Score! Lots of Disco-Funk Records

This weekend I made probably the biggest record score I've had in my young record-digger's life. I came across a fairly large (100+) record collection in a thrift store, obviously all from the same person/place. It's almost all disco-funk from 1976-1978, but there's some soul and some avant-spiritual jazz in there as well.



Above are records holding two of my favorite disco tracks of all time: Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band ("Cherchez La Femme") and Esther Williams ("Last Night Changed It All"). These are the two I'm most thrilled about--they might not be the rarest of the bunch, but they'll get the dancefloor moving when needed.



It seems like they must have come from a radio station, 'cause most of the records are promos, and some of them are even still sealed, like the copy of Cloud One's disco classic "Spaced Out" above. Some of these records are clearly worth some money , but that'll reveal itself at a later date. For now, they're just a joy to listen through and look at. John, James, & Ali were hanging out tonight, and we were all pretty enamored with the totally 70s graphic design of the album covers. And I'm getting psyched for the next dance party--naturally, I'm thrilled.

Secretly Vegan #1: Girl Scout Cookies!!

With this post, I'm starting a new segment of the blog, called Secretly Vegan. I'll be surveying different foods which are secretly or surprisingly vegan. Vegan for those of you not in the know means no animal products whatsoever involved in the making of this product. And this is a particularly good example of the fact that vegan does not equal healthy.

So anyway, I was surprised to find that these two types of Girl Scout cookies are completely vegan: "Lemonades" and "Thanks-A-Lots." Note that the name Thanks-A-Lots is trademarked so don't even think about using it to brand your new greeting card line or Solja Boy single. You'll notice old favorites Thin Mints and Samoas didn't make the list, but these two are pretty good. And it's encouraging to know that the GSA are pushing the vegan option at a very young age--I wonder if they have a Tofu Cream Cheese merit badge?

NCOR this weekend in DC

This weekend is the National Conference on Organized Resistance, still going strong after ten years. It's held at American University in Washington DC, I've been the last three years, and it's a really amazing experience. The conference attracts a wide variety of generally leftist types, with a large showing of anarchists, and a great number of hard-working activists ready to share tactics and stories. It's a learning environment, one that always inspires and educates me.

What are we resisting? Oppression, racism, sexism, capitalism, tendencies toward fascism, the commodification of everything, destruction of the planet, war... just to name a few.

Check out the workshop schedule here (pdf) and the film schedule here.
Basically the way the thing goes down is there are workshops all day long Saturday and Sunday, with films going on at the same time. The workshops range from academic lectures to group discussions to skillshares, the full gamut. Some are more inclusive/interactive, others are more just one knowledgeable person talking a lot. But there's always way too many I want to attend, which is not a terrible problem to have.

I'm most excited this year for the Radical Theory Track being offered by the Institute for Anarchist Studies. This is a rare opportunity to think and talk about anarchism in a really intellectual, academic setting. This is the second year IAS is doing this, and last year it was incredible to get so deep into theory with so many different, informed perspectives (40 or so people from different parts of the country, different levels of experience, etc.) in the room. See the link above for a preview of the workshops they're offering. Also, the NCOR site has descriptions of all the workshops here, which are good to look at beforehand so as to not be confused or overwhelmed when you get there.

So I guess that brings me to this: anyone want to go with me? Locals (Cville), we could carpool, others we could meet up there. The conference is only 12 bucks which includes lunch both days, and they offer a place to stay (but I know plenty of people up there too). Maybe we could find a show to go to Saturday night, too. If you're up for only one day, mention that, because there's other rides available and it might work out just right. Talk to me.