Disminuye apoyo a Bush por parte de las Fuerzas Armadas
Maria: Hola. De parte de "Democracy Now!" once cosas que vale hacer notar este fin de semana. Paz.
Disminuye apoyo a Bush por parte de las Fuerzas Armadas
Mientras tanto, una nueva encuesta realizada por la revista "Military Times", indica que el apoyo al Presidente Bush por parte de las Fuerzas Armadas estadounidenses ha disminuido más de un diez por ciento en el último año. La encuesta descubrió que el apoyo a las políticas de Bush en general disminuyó de un 71 por ciento a un 60 por ciento. El apoyo a la guerra de Irak bajó de un 63 por ciento a un 54 por ciento. El "Times" dice que la encuesta descubrió un "optimismo disminuido de que las metas estadounidenses en Irak puedan ser alcanzadas, y una menor disminución en el apoyo a la decisión de comenzar la guerra en 2003".
Más de 120 personas mueren en el peor momento de violencia en Irak en los últimos cuatro meses
En Irak, más de 120 personas murieron el jueves en una ola de violencia que azotó a todo el país. Otras 200 personas resultaron heridas en lo que fue el día más sangriento que ha sufrido el país en los últimos cuatro meses. En Ramadi, un atacante suicida mató a por lo menos 67 personas e hirió a más de 100 en las inmediaciones de un centro de reclutamiento de la policía. Más temprano habían muerto al menos 44 personas en un atentado suicida a un santuario chiita en la ciudad sagrada de Karbala. Y 11 soldados estadounidenses fueron asesinados el jueves en Irak, incluidos cinco que murieron en un atentado con coche bomba al costado de una carretera cercana a Karbala.
Padilla comparece en Miami luego de que la Suprema Corte anulara fallo
En Estados Unidos, el detenido del Pentágono, José Padilla, compareció ante un tribunal de Miami el jueves luego de ser transferido desde una prisión militar. En 2002, Padilla fue arrestado cuando regresaba de Pakistán y declaró ser un "combatiente enemigo". El entonces Fiscal General, John Ashcroft, acusó a Padilla de estar involucrado en "una conspiración terrorista para atacar a Estados Unidos explotando una 'bomba sucia' radioactiva". Los cargos contra Padilla recién fueron presentados en noviembre, luego de más de tres años de detención en una celda solitaria de una prisión militar en Carolina del Sur. Dichos cargos no incluían las acusaciones más graves que se hicieron al momento de su arresto.
El mes pasado, un tribunal federal de apelaciones se negó a aprobar el traslado de Padilla al tribunal civil de Miami, y sugirió que el gobierno de Bush sólo formuló el pedido para frustrar la apelación pendiente de Padilla ante la Suprema Corte. Sin embargo, la Suprema Corte anuló el miércoles la decisión del tribunal inferior, posibilitando su trasladado a Miami.
Bush se reserva el derecho de ordenar tortura a prisioneros
Actualizamos una historia que hemos seguido de cerca. La semana pasada, el Presidente Bush firmó oficialmente un proyecto de ley que prohíbe la tortura a los detenidos. A pesar de que la firma del proyecto de ley tuvo importante cobertura de la prensa, lo que Bush hizo después de firmar no la tuvo. Según el "Boston Globe", Bush silenciosamente presentó la llamada declaración de firma, en donde explica su interpretación de la nueva ley. En este documento, Bush declaró que considerará los límites en los interrogatorios en el contexto de sus poderes más amplios para proteger la seguridad nacional. Juristas dicen que esto significa que Bush cree que puede evadir las restricciones en contra de la tortura. El Profesor de Derecho de la Universidad de Nueva York David Golove, criticó la maniobra de Bush. Golove dijo: "La declaración dice 'sólo obedeceré esta ley cuando quiera, y si surge algo en la guerra contra el terrorismo donde considere que es importante aplicar la tortura o conductas crueles, inhumanas y degradantes, tengo la autoridad para hacerlo y nada en esta ley me detendrá'".
Gobierno ofrecerá información clasificada sobre espionaje nacional a jueces de FISA
Mientras tanto, el "Washington Post" informa que funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia y de Inteligencia darán información clasificada el lunes a los integrantes del Tribunal secreto de Supervisión de Inteligencia Extranjera (FISC, por sus siglas en inglés). El Presidente Bush admitió que actuó sin el consentimiento del Poder Judicial y ordenó a la Agencia de Seguridad Nacional que llevara a cabo operaciones de espionaje a nivel nacional, sin las órdenes aprobadas por el Poder Judicial que exige la ley. La semana pasada, un juez del tribunal de la Ley de Vigilancia de Inteligencia en el Extranjero (FISA) renunció en protesta al programa secreto de espionaje.
Informe: Fiscales Generales retrasaron partes del programa de espionaje en 2004
Mientras tanto, el "New York Times" informa que un alto funcionario del Departamento de Justicia retrasó la aprobación del programa secreto de espionaje debido a que le preocupaba su legalidad y supervisión. En marzo de 2004, el Fiscal General actuante James Comey se negó a firmar para continuar la utilización del programa. Comey estaba reemplazando a el entonces Fiscal General John Aschroft, mientras Ashcroft estaba hospitalizado. La negativa de Comey provocó que los asistentes de alto rango del Presidente Bush, Andrew Card y Alberto Gonzales, visitaran a Aschroft en el hospital para asegurar la aprobación. El "Times" informa que Aschroft expresó su renuencia a firmar para aprobar el programa. No está claro si al final cedió. Según el "Times", las preocupaciones de Ashcroft y Comey aparentemente provocaron la suspensión temporal de partes del programa por varios meses.
HRW solicita Estados Unidos que deduzca costos de construcción de asentamientos y del muro de la ayuda a Israel
En otras noticias, la destacada organización estadounidense Human Rights Watch (HRW) exhortó al gobierno de Bush que disminuya la ayuda a Israel. En una reciente carta dirigida al presidente Bush, HRW le solicitó al presidente Bush que deduzca de la ayuda extranjera a Israel la cantidad que gasta en la expansión de los asentamientos y el muro de separación en Cisjordania. Israel es el mayor receptor anual de ayuda extranjera de Estados Unidos, con asistencia y préstamos directos que superaron los 5 mil millones de dólares en 2005. Funcionarios de HRW dijeron que su solicitud se trata de la primera vez que un importante grupo de derechos humanos le pide al gobierno una reducción de la ayuda directa a Israel.
Zapatistas lanzan gira nacional de seis meses en México
En México, el ejército rebelde zapatista lanzó una gira de seis meses de duración por las comunidades pobres e indígenas de todo el país. Los zapatistas nombraron la gira "La Otra Campaña", en referencia al período previo a las elecciones presidenciales que se realizarán en julio. El grupo dice que no participará en las elecciones, pero utiliza la gira para promover su distanciamiento de los conflictos armados y la formación de un movimiento político izquierdista en todo el país. Al comienzo de la gira, el líder zapatista Marcos, anunció que ya no sería el "Subcomandante" sino el "Delegado Zero", alegando que ya no quería tener un título militar.
El líder Zapatista Marcos, ex subcomandante, habló el martes en Palenque: "Los gobiernos que tenemos, aparte de mentirnos, de robarnos, de despojarnos de lo poco que tienen, de lo poco que tenemos, nos dan los precios muy caros de las cosas que compramos. Y las cosas que producimos como campesinos o como obreros nos los pagan con una miseria".
México reclama que se investigue asesinato en la frontera
En otras noticias, el gobierno mexicano está pidiendo que se investigue la muerte de un hombre desarmado que fue baleado hace una semana por un agente fronterizo estadounidense. Guillermo Martínez Rodríguez, de 18 años de edad, fue asesinado el viernes pasado del lado estadounidense de la frontera entre San Diego y Tijuana. Funcionarios de la frontera estadounidense dijeron que Rodríguez le había arrojado piedras a un agente. Pero una investigación realizada por el consulado mexicano encontró que a Rodríguez le habían disparado por la espalda desde por lo menos cuatro metros y medio de distancia. Rodríguez volvió corriendo a Tijuana donde murió más tarde en un hospital. Rodríguez habría cruzado presuntamente la frontera en busca de trabajo. El funcionario del consulado mexicano Alberto Lozano dijo: "Condenamos la utilización de la fuerza en este trágico caso... es un abuso de poder".
AP corta relación con periodista vinculada con la Fundación Nacional para la Democracia
En otras noticias, "Associated Press" anunció que cortó vínculos con una periodista que descubireron que trabajaba para la Fundación Nacional para la Democracia (NED, por sus siglas en inglés), que cuenta con el apoyo del gobierno de Estados Unidos. La NED, que recibe financiamiento anual del Congreso y del Departamento de Estado, ha estado vinculada a grupos que apoyan a la oposición y que son partidarios del gobierno de Estados Unidos en países como Venezuela y Haití. La periodista, Regine Alexandre escribió al menos una docena de artículos para AP y al menos dos para el "New York Times". Sus vínculos con NED fueron expuestos por el periodista independiente Anthony Fenton y por Dennis Berstein, el conductor del programa de radio "Flashpoint", transmitido por KPFA, de Radio Pacifica.
Frank Wilkenson muere a los 91 años. Fue preso por el Comité de Actividades Antiamericanas durante el Terror Rojo
Y Frank Wilkenson murió a los 91 años de edad. Era conocido por haber sido uno de los últimos estadounidenses en haber ido a prisión por negarse a decirle al Comité de Actividades Antiamericanas si era comunista.
Maria: Now in English, here are eleven headlines fom Democracy Now! Remember that the headlines are provided daily in English and Spanish and please get the word out. Peace.
Bush Support Dropping Among Armed Forces
Meanwhile, a new poll by the magazine group Military Times shows support for President Bush among US armed forces has fallen over ten percent in the last year. The survey found support for Bush's overall policies at 60 percent, down from 71 percent. Support for the Iraq war for is at 54 percent - down from 63 percent. The Times says the poll found “diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."
Over 120 Killed in Deadliest Iraq Violence in 4 Months
In Iraq, over 120 people were killed in violence across the country Thursday. Another 200 were wounded in the bloodiest day the country has seen in four months. In Ramadi, a suicide bomber killed at least 67 people and injured more than 100 outside of a police recruitment center. Earlier, at least 44 people died in a suicide bombing at a Shiite shrine in the holy city of Karbala. And 11 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq Thursday, including five in a roadside bombing near Karbala.
Padilla Appears in Miami After Supreme Court Overturns Ruling
In this country, Pentagon detainee Jose Padilla appeared in a Miami court Thursday for after being transferred from a military prison. In 2002, Padilla was arrested on a return trip from Pakistan and declared an "enemy combatant." Then-Attorney General John accused Padilla of involvement in "a terrorist plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive 'dirty bomb.'" Padilla was only charged in November after over three years in solitary confinement on a military brig in South Carolina. None of his charges included the most serious of allegations made at the time of his arrest.Last month, a federal appeals court refused to approve Padilla’s transfer to the Miami civilian court -- and suggested the Bush administration only made the request to thwart Padilla’s pending Supreme Court appeal. However, the Supreme Court on Wednesday overruled the lower court, clearing the way for his transfer to Miami.
