Random Things

There's not really much to report today. I didn't go back to the sesshin this morning because when I woke up, my legs were so sore I could barely walk. I don't know if that's from the sitting yesterday or from Thursday's "Night of 1,000 Kicks," or a combination of the two, but the idea of going back for more sitting just seemed too painful.

So, with nothing else to report, here's some random things I saw on the Internet today:

SEATTLE (AP) — A lava formation inside Mount St. Helens' crater has a new, glowing protrusion the size of a 30-story building. The protrusion, which glows red at night, has risen by 330 feet in the past nine days, pushed up by magma, or molten rock, within the volcano, scientists said Friday.

"It seems like every time you think you know what's going on, (the volcano) twists and does something different," said Jeff Wynn, chief scientist for volcano hazards at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver.

The overall lava formation began building last month and has grown to roughly the size of an aircraft carrier, 900 feet long and 250 feet wide. Magma is reaching at the surface at the rate of 7 to 8 cubic meters — about one large dump truck load — every second!

I'm almost reluctant to post this one, not because it's somewhat macabre but out of fear of creating or furthering the delusion of "us" and "them" - that is, of reinforcing the impression that I am concerned about this because "I" am on one side and "they" are on the other. But anyway, here's the story from the AP wires:

BANGKOK -- Nine Buddhists, including two policemen, were killed in a series of shootings in southern Thailand's bloodiest 24 hours since a government crackdown on a riot last week left 85 Muslims dead. The slayings heightened anxiety yesterday among Buddhists over apparent revenge attacks in the mainly Islamic region, including the beheading this week of a local official.

The latest violence started Wednesday night with the shooting deaths of a police sergeant in the southern province of Songkhla and two civilians in nearby Narathiwat. Yesterday, police Major Kaow Kosaiyakanon was killed when a man posing as a customer entered his grocery store, shot him and fled. A gunman also shot to death a motorcycle salesman, 42-year-old Taweesak Monthong, and seriously wounded one of his co-workers elsewhere in Yala, police said. Also yesterday, two railway employees were fatally shot while inspecting tracks in Narathiwat. In Pattani province, a district official was shot to death, and in nearby Songkhla, a Buddhist monk on his way to a religious ceremony was fatally wounded by a motorcycle gunman.

Police said they suspected Islamic insurgents were behind the attacks, but no arrests were made.


Finally, here's some upcoming concerts in Atlanta you might consider checking out:

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN / CRACKER
C.V.B. first emerged from small-town California's counter-culture hub, Santa Cruz, with the debut "Telephone Free Landslide Victory." The 1985 album featured the much-beloved single, "Take the Skinheads Bowling," an ode to the therapeutic nature of hurling a 15-pound ball at helpless pins. Two albums later, C.V.B. signed with Virgin Records and released "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart" in 1988. In the group's 1989 release "Key Lime Pie," vocalist David Lowery espoused about laundromats, cul de sacs and crotchety old men dreaming of winning the lottery. Cracker's self-titled debut yielded the hit "Teen Angst," and the band's sophomore release "Kerosene Hat" continued the run with the hit "Low." These songs were mixed blessings for Cracker. While they raised its profile, they got the band lumped in with other flavor-of-the-month hit-makers, inviting a quick fade. It's a shame. Lowery writes witty, harsh and sometimes apocalyptic songs about relationships, fame and shady characters, and Cracker has consistently produced rock-solid albums. (Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points. 404-524-7354, Fri., Nov. 12 at 8:30.)

OZOMATLI
The last time Los Angeles’ beloved Afro-Latin-and-beyond style-mashers released an album, it was September 11, 2001. While most bands in the United States responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by canceling their concerts, Ozomatli's multi-racial crew who have never been shy about their commitment to social justice, progressive politics, and anti-war convictions - decided to keep their dates and keep playing. “Music is the key to every culture, the beginning of an understanding,” says trumpet player and co-vocalist Asdru Sierra. “September 11 really pushed us to delve into North African and Arab music. For us, music is a language far more universal than politics.” Street Signs, the band’s first full-length studio album in three years, bears this new Middle Eastern influence out in typical Ozo style, by mixing it into their trademark blend of hip-hop and Latin styles. On the album, the band is joined by Eddie Palmieri, the legendary Latin jazz and salsa pianist, their original MC Chali 2na (now of Jurassic 5) and their original DJ Cut Chemist, veteran Moroccan sintir master Hassan Hakmoun, the acclaimed French-Jewish gypsy violinsts Les Yeux Noir, the Prague Symphony (yes, The Prague Symphony), Los Lobos singer-guitarist David Hidalgo, new MC Jabu (formerly of 4th Avenue Jones) and guest drummer Mario Calire (formerly of The Wallflowers). Throw in a board mixologist who’s worked with everyone from Justin Timberlake and NERD to Michael Jackson and Prince (Serben Ghenea), and engineers who’ve collaborated with the likes of Beck, Santana, Jack Johnson, and Cypress Hill (Robert Carranza and Anton Pukshansky), and you get what is easily the band’s most vibrant and ambitious project to date. (Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points. 404-524-7354, Sat., Nov. 13 at 8:30.)

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO
Paul Richards of Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo first met in England at one of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft Courses in 1987. After completing several of these intensive courses, the three toured worldwide with Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists. Wanting to continue together after the League had run its course, they all convened in Los Angeles and founded The California Guitar Trio in 1991. Fusing their individual backgrounds in classical music (Lams), rock and jazz (Richards) and surf music (Moriya), the newborn CGT began to play in coffee shops and then in more prestigious venues (e.g. The Troubadour and House of Blues) honing their intricate original compositions, surf covers, and classical re-workings. In 1993, the trio released their first full-length album, 'Yamanashi Blues" which features brilliant interlocked acoustic instrumentals such as "Kan-non Power", surf tunes, and Bach pieces. With a whirlwind of instrumental styles fusing classical, rock, blues, jazz, country, as well as the quintessential California musical genre surf music, the CGT's stunning virtuosity and sly sense of humor have earned them a rabid following and wide notoriety, with significant crossover in the progressive and acoustic music scenes. Their music has been used as a backdrop on The Weather Channel and ESPN, and most notably during the television coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics. (Red Light Cafe. 553 Amsterdam Ave. 404-874-7828. Fri., Nov. 19 at 8:30)

McCOY TYNER TRIO WITH PHAROAH SANDERS AND RAVI COLTRANE
McCoy Tyner is one of the most revered and influential jazz pianists and composers of all time, constantly expanding the music’s vocabulary of color and harmony. His Trio includes bassist Charnett Moffett and, on drums, Eric Harland. For this performance, Tyner will be joined by the great tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and by Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz giant John Coltrane and a dynamic saxophonist in his own right. "With [Tyner’s] new trio and the tenor saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders as guests, one saw a band that mattered, not just historically, but now.” — The New York Times (Rialto Center for the Performing Arts. 80 Forsyth Street. 404-651-2981. Sat., Nov. 20 at 8)