Reading update
I have finally finished "The Brothers Bulger," Howie Carr's book. It was pretty good and made all the easier to read because it was not much different from reading his columns.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Missing headlines 2: And other random musings
This is my next attempt to finish up with some of the interesting headlines I've seen over the past few weeks. It will also probably be my last post until the end of the week because I have a lot of things I have to take care over the next couple of days.
"The Brothers Bulger"
I finally started reading Howie Carr's "The Brothers Bulger" last week. I bought it months ago in paperback, because I'm cheap, and it had been sitting on the shelf. So, I decided to bring it into the bathroom, in the hopes that I would actually try to read it. First, it isn't as good as "Black Mass." It does have a ton of juicy underworld tidbits in it and the angle of including Billy Bulger in it, and the flipping back and forth between Whitey and Billy, every other half chapter, really works. Since it is done in chronological order, you get to see what one was doing right after reading about what the other one was doing. And, it is written in Carr's column style. So, it is very snappy, and quick and easy to read. I'm more than halfway through it at this point. There isn't a lot of new stuff in it - especially if you've read "Black Mass" or Howie's columns. But it is still a pretty good read so far.
Beyond reading in the bathroom, I've also had a bit more time to read because I've kept the television off for about three days. It's been nice keeping it off. And there isn't much to watch on it anyway so ...
R.I.P.: Stever Gillard
["The News Blog"]. I didn't agree with him all the time, but he made some really good points on his blog. What a drag. And so young at 41. Yikes!
A changing of the guard at the Concord Monitor
I didn't get a chance to write about this when it initially happened but I would be remiss in not mentioning it. Mike Pride is out as Executive Editor of the Concord Monitor after almost 30 years but has decided to stay on as an editor, to do some writing and work with reporters in the newsroom: ["Taking a new a long-desired role"]. Some of my regular readers will note that when Pride was named the co-director of the Pulitzer Prize, I wondered aloud when he would have the time. Well, now we kinda know.
Felice Belman will be the new Executive Editor: ["A daunting challenge and a great privilege"]. She has big shoes to fill but a lot of talent to work with. Belman has put together some lofty goals, including getting some fresh voices on the opinion pages, opening up news meetings to the public, expanded war photography, more Web stuff, and being a better watchdog over public officials.
I can tell you that I'm not alone in hoping the Monitor will get a bit more serious about its local news coverage, including covering more things in Concord and exposing some of the major problems we have in our city. I could go on a total rant here, but now is not the time for that [Maybe, after she has had some time leading the newspaper, and doesn't address the issue properly enough, I will revisit it at more length].
I would also agree that it would be good to see some fresh faces on the opinion pages. Although I don't necessarily know if getting more teachers, state workers, or "essayists who can write provocatively about natural resources" is something I'd really be interested in reading on a regular basis. That sounds kinda wonky to me. How about some regular folks, like that contributing board series the paper once had? I would personally like to see a gritty city columnist covering things in Concord like Mike Royko or Peter Lukas, or even expanding the Capital Beat column to every day or every other day. I would also like to see city and state representative races being covered with the amount of energy and finesse as the presidential campaigns get covered.
The Monitor Web site also needs to be a bit more user friendly. The content should be posted first thing in the morning and breaking news needs to be posted when it happens and highlighted. It would also be nice to see it a bit more interactive, with blogs and other things more readily accessible on the site, or even the ability for readers to comment on stories like some Web sites are doing these days. The Union Leader has a great feature where you can sign up for email alerts about breaking news which drives people to its Web site on a irregular basis. It might be time for the Monitor to consider such a service.
And more power to Belman about kicking her reporters in gear about the Right-to-Know law and asking the tough questions, both on the state and local level. But readers will have to hold her to it now that she has opened the box. There shouldn't be any excuses - like there have been in the past - for not covering controversial issues which might make people in high places a little uncomfortable. It would also be good to set a goal for reporters of, say, one or two stories per day, in order to make sure that they are utilizing sources and the newspaper is getting the maximum amount out of its staff. Targeted story number goals are not unheard of in the business. But the Monitor regularly looks pretty thin even though it has 13 reporters and 46 editorial employees on the staff.
It will be interesting to see how she comes along and I do wish her the best of luck.
