And The Lemmings Shall Lead Them

This Way To The Fiscal Cliff, Guys!

So, the largely symbolic and ultimately lame United Nations Frame Work Convention on Climate Change recently held in Doha, Qatar was crashed by this bizarre trio, who held their own mocking climate change denial press conference to protest that they had been banned from the proceedings. Led by the Self Anointed Energy Czar and Recipient of Millions of Dollars in Energy Lobby Payoff Bucks, Republican Oklahoma Senator Jimmy Jackoff, his officially authentic loony royal twit, who was previously banned from UN Climate Control Talks for trying to crash the proceedings by impersonating a Myanmar representative, His Most Serenely Disturbed Highness, Lord Doohickey and their divinely inspired high priestess, The Ever Most Blessed Virgin of Perpetual Hysteria, Just plain old Cathie Adams, who was with out a doubt, the most the most radically loony of the three, but in a most Conservative kind of way.
A little background on Adams, the president of the Texas Eagle Forum and former Texas GOP Chair.
She must have felt quite uncomfortable speaking at a United Nations function, as she has maintained for over a decade that the UN was the anti-Christ’s vehicle for stealthily taking over the world. From a 1999 newsletter:
"The Bible tells us that in the end times there will be a world government headed by a world leader, called the anti-Christ, who will profess a world religion, but did you ever think you would live in the day when these things would come into being? That is exactly what the United Nations is doing behind the backs of most Americans." 
Adams has singled out environmentalism as part of the UN’s sinister agenda, suggesting a fictional UN Pledge of Allegiance would require “worship[ping the Earth.” She also believes, among other things, that the CO2 emissions do not cause climate change and that vaccination is a plot to steal American freedom.
You\d think that assembling this clown show would embarrass Senator Jimmy Jackoff, but his record suggests otherwise: Jackoff has claimed that climate science is a hoax that contravenes the will of God and is currently working with the Heartland Institute — which suggests that climate change advocates are like the Unabomber — to de-fund the Environmental Protection Agency.
In spite of the evidence we are witness to every day to support the reality that climate-change-induced drought is wreaking serious havoc across portions of America that don’t believe in climate change, they  seem to fanatically believe that the federal government has to spend billions of dollars to bail them out tro support their disbelief of climate change’s ill-effects. Fact: One out of Three US Counties is a Drought Disaster Area

First, from Salon:
Dust bowl, here we come? The worst drought in the United States in 50 years is still looking for more records to break. On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared another 39 counties in eight states disaster areas, bringing the current total to 1,297 counties in 29 states — or one out of every three counties in the country. According to the Drought Monitor, 61 percent of the continental United States is currently experiencing“moderate to exceptional drought.” The situation is most extreme in Iowa and Illinois — two states responsible for a third of the U.S. corn production.
The Mississippi is Drying Up
Next, there’s the disaster that’s become the Mississippi River,
Mississippi River barge traffic is slowing as the worst drought in five decades combines with a seasonal dry period to push water levels to a near-record low, prompting shippers including Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) to seek alternatives. Computer models suggest that without more rain, navigating the Mississippi will start to be affected Dec. 11 and the river will reach a record low Dec. 22, Corps spokesman Bob Anderson, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, said.
More on the Mississippi from the Christian Science Monitor:
As drought conditions persist across the South, hitting farmers and ranchers, parts of the Mississippi River are on the verge of becoming unnavigable. The potential costs are large.
Less than 18 months after the US Army Corps of Engineers blasted gaps in a levee on the Mississippi River to cope with a record flood, it’s getting ready to detonate explosives for the opposite reason – to clear rock outcroppings on the bottom of the drought-depleted waterway so cargo can keep moving.
“From one extreme to another in just the space of 12, 15, 16 months? It’s just incredible,” says Richard Heim, a drought specialist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
Kansas is Drying Up
Then there’s the Colorado River:
It calls for building a pipeline from the Missouri River to Denver, nearly 600 miles to the west. Water would be doled out as needed along the route in Kansas, with the rest ultimately stored in reservoirs in the Denver area.
Experts say the plan is reminiscent of those proposed in the middle of the last century, when grand and exorbitant federal water projects were commonplace — and not, with the benefit of hindsight, always advisable.
The fact that the Missouri River pipeline idea made the final draft, water experts say, shows how serious the problem has become for the states of the Colorado River basin.
Texas is Drying Up
And how about the 2011 Texas drought? Yep, climate change:
They tested it on several extreme events in 2011 — a strong La Nina year — and, in the case of the record Texas drought, concluded that such severe dry spells are 20 more times likely during a La Nina year today than a La Nina in the 1960s, before greenhouse gas emissions jumped.
“Conditions leading to droughts such as the one that occurred in Texas in 2011 are, at least in the case of temperature, distinctly more probable than they were 40-50 years ago,” researchers concluded in a new study.
That would be Texas, the state that keeps talking about seceding (and don’t let us stop you, but first we’d like our billions back), while it keeps sucking at the federal teet for disaster aid over and over again.
Enough is Enough
How often is the federal government going to keep coming to the rescue of groups, states, and regions (read: the South, but not exclusively – other red states are involved here too), that year after year, along with their lapdogs at Fox and the rest of the GOP, all sing the chorus of how worthless the federal government is. Enough is enough.

