Health Care in the US

Paul Krugman discusses the possibility of changing the health care system in the US.

Bernie Mac RIP

Hate to publish two elegies in a row (let alone for two Chicago natives who spent a lot of time on that city's South Side), but the only other option would be to not mark the passing of Bernie Mac, and I can't do that.

What I loved most about him was his absolute mastery of the standup form: like an old-fashioned trade guild member, he had started young, spent years practicing his craft, and by the time most of us caught up with him had his skills in his bones. He could stand on a stage and appear utterly relaxed, as if he really was just talking about his life to some friends--but he was totally in control. Watch some of his YouTube clips: when he gets a big laugh, he waits until just the right moment before going on with his next line. At that moment, while the audience is laughing, he is paying close attention to them, like a hunter watching prey, but he looks totally relaxed, usually looking down and to the side as if he were thinking of something else--because if he didn't look totally relaxed then it would spoil the effect. And Bernie Mac is not going to do that.

Michael Bloomfield as Remembered by his Brother

If you've read this blog over time, you know that I'm a fan of Mike Bloomfield. He was a guitar-playing contemporary of Hendrix and Clapton and was considered by many at the time to be their equal, but unlike them did not become a huge star. He died in 1981.

Here is an interview with his brother, conducted this year. It contains a number of good anecdotes, as well as the kind of insight into Michael's personality that could only come from someone who knew him well. There's also a priceless photo of him at his bar mitzvah.

Here is what I think is the nut graf:

I'd like to end by saying that there is no person on earth that I'd rather hang with than Michael. If you took J.D. Salinger and added a pinch of Bukowski, a dash of Terry Southern and a sprinkle of Oscar Levant – you would have an approximation of what he was like. A wit like Lenny Bruce and the persona of a gangster with a rose tattoo.

Mandatory Cat Blogging

more cat pictures

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Yes, the text above is really from real spam. Maybe authentic surrealism needed to wait for the digital revolution before it could reach its apotheosis.

Paul Simon - American Tune

In 1973 it felt like America was being torn apart. We had an unpopular war overseas, violence at home, and a level of tension in national politics that seemed like it could be the beginning of another civil war. There were a lot of cultural manifestations--whether in music, movies, writings, or some other form--that addressed those issues, and tried to articulate how people felt about it all. Here's one of those manifestations. Paul Simon is writing from the point of view of a young man, and none of those big issues are mentioned explicitly, but the song is really about nothing else. Now it's thirty-five years later, and...well, words fail me. But sometimes I think about this song.

Simon & Garfunkel - America

In 1968 it felt like America was being torn apart. We had an unpopular war overseas, violence at home, and a level of tension in national politics that seemed like it could be the beginning of another civil war. There were a lot of cultural manifestations--whether in music, movies, writings, or some other form--that addressed those issues, and tried to articulate how people felt about it all. Here's one of those manifestations. Paul Simon is writing from the point of view of a young couple, and none of those big issues are mentioned explicitly, but the song is really about nothing else. Now it's forty years later, and...well, words fail me. But sometimes I think about this song.