You gotta love this
Hello? Spell check, anyone? Hillarious? [This was spelled incorrectly on purpose].
This video is hilarious:
["My Boobs Are OK"]
More on John Cox
After I wrote about John Cox last night, I noticed that some folks had been tracking posts about him on Technorati, a service which allows you to search blogs for certain topics. Through that, I noticed some sites which are alleging that he is a bit unstable: [John Cox - The Facts] and this post: ["Cox cans campaign manager, again"]. Interesting reading, to say the least. To be fair and balanced, here is Cox's blog: ["Blog for Cox"].
Short cuts
* You say you want a revolution? ["When in the Course of Human events"]
* Stewart Copeland says The Police are "lame": ["Police drummer rips band's 'lame' concert"]
* Ralph Nader backs Mike Gravel's National Initiative idea: ["Let the People Make the Laws"]
* Don't like your local newspaper? Start your own ... like they've done in Dover: ["New weekly newspaper comes to Dover"]
* GM finally, finally considers making a car I might buy: ["GM's 'Maximum Bob' tells of his green epiphany"]
* Clear Channel looks to MySpace for unsigned talent for HD signals: ["TALENTfilter"]
"The Brothers Bulger"
I finally started reading Howie Carr's "The Brothers Bulger" last week. I bought it months ago in paperback, because I'm cheap, and it had been sitting on the shelf. So, I decided to bring it into the bathroom, in the hopes that I would actually try to read it. First, it isn't as good as "Black Mass." It does have a ton of juicy underworld tidbits in it and the angle of including Billy Bulger in it, and the flipping back and forth between Whitey and Billy, every other half chapter, really works. Since it is done in chronological order, you get to see what one was doing right after reading about what the other one was doing. And, it is written in Carr's column style. So, it is very snappy, and quick and easy to read. I'm more than halfway through it at this point. There isn't a lot of new stuff in it - especially if you've read "Black Mass" or Howie's columns. But it is still a pretty good read so far.
Beyond reading in the bathroom, I've also had a bit more time to read because I've kept the television off for about three days. It's been nice keeping it off. And there isn't much to watch on it anyway so ...
R.I.P.: Stever Gillard
["The News Blog"]. I didn't agree with him all the time, but he made some really good points on his blog. What a drag. And so young at 41. Yikes!
A changing of the guard at the Concord Monitor
I didn't get a chance to write about this when it initially happened but I would be remiss in not mentioning it. Mike Pride is out as Executive Editor of the Concord Monitor after almost 30 years but has decided to stay on as an editor, to do some writing and work with reporters in the newsroom: ["Taking a new a long-desired role"]. Some of my regular readers will note that when Pride was named the co-director of the Pulitzer Prize, I wondered aloud when he would have the time. Well, now we kinda know.
Felice Belman will be the new Executive Editor: ["A daunting challenge and a great privilege"]. She has big shoes to fill but a lot of talent to work with. Belman has put together some lofty goals, including getting some fresh voices on the opinion pages, opening up news meetings to the public, expanded war photography, more Web stuff, and being a better watchdog over public officials.
I can tell you that I'm not alone in hoping the Monitor will get a bit more serious about its local news coverage, including covering more things in Concord and exposing some of the major problems we have in our city. I could go on a total rant here, but now is not the time for that [Maybe, after she has had some time leading the newspaper, and doesn't address the issue properly enough, I will revisit it at more length].
I would also agree that it would be good to see some fresh faces on the opinion pages. Although I don't necessarily know if getting more teachers, state workers, or "essayists who can write provocatively about natural resources" is something I'd really be interested in reading on a regular basis. That sounds kinda wonky to me. How about some regular folks, like that contributing board series the paper once had? I would personally like to see a gritty city columnist covering things in Concord like Mike Royko or Peter Lukas, or even expanding the Capital Beat column to every day or every other day. I would also like to see city and state representative races being covered with the amount of energy and finesse as the presidential campaigns get covered.
The Monitor Web site also needs to be a bit more user friendly. The content should be posted first thing in the morning and breaking news needs to be posted when it happens and highlighted. It would also be nice to see it a bit more interactive, with blogs and other things more readily accessible on the site, or even the ability for readers to comment on stories like some Web sites are doing these days. The Union Leader has a great feature where you can sign up for email alerts about breaking news which drives people to its Web site on a irregular basis. It might be time for the Monitor to consider such a service.
