Thursday, April 30, 2015

The Louvin Brothers - When I Stop Dreaming

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Randy Newman - Baltimore

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Little Joe y La Familia - Las Nubes

1977

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

How Corporate Lobbyists Got That Way

Best summary I've seen.

The evolution of business lobbying from a sparse reactive force into a ubiquitous and increasingly proactive one is among the most important transformations in American politics over the last 40 years.  Probing the history of this transformation reveals that there is no “normal” level of business lobbying in American democracy. Rather, business lobbying has built itself up over time, and the self-reinforcing quality of corporate lobbying has increasingly come to overwhelm every other potentially countervailing force. It has also fundamentally changed how corporations interact with government—rather than trying to keep government out of its business (as they did for a long time), companies are now increasingly bringing government in as a partner, looking to see what the country can do for them.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Johnny Tillotson - Poetry In Motion

I actually like this song, but it's a good example of what rock and roll had devolved into by 1962, and why the advent of acts like the Beatles about the same time pretty much rescued R&R as a musical form.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Monday, April 13, 2015

Krugman on Polarization and the Next Eighteen Months

When it comes to his straightforward political analysis, Krugman is very good at stating what seems to be obvious but that no one else seems to have said quite so clearly.

How did the parties get this far apart? Political scientists suggest that it has a lot to do with income inequality. As the wealthy grow richer compared with everyone else, their policy preferences have moved to the right — and they have pulled the Republican Party ever further in their direction. Meanwhile, the influence of big money on Democrats has at least eroded a bit, now that Wall Street, furious over regulations and modest tax hikes, has deserted the party en masse. The result is a level of political polarization not seen since the Civil War.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Paul McCartney - Every Night

On this date in 1970 Paul McCartney announced that he was leaving the Beatles. This was one of the songs off his first solo album, released at the same time.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

The Youngbloods - Grizzly Bear

Obviously from American Bandstand, and according to the YouTube page from 1967.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Bach - Saint Matthew's Passion

Philippe Herreweghe conducting Cantate Domino Schola Cantorum, Collegium Vocale Gent, Collegium Vocale Orchestra, and soloists.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Tynan Interviews Olivier

Kenneth Tynan was born on this date in 1927. Here he speaks with Laurence Olivier in 1966 about a life in acting.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Harry Carney - It Had to Be You

Baritone saxophone by a master. The strings are of the kind of icky variety, but you can't have everything.