Friday, March 26, 2010

April 2010 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - VOLUME SIX - #1

IN THIS ISSUE:

THE NEW CD IS READY!  ORDER ENCHANTED WAY!

COME TO IRELAND WITH ME!  DEADLINES EXTENDED!!
EVAN GREER AND ANNE FEENEY "GENERATIONS OF RESISTANCE" TOUR
THE OSCARS DINNER
THE PRODIGAL iPHONE - AND A WORD TO THE WISE iPHONE USER... 
THE HEALTH CARE BILL PASSED - NOW WHAT? 
FAMILY NEWS/BIRTHDAYS


IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:

(show details at the bottom of this post, and continuously updating at http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html)

Tallahassee, FL   - April 1
Pittsburgh, PA     - April 8
Athens, OH         - April 9
Cincinnati, OH    - April 10
Lexington, KY   -  April 11
Champaign, IL   -   April 13
Bloomington, IL  - April 14
Pekin, IL              - April 15
Decorah, IA         - April 16
Mt. Vernon, IA   -  April 17
Lawrence,  KS    - April 18
Kansas City, KS  - April 18
Columbia, MO     - April 19
Indianapolis, IN   - April 20
Lafayette, IN       -  April 21
Chicago, IL         - April 22
Dearborn, MI      - April 23-25
Kalamazoo, MI - April 25
Kent, OH            - April 27
Ambridge, PA    - April 28
Binghamton, NY - April 29
Schenectady, NY - April 30
Philadelphia, PA  - May 1
Kerrville Folk Festival Threadgill Theater!! June 8th

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THE NEW CD IS READY!  ORDER ENCHANTED WAY!

Anne Feeney: Enchanted Way

My new double CD of Irish music is available now on CDBaby.  Click on the box, or call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD to get your copy of this terrific double-album (24 songs!) today.  You can also digitally download the recording at CDBaby...

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COME TO IRELAND WITH ME!  DEADLINES EXTENDED!!

I still have 9 empty seats for the "Best of the West" tour which runs from August 10-19, and 14 empty seats on the August 22-31 tour of "Dublin, Belfast and Derry."   I'm particularly excited about the Dublin, Belfast, Derry tour ... even if you've been to Ireland 30 times you will see many many things you've never seen before.

Everyone I know in the industry says these tours are an extraordinary value, and I'm sure they're right.  But they're also exciting, memorable, unusual and lots of fun.  You couldn't see Ireland any better way unless you had a charming and talented family member in Ireland taking you around.


Seeing Ireland with me and Tom Piggot is a fantastic opportunity.  He has been immersed in the traditional and contemporary Irish music scene for decades, and is an outstanding singer in his own right.  Paddy Downes, the driver of our 'luxury coach' is charming, most helpful, and a talented step dancer and bodhran player.  You'll meet lots of interesting and unforgettable Irish people - musicians, artists, artisans, activists.

These tours are so much more fun with a full complement of fellow travelers!  While I love taking people to Ireland (and they love coming with me!), I guess I'm just not as good as I should be at the essential task of filling the seats. Both of these tours will certainly happen.  I have never cancelled a tour.  Tom and I recognize that you have arranged your vacations and put your trust in us and we would never let you down.

Reply to this promptly and I'll send you the details. Here's what Enchanted Way tours has to say about seeing Ireland:

Enchanted Way Tours is for people who hate tours! No big buses, name tags, hurried stops, or large groups being herded around like cattle! We help you find the best music sessions, the least touristy pubs, the most beautiful back roads, and the longest lasting memories.

After watching seemingly endless groups of tourists jumping on an off big, exhaust-belching buses and being whisked around to pre-arranged "shows" of Irish music before being shuffled off to their hotels just when the real fun was starting, we thought, there has to be a better way!

How can you see a lot of Ireland, but see it at Ireland's pace? How can you have the convenience of group travel, without the herd-like drawbacks? And what about people who usually travel on their own, but who really want to get to know the place through traditional culture - the music, the language, the stories? The answers to these questions were the seeds of Enchanted Way Tours founded in 1973 by Tom Pigott, an Irish musician based in Limerick. Tom will be along, adding his 35 years of experience - making this tour unforgettable!


The dollar is really strong against the Euro this year, and Ireland will be a bargain. In the past two years I have had hundreds of people write and say, "someday I'd really like to do the Irish tour."   I hope a couple dozen of you decide to try it this year.   

