DJ Raspy: Blog

What's New?

2011-12-09T12:25:45Z

http://www.djraspy.com/the-sanguo-yanyi-audiobook/2011/12/9/the-sanguo-yanyi-chapter-56.html

That's what's new. A new chapter in the Sanguo Yanyi Audiobook. Chapter 56. The last one I released was in March, and I figured it was time to give those of you who have been patiently waiting for a new chapter a little something something to brighten your holiday season...or something.

So there you go, people! An early Birthmas Present for you! Enjoy!

#Occupy Digest - Op-Ed: There Will Be Blood

2011-10-26T08:59:46Z

By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

A veteran at Occupy Oakland protest, wounded in the head by riot rounds from Oakland Police during brutal Oakland PD crackdown against protesters on Oct. 25, 2011.I said previously that there would be blood in this uprising. I was hoping I would be wrong. I was not. Sometimes I freaking HATE being able to foresee the future!

This is a picture of one of the protesters from the #OccupyOakland protests. His head is wounded from an attack by Oakland Police last night which involved the use of rubber bullets and/or beanbags fired at protesters, as well as tear gas and flash grenades.

I have spent all night spamming the Oakland Police Officers' Association Facebook page and the Facebook and Twitter Accounts of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (@jeanquan on Twitter) with outraged posts and commentary, and as of about an hour ago, the Oakland Police Officers' Association Facebook Page was taken down and/or deleted.

Shit's getting real now. At least one Police Force has declared war on Occupation forces, and

#OccupyDigest - Op-Ed - We are ALL Homeless...

2011-10-12T07:40:06Z

By Mitakuye Oyasin - DJRaspy.com

I would like to share a story with you all...

I was at work last night, and there's been this old guy hanging around there. He's got to be at least 60, maybe even in his 70's. Because of his situation in life, it's kind of hard to tell his actual age. His circumstances have probably aged him quite a bit. You TOO could be a winner in the "Lose it all" Sweepstakes. Be kind, if you ever want anyone to be kind to you.

I saw him sitting there on the bench in the room with the pool tables, with several plastic shopping bags sitting next to him. Whenever he would get up and move, his bags would always go with him. And well they should, for though I am far too polite to have ever peeked into them, I am almost certain that I know what was in them. Those bags likely contained everything that the aged gentleman owned...

You see, the Gentleman of which I speak is homeless, one of the many, many people in this country that are, every year, forced by economic circumstances into that lamentable lot in life. As the few rich that are left get richer, and the billions of poor get poorer, and the middle class is completely wiped out by Laws and Codes, international and national, that are designed to help only a small segment of the population to prosper, while the rest are largely abandoned by the State...there are so many, so very many like the Gentleman of which I speak. So many that perhaps, at times, they almost seem invisible...

#OccupyDigest - Op-Ed - Why am I Angry?

2011-10-10T07:08:19Z

By Mitakuye Oyasin - DJRaspy.com

I get angry, sometimes. I get really, really angry about the way the world is. And the world..or at least those of you in the world who have any interaction with me...you know it.

Why am I angry? Am I angry at the Bankers in particular? No. They were born into a society that is set up like a Game. They learned to play the game, and play it very well, and they won the game, or so it would seem.Here in the States, we consider ourselves lucky if we can make rent for the month. In other parts of the world, they consider themselves lucky if they can make supper for the month. Are we proud of Hierarchy and Inequality now?

Am I angry at the Governments of the World? No. They were born into a society that feels it needs them, and they were elected to office to do what Governments do.

Am I angry at Corporations? No. Just like anyone else in the world, the CEO's and the Board of Directors and the shareholders didn't make the world. They just live in it, and play according to the rules we've set up over the past 10000 years.

Am I angry at the Police of the world, the Armies of the world? No. They were born into a society which requires their services...a society that demands that some humans deprive other humans of their lives or their property or their virtue, while that same society demands that other humans deprive their fellow humans of their lives or their freedom. The Police and the Soldiers of the world, they didn't make the world either. They just try to live in it.

SIU General Strike Pending as Negotiations Continue

2011-10-07T06:32:03Z

Southern Illinois University to be shut down by General Strike?

By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

A campus-wide strike has been in the air for months at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, as Campus Officials continue a stubborn attempt to hold out against the demands of the Unions represented on-campus.

#OccupyDigest - Saturday, October 1, 2011

2011-10-02T12:19:41Z

Breaking News: Big Media

Caught Red-Handed?

