Why Michael Moore?

"Me at Trump Tower, December 16, 2015, 3:35pm."
Source: Facebook

I enjoyed "Roger and Me", "Downsize This" and "Capitalism: A Love Story". Nice stunts - especially the crime scene tape around Goldman Sachs (was it?).

But apart from enriching himself - while wearing a faux-loser slobcap - has Michael Moore changed anything? What industrial jobs has he saved, what bankers brought to justice, what pharmaceutical company greed punished?

Along comes Donald Trump, a genuinely crass populist, but one who as soon as elected starts to take action about the haemorrhage of reasonably-paid factory work. Now, citing national security, he's also put a temporary moratorium on arrivals from a list of "countries of concern" drawn up under the previous administration.

Moore wishes us to treat him as deplorable - but the attempt to do a "Je Suis Charlie" is a stretch. We are not all Muslims, Muslims are not at all the same thing as terrorists, the ban is not on Muslims, and not all Muslim-dominated countries are on the list.

You don't have to like Trump to get a little suspicious of Moore. He's good at making us cheer his ineffectual sallies at the rich and powerful, but really, if it were up to him, would anything actually get done?

For the economic issue it may be too late, anyhow - tools and equipment shipped abroad, skills rusting and lost, money flitting elusively round the world like a Jack-'o'-Lantern - but a combination of sideshow virtue-signalling and mob-inflaming isn't going to put that or any other matter right. Many Facebook users appear to be losing their minds, insta-reacting with screams to every new issue, and Moore is happy to photobomb America's existential crisis to wind up excitable idiots and make an extra buck or two.

I wonder whether, in private, Moore thanks his Maker for Trump's election to the Presidency.

1847: A gift from the dispossessed Choctaw to the starving Irish, by JD

I've been watching this series on Ch4 with Ardal O'Hanlon doing a tour round Ireland. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/programme-information/ireland-with-ardal-ohanlon

In the third of the programmes he was talking to an artist called Waylon Gary White Deer who is of the Choctaw Nation and now lives and works in Donegal.

Their conversation centred on something I had not known about. It was that the Choctaw Nation made a donation to Irish famine relief in 1847! I think gobsmacked is the (Irish) word for my reaction to this information. I didn't know that. The story of the Great Famine in Ireland is perhaps not as well known in England as it should be. Approximately one million people starved to death. A further one million or more followed St Brendan's example and set off across the Atlantic to the USA and Canada.

Inevitably the Irish diaspora came into contact with the Choctaw who had themselves been forced from their ancestral lands, and they would learn each other's history including the Famine in Ireland.

On March 23, 1847, the Indians of the Choctaw nation took up an amazing collection. They raised $170 for Irish Famine relief, an incredible sum at the time worth in the tens of thousands of dollars today.

They had an incredible history of deprivation themselves, forced off their lands in 1831 and made to embark on a 500 mile trek to Oklahoma called “The Trail of Tears.” Ironically the man who forced them off their lands was Andrew Jackson, the son of Irish immigrants.

Here is a short video retelling the story and showing a commemorative statue erected in Cork and how that came about-



Last word must go to Waylon Gary White Deer, talking about the USA but it could apply equally in any country:

"Sadly, the day will come when all the carefully crafted and promoted white vs black and liberal vs conservative and rich vs poor and old immigrant vs new immigrant and MSNBC vs Fox News distractions will fade, and then everyone in the place they now call America will wake up surrounded by their military and finally understand how it feels to be Indian…"

http://www.waylongarywhitedeer.com/

=============
Other references-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan
http://ireland-calling.com/choctaw-donation-irish-famine/
http://newsok.com/article/5403735
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears
________________
Sackerson adds:

Alfred Boisseau, "Louisiana Indians Walking Along A Bayou", 1847

Charles Joseph Staniland (1838–1916), “The Emigrant Ship”

Commemorative plaque, Mansion House, Dublin

Ladies of Jazz 2, by Wiggia

This short compilation shows female artists that emerged during the Ella, Sarah era, some indeed like the first on here started later but was born in 1930 so is a contemporary of the earlier ladies.

Abbey Lincoln (her stage name) was an actress on television and in film and also a civil rights activist. Influenced by Billie Holiday, she also wrote lyrics and composed numbers. Her first album was in ‘56 but for me the first big breakout album was in ‘61 with Straight Ahead on the Candid label. A very beautiful lady; she was married from 61-70 to Max Roach, the drummer and co-conspirator with Charlie Parker in those early days of be bop. She was still recording up until 2007 3 years before her death at 80.

A worthy obituary is here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/15/abbey-lincoln-obituary 
I liked her and so does JD !

And I lied about videos, only from now on this has to be audio only.