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 EVAN GREER AND ANNE FEENEY "GENERATIONS OF RESISTANCE" TOUR

My wonderfully talented young colleague/companero/co-conspirator Evan Greer (he's 24) came up with the name for this ambitious ten state tour, and has also done most of the booking for it.  Most of our concerts will be on college campuses -  I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are free and open to the public.  The only hitch is that the final details for most of these shows aren't available as we go to press.  So, please, call me 412-877-6480 for details on shows in your hometown.

Evan is touring in support of his terrific new CD, "Never Surrender."  You can listen to and buy the CD at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/evangreer (Evan and his partner are expecting a baby, so buy a CD!! You'll love it!)

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THE OSCARS DINNER MENU


Several of you wrote to find out about this years Oscars Dinner menu:

I covered an old microwave cart with aluminum foil and decked it out with a full array of miniatures, beer, wine, mixers, soft drinks and juices and got Southwest Airlines to give me 25 bags of airline peanuts. That was our "Up in the Air" appetizer

Then we had a round of nachos for "Blind Side" (the husband owned a chain of Taco Bells)

Then fried chicken ("Precious")
Biscuits ("Crazy Heart")
Noodle Kugel ("A Serious Man")
Seafood Souffle ("Up")
Blueberry Sorbet ("Avatar")
Apple Crumble ("An Education" i.e. 'an apple for the teacher')
Apple Strudel ("Inglourious Basterds")
Bananas Foster ("The Hurt Locker" - i.e. they 'explode')

We also had a couple cans of cat food available for District 9 fans, but I don't think anyone ate any of it.

We also had four salads so people who were trying to watch their weight could do that.

And my fabulous friend Jeanne Clark presented me with an Oscar for "Best Party Thrower - 2010"

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THE PRODIGAL iPHONE - AND A WORD TO THE WISE iPHONE USER... 

I left my 9 month old iPhone in a restaurant in St. Petersburg in the middle of my Florida tour...  When it didn't turn up there or anywhere else for 3 days I decided to bite the bullet and pony up the $299 to replace the phone.  Imagine my surprise when I found out it would cost $750 (including tax) to get another iPhone.  Yes, folks... if you lose your iPhone mid-contract you are not eligible for the "discount" price of $299.  It costs $699 + tax!!!!


I left the AT&T store despondent and phoneless.  About 100 miles down the road I decided to drown my sorrows in a bucket of steamed oysters at Captain Curt's. An iPhone user there told me I could get an iPhone much cheaper at Best Buy.  Not so. I raced to Best Buy only to discover the same deal.  The only difference was that Best Buy had an 18 months same-as-cash deal, which took enough of the sting out of the purchase to let me go ahead and buy a new iPhone.


Two days later I got a call from an AT&T store in St Pete saying that my lost iPhone had been returned to them!!! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!  My old pal Phil Keyes went straight to the store and picked it upand overnighted it to me.  Best Buy took back the new phone minus a 10% restocking fee.

The moral of the story is: don't let that iPhone out of your sight!  And if you're the forgetful type, the $15/month replacement insurance might be a good investment...

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THE HEALTH CARE BILL PASSED - NOW WHAT? 


The defeat of the so-called health care reform bill would have energized conservatives and teabaggers in very dangerous ways  -- but that's about the only reason that I'm really happy that it passed...  I can't imagine what those loonies would do next if they had succeeded with their "Kill the Bill" agenda.

The comparisons of this bill to Medicare or Social Security are totally Newspeak Orwellian.  This statement from Physicians for a National Health Plan sets forth a lot of my problems with the bill that was just passed.


"As much as we would like to join the celebration of the House's passage of the health bill last night, in good conscience we cannot. We take no comfort in seeing aspirin dispensed for the treatment of cancer.
Instead of eliminating the root of the problem - the profit-driven, private health insurance industry - this costly new legislation will enrich and further entrench these firms. The bill would require millions of Americans to buy private insurers' defective products, and turn over to them vast amounts of public money.

The hype surrounding the new health bill is belied by the facts:
  • About 23 million people will remain uninsured nine years out. That figure translates into an estimated 23,000 unnecessary deaths annually and an incalculable toll of suffering.
  • Millions of middle-income people will be pressured to buy commercial health insurance policies costing up to 9.5 percent of their income but covering an average of only 70 percent of their medical expenses, potentially leaving them vulnerable to financial ruin if they become seriously ill. Many will find such policies too expensive to afford or, if they do buy them, too expensive to use because of the high co-pays and deductibles.
  • Insurance firms will be handed at least $447 billion in taxpayer money to subsidize the purchase of their shoddy products. This money will enhance their financial and political power, and with it their ability to block future reform.
  • The bill will drain about $40 billion from Medicare payments to safety-net hospitals, threatening the care of the tens of millions who will remain uninsured.
  • People with employer-based coverage will be locked into their plan's limited network of providers, face ever-rising costs and erosion of their health benefits. Many, even most, will eventually face steep taxes on their benefits as the cost of insurance grows.
  • Health care costs will continue to skyrocket, as the experience with the Massachusetts plan (after which this bill is patterned) amply demonstrates.
  • The much-vaunted insurance regulations - e.g. ending denials on the basis of pre-existing conditions - are riddled with loopholes, thanks to the central role that insurers played in crafting the legislation. Older people can be charged up to three times more than their younger counterparts, and large companies with a predominantly female workforce can be charged higher gender-based rates at least until 2017.
  • Women's reproductive rights will be further eroded, thanks to the burdensome segregation of insurance funds for abortion and for all other medical services.
It didn't have to be like this. Whatever salutary measures are contained in this bill, e.g. additional funding for community health centers, could have been enacted on a stand-alone basis.

