Kwanzaa! A Gift to the Community!

Build your identity and your culture by upholding the seven principles throughout the week of Kwanzaa

December 28th, 2013, GOTT music benefit show

GOTT and Artiszen Cultural Art Center presents...
Tulungan Mo Sila! a benefit for Typhoon Haiyan Relief,

6pm, at 337 Georgia st. in beautiful downtown Vallejo!
Music, art, food, and open mic, with featured performers -
* Skunk Funk Soundsystem!
* Sketch Republic!
* OSCYI, Hip-Hop artist of Vallejo!
* Aria, vocalist and beat-boxer of Vallejo!
* Carlson Kahle, acoustic musician of San Francisco!
Proceeds for the medical and aid missions to the People of the Philippines organized by the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns [www.NAFCONUSA.org].

Typhoon Relief for the Philippines, with Gathering of the Tribes, Art is Zen, Skunk Funk, and friends!

Check out scenes from the show!
Art is Zen Director Sean G introduces the event!

OSCYI performs while Aria (music director of Art is Zen) does beatbox!

Have a cosmic Christmas!

Gathering of the Tribes at the Townhouse, with Skum the Dog!

Skum the Dog is a Vallejo artist who downplays his talent by adopting the role of a street vagabond loved by those who love the Skum like him!

Benefit Show for Relief from the Storm

[nafconusa.org/category/typhoon-relief-efforts-haiyan-yolanda/northern-california]

In the aftermath of the devastation from Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines, National Nurses United has put out a call for volunteers and donations to provide sorely needed medical attention and services to the victims of the typhoon. In the first 24 hours, over 500 RNs signed up to volunteer to go to the Philippines, and supporters have been contributing donations to fund the nurses’ travel and ensure they have the resources they need. "As U.S. nurses we have seen the effects of deadly storms and disasters and the pain it causes for our families and communities, said Zenei Cortez, RN, vice president of National Nurses United. "We know the difference it makes to provide support and assistance in a hour of need. We will do whatever we can to aid our sisters and brothers in the Philippines." Learn more and make a donation.  
---
Subscribe to the National Nurses United newsfeed [twitter.com/NationalNurses]!
"Nurses Mobilize to Help Typhoon Victims in the Philippines; Public Can Help Support Nurses Relief Effort"
2013-11-12 by Deborah Burger, RN,  National Nurses United Co-president [http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog/entry/national-nurses-mobilize-for-philippines-relief-effort/]:
In the aftermath of the devastation from Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines, one of the worst storms on record, the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN), a project of National Nurses United, has put out a call for volunteers and donations through its vast network of direct-care nurses both nationally and internationally. We are inviting the general public to assist our efforts as well with contributions to send volunteers as well as other medical needs for the relief effort.
In the first 24 hours of our call for help,over 500 RNs signed up to volunteer. We continue to gather information and assessments from multiple sources, including the Philippines Alliance of Health Workers, a member of NNU's international affiliate Global Nurses United, to determine the need for nurses, medical supplies and financial support on the ground. RNRN is in contact with nurses and other health care professionals in the Philippines to finalize the locations where we can be of most help, and number and specialties of nurses needed. In the Philippines, communication channels are not yet re-established to many areas, but news reports have made clear that the horrid devastation is widespread, with fears of many more casualties yet to be assessed. Several hospitals, along with thousands of homes and schools have been damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of thousands left homeless - many with long term shelter needs.
RNRN has learned from our experience responding to disaster over the last decade that RN's have an especially important role to play in relief efforts, after the TV cameras have gone and the initial responders are depleted or deployed elsewhere. In addition to the immediate acute care needs at this time, in the coming days and weeks there will be longer-term health effects to respond to. RNRN's goal is to send teams that can respond effectively to problems of dehydration, sepsis, a lack of access to clean water and lapses or lack of proper medication due to the storm. "As U.S. nurses we have seen the effects of deadly storms and disasters and the pain it causes for our families and communities, said Zenei Cortez, RN, vice president of National Nurses United. "We know the difference it makes to provide support and assistance in a hour of need. We will do whatever we can to aid our sisters and brothers in the Philippines." RNRN, a project of National Nurses United, the nation's largest organization of RNs, was formed in 2004 in the aftermath of the South Asia tsunami in 2004, when the need for nurses was not being met by traditional disaster relief organizations. Since that time, RNRN sent a team of experts who coordinated the unprecedented RN response to the disasters of Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian Earthquake. Last year, RNRN worked with nurses from the Veterans Administration and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) to provide disaster relief to the communities most affected by Hurricane Sandy.
What you can do to Help:
* Volunteer: If you are an RN and are able to work on the ground for one to two weeks, please sign up here and provide information on your availability for the next few weeks [http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog/entry/typhoon-disaster-in-the-philippines-what-rns-can-do-to-help/].
* Donate: RNRN is seeking financial donations to help their relief effort. For more information, go here [http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/pages/rnrn-disaster-relief-fund].
* Watch and share this VIDEO appeal by Gina Macalino, RN. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYXQgkEQGf8]:



