This week, much good news about food here in the Alligator Bioregion (or as author Gary Nabhan calls it in his new book "Renewing American Food Traditions"-Gumbo Nation). Not only is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving one of the very best days of the year at the farmers market, but many farmers have told me that they have had an excellent month at our markets, and think our staff is the best we have every had.
*Also ran into food forager extraordinaire Jay Martin who was kind enough to talk about persimmons, bees and other free wild foods with me, and then to call my neighbor V and talk some more with her on the same subject. His expertise has energized M&V even more, who are doing a great job with their ongoing food growing life lesson. Sometimes I just sit in the farm in the early am looking around, feeling better about the city and its future by seeing those okra plants and blueberry bushes...
*Had some great sweet potatoes from the Hagan Farm tonight (just cook them with onions and garlic and black beans in a skillet), and look forward to clipping some green onions tomorrow over there for my catfish this week.
*Our CCFM hothouse cuke and tomato farmer Barry and Marsha Barilleaux are back with some GREAT bread and butter pickles on their table; they are so happy to be at market again this season. I promised to look for money to get them to Milwaukee to see Will Allen's place...
*Made some spaghetti saucewith dried mushrooms brought back from Tuscany tonight too and ate on my new French Quarter courtyard (more on that move next week).
*Marilyn told me she had a great lettuce crop from her urban farm at Cortez; selling 50 bags to her list of buyers.
Last but not least, satsumas and grapefruit from L'Hoste Organic citrus farm every day.
alive and quite well in the Alligator-Pontchartrain Basin...
Essays, links and visuals highlighting an alternative, resilient place at the strategic crescent of one mighty river.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thanksgiving as system justification (from the Situationist online)
Thanksgiving has many associations — struggling Pilgrims, crowded airports, autumn leaves, heaping plates, drunken uncles, blowout sales, and so on. At its best, though, Thanksgiving is associated with, well, thanks giving. The holiday provides a moment when many otherwise harried individuals leading hectic lives decelerate just long enough to muster some gratitude for their harvest. Giving thanks — acknowledging that we, as individuals, are not the sole determinants of our own fortunes seems an admirable, humble, and even situationist practice, worthy of its own holiday.
But I’m interested here in the potential downside to the particular way in which many people go about giving thanks.
Situationist contributor John Jost and his collaborators have studied a process that they call “system justification” — loosely the motive to defend and bolster existing arrangements even when doing so seems to conflict with individual and group interests. Jost, together with Situationist contributor Aaron Kay and several other co-authors, recently summarized the basic tendency to justify the status quo this way (pdf):
Whether because of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, social class, gender, or sexual orientation, or because of policies and programs that privilege some at the expense of others, or even because of historical accidents, genetic disparities, or the fickleness of fate, certain social systems serve the interests of some stakeholders better than others. Yet historical and social scientific evidence shows that most of the time the majority of people—regardless of their own social class or position—accept and even defend the legitimacy of their social and economic systems and manage to maintain a “belief in a just world” . . . . As Kinder and Sears (1985) put it, “the deepest puzzle here is not occasional protest but pervasive tranquility.” Knowing how easy it is for people to adapt to and rationalize the way things are makes it easer to understand why the apartheid system in South Africa lasted for 46 years, the institution of slavery survived for more than 400 years in Europe and the Americas, and the Indian Caste system has been maintained for 3000 years and counting.
Manifestations of the system-justification motive pervade many of our cognitions, ideologies, and institutions. This post reflects my worry that the Thanksgiving holiday might also manifest that powerful implicit motive. No doubt, expressing gratitude is generally a healthy and appropriate practice. Indeed, my sense is that Americans too rarely acknowledge the debt they owe to other people and other influences. There ought to be more thanks giving.
Nonetheless, the norm of Thanksgiving seems to be to encourage a particular kind of gratitude — a generic thankfulness for the status quo. Indeed, when one looks at what many describe as the true meaning of the holiday, the message is generally one of announcing that current arrangements — good and bad — are precisely as they should be.
Consider the message behind the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. In 1789, President George Washington wrote:
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country . . . for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed . . . and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions . . . . To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”
Bush - Times OnlineExisting levels of prosperity, by this account, reflect the merciful and omniscient blessings of the “beneficent Author” of all that is good.
More recently, President George W. Bush offered a similar message about the meaning of the holiday:
“In the four centuries since the founders . . . first knelt on these grounds, our nation has changed in many ways. Our people have prospered, our nation has grown, our Thanksgiving traditions have evolved — after all, they didn’t have football back then. Yet the source of all our blessings remains the same: We give thanks to the Author of Life who granted our forefathers safe passage to this land, who gives every man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth the gift of freedom, and who watches over our nation every day.”
The faith that we are being “watched over” and that our blessings and prosperity are the product of a gift-giving force is extraordinarily affirming. All that “is,” is as that “great and glorious Being” intended.
Fom such a perspective, giving thanks begins to look like a means of assuring ourselves that our current situation was ordained by some higher, legitimating force. To doubt the legitimacy of existing arrangements is to be ungrateful.
