Getting To Know You Sarah

Northern Palin Exposure

The Godfather Weighs In On John Edwards

I know it's not politically correct to view Imus, but this cracked me up.

Bishop Orchards: Shoo Fly Pie

They don't have shoo fly pie at Bishop Orchards in Guilford, CT, but they have a whole bunch of other delicious ones.
Anita O' Day with the Stan Kenton Orchestra

If you wanna do right by your appetite,
If you're fussy about your food,
Take a choo-choo today, head New England way,
And we'll put you in the happiest mood. with:
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
Makes your eyes light up,
Your tummy say "Howdy."
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff.
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan dowdy makes the sun come out
When Heavens are cloudy,
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff!
Mama! When you bake,
Mama! I don't want cake;
Mama! For my sake
Go to the oven and make some ever lovin' Sh,
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
Makes your eyes light up,
Your tummy say "Howdy,"
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff!

Trig Paxson Van Palin Is Not My Son

Billie Jean, Aka Trig Paxson Van Palin, Is Not My Son

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said dont mind, but what do you mean I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She said I am the one who will dance on the floor in the round
2nd verse
She told me her name was billie jean, as she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
Bridge
People always told me be careful of what you do
And dont go around breaking young girls hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do cause the lie becomes the truth
Chorus
Billie jean is not my lover
Shes just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
3rd verse
For forty days and forty nights
The law was on her side
But who can stand when shes in demand
Her schemes and plans
cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice
(do think twice)
4th verse
She told my baby,we where dancing still 3:00
Then she looked at me, she show me a photo
My baby cried, cause his eyes where like mine
Bridge
People always told me be careful of what you do
And dont go around breaking young girls hearts
She came and stood right by me
Then the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
She called me to her room
Chorus
Billie jean is not my lover
Shes just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
Billie jean is not my lover
Shes just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
Billie jean is not my lover
Shes just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, she says he is my son
She says I am the one
Billie jean is not my lover
Billie jean is not my lover
Billie jean is not my lover
Billie jean is not my lover
Billie jean is not my lover
Billie jean is not my lover

The Proof Is In The Pudding, AKA Baked Alaska

from daily kos

Yesterday, with the news of Sarah Louise Heath Palin inexplicably being chosen as a Vice-Presidential nominee, the attentive American public was also introduced to her character. Unfortunately for all of us, it was filled with multiple instances of backtracking and outright lies. While Alaskans had been giving her an 80% approval rating, recently 87% of Alaskans polled on the subject of TrooperGate believed she was lying.
Now, I've known liars in my life. Their single core problem is not with themselves, but those around them. If they're never called out on their twisting of truths and fabrications, they simply continue to make larger lies.
Well, Sarah, I'm calling you a liar. And not even a good one. Trig Paxson Van Palin is not your son. He is your grandson. The sooner you come forward with this revelation to the public, the better.

Welcome Republicans

Could it be that all this controversy surrounding the choice of Palin is a plot:
from whatreallyhappened

We know that McCain was still pushing for Joe Lieberman to be VP as of last Sunday. McCain might have chosen Palin in a desperation ploy, or maybe out of pique at being denied his first choice. Or... and here is where the convention will get interesting, the GOP leadership has realized that McCain cannot win against Obama, either with Lieberman or without, and saddled him with a crippling choice for VP in a ploy to get McCain to decide to refuse the nomination, thereby opening up a floor fight for a new set of nominees. Yes, it's kind of a wild idea. But right now I am having a hard time seeing the GOP as being that incredibly stupid in choosing Sarah Palin as the candidate for VP.

Whose Yehoodi 2

Martha Tilton, with the Six Hits and a Miss (look for Jimmie Dodd of Mickey Mouse Club fame), sings in this Universal film short from 1940.
Someone please lend me a hand
Solve this mystery if you can
If he’s mice or if he’s man
Who’s Yehoodi?
G-man Hoover’s getting moody
Got his men on double-duty
Trying to find out who’s Yehoodi
Who’s Yehoodi!
The little man who wasn’t there
Said he heard him on the air
No one seems to know from where ...
But who’s Yehoodi?
more on Yehoodi's history from wikipedia:

The catchphrase "Who's Yehoodi?" (or, alternatively, "Who's Yehudi?") originated when violinist Yehudi Menuhin was a guest on the popular radio program of Bob Hope, where sidekick Jerry Colonna, apparently finding the name itself humorous, repeatedly asked "Who's Yehudi?" Colonna continued the gag on later shows even though Menuhin himself was not a guest, turning "Yehudi" into a widely understood 1930s slang reference for a mysteriously absent person.[1] The United States Navy chose the name "Project Yehudi" for an early 1940s precursor to stealth technology.
A song with the title and catchphrase "Who's Yehoodi?" was written in 1940 by Bill Seckler and Matt Dennis. It was covered by Kay Kyser and more famously by Cab Calloway. The final stanza of the song is:
The little man who wasn’t there
Said he heard him on the air
No one seems to know from where
But who's Yehoodi?
Both the catchphrase and the song eventually lost all of their original connection with Menuhin. Its double meaning of "Who Is Jewish?" — the word "Yehudi" means "Jew" in the Hebrew language — was emphasized in a short sound film ("soundie") of the song with variant lyrics made in 1943 with singer Lane Truesdale and an unidentified male trio, in which a "living portrait" of a pejoratively stereotypical Jew with black hat and long beard leers inappropriately at Truesdale's swinging hips before finally announcing "I'm Yehoodi!"
The national swing dance / lindy hop community website Yehoodi derives its name from this catchphrase, as popularized by the Cab Calloway version of the song.

Whose Yehoodi?

considering the way he's looking at her tuchis, maybe it's John McCain.
Comments from the film's youtube post

Yes, the film is reversed: Soundies -- early music videos shown in special jukeboxes -- used a complicated set of projection mirrors requiring the film to be backwards so it would show correctly.
"Who's Yehoodi?" was indeed the catch-phrase of Jerry Colonna on Bob Hope's radio show at the time. That because SO popular, this song was written as a result...
It looks like the film has been revesed as I am pretty sure the guitarist in the clip is Les Paul and he plays "right handed"
Also, the side zipper on her dress is showing on the right side, whereas side zippers then (and now) are universally on the left.
This is awesome...and her dress is 1000x hornier and sexier than Paris and Britney getting out of a limo without panties on...
A novelity song inspired by a running gag by Jerry Colonna from Bob Hope's radio shows, Colonna ever in search of a mythical (and invisible) figure named 'Yehudi'. "Yehudi" soon becoming synonymous with anything hidden or invisible, is said to have inspired a 'Project Yehudi' during WWII for the camouflauge of ships and airplanes.

John McCain: Reach Out And Touch Someone

Stewart And Colbert Take On McCain/Palin

from crooks and liars

Stewart: “There was also some breaking news out of Ohio today when Republican Presidential candidate John McCain introduced the world to his third wife. Actually, no, wait, that’s his running mate Sarah Palin, freshman governor of Alaska, star and producer of Emmy-winning ‘30 Rock.’ I apologize…the star of the Emmy-winning ‘Will and Grace.’ No, no, I’m sorry…she’s actually the mild-mannered yet troubled librarian from every Cinemax movie.
Colbert: “We’re still waiting with bated breath for the big news: who will John McCain pick as his running mate. The Republican convention starts Monday and here he is at a rally just hanging out with some female supporter who I assume won some radio call-in contest. Is it Romney? Is it Pawlenty? Wait…she is?! Are you serious?! Who the f*ck is Sarah Palin? What? The sexy librarian?!”