Bush Reserves Right To Order Torture of Prisoners
This update on a story we have been tracking closely. Last week President Bush officially signed a bill outlawing torture of detainees. While the bill signing received significant press coverage, what Bush did following the signing has not. According to the Boston Globe, Bush quietly issued what is known as a signing statement in which he lays out his interpretation of the new law. In this document Bush declared that he will view the interrogation limits in the context of his broader powers to protect national security. Legal experts say this means Bush believes he can waive the anti-torture restrictions. New York University Law Professor David Golove criticized Bush's move. He said ''The signing statement is saying 'I will only comply with this law when I want to, and if something arises in the war on terrorism where I think it's important to torture or engage in cruel, inhuman, and degrading conduct, I have the authority to do so and nothing in this law is going to stop me.' "
Gov't To Give FISA Judges Classified Briefing on Domestic Spying
Meanwhile the Washington Post is reporting that Justice Department and intelligence officials will give a classified briefing on Monday to members of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. President Bush has admitted he has bypassed the court and ordered the National Security Agency to conduct domestic spy operations without the legally required court-approved warrants. Last week one judge on the FISA court resigned in protest over the secret spying program.
Report: AGs Held Up Parts of Spy Program in 2004
Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting a top Justice Department official held up approval of the secret spy program over concerns about its legality and oversight In March 2004, acting Attorney General James Comey refused to sign on to the program's continued use. Comey was serving in place of then-Attorney General John Aschroft while Ashcroft was hospitalized. Comey's refusal prompted senior Presidential aides Andrew Card and Alberto Gonzales to visit Aschroft in his hospital room to grant the approval. The Times reports Ashcroft expressed reluctance to sign off on the program. It is unclear if he eventually relented. Both Ashcroft and Comey's concerns appear to have led to a temporary suspension of parts of the program for several months, the Times says.
HRW Calls on US To Deduct Settlement, Wall Costs From Aid to Israel
In other news, the prominent American organization Human Rights Watch has called on the Bush administration to cut back foreign aid to Israel. In a letter to President Bush, Human Rights asked President Bush to deduct from Israel’s foreign aid assistance the amount it spends on expansion of settlements and the separation wall in the West Bank. Israel is the largest annual recipient of US foreign aid, with direct assistance and loans exceeding $5 billion dollars in 2005. Human Rights Watch officials said their request marks the first time a major human-rights group has asked for an actual cut in direct aid to Israel.
Zapatistas Launch National Six-Month Tour in Mexico
In Mexico, the Zapatista rebel army has launched a six-month tour of poor and indigenous communities across the country. The Zapatistas have dubbed the tour "The Other Campaign", a reference to the run-up to the country’s presidential elections in July.The group says it will not take part in the elections, but is using the tour to help promote a shift away from armed conflict and towards the formation of a nationwide leftist political movement. Zapatista leader Marcos also announced he was dropping "Subcomandante" from his name in favor of "Delegate Zero", saying he no longer wanted to take on a military title.Zapatista leader Marcos, formerly Subcommande, in Palanque Tuesday: "The governments that we have, aside from lying to us and robbing from us, taking what little we have, they put high prices on what we buy. And the things we produce as farmers or as workers they pay a pittance."
Mexico Calls For Investigation Into Border Killing
In other news, the Mexican government is calling for an investigation into the death of an unarmed man shot by a U.S. border agent one week ago. 18-year-old Guillermo Martinez Rodriguez was killed last Friday on the US side of the San Diego-Tijuana border. American border officials said Rodriguez had been throwing rocks at an agent. But an investigation by the Mexican consulate found Rodriguez had been shot in the back from at least 15 feet way. Rodriguez ran back to Tijuana where he later died in a hospital. He had reportedly crossed the border looking for work. Mexican consular official Alberto Lozano said QUOTE: "We condemn the use of force in this tragic case…. It's an abuse of power."
AP Cuts Ties to NED-Funded Journalist
In other news, the Associated Press has announced its ended ties with a reporter found to have been working for the U.S. government-backed National Endowment for Democracy. The NED, which receives annual funding from the US Congress and State Department, has been linked to supporting opposition groups favorable to US government positions in countries such as Venezuela and Haiti. The reporter, Regine Alexandre had contributed at least one dozen articles for the AP and at least two for the New York Times. Her ties to the NED were exposed by independent journalist Anthony Fenton and radio host Dennis Bernstein on the radio program Flashpoints on Pacifica's KPFA.
Frank Wilkenson, 91, Dies; Jailed by HUAC During Red Scare
And Frank Wilkenson has died at the age of 91. He was well known for being one of the last Americans to be jailed for refusing to tell the House Un-American Activities Committee whether he was a Communist.
democracy now
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Sunday, January 08, 2006
Blog Spotlight: Trina, newest member of the community to start their own site
Trina's the newest member of the community to start their own site. Her site's called Trina's Kitchen and we've got an interview with her as well as her particpation during the book discussion. So patience, entries are going up this morning. Make a point to check out Trina's site.
Vegetarian Enchiladas in the kitchen
My name is Trina and you are in my online kitchen. I'm a member of The Common Ills community and the mother of Mike who has a website called Mikey Likes It!
I am a mother many times over but I'll note my children here only with their permission. Mike's youngest sister doesn't enjoy being mentioned at his site so I'll assume she'll prefer not to be named here either. I haven't checked with Mike for permission to name him but I doubt that will be a problem.
There are a number of excellent websites in the community and this won't be one of them. It won't be a daily weblog. I would like to post at least once a week. I think a number of topics are already covered quite well by the websites in the community. What I hope to do is to write something about cooking and politics. I'd like to share a recipe that stood out to me and, in the process, weigh in with a statement or two about the state of our nation.
I am on the left and far more left than leadership in the Democratic Party. I am opposed to the continued occupation of Iraq and was opposed to the invasion. I'm nervous as I type this so, in case anyone is thinking of starting a website and they are nervous, I'll let you know next time if I lived through it.
Tonight I want to note a recipe for Vegetarian Enchiladas:
Warning: The sauce for this is very hot. You may want to reduce the amount of hot sauce and chili powder.
Olive oil for sauteing
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cups canned tomatoes
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
10 drops hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/4 pound black olives, pitted and sliced (reserve some for garnish)
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (1/2 cup uncooked), mashed or ground
8 soft corn tortillas
1/4 pound Monterey Jack or other cheese, grated
Salt to taste
Heat oil and saute two-thirds of the onions until translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, half the garlic, the cayenne pepper, hot sauce, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, honey, salt, and cumin seed and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Heat olive oil and saute remaining onions and garlic and black olives until onions are translucent. Add remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder, taste for salt, and add beans (and some sauce if mix seems too sticky). Stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill each tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling and 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Roll up and put in a shallow baking pan. Cover with sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and garnish with reserved olives. Bake until bubbling hot, about 30 minutes.
Complementary protein: beans + corn.
That recipe is from page 317 of Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet. I've gone through multiple copies of this book because it's a staple in my kitchen as much as eggs or butter. Complementary protein was the author's way of explaining to people that you could eat a nutritional meal without meat which, hard to believe today, was a big question once upon a time.
Ensuring that we all had a nutritional dinner was important. So was doing that on a budget. These days, I'm amazed that I can buy, for instance, brand name crackers. When all the children were living at home, brand names was something reserved for special occassions. We didn't suffer as a result but anyone on a tight budget will understand what I'm talking about.
If you're on a budget, you're also keenly aware of the price of meat. We had fish every Friday and another meat, usually chicken, for one other night a week. By the way, if Mike remembers this differently, he's not remembering wrong. He's the second to youngest of the children. If you spoke to one of my oldest, they would remember these days very well.
The price of meat effected what was on our table. Diet for a Small Planet was the book that taught me how to cook a great meal without meat. For the first five years I fixed this dish, my husband refused to believe that I wasn't sneaking meat into it in some form. He's only recently accepted that there isn't even a meat based broth in it.
If you're on a budget this is a recipe you can master and carry to potlucks but don't expect to carry home any leftovers. People do not touch at this dish, they devour it.
In my home, it was so popular that it became a Wednesday staple.
These days, shredded cheese is readily available but I still remember my panic when I decided to start this recipe and realized that my rolling pin was missing. One of the children, not Mike, had adopted it for a project I won't bore you with. But if you're on a budget and you don't have a rolling pin, you can mash the beans with a potato masher. If you don't have one, you can consider using a spoon but I'd recommend a glass. With a spoon, even a large one, you'll need a lot of extra time. With a glass, plastic or glass, you can cover an area quickly. I like to mash on a cutting board because it's easy to drain some of the excess juice produced by mashing the pinto benas. You could also use a pan or skillet. Dried beans are inexpensive and my first choice but if you're pressed for time, you can also use canned. If you use canned beans, you can use canned pinto beans or canned refried beans depending upon how pressed you are for time.
When I first started playing with this recipe, I often sat the tortillas down flat, put filling as a layer, then followed that with more tortillas because I had the worst time keeping the tortillas rolled while they were cooking in the oven. Often, they would unwrap before I could get the dish into the oven. What I stumbled upon was using toothpicks to keep them wrapped and removing the toothpicks when I removed the dish from the oven.
This remains the most popular recipe in our home. As the older children have moved out, I've noticed that Wednesday nights is a popular time to drop by and they've all asked me to show them how to make it. For that reason, and because the book is full of other wonderful recipes, I wanted to start by noting Diet for a Small Planet. Along with the recipes, you'll find serious discussions about food and the impact our eating habits have on the planet. This is a wonderful book and I hope someone will check out the book as a result of this recipe. Even if you do not check out the book, hopefully, you'll attempt this recipe and realize how easy it is to make, how inexpensive and how great it tastes.
When I got married, I thought I'd learn a few recipes each year. That wasn't happening. Most cook books used terms that I would intend to look up but then a diaper needed changing, a fight needed settling, someone needed a ride to practice . . . This book is user friendly.
With each entry, I hope to note a different recipe from a different book or one that was passed on to me my friend or family member. My oldest son recently got engaged and suddenly the disposable income is no longer as disposable. You tell them that will happen but it's hard for them to see that happening until it does. So what I'm hoping for is to provide the community with some recipes that are nutritous and affordable in a Bully Boy economy. Some will be meat based, some won't be.
Besides being nervous, I'm typing faster than I have in my life. That's because C.I.'s been kind enough to stay on the phone with me during this and will be talking me through how to do links right after this entry posts. I'll link to all the community websites tonight and will add some more links in the future to voices that speak to me. Thank you to anyone who visited the site.
mikey likes it
the common ills
diet for a small planet
frances moore lappe
vegetarian enchiladas
cooking
Vegetarian Enchiladas in the kitchen
My name is Trina and you are in my online kitchen. I'm a member of The Common Ills community and the mother of Mike who has a website called Mikey Likes It!
I am a mother many times over but I'll note my children here only with their permission. Mike's youngest sister doesn't enjoy being mentioned at his site so I'll assume she'll prefer not to be named here either. I haven't checked with Mike for permission to name him but I doubt that will be a problem.
There are a number of excellent websites in the community and this won't be one of them. It won't be a daily weblog. I would like to post at least once a week. I think a number of topics are already covered quite well by the websites in the community. What I hope to do is to write something about cooking and politics. I'd like to share a recipe that stood out to me and, in the process, weigh in with a statement or two about the state of our nation.
I am on the left and far more left than leadership in the Democratic Party. I am opposed to the continued occupation of Iraq and was opposed to the invasion. I'm nervous as I type this so, in case anyone is thinking of starting a website and they are nervous, I'll let you know next time if I lived through it.
Tonight I want to note a recipe for Vegetarian Enchiladas:
Warning: The sauce for this is very hot. You may want to reduce the amount of hot sauce and chili powder.