A cursory search of the internet for the “meaning of Thanksgiving” reveals many similar recent messages. For instance, one blogger writes, in a post entitled “Teaching Children the Meaning of Thanksgiving,” that:
your goal should be to move the spirit of Thanksgiving from a one-day event to a basic life attitude. . . . This means being thankful no matter what our situation in life. Thankfulness means that we are aware of both our blessings and disappointments but that we focus on the blessings. . . . Are you thankful for your job even when you feel overworked and underpaid?”
Another piece, entitled “The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving” includes this lesson regarding the main source of the Pilgrim’s success: “It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that’s what Thanksgiving is really all about. The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God – even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.”
If we are supposed to be thankful for our jobs even when we are “overworked and underpaid,” should we also be thankful for unfairness or injustice? And if we are to be grateful for our sorrows, should we then be indifferent toward their earthly causes?
A third article, “The Productive Meaning of Thanksgiving” offers these “us”-affirming, guilt-reducing assurances: “The deeper meaning is that we have the capacity to produce such wealth and that we live in a country that affords us our right to exercise the virtue of productivity and to reap its rewards. So let’s celebrate wealth and the power in us to produce it; let’s welcome this most wonderful time of the year and partake without guilt of the bounty we each have earned.”
That advice seems to mollify any sense of injustice by giving something to everyone. Those with bountiful harvests get to enjoy their riches guiltlessly. Those with meager harvests can be grateful for the fact that they live in a country where they might someday enjoy richer returns from their individual efforts.
quotation-thanksgiving-3.pngYet another post, “The Meaning for Thanksgiving,” admonishes readers to be grateful, because they could, after all, be much worse off:
[M]aybe you are unsatisfied with your home or job? Would you be willing to trade either with someone who has no hope of getting a job or is homeless? Could you consider going to Africa or the Middle East and trade places with someone that would desperately love to have even a meager home and a low wage paying job where they could send their children to school without the worry of being bombed, raped, kidnapped or killed on a daily basis?
* * *
No matter how bad you think you have it, there are people who would love to trade places with you in an instant. You can choose to be miserable and pine for something better. You could choose to trade places with someone else for all the money they could give you. You could waste your gift of life, but that would be the worst mistake to make. Or you can rethink about what makes your life great and at least be happy for what you have then be patient about what you want to come to you in the future.
If your inclination on Thanksgiving is to give thanks, I do not mean to discourage you. My only suggestion is that you give thanks, not for the status quo, but for all of the ways in which your (our) own advantages and privileges are the consequence of situation, and not simply your individual (our national) disposition. Further, I’d encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
But I’m interested here in the potential downside to the particular way in which many people go about giving thanks.
Situationist contributor John Jost and his collaborators have studied a process that they call “system justification” — loosely the motive to defend and bolster existing arrangements even when doing so seems to conflict with individual and group interests. Jost, together with Situationist contributor Aaron Kay and several other co-authors, recently summarized the basic tendency to justify the status quo this way (pdf):
Whether because of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, social class, gender, or sexual orientation, or because of policies and programs that privilege some at the expense of others, or even because of historical accidents, genetic disparities, or the fickleness of fate, certain social systems serve the interests of some stakeholders better than others. Yet historical and social scientific evidence shows that most of the time the majority of people—regardless of their own social class or position—accept and even defend the legitimacy of their social and economic systems and manage to maintain a “belief in a just world” . . . . As Kinder and Sears (1985) put it, “the deepest puzzle here is not occasional protest but pervasive tranquility.” Knowing how easy it is for people to adapt to and rationalize the way things are makes it easer to understand why the apartheid system in South Africa lasted for 46 years, the institution of slavery survived for more than 400 years in Europe and the Americas, and the Indian Caste system has been maintained for 3000 years and counting.
Manifestations of the system-justification motive pervade many of our cognitions, ideologies, and institutions. This post reflects my worry that the Thanksgiving holiday might also manifest that powerful implicit motive. No doubt, expressing gratitude is generally a healthy and appropriate practice. Indeed, my sense is that Americans too rarely acknowledge the debt they owe to other people and other influences. There ought to be more thanks giving.
Nonetheless, the norm of Thanksgiving seems to be to encourage a particular kind of gratitude — a generic thankfulness for the status quo. Indeed, when one looks at what many describe as the true meaning of the holiday, the message is generally one of announcing that current arrangements — good and bad — are precisely as they should be.
Consider the message behind the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. In 1789, President George Washington wrote:
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country . . . for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed . . . and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions . . . . To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”
Bush - Times OnlineExisting levels of prosperity, by this account, reflect the merciful and omniscient blessings of the “beneficent Author” of all that is good.
More recently, President George W. Bush offered a similar message about the meaning of the holiday:
“In the four centuries since the founders . . . first knelt on these grounds, our nation has changed in many ways. Our people have prospered, our nation has grown, our Thanksgiving traditions have evolved — after all, they didn’t have football back then. Yet the source of all our blessings remains the same: We give thanks to the Author of Life who granted our forefathers safe passage to this land, who gives every man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth the gift of freedom, and who watches over our nation every day.”
