The Vilification of Language

Last week I read this story about Debbie Almontaser, the principal of a new Arabic-language school in NYC, who, after having the bad form to discuss in public the actual meaning of the word "intifada," was mau-maued into first apologizing, and then resigning:

The principal of a new Arabic-themed public school in Brooklyn resigned under pressure, days after she was quoted defending the use of the word “intifada” as a T-shirt slogan.

Debbie Almontaser, a veteran public school teacher, was hired to lead the Khalil Gibran International Academy, a middle school that was scheduled to open this fall. An immediate replacement was not announced, and Ms. Almontaser’s abrupt exit left the future of the school in question.

[...]

The remarks that made her the focus of criticism were in response to questions from The New York Post over the phrase “Intifada NYC,” which was printed on T-shirts sold by Arab Women Active in Art and Media...

Here is The Post’s account of Ms. Almontaser’s comments:

“The word [intifada] basically means ’shaking off.’ That is the root word if you look it up in Arabic,” she said.

“I understand it is developing a negative connotation due to the uprising in the Palestinian-Israeli areas. I don’t believe the intention is to have any of that kind of [violence] in New York City.

“I think it’s pretty much an opportunity for girls to express that they are part of New York City society … and shaking off oppression.”

Ms. Almontaser issued an apology the next day, saying that she regretted her remarks. “By minimizing the word’s historical associations, I implied that I condone violence and threats of violence,” she said in a statement.

But the apology was followed by criticism from Randi Weingarten, the president of the United Federation of Teachers. Ms. Weingarten stopped short of calling for Ms. Almontaser’s resignation, but called the word intifada “something that ought to be denounced, not explained away.”

The Palestinian intifadas, which encompassed actions both violent (front page of the NY Times) and non-violent (tucked deep inside, if reported at all, as student boycotts and general strikes just don't sell papers like exploding pizzerias do), were uprisings against, the attempt to "shake off," what is widely recognized (everywhere but in the U.S., anyway) as an illegal, dehumanizing, and brutal Israeli military occupation. As with the term "jihad," right-wing elements have sought to define "intifada" solely in terms of its association with terrorist violence. Debbie Almontaser had the temerity to challenge these misrepresentations and misunderstandings, and to defend the term's proper use in the context of social activism. The fact that she has now had to resign over this, indeed that she felt she needed to apologize at all, indicates the almost complete dominance of the Israeli narrative in American media, and the ability of hardline pro-Israel and anti-Muslim activists to manipulate the ignorance and fear of Americans about Islam and Arabs to quell discussion and debate, and to make verboten the expression of certain ideas and opinions.

Speaking of ignorance and fear, here's Daniel Pipes:

Almontaser's departure, however welcome, does not change the rest of the problematic school's personnel, much less address the more basic problems implicit in an Arabic-language school: the tendency to Islamist and Arabist content and proselytizing.

To reiterate my initial assessment in March, the KGIA is in principle a great idea, for the United States needs more Arabic-speakers. In practice, however, Arabic-language instruction needs special scrutiny.

Bigotry rarely comes so blatant as this. Offering no evidence, because, of course, his audience requires none, Pipes simply asserts that an Arabic language school would obviously tend toward Islamist and Arabist proselytizing. This "madrassa," a term he employs as a pejorative, must be monitored for righthink. (I'm picturing Pipes sitting in a tiny little chair in a kindergarten classroom, pad and pen in hand, perpetual scowl on his face, as children learn the Arabic alphabet.) Yes, Pipes supports, in principle, the learning of Arabic language and culture (after all, we need spies, don't we?) provided there is nothing taught which might deviate from the Likud Party platform.

Best Sports Name Ever?

You tell me.

Surge

It's sure good to see that surge working so well. Glad to see security provided to both Iraqis and US soldiers.

Historical Image of the Day

Sacco and Vanzetti, 1923

Standing Athwart the Center Wicket, Yelling Stop!

I'm troubled by this article, which describes the Xtreme-ization of the noble and wonderful game of croquet.

For the last two years, Jim Grupe has tried to stir up local interest in his favorite extreme sport. It’s not something you’ll come across while watching skateboarders or cyclists fall from the sky during the ongoing X Games.

Grupe’s game of choice, actually, is among the last you’d think would be suited to the sort of extremism that’s taking over so many established pastimes.

It’s croquet.

“I was looking for something new,” he says, “and this is what I found.”

Grupe, 60, is the founder and force behind the DC/MD/VA Extreme Croquet Club. Once a month, he invites folks to his home in Brookeville, Md., to take a whack at the new version of the old lawn game. His 17-acre spread has all the fixin’s that separate an extreme croquet course from that of its genteel predecessor, including a pond, a stream, lots of trees, lots of mud, and various livestock.

In my opinion, physical exertion (like, say, walking around on 17 acres) is anathema to the very spirit of croquet. No croquet field should be so big that you are ever, at any time, more than ten steps away from the makeshift bar or the cooler filled with beer. The beauty of croquet is that you can play it, and play it well, without spilling your drink. If polo is the sport of kings, croquet is the sport of kings' lazy, good-for-nothing brothers. Like vegetarian barbecue and smooth jazz, extreme croquet completely misses the point.

On the Beach

The battle over modern Muslim identity is being fought on the shores of the Mediterranean. This article in today’s International Herald Tribune about beaches in Egypt and the increasing pressure on women to dress more coservatively reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend who lives in Turkey. He told me that many Turkish resorts are going Islamist, putting up curtains to divide the beach between men's and women's sides, or else simply requiring the head-to-toe burquini. These resorts aren't being forced into this, they're simply responding to the market, catering to an increasingly wealthy, and increasingly devout, Turkish middle class. As in Egypt, the number of beaches where women and women and men can swim together, and where women can wear Western-style bathing suits without fear of harassment, is growing smaller.

Link of the Day: Joycelyn Elders

Bradley at Incertus has a very nice post remembering Joycelyn Elders. She's rarely mentioned these days it seems. That's a shame because she did a lot of good and was unjustly forced out by sex-hating (at least talking about it) Republicans.

Historical Image of the Day

Emancipated slaves, 1863

Best News in a Long Time

The CNN Headline announcing Karl Rove's resignation at this moment? "Rove quitting White House, going hunting"

Maybe he'll set a few hunting dates with Dick Cheney.

Historical Image of the Day

Page 2 of the Emancipation Proclamation

NFL 2007 Preview: NFC North

Clearly the worst division in the NFL, the NFC North is accented with the worst-run franchise in sports and an organization that can’t let go of the past no matter how much ineptitude slaps them in the face. Oh, and they have one of the “elite” teams in the conference. You know, the one that couldn’t beat most of last year’s AFC playoff teams if they had Tim Donaghy refereeing the game.

