Keyboard worrier

Friday, August 11, 2023

FRIDAY MUSIC: The Boswell Sisters, by JD

"The Boswell Sisters, American jazz vocal trio noted for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation; they were also a major influence on vocal artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and the Andrews Sisters. 

"The three sisters were Martha (b. June 9, 1905, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.—d. July 2, 1958, Peekskill, New York), Connee (original name Connie; b. December 3, 1907, Kansas City, Missouri—d. October 11, 1976, New York, New York), and Helvetia (also called Vet; b. May 20, 1909, Birmingham, Alabama—d. November 12, 1988, Peekskill, New York).

"For all their importance, innovation, and popularity, the Boswell Sisters were largely forgotten for many years. Their classic recordings began to be rereleased in the early 1980s (some reissues supervised by Vet Boswell), prompting a revival of interest in their work and an ever-growing cult following. Their influence on jazz singing was incalculable; Ella Fitzgerald often cited Connee Boswell as her only influence (and, on many of her early recordings with the Chick Webb band, Fitzgerald sounds uncannily like Boswell). Many critics today regard the Boswell Sisters (along with Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross) as one of the two greatest jazz vocal groups of all time."

Shout, Sister, Shout

Boswell Sisters: Sleepy Time Down South [1932]

WHY THE BOSWELL SISTERS MATTER: 
KYLA TITUS (December 8, 2012)

Close Farmony - The Boswell Sisters

The Boswell Sisters 
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing (1932).wmv

The Boswell Sisters
PUT THAT SUN BACK IN THE SKY

Tuesday, August 08, 2023

REPOST: A strange, subterranean battle... by A K Haart

Reposted from 5 April 2015 and more relevant than ever...

source

Every now and them something bright, clean and optimistic seems to show itself through the shifting fogs of repressive nonsense. Sometimes the ugly honking of professional liars dies down. For a while real life takes over. As it should of course.

It has become so easy to ignore the liars and find things out for ourselves. Or at least identify those many areas of uncertainty which the liars claim to be certain. Isn’t it easy to find worthwhile comment on virtually any issue? Isn’t it noticeable how rarely many of us go to the mainstream media for worthwhile comment?

So what does it all mean?

I don’t know.

Then what is the point of this post?

Simple – you can go elsewhere can’t you? Click. I am not a guru and neither are you. We don’t need them do we - you and I?

That’s the point – we are breeding vast numbers of savvy people, far more than we ever had before. Folk who don’t always have the facts and the arguments at their fingertips, but in one sense they know far more than most people knew only twenty years ago. Not only that, but they know how to flesh out anything of interest with a click or two.

This quiet upheaval seems to have upset the old paternalistic way of doing things, the assumptions about managing people, about politics, democracy, who tells and who listens. Who tells these days? Who listens?

Old style class rule with its unidirectional media cannot deal with it. Millions of savvy people are now collectively smarter than the elites because they are connected, interested, experienced and capable. The elites don’t have time to be interested or capable. They only have time to suck the teat of their sponsors. They think savvy can be dealt with by opinion surveys.

They muddle through by listening to a host of special advisers who do have the time to become passably savvy, but there are only a few of them while there are vast numbers of savvy folk out there – a host of virtual polymaths unrestricted by national boundaries.

Out there on the web are millions of years of personal experience. Think about that for a moment – millions of years of personal experience all available for sharing.

The old ways are creaking and the elites and their sponsors are furiously attempting to wind back the clock with a plethora of prohibitions, narratives, entertainments and controlling policies. Anything to keep the virtual polymaths at bay. It’s a strange, subterranean battle.

Sunday, August 06, 2023

WEEKENDER: And so it Begins… (ULEZ) by Wiggia

               

The London dictator under the guise of Mayor is not exactly someone I would trust with a zebra crossing never mind a metropolis.

His ULEZ scheme is actually a continuation of the one Boris put in motion some years ago when he had the same job and it is as useful now as then as an indication of the way things are going.

Using children's health as a reason for restricting the use of petrol and diesel cars and vans on London’s roads makes a good sound bite, but falls under the same banner as the ‘if it saves one life’ the cry that went up in support of various useless claims for protection during the Covid pandemic. Life is not without risk, the 4000 deaths as continually repeated by Khan has never been proved or facts produced.
But all that is a smokescreen for the control of travel and the elimination of motor vehicles from our roads; an over simplification of a short term problem? I think not.

The fact that Khan has been caught out discussing further restrictions and charges to shore up his failed policies in the capital tells a tale of betrayal of the people who live there, and not only in London as already other cities are following the ULEZ model in an attempt to replenish falling government grants. Either way it is our money.

