Sounds of the French Quarter

Sounds of the French Quarter

New Orleans, LA

Keep Your Private Hands Off My Public Option!!!

The question of whether or not people are still listening to the health care debate is yet another example of how sad news agency reporting has become. Yes, I mean you CNN (and any other mainstream news media that has done similar reporting). While this has been drawn out for far to long, it has spelled out how ignorant and misinformed America is to topics such as national policy and world historical figures.

Obama is Hitler, seriously? Or for that matter our President is a far left liberal-facist-communist-socialist-nazi that is trying to open direct access to health care for those who cannot afford it. The man is literally trying to extend the lives of many by providing them with the same benefits that congress has. As a result he has been labeled antichrist. Thank you Barney Frank for your candor in your town hall meetings.

Obama Care is a false label for the Health Care Reform bill. Yes, President Obama did start the process of asking for reform but it was Congress that drafted the original bill with respect to the President's expectations. Not to mention there has been a clear attempts for this bill to be inclusive for both parties. Not surprisingly, those who are being paid by the private insurance companies and interest groups are trying to "kill" the bill for the sake of their overly-stuffed wallets and purses.

Racism seems to be a big topic that has hit the nation's metaphorical fan. You can only imagine what happens next. Has racism played a role in the nation's response to the President's health care proposal. Yes and No. Yes, a great deal of the nation's right-wing conservatives have direct racist commentary towards President Obama. But you say Obama countered that racism is not why the public has been in opposition to his administration. Of course he is going to say that, imagine if he said yes. The United States would turn inside out from rage and anger if a Black president admitted to White America being racist (it's not a far stretch though). But let us be clear, racism has to do with physical attributes, not political. One cannot be racist if they are politically opposed to another. However, depicting the President as a witch doctor and holding signs that tell the President to go back to Africa have racist overtones. So do signs that depict the President as Hitler. Simply yelling, "You lie" is not racism on the other hand. Rather it is stupidity and a lack of respect for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! Something the democrats and liberals were accused of during the previous administration. Oh, how quick we forget (Fox News). The U.S. does not need more Joe Wilsons, i.e., ignorant confederate supporting politicians who claim to be morally and ethically justified in their deceitful actions. Nor do we need more Glenn Becks that claim to speak the truth but constantly spread false notions of fear and inaccurate information AND CALL THE PRESIDENT A RACIST! Seriously Beck, would you ever call any of the White politicians in Washington a racist. Sure you would, as long as their liberals, right?

Needless to say, our country is far from being free of racism. The first amendment does not block bigotry but it does protect against defamation of character and yelling "fire" in a public space. I think it is time we hold ALL news media agencies accountable for the information that they spread. This is almost an impossible task for the government cannot get involved without looking like a totalitarian institution. It is the publics responsibility to hold these "reporters" responsible for the deceitful information they consciously spread. Let us put integrity back into news reporting.

Racism in the National Parks...Ha!!!

This is just too typical.  An innocuous story on why there is only one African-American park ranger in Yosemite is turned into another round of anti-guilt patrolling (click on the title to this blog to get to ABC's blog page by Jon Stossel).  It is very surprising that there is so much online about this report.  Well, actually I am not surprised because every time there is a report about race and anything, there is a blogosphere orgy about how crazy black people are for thinking that race embeds everything.  

For instance, one comment on Jon Stossel's page reads:"what a crock! come on people- we haven't had slaves for almost 150 years.  Quit blaming slavery for everything! If minorities don't want to visit the National Parks-their loss!  Just quit blaming racism and slavery for every discrepancy in society".

First of all, if you watch the video there is no mention of racism in this report; there is mention of one man's view on how slavery impacted African-American's view of nature, but that is not a claim that National Parks are racist.  And just to drive home the point, a park cannot be racist, only people can be racist.  

