we lived in a society powered by things beyond our understanding; from that moment forward our understanding will be honed sharp by the challenges of building anew. Some of us will still be angry, some will still be hurting; others will climb to the tops of the great wreckage heaps to look out into the sunrise, trying to see beyond it into the future, and sit there in silence for a long, long time. We'll trace each other's scars with our fingers, squeeze our hands together and shake our heads; perhaps sing low and softly. We'll stand outside looted supermarkets, pitching soda cans and hitting them with axe handles to see them explode in the air, spinning like pinwheels. We'll dress the lamp posts in satin curtains, paint our own names on the street signs, throw christmas ornaments at each other like snowballs. We'll string extension cords around the old monuments to pull them down like the Communards did in Paris; we'll empty the TV dinners from our freezers and thow them off rooftops as we eat fresh apples from new trees. This is what it will take to rediscover that we are the master of things and not they of us. Wearing bridal gowns and firemen's jackets, leaving a swath of shattered dinner crystal in our wake, we'll cut a path to the gates of heaven so wide no one can ever shut them again. We'll tattoo our faces to celebrate that there are no more borders to cross, that we can meet our oppressors in open war instead of having to smuggle ourselves through their checkpoints. Police stations will be evicted whereever they appear, officers will walk the streets in fear of being picked up and taken to squats, and the next time terrorists fly airplanes into office buildings; no one will be working in them. The earth will give birth to stars that humble the heavens, and we'll have hospitals without sick people where today we have sick people without hospitals. Blacksmiths will once again swing their heavy hammers through the air, forging crowns great enough to fit on all heads at once. Driving through the wilderness across overgrown freeways on our species' last tank of gas, we'll see fireworks shooting up into the night on the horizon - a flare saying "don't rescue me!" A decade to track down technicians to disable warheads and deactivate nuclear power plants; a generation to replace grocery stores with gardens and cough syrup with licorice root; a century for dairy cows and toy poodles to go feral; five hundred years to melt down cannons into wine goblets, water pipes and sleigh bells; a millennium for the dandelions growing out of the sidewalk to become redwoods. Or else none of this will happen, but we will have the adventure of our lives; and if we meet again, we will build another castle in the sky. Show me some solidarity, disagree with me, argue the tenants of capitalism, just please THINK. think and discuss.

babyland RIP. Dan's new project, Continues, is fantastic as well

Just because we pulled out doesn't mean Iraq won't get pregnant.