Love To Vet

Garden Party

images from Brookklyn Botanic Gardens and Red Hook Fairway

Artist: Rick Nelson
- peak Billboard position # 6 in 1972
- inspired by Rick's experience at a Madison Square Garden concert
- Words and Music by Rick Nelson
I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same
CHORUS
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise
CHORUS
lott-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah
Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
CHORUS
lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah
Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck
CHORUS
lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah
'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

Parking Permit

get your unofficial parking permit. Read about the controversy on the ICE blog

UFT Drops Ball on Parking; Teachers Will Suffer
Back in January the DA passed a resolution calling for the reversal of the mayor's plan to cut down, by 20%, the number of permits issued by the DOE for staff parking near schools. Randi was quoted as saying how disrespectful this move was and the negative impact it would have on attracting and retaining teachers. This is true especially for schools that are far from public transportation.
Today, we received the news that Randi's "cooperative bargaining philosophy" has yielded another giveback; the loss of over 80% of the DOE issued permits into a system which is centrally monitored. Randi justifies the tentative agreement (they have agreed to suspend the grievance) by her "relief" that the number of parking spots has not decreased.
In reality the City will now only allocate 11,000 permits. Randi says there are 25,000 spots. What's going on here?
The UFT web site cleverly substituted the parking permit rights portion of "Know Your Rights" with the letter from Ed Skyler explaining the loss of our "rights."

Jive Talking 3

I may have mixed up the sound tracks on my previous jive posts
Dedicated to reality based educator at nyceducator

Whatcha Know Joe

Not much if he helped John pick Sarah Palin
composed by Victor Young, sung by Jo Stafford

(Ohhhh Whatcha Know Joe)
I Don't Know nothin'
(Whatcha Know Joe)
tell me somethin'
(Whatcha Know Joe)
Ain't connivin'
Just aint jivin'
I don't know
(Whatcha know Joe)
Well i don't know Latin
(Whatcha know Joe)
Ain't high-hattin'
(Whatcha Know Joe)
I aint foolin'
i need schoolin'
i don't know
i don't know
mama tried to tell me so
papa wouldn't let me go
couldn't even see a movie show
(sooooo whatcha know Joe)
i just cant figure
(whatcha know Joe)
i don't dig ya
(whatcha know Joe)
hey stop your squakin,
just ant talkin
cuz i don't know
(whatcha know Joe)
(oobie doobie do)
(Whatcha know Joe)
(oobie doobie do)
(what do you know Joe)
just aint makin it
i don't know
i don't know
my mama tried to tell me so
papa wouldn't let me go
couldn't even see a movie show
(oobie doobie do)
(whatcha know Joe)
i just cant figure
(whatcha know Joe)
i don't dig ya
(whatcha know Joe)
quit your squakin,
i ant talkin
cuz i don't know
(what do u know Joe)
(whadda you know)
(what do u know Joe)
(whadda you know)
aint talkin
quit your squakin
no more talkin
i don't know

Sarah Palin On Whinin

from youtube
from an email:

FYI: I received this as a forward and thought I'd pass it on to you. If it's true, it's mind-boggling. Joanne
As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some information on Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that he picked her. The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and bears. She has spent millions of Alaska state dollars on aerial hunting of these predators from helicopters and airplanes, dollars that should have been spent, for example, on Alaska's failing school system.We have the lowest rate of high school graduation in the country. Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad, but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is appropriate is beyond me. If you want to know more about the aerial hunting travesty, let me know and I will send some links to informative web sites. She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has "green" policies. The
only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience. She has consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of coal-burning power plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in her home town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else that will unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska and destroy its environment. Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum education level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade.
Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put Palin in office in the first place. I know what I'm talking about. These people don't have a concept of the world around them or of the serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don't care. So long as they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the wilderness, they're happy. I wish I were exaggerating. Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption scandal. She fired an individual in law enforcement here because she didn't like how he treated one of her relatives during a divorce. The man's performance and ability weren't considered; it was a totally personal firing and is currently under investigation. While the issue isn't close to the scandal of Ted Steven's corruption, it shows that Palin isn't "squeaky clean" and causes me to think there ay be more issues that could come to light. Clearly McCain doesn't care. When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable if it weren't so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics (admittedly a weak area for McCain), or of international affairs, knows nothing of national government, Social Security, unemployment, health care systems - you name it. The idea of her meeting with heads of foreign governments around the world truly frightens me. In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in the US, Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John McCain is not a young man. Should something happen to him such that the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our country and possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate as Sarah Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain to try to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain introduced her today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton. To those of you who, like me, supported Hilary and were upset that she did not get the nomination, please don't think that Sarah Palin is a worthy substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of what you think the media and the democratic party may have done to undermine her campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah Palin. To those of you who are independent or undecided, don't let the choice of Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how unqualified McCain is to be president. To those of you who are conservative, I guess you have no choice for president. But please try to see how the poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain's judgment. While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally, a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone president. I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the stakes are high. I thought it might help for all of you, regardless of political affiliation, to know something about Palin from someone who has to live with her administration in Alaska on a daily basis.

Talking Points

Old McDaniel Is Very Nice

Images from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Old McDonald by Ella, of course

Ruby Tuesday

images from another recent grueling college search road trip. Excellent dinner at a new Ruby Tuesday's, where the food is always "hand crafted"
The Marianne Faithful version

She would never say where she came from
Yesterday dont matter if its gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes
Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still Im gonna miss you...
Dont question why she needs to be so free
Shell tell you its the only way to be
She just cant be chained
To a life where nothings gained
And nothings lost
At such a cost
Theres no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Aint life unkind?
Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still Im gonna miss you...

John's Hot And Bothered

Sarah Palin: Not Sarah Plain

Baracky II

The youtube baracky video was closer to truth than fiction as a result of last night's stirring speech.
from andrew sullivan

He took every assault on him and turned them around. He showed not just that he understood the experience of many middle class Americans, but that he understood how the Republicans have succeeded in smearing him. And he didn't shrink from the personal charges; he rebutted them. Whoever else this was, it was not Adlai Stevenson. It was not Jimmy Carter. And it was less afraid and less calculating than Bill Clinton.
Above all, he took on national security - face on, full-throttle, enraged, as we should all be, at how disastrously American power has been handled these past eight years. He owned this issue in a way that no Democrat has owned it since Kennedy. That's a transformative event. To my mind, it is vital that both parties get to own the war on Jihadist terror and that we escape this awful Rove-Morris trap that poisons the discourse into narrow and petty partisan abuse of patriotism. Obama did this tonight. We are in his debt.
Look: I'm biased at this point. I'm one of those people, deeply distressed at what has happened to America, deeply ashamed of my own misjudgments, who has shifted out of my ideological comfort zone because this man seems different to me, and this moment in history seems different to me. I'm not sure we have many more chances to get off the addiction to foreign oil, to prevent a calamitous terrorist attack, to restore constitutional balance in the hurricane of a terror war.
I've said it before - months and months ago. I should say it again tonight. This is a remarkable man at a vital moment. America would be crazy to throw this opportunity away. America must not throw this opportunity away.Know hope.

Jive Talking 2

Its just your jive talkin
Youre telling me lies, yeah
Jive talkin
You wear a disguise
Jive talkin
So misunderstood, yeah
Jive talkin
You really no good
Oh, my child
Youll never know
Just what you mean to me
Oh, my child
You got so much
Youre gonna take away my energy
With all your jive talkin
Youre telling me lies, yeah
Good lovin
Still gets in my eyes
Nobody believes what you say
Its just your jive talkin
That gets in the way
Oh my love
Youre so good
Treating me so cruel
There you go
With your fancy lies
Leavin me lookin
Like a dumbstruck fool
With all your
Jive talkin
Youre telling me lies, yeah
Jive talkin
You wear a disguise
Jive talkin
So misunderstood, yeah
Jive talkin
You just aint no good
Love talkin
Is all very fine, yeah
Jive talkin
Just isnt a crime
And if theres somebody
Youll love till you die
Then all that jive talkin
Just gets in your eye
Jive talkin
Youre telling me lies,yeah
Good lovin
Still gets in my eyes
Nobody believes what you say
Its just your jive talkin
That gets in the way
Love talkin
Is all very fine, yeah
Jive talkin, just isnt a crime
And if theres somebody
Youll love till you die
Then all that jive talkin
Just gets in your eye
Jive talkin

Jive Talking

I hope nyceducator doesn't watch this. He's too important to get hurt. He said:

I would rather stick a pencil in my eye and twirl it counterclockwise than voluntarily subject myself to either the sights or (gads!) the sounds of Dear Leader Weingarten giving a speech, so I managed to miss it.