Olive oil for sauteing
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cups canned tomatoes
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
10 drops hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/4 pound black olives, pitted and sliced (reserve some for garnish)
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (1/2 cup uncooked), mashed or ground
8 soft corn tortillas
1/4 pound Monterey Jack or other cheese, grated
Salt to taste
Heat oil and saute two-thirds of the onions until translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, half the garlic, the cayenne pepper, hot sauce, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, honey, salt, and cumin seed and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Heat olive oil and saute remaining onions and garlic and black olives until onions are translucent. Add remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder, taste for salt, and add beans (and some sauce if mix seems too sticky). Stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill each tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling and 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Roll up and put in a shallow baking pan. Cover with sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and garnish with reserved olives. Bake until bubbling hot, about 30 minutes.
Complementary protein: beans + corn.
That recipe is from page 317 of Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet. I've gone through multiple copies of this book because it's a staple in my kitchen as much as eggs or butter. Complementary protein was the author's way of explaining to people that you could eat a nutritional meal without meat which, hard to believe today, was a big question once upon a time.
Ensuring that we all had a nutritional dinner was important. So was doing that on a budget. These days, I'm amazed that I can buy, for instance, brand name crackers. When all the children were living at home, brand names was something reserved for special occassions. We didn't suffer as a result but anyone on a tight budget will understand what I'm talking about.
If you're on a budget, you're also keenly aware of the price of meat. We had fish every Friday and another meat, usually chicken, for one other night a week. By the way, if Mike remembers this differently, he's not remembering wrong. He's the second to youngest of the children. If you spoke to one of my oldest, they would remember these days very well.
The price of meat effected what was on our table. Diet for a Small Planet was the book that taught me how to cook a great meal without meat. For the first five years I fixed this dish, my husband refused to believe that I wasn't sneaking meat into it in some form. He's only recently accepted that there isn't even a meat based broth in it.
If you're on a budget this is a recipe you can master and carry to potlucks but don't expect to carry home any leftovers. People do not touch at this dish, they devour it.
In my home, it was so popular that it became a Wednesday staple.
These days, shredded cheese is readily available but I still remember my panic when I decided to start this recipe and realized that my rolling pin was missing. One of the children, not Mike, had adopted it for a project I won't bore you with. But if you're on a budget and you don't have a rolling pin, you can mash the beans with a potato masher. If you don't have one, you can consider using a spoon but I'd recommend a glass. With a spoon, even a large one, you'll need a lot of extra time. With a glass, plastic or glass, you can cover an area quickly. I like to mash on a cutting board because it's easy to drain some of the excess juice produced by mashing the pinto benas. You could also use a pan or skillet. Dried beans are inexpensive and my first choice but if you're pressed for time, you can also use canned. If you use canned beans, you can use canned pinto beans or canned refried beans depending upon how pressed you are for time.
When I first started playing with this recipe, I often sat the tortillas down flat, put filling as a layer, then followed that with more tortillas because I had the worst time keeping the tortillas rolled while they were cooking in the oven. Often, they would unwrap before I could get the dish into the oven. What I stumbled upon was using toothpicks to keep them wrapped and removing the toothpicks when I removed the dish from the oven.
This remains the most popular recipe in our home. As the older children have moved out, I've noticed that Wednesday nights is a popular time to drop by and they've all asked me to show them how to make it. For that reason, and because the book is full of other wonderful recipes, I wanted to start by noting Diet for a Small Planet. Along with the recipes, you'll find serious discussions about food and the impact our eating habits have on the planet. This is a wonderful book and I hope someone will check out the book as a result of this recipe. Even if you do not check out the book, hopefully, you'll attempt this recipe and realize how easy it is to make, how inexpensive and how great it tastes.
When I got married, I thought I'd learn a few recipes each year. That wasn't happening. Most cook books used terms that I would intend to look up but then a diaper needed changing, a fight needed settling, someone needed a ride to practice . . . This book is user friendly.
With each entry, I hope to note a different recipe from a different book or one that was passed on to me my friend or family member. My oldest son recently got engaged and suddenly the disposable income is no longer as disposable. You tell them that will happen but it's hard for them to see that happening until it does. So what I'm hoping for is to provide the community with some recipes that are nutritous and affordable in a Bully Boy economy. Some will be meat based, some won't be.
Besides being nervous, I'm typing faster than I have in my life. That's because C.I.'s been kind enough to stay on the phone with me during this and will be talking me through how to do links right after this entry posts. I'll link to all the community websites tonight and will add some more links in the future to voices that speak to me. Thank you to anyone who visited the site.
mikey likes it
the common ills
diet for a small planet
frances moore lappe
vegetarian enchiladas
cooking
Music Spotlight: 2005 in Music by Kat
Kat reviews the year in music (and thankfully told us to ditch her tags because we'd be spending forever on this repost if we had to include them). This is incredible music writing. You'll be inspired to blast some tunes so make sure your neighbors are already awake before you start reading.
Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music
[Kat, Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills), provides a look back at music in 2005.]
"Another year older and a new one just begun," as John Lennon sang.
What was 2005? Dak-Ho called it "the long jerk off for things past" and certainly the hype surrounding Bob Dylan falls into that as he was, yet again, celebrated for . . . breathing one more year? If 2005 is any indication, one of the topics the most ink will be spilled over in 2006 is "Dylan spins tunes!"
He's a brand now. Has been for some time. Around the time Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner felt the need to offer a rebuttal to judgements on Dylan (Wenner thought the reviewers -- Dave Marsh and Greil Marcus -- were too harsh), it was obvious that Dylan had entered the canon. (In this country,at any rate. The same actions that could win him applause here played less well elsewhere -- such as some critical comparisons from England of Dylan to Nancy Sinatra -- not intended as a compliment.)
In religious terms, saints have to die first before they're canonnized.
Watching the polyester-set cry out for "Everyone Must Get Stoned!" ("Rainy Day Women #12 & 35") the last few tours, it's obvious that the blood on the tracks has been Dylan's own creativity. So it's not surprising that the Dylan brand, which now uses his music to hawk really tacky, really trashy women's undergarments, would dominate mid-decade. The health scare at the tail end of the 90s had already added "weight" to his usual Old Testament bellowings. The music scene promoted by corporations had become one long brand so it's fitting that as "brand music" dies, Dylan gets trotted out to be hailed for the work he did . . . years ago.
The brand did die. You might have missed that if you listened to Clear Channel what with their deterimination to spin Britney Spears as though the Disney Kids brand was the hot new thing and not one of many brands that's killed music in the last few years.
Brands get attention because they're "safe." It's safe to play "naughty" songs by aging teens crashing into their mid-twenties. The only furor the Disney Kids were able to cause by using women who'd built their own careers on exploring the wilder side: Janet Jackson and Madonna. Little Justy got props for ripping off Janet's top. Your mainstream media clucked and clucked over Janet and her bare breast. It was left for some in the African-American community to note that Justy had a part in that. (Which got him canned from an ABC Motown special.) Christina and Britney smooched Madonna. Poor Christina had gone dark haired, not grasping the mainstream media's fondness for blondes so she was the odd woman out in that controversy as Britney offered defiance, then explanations, then apologies.
Madonna? She weathered the storm because it was a mild one. The woman whose "Justify My Love" caused a real scandal knew this was nothing but a storm in one of those tea cups to be found on a Disneyland amusement ride.
And maybe she was thinking about the mid-eighties? When she and Cyndi Lauper and Billy Idol rode the charts and MTV? Remember when all three tried to "grow up"? Only Madonna pulled it off well enough to keep her base. Billy, who was a cartoon version of manhood, tried to keep it up but there was no action -- no matter how hard he humped the stage in the video for "To Be A Lover." He'd gone from a cartoon of manhood to a cartoon of boyhood and the audience just didn't care. Cyndi hit with "True Colors" which remains one of her finer songs but "Iko Iko" turned her into a joke-o -- one that she couldn't laugh along with. Probably not the best idea to attempt to sport maturity by covering a sing-song, clapping tune.
From 1985 to 1986, three big acts were reduced to one (Madonna). Thanks to Clear Channel, a corporation that frets over the impact Lennon's "Imagine" might have on a grieving nation, moving the crap out the door quickly has ceased. Which is why the brands of 1997 hung around as long as they did. It's why they're still treated not as the novelities and freaks they are but pushed as "artists" even though their acne-set has moved on.
Eight years of corporate crap. David Cassidy, the Archies and the Osmonds must be green in the face with envy. Radio chewed up their ilk and spit it out rather quickly back in the day. That's what happens when you have real media competition. Stations tried to stand out. Sure there was copycatting but there was also a desire to break the next big single which required finding it.
As spokespeople for Clear Channel are fond of stating, the corporation isn't in the music business, they're in the business of selling advertising. The best way to do that is to not rock the boat. Which is why they're playlists of 2005 weren't all that different from their playlists of the year before. Which is why they jump on a boy cultivating peach fuzz who acts "naughty" but never scares anyone (white bread only scares when the mold spreads and, in 2005, it started spreading).
In the early 90s, alternative rock was able to really break through. It had existed in some form on college radio (10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M. being two examples). But the Miami Vice soundtracks (official and non-official) had kept it off the playlists. Programmers were taken by surprise with the emergence of, here's her name again, Janet. And with the response of listeners to Jackson, the Beastie Boys and other acts that weren't providing the sort of music that could be heard behind a voice over pronouncing something like "The night belongs to Michelob."
Things have never been perfect and examples (and radio programmers) could be examined at length but the point is there is no competition in consolidation. At any period of time, people, including myself, griped about the barricades but the 1996 Telecommunications Act took it way beyond what we were used to complaining about.
In 2005, we saw the corporations scratch their heads and wonder why an "artist" like Jessica Simpson who mastered exposure via every media outlet short of a
sex tape couldn't become a solid hit on the charts? It wasn't from lack of airplay or exposure. As 2004 drew to a close, the press followed the corporate lead and annointed Justy as a "music star" for album sales that wouldn't have been impressive in 1984 or 1993. In doing so, they missed the real story of 2004, that even with all the promotion, that even with saturation airplay, that even with the "artists" practically bumping into you everytime you headed to the john, the public didn't really care. The system worked enough to almost eek out a profit after all the cross-promotional costs were factored in but there was no Tapestry, no Talking Book, no Nevermind, no Jagged Little Pill.
You'd think your thinking press would have noted the obvious -- with more exposure than Michael Jackson could dream of in the early eighties, the Disney Kids still couldn't produce one album that could even stand in the shadow of Thriller's sales figures.
In 2005, despite the forced feedings, America largely refused to swallow up what our media consolidated radio was serving. Maybe there's hope for 2006 as a result?
Here are my picks for albums that stood out in 2005. On the list, you'll find one that sold very, very well. Some of the others you heard of here and hopefully elsewhere. As you look at the list, and no doubt make your own picks, remember that when the music system goes flat, a Nirvana may emerge to re-energize things. I didn't hear a Nirvana in 2005. If you did, let me know.
Early 21st Century Blues. This Cowboy Junkies CD actually got national exposure . . . via The Laura Flanders Show. If others had followed Flanders' lead, this might have been one of the more talked about albums of 2005. The album features two original songs and nine covers. Among the covers are songs by Bob Dylan, from his pre-brand days. I have to be in the mood for their version of John Lennon's "I Don't Want To Be A Solider." Wally enjoyed this but Cedric and I felt that the combination of the Junkies' understated approach and Rebel's rap were an uneasy mix. The album ends on a high note, a cover of U2's "One." Unlike on Mary J. Blige's latest album, you don't wait for Bono to shut up and get out the way so that Blige can work her magic. That's because he's not featured. Margo Timmins' voice is haunting on this song and the covers of Bruce Springsteen's "You're Missing" and "Brothers Under The Bridge" should have resulted in saturation airplay. If you missed this CD, locate a copy and listen.
