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Friday, February 21, 2020

Weekend edition: news & events, February 21st and beyond. (2020)

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Updated Friday, Feb 28th, 5:04 pm.

This is a shorter edition than planned. Due to a death, we are publishing only what was ready to go. We hope to make additions to the events sections, if possible. Thanks to our readers who have shared kind wishes at this time.

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News comes first, followed by updated events for this weekend (Friday, Feb 21st through Sunday, Feb 23), and beyond, then our section with multiple-day, continuing events.

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Fighting back from the inside...


Making the GRAMMYs inclusive 


We've lost the Cajun-Zydeco GRAMMY. It was "consolidated" into an amalgam category of "regional music," an apples-and-oranges lunacy that pits New England fiddle, Tex-Mex accordion, Jimmy Buffet style beach music, and everything else "regional" against Cajun and Zydeco which already needed to be two categories (during the brief time we had it at all as one category). Such dismissive dumping into one big bucket is like trying to boil crawfish with taco meat and corned beef and cabbage. It is an arrogant dismissal of many genres with seriously studied musicians and categories on bins at the record store. It just isn't right, and too much gets dissed.

For example, Nashville pop-country ignores practitioners of its roots under the current structure.  Neither is there a GRAMMY for Western music -- much less all the awards such a rich genre deserves: for best male and female artists, best band, best new original song, best traditional cowboy ballad, best western swing performance, best single or best album. All are ignored, equally, because there isn't one GRAMMY for Western music.

It keeps worse. Now the Bluegrass GRAMMY could vanish in favor of yet another rap/hip-hop or electrocution electronica or pop-country award.

We've sounded the alarm numerous times in recent years. We've published stories on how things got to be the way they are -- with everyone being force-fed the preferences of a corporate music establishment that laughs at art and cares only about engineering profits through Sounds like sameness and lowest-common-denominator thinking.

We maintain that the Canadian JUNO Awards are the model the GRAMMYs should adopt. Our neighbors to the north have many more categories so they can recognize excellence in genres that the GRAMMYs won't admit exist.

We like the approach IBMA -- the International Bluegrass Music Association -- is advocating. Read their promo piece and click the link (the word "here" in the first line of small text). It's the path to getting all who are qualified to become voting members in the Recording Academy -- the sponsoring body of the GRAMMYs. It's a way to end the stupid hype and the superfluous multiplicity of awards for essentially the same things, and to expand to reflect the full spectrum of music excellence.

It won't be easy, but we CAN combine forces to bring back recognition and rewards for more culturally diverse music genres. For more inclusion. Especially before we lose any more.

KEEP THE BLUEGRASS GRAMMY ALIVE BY
JOINING THE RECORDING ACADEMY!

Find out how to become a Voting or Professional member of the Recording Academy here to participate in the 63rd GRAMMY Awards process. Recording Academy members have the opportunity to play a part in creating a better world for music and its makers. Members submit recordings for GRAMMY consideration, advocate and fight for music creators’ rights, recommend other new members, elect the Recording Academy governing boards, propose changes to GRAMMY rules and of course, Voting Members can also vote for who they think deserves to win a GRAMMY Award.
A new member submission includes two recommendations and a complete profile by March 1, 2020. New member submissions are considered by the Recording Academy’s Peer Review Panel each spring.


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A Black History Month music feature story...


The Complicated Legacy of Minstrel Shows



an excerpt from
Billie Holiday: The Musician & The Myth
Author: John Szwed
Publisher: William Heinemann
Copyright John Szwed 2015
Pages: 23-30

We begin with this intro from DelanceyPlace.com:

"Minstrel shows, most often with white entertainers performing in blackface, were a highly racist phenomenon that were a pervasive form of entertainment in America for over 80 years through the 1800s and early 1900s. Yet as complicated and fundamentally offensive as they were, it was part of what led to a break with a purely European music tradition."

Now, from the book, "Billie Holiday..." by John Szwed:

"African Americans were leading the way in breaking with European musical tradition, and, strange as it might seem, this break had been anticipated, and maybe even urged, by the minstrel show, the first form of musical theater to reach the whole country. Its history is much longer than the eighty or so years that it is said to have lasted in the United States; its legacy is far more complicated than just a matter of white people copying black people, and even today questions about the sources of this music and its influence remain unsettled.


"Some minstrels were black, and some of those we now consider white performers were then categorized as nonwhite in one way or another. A few of the white performers who wore blackface, such as Al Jolson or Libby Holman, were very popular among people of color. Minstrelsy reached a much wider audience than just the United States, and it took on different meanings in other countries. In South Africa minstrel performances in blackface have been popular for over a century among nonwhite Africans in Cape Town during Coon Carnival in January of each year. Adolf Hitler's mistress Eva Braun posed in blackface for professional entertainers' photos in imitation of her favorite performer, Al Jolson, who was Jewish. Billie Holiday, like many other black performers of her time, at least once had to darken her skin so as not to look too white when appearing with a band of black musicians before a white audience.

Thanks to DelanceyPlace.com, where this excerpt appears as their daily eclectic excerpt. Check them out or sign up for their brief daily email with an excerpt or quote they "view as interesting or noteworthy," at www.DelanceyPlace.com


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Spaciness, part one...


Lunar Transit? It's heeeeere


    Not "transit" as in taking a trip aboard a conveyance... rather, its meaning in astronomy: one object passing in front of another.
     Amateur astrophotographer Javier Manteca captured the International Space Station (ISS) as flew in front of the Moon. That was February 5th, while most eyes were on the change of command ceremony taking place inside the Space Station. ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano was about to return to Earth after 201 days in space, as Javier set up his gear to track the Station from the small town of Campo Real in Madrid, Spain.


     Using a camera attached to a 150/750 telescope recording at 25 frames per second, Javier captured the 690 millisecond transit on video and composed this image made from 17 stacked frames.

      For Javier, planning and capturing the fleeting moment was two years in the making. Everything isn't instant gratification.


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Spaciness, part TWO...


Abandoned  SPACE SHIPS? Soviet "Buran" Space Shuttles in Baikonur


Even "space nerds" know of just one Soviet Space Shuttle orbitter. Turns out there is a partially-completed fleet, with two appearing to be externally finished. One of those seen in the abandoned assembly plant is said to have been 78% complete. The builders simply walked away in 1993 when the fall of the USSR suddenly ended the program.

Only one Buran ever flew, on an unmanned test mission to space and back. A completed Buran was destroyed in a hangar collapse, according to the screen notes in this video. This is a time capsule of a space future that never was.


You'll need to hit "skip ads" multiple times after viewing the requisite few seconds. The footage in Baikonur runs over 15 fascinating, thoroughly engrossing, minutes. It apparently was taken during a clandestine visit, evading security patrols through the large, abandoned complex of buildings.

The explorers even go aboard one Buran and into the cockpit.

https://youtu.be/-q7ZVXOU3kM

This just screams out for a song. When you write it, send it to us!


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Recommended listen...


"Corporate Media Are Not Observers of the Electoral Process; They Are Participants"



In the Feb 14, 2020, episode of "CounterSpin," Janine Jackson interviewed Jim Naureckas of FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) about the Democratic primaries. This is insightful and you'll also find it "inciteful" in terms of your personal awareness.


Excerpt:
"Remember when Les Moonves declared that Donald Trump’s candidacy 'may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS'-? That wasn’t a faux pas; it was an operating principle. And we can’t be shocked that it’s carrying through to coverage of the Democratic primary process, which has foregrounded far more 'radical' ideas—and public receptivity to them—than corporate elites are comfortable with."

 Listen to the interview here.

https://fair.org/home/jim-naureckas-on-democratic-primaries-nina-luo-on-decriminalizing-sex-work/


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Urgently needed activism...


Saving a National Monument, or dynamiting to build "The Wall"?


Preserving, protecting, and fully funding America's public lands used to be what government did. In fact, every elected official is obligated to safeguard ALL public property as part of their fiduciary responsibility. But (as you have ample reason to know) the current administration is not doing that 

The Trust for Public Land -- a good organization that does the work its name proclaims -- sent us this:

Congress: Stop the destruction of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument



Blasting has begun in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona, as contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol clear sections of the precious landscape for a fortified section of border wall.

Our national monuments are the pride of the nation and we cannot stand by and watch as the Trump administration moves to destroy Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Take action now and demand Congress act to stop the destruction of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument!

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, a designation conferred in 1976 to honor the land’s outstanding ecological value. This destruction undermines that very concept, and will have harmful consequences for Organ Pipe’s fragile landscape. Construction of the border wall has already ripped up 100 cacti, including 76 iconic saguaros that are found only in the Sonoran Desert and normally live 200 years, or more!

Organ Pipe is also home to cultural sites and grounds sacred to the Tohono O’odham people, who are among many Indigenous nations who trace their ancestry to lands protected by the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Some places are too precious to dynamite, dig up, or destroy; and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is one of them. We cannot lose this incredible and irreplaceable place. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is at risk of irreversible destruction, but with your help, we can beat back this attack by taking the fight head-on in Congress.

Take action right now to stand up to the destruction of Organ Pipe so the National Monument is not subject to dynamite blasting and destruction.

You can sign the letter to Congress at this long url:

https://secure.tpl.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=813


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SO, WHERE'S ALL THE NEW MUSIC RELEASE NEWS?


As we said first thing: This is a shorter edition than planned. Due to a death, we are publishing only what was ready to go. Thanks to our readers who have shared kind wishes at this time.


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Time, and not taking it for granted...

"Go buy a ranch somewhere in the West. All your life you've wanted to be a cowboy. Why play Wall Street and die young when you can play cowboy and never die."

~  Will Rogers


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On to the Guide's select Events


What's going on out there (with fresh additions & updates)...

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Friday
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Today is Friday, February 21, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date

"I and the public know / What all schoolchildren learn, / Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return."

~ W.H. Auden
(1907-1973), English-American poet, playwright, and composer.

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Happy birthday today to...

Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress.

David Geffen, American businessman, co-founded DreamWorks and Geffen Records.

John Lewis, African-American civil rights icon, activist for individual rights, and congressman.

Chad Watson, American singer-songwriter, bass player on countless recordings by numerous stars, and record producer.

Cathy Richardson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Corbin Bleu, American actor, model, dancer, film producer and singer-songwriter.

Jerry Harrison, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.

Johnny Echols, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Chantal Claret, American singer-songwriter.

Christine Ebersole, American actress and singer.

Kelsey Grammer, American actor, singer, and producer.

Tyne Daly, American actress and singer.

Steve Wynn, American singer-songwriter.

Eric Wilson, American bass player and drummer.

James Dean Bradfield, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist w/ Manic Street Preachers.

Jake Burns, Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Ranking Roger, English singer-songwriter and musician.

Jean-Jacques Burnel, English bass player, songwriter, and producer.

José María Cano, Spanish singer-songwriter and painter.

Floor Jansen, Dutch singer, songwriter, and vocal coach.

Heri Joensen, Faroese singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Tiziano Ferro, Italian singer-songwriter and producer.

Seo Taiji, South Korean singer-songwriter.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and producer.

Ellen Page, Canadian actress.
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In memorium to departed musicians and artists born on this date...

Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), Spanish guitarist.

Nina Simone (1933-2003), American singer-songwriter and pianist.

Ann Sheridan (1915-1967), American actress and singer.

Arline Judge (1912-1974), American actress and singer.

Tadd Dameron (1917-1965), American pianist and composer.

Bobby Charles (1938-2010), American singer-songwriter.

W. H. Auden (1907-1973), English-American poet, playwright, and composer.

Bill Slayback (1948-2015), American baseball player and singer.

Vince Welnick (1951-2006), American keyboard player.

Shane Gibson (1979-2014), American guitarist w/ stOrk and Jonathan Davis and the SFA.

Sam Peckinpah (1925-1984), American director and screenwriter.

Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), American journalist and author.

Rue McClanahan (1934-2010), American actress.

Jeanne Aubert (1900-1988), French singer and actress.

Kenneth J. Alford (1881-1945), English soldier, bandmaster, and composer.

Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), French organist and composer.

Léo Delibes (1836-1891), French pianist and composer.

Carl Czerny (1791-1857), Austrian pianist and composer.

Sethus Calvisius (1556-1615), German astronomer, composer, and theorist.

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996), American lawyer and politician, legendary blsck Texas congresswoman.

Jeanne Calment (1875-1997), French super-centenarian, oldest verified person ever.

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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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** TICKET ALERT...
The DAVE MATTHEWS BAND plays Sep 11 & 12 at FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine CA, on their Summer Tour 2020. TIX available starting Fri, Feb 21 at 10 am, at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/dave-matthews-band-tickets/artist/746531
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Concludes this weekend; Feb 11-23; FILM FESTIVAL:
28th annual "PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL" (PAFF) is currently taking place at the Cinemark 15 Theatres, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles CA
*  PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the United States and the nation's largest Black History Month cultural event.
*  This year, it has selected a record-breaking 225 films, representing 52 countries in 26 languages. Each year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world.
*  Its concurrent ArtFest features more than 100 fine artists from around the world.
*  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live action and animation short films.
*  PAFF is a non-profit corporation, founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover ("The Color Purple," "Lethal Weapon" movie franchise), the late Emmy Award-winning actress Ja'Net DuBois (best known for her role as Willona in the TV series, "Good Times" and as songwriter of "The Jeffersons" tv theme), and executive director Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in Pan African Affairs.
*  PAFF is dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression.
*  Complete schedules and more at: https://www.paff.org/
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm - THE STRING REVOLUTION plays the Fiddler's Crossing concert series at Mountain Bible Church, 630 Maple St, Tehachapi CA 93561
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm ' BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET, Cajun legends, plays the Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad CA 92008; 760-438-5996
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Fri, Feb 21:
7:30 pm - WILLY PORTER plays the "AMSD Concerts" series in Sweetwater Community Church, 5305 Sweetwater Rd, Bonita CA 91902; 619-201-0520
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - CARLA OLSON & STEPHEN McCARTHY with Johnny Indovina, Rob Waller, and John York, play the famous concert hall in back of McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405
*  An evening to celebrate the release of "True Voices" and "Have Harmony, Will Travel" on Sunset Blvd Records
*  TIX, www.mccabes.com
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm-11 pm - RIDERS IN THE SKY play the Lancaster Performing Arts Center (LPAC), 750 W Lancaster Bl, Lancaster CA 93534
*  Round-up your herd and hit the trail for fun with America’s favorite singing cowboys, winners of the music OSCAR for the "Toy Story" motion picture theme.

