JP SOTTILE is a freelance journalist, published historian, radio co-host and documentary filmmaker. His credits include a stint on the NewsHour news desk, C-SPAN, and as a newsmagazine producer for ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington. Joseph “JP” Sottile is a two-time Washington Regional Emmy Award Winner. Documentary film credits include: writer, director, producer of The Warning and various production and photography credits on other public interest films. His weekly show, Inside the Headlines w/ The Newsvandal, co-hosted by James Moore, airs every Friday on KRUU-FM in Fairfield, Iowa. He is the Newsvandal.

LEGENDARY SINGER-SONGWRITER-MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST

FOR THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL

AND 'WELCOME BACK KOTTER' THEME SONG

J O H N   S E B A S T I A N

ON THE RAY SHASHO SHOW

Over four decades the contributions of John Sebastian have become a permanent part of our American musical fabric. His group The Lovin' Spoonful played a major role in the mid-'60s rock revolution, but what leader, singer and songwriter Sebastian had in mind was actually a counter-revolution. "We were grateful to the Beatles for reminding us our rock & roll roots," John explains, "but we wanted to cut out the English middlemen, so to speak, and get down to making this new music as an 'American' band." This the Lovin' Spoonful did like nobody before or since, putting their first seven singles into the Top 10. This was unprecedented, and utterly unthinkable at the height of Beatlemania. At first they'd taken older material from blues, country, folk and jug band sources - what we now term "roots music" - and made it sound modern. Then, in a series of original songs composed and sung by John Sebastian, they did the reverse, creating thoroughly modern music that sounded like it contained the entire history of American music. Which it did. You know the songs by heart: "Do You Believe In Magic?" "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice." "Daydream." "Younger Girl." "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" "Summer In The City." "Rain On The Roof." "Nashville Cats." "Six O'Clock." "Darling Be Home Soon." "Younger Generation." These songs did more than simply answer the British invasion, they carried the musical tradition into the future. This music had an immediate and indelible impression on the public consciousness, but John Sebastian was already a name well-known to the cognoscenti.

He was born March 17, 1944 in New York City. His father was a noted classical harmonica player and his mother a writer of radio programs. Regular visitors to the family's Greenwich Village home included Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie, so it was no surprise when young John became a fan of, and then a participant in, the folk music revival that swept the nation in the late '50s.

Making his bow as a member of the Even Dozen Jug Band, his skills on guitar, harmonica and autoharp soon made him a sought-after accompanist on the Village folk scene, working with Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, Mississippi John Hurt, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan and many others. So the Lovin' Spoonful was not his first act, and it certainly wasn't its last. After leaving the group he founded, he bore witness to another turn of the musical zeitgeist with his performances at massive festivals like Woodstock and its English equivalent the Isle of Wight. He had been involved in music for films (most notably Francis Ford Coppola's "You're A Big Boy Now" and Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily") and Broadway, but when producers of a TV show called "Welcome Back Kotter" commissioned a theme song in 1976, Sebastian's "Welcome Back" became a chart-topping solo record. Throughout the '70s and '80s he continued to record and tour, pleasing old fans and winning new ones.

There's no telling how many aspiring musicians have been nurtured by his instruction books for harmonica and guitar, but he aimed to inspire an even younger audience with the publication in 1993 of the delightful children's book "JB's Harmonica." The '90s also saw John return to the group format with the J-Band, a contemporary celebration of his jug band heritage. The acclaim the group received was gratifying, but bittersweet. The group's albums contain some of the last recorded performances of blues pioneer Yank Rachell and washtub/jug virtuoso Fritz Richmond. Thankfully John's induction into the Rock " Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 hasn't slowed him down. Whether the stage is at Carnegie Hall or a folk festival in some far-flung locale, John is still out there spreading his gospel of American roots music. He is the subject of the current PBS special "Do You Believe In Magic: The Music of John Sebastian," and a new album of duets with David Grisman is due later in 2007. He has also lent his music in support of social, environmental and animal rights causes.

Recently he joined a delegation of songwriters (including Lamont Dozier, Allen and Marilyn Bergman, and Mike Stoller) in Washington, DC to campaign on behalf of the National Music Publisher's Association. Perhaps because it has been the product of heart and soul and history, the oldest song in the Sebastian catalog is as fresh and vital as the song he's about to write tomorrow. That's why you still hear his music everywhere - in movies, on television, in cover versions and samples - and why it's always welcome. John is also a welcome media presence; his commentary, insights and anecdotes and stories are regularly featured in print, radio, TV and film documentary projects. John Sebastian is not only a master musician, writer and performer, he remains one of the best ambassadors American music has ever had.