Water Pipeline via NY Times
Following a year of two extreme weather events that are directly linked to climate change, we can’t afford to keep giving a free pass to the climate change deniers, their political party, or their propaganda organ.
They need to be held accountable for their actions and beliefs that are costing us all. Organizations such as the US Chamber of Commerce have actively campaigned against addressing climate change, forcing companies like Apple to pull out of the Chamber entirely. Nike pulled out as well.
Yet the Chamber of Commerce is at the front of the line demanding federal dollars to fix the problems caused by – wait for it – climate change and its deniers at – wait for it – the Chamber of Commerce.
As expensive as Hurricane Sandy relief will be – current estimates are at least $75 billion – the severe drought in the US is expected to be even greater.
How long are we going to continue ignoring the root cause of these problems, while throwing billions of dollars at the symptoms?
Until these organizations, states, and regions are openly called out on their ignorance, and forced to admit their responsibility in helping to create this disaster, they will only be too happy to keep playing the same game – ignoring the root cause of the drought, while wanting lots of our money keep patching it up.
Of course, with climate change, extreme weather conditions will keep becoming more common, as Al Gore had predicted. What happened in New York City during Hurricane Sandy was only the beginning. Unless action is taken quickly, things will only get worse. The big question is whether it’s already too late. Don’t look to Republicans in Congress for help. GOP House Speaker Boehner just appointed a whole slew of House Republicans to key committees on the environment who are enemies of the environment:
On November 27th, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced the new and returning House committee chairmen (and yes, they are all men). Some of these congressmen will run committees with jurisdiction over federal climate, energy, and environmental programs. This includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Clean Air Act, balancing the use of our public lands between energy production and recreation, and determining the infrastructure needs of a nation that now faces unpredictable extreme weather threats linked to climate change.
The vast majority of these chairmen voted for legislation that would dismantle EPA’s ability to limit industrial carbon pollution, and for retention of special tax breaks for the oil and gas industry. Oil and gas, coal, and electric utility companies have cozied up to many of these chairmen, giving them roughly $3.8 million in campaign contributions over the course of their careers.
Meanwhile, many climate-related extreme weather events have severely afflicted Americans over the past two years, including in their home states. Record-breaking drought and heat waves, severe floods, and heavy storms wreaked havoc for the families living in the chairmens’ backyards. Scientists predict that these weather events will become more frequent and/or severe if the industrial carbon pollution responsible for climate change remains unchecked.
Time to Push the Climate Change Deniers Over a Fiscal Cliff
With all the talk of all the programs we have to cut in order to stop the dreaded “fiscal cliff,” maybe it’s time we selectively took Mitt Romney’s advice and start by cutting federal disaster aid.
We can begin with all the disasters caused by climate change in states that deny the existence of climate change. After all, they wouldn’t want us spending Amurika’s hard-earned tax dollars on something that wasn’t real.
If we can’t let Texas and the rest of the South secede, we can at least push them off a fiscal cliff. We could start it like a march of lemmings, right over the cliff, with Senator Jimmy Jackoff, his buddy Lord Doohickey and the Holy Virgin of Perpetual Hysteria, Cathie Adams in the lead. Good Riddance!

The People Still Have The Power!

Just a few hours ago, police are pepper spraying demonstrators at the Capitol in Lansing!

Earlier today, the Michigan House passed a so-called “right-to-work” law. The anti-union legislation, which permits workers to benefit from the high salaries gained through collective bargaining without contributing to the union that negotiates those higher salaries for them, will cost both union and non-union workers an estimated $1,500 a year in wages, in addition to costing thousands of Michiganders health benefits and pensions.
Anti-union lawmakers attached a budget appropriation to the bill in order to thwart efforts to repeal it by referendum — theMichigan Constitution provides that “[t]he power of referendum does not extend to acts making appropriations for state institutions or to meet deficiencies in state funds.” This is not the end of the story, however. Under that same constitution, Michigan voters may still restore the lost wages and collective bargaining power denied by this bill through a state ballot initiative:
The people reserve to themselves the power to propose laws and to enact and reject laws, called the initiative, and the power to approve or reject laws enacted by the legislature, called the referendum. The power of initiative extends only to laws which the legislature may enact under this constitution. The power of referendum does not extend to acts making appropriations for state institutions or to meet deficiencies in state funds and must be invoked in the manner prescribed by law within 90 days following the final adjournment of the legislative session at which the law was enacted. To invoke the initiative or referendum, petitions signed by a number of registered electors, not less than eight percent for initiative and five percent for referendum of the total vote cast for all candidates for governor at the last preceding general election at which a governor was elected shall be required.
No law as to which the power of referendum properly has been invoked shall be effective thereafter unless approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon at the next general election.
By attaching the appropriations provision to the anti-union bill, its supporters accomplished two things: they increased the number of signatures necessary to place it before the voters, and they guaranteed that, if enacted, it will be in effect at least until it can be repealed in the next general election. Nevertheless, Michigan voters are far from powerless. In the last Michigan gubernatorial election, voters cast a total of 3,226,088 votes. So workers and their allies will need to collect just under 260,000 signatures to place a repeal initiative on the ballot.

Even More Random Zappadan

This is Frank Zappa's last full tour as a rock musician. He had assembled an incredible band of associates from past projects: Ike Willis, Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes, Chad Wackerman, Ed Mann, Bobby Martin, Bruce Fowler, Walt Fowler, Paul Carman, Albert Wing, Kurt McGettrick and of course, Mr. Zappa on guitar and vocals and conducting this little orchestra. This performance is from May 17, 1988 at the Palacio de Deportes in Barcelona.
A couple of pretty interesting covers, Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers, a startling rendition of I Am The Walrus by a band called The Beatles and a really amazing arrangement of Ravel's Bolero. A Truly Grand Wazoo of a show! Enjoy.....

The Bottom Line

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strke."--- Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933.

Great to see the President come forcefully out on the side of the workers in this struggle. Barack Obama's comments today,  just a few hours ago in Redford, Michicgan

Magret de Canard Seche

I haven't posted much food stuff here lately, but this is what we are doing here in La Sechere on a regular basis. This is how you prepare and  dry cure a duck breast. It's very simple, but you need about 2 weeks. Here, magret de canard is a staff of life. It is the breast of the big barbary male ducks. It is a red meat and to my taste, when it is barbecued or pan cooked, better than a steak. There is a layer of fat which, being duck fat, is an omega 3 fat, like fish fat In other words, it is good for you. Here in the Sud Ouest of France, we use it in our everyday cuisine in place of lard or oil. Potatoes sauteed in duck or goose fat are one of life's simple pleasures. In fact, it is part of the paradox here, this part of Europe has the lowest heart disease per capita in Europe, but we like to eat.

I know you can buy magret de canard in the USA...there are more and more local producers, but you may never see dried magret for sale in America and if you do, it would probably be quite expensive. The dried duck breast is sliced thing and eaten like a cured sausage or prosciutto. I was going to document the latest magrets we are curing, but I found this video from the 750 gr. series. It's in French, but basically it shows you the basic process. They trim the breast, but usually that is not required. Get coarse sea salt or kosher salt and roll the raw breast in the salt, then we bury it in salt for 24 hours. You can reuse the salt a few times. After 24 hours, you brush off the salt, and season the breast. Here, the cooks are using powdered piment d'espallette which might be more like a spicy paprika..Espallette peppers are grown in the Basque region and were originally imported from America. Many people use crushed black pepper corns and thyme. Here, the cooks use thyme but I have a variety of wild thyme called serpolet growing here in profusion. So, my version, I am using serpolet from edge of the forest.

Then the breast is wrapped in a clean towel and placed in a very dry part of the refrigerator, we have a plastic box that has air vents. Then you let it dry for 2 weeks. That's it....Bon appetit, bien sur, mes amis!

