PuppetGov

Poetry Sunday: Chuck Perkins, John Sinclair, Evan Christopher

PUPPETGOV — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:28:59 +0000

Hello, friends,

Good luck! We’re blessed with synchronicity this week! Serendipity lives often in and out of New Orleans.

The two poets featured in this Poetry Sunday, Chuck Perkins and John Sinclair, are performing together next Tuesday, February 28, in New Orleans.

They’re at Cafe Istanbul in the New Orleans Healing Center along with the debut showing of a documentary about Mardi Gras Indians, “We Love Big Chief”. The documentary is directed by Gilles Riberolles and has a soundtrack by Tom Worrell.

Chuck Perkins and John Sinclair are exemplars of poetry as performance. They take to heart the the tradition that poetry should work as a spoken art.

Chuck grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood that was also home to L’il Wayne. His upbringing and his progress through the Marine Corps and beyond, up to 2001, can be found at http://voices.e-poets.net/PerkinsC/recordings.html

Since the levees-failure flooding of New Orleans in 2005 Chuck has been especially vigorous in expressing the culture of Black and working-class people in this city. Please check out the Ken McCarthy’s foodmusicjustice video of Chuck’s ‘Jazz Funeral’ with music by Voices of the Big Easy and photos by Andy Levin–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWvhgETy_k&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AV4oVf-d_DwKA8tyl70LsUF2h3hnV77o_5 .

Another collaborative evocation is the trailer/teaser for “Tradition Is A Temple”, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oM9nN82_Bk

More about Chuck and his recent albums is at http://www.chuckperkinsvoices.com

John Sinclair, as you probably know, was inspiration for a song by John Lennon, upon the Michigan-based John’s receiving in 1969 a prison-sentence of 10 years for possession of two marijuana cigarettes. (“John Sinclair / It ain’t fair / … / If he was the C.I.A. / Sellin’ dope and makin’ hay / He’d be free / They’d let him be / …”) Please see this excerpt of a documentary about the situation and the song it begat--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRcpEN755lI

Before and after the bust and his two years in prison John Sinclair was a writer about music that had moved him with the force of revelation–Blues music from the South, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson’s and Muddy Waters’, and ‘creative music’ of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Thelonious Monk’s, Miles Davis’, John Coltrane’s, Sun Ra’s, Albert Ayler’s, and many more.

Some of John Sinclair’s writing about music was published last year in a book, Song of Praise, from Trembling Pillow Press–http://solidquarter.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-from-trembling-pillow-press-john.html.

A performance of his at KBEW in Seattle, ’21 Days in Jail’, concerning Robert Lockwood, can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcuM8aZaPRU&feature=related .

An interview with John from 2008 in New Orleans about “revolution” (” … We had our own radio-station, our own sound-system. We believed in self-determination. If you wanted to do something, you had to do it yourself. You had to make it happen….”) is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPCpYmJf9IE&feature=endscreen&NR=1 .

Much more is at the website for a source that continues to broadcast both tradition and alternative/revolution–http://www.radiofreeamsterdam.com

Tradition and alternative/revolution are these days often one and the same!

For those of you down San Diego way, clarinetist Evan Christopher is performing with guitarist Bob Boss, bassist Marshal Hawkins, pianist Joshua White, and percussionist Roy Gonzales at Dizzy’s/98 Bottles venues, 7:00 p.m.

http://www.clarinetroad.net/events .

This is sure to be a rare and beautiful monster of a show.

Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records and promotional helpmate to Sidney Bechet, Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, CSNY, Led Zeppelin, and many more, said in 2005: ‘Evan Christopher is, in my estimation, not only the greatest clarinetist alive, but one of the greatest of all time.”

By the way, Tom Worrell, composer of the soundtrack for the “We Love Big Chief” movie that debuts next Tuesday at Cafe Instanbel, was keyboardist in Solomon Burke’s band.

All best,

Don

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Gone Gone Gone Done Moved

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:52:42 +0000

Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:41:03 +0000

No related posts.

SCHOOL SUCKS: The American Way

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:03:25 +0000

~SchoolSucksPodcast

Don’t let the title fool you. This video is actually about how government-run schooling contributed to the rise of socialism, imperialism and eventually fascism in Germany between the 1890s and 1940s.

