Jim/Joe/Bob/Jimmy Joe Bob couldn’t believe it! Obama/Mitt/Newt/Attila the Hun wasn’t backing off! He was doubling down! Yes, people double down a lot in Double Down, the not so hot off the presses tome du jour from Mark Halperin and John Heilmann rehashing the 2012 presidential election. The book received mixed reviews when it was published…
What Robert Gates said that no one said he said
Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, former Secretary of State Robert Gates’ memoirs of his years as SecDef, have been excerpted and/or discussed by the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. If you follow this sort of thing, you know that Bob loved Hillary, definitely a feather in her…
Artie Zaitz Quintet—“I Mean You”
At “Peter Parker’s” in London, featuring Artie Zaitz: guitar, Laura Jurd: trumpet, Duncan Eagles: tenor sax, Peter Randall: bass, Andy Chapman: drums. Posted by The Jazz Hot Dog Channel
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Well, the first thing—the very first thing—you have to remember is that you aren’t Superman. I’ve mentioned this before, but obviously it isn’t sinking in.” “A ‘righty,’ huh? What other tricks have you got up your sleeve?” “Well, Clark, you’re as sound as a dollar, or my name isn’t Lex Luthor. Just…
Bill de Blasio, putting his worst foot forward
“The only way to prepare a people for the exercise of political power is to give it to them,” remarked English historian Thomas Babington Macauley.* Which means that it’s a good thing for New York City’s liberals, after enduring twenty long years of authoritarian, neo-con or neo-liberal rule, are back in power once more. As…
Looking back on 2013: Who gives a fuck?
Yes, another year down. In political terms, it was sort of a win for our side, kind of a crab victory, because most of the advances came from walking sideways at best. It wasn’t that good a year for the president, for both good and bad reasons, but despite many articles dubbing him “Loser of…
Akira Takahashi—“Reflections”
Akira sings Jon Hendrick’s lyrics to Monk’s tune in unaccented English, but all the information is in Japanese, so I can’t identify the pianist. The video is a bit informal (please ignore the baby on the soundtrack), but I can seldom resist a Monk vocal. Posted by Akira
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Dude, you’re in the Southern Hemisphere. Down here it’s ‘righty loosey, lefty tighty’.” “About fucking time.” “Okay, here’s the deal. I don’t have a leak. But I do have coconuts that need cracking.” “How does it feel to be the Plumber from Hell?” “Dude, you’re supposed to fix the leaks, not make…
Edward Snowden, patriot
Kudos to my not favorite newspaper the Washington Post by giving us a real Christmas present, an honest interview with Edward Snowden, who makes President Obama and his various assorted mouthpieces look like the moral midgets they are. When the history of these times is written, Snowden and the unhappy Chelsea Manning will be remembered…
Lydian Sound Orchestra—“Reflections”
Monk for Christmas? Believe it! Live at Jazz Club Blackmail (Firenze) il 16 febbraio 2012. Con Pietro Tonolo, Robert Bonisolo e Rossano Emili (sax), J Kyle Gregory (tromba & tasca), Roberto Rossi (TBN), Dario Duso (tuba), Paolo Birro (pianoforte), Marc Abrams (contrabbasso), Mauro Beggio (batteria ). As you might have guessed, I’ve cribbed these notes….