Those of us who are adults remember where we were at certain moments of history. OS admits to his age when he tells you of sitting in his elementary school classroom on 11 November 1963, seeing a tearful teacher poke her head through the door who blurted out: 'Turn on the television! The President's been shot!'
Likewise, the memory of the moment of hearing of John Lennon's senseless murder is burned in the brain. That terrible sense of loss, knowing that a creative voice had just been stilled.
OS has mixed feelings about Mr. Lennon. He was a brilliant creative voice, who emerged from the neighborhoods of post-war Liverpool; as unlikely a success story as one would ever encounter. He and his mates adopted the American (born in the South!) idiom of rock-n-roll, blended it with their own cultural upbringing (including a good bit of English music-hall material, and a more classical approach to melody than they even suspected at the time), and sang it back to us all. They absolutely transformed the culture of the day, and we're still sorting out whether for better or worse.
Mr. Lennon also embodied much of the 'gonzo' wackiness of his day, and publicly participated in and promoted its drug and ego-fueled excesses, for which we are still paying a dear price. But by the time he was taken from us, he had settled a bit. OS heard awoke this morning to the interview of a journalist who had spent three weeks with the Lennons in New York, recording interviews with John. He had embraced fatherhood, and was particularly proud that he had learned how to bake bread. He was not so much interested in recounting the past as planning for his future, at one point saying, 'Look, I'm only forty! Paul's thirty-eight. Think of Elton, Bob Dylan...we may all have forty productive years ahead of us.'
And, then came the end. So we are left with what he did to that point. Which is a sobering thought, since we are none of us guaranteed tomorrow.
Thirty years on, the press coverage of the wacky excesses becomes a curiosity, and the wacky excesses are just that, no more. His vision of 'Imagine' doesn't hold up, no matter how pretty the song. Like all of us, he had the right to be wrong, and unlike most of us, he did it in public.
John Lennon left behind a body of work that still speaks afresh, and universally. Old boomers like OS grew up on his music, and OS's kids embraced it for themselves. Because it's a wonderful body of work--OS raised very sophisticated kids, not easily impressed.
Here's an exercise: Stop for a moment, and quickly sing back to yourself as much of the following songs as you can recall. Don't think about it, just go for it.
Yesterday
Eleanor Rigby
Help
Michelle
You probably can recall most of the melody and lyric. That's extraordinary, because the list could be stretched to twenty titles. That's a body of work.
John and Paul, at their best moments, created a sort of secular hymnody, a common set of songs that ring in the mind, and shape how many people view their world.
Wednesday night, Mr. and Mrs. OS were daubing tears from their eyes as they viewed the final episode from this season of The Choir, on BBC America. (Here's hoping the episodes are re-run, and that you get to see them. Have tissues close at hand.) Young Gareth, the conductor, takes the choir into Abbey Road studio to record an arrangement of "In My Life", and Mrs. OS exclaims, "It's secular hymnody". And she was, of course and as always, spot on. The video below does not include the final performance, but it shows the choir rehearsing this song in this place most associated with the Beatles. The camera catches faces as lines are rehearsed, and one can almost see choir members' memories scanning back to the people they loved and perhaps lost. The song itself gathers the memories for them, and there they are, singing that song in that place. Words fail at moments like this.
For whatever John Lennon may or may not have done or accomplished, he left behind a body of work that will move millions of people to the bottoms of their hearts for many years to come. Very few of us get that privilege, or accomplish a tenth of that sort of contribution to the world.
May he rest in peace, and may his memory be blessed.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Well, Cut My Legs Off And Call Me Shorty: Obama Actually Vetoed HR 3808
...which would have given the banksters free reign to continue their fraudulent practices in the mortgage markets.
The memo is here.
The memorandum is both civil in tone and unequivocal in meaning. That's a first for any Democrat politician for decades. Remember, Bill (It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is.) Clinton is a major hero to these folks.
Had Obama signed it into law, heaven only knows what may have resulted. Thanks to people like Karl Denninger who raise holy hell about this stuff on a daily basis.
The memo is here.
The memorandum is both civil in tone and unequivocal in meaning. That's a first for any Democrat politician for decades. Remember, Bill (It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is.) Clinton is a major hero to these folks.
Had Obama signed it into law, heaven only knows what may have resulted. Thanks to people like Karl Denninger who raise holy hell about this stuff on a daily basis.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Katherine Birbalsingh Throws Down The Gauntlet, And The Parents Rally Behind Her
It takes some chutzpah for a teacher to stand in front of the world and deliver this kind of speech. Eight minutes of inspirational truth-telling, for which her school administrators attempted to run her out of her job on a rail. They were gathering the feathers, and heating the tar to apply to her insolent uppity backside, when the parents of her students rallied 'round.