Second, the report is more about how African-Americans feel about their relationship with the natural world, and not about how the park goers at Yosemite are being racist to the park ranger Mr. Johnson.  The reactions to this report are pure hyperbole and nothing else.  The report was attempting to show a man on a mission to "reconnect" African Americans to "nature".  Is it assigning blame to anyone by commenting that perhaps slavery affected African-American's view of nature and the "soil"?  This is not a new idea; check out this book for more information: 

Restoring the connection to the natural world: 

essays on the African American 

Environmental Imagination By Sylvia Mayer (2003)

or African American environmental thought : foundations 

 by Kimberly Smith (2007)

Here's another comment from a different blog:  (http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2009/08/slavery_makes_b.html)

"I'm sure that it has nothing to do with the life of government dependency the left has inflicted upon them, which keeps them close to urban centers that provide the left's oppressive entitlement programs" 

Or perhaps this one is better:

 "What a bunch of garbage. This yahoo thinks he is some sort of ex-slave and that all the blacks(not african americans) problems are because of slavery. Blacks problems are because of themselves! They choose not to better themselves and cling so tight to the slavery culture of past generations that they know nothing of. Slavery of the blacks in the Americas is almost nothing compared to the slavery of other races, cultures and creeds worldwide.I have three words: Get over it."

Wow, and I though Jon Stossel's page was bad.  

Revelation

I recently had a sit down with my grandmother which started with talking about the proposed health care bill and ended on our family history. My conversation with my grandmother always start with one topic and end with a new understanding of our family tree and history.

Growing up I have always assumed my identity was straight forward. My last name was Italian (actually Siciliano di Ustica) and my mother was Trinidadian, therefore, I was Trinidadian-Italian-American. However, I knew deep down there was French-Cajun in my blood but I never sought to find out just how much, until now.

Through much deliberation it was finally understood that I am more French (Cajun) by way of Nova Scotia than Italian. This is a revelation because my family has always self identified as Italian. I pointed this out to my grandmother and even she has admitted that this is the case it was never really understood. My guess, it is the way of the "West", one takes their father's last name therefore you take his identity as well. Needless to say, a lot is left out, especially in America culture and identity politics (it is my opinion). Therefore, for 26 years of my life I have been mistaken. This does not however change anything about my love for Italian culture, i.e., way of life, music, food and language.

It is important to note, this does not change the fact that I am half Indo-Trinidadian. Just the other half is a little Siciliano di Ustica and mostly French-Cajun.

Political Simulacra

I am truly impressed with the conservative political machine right now.  Not impressed with the tactics or the message, but by the abundance of meaningless power.  This is the age of "political simulacra", defined by the engagement of mass amounts of people for a cause that has no substance and virtually no factual truth.  It is truly astounding that so many people could be caught up in the black hole of health care politics and know virtually nothing about the "real" issues at hand.  There are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed, just as President Obama took upon himself to do (and he is doing it very well, I must add; watch the Portsmouth town hall, it's incredible politics).  Yet, the simulacra is still winning (read ‘Public Option’ in Health Plan May Be Dropped: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/health/policy/18talkshows.html?ref=us).  Rather than an education tour of America, the "town hall" meetings instantaneously morphed into political refuse, where fear-mongering and hooliganism reigns supreme.  And behind it all there is a media juggernaut that is watching its deeds spread like wildfire.  We are suckers, the lot of us, tuning in to the mass political simulacra.  

The Culture Wars are back

We are back in the 1960s.  I thought that it was kind of scary to have lived through the 1950s during the last eight years, but I am equally tired of living through another failed "Great Society".  Here we are at the cusp of one of the greatest chances in our lifetimes to overhaul our society to face the onslaught of a broken economic system, a failed health care system, and a threatened environment (to name just a few).  Yet, all we do is fall into deep partisan rancor, splitting each other apart through lies, deception and slogans of totalitarianism and fear.  It is terrible to think that we might never, and I repeat never, get any "real" reform in this country.  Yes, we have staved off some of the more extremist factions of our society from ruling the majority, but we have also shot down some of the best policy that our people can devise.  And that is where we are today.  We would rather go through another cruel cultural civil war than actually reform our society to meet the challenges of our modern world.  Is it deception, or is it true mediocrity and, dare I say, "idiocracy"?  