Portrait of An American Girl. Judy Collins. In May of 2005, I wrote that this album set the standard and would be hard to top. Few even tried. While Dylan became a mega-brand, Collins helped explain why there was ever a form for Dylan to leap off of to begin with -- a strong dedication to conveying truths via music. On this album, Collins covers Joni Mitchell's "That Song About The Midway" which should be reason enough for older fans to be interested. New listeners will be treated to an amazing voice singing words that the artist actually grasps. Shocking in the days where "professional singers" show about as much awareness of the material as a nine-year-old singing into a brush as they stare into a mirror. Standout tracks include "Pacing the Cage" written by Bruce Cockburn. But the beauty of Portrait of An American Girl is how well the entire album feeds off each song. How good is the album? After waiting months for Maggie to return my copy of it, I marked it off as "stolen" in my mind and purchased another copy. At which point, Maggie said, "Oh, I was just about to return that to you." Giving her the benefit of the doubt (and tossing aside all logic and known history), it was still worth purchasing twice.
The Beekeeper. Tori Amos releases The Beekeeper and, as I noted at the time, the sexists come swarming. Why can't she do this, why does she that . . . For those who missed it, the album has much more than the "love song" one critic swooned over. Her duet with Damien Rice ("The Power of Orange Knickers") will sneak up on you with repeated listens. "Mother Revolution" will grab you instantly. But the song that continues to pop up as I'm stuck in traffic or waiting in a check-out line is "Cars and Guitars." It's one of the many songs from 2005 that you should have heard repeatedly over the airwaves but didn't. Amos blazes her own trail, burning through male egos along the way, to judge by the bulk of the reviews.
A Bigger Bang. That's what the Rolling Stones boasted. Albums of the last two decades could explain the skepticsm. But the Stones pulled it off rewarding their long term base and providing enough "bang" to interest some newcomers. As I noted in my review in September, with all the talk of "Sweet Neocon," "Dangerous Beauty" was being overlooked. Mick's angry, he's saucey. It's another of his "fear women" songs but in this case, the fear's appears to be aimed at a certain guard from Abu Ghraib. Energized by events larger and smaller than themselves, the Stones come back to life.
Monkey Business. Cedric recommended this Black Eyed Peas CD to me. We often enjoy the same music, so I checked it out. As readers of my web site know, it's one that I play constantly. But it's not one I reviewed. I could tell you that I enjoyed it. I could cite this song or that. But as to why it works as an album, I didn't have a clue. Similarly, I can recommend it and advise you to avoid Justy's musty contribution but really don't know what else to tell you. Elaine and Betty swear by "Going Gone" as the best track on the album, how about that? Here's what I can swear by: Put this CD on. Loud. That's really says it all.
Those Were The Days. Dolly Parton looked back and, in doing so, commented on today. On the twelve songs, she's not ticking off time as she makes her way through the covers (they're all covers). She's putting a piece of Dolly into each song. This continues her strong rebirth and makes a case for more artists to leave the major labels. I don't think she's sounded so free since the seventies. Her vocals turn, twist and soar. This isn't kerioke night. "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" gets pulled out of the last century and brought to life in this one -- with strong assistance from Lee Ann Womack and Norah Jones on vocals. Judy Collins provides supporting vocals on the Joni Mitchell penned "Both Sides Now." "Wait!" you insist, "didn't Judy have a hit with that?" Yes, and you'll find many singers known for the songs making an appearance on Dolly's covers. If you thought you knew all Dolly could do, be prepared to be surprised.
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings. As I noted, Bright Eyes makes it for me live but on studio albums, is a little too polished for my tastes. That's one reason to purchase this album. Another is that you it acts as a great intro if you're unfamiliar. In fact, it's one of the strongest intro recordings since Living In Clip introduced Ani DiFranco to a wider audience. If you purchased I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and think you already know "We Are Nowhere And It's Now," surprise, you really don't. Check that out, "Landlocked Blues" and, of course, "When A President Talks To God."
A Time To Love. This CD makes a strong case for Stevie Wonder again needing to work with a lyricist. Ignore the lyrics. Thinking of them, or focusing on them, detract from the other accomplishments which, fortunately, are great enough to overcome bromides. Groove on the outstanding music and Stevie's vocals. And join me in hoping that next time round, Stevie has something worth singing about. (Or be like Maggie and say, "Who cares what he's singing, just listen to him sing!"
Back To Bedlam. Here's how that worked. Jess turned Ty onto it, Ty turned me onto it and there hasn't been a day since that I've stopped listening. If you don't know the name "James Blunt," pick up this CD and you will join Jess, Ty, me and many others in the word of mouth chain attesting to the greatness of this album.
Get Behind Me Satan. The White Stripes released this album and critical thought got lost in a chorus of "What does Meg do anyway?" The boys missed it but Meg packs a wallop on the drums. It's the messiest sound you've heard and completely rock. Which may be why the boys who told you in 2004 that Justy had produced art couldn't appreciate the genius of Meg and Jack? This is their best album and one of the best of 2005. Mike'll back me up on that.
Bowery Songs. Joan Baez demonstrated her artistry all over again with Dark Chords On A Big Guitar. This live CD is from one of her tour in support of that album. Get the feeling she knew she had a winner? While others elected 2005 as the year to (once again) explore "The Man/The Myth," Baez explored the music with the best band she's had behind her in years.
Best Reissue:
Victim of Romance. Rebecca got excited about this album and if you listen, you'll understand why. To date, it's the only solo album by Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. This is also the album's first appearance on CD in this country. (A Japanes import has previously been available.) "Aching Kind" has appeared on various compilations by the Mamas and the Papas. The foot stomping fun of "Victim of Romance" may make you wonder why that track hasn't? "Baby As You Walk Away" will make you wish Phillips had recorded another album. With a wonderful booklet and a bookmark as bonus.
Best Compilation:
The Complete Cass Elliot Solo Collection 1968-1971. As I noted in my review in August:
There's a wonderful 28 page booklet with an amazing essay by Richard Barton Campbell, a two page note by Owen Elliot-Kugell (Owen is Cass' daughter), four pages of information on the tracks included and thirteen photographs (I think my favorite is the one on page twelve). And, let me repeat, there are thirty-eight tracks of music.
If you're a Cass fan, this is a must have. You have songs making their first appearance on CD and songs that making their first appearance period such as a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Sistobell Lane." If you're saying, "Who?" Cass was one fourth of the Mamas and the Papas. If you're still in the dark, six words, "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." Need more? Ava and Jess both recommended it as well.
This double disc set is also from Hip-O Select and, if you haven't heard of them before, you should visit their website because they're doing wonderful reissues that are remastered with great care and packaged with extras.
Hopefully, something on the list reflected your own choices. There are probably many other fine choices but one thing that appears more certain is that 2005 was the year the corporations tried to milk a dead cow. That and the fact that Simon & Garfunkel didn't need their own reality-based MTV show to sell millions of copies of Bridge Over Troubled Water was lost as the wags noted million and two and three million sellers as though they were benchmarks.
In every city, town and bedroom community, you couldn't escape the same damn songs. Despite that, the music didn't really sell. Brands don't provide excitement. So in 2005, the artists worth watching were largely on the sidelines. Whether you agreed with my eleven choices, hopefully you found something outside the corporate playlists to speak to you.
Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music
[Kat, Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills), provides a look back at music in 2005.]
"Another year older and a new one just begun," as John Lennon sang.
What was 2005? Dak-Ho called it "the long jerk off for things past" and certainly the hype surrounding Bob Dylan falls into that as he was, yet again, celebrated for . . . breathing one more year? If 2005 is any indication, one of the topics the most ink will be spilled over in 2006 is "Dylan spins tunes!"
He's a brand now. Has been for some time. Around the time Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner felt the need to offer a rebuttal to judgements on Dylan (Wenner thought the reviewers -- Dave Marsh and Greil Marcus -- were too harsh), it was obvious that Dylan had entered the canon. (In this country,at any rate. The same actions that could win him applause here played less well elsewhere -- such as some critical comparisons from England of Dylan to Nancy Sinatra -- not intended as a compliment.)
In religious terms, saints have to die first before they're canonnized.
Watching the polyester-set cry out for "Everyone Must Get Stoned!" ("Rainy Day Women #12 & 35") the last few tours, it's obvious that the blood on the tracks has been Dylan's own creativity. So it's not surprising that the Dylan brand, which now uses his music to hawk really tacky, really trashy women's undergarments, would dominate mid-decade. The health scare at the tail end of the 90s had already added "weight" to his usual Old Testament bellowings. The music scene promoted by corporations had become one long brand so it's fitting that as "brand music" dies, Dylan gets trotted out to be hailed for the work he did . . . years ago.
The brand did die. You might have missed that if you listened to Clear Channel what with their deterimination to spin Britney Spears as though the Disney Kids brand was the hot new thing and not one of many brands that's killed music in the last few years.
Brands get attention because they're "safe." It's safe to play "naughty" songs by aging teens crashing into their mid-twenties. The only furor the Disney Kids were able to cause by using women who'd built their own careers on exploring the wilder side: Janet Jackson and Madonna. Little Justy got props for ripping off Janet's top. Your mainstream media clucked and clucked over Janet and her bare breast. It was left for some in the African-American community to note that Justy had a part in that. (Which got him canned from an ABC Motown special.) Christina and Britney smooched Madonna. Poor Christina had gone dark haired, not grasping the mainstream media's fondness for blondes so she was the odd woman out in that controversy as Britney offered defiance, then explanations, then apologies.
Madonna? She weathered the storm because it was a mild one. The woman whose "Justify My Love" caused a real scandal knew this was nothing but a storm in one of those tea cups to be found on a Disneyland amusement ride.
And maybe she was thinking about the mid-eighties? When she and Cyndi Lauper and Billy Idol rode the charts and MTV? Remember when all three tried to "grow up"? Only Madonna pulled it off well enough to keep her base. Billy, who was a cartoon version of manhood, tried to keep it up but there was no action -- no matter how hard he humped the stage in the video for "To Be A Lover." He'd gone from a cartoon of manhood to a cartoon of boyhood and the audience just didn't care. Cyndi hit with "True Colors" which remains one of her finer songs but "Iko Iko" turned her into a joke-o -- one that she couldn't laugh along with. Probably not the best idea to attempt to sport maturity by covering a sing-song, clapping tune.
From 1985 to 1986, three big acts were reduced to one (Madonna). Thanks to Clear Channel, a corporation that frets over the impact Lennon's "Imagine" might have on a grieving nation, moving the crap out the door quickly has ceased. Which is why the brands of 1997 hung around as long as they did. It's why they're still treated not as the novelities and freaks they are but pushed as "artists" even though their acne-set has moved on.
Eight years of corporate crap. David Cassidy, the Archies and the Osmonds must be green in the face with envy. Radio chewed up their ilk and spit it out rather quickly back in the day. That's what happens when you have real media competition. Stations tried to stand out. Sure there was copycatting but there was also a desire to break the next big single which required finding it.
As spokespeople for Clear Channel are fond of stating, the corporation isn't in the music business, they're in the business of selling advertising. The best way to do that is to not rock the boat. Which is why they're playlists of 2005 weren't all that different from their playlists of the year before. Which is why they jump on a boy cultivating peach fuzz who acts "naughty" but never scares anyone (white bread only scares when the mold spreads and, in 2005, it started spreading).
In the early 90s, alternative rock was able to really break through. It had existed in some form on college radio (10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M. being two examples). But the Miami Vice soundtracks (official and non-official) had kept it off the playlists. Programmers were taken by surprise with the emergence of, here's her name again, Janet. And with the response of listeners to Jackson, the Beastie Boys and other acts that weren't providing the sort of music that could be heard behind a voice over pronouncing something like "The night belongs to Michelob."
