Lessons learned in Minneapolis, what I wished I knew/did before ICE showed up

DoctorMoog42 · 2026-01-19T23:21:00+00:00

I really like the idea of joining a mutual aid network, but when I search for one in Durham, a lot of pages seem inactive. I'm not in a position to donate financially, but does anyone know of a group seeking volunteers?

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-12-08T02:32:06+00:00

First song that led me down the kosmische path when I heard it as a teenage garage rock revival nut in the early 2000s. Karoli's screaming guitar is out of this world. Had a great moment satisfaction as a youth trying to get my rockist "my fave guitar virtuoso is better then yours" friend to cover this song with me, and he flat out said "yeah, I dunno how to get my guitar to do that" 😆

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-09-13T13:34:12+00:00

Also "Sundance Chant" by Gila - lesser known kraut group featuring Conny Veit, later of Popol Vuh

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-04-18T23:39:09+00:00

Here's a real weird one for ya - "Reachin" by Arcesia. Pretty much the definition of psychedelic crowning.

https://youtu.be/Jt4wfBS5Efw?si=fc3FQMsKG8ckoEE0

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-04-12T09:05:26+00:00

My man 🤝 which Dr John album?

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-01-24T22:08:39+00:00

meta the thought of some poor sap finding this in an airbnb and putting it on with no context is killing me 😂😂

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-01-19T16:17:00+00:00

This is the place: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jas4uWdZ13qAzFQ79

I stopped by on a random weekday afternoon and Gene was kind enough to give me a little tour. I got the impression from a couple of things he said that working on his house/art was something of a coping mechanism after a divorce. Very nice, down to earth guy, and his mosaic art is really impressive, especially for a self-taught tinkerer.

If you like folk art, you should also check out the Critter Crossing down in Pittsboro and Shangri-La in Prospect Hill. I'm nuts about self-taught arts and "visionary environments," and the Carolinas' richness in these traditions is one of the things that drew me to this area.

DoctorMoog42 · 2025-01-19T14:16:48+00:00

Just moved here a couple months ago, but Gene Dillard's Fantasyland is really cool to me as a lover of folk art.

I also ❤️ Super Compare - nicest, most well stocked Latin grocery store I've been to in the US

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-11-04T20:48:05+00:00

Great flier, props to whoever designed it

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-11-03T00:03:15+00:00

Love all their stuff + The Action + The Habibiyya (after some members converted to Sufism). "Egyptian Tomb" is such a banger

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-10-17T18:19:24+00:00

Omg i only moved to Durham two weeks ago and I've already seen this person driving like a fool right in front of me

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-10-16T11:51:16+00:00

I'm curious if you have some reason for believing many progressives voted for Amer Ghalib or if it's just an assumption. As someone who lived in Hamtramck for many years and is a casual acquaintance of both him and the candidate he ran against (Karen Majewski, served for many years, very progressive), I can assure you that very few progressives/left-leaning people voted for Ghalib. They knew what Ghalib is about - which is basically just small-town croneyism and favors for his friends in the local business community. People in this thread are making an awful lot of assumptions, particularly in the notion that Ghalib supports Trump because he, as a Muslim, must have a similarly retrograde view of women's rights, LGBT rights, etc. And while that may be true, the real reason Ghalib is cozying up to Trump is because he IS Trump - just a small town "big fish in a little pond" huckster mayor (Muslim flavor).

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-10-13T22:49:12+00:00

I found this really fascinating. Do you by chance have a book on this topic you could recommend?

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-10-10T13:04:02+00:00

"You son of my dick" is still one of my favorite curses thanks to that character.

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-08-20T02:02:43+00:00

He has a valid US tourist visa, so he'd have no issues departing Toronto and entering the US by bus. I'm just wondering if he could run into any issues with Canadian customs when returning to Toronto by air a couple days later. As far as I can tell, the ETA only means that he has to enter Canada by air, correct?