CHICAGO BEARS (9-7)

OFFENSE: With Rex Grossman on the field, the Bears’ offense will be similar to what it was last year, except without the ridiculous luck. Berrian and Muhammad simply are not the kinds of receivers that can make up for a QB like Grossman’s lack of skill. On top of it all, they dropped Thomas Jones for an unknown quantity in Cedric Benson. He could turn out great, it’s true but, if he fails, they’re left with the fake Adrian Peterson to shoulder the burden. It won’t be pretty, but neither is their competition, so they’ll eke out nine wins.

DEFENSE: Chicago sweated a Lance Briggs holdout but, now that he’s back, they can breathe a sigh of relief. He’s not necessarily the star of the defense, of course, but he’s a solid anchor in their scheme. Now that he’s playing, one of the best defenses in the NFL is virtually the same as the one that led them to the Super Bowl last year. They should be almost as good, but the removal of Ron Rivera as defensive coordinator is a huge blow and it’s unknown whether they can fully recover.

It’s too bad the Bears didn’t have Trent Dilfer as their quarterback. Now there’s a guy who knows how to win a Super Bowl with a talentless offense and a superior defense. Alas, it’s sexy Rexy and that doesn’t bode well for a return trip. The defense will try as hard as they can, but the offense will have to put up more than three points in a game for their efforts to make a difference.

DETROIT LIONS (4-12)

OFFENSE: With John Kitna behind center, you know you’re in for a treat. I’ve heard the song and dance about really good receivers being the difference but, much like the Texans, without an offensive line, there’s no way they’ll have any more time to run a route than they have in the past few years. Tatum Bell is no more an answer to their rushing woes than Ruben Droughns was for Cleveland. Just because a running back does well in Denver, guys, doesn’t mean you have to trade away your all-pro cornerback and a draft pick. That’s just plain silly. I’ll gladly take it, but c’mon.

DEFENSE: Does anything get better on defense for the Lions? Nope and, in fact, it is a much worse situation. Granted, their DTs are both pretty good, but there are nine other players that have to do something other than stand there for the team to be successful. They have a new defensive coordinator, which could be a good thing. However, my understanding is that he’s going to be running a more conservative defense, which is not the kind style that they need.

It’s kicking a dead horse, but the Lions aren’t going to start seeing any success until Matt Millen is gone. The awful decisions he has made have destroyed this team from the ground up. Keep in mind that, before Millen’s time, Barry Sanders elected to retire from football rather than play for the Lions. Millen has made things much worse there. It’s almost as if he’s being paid to make them lose so they can move the team. If, by some miracle, they manage to eke out a few extra wins and make the playoffs, it’ll be just like the plot to Major League.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (6-10)

OFFENSE: Favre again?! It’s cute and all that the Packers organization let’s Favre keep playing, but it’s time to send the old horse to the glue factory. He had a great run, but it’s time to go and it’s time for Aaron Rodgers to step in and be the future of the franchise. There was minimal change in the offense this year, except they have absolutely nobody at running back worth suiting up. Donald Driver and Bubba Franks are both still good, though neither is a spring chicken, and it’ll be nice to see them out on the field trying to catch all the passes that Favre throws into the dirt in front of them and trying to tackle the defenders who have intercepted the ball. They’ll both be trying really hard.

DEFENSE: There’s more young talent on the defensive side than the offensive, especially in A.J. Hawk, who will be great, but not enough to sustain. Their cornerbacks are both good, but they’re very old and there isn’t much to replace them.

Favre and the Packers organization seem to believe that this season is about winning now, not the future. If this is the case, though, why stick with Favre. I would take any starter in the league over the once-great player, and a lot of the backups. If the organization believes that there’s gas in Favre’s tank, why didn’t they take steps to actually improve the team, rather than moves like letting both their running backs go.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-8)

OFFENSE: Although their quarterback situation is one giant question mark, they have good receivers and a great 1-2 punch in the backfield. Between Chester Taylor and the real Adrian Peterson, they should have one of the top rushing attacks in the league. Their receivers are young and unproven but, if Tavarius Jackson (who I believe will be starting) can get comfortable in the system and settle down, he has the athletic ability to take this offense to some good places.

DEFENSE: On the opposite side of the rush is gold, as well. Pat and Kevin Williams are two of the best run-stopping DTs in the league, and they’ll be dominant. There are questions elsewhere, in the linebackers and in the age of the secondary, but they are making good strides. They may well be below average in total defense this year, but nobody will run up the middle on them.

Brad Childress and the Vikings organization have taken some good steps away from the disgraces of the Mike Tice regime from a couple years ago, and those steps will translate on the field. Right now, they may not look like much, but they’ll be significantly better than they were last year, and they should get better and better over the next few years.

Up next is the NFC South. Can the Saints repeat their successes even though they aren’t the story of the year anymore? Will fans finally stop booing Joey Harrington now that he’s starting for the Falcons (the answer to this: no)…find out tomorrow.

Historical Image of the Day

Image of Wendell Phillips speaking against Fugitive Slave Act, 1850s

The (OK, One of Many) Flaws in American Conservatism

Greg Anrig is right. Perhaps the biggest problem with American conservatism is the idea that the United States is right in everything. We know how to do everything better than everyone else and if you don't like, you are an anti-American commie. That sounds like such a stupid way to put it, but it is accurate. The responses I got from my recent post questioning the value of the American Revolution reflect this perfectly.

In the article's most important section, Anrig writes:

"You never hear the conservative movement's leaders talking about how the United States might learn from, say, France's successful approach to early childhood education, Germany's effective worker training policies, or Canada's politically neutral election administration system. Why not? What would the harm be? Well, those policies entail an active role for government, involving budgetary commitments, and the conservative movement in the United States will have none of that. The success of those initiatives in advancing their goals, endorsed by the voters, is immaterial. More government is inherently bad in the right's worldview.

Conservatives invoke experiments in other countries as models for the United States only when they are trying to sell one of their anti-government agenda items. So they have touted the experiences in Chile and the United Kingdom with privatizing public pensions, and in South Africa with health savings accounts. In those cases, though, the results of the right's initiatives have been unmitigated failures, notwithstanding the spin churned out by their well-financed marketing machine."

Precisely. Whatever might actually lead to more healthy, happy, peaceful, and contented Americans doesn't matter. What is important is ideology and greed wrapped in a moldy lettuce wrap of patriotism.

Friday Guitar Blogging

Nels Cline (w/ Wilco).