Similarly, the expansion of Medicaid - a woefully underfunded program that provides substandard care for the poor - could have been done separately, along with an increase in federal appropriations to upgrade its quality.

But instead the Congress and the Obama administration have saddled Americans with an expensive package of onerous individual mandates, new taxes on workers' health plans, countless sweetheart deals with the insurers and Big Pharma, and a perpetuation of the fragmented, dysfunctional, and unsustainable system that is taking such a heavy toll on our health and economy today.

This bill's passage reflects political considerations, not sound health policy. As physicians, we cannot accept this inversion of priorities. We seek evidence-based remedies that will truly help our patients, not placebos.

A genuine remedy is in plain sight. Sooner rather than later, our nation will have to adopt a single-payer national health insurance program, an improved Medicare for all. Only a single-payer plan can assure truly universal, comprehensive and affordable care to all.

By replacing the private insurers with a streamlined system of public financing, our nation could save $400 billion annually in unnecessary, wasteful administrative costs. That's enough to cover all the uninsured and to upgrade everyone else's coverage without having to increase overall U.S. health spending by one penny.

Moreover, only a single-payer system offers effective tools for cost control like bulk purchasing, negotiated fees, global hospital budgeting and capital planning.

Polls show nearly two-thirds of the public supports such an approach, and a recent survey shows 59 percent of U.S. physicians support government action to establish national health insurance. All that is required to achieve it is the political will.

The major provisions of the present bill do not go into effect until 2014. Although we will be counseled to "wait and see" how this reform plays out, we cannot wait, nor can our patients. The stakes are too high.

We pledge to continue our work for the only equitable, financially responsible and humane remedy for our health care mess: single-payer national health insurance, an expanded and improved Medicare for All."

Here's another well-reasoned look at the new legislation from Rose Ann DeMoro,  Executive Director of National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rose-ann-demoro/diary-of-a-wimpy-healthca_b_510706.html

And here's a positive look at the bill from USW President Leo Gerard - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-w-gerard/change-to-believe-in-or-f_b_513167.html

The message I got at the Labor Campaign for Single Payer conference a couple weeks ago is this:  Keep working for single payer as if the bill were coming up very soon.  The current health care crisis will be exacerbated in many ways by this so-called reform bill.  Educate yourself, your friends and neighbors so real health care for all cannot be derailed again!

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FAMILY NEWS/BIRTHDAYS




Our good friend Faith Petric "The Fort Knox of Folk Music" has broken her hip.  She's expected to fully recover, but I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. Send her a get well card at:

Faith Petric
885 Clayton
San Francisco,  CA 94117





My husband, Julie Leonardsson is at home in Sweden chained to his easel working on a large oil painting for a big show in Sweden this summer.  Avesta Arts is a prestigious international exhibition which will run from May 15th to September 15th.  For at least part of the exhibition Julie will be on site painting. Here it is - a work in progress - standing on an easel in his kitchen:


This past month my daughter Amy Berlin and her brother Dan spent a week together in Austin and at Amy's house in San Marcos during South by Southwest.  SXSW is a huge musical event in Austin.   Many of Dan's wonderful Peace Corps pals joined him in Austin for a mini-Peace Corps Guatemala reuinion.

The Second Annual "Southern Exposure" Festival in Switzerland, FL was a total blast.  It was so great to see Stetson Kennedy having so much fun with his friends, Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Willy Green, Frank Thomas, Doug Gauss (and me!!) - what a privilege it is to call this remarkable man my friend... Read more about him at http://stetsonkennedy.com  - and here are some nice photos of Stetson and me and the other festival performers http://nonets.blogspot.com/2010/03/second-annual-southern-exposure.html

A super highlight of my Florida tour was to get to spend time with seven of my eight McCahill cousins and their families in St. Augustine... My cousins came from Brooklyn, Annapolis, Columbia MD, San Diego and New Orleans to rehearse 10 songs they had decided on. They hired a choral director and sang together all day and all night for six days. (I think they did take some time for some eating and drinking, too!)

