Paul's Pick

As some may know 1) Paul Krugman makes a music pick at his NYT blog every Friday and 2) he is a big Arcade Fire fan.  So today he admits that he's had trouble (like many others) getting into their latest album but finds it starts to happen when he hears a somewhat stripped down version of a song, as here:

Christie Lied

So says former boyhood friend and top official David Wildstein in letter released this afternoon.  Here's NYT story.  Here's link to letter.  Wildstein states flatly that the governor lied at his famous press conference two weeks ago when he said he did not know about the land closures, and he says he can prove it. UPDATE:  This is huge in the state:  Newark Star-Ledger in new editorial says if today's "bombshell" proves out then Christie must "resign" or be "impeached," as it appears that his big presser may have been nothing but a clown circus of lies.

Friday Cat Blogging

  Zoe trying lick TV cats.  Can't lick 'em OR join 'em.

"It's Time for the Talk"

Showtime's "Shameless" season premiere Sunday features the young and exceedingly cash-strapped Fiona (played by Emily Rossum) being informed of the happy news that after 90 days on the job, she's eligible to enroll in the company's 401(k) retirement plan. The look of incredulity on her face when she repeats "I deposit part of my salary?" should be familiar to struggling millennials across America, not to mention wage-deficient workers of all ages. Fiona's boss dumps the pie charts and graphs on her desk, instructs her to choose her risk profile and asset allocation, and triumphantly announces, "Easy Peasy!" (See trailer below.)

I'm happy to suggest as supplemental reading for this episode--and a good antidote to happy-talk purveyors of 401(k) pie charts--Helaine Olen's book Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, now in paperback. I did some research for the book, and can testify that Chapter Four, "The Coming Retirement Train Wreck," proves that Fiona's look of incredulity is justified.  -- B.B.

Fools Russian: The Road to Sochi

Just posted: today's 28-minute BBC radio probe of the controversies around the the Sochi Olympics--with my daughter, Jeni Mitchell, as asst. producer.

Robin Lustig heads to Russia to examine the allegations. He speaks to local residents and city officials in Sochi whose lives have been affected. Boris Nemtsov, a prominent opposition leader and native of Sochi claims 'billions' have gone missing, and describes absurdities such as the road so expensive he says it 'could have been paved with gold'. Valery Morozov, a local businessman who says he paid millions in bribes to a government official, discusses how he believes the Russian bureaucracy has systematised corruption.

Another 'Winterreise' Kind of Day

And Schubert's birthday today.

When the Beatles Arrived

For some context:  a month before The Beatles landed on our shores, Dylan released his 3rd album, The Times They Are A-Changin', which included "Hattie Carroll."  Here's a bit of it from the following year.  And just a year after the moptops arrived Bob recorded this, his greatest rocker.  --G.M.

Pete's Final Night

As recounted by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, who had just flown in from Ramallah.  Posted on Facebook.  Photo left by Robert Corwin.
***
I had the privilege and honor to be with Pete this past Monday, not long before he finally passed. I came directly to his hospital room from the airport where I’d arrived from Tel Aviv, having just sung a couple of Pete’s songs the night before (“If I Had a Hammer” and “We Shall Overcome”) in a meeting with folks involved in efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East. The magic of Pete’s songs, as frequently occurs, had a remarkable effect. When the discussion stopped and the music began that night in Ramallah, the spirit in the room changed; “positive” and “enthusiastic” replaced “not so sure” as we created a concrete plan that - who knows? one can always hope - might play a small part in, at last, bringing about a successful peace process.

I was not sure how much Pete understood my words but, nevertheless, by his bedside I told him about the previous night’s events before singing “We Shall Overcome” with his family and friends assembled. This song was shared close to the end of what was almost an hour and a half of remarkable singing at Pete’s bedside. Pete’s daughter Tinya, Pete’s grandson Kitama, other relatives, as well as beloved allies and friends - many who worked with Pete for years on the amazing Clearwater Sloop effort - sang together.

When I had first entered Pete’s room, I had quickly unpacked my guitar and then waited for the loveliest of songs to be finished by one of Pete’s extended family. Then I started to sing a subdued but still gently defiant (if that be possible) version of “We Shall Not Be Moved”. We all crowded around Pete, singing this old Union Song together, with friends on each side of the bed holding his hands. We sang that song for perhaps 7 or 8 minutes, with many verses about “young and old together”, “black and white together”, “gay and straight together”, “the union is behind us”, “no more poison fracking”, on and on.

Slowly the strength and beauty of the singing began to carry us all with it as we felt each other’s hearts unite, all of us singing directly to Pete, and beginning to ride on the sweetness of the sound we were making together. Everyone there was a really good singer and picker and everyone was wordlessly agreeing which song would come next, who would take a verse and how to sing a bit more passionately for a moment and then bring down the energy the next.

For me, it was precisely like some of the most wonderful moments I'd had with Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers when we felt so close and so intuitive that we fairly sailed together, enveloped in a beautiful gliding spirit that was no one’s and everyone’s doing. Honestly, it was more beautiful and peaceful, loving and joyous, (yes and tearful and, yes, reverent) than I can adequately describe.

A number of Pete’s Sloop songs were led by others, and I included “Oh. Freedom”, “Down By the Riverside”, “Talking Union” and “Union Maid” (we got most of the lyrics thanks to others’ memories filling in), a memorable version of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, and even a passionate yet gentle version of “If I Had a Hammer”.

I wanted to tell Pete about singing “No Easy Walk to Freedom” with Noel Paul and Bethany & Rufus at the memorial for Nelson Mandela at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC a few weeks before.  Lots of history, I know, but when we sang the song for Pete, having shared the above, I felt I was telling Pete, “See? We are all carrying it on in your footsteps, dear and beloved Pete, our mentor, our father (figure) to some like me (though he didn’t know it), our path blazer and brave leader.” “No Easy Walk”, as we sang it, was joyous, still subdued as was appropriate, but passionate. It was a great moment for me.

Some of us shared brief anecdotes with Pete prior to singing the songs. Also, it seemed that Pete was trying to sing along on some tunes, particularly on Woody’s “This Land Is Your Land”, despite the oxygen plastic cup covering his mouth and resting on his neck. When he raised his head and stretched his neck, it looked that way, though he might have been just reaching for more oxygen. I really don’t know, but there was no doubt, and it seemed clear, that Pete was really listening and enjoying the music lots and lots. Kitama later emailed me, “I am confident he knew who you were and recognized the songs.”