"NNU’s Disaster Response Network Seeking RNs, Donations for Philippine Typhoon Relief Effort"
2013-11-12 by Mike Hall, AFL-CIO from "California Labor Federation" [www.calaborfed.org/index.php/site/page/nnus_disaster_response_network_seeking_rns_donations_for_philippine_typhoon]:
In the aftermath of the devastation from Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, one of the worst storms on record, the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN), a project of National Nurses United (NNU), has put out a call for volunteers and donations through its vast network of direct-care nurses both nationally and internationally.
After a request sent out this weekend from RNRN, within five hours, 370 RNs already had signed up to help.RNRN has been gathering information and assessments from multiple sources, including the Philippines Alliance of Health Workers, a member of NNU’s international affiliate Global Nurses United, to determine the need for nurses, medical supplies and financial support on the ground.Through the disaster relief effort, RNRN has mobilized hundreds of direct care RN volunteers to help provide care to people affected by other disasters in the United States and internationally, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the Haiti earthquake and the South Asia tsunami on the ground and on U.S. naval ships.For this effort, RNRN is placing a special effort on recruiting volunteers who speak Tagalog, many of whom are directly connected to NNU and RNRN.
RNs have been asked to provide their availability over the next month.The nurses also are seeking public support with financial donations to help their relief effort. You can make a secure donation by clicking here [https://donate.nationalnursesunited.org/page/contribute/send_a_nurse]. Contributions are tax deductible, and 100% of all donations go directly to the relief effort.In the Philippines, communication channels are not yet re-established to many areas, but current reports indicate as many as 10,000 deaths, with the fear of many more casualties yet to be assessed.Several hospitals, along with thousands of homes and schools, have been damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of thousands left homeless—many with long-term shelter needs.
Says NNU Vice President Zenei Cortez, RN: "U.S. nurses, we have seen the effects of deadly storms and disasters and the pain it causes for our families and communities. We know the difference it makes to provide support and assistance in an hour of need. We will do whatever we can to aid our sisters and brothers in the Philippines."


"Philipine Government misuses public funds as People suffer from post-typhoon devastation"
2013-11-12 [http://www.josemariasison.org/?p=13530]:
The Real News Network inteviews Prof. Jose Maria Sison, ILPS Chairperson, about the devastation wrought by super-typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda).
Prof. Sison explains how Philippine government has set up ghost non-profits that failed to service its most vulnerable citizens.
Video from The Real News Network youtube. Report by Jessica Desverieux, Producer, @Jessica_Reports.
Transcript of interview is available from [www.therealnews.com]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXKd6k2bF14]:
[http://bayanusa.org/typhoon-haiyan-yolanda-relief-efforts-an-urgent-appeal/]:
We ask all BAYAN USA members, allies, friends, and family to donate online today to National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) Bayanihan Relief of which 100% of your donations will be given to BALSA (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan). BALSA translates to RAFT (People’s Cooperation for the People). For more information on how to donate visit NAFCON website. BALSA is a grassroots relief and rehabilitation organization of BAYAN for more than a decade. It is run by people for the people, eliminating gross administrative costs and ensures your donation contributes directly to the communities that need immediate assistance. Furthermore, BAYAN advocates have and continue to expose the Aquino Administration and Philippine Congress’ Priority Development Assistance Fund, which contain $141 Million (1.3 trillion to 1.5 trillion in Philippine pesos) for misusing government funds.