And more power to Belman about kicking her reporters in gear about the Right-to-Know law and asking the tough questions, both on the state and local level. But readers will have to hold her to it now that she has opened the box. There shouldn't be any excuses - like there have been in the past - for not covering controversial issues which might make people in high places a little uncomfortable. It would also be good to set a goal for reporters of, say, one or two stories per day, in order to make sure that they are utilizing sources and the newspaper is getting the maximum amount out of its staff. Targeted story number goals are not unheard of in the business. But the Monitor regularly looks pretty thin even though it has 13 reporters and 46 editorial employees on the staff.
It will be interesting to see how she comes along and I do wish her the best of luck.
You gotta love this
Hello? Spell check, anyone? Hillarious? [This was spelled incorrectly on purpose].
This video is hilarious:
["My Boobs Are OK"]
More on John Cox
After I wrote about John Cox last night, I noticed that some folks had been tracking posts about him on Technorati, a service which allows you to search blogs for certain topics. Through that, I noticed some sites which are alleging that he is a bit unstable: [John Cox - The Facts] and this post: ["Cox cans campaign manager, again"]. Interesting reading, to say the least. To be fair and balanced, here is Cox's blog: ["Blog for Cox"].
Short cuts
* You say you want a revolution? ["When in the Course of Human events"]
* Stewart Copeland says The Police are "lame": ["Police drummer rips band's 'lame' concert"]
* Ralph Nader backs Mike Gravel's National Initiative idea: ["Let the People Make the Laws"]
* Don't like your local newspaper? Start your own ... like they've done in Dover: ["New weekly newspaper comes to Dover"]
* GM finally, finally considers making a car I might buy: ["GM's 'Maximum Bob' tells of his green epiphany"]
* Clear Channel looks to MySpace for unsigned talent for HD signals: ["TALENTfilter"]
Sunday, January 14, 2007
First debate will be here
Well, unless something changes in the next few weeks, the first presidential debates of the 2008 cycle will be held in New Hampshire after all: ["President hopefuls to debate in NH 1st"]. I wonder if that headline should have been "Presidential hopefuls ..." not President. It sounds odd to me. Another strange headline in the UL this morning is this one: "NH Guardsmen on duty along U.S.-Mexican border to curtain illegal crossings" ... I wonder if that should have been "curtail" or "contain." I've never heard anyone call it "curtain illegal crossings" before.
There are a couple of folks on the Web who are keeping track of those people who've been banned from the Daily Kos. The latest is Alan Smithee here: ["Blogroll of the Banned"]. I find it strange that there is this whole anti-Kos cult building on the Web. At least once a day, someone visits Politizine after Googling "Banned from Daily Kos ..."
Bisson Barcelona, a Seacoast PR firm, is holding a monthly author seminar series for those people interested in writing books or getting past the stage of thinking about writing books. The details are here: ["Author Seminar Series"]. The BB folks are good people, as the saying goes. This program should be an exciting one for all involved.
2008 quickies
John Edwards will be in Harlem today to celebrate MLK Day early: ["The Riverside Church"]. There is supposed to be a Webcast from the church too. Yet in this very early poll, 61 percent of his home state voters would pick another Democratic candidate: ["N.C. Dems prefer Edwards to Clinton, Obama"]. Did you catch that spin? The headline reads that Edwards beats Clinton and Obama. But add the numbers the opposite way: 40 percent would pick another Dem other than those three. Edwards only gets 29 points which means that 61 would go another way. The glass is half full OR half empty.
Rep. Tom Tancredo is still looking at running in 2008: ["Tancredo for President?"]. When I interviewed him in 2005, he stated that if no one would pick up the border security issue and run with it, he would jump in. I countered with, 'Sen. Hillary Clinton is raising the issue. Would you support her if a wall along the border was a major plank of her candidacy?' Not surprisingly, he said No. Frankly, politics needs to stay interesting and relevant and not wussy and wimpy. So the more firebrands the better.