Katherine is The Left's nightmare, on both sides of the pond.
She is, well, a she. And, she's strikingly pretty to boot.
She is Oxford-educated, articulate, accomplished, experienced.
She is a person of color.
She has a sense of humor, and knows how to use it.
She abandoned the Marxism of her university days as her experience as a teacher, and her conscience, demonstrated the abject failure of ThePeopleInChargeOfSuchThings and their leftist agenda. She saw children's lives damaged by this ideology, and she decided to speak up.
Within the first thirty seconds, she gets to the point: '...the system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor'. It only gets better from there!
A big-ole heapin' helpin' of Green Shoots Award to this brave woman.
And kudos to Cranmer, for raising unshirted hell about her mistreatment.
Katherine is The Left's nightmare, on both sides of the pond.
She is, well, a she. And, she's strikingly pretty to boot.
She is Oxford-educated, articulate, accomplished, experienced.
She is a person of color.
She has a sense of humor, and knows how to use it.
She abandoned the Marxism of her university days as her experience as a teacher, and her conscience, demonstrated the abject failure of ThePeopleInChargeOfSuchThings and their leftist agenda. She saw children's lives damaged by this ideology, and she decided to speak up.
Within the first thirty seconds, she gets to the point: '...the system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor'. It only gets better from there!
A big-ole heapin' helpin' of Green Shoots Award to this brave woman.
And kudos to Cranmer, for raising unshirted hell about her mistreatment.
OS Has A Change Of Heart: So Does Sony--No Pressure
Well, there does appear to be some blowback about the 10:10 set of videos released this week--you know, the ones featuring a teacher, an exec, and a radio producer pushing a little red button and blowing up children, employees, and a voice-over performer. Because they disagree with the idea that they should change everything about their lives in order to combat 'global warming'.
You know, No Pressure.
Sony has back-pedaled away from this bit of evil as quickly as it can, as evidenced here, and many other places across the planet.
The UK's O2 has decided to stand by their favorite fascists, in the tradition of Tammy Wynette; but Eugenie Harvey, director of 10:10 UK, issued an official (if insincere) apology.
This was not some public relations gaffe--an executive caught being a bit too candid, or even the sort of Tiger-Woods-what-were-you-thinking sort of public meltdown.
This was deliberate.
It takes a lot of time, thought, money and energy to shoot three short films; actors to cast, storyboards and scripts to write and get approved by the people who spend the money to make the films, shot locations to secure, crew to hire, editing, special effects, etc. Video/film runs at thirty frames per second, and every frame included is a deliberate decision.
So, OS has had a change of heart, and is making his own deliberate decision to post the video with all three of these evil short films for his readers to peruse. OS has also made another deliberate decision--he doesn't want to live in a world run by the kind of people who would produce this sort of thing, who would approve of their production, and who may even think this approach to private choice and public dissent is desirable. That's been tried again and again, in Germany, Russia, China, Japan, North Korea and Cambodia, to name a few examples from the past ninety years or so. Tens of millions died horrible deaths as a result. (Eugenie's only sincere regret is that her crew got caught in the act of being themselves, portraying the sort of world they have planned for the rest of us.)
Not here, not now, not ever. So, OS's gonna keep on scribbling and working and praying Providence protects his country from the people who run it. And, he's gonna post that piece of evil on his piece of the digital real estate, as a warning to anyone who may stop by to view it. That's what he can do today.
You know, No Pressure.
Sony has back-pedaled away from this bit of evil as quickly as it can, as evidenced here, and many other places across the planet.
The UK's O2 has decided to stand by their favorite fascists, in the tradition of Tammy Wynette; but Eugenie Harvey, director of 10:10 UK, issued an official (if insincere) apology.
This was not some public relations gaffe--an executive caught being a bit too candid, or even the sort of Tiger-Woods-what-were-you-thinking sort of public meltdown.
This was deliberate.
It takes a lot of time, thought, money and energy to shoot three short films; actors to cast, storyboards and scripts to write and get approved by the people who spend the money to make the films, shot locations to secure, crew to hire, editing, special effects, etc. Video/film runs at thirty frames per second, and every frame included is a deliberate decision.