Things have never been perfect and examples (and radio programmers) could be examined at length but the point is there is no competition in consolidation. At any period of time, people, including myself, griped about the barricades but the 1996 Telecommunications Act took it way beyond what we were used to complaining about.
In 2005, we saw the corporations scratch their heads and wonder why an "artist" like Jessica Simpson who mastered exposure via every media outlet short of a
sex tape couldn't become a solid hit on the charts? It wasn't from lack of airplay or exposure. As 2004 drew to a close, the press followed the corporate lead and annointed Justy as a "music star" for album sales that wouldn't have been impressive in 1984 or 1993. In doing so, they missed the real story of 2004, that even with all the promotion, that even with saturation airplay, that even with the "artists" practically bumping into you everytime you headed to the john, the public didn't really care. The system worked enough to almost eek out a profit after all the cross-promotional costs were factored in but there was no Tapestry, no Talking Book, no Nevermind, no Jagged Little Pill.
You'd think your thinking press would have noted the obvious -- with more exposure than Michael Jackson could dream of in the early eighties, the Disney Kids still couldn't produce one album that could even stand in the shadow of Thriller's sales figures.
In 2005, despite the forced feedings, America largely refused to swallow up what our media consolidated radio was serving. Maybe there's hope for 2006 as a result?
Here are my picks for albums that stood out in 2005. On the list, you'll find one that sold very, very well. Some of the others you heard of here and hopefully elsewhere. As you look at the list, and no doubt make your own picks, remember that when the music system goes flat, a Nirvana may emerge to re-energize things. I didn't hear a Nirvana in 2005. If you did, let me know.
Early 21st Century Blues. This Cowboy Junkies CD actually got national exposure . . . via The Laura Flanders Show. If others had followed Flanders' lead, this might have been one of the more talked about albums of 2005. The album features two original songs and nine covers. Among the covers are songs by Bob Dylan, from his pre-brand days. I have to be in the mood for their version of John Lennon's "I Don't Want To Be A Solider." Wally enjoyed this but Cedric and I felt that the combination of the Junkies' understated approach and Rebel's rap were an uneasy mix. The album ends on a high note, a cover of U2's "One." Unlike on Mary J. Blige's latest album, you don't wait for Bono to shut up and get out the way so that Blige can work her magic. That's because he's not featured. Margo Timmins' voice is haunting on this song and the covers of Bruce Springsteen's "You're Missing" and "Brothers Under The Bridge" should have resulted in saturation airplay. If you missed this CD, locate a copy and listen.
Portrait of An American Girl. Judy Collins. In May of 2005, I wrote that this album set the standard and would be hard to top. Few even tried. While Dylan became a mega-brand, Collins helped explain why there was ever a form for Dylan to leap off of to begin with -- a strong dedication to conveying truths via music. On this album, Collins covers Joni Mitchell's "That Song About The Midway" which should be reason enough for older fans to be interested. New listeners will be treated to an amazing voice singing words that the artist actually grasps. Shocking in the days where "professional singers" show about as much awareness of the material as a nine-year-old singing into a brush as they stare into a mirror. Standout tracks include "Pacing the Cage" written by Bruce Cockburn. But the beauty of Portrait of An American Girl is how well the entire album feeds off each song. How good is the album? After waiting months for Maggie to return my copy of it, I marked it off as "stolen" in my mind and purchased another copy. At which point, Maggie said, "Oh, I was just about to return that to you." Giving her the benefit of the doubt (and tossing aside all logic and known history), it was still worth purchasing twice.
The Beekeeper. Tori Amos releases The Beekeeper and, as I noted at the time, the sexists come swarming. Why can't she do this, why does she that . . . For those who missed it, the album has much more than the "love song" one critic swooned over. Her duet with Damien Rice ("The Power of Orange Knickers") will sneak up on you with repeated listens. "Mother Revolution" will grab you instantly. But the song that continues to pop up as I'm stuck in traffic or waiting in a check-out line is "Cars and Guitars." It's one of the many songs from 2005 that you should have heard repeatedly over the airwaves but didn't. Amos blazes her own trail, burning through male egos along the way, to judge by the bulk of the reviews.
A Bigger Bang. That's what the Rolling Stones boasted. Albums of the last two decades could explain the skepticsm. But the Stones pulled it off rewarding their long term base and providing enough "bang" to interest some newcomers. As I noted in my review in September, with all the talk of "Sweet Neocon," "Dangerous Beauty" was being overlooked. Mick's angry, he's saucey. It's another of his "fear women" songs but in this case, the fear's appears to be aimed at a certain guard from Abu Ghraib. Energized by events larger and smaller than themselves, the Stones come back to life.
Monkey Business. Cedric recommended this Black Eyed Peas CD to me. We often enjoy the same music, so I checked it out. As readers of my web site know, it's one that I play constantly. But it's not one I reviewed. I could tell you that I enjoyed it. I could cite this song or that. But as to why it works as an album, I didn't have a clue. Similarly, I can recommend it and advise you to avoid Justy's musty contribution but really don't know what else to tell you. Elaine and Betty swear by "Going Gone" as the best track on the album, how about that? Here's what I can swear by: Put this CD on. Loud. That's really says it all.
Those Were The Days. Dolly Parton looked back and, in doing so, commented on today. On the twelve songs, she's not ticking off time as she makes her way through the covers (they're all covers). She's putting a piece of Dolly into each song. This continues her strong rebirth and makes a case for more artists to leave the major labels. I don't think she's sounded so free since the seventies. Her vocals turn, twist and soar. This isn't kerioke night. "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" gets pulled out of the last century and brought to life in this one -- with strong assistance from Lee Ann Womack and Norah Jones on vocals. Judy Collins provides supporting vocals on the Joni Mitchell penned "Both Sides Now." "Wait!" you insist, "didn't Judy have a hit with that?" Yes, and you'll find many singers known for the songs making an appearance on Dolly's covers. If you thought you knew all Dolly could do, be prepared to be surprised.
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings. As I noted, Bright Eyes makes it for me live but on studio albums, is a little too polished for my tastes. That's one reason to purchase this album. Another is that you it acts as a great intro if you're unfamiliar. In fact, it's one of the strongest intro recordings since Living In Clip introduced Ani DiFranco to a wider audience. If you purchased I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and think you already know "We Are Nowhere And It's Now," surprise, you really don't. Check that out, "Landlocked Blues" and, of course, "When A President Talks To God."
A Time To Love. This CD makes a strong case for Stevie Wonder again needing to work with a lyricist. Ignore the lyrics. Thinking of them, or focusing on them, detract from the other accomplishments which, fortunately, are great enough to overcome bromides. Groove on the outstanding music and Stevie's vocals. And join me in hoping that next time round, Stevie has something worth singing about. (Or be like Maggie and say, "Who cares what he's singing, just listen to him sing!"
Back To Bedlam. Here's how that worked. Jess turned Ty onto it, Ty turned me onto it and there hasn't been a day since that I've stopped listening. If you don't know the name "James Blunt," pick up this CD and you will join Jess, Ty, me and many others in the word of mouth chain attesting to the greatness of this album.
Get Behind Me Satan. The White Stripes released this album and critical thought got lost in a chorus of "What does Meg do anyway?" The boys missed it but Meg packs a wallop on the drums. It's the messiest sound you've heard and completely rock. Which may be why the boys who told you in 2004 that Justy had produced art couldn't appreciate the genius of Meg and Jack? This is their best album and one of the best of 2005. Mike'll back me up on that.
Bowery Songs. Joan Baez demonstrated her artistry all over again with Dark Chords On A Big Guitar. This live CD is from one of her tour in support of that album. Get the feeling she knew she had a winner? While others elected 2005 as the year to (once again) explore "The Man/The Myth," Baez explored the music with the best band she's had behind her in years.
Best Reissue:
Victim of Romance. Rebecca got excited about this album and if you listen, you'll understand why. To date, it's the only solo album by Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. This is also the album's first appearance on CD in this country. (A Japanes import has previously been available.) "Aching Kind" has appeared on various compilations by the Mamas and the Papas. The foot stomping fun of "Victim of Romance" may make you wonder why that track hasn't? "Baby As You Walk Away" will make you wish Phillips had recorded another album. With a wonderful booklet and a bookmark as bonus.
Best Compilation:
The Complete Cass Elliot Solo Collection 1968-1971. As I noted in my review in August:
There's a wonderful 28 page booklet with an amazing essay by Richard Barton Campbell, a two page note by Owen Elliot-Kugell (Owen is Cass' daughter), four pages of information on the tracks included and thirteen photographs (I think my favorite is the one on page twelve). And, let me repeat, there are thirty-eight tracks of music.
If you're a Cass fan, this is a must have. You have songs making their first appearance on CD and songs that making their first appearance period such as a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Sistobell Lane." If you're saying, "Who?" Cass was one fourth of the Mamas and the Papas. If you're still in the dark, six words, "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." Need more? Ava and Jess both recommended it as well.
This double disc set is also from Hip-O Select and, if you haven't heard of them before, you should visit their website because they're doing wonderful reissues that are remastered with great care and packaged with extras.
Hopefully, something on the list reflected your own choices. There are probably many other fine choices but one thing that appears more certain is that 2005 was the year the corporations tried to milk a dead cow. That and the fact that Simon & Garfunkel didn't need their own reality-based MTV show to sell millions of copies of Bridge Over Troubled Water was lost as the wags noted million and two and three million sellers as though they were benchmarks.
In every city, town and bedroom community, you couldn't escape the same damn songs. Despite that, the music didn't really sell. Brands don't provide excitement. So in 2005, the artists worth watching were largely on the sidelines. Whether you agreed with my eleven choices, hopefully you found something outside the corporate playlists to speak to you.
Blog Spotlight: Elaine on a writer that speaks to her
Elaine doesn't hate this entry but she doesn't rank it as one of her finest. We think it is one of the finest. (Elaine points out that after bringing up "no peanut butter" she never makes the point that she had to go out to grab something to eat.)
On a writer who speaks to me
I'm late in posting. Mike and I picked topics from Democracy Now!'s headlines today and we did that hours ago. I've been dragging all day and can't attest that anyone received strong therapy at the office today.
Then we got off the phone and Mike probably started his post immediately. I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen. I had a half loaf of bread. In the fridge I had mayonaise, some vegetables that had gone bad and a jar of peanut butter. Looks like a peanut butter sandwich, right? Wrong. It was empty. Except for a spoon. I'd snacked on it while we were pulling the whatever on the latest edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. "Whatever" because I'm not sure what to call to it.
We started early Saturday and were busy mainly with research for the essay before those of us on the east coast (most of us) broke away to begin our New Year's Eve festivities, we'd gotten a lot done but still needed to regroup to firm things up and finish some pieces that had been started. I was already in a foul mood because I'd bumped into an old lover at the party I went to and he expressed interest. Rebecca swears that it's for the best that I didn't join him at his condo but came back here to get on the phone and back to work on the edition. She's probably right. It did end on an unpleasant note and there's probably no point to starting off the year with remorse. But I was in a pity mood while I picked up the phone and grabbed the peanut butter to munch on. Jess sensed my mood and said for everyone to be quiet for a second. During the silence, he played Melanie's "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)" and not over the CD player, he picked up his guitar. I know it helped me focus but I believe it helped everyone.
However, I was talking to Dona on Monday and she thinks that "the crew" that worked on Christmas Eve should have taken New Year's Eve off and let the others put out the edition. She says that was asking a lot out of people and she knew from calling around that everyone was exhausted.