Pete’s wish, as Kitama had told me when he texted me “bring your guitar” to the hospital, was that he be surrounded by music in such a circumstance if it were to occur, and for about an hour and a half of true joy and some tears (of course), a great spiritual force filled the room and all our hearts.

Some of us said, “I love you” to Pete, as did I when I kissed his forehead before I left. “You’ve been my inspiration my whole life”, I said, and then remembering that at some point I was only 6 months old, I added “at least, most of my life”. I packed my guitar and left, noting that I’d be back the next day to sing once more, which did not, of course, come to pass.

I left feeling really peaceful and complete, with a feeling that Pete was, as he has always been, deep inside me. I also knew, though Pete would have been shy to acknowledge it, that there are thousands of (as Mary called our trio) “Seeger’s Raiders” who will carry on with Pete in their hearts, sharing the great gift of his music and his truly giving, uncompromising, pure spirit still resonating within us all.

As Arlo has so aptly said to Pete, in his imagined conversation, “See you soon” - and indeed I do, and shall, for the rest of my life.

And Then He Had a Cigarette

Very funny Rolling Stone report on Miley Cyrus's MTV Unplugged last night--sure ain't Nirvana's.  My favorite graf, a '60s flashback, but then I'm a geezer:  "During the show-opening version of "4X4," Cyrus feels herself up, rubs her crotch with her cowboy hat and, most significantly, twerks with the horse. Nature of the twerking: pro forma, lowkey, sidelong and perhaps a little too self-aware, not quite perfunctory but missing the utopian promise of her best early twerking. If May 2013 inaugurated the Summer of Love of twerk, this twerking had a somewhat more downcast, John Wesley Harding-ish tone. What a long strange twerk it's been."

Franklin Minted

Happy Birthday to FDR, born on this day in 1882.  Here's Bob Dylan and The Band doing Woody Guthrie's "Dear Mrs. Roosevelt" at the Woody memorial concert in 1968.  

It Was 45 Years Ago Today..

If you've never seen the complete final Beatles performance, on that Apple rooftop.

The Years of Paying Dangerously

Two reality-based doctors in The Journal of Oncology Practice are urging their fellow oncologists to advocate for a single-payer universal health insurance system, calling it a "moral and ethical obligation" to their patients.  "Life is short, especially for some patients with cancer; they need help now."

The docs cite appalling stats: a study showing that pharmaceutical companies charge 50 percent more in the U.S. than in Europe for the same drugs, with much of the difference coming from marketing outlays and a 20 percent profit margin. Oncology drugs are often the most ruinously expensive: the median cost of a new drug has risen to $10,000 a month since 2010. Unlike the Department of Veterans Affairs, which gets a 40 percent discount on medication by buying in bulk, Medicare is legally forbidden to negotiate drug prices.

Docs and researchers involved in cancer treatment have begun speaking out,  pointing out "that charging high prices for a medicine needed to keep someone alive is profiteering, akin to jacking up the prices of essential goods after a natural disaster."      

The market-driven approach to cancer care and medicine in general is an epic fail, according to the authors of the Journal of Oncology Practice editorial, Ray Derasga and Lawrence Einhorn: "Years of private-sector solutions have failed. There needs to be a major paradigm shift in our approach to funding healthcare in the U.S."   (h/t MedPage Today) --  B.B.

Scarlett Turns Face: Goes for the Dough

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scarlett Johansson is ending her relationship with a humanitarian group after being criticized over her support for an Israeli company that operates in the West Bank.

A statement released by Johansson's spokesman Wednesday said the 29-year-old actress has "a fundamental difference of opinion" with Oxfam International because the humanitarian group opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.

"Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years," the statement said. "She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam."

Earlier this month, "The Avengers" and "Her" actress signed on as the first global brand ambassador of SodaStream International Ltd., and she's set to appear in an ad for the at-home soda maker during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.

SodaStream has come under fire from pro-Palestinian activists for maintaining a large factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians.

In response to the criticism, Johansson said last week she was a "supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine."

Oxfam took issue with Johansson, noting it was "considering the implications of her new statement and what it means for Ms. Johansson's role as an Oxfam global ambassador."

Catch It While You Can

Not sure what this has to do with the brew, but Guinness has a really cool commercial out on the Barnes twins--bi-athletes with a remarkable Olympics story.  Problem is:  Guinness is not an official Olympics sponsor so they have to pull any ad featuring athletes by midnight tonight.  So watch it now:

Musicians Remember Pete (and His Final Days)

NYT piece just posted  extensive memories from Bruce, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo, Steve Earle, Roger McGuinn, Steve Martin, Judy Collins,Mellencamp, Ry Cooder, Tim Robbins.   Judy Collins visited him in the hospital in the final days but the fullest account comes from Peter Yarrow.  Below, Judy Collin with Pete in mid-60s.

“His son had called me and said that Pete had maybe a couple of days, and then texted me and asked me to bring my guitar. His family was there, and we sang union songs, Spirituals, sloop songs, ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone,’ ‘If I Had a Hammer.’ He was aware, and it seemed as if he was trying to sing along from time to time. Of course, there was some sadness, but there was more of a sense of celebration of being together. And it was emblematic of who he was.

“He was the one who really showed all of us folk singers how to combine music with advocacy, and let the music bring people together. For him, music was not about escaping, or entertainment. It was the soundtrack of what he cared about – the world, the nation, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, anti-apartheid, the environment, anti-fracking. It was a way of being, and we all learned from him. I got to finally just kiss him on the head and tell him I loved him. I went away from the hospital with a full heart.”

Wage Against the Machine

Econ blogger and investor Barry Ritholtz last night got to explain to the Daily Show's Samantha Bee just why raising the minimum wage to the poverty level would not bankrupt America. "There are a number of studies that have come out that show increasing the minimum wage actually improves the economy," Ritholtz said. "If we raise people up to just $11 so they are at the poverty level, they'll go out and spend that money on food and medicine." Bonus: His pix from the 2-hour shoot.