The saying 'never trust a politician' has become ever more justified in this age of social media and electronic technology. Khan has been caught out discussing the future and the inevitable drop in ULEZ fees when EVs eventually make up the majority of road vehicles. 

He has voiced this before under a ‘fairer’ way to charge motorists, but it would involve variable charges for type of vehicle and miles covered. You can bet your life that costs will be more than the soon to be imposed ULEZ ones.

In a country with such poor and expensive public transport any authority imposing these sorts of charges needs a shield to justify them. Climate Change aka air quality is the current one.

As with everything else these days even if these measures could be justified, and the signs are weak in the case of ULEZ, it is a case of cart before the horse. Once again our appalling lack of infrastructure which in so many cases is not fit for purpose is being used as the solution to a problem dreamed up in the fiscal corridors of county hall; again those that pay taxes and those that use vehicles to ply their trades within the city are being clobbered on the altar of eco-ideologues and greedy cash-strapped authorities.


As with all these measures once installed prices will rise, it’s a cash cow that is too good to ignore. The clean air excuse will not be a viable reason to see such increases or even the original charge when a critical vehicle mass in EVs is reached so what will the reason for the charges then be? We already know the reason for that.

Don’t kid yourself that this is only a London centric problem: other cities as mentioned above are already installing their own ULEZ schemes, with city centres shrinking because in part the business rates are crippling, footfall is falling and in these austere times with less money to spend authorities everywhere are looking to make up the difference. The motor car once the symbol of freedom has become conveniently the ‘evil one’ to be vilified and fleeced.

All EVs are dependant on efficient charging points for any lengthy journeys. Although charging times have shortened and are still improving, once a certain mass of EVs has been reached the problems multiply. Not only are there currently and for the foreseeable future a huge deficit in charging points meaning waiting times that make EVs largely pointless, but high speed chargers are dependent on grid supply which means the high speed chargers are only high speed when one or two are being used concurrently. If all 16 are in use they become low speed chargers and your estimated 1 hour charging time suddenly becomes 4 hours.

The expense of charging will itself go up to pay for green energy subsidies that make it possible. As with all else all governments can’t resist an open goal to launch new tax measures and the replacement of falling petrol taxes must be a worry for them, but don’t fear they will - whilst reducing all traffic movements as not really necessary - still manage to tax the living daylights out of those still in a position to afford to run a car.

This brings us to the 15 minute cities: 'no need to go anywhere, all will be provided within walking distance, even holidays that will necessitate transport will become a thing of the past.' This is the path many with their grubby fingers on the levers of power believe we are destined to take.

This of course is a rather bleak take on our future. Will it happen or will there be a backlash of note to change the government's direction? At the moment especially as regards private transport the runes have been cast.

Naturally any of this will only apply to the plebs. Khan's pristine metropolis with its mountain air will only be sullied by the Mayor's appearance in his Range Rover and supporting cast and we will all be grateful.

Friday, August 04, 2023

FRIDAY MUSIC: White Horse Guitar Club

You will like this happy band..........................

Eleven Irishmen with eleven guitars and all singing together in a pub called The White Horse: welcome to the White Horse Guitar Club!
"Formed in early 2012, the band evolved from an open club environment into a fully fledged musical touring group of 11 friends in that relatively short space of time. The music we choose to play is deeply rooted in the fine tradition of songwriting that flourishes in the southern states of America, particularly in Kentucky & Tennessee where the Scots/Irish influence was strong. We proudly sing the songs of John Prine, Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Buddy Miller, Townes Van Zandt, Tim O'Brien, Willie Nelson and more.

The WHGC has performed all over Ireland & beyond in the last 3 years, in concert settings and cosy pub corners, as street musicians and as festival favorites.

All good stories are shaped by the twists and turns of the road and the adventure of The White Horse Guitar Club is very much still being written. Keep your ears tuned and your heart open."
If I Needed You - The White Horse Guitar Club

The White Horse Guitar Club Documentary Ft. David Syme

Revival - The White Horse Guitar Club

I'll Fly Away - The White Horse Guitar Club

Brother Wind - The White Horse Guitar Club with Tim O'Brien and Jan Fabricius

Cash on the Barrel Head - The White Horse Guitar Club

White Horse Guitar Club

... and here's the pub!

Friday, July 28, 2023

FRIDAY MUSIC: Robert Dehlinger's Alpha Rhythm Kings

Established in 2017, the Alpha Rhythm Kings have created quite a stir with music fans, having crafted an exciting, King Size California sound, with what Roots Music Magazine No Depression calls "the badge of authenticity".