The New York Times: Time-honored Bastion of real Journalism? Or Bought-and-Paid-For Liars? You be the judge.

By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

Brooklyn, NY -- I bet you're wondering why I'm formatting this particular entry of the #OccupyDigest differently than all the previous ones. Well, you're probably not wondering, actually, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm formatting it like a newspaper, because, quite frankly, it has become clear to me that the traditional sources of publication, the Big Media Outlets like the New York Times, are no longer worthy of the damned format that they have used for centuries.

The Revolution is still going strong - American Autumn, 2011"What's that, Raspy? Explain yourself!", you might be saying. All right, I will. As if the damning picture at the top of this Digest entry has not adequately said it for me. You see, I want to explain it, and I will do so with a story, a personal anecdote of how my day went yesterday (October 1st...I'm writing this on the morning of October 2nd). Bear with me. I'm kinda long-winded. But even though I've not slept since yesterday morning, and I'm really, really tired, this story...this unmitigated OUTRAGE of a story must be told, so I'm going to tell it.

You see, I've been following the events of the #OccupyWallStreet Movement and other similar #Occupy Movements across the country for a little over 2 weeks now. 16 days, to be precise, and I've noticed something. The news changes. Sometimes, articles that I set aside to revisit later when I am ready to type up my #OccupyDigest come up mysteriously missing from search results. I always wondered about that. Now, I do not any longer have to wonder. The New York Times has given me a glimpse, probably quite inadvertantly, of the reason for this.

#OccupyDigest - Thursday, September 29, 2011

2011-09-30T08:01:30Z

By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

As I sit here writing this particular entry in the #OccupyDigest, a song is playing through my computer speakers. It is this song. Here. Download it. Listen to it while you read this entry. It will help to put this all into perspective, while I relate to you a peculiar analogy which has come to me...

Flag of the 2nd American Revolution - 2011The song you are hearing right now, written between 1916 and 1918 by master Composer Gustav Holst during a time of great upheaval known in that day as "The Great War", is called "Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age". But it has another name, a nickname. It nickname is "Saturn: Guardian of Time", so called because of the central theme of this piece follows the rhythm of a swinging pendulum, as upon a clock.

It is an appropriate song to play, while writing this post in the #OccupyDigest. Why, you might ask? Because Time is ever a key factor in any Revolution, including the one which I am attempting to curate in these #OccupyDigest posts. And, even without the subtle yet apprehensive beauty of Holst's symphonic pendulum swinging back and forth in the background, Time is ever on my mind, as it is no doubt on the minds of many within the #Occupy Movement.

#OccupyDigest - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2011-09-29T05:04:55Z

By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

I would like to begin this particular entry in the #OccupyDigest with a quote from one Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi, which I find to be particularly of relevance:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

Flag of the 2nd American Revolution - 2011Keeping that quote in mind, the #Occupy Movement reached its 12th Day today, and what a difference 12 days has made. The Occupy Movement started with the original protest at #OccupyWallStreet in New York City, on September 17, 2011. By today, that is, September 28, 2011, the Movement has spread all over the continental United States, bolstered its image with massive star power, the likes of Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, Immortal Technique, Chris Hedges, Dr. Cornell West, and yes, even such big name newsmedia pundits as Keith Olbermann, Lawrence O'Donnel, Matt Taibbi and Cenk Uygur. Additionally, the Industrial Workers of the World and several hundred Airline Pilots joined the protests on Wall Street in solidarity.

This week has seen the movement grow from one protest movement in Zucotti Park, NYC, to a collection, even confederation, of movements across America, from Boston to Los Angeles, from Atlanta to San Francisco, from Texas to Nebraska to Colorado to Illinois to Wisconsin...and yes, even South Dakota is organizing to join the ranks of the Occupy Movement. But more on that later.

On Carey Fuller: Champion of the Unchampioned

2011-09-29T02:59:45Z

- By D.J. Raspe - DJRaspy.com

Via Twitter

"careyfuller Indy
“Camping out” bit.ly/pfpXEH > Please help if you can!"

Now, a little bit about Carey Fuller: Carey Fuller is a Blogger and an Internet Personality on the rise. What is her area of expertise, you might ask? The Plight of the Homeless.

You might ask, how is it that Carey Fuller is an expert on Homelessness, when she's got the ability to get on social networks like Twitter and write blog posts on a website? Well, you see, she was given that ability by the caring auspices of the good people at http://invisiblepeople.tv/who wanted to give the homeless of North America a voice, when for so long, they had none.