*  For more than forty years, Riders in the Sky have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre.
*  Remaining true to the integrity of Western music, they have themselves become modern-day icons by branding the genre with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit — all the while encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!”
Music vid: Riders in the Sky performing "Ghost Riders in the Sky":
https://youtu.be/HFUGEaIKrVM
*  TIX, $27 & $32, youth $10, at 661-723-5950 or http://www.lpac.org/
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - DIANA REIN, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA

*  Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
*  Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
*  TIX  online advance always save substantially over admission at the door,  but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
*  More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - JOSHUA RADIN & FRIENDS plus BEN KWELLER & WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS play the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - THE TILLERS play Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City CA 90230; 310-398-2583
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - L.A. PHIL presents the second of two nights of "DUDAMEL EXPLORES DVOřáK & IVES" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Music Center, downtown Los Angeles CA
*  "Charles Ives was our first great American composer." ~ Leonard Bernstein.
*  Gustavo Dudamel conducts.
 * Revealing unpredictable connections between the two composers, Dudamel’s unexpected pairing of symphonies by Ives and Dvořák begins with each showing us new ways to view vernacular music in a symphonic context.
*  GO EARLY for "Upbeat Live with Christopher Russell," starting at 6:45 pm: Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around – including members of L.A. Phil – guide you through the evening’s music, complete with a Q&A sessio. This free event is held in the main auditorium, accessible after your ticket is scanned.
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO plays the "Lobero Live" serues in the Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara CA 93101; 805-963-0761
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Saturday
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Today is Saturday, February 22, 2020. 

This is the traditional Washington's Birthday holiday, before he was amalgamated into a three-day weekend that "honors" all the presidents (including those who do NOT deserve honors.)
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date

"My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth."

     and,

"Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals."

     and,

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

~ George Washington (1732-1799), American general who led the rag-tag Continrntal Army to defeat the forces of the British Empire, he became a politician and 1st President of the United States; "the indispensable man" in forging a nation from 13 disparate colonies, who, for all of them, was "First in war, first in peace, first in the heart of his countrymen."


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On this day...

Original idea for 9/11...
     Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but is killed by police, today in 1974.

Cold War freeze-out...
    In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team of college kids and other amateurs defeats the juggernaut professional Soviet Union national hockey team 4–3 in the "Miracle on Ice" game at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, today in 1980. No summer games would follow that year for the US team, because the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan would cause several Western nations to boycott the summer Olympics -- held in Moscow. In 1984, the Soviet team retaliated, not competing in the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Ukraine shuffle...
     President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion, today in 2014.
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Happy birthday today to...

Jude Johnstone, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

James Blunt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Ellen Greene, American singer and actress.

Dave Spitz, American bass player and songwriter.

Rebecca Hall, American musician.

Shamari Fears, American singer-songwriter and actress.

Scott Phillips, American drummer and producer.

Harvey Mason, American drummer.

Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter.

Jenny Frost, English singer and dancer.

Genesis P-Orridge, English singer-songwriter.

Jeanette Biedermann, German singer-songwriter and actress.

Akira Takasaki, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer.

Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter.

Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian, "Saturday Night Live" cast member.

Jeri Ryan, American model and actress, "Seven of Nine" in the Star Trek franchise.

Lea Salonga, Filipino actress and singer.

Kang Sung-hoon, South Korean singer.

Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model.

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In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

George Washington (1732-1799), celebrated above with bits of what he said.

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (1857-1941), English general, co-founded The Scout Association that became the Boy Scouts. A 9,400-ft peak in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles bears his name in tribute. Less soaring is the descent of the Boy Scouts of America into scandal and, last week, bankruptcy.

Olave Baden-Powell (1889-1977), English scout leader, founded the Girl Guides.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950), American poet, playwright, and libertine, she wrote a poem with the oft-quoted "There isn't a train I wouldn't take, no matter where it's going." She also wrote poems published in the children's magazine "St. Nicholas" when she was 14; before long she recited a poem that won her a private scholarship to Vassar College from a woman who who merely heard her recite it. (Never underestimate the power of your performance.) At Vassar, she became a notorious hell-raiser who wasn't kicked-out because of her status as prodigy poet. She became an icon of the Jazz Age reciting her poems about bohemian parties and free love, found in her 1920 collection "A Few Figs from Thistles."  She became the first woman poet to win the Pulitzer Prize, in 1923. The poet Thomas Hardy famously said that America had produced only two great things: the skyscraper and the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Ted Kennedy (1932-2009), American soldier, lawyer, politician, US Senator from Massachusetts who became "The Lion of the Senate," youngest brother of JFK and RFK, probably never elected president because of the Chappaquidick Island scandal in which a young woman campaign worker drowned in his car.

Texas Johnny Brown (1928-2013), American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Marni Nixon (1930-2016), American soprano and actress.

Joe Wilder (1922-2014), American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader.

Bradley Nowell (1968-1996), American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.

Ernie K-Doe (1933-2001), American R&B singer.

Don Pardo (1918-2014), American on-air announcer from radio's greatrst era and the early years of television.

Guy Mitchell (1927-1999), American singer.

Mick Green (1944-2010), English rock & roll guitarist.

Bruce Forsyth (1928-2017), English singer and television host.

Oliver (1945-2000), American pop singer.

Diane Charlemagne (1964-2015), English singer-songwriter.

Sarah Fuller Flower Adams (1805-1848), English poet and hymnwriter.

Johann Nikolaus Forkel (1749-1818), German musicologist and theorist.
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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Sat, Feb 22, FREE FESTIVAL:
6 pm - "BEN VAUGHN's WONDER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL" at the Palms Restaurant, 83131 Amboy Rd, Twentynine Palms CA 92277

*  Psych folk rockers I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. say, "Come out to the deep desert for a night of strange magic. It's a land where a man can take a stand!"
*  PERFORMERS:
  ⊙  6:00: BEN VAUGHN DUO
  ⊙  6:15: ROSA PULLMAN
  ⊙  7:00: GWENDOLYN
  ⊙  7:45: THE SIBLEYS
  ⊙  8:45: DRAGSTER BARBIE
  ⊙  9:45: BEN VAUGHN ENSEMBLE
  ⊙  10:45: I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
*  FREE admission. Camping on site. Music starts at 6 pm.
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Sat, Feb 22; See now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
*  This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
Barbara Kruger, ’WHO BUYS THE CON’ mural, on the façade of NeueHouse Hollywood.
Photo, Fredrik Nilsen
*  "Untitled (Questions)" features large-scale queries, alternating between English and Spanish, created by the artist.
*  This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
*  "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
*  "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
*  Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
*  Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau,  NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
*  Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
*  Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
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Sat, Feb 22; FREE CONCERT:
6 pm-9 pm - LISA HALEY & THE ZYDEKATS play the L.A. Farmers Market, 3rd/ Fairfax, Los Angeles CA
*  Come catch zydecosis with these Cajun-Zydeco Grammy nominees. Get there early for a seat.
*  Gig is free, but parking there costs and is expensive. Park at the Grove, get it validated there, and walk two blocks to the Farmers Market.
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Sat, Feb 22:
8 pm - ANNA TIVEL plus JEFFREY MARTIN play the famous concert hall in back of McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405
*  Venue promo: "ANNA TIVEL reaches for that thread of understanding with her music, that moment of recognition, of shared experience. There are thousands of miles on her touring odometer and each town is a tangled web of heartache and small reasons to believe. She gravitates toward the quiet stories of ordinary life. Someone changing shape, someone falling in love, someone all alone."
*  Venue promo: "As a babe JEFFREY MARTIN sought out solitude as often as he could find it. He's always been that way, and he has never understood the whole phenomenon of smiling in pictures, although he is a very happy guy. One night in middle school he stayed up under the covers with a flashlight and a DiscMan, listening to Reba McEntire's 'That's the Night that the Lights Went Out in Georgia' on repeat until the DiscMan ran out of batteries. That night he became a songwriter, although he didn't actually write a song until years later. After high school he spent a few years distracting himself from having to gather up the courage to do what he knew he had to do."
*  TIX are nearly gone; act promptly at: www.mccabes.com
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Sat, Feb 22:
8 pm - BEN RICE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
*  Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
*  Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
*  TIX  online advance always save substantially over admission at the door,  but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
*  More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Sat, Feb 22:
9 pm - "MARDI GRAS ON THE BLVD" at Cold Crush, 500 W Lancaster Bl, Lancaster CA 93535
*  Jazz band BlakToP performing.
*  Free Mardi Gras Beads.
*   Cajun-Creole style menu.
*  TIX, $20 pre sale tix include bottomless daiquiris
*  TIX at:  661-579-6132; menu at https://coldcrush.hrpos.heartland.us/
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Sunday
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Today is Sunday, February 23, 2020. 
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"Children learn more from what you are than what you teach."
     and,
"Believe in life! Always human beings will progress to greater, broader, and fuller life."
     and,
"The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame."
     
and,
"The equality in political, industrial and social life which modern men must have in order to live, is not to be confounded with sameness. On the contrary, in our case, it is rather insistence upon the right of diversity; - upon the right of a human being to be a man even if he does not wear the same cut of vest, the same curl of hair or the same color of skin."

~ W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), who is profiled in "On this day," below.


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On this day...

It should be our National Anthem...
     On this day in 1940, Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912 - October 3, 1967) wrote the lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land” — now America’s most iconic folk song.
     But the "back story" is incredible. Again, let's turn to Garrison Keillor. He writes:
     "The melody is to an old Baptist hymn. Guthrie wrote the song in response to the grandiose 'God Bless America,' written by Irving Berlin and sung by Kate Smith. Guthrie didn’t think that the anthem represented his own or many other Americans’ experience with America.
     "So he wrote a folk song as a response to Irving Berlin’s 'God Bless America,' a song that was often accompanied by an orchestra. At first, Guthrie titled his own song 'God Blessed America' — past tense.
     We'll add to that. As written, the last line of every chorus was not "This land was made for you and me," but the bitterly ironic, "God blessed America for me." Sing it once that way and it'll throw your sensibilities up against the wall. Now back to Garrison Keillor. He continues:
     "Later, he [Woody Guthrie] changed the title to 'This Land Is Your Land,' which is the first line of the song.
    "Although Guthrie wrote the words to the song in his notebook on this day in 1940, he didn’t perform it until 1944, and it was several years more... before he published it in a book of mimeographed folk songs [Now quite sought-after by collectors - ed.]. The song really took off in the 1960s. Bob Dylan did a famous version, and it became a popular anthem during the Civil Rights movement."

Sneaky presidential move...
     President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., today in 1861, thwarting an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland. With no Secret Service protecting presidents yet, he was protected by the Pinkerton Detective Agency -- which would later become villainous thugs who murdered striking miners with machine guns.

Communications milestone...
    The "traditional date" given for the publication of the first book printed with Johannes Guttenberg's revolutionary invention, movable type, is today in 1455. It was the Gutenberg Bible, now the rarest of giant books with lavish color illustrations, coveted by museums and art galleries.

Mexican border incursions...
     Today the Texas Revolution against the self-declared Emperor of Mexico -- who had torn-up the Mexican constitution -- dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, came to open confrontation. The 13-day-long Siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio de Bejar, modern-day San Antonio, Texas. The Texans were quickly bolstered by Tennessee Volunteers seeking to settle in Texas, led by former US Congressman Davy Crockett.
      On this same day in 1847, the Battle of Buena Vista was the culminating event of the Mexican–American War. Near Mexico City, American troops under a future US president, General Zachary Taylor, defeated the armies of (guess who?) Emperor Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who still wasn't through qualifying for the "he's baaaack" prize.

Black History Month...
     It's the birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), American scholar and civil rights activist, the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University, he decided to write about racism and the black experience. As Garrison Keillor notes, "In 1905, Du Bois met with 30 other African-American scholars, artists, and activists in Canada, near Niagara Falls, to discuss the challenges that people of color faced. The men had to meet in Canada because blacks were not allowed rooms at white-run U.S. hotels. It took a few years, but from this first meeting sprang the formation of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1909), which still exists today to fight racism and bridge cultural divides."
     Today in 2020, it was announced that Congressman John Lewis will receive the highest award from the NAACP. He is currently battling stage four pancreatic cancer.
     Today in 1923 Clarence D. Lester (1923-1986) was born. He would become an African-American fighter pilot, one of the famed WW II Tuskeegee Airmen who flew with the all-black "Red Tail" P-51 Mustang squadrons that never lost a bomber from the formations they protected in the skies over Nazi-occupied Europe -- a claim only the Red Tails could make.
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Happy birthday today to...

“This Land Is Your Land” America’s quintessential folk song. (Short feature story in "On this day," above.)

Brad Whitford, American guitarist and songwriter.

Rusty Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Steve Priest, English singer-songwriter & bass player.

Michael Wilton, American guitarist.

Chris Vrenna, American drummer, songwriter, & producer.

Skylar Grey, American singer-songwriter.

Debbie Friedman, American singer-songwriter of Jewish melodies.

Residente, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter.

Theophilus London, Trinidadian-American singer-songwriter & producer.

Howard Jones, English singer-songwriter.

David Sylvian, English singer-songwriter.

Linda Nolan, Irish singer & actress.

John Norum, Norwegian guitarist & songwriter.

Ola Svensson, Swedish singer-songwriter.

Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese singer-songwriter & actor.

Kenny Bee, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, & actor.

Dakota Fanning, American actress.
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In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

Johnny Winter (1944-2014), American singer-songwriter, guitarist, & producer.

William L. Shirer (1904-1993), American author, journalist, & historian who, early-on, exposed the crimes of Hitler's Nazi empire and later wrote the definitive chronicle. Blacklisted by McCarthyism, he was forced to abandon his distinguished career in journalism and reinvent himself as a historian, writing "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), American scholar, sociologist, historian, & civil rights activist, profiled above in "On this day."