Critical Thinking Question:
In school we are led to believe that we are all living in an ideal vision of what society should be…
But who’s vision is it?
And what were their ideals?

Based on podcast 025: The Way
http://schoolsucks.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-01-19T07_02_04-08_00

To browse all podcasts, visit http://schoolsucks.podomatic.com/

Abel Raises Cain

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:31:27 +0000

~ABEL RAISES CAIN

BEL RAISES CAIN is an unprecedented glimpse into the life and bizarre career of Alan Abel, the notorious media prankster who has made a name for himself several times over with stunts that are just ridiculous enough to be believable, especially to a media that feeds on salacious stories. In this loving portrait of an eccentric father, Alan’s daughter, Jenny, takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years, all of which were designed to provoke, amuse and make people question everything that they see, hear or read.

Jake Tapper vs. Jay Carney on President Killing U.S. Citizens.

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:54:37 +0000

~AnonOps1337

By Glenn Greenwald~Salon

(1) The always-tenacious Jake Tapper (see this superb grilling of White House spokesman Jay Carney about the Awlaki assassination) sat in the White House briefing room today. He watched as Carney praised the heroism of two reporters killed this morning in Syria and then waxed poetic on the Vital Importance of Journalism. That led Tapper to want to know how the White House can reconcile its claimed reverence for journalism with its unprecedented war on whistleblowers, and began his inquiry with this question:

TAPPER: The White House keeps praising these journalists who are — who’ve been killed –

CARNEY: I don’t know about “keep” — I think -

TAPPER: You’ve done it, Vice President Biden did it in a statement. How does that square with the fact that this administration has been so aggressively trying to stop aggressive journalism in the United States by using the Espionage Act to take whistleblowers to court?

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

steppin’ out of line

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:49:08 +0000

military spending

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:42:18 +0000

U.S. Military Spending Has Almost Doubled Since 2001

State Department quietly warning region on Syrian WMDs

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:37:26 +0000

By Josh Rogin~The Cable

The State Department has begun coordinating with Syria’s neighbors to prepare for the handling of President Bashar al-Assad’s extensive weapons of mass destruction if and when his regime collapses, The Cable has learned.

This week, the State Department sent a diplomatic demarche to Syria’s neighbors Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, warning them about the possibility of Syria’s WMDs crossing their borders and offering U.S. government help in dealing with the problem, three Obama administration officials confirmed to The Cable. For concerned parties both inside and outside the U.S. government, the demarche signifies that the United States is increasingly developing plans to deal with the dangers of a post-Assad Syria — while simultaneously highlighting the lack of planning for how to directly bring about Assad’s downfall.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

In Their Own Words

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:30:41 +0000

In Their Own Words: The Case of WMDs in Iraq

Proposed Military Spending Is Highest Since WWII

U.S. Military Spending Has Almost Doubled Since 2001

Gas prices in 2012 could be at an all-time high

Rumsfeld 2.3 Trillion Dollars missing Pentagon 1 DAY before 911

Batman’s Night Out

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:37:12 +0000

~The Sean Ward Show

~Hat Tip DK!

Crabcake’s night out

Edible Bus Stop

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:29:36 +0000

The Community That Gardens Together, Stays Together. For the people, by the people.

See Photo Albums Here

~The Edible Bustop

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots; Kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds. Fill it with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We The Podcast: Giant Boobs, Sterile Moths, and Robot Cars

PUPPETGOV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:18:41 +0000

We the Podcast bringing you the headlines you might not see in Corporate Media such as:

The backlash of military Quran burning
Keen NH says no to DHS Bearcat
NYCPD protesting police quotas
and a brand new Sexytime including life saving giant boobs!

Tune in and tune out to this the latest and greatest episode of We the Podcast. Click here to play or here to subscribe.

As always, join the conversation by following us on Twitter @wethepodcast.

WTP Episode 12 LINKS:

Safe sex for bugs: Semi-secret Phoenix factory churns out 22 million sterilized moths a day

Google to Test Driverless Cars on Nevada Roadways

Did Target know you were pregnant before you told?