This is later in life and very good quality:



Norma Winstone was born in Bow East London in ‘41, so can claim to be a real cockney. Most of her earlier work is what I like but everyone to their own. A lyricist as well as a singer, she started with bands in the Dagenham area and went from there, and has worked with many European and American artists.



Rene Marie: born in the USA in ‘55, she did not start a professional career until she was 42 ! After getting married at 18 she raised two children and when she started singing her husband gave her an ultimatum: stop singing or go; she chose the music path ! There are quite a few videos of Rene but all have dubious sound so once again indulge me:



Diana Krall: in modern times this lady has been hugely successful, often her music wanders into cross over territory and is not jazz as I/we know it, but very accomplished. Born in Canada in ‘64 she had eight albums, more than anybody else at the top of female jazz artists in Billboard; a record.



Anita O’Day: became world famous overnight for her performance in the Newport Jazz Festival film Jazz on a Summers Day. Born in 1919, the year would suggest she should have been in the first list and career-wise yes, but to the likes of us her performance in that film was the start of her public acknowledgment.

Her early unhappy home life meant she left at 14 and did all sorts of strange things to earn a living including dance marathons. She was a capable drummer and married one, so as with so many of that era her background meant she could cope with anything that came up.

In ‘41 Gene Krupa asked her to join his band and that was followed with stints with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. She had a drug problem all her life and admitted she was probably high during that famous Newport ‘58 film. Considering the drug abuse, something she discussed in detail in a documentary, it was a miracle she made 87, but she was someone who never forgot her Jazz roots.

Here at Newport ‘58:



Fairly new to me is Silje Nergaard, born in ‘66 in Norway. It was this album that projected her onto a world stage, with Pat Methany on guitar:



As with all lists nothing is definitive, and sadly some that would have been included were not, either because of nothing of note being available or what there was being obscure numbers, bad sound etc, so forgiveness for not including obvious favourites and jazz greats such as Lena Horne, Betty Carter et al.

_____________________________________
Wiggia's first Ladies of Jazz is here:
http://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/the-ladies-of-jazz-by-wiggia.html

China: Scaring away the Nian

As the Year of the Rooster begins, we republish a piece from 2013, about an English teacher who went to a school in Beijing and was promptly plunged into the deep end...

It didn't start off like in the brochure. A few minutes into the lesson, the teacher left Mark alone with nearly 40 Chinese children, some of them with special needs and all of them unable to understand what he was saying. And so:

From Mark's end of year report:

"English is being heavily driven in Beijing at the moment [2001-2]. As China is entering the World Trade Organisation, and also has the Olympics in 2008, it is seen as an advantage to the people of China to be able to communicate in English. Therefore the government has introduced measures to encourage this, from Chinese/English signs on streets, English language development programs on T.V. and radio, and Chinese/English publications. English is compulsory at [the] School from grade one through to senior two.

"However with China having a low percentage of non-Chinese people living or working in China and Chinese people generally not travelling outside of China, often communication with even English teachers in English can be difficult. The standard of written English is of a much higher calibre than spoken English, and English speakers' vocabulary is at a disproportionate level to the fluency with which they can use it."

The Chinese teachers at the school "followed a textbook and expanded on this where they felt it necessary," but allowed the four foreign Oral English teachers complete freedom to use their own methods.

Mark saw that there was a wide range of ability within the class, and no particular strategy for meeting the needs of the special needs children within it. Also, art was not a highly valued part of the curriculum. So his plan was English through Art: flags, maps, weather, animals, masks, cars - and doors and walls, as seen down the hutongs:

"When you stray off the main streets anywhere in the sprawling city of Beijing you can find yourself on the back streets where the humanity of Beijing reside. These alleyways, streets and back ways are affectionately referred to as 'Hu tong', they hustle and bustle with life. Whole families can be seen dodging in and out among bicycles incredibly overloaded with a three-seat sofa or cases of cabbages, open air hairdressers comprising a woman, a kitchen chair and her scissors. Life goes on past ornate and fascinating doorways, walls and architecture. What lies behind these doorways? What further dramas go on behind closed doors? Events probably not dissimilar to the family life of any household in Britain.. Often they open onto clutter, ever present bicycles, or occasionally a serene and peaceful scene, where a lonely cherry blossom tree stands central within a sunlight dappled and always dusty haven from the hustle on our side of the door."

Many of these ancient living areas were even then being cleared for modern urban projects, the former inhabitants moved far away from their jobs, local markets and lifelong neighbours.

The classroom learning continued with quizzes and games, and magic: Hallowe'en and Harry Potter, Hangman, the Hokey Cokey and Quidditch:

And celebrations, including Christmas and the New Year:

"January is a magical time in China. The Spring Festival begins with a bang for the Chinese New Year, with fireworks and lights filling the sky, almost overwhelming the eyes and ears. Chinese spring festival is a traditional holiday when people attempt to scare away mythical beasts, dragons and Nian. Nian is a mythical wild beast that preys on humans. So people light fireworks and hang lanterns to ward off Nian and keep it away from their homes.