For more information on John Sebastian visit www.johnbsebastian.com

JOHN SEBASTIAN TOUR DATES:

March 7 Largo, FL Largo Cultural Center

March 8 Delray Beach, FL Crest Theater

March 10 Sanibel, FL BIG Arts

March 13 & 14 Naples, FL Theatre Zone

March 24 Shirley, MA Bull Run

March 25 Patchogue, NY Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts

March 26 Pawling, NY Daryl's House

April 7 Minneapolis, MN The Dakota

April 8 Waupun, WI City Hall and Auditorium

April 9 Chicago, IL Space

September 9 Baltimore, MD Susie's Cause Bluegrass & Folk Festival

And don’t forget to purchase a copy of my book entitled Check the Gs -the true story of an eclectic American family and their Wacky family business … or the second edition entitled … Wacky Shenanigans on F Street- ‘Proud to be Politically Incorrect in Washington DC’ ... available now at amazon.com. You’ll live it!!!

Have a great week everybody!

“Jennifer, because of my work with you, I am in LOVE!”

– Lisa Barnes

As a gifted teacher, author, lecturer and intuitive coach, Jennifer will lead you through a journey filled with love and awakening. Her clarity, compassion and grace are a natural catalyst for exponential healing and love.

Jennifer has an innate ability to bring out the best in her clients empowering them to radiate their own love into the world. De-creating your past story blocks unlocks your unlimited potential. Her clients become amazing radiant magnets for love, success, wealth, passion and healthy relationships.

She is direct, compassionate and quick to locate the root of your issues. Whether it is self esteem, or becoming orgasmic, having been on this road herself, her deep caring and honesty clears the fog of misunderstanding. Her toolbox is filled with gifts that will dramatically impact your place in this world.

If you are looking for an extraordinary life in and outside the bedroom, Jennifer is the one to guide the way. She illuminates your path with a gift for cutting through your old story and getting to the underlying blocks. Whether you are single or coupled, Jennifer is relaxed, putting you at ease eliminating your discomfort.

Through Jennifer’s own journey of healing: depression, anxiety, illness, sexual trauma,unworthiness and lack consciousness, she radiates light and love. Her wisdom comes from living through her experiences and challenges. Through her own healing journey she has developed an amazing array of tools to help clients transform their lives. Through her 6 week first tier workshop, many clients find their soul mate, or TRUE LOVE as well as their own inner gifts and passion for life. Her coursework is uplifting, grounding and centering. Once you radiate love from within, the perfect partner presents himself. In the process your creativity and gifts are uncorked, like champagne out of a bottle, once out you will never look back.

Instead of feeling broken and fragmented working with Jennifer helps you get connected deeply to your inner being, your True Self. Mastery of the Self is the highest work anyone can do. As Plato said, Self Mastery is the greatest of all victories. Jennifer will be your guide so that you become a master of your life and journey into joy, peace and happiness. This is the greatest git of all.

Jennifer is certified by the National Guild of Hypnotherapists, Alliance Coaching and The Spiritual Response Therapy Association for Healers. She also uses Neurolinguistic Programming.

Her books, Odyssey Victim to Victory is an autobiographical account of her own journey. Orgasm for Life is an amazing and exciting book to ignite your passion and get you back into the saddle, turn you on, power up and spice up any relationship.

Jennifer’s radiance is the power and blessing she has embraced along the way. Being comfortable in her own skin, authentic and true to her gifts, she shares the secret to finding your bliss within. Jennifer is here as a catalyst to help you.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR FOR MUFON NEW JERSEY AND STATE DIRECTOR FOR MUFON VERMONT AND RHODE ISLAND. 16 YEARS IN MILITARY AND VETERAN FOR DESERT STORM IN 1991, PRIVATE PILOT, UFOLOGIST AND EDITOR AND FOUNDER

CATERINA is a Women's Empowerment Expert and Coach, whose passion is working with women on their self-esteem and self-worth, in their personal and professional lives. From homemaker to CEO, she teaches and coaches women how to "Know their worth, Own their worth and Live their worth." Her books and online courses provide women with information, resources and support to live the life they desire to create. Caterina works with women to work through the barriers, baggage, and beliefs that may be getting in the way of success or holding them back. 