"Appeal for aid to victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)" 
2013-11-10 by Prof. Jose Ma. Sison, issued by the Office of the "Chairperson International League of Peoples’ Struggle" [josemariasison.org/?p=13526#more-13526]: 
We, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, appeal to all our global region committees, national chapters, member-organizations, our friends and all the people of the world to carry out a campaign of raising resources and delivering them to the millions of people afflicted by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 35 provinces in the central part of the Philippines.
The aid is for immediate relief and rescue and long term rehabilitation of the devastated communities and families , especially of the impoverished workers, peasants, fishermen and the middle social strata who have suffered death and injury and whose homes, personal belongings and livelihoods have been either blown away by the overly strong winds or swept away by storm surges from the sea.
Due to the destruction of energy and communication lines, the full extent of the destruction of lives and property is still being assessed. But there are already images of the wide scale of destruction taken from air planes and satellites. Entire communities are flattened. Thousands of lives have been lost. Millions of people are in need of food, clean water, clothing, shelter, medical services and proper burial of the dead.
The most reliable private relief-and-rehabilitation organization in the Philippines is BALSA, which includes BAYAN and other ILPS member-organizations as well as civic and religious organizations that have an excellent record of undertaking humanitarian efforts in previous disasters. Within the Philippines, BALSA is taking initiative in assessing the destruction to life, property and livelihood and in collecting and delivering the aid to the victims. The ILPS advise Filipino organizations and their friends abroad to forward to BALSA the aid that they can collect.
It is necessary for the people’s organizations to raise the money and goods for the immediate relief and rescue and for long-term rehabilitation of the communities and families, especially because the so-called calamity funds of the Benigno Aquino government have been misused and continue to be misused as pork barrel for purposes of corruption and political patronage from the level of the chief bureaucrat Aquino downwards.
Both civil bureaucracy and military forces of the Aquino regime did not give timely and adequate warning to the people about the grave dangers of the overly strong winds of the super typhoon and the storm surges from the sea. They did not prepare evacuation centers. And they did not guide the people to move to relatively safer areas before the super typhoon struck.
We appreciate highly the efforts of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to mobilize the local revolutionary organs of political power, the mass organizations and the broad masses of the people to prepare themselves against the onslaught of the super typhoon and for collective action in undertaking rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations.
We also admire the revolutionary forces for unilaterally declaring ceasefire in all the areas devastated by the super typhoon. They stand on a high moral ground as they serve the people in need. In sharp contrast, the bureaucrats and military officers of the reactionary armed forces loot a big part of the relief goods from government warehouses and use another part for counterrevolutionary propaganda and psywar. They shamelessly coordinate with US planes and ships in interventions under the pretext of humanitarian aid.
---
Note from GOTT: Communism, for bad or good, is a permanent mainstay of politics outside the USA, especially in Latin America and Asia, where, more often, communist parties are seen as the "good guys" in comparison to the "bad guy" governments subsidized by the USA, whose human-rights abuse are often more intense and cruel than what was seen in the old Soviet Union under Stalin's regime when comparing starvation rates, death-squad actions by authorities, oppression of "minority nations, and artificial poverty (usually all done for the private investors who seek to acquire natural resources for private profit).

Typhoon Relief for the Philippines, w. Gathering of the Tribes, and Art is Zen

And be sure to check out the following events this week!