(Not everyone. Betty was home with two sick children and she actually enjoyed having that to do as opposed to, as she put it, "Staring at the walls and thinking, another New Year's alone.")But it really did wipe everyone out. I don't think it was because we all partied hard (though most did).
C.I. was planning on drinking and ended up not. It was too much trouble making sure everything was ready for the party and working on the edition. Then when guests started arriving, C.I. stated that it was "Enjoyment with one eye on the clock."
I really feel for C.I. because the rest of us have had a break from online stuff but C.I's had new stuff up at The Common Ills and no break. Pulling together "The Common Ills Year in Review 2005" did not take two, three or even four hours. It took over twelve. I calculate it at fourteen because I called Monday right as it was about to go up. But C.I. notes that there were three fifteen minute breaks "at least." It was fourteen hours. Which was partly due to problems with the screen freezing up and being slow.
I'll write about the year in review later this week. I'll toss in the two news items you should be aware of at the bottom of the post. Don't expect much from this post by the way.
The one thing I do want to talk about tonight is Kat's "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music." She listed thirteen CDs all told. (Two reissues.) I think it was a strong list. I know last year she worked on something (I'll hunt down the link later in the week) noting some strong albums of the last forty or forty-one years. It was a huge list with some really important albums on it but there were people who were unhappy with it. I hope that's not the reaction this year.
If I made a list, I'd make a point to put Jack Johnson on it. But that's my taste. Kat was very clear that this was her selection and that there are probably other worthy CDs out there.I think she highlighted some albums that really had something to say. Focus on the eleven albums of new recordings and you're seeing people who really made contributions this year.I'm tired but I'll copy and paste the eleven (title and artist, no commentary):
Early 21st Century Blues. This Cowboy Junkies
Portrait of An American Girl. Judy Collins
The Beekeeper. Tori Amos
A Bigger Bang. The Rolling Stones
Monkey Business. The Black Eyed Peas
Those Were The Days. Dolly Parton
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings. Bright Eyes
A Time To Love. Stevie Wonder
Back To Bedlam. James Blunt
Get Behind Me Satan. The White Stripes
Bowery Songs. Joan Baez
Mike said on the phone tonight that he'd just heard the Judy Collins CD since Christmas. He knew the rest and had them. Why? Because he buys when Kat praises. I do as well and have those CDs and others she has noted in 2005. Ty noted a Diana Ross Christmas CD (which I'm too tired to go look up the title of now) and I purchased that as well as Eurythmics based onRebecca's word of mouth.
The point? There was music to get excited about in 2005 and for me the resource for that music was my friends. I can remember talking to C.I. about how disgusting music was not all that long ago. Looking back, I realize it was when "the Disney Kids" were taking over. As a thinking woman, I couldn't get behind that. I was honestly thinking, "Okay, Lainie, you've hit the wall everyone usually hits where you stop listening to anything new and just constantly put on your old favorites."
That really depressed me and I was probably depresed with regards to that for six months despite C.I. constantly noting some CD that wasn't on the radio or mailing me one that wasn't on the radio. Music is really important to me (I've got the Cowboy Junkies on right now) and it's a constant in my life. It can make me think or energize me when I'm tired or down.
I really can't imagine what life would be like without music. Kat doesn't just list some CDs in "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music," she also addresses the problems of coporate consolidation of radio. It's really an amazing piece of writing and she made me laugh when she commented on Billy Idol's "To Be A Lover" video. (I won't spoil your laughter so read her review/commentary/editorial if you remember the video.)
Music should matter to our lives. The excitement that someone I know has over a new CD is infectious. I rush out and purchase (unless they have hugely differing tastes). Thanks to C.I.'s intervention at the beginning of the reign of the Disney Kids, music crept back into my life. Thanks to people like Kat it's a key part of my life again. In case it's not clear, I'm not really a TV watcher. I'm not like C.I. who doesn't watch out of disgust with the lame shows now on. I've just never been that much of a TV watcher. My entire life, it's been come home and turn on the radio or stereo. So music being such a part of my life in 2005 was a big thing to me. Kat's an important voice to me personally. I think the attacks on her were nonsense for any number of reasons. That would include the fact that Kat doesn't have to "correct" her opinion just because a man doesn't like it. That also includes the fact that a woman claiming feminism should have told the man, "Deal with it." Instead, she chose to join in the attacks and attacked Kat in countless e-mails (including one to her reader that she was supposedly apologizing to).
The reality is that the man who couldn't take a passionate woman with thoughts and ideas of her own writes freeze-dried crap that's dead on arrival. Kat did a thing last year (again, I'm too tired and lazy to look up links tonight) where she wrote about how bad writing was killing music.
Bad writing wasn't a typo or a mistake in subject-verb agreement, bad writing was lifeless writing.
She went on to discuss how if you feel passionate about something, you should write about it in that manner. The man who attacked Kat is far too busy trying to appear reasonable and, as Kat noted of people like that a year ago, too busy attempting to impress you with his knowledge (which is limited and reads like he read two books on Bob Dylan before annointing himself an expert).
I read my local paper and several others. It is very rare that a music writer speaks to me anymore. I miss the days of Patti Smith and others who wrote with fire and passion. There was a review in Spin, years ago, of Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night. I wish I knew who wrote that. (It's not available online, I looked over a year ago.) But that was an amazing piece of music writing. The writer tied the album into memories of when Rumors hit, being at a baseball game with some children and the constant refrain of "DON'TSTOPTHINKINGABOUTTOMORROW" in such an amazing way that you felt like you were hearing Tango and Rumors just by reading the review.
The world does not need anymore writers saying, "Unlike on the last album . . ." "This is another benchmark . . ." Or any of the other nonsense that passes for "criticism." Music is an artform, a living one. If you can't create within your review, please don't sap the life out of music by boring us with your factoids.
Kat never writes in that passion-less, dull, plodding manner. She turns criticism into art as the finest music writers have. "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music" went up this morning and I was in one session after another for most of the morning. At lunchtime, I picked up my messages and there were thirty friends who'd called asking that I pass on to Kat how much they enjoyed her writing.
I hadn't even had time to read "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music" myself but I dialed Kat's number and passed on that she was a huge hit with my friends. She asked me what I thought and I had to tell her I'd read it while I listened to Democracy Now!, ate lunch and read it. The program was a strong one today but I kept raising my head and asking, "What was that?" because I was lost in Kat's strong writing.
Music can and should matter. If someone wants to write about it, that should be because they have something to offer which isn't repeating all the factoids you gleanded from a book or two.
Music writing today is too formulaic. Especially reviews which exist around:
1) Set up the album.
2) Now drop back to the last album.
3) Say this is good but note reservations.
4) Toss out two more song titles and give a phrase or two to describe each.
5) Concluding statement.
That kind of writing will kill the enthusiasm for music. So check out Kat's latest because she's picked some artists who made musical art (and statements) worth hearing in 2005. Especially if you're someone that thinks no artists weighed in one the war or the state of the world today in 2005, you should check out Kat's list. People are weighing in, they just aren't getting the attention of the Clear Channels (and are getting slammed by those who put out freeze-dried crap and want to prove how "reasonable" they are).
Now here are two pieces of news that you should know about.
Bush Support Dropping Among Armed Forces (Democracy Now!):
Meanwhile, a new poll by the magazine group Military Times shows support for President Bush among US armed forces has fallen over ten percent in the last year. The survey found support for Bush's overall policies at 60 percent, down from 71 percent. Support for the Iraq war for is at 54 percent - down from 63 percent. The Times says the poll found "diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."
US Air Strike Kills 14 Civilians in Iraq (Democracy Now!):
In Iraq, Reuters is reporting a U.S. air strike has killed 14 members of one Iraqi family in the northern town of Baiji. An Iraqi military spokesperson said the air raid damaged an additional four houses, injuring at least three other people.
I think the items speak for themselves and really only found inspiration today in Kat's musical commentary. Check out the list and support the artists who aren't afraid to make a statement beyond, "Baby, baby, I love you, baby, baby."
the white stripes
stevie wonder
judy collins
tori amos
the rolling stones
bright eyes
joan baez
james blunt
the cowboy junkies
dolly parton
the black eyed peas
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
thomas friedman is a great man
kats korner
the third estate sunday review
the common ills
On a writer who speaks to me
I'm late in posting. Mike and I picked topics from Democracy Now!'s headlines today and we did that hours ago. I've been dragging all day and can't attest that anyone received strong therapy at the office today.
Then we got off the phone and Mike probably started his post immediately. I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen. I had a half loaf of bread. In the fridge I had mayonaise, some vegetables that had gone bad and a jar of peanut butter. Looks like a peanut butter sandwich, right? Wrong. It was empty. Except for a spoon. I'd snacked on it while we were pulling the whatever on the latest edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. "Whatever" because I'm not sure what to call to it.
We started early Saturday and were busy mainly with research for the essay before those of us on the east coast (most of us) broke away to begin our New Year's Eve festivities, we'd gotten a lot done but still needed to regroup to firm things up and finish some pieces that had been started. I was already in a foul mood because I'd bumped into an old lover at the party I went to and he expressed interest. Rebecca swears that it's for the best that I didn't join him at his condo but came back here to get on the phone and back to work on the edition. She's probably right. It did end on an unpleasant note and there's probably no point to starting off the year with remorse. But I was in a pity mood while I picked up the phone and grabbed the peanut butter to munch on. Jess sensed my mood and said for everyone to be quiet for a second. During the silence, he played Melanie's "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)" and not over the CD player, he picked up his guitar. I know it helped me focus but I believe it helped everyone.
However, I was talking to Dona on Monday and she thinks that "the crew" that worked on Christmas Eve should have taken New Year's Eve off and let the others put out the edition. She says that was asking a lot out of people and she knew from calling around that everyone was exhausted.
(Not everyone. Betty was home with two sick children and she actually enjoyed having that to do as opposed to, as she put it, "Staring at the walls and thinking, another New Year's alone.")But it really did wipe everyone out. I don't think it was because we all partied hard (though most did).
C.I. was planning on drinking and ended up not. It was too much trouble making sure everything was ready for the party and working on the edition. Then when guests started arriving, C.I. stated that it was "Enjoyment with one eye on the clock."
I really feel for C.I. because the rest of us have had a break from online stuff but C.I's had new stuff up at The Common Ills and no break. Pulling together "The Common Ills Year in Review 2005" did not take two, three or even four hours. It took over twelve. I calculate it at fourteen because I called Monday right as it was about to go up. But C.I. notes that there were three fifteen minute breaks "at least." It was fourteen hours. Which was partly due to problems with the screen freezing up and being slow.
I'll write about the year in review later this week. I'll toss in the two news items you should be aware of at the bottom of the post. Don't expect much from this post by the way.
The one thing I do want to talk about tonight is Kat's "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music." She listed thirteen CDs all told. (Two reissues.) I think it was a strong list. I know last year she worked on something (I'll hunt down the link later in the week) noting some strong albums of the last forty or forty-one years. It was a huge list with some really important albums on it but there were people who were unhappy with it. I hope that's not the reaction this year.
