10 Things to Improve Your Community--Now

(via Bill Moyers)

10 concrete steps to improve your community--from banking at the credit union to using the Affordable Care Act to "encourage" hospitals and universities to reach out to under-served members of the community.

http://billmoyers.com/2013/09/26/ten-ways-to-democratize-our-broken-economy/

Thursday Night Music Club (Dan Penn ed.)

(via Jason Isbell)

How do I not know this guy? wow--what a gap.

Her's Dan Penn w/ "Dark End of the Street" on David Letterman recently. Good stuff--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njkOJyDSB6w



*here's an older one w/ some bio info. Enjoy. 

United Nations Human Rights Report: cue the Lee Greenwood

(from Jamil Dakwar via Col. Morris Davis)

I'm old enough to remember when the US had the moral high ground re torture; this report highlights how/where we've fallen.

The fact that these abuses take place under a Democratic President underscores that this isn't a political party or ideological issue, but one for all citizens.

http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CAT/Shared%20Documents/USA/INT_CAT_COC_USA_18893_E.pdf

Thursday Night Music Club (Ferguson ed.)

"A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke (via Peter Gammons):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOYuhLNwh3A&feature=youtu.be

Thursday Night Music Club (gravelly voice ed.)

Chris Rea (per recommendation of JP)

Let's go back 25 years or so, when many of us were first exposed to these songs on MTV (b/c our local radio was/is so bad). Here's "Road to Hell"--enjoy.

And we'll go back a little further for his "Fool If You Think It's Over"--where the Barry Manilow-look and the drum machine from "The Girl from Ipanema" show up.

Kasich, Fitzgerld, & Rios meet w/ Plain Dealer (surprise!)

(from Wonkette.com)

If you're a Kasich supporter, this video (and article) might not change your vote, but for the rest of us, just confirmation that this man doesn't deserve the office.

http://wonkette.com/564760/we-found-you-double-supersecret-video-john-kasich-being-asshat


*update: the respected Jay Rosen picks up the story today and explains why this matters (Ohio voters really need to follow this "story").

Here is Rosen:  

Let me summarize it. The leading news organization in the state sponsors the only event of the     campaign when the two major candidates for governor meet face-to-face to discuss the issues. The candidate it endorses behaves contemptuously toward his opponent and tries not to acknowledge his existence. These events are captured on video. The video is posted at the news organization’s own site, then abruptly removed without explanation. Lawsuits are threatened if others post clips. Calls to explain these actions are ignored. National media attention is given to the missing video. The readers representative is prevented from commenting. The editor in charge of the debate goes silent. The election is three days away.  

You can find more from Rosen here: http://pressthink.org/2014/11/chris-quinn-vice-president-for-content-at-the-northeast-ohio-media-group-whats-up/

Performance Based Incentives and the Public Good

yet another good post by education blogger Peter Greene (on Huffington Post), explaining via extended metaphor why incentives don't work in PUBLIC education.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/why-performance-incentive_b_6003290.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Thursday Night Music Club (melt your face ed.)

(via Tom Morello)

Yes. Yes, this will melt your face (and remind you of Guitar Hero): Audioslave "Cochise"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMvN45sjo4&feature=youtu.be

Why Privacy Matters

This 20 minute TED talk with Glenn Greenwald is definitely worth watching:

http://boingboing.net/2014/10/12/glenn-greenwald-explains-priva.html

Bill Gates as Socket Builder, Railroad Designer, & School Reformer

(via Peter Greene @palan57)

And it is a big part of the reason why their enterprise is faltering.  You cannot reform what you do not understand--Dr. Daniel Katz explains in this piece what reformers don't know about education; good read: 

http://danielskatz.net/2014/10/09/what-education-reformers-do-not-understand-about-teaching-and-learning/

* * *
and from Diane Ravitch (@DianeRavitch), a poem on reform:

“All I really need to know I learned in smoke-filled back rooms.” (apologies to Robert Fulghum)
0. *****Always accept grant money from Bill Gates.****
1. Test everything that moves (even the classroom goldfish)
2. Play with cut scores.
3. Don’t hit teachers (Just fire them)
4. Always leave things in more chaos than when you found them.
5. NEVER (EVER!!) CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Never admit you are wrong and never (ever!) say you are sorry.
7. Wash your hands of everything that goes wrong.
8. Flush after each school closing.
9. VAMs and failings (students, teachers, schools) are good.
10. Unions and teacher independence and creativity in the classroom are bad.
11. Mandate a Fair and Balanced (TM) curriculum – teaching some Common Core math and some close reading and never (ever) allowing students to draw or paint or sing or dance or play or go out for recess and making sure they do a minimum of 4 hours homework every day (especially in kindergarten)
12. Take a shot of whiskey every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for Diane Ravitch, hold secret meetings, and stick together.
14. Beware the American Statistical Association. Remember Vergara: The student test scores go down and the teacher firings go up and nobody really knows how or why, but we all like that.
15. Statistics and standardized tests and VAMs – they all lie. So do we.
16. And then remember the Common Core books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – Test”

Thursday Night Music Club (farewell ed.)

Glen Campbell's last song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TsAh-zYFI&feature=youtu.be

Thursday Night Music Club (Jayhawks ed.)

The Jayhawks will fly through Kent on Halloween--you can do some prep here:

"Waiting for the Sun" (on Hollywood Town Hall)

and one more for stopping by--"Blue" on Tomorrow the Green Grass

The Failure of Test-based Accountability

(via Diane Ravitch, from Marc Tucker)

Imagine what a good doctor would think if he or she were told that the problems in our healthcare system would be solved if only doctors were publicly branded with an A, B or C grade by some external authority using only numbers generated by computers based only on two absurdly limited dimensions of healthcare outcomes.  Suppose all the talk of improving healthcare came down to getting rid of bad doctors, but the government was doing almost nothing to improve the quality of new doctors . . . 

you can read the remainder at the following link: 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2014/02/the_failure_of_test-based_accountability.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

PS--b/c it's from Education Week, they may ask you to register. I think the free introductoryoffer is 3 articles/month. Full access requires $.

Thursday Night Music Club (The Replacements return ed.)

(via Spin)

The Replacements return to NBC on Jimmy Fallon--since they were banned from SNL in '87. Listen, kids, here's the template for all the '90s stuff you listen to. Enjoy--

http://www.spin.com/articles/the-replacements-the-tonight-show-alex-chilton-video/?utm_source=spintwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spintwitter

Thursday Night Music Club (Happy Labor Day ed.)

thanks to my union brothers and sisters for making this holiday possible--keep fighting the good fight.

A little Pete Seeger to mark the occasion--"Solidarity Forever"

Private Company Blocks Public Hi-Speed Internet

(from Jonathan Turley)

not to be all commie/socie on the topic, but this piece illustrates inherent problems on unchecked capitalism:

http://jonathanturley.org/2014/09/01/ustelecom-moves-to-block-cities-from-offering-high-speed-internet-services-to-consumers/

Why We (still) Need Unions

(from David Kalb)

This holiday, along w/ the weekend, holidays, vacation, et al, were not given out of generosity; many before you and me fought the good fight to make it happen. Happy Labor Day--

solidarity forever. 

http://notesonatheory.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/who-will-push-back/

Thursday Night Music Club (Dawes ed.)

(via David Corn)

described as the vocal twin of Jackson Browne, singing a Warren Zevon song he never wrote (yeah, it's pretty good). Enjoy--

John Oliver nails the situation in Ferguson

(via Slate)

John Oliver offers spot-on analysis of the situation in Ferguson (about 15 min long):

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/08/18/john_oliver_on_ferguson_missouri_and_police_militarization_video.html?wpsrc=fol_tw

Thursday Night Music Club (Excitable Boy ed.)