Read the rest of his post here
For those of you who want to read along

I AM HONORED TO BE HERE REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS MORE THAN 1.4 MILLION MEMBERS. WE WORK IN YOUR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, IN YOUR HOSPITALS, AND YOUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. WE BELIEVE THAT ACCESS TO AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION IS A BASIC CIVIL RIGHT. FOR THE CHILDREN WHO ARE DENIED THE EDUCATION THEY NEED TO FULFILL THEIR GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL, IT IS A PERSONAL TRAGEDY, AND AN INEXCUSABLE IN JUSTICE. IT IS ALSO AN AFFRONT TO AMERICAN VALUES AND A THREAT TO AMERICA'S ROLE AS AN INCUBATOR OF INNOVATION. THIS MUST CHANGE. AND THAT REQUIRES LEADERSHIP, NOT DEMAGOGUERY. THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO ELECT BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. AND WHY THEY NEED ALL OF US WORKING WITH THEM. THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS IS READY. OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN STRENGTHENING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BETTER SERVE OUR STUDENTS. LET'S DO WHAT WE DO IN OUR BEST SCHOOLS IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. BARACK OBAMA KNOWS THAT TEACHERS MUST BE PARTNERS, NOT PAWNS IN FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICIES. AND FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY MUST BE ABOUT A LOT MORE THAN TESTING. SO I ASKED YOU TO JOIN US IN THIS QUEST BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE THAT STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE CORNERSTONES OF OUR DEMOCRACY. BECAUSE OUR AGING POPULATION DEPENDS ON FUTURE GENERATIONS GROWING THE ECONOMY. BECAUSE TODAY'S STUDENTS WILL BE THE CARETAKERS OF TOMORROW'S ENVIRONMENT. THE SPARKS IGNITING OUR INNOVATIONS, THE TENDERS OF OUR GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS, THE GUARDIANS OF OUR PROSPERITY, AND THE CREATORS OF OUR ARTS. OR SIMPLY BECAUSE EVERY CHILD HAS A RIGHT TO A FAIR AND HOPEFUL START IN LIFE. WHEN THOSE CHILDREN WALKED THROUGH THE DOORS OF OUR CLASSROOMS THEY BRING US THEIR DREAMS COME UP POTENTIAL, AND THEIR TRUST. AND SOMETIMES THEY BRING THEIR EMPTY STOMACHS, AND TREATED AILMENTS, AND LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT CAN CHILL YOU TO YOUR CORE. AMERICA'S TEACHERS, TAKE THEM AND ALL THEIR FULLNESS AND WE DO ALL THEY -- ALL THEY CAN TO HELP THEM REACH GREAT HEIGHTS. BUT THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TEACHERS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY TO INSPIRE THEIR STUDENTS. STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE YET STRIDE AND SUCCEED. COMMUNITIES THAT VALUE EDUCATION AND INSHORE STUDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM WHEN I VISIT THOSE SCHOOLS. BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN WILL CHALLENGE THE PEOPLE ENTRUSTED WITH OUR CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING. AND WE WELCOME IT. WE ARE READY TO WORK TOGETHER TO USHER IN A NEW ERA OF EXCELLENCE IN AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE CAN DO THIS. WE MUST DO THIS. AND IT STARTS WITH ELECTING BARACK OBAMA AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THANK YOU.

The Ed Equity Amigos Dump On Teacher Unions In Denver

"Amigos" McCain and Bloomberg weren't there in person, but in spirit
from edweek reporting from the Democractic Convention

Here at the Denver Art Museum, Democratic mayors from Newark, N.J., Washington D.C., and Denver joined education reform darlings including New York City’s Joel Klein and Washington D.C.’s Michelle Rhee. The group was referred to as the “misfits” of the Democratic Party by DFER's Joe Williams, a nod to their willingness to speak up against the influence of teachers’ unions, which have formed the backbone of the party.
The educators, along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, kicked off the event with a nearly hour-long press conference to tout the event. There, Rhee (who left early to catch a flight home; D.C. schools open on Monday), took the Democrats to task, saying the party is “supposed to be the party that looks out for poor and minority kids,” when that’s not actually happening.
The anti-union sentiment spilled over into policy forums that followed. The fight against the teachers’ unions and other special interests is a “battle at the heart of the Democratic Party,” said Newark Mayor Cory Booker. “As Democrats, we have been wrong on education. It’s time to get right.”

On Three Pillars

combined audio excerpt and images from nextbook and jewcy
book available from amazon

Brooklyn, New York, is a central location on the map of Jewish American migration. At its height, in the 1950s, the borough’s Jewish population numbered more than a million. Today, many thousands still make their home there, as evidenced by the vast number of synagogues thriving in neighborhoods as diverse as Park Slope (mostly reform and conservative) and Borough Park (mostly Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox). But Jews have long since abandoned other neighborhoods, leaving their synagogues to fend for themselves. Some have been converted into churches or commercial spaces, others simply leveled.
Photographer Thomas Roma has spent years photographing Brooklyn’s houses of worship—of every denomination. But he found himself particularly drawn to synagogues for the stories the buildings seemed to tell about their neighborhood’s and congregation’s past, present, and future. He’s now collected his beautiful, large-scale, black-and-white photographs of these places in a book titled On Three Pillars: Torah, Worship, and the Practice of Loving Kindness.

I'm In Love With Michelle Obama

Since I met you I begun to feel so strange
Every time I speak your name that's funny
You say that you are so helpless too
That you don’t know what to do
Each night I pray there will never come a day
When you up and take your love away
Say you feel the same way too
And I wonder what it is I feel for you
Could it be I’m falling in love [With you baby]
Could it be I’m falling in love [Woo]
Could it be I’m falling in love
With you
With you
With you
With you
I don’t need all those things that used to bring me joy
You make me such a happy boy
And honey you’ll always be the only for me
Meeting you was my destiny
You can be sure I will never let you down
When you need me I’ll be around
And darling you’ll always be
The only for me
Heaven made you specially
Could it be I’m falling in love [With you baby]
Could it be I’m falling in love [Woo]
Could it be I’m falling in love
With you
With you
with you,
With you
And darling you’ll always be
The only for me
Heaven made you specially
Could it be I’m falling in love [With you baby]
Could it be I’m falling in love [I wanna know now baby]
Could it be I’m falling in love
With you
With you
With you
With you
I walk around with my heart in my hands hey
Walk the street as long as I can baby
I used to sing fa fa fa fa
But right now I feel so good I sing la la la la
Once you get me up
Won’t let me down
Just let this feeling carry me on
Skip the beats with my heart girl

The Ed Equity Amigos Demonstrate In Denver

WHEN: Sunday, August 24, 2008, 2:00 PM
WHO: Education Equality Project founders Joel I. Klein and Rev Al Sharpton;
Other EEP coalition members, including Newark Mayor Corey Booker, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet, Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee
WHAT: The Education Equality Project calls on the Democratic Party to endorse the Project’s Statement of Principles
WHERE: Denver Art Museum plaza
100 W 14th Avenue Pkwy, Denver, Colorado

Carrying The Banner: The Three Amigos Arrive In Denver

Fantasy dialogue with no bs vp candidate Joe Biden
Joel: Will you endorse our principles?
Joe: Your principles? Hey fella, I'll tell you what you can do with your principles

Illinois Jacquet: Flying Home

?
from a 1993 in Vienna with solos by Irving Stokes (tp), David Glasser (as) and Duffy Jackson (dr). from Wikipedia

Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 31, 1922–July 22, 2004) was a jazz tenor saxophonist most famous for his solo on "Flying Home". He is better known simply as Illinois Jacquet. Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor sax that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of early rock and roll, he was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. He doubled on the bassoon, one of only a few jazz musicians to use this instrument.
Jacquet was born to a Sioux mother and a Creole father in Broussard, Louisiana and moved to Houston, Texas, as an infant. His father, Gilbert Jacquet, was a part-time band leader. As a child he performed in his father's band, primarily on the alto saxophone. His older brother Russell Jacquet played trumpet and his brother Linton played drums.
At 15, Jacquet began playing with the Milton Larkin Orchestra, a Houston-area dance band. In 1939, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met Nat King Cole. Jacquet would sit in with the trio on occasion. In 1940, Cole introduced Jacquet to Lionel Hampton who had returned to California and was putting together a big band. Hampton wanted to hire Jacquet, but asked the young Jacquet to switch to tenor sax.
In 1942, at age 19, Jacquet soloed on the Hampton Orchestra's recording of "Flying Home", one of the very first times a honking tenor sax was heard on record. The record became a hit; a jazz classic as well as what can be considered one of the first rock and roll records. The song immediately became the climax for the live shows and Jacquet became exhausted from having to "bring down the house" every night. The solo was built to weave in and out of the arrangement and continued to be played by every saxophone player who followed Jacquet in the band, notably Arnett Cobb and Dexter Gordon, who achieved almost as much fame as Jacquet in playing it. It is one of the very few jazz solos to have been memorized and played very much the same way by everyone who played the song.
He quit the Hampton band in 1943 and joined Cab Calloway's Orchestra. Jacquet appeared with Cab Calloway's band in Lena Horne's movie Stormy Weather.
In 1944 he returned to California and started a small band with his brother Russell and a young Charlie Mingus. It was at this time that he appeared in the Academy Award-nominated short film Jammin' the Blues with Lester Young. He also appeared at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert.
In 1946 he moved to New York City and joined the Count Basie orchestra, replacing Lester Young. Jacquet continued to perform (mostly in Europe) in small groups through the 1960s and 1970s. Jacquet led the Illinois Jacquet Big Band from 1981 until his death. Jacquet became the first jazz musician to be an artist-in-residence at Harvard University in 1983. He played "C-Jam Blues" with President Bill Clinton on the White House lawn during Clinton's inaugural ball in 1993.
His solos of the early and mid-1940s and his performances at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series, greatly influenced rhythm and blues and rock and roll saxophone style, but also continue to be heard in jazz. His honking and screeching emphasized the lower and higher registers of the tenor saxophone. Despite a superficial rawness, the style is still heard in skilled jazz players like Arnett Cobb, who also became famous for playing "Flying Home" with Hampton, as well as Sonny Rollins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Jimmy Forrest.
He passed away in his home in New York City in 2004.

Saratoga Springs: Flying Home At The Hampton Inn

A beautiful new hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites, in Saratoga. The race horse theme predominates in the lobby as it does with the rest of the town. This was during Travers week in August, culminating in the Travers' Stake on August 23. Audio is "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton (get it?)

Let's Start A Union

Union College/Schenectady

from the Black Eyed Peas with special guest Sting

(One for all, one for all)
(It's all it's all for one)
Let's start a union, calling every human
It's one for all and all for one
Let's live in unison, calling every citizen
It's one for all and all for one
We don't want war- can't take no more
It's drastic time for sure
We need an antidote and a cure
Cause do you really think Mohammed got a problem with Jehovah
We don't want war – imagine if any prophet was alive
In current days amongst you and I
You think they'd view life like you and I do
Or would they sit and contemplate on why
Do we live this way, act and behave this way
We still live in primitive today
Cause the peace in the destination of war can't be the way
There's no way, so people just be a woman, be a man
Realize that you can't change the world by changing yourself
And understand that we're all just the same
So when I count to three let's change
[Chorus]
Got no time for grand philosophy
I barely keep my head above the tide
I got this mortgage, got three kids at school
What you're saying is the truth, but really troubles me inside
I'd change the world if I could change my mind
If I could live beyond my fears
Exchanging unity for all my insecurity
Exchanging laughter for my tears
[Chorus]
I don't know, y'all, we in a real deposition
In the midst of all this negative condition
Divided by beliefs, different sink and religion
Why do we keep missing the point in our mission?
Why do we keep killing each other, what's the reason?
God made us all equal in his vision
I wish that I could make music as a religion
Then we could harmonize together in this mission
Listen, I know it's really hard to make changes
But two of us could help rearrange this curse
Utilizing all the power in our voices
Together we will unite and make the right choice
And fight for education, save the next generation
Come together as one
I don't understand why it's never been done
So let's change on the count of one
It takes one, just one
And then one follows the other one
And then another follows the other one
Next thing you know you got a billion
People doing some wonderful things
People doing some powerful things
Let's change and do some powerful things
Unity could be a wonderful thing

Indian Summer: Coleman Hawkins

from wikipedia

Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 - May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was a prominent jazz tenor saxophonist.
He is commonly regarded as the first important and influential jazz musician to use the instrument: Joachim E. Berendt wrote, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn".
While Hawkins is most strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he began playing professionally in the early 1920s and was important in the development of bebop in the 1940s. He continued to be influenced by the avant-garde jazz of the 1950s and '60s.
Lester Young, who was called "Pres", 1959 interview with Jazz Review said "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one."
Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk I learned to play ballads."
Hawkins was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri in 1904. Some out-of-date sources say 1901, but there is no evidence to prove such an early date. He was named Coleman after his mother Cordelia's maiden name.
He attended high school in Chicago, then in Topeka, Kansas at Topeka High School. He later stated that he studied harmony and composition for two years at Washburn College in Topeka while still attending THS. In his youth he played piano and cello, and started playing saxophone at the age of nine; by the age of fourteen he was playing around eastern Kansas.
Hawkins joined Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds in 1921 with whom he toured through 1923, at which time he settled in New York City. Hawkins joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, with whom he played through 1934, sometimes doubling on clarinet and bass saxophone. Hawkins' playing changed significantly during Louis Armstrong's tenure with the Henderson Orchestra.
In 1934 Hawkins accepted an invitation to play with Jack Hylton's band in London. During the mid to late 1930s Hawkins toured Europe as a soloist, memorably working with Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter in Paris in 1937, and many other groups until returning to the USA in 1939. In that same year he recorded a seminal jazz solo on the pop standard "Body and Soul", a landmark recording of the Swing Era. It is unique in that virtually the entire recording is improvised - only in the first 4 bars is the melody stated in a recognizable fashion. It is considered by many to be the next evolutionary step in jazz recording from where Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" in 1928 left off.
After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a big band he led a combo at Kelly's Stables on Manhattan's famed 52nd Street with Thelonious Monk, Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, and Max Roach as sidemen. He was leader on the first ever bebop recording session with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach in 1943. Later he toured with Howard McGhee and recorded with J. J. Johnson and Fats Navarro. He also toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic.
In 1948 Hawkins recorded Picasso, an influential piece for unaccompanied saxophone.
After 1948 Hawkins divided his time between New York and Europe, making numerous freelance recordings. In the 1960s he appeared regularly at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan.
Hawkins directly influenced many bebop performers, and later in his career, recorded or performed with such adventurous musicians as Sonny Rollins, who considered him his main influence, and John Coltrane. He appears on the Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Riverside) record. In 1960 he recorded on Max Roach's We Insist! - Freedom Now suite.
He also performed with more traditional musicians, such as Henry "Red" Allen and Roy Eldridge, with whom he appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, and recorded Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster with fellow tenor saxophonist Ben Webster on December 16, 1957, along with Oscar Peterson (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Alvin Stoller (drums). In the 1960s, he recorded with Duke Ellington.
What was up to date in jazz changed radically over the decades. When record collectors would play his early 1920s recordings during Hawkins' later years he would sometimes deny his presence on them, since the playing on the old records sounded so dated.
In his later years, Hawkins began to drink heavily and stopped recording (his last recording was in late 1966). He died of pneumonia in 1969 and is interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
A biography of Hawkins, The Song of the Hawk (1990), was written by British jazz historian John Chilton.

