Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Third Party? Or, throwing away your vote?

(from Lawrence O'Donnell)

This is O'Donnell at his trenchant best--worth watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9TAZRYO-Tc

"I will not create jobs that kill people"

(via David Corn)

OK, quick question for you--who said it? (hint: it's from 2003) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BpgLYryI8g

Friday, October 26, 2012

Thursday Night Music Club (be Grateful ed.)

not sure why I got to thinking about these guys--might be SF being in the World Series--but some of the best times I had in the '90s was watching the Grateful Dead, whether it was Buckeye Lake or in SE Indiana--wonderful memories.

here they are in SF playing their only true hit song--enjoy.


if you never got the chance to see them, one of the fun things was to listen for their transitions between songs--sometimes, you would catch notes before the band would settle into a tune; other times, it would just catch you by surprise when you realized they were playing a completely new song w/out ever stopping. Made every show unique. Anyway, here's one for the Deadheads:


stumbled on this one--Jerry and Bobby on David Letterman in '87 (pretty sure it's the week before I started my first classes at YSU--Go Penguins!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH6nKv5SVFQ&feature=related

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Fallacy of Austerity

(via Occupy Chicago)

Mark Blyth of Brown University explains in 5 min why austerity may be good for the household, but it's not so good for the world economy: click below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go2bVGi0ReE&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Guess Who is Buying Our Voting Machines in Ohio?

huh. This one has got to be pretty high on things one shouldn't do, but there you are . . . Ohio, the heart of it all.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/20/romney-family-investment-ties-to-voting-machine-company-that-could-decide-the-election-causes-concern/

* * *
and here's a piece from Salon on the topic: http://www.salon.com/2012/10/23/romney_linked_voting_machine_company_to_count_votes_in_ohio/

George McGovern R.I.P.

1972 Democratic Presidential candidate and a true liberal George McGovern has passed away at 90--here's the full obituary from the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/us/politics/george-mcgovern-a-democratic-presidential-nominee-and-liberal-stalwart-dies-at-90.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp


Thursday Night Music Club (weekend ed.)

You a Lyle Lovett fan? How about Steve Earle? Guy Clark or Robert Earl Keen?

Well, they all cite this singer/songwriter as a major influence on their careers. Willie, Merle, and Emmylou--just to name a few--have covered his songs. Here's the great Townes Van Zandt in the mid-'70s singing one of his gems (and it just happens to be one of our wedding songs). Enjoy.



here's Steve Earle (who named a son after TVZ) talking about Townes on Studio Q--


and here's Willie and Townes doing "No Lonesome Tune" (the second verse almost always causes a catch in my throat--just beautiful).


Townes solo on the same song:



Yo, Killer, Kill--the attack on educators

been wanting to write this piece for a while, but here someone has done it already (and well)--how conservatives killed liberal education

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/14/conservatives_killed_the_liberal_arts/

* * *
well-supported piece from Daily Kos re the attack on education and educators (most recently seen in the hack job Won't Back Down, a new film that demonizes teachers and teacher unions): here

(just think, the money you save in taxes can pay for your very own pedagogue)

* * *
from Daily Kos, the attack on higher ed professionals (aka "professors"--an insult in some circles)
here



Thursday, October 11, 2012

Thursday Night Music Club (Sam Stone ed.)

a little different tonight--from Roger Ebert, his piece on John Prine goes back 42 years. Several videos and a review from 1970, which was the first Prine ever received--good stuff. Enjoy.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/music/john-prine-an-american-legend.html

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Thursday Night Music Club (been gone ed.)

. . . caught these guys the other day on NPR and liked what I heard. Delta Rae is two brothers from the Raleigh area who have expanded the band over the last couple years, with, most notably, two excellent female vocalists. Fun and a little funky and from a literate family (mom used to sing and read mythology to the boys as youngsters)--enjoy.