Peter Fonda (1940-2019), American actor, director, producer, & screenwriter, famous for his role in 1969's "Easy Rider."

Majel Barrett (1932-2008), American actress & producer, wife of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, she was a regular on the original tv series.

Florian Fricke (1944-2001) (1951-2011), German keyboard player & composer.

Régine Crespin (1927-2007), French soprano & actress.

Anna Hofman-Uddgren (1868-1947), Swedish actress, singer, & director.

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), German-English organist & composer.

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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Sun, Feb 23:
2 pm - "THEATRE 40 MUSICAL MATINEE" is a special production of Theatre 40, in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S Moreno Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90212
*  This is "Ninety minutes of musical theatre Heaven" as the vocal talents of Theatre 40's performing artists sing the great songs of musical theatre.
*  Southern Cal theatre guru Philip Sokoloff tells us, "If you love musical theatre, this is the show for you."
*  Directed by Gail Johnston. Musical director, Carol Weiss. Presented by Theatre 40, the professional theatre of Beverly Hills, on the campus of Beverly Hills High School.
*  Ample free parking beneath the venue; enter parking from driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.
*  Since this is a revue,  the Guide expects it will appeal to a broad audience. So, get your tix early.
*  TIX: all seats $25 at 310-364-3606 or http://theatre40.org
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Sun, Feb 23:
8 pm - WILLY PORTER plays the famous concert hall in back of McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405
*  Willy Porter has been turning first time listeners into die hard fans for more than two decades. Willy blurs the line between indie-folk and rock with his searing signature finger-picking guitar sound, absorbing lyrics, and playful, high-energy live performance style. He has shared world stages with music icons Jeff Beck, Tori Amos, and Paul Simon, carving out a successful solo career as an artist who makes music that resonates long after the last guitar chord fades.
* Equally accomplished as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, his songs weave a universal perspective about the questions, struggles, and triumphs of human existence. His live shows are guitar-driven events--equal parts grit, soul, and muscle--that are electrifying, dynamic, and wholly original in the way that Willy’s voice blends and fuses with his virtuoso fret work.
*  TIX, www.mccabes.com
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Monday
__________________

THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen."

~ Samuel Lover, songwriter, composer, novelist, and artist (born Feb 24, 1797, died 1868)

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Today is February 24, 2020.

And it has unique significance. February 24th was the original Leap Day, being a single day that was 48 hours long, once every three (not four) years. It then had to be cancelled for quite a few years to get the seasons realigned with the rest of the calendar, and establish an extra day once every fourth year.

     The ancient Romans didn't want a February 29th because March 1st was the first day of their new year, and nobody owned a printed paper calendar to tell them about an extra day before New Year's debauchery, because the printing press wasn't invented yet. 
     Of course, anytime having fun is involved, several religions get involved to put a stop to it, with their penchant for burning people at the stake, so the entire affair was ridiculously complicated.
     All because powers-that-be couldn't accept that it takes roughly 365 1/4 days to make a trip around the Sun.
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On this day...

The "I" Word...
     The President of the United States was impeached by the United States House of Representatives, but acquitted in the Senate. That was Andrew Johnson, in 1868.

Wars and rumors of war...
     Walter Hines Page, U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico -- if Mexico agrees to declare war on the United States and keep the Americans too busy to get involved in Europe. That event today in 1917 led directly to American entry in World War I.
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Happy birthday today to these musicians and other influencers...

George Thorogood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist, leader of the band The Delaware Destroyers.

Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Michelle Shocked, American alt-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Ashley MacIsaac, Canadian singer-songwriter and fiddler.

Barry Bostwick, American actor and singer.

Rupert Holmes, English-American singer-songwriter and playwright.

Matt Skiba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

John Nolan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Dominic Chianese, American actor and singer.

Joanie Sommers, American singer and actress.

Chad Hugo, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer.

Chris Fehn, American drummer.

Trace Cyrus, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Edward James Olmos, American actor and director.

Helen Shaver, Canadian actress and director.

Tim Staffell, English singer and guitarist.

Paul Jones, English singer, harmonica player, and actor.

Mike Pickering, English DJ and saxophonist.

Plastic Bertrand, Belgian singer-songwriter and producer.

Renata Scotto, Italian soprano.

Teodor Currentzis, Greek conductor and composer.

Pablo Milanés, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Shinya, Japanese drummer and songwriter.

Fala Chen, Chinese actress and singer.

Nakash Aziz, Indian playback singer and music composer.

Kim Kyu-jong, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor.
___

In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

Nicky Hopkins (1944-1994), English keyboard player.

David "Fathead" Newman (1933-2009), American saxophonist and composer.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011), American businessman, co-founded Apple Inc. and Pixar.

Michel Legrand (1932-2019), French pianist, composer, and conductor.

Abe Vigoda (1921-2016), American actor famous for being reported dead many times while he was still very much alive.

Weldon Kees (1914-1955), American author, poet, painter, and pianist.

Irmgard Bartenieff (1900-1981), German-American dancer and physical therapist, leading pioneer of dance therapy.

Chester W. Nimitz (1885-1966), American admiral, instrumental in defeating the Imperial Japanese Navy in WW II.

Rudolph Ganz (1877-1972), Swiss pianist, composer, and conductor.

Arrigo Boito (1842-1918), Italian journalist, author, and composer.

Samuel Lover (1797-1868), songwriter, composer, novelist, and artist, & source of today's quote.

Charles Frederick Horn (1762-1830), German-English composer and educator.
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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Mon, Feb 24, on tv:
9 pm-10 pm (Pacific) - "TWISTED LOVE," a series airing on the "Discovery ID" channel ("IDHD" on some cable systems) is a show we have never seen. But we will watch tonight. Guide contributor and actress-musician-photographer MICHELE MAROTTA has the guest starring role, and tells us it's "some of her best work!"
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Tuesday
__________________

Today is Tuesday, February 25, 2020.

It's MARDI GRAS and all (but one) of L.A.'s celebrations happened early, last weekend. What IS happening today & tonight is below.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

“Is it really sane to follow one’s ideals and dreams and race alone in today’s world?... Midway in my life I stopped racing with others. I picked up my dreams and started a gentle walk… I touched my dreams in reality by racing and competing with no one but myself.”

~ Nader Khalili (1936-2008), Iranian-American architect, humanitarian, teacher, founder of CalEarth (the California Institute of Earth Architecture), designer and advocate for Superadobe technology and innovator of the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire system of ceramic house construction to produce environmentally and financially sustainable living spaces.

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On this day...

Black History Month...
    TODAY in 2020, there is an event that gets underway at 6:30 pm aboard the Battleship Iowa museum in San Pedro. See the write-up below, with all f today's select events.
    One hundred fifty years ago today, Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the US Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress. Alas, Reconstruction and blsck representation would end abruptly in the corrupt bargain of 1876 that made Republican Rutherford B. Hayes president. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden had won the vote of the people by more than 260,000 votes, and he had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 votes left uncounted. Hayes became president when Southern interests cut a deal that put him in the White House in return for disenfranchising and re-oppressing black citizens in the South, and it would be more than one hundred years before that changed.

Robber Baron era (the first one, not the one today)...
     J. P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation today in 1901 and begins the monopoly that would absorb steel king Andrew Carnegie's holdings.

Creeping Socialism...
     Oregon places a one-cent-per-U.S.-gallon tax on gasoline, today in 1919, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax to pay for a system of public roads that all could use. Before that, most major routes charged tolls for wagons to pass.

57 channels and nothing on...
     Today in 1928, Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.

Changing of the guard...
     Today in 1933 the USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier, in a navy thst believed the battleship was the only thing that mattered (until planes from Japanese aircraft carriers bombed Pearl Harbor).

Truth to power...
     Today in 1941, the "February Strike" began in occupied Amsterdam, as a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.

First crack in the wall...
     Today in 1956, in his speech "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences," Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, denounces the cult of personality of his predecessor, murderous dictator Joseph Stalin.

Last crack in the wall...
     Today in 1991, the Cold War could have ended for good as the Warsaw Pact is abolished. Sadly, the warconomy's merchants of death would influence their nations' foreign policy establishments to keep it all going with new provocations.

Empowering women...
     Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first woman president today in 1986, as the "People Power Revolution" overthrows Ferdinand Marcos and he flees after 20 years of brutal rule.
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Happy birthday today to these musicians and other influencers...

Bob Schieffer, American journalist and author, evening news anchor, moderator of "Face the Nation" until he retired as the last of the "Walter Cronkite" generation.

John Doe, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.

Pete Wernick, American banjo player.

Doug Yule, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Emitt Rhodes, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and recording engineer.

Jimmy Monaghan, American-born Irish singer-songwriter and pianist

Jerry Chamberlain, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.

Brian Baker, American guitarist and songwriter.

Kevin Skinner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Dave Harris, American radio host and songwriter.

Dennis Diken, American rock drummer and record producer.

Bert McCracken, American singer-songwriter.

Téa Leoni, American actress whose tv identity is "Madame Secretary."

Chelsea Handler, American comedian, author, and talk show host.

Mike Peters, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Oumou Sangaré, Grammy Award-winning "Malian Wassoulou" musician.

Julio Iglesias, Jr., Spanish singer and actor.

Petri Walli, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist for Kingston Wall.

Daniel Powter, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist.

Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer-songwriter.

Kana Hanazawa, Japanese voice actress and singer.
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In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

Ralph Stanley (1927-2016), American singer, banjo player, bluegrass legend.

George Harrison (1943-2001), English singer-songwriter, member of The Beatles, guitarist, and producer.

Faron Young (1932-1996), American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), Italian-American tenor.

John Leonard (1939-2008), critic, well-rembered for his commentaries on "CBS Sunday Morning."

Zeppo Marx (1901-1979), American comedian and agent, part of the Marx Brothers comedy film team.

Tommy Newsom (1929-2007), American saxophonist and bandleader, remembered in his later years on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."

Nader Khalili (1936-2008), featured above in today's quote.

Jim Backus (1913-1989), American actor and screenwriter, remembered as hopelessly pampered, entitled millionaire "Thurston Howell III" on tv's "Gilligan's Island."

Lisa Kirk (1925-1990), American actress and singer.

Myra Hess (1890-1965), English pianist and educator.

Jan Groth (1946-2014), Norwegian singer and keyboard player.

Erich von Hornbostel (1877-1935), Austrian musicologist and scholar.

Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), Italian playwright and composer.

Johann Philipp Krieger (1651-1725), German organist and composer.
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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Tue, Feb 25; SOMETHING DIFFERENT:
9 am-8 pm - "AMAZING SCAVENGER HUNT ADVENTURE - BIG BEAR LAKE MINI QUEST" at Big Bear Visitors Center, 630 Bartlett Rd, Big Bear Lake CA 92315
*  This seeks to turn Big Bear Lake into a giant game board with a fun scavenger hunt adventure that combines "the excitement of the Amazing Race with a two-hour city tour."
*  Guided from any smart phone, teams make their way among well-known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history. Start when you want and play at your pace.
*  Price is per team, not per person.
*  TIX: Find details and Redeem your ticket as a Prepaid Code online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com
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Tue, Feb 25:
1 pm-1:30 pm - "MINDFUL MEDITATION IN THE MUSEUM" with CAROLYN CAMPAGNA at the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, 1250 N Bellflower Bl, Long Beach CA
*  Free.
*  Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mindful-meditation-in-the-museum-tickets-93009278255
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Tue, Feb 25:
2 pm-5 pm - "FAT TUESDAY AT AMOEBA HOLLYWOOD" celebrates with a parade and their own float, and invites you to bring your own horns and percussion instruments to join-in.
*  In their famous record store, they will offer "Fat Tuesday Gift Certificate Promo + George Harrison Birthday Sale" specials.
*  A portion of the day's proceeds benefit Tipitina's Foundation and the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
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Tue, Feb 25, on tv:
5 pm (Pacific) - "DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE" (The 10th so far) this time it's post-Nevada, pre-South Carolina, and this one is on CBS.
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Tue, Feb 25; FREE MUSIC WORKSHOP:
6:30 pm-7:50 pm - "CLAPPER STICK WORKSHOP" with Tina & Jessa Calderon (Tongva and Chumash) presented by and at the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, 120 Westwood Plaza, Room 208, Westwood / Los Angeles CA 90077, on the UCLA campus
*  This workshop is part of the series on indigenous Native American cultures presented in the series, "Illuminating Tongva Embodied Knowledge and Sovereignty."
* Participants in "Clapper Stick Workshop" will learn about Tongva music and musical instruments and have the opportunity to paint and gift a clapper stick.
*  Presentation is part of "Dance C145/245 Colonization and Confinement"
*  Instructor: Dr. Tria Blu Wakpa
*  Sponsored by UCLA's Center for Community Learning and UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance
*  All workshops take place in Kaufman 208 and are Free and Open to the Public.
*  Space is Limited and RSVP is requested, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clapper-stick-workshop-with-tina-and-jessa-calderon-tongva-and-chumash-tickets-89687693305
*  NOTE: event is free, but on-campus parking is expensive: it's $13. So park elsewhere and ride Metro.
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Tue, Feb 25:
6:30 pm-9 pm - "BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION" aboard the Battleship USS Iowa Museum, 250 S Harbor Bl, San Pedro CA
*  Event features a screening of the triumphant film "Invisible Warriors" and evening reception on the fantail of the ship.
*  The film profiles real pioneers – the first Black women to work in industry and government administrative service.
*  This film is an unforgettable conversation among a diverse group of African American “Rosie the Riveters” who recount what life was really like in racially-segregated America during World War II. They are hardworking underdogs of high character who do battle and win. They fled lives as domestics and sharecroppers to empower themselves while working in the war effort.
*  These patriotic pioneers share their wartime memories, recounting their battles against racism at home, Nazism abroad, and sexism everywhere.
*  Following the screening, enjoy the lively conversation, "Taking Command – Finding Opportunity Through Adversity," with the film’s director Professor Gregory Cooke and special guests Rear Admiral Sinclair M. Harris, USN (Ret.) and Commander Stacey L. O’Neal, USN.
*  Ticket includes film screening, panel discussion, delicious hors d'oeuvres, and complimentary beer & wine. Any event proceeds will support educational programs aboard the historic Battleship IOWA located in the Los Angeles Harbor.
*  TIX, $15-$20, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-history-month-celebration-at-battleship-iowa-tickets-91491903747
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Tue, Feb 25:
8 pm - JUDY COLLINS plays the lovely McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Dr, Palm Desert CA 92260; 760-340-ARTS or 866-889-ARTS
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Wednesday
_______________________

Today is Wednesday, February 26, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come."
     and,
"Knowing exactly how much of the future can be introduced into the present is the secret of great government."
     and,
"One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas."
     and,
"To love another person is to see the face of God."

