David Adler
Kill the bill?
Um, no, says Nate Silver, one of the most keen and thorough minds in progressive American politics. More of Silver’s case here. And here. Rather than rehash his analysis I’ll just quote his conclusion: that the Senate health care bill, even with all its considerable shortcomings, could be “the largest social welfare program to be implemented since the Great Society.”
Jack Rose
Of all the fascinating musicians I encountered while living in Philadelphia, I never had the joy of hearing Jack Rose, who tragically passed away earlier this month. Rose explored “post-Takoma, American primitive guitar,” with blues, Indian classical and minimalist influences. I’m listening to his forthcoming, now sadly posthumous Thrill Jockey release Luck in the Valley. It’s wonderful, and a fitting
Obama’s Nobel lecture
Ta-Nehisi Coates nails it: I didn’t object to George Bush because he claimed that there was “evil” in the world. I objected to George Bush because there was so much evil that he didn’t see, and he was awful at prosecuting the evil he did see. I objected to George Bush’s foreign policy because it married a freshman’s view of
Jazz impressions 2009
~ If you liked Vijay Iyer’s version of Julius Hemphill’s “Dogon A.D.” from Historicity, check out the one from Things Have Got to Change, by Marty Ehrlich’s Rites Quartet. Reeds, trumpet, cello and drums as opposed to piano trio. Different angles and colors. ~ If you liked FLY’s Sky & Country, don’t miss Diego Barber’s Calima, featuring the young nylon-string
On Tom Lawton & Orrin Evans
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: Tom LawtonFri., Dec. 11, 9pm. $10. Moonstone Arts Center, 110 S. 13th St. 215.735.9600 www.moonstoneartscenter.org Courtesy of the Lucky Old Souls series and an American Composers Forum grant, pianist Tom Lawton will give the first public performance of “Seven Vignettes from Broad and Lombard,” a trio suite featuring bassist Josh Machiz and drummer Alex Maio.
12 for 1 meds
I used to work as a proofreader at BMG Columbia House, so this Onion satire had me rolling this morning — headline, “Columbia House Launches Subscription Meds Program”: Although Gallagher is generally satisfied with his coverage under Columbia House, he expressed some frustration with the inconsistent offerings. “They base their selections on what’s hot at the moment, so they stopped
About that Parenti piece
Yeah, this Parenti piece, because it needs to be said. Parenti writes: The real purpose of these 300,000 [sic] soldiers is to make Obama look tough as he heads toward the next US presidential election. […] There is nothing else to Obama’s Afghan strategy. Actually, there is nothing else to Parenti’s analysis of Obama’s Afghan strategy. And the careless error
Up with liberalism
Suzi Gablik titles this post “Why I’m not a liberal anymore,” and while I wholly share her contempt for this piece of anti-Obama tripe by Christian Parenti, I would point out to Gablik that Parenti is a leftist. Barack Obama is a liberal. And leftists have long regarded liberals as their worst enemies. So stick around, Ms. Gablik. You’re exactly