nibbler

I've never been to bluesfest before. How long do bands get to play for? Will I have to leave Furthur early to catch some of Robert Randolph or Steel Pulse's sets?

I second that sense and raise you a glass- cheers! :chug:

They who set the table know that some of the desperate will act accordingly.

Its unfortunate that the estimated 25,000 - 40,000 peaceful protesters efforts' went largely unnoticed by the Main Stream Media. Its also unfortunate that most of the world who followed this story via the Main Stream Media over the weekend have now cemented hours of footage of a police car burning in their psyche, even though the images are taken way out of context and lacking all sense of the timeline in which the actions and reactions took place. Its unfortunate the O Canada sing-in and the subsequent police rush did not get played over and over on TV instead. I don't have a TV, but I'm guessing that shot didn't make the hourly updates. Notice the lack of smashed windows and burning police cars in the O Canada shot... Is it possible that through omission the MSM conspired to make it seem like the police were NOT deliberately provoking violent confrontation all weekend? Dare I ask: Is there anyone in this forum dumb enough to suggest that the singing of O Canada is justification enough for the police to violently rush the singing protesters? Its unfortunate that we are conditioned to believe these lies to the extent that many are defending the police brutality of the weekend, while very few are questioning WHY the police abandoned squad cars thus allowing agent provocateurs the opportunity to destroy the cars, and why unless they were agent provocateurs the police stood by watching instead of arresting them? if you dare to actually think about it, how long until you conclude that deliberately abandoning the cars was a part of the well planned police script? Above all, its unfortunate that we seem hard wired to be drawn to the violence on both sides of the line, instead of repulsed by it. Behind the tear-gas smokescreen and MSM coverage of burning police cars; behind the 19,000 heavily armoured cops brandishing chemical weapons; behind the three layers of ten foot tall fence, a small number of people plan state sponsored and sanctioned violence, the bankrupting of economies, the destruction of the environment, the continuing impoverishment of billions, and the deaths of enormous numbers of people in coming years. Saying its unfortunate just doesn't cover the bill.

Crowd of peaceful protesters and hippies sing O Canada in front of Steve's Music on Queen Street West, while dozens of police stand at perfect attention. Then as soon as the song ends... well.. its less than a minute long-> just watch the video.

Which is why you'll want to show said inlaws videos like this one \/ \/ which may help counter the Main Stream Media propaganda they are being led around by...

Obviously they were in phone booths busy changing their costumes.

Check out Steve Paikin's Twitter feed He is on the streets and tweeting regularly. "so the police just started arresting people. i stress, this was a peaceful, middle class, diverse crowd. no anarchists" "...just wanted to remind the authorities that the freedom to speak and assemble shouldn't disappear because world leaders come to town." "and shame on those that ordered peaceful protesters attacked and arrested. that is not consistent with democracy in toronto, G20 or no G20"