I know I've posted Warren Zevon stuff here before, but he's been popping up quite a bit--that, and he's just really, really good. Enjoy . . . every sandwich.

the aforementioned "Excitable Boy":

and "Mohammed's Radio" (w/ Jackson Browne):

"Pretend They're Irish or German"--the immigrant crisis @ the border

(via David D. Haynes)

The child of "undocumented immigrants" O. Ricardo Pimental offers his view on how the U.S. should handle the 57k immigrants at the border--clean, concise read:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/my-mother-the-unaccompanied-minor-b99329330z1-270935351.html

Robin Williams, RIP

I know it's cliche to lament the loss of a famous individual because his or her career served as a marker for our own lives, but with Robin Williams, it seems especially true. From my introduction to him as Mork when I was a kid to mediocre movies that I liked more than most other people (The Survivors, e.g.) to his more recognized dramatic work (Good Will Hunting, Fisher King, Dead Again, Dead Poets Society, et al.), he truly was a genius with impressive range. And in another cliche, the glimpses of his dark places is probably what captivated us the most. So sad.

"You start off as a kid seeing Robin Williams as a funny man. You come of age realizing many of his roles are about keeping darkness at bay" (Bilge Ebiri via RogerEbert.com).

"A big tenacious overflowing hyperkinetic eruption of compassion would be best tribute to Williams rembered being so moved by his ..." (John Cusack).

and from Pres. Obama:

Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan and everything in between. But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.
He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most – from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalised on our own streets. The Obama family offers our condolences to Robin’s family, his friends, and everyone who found their voice and their verse thanks to Robin Williams.

Here is the link to his IMDB filmography--more impressive than you remember:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/

ThinkProgess gives seven social issues we think about differently because of Robin Williams:

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2014/08/12/3470260/robin-williams-social-issues/ 


(per Matt V's recommendation--thanks, btw)

Conan's tribute to Robin Williams: 

Cleveland Indians depth chart

(from @LetsGoTribe)

now the dust has settled on several recent trades, here's the organizational depth chart for the Cleveland Indians:

http://www.letsgotribe.com/2014/8/3/5965679/current-tribe-depth-chart

The Geneva Conventions and Obama--no gray area

from The Week (via Glenn Greenwald)

the author argues why the (nearly) always equivocating Obama is wrong about torture. Good contextualized piece--

http://theweek.com/article/index/265780/president-obamas-despicable-whitewashing-of-torture?utm_source=links&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=twitter

Why Toledo doesn't have safe water to drink (that's 400k people)

(from ThinkProgress)

This piece explains what is contaminating the water in Lake Erie (the visuals there make it immediately clear of the contamination). And, yes, it's being caused by human activity.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/03/3467068/toledo-ohio-water-crisis/

Kasich is an Idiot*

Yep. The Governor of Ohio is helping to keep Ohio as laggards in all things that matter by recently signing legislation that would delay the implementation of alternative energies, which were to be phased in later this year. 

Been pretty impressive run--selling of the liquor agency, attempting to do the same w/ the turnpike; making cops, teachers, and firefighters out to be greedy, lazy no accounts, drilling in state parks (where's a Teddy Roosevelt when you need one?); and now, this.

Thanks. Now we just need to restrict women's health care choices to top it off. What's that? Oh, nevermind. Vermont, leave the door unlocked, will ya--we've about had enough.

(from FireDogLake)
http://my.firedoglake.com/williamboardman/2014/07/08/gov-kasich-kisses-planet-byebye/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed


*see here for "idiot" reference: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/02/ohio_gov_john_kasich_calls_pol.html

A response to Campbell Brown--from an educator (updated 2x)

(via Peter Greene, Curmudgeducation)

a teacher on leave in PA responds in an open letter to Campbell Brown re the latest attack on teachers/tenure/et al. Although I think the author sorta falls into the value-added-as-sole-indicator-of-good-teaching trap, a good take-down on some of the talking points from Brown. Good read.

http://baileyshawley.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/an-open-letter-to-campbell-brown-from-a-teacher-on-leave/

PS--for someone ostensibly so interested in transparency, why is Ms. Brown so reluctant to reveal her funders? B/c she and her group are interested in helping under-served populations, right? Hogwash.


Answer to the above: Diane Ravitch explains in this recent post why Ms. Brown is working hard to hide the identity of her backers (yeah, it involves Iraq, Vultures, & Peru).

