A HEALTHCARE STRATEGY FOR THE AGES

Every once in a while, you do something that is so stupid that even your best friends wonder if your head is screwed on straight. And sometimes, rarely but sometimes, things turn out better than you could ever have imagined. You stepped in the poop and only through good luck and the grace of God you came out smelling like strawberries.

Many of us wondered why Obama didn't push for Medicare For All when he had the votes in Congress back in 2009. Single-payer healthcare had been proven throughout the industrialized world to provide better health outcomes, had been proven to be cost-effective - half the cost per capita of the American insurance-based system. How could Obama cede America's first stab at universal healthcare to an industry that had strangled the life out of the American economy for far too long? Insurance exchanges? Subsidies for insurance companies?

Madness.

Crazy.

Crazy like a fox...

If there are not enough votes for Medicare For All, get as many people covered as possible. Cash in as many chips as you can. Even lure in the insurance companies. But get people covered. And guess what. Once people get coverage, they don't want to lose it.

So, for seven years the Republicans screamed REPEAL. More recently, REPEAL AND REPLACE. Now? HOW DO WE FIX THIS THING. And there really is only one way to fix the ACA. The states - those places that the Republicans are fond of calling the labs of democracy - the states that went for expansion of Medicare are leading the way.

MEDICARE FOR ALL

Obama. Smarter than all of us.

THINKING OUT LOUD...

MADAMICELLA IN A PYRENEES PRIORY: CONCERT AND VENUE REVIEW

I have been known to say that the most beautiful instrument in the world is a woman's voice. Combine the a capella voices of four women with the acoustics of a 1,000 year-old chapel tucked into a quiet corner of the Pyrenees and the result is magical.

The chapel is the Prieuré Santa Maria del Vilar, an 11th Century priory gone to complete ruin, photographed in 1913 and promptly forgotten again, only to be rediscovered in 1993 and lovingly restored with many original features remaining including the remnants of what must have been truly fantastical frescoes when original. The restorers, primarily an army of volunteers led by a committed local archaeologist, decided that the site was too sacred to turn over to the government. Today, monks of the Romanian Orthodox Church inhabit and care for the site.

The voices that we heard on a recent August evening belonged to Madamicella. Four Corsican women, each with strong voices, held a capacity audience of about 120 or so lucky listeners spellbound from their first notes. The concert, as advertised, combined the sacred with the profane - polyphonic music of the ancient church mixed with uptempo, sometimes playful Corsican melodies. The women clearly enjoyed the music and each other. And they were flat good. The audience demanded two encores.

Both the venue and the music defy simple description. The story of the Priory can be found HERE. Listen to the video above. If you have never been exposed to this kind of music before, give it a chance. For some, it will grab your heart instantly. For more about Madamicella, the best I can do is refer you to the site of the 12th Annual Festival of the Troubadours HERE. Hopefully, it will stay up for awhile. The festival continues through the end of September and is an annual event that gets into full swing every July. Check it out HERE.

BLENDING JAZZ & WORLD & STUFF: IRA'S BLEND #91

CLARITY AGAINST TREASON

This is a message to the alt-right, or whatever you choose to call yourselves these days, and those who would defend them.

Let me be clear. Crystal clear.

There is no place in America for swastikas, Nazi salutes, or chants of "Blood and Soil". If you are marching next to a Nazi and you realize that you are and you do not run in the other direction, you are either a Nazi or an idiot. There are no value judgements to make. There are no nice Nazis. They are traitors to America, pure and simple.

If you are marching next to someone brandishing a Confederate battle flag, go right ahead. Freedom of speech includes the freedom to advocate secession. But if you want to break up our great Union because you are unable to deal with modern reality, you are a traitor to America, pure and simple.

I'm not saying: Love it or leave it. I'm saying: If you want to leave, you can't take pieces of my country away with you.

And don't hand me that crap about the Civil War being about States' Rights. That's pure horse hockey. Here are the second and third sentences of Georgia's secession statement: "The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery." Even more telling is the second sentence of Mississippi's statement: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world." Both Texas and Virginia refer to the grievances of 'slave-holding states' throughout their declarations.

