Lou Donaldson 1926 - 2024: In Memoriam

Heads they win, tails you lose

The inimitable Professor Noam Chomsky presents a timely analysis of how we got... 

here:

CorruptionFest '24 wraps up

...with fairly predictable results. I won't even dignify the mainstream media's facile "analysis" of this election (let's just be content to mention that the majority of non-white voters still favored the Democratic candidate), and despite all of those oddly satisfying translucent red and blue circles of various diameters sprinkled over the maps, perhaps the most conspicuous thing about them remains the fact that they're only available in two colors. 

Anyway, here's a link to Sirota's Lever essay from this past week to tide you over: https://www.levernews.com/election-2024-how-billionaire-avengers-destroyed-democracy/ 

 

Ok David, where's my cut? ;)

Enter Phaedra

As long promised but never delivered, here are some photos of my cat Phaedra:

Brutalist architecture

Lest we be blindsided by the onslaught of further developments, here's something to remember: Since October 7, 2023, the United States has spent over $17.9 billion to reduce Gaza to a smoking ruin, forcibly displace its population, and murder over 42,000 people, including over 20,000 women and children. While it's great to see the sitting administration championing their welcome legislative support of women's health domestically, their message is in grave danger of being overshadowed by the vexing question of why taxpayers are continuing to finance a violent and illegal humanitarian catastrophe halfway across the world in which women seem to represent more than half the fatalities. But numbers alone don't tell the whole story.

There can be no adequate explanation as to why Palestinian hospitals, schools and universities have been systematically targeted and destroyed; entire neighborhoods erased and buried in rubble just to smoke out a handful of "militants". There can be no conceivable justification for blowing up whole blocks of apartments - evidently - for fear of what a few might contain. And it should go without saying that under international law, there is no threat that warrants the targeting of defenseless refugees or humanitarian workers. Yet all of these atrocities have been carried out in broad daylight by the state of Israel with only a smattering of disapproval from the chattering classes and the acceptance of much of the political establishment of the United States, who have not only bankrolled the operation but provided weapons and tactical support.   

Enough is enough. End the wars now. Arrest Netanyahu. The evidence is clear: these are the actions of a war criminal. Send him and his co-conspiritors to prison. We've been hearing a lot from politicians about how history will supposedly judge their various contributions. That's awfully rich. Leaving aside the inherent unpredictability of the future for a moment, how exactly does this gaggle of latter-day Neros plan to be remembered as anything more than a pack of unlicensed butchers? We'll have to elect ourselves instead. The future of humanity may well depend on it.  

Perfect Day

 

What appears to be a brand new album from one of the great masters of ambient, cosmic, devotional and meditative music has just been made available for streaming on Al Gromer's channel, among other platforms. 

Not only that but having listened through this several times I have to say it's probably one of the best things I've ever heard from him. No kidding! I just can't recommend it highly enough. What a gorgeous experience.   

A balm for the spirit in these troubled times.

Antisocial media

After all, the idea of following and being followed by people is fundamentally cultish, tendentious, and more than a little frightening.