His foil was the shall we say "libertarian" investor Peter Schiff (infamous for staging a fake protest outside of Wal-Mart last December to mock workers' demands for higher wages). He explained to Ms. Bee that "People don't go hungry in a capitalist economy," and went on to embody every cliche of the callous one percent by claiming that a “$2 minumum wage” should exist for “maybe somebody who is — what’s the politically correct word for ‘mentally retarded?’”  -- B.B.

Debate Over Execution Drugs Escalates

Update, January 29:  Lo and behold, U.S. Supreme Court halts execution after Missouri refuses to disclose source of lethal injection drug, meaning no way to judge if death would be by torture.   Final Update:  Stay is lifted and the prisoner is killed.

Update, January 28:   Salon piece reveals that some states have difficulty with lethal injections now discussing return to...gas chambers, electric chair.  Hey, why not hangings and firing squads?

Saturday updates:  AP reports execution took 26 minutes--longest in Ohio in many years.   Cruel--AND unusual.    The NYT with new piece on how this execution has revived debate over methods.  Note:  My recent e-book on capital punishment, which includes controversies over forms of executions and botched versions, in the USA, right here.   NYT:

Debates about the relative humaneness of different execution methods have persisted as long as arguments about the death penalty itself. In 1890, electrocution was substituted for hanging in the belief that it was less painful, but George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison both fought to keep their electrical currents out of the death chamber (Mr. Westinghouse lost). Lawyers for William Kemmler, the first person to die in the electric chair, argued that the method constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

Earlier:  Well, they pulled of their murder at 10:53 a.m., as Dennis McGuire was put to death with a new cocktail of chemicals.  As I've written, executions have been slowed by problems getting the good old lethal injection chems, due to manufacturers' qualms and other factors.  Update: contrary to earlier reports, McGuire gasped and heaved and struggled in an execution that took longer than previous ones. 

Pete and Neil and Phil

Great little piece at NYT on something I'd heard long ago but forgotten.  On the night before my old friend Phil Ochs decided to hang himself, he had been drinking and chatting morosely in New York with Pete Seeger, who had to leave to catch the last train for his home far up the Hudson.  For decades Pete carried that with him, feeling he maybe should have stayed in NY for the night.  Apparently Neil Young had a somewhat similar experience with Kurt Cobain and advised Pete to let it go, but Pete could not. Another measure of the man.  Here's Neil at Farm Aid, where his encounter with Pete took place, paying tribute to Phil after recounting what he'd just said to Pete and reference to Cobain.

Congressman Threatens to Throw Reporter Off Balcony

UPDATE #2: Important new post at The New Yorker by guy who wrote piece on Grimm this week, responding to the congressman's latest claims, and with more details on the infamous nightclub incident.

UPDATE:  Moronic Rep. Pete King "laughs off" the incident, just politics, even backs Grimm.  Reporter accepts Grimm apology.  Unfortunate. I would have pressed charges.

Earlier:

Watch the aptly named Rep. Grimm from Staten Island threaten to break a local TV reporter "in half" on camera (which he obviously thought was turned off) at conclusion of an interview last night when he refused to answer a question about alleged campaign finance abuses.  Repercussions? And anyone calling him a "thug"?

Grimm: "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f-----g balcony."
Scotto: "Why? I just wanted to ask you..."
[[cross talk]]
Grimm: "If you ever do that to me again..."
Scotto: "Why? Why? It’s a valid question."
[[cross talk]]
Grimm: "No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy."

--G.M.

They Been Berliners

Daughter Jeni has just moved from Nantes to Berlin (east side) with husband Stephane and son Jules.  Here's Stephane and Jules at the Brandenburg Gate.  Jen observes that police had just kicked out people who dress up as former U.S. and Soviet soldiers for picture with gullible tourists.  Below: our man Ludwig in famous memorial in park.

Billy Bragg's Tribute to Pete Seeger--And What's Needed Now

Taped yesterday.  Another thing they had in common:  each wrote new lyrics for Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." -- G.M.

More Pot Holders in the Kitchen

In my version of a humble brag, let me note here that in 1968, as a member of the 4H club  Cadiz Country Cousins,  I catapulted from the Harrison County fair to win first prize at the Ohio State Fair, in the category of Tasty Meals. The menu featured ham loaf and perfection salad, always a hit at local pot luck dinners. But the challenges of pleasing a county fair judge will be of an entirely different order for those who enter the Denver County Fair this year, which is sponsoring several marijuana-themed events. Among them: best marijuana plant (judged for plant quality, not potency); best brownie recipe, and best homemade bong. Best pot luck dinner is not on the agenda, so far.

"We look at the trends and what's happening in our city, and we want to reflect that," said Tracy Weil, the fair's marketing and creative director, in an interview with USA TODAY Network.

My fellow 4H-ers (ages 8 to 18) won't be able to compete; participants must be 21 or older to enter the "pot pavilion." -- B.B.

With Pete at My First Big D.C. Demo

It happened when I was in college, November 15, 1969, the biggest antiwar protest ever, more than a quarter million in Washington.  Jon Wiener writes about it at The Nation today and mentions (and I remember it clearly) Pete Seeger leading crowd in John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance," joined by Peter, Paul and Mary and then none other than "Sing Along With" Mitch Miller--he waves his arms and smacks Mary, even.  Jon may not know there's footage of it but I've found it here, very close though no sound.  Coretta Scott King and George McGovern also show up in the brief clip.  The night before we'd paraded past the Capitol, carrying candles and small signs with names of a U.S. soldier who'd died in Vietnam, and then dropped the signs in caskets. --G.M.

Just a Damn Banjo-Picker

Here's full transcript of Pete Seeger's appearance before the Red-hunters of HUAC in 1955, when he refused to cooperate, politely, and was sentenced to a year in jail for contempt.  When asked what he did for a living he replied:  "Well, I have worked at many things, and my main profession is a student of American folklore, and I make my living as a banjo picker—sort of damning, in some people’s opinion." I love this:

MR. TAVENNER: Mr. Seeger, prior to your entry in the service in 1942, were you engaged in the practice of your profession in the area of New York?
MR. SEEGER: It is hard to call it a profession. I kind of drifted into it and I never intended to be a musician, and I am glad I am one now, and it is a very honorable profession, but when I started out actually I wanted to be a newspaperman, and when I left school --
CHAIRMAN WALTER: Will you answer the question, please?
MR. SEEGER: I have to explain that it really wasn't my profession, I picked up a little change in it.
CHAIRMAN WALTER: Did you practice your profession?
MR. SEEGER: I sang for people, yes, before World War II, and I also did as early as 1925.