Obama is reportedly lining up support: ["Obama, Running"]. Since this is 'just a blog entry,' it probably shouldn't be taken that seriously. However, Novak also has it: ["EXPLORER OBAMA"]. Since Novak is just a blogger with more cred because he was a columnist before becoming a blogger and columnists are essentially glorified bloggers anyway, it is probably a legit post.
Speaking of firebrands, here is one to keep a watchful eye on, no pun intended: ["TX 14: The First Open '08 House Seat?"]. On issues of liberty and freedom, Rep. Ron Paul is one of the strongest protectors of the Constitution. I don't agree with everything, but given the choice between him and some of the other Republicans, I would take him in a heartbeat. He knows in his core what freedom means.
Sen. Dodd stumps in Iowa, dismissing the 'long-shot' factor: ["Dodd Presses Presidential Bid in Iowa"] while Giuliani goes to Delaware: ["Giuliani test Del. primary waters"].
Lastly, here is an overview from a Michigan business paper about Right-to-Work laws: ["Presidential candidates and right-to-work laws"].
Off the subject of presidential politics for a moment, here in New Hampshire, Sen. John Sununu gets his first challenger: ["Marchand says he'll run for Senate"]. While it is early, there is nothing in the article which talks about why Marchand is running or what he plans on elevating for issues in a race against Sununu.
Update: The Monitor's Capital Beat column has more on other candidates potentially facing off against Sununu: ["Race to take on Sununu getting off to a fast start"].
Well, unless something changes in the next few weeks, the first presidential debates of the 2008 cycle will be held in New Hampshire after all: ["President hopefuls to debate in NH 1st"]. I wonder if that headline should have been "Presidential hopefuls ..." not President. It sounds odd to me. Another strange headline in the UL this morning is this one: "NH Guardsmen on duty along U.S.-Mexican border to curtain illegal crossings" ... I wonder if that should have been "curtail" or "contain." I've never heard anyone call it "curtain illegal crossings" before.
There are a couple of folks on the Web who are keeping track of those people who've been banned from the Daily Kos. The latest is Alan Smithee here: ["Blogroll of the Banned"]. I find it strange that there is this whole anti-Kos cult building on the Web. At least once a day, someone visits Politizine after Googling "Banned from Daily Kos ..."
Bisson Barcelona, a Seacoast PR firm, is holding a monthly author seminar series for those people interested in writing books or getting past the stage of thinking about writing books. The details are here: ["Author Seminar Series"]. The BB folks are good people, as the saying goes. This program should be an exciting one for all involved.
2008 quickies
John Edwards will be in Harlem today to celebrate MLK Day early: ["The Riverside Church"]. There is supposed to be a Webcast from the church too. Yet in this very early poll, 61 percent of his home state voters would pick another Democratic candidate: ["N.C. Dems prefer Edwards to Clinton, Obama"]. Did you catch that spin? The headline reads that Edwards beats Clinton and Obama. But add the numbers the opposite way: 40 percent would pick another Dem other than those three. Edwards only gets 29 points which means that 61 would go another way. The glass is half full OR half empty.
Rep. Tom Tancredo is still looking at running in 2008: ["Tancredo for President?"]. When I interviewed him in 2005, he stated that if no one would pick up the border security issue and run with it, he would jump in. I countered with, 'Sen. Hillary Clinton is raising the issue. Would you support her if a wall along the border was a major plank of her candidacy?' Not surprisingly, he said No. Frankly, politics needs to stay interesting and relevant and not wussy and wimpy. So the more firebrands the better.
Obama is reportedly lining up support: ["Obama, Running"]. Since this is 'just a blog entry,' it probably shouldn't be taken that seriously. However, Novak also has it: ["EXPLORER OBAMA"]. Since Novak is just a blogger with more cred because he was a columnist before becoming a blogger and columnists are essentially glorified bloggers anyway, it is probably a legit post.
Speaking of firebrands, here is one to keep a watchful eye on, no pun intended: ["TX 14: The First Open '08 House Seat?"]. On issues of liberty and freedom, Rep. Ron Paul is one of the strongest protectors of the Constitution. I don't agree with everything, but given the choice between him and some of the other Republicans, I would take him in a heartbeat. He knows in his core what freedom means.
Sen. Dodd stumps in Iowa, dismissing the 'long-shot' factor: ["Dodd Presses Presidential Bid in Iowa"] while Giuliani goes to Delaware: ["Giuliani test Del. primary waters"].