"At this time of year homes and buildings are decorated with beautiful lanterns. The light builds to a zenith for the Lantern festival held on the fifteenth of January in two thousand and two (dependent on the Chinese lunar calendar). Lanterns come in many different colours and designs, producing a magnificant spectacle when evening falls and the lanterns bring the darkness to life."

The teaching style at the school was formal and could even be quite physically tough sometimes, but the staff felt they had something to learn from this more creative and playful approach. And so did the children:

All original material is copyright of its author. Fair use permitted. Contact via comment.

Friday Night Is Music Night: Dorothy Donegan's Jazz, by JD

Introducing Miss Dorothy Donegan!

I had never heard of this lady until about a month ago when she appeared as one of YouTube's recommendations while I was searching for Basie/Ellington videos. And WOW! is my only response to her piano playing. She is brilliant, playing all styles of jazz while throwing in classical references and doing it with such exuberance.

Truly one of the greatest piano players you will ever hear.









>

Challenges to Trump: what do the stars foretell? - by "Twilight"

Sackerson has suggested that I contribute a post which might "test" astrology, perhaps in relation to remarks of J.H. Kunstler in a piece here http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/he-is-risen-but-for-how-long/ :

"If the first forty-eight hours are any measure of the alleged Trumptopia-to-come, the leading man in this national melodrama appears to be meshuga. A more charitable view might be that his behavior does not comport with the job description: president. If he keeps it up, I stick to my call that we will see him removed by extraordinary action within a few months. It might be a lawful continuity-of-government procedure according to the 25th Amendment — various high officials declaring him “incapacitated” — or it might be a straight-up old school coup d’état (“You’re fired”).

"I believe the trigger for that may be an overwhelming financial crisis in the early second quarter of the year."

DONALD TRUMP was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York on 14 June 1946 at 10.54 AM. Below is his natal chart.

Donald Trump's natal chart, by "Twilight" 

A brief run-down of personality characteristics indicated by his natal chart:

Positions of Sun, Moon and rising sign (sign coming over horizon at exact time of birth) are the "big three" items thought by astrologers to reflect most clearly in the native's personality. Trump's Sun (core self) in Gemini - the most communicative and one of the most flexible signs of the zodiac, perhaps reflects his love of Tweeting and generally making his opinions widely known. Conjunct (within a few degrees of) his Sun is Uranus, planet known for the unexpected, eccentricity, and change.

Trump's Moon (inner self) was in Sagittarius, sign known for exaggeration, expansiveness, publication, among other things. That's a good fit!

Rising sign was Leo, and at 29 degrees where we also find Royal Fixed Star Regulus. This is the part of his chart that first impressed me as a sign that, though my brain was telling me he couldn't, and wouldn't ever be President of the USA - he darn well could be and would have leadership essentials to be such, according to his chart. I pushed the thought away, deciding that this could be simply a reflection of successes he had already realised. I should mention here that Mars sits just 3 degrees from his rising degree, and Mars reflects dynamism and aggressive tendencies.

So, we have Gemini, Sagittarius and Leo - I'm keeping this down to absolute basics, these three are underpinnings to his personality: communication, over-expansiveness, leadership potential.

There's something more to mention to fill out the picture: Mercury, Saturn and Venus are all in Cancer.

Cancer has a very different flavour from the signs already mentioned. Cancer (symbol is the crab) is, first and foremost ultra-sensitive; also home and family loving, tends to withdraw when threatened. We've seen Trump's sensitivity to criticism many times. He draws on that natal Mars on his ascendant sign, combined with Gemini Sun's communication skills, exaggerated by Sagittarius Moon, to produce his frequent counter-punches when attacked. Deep inside, though, he will be feeling genuinely hurt. He will, I'm confident in saying, be a quite, quite different guy at home surrounded by family, than the one he presents to his voters and opponents.

There's lots more in the chart, via aspects and cycles, but the above elements are key.

Since 1946, the year Trump was born, the planets have been moving along in their respective orbits at varying speeds; faster moving planets will have frequently joined Trump's natal planets - this isn't particularly significant; but the slower-moving outer planets, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto when they, in course of their transits, meet up with a Trump natal planet, they sit close to it for much longer periods, and that is what needs to be noted if a prediction of near future events is required.

In this case Saturn, Uranus and Pluto are going to be the planetary transits most involved.