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/03/why-campbell-brown-is-hiding-the-names-of-her-her-donors/


(via David Sirota)
The best point-by-point analysis of Campbell's claims from Valerie Strauss in today's Washington Post (Alyssa Hadley Dunn, author). From the looks of things, Campbell pretty much has it all wrong. As they say, "pants on fire" (or just willful ignorance). Strong, clear, and specific read--have piece handy if this Campbell stuff starts to pop up in your local school board meetings:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/03/fact-checking-campbell-brown-what-she-said-what-research-really-shows/

Thursday Night Music Club (Trampled by Turtles ed.)

here's a band I've recently been listening to--sorry if I'm late. Enjoy.

and one more:

Why the USPS Should Offer Banking

According to the Pew Trust, at one time the Post Office provided 10% of the nation's financial services. Here, Elizabeth Warren (please run, Sen. Warren--save us from Hillary!) makes a persuasive case why we need banking at the P.O.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/07/07/why-the-postal-service-should-offer-banking-services

Thursday Night Music Club--special ed. "Do the Right Thing" turns 25 (I know!)

Matt Zoller Seitz on Spike Lee's film @ 25, also includes video essay by the author on its 20th anniversary:

http://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/right-hand-left-hand-do-the-right-thing-at-25

***************

. . . and from Rolling Stone, the making of Do the Right Thing (really more of the story of how Public Enemy created "Fight the Power" for the film):

http://m.rollingstone.com/music/news/riot-on-the-set-how-public-enemy-crafted-the-anthem-fight-the-power-20140630

***************
here is the shorter version of "Fight the Power"--a little Chuck D and Flavor Flav for your listening pleasure. Enjoy-- 

Thursday Night Music Club--Lucero ed.

A couple videos from a band I've liked for a while that doesn't get much pub. Enjoy--

Teachers & Tenure--why we still need it

(from Peter Greene's Curmudgucation blog--follow him on Twitter @palan57)


Another helpful explanation for those who don't understand why public school teachers need (yes, need) tenure:

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/06/tenure-private-vs-public.html

Education & Business--what it should really look like

(from HuffPost)

Teamwork, Problem Solving, and Interpersonal Communications--these are the skills employers identified as most important to them. Read more of what a business model should really mean when it comes to education: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-jun-rowley/why-its-time-to-rethink-t_1_b_4878092.html?&ir=Education&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000023

Same As It Ever Was--War in Iraq and the Press

(from NYT)

Chelsea (nee Bradley) Manning on the emasculated press in war zones. Important, insightful read as US considers (yet again) whether to re-enter the fray in Iraq.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/opinion/sunday/chelsea-manning-the-us-militarys-campaign-against-media-freedom.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1

Go Tribe!

(from Keith Law of ESPN)

*here is the link for the entire piece (you may need to be an Insider to read): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1925


The approved list: Four teams I thought got good value
The Cleveland Indians had my favorite Day 1 batch of picks, landing four players I had in the top 50. They took Brad Zimmer, one of the best college bats in the draft class, who slid to 21; grabbed and have already signed Justus Sheffield, an advanced prep lefty from Tennessee whom area scouts loved, at 31; and took Mike Papi, one of the most patient, advanced hitters in the college crop and a first baseman with emerging power and the tools to play right field, at 38.

In the second round, they opened up again and went for another prep arm, Grant Hockin, grandson of Harmon Killebrew. Hockin's a right-hander who's been up to 94 with an above-average slider and a good frame to fill out and add more velocity. I think they had the best Day 1 of any team, sporting a solid mix of floor and ceiling, of pitchers and position players.

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan!