So, OS has had a change of heart, and is making his own deliberate decision to post the video with all three of these evil short films for his readers to peruse. OS has also made another deliberate decision--he doesn't want to live in a world run by the kind of people who would produce this sort of thing, who would approve of their production, and who may even think this approach to private choice and public dissent is desirable. That's been tried again and again, in Germany, Russia, China, Japan, North Korea and Cambodia, to name a few examples from the past ninety years or so. Tens of millions died horrible deaths as a result. (Eugenie's only sincere regret is that her crew got caught in the act of being themselves, portraying the sort of world they have planned for the rest of us.)
Not here, not now, not ever. So, OS's gonna keep on scribbling and working and praying Providence protects his country from the people who run it. And, he's gonna post that piece of evil on his piece of the digital real estate, as a warning to anyone who may stop by to view it. That's what he can do today.
Transcendence: Marines, Sousa Marches, Golf In A Gale, And South Oxhey
OldSouth just returned home from an extraordinary evening, spent in a basketball arena with the United States Marine Band and a large enthusiastic audience. It had been a long day. It was a long drive to the venue. He almost decided against going, and is so grateful he did.
The music-making was extraordinary, on so many levels. As a kid of nineteen, OS sat in a balcony at the Salzburg Festival, and watched Herbert von Karajan conduct Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, with the Vienna Phil in the pit. For them, it was another day at the office. For OS, it was a revelation to hear that music played in its true tradition and context. It was an 'A-ha' moment. 'Oh, that's how it's supposed to sound.'
Tonight was one of those experiences, which (as they always do) came as a surprise. To hear the Sousa marches performed by the organization he so indelibly shaped was revelatory. The music marched and danced at the same time, and the transparency of the scores in their detail became apparent. 'Semper Fidelis' performed with the complement of six cornets and two trumpets seemed almost lighter than air. 'Stars and Stripes' with four flawless piccolos on that countermelody (in tune!) seemed to take wings.
The band presented serious concert literature as well. Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses was heavy going at first, but the audience hung in, and were won over. The Persichetti Psalm for Band, potentially as challenging to a lay audience, held their rapt attention.
The patriotic numbers were more poignant and heartfelt than OS was expecting, as the audience sang along on the opening stanza of 'My Country, 'Tis Of Thee', singing and applauding simultaneously as they arrived at the closing line--'let freedom ring', likewise as they sang Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America'. It was an audience full of vets, of soldiers' families, children and friends. These people have true 'skin in the game', in ways your average Ivy League liberal can never understand. No cynicism here, no intellectual's distance to be found between these people and the words they sang.
After the concert, the one band member from Tennessee was surrounded by a small mob of retired Marines, shaking his hand, having their pictures taken with the kid, slathering attention and love on the young man. It was extraordinary--they were all Marines, from the 80-year old guys in the funny hats to the shy 25-year old in his bright red concert dress, holding his trombone.
It was, well, transcendent. The evening was such a contrast to the banality and cynicism of so much of the culture. This music and this experience put the audience in contact with something that resonated deep within them: beauty experienced in community, in a cause bigger than their own entertainment or satisfaction.
And, it's been that sort of week. Mr. and Mrs. OS watched the season's final episode of The Choir Wednesday evening, with misty eyes, as young Gareth takes on the town of South Oxhey, north of London and essentially marooned and forgotten by the county that surrounds it. As the townfolk found their own voices, and learned how to sing and work together, that transcendence made itself known. And, the intrepid young conductor, on a mission to transform a town and then leave, found himself transformed by it, and remaining.
Transcendence.
Two teams of golfers battle the course, the elements and their nerves, until the American doffs his hat, shakes the Englishman's hand and concedes the match and tournament, and it dawns on the Welsh crowd that their boys just won, by one-half of a point. There was that moment of quiet just before the roar as it dawned upon everyone what had transpired.
Transcendence.
OS believes we cannot live without it, but that it must be the real thing; not the pale imitations promised by those who keep trying to peddle us aphrodisiacs, hair implants, weight-loss schemes, get-rich-quick courses, porn, drugs, political utopias and $80,000 automobiles.
Tonight was the real thing.
'Oh, that's how it's supposed to be...'
The music-making was extraordinary, on so many levels. As a kid of nineteen, OS sat in a balcony at the Salzburg Festival, and watched Herbert von Karajan conduct Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, with the Vienna Phil in the pit. For them, it was another day at the office. For OS, it was a revelation to hear that music played in its true tradition and context. It was an 'A-ha' moment. 'Oh, that's how it's supposed to sound.'