intense video Kev... Here's an excellent read about tactics employed by the police leading up to and including the summit: Porter: When police stick to phony script By Catherine Porter columnist for The Star Published On Sat Jun 26 2010 They call it the Miami Model. But it could be called the Genoa model, the Pittsburgh model and, after this weekend, the Toronto model. It refers to police tactics used in Miami seven years ago, during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit, and, more importantly, the protests erupting on the streets outside. Manny Diaz, Miami’s then-mayor, called the police methods exemplary — a model to be followed by homeland security when confronting protesters. Human rights groups including Amnesty International called it a model of police brutality and intimidation. Protesters were beaten with tear gas, sticks, rubber bullets . . . You can watch police stun cowering protesters with Tasers on YouTube. Last year, the city agreed it had trampled citizens’ right to free speech by forcing marchers back from planned protests and settled out of court with Amnesty International. What is the Miami Model? I called Naomi Archer to find out. She is an indigenous rights worker from North Carolina who happened to be giving a lecture on the Miami Model yesterday at the U.S. Social Forum — the G20 for community activists. Archer, who was in Miami as a liaison between protesters and police, has a 40-box checklist to identify the Model. Here are the main themes. • Information warfare. This starts weeks before the event. Protesters are criminalized and dehumanized, and described as dangerous “anarchists†and “terrorists†the city needs to defend against. “Often, a faux cache is found,†says Archer. “They are usually ordinary objects, like bike inner tubes, camping equipment, but the police make them out to look threatening. It lays the groundwork for police to be violent and it means there’s a reduced accountability of law enforcement.†• Intimidation. Police start random searches of perceived protesters before any large rallies. They are asked where they are staying, why they are walking around. Police raid organizer’s homes or meeting places, “usually just before the summit, so there’s maximum chaos organizers have to deal with,†says Archer. “All this is meant to dissuade participants. The best way to make sure you don’t have a critical mass of people taking over the streets like in Seattle is to reduce the numbers at the outset.†This is usually made possible by last-minute city regulations, curtailing the right to protest. In Miami, the city commission passed a temporary ordinance forbidding groups of more than seven to congregate for more than 30 minutes without a permit. • “They threw rocks.†That’s the line police use after tear-gassing or beating protesters most times, Archer says. Urine and human feces are variations on the theme. But it’s always the protesters who triggered the violence. A popular police tactic is called “kettling.†Officers on bike or horses herd protesters into an enclosed space, so they can’t leave without trying to break through the police line. Take the bait; you provoke a beating or arrest. And of course, there are the famous agent provocateurs, outted publicly two years ago in Montebello. Police officers dressed up like militant protesters to protect the peaceful crowd, they say; Archer says it’s to instigate trouble. In Montebello, one of the three cops dressed in black was holding a rock. “It’s the same lies every single protest,†she says. “It’s justification by law enforcement for their violent actions. This is a propaganda war.†• Job well done. At the end, regardless of the bodies clogging the temporary holding cells and hospitals, the police always congratulate themselves. And by the time the cases go to court, the story is long forgotten and the circus has moved to a new unsuspecting town. More than 270 people were arrested in Miami during the summit seven years ago . How many were convicted, in the end? I called the American Civil Liberties Union to find out. “None,†said lawyer Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, who was the president of the Miami chapter back then. So far in Toronto, the police show has unrolled according to script; we’ve seen the propaganda, the cache, the intimidation, the secretive new regulations, the scary military arsenal. . . . Next up, rocks. Will we all believe that one too? Catherine Porter usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cporter@thestar.ca link to source

While Canada is busy wasting over a Billion Dollars on the hyped up G8/G20 meetings, I am reminded of another recent episode where they wasted a fortune of taxpayers money on un-necessary "security"... Swine flu risk 'was vastly over-rated' by World Health Organisation By Fiona Macrae The Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1289418/Swine-flu-risk-vastly-rated-World-Health-Organisation.html June 25, 2010 Threats of a swine flu pandemic were 'vastly over-rated' by the World Health Organisation, an inquiry has concluded. The Council of Europe last night also accused the UN's health arm of 'grave shortcomings' in the process that led it to declare a pandemic last year. Plummeting confidence in health advice could prove 'disastrous' in the event of a severe future pandemic, parliamentarians at the Strasbourg-based senate said. The assembly also accused the WHO of being 'highly defensive' of its handling of the outbreak and drugs companies of influencing the decisions taken. Members, including five British MPs, voted overwhelmingly in favour for greater transparency in public health decisions. It wants governments to 'ensure that the private sector does not gain undue profit from public health scares' and drug companies to revise their rules to ensure any potential conflicts of interests are made public. The debate and recommendations follow a report which described the declaration of the H1N1 pandemic as a ' monumental error' driven by drug companies - spreading fear and wasting huge amounts of money. Paul Flynn, the British MP who led the Council Of Europe probe, described it as 'a pandemic that never really was'. Mr Flynn said predictions of a 'plague' that would wipe out up to 7.5million people proved to be 'an exaggeration', with fewer than 20,000 deaths worldwide. Britain braced itself for up to 65,000 deaths and signed vaccine contracts worth £540million. The actual number of deaths was less than 500 and the country is now desperately trying to unpick the contracts and unload millions of unused jabs. The focus on swine flu also led to other health services suffering and widespread public fear. Pharmaceutical companies, however, profited to the tune of £4.6billion from the sale of vaccines alone. Mr Flynn said: 'There is not much doubt that this was an exaggeration on stilts. They vastly over-stated the danger on bad science and the national governments were in a position where they had to take action. 'In Britain, we have spent at least £1billion on preparations, to the detriment of other parts of the health system. This is a monumental failure on the WHO's part.' The WHO has firmly rejected all the criticism, saying the outbreak fitted the criteria for a pandemic - and to claim otherwise was disrespectful to those killed by the virus and their families. It also takes the view that not all ties to drug companies are necessarily conflicts of interest.