If it were only this simple...

If it were only this simple...

New Orleans, LA, USA

Dick Hyman: The best name and one of the best songs

Yes, Dick Hyman is my man.  I stand by him until the end of the universe, the Dick or the Hyman all the way.  Enough absurdity, his song "The Minotaur" is one of the titan's of electronic music.  It has one of the most pronounced solos on the Moog, with so much flare and such class that it deserves the greatest of praise.  Not only this, but it cleanly fits into that great category known as Psychedelic music.  Yet it comes from a suit wearing square that would fit better on the moon than at Woodstock.  Truly, a cross cutting genius.  And thanks to Robert Moog (RIP, sweet electronic prince) for making the device that saved the 20th century.

A joint post from The Playground and The Psychaedelic Playground (the new project of dj Naked Twister)(PS. Click on the header for a link to Amazon for a listen; sorry it's the only free site I could find for this one)

More Health Care Posts: Ok, this one is actually good and funny

This is good stuff by Brian Unger (comedian, writer, and a satirist).  Figured I would just quote him and let it speak for itself:

"The health care debate is toxic, revealing a lot about us as a nation. And it feels embarrassing — like the whole world can see our underpants. Or hear us fighting in the kitchen.

First, most of us can't describe accurately the details of the health care reform now under debate. That makes us look stupid or too busy to care.

Second, most of us can't describe accurately the health care or insurance we currently have, so that makes us look kind of stupid, too, or lazy.

Some of us don't care about people who don't have health insurance, so that makes us seem unsympathetic or super lucky.

Most of us don't understand that we're already paying for people who don't have health care — which makes us too busy to care, in denial or merely rich.

Some of us — a lot of us — already receive health care under some form of government plan, but don't believe in health care under some form of government plan. That makes us hypocritical or selfish. In some camps, I hear that makes us patriotic.

A lot of us are a combination of these things: too busy, lazy, a bit stupid perhaps, lucky, unsympathetic, in-denial, really rich, hypocritical, selfish ... and patriotic...."

I can't agree more.  It's hard to hear things like health care reform is "downright evil" and not get sick to the stomach.  I can't tell if I will be called a socialist, communist, progressive, or a storm trooper the next time I open my mouth.  (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/08/08/2009-08-08_sarah_palin_facebook_posting_claims_obama_health_care_would_create_a_death_panel.html)

Save Charity Now!!!

Charity Hospital

New Orleans, LA, USA

Charity is not just a historic landmark for New Orleans. It was the hospital that provided medical care for those who could not afford Ochsner Hospital. While I have nothing personal against Ochsner, my concerns over health care and the access thereof upsets me to no end. How many people have to suffer?

The Battle for NOLA schools

It is my opinion that a large portion of New Orleans post-Katrina recovery revolves around the recovery of the public school system. Arguably, and sadly, it is probably one of the worst public school systems in the United States. However, the problems that New Orleans faces with respect to public education can be lesson learned around the country. To best publicly serve the nation, the Times-Picayune and other NOLA news agencies should (at the very least) publish monthly articles nationwide on the recovery of our public school systems encouraging others to learn from our pitfalls so that no public school system should ever sink to the lows that NOLA public schools did. Perhaps places such as D.C., which also has a struggling pubic school system, can learn from our problems as we most certainly can learn from theirs. Public attention needs to be raised at a national level to ensure that all parties benefit. After all, public schools are not reformed only at the school board level but need the support at the parental level.

As a side note:

What I find most disconcerting is the lack of respect and support from all over the country for public education at the state level. The very notion that states are cutting funding to public education as a means to solve state-level budgetary problems is a short-term solution at best. Not to mention the ramifications these short-term solutions will cause to public education will grow exponentially. While the battle for NOLA public schools has been an ongoing process, it is necessary to take this cause to a higher level. Let us make our own No Child Left Behind Act that would actually hold up to its name.