Tonight was one of those experiences, which (as they always do) came as a surprise. To hear the Sousa marches performed by the organization he so indelibly shaped was revelatory. The music marched and danced at the same time, and the transparency of the scores in their detail became apparent. 'Semper Fidelis' performed with the complement of six cornets and two trumpets seemed almost lighter than air. 'Stars and Stripes' with four flawless piccolos on that countermelody (in tune!) seemed to take wings.
The band presented serious concert literature as well. Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses was heavy going at first, but the audience hung in, and were won over. The Persichetti Psalm for Band, potentially as challenging to a lay audience, held their rapt attention.
The patriotic numbers were more poignant and heartfelt than OS was expecting, as the audience sang along on the opening stanza of 'My Country, 'Tis Of Thee', singing and applauding simultaneously as they arrived at the closing line--'let freedom ring', likewise as they sang Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America'. It was an audience full of vets, of soldiers' families, children and friends. These people have true 'skin in the game', in ways your average Ivy League liberal can never understand. No cynicism here, no intellectual's distance to be found between these people and the words they sang.
After the concert, the one band member from Tennessee was surrounded by a small mob of retired Marines, shaking his hand, having their pictures taken with the kid, slathering attention and love on the young man. It was extraordinary--they were all Marines, from the 80-year old guys in the funny hats to the shy 25-year old in his bright red concert dress, holding his trombone.
It was, well, transcendent. The evening was such a contrast to the banality and cynicism of so much of the culture. This music and this experience put the audience in contact with something that resonated deep within them: beauty experienced in community, in a cause bigger than their own entertainment or satisfaction.
And, it's been that sort of week. Mr. and Mrs. OS watched the season's final episode of The Choir Wednesday evening, with misty eyes, as young Gareth takes on the town of South Oxhey, north of London and essentially marooned and forgotten by the county that surrounds it. As the townfolk found their own voices, and learned how to sing and work together, that transcendence made itself known. And, the intrepid young conductor, on a mission to transform a town and then leave, found himself transformed by it, and remaining.
Transcendence.
Two teams of golfers battle the course, the elements and their nerves, until the American doffs his hat, shakes the Englishman's hand and concedes the match and tournament, and it dawns on the Welsh crowd that their boys just won, by one-half of a point. There was that moment of quiet just before the roar as it dawned upon everyone what had transpired.
Transcendence.
OS believes we cannot live without it, but that it must be the real thing; not the pale imitations promised by those who keep trying to peddle us aphrodisiacs, hair implants, weight-loss schemes, get-rich-quick courses, porn, drugs, political utopias and $80,000 automobiles.
Tonight was the real thing.
'Oh, that's how it's supposed to be...'
Thursday, October 7, 2010
HR 3808: Ai Caramba, Lucy! Wha' Happan'?
This turkey almost became the law of the land, snuck in under the radar by voice vote in both houses of Congress.
Word is that it will be vetoed--unless of course, Himself's price for a signature is met by the bankers. One can never afford to be too optimistic these days.
Denninger explains the details of what it would have meant, e.g. a green light for bank and mortgage fraud to continue unchecked.
This sort of stuff goes to the heart of the rule of law. It passed unread, and almost unnoticed.
So, we can't name and shame those who voted on the bill.
As for the sponsor of this bit of evil--
Rep Aderholt, Robert B. [AL-4]
and the co-sponsors:
Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1]
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE]
Rep Davis, Artur [AL-7]
...OS hears there is an election day at hand...just sayin'.
Word is that it will be vetoed--unless of course, Himself's price for a signature is met by the bankers. One can never afford to be too optimistic these days.
Denninger explains the details of what it would have meant, e.g. a green light for bank and mortgage fraud to continue unchecked.
This sort of stuff goes to the heart of the rule of law. It passed unread, and almost unnoticed.
So, we can't name and shame those who voted on the bill.
As for the sponsor of this bit of evil--
Rep Aderholt, Robert B. [AL-4]
and the co-sponsors:
Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1]
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE]
Rep Davis, Artur [AL-7]
...OS hears there is an election day at hand...just sayin'.
Hitler Learns Of The 10:10 Climate Video (You Know, The One That Depicts Children Exploding!)
OS considered posting that horrible piece of trash momentarily, but decided against including anything that totally gruesome on his bit of the digital real estate. The goal is to lift the culture, not pollute it.
But, he is all about having a belly-laugh at the expense of the clown circus currently in charge in Washington. This is just too funny...sometimes, only laughter will do.
But, he is all about having a belly-laugh at the expense of the clown circus currently in charge in Washington. This is just too funny...sometimes, only laughter will do.