But, of course, his key statement was:

I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this. I would be very glad to tell you my life if you want to hear of it.

 He did offer to sing them any song, adding:

I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life. I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody. That is the only answer I can give along that line.

But later:

I decline to discuss, under compulsion, where I have sung, and who has sung my songs, and who else has sung with me, and the people I have known. I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical, or I might be a vegetarian, make me any less of an American. I will tell you about my songs, but I am not interested in telling you who wrote them, and I will tell you about my songs, and I am not interested in who listened to them.

Giants Who Believed in the Little Guy

Perhaps the two greatest folk heroes of the century in rare photos together, Pete Seeger and his good pal Woody Guthrie.  (See my many Pete-related videos earlier on this blog today, co-starring Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Leonard Cohen, the Byrds, more.)

Pete's Last Show?

It was probably last November 14, and aptly, for a lefty cause, WBAI radio, at the Cutting Room in New York.  Here below he does a bit of his "Turn, Turn, Turn." (He also did it for his 94th birthday las May.) And below that:  the Byrds #1 hit from 1965.

Amid Fracking Boom: Red Hot 'Man Camps' and Not Much Else

It sounded pretty good to recession-battered Ohioans far too used to double-digit unemployment rates: back in September 2011, oil and gas industry officials predicted that efforts to tap the Utica shale would result in more than 200,000 new jobs in four years. But as the Columbus Dispatch reports, three years after the first Utica drilling permit was issued, the most tangible signs of a shale boom are transient workers living in "man camps" (photo left of one in North Dakota). Even in the counties with the most drilling activity--including my home county of Harrison--the data shows much-increased sales tax revenue, but a red-hot labor market? Not so much. In the 4 counties with the most Utica shale well permits, the number of employed residents is smaller today than it was in 2007.

“The deep-down question people need to ask is, ‘With this activity that’s going on in the community, to what extent is it benefiting the community?’ said Tim Kelsey, an agricultural economist at Penn State University who has studied the effects of shale development on his state. “If it is non-local companies bringing in non-local supplies and non-local workers, then there isn’t much of an effect on the area.”  --B.B.

Pete on Blacklisting

Amazing mid-1960s interview with young Robert MacNeill (later of MacNeil-Lehrer fame) on his troubles with the anti-Commie crusade and serving time in jail.

Pete Seeger at the Copa

Sound odd?  Well, not so much.  It's the great Sam Cooke doing Pete's "If I Had a Hammer" at the nightclub in NYC in 1964.  Sam had gotten very political, recording "Blowin' in the Wind" which in turn led him to write "Change Is Gonna Come." -- G.M.

Leonard Cohen Finds 'Solidarity' With Pete

I wouldn't normally associate Leonard Cohen with Pete Seeger--two very different types of "old folkies"--but here for a protest he sang Pete's updated version of the 1915 pro-union classic, "Solidarity Forever." -- G.M.

Pete and Johnny

Two of the greats of our time.  First Johnny Cash in the 60s on Pete's TV show--with old folk song that he makes very political--then Johnny returns the favor in 1970 (talking about his protest songs about Native Americans).

Pete Seeger, R.I.P.

One of the great Americans of the past eighty years has died at the age of 94 in New York.  See my tribute at The Nation.   I'll add that I never did meet Pete but I did board his famous environmental crusading sloop Clearwater--we both lived virtually on the Hudson, though he was a few miles upstream--and, of course, saw him perform at numerous protests, including in D.C. in the late 1960s.  Always enjoyed his stories about traveling with Woody Guthrie before Woody's illness struck.

As a youth I recall the controversy when he was banned from the popular ABC TV series Hootenanny in the early 1960s--as I recall Joan Baez then said she would no longer go on the show herself.   But a few years later he was allowed to sing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" on the Smothers Brothers, with LBJ as the "the big fool" who wanted to "push on."  Of course, there is much more to reflect on, right up to Springsteen's recent tributes and Pete marching for Occupy Wall Street.  But for now, Big Muddy and below that--a personal favorite, of course--his updated version of the "Ode to Joy."   --G.M.

Another First Look

The new media outlet from Pierre Omidyar  (plus Glenn Greenwald) releases a video update/preview.

A Few Chips Off the Herblock

Swell and important doc on the masterful, and funny, editorial cartoonist tonight on HBO, watch for repeats.  When I was editing Editor & Publisher we picked him in 2000 as one of the 25 most influential newspaper people of the century.   The doc shows why.  I'll run a few of his classics below.  First, one featured in the film, pure genius at the time of Watergate (which, by the way, Herb nailed within days of the break-in).  Below that, from decades back, on the gun lobby.  And then nailing Joe McCarthy--four years before Edward R. Murrow did it.

Physician, Heal Thyself

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, M.D., from Georgia, asks the question we all want to hear from our elected officials in the week following yet another mall shooting and two or more school shootings:  "How would you like to start off 2014 with a brand new AR-15 [the semi-automatic version of the military's M-16] for free?"   Jim Galloway at ajc.com quotes from the email Broun just sent to supporters:

You see, it's no secret that the Democrats and liberal media would love to take our guns and mandate every aspect of our lives, but I refuse to let them get away with that. In fact, today I have some exciting news for you.

Today, stand up with me and fight for our freedoms by joining our campaign's contest to win a semi-automatic AR-15...

The contest ends Thursday, February 27th, 2014.   h/t MedPage Today   -- B.B.

A Modest SOTU Proposal

William K. Black--economist, former financial regulator, and author of the indispensable The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One-- suggests in The New York Times that President Obama should invite whistle-blower Erika Brown to his State of the Union speech. Brown revealed Bank of America's orders that its employees lie to homeowners to encourage foreclosures rather loan modifications that could help borrowers keep their homes. (Stringing homeowners along with the hope of a loan mod they were never going to get eventually saved the bank piles of money.) Pro Publica posted her shocking sworn statement. 

Brown, noting that if President Obama invited Erika Brown to be his guest at the State of the Union, he would signal an end to the administration's hostility toward whistle-blowers" (paging Edward Snowden), had a further suggestion: "The president should use his address to praise her courage and encourage others to follow her lead--and he should create a new website and phone bank so that whistle-blowers can come forward with evidence of fraud." --B.B.