Lastly, here is an overview from a Michigan business paper about Right-to-Work laws: ["Presidential candidates and right-to-work laws"].
Off the subject of presidential politics for a moment, here in New Hampshire, Sen. John Sununu gets his first challenger: ["Marchand says he'll run for Senate"]. While it is early, there is nothing in the article which talks about why Marchand is running or what he plans on elevating for issues in a race against Sununu.
Update: The Monitor's Capital Beat column has more on other candidates potentially facing off against Sununu: ["Race to take on Sununu getting off to a fast start"].
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
News round up:
Here are some things going on you may have missed. I probably would have missed them - had I not been looking - because I've been pretty busy these days.
Just as our own Senator John Sununu is getting some faint praise for working out a deal on the PATRIOT Act, another senator comes to his senses: ["Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act"]. FoxNews had this first - probably because they are on the Byrd death watch [they also caught the "white n*gg#r" comment on tape, which Byrd made a couple of years back. Byrd was a former Klansman]. This, of course, is the key point to everything involving this act and other things the government has been doing over the past 10 years, paraphrasing Ben Franklin:
The Brothers Bulger
Howie Carr has finally released his book about the Bulger crime family, most specifically Whitey, the notorious Southie mobster, and his political thug brother and former Senate President, Billy. Three excerpts were published last week in the Boston Herald, in order to generate some sales interest. Howie has been making the rounds on all of the cable talk shows too. Here are the links:
["Blood Brothers: How Whitey made good his escape"]
["How the state cops let Whitey slip through their hands"]
["Hoodlum wannabe Whitey was Hub hustler"]
I waited to buy "Black Mass" in paperback so I might have to wait for this to come out in paperback too.
Sex Pistols won't play!
For years, I have been bitching about the Sex Pistols not being inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame even though the band kept saying they wouldn't accept the honor. Well, they were named this year ... and they aren't showing up: ["Sex Pistols spit on Hall of Fame honor"].
The text was posted on "The Filth and the Fury" Web site, the site of a great documentary film on the band and the time period in England ["The Filth and the Fury"].
Thinking about it now, this is probably the correct decision for them, although I wonder. They are making a bold statement about the pomposity of the music business. It is an industry - always has been - even if it didn't start out to be that way. It is always best to at least attempt to stick to your laurels [Plus, who knew it was $25k for a damn table! Warners has made a fortune from them. Pony up already].
And what would the jam session be like? Steve Jones mocks a pretty good Chuck Berry but can you hear Johnny Rotten trying to sing Blondie's "Call Me" or Skynyrd's "Free Bird"? Ugh. Imagine the ever obnoxious Eric Clapton or some other wank-off trying to follow along to the Pistols' anti-abortion opus "Bodies" or "God Save the Queen" [Clapton could pull of the solo in "GSTQ" but it kinda wouldn't be the same now would it?]. Although, they might be able to pull off Iggy's "No Fun" or The Who's brilliant "Substitute" together. Will Mike Love show up drunk and call Paul Cook onto the stage to jam and have Cook kick over the rack bopping the TM specialist on the head with a cymbal? Love might sue! Sid Vicious could come back from the dead as a ghost pissing in the champagne and shooting bullets from his revolver at everyone to the glorious musical back drop of "My Way." Oh, the horrors ... Better yet, they should just show up and not pay the table fee. Or grab the statue, say "Bullocks!" and bolt.
Depleted uranium
This is an interesting article which didn't get much play recently but might be worth a second look: ["UK radiation jump blamed on Iraq shells"] and a more thorough opinion piece here: ["The Queen's Death Star"].
In 1998, when I ran for Congress in Massachusetts' 8th District, I was invited to a lecture about the dangers of DU usage being put on by local Arab-American activists at Somerville High School. I was the only candidate who responded to their invitation or even showed up to other events sponsored by the group.
The lecture was surprisingly covered by NECN because it was right around the same time the President Clinton was bombing aspirin factories and other such nonsense [I got no play in the coverage but that was OK, the event wasn't about me]. Since most of the candidates were Democrats, and wouldn't speak against their president's actions, I was also the only one who talked about the issue. The bombing campaigns were wrong then; the bombing campaigns were wrong in 2003.