"It is your birthright to live your passion, and to feel joy, harmony and love, every day of your life." 

Since he was a young man, Brad faced fear head on. A natural-born leader and rebel, he always followed his heart.

He believes deeply that each and every one of us has a unique genius, voice and passion, and when we face our fears and tap into that voice, the sky’s the limit.

Knowing from his own life experience, facing your own brilliance head on and being frightened by how powerful we truly are, we can freeze up and not go after our dreams.

He firmly believes there is no worse a life lived than one where we die with our voice still in us.

He works with coaches, consultants and other visionary entrepreneurs to face their fears and become successful doing what they TRULY want to do – sharing their voice to benefit others.

Having created proven models and systems to get his clients results faster and with more certainty, they step powerfully into their voice and deliver the transformation they have deep down been yearning to deliver.

Eva Bartlett is an independent writer and rights activist with extensive experience in Syria and in the Gaza Strip, where she lived a cumulative three years (from late 2008 to early 2013). She documented the 2008/9 and 2012 Israeli war crimes and attacks on Gaza while riding in ambulances and reporting from hospitals. Since April 2014, she has visited Syria 6 times, including two months in summer 2016 and once month in Oct/Nov 2016. Her early visits included interviewing residents of the Old City of Homs, which had just been secured from militants, and visiting historic Maaloula after the Aramaic village had been liberated of militants.

In December 2015, Eva returned to old Homs to find life returning, small shops opened, some of the damaged historic churches holding worship anew, and citizens preparing to celebrate Christmas once again. On her 5th visit in June-August 2016, she went twice to Aleppo, also visiting Palmyra, Masyaf, Jableh, Tartous, and Barzeh district of Damascus, as well as returning again to Maaloula and Latakia. On her sixth visit to Syria, in October and November, she visited Aleppo twice more, as well as areas around Damascus. The testimonies Eva gathered in Aleppo starkly contrasted narratives corporate media had been asserting. Many of her published Syria writings, videos, photos can be found at this link:

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/syria/

America Illegally Bombs Syria Under False Pretexts. Links for critical thinking.

by Eva Bartlett

*“…the White Helmets are handling the corpses of people without sufficient safety gear, most particularly with the masks mostly used , as well as no gloves. Although this may seem insignificant, understanding the nature of sarin gas that the opposition claim was used, only opens questions. Within seconds of exposure to sarin, the affects of the gas begins to target the muscle and nervous system. There is an almost immediate release of the bowels and the bladder, and vomiting is induced. When sarin is used in a concentrated area, it has the likelihood of killing thousands of people. Yet, such a dangerous gas, and the White Helmets are treating bodies with little concern to their exposed skin. This has to raise questions.” (from: “Jumping to conclusions; something is not adding up in Idlib chemical weapons attack“)

This morning, under the orders of President Trump, the US military fired a reported 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an airbase in Syria, killing at least 6, according to early reports. The false pretext for this is the tired old refrain that “Assad used chemical weapons”, a ‘red line crossed claim’ made–and disproven–in 2013 in Ghouta, and in allegations prior and since. Any actual instances were the western-backed ‘rebels’. All others were fabrications of the NATO aligned media and faux human rights groups.

I’ll keep my own commentary short other than to emphasize that I do not believe for one second that the Syrian government used toxic gases on Idlib last week. My reasons are logical and many, but I will list just a few here and continue with suggested reading/listening:

–The Syrian army had no need to do so, are making advances on the ground in various areas of Syria with conventional means of fighting terrorism.  Using a chemical weapon is precisely the ‘red line’ act America and NATO/Gulf/Zionist allies would leap upon to wage their war of ‘regime change’ fully on Syria, as per Libya and Iraq before. Meanwhile, western-backed ‘rebels’ have a history of using toxic gas in Syria (even the UN’s Carla del Ponte admitted this).

-Recently, apparently relations with America, via Trump, had improved. At the time of the alleged gas attacks, relations were looking positive. (That said, today, sadly, Trump has launched an illegal attack on Syria, using at least 59 cruise missiles on a military site and causing unknown deaths. This is an unprovoked act of war. Trump/America have zero evidence that the Syrian government authorized and used toxic gas, something even the United Nations admittedeven the United Nations admitted.)

For the sake of time, because this is an urgent issue that needs clear thinking and a firm stance against American (and Zionist/NATO/Turkish/Gulf) attacks on Syria, I am posting excerpts from a number of good analyses already online. Please share.

