Phil Ochs( 19/12/40 -9/4/76) - What are you fighting for?

Today would have been the birthday of the late great Phil Ochs. This was the gut who wrote all the political songs that people loved, that could have been written today, that people hoped Bob Dylan would write.
He did all he could to change the world in the 1960's. With his plaintive voice and passionate opinions, best known today for the many protest songs he wrote on war, the championing of civil rights, pacifism , social justice and revolution.Most of Phil's songs were very political, some humorous and some very serious. He wrote about the topics of the day Viet Nam, hungry miners, and personalities such as Billy Sol Estes, William Worthy and Lou Marsh.  In 1967 he signed with A&M Records where his first release was "Pleasures of the Harbor" in which he used heavily orchestrated arrangements for the first time. Some fans criticized this change, while others accepted it.  Phil continued to perform and to travel around the world. While in Dar Es Salaam, he was mugged and lost the top three notes of his vocal range. This event seemed to send him on a downward spiral. His last years were troubled ones. He suffered from manic depression plus an affinity for the bottle. He committed suicide on April 9, 1976 at the age of 35.  Many of Phil's songs have been covered by other artists. Some of his best known songs are: "Changes", "There But For Fortune", "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Draft Dodger", "Small Circle of Friends", Crucifixion" and "When I'm Gone".

However depressed I personally get because of social injustices, the weight of the world, life in general , his songs that could have been written a moment ago, still have so much relevence, reminding us what we can do while we are still here. 

Here was a man who while alive, did more for peace than any soldier did for war. Nearly 40 years after his untimely death he continues to influence with his beautiful haunting voice. "A good song with a message can bring a point more deeply than a thousand rallies."

The Twelve Cuts of Christmas: An Anti-Austerity Carol

As winter, takes effect, the impacts of the cuts are increasingly visible as more and more people struggle to make ends meet. The impacts of austerity on ordinary people is plain to see. Because of the tory's dangerous scroogeconomics policies, there is increased insecurity, as energy prices rise,and benefit  cuts continue to have impact on peoples lives, combined with the  the rising cost of living.
Combined with  savage attacks on our welfare state, brutal new sanction regimes, Zero hours contracts, insecure work, benefit delays, this time of the year will be very hard for many.
There has to be a better way, there is a growing movement  protesting and saying  a loud no, to this governments cruel and unfair agenda.
As Christmas descends on us again, lets not forget the fact, that poor are getting poorer, the rich getting richer, so happy crisis and a happy new fear, bah humbug. Lest us forget that the seeds of a better society already lie embedded in the contradictions of the current one
Here's  an alternative Christmas Carol  that I've posted before, that I hope will keep your sprits warm.
Solidarity.

Happy Christmas from Bethlehem - For adults only - do not share with little children.

A Silent Night this Christmas : The City of Bethlehem prepares for a scaled down Christmas celebration in the face of continuing Israeli violence.
Faced daily with a massive concrete segregation wall, that zig zags around Bethlehem, placing fertile Palestinian land on Israels, seperating Palestinian families from each other, from their jobs, hospitals, schools, churches and mosques.
My heart and soul continues to ache for the people of Palestine. The impact of occupation daily bringing it's heavy burden. In Bethlehem now peoples journeys blocked by checkpoints and thirty foot high slabs of concrete.
Nothing calm, nothing bright.

Togetherness ( for Jane)

There have been heavy rains,
but a flame is burning as the planet rotates,
togetherness is far more than just a word,
it keeps us alive, keeps us afloat,
in each sky there is a sea,
and in each awakening there is a tear,
we roll on waves of uncertainty,
looking for reason, in every season,
in unity's dance, every drop of rain,
trickles down vessels of the heart,
releasing songlines to the spirit,
to allow the glow of love within to shine,
allow the afternoon to leap,
give strength as the world turns,
storming the impossible,
with sufficient precision,
from the declivities that surround,
our paths are level, we walk in union,
sharing dreams on the crossroads of forever.


( Jane incidentally is my partner,
who has been stuck in hospital
for last 5 months)

Errico Maletesa (14/12/1853 - 22/7/32) - Anarchist spirit

Errico Maletesa ,was a Italian anarchist militant, writer  and thinker who was born on this day in 1853. Imprisoned many times for his revolutionary activities and his ideals, and repeatedly forced into exile.He was in fact imprisoned a total of 12 years during his long career.  In 1876 he helped develop a theory of anarchist-communism. Active in the International Anarchist movement from the time of the First International in 1871, he was an organiser of numerous demonstrations, radical newspapers and workers insurrection in Europe and Argentina. He was also a dynamic speaker and propogandist.
He happened to be a wealthy man, but decided to put his entire fortune at the disposal of the cause, spending it all on radical endeavours, until he was  buried in a paupers grave at the age of 78 after having been under house arrest by the fascists in Italy
Malatesa is still rightly celebrated today because above all, beyond being a writer of articles and pamphlets, he exemplified his thought in deed, his ideas backed up by action, and driven by his fierce commitment to freedom.

" By anarchist spirit I mean that deeply human sentiment, which aims at the good of all, freedom and justice for all, solidarity and love among the people, which is not an exclusive characteristic only of self declared anarchists, but inspires all people who have a serious heart and open mind."

- Errico Maletesa (Umanita Nova; 13/4/1922)

Hope's smile

An Afghan girl smiles, as refugees wait to enter Moira refugee camp on Lesbos Island Greece. When refugees arrive in Lesbos they are separated by nationality. Syrians go to Kara Tepe  camp, where most people stay in shelters, while other refugees , mostly from Afghanistan , are assigned to Moira camp. People  moving back and forth from these camps can cause delays and backdrops.
According to Greek Law only the mother and father are recognised as legal guardians. Many underage children are thus seperated from their relatives upon registration. The seperation  can last for as long as it takes for the minor to be transferred to an open  reception facility for UAMs. This can take two weeks to a month on average.
When people arrive they have nothing but the clothes they wear to protect them from the elements. Many having drowned in their attempt to reach Greece.
Moira, where long lines, squalid conditions and limited supplies have created what many are calling the world's worst refugee camp a living hell, overshadowed by razor wire. A repositary for human suffering. Many forced to sleep out in the open, people in the 21st Century forced to lie on a few rags on the ground.  Despite her dreadful conditions and the unknown future waiting for her ahead, this girl was still able to smile to the camera.
I see this smile, and I want  to return one back.  I hope that all the other children around her on their long journeys of hardship, find a place of safety happiness and security, but  these people are not ok, despite the smiles of innocence the future holds only uncertainty.
Now among winter, with Christmas coming , young and old struggle to adapt to the cold nights,  we cannot forget their plight and their desperate struggle. 


Photo :- Colleen Sinksy

Tammam Azzam - Freedom Grafitti

The hauntingly beautiful picture above is by Syrian artist Tammam Azzam, with his personal tribute to Gustav Klimt's " The Kiss" which he has retitled "Freedom Graffiti. "Since seen by millions across the globe, as it has been virally shared across social media. It is superimposed  on a bullet ridden, war torn building in Syria. Using Klimt's idealistic vision, from the ashes of destruction, the first thing to rise is creativity, the urge to overcome pain and heal. Love is stronger than hate.
The struggle continues until the face of the earth becomes the face of love. This love needed so much now to lighten the pain and suffering of this country, this artwork a magnificent reminder of the power of the human imagination, leaving a glimmer of hope to those that remain. These shattered lives, need hope, and their homes to be rebuilt again, and an end to their suffering. No more bombs to fall.