~ Victor Hugo (1802-1885).


Victor Hugo was a French novelist born in Besançon, France, he became a celebrity in his 20s in 1831 when he wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Hugo used his fame to advocate for political causes -- including his denouncing the autocratic regime of Napoleon III. He encouraged the French people to rise up and revolt. Napoleon III declared Hugo an enemy of the state. The writer managed to flee the country in disguise just before soldiers arrived at his home to arrest him. During his ensuing 20 years of exile on the isle of Guernsey, he wrote prolifically, always standing at a podium looking out over the sea. There he wrote his masterpiece, "Les Misérables" in 1865. With that book's huge popularity, Hugo returned to Paris and was elected to the Senate of the new French Third Republic. When he died in 1885 at the age of 82, two million people attended his funeral, a procession through the streets of Paris. (Thanks to Garrison Keillor for information used here.)
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On this day...

Black History Month...
     Today in 2012 in Sanford, Florida, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a white man claiming he felt threatened. Trayvon was carrying a bottle of soda and a bag of chips he had just bought at a convenience store.

Earth Day is set...
     Today in 1971, U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signed a United Nations proclamation establishing the vernal equinox as Earth Day. Credit also goes to the late US Senator Gaylord Nelson for getting the US to push for it, and then actively do something.

Science denial...
     Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun, today in 1616. They kept him under house arrest the rest of his life because his ideas were dangerous.

Island escape...
     Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on Elba, today in 1815. While there He wrote the famous palindrome, "Able was I ere I saw Elba." (It reads the same backwards as forwards.) He would again lead France's armies against the royalty-ruled kingdoms of Europe. After he was defeated at Waterloo, he would again be exiled to an island but that time he would never escape.

In living color...
     Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London today in 1909.

Titanic's sister...
     HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast today in 1914. Britannic would immediately be pressed into service as the world's largest hospital ship, hence the second "H" in HMHS. She was never fitted with any of the finery crafted for her as a Royal Mail Steamship (RMS). She struck a sea mine and sank in the Mediterranean on her way to evacuate British wounded in WW I. One of the nurses who survived was also a survivor of the 1912 sinking of Titanic. Only the first of the class of three sister ships, RMS Olympic, carried passengers across the Atlantic in safety through the 1930s, and much of her fine interior survives today in a London hotel.

Aerial warfare and defending against it...
     Today in 1935, two things eerily happened at the same time. In England, Robert Watson-Watt carried-out a demonstration near Daventry which lead directly to the development of radar to detect the presence and location of aircraft. In Germany, Nazi dictator Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to be re-institued, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles that forbade Germany from having a military air force.

When Amtrak stood a chance...
     Today in 1979, the double-deck "Superliner" rail passenger cars first entered revenue service on Amtrak's long-distance trains. Today there is a fight to keep any of Amtrak's dining cars (serving fresh-cooked meals) in service, because the airline executive who runs Amtrak has ordered nothing but tv dinners and bags of chips. Ride it while it's worth it, before these "austerity" jerks make it miserable like an airliner.

All we are saying is give peace a chance...
     Egypt and Israel established full diplomatic relations 40 years ago today in 1980, following US President Jimmy Carter's marathon management of Egytian Pres. Sadat and Israel Prime Minister Begin to produce the "Camp David Accords." Both Sadat and Begin would be murdered by radicals for their trouble, but the accords still stand as the Middle East's only enduring peace treaty.

Presidential incompetence...
      A scant seven years later, today in 1987, The Tower Commission rebuked President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff in the Iran–Contra affair, which many believe should have led to impeachment.

9-11 prelude...
     The original terrorist bombing of New York City's World Trade Center happened today in 1993, when a truck bomb parked below the North Tower exploded, killing six and injuring over a thousand people. For the record, the Clinton administration had ordered Osama bin Laden be captured or killed for the bomb attack, but the incoming GW Bush administration rescinded it.
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Happy birthday today to these musicians and other influencers...

This is the birthday of three National Parks!

☆  Grand Canyon National Park, born today in 1919 in northwestern Arizona when more than 1 million acres were set aside by act of Congress and signed by President Woodrow Wilson, as one of two new parks. That first year, 44,173 people visited; it now gets more than 5 million visitors each year.

☆  Acadia National Park, born this day in 1919 as Lafayette National Park, on the coast of Maine was the other park established on the same day by Congress and President Wilson. It was the first national park east of the Mississippi (renamed in 1929).

☆  Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming was established today in 1929 by President Calvin Coolidge when hr signed an executive order -- acting without Congress -- to establish the 96,000 acre treasure.

Happy birthday today to these musicians and other influential people...

Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor.

Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist with the band Poco.

Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer.

Bill Burnett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist.

Tim Commerford, American bass player.

Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress.

Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter.

Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter.

Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist.

Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer.

Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Emma Kirkby, English soprano.

Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter.

Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress.

Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer.

Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer.

Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer.
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In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

Johnny Cash (1932-2003), American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor.

Fats Domino (1928-2017), American singer-songwriter and pianist.

Buffalo Bill (1846-1917), American frontier scout, soldier and hunter who became the world's first showman with a large, very kinetic troupe of historical figures as re-enactors and large animals called "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show."

Victor Hugo (1802-1885), French author, poet, and playwright who supplied today's quote.

Bob "The Bear" Hite (1943-1981), American singer-songwriter and musician.

Tex Avery (1908-1980), American animator, producer, and voice actor.

John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943), American surgeon who was the original health food advocate, he co-created corn flakes.

Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), American actor and singer.

Robert Alda (1914-1986), American actor, singer, and director.

William Frawley (1887-1966), American actor and vaudevillian.

Tony Randall (1920-2004), American actor, director, and producer remembered for his role in "The Odd Couple."

Mason Adams (1929-2005), American actor famous for playing newspaper men in "All the President's Men" and tv's "Lou Grant."

Betty Hutton (1921-2007), American actress and singer.

Marc Bucci (1924-2002), American composer, lyricist, and dramatist.

Nestor Mesta Chayres (1908-1971), Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist.

Frank Bridge (1879-1941), English viola player and composer.

Anton Reicha (1770-1836), Bohemian composer and flautist.

Nicola Fago (1677-1745), Italian composer and teacher.

Stefano Landi (1587-1639), Italian composer and educator.
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We're checking, but so far, it looks like ongoing events are your only options for things to do on Wednesday.
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Thursday
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Today is Thursday, February 27, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun."

~ Ralph Nader, activist, author, speaker, and attorney (born Feb 27, 1934)

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On this day...

Yankee Doodle Dandy...
     The American Revolutionary War effectively ends today in 1782, when the British House of Commons votes against further war in America.

Black History Month...
     Today is the birthday of Marian Anderson (1897-1993), one of the greatest American singers of her time, and all time.
     In 1939, she was invited to do a concert in Washington, D.C., in the huge Constitution Hall, owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) -- until they discovered she was black. That fact forced cancellation.


     First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt then resigned her own DAR membership and arranged for Anderson to perform a free concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. A massive audience of 75,000 packed onto the National Mall, and it was broadcast live on radio across America.
     It marked the first time in US history that a person of color was afforded such a stage, and Marian Anderson used her own voice to move millions to applause and tears. Of that moment, she said, "I could not run away from this situation. If I had anything to offer, I would have to do so now."
     Her biographer, Allan Keiler, says she appeared frightened before every song, yet the perfect notes kept coming, as, "... simply the music took over."
     A 2014 NPR piece observed, "On that stage, before a bank of microphones, the Lincoln statue looming behind her, iconic photographs reveal Anderson as a regal figure that cloudy, blustery day. Although the sun broke out as she began to sing, she wrapped her fur coat around her against the April wind."
     It also marked the first use of the Lincoln Memorial as the site of Civil Rights and other protests. Martin Luther King Jr would deliver his 1963 "I have a dream" speech from the same place where Marian Anderson had sung, and he would pay homage to her.

     75 years later in 2014, an anniversary concert was held -- not outdoors at the Lincoln Memorial, but indoors in Constitution Hall, the place denied to her three-quarters of a century earlier. Featured performers included Jessye Norman, Dionne Warwick, American Idol winner Candice Glover, bass Soloman Howard, and soprano Alyson Cambridge -- all African-American artists.
     Watch a video of Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939:
https://youtu.be/mAONYTMf2pk
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Powerful voice against dehumanizing technology...
     Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire, today in 1812. In 1816, Lord Byron wrote "Song for the Luddites."
     "Luddite" is still used as a derisive insult to anyone who questions runaway technology, like driverless vehicles on highways where you and I need driver licenses, or skies filled with delivery drones that can smack into each other and fall on us -- or fall onto the camera drones hiding amongst them, watching every move you make, every step you take...

Lincoln gains national attention...
     Today in 1860, just 8 months before the presidential election, former congressman Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York. It is largely responsible for his elevation to the national stage, his nomination by the fledgling Republican Party, and his election to the Presidency with a plurality -- far less than a majority -- of the vote of the people.

Persistence carries the day...
     A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett, today in 1922.

Another Constitutional amendment...
     Twenty-nine years later today, in 1951, the opponents of persistence prevailed. The Twenty-second Amendment to the US Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, was ratified. It was pushed by Republicans terrified that someone else would be elected to four terms, as Franklin Roosevelt was.

Burning propaganda...
     Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire today in 1933. The Reichstag fire becomes a key element in the Nazi takeover of the entire government on a "law and order" platform. A young Dutch Communist was deemed responsible, but historians believe the Nazis set the fire to solidify their power and eliminate the strong communist movement as political rivals.

The decline of organized labor begins...
     The U.S. Supreme Court rules in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. that that the National Labor Relations Board has no authority to force an employer to rehire workers who engage in sit-down strikes. That was 1939. Labor had gains and losses until the anti-union conservatives began their relentless attacks in the 1960s, producing a world where investor capitalism rules and workforces are serfs with ever-fewer job benefits, struggles for health care, and 401k's instead of employer-provided retirement plans.

Japan runs roughshod across the Pacific...
     During the WWII Battle of the Java Sea, an Allied strike force is defeated by a Japanese task force in the Dutch East Indies, today in 1942. After Pearl Harbor, three months earlier, Japan won everywhere. But in just over three months more, the Battle of a Midway would begin to miraculously reverse everything.

Nazis run roughshod in Europe...
     A year later, today in 1943 in Berlin, the Gestapo arrested 1,800 Jewish men married to non-Jewish German wives, leading to the Rosenstrasse protest.

Holding up leaning towers...
     Not in Dallas this week, but in Italy in 1964, the government asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.

Power to the people...
     Today in 1973 the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the site of the infamous massacre by US Army troops of unarmed Indian peoples at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. It was a major, media-covered revelation of a century and a half of lies, thefts, and abrogation of Native rights at the hands of government personnel and policies. In the 21st century, a nearby site would attract global supporters to protest the invasion of a dirty, leaky pipeline through Indian lands, built to carry tar sands oil. Both examples proved that speaking truth to power produces more aware people, but still loses to corporacratic oligarchs and kleptocrats.

Prepared for the "Big One"-?
     An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale struck central parts of Chile today in 2010, leaving over 500 victims dead and thousands injured. The quake triggered a tsunami that struck Hawaii shortly after.
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Happy birthday today to these musicians and other influencers...

Ralph Nader, activist, author, speaker, and attorney, source of today's quote.

Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor.

Jimmy Burns, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Neal Schon, American rock guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Johnny Van Zant, American singer-songwriter.

Morten Lauridsen, American composer and conductor.

Rozonda Thomas, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (TLC).

Peter Andre, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor.

René Clemencic, Austrian composer, recorder player, harpsichordist, conductor and clavichord player.

Steve Harley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Adrian Smith, English guitarist and songwriter.

Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist and conductor.

Nasty Suicide, Finnish musician and pharmacist.

Asami Abe, Japanese singer and actress.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist.
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In memorium to departed musicians and influencers born on this date...

Marian Anderson (1897-1993), American singer; see "On This Day," above.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968), American journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American poet and educator.

Alice Hamilton (1869-1970), American physician and academic born before the Golden Spike united the Atlantic and Pacific by rail, she died after seeing the first three Moon landings, at age 101.

Hugo Black (1886-1971), American captain, jurist, and politician en-route to being a US Supreme Court justice. (Back when justices needed real, not just ideological, qualifications.)

Kelly Johnson (1910-1990), American aeronautical engineer, co-founded Lockheed's Skunk Works, instrumental in design and production of the SR-71 Blackbird.

John Connally (1917-1993), American lieutenant and politician, 61st United States Secretary of Treasury, Governor of Texas in 1963 when he was the other person seriously wounded in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.

Mirella Freni (1935-2020), Italian soprano and actress.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), English-American actress and humanitarian.

Jake Thackray (1938-2002), English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist.

Dexter Gordon (1923-1990), American saxophonist, composer, and actor.

Franchot Tone (1905-1968), American actor, singer, and producer.

David Sarnoff (1891-1971), American businessman, founded RCA.

Mildred Bailey (1907-1951), American singer.

Reginald Gardiner (1903-1980), English-American actor and singer.

Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976), German-American soprano and actress.

Pia Sebastiani (1925-2015), Argentine pianist and composer.

Genrikh Kasparyan (1910-1995), Armenian chess player and composer.

Adela Verne (1877-1952), English pianist and composer.

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867-1942), Swedish composer and critic.

Hubert Parry (1848-1918), English composer and historian.

Pietro Gnocchi (1689-1775), Italian composer, director, historian, and geographer.