If I made a list, I'd make a point to put Jack Johnson on it. But that's my taste. Kat was very clear that this was her selection and that there are probably other worthy CDs out there.I think she highlighted some albums that really had something to say. Focus on the eleven albums of new recordings and you're seeing people who really made contributions this year.I'm tired but I'll copy and paste the eleven (title and artist, no commentary):
Early 21st Century Blues. This Cowboy Junkies
Portrait of An American Girl. Judy Collins
The Beekeeper. Tori Amos
A Bigger Bang. The Rolling Stones
Monkey Business. The Black Eyed Peas
Those Were The Days. Dolly Parton
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings. Bright Eyes
A Time To Love. Stevie Wonder
Back To Bedlam. James Blunt
Get Behind Me Satan. The White Stripes
Bowery Songs. Joan Baez
Mike said on the phone tonight that he'd just heard the Judy Collins CD since Christmas. He knew the rest and had them. Why? Because he buys when Kat praises. I do as well and have those CDs and others she has noted in 2005. Ty noted a Diana Ross Christmas CD (which I'm too tired to go look up the title of now) and I purchased that as well as Eurythmics based onRebecca's word of mouth.
The point? There was music to get excited about in 2005 and for me the resource for that music was my friends. I can remember talking to C.I. about how disgusting music was not all that long ago. Looking back, I realize it was when "the Disney Kids" were taking over. As a thinking woman, I couldn't get behind that. I was honestly thinking, "Okay, Lainie, you've hit the wall everyone usually hits where you stop listening to anything new and just constantly put on your old favorites."
That really depressed me and I was probably depresed with regards to that for six months despite C.I. constantly noting some CD that wasn't on the radio or mailing me one that wasn't on the radio. Music is really important to me (I've got the Cowboy Junkies on right now) and it's a constant in my life. It can make me think or energize me when I'm tired or down.
I really can't imagine what life would be like without music. Kat doesn't just list some CDs in "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music," she also addresses the problems of coporate consolidation of radio. It's really an amazing piece of writing and she made me laugh when she commented on Billy Idol's "To Be A Lover" video. (I won't spoil your laughter so read her review/commentary/editorial if you remember the video.)
Music should matter to our lives. The excitement that someone I know has over a new CD is infectious. I rush out and purchase (unless they have hugely differing tastes). Thanks to C.I.'s intervention at the beginning of the reign of the Disney Kids, music crept back into my life. Thanks to people like Kat it's a key part of my life again. In case it's not clear, I'm not really a TV watcher. I'm not like C.I. who doesn't watch out of disgust with the lame shows now on. I've just never been that much of a TV watcher. My entire life, it's been come home and turn on the radio or stereo. So music being such a part of my life in 2005 was a big thing to me. Kat's an important voice to me personally. I think the attacks on her were nonsense for any number of reasons. That would include the fact that Kat doesn't have to "correct" her opinion just because a man doesn't like it. That also includes the fact that a woman claiming feminism should have told the man, "Deal with it." Instead, she chose to join in the attacks and attacked Kat in countless e-mails (including one to her reader that she was supposedly apologizing to).
The reality is that the man who couldn't take a passionate woman with thoughts and ideas of her own writes freeze-dried crap that's dead on arrival. Kat did a thing last year (again, I'm too tired and lazy to look up links tonight) where she wrote about how bad writing was killing music.
Bad writing wasn't a typo or a mistake in subject-verb agreement, bad writing was lifeless writing.
She went on to discuss how if you feel passionate about something, you should write about it in that manner. The man who attacked Kat is far too busy trying to appear reasonable and, as Kat noted of people like that a year ago, too busy attempting to impress you with his knowledge (which is limited and reads like he read two books on Bob Dylan before annointing himself an expert).
I read my local paper and several others. It is very rare that a music writer speaks to me anymore. I miss the days of Patti Smith and others who wrote with fire and passion. There was a review in Spin, years ago, of Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night. I wish I knew who wrote that. (It's not available online, I looked over a year ago.) But that was an amazing piece of music writing. The writer tied the album into memories of when Rumors hit, being at a baseball game with some children and the constant refrain of "DON'TSTOPTHINKINGABOUTTOMORROW" in such an amazing way that you felt like you were hearing Tango and Rumors just by reading the review.
The world does not need anymore writers saying, "Unlike on the last album . . ." "This is another benchmark . . ." Or any of the other nonsense that passes for "criticism." Music is an artform, a living one. If you can't create within your review, please don't sap the life out of music by boring us with your factoids.
Kat never writes in that passion-less, dull, plodding manner. She turns criticism into art as the finest music writers have. "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music" went up this morning and I was in one session after another for most of the morning. At lunchtime, I picked up my messages and there were thirty friends who'd called asking that I pass on to Kat how much they enjoyed her writing.
I hadn't even had time to read "Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music" myself but I dialed Kat's number and passed on that she was a huge hit with my friends. She asked me what I thought and I had to tell her I'd read it while I listened to Democracy Now!, ate lunch and read it. The program was a strong one today but I kept raising my head and asking, "What was that?" because I was lost in Kat's strong writing.
Music can and should matter. If someone wants to write about it, that should be because they have something to offer which isn't repeating all the factoids you gleanded from a book or two.
Music writing today is too formulaic. Especially reviews which exist around:
1) Set up the album.
2) Now drop back to the last album.
3) Say this is good but note reservations.
4) Toss out two more song titles and give a phrase or two to describe each.
5) Concluding statement.
That kind of writing will kill the enthusiasm for music. So check out Kat's latest because she's picked some artists who made musical art (and statements) worth hearing in 2005. Especially if you're someone that thinks no artists weighed in one the war or the state of the world today in 2005, you should check out Kat's list. People are weighing in, they just aren't getting the attention of the Clear Channels (and are getting slammed by those who put out freeze-dried crap and want to prove how "reasonable" they are).
Now here are two pieces of news that you should know about.
Bush Support Dropping Among Armed Forces (Democracy Now!):
Meanwhile, a new poll by the magazine group Military Times shows support for President Bush among US armed forces has fallen over ten percent in the last year. The survey found support for Bush's overall policies at 60 percent, down from 71 percent. Support for the Iraq war for is at 54 percent - down from 63 percent. The Times says the poll found "diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."
US Air Strike Kills 14 Civilians in Iraq (Democracy Now!):
In Iraq, Reuters is reporting a U.S. air strike has killed 14 members of one Iraqi family in the northern town of Baiji. An Iraqi military spokesperson said the air raid damaged an additional four houses, injuring at least three other people.
I think the items speak for themselves and really only found inspiration today in Kat's musical commentary. Check out the list and support the artists who aren't afraid to make a statement beyond, "Baby, baby, I love you, baby, baby."
the white stripes
stevie wonder
judy collins
tori amos
the rolling stones
bright eyes
joan baez
james blunt
the cowboy junkies
dolly parton
the black eyed peas
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
thomas friedman is a great man
kats korner
the third estate sunday review
the common ills
Blog Spotlight: Mike on the Bully Boy, the air war and 2005
We asked Mike to talk about this entry and then, while he was thinking of something to say, Ty looked at his watch and asked if we realized the time? Nope. This is Mike's entry. He blogged regularly last week and Cedric said we should note that as well.
Military turns against Bully Boy, air war and 2005
Good evening and hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. Let's kick things off with Democracy Now!
Bush Support Dropping Among Armed Forces
Meanwhile, a new poll by the magazine group Military Times shows support for President Bush among US armed forces has fallen over ten percent in the last year. The survey found support for Bush's overall policies at 60 percent, down from 71 percent. Support for the Iraq war for is at 54 percent - down from 63 percent. The Times says the poll found "diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."
Reminds me of the movie, Sir, No, Sir. Hope I got the title right. But that's where we are now with Bully Boy losing support daily. From every quarter. He's earned the response and then some and, fingers crossed for luck, maybe 2006 will be the year where the impeachment talk really gets off the ground? If not, maybe we can at least prevent him from launching another war.
US Air Strike Kills 14 Civilians in Iraq
In Iraq, Reuters is reporting a U.S. air strike has killed 14 members of one Iraqi family in the northern town of Baiji. An Iraqi military spokesperson said the air raid damaged an additional four houses, injuring at least three other people.
Smart bombs? Smart bombs kill. They may be "smart" and they may not be. Looking at the first Gulf War, they could just as easily be called "Idiot Bombs." Take out innocent civilians, destroy homes. Winning hearts and minds?
Be sure to check out Elaine's site Like Maria Said Paz. She'll be posting today and everyone took off Monday because we were wiped out from New Year's Eve and from taking part in that and helping put together the latest edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. We all decided to take a needed day off as we finished working on that edition. For me and Elaine that meant posting the stuff we usually do before Sunday on Sunday. I did mine right after the edition was done and Elaine did her's later Sunday night.
My buddy Wally decided to start the new year by posting late to The Daily Jot. How come? Even with him saying, "This isn't a morning blog" people keep assuming it is. So he wanted to start his first post of the new year later and hopefully get that point across.Who didn't take the day off (and who probably needed it the most)? Did you guess C.I.? If not, you haven't been to The Common Ills. There was new stuff up at The Common Ills while the rest of us were resting. Tony came by today and pointed that out but wondered why there wasn't more? I told Tony, "You've got to be kidding." We were all wiped out on January first and putting together the year in review alone took close to half a day.
When I put it like that, Tony got the point. If anyone else missed it, hopefully that explained it to you.
We all tried to encourage C.I. to take the day off but while I can blow off a day and others can to, C.I. feels like there has to be at least one thing up at The Common Ills each day or members will be let down. Thinking about Tony's initial reaction, I'm wondering who else felt there wasn't enough up at The Common Ills? If you're one of them, I hope you'll take a moment to think about how much work goes into The Common Ills and not just in doing those posts but in going through the e-mails and all the stuff involved. I don't put a tenth of that work into this site. (And I still think C.I. should have taken the day off.)
Besides the entries keeping you up to date on the news, here's what else you missed at The Common Ills if you took some time for yourself (and if you did, good for you):
"The Common Ills Year in Review 2005"
The mother of all entries! Seriously, it covers almost everything and Dad called it a "Tolstoy read." Need another reason to read it? Ma's quoted in it. And thank you to Carl for selecting something of mine as worthy of attention. I had forgotten that thing and was really glad it was in there because I was talking about, in July, how people would rather talk about Brad and Angelina than the war in Iraq and C.I. went from my talking about that to Wally talking about the same topic in November. No kidding. Wally's mother had been watching the local news and they go "Next, an attack in Iraq and Brad and Angelina" or something like that. It was still treated like it was "news" and that's pretty silly and disgusting if you want my opinion.
"Ruth's Year End Report"
Also worth checking out. Ruth's got a plan for 2006 and I think it's a great one. What's the plan? Hey lazy bones, read her entry. She's talking about where public radio is and where it should be and what her focus is going to be for 2006. And along the way, she'll make you laugh and she'll make you think.
"Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music"
Kat will make you laugh too. And she mentions me! Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes is a killer CD. I like all of Kat's picks for 2005 and since my Dad got Judy Collins' Portrait of An American Girl from my oldest brother for Christmas, I've really been able to hear that one. That's the one that was new to me from the list. I had the others ones myself.
democracy now
the common ills
like maria said paz
the daily jot
mikey likes it
the white stripes
air war
iraq
2005 in review
kats korner
ruths morning edition report
judy collins
the third estate sunday review
Military turns against Bully Boy, air war and 2005
Good evening and hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. Let's kick things off with Democracy Now!
Bush Support Dropping Among Armed Forces
Meanwhile, a new poll by the magazine group Military Times shows support for President Bush among US armed forces has fallen over ten percent in the last year. The survey found support for Bush's overall policies at 60 percent, down from 71 percent. Support for the Iraq war for is at 54 percent - down from 63 percent. The Times says the poll found "diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."
Reminds me of the movie, Sir, No, Sir. Hope I got the title right. But that's where we are now with Bully Boy losing support daily. From every quarter. He's earned the response and then some and, fingers crossed for luck, maybe 2006 will be the year where the impeachment talk really gets off the ground? If not, maybe we can at least prevent him from launching another war.