Dog Barking At Vacuum Cleaner

Less intelligent animals rely on instinct when confronted by something which they do not understand. This is an ancient survival reaction all animals, including humans, exhibit. It’s a very simple phenomenon, really; think about a dog being afraid of a vacuum cleaner. He doesn’t know what a vacuum is or if it may harm him, so he becomes agitated and barks at it. Less intelligent humans do the same thing. Concepts that are too complex for them to understand, may frighten or anger them.
The results of a 4 year study show that Americans who obtain their news from Fox News channel have an average IQ of 80, which represents a 20 point deficit when compared to the U.S. national average of 100. IQ, or intelligence quotient, is the international standard of assessing intelligence. Researchers at The Intelligence Institute, a conservative non-profit group, tested 5,000 people using a series of tests that measure everything from cognitive aptitude to common sense and found that people who identified themselves as Fox News viewers and ‘conservative’ had, on average, significantly lower intelligent quotients. Fox Viewers represented 2,650 members of the test group.
This kind of how I picture Fox viewers: barking at vacuums. Unfortunately for the rest of us, “The study did not conclude if Fox News contributed to lowering IQ or if it attracts less intelligent humans.”

It's beginning to look a lot like...Choucroute!
Miam, miam, J'adore choucroute!

L'ecole des Facteurs

My Saturday Night Special! After the pristine animated gifs from Jacques Tati's Playtime, I had to find what I consider one of the little gems of French comedy. His 1947 short film, L'ecole des Facteurs, or The School for Postmen. This little fim was sort of the proving ground for the incredible bicycle gags which he used in his first feature film, made in 1948, Jour de Fete. In fact if you are cycling enthusiast, as I am, this might become your favorite film as well. He was by any account one of the great physical comedians of his or any age. You don't have to speak French to find the humor.

Playtime

A series of animated GIF images from one of my absolute favorite movies, Playtime, by Jacques Tati (1967). He wrote and directed  and starred in it. He almost bankrupted his studio in the process as he built an alternative Paris for his film. Much of it still exists on the studio lot, Tativille, as it is called. It's the kind of movie that was almost incomprehensible when it was released, but only improves like a great wine with time and each tasting. Tati was one of the greatest, most subtle physical comedic actors and his genius was finding the absurdity of the interaction of human nature and the impersonal modern world. The last shot is absolute art. The briefly noticed reflection of the Eiffel Tower in the minimalist glass door.

Two With One Shot...

John Lennon was assassinated on December 8. 1980, 32 years ago in front of his home in the Dakota Apartments on the Upper west Side of New York City.  I remember the day all too well, it was silently snowing in New York. Here is John and Yoko on stage with Frank Zappa in New York at The Fillmore East circa 1971 helping us celebrate Zappadan 41 years later. 

Zappadan Eye Witness News

That's right kiddies, it's stil Zappadan...we are enjoying our Peaches en Regalia now!

I previously posted an entire Swedish concert from 1972 by that nifty little ensemble, but here's an almost entire concert from The Pier in NYC ten years later, 1982 and I was there in the audience! A much different band, Frank is resplendent, again wearing an outfit that only he could have gotten away with but his guitar playing is demonic. The concert was released under the title, Does Humor Belong In Music?....The final piece is a cover of the Allman Brothers Chestnut, Whipping Post, and it burns!

Anarchy In The UK

Sorry, I meant Austerity in the UK..Uhh, guys, how is that austerity thing working out for you? I've noticed that for some strange reason, the Republicans are no longer bragging about the austerity movement in the UK. In case you wondered why, check it out for yourself. It’s a colossal failure and it’s getting worse.
Just as many had predicted, austerity during a declining economy doesn’t fix anything. It only makes the problem worse, by cutting off critical finances and services when they’re needed the most. It’s much cheaper for governments to borrow the money and keep money moving during soft economic periods like this. Conservatives laughed off criticism of austerity, but it’s clear they were wrong.
Joe Stiglitz previously compared austerity to “medieval medicine.”
Paul Krugman said it was a recipe for ten more years of a depression.
The IMF reported that it was costing tens of billions in the UK alone. The UK deficit has increased despite claims of the opposite and austerity already triggered a double dip in the UK. Again, outside of the right wing fantasy-land, this was all predicted from the beginning.
The next time any Republican, or center-right Democrat, calls for austerity, wake them up and tell them to read the news beyond their home town or inside the Beltway. The end result of austerity is ugly, especially in these economic times, and we have plenty of examples of how destructive and costly it is. When they’re done looking at the failures in the UK, they can turn to Spain and Greece for more.
The economic update in the UK is not pretty and it just gets worse. What fool would want to inflict this kind of damage in the US? From the Guardian:

Fitch expressed concern at Osborne’s decision to put back by a year to 2016-17 the date by which Britain’s national debt will start to fall as a proportion of gross domestic product. “In our view, missing the target weakens the credibility of the UK’s fiscal framework, which is one of the factors supporting the [AAA] rating,” the ratings agency said.
Although two years of zero growth will mean that the government’s budget deficit next year will be almost double the £60bn predicted in Osborne’s first budget in June 2010, the chancellor said progress was being made. By including the expected £3.5bn proceeds of the auction of the 4G spectrum he was able to say that the deficit was coming down in each year of the current parliament. 

More promises and more failures. Each time the right wing finance minister plays around with the economy, the worse it gets. Growth was talked about, never materialized, and now here come cuts to the social system (sound familiar?). But of course, that’s what all of this was about from the beginning – conservatives forcing budget crises that then force cuts in social programs.
Just as Republicans want to hack the social system to pieces in the US, that’s what the Tories have wanted to do in the UK from the start. In the case of the UK, they are raising taxes on the rich, but they’re also dismembering the social system. There will be a cost to the middle class as well as to the overall economy. The system is there to help people and without it, something has to give. 

Perhaps it's time for a little nostalgia, back to the 70's, when the austerity of Thatcherism was responsible for some of the best music of our lives....remember, the shittiest realities always produce the best fucking music and The Sex Pistols were the perfect soundtrack for the economic class warfare of the 70's :

Once again, it’s an austerity bomb and you are the target. The only ones who gain are the wealthiest in the short term.  That’s the point of these policies.

