Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus - London 1968

"You are about to be transported to another age; swinging London in the late Sixties. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a time capsule. Two days in December 1968 that in many ways capturee the spontaneity, aspirations and communal spirit of an entire era. ...for a brief moment it seemed that rock 'n' roll would inherit the earth."

--- David Dalton (founding editor of Rolling Stone Magazine)

Invitation - December 11, 1968

Rock and Roll Circus

http://www.iorr.org/iorr27/circus.htm

It is early morning Wednesday, December 11, 1968. Paul Lovell has catched the first train from Birmingham into London. Today he was supposed to have an exam at school, but nowit is more important business to take care of.

Last month, he had received the monthly fan club letter, telling about a special concert to be held by the Rolling Stones on Dec. 11. Being fan club member number 10,435 since Oct. 1964, and knowing the fan club had grown to probably 20,000 by now, he realized he didn't have much chance of getting tickets to the special event. Much to his surprice, the tickets arrived, red print on a yellow card. He even got an extra ticket for Barbara!

About 300 people has queued up outside the Intertel Studios, Wembley, in the morning. There seems to be one entrance only for the place. While queuing up each of the performing artists is arriving. John Lennon arrives in a Rolls with Yoko Ono, being one of the first times they show up publicly together. The Stones and all the others walk by the fans queuing up. This is really developing to something very special...

When entering the studio, which is a TV recording building, he has to turn in his ticket, signing on it, stating his appearance on any film taken is not his property. All fans are given special red, orange and yellow ponchos, and large, strage hats. Inside the studio, the Stones have arranged for a Circus being built, like a half circle part of the circus, so that there is space for the cameras and crew. The fans are free to find a seat in the half circle around the center canvas, and Paul is selecting a central spot a couple of rows from the front.

The show is soon starting up. Mick Jagger is saying welcome, dressed up as a ringmaster. and the first band is on.

Jethro Tull is a new group. They do their song "Song For Jeffrey".

Then The Who is on with their set.



This is not a normal concert. The songs are done several times, and film shooting is not done all the time. There are plenty of breaks. During the breaks, the fans are free to walk wherever they like. Paul is finding himself standing next to Mick, then some time later next to Keith. Being a veteran Stones fan by now, since his first concert in 1964, he does not want to bother any of the Stones, asking for autographs. But when he bumps into John Lennon, he simply ask for his autograph. After all, John is a big star, but not in the same league as the Stones, at least not to Paul...

Taj Mahal is next.



Then the important appearance by Marianne Faithfull. This is the apperance when Mick wants everything to be right. Marianne is to be a major star, and Mick has been working hard on the set. Marianne is beautifully located in the center of the circus ring. She performs Something Better, and the camera is rotating 180 degrees around the circus ring, making a perfect panning.



This is really a strange event. There are circus artists performing in-between the sets. Nobody have planned this in detail. Things seems to take much longer time than originally planned for. People are getting tired and hungry. There is a break in the evening for food. Then there are more rehearsals and camera takes. During one of the breaks, Paul find himself next to Brian Jones on the men's room. Again, privacy first, no autographs...

It's about midnight, and still the Stones have not been on. this will probably take till tomorrow! John Lennon is showing up, leading a supergroup of himself, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell.



Then Yoko Ono is joining. It's now about 2 o'clock in the morning, and finally, it's time for the Rolling Stones! Mick has changed into causal wear, and they jump into their set of songs taken from Beggars Baquet, being released just before the week-end.
Jumping Jack Flash is on. The Stones are great! Then Parachute Woman and No Expectations.








Brian is great; great slide. They do several takes. Some people in the crowd is now really sleepy! You Can't Always Get What You Want. More takes. The Stones doesn't seem to be satisfied with what they are doing.



Then Sympathy For The Devil, which they have been rehearsing a while back for the One Plus One film. At 5 am in the morning Sympathy is perfect - may be not to the Stones - but it's perfect!



Then they all move into the crowd, all wearing ponchos, the chords of Salt Of The Earth is sounding, Keith and Mick is singing the closing song.
(Salt of the Earth)



Then it's over. Not a usual concert, but a memory for life time.The fans are saying goodbye. The Stones have rranged for transportation. Paul and Barbara is hanging around in London for the first train back to Birmingham. Well, doesn't bother about the exam, the concert, the rehearsals and the happening is still strong in the mind...

ATT and wireless -- tech support sucks!

There's not too many things in life I hate worse than having to call any computer tech support! Today was one of those days. I have ATT/DSL. All was fine till I left the house to go mail in my reason for not being able to serve on Jury Duty (ah, yes, another woe, but not worth a whole blog) - and when I got back, I had no internet connection. I hit the reset on the modem, and that didn't work. I called them, and the recording said, "Did you unplug modem and restart?"

