Howlin´ Wolf - Howlin´ Wolf (Chess, 1962)
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Thursday, 14 January 2010
The Never-Ending Horror of Pat Robertson by Michael Rowe
Last night, as I was updating my Facebook status, I briefly considered a post wondering how long it would take before Pat Robertson made some monstrous insinuation about the earthquake in Haiti being God's will. I remember thinking, No, even Pat Robertson wouldn't exploit a tragedy of this magnitude--a tragedy that, as of this writing, has claimed over 100,000 lives. Even Pat Robertson would have seen the pictures of the broken and mangled bodies of children, their limbs bloodied, crushed by fallen concrete. Even Pat Robertson, T-1000 Pharisee though he might be, would have a vulgarity threshold he wouldn't cross. Surely a natural disaster in one of the poorest countries on earth would be beyond the pale, even for him, especially given Christ's edicts relating to the blessedness of the poor.
As it happens, I should have taken bets on "when" instead.
On the 700 Club today, Robertson did what he does best: he perverted a tragedy to suit his religious agenda. In his best creepy Evangelical wizard voice, he intoned that the people of Haiti had brought this catastrophe on themselves by compacting with the Devil.
"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about. They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the Prince.' True story. And so the Devil said, 'OK it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got something themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another."In the aftermath of 9/11, CBN aired a dialogue between Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell in which Falwell asserted that the ACLU, abortionists, feminists, gays, and the People For the American Way, were responsible for the devastating attacks on the Twin Towers. Robertson concurred with Falwell, and offered up a prayer, flagellating Americans for--you guessed it--bringing 9/11 on themselves.
"We have sinned against Almighty God, at the highest level of our government, we've stuck our finger in your eye. The Supreme Court has insulted you over and over again, Lord. They've taken your Bible away from the schools. They've forbidden little children to pray. They've taken the knowledge of God as best they can, and organizations have come into court to take the knowledge of God out of the public square of America."Robertson would say something similar when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. He proposed that then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts "could be thankful" that the tragedy had "done him some good" by providing a backdrop that would intimidate Democratic senators who might otherwise question Justice Roberts' views on abortion and other conservative deal-breakers.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth, and its heroic survival in the face of horrors--the likes of which Pat Robertson could only imagine enduring in his worst nightmares--has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Haiti was the site of the only successful slave revolution in human history. Between 1791 and 1804, Haiti's slaves threw off the shackles of French rule, a rule whose barbarous cruelty shines even in the annals of slavery. Their history in the two hundred-plus years since they were emancipated from France has been fraught with extreme poverty and internal turmoil.
The estimated death toll from the magnitude 7.0 quake that rocked the country on Tuesday continues to soar even as I write this. It's reported that both the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Joseph Serge Miot, is among the dead, as reportedly is the chief of the UN mission in Haiti, Hedi Annabi. Aid organizations, both religious and secular, have mobilized the world over, recognizing this as a human catastrophe on par with the tsunami of December 2004. Most people of genuine faith are turning to prayer at this moment, and hopefully to their pocketbooks as well.
What's Pat Robertson doing? Writing horror stories in the blood of innocent victims of a monstrous natural occurrence--again. While women scream for their dead children, Pat Robertson is telling apocryphal tales about how the Haitians are suffering unimaginable pain and despair because they "swore a pact to the Devil" in order to be freed from the horrors of slavery under "you know, Napoleon the Third and whatever."
In the same way that social pundits have suggested that the revelations of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's unfortunate use of the word "Negro," in expressing his support of then-Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, might possibly herald an open and honest discussion on the reality of race in America, perhaps we can hope that this latest obscenity from Pat Robertson might herald an open discussion on the caustic effects of religion in America.
Perhaps in the aftermath of yet another grotesque pronouncement from this man who claims to speak for God, while blaming victims of a natural horror for their own misery, it might be time for America to take a long, hard look at the multi-billion dollar religion industry (which is largely tax-exempt) and ask itself if it still wants to invest people like Pat Robertson and his evangelical corporation with anything but jaundice.
It's too much to expect Robertson's millions and millions of followers to share the outrage we feel over his comments about Haiti. It's too much to expect them to immediately cease funding his enterprise and send their money instead to an aid organization. Imagine the many millions of dollars for Haitian aid that would generate.
It's too much to expect them to recall what their own Bible says about false prophets, or to see Robertson in the context of Isaiah 29:13: The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
But of those of us who are outraged by Robertson's foulness chose to give an extra ten dollars to Oxfam or the Red Cross as an expression of that outrage, perhaps some small good can come out of it.
Because now is not the time for anything but goodness.
And then, when we've really done all we can, perhaps we can finally have that honest discussion about religion, and the role of people like Pat Robertson in American popular culture. And perhaps then we can discover who's really made a pact with the Devil. Lets hope it isn't us.