my favorite t shirt

Turn Off The Lights When You Leave The Room

Christmas Lights On The Champs Elysees in Paris

During the 1990's, in the hay day of perceived unlimited and cheap nuclear energy, the National French Electric Energy Utility Company, The EDF, was privatized. It had been run by the government for years, but under Chirac, many of the nationalized businesses were privatized. The government stills holds a major portion of the stock, but The EDF and The GDF (Suez) are now private companies. When the EDF became private, it aggressively marketed energy. I live in a very rural location with a few small towns on the horizon. I see the stars at night and the milky way very clearly, but with the expansion of the EDF,  most of the little villages were sold on the idea of high intensity sodium vapor street lighting for the concept of security. Since I have moved here, I have noticed the increase in light pollution...glows on the horizon which compete with the pristine brilliance of the night sky. Luckily here in the Dordogne, the idea of thrift stills reigns and most of little the villages turn off their lights after midnight. Frankly, the you'd be lucky if you found a stray cow out on the roads after 11 pm. I live quite far from the town and this time of the year, I am more likely to break up a party of sanglier carousing on the road late at night.
Life has a much different rhythm here. Even in the big cities, the streets are fairly deserted after midnight. Even in Paris, the city shuts down early. It’s not a ’round-the-clock city like New York or Sao Paulo where clubs and restaurants are always open. The Metro closes at 1AM during the week, and 2AM on the weekends. There are a few 24 hour restaurants but very few. The 24×7 shopping culture of the US does not exist in France, with most shops closing at 8PM, perhaps a few grocery stores as late as 10PM and of course, most shops are closed on Sundays.
So why are merchants claiming the governments new proposed regulation to turn off the advertising signs of the stores after 1 am catastrophic? If nobody is walking the streets at these hours, who cares if the lights are on or off? This is all about saving energy and saving energy means saving money as well, but I guess the perceived savings don't cut it when it's the profits of the EDF at stake. They have been drumming up the opposition with the business owners.
This via Bloomberg, yesterday Dec.5:

The French minister for energy and environment unveiled last week a proposal for lights in and outside shops, offices, and public buildings — including the flagship Louis Vuitton store and the Lido cabaret house on Paris’s Avenue des Champs Elysees — to be turned off between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. starting in July. The plan, to be applied across French cities, towns and villages, is aimed at saving energy and money and showing “sobriety,” Minister Delphine Batho said.The move has provoked an outcry from merchants, who say the government is being insensitive to France’s image as the world’s No. 1 tourist destination. They say the rule, on top of existing bans on Sunday store openings and night shopping, will hurt business at a time when the French economy has barely grown for a year and unemployment is at a 14-year high.
“Great! Another positive message sent to citizens and to tourists: the city will go dark!” said Sofy Mulle, vice- president of the France’s Commerce Council, which represents all of the country’s 650,000 merchants employing about 3.5 million people. “We are ready to make efforts, but the government is cutting a fine line between sobriety and austerity. Surely, we can work out environmentally friendly solutions that have less impact on our society and our economy.”

Sure thing, whatever guys. Why is it that they always can self-regulate at times like this, but when they’re given the choice, they never do it? We are not talking public security here, just turning off the lights of stores after 1 am. The government has even assured people that the bright garish familiar pharmacy signs won't be affected...not that you can find a pharmacy open after 1 am...but...If they really wanted to cut their losses, the massive cost over run on the new technology European Pressurized Nuclear reactor would be a good place to start. The over run is now almost 9 billion Euros.The plant is being jointly built by the EDF and AREVA. This slight miscalculation is being paid for by increases in energy costs by the French consumers. Just think what it could have meant if the money spent on this failed technology had been invested in clean energy research? Tough luck.

80 Years Young!

Yesterday was also the 80th Birthday of one of the major stars in the constellation of my personal universe, Richard Penniman. I don't care what Richard calls himself, the originator, the architect of Rock and Roll, he is the transcendent one! This is Long Tall Sally from the 1956 movie, Don't Knock The Rock. I used to cover this with my 3 piece grunge/punk/theater band, Mr. Bubble In NYC....I was doing this live on stage at The Danceteria and I bit my tongue and bled all over my t shirt, but thanks to the divine intervention of the spirit of Little Richard, I didn't feel a damn thing. In fact, it was probably one of my most possessed performances, ever!

Little Richard, when ever I hear this man, my big toe just shoot right up in my boot!

Zappadan 2012

In celebration of the second day of the Annual Holy Festival of Zappadan, I would like to post this amazing entire performance by the circa 1973 Mothers of Invention. It is from the Swedish TV Show Opopoppa and the stripped down ensemble playing and the combination of musicians is incredible. George Duke on keyboards, Ruth Underwood on percussive instruments...she is an unbelievable marimba and xylophone artist, her husband, Ian Underwood on Saxophone, The Fowler Brothers, Tom on bass guitar and  Bruce on horns and flute, Ralph Humphrey on drums, the incredible French Jazz violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty and of course Frank. Only Frank could get away with that suit.

I have been participating in the ritual observance of Zappadan since its cosmic inception in 2006. I wish I had more time and space to give this event which started yesterday and will last until December 21st. I seem to be protesting the commercialization of Zappadan and try to celebrate the life and work of Frank everyday. Heck, the name of the blog is The Brain Police! And who exactly are the Brain Police? 

Stop Me, If You've Heard This One Before.....

Vienna 1938

There is a big series of connections in this rant, please try to connect the dots....
On March 11, 1938, the Austrian government announced the cancellation of a planned plebiscite to decide on the Austrian relationship to the Third Reich. For years, the Germans had been pumping money, propaganda and support to the ultra nationalist pro German political forces in Austria. Austria had a huge Jewish and foreign population, the heritage from the glory of the old Austro Hungarian Empire, which had inherited the legacy of the European portion of the Ottoman Empire. Intellectually and economically, the non Aryan population of Austria flourished, precariously.
Their success was used to foment nationalistic hate. As the Austrians suffered in the post WW1 depression, under the terms of their defeat as allies of the Germans, this hate festered and was used as a political tool by the forces of fascism who would use it to gain power and economic domination. There were daily anti Jewish demonstrations and most Jewish male university students had to become formidable fencers, because though it was outlawed, dueling for their honor became a fact of life.
A few hours after the plebiscite was cancelled, due to threats of a German military intervention, the radios announced the resignation of the government except for the Nazi puppet Seyss-Inquart. 
It was as if a switch was thrown. The silent streets exploded with brown shirted mobs screaming, "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer! Heil Hitler!" and more poignantly, "Juden verreckren!"- Death to Jews.
We all know how this nasty little tale turns out. Six million Jews die, Austria gets it ass kicked as a German ally and the nationalistic idiots who were manipulated into this obscene farce are worse off than ever before. Please, stop me if you've heard this one before....