Film Review--Sunshine (2007)

Apparently, fifty years from now, we’re going to have to deal with a crisis greater than all others. If Danny Boyle’s latest film is to be believed, the sun will begin to burn out sometime around 2050, about five billion years earlier than expected. The film follows the crew of starship Icarus II, who comprise the second and final attempt to reverse the extinction of all life on Earth. This space tugboat carries a bomb the size of Manhattan Island designed to explode inside the sun and create a “star within a star,” a little bang if you will, that will reignite the sun and sustain humanity. But, just as they begin to get near the destination, their radar picks up the distress call of the original Icarus ship, which had disappeared seven years earlier. Reasoning their way out of the direct importance of the mission, they change course to find the crashed ship to salvage whatever they can and, especially, hopefully, a second bomb. If you’ve ever seen a science fiction movie, you can start to guess how well this turns out for them.

There are really two stories here. There is the story of the crew and their relationships, which is fairly well done. Though some of the characters are drawn shallow, and those are the ones that are dispatched most quickly, those important to endgame are presented three dimensionally. This story, however, comes secondary to a sci-fi version of "Prometheus Bound" or, maybe more accurately, "Frankenstein, or a Modern Prometheus," in which man, faced with death, sacrifices everything to bring life to Earth. And, like those stories, the good intentions of the characters in Sunshine outweigh any obligation to nature. In the two preceding stories, we see the grim aftermath. Not here, and we’re left to wonder if their goal is the right one. The answer is not presented, but the film asks a number of good questions of the audience and, mostly, challenges them to think about what sacrifice, survival and the both together all mean.

Sunshine works most of the time. When it does work, it is fantastically interesting. When it doesn’t, though, it’s pretty nonsensical. While some of the bad is still sticking in my craw, the good most certainly outweighs it and it is for this reason that I’ve recommended the movie to almost everyone since seeing it. The main body of the story is well written and well performed. While it is true that some of the characters are shallow sketches, those that are more fleshed out have life breathed into them by the actors. Most notably, Cillian Murphy as the heroic physicist is believable and generally excellent. He is especially welcome in the final moments of the film and helps to redeem what looked to be a dismal finale. Visually and aurally, the film is absolutely beautiful. The conceptions of space are stunning, with some of the most arresting space images since 2001. They are realistic, as far as that can be, and slowly drawn, giving the audience time to savor the beauty of the filmmakers’ imaginations. In combination with the music by Underworld, this aspect is an experience unto itself. Like 2001 as well, it will likely be this poetic imagery that is remembered over the storyline.

Like I said, though, not everything works. Most of what fails is the entire third act (barring the last fifteen minutes, which I liked very much), in which the revelation to get us through to the end takes the film in a tragically jarring turn that is out of character with the film and appears to have belonged to 28 Days Later instead. I will not spoil the twist except to say that the movie all of a sudden becomes a chase-and-escape horror film within the span of about fifteen seconds. The mood and tone change, the editing style even changes, and it leaves viewers confused. I guess I can understand the inclusion as some kind of vengeful hand of nature, but it could have been done in many ways far more consistent with the rest of the film. The move does not succeed in ruining the film, but it could have in lesser hands.

Probably the best compliment I can give a film like this is that it bears repeat viewings. The questions it asks are always worth thinking about and, once it arrives on DVD, it’ll be a joy to go through and pause on the celestial imagery. Pulling from multiple sources including Tarkovsky’s Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, and Dark Star, it may not break any new ground in the genre, but these references are homage rather than ripoff and it’ll be interesting to look for how these are used throughout the film that I couldn’t determine on first viewing. The story does have its holes, and there is that problem with the back third, but it is completely outweighed by the beauty and power of the imagery. Danny Boyle has, once again, done well with a genre hard pressed to find mainstream appeal.

The Stupidity of Baby Einstein

Jen Chaney reports on studies suggesting that the Baby Einstein videos in fact hurt child development. But she doesn't get to why these videos are really bogus. She is right that what Baby Einstein really does is tap into the bizarre psychological needs of parents. But the great issue with this product is that it reflects the commodification of education in the United States.

Thank God I'm not a father. The world is a better place for it. But I am an educator in a field that most people do not associate with making money. Of course, there are multiple career paths for a historian. But many parents don't know that. They see education as a route to financial success, not as something with an intrinsic value in its own right. When their child wants to major in History, English, or Art, too many will wonder what they did wrong. Even if Baby Einstein worked and children's vocabularies increased rapidly, the point would not be to get them reading Dickens at the age of 10. It would be to get them into "top schools," where they could make lots of connections and parlay that into a good job and lots of money.

These attitudes are anti-intellectual, despite their educational facade, and we should fight them on every level.

Saramago on Film?

I am somewhat surprised to see that a film based on Jose Saramago's Blindness is in the works. You have to trust Fernando Meirelles as a director and a superb cast will make this work, but I just don't know. I don't know how you film Saramago without losing the spirit of the work. I suppose the superficial translation of Blindness to film is obvious enough, but one could also take the story and turn it into a stupid weird kind of horror/thriller. In the hands of lesser people, I would predict a disaster, but maybe this could work. If it does, it could be a great film.

Via GreenCine Daily

Historical Image of the Day

USO show, Long Binh, Vietnam. December 25, 1967

Denier for Hire

Following up on this article on the Armenian genocide lobbying war currently taking place in Congress, Michael Crowley blogged this video starring Clinton impeachment casualty Bob Livingston, who is now employed by the Republic of Turkey to lobby against official U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide. Words really don't do justice to Livingston's pathetic, unprinicipled propagandizing ("Historians disagree...No one really knows...There were atrocities on all sides...") over what is, at this point, a rather overwhelmingly accepted historical fact: Between the years 1915 and 1918, around a million and a half Armenians were killed in an organized campaign of ethnic cleansing, transfer, and extermination by the Ottoman forces. It's certainly true that official recognition of this historical fact by Congress would seriously complicate the U.S. relationship with Turkey, a very important relationship which is on shaky ground right now because of Iraq, among other things, but I'd have a hell of a lot more respect for Livingston, which is to say I'd have some, if he'd just make that argument rather than attempting to "teach the controversy" over the systematic murder of 1.5 million human beings and the destruction of Turkey's Armenian community.

NFL 2007 Preview: NFC East

This is the toughest division in the NFL, bar none. It isn’t that the teams are consistently the best, far from it, but the rivalries that spider web across all the teams makes the games furiously competitive and fun to watch.

DALLAS COWBOYS (10-6)

OFFENSE: The Cowboys have managed to put together a good group on offense, one that was pretty successful last year and remains fairly unchanged now. Tony Romo should be more comfortable behind center this year and has the whole year to work with. I think the disastrous fumble in their last playoff game, devastating as it was at the time, will bring a better sense of the importance of small details during every play, and it will show. Terrell Owens has the potential for one last very good year but he’s aging quickly.