Return of 'POWs'

For some reason--I haven't been able to trace why--a story I wrote more than two years ago has been #1 most popular at The Nation site all weekend and into today.  It was one of a dozen of my annual stories to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan every year, which I've written two books about, including the recent Atomic Cover-up.   This story has to do with how the American bomb killed American POWs in Hiroshima (also, by the way, Dutch POWs in Nagasaki), and then we kept it secret for decades.  And see my new piece at The Nation on Caroline Kennedy's recent meeting with A-bomb survivors in Nagasaki (she recently became U.S. ambassador to Japan).--G.M.

Ice 9.9

This week's New Yorker cover to welcome the Olympics.

The Temp Does Paris

Almost as good as Henri le Chat's feline existentialist musings, and showcasing convincing French accents: B. J. Novak's New Wave trailer for his upcoming book One More Thing. --B.B.

Flashmobbing Beethoven at IKEA

I linked to a snippet of this a couple of weeks ago but now they've finished a full video.  I've been charting "Ode to Joy" flash mobs around the world for months and this is a cool one.  But hey we did this two weeks ago in little Nyack--with singers, too. All related to our new film on Beethoven's Ninth.  --G.M.

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

Continuing this long-running feature, here's the opening of Disney's lengthy "Pastoral" segment in the classic Fantasia.  You can then watch the rest. The latest on our Beethoven 9th film here.


Fantasia 1982 - Pastoral pt 1 from W W on Vimeo.

Direct from Somedunce

Parody of every indie movie ever.  Though I don't appreciate the takeoff on great "Beasts of Southern Wild" soundtrack...  -- G.M.

Another Mall Shooting Spree

 UPDATE bulletin from AP, 10 p.m.  "Police say they disabled crude attempts at explosive devices found in gunman's bag at Md. mall." Latest story before that broke.   "Domestic dispute"?

Earlier:  It's not enough that we have almost daily school shootings this month, but now you have your basic monthly mall shooting.  Three dead at Columbia Mall in Maryland.   "Authorities reported that an active shooter was on the second floor of the sprawling mall in Columbia in Howard County, according to CNN affiliate WBAL. Local scanner reports had authorities requesting multiple mass casualty units."  Classic: "One of the bodies was located near a gun and ammunition, according to the Howard County Police Department Twitter account." Updates indicate sedan may have fled with shooter.  Employees of shops locked in back rooms. Helicopter landed on roof. UPDATE  NBC in D.C. reports that the man found near the gun shop was "the suspect." Two store employees killed, five injured.

Still the Greatest Bob Dylan Story

You may remember this was 2007 (like others, I covered it at the time, as one of Bob's biggest fans since 1963):  police officer in Long Branch, NJ--former home of Bruce Springsteen--putting Bob in the back of her squad car, thinking he was a homeless man peering into a house in the rain...You know, When you're lost in the rain in New Jersey and it's....

Well, Esquire has just posted a piece in which she tells her story in first-person at full length for the first time.  Yes, her name is Buble but pronounced "Bubble." Too many fun lines to quote but just one:  "He talked a lot. And I wasn’t even paying attention to some of the things he was saying because in my head I was wondering, 'What am I going to tell the hospital, what am I going to tell my supervisor?' He’s just blabbering in the back. I actually remember he said, 'Just take me over there, I’ll give you tickets to my show, you can see me play.' I remember he said that. And I thought, this guy is crazy."  -- G.M.

Neil and the Crowd

Update:  Wall St. Journal covers making of the video and gets response from Neil's manager, who calls it kind of "rude."

Earlier: Kind of groovy (but legal?)--Neil Young fans have put together a "crowd-sourced" version of one of his full concerts at Carnegie Hall this month, drawing on videos shot by many to make a one hour and fifty-two minute show.  Along the way, in a favorite touch, he plays God's guitar.  That is, Hank Williams'.  And his latest tribute to my old pal Phil Ochs starts at about 32-minute mark after a stunning song at the piano.  Note:  He mentions his first concert at Carnegie in 1970.  Ahem, I was there, just before reviving Crawdaddy.  Plus: a full Neil show with Crazy Horse. Now, what about those rumors that he's finished an album with Jack White? -- G.M.

'Ode' Happy Day

Our film "Following the Ninth," about theamazing influence of Beethoven's symphony and "Ode to Joy"--see recent segments on Bill Moyers' show and "All Things Considered"--has been playing in dozens of cities around USA and will screen in historic Rheinbeck, N.Y. on the evening of Feb. 27. We're looking for a musical guest or guests to sing or play the "Ode" after the screening (we did a highly successful flash mob here in Nyack, if anyone wants to try that). Could just be a local musician with guitar singing Billy Bragg's new lyrics to the "Ode," featured in the film. Or a pianist or choir. Whatever. Anyway, if you know anyone who might take part in this let me know here, thanks.  Contact me at:  epic1934@aol.com    -- G.M.

Slow-Jamming With Mitt

Surprise guest last night on Fallon, as "Mitt" doc hits Netflix. 

Jack D. Ripper vs. Fluoridation

Continuing my 50th anniversary tribute to Dr. Strangelove (released in late-January 1964):  fun parody trailer taking on fluoridation from Gen. Ripper's perspective.  Previous posts: original trailer, LEGO version, behind-the-scenes doc, Kubrick's warnings proven true.

Friday Cat Blogging

Just in time for Winter Olympics:  Curling champion.

AP Stands Its Ground vs. George Zimmerman

You remember that flap a few weeks back with Trayvon Martin slayer and wife abuser and gun nut George Zimmerman tried to make a different kind of killing selling one of his "original" paintings of a flag that seemed to be copied from a photo.  Now the AP has demanded that he stop selling another painting. -- G.M.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Associated Press has demanded that George Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency says it directly copies an AP photo. AP spokesman Paul Colford says that Zimmerman clearly copied the AP photo, which was taken for the AP by freelancer Rick Wilson at a 2012 news conference. The attorney who received the letter Thursday, Jayne Weintraub, said she no longer represents Zimmerman but said she will forward the letter to him.