On the last day of their week at the lovely beach house my recording-engineer cousin Ben Mumphrey showed up from New Orleans and took all my cousins to a Jacksonville recording studio where they recorded their second CD of musical favorites.  This CD includes some of my favorites, too - "The Parting Glass,"  "The Water is Wide" -- also some very challenging pieces... "Panis Angelicus," "Ave Maria," "Locus Iste"

Here's a link to their (rehearsal) performance of "Amazing Grace"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2laXxiLA6Q

... My cousin Karen sings with the New York Oratorio, but the rest of my cousins just love to sing, and to sing with each other... It was great to be with them!

BIRTHDAYS

Guy Zahller - April 9th,  David Rovics - April 10th, Laura Daniels - April 12th, Joyce Kornbluh - April 16th,  Joey Only - April 17th,  Rosanna Lane - April 19th, Karen Newman  - April 19th



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THE TOUR

Thursday, April 1st, 2010 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert - April Fools Concert
Imaginary Fool's Juggling and Singin Club
Tallahassee, FL
850-878-4149
Price: $10-20 suggested
No potluck this time, but great music and good company guaranteed!

Thursday, April 8th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney & Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour Kickoff Concert!
Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church
416 W North Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf
412.877-6480
Price: $10-20                                           

Friday, April 9th, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour!
Ohio University
Athens , OH
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf
Details TBA! Workshop and Performance sponsored by Sierra Student Coalition, Social Justice Coalition, and the UCM Center for Spiritual Growth. More info soon!


Saturday, April 10th, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
University of Cincinnati
tba
Cincinnati, OH
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf



Sunday, April 11th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
any ideas?
Lexington, KY
contact Janet Tucker jlynjenks(@)qx.net if you have a good idea for a location or for more information....
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
University of Illinois
Champaign/Urbana, IL
847-721-9257
The Feminist Majority is among the groups presenting us...
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
tba
Bloomington/Normal, IL
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Thursday, April 15th, 2010 4:00 PM
"Survivor" Celebration for PAL Strikers!
Laborers Local 231
Pekin, IL
food, fun and music! bring desserts!


Friday, April 16th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
tba
Decorah, IA
563-382-8833
Mary Moody is the contact
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Saturday, April 17th, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
Cornell College
tba
Mt Vernon, IA
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Sunday, April 18th, 2010 4:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
UK - Kansas University
tba
Lawrence, KS
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Sunday, April 18th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour in support of KKFI-FM
tba
Kansas City, KS
Price: $10-20
Judy Ancel is the contact - jancel@igc.org
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Monday, April 19th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
Butler University
tba
Indianapolis, IN
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 12:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
Purdue University
tba
Lafayette, IN
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 4:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf

4:00pm Workshop: Community Organizing Skills for Students.

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 6:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
University of Chicago
location tba
Chicago, IL
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf
6:00pm Concert! Sponsored by Green Campus Initiative and SDS.


Friday, April 23rd-Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Labor Notes
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Dearborn, MI
http://labornotes.org/conferences/details.shtml
Friday Evening look for us in the Railroad Workers' United Suite...
Saturday Evening look for us in the IWW Suite


Sunday, April 25th, 2010 8:00 PM
Kalamazoo Peace Center presents Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
tba
Kalamazoo, MI
(269)344-3883
Details TBA! Contact: alliefine@gmail.com for more info
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer "Generations of Resistance" Tour
Kent State University
tba
Kent, OH
http://riotfolk.org/files/evangreer/press_kit/generations_of_resistance_smaller.pdf


Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Evan Greer in Concert for Beaver County Peace Links
FELLOWSHIP UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
235 MERCHANT ST
Ambridge, PA
Price: $10-20

Friday, April 30th, 2010 8:00 PM
Woo hoo! What fun! Eve of Mayday Concert with Anne Feeney, Roy Zimmerman and Evan Greer!
Eighth Step at Proctors
432 State Street
Schenectady, NY 12305
(518) 434-1703
http://eighthstep.org


Saturday, May 1st, 2010 8:00 PM
MayDay Extravaganza with Anne Feeney, Evan Greer and special guest Roy Zimmerman!
Crossroads Music
801 S. 48th Street (at Baltimore Avenue)
Philadelphia, PA 19143
215.729.1028
http://crossroadsconcerts.org/
Price: $10-30


Anne Feeney
http://annefeeney.com
anne@annefeeney.com
cds available at http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid






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