DEFENSE: Jerry Jones has done a similarly, surprisingly, good job in keeping the defense strong, as well. Wade Phillips is a defensive coach, especially for the 3-4, and this unit will perform accordingly. Roy Williams is still of suspect coverage quality and the cornerbacks really need to step up their game to compensate if they’re going anywhere, but the front seven is very good and will be dominant against the run.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish I could say the Cowboys were going to be terrible this year, but they won’t. It makes me sick, but I’m picking them to win the division. The bright side of it is that, because Wade Phillips is such an anemic offensive coach that they won’t have any power over the better teams that they’re playing. This does not bode well in the playoffs.

NEW YORK GIANTS (6-10)

OFFENSE: No Tiki Barber. What did the Giants have going for them last year without Tiki Barber? Some of the most inconsistent play from a quarterback imaginable, and little else. Eli Manning has one more year before they give up on him and give up on him they shall. Plaxico Burress is very good, but not a number one receiver, and Amani Toomer is adequate but they just don’t have the weapons to make much happen.

DEFENSE: No Michael Strahan. Of course, he might be back but every day he’s gone it looks less and less likely. Without him, they aren’t as crippled as the offense is without Barber, but it doesn’t help. They aren’t the toughest unit in the league, but they work well together. It looks like a good move to place Mathias Kiwanuka in the linebacker position, which will give them some of the versatility that has come with DeMarcus Ware in Dallas.

The Giants will look worse than they really are this year, and will perform awfully in the division. Eli is not an NFL starter and this will be solidified this year. Tom Coughlin will be canned as well. All the player complaints and a big losing streak in the middle of the season is going to make that happen.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-6)

OFFENSE: The Eagles offense is nearly as good as the Cowboys this year, and they’re going to compete strongly with them for the division. Donovan McNabb is still an excellent quarterback and, if he can stay healthy, should have a very good year. They haven’t replaced TO since he left, and the receivers leave a lot to be desired. This will be their big downfall. Brian Westbrook’s good and all, but he can’t shoulder the whole team.

DEFENSE: From a pure talent perspective, this is the best group in the division. Jevon Kearse and Jeremiah Trotter are both fantastic, and the addition of Takeo Spikes helps the linebackers immensely. The secondary is also pretty good, and they should be one of the top groups statistically in the division.

The winner will of the NFC East will come down to a division game or two and it will be the Cowboys on top, but the Eagles are going to take it to the wire. They’ll be in the playoffs again but, the question for the future remains: just how long are they going to stick with McNabb before coming to a realization that they won’t win a championship with him. I hope that doesn’t happen because, unlike the Jake Plummer switch last year in Denver, I think McNabb is actually good. Their main trouble is getting receivers in to take advantage of the short game supremacy that Westbrook provides.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS (5-11)

OFFENSE: A poor line and a poor quarterback will keep the Redskins from being anything but bad this year. Their running back and receiver talent remains good and unchanged but, with Portis injured all the time, it’s all for naught. I know they think highly of Jason Campbell but, for the life of me, I can’t see why. They need a lot of help and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen while Joe Gibbs is still in power.

DEFENSE: This is really where the ‘Skins are a laughing stock, however. This defense is plain terrible. They were better off when they were picking up other teams’ elderly rejects like Bruce Smith. That seemed like a bad idea at the time, but just look at them now. I think Smith could start for them today over Phillip Daniels who, like the rest of the line, is pretty much worthless.

While they’re still something of a threat in a division game, and have proved that they can be quality spoilers at the end of the season, that’s all they have going for them. They appear to be getting worse, making more and more inane decisions and I, for one, find it amusing to watch.

Tomorrow we go from one of the best divisions in football to the absolute worst. Will the Bears fool everyone again into thinking they’re a winning team? Will the Vikings make the playoffs simply by virtue of getting to play the Lions and the Packers twice each? We’ll just have to see….

Need Help Hating Derek Jeter? Look here...

Scott over at LG&M points us to this great list (and it's not even a music list!) of 100 reasons to hate Jeter. There are some great ones in there, both in the humor department and in the actual, "oh, man....that's true" department (like #31). However, my favorite, most damning reason that Turner lists is number 15: "15. Salary - $19 million per year. Jeter has ranked in the top 5 in salary for the past 4 seasons. It's the only category in which he has placed in the top 5 for those four seasons. " Doubtless Jeter defenders will say, "it's the intangibles he brings!" Whatever.

Still, even if he goes ga-ga everytime he sees Jeter play like the list claims, it's nice to see what Pat Tabler has been up to lately.

Random Music Observations

This is the first in what will be a periodic series of me offering simple opinions on music of all kinds. Doubtless, not everybody (or maybe even anybody) will agree with me, but that's alright - those who disagree can remain discontent in their erring ways. So here is the first batch of random musical thoughts.

-Daydream Nation is, in and of itself, a better album than Velvet Underground and Nico.

-For all the shit the 1980s get musically (and with bands like Thompson Twins, Flock of Seagulls, and New Kids on the Block, the 80s certainly make it easy), the underground scene in the 1980s (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Violent Femmes, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, the Dead Milkmen, the Pixies, and numerous others) is probably the greatest, most-forgotten scene in modern music.

-Chuck Berry is as underrated as Elvis is overrated.

-If somebody has to describe a 10-minute song as being great based simply on terms like “chord progressions”, "technique”, with nothing else to recommend it, then it is simply a bad song. (This is particularly germane to jam bands).

-If forced to choose between Yanni, John Tesh, or Kenny G, I’ll go with Tesh any day of the week. At least he has a sense of humor about himself.

Roger and Andy Sittin' in a Tree...

From The Onion. I repeat in its entirety.

KANSAS CITY—One of the beds in the hotel room occupied by Yankee pitchers and offseason workout partners Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens was left completely untouched during the first night of the team's four-game road series, sources at the Embassy Suites in Kansas City reported early Tuesday morning. "It is quite peculiar, especially since both men were there when I delivered the tray of chocolate-covered strawberries they ordered from room service at 11:30 p.m.," said room maid Maria Santos, who claimed the bed remained exactly as she left it the morning before, save for the removal of one pillow, which was found at the foot of the other bed with a slight tear in the fabric. "Normally I would have been happy to only have to make one bed, had the other one not been a complete mess. And somehow everything on the top of the kitchen table ended up on the floor, too." Andy Pettitte was not available for comment, and is day-to-day with a sore groin.

Awesome.

Historical Image of the Day

"A flurry in wheat at the Chicago Board of Trade," 1880. Reprinted from Harper's New Monthly Magazine, October 1880

NFL 2007 Preview: AFC West

As late as five years ago, and for a long time previously, I would have called the AFC West the toughest division in football. Over this period, every team has backslid in succession. All but one, that is. Which will it be?