Well, no, I didn't. So, I hung up and did that. But I still didn't have a connection. So, I called back. Apparently hitting the reset erased my password; and the guy walked me through setting a new one. All is fine -- so far.

Then he has me turn on my laptop, which I might mention has not been turned on for quite some time - months - but it had connection when I used it last. But I agreed a good idea to check it. Good thing, because there was no connection.

He had me do several things; then had me delete the connection, let it create a new one; didn't work. An error message came up, something about the ISP wasn't compatible. Then the phone went dead. I suppose he hung up! They make it a big deal to get your phone number so they can call you back - but he didn't call me back.

So, I called them back, started over. "Let me connect you to the wireless tech support." GEEZ! Okay.

Then we go through the same things again, answering the same basic questions about modem and operating system and all that . She does the same stuff the first guy had me to do - properties, look at this, look at that -- then delete the connection; let it create a new connection, etc. Got to the same place - three or four times. Each time she would say, "Can you hold while I check your account?" Sure, I'll wait. Then she'd come back to do the same thing we did before.

Then she's quiet - then asks me, "You are having trouble getting the wireless to work on your laptop; is that right?" YES!!! Damn!!

I tried to tell her about the message, the ISP wasn't compatible; but she pretty much ignored me and said bla bla bla about ATT supporting Internet connection and I could connect; apparently it was something wrong with my laptop; and did I want her to connect me to the Connect Tech Support? I said there's nothing wrong with my laptop, and I thought that's who she was!! Yes, connect me.

Well, getting connected to that department, the recording alerts me that it is fee-based and to have a credit card handy. OH, NO YOU DON'T! So, I hung up; got out my ethernet cable and hard wired it, and it connected just fine.

Once again, I got the message about the ISP not being compatible; but when I tried to click on the error for more info, it went away. By this time I had wasted well over 2 hours, maybe even three, of stress and rising blood pressure; so I gave it up. I know I'll have to call them back and go through the whole thing -- again! But it won't be today!

There's no reason in this world that so much time and mental energy should be expended on something that should be so minor!

How the GOP got hijacked by Right-Wing Authoritarians

How the GOP got hijacked (as well as ANY religion!) by Right-Wing Authoritarians

As we are witness the unfolding of a rather bizarre health care debate, one can't help but be amazed at the jaw dropping lunacy of the folks on the right who are amply represented by an assembly of "creationists" "birthers", "teabaggers", "screamers" and now "deathers"...

~snip~

Somehow the leaders of the GOP seem to have convinced a majority of their followers that;
1. President Obama is not a naturalized citizen and therefore his presidency is illegitimate (birthers).
2. Obama's healthcare bill will put seniors to death by their government (deathers).
3. Obama's socialist administration will come and get your guns (teabaggers).
4. Obama hates God (creationists).
5. Obama plans for the government to take over Medicare (screamers).
6. Obama plans for America are similar to Nazi Germany. (Limbaugh).
7. Obama's death panels will kill my baby (Palin).
8. Obama's defense policies put the country on the edge of catastrophe (Cheney, Gingrich).

~snip~

At the end of Chapter Two appears a list of those traits that are typically found in Right-Wing Authoritarians. When reading this list, think GOP leaders Limbaugh, Gingrich, Cheney and Palin.

Right-Wing Authoritarian - Leaders:

* Typically men (Palin is the exception but think masculine phrases used to define her such as "hockey mom", "basketball point guard", and "field dress a moose")
* dominating
* opposes equality
* desirous of personal power
* amoral
* intimidating and bullying
* faintly hedonistic
* vengeful
* pitiless
* exploitive
* manipulative
* dishonest
* cheats to win
* highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic)
* mean-spirited
* militant
* nationalistic
* tells others what they want to hear
* takes advantage of "suckers"
* specializes in creating false images to sell self
* may or may not be religious
* usually politically and economically conservative/Republican

When reading the below list of follower traits, think of those angry white faces (actually more red than white) at your typical "teabagger" party and recent Town hall "screamer" secession.

