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October 26, 2007
A poignant fact about this video is that Chicago native and beloved folk/blues singer-songwriter Steve Goodman, Cubs fan, and author of Arlo Guthrie's hit "City of New Orleans," was dying of leukemia when he sang this. He died in 1984 at the age of 36.
Eleven days later, the Chicago Cubs played their first post-season game since 1945; Goodman had been asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before it; Jimmy Buffett filled in, and dedicated the song to Goodman. Some of Goodman's ashes were scattered at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
excerpt from: Sport (New York, N.Y.). v. 76, Apr. '85, p. 96. Kieth Moreland pondered what to do with an autographed baseball that he failed to deliver to folk singer Steve Goodman prior to Goodman's death. The singer wrote a humorous song, "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request," in which he conjectured that the perfect ending to his funeral at Wrigley Field would be for outfielder Keith Moreland to "drop a routine fly" during the post-funeral game. Moreland, amused, signed the ball after learning that Goodman really was dying, and entrusted it to the writer, who never found time to deliver it. Ironically, Goodman passed away just as the Cubs were about to clinch the Eastern Division championship.
Judith | 10/26/07 at 08:40 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
October 25, 2007
I Have Heard the Future of Baby Boomer Comic Folk Rock, And It's Called 'Modern Man'
I recently heard the group "Modern Man" play in NY, after hearing the group's three members on the invaluable WFUV. I told my son, when we heard them plug a show the next day at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, "We've got to go hear them," so we did.
The group does hilarious, intelligent songs on matters of the human condition. David Buskin, Rob Carlson and George Wurzbach showcase their ability to play in different styles, switching effortlessly between reggae, rap, Springsteen raves and beach music, quite an accomplishment for a trio. Then again, [note to Modern Man: here's a great quote to put on your albums or promotional materials] "Modern Man is the greatest power trio I've heard since Grand Funk Railroad redefined rock n' roll in the late 1960s." What thoughtful KT reader wouldn't enjoy "Jews Don't Camp" or "Worst Dominatrix in L.A."? They even go into political matters, with "Abdul the Reluctant Martyr" getting a music video.
I even paid Modern Man the highest compliment possible: I bought one of their CDs.
The guys tour constantly -- the website keeps an up-to-date list of appearances, so find one and go support these guys. Remember, if Van bought their CD, they've GOT to be good. Below, two Modern Men in action, tearing the roof off Lincoln Center and driving the crowd into an Upper West Side tush-shaking frenzy.
Van | 10/25/07 at 07:06 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
October 24, 2007
You Gotta Have Heart
Judith | 10/24/07 at 10:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
October 23, 2007
Copyright claims: the latest censorship tool
The Jihadist Formerly Known as Cat Stevens asked YouTube to remove a video wherein he expresses the wish that Salman Rushdie be burned to death, claiming copyright infringement. YouTube complied, although the video was not a pirated song or music video, but an interview on British TV in 1989. Presumable the copyright would be held by the network which produced it.
Hmmmm. Where have we seen this censorship tactic before?
Continue reading "Copyright claims: the latest censorship tool"
Judith | 10/23/07 at 09:58 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - GOTV '06 to '08
Calm Breaks Out as IFAW Hits Princeton
Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week (IFAW) got an early start last week when David Horowitz spoke at Princeton, my alma mater. While other campuses saw the usual rage and hand-wringing, the event came and went at Princeton in a rather civil tone, as far as can be discerned from the Daily Princetonian. It reported,
"I don't think there has been another religion that has made saints out of murderers, had children of age two thinking they should blow up carloads of Jews," Horowitz said."If you have a system of belief that controls how you live your daily life and a government that has the power to execute these things, that is a combination that will result in a totalitarian state. That is Islamo-fascism."
While listeners maintained a tense silence during Horowitz's forceful speech, the question-and-answer period that followed revealed audience members' equally powerful antagonism to his remarks.
"He was a pretty poorly chosen speaker, he wasn't even supporting the ideas of the right, and every two minutes he would change topic," said Anton Khabbaz, an associate research scholar in the molecular biology department. "He had no coherence, and he said many racist things."