The faith that we are being “watched over” and that our blessings and prosperity are the product of a gift-giving force is extraordinarily affirming. All that “is,” is as that “great and glorious Being” intended.
Fom such a perspective, giving thanks begins to look like a means of assuring ourselves that our current situation was ordained by some higher, legitimating force. To doubt the legitimacy of existing arrangements is to be ungrateful.
A cursory search of the internet for the “meaning of Thanksgiving” reveals many similar recent messages. For instance, one blogger writes, in a post entitled “Teaching Children the Meaning of Thanksgiving,” that:
your goal should be to move the spirit of Thanksgiving from a one-day event to a basic life attitude. . . . This means being thankful no matter what our situation in life. Thankfulness means that we are aware of both our blessings and disappointments but that we focus on the blessings. . . . Are you thankful for your job even when you feel overworked and underpaid?”
Another piece, entitled “The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving” includes this lesson regarding the main source of the Pilgrim’s success: “It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that’s what Thanksgiving is really all about. The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God – even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.”
If we are supposed to be thankful for our jobs even when we are “overworked and underpaid,” should we also be thankful for unfairness or injustice? And if we are to be grateful for our sorrows, should we then be indifferent toward their earthly causes?
A third article, “The Productive Meaning of Thanksgiving” offers these “us”-affirming, guilt-reducing assurances: “The deeper meaning is that we have the capacity to produce such wealth and that we live in a country that affords us our right to exercise the virtue of productivity and to reap its rewards. So let’s celebrate wealth and the power in us to produce it; let’s welcome this most wonderful time of the year and partake without guilt of the bounty we each have earned.”
That advice seems to mollify any sense of injustice by giving something to everyone. Those with bountiful harvests get to enjoy their riches guiltlessly. Those with meager harvests can be grateful for the fact that they live in a country where they might someday enjoy richer returns from their individual efforts.
quotation-thanksgiving-3.pngYet another post, “The Meaning for Thanksgiving,” admonishes readers to be grateful, because they could, after all, be much worse off:
[M]aybe you are unsatisfied with your home or job? Would you be willing to trade either with someone who has no hope of getting a job or is homeless? Could you consider going to Africa or the Middle East and trade places with someone that would desperately love to have even a meager home and a low wage paying job where they could send their children to school without the worry of being bombed, raped, kidnapped or killed on a daily basis?
* * *
No matter how bad you think you have it, there are people who would love to trade places with you in an instant. You can choose to be miserable and pine for something better. You could choose to trade places with someone else for all the money they could give you. You could waste your gift of life, but that would be the worst mistake to make. Or you can rethink about what makes your life great and at least be happy for what you have then be patient about what you want to come to you in the future.
If your inclination on Thanksgiving is to give thanks, I do not mean to discourage you. My only suggestion is that you give thanks, not for the status quo, but for all of the ways in which your (our) own advantages and privileges are the consequence of situation, and not simply your individual (our national) disposition. Further, I’d encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Small is Beautiful Fair Grinds meeting details
I think the land trust issue is one we could (and maybe should stay on) for a few more meetings. I hope we can meet in mid December, if the middle Wednesday works for some/most/ let's do it (at 5:45 again?).
Fair Grinds again is best for now, until we find another Uptown location. But let me thank Robert (and Elizabeth for being on call for Robert while he was in the meeting) for the use of their place once again; we love coming, we just want to make sure that our Uptown friends don't have to travel so far every meeting!
To clarify a point from last night:
land trusts are not a non-taxable entity usually; the way many of them work is to BUY the land from the city or the seller (so the city makes money whether its a developer or a land trust) and then-from money raised among members and earned income from rent on land trusts or sale of right of use to make improvements- the land trust has money to make tax payments if needed.
Sometimes, innovative assessors see the value of the land trust and reduces the tax burden as they understand that to assess a non-sellable asset is a little crazy, but mostly, land trusts continue to pay assessments as a property owner as anyone else would.
This is the main reason why people do not need to fear working with their city or town government on these; there is no special deal being asked and it is a well traveled legal road already.
The argument that this is a all or nothing argument is interesting (the idea of large pieces of land being made land trusts at once), because I think what I have seen is land trusts work best when in mixed use areas, with smart development happening around them and for a variety of uses, like affordable rental property, farmland preservation and wildlife and natural habitats.
Let's continue this conversation and I will make some copies of land trusts from other places for the next meeting.
Fair Grinds again is best for now, until we find another Uptown location. But let me thank Robert (and Elizabeth for being on call for Robert while he was in the meeting) for the use of their place once again; we love coming, we just want to make sure that our Uptown friends don't have to travel so far every meeting!
To clarify a point from last night:
land trusts are not a non-taxable entity usually; the way many of them work is to BUY the land from the city or the seller (so the city makes money whether its a developer or a land trust) and then-from money raised among members and earned income from rent on land trusts or sale of right of use to make improvements- the land trust has money to make tax payments if needed.