The band's top quality musicians, with Robert Dehlinger's “exhilarating” trumpet and "magnetic" singing (Jazz Corner) leading the way, are a favorite with swing dancers, as well as with audiences in nightclubs, festivals and concert halls.

Alpha Rhythm Kings: California Boogie
https://youtu.be/NmixdisisB4



Alpha Rhythm Kings: Choo Choo Ch’Boogie (feat. Miss Tammi Savoy)

Alpha Rhythm Kings: Oh Marie

Vaccinate Me, Baby - by the Alpha Rhythm Kings

Alpha Rhythm Kings: Fools Are Getting Scarcer

Alpha Rhythm Kings! King Sized Sounds!

Monday, July 24, 2023

Julian Assange: a letter to the Home Secretary

Peter Hitchens has urged a write-in to the Home Secretary. Here is my letter; I hope you can send one also - and urge others to do so.
__________________________

Dear Home Secretary

Request to Halt the Extradition of Julian Assange

I appeal to you to decline the extradition to the USA of Mr Julian Assange, for several reasons.

Firstly, it is widely suspected that the espionage charges levelled against him are an inappropriate or even improper use of US law and arise from political purposes. There are also question marks over the motivation and conduct of the authorities in Sweden in pursuing longstanding investigations that were discontinued in 2019 following his removal from the Ecuadorian Embassy and being placed under arrest here. Further, doubts have been expressed about some aspects of the proceedings in Westminster Magistrates Court and the extent to which they may have been influenced by external considerations and agencies. In a globally high-profile case such as this it is especially important that Britain should be seen to uphold its traditional commitment to justice and the liberty of the individual.

Secondly, some worry that Mr Assange may not face a fair trial if extradited, given that his case is cast in terms of a threat to US national security at a time when public feelings are febrile. Moreover, bearing in mind his fragile and apparently declining physical and mental health there is unease over the treatment he may receive in jail before, during and after trial. Notwithstanding assurances given by US authorities, there may still be, as there has previously been, a failure by them to safeguard a potentially suicidal prisoner.

Finally, the Assange affair has far wider implications for the principles of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the protection of whistleblowers worldwide. It is essential to recognize the potential chilling effect that his extradition could have on investigative journalism and the critical role it plays in a democratic society. By declining the extradition request, you can reaffirm Britain’s commitment to these fundamental values.

I humbly request that you call a halt to these proceedings and release Mr Assange.

Saturday, July 22, 2023

WEEKENDER: DNR - A Suitable Case For Treatment (NHS)

Those letters in the heading above which I alluded to in a previous post hospital piece, needed fleshing out as I have become more aware and informed of what happened to me, and it can happen to anyone.

Firstly I will relay the events that affected me personally.

This bit may bore you but lays the foundations to what was imposed on me and why this form of legalised murder or attempted in my case, should be exposed, it is a far more common event than the vast majority of population would realise.

In my case, and I will try and keep this part brief, I felt unwell at home went for a lay down and woke roughly five weeks later in the Norfolk and Norwich hospital unaware of what had happened to me.

It transpired that my collapse was the result of fluid on the brain and I was sent to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for treatment as it has a specialist brain unit. I was operated on but shortly afterwards it was discovered that a bleed had been shown up and I underwent a second brain operation.

I was sedated all this time and a week later was complaining of severe stomach pains. The diagnosis revealed I had a perforated bowel, this I was told much later was a result of the brain problem, as I could not relate personally to how I could be so unlucky to get the bowel problem at the same time as the brain, but apparently this does happen, it is the brain that caused it, or so I was told.

The bowel operation was a big one which necessitated leaving the bowel outside the wound for some days as they needed to flush it out on a regular basis to try and get rid of the infection it had, thank God I was asleep during this period.

Oh and it was found I had covid during this period, so quite a load in one hit. 

Fortunately I was still sedated and started to come round once I had been transferred back to the Norfolk and Norwich after five weeks to be nearer home.

I remember absolutely nothing about my time in Addenbrooke’s.

This is where it starts to get interesting as obviously I had a different team ‘ looking after me.’

Shortly after the transfer my wife visited and met the consultant/doctor in charge of my case. He told her that he doubted I would make it with the infection I had in the bowel and I would be put on a DNR, I'm not sure if this was the original infection but presume it was a new one. The wife after what she had endured through me at Addenbrooke's was naturally concerned. No discussion of any alternative treatment or my current state which turned out to be somewhat different. The indifference shown by this doctor was appalling.