(from Paste Magazine)

Bob's top 15 albums of all time. Not sure I completely agree--Infidels is a conspicuous omission--and I've always been partial to Planet Waves. Nevertheless, for your perusal . . . and commentary:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/09/the-15-best-bob-dylan-albums.html?a=1


PS--I just learned that the wonderful Rosanne Cash also celebrates her birthday today, so a little bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-aKE4D2ync

and a hokey, but fun, old-school video of her great, poppy "Seven Year Ache": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAdzTF-BjZ8

Against Fracking--victims demand EPA intervene

(via Jennifer Reft)

The 150 million Americans routinely exposed to toxic air as a result of oil and gas drilling need better protection from their government, demanded a coalition of 64 environmental and community groups, who on Tuesday filed a petition (pdf) asking the Environmental Protection Agency to set limits on the air pollutants emitted from these wells (Lauren McCauley).

You can read more of the post at the following: http://www.juancole.com/2014/05/fracking-environmental-protection.html

btw, Germany generated 74% of its energy last year from renewable sources . . . and the US Senate recently blocked a tax cut that would have benefited the wind industry. North Carolina's legislature is attempting to make tracing fracking chemicals a felony. Yeah, America. Gotta love the corporatocracy.

Why Raising the Minimum Wage Makes Good Sense

(from Bloomberg, via RunToDaylight)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/the-capitalist-s-case-for-a-15-minimum-wage.html

The Heartland Speaks

(via Democracy Now!)

How do you really feel?

Thursday Night Music Club (birthday ed.)

Happy Birthday to my lovely wife and mother of our daughter--just a song we've been digging on lately. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lfa8tTFPO4

Why Everybody Hatin' on Social Security?

(via David Sirota)

oh, to be rich and young, and bad at math. Abby Huntsman, John's daughter, made crazy claims about Social Security:

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-abby-huntsman-20140314,0,489874.story#axzz2w9RuRdqG

Snowden Reporting Earns Pulitzer

(via Trevor Timm)

Teach for America--not so good?

from firedoglake:

Why ivy league smart kids who agree to teach in challenging neighborhoods may not be the best way to go about doing things: 

http://my.firedoglake.com/danps/2014/03/01/teach-for-americas-unspoken-alliance-with-the-one-percent/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Thursday NIght Music Club (new DBT ed.)

(via Rhett Miller)

Stones-y new song off new album by one of my favs--Drive-by Truckers. Enjoy--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzTPQPwDM_A&feature=youtu.be

The Sinker, the Pirates--no metaphors here--just Baseball

from PiratesProspects, via Will Carroll--aka The Injury Expert--cited this as the best baseball article he's read in years. It is good and worth reading (as a piece of writing, it does remind me of William Zinsser discussing how good writing can make any subject worthwhile; e.g., "So that's how he did it--slippery elm. I'll be damned.")

http://www.piratesprospects.com/2014/03/the-art-of-pitching-mastering-the-sinkerball.html

Thursday Night Music Club (dyslexic motivation ed.)

ahhh, The Replacements are in the air . . . Tommy Stinson on the Craig Kilborn Show (I know!). Enjoy--

OK--just to keep things even-stevens, here's Paul Westerberg--from the movie Singles.

Less Safe, More Inequality?

as I watch 300 young activists be arrested, after being filmed by the police, this piece gains even more context--

(from NewYorkist, via emptywheel)

I'm not sure that Americans have gotten safer w/ the increase in Guard Labor. So what are the implications of investing more tax dollars into this sector if we are actually less safe and more inequality exists? Might it be related to NSA, et al activities in spying on American citizens? Might it be related to the efforts to criminalize journalism and activism? (think Edward Snowden)

Unsettling . . . 

Standing Their Ground (cartoon)

(via Roger Simon, by Jim Morin of the Miami Herald)

"What the Hell is the Presidency For?"

(Gary Younge @ the Guardian, via Jennifer Reft)

a piece that articulates something I've felt for quite some time now . . . 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/23/what-is-barack-obama-presidency-for

btw, LBJ seems to me--and for quite some time now--vastly underrated. Wonder why? Take a peek sometime at his accomplishments during his Presidency vs someone such as, say, Bill Clinton, a President the Left adores, but whose record leaves much to be desired, right? (NAFTA? repeal of Glass-Steagall?). Our current President is more Bill Clinton than LBJ . . . and I think that is a problem. We haven't had an effective Democratic President since Richard Nixon (I know, I know).

