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Back in gear, slowly
About a week ago I moved from New York to Philadelphia, for reasons both personal and professional. I’m greatly enjoying my new life, but things have been quite hectic and I’ve had even less time than usual for blogging. I’ll do what I can to change that in the coming days and weeks. Thanks for reading and please keep this
Remember Ward Connerly?
He made big headlines in the ’90s with his efforts to ban affirmative action, garnering high praise from Newt Gingrich and other rightists. Connerly is still at it — he was behind the deceptively named Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot proposal that passed in November 2006 but is now facing legal challenges. I’m late in noticing this, but it
The shooting
Excellent piece of reporting by Serge Kovaleski and Sarah Kershaw in this morning’s NYT, about David Garvin, the lunatic who went on a shooting rampage in the West Village last Wednesday night. I know the area around Houston and MacDougal very well, from my earliest days in New York in the late ’80s. I still find myself down there sometimes,
Miffed by Joni
I hate to be critical of one of my all-time idols, Joni Mitchell, but there’s a quote in this NY Times profile by my friend David Yaffe that stuck in my craw. The news hook is Joni’s collaborative piece with the Alberta Ballet called “The Fiddle and the Drum.” She’s talking about the visual backdrop to the song “If I
Happy New Year
Best wishes for 2007. I’m happy to point you toward my debut piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer, a review of drummer Ari Hoenig and his trio.
Fascinatin’ rhythm…
…from Lasse Gjertsen, who cannot play drums (or piano). Enjoy. I don’t anticipate posting much before the New Year. Have a very happy holiday season, and thank you for reading in 2006. On to the next…
Gene Martin R.I.P.
Photographer extraordinaire Gene Martin has died, way before his time (age 55). Early reports suggest it may have been an aneurysm. [Update: Cause of death was a ruptured aorta.] I considered him a friend. He’d send me blurbs for the JJA newsletter — always long, bursting with information on his current exploits. The last time I saw him was on
Holiday giving
The Darfur and Chad conflicts are spilling over into the Central African Republic, where Doctors Without Borders is one of the few groups attending to the beleaguered population. It’s holiday time — your contribution could make a difference.