The Militarization of Our Police

Puppetgov Video: Our Road Ahead Says Rise! Peaceful Non-Compliance

PUPPETGOV — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:31:02 +0000

~puppetgovcom

“To Be Truly Radical Is To Make Hope Possible, Rather Than Despair Convincing.”

This is a short video covering the world wide movement taking place, how we are controlled by fear and what we can do to overcome that and create a unified, peaceful world the majority of us desire.

Feel Free to copy & re-post this and any of our videos.

MUSIC: Descent of Manners by Trillion
http://trillion.bandcamp.com/track/descent-of-manners
(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding by Nick Lowe, performed by Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty and the E Street Band.

‘We Won’t Pay’

PUPPETGOV — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:16:48 +0000

Small business owners in Greece have long been the backbone of the economy and reliable taxpayers in a country where tax evasion is rampant. That, though, is now changing. Self-employed workers like Angelos Belitsakos have had enough of rising taxes and have begun to revolt.

By Ferry Batzoglou and Jörg Diehl~Der Spiegel

The people who could ultimately give Greece the coup de grace are not the kind to throw stones or Molotov cocktails, and they have yet to torch any cars. Instead, they are people like 60-year-old beverage distributor Angelos Belitsakos, people who might soon turn into a real problem for the economically unstable country. Feeling cornered, he and other private business owners want to go on the offensive. But instead fighting with weapons, they are using something much more dangerous. They are fighting with money.

Belitsakos is a short, slim and alert man who lives in the middle-class Athenian suburb of Holargos. He is also the physical and spiritual leader of a movement of businesspeople in Greece that is recruiting new members with growing speed. While Greece’s government is desperately trying to combat its ballooning budget deficit by raising taxes and imposing new fees, people like Belitsakos are putting their faith in passive resistance.

The group’s slogan is as simple as it is stoic: “We Won’t Pay.”

Working 12-Hour Days, Seven Days a Week

This business owners’ absolute refusal to pay any taxes resembles an uprising of the ownership class, rather than the working class, a rebellion of the self-employed business owners who have long been the backbone of Greek society. These are not the people who weaseled their way into Greece’s oversized civil service; these are people who put their money in the private sector, working 12-hour days, seven days a week. Or so Belitsakos says.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

SEE ALSO:

Anti-austerity protest held in Portugal

Puppetgov Video: Why Resistance Is Essential

France Asks EU to Suspend GM Crop Authorisation

PUPPETGOV — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:09:34 +0000

Anti-GMO activists rip open bags containing 'MON 810', a variety of genetically modified maize (corn) developed by Monsanto company after entering a Monsanto storehouse on January 23, 2012 in Trebes near Carcassonne, southern France. – AFP Photo

~AFP

France’s ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies.

The request is “based on the latest scientific studies” which show that the use of the GM crops “pose significant risks for the environment,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry pointed to a recent study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that raised concerns with another form of GM crop, BT11, that it said could also be applied to MON 810.

“If the European Union does not act, we can invoke the safeguard clause” which allows EU nations to independently restrict or prohibit the sales of products, it said.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

Now Glyphosate (Roundup) Found in People’s Urine

US Gen. Dempsey: Iran rational actor, not after nukes

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:29:52 +0000

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey

Puppetgov: See for Yourself, The Real Iran

and Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon

~Press TV

A top US military official has described Iran as a rational actor in the international arena, stating that the Islamic Republic is not after producing nuclear weapons.

Speaking in a nationally televised interview with the CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” show on Sunday, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said, “We are of the opinion that Iran is a rational actor.”

Dempsey pointed out that US officials aren’t convinced Iran has decided to build atomic armaments.

“We also know, or we believe we know that Iran has not decided to make a nuclear weapon,” General Dempsey said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top US general also described any Israeli attack on Iran as “destabilizing.”

“It’s not prudent at this point to decide to attack Iran,” General Dempsey said, adding that the US government is confident the Israelis “understand our concerns.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

“Tech Detox” Movement Gains Steam

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:12:46 +0000

Puppetgov: Yes we get the irony of you reading this here.

By Amanda Buham~Insteading

How fast and far we’ve come in the advancement of technology! A mere century ago, the U.S. was industrializing rapidly–and creating new technologies to speed assembly, improve communication, increase leisure time, and make work and life all-around more efficient.