We are due. Come on, Elizabeth Warren. We need you.  

Thursday Night Music Club (Return of the Grievous Angel ed.)

If you're a fan of Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, early REM, or any country rock/adult alternative/Americana music, then we're indebted to Gram Parsons. Here he is w/ the super-group The Flying Burrito Brothers "Hot Burrito #1." Enjoy--

OK--one more: "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere."  Good stuff--

What the heck--here's the whole darn thing--so, so good:

Lockerbie, Scotland--"a story beyond tragedy"

(from Jeff Passan @Yahoo)

Passan's piece is probably the best piece of writing I've seen in a while--able to walk the line of memory, reflection without falling into sentimentality.

My reaction to it might be influenced by the still distinct memories I have of walking through the Carnation Mall in Alliance, Ohio in December 1988 when the piped-in mood music was interrupted  by the announcer voice telling us Christmas shoppers that a plane had crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, and Alliance's own Pete Vulcu, a neighbor during elementary school and later a HS classmate, was among those killed. 

Eventually, of course, we all learned more about Pan Am Flight 103 than we ever thought we would.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/lockerbie--a-story-beyond-tragedy--a-story-of-curling-and-olympic-pride-090727925.html

Thursday Night Music Club (for a special cause ed.)

Matthew Ryan's "An Anthem for the Broken"
(it's a really good PunkRockFolk song--but please see below before clicking on the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8x5SoEB-SI&feature=youtu.be

Published on Feb 20, 2014

The LINK to purchase this song will appear early on Wednesday, February 26th when the purchase/donation page goes live!! The price for the single will be set at $1 with the option to contribute more if you can and wish to. I'm sharing this now for you to preview the song and share the vid to raise awareness for our effort to aid John and Amanda Anderson in their fight against the financial weight and stress of John's diagnosis of ALS 3 years ago. ALL MONEY RAISED WILL GO DIRECTLY TO JOHN AND AMANDA ANDERSON (minus the small distribution fees Bandcamp charges).

You can read about John and Amanda's situation right here:
http://www.matthewryanonline.com/home...

An Anthem for the Broken was Produced and Mixed by Kevin Salem
Mastered by Hans DeKline

Written by Matthew Ryan and Arranged by Matthew Ryan, Brian Bequette, Kevin Salem & Brian Fallon

Performed by
Brian Bequette - Bass
Brian Fallon - Electric Guitar
Joe Magistro - Drums
Kevin Salem - Electric Guitar
Matthew Ryan - Vocals
Everyone Available did the Gang Vocals

Here are the words to An Anthem For The Broken:

An anthem for the ones who hurt
Who broke their fists on dreams and dirt
Who climbed the hills and found the sea
Who saw the tops of home and tree
Who never left their hearts in scars
Who caught the fire in the stars
Who held their kids when they were scared
Who found a way from here to there

An anthem for the real reward
The sometimes broke and bent before
Where hope is lost and winter birds
Float from the wires when shots are heard
An anthem for my mother's arms
The bravest walk, the big alarm
The boxers, cops and soldiers too
The ones who need no gratitude

We won't quit...

An anthem for the brotherhood
The light in the dark and the lean for good
The knowing not which way to go
But here but for the grace of the unknown I know
A dollar's not a peace nor end
I'd do it all and all again
An anthem for the broken hearts
That made it worlds from where they'd start

We won't quit...

Is Fracking Safe? (the courts & Exxon CEO say maybe not)

(via Damian Lizzo)

sure starting to feel as if truth, reality catching up to the fracking industry--'bout time; really tired of feeling like we live in a 2nd world country. 

http://thedailyreview.com/news/woman-wins-case-against-chesapeake-jaqueline-place-of-terry-township-to-receive-compensation-for-well-contamination-1.1636832#.Uwg83GQxUfI.twitter

* * *

(Jennifer Krill, via Josh Fox)

fracking is safe, right? Just NIMBY though, OK?