Indian Summer: Teddi King

from wikipedia

Teddi King (September 18, 1929 - November 18, 1977) was an American jazz and pop vocalist. Born Theodora King in Boston, Massachusetts on September 18, 1929, she won a singing competition hosted by Dinah Shore at Boston's Tributary Theatre, later beginning work in a touring revue involved with "cheering up the military in the lull between the Second World War and the Korean conflict." Improving her vocal and piano technique during this time, she first recorded with Nat Pierce in 1949, later recording with the Beryl Booker trio and with several other small groups from 1954-1955 (recordings which were available on three albums for Storyville). She then toured with George Shearing for two years beginning in the summer of 1952, and for a time was managed by the famed George Wein. King later began performing for a time in Las Vegas.
Ultimately signing with RCA, she recorded three albums for the label, beginning with 1956's Bidin' My Time. She also had some minor chart success with the singles "Mr. Wonderful" (which made the Top 20 in 1956), "Married I Can Always Get" and "Say It Isn't So" (both of which made the Hot 100 from 1957-1958). Her critically praised 1959 album All the Kings' Songs found her interpreting the signature songs of contemporary male singers like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole (the "kings" of the title).[1] In the 1960s, she opened the Playboy Club, where she often performed. After developing lupus, she managed to make a brief comeback with a 1977 album featuring Dave McKenna, and with two more albums recorded for Audiophile released posthumously. She eventually died of the disease on November 18, 1977. King's style, influenced by Lee Wiley, Mildred Bailey and Mabel Mercer, has won her a small but devoted cult following.

Indian Summer: Glenn Miller Orchestra

Written by Victor Herbert and Al Dubin.
As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 5th, 1939 with Ray Eberle.
(The melody was actually written in 1919 as a piano piece subtitled "An American Idyll",
lyrics were added in 1939).
Summer, you old Indian Summer
You're the tear that comes after June time's laughter
You see so many dreams that don't come true
Dreams we fashioned when summertime was new
You are here to watch over
Some heart that is broken
By a word that somebody left unspoken
You're the ghost of a romance in June
Going astray, fading too soon...
That's why I say,
"Farewell to you, Indian Summer!"

Ithaca Summer

audio, Indian Summer, by Ruby Braff and his New England Songhounds: Scott Hamilton, Dave McKenna, Frank Tate, Howard Alden, Alan Dawson

It's not Indian Summer yet, but what the hey?

Ithaca College: Unforgivable Soullessness

music from Wynton Marsalis' soundtrack from Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

David Patterson's Second Sight

an excerpt from the nytimes' city room

Paterson on Bloomberg’s Third Term: ‘A Great Idea’, By Jeremy W. Peters
Gov. David A. Paterson on Friday said he supports Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s efforts to explore ways to run for a third term, calling the possibility of four more years of a Bloomberg administration “a great idea.”
“Mayor Bloomberg, if he wants to run for mayor a third time, I think it’s a great idea,” Mr. Paterson said in a question-and-answer session with reporters from his office in Midtown Manhattan. “There was a time he wanted to run for president. That wouldn’t have been a bad idea, either.”
Mr. Bloomberg has been toying with the idea of running again, even though the city’s regulations require mayors to step aside after two terms. His current term expires on Dec. 31, 2009.

One commentator, Perley J. Thibodeau, posted this response

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
And here I’ve been thinking all along that Paterson has the gift of second sight!
I’ll know better on this subject after I find out if Mike is going to take me out for a New England Shore Dinner to discuss wind power.
If he follows Kosher Laws, which is an admirable religious custom, we can always ask the waiter to have a Rabbi kill the Lobster for him!

Evidently David Patterson's keen second sight allowed him to easily locate Mike's butt to kiss

Joe Bided His Time: His Time Is Now

George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin, audio by Johnny Hartman

Some fellows love to tiptoe through the tulips
Some fellows go on singing in the rain
Some fellows keep on painting skies with sunshine

But I'm bidin' my time,
‘Cause that's the kind of guy I'm,
While other folks grow dizzy,
I keep busy,
Bidin' my time.
Next year, next year,
Somethin's bound to happen,
This year, this year,
I'll just keep on mappin',
And bidin' my time,
"Cause that's the kind of guy I'm,
There's no regrettin',
When I'm settin',
Bidin' my time.
I'm bidin' my time,
"Cause that's the kind of guy I'm,
Beginnin' on a Monday,
Right through Sunday,
Bidin' my time.
Give me, give me,
Glass that's bright and twinkles,
Let me, let me,
Dream like Rip Van Winkle.
He's bided his time,
Like that Winkle guy,
I'm chasin' 'way flies,
How the day flies,
Bidin' my time.

American Prayer

from dave stewart

This is my American Prayer
This is the time to finish what you started
And this is no time to dream
This is the room
We can turn off the dark tonight
Maybe then we might see
American Prayer
American Prayer
And this is the ground
That keeps our feet from getting wet
And this is the sky over our head
And what you see depends on where you stand
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land
American Prayer
American Prayer
My oh my
Couldn't get much higher
Lets not kick out the darkness
Make the lights brighter
And these are the hands
What are we gonna build with them?
This is the church you can't see
Give me your tired, your poor and huddled masses
You know they're yearning to breathe free
This is my American Prayer
American Prayer
American Prayer
When you get to the top of the mountain
Will you tell me what you see
If you get to the top of the mountain
Remember me

celebrities, in order of appearance:

Dave Stewart
Forest Whitaker
Amy Keys
Macy Gray
Jason Alexander
Colbie Caillat
Whoopi Goldberg
Joss Stone
Buju Banton
Ann Marie Calhoun
Barry Manilow
Linda Perry
Cyndi Lauper
Sergio Mendes
Herbie Hancock
Mike Bradford
Margaret Cho
Speech
Joan Baez
Daedelus
Pamela Anderson
Peter & Gordon
Sierra Swan
Nadirah X
Perez Hilton
Barack Obama

A House Is Not A Home: Ella 1969

by Burt Bacharach

A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight,
And no one there you can kiss good night.
A room is still a room
Even when there's nothing there but gloom;
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart.
Now and then I call your name
And suddenly your face appears
But it's just a crazy game
When it ends it ends in tears.
Darling, have a heart,
Don't let one mistake keep us apart.
I'm not meant to live alone. turn this house into a home.
When I climb the stair and turn the key,
Oh, please be there still in love with me.

John McCain's Version Of The House I Live In

The images of John and Cindy's homes (all 7) come from a guardian article
Evidently his version of the House I Live In doesn't quite jive with the original's message.

The song "The House I Live In" was a patriotic favorite of World War II. The melody was written by Earl Robinson, a famous leftist composer who was blacklisted in the 50's. The lyricist was Lewis Allen, whose real name was Abel Meeropol, the same Meeropol who became the adopted father of the Ethel and Julius Rosenberg's boys, Michael and Robert. Abel Meeropol wrote the song. "Strange Fruit," made popular by Billie Holiday.
What is america to me
A name, a map, or a flag I see
A certain word, democracy
What is america to me
The house I live in
A plot of earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher
Or the people that I meet
The children in the playground
The faces that I see
All races and religions
That's america to me
The place I work in
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and died
The howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That's america to me
The things I see about me
The big things and the small
That little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tall
The wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
And the dream that's been a growing
For more than two hundred years
The town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or the garden all in bloom
The church the school the clubhouse
The millions lights I see
But especially the people
- yes especially the people
That's america to me

The Three Ed Equity Amigos Carry The Banner To Denver

After careful consideration the Ed Equity banner incorporated a photo of the cafeteria at P.S. 256 in the Rockaways, a school for children with developmental difficulties and severe emotional disorders. Read the rest of nyceducator's post on the reality, not the hype, of nyc public schools

Have Gun/Chancellorship Will Travel 2

A work in progress. A h/t to the all american speakers for hire In the meantime sing along
Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of a man.
A knight without armor in a savage land.
His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind.
A soldier of fortune is the man called Paladin.
Paladin, Paladin Where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, Far, far from home.
He travels on to wherever he must
A chess knight of silver is his badge of trust
There are campfire legends that the trailmen spin
Of the man with the gun
Of the man called Paladin
Paladin Paladin Where do you roam?
Paladin Paladin Far, far from home
Far from home. Far from home.