To this day, I can still recall the endless array of photos on display at the lecture of some of the Iraqi victims who had been affected by DU shells. The photos, especially of the women and newborns, were some of the most horrific you would ever see in your life. I won't go into the gory details ... but you can just imagine. The pictures will forever be seared in my mind like a bad dream.
I know in my heart that Jesus would never want anyone to be treated that way. And no one who proclaimed to follow the political philosophy of Jesus Christ would ever allow this to another human being, especially over oil reserves or to get a little intern sex scandal off the front page.
Years later, my father and sister came to visit us in Boston and we made the rounds of some of the tourist sites in the middle of a freezing January day. As we were passing by the Park Street Station, some of those same activists were standing outside with signs as we walked by. "Anthony, Anthony," one of them shouted to me, as we waved and walked over for a quick minute. The guy heaped praise on me for forwarding their cause against DU during the campaign, telling my father what a good man I was. It was a little embarrassing but when my dad looked at me and said, "He sure is," and gave me a pat on the back, it was made all the more meaningful.
It is always important to remember that it isn't whether you win or lose the fight, it is all about what you stand for and the issues you forward as a human being.
Radio
The continuing demise of local radio is covered in this recent piece in the Boston Globe: ["Mixed signals"]. The line about the lady coming in just to read the school lunch menu was pretty funny. Now that is local. Do kids even eat school lunches anymore? And how about that price tag: $4.5 million for two 1,000 AM stations granted, on the outskirts of the Metro Boston market [11th in the country]. Wow. In reaction to the sale of WJDA, the fledging and award-winning WADT on the South Shore is making a play for more listeners: ["WATD to broaden its listening base"].
2001
There is an interesting Flash file here of someone's take on Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey": ["Kubrick 2001"]. Interestingly, this got me thinking about Zacharia Sitchin's books and I did a Google and found his site here: ["Zacharia Sitchin"].
The Village Voice and 9-11
The Village Voice, one of the premiere papers in the country for investigative journalism, has been delving into the 9-11 situation a lot lately. Last week, there were a slew of articles on some of the theories and people trying to advance some "conspiratorial" concepts:
["The Seekers"]
["Conspiracy 101"]
["The Usual Suspects"]
["Your Turn: Ground Zero stories"]
Here are some things going on you may have missed. I probably would have missed them - had I not been looking - because I've been pretty busy these days.
Just as our own Senator John Sununu is getting some faint praise for working out a deal on the PATRIOT Act, another senator comes to his senses: ["Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act"]. FoxNews had this first - probably because they are on the Byrd death watch [they also caught the "white n*gg#r" comment on tape, which Byrd made a couple of years back. Byrd was a former Klansman]. This, of course, is the key point to everything involving this act and other things the government has been doing over the past 10 years, paraphrasing Ben Franklin:
"Ben Franklin, that wise man among the Constitution's framers, perhaps said it most simply," Byrd says now. "'Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'"Of course, Byrd has seen better days - and recently incurred the wrath of some Dems for voting to appoint Alito to the Supreme Court. But, it is pretty good having him there because he realizes the big picture.
The Brothers Bulger
Howie Carr has finally released his book about the Bulger crime family, most specifically Whitey, the notorious Southie mobster, and his political thug brother and former Senate President, Billy. Three excerpts were published last week in the Boston Herald, in order to generate some sales interest. Howie has been making the rounds on all of the cable talk shows too. Here are the links:
["Blood Brothers: How Whitey made good his escape"]
["How the state cops let Whitey slip through their hands"]
["Hoodlum wannabe Whitey was Hub hustler"]
I waited to buy "Black Mass" in paperback so I might have to wait for this to come out in paperback too.
Sex Pistols won't play!
For years, I have been bitching about the Sex Pistols not being inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame even though the band kept saying they wouldn't accept the honor. Well, they were named this year ... and they aren't showing up: ["Sex Pistols spit on Hall of Fame honor"].
The text was posted on "The Filth and the Fury" Web site, the site of a great documentary film on the band and the time period in England ["The Filth and the Fury"].