The following day my wife arrived back to visit with a good friend who drove her there to discover my bed was empty and no one to say what had happened. They found me in an unfurnished side ward on my own with all the tubes drains drips etc removed. She immediately called the nurse responsible to be told I had had a Do Nor Resuscitate order put on me by the doctor.

My wife rightly demanded to speak to the doctor and a call went out for him to attend. After numerous failed attempts he could not be found but after waiting all day my wife was eventually told he would see her the following morning at around 10.00.

She dutifully turned up at the requested time but no doctor; once again calls were put out but he could not be found. As the end of the day came my wife’s patience and demeanour changed to one of anger, she demanded that he come and explain what had been put in place and started (rightly) to make a scene.

One of the two nurses who were dedicated to me me suggested another doctor who was available come to her and have a word. A short time later he turned up and spoke to the wife and read my notes; he told her he would go in and see me and speak to her afterwards which he did.

His reaction was not one of doom. He explained he had spoken with me and I was very aware of what had happened as I was not taking it well, I had also it transpired tried to leave the bed to go home, not exactly taking it lying down so to speak even though I could not walk.

He went on to say that he did not agree with the previous instruction (he must have been in a superior position to have overridden that) and ordered that I was to be put back on a normal ward, my drips etc to be re inserted and I was immediately fed and watered and he said from then on he would oversee my case, which he did.

My recovery started from there. Despite the usual items getting in the way the infection cleared my memory started to come back and the demonic visions, which are quite normal in these cases, went away.

The front line staff on that ward were first class and I thank them all for their professional and personal help.

Not so much on the last week in the departure ward, which was largely a shambles and very unprofessional, resulting in a couple of big rows which I could have done without in my condition; that though is a tale about management and their desire at all costs to empty beds even when patients are not ready to leave.

I then had a week or so at a rehab unit, very good it was too as were the staff but again even though I was not allowed to walk anywhere without a chaperone it was considered all right to send me home after about ten days so a bed could be released; this was happening to others all the time.

The day after I returned home I had a fall and banged my head on some furniture. Fortunately a scheduled x-ray two days later showed no damage, but I should not have been home that early, my walking was still very rudimentary and faltering.

Subsequently after finding my feet and settling down at home, the truth of my time was gradually put together and as I became more aware of the whole period, what had happened and been done to me I started to question the DNR aspect of it.

The legal side is interesting, and I doubt many will have bothered to check out who holds sway in this matter, this is the bit that is used by the doctors.

“Doctors may decide to impose a DNR order on a patient even without their consent. Crucially however, there are processes which a doctor must follow when making this kind of DNR decision. Also, such a decision can only be made on one of the following grounds:

    Where the prospects of successfully carrying out CPR are so low it would make any attempt futile.

    Where the treating doctor considers that CPR would not be in the best interests of the patient. This could cover situations where any possible negative effects from the CPR would outweigh the benefits, or where successful CPR would just serve to prolong a patient’s suffering. However, making this assessment should be done in consultation with the patient and their loved ones."

Clinical guidance for doctors sets out a process to be followed when faced with a DNR decision. Patients should also be aware of this process to ensure their doctors are handling their situation correctly.

The process starts when doctors anticipate that there is a clear risk of the patient’s breathing or heart stopping. At this point, they should assess how likely it is for CPR to be successful in the patient’s case.

Whenever doctors are faced with a DNR decision, they should discuss and explain the situation to patients and loved ones in a timely and appropriate way. This is to avoid any misunderstandings or extra distress which may be caused.”

None of that was done in my case, and a CPR was not necessary at any time, as my heart and breathing were not affected.

This passage contains the weasel get-out clause re senior doctor, but even here the basics were ignored.

“The loved ones of a patient are often entitled to be involved in DNR decisions, even if they are not the patient’s appointed legal representatives. They cannot make legally binding decisions on the patient’s behalf, however, so the final decision will be made by the senior treating doctors.

Those close to the patient can include family members, friends, and carers who have been involved in the patient’s care.

There are some limited situations where those close to the patient cannot be involved in a DNR decision:

    When the patient has requested that loved ones should not be consulted or involved. Patient confidentiality means that doctors would be unable to discuss the patient’s case with their loved ones in this situation.

    When the patient has lost mental capacity but has made a legally binding Advance Decision.”

The one system that is without doubt the bulwark for the patient and family against doctors' wishes to impose a DNR is a health Power of Attorney. The appointed attorney must be consulted and can override the doctors' decision, though in some cases this could involve a complicated court hearing.