Hitler Learns About the Climate 10:10 Video from Steve Hayward on Vimeo.
How Jobs Are Created: Blumenthal v. McMahon
The weekly jobs report released a few minutes ago. It was, well, less awful than expected, but still begs the question--this economy must create about 150,000 jobs monthly in order to run in place vs. the natural growth in population. When politicians begin ranting about 'saving' jobs, they are sucking air, pure and simple.
This amusing two minutes between two senatorial candidates is illuminating.
This amusing two minutes between two senatorial candidates is illuminating.
The Toothless Lion: Pastor Peters
OS contends that the culture started wandering off some time ago, when the American church decided that it was crucial to look/feel/smell like the rest of the culture. Well, it succeeded in that quest, and the results have not been pretty.
There are a few souls who continue to stand up and question the wisdom of that approach.
Pastor Peters has the wordsmith's gift of putting his finger directly upon the raw nerve that we generally wish left alone.
It is the greatest sadness that we pawn off the Church (and therefore Christ) as a toothless lion who can really do no harm but which is really kind of nice once you get used to it... It is to our poverty that we offer the world only a pale imitation of what they already have instead of the radical difference of the Incarnate God who has borne the fullness of our sin and all its grief in order to place upon us the easy yoke of grace and mercy... It is our weakness that we would rather be seen as ordinary than the extra-ordinary among whom God is present and faith apprehends and responds to this presence in the means of grace...
There are a few souls who continue to stand up and question the wisdom of that approach.
Pastor Peters has the wordsmith's gift of putting his finger directly upon the raw nerve that we generally wish left alone.
It is the greatest sadness that we pawn off the Church (and therefore Christ) as a toothless lion who can really do no harm but which is really kind of nice once you get used to it... It is to our poverty that we offer the world only a pale imitation of what they already have instead of the radical difference of the Incarnate God who has borne the fullness of our sin and all its grief in order to place upon us the easy yoke of grace and mercy... It is our weakness that we would rather be seen as ordinary than the extra-ordinary among whom God is present and faith apprehends and responds to this presence in the means of grace...
To Quote Elvis: 'ThankYew, ThankYewVerrahMuch!'
Just passed 5000 visitors since 1 February, when OS began tracking visits.
Hey, it's not the HuffPost, but after all, it's a hobby and it keeps the old boy sane some days.
OS hopes he has improved the day for 5000 or so people this year, because they dropped by to read his scribble.
Ya'll stay safe out theah!
Hey, it's not the HuffPost, but after all, it's a hobby and it keeps the old boy sane some days.
OS hopes he has improved the day for 5000 or so people this year, because they dropped by to read his scribble.
Ya'll stay safe out theah!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Green Shoots Award: John Rutter
In OldSouth's continuing campaign to not just whine, but to point out and promote people who make huge contributions to the culture, he offers today's nominee, John Rutter, who has just launched his new website.
The bio posted is too modest:
John Rutter was born in London in 1945 and received his first musical education as a chorister at Highgate School.
He went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his first recording while still a student.
His compositional career has embraced both large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King’s Singers.
His larger choral works, Gloria (1974), Requiem (1985), Magnificat (1990), Psalmfest (1993) and Mass of the Children (2003) have been performed many times in Britain, North America, and a growing number of other countries.
He co-edited four volumes in the Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, has edited the first two volumes in the new Oxford Choral Classics series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996).
From 1975 to 1979 he was Director of Music at Clare College, whose choir he directed in a number of broadcasts and recordings.
After giving up the Clare post to allow more time for composition, he formed the Cambridge Singers as a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording, and he now divides his time between composition and conducting.
He has guest-conducted or lectured at many concert halls, universities, churches, music festivals, and conferences in Europe, Africa, North and Central America and Australasia.
In 1980 he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.
In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music.
He was honoured in the 2007 Queen’s New Year Honours List, being awarded a CBE for services to music.
John Rutter’s music is published by Oxford University Press, Hinshaw Music Inc. and Collegium Music Publications.
His impact upon the culture will be felt for at least another century, and he provides a model for artistry: First-rate craft, connection with a wide variety of audiences, academic integrity, and entreprenurial skills that make his music available to the world sans government subsidy. As a matter of fact, and blessedly so, the man has really thrived from his creative output. Kudos to him on all counts.
OS has had occasion to meet Mr. Rutter--the handshake/thanks for autographing my score sorts of moments. OS has friends who know the gentleman well, and every report of him speaks of his generosity of spirit, dedication to craft, good humor and modesty.