“Ex-UK Ambassador: Assad wasn’t behind the chemical attack“, Apr 5, 2017

“Former British Ambassador to Syria Peter Ford says he believes it is “highly unlikely” that Russia or the Assad regime was behind the attack in Idlib.”

Finian Cunningham, April 6, 2017, “Chemical reaction: Trump in U-turn, bubbling with Syria regime change“:

“Last week, the Trump administration announced it was abandoning a failed US policy of regime change in Syria. This week, however, the White House suddenly back-flipped, saying Syrian leader Bashar al Assad “must go”.

The dramatic U-turn in US policy was, of course, in reaction to the reported chemical weapons incident in Syria’s Idlib province on Tuesday morning in which over 80 people were allegedly killed. Among the dead apparently were some 30 children.

Such a vigorous contradictory response from the Trump administration is strongly suggestive that the incident was an orchestrated political stunt; carried out for the purpose of achieving that very outcome by the Syrian militants and their foreign sponsors. It wouldn’t be the first time such a false flag device has been attempted to influence US policy in Syria.

Within minutes of the alleged attack in Khan Sheikdoun, in Syria’s northern Idlib province, Western governments and media were rushing to blame the Syrian air force for dropping chemical weapons on the town. Such claims were based entirely on images and information released by the discredited so-called rescue group, the White Helmets, who are reportedly affiliated with the Nusra terror organization. There was no attempt at verification by Western outlets, just straight-to-screen broadcast.

…The rush to condemn was reflected in the hasty UN draft resolution drawn up by the US, Britain and France. Russia’s acting deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov noted that the entire Western position was based on discredited sources like the terrorist-linked White Helmets.

“Taking the White Helmets at face value is not professional and not serious,” said Safronkov. He also added that the Western position was driven by an ideological expedience for “regime change” in Syria.

The last major deadly incident in Syria allegedly involving chemical weapons was in August 2013, when hundreds of civilians, including children, apparently died from exposure to the nerve agent sarin.

As with this week’s incident, Western governments and media were quick to accuse Syrian armed forces of carrying out the supposed attack in East Ghouta, a militant-held suburb of capital Damascus. Horrific images of children gasping for air were likewise given saturated coverage by Western media outlets.

The then Obama administration asserted “conclusively” that the Assad government was guilty of “heinous crimes”. Washington was on the verge of taking unilateral military action because of “red lines crossed”. It was only due to Moscow’s last-minute diplomatic intervention in September 2013 that US military involvement was averted, when a deal was struck by which the Syrian government vowed to decommission its chemical weapons arsenal under the auspices of the UN-affiliated Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The Assad government insisted back then that it did not carry out the East Ghouta attack even though it was willing to comply with the Russian-brokered decommissioning deal. It later emerged from investigative reports and Syrian testimonies that the East Ghouta chemical weapons massacre most likely was carried out by militants as a propaganda stunt aimed at forcing the Obama administration’s hand to act on its “red line” threats of military intervention in Syria against the Assad government.

This week, Damascus again categorically denied that its forces had used chemical weapons in Idlib province. The Syrian government said all such weapons had been disposed off under the 2013 disarmament.

…images and video footage released by the White Helmets “aid responders” show no sign that those suffering from chemical exposure were caught up in the aftermath of an air strike. The location indeed appears to be a depot, and the people appearing to administer aid and recording the video footage seem to be doing so with a strange air of calm deliberation.

At one point in the video footage, three semi-conscious adult males are dragged from prone positions on a floor and then propped up against a pillar. The “aid responders” then walk away, but the video footage of the “victims” continues to run. Is that the expected action of “humanitarian responders”?…”

ROBOT NATURE

Robot Nature formed on January 1st, 2017, when singer and multi-instrumentalist DPAK was introduced to Richard Parizer, Michael Sklena, and Jesse Shadis, of their former band, End of Ever.  An eclectic synthesis of modern electronic, noir pop, and infectious synth-rock elements blends pulsing violins and haunting melodies, fused with electronic soundscapes and grooving rhythms to create the signature Robot Nature sound.  Influences include Muse, Twenty One Pilots, Radiohead, One Republic, The Weekend, and Ed Sheeran.  They are currently recording their first EP at Universal Polymath Productions in Malibu, and are booking tours, festivals, and opening spots with other complementary artists and bands.