Matt Damon--Education Advocate (yep)

(from the Washington Post)

a brief piece and some videos w/ the actor Matt Damon as he advocates for educators to be involved in educational policy (sad that he has to advocate that). Guess I'll have to go see The Monuments Men now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/08/matt-damon-we-would-never-let-businessmen-design-warheads-why-would-you-cut-out-educators-when-youre-designing-education-policy/

Frackgate? in Ohio? of course.

(via Josh Fox, from Truthout)

you can go to the earliest posts on this here blog re fracking; this latest news from Truthout doesn't surprise me one bit. My wife said something about foxes and hen houses . . .

(just a refresher--the ODNR is responsible for regulating all drilling, incl fracking, in the state of Ohio. Their budget--at least as recently as 2012--was largely based on drilling, permit fees . . . the very thing they are charged w/ regulating)

http://truth-out.org/news/item/21957-frackgate-ohio-regulators-planned-to-subvert-eco-groups-promote-fracking-in-state-parks

Thursday Night Music Club (meet the new Boss . . . ed.)

title track from the new Springsteen (with former RAM's Tom Morello--the working man's friend). Enjoy--

and now for something a little bit funkier, "The E Street Shuffle"--

Help Wanted? (mlb)

(from ESPN)

Tim Byrdak is looking for work, so he made his own ad: 

Reagan or Eisenhower? (and why don't they like Ike?)

(via runtodaylight)

Thursday Night Music Club (enjoy every sandwich ed.)

You've seen Warren Zevon in here before, but it felt like a good time to run him again. Here's his "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." Enjoy--

and "Desperados under the Eaves"--

and, lastly "Keep Me in Your Heart a While"--

Meet the RubberDucks

(from the Akron Rubber Ducks--nee Akron Aeros) Now, if I could only get someone in my family to follow Twitter, I might get a slick Fathers' Day gift . . .

Check out the new uniforms!! From L to R, the alternate, Sunday home, batting practice, home uniform, road uniform... pic.twitter.com/lMJlnSh9vT

Fracking and Birth Defects?

(from The Grist, via Josh Fox)

Are newborns being deformed by fracking pollution? the Grist asks and new Research reveals link: http://grist.org/news/is-fracking-pollution-deforming-babies/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=socialflow

* * *

(from NYT) not birth defects; just more good news re the industry . . . and he said, "Why didn't you send me a sign?"

earthquakes in Youngstown . . . tap water igniting . . . chemicals, chemicals, chemicals everywhere & not a drop to drink . . . I'm not sure what it would take at this moment to get the populace's collective attention. But you're here; that's a good start:

]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/us/emissions-of-methane-in-us-exceed-estimates-study-finds.html?_r=0

Thursday Night Music Club (selling out ed.)

Before Bob became a corporate sell-out like everyone else and maker of bad SB commercials, he made some good music. Here he is w/ an early performance of "Like a Rolling Stone"--maybe the most important song in rock and roll history. Enjoy--

 

and here he is on "Most of the Time," one of my favorites from his later period.

NBC Plays Censor @ Olympics

(from Deadspin)

I, like you, probably wouldn't have caught this on my own, but NBC edited the IOC's Chairman's opening remarks re anti-discrimination (something the Russians are struggling w/ right now). Extra layer of chutzpah as the commentators opine about Russia's "oppressive" history during the opening ceremony.

See what they cut out for yourself and then figure out why they felt compelled to do so . . . 

http://deadspin.com/nbc-edits-out-ioc-anti-discrimination-statement-from-op-1518727938

Breaking! Fracking pollutes!

(via Josh Fox)

ho, hum. A Harvard study (yawn) on fracking shows that natural gas is not the panacea that some (BO?) have led you to believe. It really, truly pollutes the atmosphere by releasing its byproduct methane during drilling and production. I know, shocking.

Here's the stupid science that obviously some silly liberal just made up (you read, you decide--haha):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-kessler/harvard-study-blows-apart_b_4393599.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Top 50 albums of 2013

(from Paste Magazine)

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/12/the-50-best-albums-of-the-year.html?p=5

Thursday Night Music Club (another Loretta Lynn??? ed.)

you may have seen her performance on the Grammys, but here's Kacey Musgraves with "Merry Go 'Round," from her Same Trailer, Different Park album. Not the usual vapid, bubblegum stuff you might expect--really worth a listen if you haven't caught her yet (I know, I know). Enjoy. 

