Comments on: Stupid, ignorant, or downright tasteless?

By: froylein

froylein — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:38:31 +0000

Hallo Raphael,

ich habe schon vorbeigeschaut. Sieht vielversprechend aus. Außerdem freut es mich, noch einen Rheinländer begrüßen zu können.

Kölle Alaaf!

By: Raphael Ahren

Raphael Ahren — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:14:32 +0000

Hallo Fräulein,

ich dachte, du würdest Dich vielleicht für meinen neuen Blog interessieren. Ich hab hab heute erst damit angefangen, ist also noch sehr rudimentär… Let me know what you think!

planetyekke.wo...

By: Carnival: Tasteless in Munich, more fun in Cologne « Planet Yekke

Carnival: Tasteless in Munich, more fun in Cologne « Planet Yekke — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:12:19 +0000

[...] go into detail here, the issues were widely covered in Israeli and Jewish media. Do see this Jewlicious article about the whole carnival in Germany issue, as it provides a little bit more [...]

By: Giyoret

Giyoret — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:42:26 +0000

I agree–it’s all good. Love Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso..Joao Gilberto!!! Oh, and it’s like there’s no need to even mention Jobim
I took Portuguese lessons just so I could sing. I LOVE this music. It is surprising more people don’t know this music here. These artists get big crowds in other places when they tour.

Happy listening–I’ve got some on right now as I write!

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:00:21 +0000

Let’s hope the 50th year anniversary celebration of bossa nova raises the profile of Brazilian music here in the US, Giyoret…. If you’re a fan, you probably know this already, but Jorge Ben’s Forca Bruta (from 1970, I think) just got re-released by Chicago-based Dusty Groove. Did that guy ever make a bad record?

I’m still making my way through all the great early MPB stuff from the 60s and 70s– M. Valle, Edu Lobo, Buarque et al. Amazing stuff.

By: Giyoret

Giyoret — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:53:34 +0000

Big aficionado here, Tom–one of these days when I get to Brazil the first thing I’ll do is kiss that blessed ground–there is no music like it, you can feel the whole range of human emotion, and the world is a more beautiful place because of it.
I swear I can go from 0-60 on the happy meter as soon as I hear the first notes…

By: peet

peet — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:57:12 +0000

“Beethoven 9 (played annually on the Fuehrer’s birthday– I’ve got a recording of Furtwangler/BPO performing it in Hitler’s presence on 4/20/43)”
That isnt correct – 1. That performing was at 4.19.42; 2. Hitler wasnt present.

By: froylein

froylein — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:06:54 +0000

I don’t know whether Middle’s ever tried walking in high heels himself, but afterall he’s married, so I think you may rely on his expertise.

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:16:36 +0000

(froylein, that’s what Middle’s told me, but I wasn’t sure to believe it, coming from him….)

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:14:24 +0000

Yo, Giyoret– if you like Maria Rita, and all of her stuff is really good (the most recent CD’s a samba album), check out her mom, arguably the greatest singer in Brazilian history: the Little Hurricane, Elis Regina. ‘Elis and Tom’ (1974) and her 1966 album ‘Elis’ are classics!

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:09:50 +0000

Watch it, that’s my senior senator you’re talking about! Local TV trotted out its Teddy footage for the occasion. He’s still ambulatory– barely. Whether he’s together cognitively is an open question.

Kerry, Kennedy family notables, and the pater familias himself tend to coordinate this kind of thing, so it doesn’t surprise me. And Teddy’s never fully embraced the Clintons. He takes seriously his role as keeper of the liberal flame, and distrusts triangulating, DLC Bill.

Now, the question is– does the rest of the liberal left, the MoveOn.org crowd and the rest, glom onto Obama?

By: froylein

froylein — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:52:26 +0000

Tom, the mystery of shoes is an easy one. Bluntly put, “Shoes fit.” No matter how bad of a hairday we’ve got, no matter how unforgiving a snug outfit would be of a weekend’s indulgence, no matter how badly hormonal changes may have affected our skin: shoes fit, are loyal and forgiving. Also, heels make us taller, stand straighter, make our calves look more defined, make us move our hips more when walking (if we have any; straight-shaped women usually do a terrible job at walking in heels as the hips are needed to balance the height differences), etc. Also, we enjoy being the object of shoe envy.

By: themiddle

themiddle — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:47:43 +0000

More incredible. "A President like my Father."

By: themiddle

themiddle — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:08:28 +0000

Incredible. Kennedy endorses Obama.

By: Giyoret

Giyoret — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 04:03:36 +0000

Speaking of carnevale–listen to this, and be happy.

Don’t know how to embed..

youtube.com/wa...

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:02:06 +0000

Very, very nice…..

By: themiddle

themiddle — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:11:54 +0000

Horowitz knew him as a child.

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:55:18 +0000

Check out fellow-synaesthesiac(?) Scriabin’s music, esp. his late stuff for piano. Unhinged, but visceral, very exciting.

If we can deal with three pairs, why can’t you all?

By: froylein

froylein — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:39:42 +0000

I think Middle secretly collects masks.

I’ve got two original lithos (as opposed to reproductions) by him. I know there are folks who find it en vogue to dislike artists that not only were commercially sucessful but whose names most people can pronounce, but being synaesthetic, I feel drawn to Chagall’s compositions of colours that on the originals I find to be absolutely breathtaking. I mean, this is handsigned stuff. I like different kinds of art, just not too fond of Romanticism (e.g. Spitzweg), Realism and Naturalism even though I can see and appreciate of the respective artists’ brilliance. I also enjoy the Art Noueveau designs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and several somewhat ‘plain’ German and Austrian Art Nouveau furniture manufacturers (as opposed to the rather lush French Art Nouveau furniture).

What’s wrong with men thriving on three pairs?

By: themiddle

themiddle — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:38:30 +0000

I ain’t saying nothin’ ’bout my location. One day, if I’m out your way I’ll shoot you an email and we can do coffee.

Yes, the Republicans do seem to be in much better shape, and it’s because of the irony of the Dems having two very strong candidates and the Republicans having pushed McCain to the sidelines until recently. I guess it was inevitable that the attacks in the Dem world would become more severe, but it has undermined both Clinton and Obama for the national race.

The problem McCain has is that he is a true Conservative. I’m just not sure the country is going to want another person who speaks along the same lines as the current White House resident.

I can’t imagine that Dick Morris is right. The Clintons have always been friends of the black community and even if this is about politics, Obama has just proven that it’s virtually impossible to respond to attacks on race by bringing up race because it makes the responder look mean-spirited and possibly racist. If this is their strategy for the Dem nomination, it will backfire.