PASIÓN DE BUENA VISTA

Ever since hearing the trumpet playing of Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros in NYC in my youth I have been partial to a little cuban music now and again. Some 50 years after the Buena Vista Social Club closed it's doors in Havana, that far sighted and entertaining musician Ry Cooder in partnership with Nick Gold travelled to Cuba and recorded an album with Cuban musicians that reflected the glory days of the Buena Vista Club in 1950's Cuba. This went on to become a world wide known album and a few years after the album release the German film director Wim Wender, made a documentary film of the Buena Vista Club performers.

Tomorrow night (Sunday 28th Feb) at the London Palladium the Pasion De Buena Vista is visiting and putting on a show. Now this has little to do with the original line up of the Buena Vista Club. After all a number of those musicians might well have died since that album was recorded. But none the less the show features musicians and dancers from Cuba and it's got to be a reasonable night out, surely? A dear friend of mine has secured tickets and I look forward to attending.

The good folk at Clerkenwell

Just up the road from the HQ The Knights Hospitaller under the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, on every Thursday evening the Islington Folk Club meets from 8pm prompt, at

The Horseshoe
24 Clerkenwell Close
London
EC1R 0AG

Nearest tube is Farringdon.

I've never been but tonight I shall give it a go. After all if it gets too boring I can but have a 20 minute walk or so and be in my club.

Tonight's offering is Potato, Potato Never heard of them, neverless heard them. But I'm game to give something new a whirl.

A Broken Middle East: a wasted decade of war on terror

Did you know that almost every day in London there is an interesting lecture to which you, and I can attend. This one caught my eye and I would suggest that for any sane person with an interest in this current so called, 'war on terror' that you get out and attend this one. It is on tomorrow evening at the LSE.

A Broken Middle East: a wasted decade of war on terror

Department of International Relations inaugural public lecture

Today’s Middle East is broken. The crisis of prolonged authoritarianism and failed economic policies have caused chronic poverty, pervasive corruption and the rise of extremism in Arab societies. A wasted decade of war on terror has reinforced widely held perceptions that the West is waging a crusade against Islam and Muslims.
Fawaz Gerges is a professor of Middle Eastern politics and international relations at LSE.

Speaker(s):
Professor Fawaz A Gerges | talks
Chair: Howard Davies | talks

Date and Time:
10 February 2010 at 6:30 pm
Duration:
1 hour 30 minutes

Venue:
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
London School of Economics
London
WC2A 2AE

Entry is free and is on a first come first served basis.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Last evening, but a few hours ago, I was enjoying a small libation at The Lord Hood, a traditional pub in Greenwich and at the same time listening and chatting to the musicians of the Greenwich Folk Club collective, and very good they were too. Amongst their conversation they were talking about it being Australia day and they were scratching their collective heads trying to think of something to play. But no one talked about today 27th January being Holocaust Memorial Day. Is it because not many people in London know of this date, chosen as it was, as it was on the 27th January 1945 that the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau took place. I would urge all free thinking peoples to just take a moment to reflect on the Holocaust and to remember those millions of souls who died, persecuted by a deceitful and perverse government. Visit the web site and light a candle. I was the 19131st person to do so. Perhaps you will open a link to events in your area and make an effort to attend one, Whatever you do, I bid you, shalom.

Giving to charity?

I meant to write this last week, and I had thought about writing about The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of G.B. whom it would appear are facing a shortage of funds in the upcoming fiscal year. The orchestra nurtures and encourages young talented musicians and I understand that Amy Winehouse was one of those who have benefitted from their philanthropy. According to Chairman, Nigel Tully, the orchestra requires £105,000 by April for it to continue. The orchestra costs £200,000 a year to run, which to my mind, does not seem to be a lot of money for such a jewel in the crown of British musical talent. They get £60,000 from Arts Council England and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. My plea was going to be, please make a donation and keep this worthwhile organisation solvent and allow it to continue in the sterling role that it has been carrying out for 47 years.

But then one of the worst naturals disasters that has ever occurred in the world, hit one of the poorest countries in the Americas. That being the earthquake that hit Haiti. A large area of the country has been effected with several million people left without any water, food or shelter. Aid assistance to the country is being hampered by geographical difficulties and apparently the U.S. Army who have taken control of the airport and seemingly are concentrating on getting their military personnel on the ground before assisting charities. The international charity, Médecins Sans Frontière have complained that one of their aircraft carrying an inflatable field hospital was refused permission to land at the airport that services the country. Yet, Jets carrying VIPs such as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, have been able to land. What do these idiots think they can do? Hot air is of no use to these unfortunate people caught up in the earthquake zone. It does irritate me that some people appear to make political gain out of their selfish acts.

From some osmotic type of process I hold the knowledge that a mere £50 will pay a food pack for a family of four, that will feed them for two weeks. £50? Let's face it, there are a lot of people who live in the U.K. and other western countries, who would spend £50 on a night out and not even think twice about it.

Now I'm not going to ask you Dear Reader to make any donation. That will be entirely up to you. But if you would care to help out your fellow man, then perhaps a donation via The Disasters Emergency Committee might just be what you are looking for? Or of you would prefer to make a donation via the telling bone, this be the number to call. 0370 60 60 900. (UK only).

May your God go with you.

What a difference a day makes!

This is a picture of my garden today. Yesterday it was covered in snow after we had around 2 inches (5 cm) of snow fall the previous night. However, last night we had a lot of rain following a considerable change in temperature during the afternoon. The birds are frequent visitors and I'm sure that if they were capable of sentient thought they would be pleased that the snow has gone, and the weather has warmed up.

Winter Wonderland

After a couple of days of warmer weather and snow melt, this scene greeted me on awakening this morning, traditionally the coldest day of the year. Snow really changes a landscape and gives it an ethereal quality, deadening noise as noise waves are absorbed within it's crystal make up. But snow also brings problems to our little feathered friends and it is especially important at times like this to put some food out to help the birds in their foraging for food. The RSPB gives some helpful tips on what to feed the birds that visit your garden. Attracting birds to your garden is a very wonderful thing to do and the little splashes of colour among the trees and shrubbery is a delight that lifts the spirits. Don't forget that it is equally important to put out some water on a cold or snowy day as the usual supply might well be frozen. A shallow dish such as a saucer is probably best.

Here is another picture of my garden taken this morning.