The Grass Is Greener in Other Countries

As Bon Scott might say, “Cuba ain’t a bad place to be”.  Of course you know they have good medical schools there and education and medical care are both free.  Sixty percent of the students in medical schools are women.  96% of the power was soon back from Hurricane Maria, as opposed to Puerto Rico, which is still having problems six months later.  Thom Hartman spent time in Cuba and the people are friendly and speak English and like the American people.  You’ve heard that one before.  They don’t sensor the press there and you can get CNN and other American outlets.  Hartman had no problem encrypting text to send to America.  He says it was harder to do that in an Orlando airport than it was in Cuba.  He had one lady caller who disputed what he said saying the people don’t have enough to eat.  Most of the people own their own homes in Cuba unlike here, where almost half of the people rest.  (I thought over half rented)  It would seem the people in Cuba are better off in a lot of ways and the crime rate is low, yet you don’t see a lot of police presence, according to Hartman.  It would appear that President Obama was wise in wanting to ease relations with Cuba and now Trump wants to reverse all of that.

Sixty Minutes had a thing on German prisons.  There is less crime in Germany and the prison sentences are not only shorter but they are more pleasurably sent.  They don’t have gang or racial warfare and they don’t have either crooked or sadistic guards.  All of the guards are well versed in counseling and sensitivity to each person’s needs.  They have basket weaving and crochet as well as useful occupations.  The prisoners spend the majority of their time outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  But their cells are decorated however they want to and get this.  They have the key to their own cells.  That’s what they said.  People from Pennsylvania have gone over there to look at their prisons in Germany and see if they can borrow any of their innovations.  Not likely.  After this they had a segment on a prisoner who not only wrote his own legal briefs to get a release, but petitioned the Supreme Court and they accepted his case.  Then he went to law school in Washington and easily passed the bar.  The biggest hurdle of all was begging a license to practice with a felony on his record.  I don’t know how he did that.

I have accused the Christian Church of lying to us all these centuries.  My theories on how the Christian Church got going may not be correct.  I wasn't there.  There are certainly a lot of puzzle pieces missing.  All I can say is that both Justin Martyr and St Paul refer to it as "The Gospel" singular.  There was no conception in the mind of Justin of four gospels.  They say he quoted from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  These are the synoptic gospels meaning they in so many cases appear to be working off the same set of documents.  Their choice of incidents to cover is very similar.  None of the three gospels seems interested about what Jesus did and said prior to the age of thirty.  Only the last three years appear to count.  All three agree on a lot of fundamental principles.  Interestingly the only areas where they divert significantly is in the birth stories and also Jesus' post death ressurection.  Here a lot of original material is added.  One source on the internet argued that when St Paul referrs to the resurrection he is refering not to coming back to life from physical death, as we think of it in English, but rather an "inner awakening".  In other words "You have Eternal Life if you think you do".  You have it by Faith.  Justin Martyr speaks of "The resurrection and the Life being a "spiritual" thing.  There is no talk of tombs or "rolling away the stone".   We could pick up on the hint that at one time there was just one gospel - - or story.  People speak of the gospel writers as four historians each going back to do their own research.  This doesn't appear to be the case.  Clearly there was an established tradition in the time of Justin Martyr around 150 AD.  But at this time we didn't have the gospel names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  This is just something to think about.

Today the “Kicking Over the Bar” compilation was re-released in the Federation just to make one change.  We’re dropping “How do you Sleep at Night’ and replacing it with "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits as you can see.   This album was so close to the album that preceded it and followed it there wasn’t much time for a lot of sales.   But this album “Has finally made the bar”.  Doubts were expressed about these songs at the time.  Mal Evans and many others didn’t like “How do you Sleep” on a rock compilation because it foments Beatle disunity as some say “No Words for my Love” which is a Paul song trashing John, some say.   

KICKING THE BAR OVER  re-released March 5th.

Make It (Aerosmith)

My City Was Gone (Pretenders)

Who Can It Be Now?  (Men at Work)

I’m the Greatest (Lennon demo recording)

Fools In Love (Joe Jackson)

Rock This Joint (Stray Cats)

In Cars (Gary Newman)

Girl’s School  (Mc Cartney and Wings)

Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant)

Brand New Key (Melanie)

Some Girls (Rolling Stones)

The Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits)

Rock Show (Wings demo recording)
To Live Is To Die  (Metallica)

The front photo is of an old man like Mike Pence trying to jump the high jump and kicking the bar off the holder and both falling into the sawdust.  The liner notes are similar reflections as this paragraph.  Of course the title listings are on the back.   These song elections aren’t considered canonized yet.  They haven’t officially met the bar.  And when they do it will be on an all rock compilation.   But it won’t be this album – yet.  We decided that political tracks suck and they get boring but we kept liner notes references.  We decided to substitute one song and substitute "How Do You Sleep" and this is being typed just after six on October 25th.