Right-Wing Authoritarian - Followers:

* men and woman
* submissive to authority
* aggressive on behalf of authority
* conventional
* highly religious
* moderate to little education
* trust untrustworthy authorities
* prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals, woman, and followers of religions other than their own)
* mean-spirited
* narrow-minded
* intolerant
* bulling
* zealous
* dogmatic
* uncritical toward chosen authority
* hypocritical
* inconsistent and contradictory
* prone to panic easily
* highly self-righteous
* moralistic
* strict disciplinarian
* severely punitive
* demands loyalty and returns it
* little self-awareness
* usually politically and economically conservative/Republican

While reading this list you may have asked yourself why these current followers, who display a deference to authority, are not following the head guy; the President of the United States. The answer is a simple one. The glue that binds the current out of power leaders to their pathetic followers is clearly and unambiguously RACE...

LA Science and Tech News Examiner: How the GOP got hijacked by RightWing Authoritarians

(and I might add to RACE - PERCEIVED RELIGION and ISLAMOPHOBIA)



I wish there was such a video about hijacking Christianity, too! If this behavior were all one had to reflect what Christianity is all about, who would want it!

Fears of Obama speaking to school kids

The Obamaphobia just keeps going from bad to worse. It's hard to believe "adults" and so-called "educated" people have fallen into the snares of the extreme, radical right. This event is something nice for the kids, to be addressed by the "office of the president" - no matter who holds that office. With our education system crumbling, our nation practically illiterate, and dropout rate on the rise, just maybe our kids might need a pep talk to stay in school and give it their all! But God forbid if it be our President Obama to be the one to offer that encouragement to our kids to better themselves with a good education!! This whole thing is the height of complete and utter lunacy at its best!

Even IF (stress IF) Obama did say something partisan -WHICH HE WON'T -- so the heck what! He's a Dem pres. That's part of our government system!! Two PARTIES!! Hello!! These students are not babies. They're kids who should be learning to listen to differing views and forming their own thoughts. It's called learning to think for themselves. That's part of an education, too. It's more scary if parents won't let their kids learn to do that! They're only teaching their kids to have a closed mind, never listen to opposing views than those of their parents! That's what's extremely dangerous!!

Locally it seems our schools cow-towing to this mania; and it is most disheartening. If this is how our schools are, then Pres Obama has more work to do with the schools than maybe first thought. It appears our educators are the ones who need some education!

Sounds like too many of the teachers/administrators, as well as parents, are have become "indoctrinated" by FIXED NEWS!! WHAT IRONY!!

Restriction A - with corrective lenses

Alas, it is that time of my life when I had to renew my driver's license again. It's been six years, but I know I didn't have my picture made 6 years ago. They used the one I had. So, if I had been stopped with that 12 year old picture, it might would have turned into being somewhat of a humiliating experience to admit how much I've aged in the past dozen years.

But that wasn't what worried me. What did worry me was the eye exam. This was not going to be so easy. I'm getting cataracts, I can't see worth a flip, and I haven't gotten new glasses in three years. So, I was really stressing about this. In fact, I played out the mental daydream (nightmare) scenario that they would take my license away from me and I would have to call somebody to come pick me up.

Well, my birthday is on the 28th; so I knew I had to get down there early enough that if I didn't pass, I would have time to get new glasses and take the test again. So, I took a deep breath and went today, the 3rd.

First off the bat, I was standing in the line and when they flashed the light to take a person's picture, the light was right in my line of vision; so I saw bright spots for a bit. Oh, great. Well, I had to wait long enough, that corrected itself.

A lady from the back came to her station and called on me, as I was next in line. I had been watching the two ladies who were working their stations, wondering which would be nicer. So, when the 3rd lady came and I was her first, I felt a sense of relief for some reason, and it proved to be true. She was very nice.

Well, we exchange the pleasantries and preliminaries, and the moment of truth arrives. She pointed me to the machine you look in, and told me first without the glasses. "Line 5." Oh, boy. I couldn't see a thing. She was very kind and told me to go to the machine next to it. Maybe that would be better. Nope, it wasn't. "Okay, girl," I tell myself. "Stay calm. You knew you'd need to wear your glasses."

I have two pair of bifocals and took them both. One pair is computer/reading; and one pair is distance/reading. I always wear the computer glasses, but while driving up to the DMV, I got out the distance/reading to see if it made much difference; and it didn't at all. So, I took the computer glasses I had in my hand and put them on. Absolutely NO improvement. I couldn't read a thing.

Now I'm starting to feel the ol' heart start to be a little faster, but I quickly grabbed the other pair.

Ohhhh, there it is!!! I rattled off the letters/numbers so fast I even stumbled in my words on the last number "5" -- no, "6." Whew!!

She laughed a little and informed me we'd have to put a restriction on my license. NO KIDDING!!