Sometimes, innovative assessors see the value of the land trust and reduces the tax burden as they understand that to assess a non-sellable asset is a little crazy, but mostly, land trusts continue to pay assessments as a property owner as anyone else would.
This is the main reason why people do not need to fear working with their city or town government on these; there is no special deal being asked and it is a well traveled legal road already.
The argument that this is a all or nothing argument is interesting (the idea of large pieces of land being made land trusts at once), because I think what I have seen is land trusts work best when in mixed use areas, with smart development happening around them and for a variety of uses, like affordable rental property, farmland preservation and wildlife and natural habitats.
Let's continue this conversation and I will make some copies of land trusts from other places for the next meeting.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Open letter to neighboring convenience store
As we struggle to rebuild our in-between-designated-neighborhoods area, we find ourselves with issues that require constant attention and sometimes, a more serious plan.
As we have spent loads of time daily picking up trash along the end of the bayou, asking our neighbor (the animal eye hospital) to supply dog bags at our end, demanding the placement of some city garbage cans to encourage trash to be put inside, working with neighboring businesses to ask their customers to not block driveways and stop signs, we also work to find a way to get the 24 hour-a-day convenience store to respect its location. Below, is a letter I am sending to them, (which does not even mention how MUCH of my neighbor's time has been spent communicating with them) in hopes of moving their attitude a little bit further into the sphere of good neighbor land.
Please feel free to share this letter with people that might be interested in learning about the issues at the end of the bayou or are working on their own area issues. If folk use the store, and can mention to the workers when inside that there is trash around and maybe they can step outside to pick it up, collective action is always helpful.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am asking that your establishment spend at least 10 minutes every 4 hours on EITHER side of your building, picking up the trash that is thrown on the ground on the Orleans and the St. Peter streets, from Moss to Hagan Avenue. Many neighbors have asked before that you send a staff person out (which you agreed to) and I would like you to start to honor that agreement again. As a piece of advice, as it is clear that the few times that a staff person has come out that that the situation was much better for a week or two, so I would recommend that you schedule this task on the actual work schedule, so that your staff understands the seriousness of presenting a clean, professional business to your customers and neighbors.
Since you are open 24 hours a day, I am asking for a total of ONE HOUR of trash pickup, which does not seem excessive at all considering the amount of business you receive from being in this prime location.
Please understand that I have run many businesses, some exactly like yours. I know the workload and responsibilities of running a neighborhood store, and know-without reservation- that you can build this task within your daily schedule without any problem. If you continue to ignore the residential neighbors issues, I am sure that we will redouble our efforts to make sure that ALL laws, regulations and niceties are followed, even if it means assigning someone to manage this process for us every day.
I am also sending this to city officials to make sure they understand we are doing everything in our power to correct this situation in a timely and calm manner. I ask that you do everything you can to make sure you do the same.
D. Wolnik
3320 St. Peter (under construction)
New Orleans LA 70119
(temporary) 625 Hagan Lot W
New Orleans LA 70119
This is the letter I sent to the church that owns the building behind the convenience store and shows how a neighbor can take it seriously:
Dear Pastor Davis,
I want to alert you to the issue of the trash that is collecting on the St. Peter side of your church's building. This morning there was easily a garbage bag's worth of trash on the side, and yes, most of that can be directly traced to the 24 hour a day convenience store behind your building, across from our community. Your maintenance of your building is fine and appreciated; this issue is one that is forced on us by the store, but one we all have to face.
We work very hard daily to pick up trash, using our own time and supplies because we think it is the mark of a successful neighborhood when everyone is looking out for all things. To that end, we request that a staff member (or someone you designate) travel to the building every 2-3 days and walk the perimeter with a bag and gloves to assist in keeping this shared space beautiful.
We also would request that more neighbors ask the store to also put a staff member out daily to pick up the trash before it blows into our areas and to respect this unequaled space next to the bayou that they have in their possession at this time. Please let us know if you are able to find time to contact the owners (and we have their contact information if needed) and what, if any response you might want to share with us.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
--
Darlene Wolnik
The church's reply:
Thank you for the head's up on the rear of our property. I will have our janitor to check that part of our property regularly.
We appreciate your help as we have tried to be a bright light here for the past 28 years.
Sincerely,
Frank Davis
Pastor-teacher
As we have spent loads of time daily picking up trash along the end of the bayou, asking our neighbor (the animal eye hospital) to supply dog bags at our end, demanding the placement of some city garbage cans to encourage trash to be put inside, working with neighboring businesses to ask their customers to not block driveways and stop signs, we also work to find a way to get the 24 hour-a-day convenience store to respect its location. Below, is a letter I am sending to them, (which does not even mention how MUCH of my neighbor's time has been spent communicating with them) in hopes of moving their attitude a little bit further into the sphere of good neighbor land.
Please feel free to share this letter with people that might be interested in learning about the issues at the end of the bayou or are working on their own area issues. If folk use the store, and can mention to the workers when inside that there is trash around and maybe they can step outside to pick it up, collective action is always helpful.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am asking that your establishment spend at least 10 minutes every 4 hours on EITHER side of your building, picking up the trash that is thrown on the ground on the Orleans and the St. Peter streets, from Moss to Hagan Avenue. Many neighbors have asked before that you send a staff person out (which you agreed to) and I would like you to start to honor that agreement again. As a piece of advice, as it is clear that the few times that a staff person has come out that that the situation was much better for a week or two, so I would recommend that you schedule this task on the actual work schedule, so that your staff understands the seriousness of presenting a clean, professional business to your customers and neighbors.
Since you are open 24 hours a day, I am asking for a total of ONE HOUR of trash pickup, which does not seem excessive at all considering the amount of business you receive from being in this prime location.
Please understand that I have run many businesses, some exactly like yours. I know the workload and responsibilities of running a neighborhood store, and know-without reservation- that you can build this task within your daily schedule without any problem. If you continue to ignore the residential neighbors issues, I am sure that we will redouble our efforts to make sure that ALL laws, regulations and niceties are followed, even if it means assigning someone to manage this process for us every day.
I am also sending this to city officials to make sure they understand we are doing everything in our power to correct this situation in a timely and calm manner. I ask that you do everything you can to make sure you do the same.
D. Wolnik
3320 St. Peter (under construction)
New Orleans LA 70119
(temporary) 625 Hagan Lot W
New Orleans LA 70119
This is the letter I sent to the church that owns the building behind the convenience store and shows how a neighbor can take it seriously:
Dear Pastor Davis,
I want to alert you to the issue of the trash that is collecting on the St. Peter side of your church's building. This morning there was easily a garbage bag's worth of trash on the side, and yes, most of that can be directly traced to the 24 hour a day convenience store behind your building, across from our community. Your maintenance of your building is fine and appreciated; this issue is one that is forced on us by the store, but one we all have to face.
We work very hard daily to pick up trash, using our own time and supplies because we think it is the mark of a successful neighborhood when everyone is looking out for all things. To that end, we request that a staff member (or someone you designate) travel to the building every 2-3 days and walk the perimeter with a bag and gloves to assist in keeping this shared space beautiful.
We also would request that more neighbors ask the store to also put a staff member out daily to pick up the trash before it blows into our areas and to respect this unequaled space next to the bayou that they have in their possession at this time. Please let us know if you are able to find time to contact the owners (and we have their contact information if needed) and what, if any response you might want to share with us.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
--
Darlene Wolnik
The church's reply:
Thank you for the head's up on the rear of our property. I will have our janitor to check that part of our property regularly.
We appreciate your help as we have tried to be a bright light here for the past 28 years.
Sincerely,
Frank Davis
Pastor-teacher
Friday, November 14, 2008
Movies on OCH
Zeitgeist
Multi-disciplinary Arts Center - 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd
(504) 827-5858 www.zeitgeistinc.net
Held Over!
Mon, Wed & Fri, November 17, 19, & 21 @ 5:30 p.m. matinees
ANITA O’DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER
by Robbie Cavolina & Ian McCrudden
The film is an intimate portrait of the “Jezebel of Jazz”, the maverick jazz vocalist Anita O’Day, a self-professed "song-stylist" and rightly known as one of the greatest jazz divas of all time. Filmmakers Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden have devoted four years in order to perfectly capture O’Day’s seven decade following her career from the early days singing alongside the likes of Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael through her many great adversities which she fought to overcome; a 20-year heroin and alcohol addiction, several failed marriages, abortions and arrests and finally, her last-hurrah album, completed just before the singer’s 2006 death at age 87. 90 mins.
Held Over!
Tues, Thurs & Sat, November 18, 20 & 22 @ 5:30 p.m. matinees
GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON
by Academy Award winning director Alex Gibney
A probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary, the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson’s life—his intense and ill fated relationship with the Hell’s Angels, his near-successful bid for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny Depp. 120 mins.
Multi-disciplinary Arts Center - 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd
(504) 827-5858 www.zeitgeistinc.net
Held Over!
Mon, Wed & Fri, November 17, 19, & 21 @ 5:30 p.m. matinees
ANITA O’DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER
by Robbie Cavolina & Ian McCrudden
The film is an intimate portrait of the “Jezebel of Jazz”, the maverick jazz vocalist Anita O’Day, a self-professed "song-stylist" and rightly known as one of the greatest jazz divas of all time. Filmmakers Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden have devoted four years in order to perfectly capture O’Day’s seven decade following her career from the early days singing alongside the likes of Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael through her many great adversities which she fought to overcome; a 20-year heroin and alcohol addiction, several failed marriages, abortions and arrests and finally, her last-hurrah album, completed just before the singer’s 2006 death at age 87. 90 mins.
Held Over!
Tues, Thurs & Sat, November 18, 20 & 22 @ 5:30 p.m. matinees
GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON
by Academy Award winning director Alex Gibney
A probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary, the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson’s life—his intense and ill fated relationship with the Hell’s Angels, his near-successful bid for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny Depp. 120 mins.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
open democracy article
Palinism - taking advantage of feminism for personal gain
Susan Griffin, 04/11/08
I think we ought to memorialize Sarah Palin's candidacy with a new word, Palinism, to be defined as the practice of taking advantage of feminism for personal gain without supporting the rights of other women. (see also opportunism.)
Palinism offers rich territory for understanding how so many years of discrimination work to subvert and distort the most basic impulses women have. Within the enthusiasm some women have shown for Palinism, particularly among those who are aligned with or to the right of Bill O'Reilly and Phyllis Schafly and who until quite recently argued that women ought to stay at home to raise their children, Palinism offers a way out of an old conundrum. When seeing women like Hillary Clinton out there speaking and achieving, if despite their best intentions these women find themselves wanting an equal right to participate in world affairs, they find that with Palinism, a woman can have her cake and eat a substantial slice of it too. Just like Sarah Palin, as they defend all the fundamental tenets of male domination, including an opposition to abortion, they can work in tandem with men who favor domination and might over others, be they people, nations or other creatures. So these women will not have to relinquish the protection they believe that white fathers give them. They can be safe and adventurous (or mavericky), obedient and powerful, helpmates and in the limelight, all at the same time.
But there will be more chapters, believe me, in this story. We are already seeing one of them evolve. A little taste of power can be addictive. Especially when the brew is not diluted by any philosophies that preach equality. Pretty soon, many helpmates who perform on a big stage will want their own shows. Palin herself has acted out this chapter already in fact, as a helpmate to a male mayor and then a male governor, both of whom she replaced in short order.
And that brings me to the beauty queen part. I don't fault Sarah for being beautiful. And would I like more beauty queens to enter politics. You betcha! And do I feel sorry for the long line of dead ducks she's left behind her on her ambitious trail? Nope. And here's why. Do you think these guys would have given a woman with less appealing physical attributes the leg up (excuse the pun) they gave to Sarah? As far as I'm concerned, they've all been hoisted on their own petards. And do I fault Sarah for using her beauty? Nope, not at all.(Though I do question the $150,000 wardrobe her party paid for) But again, folks, sisters, isn't it feminism here again that is losing out, different (and wrong) standards applied to us again?
Don't get me wrong here. I think Sarah's very, very smart. But she is not educated. And she's not very swift at thinking through a question logically either. She must have fallen asleep during her civics and history classes. And this is a real problem. I find it insulting to equate ignorance with where you are on the pay scale. This is another rather unpleasant part of Palinism. A Palinist candidate pulls off a skilled impersonation of the way a working or middle class person thinks and talks, while at the same time promulgating policies that favor the rich over ordinary people. In Sarah's case she grew up talking that way, then learned to use her "gs" when it seemed to help her career. After becoming a millionaire and a governor, and then running for VIP of the USA, Sarah re-introduced and perfected her woman of the people parlance.
Do you feel yanked around by this? I do.
My Dad was a firefighter. And by the way, he would not have liked to be called "Walt the fireman" as if he were a cartoon figure like "Bob the builder." He was a three dimensional sort of guy, with a range of ideas and dreams like the rest of us. As a kid I used his working class grammar until my grandmother taught me another way of thinking. I will forever feel a great ambivalence toward that. Grateful that I learned to speak in a way that would help me to go on to college and become a writer. Sad for the subtle disdain toward my father that shaded her lessons.
Now Obama has been to Harvard and his oratorical skills show that. But boy am I glad both he and Michelle are such good talkers. Why? Because both of them and Joe Biden have put into words something that has been causing me great anguish over the last eight or more years. How much ordinary people are suffering in America; how bright kids without rich parents can't go to college like I did now, how young people like my daughter and son-in-law will be saddled for years with the crushing debt they had to take on to go to school. How working people's salaries never rose with the profits so many made over the last decade even though prices did. How more people are hungry now than I can remember.
So I say forget all the Palinist populist rhetoric. I don't mind if you say "votin' '" instead of "voting", if you give us policies that help working and middleclass people.
And there is one more thing. I suppose it's predictable that Palinism would have to include a fair share of the contemporary version of McCarthyism. When what you promise isn't all that appealing (or fair or just) you can always call your opponents "reds" or "socialists" or say that they "pal around with terrorists." Name calling is an important element of Palinism, because, being driven more by ambition than common cause, Palinists lack a coherent approach to our problems. Except for fear and hatred, they don't have much to give us, whoever we are, men or women, black, brown or white, rich or poor: the message is really empty.
Susan Griffin's -- most recent book, Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, On Being an American Citizen, was published by Trumpeter Press in April 2008. Susan Griffin is an author and social thinker, whose writings on the historical fate of the female body (Woman and Nature), pornography (Pornography and Silence), and war (A Chorus of Stones) combine the personal and the political in unusual juxtaposition.
Susan Griffin, 04/11/08
I think we ought to memorialize Sarah Palin's candidacy with a new word, Palinism, to be defined as the practice of taking advantage of feminism for personal gain without supporting the rights of other women. (see also opportunism.)
Palinism offers rich territory for understanding how so many years of discrimination work to subvert and distort the most basic impulses women have. Within the enthusiasm some women have shown for Palinism, particularly among those who are aligned with or to the right of Bill O'Reilly and Phyllis Schafly and who until quite recently argued that women ought to stay at home to raise their children, Palinism offers a way out of an old conundrum. When seeing women like Hillary Clinton out there speaking and achieving, if despite their best intentions these women find themselves wanting an equal right to participate in world affairs, they find that with Palinism, a woman can have her cake and eat a substantial slice of it too. Just like Sarah Palin, as they defend all the fundamental tenets of male domination, including an opposition to abortion, they can work in tandem with men who favor domination and might over others, be they people, nations or other creatures. So these women will not have to relinquish the protection they believe that white fathers give them. They can be safe and adventurous (or mavericky), obedient and powerful, helpmates and in the limelight, all at the same time.
But there will be more chapters, believe me, in this story. We are already seeing one of them evolve. A little taste of power can be addictive. Especially when the brew is not diluted by any philosophies that preach equality. Pretty soon, many helpmates who perform on a big stage will want their own shows. Palin herself has acted out this chapter already in fact, as a helpmate to a male mayor and then a male governor, both of whom she replaced in short order.
And that brings me to the beauty queen part. I don't fault Sarah for being beautiful. And would I like more beauty queens to enter politics. You betcha! And do I feel sorry for the long line of dead ducks she's left behind her on her ambitious trail? Nope. And here's why. Do you think these guys would have given a woman with less appealing physical attributes the leg up (excuse the pun) they gave to Sarah? As far as I'm concerned, they've all been hoisted on their own petards. And do I fault Sarah for using her beauty? Nope, not at all.(Though I do question the $150,000 wardrobe her party paid for) But again, folks, sisters, isn't it feminism here again that is losing out, different (and wrong) standards applied to us again?
Don't get me wrong here. I think Sarah's very, very smart. But she is not educated. And she's not very swift at thinking through a question logically either. She must have fallen asleep during her civics and history classes. And this is a real problem. I find it insulting to equate ignorance with where you are on the pay scale. This is another rather unpleasant part of Palinism. A Palinist candidate pulls off a skilled impersonation of the way a working or middle class person thinks and talks, while at the same time promulgating policies that favor the rich over ordinary people. In Sarah's case she grew up talking that way, then learned to use her "gs" when it seemed to help her career. After becoming a millionaire and a governor, and then running for VIP of the USA, Sarah re-introduced and perfected her woman of the people parlance.
Do you feel yanked around by this? I do.
My Dad was a firefighter. And by the way, he would not have liked to be called "Walt the fireman" as if he were a cartoon figure like "Bob the builder." He was a three dimensional sort of guy, with a range of ideas and dreams like the rest of us. As a kid I used his working class grammar until my grandmother taught me another way of thinking. I will forever feel a great ambivalence toward that. Grateful that I learned to speak in a way that would help me to go on to college and become a writer. Sad for the subtle disdain toward my father that shaded her lessons.
Now Obama has been to Harvard and his oratorical skills show that. But boy am I glad both he and Michelle are such good talkers. Why? Because both of them and Joe Biden have put into words something that has been causing me great anguish over the last eight or more years. How much ordinary people are suffering in America; how bright kids without rich parents can't go to college like I did now, how young people like my daughter and son-in-law will be saddled for years with the crushing debt they had to take on to go to school. How working people's salaries never rose with the profits so many made over the last decade even though prices did. How more people are hungry now than I can remember.
So I say forget all the Palinist populist rhetoric. I don't mind if you say "votin' '" instead of "voting", if you give us policies that help working and middleclass people.
And there is one more thing. I suppose it's predictable that Palinism would have to include a fair share of the contemporary version of McCarthyism. When what you promise isn't all that appealing (or fair or just) you can always call your opponents "reds" or "socialists" or say that they "pal around with terrorists." Name calling is an important element of Palinism, because, being driven more by ambition than common cause, Palinists lack a coherent approach to our problems. Except for fear and hatred, they don't have much to give us, whoever we are, men or women, black, brown or white, rich or poor: the message is really empty.
Susan Griffin's -- most recent book, Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, On Being an American Citizen, was published by Trumpeter Press in April 2008. Susan Griffin is an author and social thinker, whose writings on the historical fate of the female body (Woman and Nature), pornography (Pornography and Silence), and war (A Chorus of Stones) combine the personal and the political in unusual juxtaposition.
Next Small is Beautiful
The awareness of the political arena has become more real to most Americans over the last few weeks, and with the increase in voter rolls, we look forward to more voices taking their place in the arena of public discourse throughout the next 4 years-maybe a good place to start is the Small Is Beautiful group meeting?
And, if all is fine, we are ready for the next meeting to be held at Fair Grinds Coffeehouse (upstairs) Monday 11/24 at 5:45 pm. By the way, we are ready to find another Uptown location to go along with those already used, so shout one out if you know of a space that is locally controlled and ready for our free wheeling (evening) conversations...
We will ask that everyone has either read any of the essay(s) selected below, or is game to follow along with the discussion of it.
This essay backs up a bit, and discusses the history of EF Schumacher's ideas that evolved into the Small is Beautiful book and also the society in Massachusetts that works on those ends. I thought it might be useful to see the underpinnings of these ideas and discuss and their context....
read about the society, or the individuals, all quick reads:
about Society
Read or listen to Dr. Schumacher; any or all are useful, some are quick:
schumacher
In the spirit of making the discussion more open and yet directed, we have asked an old hand at local coffeehouse discourse, Sociology Professor David Burley, now at Southeastern in Hammond, to facilitate the meeting, leading us to some general conclusion at the end, even if that conclusion is let's discuss more, or agree to disagree!
Please come to link with others interested in living economies, and also please forward to students, friends, activists that might enjoy the time.
Dar
And, if all is fine, we are ready for the next meeting to be held at Fair Grinds Coffeehouse (upstairs) Monday 11/24 at 5:45 pm. By the way, we are ready to find another Uptown location to go along with those already used, so shout one out if you know of a space that is locally controlled and ready for our free wheeling (evening) conversations...
We will ask that everyone has either read any of the essay(s) selected below, or is game to follow along with the discussion of it.
This essay backs up a bit, and discusses the history of EF Schumacher's ideas that evolved into the Small is Beautiful book and also the society in Massachusetts that works on those ends. I thought it might be useful to see the underpinnings of these ideas and discuss and their context....
read about the society, or the individuals, all quick reads:
about Society
Read or listen to Dr. Schumacher; any or all are useful, some are quick:
schumacher
In the spirit of making the discussion more open and yet directed, we have asked an old hand at local coffeehouse discourse, Sociology Professor David Burley, now at Southeastern in Hammond, to facilitate the meeting, leading us to some general conclusion at the end, even if that conclusion is let's discuss more, or agree to disagree!
Please come to link with others interested in living economies, and also please forward to students, friends, activists that might enjoy the time.
Dar
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Save our waterway
The Corps of Engineers are prepared to announce their decision
on whether the Bayou St. John will be permanently closed to the lake
by a levee or, whether the present gates will be made operational so
that the lake and the bayou can keep its historic connection.
Please attend:
Do it for the next generation, do it for the continued progress of
New Orleans, but DO express your love for Bayou St. John on
November 13th. Your opinion is important and vital to the
the life of Bayou St. John. Don't let Bayou St. John die!
Thursday, November 13th
Open house from 6pm to 7pm
Presentation and discussion from 7pm to 9pm
Lindy Boggs Conference Center
Room 236
2045 Lakeshore Drive
on whether the Bayou St. John will be permanently closed to the lake
by a levee or, whether the present gates will be made operational so
that the lake and the bayou can keep its historic connection.
Please attend:
Do it for the next generation, do it for the continued progress of
New Orleans, but DO express your love for Bayou St. John on
November 13th. Your opinion is important and vital to the
the life of Bayou St. John. Don't let Bayou St. John die!
Thursday, November 13th
Open house from 6pm to 7pm
Presentation and discussion from 7pm to 9pm
Lindy Boggs Conference Center
Room 236
2045 Lakeshore Drive
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
3 pics of style in Tuscany region
the bathroom window opens wide for cool breeze or airing and looks a bit nautical-
the sink on the terrace is so useful for dog washing, cleaning garden implements or doing wash actually.
the shutters are ingenious for hot climates, Election night in America
am back from my trip to Italy, and glad to be back to sit at the computer and watch election results, minute by minute today. Statewide, we have a few interesting races to montior, Senator Landrieu and Jefferson/Moreno race in House. My baseball training comes into action here, I just love the play by play...
I feel the energy all over the city today; may pop over to Mother-In-Law Lounge to check in with election night hooplah; more likely the jet lag will catch up with me again and I will not make it. The folks around the world are watching so closely to see what we believe in; sorry that it is defined by the race of 2 already powerful men with millions of corporate bucks supporting them.
As many of you know, I do not vote on elections- not a believer in continuing the illusion of representative democracy; I'd rather believe in direct democracy and will gladly vote on issues and work with those who currently hold power to change the world to a more equitable place; however, I can certainly see the immediate need in 2008 for a change at the Big House; hope all my friends get the change they want and so many of them have worked so hard for, and I further hope we can start to see a daily excitement among more people to get involved with the decisions that shape us...
I feel the energy all over the city today; may pop over to Mother-In-Law Lounge to check in with election night hooplah; more likely the jet lag will catch up with me again and I will not make it. The folks around the world are watching so closely to see what we believe in; sorry that it is defined by the race of 2 already powerful men with millions of corporate bucks supporting them.
As many of you know, I do not vote on elections- not a believer in continuing the illusion of representative democracy; I'd rather believe in direct democracy and will gladly vote on issues and work with those who currently hold power to change the world to a more equitable place; however, I can certainly see the immediate need in 2008 for a change at the Big House; hope all my friends get the change they want and so many of them have worked so hard for, and I further hope we can start to see a daily excitement among more people to get involved with the decisions that shape us...
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