Have Gun/Chancellorship Will Travel

There's the above version of Paladin and there's the one below. I guess it's hard to get by on $250,000 a year.

Jim Flora

I came across Jim Flora's great album art work while searching for information on the Sauter Finegan Band. I remember some of these from the 50's and 60's. The audio is by Shorty Rogers whose album had Jim's art.
From the jim flora site

Jim Floraames (Jim) Flora is best-known for his wild jazz and classical album covers for Columbia Records (late 1940s) and RCA Victor (1950s). He authored and illustrated 17 popular children's books and flourished for decades as a magazine illustrator. Few realize, however, that Flora was also a prolific fine artist with a devilish sense of humor and a flair for juxtaposing playfulness, absurdity and violence. Flora's album covers pulsed with angular hepcats bearing funnel-tapered noses and shark-fin chins who fingered cockeyed pianos and honked lollipop-hued horns. Yet this childlike exuberance was subverted by a tinge of the diabolic. Flora wreaked havoc with the laws of physics, conjuring flying musicians, levitating instruments, and wobbly dimensional perspectives.
Flora's TriclopsTaking liberties with human anatomy, he drew bonded bodies and misshapen heads, while inking ghoulish skin tints and grafting mutant appendages. He was not averse to pigmenting jazz legends Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa like bedspread patterns. On some Flora figures, three legs and five arms were standard equipment, with spare eyeballs optional. His rarely seen fine artworks reflect the same comic yet disturbing qualities. "He was a monster," said artist and Floraphile JD King. So were many of his creations.
JimFlora.com exhibits samples of Flora's fine art, commercial assignments, sketches, prints, books, and memorabilia. Our goal is to bring Flora's work to renewed prominence. We have published two anthologies of Flora art, and several more are planned. Working with the Flora family we are producing and marketing prints (in several formats) of the artist's idiosyncratic images. Flora spread paint on paper. We're spreading Flora over the planet.
Jim Flora once said that all he wanted to do was "create a little piece of excitement." He overshot his goal with much of his work.

Joel Klein Gets Rick Rolled

Ella In Sweden 1963: Desafinado

from Ikea to Ella in Sweden. There shouldn't be any excuse to play Ella.

Love is like a never-ending melody
Always have compared it to a symphony
A symphony conducted by the lighting of the moon
But our song of love is slightly out of tune
Once your kisses raised me to a fever pitch
Now the orchestration doesn't seem so rich
Seems to me you've changed the tune we used to sing
Like the bossa nova, love should swing
We used to harmonize, two souls in perfect time
Now the song is different and the words don't even rhyme
Cause you forgot the melody our hearts would always croon
So what's good's a heart that's slightly out of tune
Tune your heart to mine the way it used to be
Join with me in harmony and sing a song of loving
We've got to get in tune again before too long
There'll be no desafinado
When your heart belongs to me completely
Then you won't be slightly out of tune
You'll sing along with me

Ikea Red Hook

Music from ART FARMER - TO SWEDEN WITH LOVE (1964)Visa Vid Midsommartid (Midsummer Song)

Art Farmer – flugelhorn, Jim Hall – guitar, Steve Swallow – bass,Pete LaRoca – drums
Once upon a time, there was a quartet led by trumpet/ flugelhorn player Art Farmer and electric guitarist Jim Hall, like minded souls who got together to create music with lyrical melodies and adventurous solos. Here they transform these Swedish folk songs, making each one swing gently, and opening up the tunes to intense, meditative explorations. Farmer's flugelhorn and Hall's guitar lines are perfect foils, unfurling quiet, complex lines around each other. This is the second of only three recordings the group made, sandwiched between 1963’s Interaction and Live At The Half Note, also from 1964, with Walter Perkins replacing Pete LaRoca on drums. What’s interesting is that this group was put together after the demise of Farmer and Benny Golson’s Jazztet and after Hall’s tenure as an integral part of Sonny Rollins piano-less quartet. It seems like they both took what they learned in those groups and made it a part of this one, perhaps knocking things up a notch. This group should have lasted a lot longer than it did.

excerpt from the nytimes 8/11/08

Big Box Isn’t All Bad, By KAREEM FAHIM
The blue box opened, and so far, the sky hasn’t fallen.
When Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant, announced that it would open one of its trademark big-box stores on the Brooklyn waterfront in Red Hook, many in the area feared that throngs of shoppers would transform and scar a quiet neighborhood possessed of a battered industrial charm.
The battle lines were familiar to those who watch development brawls. Ikea and its supporters dangled the offer of new jobs and an economic spark for a depressed corner of Brooklyn, while their opponents — and they were easy to find — argued that the benefits would not offset what the neighborhood would lose, especially as untold numbers of cars poured in every week.
To make matters worse, just before the store opened in June, Ikea announced that it was renting a vast empty lot next to the store to accommodate overflow parking. “It’s going to be a madhouse,” said one resident, expressing a widely held feeling at the time.
But since the store opened, something unexpected has happened. Ikea has won grudging acceptance from some of its detractors, who admit, somewhat sheepishly, that the feared blue box has brought perks enjoyed even by those who have no interest in stepping into the store.
There is the daily water taxi and shuttle bus service provided free by Ikea, technically for its customers. But for residents, the boats and buses have made the hard-to-reach neighborhood without a subway stop a little less remote; the ferries in particular have given them a picturesque way to travel between Manhattan and Red Hook.

It Came From Beneath The Primary Defeat

Norm links to one of several Hillary bloggers who suggest she's not finished yet

ALEGRE'S CORNER
We're not finished folks - not by a long shot!
Bill To Speak at Convention
by: Alegre
Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 22:22:18 PM EDT
Ok I briefly had to give Camp BHO credit for getting out ahead of something I'd planned on teasing them for. In tonight's report on the campaign and convention, Andrea Mitchell ran through today's latest developments re that video SimoFish took at that fundraiser last week - where Hillary told the gathering that she wanted to see her name put into nomination so people could unite behind BHO etc. (BTW - nice to see the MSM are only taking a WEEK to catch up to the rest of us on this story - used to be they ignored this sort of thing altogether!).
No comment on that bit where BHO craps all over the notion of a catharsis for Hillary's delegates at our party's convention. We all know which end of his anatomy he's talking out of when he says stuff like that.
Mitchell closed the report by noting that BHO had yet to offer Bill a chance to speak at our convention. I sent a quick note to a couple friends saying that yeah... the only two-term Democratic President to come along in generations and BHO hadn't yet shown a bit of class and asked him to address the delegates? How messed up is that?

Rick Roll Scientologists

On February 10, 2008 500 masked protesters in New York, Washington, London and Seattle held up boomboxes and chanted the Stock Aitken Waterman lyrics which Astley made famous. "Never gonna let you down!" they roared, in a live rick-rolling of the Church of Scientology.

Weekend In New England

Last night, I waved goodbye
Now--it seems years
I'm back in the city
Where nothing is clear
But thoughts of me --holding you
Bringing us near
And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when
Will I hold you again
Time, in New England
Took me away
To long rocky beaches
--and you, by the bay
We started a story Whose end must now wait
And, tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when
Will I hold you again
I feel the change comin'
--I feel the wind blow
I feel brave and daring!
I feel my blood flow
With you
I can bring out
All the love, that I have
--With you there's a heaven
So earth ain't so bad
And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when
Will I hold you again

Massachusetts

Feel Im goin back to massachusetts,
Somethings telling me I must go home.
And the lights all went out in massachusetts
The day I left her standing on her own.
Tried to hitch a ride to san francisco,
Gotta do the things I wanna do.
And the lights all went out in massachusetts
They brought me back to see my way with you.
Talk about the life in massachusetts,
Speak about the people I have seen,
And the lights all went out in massachusetts
And massachusetts is one place I have seen.
I will remember massachusetts...