DENVER BRONCOS (12-4)

OFFENSE: The Broncos are still struggling a little in the same veins as they have over the past few years. Jay Cutler should be dramatically improved in his first full season, and the addition of Brandon Stokely should help a lot, but they still haven’t been able to give Javon Walker a proper counterpart since the decline and uncertain future of Rod Smith. The running game should be back to the old levels. I’m a big Travis Henry fan, and thought that he’s gotten a raw deal everywhere he’s been, but he should make a significant impact in Denver. It’s so good in the backfield that last year’s sometimes starter Mike Bell may not even make the team. This is a great sign.

DEFENSE: Though they had to release their defensive captain in Al Wilson, the Broncos have taken so many steps forward elsewhere that it’s hard to even know he’s missing. The addition of ‘Dre Bly is, obviously, the biggest deal, but they drafted three quality linemen and picked up Sam Adams, which gives the squad a lot of depth and size that they’d been lacking for a couple of years. With the best cornerback duo in the game (not to mention a great nickelback in Dominique Foxworth), they could easily have the best pass defense in the NFL this year.

The 2006 season was extremely disappointing, especially given the way they started (no TDs allowed in over three games). But, in saying goodbye to Plummer, they acknowledged the need for change and Shanahan has come through in a big way. It really looks like he’s trying to put Super Bowl talent on the field to make the big push for another championship. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-9)

OFFENSE: The Chiefs only have two weapons on offense, and one is holding out. It would be a lovely thought that Larry Johnson will not be on the team in the regular season, but I know better. As for Tony Gonzalez, he is still one of the best tight ends in the game, even entering his twelfth season. His skills have diminished somewhat, but he’s still their only good receiving option, especially coming from the second rate washouts they’re sporting a quarterback this year. Their offense will be pathetic and I will laugh.

DEFENSE: The defensive side will be their saving grace this season, and the pickup of Donnie Edwards really solidifies an already strong defense. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain are no Bailey and Bly, but they’re an effective, if aged duo. Expect them to be above average against both the run and the pass.

When Herman Edwards signed on as coach of the Chiefs, I was afraid that they would see a real resurgence. As it turns out, they were worse last year than ’05 and they’re going to be even worse this year. They don’t dwell under the rock where the Raiders live, but they’re getting closer all the time. Their only solace is that the Raiders also keep regressing.

OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-13)

OFFENSE: Until now, I wasn’t even sure the Raiders were going to field an offense this year but, go figure, there they are. Daunte Culpepper I suppose will help some, and I think he was treated pretty badly by both the Vikings and the Dolphins but, now that he’s a Raider, I really don’t care how he’s treated. Dominic Rhodes was also a good pickup, though not enough to make a real difference. They don’t have to worry too much, though, because they’re collecting heavy checks to play three downs before they get to sit. It’s a cushy job, akin to Jim Sorgi’s position in Indy.

DEFENSE: What a collection of nobodies the great Al Davis has put together. Over the last few years, it almost looks like deliberate sabotage. Warren Sapp’s best days are long behind him. When he’s the most effective defensive player on your side at this point, you know you have trouble. Coupling this with the lack of a replacement for when he leaves, as though Sapp will play forever, and they don’t look like their turning this runaway train around for a long while yet.

The only thing that makes me anywhere near as happy in football as a Bronco Super Bowl is the downfall of the Oakland Raiders. They are a worthless team riddled with easily exploitable holes. The revolving door that is the Raiders’ coaching job makes the whole thing that much more of a joke. All they are deserving of is mockery.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (10-6)

OFFENSE: A team with both the best running back and the best tight end in the game should be successful. Add to that a rising quarterback in Philip Rivers, and one would think that they’d repeat their success from last year. Unfortunately for them, Norv Turner is their coach and they don’t have any receivers. There is no doubt that Tomlinson will have an MVP caliber year, but that will not be enough to get them back to the top of the AFC West.

DEFENSE: I do like their defense, and Shawne Merriman is very, very good, but they aren’t going to be able to overcome the biggest obstacle in their way: Norv Turner. They’ll perform at a high level, but their offensive production is going to sabotage the good work that they do.

Firing Schottenheimer was a big mistake. Letting half their coordinators go was a bigger mistake. Hiring Norv Turner was the biggest mistake of all. He was a very good coordinator but, as we’ve seen in others like Buddy Ryan and in his own head coaching career, being an elite coordinator does not make you, even, an acceptable coach.

Tomorrow, we begin the NFC. The vaunted NFC that plays it’s 256 per year to stand up and take a beating at the expense of their counterparts. Specifically, we’ll start with the NFC East, one of the most revolting groups of teams I could imagine. I can hardly joke about them, they make me so ill.

"Pig-Biting Mad"

The best reason to wait in lines at the grocery store, the Weekly World News, is going out of print on August 27. I always enjoyed seeing what exploding or burning thing Satan was appearing in (like Waco or 9/11), or how the Challenger had actually been found on the bottom of the Atlantic in tact, or how Hillary Clinton and P'lod were together. My favorite was probably their series shortly after the Iraq War began (this was just one example of the theme). When waiting for the 87-year old in front of me to count the exact change, find out he or she was 3 cents short, and proceed to write a check, the Weekly World News would keep me sane and happy. Now, it will just be the regular dreck of Britney and her ilk on the covers of the Enquirer, Star, and others, which were always as depressing as the WWN was great. I'm not pig-biting mad - it's just a sad day, as one of the hidden corners of hilarity is silencing itself at last.

As I've Said Before...

Months ago, I commented that taxes are not evil - they are a daily necessity that pay for basic things such as infrastructure and services the state provides, and that instead of getting outraged about whether taxes go up or not, we should get outraged on how our taxes are spent (outrage over spending on state highways is stupid; outrage on spending for a trillion dollar war that could have repaired highways multiple times over is not stupid).

Sure enough, it looks like the Minnesota disaster is going to lead to a raise in taxes (gas in this case) to pay for infrastructural improvements. Once again, it's this simple folks: if we want services like roads, interstate highway systems, fire departments, clean water, etc., you have to pay for it. As they are services states do and should provide, it will cost tax money. It's that simple. So next time somebody starts blowing up about the rates of taxes, remind them that, even with increases, the United States has some of the lowest tax rates in the world, and those taxes don't just pay for programs like Medicare and Medicaid, but things like the highway or bridges systems that, we learn too late, are in bad shape.

Santa Fe

To say that I find the New York Times travel section annoying significantly understates the issue. It's combination of elitism, wealth, and snobbery makes it the least readable section of the paper. It offers virtually nothing to travellers like myself who prefer to go cheap. Even their frugal traveler section really caters to rather expensive tastes.