It’s more efficient now. Like, 24/7 efficient.

Now we stare into screens by day and night. We have SMS conversations under the dinner table on dates. We wake in the middle of the night to harvest fictional Farmville crops. We still somehow fit in 6 hours of television. Portlandia’s technology loop is funny because it’s real.

If this is not an addiction, can you give it up? Can you disconnect the computer, the phone (it’s smart, after all), the TV, even the GPS? Are your hands, still clutching your iPad and Blackberry, getting clammy just thinking about it? March 23-24 is National Day of Unplugging, and it’s a great opportunity to disconnect from devices and reconnect to your family, your mate, your health and your free time.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

dummy

monkey see

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:02:54 +0000

No related posts.

rooted

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:00:31 +0000

No related posts.

food art

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:57:30 +0000

toothpick art

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:54:01 +0000

No related posts.

Forrest Prince Media Project

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:49:21 +0000

~ForrestDPrince

Video on Spiritual Activist/Artist

Courtesy of "Texas Artists Today" artist Forrest Prince, Photo by Jenny Antill, Collage by Tatiana Massey

Twenty Years of Restorative Justice in New Zealand

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:36:55 +0000

By Fred W.M. McElrea~Tikkun

New Zealand has run its entire youth justice system in a nonadversarial manner since 1989. It provides the world’s strongest example to date of how a national juvenile system can transition to something incorporating restorative justice. It has also inspired restorative approaches in New Zealand’s adult system, resulting in less reliance on prisons and a far better deal for victims. Importantly, it supports indigenous ways of dealing with conflict and builds on the strengths of indigenous Maori people.

The first full year of operation of the new youth court system for dealing with young offenders was 1990 — the year of my appointment as a youth court judge. By then, I had found my feet as a district court judge (a position to which I was appointed in 1988). I continued in this role, dealing with adult offenders, and thereby observed the two different systems in operation simultaneously. One was the English-based, adversarial system of criminal justice for people aged seventeen and over. The other was a homegrown system centered on family group conferences, which, along with youth courts, had been introduced by the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act of 1989.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

SEE ALSO:

Restorative Justice

storied life

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:55:22 +0000

Amazing Dirty Car Art

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:52:09 +0000

~All Pics

This image featuring Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” with Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” is shown at its peak. These images drawn in the dust are obviously quite impermanent. One of the cool things about them is how they change over time. More dust accumulates as the car is driven down the road. Early morning dew streaks and dots the image, creating a patina. A light shower creates a deeper patina…

Mona Lisa - Starry Night: Peak

Here’s a detail from the previous image. You can see a little streaking from early morning dew. This image was worked on in three sessions, with more dust accumulating between sessions. That’s when the drawings really seem to take on life, with a much greater range of values.

Mona Lisa – Starry Night: Detail, peak

And now for something totally different. This guy just sorta appeared, I guess. The dust wasn’t very thick, but enough to do a drawing. The light spots and specks are places where tree sap fell and dust stuck to it.

Elf Dude

Saw Uncle Albert on the cover of a magazine and thought he might appreciate the relativity of dirty car art…

Impermanent Albert

My cat Squeek wanted to express himself on Albert’s forehead. I had walked out one morning to finish this piece, and found Squeek had beat me to it. Now, if a cat can do it, what are you waiting for? Dust art is for everyone.

Albert with Paw Print

A friend confided to me that this is his least favorite of my dust drawings to date. For a cartoony thing, there’s a lot of unhappiness, here. This is one of the very first dust drawings where I explored the use of a fan brush to get intermediate tones. Mostly finger and fingernail for the linework. I’d better say right here that my lovely wife, Robin, is not a nag. Never. Really.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

When countries are in “a state of necessity”

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:44:11 +0000

1 million signatures wanted

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:41:46 +0000

When countries are in “a state of necessity''

~“One million signatures for Europe”

PURPOSE

The collection of one (1) million signatures in electronic format. The signatures should cover as many regions of Europe as possible on the basis of geography and population. The text bearing the signatures will then be sent to the President of the European Commission.

THE MEANING OF SIGNATURES

Signing the petition will indicate OPPOSITION to poverty and to individual and national subjugation. European Solidarity: this is a huge duty and responsibility for all of us.