Zimmerman's painting depicts Jacksonville-based prosecutor Angela Corey holding her thumb and fingers together. Text on the piece that is apparently made up reads, "I have this much respect for the American judicial system."  Corey's office prosecuted Zimmerman for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was acquitted last summer.

Give Me a C...an H...an E...an A...a P...

Clearly I should be grateful that my high school years as a cheerleader did not lead me to seek professional employment as one. Though the job is meant to be part time, the glory--and opportunity for paid appearances--evidently does not quite make up for the grind. This week the San Jose Mercury News  reported on a suit filed by current and former Oakland Raider cheerleaders, claiming the team  “withholds all pay from the Raiderettes until after the season is completed, does not pay for all hours worked and forces the cheerleaders to pay many of their own business expenses." The Raiderettes' attorney said he'd never seen an employment contract with so many illegal provisions.

I imagine Raiders players will demand to be paid only after the season, in solidarity.

But as the Atlantic reports, the Raiders are not even the worst in the cheapskate department:  the San Diego Chargers cheerleaders get $75 for each home game, along with two game tickets and one parking pass.  The Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders make $100 for each of 10 (mandatory) performances at home games, which includes showing up five hours before the game starts, and practicing twice a week for three hours 

We will not mention the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, legendary for their extreme audition process, but it is detailed here in the Dallas Morning News, beginning with the question: "How much would you give up for a part time job, one that’s only guaranteed for a year and pays as little as $150 a week? What if that job involved stars and white boots?" -- B.B.

Byrd Who Took Flight Returns

Surprising story in NYT today on one of my old faves, Gene Clark of the original Byrds.  Great singer and songwriter and wild character, first to leave group--oddly,  feared flying--and then a kind of founder of alt-country with Dillard & Clark and his solo albums.  Didn't know there's been a national tour, with young stars (the Walkmen etc.),  based on his 1974 No Other  album,  which was a dud--though I promoted it at Crawdaddy--and then a cult classic.  Over-produced (just listen to the demos in the re-release).    Always loved his "Strength of Strings" off that lp, see below, and then as a special treat, he does his "Feel A Whole Lot Better" with the Byrds, one of the great '60s rock songs.  He also had two tunes on the hit Robert Plant-Alison Krause lp, such as.

Sherman's Mark

Little white kids re-enact the Erin Andrews-Richard Sherman ("best quarter in the game") interview.

These Boots Made for Dreaming

With son in L.A. now, and still frigid in NY, more apt than ever.  The typically odd Nancy Sinatria re-make.   And below that, Nance does "Hotel California."

American Exceptionalism, Pharmaceutical Edition

Beleaguered Americans in need of health care that requires costly drugs (for just how costly, see Elisabeth Rosenthal's excellent New York Times series, "Paying Till It Hurts") may find themselves longing to be citizens of a country like India, where a government-appointed panel evaluates drugs for local makers to copy, at vastly reduced prices from what Americans pay. Pharmaceutical companies are enraged about the practice, which allows  a compulsory license to be awarded for some products still under patent if the original isn’t available locally at a reasonable price. 

 

Bloomberg reported what one such enraged CEO, Marijn Dekkers of Bayer, said last month about India's granting the nation's first compulsory license to make a copy of Bayer’s Nexavar cancer drug-- at a 97 percent discount to the original product:  “We did not develop this medicine for Indians. We developed it for western patients who can afford it.” 

The blog Knowledge Ecology International, which reported that "health advocates were shocked by the direct and appalling statements attributed to Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers," helpfully provides this context: the Bayer price for Nexavar was $65,000 per year in India, and "Bayer is currently arguing that the $65,000 price is 'reasonably affordable' to the India Supreme Court."    h/t @nxthompson  -- B.B.

John-o and Leno

Lloyd Grove--yes, another one of our old Crawdaddy writers!--reviews Rep. John Boehner's somewhat "unhinged" appearance on last night's Leno.  Alleged swipes at Christie, Tea Partiers, Club for Growth.  Calls Putin "a thug" (so white people get called that, too).  Leno, usually close to the vest, agrees that Snowden is a "traitor."  Boehner almost endorses Jeb Bush for president.  Have another red wine, John-0!

Forget Bieber, Let's See THIS Mug Shot

Hack right-wing writer and "documentary" film director Dinesh D'Souza have been indicted  . He is "accused of illegally directing associates to make contributions to a Senate campaign committee that totaled $20,000. He then reimbursed those individuals for the contributions, prosecutors say.
Though the candidate isn’t identified in the indictment, NBC News has confirmed that it is Republican Wendy Long, who lost the Senate bid in a landslide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.  He faces two years in prison.

Here's statement from his famed lawyer Benjamin Branfman:

"It is important to note that the indictment does not allege a corrupt relationship between Mr. D’Souza and the candidate. There was never a corrupt agreement of any kind, nor was there any request made that the candidate take any action or refrain from taking any action as a candidate, or as a US Senator, if her political campaign were to have been successful."

--G.M.

CNN Dumps More Than 40 Journos

From email just sent to me by Financial Times:

CNN has laid off more than 40 senior journalists in its newsgathering operation – including a pregnant producer who was two weeks away from giving birth to twins – as part of a reorganisation of the business under Jeff Zucker. 

The cutting of production and editorial staff at the Time Warner-owned group comes as Mr Zucker tries to re-establish CNN as the dominant force in 24 hour cable news, a crown it lost several years ago to Fox News Channel.

The lay-offs at CNN and HLN, its sister network, were concentrated in Washington, Atlanta and Los Angeles at the end of 2013. CNN declined to comment on the laying off the pregnant news producer, who worked for the company for more than a decade, saying it could not comment on individual employees.

Full story (but pay wall).

--G.M.

Drag Racing

Forget the Biebs, this is the real thing, from London.  -- G.M.

Left Behind: Parental Leave in the USA

I very much love and miss my stepdaughter Jen, who decamped for Europe almost a decade ago and is now a full-fledged PhD--and mother of grandson Jules. But much as I long for them to live in the States, I have to acknowledge that the US falls miserably short when it comes to support systems for family life. As Bloomberg reports, "the US and Papua New Guinea are the only nations out of 185 that don't provide or require a paid maternity leave. That lack is one reason the U.S. is falling behind other advanced countries in the share of women in the workforce." Women working in countries such as Germany (where Jen now lives; German mothers can take up to a year off from work and still receive 67 percent of their pay) and Spain surpassed the U.S. over the two decades ending in 2010.