Now, let's review: Do we want our culture shaped by people like him, or people like Lil' Wayne?
The bio posted is too modest:
John Rutter was born in London in 1945 and received his first musical education as a chorister at Highgate School.
He went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his first recording while still a student.
His compositional career has embraced both large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King’s Singers.
His larger choral works, Gloria (1974), Requiem (1985), Magnificat (1990), Psalmfest (1993) and Mass of the Children (2003) have been performed many times in Britain, North America, and a growing number of other countries.
He co-edited four volumes in the Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, has edited the first two volumes in the new Oxford Choral Classics series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996).
From 1975 to 1979 he was Director of Music at Clare College, whose choir he directed in a number of broadcasts and recordings.
After giving up the Clare post to allow more time for composition, he formed the Cambridge Singers as a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording, and he now divides his time between composition and conducting.
He has guest-conducted or lectured at many concert halls, universities, churches, music festivals, and conferences in Europe, Africa, North and Central America and Australasia.
In 1980 he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.
In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music.
He was honoured in the 2007 Queen’s New Year Honours List, being awarded a CBE for services to music.
John Rutter’s music is published by Oxford University Press, Hinshaw Music Inc. and Collegium Music Publications.
His impact upon the culture will be felt for at least another century, and he provides a model for artistry: First-rate craft, connection with a wide variety of audiences, academic integrity, and entreprenurial skills that make his music available to the world sans government subsidy. As a matter of fact, and blessedly so, the man has really thrived from his creative output. Kudos to him on all counts.
OS has had occasion to meet Mr. Rutter--the handshake/thanks for autographing my score sorts of moments. OS has friends who know the gentleman well, and every report of him speaks of his generosity of spirit, dedication to craft, good humor and modesty.
Now, let's review: Do we want our culture shaped by people like him, or people like Lil' Wayne?
Home Is Where The Heart Is: Rahm Emanuel's 'Glad to be home' Video Filmed In Washington
Just too good not to pass along.
Rahmbo may be one the front end of finding out just how cheesed everyone is at his boss, and how willing they will be to take their vengeance out on his scurvy behonkus come election day.
He makes it too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel.
Wouldn't it be rich if he is barred from running because he does not meet the residency requirements for the City of Chicago?
Rahmbo may be one the front end of finding out just how cheesed everyone is at his boss, and how willing they will be to take their vengeance out on his scurvy behonkus come election day.
He makes it too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel.
Wouldn't it be rich if he is barred from running because he does not meet the residency requirements for the City of Chicago?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Teach Tony Danza: OS Hopes Everyone Views This Series
OS generally hates 'reality TV', but this is different. It looks and feels like a cross between a documentary and the best episodes of 'Homicide: Life On The Streets'.
Actor Tony Danza, raised in Brooklyn, first in his family to graduate college, decides to pursue teaching, his major in college, as he nears age sixty--in the largest high school in Philadelphia. One thing to say on his behalf: He did learn some courage during his years in the boxing ring.
And yet, he asks the fearful question: Would I want my daughter in a classroom run by someone like me?
It is interesting to watch as he is afforded no quarter, not an inch of slack, as he undertakes this adventure. He struggles, and his self-doubts lead the way.
Episode 1 is here.
It airs Friday nights on A and E.
It's about the culture.
It's about the culture.
It's about the culture.
Actor Tony Danza, raised in Brooklyn, first in his family to graduate college, decides to pursue teaching, his major in college, as he nears age sixty--in the largest high school in Philadelphia. One thing to say on his behalf: He did learn some courage during his years in the boxing ring.
And yet, he asks the fearful question: Would I want my daughter in a classroom run by someone like me?
It is interesting to watch as he is afforded no quarter, not an inch of slack, as he undertakes this adventure. He struggles, and his self-doubts lead the way.
Episode 1 is here.
It airs Friday nights on A and E.
It's about the culture.
It's about the culture.
It's about the culture.
Perhaps Failure Is The Goal, After All
The idea keeps floating about that Obama, and those around him, actually want the culture to fall apart, to allow them to impose their own vision upon us.
OS has read it, heard it, and until recently, discarded it. 'Naaaahhhhh--that's paranoid ranting, tin-foil-hat stuff, etc.' OS just assumed these guys were idiots, blind and deaf to the actual consequences of their behavior.
Maybe, OS was wrong.
It's a story not worth telling in detail, but once upon a time, OS launched a business that had every reason to succeed, and yet failed. He made a crucial error, in bringing a member of ownership aboard who came recommended as someone with some 'special expertise' in the field. OS ignored a warning about the guy from someone who knew him from another context.
