Next week there are two more recall elections here in Wisconsin. Last week the Republican incumbents won four out of the six recall elections giving them a one vote majority in the State Senate. Rumors have one state senator possibly cutting a deal to switch sides and flip control of the Senate. It would be good if the R’s could pick off one of the two sitting Democrats next week just for insurance.
Video
Niall Ferguson on Debt and US Empire
Via Mike Hiteshew, this is a long and quite good talk from last year on the international ramifications of continued expansion of US govt debt:
Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, Pretty World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ud9I4ttQ1w&feature=related
Also this. And this. And, OK, one more.
(Those were the days. God bless YouTube. Sergio Mendes was a genius. At some point he said to himself: “OK, I am a great musician, and I know what the world wants to hear, what it’s hungry for, which is cool, jazz-tinged, Brazilian-flavored pop. I can already see those hit records and hear the cheering crowds … . But this is the age of TV, and I’m kind of homely.” (Smacks forehead) “I know, I will get two really cute girl singers with really great voices, put them in miniskirts, and put ’em out front.” The rest is history. Thanks, Sergio. Love ya, babe.)
UPDATE: Whoa. Cool. Tom Jones — of course! — ends up dancing with the two babes and sipping champagne with them. Some guys have all the luck.
UPDATE II: Can’t … stop … this one (which has great photos of the young and utterly perfect Lani Hall — the brunette, and the lead singer on most of the songs).
More REM
Earlier I put up a post with a review of a very influential album on my listening tastes, Lifes Rich Pageant. I sort of left the REM story unfinished as regards me. I need closure.
The Art of the Remake III
It’s Only Rock n’ Roll (But I Like It).
A rock solid Stones nugget we all know so well we could sing it in our sleep.
But then Juliana Hatfield takes it to a sad, sweet, girly place that none of us, not even Mick Jagger, ever knew existed before.
Dan’s standard: “If you are going to cover a song, rip it apart a bit and make it your own.” Juliana did it.
The original of course, is a timeless bit of Chuck-Berryish swagger:
The world is a better place for having both.