"Music and Citizenship in the Rock n’ Roll Sixties CountercultureNation"

2013-06-28 by Ron Jacobs [http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/06/28/rock-n-roll-nation/]:

It’s always interesting to see a history of a time and place in which one was at least a passive participant examined through academic perspective years later, especially by someone without any temporal connection. Sometimes the effort succeeds and sometimes it doesn’t. Michael Kramer’s study of the sixties counterculture in SF and among members of the US military in Vietnam is such an exercise. For the most part Kramer’s book, titled Republic of Rock: Music and Citizenship in the Sixties Counterculture, does what the author intended it to do. Kramer centers his discussion on the genesis and growth of the hippie counterculture in San Francisco in the mid-to-late 1960s and the adaptation of that culture’s music and stylings by US military members and other Americans in Vietnam during the same period.
LSD, marijuana and other drugs obviously played an important role in both parts of the world. Indeed, it can be reasonably argued that the phenomenon known as the hippies would not have occurred except for the presence and liberal use of marijuana and LSD. The music created by bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane (two of the groups most associated with the San Francisco hippie culture) comes from the mental and emotional perceptions created by the psychedelic experience. The fact that LSD was legal until October 6, 1966 and that it was easily available to virtually anyone interested before and after that date played a role in the composition of the music and its reception by an LSD and marijuana fueled audience. Furthermore, the use of LSD during performances by many of the individuals involved created a new dynamic in terms of performer-audience relationship.
It is this new dynamic that Kramer emphasizes in his discussion of citizenship. By breaking down the barrier between audience and performer, the notion of passive participation by the audience was challenged and even destroyed. The series of performances organized by author Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters known as the Acid Tests insisted that those attending who weren’t onstage also participate. Some wore costumes, some juggled, and some just acted weird. Almost everyone took part in a manner that involved more than buying a ticket and sitting in a seat. Furthermore, the band was often as high as the audience, thereby occasionally rendering their performance as uneven as the LSD experience itself can be. Participation wasn’t just encouraged, it was expected, and it was to be undertaken on one’s own terms. This is what citizenship meant in the counterculture.
It is Kramer’s contention that when this concept of participation moved into the greater public the commonly held ideas of citizenship were challenged and even threatened. The passivity of the previous generation and its willingness to accept and support authority was undone by the counterculture’s challenge and opposition to business as usual. Even previous methods of protest were undone. To illustrate the latter, Kramer describes and discusses the appearance of Ken Kesey and the Pranksters at a Berkeley rally against the US war in Vietnam. This incident, made famous in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric KoolAid Acid Test, involved the Pranksters driving up in their bus, singing some songs and then Kesey telling the crowd to turn their backs on the war and conventional protest. Naturally, this advice upset a number of conventional leftists. Kramer contends (and I think he is absolutely correct) that Kesey was actually saying that the only way the war was going to end was if and when everyone refused to take part in any aspect of its production. In Kesey’s mind, conventional protest was merely playing the game that allowed imperial war to go on.
In Vietnam, US soldiers understood Kesey’s advice all too well. Dropping out of the war and the system that required war to maintain itself was more than a political statement. It could be a matter of life and death. The adaptation of the counterculture ethos to the military conditions in Vietnam provided many GIs with a means to not only ignore the war, but also to participate in some way in a culture identified with the opposition to that war. Although GI opposition did occasionally involve refusing to fight and even attacking the command structure, the more common approach was to pretend to participate. Oftentimes, men would go out on missions only to sit them out in the jungle smoking weed and listening to rock music.
Cultural revolutions have their shortcomings, especially under capitalism. The primary shortcoming is capitalism’s ability to turn elements of an opposition culture into just another way to make profit. Rebellion itself becomes a commodity that by being bought and sold loses its very essence. When it came to the counterculture, the first folks to recognize this were members of the culture itself. Next were concert promoters and record companies. Given the anti-profit and communal underpinnings of the counterculture, there was bound to be conflict between those who wished to maintain the communal ethos and those who wished to make a profit. As so often happens in capitalism, the profitmakers won and, in doing so, established a template for future subcultures to be coopted and commodified. This turn of events was not without its benefits, however. By capitalizing on the counterculture, the corporate world of entertainment also spread the message far and wide. Indeed, this process was what brought Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead to GIs in Vietnam and wannabe freaks and hippies in America’s heartland, not to mention Vietnamese civilians and others around the world. It is cultural imperialism, but it can also be an element of human freedom.
There is no easy answer to the contradictions present in the aforementioned machinations of capitalism. Its distribution networks dominate the planet and without them the Sixties counterculture (and every subculture based on musical style since then) would most likely have remained a localized phenomenon. Michael Kramer’s text is an exploration of those contradictions and an engaging depiction of the Sixties counterculture’s place in that exploration.