Massive aid effort begun for Haiti quake victims
Sniffer dogs, high-energy biscuits and tons of emergency medical aid were heading to Haiti on Wednesday as governments and aid groups launched a massive relief effort for the estimated 3 million people reeling from a devastating earthquake.
Aid officials in the impoverished Caribbean nation worked to clear rubble from roads, build makeshift hospitals and remove bodies from the rubble despite transportation problems and broken phone lines.
Wintry weather in Europe added to the challenge, with snow temporarily delaying a British aid flight with 64 firefighters and rescue dogs at Gatwick Airport.
As it struggled to gauge the full scale of the catastrophe, the United Nations said it was rushing food, personnel and medical supplies to alleviate the "major humanitarian emergency." It also confirmed at least 140 members of its own staff were missing under flattened roofs in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
"We'll be using whatever roads are passable to get aid to Port-au-Prince, and if possible we'll bring helicopters in," said Emilia Casella, a spokeswoman for the U.N. food agency. Its 200 staff in Haiti were trying to deliver high-energy biscuits and other supplies, despite looting and the threat of violence in a nation long plagued by lawlessness.
Humanitarian officials said the proximity of the quake's epicenter, only 10 miles (15 kilometers) from Port-au-Prince's sprawling slums and hilltop villas, as well as Haiti's crumbling infrastructure, meant it was difficult to estimate how many people might be dead or injured.
But the sheer number of dead bodies was expected to pose a problem. The World Health Organization said it has sent specialists to help clear the city of corpses and prevent the spread of disease, and the Red Cross was sending a plane Thursday loaded mainly with body bags.
The Red Cross estimated that 3 million people will require aid, ranging from shelter to food and clean water, and said many Haitians could need relief for a full year.
"There are many, many people trapped in the rubble," said Paul Conneally, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. "We're not optimistic at the moment."...
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Nice to see that Brangelina have donated a million too!
Clubbers are 'turning to new legal high mephedrone'
Mephedrone is also known as meph, 4-MMC, MCAT, Drone, Meow and Bubbles The powerful legal high mephedrone is becoming much more widely used on the British club scene, a survey suggests.
One in three readers of dance magazine Mixmag polled for an academic study has used the powder in the last month. The results make mephedrone the fourth most popular substance in the survey.
"Mephedrone has gone from nowhere to the mainstream in under two years," said Dr Adam Winstock from the National Addiction Centre, who led the research.
"For a drug that's been around for a relatively short amount of time, mephedrone has certainly made a big impact on the dance drug scene."
The government has said it is a "priority" to find out more about the dangers of using the stimulant.
Its team of drug advisors has now written to the home secretary warning that substances like mephedrone could have "serious public health implications" and saying it will provide advice "as soon as possible on this important issue".
But a series of resignations from the advisory council linked to the sacking of its then chairman, David Nutt, in November is threatening to hold up the research.
Mephedrone is usually snorted although it can also be taken in pill form, mixed with a drink or, in rare cases, injected. It is sold online through dozens of dedicated websites as a "plant food" to get round the Medicines Act, although it has no known use as a fertilizer.
"The fact it is legally obtainable is absolutely no guarantee [of safety]," said Dr Winstock. "At the moment we just don't have the research to know what it does to people in the short term and long term."
Most users describe the effects of mephedrone as a cross between cocaine and ecstasy.
"I've taken it a couple of times in clubs," said 25-year-old Tina from South Wales. "We always get it from the same place and the experience is consistent. It is very similar to ecstasy."
"I have heard of people with horror stories but anyone who takes drugs accepts there can be negative side effects." The results of the survey were based on an online poll of 2,222 readers of the clubbing magazine Mixmag carried out by researchers at the National Addiction Centre at Kings College, London.
51% of mephedrone users in the study said they suffered from headaches; 43% from heart palpitations; 27% from nausea; and a further 15% from cold or blue fingers.
'Very moreish' "The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't urinate at all," said Danny, 24, from Colchester. "My heart was beating really fast and I was sweating badly.
"It's very moreish and you constantly want to re-dose. I ended up buying five grams and went on a two-day bender on it.
"It's a worry because it's probably putting a lot of stress on my heart and other organs. You can definitely develop a habit from doing it."
Professor Les Iversen, Interim Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of DrugsWe suspect that mephedrone and five other compounds in the same family are different versions of classical amphetamines and have all the problems associated with that
Almost nothing is known about the long term effects of taking it.
The government's team of drug advisors is now looking into the dangers and health effects of mephedrone.
A report and series of recommendations are likely to be presented to the home secretary before the summer.
"We want to take a careful look at the evidence and we are doing just that," said Professor Les Iversen, the new interim chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
"We suspect that mephedrone and five other compounds in the same family are different versions of classical amphetamines and have all the problems associated with that: hyper excitability, aggression, heart problems and a high liability to dependence and addiction.
"We don't know if this is all true for mephedrone and we need to find out."
