Blog No. 252: Phil Ochs, Cats, CNN Town Hall

Phil Ochs

It is a good time for us to remember Phil Ochs: the songwriter, political activist and author of more than 100 topical songs of the 1960s and 70s...I was first introduced to him at Apple Hill Camp when I was about ten years old. My parents were leftists and they sent me to what Woody Allen referred to as a "Jewish socialist summer camp" when I was a kid...That is where I learned a whole bunch of protest songs, many of them written by Phil Ochs. They have stuck with me all these years later--I still remember every word.

Here is a selection of my favorites--no better time then to revive them now and salute this very talented and prolific songwriter who died tragically way to early, when he was only 35.

I'm Not Marchin Anymore

Draft Dodger Rag

There But For Fortune

The Highway Man

Changes

If you would like to delve deeper, here is a documentary all about this remarkable combination of musician/journalist/songwriter/politcal activist.

Cats, Energy, Vibrations and Edgar Cayce

I am an animal lover. When it comes to dogs and cats, I have always been partial to dogs but this youtube video above has given me a new perspective and just might make me a cat person too...

If even just a few of these observations about felines is true, I want to learn more...Thanks to discoveries in modern science, knowledge from ancient history through the Egyptians, the Celts and the Vikings and teachings from the the trance recitations of Edgar Cayce (known as the sleeping prophet), we have learned about the extraordinary abilities of cats.

I didn't know that:
*Every purr from your cat may be more than affection, it could be the exact healing frequency your energy needed to receive...

*Cats have an ability to detect electromagnetic fields

*They can read our energy

*The Egyptians believed that cats were living portals between the physical and spiritual worlds

*A cat’s purr vibrates at a frequency of 25 to 150 hertz, which is the same frequency at which muscles and bones repair themselves.

Bernie Sanders/AOC CNN Town Hall

CNN Town Hall October 15, 2025 with Bernie Sanders and AOC

I dropped one of my segments on this blog to include this very important CNN Town Hall with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). They spell out all the most important issues of the day--clearly and succinctly. Please share this with any of your friends and acquaintances on the other side--these two have the ability to speak to all of us and we need to have to stop just speaking to the choir...

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow Black Heart mixed media on paper 9” x 14”

Charity of the Week:
Indivisible
NO KINGS DAY OCT. 18th

Please show up on October 18th! and click image to donate and find a march near you… Bring a friend or two!

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About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.