The Ed Equity Project Goes To The Olympics

Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition 2

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless distortion of the truth.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless distortion of the truth...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Clintons and neo-liberalist anti-unionism..

Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition

Chapman: Trouble at mill.
Cleveland: Oh no - what kind of trouble?
Chapman: One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle.
Cleveland: Pardon?
Chapman: One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle.
Cleveland: I don't understand what you're saying.
Chapman: [slightly irritatedly and with exaggeratedly clear accent] One of the cross beams has gone out askew on the treadle.
Cleveland: Well what on earth does that mean?
Chapman: *I* don't know - Mr Wentworth just told me to come in here and say that there was trouble at the mill, that's all - I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition.
[JARRING CHORD]
[The door flies open and Cardinal Ximinez of Spain [Palin] enters, flanked by two junior cardinals. Cardinal Biggles [Jones] has goggles pushed over his forehead. Cardinal Fang [Gilliam] is just Cardinal Fang]
Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.
[The Inquisition exits]
Chapman: I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition.
[JARRING CHORD]
[The cardinals burst in]
Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms - Oh damn!
[To Cardinal Biggles] I can't say it - you'll have to say it.
Biggles: What?
Ximinez: You'll have to say the bit about 'Our chief weapons are ...'
Biggles: [rather horrified]: I couldn't do that...
[Ximinez bundles the cardinals outside again]
Chapman: I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition.
[JARRING CHORD]
[The cardinals enter]
Biggles: Er.... Nobody...um....
Ximinez: Expects...
Biggles: Expects... Nobody expects the...um...the Spanish...um...
Ximinez: Inquisition.
Biggles: I know, I know! Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. In fact, those who do expect -
Ximinez: Our chief weapons are...
Biggles: Our chief weapons are...um...er...
Ximinez: Surprise...
Biggles: Surprise and --
Ximinez: Okay, stop. Stop. Stop there - stop there. Stop. Phew! Ah! ... our chief weapons are surprise...blah blah blah. Cardinal, read the charges.
Fang: You are hereby charged that you did on diverse dates commit heresy against the Holy Church. 'My old man said follow the--'
Biggles: That's enough.
[To Cleveland] Now, how do you plead?
Clevelnd: We're innocent.
Ximinez: Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
[DIABOLICAL LAUGHTER]
Biggles: We'll soon change your mind about that!
[DIABOLICAL ACTING]
Ximinez: Fear, surprise, and a most ruthless-- [controls himself with a supreme effort] Ooooh! Now, Cardinal -- the rack!
[Biggles produces a plastic-coated dish-drying rack. Ximinez looks at it and clenches his teeth in an effort not to lose control. He hums heavily to cover his anger]
Ximinez: You....Right! Tie her down.
[Fang and Biggles make a pathetic attempt to tie her on to the drying rack]
Ximinez:Right! How do you plead?
Clevelnd: Innocent.
Ximinez: Ha! Right! Cardinal, give the rack [oh dear] give the rack a turn.
[Biggles stands their awkwardly and shrugs his shoulders]
Biggles: I....
Ximinez: [gritting his teeth] I *know*, I know you can't. I didn't want to say anything. I just wanted to try and ignore your crass mistake.
Biggles: I...
Ximinez: It makes it all seem so stupid.
Biggles: Shall I...?
Ximinez: No, just pretend for God's sake. Ha! Ha! Ha!
[Biggles turns an imaginary handle on the side of the dish-rack]

Back To The Past

More on the Clinton plans for 2012

Campaign 2012: Pro-Clinton Group Runs Anti-Obama Ad
More on the Clinton undermining of Obama so McCain can win. Told ya so.
(And for anyone who doesn't think the Clintons aren't behind this no matter how much Hillary campaigns for Obama, there's a bridge to nowhere in Alaska I have to sell you.) And remind me of where Randi Weingarten and the UFT/AFT stands on this issue.

Beware Brother Beware 3

The original from Louis Jordan

Hey, fellas, yes you fellas, listen to me
I got somethin' to tell you
And I want you to listen to every word
And govern yourselves accordingly
Now, you see these girls with these fine diamonds
Fine furs and fine clothes
Well, they're lookin' for a husband
And you're listening to a man who knows
They ain't foolin', and if you fool around with them
You're gonna get yourself a schoolin'
Now listen, if she saves you dough
And won't go to the show, beware
If she's easy to kiss and won't resist
Beware, I said beware
If you go for a walk
And she listens while you talk
She's tryin' to hook you
Ain't nobody lookin' she asks you to taste her cookin'
Don't do it, don't do it
And if you go for a show
And she wants to sit back in the back row
Bring her down front, bring her home down front
If you wanna go for a snack
And she wanna sit in a booth in the back
Beware, brother
And listen, if she's used to caviar and fine silk
And when you go out with her
She want a hot dog and a malted milk
She's trying to get you brother
If you're used to goin' to Carnegie hall
But when you take her out night clubbing
All she wants one meatball
You better take it easy, [Incomprehensible] take it easy
If she grabs your hand and says
"Darling, you’re such a nice man"
Beware, I’m telling you
Should I tell 'em a little more?
Tell 'em a little more? Alright
You better listen to me ’cause
I’m telling you what’s being put down
And you better be [pickin'] up on it
If her sister calls your brother
You better get further
I’m telling you, you gotta watch it
You better get on [down]
And if she’s acting kind of wild, and says
"Darling, give me a trial"
Don’t you do it, don’t be weak, don’t give it to her
And if she smiles in your face
And just melts into place
Let her melt, forget it, let her melt
Should I tell 'em a little more?
Tell 'em everything? Alright
Now listen, if she calls you on the phone, and says
"Darling, are you all alone? "
Tell her, "No, I've got two or three women with me"
Don’t pay no attention to women
Stand up for your right, be a man, be a man
Are you listening? Are you listening?
Put on that [lotto] step and listen to me
If you turn out the lights and she don’t fight
That’s the end, it’s too late now
She’s got you hooked, you might as well stick with her
Should I tell 'em a little more?
Give 'em a little more? Alright
If you get home about two
And don’t know what to do
You pull back the curtains
And the whole family’s looking at you
Get your business straight
Set the date, don’t be late, yeah
Brother, beware, beware, beware
Brother, you better beware

Beware Brother Beware 2

more from ted rall and greg palast
audio: Dinah Washington

Beware Brother Beware 1

graphic from ted rall on greg palast's site, audio by anita o'day

Hide your heart from sight,
Lock your dreams at night,
It could happen to you.
Don't count stars,
Or you might stumble.
Someone drops a sigh,
And down you'll tumble.
Keep an eye on spring,
Run when church bells ring.
It could happen to you.
All I did was wonder how your arms would be,
And it happened to me.
Hide your heart from sight,
Lock your dreams at night,
It could happen to you.
Don't count stars,
Or you might stumble.
Someone drops a sigh,
And down you'll tumble.
Keep an eye on spring,
Run when church bells ring.
It could happen to you.
All I did was wonder how your arms could be,
And it happened, and it happened,
And it happened to me.

Barack/RickRoll

We’re no strangers to love,
You know the rules and so do I.
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of,
You wouldnt get this from any other guy.
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling,
Gotta make you understand…
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
We’ve known each other for so long
Your heart’s been aching
But you’re too shy to say it.
Inside we both know what’s been going on,
We know the game and we’re gonna play it.
Annnnnd if you ask me how I’m feeling,
Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see…
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
Give you up. give you up.
Give you up, give you up.
Never gonna give
Never gonna give, give you up.
Never gonna give
Never gonna give, give you up.
We’ve known each other for so long
Your heart’s been aching
But you’re too shy to say it.
Inside we both know what’s been going on,
We know the game and we’re gonna play it.
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling,
Gotta make you understand…
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Hillary 2012-part 2

More on the hopes and plans of Hillary supporters for 2012

Hillary 2012

Over at ednotes there's speculation that the Clinton's are hoping for Obama's defeat and actively planning their 2012 strategy.