Pro Orban Fidesz Party Demonstration in Hungary

Fast forward...almost 75 years later. We are now in Budapest, Hungary. The forces of neo nationalist fascism are in control again whipping the same idiotic fervor against any one who isn't...Hungarian. There have been mass murders of gypsies. Any middle eastern ethnic group is being persecuted and discriminated against and now, Marton Gyongyosi of the powerful Jobbik Hungarian Militant Nationalist Political Party went to the next predictable level, demanding that the government register and assess all Jewish citizens as a potential security risk. Again, the same generic idiotic self destructive behavior being encouraged and exploited to scapegoat the economic plight of Hungary. The nationalist fervor is actually encouraged by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban and his far right Fidesz Party. Orban is a hero to the far right neo nazis all over Europe. He is staunchly ant European Union, though Hungary is a member of the Union. Orban, like all right wing conservatives promotes the economic well being of the upper classes, reducing their taxation while shifting the burdens to the lower and middle class. He has cut health services, assistance to the poor to the bone. The Hungarian standard of living is one of the sorriest in Europe. But Orban has succeeded in shifting the blame to EU through a non stop barrage of propaganda and scape goating. Wer all know how this sorry little debacle will probably end up. It's a story that's getting pretty stale.
By the way, Orban has been well received and has gotten advice and financial support from the Koch Brothers and their Tea Party, Dick Armey founded group, Freedom Works...Stop me if you've heard this before....
Here in France we watch in horror as he is courted by Marine LePen, the leader of France's own ultra nationalistic conservative right wing Front National. They both use their conservative Catholic ideology as crutches to prop them up. Both LePen and the far right advisor and Interior Minister to Nicolas Sarkozy, Claude Gueant, have been very close to The Koch Brothers and have admires and students of the techniques of groups like Freedom Works. They count on exploiting the natural economic and racial paranoia of the ignorant to further their own grasp on power. Stop me if you'e heard this one before....
You ask, how can people be so stupid? How can they make the same mistakes over and over again? How can forty nine percent of American Republicans believe that President Obama won reelection thanks to the allegedly illegal work of a group that no longer exists, according to a Public Policy Polling survey?

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was at the center of anti-Obama energy in 2008, when Republicans cited some faulty registration forms obtained by ACORN as proof of voter fraud. The charge was particularly potent, since Obama hired one of the organizations associated with ACORN to run voter turnout for him in the primary.

But in 2010, ACORN filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, putting an end to the community organizing effort altogether. Still, the fact that ACORN no longer exists hasn’t stopped the group from serving its role as scapegoat. Fifty two percent of Republicans blamed ACORN for Obama’s win in 2008, saying that they “stole” the election for him. That number only dropped by 3 percent, and 49 percent blame ACORN this time around.

The same forces, the conservative ignorant nationalism that drove Austria into multiple disasters and is now creating a cataclysm in Hungary are hard at work fueled by the same generic specie of manipulative psychopaths. The denial of racism and the scapegoating of immigrant groups was the back beat of our last presidential campaign. The Tea Party is an ignorant mob controlled by the wealthiest, greediest forces at large on the planet. Obviously, if 49% of Republicans believe that a black man won the presidency by the dishonest dealings of a group which does not even exist, somebody is pulling their strings...Stop me, if you've heard this one before...If you were paying attention, you might have noticed that Marine LePen visited The USA during her recent failed presidential campaign to establish connections with the Tea Party, the Koch Brothers, Freedom Works...luckily for France, she not only lost big, her party was reduced to only one member in the present legislature, her little sister.

Freedom Works, The Tea Party, The Koch Brothers, Dick Armey and FOX NEWS! The same sad story, over and over again, now it's your turn. No, you can't stop me....

Mr. Burns explains that the Republican economic platform is actually a suicidial urge based on"post-electoral depression".

We Just Ain't Gonna Play That....

So, the young lean and hungry House Speaker John Boehner has made his counter-offer on deficit reduction and,he is predictably floating the idea of raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67.

This isn’t a new idea: It’s come up in a lot of deficit reduction proposals of years past, as economists and legislators stare down a Medicare program eating up a growing chunk of the federal budget.

The idea has, however, gained a bit more traction since the Affordable Care Act passed. If the Medicare age were raised, the thinking has gone, the 3.3 million 65- and 66-year-olds would still be guaranteed access to health coverage through the tax subsidies. The lowest-income seniors — those earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty line – would qualify for Medicaid.

The Republicans seem to be completely void of any negotiating points that wouldn't involve greater hardships on most Americans while preserving the golden bubble and parachutes of their upper crust entitled donors. They obviously are playing a game which they believe has rules they wrote and and understand... The Republicans’ plan might be coming into focus on the tax question: they’ll all just vote present on extending tax cuts the way Obama wants. Which is deliciously ironic, since once upon a time Obama was attacked for voting present too many times. John McCain evidently thought this was completely disqualifying, but the 99.99999% of Americans who have never served in the Senate just sort of yawned at the charge. This seems to be the game, they think they write the rules, but it's time to show them that we just ain't gonna play that....

All of this is apparently in service of waiting until the debt ceiling is reached to extract major concessions for Obama. What Obama needs to do in this upcoming fight is:
Get a “clean” debt ceiling hike, i.e. one with no cuts attached to it
Make sure Republicans take on enough political damage such that they never try to use this strategy again
As tempting as the 14th Amendment option is to deal with this situation (indeed, it should be mentioned prominently), it won’t work for point #2. So we need something else to kill this particular beast. The notion that taking the debt ceiling hostage is a winning strategy for Republicans is hardly sound. After all, Republicans used it as leverage last year and it worked, but largely because the Obama Administration unwisely thought the debt ceiling would provide an incentive to make a deficit deal. This is sort of like setting a goal to run a marathon in four hours, and telling the guy with the starter pistol that, if it takes you more than four hours to run the marathon, he should just go ahead and shoot you. Sure, that would be an incentive, but it’s an incredibly stupid one, pointlessly dangerous. Obama seems entirely uninclined to do the same this time around, and under these circumstances he could actually try some tough actions to fight back against this hostage strategy. Just off the top of my head, the Administration could impose the following measures in between when we reach the ceiling, and when we have no choice but to default on our obligations:
Withhold all funding for federal projects in Ohio and Virginia until the ceiling is raised
Withhold oil & gas subsidies, and suspend all federal permits for resource extraction until the ceiling is raised
Withhold all payments to defense contractors until the ceiling is raised
This would, I think, be a nightmare scenario for Boehner. Not only do he and Cantor immediately become the most reviled politicians in their states, hated by everyone working under a federal contract who won’t be taking home a paycheck that week (and the greater press attention given to the president would likely ensure they’d take the blame), but it also gets the energy and military-industrial sectors of the party (and the politicians representing them) on board with a very strong incentive to seek a clean hike (financial industry backers lobbied hard for an increase last time, so they’re presumably already on board). Sure, there is the possibility that the latter two groups might be galvanized into fiercer anti-Obama opposition is possible, but unlikely. Businesspeople are typically pragmatists, so when faced with a major problem in which one solution is to wait for an indeterminate amount of time in which they are taking in no money to make an ideological point, versus another solution in which they give up literally nothing and start earning again, they will most likely go for the latter. Not to mention that I highly doubt John Boehner has the kind of personal popularity and earned credibility to sell it to these interests, he’s clearly an errand boy and always has been. They’d have little choice but to pass a clean increase over the objections of Fox/Rush/Drudge, or else risk the party flying apart at the seams. The political fallout would likely be bad for Boehner, faced with irate constituents on one hand, furious party interests on another, and on the other side furious media organs blasting him for considering going the other way. With any luck, this might turn into a litmus test in the future with conservative activists, like TARP (which Boehner helped shepherd through the House, FWIW) or the Affordable Care Act.
And this is why the debt ceiling should play out differently than last time. Back then, Obama was panicked about what the state of the economy would be like in a year. Now, a slightly worse fiscal quarter or two is much less a concern, and as he starts to think about his legacy, undoing this particular mistake ought to be job one.

