Rants, Muses, Books & Music (and Some Cooking Too).

It's good to see you. Come on in, leave your shoes in the hallway, we've got fire on the stove preparing lunch for later. In the meantime, browse the bookshelves and plunk down on the sofa with one, or pick out some tunes from the music library, or come in to the kitchen to help with the cooking. Our special blend of tea is steeping and will be right up.

Make yourself at home...

Spent the week, with the help of my mother who came up from FLA, paring down, moving things out, re-organizing and cleaning the place in preparation for another little one soon. Her workmanship and inexhaustibility with regard to such things is incredible and inspiring. It was a great help.

By the end of the weekend though I was pretty spent. Had to work a gig Saturday night and just before leaving started seeing flashes of something happening in Charlottesville. But I resisted following the up-to-the-second Twitter reports of what probably was going to be more really depressing shit. I know I'll dive in and end up deep down the rabbit hole with thoughts pinging around like a pinball game, making historical, political and societal connections, which I just didn't have the memory space to process properly then. So I left it until Sunday morning.

I afforded myself an opportunity to walk around the Village by leaving the house late Saturday afternoon to give myself some time before the gig, which was exactly what I needed. Spent most of that capital on a lavish half hour at one of my favorite places in the City, the East Village Bookstore. As is always the case when having done so, it could easily result in walking out with a sack full of used books. Time constraints made me settle for two.

There was this oversized, serious-looking volume whose title just jumped out at me. It was an official government publication from 1920 entitled, "Revolutionary Radicalism - Part Two 'Constructive Measures' Vol. III," Report of the Joint Legislative Committee of New York Investigating Seditious Activities. WTF? This is straight-up, bound pages of pure, collected Red Scare material that would reverberate for decades to come. Just perusing it was fascinating. Great detail given to radical communist, socialist and union groups all over New York City (and other place in the state), with descriptions of neighborhood meetings. To offset the severity of such a blatant Big Brother tome, I also reached for the easy ride of celebrated Canadian sports writer and novelist Scott Young's book on his rockstar son Neil's life, their relationship and his own complicated family dynamic.

But man, what a monstrosity. The fucking thing is over 1100 pages long! And as typical with these clandestine, hallowed reports, there's no personal accountability to be found anywhere in terms of who actually contributed to writing and collecting the vast material. There was no masthead to speak of. And therein is the cloaked secrecy that runs at the heart of these very serious inquisitions. The behemoth Institution shall not be questioned, or its findings, or the authors of its contents ever be known to you, peasants. Ever. We are the All-knowing, All-good and All-powerful, here to keep you in fear save you from evil, in this case revolutionary radicalism.

To think of the amount of resources, manpower and institutional muscle it must have required to spy on and infiltrate groups of people. And what were these people doing that were deemed so dangerous? Basically calling attention to the folly of militarism and imperialism, the power that concentrated wealth was having over the vaunted democracy of which we were supposed to be a beacon to the world and the grave economic inequality and lack of welfare programs that had been constricting the lives of the working class, who were the backbone of the ever-expanding country. That's dangerous, seditious? No, that's honorable, magnanimous. Further proof that all of our government institutions are the domain of the corporate and banking cabals. Am looking forward to thumbing through it more when I have a chance.

So much to be said about the Charlottesville, of which I haven't had the time to put into words. But as usual, when it comes to the media, malpractice is basically the only thing "the news" can do anymore, when they're not running infotainment and corporate and government press releases (and there are those who snicker at Russian and China for their propaganda - heh).

In "For Media, Driving Into a Crowd of Protesters Is a ‘Clash’" Adam Johnson points out how egregious the editors of the big publications are. I would go further - they're spineless. They consistently refuse to finger and call out culprits and offenders. The feckless media are so afraid to do real journalism and instead hide behind a false sense of desperately seeking to appear balanced.

The Washington Post, Boston Globe, AOL News, The Hill, BBC and Sky News UK all chose to frame the ramming of a car into anti-fascist protesters as “clashes.”

The BBC’s breaking news tweet, “One dead amid clashes between US white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville,” is an extremely odd way to describe a person driving a car into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters—as was AOL’s “1 Dead, 34 Injured in Clashes at Virginia Rally.”