Saturn, planet of restriction and limitation, in its transit, was exactly conjunct Trump's natal Moon from late December 2016 to early January this year, signifying some inner feelings of tension no doubt, during the time up to inauguration day. Saturn is slowly moving away now, degree by degree. However, come this summer Saturn will appear to backtrack (retrograde) and "hit" his Moon again, and from late June to October it'll be within a few degrees of his Moon again. So there's more extra tension to come. Exactly what form it will take can't be known, perhaps it's the financial crisis expected by Mr Kunstler. Will it be enough to bring on the "coup" event Mr Kunstler mentioned?

Uranus, planet of change and the unexpected, currently sits at around 20 to 21 Aries, will travel from there to the end of that sign between now and May 2018, with a retrograde motion or two. Though transiting Uranus is currently in friendly aspect (angle) to Trump's Sun and Moon, it's also in challenging angle to Venus and Saturn in Cancer - possibly a reflection of the arguments about his conflicting business and presidential interests.

Pluto is transiting the mid-to-late teens of Capricorn right now, and will until around this time next year. Pluto represents needed transformations preceded by some chaos and difficult times. While Pluto will not be conjoining any of Trump's natal planets in the near future, it will be in awkward aspect (at a significantly challenging angle) to some of them, namely Jupiter in Libra, Uranus in Gemini and later even his Sun in Gemini - at times later on this year and next year.

One doesn't need to be an astrologer to foresee what astrology is telling us - i.e. that there are tough times and challenges ahead for the new President. Whether these times will be tough enough for J.H. Kunstler's prediction to be fulfilled is another matter. Personally, I doubt it.

Another way to investigate this would be to look at the Vice-President's chart, for he would become President should any kind of "coup" occur. A very quick look - it has to be a 12 noon chart because Pence's exact time of birth isn't known.

MIKE PENCE was born on 7 June 1959 in Columbus, Indiana. Time of birth unknown. Chart set for 12 noon.

Mike Pence's  natal chart (approximation), by "Twilight"

Moon position and rising sign will not be as shown here as time of birth isn't known. Moon could have been either in late Gemini or early Cancer - impossible to guess which. It's interesting that Trump chose a fellow-Gemini as his VP. Pence, though, is a very different Gemini-type. He doesn't have Uranus conjunct his Sun for a start, though Uranus is in a friendly angle to it, he's not averse to change, just not an innate change-maker. Pence is a very smooth communicator, as was shown during the VP's debate when his skills in that area were undeniable contrasted with Clinton's VP, Tim Kaine's bluster.

Pluto will be (and has already been) at a similarly challenging angle to Pence's Sun , 16 Gemini and to his Mercury (planet of communication) at 21 Gemini as to Trump's Sun and Uranus. They'll both be dealing with multiple challenges from "We the People" as well as their peers in congress . What affects one will affect t'other, whether in dealing with every day difficulties, or, I guess, even via one taking over the position of the other.

But, in general, from the information here, I do not see any clear indication of future significant change of actual career status or position for Mike Pence.

________________________________________________
Sackerson comments: "Faites vos jeux, Mesdames et Messieurs." Let us see how the chips fall. 

Many thanks to Twilight, whose blog can be found here: http://twilightstarsong.blogspot.co.uk/

"Burns Nicht", by JD

So now you want to try the national dish of Haggis?
This is how to make it-

Haggis Ingredients:

1 sheep's stomach bag
1 sheep's pluck - liver, lungs and heart
3 onions
8 ounces of beef Suet
4 ounces of oatmeal
salt and black pepper
about 10 tablespoons of stock/gravy (quarter of a pint approx)

1. Clean the stomach bag thoroughly and soak overnight. In the morning turn it inside out.
2. Wash the pluck and boil for 1.5 hours, ensuring the windpipe hangs over the pot allowing drainage of the impurities.
3. Mince the heart and lungs and grate half the liver.
4. Chop up the onions and suet.
5. Warm the oatmeal in the oven.
6. Mix all the above together and season with the salt and pepper.
7. Pour over enough of the pluck boiled water to make the mixture watery.
8. Fill the bag with the mixture until it's half full.
9. Press out the air and sew the bag up.
10. Boil for 3 hours (you may need to prick the bag with a wee needle if it looks like blowing up!) without the lid on.
11. Serve with neeps and tatties. (neeps = turnips)

If that has put you off then take refuge in a wee dram. I would recommend Ardbeg or Cardhu among the malt whiskies and the best blended whiskies are The Antiquary or Cream Of The Barley!
Slàinte mhath!

Burns wrote many love songs and none finer than 'Ae Fond Kiss'. This is a beautiful version by Eddi Reader. In her introduction she mentions 'Nancy' who was Agnes Craig for whom the song was written-
http://robertburns.org/encyclopedia/MLehoseAgnesCraigClarinda1759-1841.555.shtml