By chance a visit by our heating engineer recently resulted in a conversation that revealed he had been put under pressure for a DNR to be served on his father who was in hospital for some time after a brain operation. He had the health Power of Attorney for his father and stopped the consultant from putting a DNR on his father; his father is home and well now!

What is obvious despite this...

https://liverpool-care-pathway-a-national-sc.blogspot.com/2015/03/liverpool-care-pathway-wake-up-call.html

... it is still going on under a different name.

And here…..

https://liverpool-care-pathway-a-national-sc.blogspot.com/2013/11/liverpool-care-pathway-it-is-murder.html

It beggars belief that through all this no one has been sacked never mind prosecuted. The 'covering their backs' campaign has been in full on mode since day one. The sordid conditions in many care homes along with inadequate human care should have lines of people responsible queueing up to be charged with gross negligence and more, but no, after various inquiries all settles down as before as if nothing untoward had ever gone on; along with much else in this country today nothing works and few care that it doesn’t work. What an indictment of the UK in this century.

One reads this and at the end asks ‘Well what did you do about it apart from taking on the Mayor of Manchester job’ and the answer was bugger all, but it always is:

https://www.hsj.co.uk/comment/the-bedpan-i-should-have-challenged-dh-advice-on-mid-staffs/7026102.article

I have no proof but it is alleged that some hospital trusts have little compunction in issuing these DNRs, some have more compassion. I certainly had no help and only my wife who persisted and stood her ground and the doctor who took over my case saved me from the clutches of the four horsemen.

After the Mid Staffs Hospital affair and the Liverpool Pathway scandal one would think a major overhaul of procedures would have taken place but it is obvious that this attempt to cull elderly patients to release beds, for that is what I believe is behind it more than anything else, is still going on apace. Dr Mengele would be proud. I am not finished with this, though getting further information is difficult: even the name of the doctor who issued the DNR has mysteriously been expunged or is not being
released.

Suitable for a caption competition…

If I had been kept in Addenbrooke's I doubt this DNR would have occurred as they had invested a lot of time and expertise in getting me through. I could of course be wrong, but I believe this was a Norfolk and Norwich hospital problem; trust managements make their own rules in many of these matters and that again is wrong. Murder on the whim of a doctor who in this case was not even responsible for the original treatment is not something to be brushed under the carpet, yet time and again it is, it has to stop and those responsible for crass decisions such as mine should be held to account.

I was in hospital long enough to see the NHS in all its guises, the good the bad and the ugly. The good I am grateful for and all those involved, the bad and the ugly need sorting big time along with all the other top down decisions from government and trusts that have reduced the service to its current level. No longer is it owing to lack of money, we are comparable with many other countries with better health services on that score; nor to lack of staff - no, we have the largest workforce in Europe so it has to be something else and choice - we have no choice, at the moment of course choice is a dream, getting to see a doctor whether at a local surgery or the hospital is now just a desire.

It comes to something when arriving by dinghy gets you a twice a week visit from a doctor but the local paying population can go whistle.

I am in no rush to return to that particular room with no window and no furniture, no food or water, no anything... appalling, yet dozens are put in this situation every week never to return.

The NHS in the meantime puts out endless press statement about the latest cancer miracle drug that could be coming and various other life saving procedures that could be used. All is just a diversion from the actuality of the real NHS. I will gladly shake the hand and thank all those who helped me survive, but I will not be clapping the sorry hulk that is the NHS today.

Will it change as it should and needs desperately to do? Doubtful; too many ingrained beliefs and dogmas among those chosen to run things, plus a Labour party who can’t see beyond their ‘baby’s’ conception, too many who believe the whole organisation is theirs and only they have valid reasons as to how it should be run and funded. It actually of course belongs to the population who fund it through taxes; that concept is of course sidelined at every opportunity by the idiots who believe it is still worth saving in its present form.

It is beyond the pale that a couple of days ago I was told that a small operation to correct the original bowel procedure I had requires an eighteen month waiting list and an awaited replacement hip op that has taken 3 years from diagnosis to fruition has now had to be cancelled because my recent problems make it far too risky. Of course in a decent world I would have had that replacement two years before I fell ill and it would all now be history.

--------------

Wiggia also notes: 

If you cannot make decisions for yourself, for example because you are unconscious or unable to communicate, the doctor should talk to your family or carers about your likely wishes. However, your family and/or next of kin don't have an automatic right to decide which treatments you should or should not receive, unless you have given them the legal power to do so through a Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare.