Music video: Booker (bukka) White performs Aberdeen Mississippi Blues

Bukka White (11/12/1909 – 2/26/1977) was a delta blues guitarist and singer--one of the many greats from that fertile region. "Bukka" was a misspelling of White's name Booker, by his record label. When Bob Dylan, John Fahey, and others recorded some of his songs in the mid-60's, he became part of the blues/folk revival. Bukka became friends with Furry Lewis later and they recorded an album in Furry's house (Furry Lewis, Bukka White & Friends: Party! At Home). This is an incredible video of Bukka performing solo, playjng slide guitar and "hammering on."

Thanks to Jeff Clinton for pointing this one out. Wow.


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Word studies, Part 6 - Gaslight/Gaslighting

The term gaslighting comes from a 1938 play Gas Light, where a wife frets over the inexplicable dimming of her house's gas lights. Her worries are dismissed by her husband as an overactive imagination. In reality, the husband is dimming the lights. He begns to manipulate other elements of his wife's life, and insists that she is misremembering. Gaslighting is often almost torture--lies are presented to a victim, and eventually, they begin to doubt their own memory, and eventually, their sanity itself. It's a classic plot device in literature and movies--when you change and shuffle things in a person's environment without their knowledge. When they mention the changes, you tell them they "must be imagining things."

In psychology, gaslighting is sometimes referred to as The Martha Mitchell Effect, after John Mitchell's--Dick Nixon's Attorney General--infamous wife. The Martha Mitchell Effect is what happens when a sbrink or other mental health worker mistakes the patient's perception of real events as delusional and treats the patient accordingly. A psychologist, Brendan Maher, named the effect after Martha Beall Mitchell. When she alleged that White House officials were engaged in illegal activities, her claims were attributed to mental illness and alcohol abuse. Münchausen syndrome by proxy is another disorder with many similarities to gaslighting.

One psychological definition of gaslighting is--according to Wikipedia at least-- "an increasing frequency of systematically withholding factual information from, and/or providing false information to, the victim - having the gradual effect of making them anxious, confused, and less able to trust their own memory and perception."

The psychotherapist Joseph Berke once wrote that "even paranoids have enemies." It is especially easy to misdiagnose a person with a history of paranoid delusions (we could call this something like the Chicken Little Factor).

In the 2001 movie Amélie, Amélie decides to gaslight her local grocer as payback for the way he treats his dim-bulb assistant, Lucien. Amelie switches his lightbulbs with lower wattage bulbs and replaces his slippers with smaller ones, among other pranks.

On their album Two Against Nature, Steely Dan have a song "Gaslighting Abbie" about a husband and his mistress planning to drive his wife insane.

In the 2007 movie The Darjeeling Limited, Adrien Brody's character asks Jason Schwartzman's character "Could she be gaslighting you?" when he discovers his ex-girlfriend had placed her perfume into his luggage.

The play The Mystery of Irma Vep has a scene where Lady Enid tells her husband about the strange things that have been happening in the house. The lights begin dimming. When she mentions it, her husband assures her that the lights are not dimming.



In Roald Dahl's book "The Twits," Mr. Twit tried to make Mrs Twit think she'd contracted a deadly disease.

In some sense, we were probably all gaslighted by Dick Cheney and George Bush, with the mysterious vanishing Weapons of Mass Destruction.
_________________

Excerpted from The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life By Robin Stern, Ph.D.

"Turn Up Your Gaslight Radar. Check for These Twenty Telltale Signs
Gaslighting may not involve all of these experiences or feelings, but if you recognize yourself in any of them, give it extra attention."

1. You are constantly second-guessing yourself.
2. You ask yourself, "Am I too sensitive?" a dozen times a day.
3. You often feel confused and even crazy at work.
4. You're always apologizing to your mother, father, boyfriend, boss.
5. You wonder frequently if you are a "good enough" girlfriend/wife/employee/friend/daughter.
6. You can't understand why, with so many apparently good things in your life, you aren't happier.
7. You buy clothes for yourself, furnishings for your apartment, or other personal purchases with your partner in mind, thinking about what he would like instead of what would make you feel great.
8. You frequently make excuses for your partner's behavior to friends and family.
9. You find yourself withholding information from friends and family so you don't have to explain or make excuses.
10. You know something is terribly wrong, but you can never quite express what it is, even to yourself.
11. You start lying to avoid the put-downs and reality twists.
12. You have trouble making simple decisions.
13. You think twice before bringing up certain seemingly innocent topics of conversation.
14. Before your partner comes home, you run through a checklist in your head to anticipate anything you might have done wrong that day.
15. You have the sense that you used to be a very different person - more confident, more fun-loving, more relaxed.
16. You start speaking to your husband through his secretary so you don't have to tell him things you're afraid might upset him.
17. You feel as though you can't do anything right.
18. Your kids begin trying to protect you from your partner.
19. You find yourself furious with people you've always gotten along with before.
20. You feel hopeless and joyless."
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Fireworks & Firewater: an All-American Combo

—click to enlarge: photographer unknown—

This business in Evanston, Wyoming, is officially named Porter's Fireworks and Firewater. A whole raft of articles from the Bill of Rights collide right here. On the other hand, it's quite a testimony to one-stop shopping.

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Counterpoint: Pablo Fanque: when do we get your retraction on Arlen Specter?

By Jack Brummet
All This Is That Folklore and Poetry Editor

It was less than two weeks ago that you, Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor, befouled All This Is That with a euphoric encomium (Celebrate! Sen. Arlen Specter extricates himself from The Hive--> The GOP begins to succumb to The Sickness) on Arlen Specter, illustrated with The Spec' wearing a halo.

It's been a week since I questioned your sanity on that one (Rebuttal: Pablo Fanque, are you out of your f***ing mind? Arlen Specter: Hero?). And yet, we have seen nothing on these pages even faintly resembling a retraction or apology. Are you waiting for the heat to die down? Or, are you not man enough to stand up and defend your boy now that he has stepped in the proverbial pile? Or have you switched parties yourself?
Since your anointment of the turncoat Senator as The Second Coming, Arlen Specter has:

• Said on Meet The Press that he never told President Obama that he would be loyal.
• Voted against BHO's budget only a day after he announced his party switch.
• Voted against a Democratic bill designed help homeowners in bankruptcy court
• Told the New York Times has was pulling for Norm Coleman to win in court against Al Franken.
• Announced his national health plan, based on diet and exercise.
• Seen the democrats strip away his seniority in retaliation for his disloyalty.
• Claimed the The President "would seek my advice, especially when I disagree with him.”
• Virtually admitted he switched parties only to save his own skin. He makes Crazy Joe Lieberman look like a Yellow Dog Democrat.

As Gail Collins said in the New York Times "Specter’s theory is that his propensity to do whatever he wants should not only be tolerated, but constantly rewarded. That’s not character. It’s self-indulgence. "

In the end, Democrats foolishly gave Arlen Specter a face-saving subcommittee; he got off with just a slap on the wrist. And a halo, from you, Pablo Fanque. How do you like your angel these days, Pabs?
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How Do You Sleep At Night (with lyrics): John Lennon's volley against Paul in their song war

How Do You Sleep At Night
By John Lennon

So Sgt. Pepper took you by suprise,
You better thru that mother's eyes,
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead,
The one mistake you made was in your head,
How do you sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
You live with straights who tell you you was king,
Jump when your mamma tell you any thing,
The only thing you did was yesterday,
And since your gone you're just another day,
How do you sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
A pretty face may last a year or two,
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do,
The sound you make is muzak to my ears,
You must have learnt something all thos years,
How do you Sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
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A salute to Golden Gardens - Excelsior!

Orcas ("killer whales") off Golden Gardens in February, 2009 (they
don't usually come this close to Seattle proper) - click to enlarge


a typical scene -- looking over toward Bainbridge Island - click to enlarge


Sunset (a great time to visit), just before the bonfires are lit. The sun becomes an
orange or red ball and fills the sky with pink, yellow, and orange as it slips below
the Olympic Mountains behind Bainbridge Island - click to enlarge


An amazing polyglot mix of people gather every day at Golden Gardens. Golden Gardens is a beach in north Seattle (Ballard) on Puget Sound's Shilshole Bay. It is within walking distance of my house, down a trail and maybe 150 stairs. Its 87 acres contain multitudes, and a lot of Ballard history. It became a key Seattle park early on, since it was at the very end of the streetcar line.

You'll find volleyball players, Christians gathering to pray and sing around the campfire, families cooking over open fires or charcoal, drum circles, solo guitar players, skaters, joggers, bikers, kite fliers, scuba divers, wind surfers, Buddhist gatherings, Wiccan meetings, kayakers, canoeists, and mostly just people walking and sitting on the beach.

The beach ranges from sandy to rocky and littered with shells and driftwood. One section of the beach at the north was restored to what they believe was its original pristine state...a small dune area, freshwater pond, and wetlands were recovered a few years ago.

At low tide you find anemones, sea urchins, limpets, oyster drills, starfish, crabs, clams, sand dollars, oysters, and all sorts of other tide pool critters.

At the very north (the restored part) of the beach are reeds, sea grass, alder trees, salal and Oregon grape, and other native flora, which create some very private areas to hang around in. These areas are rumored to contain, at times, people performing the act of procreation (or just straight recreation without the pro- if you're on the other team).

The sunsets are stunning, as the orange sun falls below the Olympic Mountains after sending rays dancing along the sound.

My mom used to come here and swim in high school on the last day of school. A lot of kids, the polar bear club, and the occasional grown-up still swim here. The temperature of Puget sound ranges from about 45 degrees to around 52 in the summer. It is brutally cold, although there are some hot spots around the sound--shallow areas where the temperature is more hospitable. Golden Gardens is not a hot spot. When you jump in you are instantly numb. But you see people swimming anytime you visit there from May to September. I can't do it. . .mid-calf is about as far as I go.

In the last few years, the park has increased security, and cleaned up the beach. There are now 12 steel fire pits where the city allows park visitors to build fires. This is a big improvement from the days when you could build fires anywhere--which left the beach littered with charred logs and ash.

This is about as good as it gets...you bring in a surreptitious bottle of wine, sit on the beach and watch a sailboat regatta and later, the sun as it drifts downward, and finally slips down into the other half of the world.
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11 Stupid Questions From Yahoo Answers That Have Changed My Life from 11points.com

11points.com (or, Sam Greenspan, who also runs the SmashPanda.com site) comes up with some fascinating lists. Sometimes his commentary can be a little snarky...but, he does come up with some pretty fine lists. One from January, 11 Stupid Questions From Yahoo Answers That Have Changed My Life, is pretty fascinating, and spooky, and creepy. But good.

Some of his recent posts include:

11 Ways Ice Cube and I Differ On Assessing What Constitutes a Good Day
11 Questions With Jennifer Widerstrom, Phoenix from American Gladiators
11 Totally Different, and Mostly Crazy, Systems for Calculating Your Age
11 Weakest Official State Items
11 Businesses Selling Two Hilariously Unconnected Items
11 State Laws About Marrying Your Cousins, From Strictest to Loosest
11 Most Profound Quotes in Simpsons History
11 Old School Nintendo Tricks Permanently Burned Into Our Brains
11 Women the Kama Sutra Says You Shouldn't Have Sex With
11 Predictions That Back to the Future Part II Got Wrong
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digital art: the new family

click to enlarge

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Happy Mother's Day - John Lennon sings "Mother" live at MSG (with lyrics)

Mother by John Lennon

Mother, you had me but I never had you,
I wanted you but you didn't want me,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.
Farther, you left me but I never left you,
I needed you but you didn't need me,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.
Children, don't do what I have done,
I couldn't walk and I tried to run,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home.
Mama don't go,
Daddy come home...
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Happy Mother's Day - Frank Zappa & The Mother of Invention's "Mother People".

We are the other people
We are the other people
You're the other people too
Found a way to get to you...
Do you think that I'm crazy?
Out of my mind?
Do you think that I creep in the night
And sleep in a phone booth?
Lemme take a minute & tell you my plan
Lemme take a minute & tell who I am
If it doesn't show
Think you better know
I'm another person
Do you think that my pants are too tight
Do you think that I'm creepy?
Lemme take a minute & tell you my plan
Lemme take a minute & tell who I am
If it doesn't show
Think you better know
I'm another person (the verse that really
Goes here has been censored out &
Recorded backwards in a special section
At the end of side one...)
We are the other people
We are the other people
You're the other people too
Found a way to get to you
We are the other people
We are the other people
You're the other people too
Found a way to get to you
Do you think that I love you...
Stupid & blind?
Do you think that I dream through the
Night
Of holding you near me?

Lemme take a minute & tell you my plan
Lemme take a minute & tell who I am
If it doesn't show
Think you better know
I'm another person
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Photo of Stazzi James Cannon: meet the parents

click to enlarge - photographer unknown for the moment

A photo of my brand new grand-nephew Stazzi James Cannon, along with his parents (my niece) Paloma and Von. I don't know who actually took the photo--Grandpaw Dwight? It came in an email...
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Father Cutie a/k/a Padre Oprah caught with his pants [not quite] down

Cover of the tabloid TVNOTAS - click to enlarge - [First photos of a priest - Holy God - caught red handed - photo of mistress]

Tabloid photographs of a popular television priest engaged in a clinch on a Florida beach have been published by a Spanish language tabloid, TVNOTAS, and have now--of course--appeared all over the internet. The Padre has literally millions of reader, followers, parishioners, and listeners.



Rev. Alberto Cutié a/k/a Padre Oprah has published books, and hosted radio and television shows ("Padre Alberto") about relationships. He had a recent best-seller, “Real Life, Real Love.” As it turns out, the Father wasn't just talking out of his a**. Perhaps he was just working on his next book? He may have been just performing research with the brunette on the beach.
Photo from the tabloid TVNOTAS - click to enlarge

The tabloid photos show the handsome 40-year-old priest in swim trunks, cuddling with, and smooching on, a dark-haired woman on a Florida beach. The very same day, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami removed him from his post as pastor of a Miami Beach church (he is on leave). As you probably know, the Catholic church has required priests to be celibate since around the 11th century. Interestingly, he got the boot one day after the revelations came out. Earlier celibacy violators in the RC Church were often shuttled between parishes (and have bankrupted--and even closed--more than one Diocese and parish). Many of the molesting priests are still active in the church--but their crime was molesting 14 year old boys, not cuddling up with a consenting female adult.
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