Constantine the Great (272-337), Roman emperor who would have a battlefield vision that prompted him to convert Rome to the Holy Roman Empire that empowered the Catholic church.
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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Thu, Feb 27; go or Watch the WEB SIMULCAST:
7 pm - FREEBO & His FABULOUS FRIENDS, featuring an opening set by CATFISH HODGE, at Bogie’s Bar, 32011 Agoura Rd, Westlake CA 91361 (near Thousand Oaks)
*  Freebo tells us, "I am always excited to play with my amazing band of world-class musicians, FUZZBEE MORSE, CHAD WATSON, JT THOMAS, and DAVID GOODSTEIN. These great players take my songs to a higher and deeper level, allowing for some very cool jams, solos, and sweet interplay…. a real treat for me and the audience."
*  Opening the show, says Freebo, is "my old friend and compelling blues singer CATFISH HODGE. Catfish and I were in THE BLUESBUSTER BAND together for 5 years, I produced several records for him, and we’ve spent many wonderful and memorable times on stage together over the years. This will be a reunion of sorts… I’ll play bass with Catfish and have him join the band on a few tunes."
*  Bogie’s Bar, says Freebo, has "great food, drink, and sound!"
*  TIX & more at:
*  Can't go? You're on the other side of the world? Watch the WEB SIMULCAST at:
http://alerttheglobe.com/
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Thu, Feb 27, BENEFIT:
7 pm - "WOLF CONNECTION - 10th ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT CONCERT" featuring GRAND CANYON, DAVID RYAN HARRIS, WES HUTCHINSON & Special Guest MOBY, at the Hotel Café, 1623 Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood / Los Angeles, CA 90028
*  All door proceeds benefit The Pack & Youth programs at Wolf Connection.
*  Venue is 21+. Doors, 6:30. One ticket is usually good to stay the entire evening, unless otherwise noted. NO VIDEO OR FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY.
*  TIX: advance, $55 + $8.50 svc chg (closes Feb 27, 6 pm); tix at: https://www.hotelcafe.com/tickets/?s=events_view&id=10045
*  Tix higher at door if any remain.
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Thu, Feb 27:
7:30 pm - THE RAWLINS PIANO TRIO, with violinist Ioana Galu, cellist Sonja Kraus, and pianist Susan Keith Gray, performs  a diverse repertoire of standard works to new and undiscovered pieces, in the Campus Theatre at El Camino College, Crenshaw and Redondo Beach boulevards, Torrance CA

*  Program includes works by Ilan Rechtman, Paul Frucht, and Felix “the Cat” Mendelssohn.
*  TIX, $21 to $10, at 800-832-ARTS or www.centerforthearts.org
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - LEO KOTTKE plays the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
* One of the greatest acoustic guitar player/innovators of this or any time.
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles CA
*  Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
*  The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
*  Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
*  TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Thu, Feb 27-Mar 8:
8 pm - THE ANDREWS BROTHERS play multiple shows in the Beverly O'Neill Theater at  Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://longbeachca.eventticketscenter.com/long-beach-convention-center-long-beach-tickets/30884/e
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Thu, Feb 27; THEATRE OPENING:
8 pm - “DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE” opens at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
*  Sarah Ruhl’s play, "mysterious and mesmerizing, explores the need for real life connection in a technologically obsessed world." -- Easy Reader News.
*  Runs: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sun Mar 8 at 2 pm (includes Q&A with crew and cast), Sun Mar 22 at 2 pm. Closes March 22.
*  The Guide just attended a production here on Valentine's Day. Nice little venue with comfortable seats.
*  TIX, $24 opening night; thereafter $28 regular, $26 seniors, and $15 for those age 25-and-under who can remember to say the word “Hipster.” All tix at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
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Friday
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Today is Friday, February 28, 2020.
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Girl scout cookies week begins today.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"He who establishes his argument by noise and command, shows that his reason is weak."

~ Michel De Montaigne, essayist (born Feb 28, 1533, died 1592)


(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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Happy birthday / In memorium (brief feature)

Linus Pauling (1901-1994), American scientist and twice Nobel laureate. As a kid in Portland, Oregon, he stole chemicals from an abandoned iron and steel smelter and conducted experiments. He researched chemical bonds and demonstrated that properties like color, texture, and hardness are a result of a chemical's molecular structure. In 1954, he won a Nobel Prize in chemistry. Pauling used his status as a scientist to speak out against nuclear weapons. He gave lectures, wrote articles, lobbied the United Nations, and won his second Nobel -- the Nobel Peace Prize.

Michel De Montaigne (1533-1592), essayist, source of today's quote.

Our apologies to others -- we are researching a major story and could not do more.
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Here are TODAY'S EVENTS...

(Substantially updated with lots of additions)
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Fri, Feb 28; FREE WEBINAR:
11 am-noon (Pacific) - WEBINAR: "WEBSITES & ON-LINE MARKETING IN 2020" presented by Dave & MJ from HUTdogs and Christine Zito from Pure Media Marketing, all located in the Pasadena / San Gabriel Valley, CA area.
*  The session will discuss:
   □  Websites & SEO
   □  How ADA compliance will influence Google search
   □  Social media & Email Marketing, Campaigns and real-world examples that drive traffic to your web site.
*  Questions? Email: info@hutdogs.com
REGISTER to attend online at: https://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EE52D987894B39
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - EDI ROQUE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
*  Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
*  Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
*  TIX  online advance always save substantially over admission at the door,  but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
*  More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Fri, Feb 28; final weekend; through Mar 1; STAGE MUSICAL:
8 pm - “LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL” at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W Washington Bl, Los Angeles CA
*  Runs Fri & Sat, 8 pm, Sun, 3 pm.
*  Billie Holiday, brilliantly portrayed by Karole Foreman, has driven down from Harlem on an afternoon to perform in the intimate cabaret setting she so loved in a seedy South Philly club. Along with her pianist and last lover Jimmy Powers (played by Stephan Terry), Foreman recreates what would be Billie Holiday's final performance, four months before she died of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis in July of 1959.
Karole Foreman as Billie Holiday
*  Foreman channels Billie Holiday in performing glorious renditions of a dozen or more of Lady Day’s well-known hits—”God Bless the Child”, “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness”, “Crazy He Calls Me,” and “Strange Fruit” among them. Between songs, Holiday chats with the audience about the hard knocks life has dealt her, from childhood rape and teenage prostitution, to drug addiction and prison, undercut by the pernicious scorn of white society and the incessant stalking of law enforcement.
*  Out of her lifetime of pain and suffering, “Lady Day” highlights Holiday’s heart-rending body of music that lives with us 60 years after she left us. Foreman doesn’t just perform Holiday’s songs, she captures—evokes—Lady Day’s raspy, untutored textures, with their influences in Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
*  Performed originally at in 1986, Lanie Robertson’s loving portrait of Billie Holiday soon moved to New York’s Off-Broadway. A 2014 revival on Broadway brought Audra McDonald her sixth Tony Award playing the title role. “Lady Day” marks Ebony Repertory Theatre artist director, Wren T. Brown’s directorial debut.
*  All material in this write-up courtesy "L.A. Progressive." Read their full review at: https://www.laprogressive.com/lady-day/
*  Tickets, $30-50; seats at the tables (for two) onstage and directly in front of orchestra seats, $50. All options that remain available are at: https://www.itsmyseat.com/ERT/index.html
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - MARIA MULDAUR plays the famous concert hall in back of McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405; 310-828-4497
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Fri, Feb 28:
7:30 pm - LEDWARD KAAPANA plays the first of two shows for the "Lord Of The Strings Concert Series," this one at the Dana Point Community House, 24642 San Juan St, Dana Point CA 92629
*  TIX, 949-244-6656
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Fri, Feb 28:
7:30 pm - DAN LEVENSON & THE CAT MOUNTAIN ROUNDERS play the "San Diego Folk Heritage" series in Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway CA 92064; 858-566-4040
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - JOHN YORK, one of the BYRDS of old, plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001
*  Reservations by phone only, at 626-798-6236
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Fri, Feb 28:
9 pm - COLIN HAY plays the Canyon at the Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills CA 90211; 323-655-0111
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - OMAR SOSA & YILIAN CAÑIZARES play the "CAP UCLA" concert series in Royce Hall on the UCLA
Campus in Westwood, CA 90095; 310-825-4401
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Saturday
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Today is LEAP DAY, which happens once every four years. Anyone born on this date has a huge advantage over everyone else. For example, their twin, born first at one minute to midnight, February 28th, is 40 years old when they, born a minute past midnight February 29th, is a mere 10 years old. Fun conundrum, eh?
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Sat, Feb 29 FREE EVENT:
6 pm-9 pm - "LEAP DAY SILENT DISCO" in Downtown Santa Monica, on the Third Street Promenade at Santa Monica Bl, Downtown Santa Monica CA
*  Yes, this most certainly IS THE ONLY TIME we've ever listed anything that has the word "disco" associated with it. But it's a SILENT disco, meaning your ear buds can be delivering bluegrass or blues to your ears.
*  "Dance like no one is watching" during this free Leap Day Silent Disco. Maybe you'll meet somebody who likes your moves and will become a convert to your music!
*  Officially, there are "three dueling DJs," and "Headphones are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis." But hell -- just bring your own, and your own music and ignore the soundalike pop crap and electrocution electronica.
*  FREE, and free treats -- plus Carlo’s Bakery cupcakes for anyone born on a leap day.
*  More at: www.eventbrite.com/e/leap-day-silent-disco-on-third-street-promenade-tickets-92095625495
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Sat, Feb 29:
7 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Museum of Making Music, Carlsbad CA
*  Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
*  The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
*  Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
*  TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Sat, Feb 29:
8 pm - WISHBONE ASH plus THE BOBBY BLUEHOUSE BAND and various special guests, play the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA 91006
*  Fun venue, two stages to assure continuous music, pool tables, bar specials, tasty menu (generous portions, two can share). But bring earplugs.  Seriously.
*  Advance online tix save money, but this venue is never overpriced, anyway.
*  Upcoming events, more: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
*  TIX for all concerts here, at: http://arcadiabluesclub.eventbrite.com
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Sat, Feb 29; final weekend; through Mar 1; STAGE MUSICAL:
8 pm - “LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL” at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W Washington Bl, Los Angeles CA
*  Runs Fri & Sat, 8 pm, Sun, 3 pm.
*  Billie Holiday, brilliantly portrayed by Karole Foreman, has driven down from Harlem on an afternoon to perform in the intimate cabaret setting she so loved in a seedy South Philly club. Along with her pianist and last lover Jimmy Powers (played by Stephan Terry), Foreman recreates what would be Billie Holiday's final performance, four months before she died of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis in July of 1959.
Karole Foreman as Billie Holiday
*  Foreman channels Billie Holiday in performing glorious renditions of a dozen or more of Lady Day’s well-known hits—”God Bless the Child”, “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness”, “Crazy He Calls Me,” and “Strange Fruit” among them. Between songs, Holiday chats with the audience about the hard knocks life has dealt her, from childhood rape and teenage prostitution, to drug addiction and prison, undercut by the pernicious scorn of white society and the incessant stalking of law enforcement.
*  Out of her lifetime of pain and suffering, “Lady Day” highlights Holiday’s heart-rending body of music that lives with us 60 years after she left us. Foreman doesn’t just perform Holiday’s songs, she captures—evokes—Lady Day’s raspy, untutored textures, with their influences in Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
*  Performed originally at in 1986, Lanie Robertson’s loving portrait of Billie Holiday soon moved to New York’s Off-Broadway. A 2014 revival on Broadway brought Audra McDonald her sixth Tony Award playing the title role. “Lady Day” marks Ebony Repertory Theatre artist director, Wren T. Brown’s directorial debut.
*  All material in this write-up courtesy "L.A. Progressive." Read their full review at: https://www.laprogressive.com/lady-day/
*  Tickets, $30-50; seats at the tables (for two) onstage and directly in front of orchestra seats, $50. All options that remain available are at: https://www.itsmyseat.com/ERT/index.html
___

Sat, Feb 29:
Benefit Concert


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_______________________


later in 
2020
_______________________

Sun, Mar 1; FREE EVENT:
2 pm - "(Re)IMAGINING MEXICAN MUSIC & THEATRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
*  Join Dr. John Koegel, Cal State Fullerton Professor of Musicology, for a visually and musically illustrated history of Californio/Mexican music and early theatrical traditions in Southern California between 1840 and 1940.
*  A light reception follows his presentation.
*  Free, free parking; reservations are recommended at: https://homesteadmuseum.typeform.com/to/CVHhbM
___

Sun, Mar 1; RALLY:
5 pm - BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN RALLY at the Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall GHJ, 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles CA 90015
*  A last opportunity before California votes in "Super Tuesday."
RIGHT NOW, only 4% of the delegates have been picked. By the end if March,  it will be two-thirds. THAT'S 2/3 OF ALL THE DELEGATES WHO WILL DETERMINE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT & the Democratic Party platform-!. EVERYTHING happening now matters.
*  Arrive plenty early due to the crowds and the entry lines with metal detectors.
*  Free.
___

Sun, Mar 1; final performance; STAGE MUSICAL:
8 pm - “LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL” at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W Washington Bl, Los Angeles CA
*  Runs Fri & Sat, 8 pm, Sun, 3 pm.
*  Billie Holiday, brilliantly portrayed by Karole Foreman, has driven down from Harlem on an afternoon to perform in the intimate cabaret setting she so loved in a seedy South Philly club. Along with her pianist and last lover Jimmy Powers (played by Stephan Terry), Foreman recreates what would be Billie Holiday's final performance, four months before she died of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis in July of 1959.
Karole Foreman as Billie Holiday
*  Foreman channels Billie Holiday in performing glorious renditions of a dozen or more of Lady Day’s well-known hits—”God Bless the Child”, “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness”, “Crazy He Calls Me,” and “Strange Fruit” among them. Between songs, Holiday chats with the audience about the hard knocks life has dealt her, from childhood rape and teenage prostitution, to drug addiction and prison, undercut by the pernicious scorn of white society and the incessant stalking of law enforcement.
*  Out of her lifetime of pain and suffering, “Lady Day” highlights Holiday’s heart-rending body of music that lives with us 60 years after she left us. Foreman doesn’t just perform Holiday’s songs, she captures—evokes—Lady Day’s raspy, untutored textures, with their influences in Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
*  Performed originally at in 1986, Lanie Robertson’s loving portrait of Billie Holiday soon moved to New York’s Off-Broadway. A 2014 revival on Broadway brought Audra McDonald her sixth Tony Award playing the title role. “Lady Day” marks Ebony Repertory Theatre artist director, Wren T. Brown’s directorial debut.
*  All material in this write-up courtesy "L.A. Progressive." Read their full review at: https://www.laprogressive.com/lady-day/
*  Tickets, $30-50; seats at the tables (for two) onstage and directly in front of orchestra seats, $50. All options that remain available are at: https://www.itsmyseat.com/ERT/index.html
___

March 3rd is "World Wildlife Day" and in the US, it's "Super Tuesday."