This all comes out strongly in their constant coverage of New Mexico. The Times loves New Mexico. At least once a month, some article appears about the newest Taos hotel, the charms of Galisteo, or the latest Santa Fe gallery. The paper caters to New Yorkers who want to play out their western fantasies in Santa Fe, all while spending $300 a night on a hotel.

Henry Shukman's cover article in Sunday's section followed in this tradition. This week's New Mexico coverage focused on new developments in Santa Fe. Crazy stuff too. Some new restaurants opened that are slightly different from already existing establishments. The city has the temerity to push a new business district that doesn't per se cater to tourists. Oh, and some galleries are now selling non-Old West art. Wow.

Shukman actually admits one of the most loathsome parts about Santa Fe. Its authenticity is a hoax created in the 1910s to save the city from economic irrelevance. So they created and codified a particular architectural design for the city, forced older buildings to conform, and prohibited new buildings from venturing from the newly constructed norm. They also invented the romantic tricultural heritage myth which says that Indians, Spanish, and Anglos got along peacefully to create tranquil Santa Fe. All of this happened though while whites were stealing the property of the Native American and Hispano population, appropriating and commodifiying those people's authenticity for their own purposes

But while making a nod toward this reality, Shukman also falls into the pseudo-romantic language used by easterners who project their fantasies onto Santa Fe while ignoring the social and cultural realities of the place. See the opening two paragraphs:

"A SUNDAY evening in late June. A crowd of well-dressed people is spilling out of the St. Francis Auditorium at the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown Santa Fe, a grand adobe building some 90 years old, with monolithic mud towers and tender curvaceous walls connecting them. The late sun doesn't just gleam on the old adobe edifice. It's deeper than that. The red and orange that lights up on the walls, over the heads of the exiting crowd, seems to come from deep within them. The low light transforms the scene into a vision.

There's a moment like this almost every evening in Santa Fe, when the light suddenly transfigures the earthen buildings, the lush cottonwood trees, even the blacktop and cars. It all becomes luminous and dreamlike. It's as if the light contains some special MSG of sight, and one can't stop staring. Santa Fe must have offered this spectacle for the last four centuries, since the Palace of the Governors was built on the plaza by the Spanish."

Jesus Christ. I think that special MSG of sight is a LSD flashback that hits everytime visitors come to Santa Fe. They certainly don't feel this way about Española, Pecos, or Truchas. These places scare them. They might be quaint and worth a quick visit, but they don't have the nice white safety of Santa Fe.

Santa Fe exists on the backs of poor brown people. The white elites of the city have created a historical fantasy that brings in millions of dollars a year. That would be OK if they didn't falsify what they were doing behind a facade of authenticity. Today, Santa Fe is one of the whitest towns in New Mexico's heartland. You see brown people, but they are mostly working class folks who cannot afford to live in this insanely expensive city. So they are forced to live on the pueblos and in the towns and villages outside Santa Fe and commute to work, thus spending a large percentage of their meagre wages on gasoline and car bills. Meanwhile, the cheapest place the Times recommends to stay in this story costs a mere $85 a night and it condescends in its description of the place.

But hey, those romantic brown people sure do provide a lovely flavor of authenticity to my Santa Fe fantasies. It's great to be white. You can project your desires on brown people around the world, throw some money around, and believe them to be true. You get to be served by brown people who make you feel white, er, special! You don't have to worry about the actual conditions people live in. And when you leave, you can take stories about those quaint natives who have such funny customs and ways of speaking!!!

The Decline and Fall of the SCLC

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference declined into irrelevancy soon after the death of Martin Luther King. Ralph Abernathy proved unable to steer the SCLC ship into a relevant future, in no small part because the civil rights movement found itself rudderless without King and without a clear agenda. The movement never regained its power in this country. Major players such as Jesse Jackson and John Lewis are still around and active, but as a whole, the mainline African-American civil rights movement has followed organized labor into political irrelevancy.

This decline is certainly not helped by the SCLC's embrace of Michael Vick. I'm not sure what they see in defending Vick. It's true that many African-Americans see the treatment of their sports heroes like Vick and Barry Bonds as part of a broader racial war against them. We can't ignore those sentiments because they are grounded in truth. But they are also somewhat wrong-headed. No one is going after Vick because he is black. They are going after him because he fights dogs.

There are a million issues for the SCLC, NAACP, and other civil rights organizations to work on. African-Americans still receive a raw deal in this country. Police brutality, poverty, drug use, unequal education, housing that is desegregated in name only, etc., etc., are deeply important issues. To subsume these issues in order to defend a millionaire athlete who enjoys blood sports seems wrong-headed at best.

Via Good Nonsense.

Save Me!!!!

I am horrified to know that TimesSelect is going away. Clearly the greatest invention of the twenty-first century, TimesSelect forced me to not read Thomas Friedman, David Brooks, or Maureen Dowd. Now I won't be able to help myself. When I first started this blog, I swear 1/2 of my posts slammed the latest moronic David Brooks column. I guess we'll be seeing that all over again. Sigh.

Historical Image of the Day

Cambodian immigrants, circa 1980s

NFL 2007 Preview: AFC South

The dichotomy of elite and pathetic is most apparant in the AFC South. Parity only spuriously exists in this division, so let's see how it'll play out...

HOUSTON TEXANS (6-10)

OFFENSE: The lateral moves the Texans made during this offseason make me wonder if Matt Millen is running this team, too. Matt Schaub and Ahman Green for David Carr and Dominick Davis is a tradeoff that means nothing. Sure, Carr and Davis look bad right now, but the O-Line is the group to blame. The inexperienced Schaub and the aged Green will fare no better than their predecessors.

DEFENSE: Their defense is slightly improved over last year, and they should give up a little less, especially in the run game. I may be the only one, but I’ve always supported the draft of Mario Williams. The way it looked last year, they already had a QB and a RB, so they drafted for need. He didn’t perform like a champion in his rookie season, but his sophomore effort should be stronger with the drafting of Okoye at DT. Their secondary is mediocre at best, so those linemen had better get some pressure or there are a lot of points coming their way.

I want Gary Kubiak to succeed in Houston but, until there are serious improvements in the line play, there will be no improvements in the offense. They are making the mistake of thinking that skill players win games. But without a line, there is no running game and, without a running game, there is no passing game. With the Texans’ line, there is nothing.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (11-5)

OFFENSE: Unfortunately, the Colts have only improved their offense for this year. Two new young receivers gives depth to Manning’s attack and, since nobody has yet figured out how to stop him, I don’t see them having too hard of a time returning to the playoffs. Adai has had a year to work and should be better. The only trouble is if somebody gets injured. The starters are great but they’ve spent so much money on their main players that there’s nothing left for depth. So far, they’ve been lucky, but I can’t see that lasting forever.