Don't tell that to Gregg!

C-36 is like six times harsher than C-6!

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi sitting in with Gregg's band will make for a hot show, you're in for a treat regardless!

Agreed - poor guy - rough luck.

TOUR PLANS ON HOLD UNTIL ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMER FULLY RECOVERS As part of his continued recovery from Hepatitis C, rock and roll icon GREGG ALLMAN recently underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. The singer, keyboardist, songwriter and guitarist had been on a waiting list for the transplant and is looking forward to a speedy recovery. Read more: link to source

Report: Drunk New Zealand driver opens another beer as he lies trapped in smashed car Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 | 9:50 PM ET Canadian Press The Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Trapped after flipping his car while drunk driving, a New Zealand man opened another beer as he waited to be rescued. Paul Nigel Sneddon, 47, pleaded guilty to careless driving and drunken driving in a district court in the North Island city of Palmerston North, the Dominion Post newspaper reported Wednesday. Sneddon failed to take a corner on June 1, crashed through a wooden barrier, and flipped his car onto its roof. The newspaper quoted defence lawyer Peter Young as telling the court when Sneddon found he could not open the doors, "he had nothing else to do at that point, so he had another beer." When police found him trapped in the vehicle his breath-alcohol level was 1,191 micrograms — nearly three times the legal limit of 400 micrograms. Prosecutor police Sgt. Ollie Outtrim told the court Sneddon went on a drinking bender after losing his job at a bakery. Asked by an officer how much alcohol he had consumed, Sneddon replied: "'Plenty. I've been drinking for four days straight,' adding he had just lost his job in a local bakery," Outtrim was quoted as saying. Judge Gregory Ross fined Sneddon 1,100 New Zealand dollars ($776) and disqualified him from driving for 10 months. Link to source

a message from the separatists?

"I survived the Big Quake of 2010 t-shirts now available"

Felt it loud and clear in Minden- 1:48 p.m. by my watch.

I used to attend annually, until that fateful year when an unprovoked drunken lynch mob assaulted one in our party with an axe, resulting in drawn blood and POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS tape going up around our campsite. Interviews with OPP meant missing the rest of the festival. The festival organizers did not offer apologies or refunds, and months later when the perpetrators went to court, the case was dropped because of a deal they struck to turn in one of their buddies- a local drug dealer. Sweet Tottenham good 'ol boy Justice! It is a beautiful place for a festival, swimming in behind the stage, campground set in the rolling hills... I'm glad to hear the good vibes are overwhelming the Tottenham Clan, preventing them from expressing their hatred towards hippies these days.

Its not the scene at Nathan Phillips that I'm worried about- its getting there from out of town. I've heard the highways will be closed on and off to accommodate the transportation of the fascis- er, delegates.

The NDP is Politicians are great at making people think they're doing something when in reality they are not. "Politics is the entertainment branch of industry" - Frank Zappa

Herbie Hancock Space Captain Derek Trucks - slide guitar Susan Tedeschi - lead / backup vocals Oteil Burbridge - bass, backup vocals Kofi Burbridge - organ, backup vocals Mike Mattison - backup vocals Vinnie Colaiuta - drums