Tue, Mar 3; ELECTION DAY EVENT:
6:30 pm–11:30 pm - "SUPER TUESDAY LIVE EVENT" with all-star panelists, presented by "THE NOMIKI SHOW" at 1833 S Hope St, Los Angeles CA 90015
*  How about LIVE ELECTION COVERAGE interpreted by a panel that isn't beholden to Big Pharma or Big Oil or even corporate Big Media?
*  "The Nomiki Show" is a weekly progressive political show filmed once a week in the "Majority Report Studios."
*  Each week, NOMIKI KONST, the host, interviews progressive leaders, activists and thinkers, and focuses on deconstructing political structures and tactics.
*  You can find "The Nomiki Show" on Patreon, Youtube and all podcast locations. Or you can attend this live event.
___

Tue, Mar 3, on tv / web tv / radio:
7 pm-10 pm (Pacific) - LIVE, NO-BS, NATIONAL COVERAGE of the "SUPER TUESDAY" presidential primaries on "RISING UP WITH SONALI," promising to "bypass the usual spin and punditry from the mainstream media." 
*  It's a three-hour special program hosted by award-winning journalist Sonali Kolhatkar.
*  The broadcast / web simulcast is a collaboration of the RootsAction Education Fund and Free Speech TV, to bring viewers "the kind of progressive, fact-based, social justice-centered analysis you won’t find in corporate media outlets."
*  Watch the livestream via any of these media partners (or the link at the bottom):
□  RisingUpWithSonali.com
□  Free Speech TV (DirecTV Channel 348, Dish Network Channel 9415, Sling TV, Roku, and Apple TV)
□  Truthdig.com
□  The Real News Network at TheRealNews.com
□  Or listen on KPFK in Los Angeles.
*  Why not get more than the corporate media's pre-spun propaganda that interprets results through the corporate lens?
*  You'll get results from more than a dozen states, as they come in, AND get COGENT analysis from guest experts with a diverse array of backgrounds and perspectives, including:
---  The Nation magazine's John Nichols
---  RootsAction.org co-founder Norman Solomon
---  Investigative journalist Arun Gupta
---  Labor organizer and writer Jane McAlevey
---  Indigenous youth climate leader Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
---  Socialist member of the Seattle City Council Kshama Sawant
---  LatinoRebels.com 's Julio Ricardo Valera
---  Council on American Islamic Relations' Zahra Billoo
---  and many others.
*  Cosponsored by KPFK Pacifica radio, Roots Action, and Free Speech TV.
WATCH LIVE through any of the sites above, or go direct here.
___

Fri-Sun, Mar 6-8; FESTIVAL:
50th Anniversary "LAGUNA FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL" at Clubhouse 2, 24112 Moulton Pkwy, Laguna Woods CA 92637
*  Live dance music by 3 bands. One gives you an idea what to expect: SANS FRONTIÈRES (Without Borders) has Barbara Gershman on accordion, hammered dulcimer, & keyboard; Brian Cwik on saxophone; Lance Gucwa on bass; Lee Otterholt on vocals, violin, percussion, mandolin; Marcella Lawson on vocals, percussion; Mindy Belli on recorders, percussion; Sebastian Otterholt on violin; Terry Gucwa on guitar, fretted dulcimer, cello, trombone, vocals.
*  Questions and gate access: Terry Gucwa, 714-283-2052 or or Miriam Kahn, 949-770-7026
*  RUNS:
   • Fri, 7:15 pm-11:40 pm
    • Sat, 9 am-11:40 pm
    • Sun, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
___

Sat, Mar 7:
8 pm - CHRIS WEBSTER & NINA GERBER play Russ & Julie’s House Concerts in Oak Park CA (Agoura Hills / Thousand Oaks area)
*  It's a return performance at the series for singer-songwriter Chris Webster  and master guitarist Nina Gerber -- they sold-out last time.
*  Individually and together, music fans know Chris Webster & Nina Gerber. They've played all the major folk festivals for more than a decade and they are two of the most skilled and artful musical talents from the Bay Area.
*  As Russ & Julie say, "Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while Gerber’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they are magical."
*  Chris Webster is a soul singer. Her voice conveys a passion that connects with the longings of her audience. She expresses sometimes-troubled feelings that everyone understands. Performing live, her intensity brings a hush to every room she plays.
*  Guitarist Nina Gerber first earned recognition for her accompaniment of Kate Wolf. Since then, her acute skills as performer, producer and arranger have continued to deepen. She has accompanied and/or recorded with Karla Bonoff, Peter Rowan, Eliza Gilkyson, Nanci Griffith, Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky, Mollie O’Brien, Rosalie Sorrels, Laurie Lewis, and many others.
*  Chris Webster & Nina Gerber perform a delightful mix of originals, tasteful covers, soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk... a great show.
*  LISTEN & WATCH: Chris Webster & Nina Gerber - "Wild Ride"
*  NOTE: Russ & Julie have ended their monthly house concert series and will now be occasional presenters. That tells us their shows will selk-out QUICKLY, so don't dawdle.
*  Hosts have their usual “potluck” style coffee and dessert buffet. Doors at 7:30 pm.
*  TIX: "suggested donation" $20 per person, payable in cash at the door. All the money goes to the performers.
*  Reservations get directions: rsvp@houseconcerts.us
___

Thu, Mar 12:
7 pm - JOEL RAFAEL, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE, & ANDY & RENEE team-up for a house concert worthy of a big venue, hosted By Andy Hill in Torrance CA 90504.
*  Reservations get directions.
*  SARAH LEE GUTHRIE's lineage is undeniable: granddaughter of Woody, daughter of Arlo. But if you close your eyes and forget that her last name is synonymous with the river-legacy of a widening current of American folk music, you’d still be drawn to the clarity and soul behind her voice.
*  There is a gentle urgency to Sarah Lee's interpretations of the songs she sings and the classic music of her heritage. It flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life today and the river of songs that have guided her to where she now stands.
*  Over the last two decades on the road and in the studio, she and her husband JOHNNY IRION have created a signature pop-fused folk-rock sound that is appealing and engaging through a series of critically-acclaimed albums: "Exploration," "Folksong," "Bright Examples," and "Wassiac Way."
*  On 2009’s "Go Waggaloo" she created a family album of original songs (and a few with Woody’s lyrics) that won a "Golden Medallion" from "The Parents' Choice Foundation."
*  Sarah Lee Guthrie now ventures on a road that leads back to the rich culture of her family running through the warmth of her own bloodlines. This is a rare opportunity to witness the growth of one of America's finest young folk singers.
*  JOEL RAFAEL, as a solo performer and with his band, has opened shows and shared stages with artists who include Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, John Lee Hooker, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, John Trudell, Laura Nyro, Kris Kristofferson, Dar Williams, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Odetta, and Taj Mahal.
*  "Rose Avenue" (2019), Joel Rafael’s latest work, gracefully defines him and his contribution to the American canon. The ten-song masterpiece includes nine originals that reflect the honest accounting of a man in his 70th year, with a lifetime’s insight into the songs he writes; as well as a full measure of gratitude for what has been, and what lies ahead.
*  ANDY & RENEE are the longtime leaders of Aaard-winning band HARD RAIN,  and performing hosts of the annual "DYLANFEST." They've toured internationally, and always come back to small Southern Cal venues to play for a loyal fanbase.
 *  Doors at 6 pm, show at 7 pm.
*   BYOB & Pot Luck.
*  TIX, $25 ("donation," It's a house concert.) Space is limited....Get tickets for this gig AND FOR DYLANFEST, at: http://www.andyandrenee.com/store.php
___

Sat, Mar 14:
"SHAMROCK 'n' ROLL" aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
*  The Queen Mary presents a party that hosts claim "would make St. Paddy proud: Shamrock 'N' Roll!"
*  Celebrate the revelry, tradition, and spirit of Ireland with a rocking event unlike any other.
*  This features a lineup of live entertainment "sure to make you dance a jig all night long, with music perfect for fans of the 70's and 80's, Ska, punk, folk, soul, and of course, Irish rock," says the promo.
*  Four diverse bands perform throughout the evening: YACHTLEY CREW, HOIST THE COLORS, THE UNTOUCHABLES, and DIRTY OLD TOWN.
___

Click image to enlarge to read
Sun, Mar 15; FREE EVENT:
2 pm-4 pm - "RAGTIME, JAZZ, & SWING: EARLY 20th CENTURY DANCE & SOCIETY" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
*  In the first half of the 20th century, dancing was central to almost any occasion when men and women came together. Restaurants and night clubs featured dance floors and live bands.
*  Big cities like Los Angeles were home to multiple mega-ballrooms with rooms for thousands; and in taxi dance halls, lonely men paid women for anonymous foxtrots.
*  Join Walter Nelson as he describes this era and its popular dances using contemporary writings, images, and film clips.
*  The presentation is followed by an optional 45-minute Jazz age foxtrot introductory class.
*  Free, free parking; reservations are recommended:
___

Sun, Mar 29; FREE FESTIVAL:
Noon-4 pm -  "SILK ROAD UNITY FESTIVAL 2020" at Brookhurst Community Center & Park, 2271 W Crescent Av, Anaheim CA 92801
*  Celebrating the cultures along the Ancient trade route through their art, performances, cuisine, and more, this is an event for the whole family.
*  Features a day-long stage presentation of acts that originated around the world, an international food court, a bazaar, and a kid’s crafts zone.
*  Sponsored by the Fullerton-based Muckenthaler Cultural Center.
*  Info, incl. signup for free email updates: https://themuck.org/silk-road-unity-festival
*  Free.
___

Fri-Sun, Apr 3-5, 2020:
"HISTORYCON" is a national event, conference, and exhibition at the at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena CA
*  Discover and experience history at this three-day convention.
*  Be sure to check-out a lecture with Josh Garrett-Davis, associate curator at the Autry, and stop by the Autry's booth.
*  Experience history coming to life, from Civil War reenactors to living historians, it’ll be like stepping back in time.
*  Authors, history programs, explore a vast variety of things like "the origins and evolution of soul food" with the panel "Slow-Cooked and Southern: A History of Soul Food."
*  Exclusive content from tv, meet & greets, photo ops with stars.
*  Get 15% off convention tickets by using code AUTRY15 at check-out.
*  Details and Tickets: https://www.historycon.com/
___

Fri, Apr 3:
8 pm - JIM JEFFERIES plays the Terrace Theater at Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://www.eventticketscenter.com/jim-jefferies-long-beach-04-03-2020/4275416/t
___

Sat, Apr 11:
10 am-2 pm - "ORANGE COUNTY JAMBOREE" at Irvine Park, Irvine CA
*  Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association, in cooperation with The Orange County Parks Historical Division.
___

Tue, Apr 14:
"TITANIC SEANCE: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER" dinner show aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
*  On the anniversary of the night Titanic sank, "you will become a passenger of that ill-fated voyage and experience an evening that you will never forget," says the promo.
*  Dine on a 5-course gourmet meal, inspired by the final first-class dinner served aboard.
*  View artifacts from the ship and hear the tales of the passengers who both lived and died on that cold April night.
*  Then, attend a seance.
*  If the whole idea doesn't give you the creeps.
*  TIX, $315 & $415, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/A-Night-to-Remember/406381
___

Thu-Sun, Apr 16-19; FESTIVAL:
Annual "SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL" in William S. Hart Park and nearby concert and theatrical performance venues in Old Town Newhall, Santa Clarita CA; www.cowboyfestival.org
___

Fri, Apr 17:
8 pm - SOURDOUGH SLIM plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA; www.coffeegallery.com
*  More: www.sourdoughslim.com
___

Sat, Apr 18:
7:30 pm - SCOTTISH FIDDLERS OF LOS ANGELES present their 39th Anniversary "SPRING CONCERT" at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, 710 Pier Av, Hermosa Beach CA
*  Acclaimed Cape Breton fiddlers ANDREA BEATON and TROY  MacGILLIVRAY join a 40-person orchestra for a lively evening of foot-stomping good fun.
*  MORE at: http://scottishfiddlers.org/
*  Adv tix available via Brown Paper Tickets as of Jan 6, at: https://m.bpt.me/event/4478119
*  TIX: $15 Gen'l, $25 Preferred (1st 5 rows); FREE for ages 18 and under.
___

Sat & Sun, Apr 25 & 26; FREE FESTIVAL:
1 pm-5 pm - Annual "VICTORIAN FAIR" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
*  Explore Los Angeles during the Victorian Era.
*  Enjoy music, dancing, fashion shows, historic house tours, demonstrations, and much more.
*  Period attire is encouraged.
*  Free event & free parking, but bring spending money for food and shopping.
___

Sat, Apr 25:
7 pm - ELIOT FISK plays a Classical Guitar Concert at 15950 Chatsworth St, Los Angeles CA
*  TIX and info: www.EliteGuitarist.com
___

Sat, Apr 25:
8 pm - LONG BEACH SYMPHONY presents "ECKART PREU - VIOLINS OF HOPE" in the Terrace Theater at Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://www.eventticketscenter.com/long-beach-symphony-eckart-preu-violins-of-hope-long-beach-04-25-2020/4172508/t
___

May 2:
11 am-3 pm - "RANCHO DAYS FIESTA" at Heritage Hills Park in cooperation with The Orange County (CA) Parks Historical Division.
*  Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association.
___