A follow-up column in the Princetonian amused me with its boilerplate reference to "hate speech" and visions of diverse students reacting in a unified way (I sense a contradiction there):
Continue reading "Calm Breaks Out as IFAW Hits Princeton"
Van | 10/23/07 at 06:45 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: WWIV
October 22, 2007
More scenes from my iTunes library : I Don't
I Don't Believe You - Bob Dylan
I Don't Care - Shivaree
I Don't Care Anymore - Laurie Freelove
I Don't Get It - Cowboy Junkies
I Don't Know - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
I Don't Know Where I Stand - Joni Mitchell
I Don't Need It To Rain - Tim Buckley
I Don't Sleep, I Dream - REM
I Don't Wanna Grow Up - Tom Waits
I Don't Want To Play - Ellen McIlwaine
I Don't Want To Wait - Paula Cole
I Dont Need Your Love Anymore - The Specials
Judith | 10/22/07 at 10:01 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
October 21, 2007
Fakes on the Streets, and Where the Money Might Go
I've always found peddlers on the streets of New York aggravating. Now they are proliferating, with racks of fake bags sprouting all over Midtown with franchised similarity. Scarves, sunglasses, and fake high-end watches are also part of the mix.
Benign efforts of struggling illegal aliens to grab the gold ring to hoist themselves up to credit card and mortgage scams? Or something more ominous. This CNBC article makes me wonder about the distribution pipeline for fake goods. They come from someplace, and somebody makes money off the morons who get a thrill from buhying cheap fake goods.
While the CNBC story focuses on counterfeiting in the Tri-Border area of South America, instinct tells me that fakes are a seamless web and dollars spent on Madison Avenue go to the same place as in the Tri-Border area. Do Americans really want to finance their killers via a bargain?
Van | 10/21/07 at 08:01 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: WWIV
October 20, 2007
Steven Vincent, Molly Bingham: compare and contrast
Re my previous post about the documentary about Iraqi insurgents "Meeting Resistance."
Steven Vincent was in Iraq the same time Connors and Bingham were. He went there in 2003, and returned in 2004 and 2005. He was murdered in Basra in 2005. Unlike Connors and Bingham, he traveled the entire country, interviewing a wide range of people from different regions, ethnic groups, ages, genders, political stances. And he did not end by saying that all Iraqis think the same about anything, or that any of the people he spoke to represented the majority of Iraqis.
Connors and Bingham bugged out in 2004 because:
The dwindling access our characters were allowing us combined with increased violence towards foreigners and the very real threat of kidnapping meant that it was time to wrap up and go. The kind of work we had been doing, and the working method we'd been using had become un-tenable. We drove out of Iraq on the long road to Amman, Jordan at the end of May 2004.
Vincent didn't let fear keep him from pursuing his stories. Maybe he was foolhardy. But he made modest claims for the veracity of his stories and his work bore that out.
Connors and Bingham were careful of their own skins, yet make extravagant claims.
Vincent was a real journalist. These people are propagandists.
Read his book. See their movie. Decide for yourself.
Remember, Q&A with the directors tonight in NYC, this coming week in DC. Info below.
Continue reading "Steven Vincent, Molly Bingham: compare and contrast"
Judith | 10/20/07 at 03:02 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
October 18, 2007
Meeting Resistance
UPDATE: Steven Vincent vs Molly Bingham: compare and contrast.
I saw a "video Op-Ed" at the NYT site, which was a prime example of trying so hard to be non-judgmental about nasty people that you squeeze yourself through your own asshole and out the other side. It is a 7-minute excerpt/spin-off from Meeting Resistance, a pro-insurgent piece of propaganda now playing in theaters around the world.
The short at the NYT site as of 6 PM EST is not loading - must be all the LGF and Hot Air readers checking it out. But you can also see it at Crooks and Liars. And here's the official trailer.
(There will be Q&A with the filmmakers after screenings of "Meeting Resistence" THIS WEEKEND in New York and Washington DC. More info at the end of this post. If you can make it, show up and, you know, ask questions.)
In addition to inserting tendentious quotes from unidentified 2007 polls into footage from 2004, these PR flacks for terrorists take the opportunity to fit in this week's wide misquoting of General Sanchez, demonstrating that - like the NYTimes - they didn't bother to read what Sanchez actually said. However, the Times plays this straight, presenting the video thus:
Continue reading "Meeting Resistance"
Judith | 10/18/07 at 07:05 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
October 15, 2007
Flag Desecration Day: Busted in San Antonio
No sooner had we floated the idea of Free-Market Flag Desecration Day than a brave soul gave it a try in San Antonio. He didn't take the easy way out and burn Old Glory. No sir, he went transgressive and edgy and burned a Mexican flag in front of the Alamo.
The sad result, according to mySA.com:
The city is charging 46-year old David Bohmfalk with burning without a permit, even though no one gives permits to burn a flag.
For this Davy Crockett died?
Van | 10/15/07 at 09:18 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Domestic Politics
Our new Google overlords
Judith | 10/15/07 at 12:41 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - GOTV '06 to '08
October 12, 2007
Scenes from my iTunes library: Angel
Boachem L'shalom, Malachei haShalom, Malachei Elyon. . . .
Angel - Belly
Angel Dance - Los Lobos
Angel in the Dark - Laura Nyro
Angel Mine - Cowboy Junkies
Angel Song - Shlomo Carlebach
Angel's Share - 27
Angels de Menta - L'Ham de Foc
Angels of Grace - Po' Girl
Angels of the Wind - Terry Allen
Angels with Dirty Faces - Los Lobos
Judith | 10/12/07 at 06:00 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
Free-Market Flag Desecration Day
This item on the idea for a sharia bake sale got me to thinking: I'd like to see the results of a free-market flag desecration sale. We always see pictures of zhlubs burning and trampling on the U.S. and Israeli flags, so why not have a fundraising event that allows people the opportunity to desecrate a broader, richer variety of national symbols?
The zhlubs always look like they're enjoying themselves. Other people should get in on the fun, too. My idea is to have an ideology-neutral event where people can desecrate flags in a safe, nurturing, creative environment. This concept does not come easily to conservatives, but with the proper encouragement perhaps they can get into the spirit of things.
Here's how it would work:
Continue reading "Free-Market Flag Desecration Day"
Van | 10/12/07 at 06:29 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Domestic Politics
October 11, 2007
She sent him letters, and he received them with a strange delight...
Via the Corner, a poignant story about mating in captivity:
A married couple who didn't realise they were chatting each other up on the internet are divorcing.Sana Klaric and husband Adnan, who used the names "Sweetie" and "Prince of Joy" in an online chatroom, spent hours telling each other about their marriage troubles, Metro.co.uk reported. The truth emerged when the two turned up for a date. Now the pair, from Zenica in central Bosnia, are divorcing after accusing each other of being unfaithful.
"I was suddenly in love. It was amazing. We seemed to be stuck in the same kind of miserable marriage. How right that turned out to be," Sana, 27, said.
Adnan, 32, said: "I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years".
Kate Bush wrote a song about a similar situation . . . .
Continue reading "She sent him letters, and he received them with a strange delight..."
Judith | 10/11/07 at 07:12 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Sensual pleasures
October 10, 2007
Bad dancing around the world
Hey, wherethehellismatt was in Israel this summer! Dancing in Dizengoff Square. I look forward to that video.
Interview with Matt:
Continue reading "Bad dancing around the world"
Judith | 10/10/07 at 08:30 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Good news from Israel
October 08, 2007
Defining Atrocity
Reports from and about Iraq cast light on the media's Vietnam-inspired agenda. . . . more »Asher Abrams | 10/08/07 at 11:04 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories:
October 07, 2007
Against the Regime
The islamist regime spreads its influence far and wide. When and how will they be stopped? Britain's Gordon Brown will back air strikes on Iran. Telegraph: 'Gordon Brown has agreed to support US air strikes against Iran if the Islamic . . . more »Asher Abrams | 10/07/07 at 11:19 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories:
October 05, 2007
Al Gore Polishes His Resume
Mark your calendar for October 12. That's the day we will learn if Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize. That could be a very nice flourish on his resume if he decides to plunge into presidential politics. As . . . more »Van | 10/05/07 at 06:53 AM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Domestic Politics
October 02, 2007
Rain
Rabbi Baruch Melman at Sefer Chabibi: No more Tal. No more the prayers for dew. We pray for the good stuff. Rain. As farmers, we need the rain to ensure plentiful crops. As herdsmen, we need good pasture to ensure . . . more »Asher Abrams | 10/02/07 at 10:31 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Yamim Noraim
October 01, 2007
A Half-Glass Full Look at the Housing Bubble
As a former homeowner and current renter, I can look at turmoil in the housing markets from various perspectives. I know what it feels like to thrill at rising valuations, to see that pile of wood and masonry as financial . . . more »Van | 10/01/07 at 06:59 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Domestic Politics