The term “clashes”—as FAIR (10/14/15) has noted before—is a term designed to obscure blame, presenting a picture of two equal sides engaging in violent activities. Reading “one dead” after “clashes” at a white nationalist rally gives us no idea who died, or who did the killing.

(Alternatively, one can veil responsibility by attributing agency to an inanimate object and disembodied emotions, as with the New York Times' headline, “Car Plows Into Crowd as Racial Tensions Boil Over in Virginia.”)

The media's shirking of its journalistic duty is just endemic of a society that has succumbed to Huxley's "Brave New World" prediction that it would be entertainment, gadgets and pills that would render us too passive to approach truths head on, while we hide away in the fun, fun, fun of our Farcebook scrolling threads.

Wound down the weekend with a pasta dinner, and my partner wanting to turn on the tv for the first time in well over a month. Well, it's not really tv. We have an internet tv, so we watch whatever we want that's available online (which is pretty much everything, that I'd want to see anyway) whenever we want, and occasionally flick through the three channels of local cable tv and PBS we get from rabbit ears and of course Netflix. The corporate media monopolies can't reduce their cable tv subscription prices low enough for me to go back to that garbage.

She put on a PBS special on the Summer of Love. I just wanted to follow the #Charlottesville hashtag and the protests in NYC that were happening. But of course, being it was the 60's, my deep soul connection, I was helpless toward the images, music and dialogue and was immediately transfixed to the hippie dream of those days.

Folks, I have to admit - and yes, I was drinking a little red wine - but anytime I start seeing footage of that beautiful, positive, idealistic time, my heart begins to soar and at various intervals I get a little choked up.

Then I'll ruminate on the whole thing and where we are today, with a sense of defiant bittersweetness mixed with a peace about the universal truths that were being put down then, which are still resonant today.

So, what's going on with you?

Back in the kitchen we're listening to:

Steely Dan "The Royal Scam"

Reading/Browsing List:
"Fire In The Streets: America in the 60's" Milton Viorst
"Neil and Me" Scott Young
"Tropic Of Capricorn" Henry Miller

Vegetarian Summer Pasta Primavera (senza formaggio)
(we've gone garlic scape crazy this season, and loving it)

Pesto: combine chopped garlic scape chutes and toasted pine nuts in food processor, with olive oil.

Sautee sundried tomato and baby bella mushrooms in small pan.

In another pot steam fresh coarsely chopped carrots and collard greens.

Lemongrass Chai Blend

heaping scoop of dried Thai lemongrass
shards of cinnamon bark
a few cardamom pods
a few black peppercorns
A few cloves
fresh chopped ginger

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Comments

riverlover's picture

not missing TV, so missed the passive press voices. Glad for that. Sleeping is still problematic. I shall survive. I am reading anything now. No--not magazines yet. Cloudy for all the Perseids, typical Wx for Ithaca. I was hoping I could lie in bed and watch out the clerestory windows. The cricket voices are appearing. I have yet to enjoy the summer! Now bittersweet time. Injury list since Feb. Last head bleed over a week ago. Climbing stairs makes me breathless.

In the weeks leading up to my daughter's birth, I began to pity my nearly 2y/o son's life to be as a not-only. For a time, the kids lived in a double room, no closet walls. Swings hanging from beams, mattresses on floors. Parents in counseling. We got through that.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Raggedy Ann's picture

Your musings this morning have taken me back to my own musings of the 60's/early 70's of my life. I was 14 going on 15 during the Summer of Love. In the years that followed, I fully embraced "flower power" and became a hippie/protester. Those were the days. I'm so glad I came of age during those times.

Great that your mom was there to help. Treasure the time.

The media IS spineless. Reporters work for the purveyors of propaganda that keeps us entertained instead of informed. I believe it's beginning to backfire, though. Not all of us have "stupid" tattooed on our foreheads!

I'm going to make your puttanesca sauce for dinner tonite. Yum! Thanks for sharing it.