US Air Strike Kills 14 Civilians in Iraq
In Iraq, Reuters is reporting a U.S. air strike has killed 14 members of one Iraqi family in the northern town of Baiji. An Iraqi military spokesperson said the air raid damaged an additional four houses, injuring at least three other people.
Smart bombs? Smart bombs kill. They may be "smart" and they may not be. Looking at the first Gulf War, they could just as easily be called "Idiot Bombs." Take out innocent civilians, destroy homes. Winning hearts and minds?
Be sure to check out Elaine's site Like Maria Said Paz. She'll be posting today and everyone took off Monday because we were wiped out from New Year's Eve and from taking part in that and helping put together the latest edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. We all decided to take a needed day off as we finished working on that edition. For me and Elaine that meant posting the stuff we usually do before Sunday on Sunday. I did mine right after the edition was done and Elaine did her's later Sunday night.
My buddy Wally decided to start the new year by posting late to The Daily Jot. How come? Even with him saying, "This isn't a morning blog" people keep assuming it is. So he wanted to start his first post of the new year later and hopefully get that point across.Who didn't take the day off (and who probably needed it the most)? Did you guess C.I.? If not, you haven't been to The Common Ills. There was new stuff up at The Common Ills while the rest of us were resting. Tony came by today and pointed that out but wondered why there wasn't more? I told Tony, "You've got to be kidding." We were all wiped out on January first and putting together the year in review alone took close to half a day.
When I put it like that, Tony got the point. If anyone else missed it, hopefully that explained it to you.
We all tried to encourage C.I. to take the day off but while I can blow off a day and others can to, C.I. feels like there has to be at least one thing up at The Common Ills each day or members will be let down. Thinking about Tony's initial reaction, I'm wondering who else felt there wasn't enough up at The Common Ills? If you're one of them, I hope you'll take a moment to think about how much work goes into The Common Ills and not just in doing those posts but in going through the e-mails and all the stuff involved. I don't put a tenth of that work into this site. (And I still think C.I. should have taken the day off.)
Besides the entries keeping you up to date on the news, here's what else you missed at The Common Ills if you took some time for yourself (and if you did, good for you):
"The Common Ills Year in Review 2005"
The mother of all entries! Seriously, it covers almost everything and Dad called it a "Tolstoy read." Need another reason to read it? Ma's quoted in it. And thank you to Carl for selecting something of mine as worthy of attention. I had forgotten that thing and was really glad it was in there because I was talking about, in July, how people would rather talk about Brad and Angelina than the war in Iraq and C.I. went from my talking about that to Wally talking about the same topic in November. No kidding. Wally's mother had been watching the local news and they go "Next, an attack in Iraq and Brad and Angelina" or something like that. It was still treated like it was "news" and that's pretty silly and disgusting if you want my opinion.
"Ruth's Year End Report"
Also worth checking out. Ruth's got a plan for 2006 and I think it's a great one. What's the plan? Hey lazy bones, read her entry. She's talking about where public radio is and where it should be and what her focus is going to be for 2006. And along the way, she'll make you laugh and she'll make you think.
"Kat's Korner: 2005 in Music"
Kat will make you laugh too. And she mentions me! Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes is a killer CD. I like all of Kat's picks for 2005 and since my Dad got Judy Collins' Portrait of An American Girl from my oldest brother for Christmas, I've really been able to hear that one. That's the one that was new to me from the list. I had the others ones myself.
democracy now
the common ills
like maria said paz
the daily jot
mikey likes it
the white stripes
air war
iraq
2005 in review
kats korner
ruths morning edition report
judy collins
the third estate sunday review
Blog Spotlight: Wally on posting
Below is Wally's entry "2005: Bully Boy Exposed." We debated which one of Wally's entries to go with but Betty succesfully argued for this one due to the fact that it "gets the word out" that Wally's site doesn't have to be up first thing in the morning.
Did you miss The Daily Jot? I took off Monday because I was beyond tired after we finished The Third Estate Sunday Review and needed a break, we all did. And since I still get e-mails whenever I don't have a post up first thing in the morning, I made the decision that on Tuesday, I'd post late to get the point across that The Daily Jot doesn't have to go up in the morning. I'd like it to. It's like brushing my teeth, something I'd like to deal with first thing but sometimes that can't happen.
Cartoon is Isaiah's "Bully Boy Exposed" from his The World Today Just Nuts comic strip.It should make you chuckle. It made me laugh.
And I'm going to jot a bit about "The Common Ills Year in Review 2005." Hope you already caught that. It's a great look back at the issues that mattered in 2005 and the people who made a difference. And thanks to Joey and Kara (and C.I.) for thinking two things I did were worth noting in that. I read "The Common Ills Year in Review 2005" and didn't just get a sense of some headlines but saw how much the country went through in 2005 and how much the people woke up. I enjoyed hearing people's picks for what stood out and why. So if you haven't check it out, here's the link one more time "The Common Ills Year in Review 2005"
I'm going to be noting Isaiah's comic strip for the next three Jots, by the way. I think he was an important voice in 2005 and he provided us with laughter while making us think. Today's comic was picked because it does reflect 2005, Bully Boy was exposed for what he was.
the world today just nuts
the common ills
2005 in review
Song spotlight: Bye, bye Bob Somerby
We love joint-entries. This one we love as well because we're big fans of Don McClean's song "American Pie" and because the new lyrics by Rebecca and C.I. are very funny. This appeared at Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude as well as at The Common Ills.
A long, long time ago . . . I can still remember how
That Howler used to make me smile.
And I knew if I clicked the link,
That it could make me think,
And maybe make me laugh for awhile.
But Larry Summers made me shiver,
New Republicans you'd prop and deliver,
Depressing my morning routine . . .
I couldn't take another read.
I can't remember if I cried
When I heard about your conflict inside
But something ended the crazy ride
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
Did you write the (slam) book on Joe (Wilson)
And did you sell your soul?
If a buddy tells you so
Do you repeat GOP spin?
Who will save your mortal soul
Who will walk you through slow?
Well I know you're friends with him
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both took out your knives
Went after Joe Wilson with spin and lies.
I was a depressed woman in a funk
Pissed off at the election and the bully punk
And I knew that the Howler was sunk
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
Now for the next election cycle we're on our own
And that might make some moan and groan
But you're off in the DLC zone
The jester jumping the king to push the queen
In a coat borrowed from Time magazine
In a voice that came from you and you know who
And while the queen was acting a hawk
You were silent on Iraq
You were clowning to the max
Self-disclosure was real lax.
While Naomi read from the book of Baghad
We were gathered in Central Park
But you were somewhere in the dark
The day the Howler died.
So ... bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
New York Times in the summer scandal
Judy Miller left without shelter
Kicked off her perch and falling fast
She landed foul upon the grass.
But you never wrote of her or him
And in the end that did you in
Now you're the daily fool
Who broke his own rules
A crank, no longer cool.
As the truth tried to take the field
Spin, you refused to yield
Even so you've been revealed
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
There we were all in defeat
No time left to clown on the beat
The Constitution taking heat
But Bob be obtuse
Bob be a bore
Bob tell us about '99 once more
Cause you've got so little to say about today.
As I watched you divert from the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
Not even Joan Baez speaking real
Could break your Faustian deal
And as smoke poured from the screen
Robert Novak wasn't that mean
The day the Howler died.
There was a time when I sang the blues
But you could cheer me up with your views
Those days have long faded away.
I went back to the source within
Where I found strength to begin
And no sexists were allowed
And in the streets Kim Gandy screamed
The women gathered and the women dreamed
Not a word of you was spoken
Your promise had long been broken
And the three women I admire the most
Naomi, Gandy and Gloria the most
Said that this was no time to coast
And the Howler died.
So ... bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
A long, long time ago . . . I can still remember how
That Howler used to make me smile.
And I knew if I clicked the link,
That it could make me think,
And maybe make me laugh for awhile.
But Larry Summers made me shiver,
New Republicans you'd prop and deliver,
Depressing my morning routine . . .
I couldn't take another read.
I can't remember if I cried
When I heard about your conflict inside
But something ended the crazy ride
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
Did you write the (slam) book on Joe (Wilson)
And did you sell your soul?
If a buddy tells you so
Do you repeat GOP spin?
Who will save your mortal soul
Who will walk you through slow?
Well I know you're friends with him
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both took out your knives
Went after Joe Wilson with spin and lies.
I was a depressed woman in a funk
Pissed off at the election and the bully punk
And I knew that the Howler was sunk
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
Now for the next election cycle we're on our own
And that might make some moan and groan
But you're off in the DLC zone
The jester jumping the king to push the queen
In a coat borrowed from Time magazine
In a voice that came from you and you know who
And while the queen was acting a hawk
You were silent on Iraq
You were clowning to the max
Self-disclosure was real lax.
While Naomi read from the book of Baghad
We were gathered in Central Park
But you were somewhere in the dark
The day the Howler died.
So ... bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
New York Times in the summer scandal
Judy Miller left without shelter
Kicked off her perch and falling fast
She landed foul upon the grass.
But you never wrote of her or him
And in the end that did you in
Now you're the daily fool
Who broke his own rules
A crank, no longer cool.
As the truth tried to take the field
Spin, you refused to yield
Even so you've been revealed
The day the Howler died.
So . . . bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
There we were all in defeat
No time left to clown on the beat
The Constitution taking heat
But Bob be obtuse
Bob be a bore
Bob tell us about '99 once more
Cause you've got so little to say about today.
As I watched you divert from the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
Not even Joan Baez speaking real
Could break your Faustian deal
And as smoke poured from the screen
Robert Novak wasn't that mean
The day the Howler died.
There was a time when I sang the blues
But you could cheer me up with your views
Those days have long faded away.
I went back to the source within
Where I found strength to begin
And no sexists were allowed
And in the streets Kim Gandy screamed
The women gathered and the women dreamed
Not a word of you was spoken
Your promise had long been broken
And the three women I admire the most
Naomi, Gandy and Gloria the most
Said that this was no time to coast
And the Howler died.
So ... bye, bye Bob Somerby
Checked out the conflict and the conflict was inside (of you)
And like Cokie and Tim you took people for a ride
Singing "You shall never see me clown
You shall never see me clown."
Spotlight: In entertainment terms . . .
This may be the shortest entry C.I.'s ever composed. But it packs a punch. We laughed when we read it. Then Ava explained another aspect of it to us and we laughed even harder. When Bette Davis left Warner Brothers, Joan Crawford was the "queen of the lot." Her parting note was an attempted put down. We really laughed when Ava explained that to us.
Drama queens
Dateline Hollywood.
Finishing her final scene, Miss Bette Davis completed work on Beyond the Forest, ending her long term contract with Warner Brothers. Collecting her things in her dressing room, Miss Davis left a note for the studio property manager suggesting that her star dressing room go to her natural successor . . . Miss Jane Wyman.
Dateline Cyberspace.
Winding down his own Beyond the Forest ("What a dump!"), Mister Bob Somerby began clearing out his dressing room and left a parting note passing "much of our hallowed old ground to our successor, Franklin Foer."
Drama queens
Dateline Hollywood.
Finishing her final scene, Miss Bette Davis completed work on Beyond the Forest, ending her long term contract with Warner Brothers. Collecting her things in her dressing room, Miss Davis left a note for the studio property manager suggesting that her star dressing room go to her natural successor . . . Miss Jane Wyman.
Dateline Cyberspace.
Winding down his own Beyond the Forest ("What a dump!"), Mister Bob Somerby began clearing out his dressing room and left a parting note passing "much of our hallowed old ground to our successor, Franklin Foer."
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