The Battle of D.C.'s High Schools in the New York times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/opinion/06thu4.html

This is just to say...

"This Is Just To Say" is a poem written by William Carlos Williams. I first heard it when I was listening to This American Life. It has been said it is one of the most reinvented poems. Considering that everyone else has taken a crack at it I figured I would. Here's my version:

This is just to say...

I know you gave me fair warning

But I ate your precious fruit

They were rosy red flushed against the greenery

So loud was my first bite that it reverberated through your garden

And it was good.

Louisiana Humid Crush

Here's the first poem that I wrote in Louisiana (May 11, 2007).  I will soon post the video that Kai took of my doing it live in a jazz club (not as part of the band unfortunately) to the rhythm of the music.  

Louisiana Humid Crush

Warm wet bush and deadly cold moccasin

Blue cloud banks towering above pine forests, willow swamps and open marshes

i am sent out of cold conditioned air into wild plumes of heavy draft and birdsong

Sticky breezes carry powdered sugar  through French doors and Spanish calles

Plastic cup gets passed from tap to hand to grass, 

Southern waste tempered by wild chorus in mid-street brass band's wake.

When the majority get angry

Here we are in confused America, where white conservatives and moderates start to demonstrate against health reform.  One might wonder, how is it that the white majority in this country all of a sudden learned to demonstrate for the status quo like angry baffoons (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-media-consortium/weekly-pulse-angry-mobs-d_b_251959.html)?  Well, it's a bitter irony that all of a sudden conservatives learn how to get angry and demonstrate like they are fighting a social justice cause, like they are not being democratically represented (think tea baggers).  It is a scary joke that is being played out across the country right now.  And somewhere along the line, some middle class white person is going to demand justice (and probably link it to having a black president).  I don't think that I have ever been this confused about politics.  It's hard enough to understand the health care reform itself, let alone the anger people have towards it.  It certainly will be a long hot summer.  

(Great article by Paul Krugman: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/opinion/07krugman.html)

Battle of New Orleans...Is right!!!

Please watch this video.  This is the state of our country.  We have so many people hating the welfare state (and African-Americans) that a national tragedy and catastrophe can be turned into a racist political weapon like this.  

Gates Interview

Check out Professor Gates' view of the Cambridge story.  It's amazing what the media has done to this story.  

Click Here to hear the entire Interview

"Anger Has Its Place", NY Times Op Ed: Bob Herbert

"Most whites do not want to hear about racial problems, and President Obama would rather walk through fire than spend his time dealing with them. We’re never going to have a serious national conversation about race. So that leaves it up to ordinary black Americans to rant and to rave, to demonstrate and to lobby, to march and confront and to sue and generally do whatever is necessary to stop a continuing and deeply racist criminal justice outrage."  

Thank you Bob Herbert for some more thick truth on America.  Keep it coming!!

Response to a post racial president article

This is a letter that I sent to Victor Davis Hanson, after reading his article entitled "What Happened to Our Postracial President?" in the National Review.