DEFENSE: They couldn’t defend the run last year and they won’t be able to in the coming year. In fact, I predict that they’ll be worse. The pass defense is fine but their inability to stop rushers will severely hamstring their intentions to repeat.

The Colts will not return to the Super Bowl this year; that game is reserved for better teams. Manning is still the best quarterback in the game, but their mounting problems with depth and on the defensive side do not bode well for their chances. They always have Adam Vinatieri to get them out of a tight pinch, but they’d better hope for a lot of pinches if they’re getting to the big show.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (7-9)

OFFENSE: The Jags were unexpectedly good last year and, at times, even showed hints that they could be an elite team. However, they haven’t dealt with the Leftwich situation. He needs to go, but David Garrard is not the answer. They do have Jones-Drew emerging as a possible top-tier back, and he’ll take more of the carries from Fred Taylor this year if he lives up to his potential, but that is really all they have going for them. The receivers aren’t very good and they don’t have anyone reliable to throw to them. They won’t score a lot of points.

DEFENSE: While there aren’t a lot of names on the defensive squad, the Jax D is a well-coached group that worked very well together last year. Their run defense is outstanding and should continue to be. They need to hope that their pass defense performs at another level if they hope to be a + .500 team.

I have a hard time believing that Jacksonville will see much of the success they had last year. It took people off guard and they won some big games. They looked on the way up but, after this offseason, it’s looking like they haven’t taken a single step forward. Del Rio will have one more year after this to improve the team. If he can’t, these guys might be descending into moribundity. I hope it’s untrue, but it’s starting to lean that way.

TENNESSEE TITANS (9-7)

OFFENSE: With a year of experience under his belt, Vince Young should undisputedly rise to the elite of his draft class this year. If he can stay healthy, his electrifying play style should continue to take defenses off guard, and his improving arm should give him versatility that other quarterbacks don’t have. I have a lot of faith that LenDale White will succeed in the NFL if given the chance, and his 61 rushes in 2006 are not an indicator of what he’s capable of. Chris Brown will likely be injured by the end of preseason, so White will likely have a chance to shine. For the future, they must focus on a receiving corps, because Young’s talents can only go so far.

DEFENSE: These guys were a tier below the unsung performance of the Jaguars’ defense last season, but they made some really strong efforts against some good teams. Not a lot has changed, and I generally think that’s a bad idea, but they might be able to make it work, at least to give just enough leeway to the offense to get the job done.

The Titans could be 11-5 or 7-9 depending on some breaks. Young’s talent will not come as a surprise to anybody this year, so there will be a heavier rush on him. This will decrease his rushing efforts, but he will have a lot more freedom in the passing game as a result. Because of this, and because eyes aren’t going to be on the running backs, I look for them to be an above average, possibly even a playoff, team.

Next, the vaunted AFC West. Is JaMarcus Russell the messiah that can deliver the silver and black attack from evil, or will he suck it up like the rest? Will Norv Turner be any better in San Diego than he was in Oakland? Just how long will the Broncos’ win streak last? 16 games? All the way into the 2010 season? Tune into tomorrow to find out….

A Tough Week for the Movies

Not only is the film world mourning the deaths of Ingmar Bergman and Michaelangelo Antonioni, but some lesser yet worthy figures also passed away last week.

Jeremy Blake, who created those cool trippy art scenes for Punch Drunk Love, killed himself at the tender age of 35. This was a week after his girlfriend did the same. Very sad stuff.

Michel Serrault, star of La Cage aux Folles and numerous other French films, died of cancer at the age of 79.

Not a good week.

Historical Image of the Day

Deadwood, South Dakota, 1876

Phallic Shrines

I've actually seen one of these phallic shirnes in Thailand. It's pretty trippy. If there's one thing the world needs, it's more shrines to the penis....

Historical Image of the Day

Leadbelly

Historic Preservation

My thesis to this little post is that historic preservation is a great idea but I have problems with how it often actually occurs. My problems are two fold. First, everyone is extremely concerned with the details of the outer structures, but could not care less about the insides of a building. Second, there is much more attention paid to preserving a building than keeping it functional. I have two little snippets to illustrate each point.


I am way behind on my New Yorker reading. I've been perusing the June 11 & 18 issue. In the Talk of the Town, Margaret Borden talks about an ancient house lived in by an eccentric who had not changed anything in their his whole life. This meant that all the interior furnishings came from the late 19th and early 20th century. The house, built in 1878, was almost a museum to a lost way of life. Of course, this being a desirable Manhattan location, once the owner decided to sell, there was a feeding frenzy to buy it. It went on the market for over 3 1/2 million dollars. Everyone wanted to complete tear the insides out and start over. it makes sense--once refurbished, the asking price will surpass $10 million.


But shouldn't we value the internal decorations of a house as much as the external structure? In 100 years, will historians, urban planners, and architectural scholars look back and shake their heads at our lack of foresight on proper historic preservation techniques? Who knows. But I'm sure we should value interior history as much as exterior structure.



On the other hand, in Latin America, you don't usually have much of a budget for historic preservation. Yet buildings are saved all the time. There, they do not worry about the insides at all. But they do a hell of a job dealing with another criticism I have of historic preservation--the lack of keeping the building a living, functional thing. In Mexico, Brazil, and Honduras at least, I have seen hundreds of buildings, probably from no later than the 1920s, still standing with much of their beautiful architecture intact. But the front of the first floor has been completely ripped out and turned into business space. Could be an internet cafe, could be a bar, could be a car repair shop. They all have the ubiquitous metal gate protecting the insides at night.



From the perspective of the U.S. historic preservationist, many of these buildings have lost their original intent and "integrity" as they would put it. Who cares? If the alternative is tearing it down and putting up another ugly concrete monstrosity, isn't this better? I think it's a really cool way to keep a lot of character in neighborhood buildings while also maintaining healthy, living communities.



I know these two points contradict each other on some levels. But they are connected by my desire to see people rethink historic preservation standards to both value interior structures and outside communities in order to make old buildings part of interesting, commercially successful, and functional neighborhoods.

NFL 2007 Preview: AFC North

Now, the AFC North, whose main distinction is having one of the NFL’s main whipping posts. Good for the other three teams, you can guarantee yourself at least two wins….

BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-7)

OFFENSE: The Ravens’ offense has come a long way since their abysmal Trent Dilfer-led, Super Bowl winning team, but it’s still not up to snuff. The release of Jamal Lewis may have opened up cap room galore, but the pickup of Willis McGahee is a lateral move. If he can stay healthy he’ll probably rack up more yards than Lewis this year, but I have a feeling that this is a big if. Mike Anderson is a respectable backup, but his great days are far behind him. Steve McNair will begin to falter this year, as well, and that doesn’t bode well for receptions for their decidedly lackluster receiving corps.