You see, Carey Fuller is, herself, one of an alarmingly growing number of homeless people in this great country, and she is also, sadly, a representative of another disturbingly widespread demographic: Homeless Families. Carey Fuller lives in her car, with her two daughters. When I saw her story on InvisiblePeople's Youtube Channel, I wept like a broken-hearted child, to see my countrymen, or in this case, countrywomen living in vehicles because they had no place that they could call home.

#OccupyDigest - Tuesday, September 27, 2011

2011-09-28T02:48:32Z

#OccupyDigest Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011:

Community members at #OccupyWallStreet meet at General Assembly this evening--Debate the urgency of development of consensus vs. inclusion of everyone's principles in the overall dialogue regarding the Demands of the Occupy Movement. Concensus is yet forthcoming...

Flag of the Revolution - 2011Detailed (if unofficial) minutes of the #OccupyWallStreet General Assembly's meeting today can be found athttp://nycga.cc/2011/09/28/media-group-minutes-92511-730p/#more-706

Susan Sarandon appeared at #OccupyWallStreet, urging Protesters to make their demands clear. Also in attendance today, Dr. Cornell West, noted social-justice advocate. The Occupy Movement is definitely gathering star power to its banner. Whether or not it is right that a movement should need stars to endorse it, rather than stand on its own merits, the fact is, the Occupy Movement is benefiting from the high profile names who are showing support to it.

Your vote: How much does it matter?

2011-09-03T20:55:31Z

The year is 2012. Well, not yet. But it soon will be, in a matter of a few short months. During that year, the various and diverse peoples of the United States will be treated to a veritable media onslaught of politicians pandering, news-media pundits spinning, and election campaign committees organizing, all in the hope that, in November of Aught Twelve, you, the good ol' Amurrican voter, will go to the polls and vote for them.

I want YOU (to vote even though we're going to just elect who we want to anyways.)Because whether they're right-wing or left-wing, Republican or Democrat, they want your vote.

Wanna Know What's Up? That's What's Up.

2011-05-23T00:50:28Z

No, really. Screw alienation. Alienation is for chumps. You're not a chump. You don't need that shit. Engage your community. Wherever you are, DEMOCRATIZE your community. Because if YOU don't rule you, someone ELSE will rule you FOR you. And do you REALLY like the kind of job they've been doing?

No matter who you are. No matter how much money you got. No matter where you go in life...you're going to need someone to stand by you. This is real talk, my People. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if

New Content is coming soon. In the meantime...

2010-09-21T22:02:37Z

Listen to this. I present to you a little piece I call "New World Order".

Download "New World Order"

What's New: Another Audiobook Chapter + Mahalo Answers

2010-02-16T19:23:45Z

02.13.10 – Chapter 46 of the Sanguo Yanyi audiobook is up and available for you to listen to and or download at your convenience. Thanks for listening!

On an unrelated (but still awesome) note, you can find me on Mahalo, and ask me questions in my Answers section. I'd love your feedback so leave a comment below.

Thanks.

What's New - More Sanguo Yanyi Chapters and a New Poll

2010-02-06T23:24:00Z

2.06.10 – Chapter 45 of the Sanguo Yanyi audiobook is up for you to listen to/download. Enjoy.

New Poll Available Now!

02.02.10 – Ladies and Gentlemen, I know that, under normal circumstances, I would have posted Chapter 45 by now, but you may notice that I haven’t yet. I sincerely apologize for that. It’s coming soon, I promise.

Sadly, I’ve suffered a few setbacks in life recently that I got to deal with right now, seeing to the necessities of life and all that, so the posting schedule is going to be a bit erratic for a while as I try to juggle updating this site with the plethora of other things taking up all my time. But have no fear, updated, it SHALL be. I have no intention of stopping, folks. I’ve just got a bunch of extra hustling and bustling to do just now as well.

At any rate, I promise you that Chapter 45 of the audiobook will be up soon. I hope that you will bear with me in the following months and forgive the infrequent (but still active) posting, and thank you all for your patience.

- Derek aka D.J. Raspe

01.25.10 – Chapter 44 of the Sanguo Yanyi audiobook is up for you to listen to/download for free, as always. Also, your feedback is always appreciated.

01.20.01 – Chapter 43 of the Sanguo Yanyi is up for anyone who wants it. Enjoy.