Is there hope for the bill introduced last month in Congress that would enable workers to take a partial paid leave of up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child, and for serious health conditions affecting themselves or family members?  It took nearly 10 years' debate to get unpaid leave passed back in 1993, despite the research on how parental leave is an economic boon.  “When women have access to paid leave after the birth of the child, they are more likely to return to work, to the same employer, and at the same or higher pay level. We’re one of the only countries on the planet that doesn’t already offer this. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Bloomberg quotes Sarah Jane Glynn, associate director for women’s economic policy at the Center for American Progress:  “When women have access to paid leave after the birth of the child, they are more likely to return to work, to the same employer, and at the same or higher pay level. We’re one of the only countries on the planet that doesn’t already offer this. It’s kind of embarrassing.”  --B.B.

Abe Said, Where Do Ya Want This BIlling Done?

NYT looks at new fed scrutiny of secretive political group of conservatives in Hollywood, Friends of Abe (that's Lincoln, not Vigoda) based on claims that they have abused tax status by extending aid to such stellar candidates as Herman Cain.  Among key founders of group was Gary Sinise, and other members include Kelsey Grammar and Jon Voight--but rest of list top-secret.-- G.M.

The Purity of the Essence of 'Dr. Strangelove'

Continuing my 50th anniversary tribute to Dr. Strangelove (see long-unseen original trailer and a behind-the-scenes-doc): Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and more recently the scary epic on nuclear dangers, Command and Control, has blog piece just posted at The New Yorker on how nearly everything in that fanciful film was...true.   People forget: "Although 'Strangelove' was clearly a farce, with the comedian Peter Sellers playing three roles, it was criticized for being implausible. An expert at the Institute for Strategic Studies called the events in the film 'impossible on a dozen counts.' A former Deputy Secretary of Defense dismissed the idea that someone could authorize the use of a nuclear weapon without the President’s approval: 'Nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.”

And yet we now know:

Half a century after Kubrick’s mad general, Jack D. Ripper, launched a nuclear strike on the Soviets to defend the purity of “our precious bodily fluids” from Communist subversion, we now know that American officers did indeed have the ability to start a Third World War on their own. And despite the introduction of rigorous safeguards in the years since then, the risk of an accidental or unauthorized nuclear detonation hasn’t been completely eliminated.

And the Soviets even developed a kind of "Doomsday Machine" and, as in the film, did not tell us about it.  Looking back:

Despite public assurances that everything was fully under control, in the winter of 1964, while “Dr. Strangelove” was playing in theatres and being condemned as Soviet propaganda, there was nothing to prevent an American bomber crew or missile launch crew from using their weapons against the Soviets. Kubrick had researched the subject for years, consulted experts, and worked closely with a former R.A.F. pilot, Peter George, on the screenplay of the film. George’s novel about the risk of accidental nuclear war, “Red Alert,” was the source for most of “Strangelove” ’s plot. Unbeknownst to both Kubrick and George, a top official at the Department of Defense had already sent a copy of “Red Alert” to every member of the Pentagon’s Scientific Advisory Committee for Ballistic Missiles. At the Pentagon, the book was taken seriously as a cautionary tale about what might go wrong. Even Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara privately worried that an accident, a mistake, or a rogue American officer could start a nuclear war.

Thus:

In retrospect, Kubrick’s black comedy provided a far more accurate description of the dangers inherent in nuclear command-and-control systems than the ones that the American people got from the White House, the Pentagon, and the mainstream media.

--G.M.

Catapulting Into the News

Video of the day, from the wild and now increasingly violent street protests in Kiev:  See folks wheeling out a homemade, Middle Ages-style catapult (or trebuchet), and then sending some sort of projectiles in direction of police (amid chants of "load it").  Stun grenades fired in response.  I'll recall that this all started there two months ago with thousands singing the "Ode to Joy."
 -- G.M. 

Thursday UPDATE:  See below for photo of another newfangled old battle device: a slingshot used to launch Molotov cocktails.  But today a ceasefire seems to be holding. 

J.C. Visits Sarah Silverman

For a heart-to-heart about women's reproductive rights.

The Needy and the Damage Done

Dean Baker, who I like to call The People's Economist, draws our attention to a NYT story on how three Dallas Federal Reserve economists are trying to measure the damage wrought by the cascading financial catastrophes set off by the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008.  Bare minimum: $20,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States. But adding in "broader impacts on workers’ well-being" could raise the price tag to as much as $120,000 per American. Makes oversight and regulation to limit bank shenanigans seem like a worthy policy goal, right?

Good luck with that. The financial industry has mounted quite a successful legal campaign to slow down implementation of new financial rules meant to ensure banks bear the costs of their risky business, rather than us. As Baker points out:

Obviously these numbers are very speculative but the basic story is very simple. If you want to have a big political battle in Washington, start yelling about people freeloading on food stamps, but if you actually care about where the real money is, look at the massive wreckage being done by the Wall Street boys and incompetent policy makers in Washington.

--B.B.

Another Day, Another School Shooting?

Just now, reported, at Oklahoma U. in Norman, shots fired, the usual lockdown, warning from university's official Twitter account, no details, centered on Gould Hall.   One day after fatal Purdue shooting.  More here.  And @UOSooners official. Common scene now in photo.  UPDATE:  School twitter feed now says,  "Normal campus operations have resumed except for Gould Hall where additional checking is continuing."  Likely no shots fired.  Maybe a backfire or something.

Full Circle in New Orleans

It's rare you can read thrillingly good news that includes "bankers," "developers," and "Hurricane Katrina" in the same sentence, but Circle Food Store's reopening this month has it all, plus four bell peppers for a dollar. This beloved, one-stop shop in New Orleans' Seventh Ward (the first African-American-owned grocery store in the city) was for years the place residents could buy everything from fresh produce to school uniforms--and even pay utility bills and get a doctor's checkup, too. The beloved store, shuttered after Katrina, was named for the spot where streetcars turned around.