Sat, May 9:
8 pm - "A NIGHT OF SYMPHONIC ROCK" in the Long Beach Arena at Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://www.eventticketscenter.com/a-night-of-symphonic-rock-long-beach-05-09-2020/4171644/t
___

Sat & Sun, May 16 & 17; FESTIVAL:
8:30 am Sat to 9 pm Sun - "LOS ANGELES GUITAR FESTIVAL" 2020 at the Master's University, 24736 Quigley Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita CA 91321
*  Focused on guitar concerts, workshops, education, and community.
*  Participating artists include Christopher Parkening, Antonio Rey, Thu Le, Mircea Gogoncea, Ricardo Marlow, Tavi Jinariu, Kevin Enstrom, Taso Comanescu, & Christina Sandsengen.
*  Sponsors say, "The goal of the festival is to expand the guitar community and to inspire the next generation of guitarists by providing educational and performance opportunities. Enjoy briliant concerts, benefit from insightful workshops and develop relationships with like-minded guitar enthuasiasts."
*  TIX, $189, and more info, at: www.EliteGuitarist.com
___

Sat, May 16:
8 pm - BRANDI CARLILE plays the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, $96.50-$156.50, available now at: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/brandi-carlile/event/0B005843D5934C3F
___

Sun, May 17, FESTIVAL:
All day - Annual "TOPANGA BANJO FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL" at Paramount Ranch in Santa Monica Mtns Nat'l Recreation Area, off Kanan Rd in Agoura Hills CA
*  Info, contest registration, more, at: https://www.topangabanjofiddle.org/
*  Tix go on-sale Jan 13th at 10 am
___

Sun, May 17:
1:30 pm - RICARDO MARLOW performs a Flamenco Guitar Concert separately ticketed, but in conjunction with, the "LOS ANGELES GUITAR FESTIVAL" 2020 at the Master's University, 24736 Quigley Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita CA 91321
*  TIX and more: by www.EliteGuitarist.com
___

Sun, May 17:
7 pm - ANTONIO REY performs a Flamenco Guitar Concert at 15950 Chatsworth St, Los Angeles CA
*  TIX and more: www.EliteGuitarist.com
___

May 26-31; PEACE CONFERENCE:
"NO WAR 2020: DIVEST, DISARM, DEMILITARIZE" (#NoWar2020) is a conference to bring conversion for a peaceful, green, & just future, and it happens this year (its 5th), in Ottawa, Canada.
*  It is timed to coincide with "CANSEC" -- Canada's biggest weapons expo -- to bring international attention to Canada's complicity in the global arms trade.
*  The conference is part of a weeklong series of events starting May 26th, including nonviolence training, art-making workshops, film screenings, and nonviolent direct actions at CANSEC, the weapons expo.
*  #NoWar2020 is the product of a truly global effort.
*  "World BEYOND War" -- the organizers of this, their 5th global conference -- have this to say: "We're working hand-in-hand with dozens of allies, including 350.org, the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, and Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, to pull together this week of education and nonviolent action. And a big thank you to Jim Prues of Panoptic Media for creating the new promo video!"
*  You can watch the new video about it on YouTube, here.
*  "World BEYOND War" is a global network of volunteers, activists, and allied organizations advocating for the abolition of the very institution of war. Their "success is driven by a people-powered movement." They seek the support of individual citizens throughout the world, saying, "our work [is] for a culture of peace."
*  IF YOU GO... go early, so you can catch LEE CAMP, host of "Redacted Tonight," in his live show in Ottawa on May 24th (info & tix at link below).
*  More on the conference, including registration to attend, is at:
https://nowar2020.worldbeyondwar.org/
___

Sat, May 30; FESTIVAL:
All day - 30th Annual "DYLANFEST" in the tree-shaded courtyard at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Torrance CA
*  This is a splendid live music event, reliably wonderful year after year. Sponsors and award-winning host band ANDY & RENEE & HARD RAIN always book many of L.A.'s top musicians, and for this big three-decade anniversary, you can expect a lot. You can also expect it to sell-out early.
*  TIX on sale soon as of our Jan 8 press time; keep watch, and more info, at: www.andyandrenee.com
__

Sun, May 31:
3 pm - LONG BEACH SYMPHONY presents "ECKART PREU - SYMPHONY UNDER THE SEA" in the Terrace Theater at Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://www.eventticketscenter.com/long-beach-symphony-eckart-preu-symphony-under-the-sea-long-beach-05-31-2020/4225067/t
___

Sat & Sun, Sep 26 & 27; FESTIVAL:
9 am-7 pm - 26th annual "DULCIMER FESTIVAL" presented by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DULCIMER HERITAGE (SCDH); Saturday at Riviera United Methodist Church, 375 Palos Verdes Bl, Redondo Beach CA 90277;
Sunday at two other locations (Fullerton and Lakewood).
*  This charming annual event mixes workshops, vendors of traditional and vintage string instruments, jams, group performances, and featured top-flight artists doing Mid-Day & Twilight Concerts.
*  This year's top artists doing instructional workshops and concerts are:
  ⊙  Tina Bergmann - Hammered Dulcimer  https://allroadsleadhome.com
  ⊙  Tull Glazener - Fretted/Mountain Dulcimer  http://www.TullGlazener.com
*  Sunday's FOCUS WORKSHOPS, Sep 27, are both 10 am-2 pm:
  ◇  Hammered Dulcimer & Mixed Instruments - Fullerton
  ◇  Mountain Dulcimer - Lakewood area/ Long Beach
*  More, and TIX when available (plus other dulcimer concerts & events), at:
www.scdh.org
___

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Continuing Events

(UPDATES ADDED, as needed)
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Thu, Feb 27-Mar 8:
THE ANDREWS BROTHERS play multiple shows in the Beverly O'Neill Theater at  Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach CA 90802
*  TIX, https://longbeachca.eventticketscenter.com/long-beach-convention-center-long-beach-tickets/30884/e 
___

See it now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
*  This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
Barbara Kruger, ’WHO BUYS THE CON’ mural, on the façade of NeueHouse Hollywood.
Photo, Fredrik Nilsen
*  "Untitled (Questions)" features large-scale queries, alternating between English and Spanish, created by the artist.
*  This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
*  "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
*  "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
*  Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
*  Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau,  NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
*  Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
*  Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
___

Concludes this weekend; Feb 11-23; FILM FESTIVAL:
28th annual "PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL" (PAFF) is currently taking place at the Cinemark 15 Theatres, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles CA
*  PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the United States and the nation's largest Black History Month cultural event.
*  This year, it has selected a record-breaking 225 films, representing 52 countries in 26 languages. Each year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world.
*  Its concurrent ArtFest features more than 100 fine artists from around the world.
*  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live action and animation short films.
*  PAFF is a non-profit corporation, founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover ("The Color Purple," "Lethal Weapon" movie franchise), the late Emmy Award-winning actress Ja'Net DuBois (best known for her role as Willona in the TV series, "Good Times" and as songwriter of "The Jeffersons" tv theme), and executive director Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in Pan African Affairs.
*  PAFF is dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression.
*  Complete schedules and more at: https://www.paff.org/
___

ONGOING, multiple dates:
1 pm-6 pm - "CALLE CARONA FARMS AND VINES MUSIC JAM" at the farm, 39813 Calle Carona, Green Valley CA 91390
*  For people interested in sustainable organic farming in a beautiful country setting, to the accompaniment of music.
*  Bring your instruments to play, and seeds to plant, grow, sing and enjoy the harvest.
Dates: Sat, Mar 14; Sat, Jun 13; more.
___

ONGOING, Feb 14-Mar 15; MUSICAL:
"LAW AND ORDER: THE MUSICAL!" in its world premiere at Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood CA 90038.
*  A parody in accordance with fair use law.
*  This musical by Ilyse Mimoun and Jeremy Adelman spoofs the popular TV series.
*  Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm. Ends March 15.
___

ONGOING, Feb 19-Mar 29; MUSICAL:
8 pm - “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” the big musical comedy, returns, opening Feb 19 in the Ahmanson Theatre at the L.A. Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
*  TIX start at $45, at 213-972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
___

ONGOING, Thu, Mar 12-Sat, Mar 21; MUSICAL:
"HAMILTON" touring cast plays the Hollywood Pantages theatre, Hollywood CA
*  TIX, $253-$1,250 each (gasp), at ticketmaster.
___

ONGOING, Feb 18-Feb 26:
"ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE" touring cast brings the JIMMY BUFFETT musical to the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood CA
*  TIX, $35-$152, at Ticketmaster.
___

ONGOING, Feb 27-Mar 22; stage play:
8 pm - “DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE” opens at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
*  Sarah Ruhl’s play, "mysterious and mesmerizing, explores the need for real life connection in a technologically obsessed world." -- Easy Reader News.
*  Runs: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sun Mar 8 at 2 pm (includes Q&A with crew and cast), Sun Mar 22 at 2 pm. Closes March 22.
*  The Guide just attended a production here on Valentine's Day. Nice little venue with comfortable seats.
*  TIX, $24 opening night; thereafter $28 regular, $26 seniors, and $15 for those age 25-and-under who can remember to say the word “Hipster.” All tix at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
___

ONGOING, indefinite; FILM:
"EARTH" (Not Rated) 115 mins, is a new documentary film that opens Fri, Feb 7 at the Laemmle, Glendale CA, then moves to other Laemmles as part of the "Culture Vulture" film series.

*  This German-English-Spanish-Hungarian-Italian production was filmed at seven locations completely transformed by humans:
(1) mountains being moved in California;
(2) a tunnel being sliced through rock at the Brenner Pass;
(3) an open-cast mine in Hungary;
(4) a marble quarry in Italy;
(5) a copper mine in Spain;
(6) the salt mine used to store radioactive waste in Wolfenbüttel;
(7) a tar sands landscape in Canada.
*  Initially shown from above as abstract paintings, the terrain is then explored on the ground.
*  The film weaves together footage of machines in operation and conversations with workers.
*  Opens today in Glendale. Coming to these other Laemmle Theatres on dates indicated:
  •  Claremont 5 on 02-10-20
  •  Town Center 5 on 02-10-20
  •  Playhouse 7 on 02-10-20
  •  Royal on 02-10-20
*  TIX, and/or watch the trailer for this documentary about protecting Earth:
___

ONGOING, gallery show, through Mar 1:
“MY DEATH AWAITS THERE,” a display of paintings made by Steve Shriver between 2016 and 2019 after barely surviving being run over by a car, are on view through March 1 in the Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates CA
*  Info, 310-377-9584 or www.pvld.org
___

ONGOING, gallery show, through Mar 8:
“UNSEEN: 35 YEARS OF COLLECTING PHOTOGRAPHS” is on view At the J. Paul Getty Museum / Getty Center, Los Angeles CA
“My Things No. 5 – 5,000 Pieces of Rubbish” Chromogenic print (2002), by Hong Gao
© Hong Hao; anonymous gift. Courtesy of Chambers Fine Art.
*  Features 200 works selected by the photography department curators. (310) 440-7300 or www.getty.edu
___

ONGOING, through Jun 13:
1 pm-5 pm - "WATER CHANGES EVERYTHING" exhibit presented by the Historical Society of Long Beach at 4260 Atlantic Av, Long Beach CA
*  Runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 1 pm-5 pm;  Thursdays 1-7 pm; and   Saturdays, 11 am-5 pm.
*  Free.
*  Info: 562-424-2220.
___

ONGOING, ART EXHIBITION, indefinite:
Annual "MASTERS ART EXHIBITION AND SALE" opens Feb 8 at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027
*  Paintings and sculptures by 64 premier Western artists ate in the exhibition, to see and purchase.
*  "Masters" opens with an artists' dinner on Friday evening, and then a full day of festivities on Saturday — including artist talks, an awards presentation, and an evening cocktail reception, where approximately 250 fixed-price works are sold through a drawing.
*  Note: All-weekend VIP tickets are SOLD OUT, but Saturday-only tickets are available at the door.
*  Proceeds from "Masters" support the "Campaign for the Autry," which helps provide essential support for the Autry’s educational programs, innovative exhibitions, and over 100 public events annually.
*  Special events with "Masters" include:
   •  "TRUNK SHOW AT THE AUTRY STORE" Sat, Feb 8, 10 am-4 pm.
   •  "GALLERY NIGHT WITH DUBLAB" on Thu, Feb 20, 6:30-9 pm.
*  Note that Feb 8 the museum and store both close at 4 pm.
*  PHOTO GALLERY of artists and artwork:
___

ONGOING, stage play, through Mar 8:
NEIL SIMON'S “RUMORS” stage production by Surf City Theatre, produced at Second Story Theater, 710 Pier Av, Hermosa Beach CA.
*  Director Katie Kirkpatrick manages a large cast on a small stage and pulls-off a zinger-filled script that would look slapstick in less capable hands.
Christopher Yearwood as Glenn Cooper, Sabrina Guyll as Cassie Cooper, and
Drew Rogers as Ken Gorman. Photo courtesy Surf City Theatre, via Easy Reader News
READ THE REVIEW by Bondo Wyszpolski in the South Bay "Easy Reader News," at: https://easyreadernews.com/heard-the-rumors-about-surf-city-theatre/
*  Runs Fri & Sat at 8 pm, and Sun at 2 pm, through Mar 8.
*  TIX, $28, at 424-241-8040 or www.surfcitytheatre.com
___

ONGOING, Feb 8-Feb 23; LIVE THEATRE:
2:30 pm - "ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING" presented in the West Coast Premiere of Joanna Lipari's show about a senior who refuses to let society make her invisible.
* At the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Bl, Sierra Madre CA 91024
* Runs Saturdays & Sundays at 2:30 pm.
* Ends Feb 23.
___

ONGOING, gallery show, through Apr 3:
"ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY OVER 50 LOCAL ARTISTS" get lots of space for lots of pictures, on view at Parkhurst Galleries, 439 W Sixth St, San Pedro CA
OPENING RECEPTION Fri, Feb 28, 5-8 pm.
*  Info, 310-547-3158 or www.parkhurstgalleries.com
___