Have a beautiful day, folks! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

44 Carmine Street was the building my aunt and uncle owned for forty years, lost legacy. Across the street was a Used Record Store, it is still there according to Street View. For years I dragged around a copy of a poster picked up off the sidewalk that said "Dots will Echo The Bitter End" because we were using Avery colored dots to sort the amazing inventory of art and life history they left behind at The End. Back then I didn't know about the history of Free Speech and folk music in Washington Square, I learned it on Netflix. Sad Oh well, there is a time for every thing. Right on brothers and sisters. I liked this film a lot, maybe others will too:

http://greenwichmusicdoc.com/

peace

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You have the right to remain BUUURNED!

Bernie Sanders Talks Health Care 'til the cows come home, Cows During Franklin County Visit

“The Democratic Party … ” the reporter began to ask.

Sanders interrupted: “I understand the media fascination for the month of August is divisions within the Democratic Party … That’s a lot of media creation.”

Well alrighty then! I guess that shit's all up in my head. Ds or Rs, if those are my choices it is time to unregister from the voter rolls for good. kthxbye

“We’re taking on the whole world to make this happen,” he told a crowd of more than 50.

To make what happen? Please be specific because I'm one with Medicare already who cannot afford 20% of any doctor bill, it is almost useless except for extreme emergency where I could not refuse treatment. If Bernie is pushing for everyone to have what Congress has, that would be better, for a change.

peace
Betteridge strikes again. "Does Media Lie?" Bernie Sanders Grills Journalists along with Jim Jeffords, Brian Burns (1985)

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Mark from Queens's picture

together...

Had another crying fit for a second night in a row. Got home myself around 2 and barely seemed asleep when that gnawing sound crashes in to break your slumber. Burning me out.

At least he has a melodious voice, and the hilarious syllables that cascade out all day (when he's not repeating certain words he's learned) keep me amused.

Hope to be going to second big show of the year, on Sept 12 to see Roger Water In Bklyn, though the baby is expected to be born that week. Seems some legislators on my native LI, surely aligned with AIPAC, want to try to shut down his other show in the area at Nassau Coliseum.

Saw the "Us + Them" show last year and was hands down the most incredible show I've ever seen. This fascist garbage will probably only help him sell more tickets or increase scalper prices.

Good to see you all.

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"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

riverlover's picture

@Mark from Queens And point: Whattsa? Many vocabulary words. Contractor visit this AM. Not my business, only my money. A bathroom addition in the spot reserved for it in the original house design, so I could have a toilet on the same level as the kitchen. No falling up or down stairs? We traded that bath for solar DHW, in 1982. Long burned off. Re-roofing two years ago. My house is too overshaded for solar, except community solar now. The roof angle was never right, covered with snow in the winters. 80 gal DHW heater now replaced with tankless. Only downside: propane bomb in yard.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

mimi's picture

@Mark from Queens
what good came out of all your work. A second baby being born. Nothing tops that. So, please, cry and rest and eat. Tomorrow is another day. Be grateful for the family support you have. Nothing tops that either.

I love your OTs. Especially the book list. I will try to go to that bookstore, if I ever manage to pass through New York again.

Signed, a mom, who tries to help a burned out son... Smile
We are all in the same boat, just use different paddles.

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Lookout's picture

We caught the summer of love special the other week. Brought good memories flooding back. How hopeful we were that we would change the world. Sadly the corporations bought it out from under us.

Off to rehearsal, I got cornered into playing a dance this weekend. Probably need the workout. All the best to the growing family!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

orlbucfan's picture

One of the great American bands. Charlottesville this weekend? That made me avoid politics for a few days. Beyond angry/disgusted. Rec'd!!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

mhagle's picture

Hope I can watch some of the videos later.

Smile

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

enhydra lutris's picture

attack outside chores, having done enough in here that I can do so. As the song says, life goes on ...

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

U.S. sellers stunned by sudden move

The lens caps had the proper ISO number, 12312-2, which has been verified to comply with international safety standards. Amazon on Saturday said the supplier could not confirm the item came from a recommended manufacturer.

“We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse,” Amazon wrote.

Many other people received similar emails from Amazon for eclipse glasses, as stores are selling out of the hot-ticket items with one week to go before the eclipse. But some verified sellers of glasses say their products are under an Amazon recall, and they're stunned by the corporation's actions just one week before the eclipse takes place.

Stunned!
"There's gambling going on in this establishment? I'm shocked!"

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