Schools Attuned To Do Re Mi

excerpted from the nypost

The city Department of Education paid nearly $10 million to a nonprofit group to train Big Apple teachers to "demystify" their students - but the group trained less than one-fifth of the teachers planned, The Post has learned.
The organization, All Kinds of Minds, was co-founded by famed Harvard pediatrician Dr. Melvin Levine, who is facing new allegations that he sexually abused young, male patients. The group scored a no-bid contract worth up to $12.5 million in 2004 - one of hundreds of no-bid contracts issued by the DOE since mayoral control of the school system began in fiscal year 2003......"We don't know what we're getting for our money," said Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, who sparked an ongoing state-comptroller audit of no-bid contracts."In the case of All Kinds of Minds, what we were told at the beginning was wrong."Although the group's contract did not mandate training for a particular number of teachers, when the contract was first signed, All Kinds of Minds touted its plan to train 20,000 educators in its Schools Attuned program. When the contract expired in June, only 3,000 had been trained.In the meantime, Levine, who developed the program, was sued by five men who claim he sexually abused them when they were young patients. Attorney Carmen Durso said nearly 50 other victims have come forward since the suit was filed, and may also sue. Levine has strongly denied all allegations.......It (the DOE) also said it paid only $9.7 million of the no-bid contract for the training, and called the program "very successful." But teachers who received the multipart training had mixed reviews. Some thought the program, which requires teachers to have informal conversations with students called "demystifications" to target weaknesses, help students identify trouble areas and improve performance, was useful. Others called it "impractical" and "a total waste of time." "It can be the best program in the world. That's not the issue," Gotbaum fumed. "The issue is [that] it was contracted through a secretive process." According to city-comptroller statistics, in fiscal year 2000 under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the DOE signed seven no-bid contracts worth a total of $693,000. In fiscal year 2007, under Mayor Bloomberg, 76 no-bid contracts were signed for a total of $72 million. The numbers dropped to $12 million in fiscal year 2008.....

an excellent comment from the nycpublicschoolparentsblog

How does the DoE justify a no-bid contract such as this? According to the Post article, "The DOE argues no-bid contracts get business done quickly, and when it comes to curriculum, quality is more important than price."
Did the DoE miss the nonsequitur there? Speed and quality have little to do with each other. When it comes to Schools Attuned, one questions the motives behind such hush-hush celerity. There was not even a public announcement of the contract.
It is good that the Post article questions the merits of Schools Attuned. I wish there had been more detail. Schools Attuned is a "brain-based" program that trains teachers to diagnose students according to "neurodevelopmental constructs" and then offer them a "strategy" (which they can look up in a "strategy binder").
We should not be diagnosing our students. Even if the diagnoses were based on true science, it would not be our role. And the "science" behind Mel Levine's system is questionable at best. The prefix "neuro-" can deceive--it sounds fancy, but it is not.
Some of these diagnoses shout pure quackery. One of the "neurodevelopmental constructs" is "social cognition"; one of its functions is "self-marketing." Is this what we should be teaching our students?
In his book A Mind at a Time, Levine writes, "Some kids have no notion of how to assemble their image. Consequently, they fail miserably at marketing themselves to their peers."
Or perhaps it is the peers who have trouble appreciating someone different from themselves. Perhaps school should be a time when children do not have to "market" themselves, when they can focus on other things.
This is one of many examples of pseudoscientific opinion touted as truth in the Schools Attuned program. This organization should not have a contract. Nor should it be treated as separate from Dr. Levine. At a certain level, it's harmless: it's all about looking at individual students' learning difficulties and finding a way to work with or around them. At another level, it's deceitful, pretending to be scientific when it is not, and joining with many other fads that emphasize process over content.
Diana Senechal

Goody Goody

John Edwards now knows how it feels
excerpted from jammupp

Ollie Marie Givens was born in Linden, Texas, in October of 1925. Her musical imagination was fired up in her early teens by that wellspring of talent in the R & B years, the Black church. By 1951 she was in Houston looking for a way to break into the business. She gravitated naturally to the center of the Texas blues world, the Bronze Peacock Club and its owner Don Robey. He was impressed enough by her ability that she caught on and occasionally appeared on stage as a supporting act. She was part of a big two week holiday show at the end of 1951 in Houston with Willie Mae Thornton, Jimmy McCracklin & The Blues Blasters, and Billy Wright. She was being billed then as Ollie Marie Adams. By April she had dropped the Ollie and was simply Marie, and was touted by Peacock Records and Don Robey as a second "big Mama" and had her first record release for the label with "I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks" and "My Search Is Over" with the Bill harvey band.
In February of 1953 Adams joins up with Arthur Prysock for a series of one nighters in the Southwest. In late March she appears in Houston with B.B. King, Gatemouth Brown, and Lloyd Price. In April her latest Peacock release hits the streets - "I'm The Bluest Gal In Town" and "I Ain't Car Crazy" on #1614. In mid-year, Adams joins the Johnny Otis band and sets out on a national tour. Late in the year the Otis show called the "Jazz-O-Rama Revue" is joined by The Ravens vocal group. The Otis show makes an extensive tour of the Pacific Northwest ay year's end. Adams would become a permanent part of the Johnny Otis band until the end of the decade. In february of 1954 "I'm Gonna Latch On" and "You're Gone From Me" is released on Peacock #1631. During the spring Christine Kittrell joins the Otis band and Marie Adams and plays a number of dates in Denver, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City. That summer the growing power of R & B music among teenagers of all races was shown in dance dates at the Savoy Ballroom in Southern California. On the bill headlined by B.B. King were Marie Adams with Johnny Otis, Marvin & Johnny, Shirley Gunter & The Queens, The Platters, Lamplighters, Junior Ryder, and emcee Hunter Hancock. Each date had huge turn-away crowds.
The landscape of Rhythm& Blues had changed by 1957, and those that came up in the late forties or early fifties had a hard time keeping in the public eye. The Johnny Otis band kept at it and by 1957 had signed a recording contract with Capitol Records, a pop music major on the strength of Otis TV show from Los Angeles. Marie Adams was now a featured performer on the Johnny Otis revue as part of the trio called the Three Tons Of Joy (Marie with sisters Sadie and Francine McKinley). "Ma He's Making Eyes At Me" and "Romance In The Dark" are released by Capitol #3800 in September. This was followed by "Bye Bye baby" and "Good Golly" on #3852. The tremendous success of "Willie And The Hand Jive" by the Otis band led to increased exposure and bookings for the revue. In mid 1958 Otis and his show had a regular slot at The Crescendo, a popular Hollywood night spot. Late in the year Capitol records released "A Fool In Love" and "What Did You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For ?" on #4108. Marie Adams then had a few records for local Los Angeles independent labels Sure Play and Encore Artistics in the early 1960s.
Marie remained with the Johnny Otis Show throughout most of the 1960s and then disappeared from sight, one of the many pioneers of the sound of music the world over who was not there to reap the rewards of originating this art form. Marie Adams remains a great vocalist of the R&B era through the recordings that remain. Two CDs of her work for Peacock Records remain - "Duke-Peacock's Greatest Hits" and "Men Are Like Streetcars" feature Adams on a couple of tunes, and her work with Johnny Otis on the CD "The Greatest Johnny Otis Show" on Ace feature Marie on the tunes "Ma, He's making Eyes At Me" and "Romance In The Dark" with The Three Tons Of Joy, and the solo efforts "Bye Bye Baby" (with Johnny Otis on vocal), "Loop De Loop", "The Light Still Shines In My Window", "All I Want Is Your Love", "A Fool In Love", and "What Do You Want To make Those Eyes At Me For ?". There is also a video tape of a 1958 Johnny Otis TV show with Marie and the Three Tons singing "Goody Goody".
Marie Adams - another R & B original you may not have heard of, but one that is essential to the history of America's music.