Pre-Seasoned Greetings

Well, I think I'm beginning to get in that mood...The opening salvo so to speak.

Family Meltdown!

You might be wondering just what is going on here in France with the supposedly Centrist Right Conservative UMP Party. This was the Party that had the majority and the presidency and then lost it under Nicolas Sarkozy. A very big part of what disenchanted the French public with UMP Policies are embodied by Jean-Francois Cope, who was the General Secretary of the UMP Party and Sarkozy Government spokesman. Cope was very much behind the push to the far right, adopting the positions and anti immigrant rhetoric of the extreme far right nationalist party, Le Front National, to try to co-opt the votes of the far right as a strategy to retain power and re elect Sarkozy in the last election. They lost and not only the presidency, but the Socialists now control the Senate and the Parliament as well many of the local regions of France. Sarkozy has retired to the background. He still considers himself the puppet master, but this is a puppet show that has degenerated into a Guignol. 

The UMP (Union pour un Movement Populaire) had to reorganize itself and of course, elect a new leader. They at first had derided the Socialists when they held their own referendum about a year ago which elected Francois Hollande as their party leader. The Party leader normally is the person who will be the future presidential candidate. The Socialists had a contested contest which became more interesting on a personal level as the players were Hollande, the at the time Party Secretary Martine Aubry and Hollandes ex companion of quite a few years and mother of their children, the candidate in the last election, who lost to Sarkozy, Segolene Royale. The UMP snipers mocked the Socialist experiment, but Hollande won their "primary" and went on to win the presidency.

So, the UMP decided to hold their own referendum and the candidates were Francois Fillon, the more centrist Prime Minister under Sarkozy and Cope. Neither man is especially well liked, but Cope has the knack of creating controversy by his outrageous rhetoric. A few weeks before the election he had made statements in a speech about how Muslims were so cruel that they would take a chocolate biscuit (actually he said "une pain au chocolat...a croissant with a piece of chocolate melted in it) from a baby during the Ramadam fasting period. 

Cope also had the machinery of the party under his control and he seemed to be emulating Karl Rove. The election took place on November 18th and immediately descended into chaos as both candidates claimed they had won and that there had been extensive cheating at the polls. There was a count, and then two recounts and finally, Cope was declared the winner by a few hundred votes. Fillon pointed out that the votes from some of France's overseas territories had not been counted. It was kind of humorous as UMP representatives admitted on national television that they had never even heard of Wallis et Futuna...a French Department in the South Pacific.

Fillon became more entrenched in his position that there had been extensive vote rigging and demanded a new election. Cope became more entrenched claiming he had seized power and would hold it by force. Fillon announced that he was going to start his own party and take his deputies who supported him. Now this is more serious than it might appear on the surface. The UMP Party is millions of Euros in debt. In the throes of exhibitionist power under Sarkozy, they build a flashy new administrative building in Paris. Political parties are subsidized by the government and the subsidy depends on the representation of the party. In the last few years, the UMP had bled members as rival groups have spun off...they reunite for common votes, but the centrist right is fairly fractured as it is. If Fillon actually formed his Party, the RUMP (really, that would be the acronym) the UMP would be effectively bankrupt.

In the last few days, Fillon has grown stronger and the public support for Cope has plummeted as he is seen with in his own party as a dictator seizing control. He has rejected any hint at a new election. The extreme right Front National is trying to pick up the spoils. The Socialists are in total control of the legislature with out any organized or coherent opposition. They have been passing their mandates left and right! Free Abortion! Kids have greater access to contraception with out parental interference in the schools. The educational system is being reorganized. Gay marriage will be legal in a few weeks. We are on the verge of nationalizing a huge Metal Company owned by the Indian Corporation Mittal which had been threatening to close it down and move it to India. Immigration and naturalization has suddenly become standardized through out the country instead of being the patch work system of regulations it was before.

Things are so dire for the UMP, that they called in Sarkozy to negotiate. He of course threatened and gave them until today to make up their minds to have the new election. In a very sharp example of his waning influence, both parties walked out of the talks and seem further apart than they were before.

The headlines in the French Press today said, Two Deaf People Screaming At Each Other!.

Ain't life grand?

Bad Brains

I've been looking for live videos of this band for a long time that does them justice. Bad Brains, around 1979. One of my favorite live bands ever! They seamlessly went from the killer thrash speed punk they practically invented to really authentic dub reggae. This is a piece called At The Movies...Really unique one of the early black punk bands, and one of the very best ever!
They only got better, but this really captures the early raw energy of this almost forgotten band.

Happy Birthday

I saw this movie, Les Tontons Flingueurs again for perhaps the 8th time? I understand more of the dialogue each time and it is so rich, the jokes are as fast and furious as the action.

Lino Ventura was so cool....

My Wife Is A Wizard, A True Star!

We are the designated hosts for our annual News Years Eve Celebration. It's either up the hill or down the hill with our friends and neighbors. Nobody has to drive more than a half kilometer. So, I was once upon a time the wannabee patisserie chef...but I have thrown in my douille....my wife has gone totally mad. She is possessed. This year she conceived and just test drove the dessert she wants to serve on New Years Eve. How can I explain this? There is a base made of a crust concocted from Galette de Breton cookie crumbs. The airy yellow part is a Bavaroise de Citron...sort of a creamy light lemon thingy...lots of air, cream and some gelatin...the red topping is Raspberry puree which has been thickened with gelatin to make it set like a mirror. Then she slices of lemon, lime and kiwis with some of the little tools I have been buying her to make the shapes. The raspberries are big ones that came from my plants this year and we froze whole. The plants are a variety which were a gift from the neighbor of my nephew in New Jersey. I raise raspberries, but I am trying to multiply these plants as they are remontant and produce huge, tasty sweet berries all through out the year. The little white Schmoo shaped things are little baked meringues which my absolute genius of a wife made yesterday, I had a slice...we had to eat it and it's incredible! A winner, a keeper! This wins the prize!