I appreciate your candor in the article "What Happened to Our Postracial President?", but your polarization of the "liberal" left is a bit shallow.  Personally, I grew up in a near majority white progressive town and believed in what could be characterized as "postracial" politics.  I aligned myself with minorities who were systematically kept from political power, jobs, housing and the common litany of discriminatory practices.  But, as a white post-civil rights child, I never felt that I had to understand the brutal past from the perspective of both the oppressor and the oppressed.  That soon came to pass as I arrived in post-Katrina New Orleans and found myself awash in Southern racial (racist) politics and history.  I never would have believed how racist people still are if I had not moved here.  To cut to the point, this country is still deeply racist (and by this I mean something different from what you meant in reference to Reverend Wright, which is prejudice—a point I would also argue against) and has many of the same structural segregationist practices of Jim Crow.   After deeply researching the history of the civil rights movement, the urban riots of the 60s, and housing segregation, it is clear that our national debate on race never actually took place.  All that ever happened was that Congress was forced to imbibe civil rights legislation and Southern states had to adopt pseudo effective anti-discrimination legislation.  White and black southerners still feel much the same as they did before, and discrimination in many sectors continued unabated by legal reforms. It's almost like a Reconstruction mindset, where whites are just waiting for the day when they can reinstitute Jim Crow laws in some backdoor way.  Read up on St. Bernard Parish’s blood relative housing ordinance if you want some food for thought.  Housing segregation, job inequalities, and poor education for a huge majority of segregated urban minorities is still an American reality.  Quite frankly, we as Americans are not ready for a postracial president because we never “understood” (or substitute “felt”) the past injustices that were inflicted.  When you say ”Barack Obama has consistently emphasized racial identity to further his own advantage, I fear others, both black and white, will be emboldened to follow his polarizing lead” you ignore the fact that he still grew up having a similar “black” experience as many Americans have.  He, as with just about every single black American, cannot just abandon “their” history (because it is very different than yours) because we need reconciliation.  Barack Obama is human, and he might not please everyone, but he has been the least polarizing—because your perspective is a white perspective on race—president on race that we might have ever had (even JFK hesitated on civil rights legislation, and Clinton attacked black activists to get Southern votes).  Unfortunately, your assertion that “the president asserted one racial narrative as truth, while most of multiracial America accepted quite another” is a bold-faced white lie.  White conservatives have a very different narrative than the so-called “multiracial America” and they account for the majority of President Obama’s detractors.  If you want a good example of how America missed the boat to really come to a postracial society, read the Kerner Commission report from 1968.  It is an eye-opening account of how reluctant white America is to learn from our “exceptionalism”.  

Pan-Seared Chicken Topped w/Caramelized Lemon Juice and Baked-Seasoned Tomatoes

With this particular dish I was trying to make my own version of lemon-pepper chicken with a healthy side as a compliment. I pan-seared the chicken starting with a touch on each side to lightly cook the chicken. Then I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, and flat-leaf Italian parsley. Looking back, I would have preferred to season the chicken with olive oil and the herbs and spices mention earlier in advance. Then I would pan-sear the chicken to lock in the flavors. Before I cooked the chicken, I had started caramelizing the onions and jalapeño while I prep and start baking the tomatoes. In the end the chicken was topped with caramelized onions and jalapeño and served with a side of baked-seasoned tomatoes.

Meat

Boneless Chicken Breast

Vegetables

Roma Tomato

Onion

Jalapeño

Herbs & Spices

Thyme (Dried)

Black Pepper

Salt

Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley

Main Dish

Pan-Seared Chicken Topped w/Caramelized Lemon Juice

Heat up olive oil to low-med in a shallow pan.

Lightly coat olive oil on chicken.

Cook chicken thoroughly on each side.

While cooking chicken cut lemon in half and place lemon-side down on pan. Allow lemon to burn.

While cooking, season chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, flat-leaf Italian parsley.

When chicken is done cooking squeeze caramelized lemon juice on top of chicken. (Be careful, the lemon is very hot).

Topping

Caramelized Onion and Jalapeño Topping

Dice onion and jalapeño to desired size.

Coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook to desired texture. (I like my onions and jalapeños burnt)

Side

Baked-Seasoned Roma Tomatoes

Cut Roma tomatoes into quarters.

Glaze each quarter with olive oil.

Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper, thyme, and flat-leaf Italian parsely.

Bake at 300° for 20 minutes.

Always open to any suggestions.

Welcome to the Playground!!!

This is The Playground, an all-out blog on everything that it's authors find amazing about culture, politics, music, film, food and the universe.  This blog will cover much terrain, and we would enjoy if others participate on our open playground.  Welcome...