WE DEMAND:

The REMOVAL of the onerous Debt. When countries are in “a state of necessity” (when they are experiencing the collapse of their health and education systems, as well as their wages and pensions), repayment of the burdensome debt must be put aside. The necessity for survival and human dignity must come before repayment of a debt.

NOTE: under Article 8 of the Treaty of Lisbon, about one (1) million signatures will be officially put into force on 1/4/2012. From that point onwards, European citizens will be able to make their requests for the passing of Laws in the European Union.

There is a NEED: by that date, SEISACHTHEIA must have collected the signatures of one (1) million European citizens in order to claim and establish the validity of the state of necessity. (When the people are suffering, the usurer cannot be paid).

ONE MILLION SIGNATURES FOR “A EUROPE OF SOLIDARITY”

To: Mr José Manuel Barroso,
President of the European Commission
1049 Brussels, Belgium.Mr President,
I. It is hard to accept that Europe has established a usurious relationship with Greece (and other countries). The rate of interest of the loans which Troïka have lent to Greece is much more than those rates at which the State creditors borrow. (Germany borrows at a 0,25% rate of interest and afterwards lends to Greece at 5%.) The financial crisis in Greece has been taken advantage of by Member States, who gain inadmissible enrichment at Greece’s expense. And that meets with the total denial of communal solidarity. Such economic cannibalism against a Member State constitutes the highest risk for the values of Europe.II. The solutions that are given are NOT viable for Greece – and moreover, not generally viable for the European financial structure as a whole. The loans to Greece, at a destructive rate of interest, create a higher debt; as well as the misconduct of every smooth public functioning of the institutions within the Eurozone. The situation REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION.III. We invite you, under Article 8 of the Lisbon Treaty, to introduce to the European Commission the following resolutions, for adoption:

Write off every part unilaterally: in particular, the part of the public debt, which falls under the category of the “odious debt”, such as the “Greek” debt. Most of the debt consists of the capitalization of the interest, which goes back many decades. The capital of the loans themselves has been paid. In other words, write off this COMPOUND INTEREST.

Establish the Principle of the “state of necessity ”. When the financial and the political existence of a State is in danger because of the serving of the abhorrent debt (galloping unemployment; the collapse of wages and pensions; the closure of hospitals and schools, as well as of social services; individual wretchedness; etc.) the refusal of its payment is necessary and justifiable.

Sign the petition now

PAST SUCCESS:
Over 1 million Europeans call for a GE-free future

Iran’s 24-hour English-language News Channel Claims Jamming in Europe and Online

PUPPETGOV — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:29:51 +0000

Jamming signals have been reportedly interrupting the broadcast of Press TV, Iran’s 24-hour English-language news channel, in various locations across Europe.

~PressTV

Press TV viewers in Europe say the frequent attacks last three to four minutes each time.

Some reports indicate that the news channel’s online stream is also targeted at the same time as jamming signals disrupt the broadcast of the channel.

Italian viewers said Saturday was the fifth consecutive day of “Press TV signal black-out in Italy.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES…

Fries with your synthetic burger?

PUPPETGOV — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:11:44 +0000

By Steve Connor~New Zealand Herald

The world’s first hamburger made with a synthetic meat protein derived from bovine stem cells will be publicly consumed this October after being prepared by a celebrity chef, according to the inventor of the artificial mince.

Heston Blumenthal is the favourite to be asked to cook the €250,000 ($393,000) hamburger, which will be made from 3000 strips of synthetic meat protein grown in fermentation vats.

Dr Mark Post, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said the anonymous backer of his research project had not yet decided who would get to eat the world’s most expensive hamburger, which will be unveiled at a ceremony in Maastricht.

Post told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that a hamburger made from artificial beef protein was a milestone in the development of novel ways to meet the global demand for meat, which is expected to double by 2050.

“In October, we’re going to provide a ‘proof of concept’ showing that with in vitro culture methods that are pretty classical we can make a product out of stem cells that looks like, and hopefully taste like, meat,” Post said. “The target goal is to make a hamburger and for that we need to grow 3000 pieces of this muscle and a couple of hundred pieces of fat tissue.

ARTICLE CONTINUES…