It didn't take long to see the error of his ways, as his 'mistake' proceeded to create chaos at every turn, in ways large and small. Only with the perspective of time did OS come to understand that his colleague's agenda was to either take over or destroy the business. In the end, he did both. It was baffling at the time, because the behavior made no sense, and it didn't occur to OS to consider that only the darkest of motivations explained the chaos being created.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this is being played out on a much larger stage, and for much higher stakes. OS hopes this is not the case.
In any case, these guys must be voted out at the earliest opportunity.
OS has read it, heard it, and until recently, discarded it. 'Naaaahhhhh--that's paranoid ranting, tin-foil-hat stuff, etc.' OS just assumed these guys were idiots, blind and deaf to the actual consequences of their behavior.
Maybe, OS was wrong.
It's a story not worth telling in detail, but once upon a time, OS launched a business that had every reason to succeed, and yet failed. He made a crucial error, in bringing a member of ownership aboard who came recommended as someone with some 'special expertise' in the field. OS ignored a warning about the guy from someone who knew him from another context.
It didn't take long to see the error of his ways, as his 'mistake' proceeded to create chaos at every turn, in ways large and small. Only with the perspective of time did OS come to understand that his colleague's agenda was to either take over or destroy the business. In the end, he did both. It was baffling at the time, because the behavior made no sense, and it didn't occur to OS to consider that only the darkest of motivations explained the chaos being created.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this is being played out on a much larger stage, and for much higher stakes. OS hopes this is not the case.
In any case, these guys must be voted out at the earliest opportunity.
Denninger And Charles Schwab Explain Why The Fed Is Corroding The Culture
Denninger points to a recent op-ed by Charles Schwab
The most striking quote to OS was this:
The Fed's super-loose policy has driven down the security and spending power of savers, particularly those in retirement who played by the rules during their working years and now depend on the earnings from their savings for a decent quality of life. As a result, savers and investors are being forced to take more risk with their money as they hunt for higher yields.
'The ones who played by the rules' for all those decades--the ones who stayed married, raised the kids, worked and worked and worked, often serving in the military (and sending their kids off to do the same), attended and supported their churches and synagogues, saved and scrimped and delayed gratification so they wouldn't be a burden to their kids in adulthood, to have something to spend on the grandkids, maybe even pay school tuition so the grandkids wouldn't have to go to public schools--those folks.
Those folks have been treated shabbily. They kept their money in CD's and Treasury securities, or in muni bonds, for safety of principal, for the insurance on their accounts. Now, not only have their income streams from the principal saved over the years dried up, but the value of those dollars themselves are now being deliberately eroded.
So, what does this mean for the culture? OS believes it breeds cynicism, and erodes hope. Virtue is its own reward, to be certain. Those folks who live virtuous lives have better lives than those who don't--such as meth addicts, to cite an extreme example. But if the end result of all that virtue and saving and investing is a worrisome old age of borderline poverty, it becomes more difficult to make the argument for virtue, thrift, ambition, self-improvement, etc. If the banksters always win, and are the only ones who prosper, the social glue of shared values begins to melt away.
OS listens to hip-hop urban radio a few times a week, not because he likes it, but because he wants to listen in on what is being said. It's not pretty. It is dark music and darker poetry, focused on raw materialism and hedonism, usually degrading to women, and always focused on short-term gratification. The sub-message seems always to be: What the hey, there is no future, and virtue is for chumps. Live for today, and for yourself.
Visit the neighborhoods from which this music emerges, and it is obvious the glue of shared values melted away long ago.
Unless we wish that cultural rot to spread, we would do well to pay attention. And we'd better be prepared to talk once again of virtue as its own reward. It will be a tough sell in this climate.
And, if you don't believe OS, or Charles, or Karl--then maybe Robert Reich will tell you what you need to hear. Same message, from a far different part of the ideological spectrum.
The most striking quote to OS was this:
The Fed's super-loose policy has driven down the security and spending power of savers, particularly those in retirement who played by the rules during their working years and now depend on the earnings from their savings for a decent quality of life. As a result, savers and investors are being forced to take more risk with their money as they hunt for higher yields.
'The ones who played by the rules' for all those decades--the ones who stayed married, raised the kids, worked and worked and worked, often serving in the military (and sending their kids off to do the same), attended and supported their churches and synagogues, saved and scrimped and delayed gratification so they wouldn't be a burden to their kids in adulthood, to have something to spend on the grandkids, maybe even pay school tuition so the grandkids wouldn't have to go to public schools--those folks.