Bamako City

In my last post on Mali and the GCAM Relief effort, I posted a video of Damon Albarn with Afel Bocoum talking about their new collaboration, Mali Music Unplugged. This is the second series in Albarns ongoing project of collaborating with Malian musicians. The first was his 2002 recording Mali Music, with Bocoum. He is working with OXFAM to raise money and awareness for Mali. Malians need your support more than ever. The AQMI Religious militant coalition that is threatening Mali controls the Northern part of the Saharan country. I have a PayPal button at the side of the blog to raise funds for the NGO, Groupe Coordination Aude Mali who work with Toureg Tribal Villagers and now are engaged in a desperate attempt to help them evacuate their traditional home lands and get to safety across the desert in Mauritania and Burkina Faso, then help them stay alive once they get there.

This is an assault on an ancient rich culture and their traditions. Malian musicians are being forced to flee and their music has been banned by the Islamist Fundamentalists. Musicians are being threatened with death and their music and instruments are being destroyed. Support OXFAM and plese consider donating a few dollars to GCAM through this blog with the PayPal link on the side!
The recording is called Bamako City - From the album Mali Music. This wonderful track is performed live from Mali. Recorded for Mali Music Unplugged - a special performance from the Sahel with Afel Bocoum and Damon Albarn. Damon Albarn was the leader of the great British group, Blur and now the great conceptual pop project, GORILLAZ!

I have to restate that what we are trying to do is not political, it is purely humanitarian and cultural assistance. The situation becomes more desperate each day, but in the desert, a little help goes a long way. 18 million people urgently need food and water in West Africa's drought-struck Sahel region including Mali.Together we are demanding world leaders act now to provide food and water for the hard months ahead and invest in long-term solutions to ensure this never happens again. Add your voice here:http://www.sahel2012.org

My Old School

My Old High School, Cass Technical circa1940

I was born in Detroit and still consider myself a Detroit boy. I went to a truly once upon a time great urban High School, the old Cass Technical High which was situated across from the old Tiger Stadium in the inner city. I had to really want to go to Cass. It involved an hour long bus ride from my Northwestern Detroit neighborhood. It was a grand mixing ground for classes, race and ideas. It was a huge building, 9 stories tall from the early 1900's. It had a professional theater in the heart of the structure, a real Beaux Art classic space with Balcony entrances on the 5th floor! The theater department produced many professionals who went on to become stars on stage and in music over the years. I have to say that the cafeteria, itself was fantastic, located at the top of the building, a huge space, perhaps 2 stories tall with sky lights.  Since the school was a trade school, the food was prepared by the students in the programs. Did you ever meet a kid who was actually nostalgic about his high school cafeteria food? I am. 
 I went because it was simply the best Art Education a high school kid could get. It was the mid 60's and Detroit was truly a Renaissance city, musically, politically and culturally. For a almost suburban white kid, I was suddenly in the epicenter. The great thing about Cass was that any kid who wanted to and could qualify academically for the programs could go. Before I went there I was a pretty naive kid from Warren G, Harding Jr. High. I liked the Beatles and Herman's Hermits and the Yardbirds. I might have met a black person. I knew zilch about politics. With in a few weeks of attending Cass, I was enmeshed in the Civil Rights Movement. I was learning about progressive political ideas, I had friends from a very broad range of racial, economic backgrounds. I had discovered real music. I was in love with a girl who looked just like Diana Ross... and best of all, it was free.
It was free. I was free to learn about the world. I was free to meet kids from every ethnic, social and racial background. We were free to discover each other, become friends and exchange ideas. Free to enjoy and profit from the best social and cultural education available. 
Free..The anathema of economic conservative fascists who want to privatize education for:
A) Corporate profits, being able to glean the big bucks from government free money subsidies and the fees they collect from parents who want to make sure their children go to "better schools".

a rather iconic image of the clock in my
old geometry class room on the 5th floor of the old Cass Tech

B)  To make education an advantage of the privileged classes. To keep the "rabble" contained into a feudal class system and create a sub standard educated permanent underclass. The fodder for reduced expectations, for sub standard wages and working conditions. An expendable class to provide cheap labor who never learn to expect more.
Sheer Greed, immediate profit and class warfare are the reasons why Michigan is well on the way to become the first state to totally Privatize Education. Ever since Rick Snyder soft-talked his way into the governorship in Michigan, he threw the doors wide open for his biggest donors, the Mackinac Center, ALEC and the Koch Brothers (All for One and One for All against the Rest of Us).
That bunch almost got away with the wholesale takeover of entire communities, using the ruse of a revised, blatantly unconstitutional Emergency Manager law, but--many, many thanks to the voters (and, of course, to the efforts of Chris Savage at Eclectablog and his direct line to the great Rachel Maddow)--it looks like at least this one attack on our democracy may be defeated, but it's not over yet. They're fighting it, because, you know, screw the constitution.

But, true to form, Snyder, the Republican majority legislature, and the Tyrannical Triad (All for One and One for All. . .) have already turned their misguided attentions to the other Big Thing on their agenda: public education. They want it gone. For good. Not just relegated to second banana in favor of schools-for-nothing-but-profit, but out of there.
The met on Thursday to discuss the pros and pros of doing away with our educational system, and it's not likely any of us who are horrified at the thought of privatizing our venerable, free, fair system of ensuring an adequate education for every breathing kid in America will have any impact, no matter what we say or do.
The superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, Rob Glass, grew alarmed enough at this latest assault to send a letter home to the parents, advising them of the proposed takeover attempt. Bloomfield Hills houses a fair share of one-to-ten-percenters and is the home town of one Mitt Romney. Cranbrook Academy, the tony private prep school where Mitt and Anne Romney met as students, is in Bloomfield Hills. But the school superintendent is, thankfully, a public school advocate--a hero for all children--who may just have put his job on the line by exposing the upcoming actions of the governor and his cohorts.
Read his entire letter to the parents here. He says, in part (my highlights):

"I’ve never considered myself a conspiracy theorist—until now. This package of bills is the latest in a yearlong barrage of ideologically-driven bills designed to weaken and defund locally-controlled public education, handing scarce taxpayer dollars over to for-profit entities operating under a different set of rules. I believe this is fundamentally wrong. State School Superintendent Mike Flanagan and State Board of Education President John Austin and others have also expressed various concerns, as has the Detroit Free Press.
We embrace change, innovation and personalization.We’re passionate about providing choices and options for students. We compete strongly in the educational marketplace. We must never stop improving. This is not a laissez faire plea to defend the status quo. This is about making sure this tidal wave of untested legislation does not sweep away the valued programs our local community has proudly built into its cherished school system."