It's taken eight long years to get financing and rebuild after Katrina, but Circle Food Store owner Dwayne Boudreaux has pulled it off, with a unique combination of private and public investment. An added bonus: Hope Enterprise Corp., the nonprofit community development corporation involved in Circle's renaissance, plans to open a branch there to offer responsible banking and loan services. As nola.com reports, since traditional big banks have steered clear of the neighborhood, predatory and payday lenders have swooped in. Here's hoping Circle shoppers will soon have a chance to pick up some economic justice with those Circle Foods-branded hot sauces and coffee. h/t NextCity.org

--B.B.

That Movie Theater Shooting

NYT follows up on last week's incident in Florida when man (Iraq vet) was shot and killed by another man (ex-cop) in a movie theater because he was texting, before the film, in checking on his daughter with a babysitter.  Here comes another Stand Your Ground case.   Although this time both males are white.

His lawyer, Richard Escobar, said Mr. Reeves,  who is charged with second-degree murder, acted in self-defense. He suggested that Mr. Reeves was hit in the face with something other than popcorn, and had every right to defend himself with deadly force...

Mr. Escobar has said that because of his age, Florida law supports Mr. Reeves’ self-defense claim. In Florida, a misdemeanor assault against anyone 65 or older is a felony. And in Florida, a person who has a reasonable fear of great bodily injury or death is not obligated to retreat.

--G.M.

Snowden Hits Snow Job

Whatever you think of Edward Snowden, you have to admit that he hit the nailed on the head when he criticized media coverage of the latest charges, from top leaders in Congress, that he "may well" have been working for the Russians, or got help from them, when he nabbed all those NSA docs.  All too true:

On Sunday, the “Meet the Press” host, David Gregory, also asked Mr. Rogers’s Senate counterpart, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, whether she agreed with his suspicions that Mr. Snowden had been helped by the Russians. She replied: “He may well have.”

Mr. Snowden criticized news organizations for treating such remarks as newsworthy.

“It’s not the smears that mystify me,” Mr. Snowden told The New Yorker, “it’s that outlets report statements that the speakers themselves admit are sheer speculation.”

--G.M.

Riot in Brooklyn

In a bit of a surprise, Amnesty International announced today that two of the three members of Pussy Riot (now freed) will be part of the group's big Feb. 5 concert at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. The concert will include performances by Lauryn Hill, Imagine Dragons, the Flaming Lips and others.  “We, more than anyone, understand how important Amnesty’s work is in connecting activists to prisoners,”  the pair said in the announcement. “A month ago we were freed from Russian prison camps.  We will never forget what it’s like to be in prison after a political conviction. We have vowed to continue helping those who remain behind bars and we hope to see you all at the Amnesty International concert on Feb. 5 in Brooklyn!”  -- G.M.

Bowling Weather

Yes, bad snow storm in NY area today and frigid, and blowing.  So WFAN has a top Super Bowl official on the air right now and he says, a bit surprisingly (if wise) to me, that if big storm in two weeks they will consider moving it back, on day of game, or even move it back by a full day--or one of even TWO days ahead, to a Friday night....

Dylan Turns 30, Again

Couple decades ago I was among those who watched via pay-per-view that 30th Anniversary in Show Biz tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden with all-star cast, plus Bob.  It's come out on CD year ago but now will get full DVD release, with added tracks (thank you, Sinead O'Connor).  One of the highlights, from Mr. Geo Harrison. -- G.M.

Another College Shooting

UPDATE:  One confirmed dead, shooter in custody (and now IDed as Cody Cousins, 23)--and supposedly he was just aiming to kill target.   Victim also IDed.  They were both TAs in the engineering deptartment.

Earlier: 

Vague details so far on incident in building at Purdue U in Indiana.  WLFI-TV tweets it has confirmed at least "one shot."  Varying reports of one in custody or two.  (See photo here allegedly of one suspect on the ground with police gun on him. Close-up view here.   And here, alleged shooter earlier with long gun outside building. And another.)  Lockdown.  No reports on injuries.  More to come.

The Fight Was Fixed

Maybe years from now we'll all remember where we were when we first heard of the trickle-down theory of economics. Or not. But it's had such an effect on our financial lives that we should pay attention to just how little, for how long, has been trickling down since the Reagan years brought major tax cuts for the wealthy and other goodies, a policy that went viral, as it were.

 

Oxfam's devastating report Working for the Few gets your attention with this stat: the richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion. Released just ahead of tomorrow's World Economic Forum in Davos, the report details just what such massive worldwide income inequality means:  “Without a concerted effort to tackle inequality, the cascade of privilege and of disadvantage will continue down the generations. We will soon live in a world where equality of opportunity is just a dream. In too many countries economic growth already amounts to little more than a ‘winner takes all’ windfall for the richest.”

Too bad my favorite economist, Leonard Cohen, is not performing his "Everybody Knows" at Davos.

Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

 

--B.B.

Plan Bee

This week in London a national conference on bee health is taking place, and new research shows it's not just nasty pesticides like neocontinoids (banned in the EU but not in US) that affect bee health, but also the pyrethroid pesticides.  Why does this matter? Because of the EU moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids, the use of others such as pyreththroids are likely to increase.

We’ll pause here to point out the scientists tracked how the bee colonies in the study exposed to the pesticide grew over a four- month period, weighing bees on appropriately tiny and no doubt adorable bee-scales.

Anyone who eats food should care about downsized bees. Scientists fear smaller bees will be less effective at foraging for nectar and carrying out their essential-to-the-food-chain task of distributing pollen.  Read more.  -- B.B.

Texas Songwriter Dies in Rifle Accident

Under the recurring title "Today in Gun Nutty USA" I'm accustomed to posting horrid accidents that take the lives of Americans, often quite young.  I could do it every day, maybe every hour.  But today's is especially tragic because the victim is a well-known Texas songwriter, Steven Fromholz, age 68.   A hunting rifle in a case accidentally discharged when he dropped it  at a ranch in badly-named Eldorado.

Fromholz was far from a household word but revered by songwriters and performers in the state, and recorded the album, more than 40 years that many consider the birth of the Texas "outlaw" music movement, later to star Willie and Waylon.  He was named poet laureate for the state in 2007.   When Lyle Lovett recorded his acclaimed double-CD tribute to Texas songwriters, Step Into This House, he featured great tunes by Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark but one of the best was Fromholz's ten-minute "Texas Trilogy."  Lyle also recorded his "Bears."  Here's the original "Texas Trilogy" but Lyle's version tops it.  -- G.M.