Those folks have been treated shabbily. They kept their money in CD's and Treasury securities, or in muni bonds, for safety of principal, for the insurance on their accounts. Now, not only have their income streams from the principal saved over the years dried up, but the value of those dollars themselves are now being deliberately eroded.
So, what does this mean for the culture? OS believes it breeds cynicism, and erodes hope. Virtue is its own reward, to be certain. Those folks who live virtuous lives have better lives than those who don't--such as meth addicts, to cite an extreme example. But if the end result of all that virtue and saving and investing is a worrisome old age of borderline poverty, it becomes more difficult to make the argument for virtue, thrift, ambition, self-improvement, etc. If the banksters always win, and are the only ones who prosper, the social glue of shared values begins to melt away.
OS listens to hip-hop urban radio a few times a week, not because he likes it, but because he wants to listen in on what is being said. It's not pretty. It is dark music and darker poetry, focused on raw materialism and hedonism, usually degrading to women, and always focused on short-term gratification. The sub-message seems always to be: What the hey, there is no future, and virtue is for chumps. Live for today, and for yourself.
Visit the neighborhoods from which this music emerges, and it is obvious the glue of shared values melted away long ago.
Unless we wish that cultural rot to spread, we would do well to pay attention. And we'd better be prepared to talk once again of virtue as its own reward. It will be a tough sell in this climate.
And, if you don't believe OS, or Charles, or Karl--then maybe Robert Reich will tell you what you need to hear. Same message, from a far different part of the ideological spectrum.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
When Irish Eyes Aren't Smiling: The Proposed Bail-Out Of Anglo-Irish Bank
To quote that great philosopher, Scooby-Doo: Ruh-Roh!
Or to quote the late Harry Cary, that wonderful voice of the usually hapless Chicago Cubs: Holeee Cow!
From France24:
AFP - Ireland warned on Thursday that the state rescue of Anglo Irish Bank could cost 34.3 billion euros, pushing the public deficit up to 32 percent of economic output this year.
The potential rescue bill, equivalent to 46.6 billion dollars, is roughly the same as Ireland's annual taxation revenues.
The news that the deficit could be equivalent to almost one third of everything produced by the country in a year comes amid mounting investor concern about soaring levels of eurozone state debt.
This week, the yield, or rate, on Irish government debt rose at one point to the highest level since the euro was created, signalling that the government could have trouble in financing its overspending.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan defended the rescue, saying the "nightmare" collapse of Anglo Irish would have pushed the country into insolvency, in remarks redolent of the recent crises in Greece and non-eurozone country Iceland.
"Unfortunately this bank grew to half the size of our annual wealth and the failure of a bank of that scale would render the country itself insolvent," he told RTE state radio.
Denninger passes along the account of a conference call last week hosted by Mr. Lehihan, designed to calm investor nerves, that turned into a free-for-all, and had to be abandoned.
Remember last spring, when we were assured that ThePeopleInChargeOfTheseThings had resolved all these nasty questions about governments defaulting on their debts?
Lucy! Wha' Happen'd??!!!
Or to quote the late Harry Cary, that wonderful voice of the usually hapless Chicago Cubs: Holeee Cow!
From France24:
AFP - Ireland warned on Thursday that the state rescue of Anglo Irish Bank could cost 34.3 billion euros, pushing the public deficit up to 32 percent of economic output this year.
The potential rescue bill, equivalent to 46.6 billion dollars, is roughly the same as Ireland's annual taxation revenues.
The news that the deficit could be equivalent to almost one third of everything produced by the country in a year comes amid mounting investor concern about soaring levels of eurozone state debt.
This week, the yield, or rate, on Irish government debt rose at one point to the highest level since the euro was created, signalling that the government could have trouble in financing its overspending.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan defended the rescue, saying the "nightmare" collapse of Anglo Irish would have pushed the country into insolvency, in remarks redolent of the recent crises in Greece and non-eurozone country Iceland.
"Unfortunately this bank grew to half the size of our annual wealth and the failure of a bank of that scale would render the country itself insolvent," he told RTE state radio.
Denninger passes along the account of a conference call last week hosted by Mr. Lehihan, designed to calm investor nerves, that turned into a free-for-all, and had to be abandoned.
Remember last spring, when we were assured that ThePeopleInChargeOfTheseThings had resolved all these nasty questions about governments defaulting on their debts?
Lucy! Wha' Happen'd??!!!
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