But five of the scientists originally working on research for the ACMD resigned last November in a political row following the sacking of then Chairman David Nutt.
Former members claim the council will "struggle" to function over the next few months until new scientists can be appointed.
The home office points to the recent banning of the drug GBL as evidence it is committed to cracking down on legal highs if they pose a "significant threat to health".
"Making substances illegal is only part of the solution," said a spokesperson for the home office.
"It is important to understand that just because a substance is legal, it doesn't mean it's safe to consume.
"Last year we launched an information campaign targeted at clubbers to raise awareness of the dangers of legal highs, including mephedrone, when people try to buy them online."
Jefferson Airplane - House at Pooneil Corners (Manhattan Rooftop Concert 1968)
Jean-Luc Godard filmed the band playing "House at Pooneil Corners" on a rooftop in Midtown Manhattan (December 7, 1968), for his projected "One American Movie" film. After Godard drops his plans, the footage is picked up by documentary film-maker D.A. Pennebaker, and is used in "One P.M."
Jay Reatard RIP
Matador Records, which also released Jay Reatard’s records, said in a statement: “We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.”
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Haiti earthquake feared to have killed hundreds
Pictures from Port-au-Prince show some of the damage caused to the capital
A 7.0-magnitude quake which hit south of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is feared to have killed hundreds of people across the Caribbean country.
In the space of a minute, Haiti's worst quake in two centuries wrecked the HQ of the UN mission, Haiti's national palace and numerous other buildings. A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation.
Describing it as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.
The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT), the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.
Aid workers and reporters at the scene estimated the number of dead to be in the hundreds or even thousands.
Vehicles ferrying the injured to hospital were hampered by rubble blocking the capital's streets.
 |  I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement  Rachmani Domersant operations manager, Food for the Poor  |
As night fell, Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity, told Reuters: "The whole city is in darkness.
"You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming."
Adding that he had seen no rescue vehicles in the hillside suburb of Petionville, he said: "People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights.
"I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."
As the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti is likely to need international aid in order to cope with the quake's impact, the BBC's Nick Davies reports from neighbouring Jamaica.
'Three million affected'
In a statement issued in New York, the UN said that its local HQ in Haiti had "sustained serious damage along with other UN installations" and "a large number" of personnel were missing.
| EYEWITNESS Carel Pedre, TV and radio presenter, Port-au-Prince I saw a lot of people crying for help, a lot of buildings collapsed, a lot of car damage, a lot of people without help, people bleeding. I saw a movie theatre, a supermarket, a cybercafe, an apartment building which collapsed. Now it's dark outside, there is no electricity, all the phone networks are down, so there's no way that people can get in touch with their family and friends. There are aftershocks every 15 to 20 minutes. They last from three to five seconds. The first shock was really strong, people were falling in the streets and buildings collapsed. I didn't see any emergency services, the people at the neighbourhood were trying to help each other. The streets are narrow and there is lot of traffic and everyone is trying to reach family and friends. Traffic now is really difficult. People don't know where to go or where to start. |
The UN's stabilisation mission plays a vital role in ensuring security in Haiti.
Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the US, said the presidential palace, the tax office, the ministry of commerce and the foreign ministry had all been damaged, but the airport was intact.
He and Haiti's ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, both said that President Rene Preval and his wife had survived the quake.
The World Bank, which said its local offices were destroyed but that most staff were accounted for, planned to send a team to help Haiti assess damage and plan a recovery, Reuters reported.
Mike Blanpied of the US Geological Survey said that, based on the location and size of the quake, about three million people would have been severely shaken by its impact.
"This quake occurred under land as opposed to off-shore, so a lot of people were directly exposed to the shaking coming off that earthquake fault, which was quite shallow," he told the BBC.
US President Barack Obama said in a statement that his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and America stood ready to assist them.
'Rubble and wire'
In the minutes after the quake, Henry Bahn, a visiting official from the US Department of Agriculture, said he had seen houses which had tumbled into a ravine.
| HAITI COUNTRY PROFILE  Half of Caribbean island of Hispaniola History of violence, instability and dictatorship Population of 10 million people Most live on less than $2 a day Democratic rule restored in 2006 Economy in ruins and unemployment is chronic UN peacekeepers deployed - foreign aid seen as vital Massive deforestation has left just 2% forest |
He said he had been walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake.
"I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said.
"I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."
He said rocks were strewn all over the place, and the ravine was "just full of collapsed walls and rubble and barbed wire".
BBC News website readers in the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, said they had also felt the quake.
"My family is on the 8th floor of a tower in downtown Santo Domingo," wrote Max Levine.
"We felt a swaying of the building for 5-10 seconds. All the lamps were swinging. There was a 20-second pause and then another similar sway. We rushed out of the building with many others to the street."
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, a tsunami watch was put out for Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas, but this was later lifted.
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