Dr.G. celebrates Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Dr.G. says "We are all el Muerto (Dead) on the inside, so show it!".
He showed it all off at the Gathering of Strangers and Friends wearing nothing but the image you see here, provided as a gift from a comrade in the comix business.

Welcome to Ozcat!

The Gathering of the Tribes radio show broadcasts at 89.5fm from a secret transmitter station located in the Land of Oz where the chickens roam, royally administered by a family of musicians and cultural artists.

The people who have all-together created Ozcat include dedicated volunteers of music festivals, as seen in the following dedication to Katie (Queen Ozma) from the Sierra-Nevada Music Festival program for 2013:

There is alot of talent shared by the folks at Ozcat, with independent recording artists, including King David:


Ozcat loves to participate in the community, including sponsoring the Cat of Many Colors in the annual Mad Hatter Parade in Vallejo (photo by Mills):

 With award winning parade floats, as shown with the following prize check for $50, for our 2nd Place Out-of-Town float, from the Dixon city Chamber of Commerce:

Sponsor an Ozcat flier

Check out Ozcat's Transmitter Range, 89.5FM KZCT in Vallejo [link].
Expand your visibility in the artist's community by sponsoring an Ozcat radio flier, like the example shown below, sponsored by "Extreme Tattoos" of Vallejo:

Our Transmitter Range, 89.5FM KZCT in Vallejo

Sponsor an Ozcat flier [link]!

Light-up ceremony, Mad Hatter Holiday Festival, December 7th, 2013

Dr.G. took the time to volunteer with the gnomes and folks setting fire to the hillside.
All photographs by Mills, artist of Vallejo [http://www.flickr.com/photos/mills42/sets/72157638484153903]:

Nearby, residents and dimensional entities watched in anticipation:

All in time for the Mad Hatter Holiday Parade!

The Fire is set forth!

This fire-engine has arrived to join the light show!

Soon, we are joined by the Dragon, and other friendly devices and strange creatures...


The strange sea-worthy Giant octopus, named Cthulu, makes her entrance  
Who dares approach the madness and walk among the outerdimensional denizens?


Great to see the Cat of Many Colors, bringing with it Ozcat Radio in the Mad Hatter Holiday Parade!

6th Humboldt Anarchist BookFair

This is a great event with delicious free food all day, child care...
really good time. And right near the beach! See you there!

The Humboldt Anarchist Bookfair (1611 Peninsula Dr, Manila, CA) on Saturday
December 14th features a full day of workshops on a variety of topics,
guest speakers, and great deals on independent and hard-to-find books and
zines. Bring your kids to play at the Kid’s Corner and enjoy some delicious
local food while meeting people who are working to make our community and
the world a more revolutionary place.

The 6th Humboldt Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday December 14th is Saturday,
10am to 6pm! Here’s a peek of some of the authors who will be speaking at
this awesome event:

*Iain Boal* is author of *West of Eden: Communes and Utopia in Northern
California,” a book that explores the deep historical roots of collective
life on rural communes of Mendocino and Sonoma, as well as communal
households of the Black Panthers in Oakland, and the Native American
occupation of Alcatraz

*James Davis* is an Irish writer and film maker based in California. He is
co-author of “Catastrophism,” a book that explores the politics of
apocalypse on the left and right—and examines why the lens of catastrophe
can distort our understanding of the dynamics at the heart of these
numerous disasters—and fatally impede our ability to transform the world.
His documentary films include Meeting Room, Safety Orange, and Autonomy and
a Song.