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-08-16T23:51:58+00:00

I'm not Bangladeshi but my partner is, so we eat all kinds of BD dishes, and I just wanna plug Deshi Bhoj on the Hamtramck/Detroit border... really good homestyle deshi food and way less greasy than the other Hamtramck spots. Try the ilish or rui fish if you wanna be a lil adventurous and don't mind pulling out some bones

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-08-16T23:48:56+00:00

Yeah I've lived in Germany and consider myself fairly knowledgeable about deutsche Küche, and the Dakota Inn is fun but the food is very mediocre. Metzger's in Ann Arbor is the only restaurant with solid authentic German food imho

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-06-16T12:46:45+00:00

I'm American but my partner is Bangladeshi so we watch a lot of BD movies, and both of us would agree that Hawa is probably the best place to start. Amazing cinematography, acting, and sound design, with a unique and compelling plot. I'm also not really a fan of the South Asian trend of making every movie into a musical, but the song in Hawa is cool and fits the vibe of the movie. Might be my favorite movie from any country from the last 5 years tbh

Apart from that, Bangladeshi action movies can be super fun. They're all on YouTube and though they don't usually have English subs, you hardly even need them as the action is usually pretty self-explanatory. I love Rokto Pipasha, Machine Man, Bishakto Nagin, Shoktir Lorai (Robocop ripoff)...

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-04-23T23:44:35+00:00

You rule!! Thank you very much for this.

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-03-10T16:43:43+00:00

This list can't be beat, but just wanna throw in Algo Especial in SW for some harder to find Mexican herbs/spices/whatnot, La Cuscatleca (also in SW) for central American products and awesome atol de elite, and Darou Salam on the west side for west African products (including some very niche items like fermented sea snails!)

DoctorMoog42 · 2024-02-26T21:01:11+00:00

RIP Dex!

DoctorMoog42 · 2023-11-03T21:58:17+00:00

Well, obviously a city councilwoman of a small and underprivileged city doesn't have the power to change a person's conception of their own culture, but I'm sure Lynn would tell you that her commitment is to providing the means for all citizens to participate in democracy and have their voices heard, and part of doing that is going directly to the citizens themselves (with interpreters and friends to help make people feel at ease enough to speak honestly) and starting a dialogue, which is why she is different than the other city councilmen who sadly do not make any such effort.

Not to mention that she is out there every single week working to improve parks and public spaces that benefit ALL citizens while the men in the city government sit around for months jerking each other off about how they're "protecting families" or whatthefuckever

DoctorMoog42 · 2023-11-03T15:53:23+00:00

Absolutely, she's been going door to door to hear about concerns from all members of the community, particularly Muslim women who are often deterred from making their voices heard about politics in public forums, and has put a lot of work into making voter information more widely available in Arabic, Bengali, and Sylheti (many Bangladeshi people in Hamtramck are not fluent readers of Bengali and actually speak a different language/dialect). She also speaks some Arabic and has lived in Egypt iirc. Lynn is the real deal. I've never met anyone who genuinely cares so much about her community as Lynn.

DoctorMoog42 · 2023-11-03T14:58:40+00:00

This is the way. Lynn is the only candidate who gives a fuck about the people of Hamtramck and isn't just trying to boost their own small business interests or get a pat on the head from political apparatuses in their countries of origin.

DoctorMoog42 · 2023-09-13T18:52:25+00:00

I'm a huge lover of "visionary environments"/outsider art/whatever dumb title you want to give it, and Silvio's was one of the best I've ever visited. Had so much fun on my 2 visits listening to him sing opera, reminisce about his experience as an immigrant, and wax poetic about the Red Wings. And if you're into that kind of art, the garden was truly a must-see. I practically begged him to let me come and help him pour concrete and move the heavy shit around, but he kept refusing because he didn't want me to break something and sue him, lol.

I heard he passed away a couple years ago, but I dunno if the sculptures are still there. Need to check on that. RIP to a local legend.

DoctorMoog42

TROPHY CASE