Chris Savage at Eclectablog, who cadged quotes (he readily admits) from Brainwrap at Daily Kos, who also published Rob Glass's letter, has more on this. Click here, please, and give it the attention it deserves. Even if you're not from Michigan. This is a battle that has only begun and we'll all have to fight before it's over.
Hard core privateers from the far right have taken over the Republican party and Michigan is Ground Zero for their operations. They won't let up until they've taken it all. Hundreds of thousands of voters across this beautiful state hit the Republican button and cast their votes for them. They won and are cruising along on what they see as a mandate because their voters either didn't know or didn't care. Either excuse is irresponsible and reprehensible.
Trying to do away with public education is nothing new. It's been going on since public education became the right thing to do in a democracy, but this is the first time in my memory that an end to all that looks possible.
Your children, grandchildren and their grandchildren and every other kid depending on free public education will have to pay the price, all because those who did vote for them gave no more thought to it than they would a vote for an "American Idol". That's not just crazy, it's insane.

Addendum: Please click onto and sign this petition: (Stop the Takeover of Education in Michigan)

Malian Update:We Still Need Your Help!

I published this originally on November 28...I want to share this with as many people as possible. I wish I could provide more specifics about what we are trying to do, but to be successful, discretion is  the utmost concern. Again, GCAM is not a political organization. This is a very focused NGO which has been working closely with the Toureg Tribal People in a few villages for almost 30 years. Since I posted this, GCAM has received some very needed and most gratefully appreciated donations. There is virtually no overhead or administration fees in GCAM. The only money wasted is the percentage that PAYPAL takes for their service. If you are one of the great people who have donated already, thank you very much! We still desperately need help!

Here's a recent video of the Malian Refugee food relief effort

On the side panel of this blog, there is a PayPal account button for a little NGO organization named GCAM. The initials stand for Groupe Coordination Aude Mali. This is a very little group and it's focus is working with a small group of Tribal Toureg People in Mali. This is not a political organization. The focus is to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to a group of people who have had to try to exist during the last 25 years of conflict. They have had to leave their lands and then come back and resettle and pick of the pieces of their lives and culture too many times in the last quarter of a century. Now it looks as if they are going to have to abandon their ancestral lands again and it may be for the last time.
I realize there is a lot going on the world and in your own lives and we each and only have a limited amount of compassion we can spare. There are only so many emergency situations which require you immediate assistance that you can bear to even hear about. I know, I have had to learn how to "compartmentalize" my mind and decide what I want to do and what I can do to remain sane. But here's a shot of reality regarding what is going on in Mali today and what we can do to help a few people in their struggle to stay alive and preserve their centuries old culture. For more back ground, I have been posting since last August here and here....We still need your help and now, more than ever.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are almost 212,000 refugees that have had to flee the current political violence in Mali. These people have had to make epic cross Saharan journeys to find refuge in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Guinea and Togo. For a pretty good overview of the political and military nightmare these people are facing, I would recommend this article by Eddy Morgan, who posted it originally on the BBC's website. 
Caught in the twisted nightmarish knot of regional politics and militant Islamic fundamentalism, thousands of innocent people are being pushed out of their traditional homeland. Trying to hang on to hope, they see their sons being abducted by the AQIM to be used as human shields in the escalation of the conflict as a unified African force finally tries to fight back.
As I said, the focus of GCAM is not political. They cannot get involved. They can only try to assist and save the small group of Toureg tribal villages that they have been assisting for the last 30 years. This is human triage, trying to raise enough money to move the precious human cargo to safety and then help them stay alive in the Refuge Camps. I can't even begin to give you more detailed information, because at this point in time, any info posted on the web is being mined by AQIM internet researchers to target those involved in need and offering assistance. The most I can do is humbly ask  for for a donation by PAYPAL, which is totally legitimate charity tax deduction. The PAYPAL form will give you all of the information you need to declare it. PAYPAL takes a bite out the donations, but this is the safest, easiest way to keep funds flowing to buy gas, hire trucks and drivers and save lives. This is a highly focused effort to save a small group of Toureg People in immediate danger. It's working, but once they get out, GCAM has to keep them alive and healthy in the camps because they will have a future and you can be a part of it for just a few bucks! I humbly thank you.
Here's a link for a reportage on the ARTE channel which was shown on French TV a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I can't embed it, so if you want to view it, hit the link above. It is in French, but it is pretty good! Below is another video by Damon Albarn, the British musician who you might remember with the great band Blur, but now the Brains behind the really great conceptual band, Gorillaz. He collaborated with the Malian Musician, Afel Boucoum who is working with OXFAM to help the Malians preserve their culture. The Musicians of Mali are one of the planets treasures...a synthesis of ideas, influences and cultures steeped in the traditions that reach beyond our feeble grasp of time...

We Have Signal

We Have Signal: Mike Watt & The Missingmen from We Have Signal on Vimeo.

Here's a very recent interview in Birmingham, Alabama and some live performance with Mike Watt and his current touring band, The Missing Men. Watt is one of my absolute favorite musicians and practicing human beings, one of the greatest rock bass players on the planet and he's been doing it non stop for the last 40 years. The first time I saw him was a CBGB back in the late 70's with the seminal punk rock group, The Minutemen...after his buddy, D. Boone the guitarist of The Minutemen died in a freak accident, he soldiered on with his band fIREHOSE, and became a force as a composer and ultimate bass player in his own projects and collaborating with many other artists. He is the man who reunited Iggy Pop with the original Stooges and still plays with them today.  He's written books and composed punk rock operas and remains one of contemporary musics greatest outside intelligent life forms. I was a rock bassist for many years and I have to admit, he influenced me. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for this guy....

Size Queens.....

EEEEYIKES, OH MUH GAHHHD NO! STOP IT! NO! DON'T STOP!!!

The GOP – better known as the Party of No – is saying “no” yet again.

Despite failing to win the White House or the Senate, plus receiving fewer votes than Democrats across the country for the House, the Party of No is doing what they always do. Saying no.
You might think that after losing so badly, they might start to realize that Americans really don’t like them – one could say the American people said “no.”
Joe Klein of Time is calling them “drama queens” and he’s right. Saying “no” is all they have to offer (it’s all they ever had to offer). How pathetic.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said negotiations between the White House and Republicans are at a “stalemate” after a proposal by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and White House Director of Legislative Affairs Rob Nabors was soundly rejected by Republicans yesterday.
“There’s a stalemate, let’s not kid ourselves,” Boehner said Friday at a news conference following President Obama’s event in Pennsylvania.
Boehner contended that the White House’s proposal was “not a serious proposal,” and that he’s disappointed that three weeks after he gave a speech saying Republicans would be willing to budge on revenues – but not tax rates as the president has called for — that this is what was offered to them.
“When I come out the day after the election and make it clear that Republicans will put revenue on the table, I took a great risk,” Boehner claimed, adding of the White House plan, “It’s not a serious proposal and so right now we’re almost nowhere.”
We are nowhere, because Boehner and the GOP can’t come up with a single reasonable idea for America. They are as useless as they come.