Thinking about it now, this is probably the correct decision for them, although I wonder. They are making a bold statement about the pomposity of the music business. It is an industry - always has been - even if it didn't start out to be that way. It is always best to at least attempt to stick to your laurels [Plus, who knew it was $25k for a damn table! Warners has made a fortune from them. Pony up already].
And what would the jam session be like? Steve Jones mocks a pretty good Chuck Berry but can you hear Johnny Rotten trying to sing Blondie's "Call Me" or Skynyrd's "Free Bird"? Ugh. Imagine the ever obnoxious Eric Clapton or some other wank-off trying to follow along to the Pistols' anti-abortion opus "Bodies" or "God Save the Queen" [Clapton could pull of the solo in "GSTQ" but it kinda wouldn't be the same now would it?]. Although, they might be able to pull off Iggy's "No Fun" or The Who's brilliant "Substitute" together. Will Mike Love show up drunk and call Paul Cook onto the stage to jam and have Cook kick over the rack bopping the TM specialist on the head with a cymbal? Love might sue! Sid Vicious could come back from the dead as a ghost pissing in the champagne and shooting bullets from his revolver at everyone to the glorious musical back drop of "My Way." Oh, the horrors ... Better yet, they should just show up and not pay the table fee. Or grab the statue, say "Bullocks!" and bolt.
Depleted uranium
This is an interesting article which didn't get much play recently but might be worth a second look: ["UK radiation jump blamed on Iraq shells"] and a more thorough opinion piece here: ["The Queen's Death Star"].
In 1998, when I ran for Congress in Massachusetts' 8th District, I was invited to a lecture about the dangers of DU usage being put on by local Arab-American activists at Somerville High School. I was the only candidate who responded to their invitation or even showed up to other events sponsored by the group.
The lecture was surprisingly covered by NECN because it was right around the same time the President Clinton was bombing aspirin factories and other such nonsense [I got no play in the coverage but that was OK, the event wasn't about me]. Since most of the candidates were Democrats, and wouldn't speak against their president's actions, I was also the only one who talked about the issue. The bombing campaigns were wrong then; the bombing campaigns were wrong in 2003.
To this day, I can still recall the endless array of photos on display at the lecture of some of the Iraqi victims who had been affected by DU shells. The photos, especially of the women and newborns, were some of the most horrific you would ever see in your life. I won't go into the gory details ... but you can just imagine. The pictures will forever be seared in my mind like a bad dream.
I know in my heart that Jesus would never want anyone to be treated that way. And no one who proclaimed to follow the political philosophy of Jesus Christ would ever allow this to another human being, especially over oil reserves or to get a little intern sex scandal off the front page.
Years later, my father and sister came to visit us in Boston and we made the rounds of some of the tourist sites in the middle of a freezing January day. As we were passing by the Park Street Station, some of those same activists were standing outside with signs as we walked by. "Anthony, Anthony," one of them shouted to me, as we waved and walked over for a quick minute. The guy heaped praise on me for forwarding their cause against DU during the campaign, telling my father what a good man I was. It was a little embarrassing but when my dad looked at me and said, "He sure is," and gave me a pat on the back, it was made all the more meaningful.
It is always important to remember that it isn't whether you win or lose the fight, it is all about what you stand for and the issues you forward as a human being.
Radio
The continuing demise of local radio is covered in this recent piece in the Boston Globe: ["Mixed signals"]. The line about the lady coming in just to read the school lunch menu was pretty funny. Now that is local. Do kids even eat school lunches anymore? And how about that price tag: $4.5 million for two 1,000 AM stations granted, on the outskirts of the Metro Boston market [11th in the country]. Wow. In reaction to the sale of WJDA, the fledging and award-winning WADT on the South Shore is making a play for more listeners: ["WATD to broaden its listening base"].
2001
There is an interesting Flash file here of someone's take on Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey": ["Kubrick 2001"]. Interestingly, this got me thinking about Zacharia Sitchin's books and I did a Google and found his site here: ["Zacharia Sitchin"].
The Village Voice and 9-11
The Village Voice, one of the premiere papers in the country for investigative journalism, has been delving into the 9-11 situation a lot lately. Last week, there were a slew of articles on some of the theories and people trying to advance some "conspiratorial" concepts:
["The Seekers"]
["Conspiracy 101"]
["The Usual Suspects"]
["Your Turn: Ground Zero stories"]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)