Robert McNamara died today. If anyone has not seen Errol Morris’s documentary, The Fog of War, it is well worth it.

When you encounter Israeli liberals in the US or in Europe, they present a different face. They never reveal what they actually had written in their books. This is very true of Amos Oz but also true of Amos Elon. You need to read the books of those Zionist liberals to realize that when it comes to the fundamental racism at the heart of the movement that founded the usurping entity, the left-right divide is rather meaningless. Obituaries of Amos Elon now fill the US newspapers and he is being presented as a humane and compassionate writer. Here is a sample from Elon’s book Herzl: “There was no symmetry between Arab and Jewish grievances. The Jews were always ready for a compromise; the Arabs have not yet contemplated the possibility of accomodation. The Palestinian dispersion was largely self-inflicted; unlike the Jews, they could live full Arab lives in any of a dozen other Arab countries.” (p. 407) So Elon had a long career of outright lies and fabrication. Read his biography of Herzl and you know what I mean. (more…)

I was sad to read that Peter Camejo, one of the founders of the California Green party, died recently. In 2004, he received my vote when he ran as Ralph Nader’s vice Presidential candidate (though independent from the Green party). There was a nice obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle.

I recently learned that Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of my artistic idols, died on December 5 at age 79 – this is a terrible loss for the music world and the art community in general.

Stockhausen’s music found me as recently as 2003, when I took a class in contemporary electronic music as an eager music undergraduate. His Gesang der Jünglinge will remain one of the most simultaneously disturbing and uplifting works of all time and one of my personal favorites. Stockhausen was a pioneer in his use of sound and experimentation with the limits of musicality.

The following is his obituary from Pitchfork:

A man content to exist outside the classical establishment, Stockhausen saw his influence extend beyond it as well. Among his advocates were the Beatles, who included the composer on the collage cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. (more…)