Pete Seeger, RIP

sad, sad news--Pete Seeger has passed away at 94. What a role-model on how to lead one's life. I never knew how much he was woven into things until I started to pay attention (we used to sing several of his songs when I was in elementary school in the '70s).

Here's a nicely detailed obituary from the NYT to remember (and learn about) Pete: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/arts/music/pete-seeger-songwriter-and-champion-of-folk-music-dies-at-94.html?_r=0


--Pete on the Johnny Cash Show:

--(via Tim Easton)

Steve Earle sings "Steve's Hammer--I'm Gonna Lay This Hammer Down" (for Pete): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx9SGI97wuU&app=desktop


--(via Tom Morello)

Pete w/ some friends you might recognize, from his 90th birthday celebration @ MSG:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/pete-seegers-90th-birthday-celebration-from-madison-square-garden/seeger-and-friends-perform-this-land-is-your-land/816/

--(via Josh Fox)

here is the transcript from Pete's HUAC testimony: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6457 

--(from The Week)

8 Songs to Remember Pete Seeger by: http://theweek.com//article/index/255630/8-songs-to-remember-pete-seeger-by 

--from Gawker, 94 Reasons why Pete Seeger matters: http://gawker.com/94-reasons-pete-seeger-matters-in-2014-1510562885?rev=1390924218&utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_twitter&utm_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

NFL 1961--the QB's in one photo

(from Deadspin)

http://thestacks.deadspin.com/fourteen-nfl-quarterbacks-play-nice-in-a-chicago-photo-1472029686?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

All-time Cleveland Indians

CBS Sports provides their all-time Cleveland Indians (working their way through other franchises, too). Nice time to read this as the Jim Thome statue will be dedicated this summer, joining Bob Feller. 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24414720/all-time-single-season-team-cleveland-indians

Thursday Night Music Club (No Depression ed.)

(from Spin)

review of Uncle Tupelo's No Depression re-issue. Whether you know the band or not, check out the review here: http://www.spin.com/reviews/uncle-tupelos-no-depression-reissue/?utm_source=spintwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spintwitter

*here's the first track--"Screen Door."

*and another one, "Whiskey Bottle"--enjoy.

re: "Dr. V's Magical Putter" (& So Much More)

-if you didn't catch this over the weekend, you really need to read the article and then read about the article. Fascinating, yet ultimately, sad, tragic piece of journalism, on many levels. 

here's the original piece from Grantland (subdivision of ESPN) that got everything going: 
http://grantland.com/features/a-mysterious-physicist-golf-club-dr-v/


Think Progress asks the questions many of us are thinking (and then some) after reading the original :
http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2014/01/19/3183711/grantland/


this piece analyzes the article (and the context, the journalism, the lack of awareness)--pretty spot on deconstruction.
http://mariadahvanaheadley.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/sinatras-cold-is-contagious-hostile-subjects-vulnerable-sources-the-ethics-of-outing/ 


another piece takes the author and Grantland to task for the shoddiness:
http://deadspin.com/how-grantland-screwed-up-the-story-of-essay-anne-vander-1505368906 


*see above
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/01/essay_anne_vanderbilt_dr_v_s_magical_putter_grantland_s_expos_of_a_trans.html


from Christina Karl (much credibility on the subject):
http://grantland.com/features/what-grantland-got-wrong/


Lastly, from Bill Simmons, creator/editor of Grantland, who candidly addresses the failures of journalism with this article:
http://grantland.com/features/the-dr-v-story-a-letter-from-the-editor/

Fear and More Fear--why govs want us to be afraid

(via Glenn Greenwald)

NYT opinion piece on the Culture of Fear (as cultivated by our own gov)--insightful, researched, worthwhile read:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/fifty-states-of-fear/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1&

Those Rotten Freeloaders! (not who you might think)

(via RuntoDaylight)


properly directed animus