Editorial by Dawoud Kringle
Before the October 7th, 2023 attack by Hamas, and Israel’s genocidal response, a fascinating music scene was growing out of Palestine.
Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, July 8th, 2022)
“The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud” – Written by Al Kooper for the first album by Blood, Sweat and Tears, Child is Father to the Man
Father of my morning,
Once my child to the night
I see that you have minds to cop
And I can only watch the sickened sorrow
“85% of people are more scared of financial ruin than dying of Corona.” – Keith LevensonText by Dawoud Kringle
Yesterday, yes yesterday!, on July 31st, 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) or the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) $600 weekly payments to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits expired. The Senate failed to agree on an extension.
Many of our members applied for it. Some of them – including our President Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi – got some help and assistance by brother Keith Levenson.
A Cultural Commentary By Dawoud Kringle
There was a scene in the movie Collateral, where the whole of modern popular musical culture was eloquently represented. A professional assassin (played by Tom Cruise) took a cab driver (played by Jamie Foxx, who Cruise forced his assistance in a series of assassinations) to a jazz club. The assassin loved the live jazz performance in the club. He was fascinated by the unpredictability of the music. The cab driver disliked the performance and found it incomprehensible for the exact same reason. His conditioning to accept uniformity and predictability in music – and life itself – could not allow him to let go of his illusion of control and allow the music to be itself.