Now that it's all over I wish I could go back to those machines and do it again. I'm wondering if I just didn't have my head lined up right in the first place because I know my 2nd pair of glasses just aren't that much more correcting than the first. But whatever, at least I've got them and I'm good for another six years!! Such a simple thing as renewing your license turned out to be a major stressor, but God is good and got me through it!

I lifted the picture above of our DMV off Google Maps. But just as an aside comment, that is the same location I went when I took my boys in the 80s to get their beginner permits and then licenses when they turned 16. And, indeed, it is the same building that I went to when I got my very first driver's license when I was 16 in the early 60s. I can remember sitting in the back room taking the written test; and then later when it was time for the driving test, I remember the officer told me to turn left and I made a very nice and controlled right - right into a parking lot! I wondered why he wanted me to go in that parking lot! lol He was kind, acknowledged that he knew I was nervous, and passed me. Gosh, that was such a long time ago.

The Case of the Missing Historical Marker

Texas Historical Commission Marker No. 10566 issued 1988





umm - where, oh, where could it be? It used to be there. The State of Texas Historical Commission put it there. But now it's gone. It was still there at our Pep Rally on June 6th. But by the time of the press conference on July 1st when we announced filing an injunction against BISD, lo and behold, it had disappeared. All that remains now is a faded mark on the bricks revealing where that marker had graced and honored that building for over two decades.

It seems reasonable to assume that should the marker be removed, that since it was placed there by the STATE, it would have to be removed by the STATE. But, we know from the letter that the STATE Historical Commission sent to BISD (see the letter below) that BISD hasn't even informed them that they planned to destroy the building. So, it also seems safe to assume that the STATE didn't come and get it.

Well, BISD, we would all like to know why you were in such a hurry to remove that marker from the building? After all, your own web site says you are not planning to destroy the school until September. So, what was the hurry?

Perhaps one of our lawyers in our midst, or someone with the Historical Commission, will answer this question: Is this legal for BISD to have removed that marker? After all, isn't that plaque maybe even property of the STATE? Just askin'....

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For more about the "Save South Park" movement, Please visit:

http://savesouthpark.org

Debut of my Genealogy via PHP and my new Web Page

Genealogy has been a big hobby of mine for about a decade or more, and I have collected a lot of information, both from my own research and info others have shared with me. I've used Family Tree Maker from the beginning, and still do, though I haven't liked the newest versions since Version 11.
Well, anyway, I've wanted to put my collection on the web, but didn't like Ancestry.com's layout, and debating on the LDS Family Search site. With a bit of Googling, I came across a program called The Next Generation. It's a PHP program, which until I found it had no idea what PHP was, but I looked at the other users' pages, and samples, and liked it very much and decided that's how I wanted to do it. All this was last Friday, the 13th. So, I paid my $30 and haven't hardly looked up since. Last year I had tried doing my genealogy with HTML, but it was crap. We had Hurricane Ike and I never got back to it, mainly because I wasn't happy with it anyway. So, I'm more than excited about this program.
It was a bit complicated to get installed because I had to convert my webspace with GoDaddy from Windows to Linux, then later I had to call them back to get MySQL, which I still don't know what that is. And finally before it was all over with, I opted to pay GoDaddy for my space, $5 a month as I had been using their free space with the ad. The ad, as it turned out, interferred with the program.

An individual, Darrin Lythgoes, http://lythgoes.net/ wrote this amazing program. There's also a pretty extensive mailing list and TNG Forum. It's quite a "club" I guess you could call it. Though I have communicated with questions to Darrin, I haven't taken part in these other vehicles of support yet. So far it seems most of the users are way advanced of my non-existent PHP abilities.
But I'm up and running. I've installed the program, carefully according to the ReadMe instructions, and created my gedcom, and uploaded that. My Cute FTP client crashed, and GoDaddy told me about FileZilla Client, which is free and is working great. Anyway, I started uploading cemetery pictures and documents I had already scanned, like marriage records, obit, and assigned them to the corresponding individuals.
By now it's Wednesday, yesterday; and I realized before I went any further I needed to create a web page that would incorporate my other web pages as well as the genealogy pages. So, after some thought, and browsing through my own photos, I came with a plan and created as I went, taking my old web page and totally redesigning it - all with basic html. That took me all day yesterday. Now, short of a bit of tweaking, I think I'm ready now to get back to uploading documents. I have sooo many, and will probably never finish that task in this lifetime.
Well, I guess this is the official unveiling. I have told a few select friends and relatives about it, but I have not listed it with Ancestry or posted it on any of their boards yet. That will come when I get more of my documents added and linked up to more individuals. But for now, here's my new site: http://sherrysharp.com/ Of course the Genealogy Link takes you to the wonderful, fabulous TNG program!