*Peter McCoy* is co-founder of Radical
Mycology,
a movement and social philosophy based on accessibly teaching the
importance of *mushrooms* and other *fungi* for *personal, societal, and
ecological **health.*

Radical Mycology is based on the belief that the *lifecycles of fungi and
their interactions in nature serve as powerful learning tools *for how
humans can best relate to each other and steward the world they live in.

Check out this video for more info , or click
here for Radical Mycology’s introductory
zine.

Booksellers and organizations that will be at the Humboldt Anarchist
Bookfair include:

- PM Press
- AK Press
- Slingshot Magazine/Organizer
- People’s Action for Rights and Community
- Women’s Resource Center
- Rhizome Infoshop
- Arcata Pirate Radio
- Greenfuse
- Black Riders Liberation Party
- Industrial Workers of the World
- Raven Project
- Redwood Curtain Copwatch
- Food Not Bombs
- Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
- Giant Squid Print Collective
- Community Bike Kitchen (bring your bike and learn to fix it!)
- Emma Center
- Little Black Cart
- Sacramento Prisoner Support


Here’s the workshop schedule:

*Workshop Room 1 *

*12:00 pm* Ninason: Yurok Special Places with Jene McCovey: Yurok Elder
speaks about Yurok tradition, ceremony, and special places
*1:00 pm* Radical Mycology with Peter McCoy
*2:00 pm* Radical Mycology continued
*3:00 pm* Organized Labor panel: IWW members and local Eureka waterfront,
nursing, construction and grocery workers discuss experiences working and
organizing on the job
*4:00* pm Regional Earth Defenders panel: discussion with Umatilla megaload
anti-fracking acitvists, Cascadia Forest Defense, Will and Warbler from
Little Lake Valley (threatened by Willits Bypass), and local Strawberry
Rock tree-sitters from Trinidad. Bring some questions for Q+A!
*5:00 pm* Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth
with author James Davis

*Workshop Room 2*

*12:00 pm* Sacramento Prisoner Support: Marie Mason and Eric McDavid
update, and how to more effectively grow a culture of resistance that can
breach the prison walls and sustain the activist community long term
*1:00 pm* Building Solidarity for Prisoners’ Struggle to End Torture in CA
Prisons
*2:00 pm* Dismantling Patriarchy discussion
*4:00 pm* West of Eden: Communes and Utopia in Northern California with
author Iain Boal explores the deep historical roots of collective life on
rural communes of Mendocino and Sonoma, as well as communal households of
the Black Panthers in Oakland, and the Native American occupation of
Alcatraz
*5:00 pm* Black Riders Liberation Party from Oakland

*FREE TO ALL!* Please donate generously.

P.S. We’re gonna smash a symbol of patriarchal oppression at the Afterparty
at the Ink Annex in Eureka.

*Bus times*: Departs Arcata 9:20 am. Next bus leaves Manila to Arcata at
6:15 pm. Departs 5th and D Eureka @ 9:48 am, leaves manila to Eureka at
5:30 pm.

*From Eureka*: Take 255/Samoa Bridge and go right towards Arcata. Turn Left
on Peninsula Drive, Manila Community Center is .5 miles on your left

*From Arcata:* Go south on 255/Samoa Blvd for 3 miles. After you pass
Lupin, take a right on Pacific Ave (becomes Peninsula Dr). Manila Community
Center will be on your right

Sponser an FM Radio program!

Dec. 20th Showcase with FOO Die

FOO Die album release party, with Hip-Hop and comics,
December 20th, 9pm,
at The Townhouse, 401 Georgia st. in downtown Vallejo,
no cover, 21+

"COMING ATTRACTIONS" RECORD RELEASE SHOW
Starring FOODie [http://foodfight.bandcamp.com]
WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
the BRACAMONSTER [http://thebracamonster.com],
the CAPTAIN [http://thereisnohalo.com]
SKRUF/C.O.L.A [http://thecolacrew.com]
& KRIS KRINGLE!

FOODie - COMING ATTRACTIONS

PRODUCED BY SLEEPER CHRISTMAS DAY 
ART BY Brandon Bracamonte'