The Confederate battle flag that was waved so proudly in Charlottesville was the symbol of a movement to keep slavery legal, fostered by white men willing to destroy our Union over their cause. To wonder why that flag or the monuments to the generals who fought under that flag is offensive is to profess either ignorance or prejudice. Period. And don't tell me that those monuments are reminders of the horrors of war. They are, to the people who marched in Charlottesville, salutes to their heroes, men who were willing to kill tens of thousands of Americans to preserve slavery.

Those generals were not heroes. Their statues are not simply a part of our history. Those generals were traitors to America, pure and simple. When did we decide that erecting statues to honor traitors was a good thing?

CERTIFIED BLUES: IRA'S BLEND #90

MAURY WINE TASTING: AUGUST, 2017

The French region of Maury is notable for its scenic, rugged countryside as you approach the Pyrenees; for the Cathar castles of Peyrepertuse (above) and Queribus; and for its unique, natural or fortified sweet wines. We've visited the castles in years past. (Yes, I took the picture above. Every view is a postcard.) We've visited perhaps the most well-known of the Maury wineries - Mas Amiel. And for this trip, we decided to go into the town of Maury itself and see what the cooperative and wineries other than Mas Amiel had to offer. 

We were not disappointed.

Every tasting was unique and enjoyable. Although we do not subscribe to theory that if you taste you must buy, we bought at each stop. Here's a quick summary of our purchases. Remember, I am by no means a connoisseur. I seldom drink red wine even with the reddest of red meat. In fact, I rarely stray from my favorite rosés regardless of the food on the plate. So when you read my opinions, you are reading the opinions of an avid though amateur drinker of wine who probably has no business offering an opinion at all.

LES VIGNERONS DE MAURY: CAVE COOPERATIF

Prominently placed on the main drag, folks bustled in and out of the cooperative the entire time. Two tasting tables stayed busy. As is typical, once staff realized that English was our first language, they switched to English although we persisted in French. We like to think that we can be understood in their language while well-schooled, customer-facing French actually do like to practice their English. Happens everywhere, all of the time. But I digress.

Eight or nine different wines were poured for us, ranging from 'simple' whites under 7€ to an aged, old-vine Grenache Noir natural (not fortified) sweet red for 38€. If you follow the link above, you can see their full line. Prices at the door are about 15% less than the prices listed on the website. Although one of our friends bought a bottle of the top end Maury Tuilé "Chabert de Barbera", we bought three bottles of each of the following whites, total bill under 45€.

'Maury Blanc', 100% Macabeu, 16%, clean and sweet,  serve well chilled as an aperitif, with foie foie gras, or with dessert

'Nature de Schiste', 100% Grenache Gris, 14.5%, must be chilled to 10C for my taste because very minerally, listed as a possible aperitif but I think fish/shellfish would work best

Maury Tuilé "Chabert de Barbera" The real deal. Light up a cigar and pretend that you are Winston. But not at our house. We didn't buy any.

DOMAINE SEMPER

We dropped into the small tasting room across the side street from the cooperative with no expectations. Indeed, we interrupted the lone gent at his newspaper. But he dove in quickly enough, even breaking up some chocolate to demonstrate the proper accompaniment to his naturally sweet 'Viatge'. That convinced our friends to buy a couple of bottles. We bought two of the 'Maury Orange' labeled 'Ange d'Or' at 14.70€ for 500ml, old vine Grenache Blanc et Gris, 17%, fine as an aperitif or digestif and yes, it does have a citrus taste. Sorry, no website and the Facebook page is seldom updated.

DOMAINE DU DERNIER BASTION

And right across the main drag, another domaine. So much wine, so little time. A bit of hustling and bustling going on. The harvest is early this year. But always time for a tasting. Again, our friends bought a case and some. We settled for two bottles of 'Maury Grenat' at 12.00€ a bottle, 100% Grenache Noir, 15.5%, serve quite chilled, with the promise that it can be cellared for decades.

Thanks to various websites for allowing me - with or without their knowledge - to cadge pics. It's all in service to Bacchus...