ONGOING, through Feb 29:
"MATTHEW PERDONI EXHIBITION" at Encinitas 101 (aka E101) Gallery, 818 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas CA
*  This, Perdoni's most recent series, was inspired by a past CROSS-COUNTRY TRAIN-HOPPING TRIP that spawned an entire collection of scenes and characters gathered while riding the rails.
*  Otherwise, he creates fine art paintings and public artworks in San Diego.
*  His work is heavily illustrative, often exploring stories and themes that resonate in his own life experiences.
___

ONGOING, Feb 6-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
6 pm - "THE MANOR" is Theatre 40's production of Kathrine Bates' drama about a murder and suicide that took place at Greystone Mansion a century ago.
* It's AT the Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90210
* Runs Thu & Fri at 6 pm (Saturdays and Sundays are sold out.)
* Ends March 1.
___

ONGOING, through Mar 21; KIDS MUSICAL THEATRE,
(but it's an Equity show):
"THE ADVENTURES OF PETER RABBIT" with book and lyrics by Anthony Gruppuso, who directs. Music by Matt Dahan.
* At Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Bl West, Los Angeles CA 90068
* Runs Saturdays at 1 pm.
* Ends March 21.
___

ONGOING through Feb 22; MUSICAL THEATRE:
"DAY AFTER DAY (THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DORIS DAY)" in its West Coast Premiere, produced by the P3 Theatre Company at the Ernest Borgnine Theatre (inside the Long Beach Scottish Rite Cultural Center), 855 Elm Av, Long Beach CA 90813
*  This is a brand new musical telling the dramatic personal life story of Doris Day through her music. Songs including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Sentimental Journey," "Secret Love," "It’s Magic," "A Guy is a Guy," and "Que Sera, Sera," turned Doris Day into America’s Sweetheart.
*  Take a deep and personal look into this star’s dramatic personal life while appearing as the quintessential “girl-next-door” in Warner Bros. musicals.  Blending factual life events and her songs, this show is a love letter to this extraordinary icon.
*  Written by Tony Santamauro, starring Deborah Robin as Doris Day.
*  "(Deborah) Robin absolutely shines in her role, fully inhabiting Day’s perky demeanor and delicious voice from her early years as a big-band singer and top recording star– beginning with “Sentimental Journey” after World War II– through to her movie roles opposite leading men such as Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and James Garner." -- Anita W. Harris, Signal Tribune.
*  TIX: 800-595-4849 or www.P3Theatre.biz
___

ONGOING, STAGE PLAY, Feb 28-Mar 15:
World Premiere of "LYING WITH BADGERS" presented by "NATIVE VOICES AT THE AUTRY" at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027

*  This dark comedy — featuring puppets who interact with humans — tells the story of two estranged brothers of the Blackfeet Nation.
*  Runs Thursdays and Fridays, 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 2 pm.
*  TIX, $15 non-mbrs / $10 Students, Seniors (60+), & Military (w/ ID), at:  https://theautry.org/events/performing-arts/native-voices-presents-world-premiere-lying-badgers-previews
___

ONGOING, Feb 29–Mar 15; CONTEMPORARY OPERA:
"SWEET LAND" presented by The Industry at L.A. State Historic Park, at 1724 Baker St, Los Angeles CA 90012 (in the NEZ corner of the State Historic Park)
*  L.A.’s contemporary opera company brings a performance that disrupts the dominant narrative of American identity.
*  The Arrivals wash up on the shore. They make contact with another civilization they call “the Hosts.” And from there, the story splinters, following diverging perspectives. Starting as a procession through the L.A. State Historic Park, "Sweet Land" becomes an opera that erases itself.
*  The company that created "Invisible Cities" and "Hopscotch" now brings "a grotesque historical pageant."
*  It's the result of a highly collaborative and multi-perspect approach.
*  Composer Du Yun is a Chinese immigrant whose recent work originates from what she states “is a lack of understanding and empathy around immigration”. Her last major opera, "Angel’s Bone," won a Pulitzer Prize for music and explores the psychology behind human trafficking.
*  Composer Raven Chacon, "United States Artists" fellow and winner of the "Creative Capital Award," is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation.
*  Librettist Douglas Kearney is a poet whose “polyphonic diction pulls history apart, recombining it to reveal an alternative less whitewashed by enfranchised power” (BOMB Magazine).
*  Librettist Aja Couchois Duncan is a mixed-race Ojibwe writer who works to advance equity and social justice.
*  Cannupa Hanksa Luger is a multidisciplinary artist who interweaves performance and political action to communicate stories about 21st-century Indigeneity. He co-directs "Sweet Land."
*  Yuval Sharon, co-director, is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Industry and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow.
*  Info: https://theindustryla.org/projects/sweet-land/
*  TIX: https://theindustryla.org/sweet-land-tickets/
___

ONGOING, Jan 29-May 27; FILM SCREENING of LIVE THEATRE:
"NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE," a series of productions filmed live on London's West End, screening at Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N Mentor Av, Pasadena CA 91106; www.bostoncourtpasadena.org
*  Boston Court, itself renowned for live theatre, brings these brilliantly filmed plays from across the pond; some have two dates, and the near-term one is sold-out; get tix early:
■  "ALL ABOUT EVE," starring GIllian Anderson:
Wed, Jan 29, 8 pm, get tix now.
■  "HAMLET" (encore), starring Benedict Cumberbatch:
Sun, Feb 2, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
  "FLEABAG," written & performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; two dates:
Thu, Jan 30 - Sold out; Wed, May 20, 8 pm, get tix now.
  "PRESENT LAUGHTER," starring Andrew Scott; two dates:
Fri, Jan 31, Sold out; Wed, May 27, 7:30 pm, get tix now.
■  "ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS" (encore), starring James Corden; two dates:
Sat, Feb 1, 1:30 pm; Sat, May 16, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
■  "THE AUDIENCE" (encore), starring Helen Mirren:
Sun, May 10, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
  "HANSARD," starring Alex Jennings and Lyndsey Duncan:
Tues, May 12, 8 pm, get tix now.
  "CYRANO DE BERGERAC" – New, starring James McAvoy; two dates:
Mon, May 18, 7:30 pm; Fri, May 22, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
*  TIX, $20; Box Office, 626-683-6801, 11 am - 5 pm, Tue-Fri.
___

ONGOING, Feb 26-Mar 12:
“WHAT IS IT ABOUT TREES?” is on view in the El Camino College Art Gallery, 16007 Crenshaw Bl, Torrance CA
*  Featuring "a forestful" of artists.
*  OPENING RECEPTION is Wed, Feb 27, 7 pm-9 pm.
Tue, Mar 3,  at 1 pm in the gallery, some of the forestful of artists join in the Artists’ talk.
*  Info, 310-660-3010. Closes March 12th.
*  Pictured, “Blue Ridge Forest, Fiddle Music, Forky Deer 1920,” by Nancy Mooslin.
___

ONGOING, Feb 15-Feb 29:
“LOVE HURTS” opening reception at ShockBoxx Gallery, 636 Cypress Av, Hermosa Beach CA
*  Features work by Debbie Korbel, Dustin Grabiner, Mike Collins, Wendy Layne, and KT.
*   Participating artist KT says, “With the theme of this show I was even more excited since the topic of Love is miserable.”
*  GALLERY OPENING: Sat, Feb 15, 6 pm-9 pm.
*  MORE at: www.shockboxxproject.com
___

ONGOING, PODCAST, on-demand:
"RECORDING ARTISTS: RADICAL WOMEN" is a new podcast series from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. In it, art historian HELEN MOLESWORTH explores the lives and work of six artists — ALICE NEEL, LEE KRASNER, BETYE SAAR, HELEN FRANKENTHALER, YOKO ONO, and EVA HESSE.
*  What was it like to be a woman making art during the feminist and civil rights movements? In this season of "Recording Artists," Molesworth delves into their lives and careers, spanning several generations. Hear them describe, in their own words, their work, relationships, and feelings about the ongoing march of feminism. Contemporary artists and art historians join the conversation, offering their own perspectives on the recordings and exploring what it meant—and still means—to be a woman and an artist. Share this with one who'll appreciate it.
*   HERE'S THE LINK. The whole series is here in individial episodes so you can pace yourself or binge it. You'll hear rare audiotaped interviews and fresh perspectives on what it meant — and still means — to be a woman making art:
http://www.getty.edu/recordingartists/
___

ONGOING, through Feb 23; FREE:
11am-5 pm - "FALLEN FRUIT: SUPERSHOW!" at PDC Gallery, 8687 Melrose Av, West Hollywood CA
*  Runs Sun, Nov 24 through Feb 23; free.
*  Opening day Sunday features outdoor jamming, preceded by an artist talk with FALLEN FRUIT (aka DAVID BURNS and AUSTIN YOUNG), and Young will be taking his trademark portraits of whoever wants one inside the installation, plus music and apparently, cheerleaders.
*  This is "A gorgeous mile of fruit and flower garland wallpaper in a gradient of saturated hues containing within its two story installation multiple scenarios and vignettes of photography and ceramic, faux Grecian luxury statues, gilded mirrors, chaises and sundry objects. All of this exists in the mode of a secular temple to beauty, as well as a sort of public living room where communities are formed through the universal language of shareable fruit."
*  Might be the right thing for a memorable date.
___

ONGOING, through Mar 1:
“MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS 2019: DIRECTOR’S CHOICE” at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles CA 90049
*  This intends to be the first of many annual exhibitions that highlight the Getty Museum’s acquisitions made throughout the year.
*  Highlights key works of newly added art selected by the Museum's director. It includes ancient gems and sculpture; Renaissance and 19th-century paintings; Renaissance sculpture; medieval manuscripts; old-master drawings; and 20th-century and contemporary photography.
*  "It’s a small but succinct show, just one gallery, but with a variety of work, including [an] early Crucifixion in which our Lord appears to have four arms, a sort of biplane Jesus." -- Easy Reader News.
*  Open 10 am-5:30 pm Sun-Fri, Sat 10 am-9 pm, closed Mon.
Holiday closures: Dec 25, Jan 1; early closings Dec 24 & 31 at 4 pm; short hours Dec 23 & 30, 10 am-5:30 pm.
*  Free admission, parking costs. Info, 310-440-7300 or www.getty.edu
___

ONGOING, through May 29:
“INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: BUGS” opened mid-Dec at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl, Palos Verdes Peninsula CA
*  Gawd, we love experiential learning. Whichever journey Garden visitors decide to take, they are transformed into that bug – literally (via props).
*  This program interactively educates visitors about the butterflies, spiders, ants and bees that can be found in the Garden.
*  Full info, 310-544-1948 or www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org
___

"When the sea shall give up her dead."
The many displayed artifacts recovered
from the ocean floor include the
Stele of Thonis-Heracleion (SCA 277),
loaned by the National Museum of Alexandria –
IEASM excavations. Photo by Christoph
Gerigk ©Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation
ONGOING, through April 12, daily:
10 am-5 pm - "EGYPT'S LOST CITIES" exhibition at the Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley CA 93065
*  Akin to your best fantasies of Atlantis, these are artifacts recovered from beneath the sea.
*  One day as the Mediterranean sun beat down on the bay of Aboukir, two bustling cities of ancient Egypt slipped into the sea without a whisper of wind, buried for centuries.
*  These cities, before they sank beneath the waves, were known throughout the world as cultural centers of power, of wealth, of trade, and novel artistry.
*  Time may have eroded the memory of a civilization, but not the mystery -- or the breathtaking artifacts -- of what it was.
*  This exhibition runs Oct 5, 2019–Apr 12, 2020.
*  View the holiday tree exhibit (through Jan 5; see our listing) and the Air Force One Pavilion, along with this current special exhibition, all during one visit for the price of museum admission. But allow yourself PLENTY of time.
*  Open seven days a week, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
*  Facility features a nice cafeteria-style cafe.
*  TIX include the exhibition and the 125,000 square feet of all the permanent exhibits and displays, including Air Force One; you need to allow three to four hours to enjoy all of the galleries and grounds. Gen'l adm $29.95, discounts for youth, kids, seniors; active US military get in free. Free parking. Tix available in advance or at the door. It's worth adding the $7 "audio tour." Online adv. tix:
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/online-ticket-sales/
___

ONGOING, Feb 5-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
"THE FATHER" starring acclaimed actor ALFRED MOLINA in "a tour-de-force performance that will leave you breathless," at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S El Molino Av, Pasadena CA 91101; 626-356-7529; www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
*  90 minutes, no intermission.
*  “Savagely honest … Hugely rewarding” -- The Guardian.
*  Directed by Boston Court Pasadena Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. Written by Florian Zeller, translated into English by Christopher Hampton.
*  About the play: André was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was André an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control.
*  An Open Captioned performance is Sun, Feb 23 at 2 pm.
*  TIX: $25, less 20% off tickets with code MEMORY. Restrictions may apply.
*  TIX at https://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/event/the-father/
___

THERE'S PLENTY MORE HAPPENING. And with the Guide in our new topical news feature story format, we can get to things and get them out to you without bogging-down in endless tail-chasing exercises, trying to complete everything for inclusion in a calendar-driven format.

See ya soon. Stay Tuneful!


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☆  THE ENTIRE CATALOGUE of all past editions of The Guide is available (and searchable!) FREE, in our archive. If you don't see the navigation pane on the left side of your screen, just click "view web version" and it'll magically appear (along with the correct photo, art, and page formats that you've been missing if you don't see that left-sidebar.)

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We have lots of MUSIC NEWS
features in the works, and they'll
be along as we get them dressed,
shoes tied, cowlicks combed down,
bowties cranked straight, 
and strings tuned.

Find a comfortable spot by the 
wood stove, play a round or two 
of checkers, and we'll be along...
directly.
_________________________________________________

On to the necessary boilerplate...

Boilerplate? What "boilerplate"? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox?

Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff...

Alright already, it's right down there...

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

LEGALESE, CONTACTING US, 'N SUCH...
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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS – and views of interest to artists everywhere – more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers -- and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. Thanks for sittin' a spell. The cyber porch'll be here anytime you come back from the road.
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We'll be back again soon with music news and more "News of the Non-Trumpcentric Universe." (c)
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Til we catch ya again on the flip side 
in this new decade...
as Buford the Wonder Dog looks on 
and in our best Kathy Baker
"Hee Haw" voice: "THAT's all!"

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