DEFENSE: The formula the Ravens have developed for defensive success has remain virtually unchanged since that same blessed year. Some new players, some old ones less effective, but the philosophy is still sound. While it may not be as astounding today as it was then, but the continued progression of Ed Reed and, especially, Haloti Ngata will make up for the declining skills of Ray Lewis.

Success in Baltimore will depend entirely on the success of the offense. If McGahee can’t get his “jitters” together and McNair starts to slide, they could be as bad as 5-11 but I think there’s enough talent on the team to conceivably go 11-5. The defense will show up, that’s for sure, but they can only hold off so much.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-8)

OFFENSE: The scary offense of the Bengals from the past couple of years will not be so effective as it has been. The exclusion of Chris Henry is a blow, though not as devastating as it could have been. Palmer is fully recovered now, so the team should score a lot of points, but I’m not sure that Rudi Johnson’s going to be the force of the past few years. They will falter like they often do halfway through the season, even though their schedule eases up significantly.

DEFENSE: This is where the Bengals truly falter. Their defense is poor, full of rejects and has-beens. That Deltha O’Neal is still starting there is proof enough of that. They will give up a ton of points and I will not be sad to see it.

I’m not sure all the personnel problems over the last years is really what will make the Bengals fail again, but this is what it’ll be blamed on. The real reason is that, outside of the QB and receivers, there isn’t a lot going on in Cincinnati except for overrated talent and washed up nobodies. As always, they’ll look good at first and then fall apart and everybody’s going to wonder why. They’re like a more talented version of the Detroit Lions.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-11)

OFFENSE: Boy, will the Browns be bad this year. They may not be the worst in the league, but they’re damn close. I think they had one of the better drafts this year, but they won’t make much of an impact until the coming few seasons. I think Quinn has a lot of potential but, for now, Browns fans are stuck looking at Charlie Frye. Is this a better vision than Tim Couch? Hard telling but, between Frye and their backup fullback posing as a tailback, there’s going to be virtually nothing to cheer for, unless you count Joe Jurevicius as an asset.

DEFENSE: Not only is the other side bad, it’s old too. They have Willie McGinest and Ted Washington starting for cryin’ out loud. At a combined age of 71, I’m sure they have tons of great stories about the glory days before the forward pass but, besides some funny anecdotes from senile old men, I’d try to shy away from actually watching them play.

One day, I firmly believe that the Browns could actually field a decent team. Everybody talks about the parity in the NFL, when will that equitable level of play reach the Browns? It only seems fair. Sorry Trend, but it looks like your going to have to deal with another miserable year with the Dog Pound.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-5)

OFFENSE: When it’s clicking, the Steelers have one of the best offenses in the game. It’s essentially the same group that won the Super Bowl and, to be fair, it’s also the same group that often looked like crap last year. The difference now is that Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a complete mess this preseason and Willie Parker has had a full year to get used to being the only running back. He’s not Jerome Bettis and he never will be, but he is remarkable when at his best. Everything’s in check and they should perform great this year.

DEFENSE: Once again, they’ve kept it almost all intact from the past few years. The loss of Joey Porter will hurt, to be sure, but they added Ryan Clark at free safety to assist Troy Polamalu, one of the most exciting players in the NFL to watch. They should be as good as ever, though there may be a slight decline in the pass rush. Look for the steel curtain to be one of the best this year.

I mildly support the Steelers for two reasons. First, Ben Roethisberger wears #7 in tribute to John Elway. Second, like the Denver Broncos, the Steelers’ organization is one which believes that sticking with coaches and players through the bad times is a good thing, a strategy which builds a consistently good program with high morale. I’m not of the “character guy” school of current football thought, but the players in Pittsburgh certainly do have a good reputation and it comes through in their play. I expect them to be far better than they were last year. They made a great decision in hiring the young, but already successful, Mike Tomlin, who should enhance the defensive philosophy.

Tomorrow, the AFC South. Will the Colts take it all this year? The suspense is killing me. And, just how many sacks will Matt Shaub take this year, or was it all David Carr’s fault that the offensive line is historically terrible? Tune in tomorrow….

Lyrad's Random 10

Composer, bandleader and trumpet player Frank London has been at the center of the melding of Jewish music, jazz and avant garde for 30 years. A founding member of both The Klezmatics and Hasidic New Wave, he has been a fantastic contributor to every musical realm he's approached. "Bucket Cue" is the opening to his soundtrack for Jonathan Berman's 1993 documentary The Shvitz, a piece apparently on the New York Jewish steambath scene, which I have not seen. I am completely ignorant of the subject but, if the music reflects the movie, I'd say it was a pretty wild time. The music goes back and forth between jazz and punk, and all of it has a deep klezmer influence. It's a great score, as is much of his other music. London has appeared on some 200 recordings over the years and the one thing I know for sure is that I don't know what I'll get when I hear something new.

1. Frank London--Bucket Cue [from the soundtrack to The Shvitz]
2. Soulfly--The Song Remains Insane
3. Siegel-Schwall Band--I'll Be the Man
4. Sergei Prokofiev--Cinderella (Ballet in 3 Acts); 2. The Veil Dance [Cologne WDR SO; Michail Jurowski, cond.]
5. Duke Ellington--Lover Man
6. Fossil Fuel--I Hate To Take a Bath
7. Mose Allison--Puttin' up with Me
8. Mr. Bungle--Violenza Domestica
9. Booker T. Laury--I Done You Wrong
10. Bryan Redding--Spoken

America. Love It or Leave It!!!

My favorite right-wing criticism is the "America, Love It or Leave It" motif. Anything that might criticize what they see as American values means that you hate the country and should move to Canada or Cuba or North Korea or whatever.

This is pretty effective rhetoric. By letting them get away with it, we allow them to gain legitimacy for their viewpoints by grounding them in a particular understanding of "America."

It's hardly surprising that my American Revolution post has garnered similar remarks, particularly in comments. See here, here, here, here, here, and here. So I'm going to play that game too.

America is a nation that opposes torture and treating people inhumanly. If you don't like it and if you believe that waterboarding and secret prisons are OK, why don't you leave and move to Guatemala!!!

America is a nation that believes in equal rights for all its citizens, regardless of race. If you oppose affirmative action, you are a racist. If you don't like fighting racism like an American, why don't you move to apartheid South Africa!!!

If you believe in American values of freedom, tolerance, and personal liberty, you must support equal rights for homosexuals. If you hate gays, you are un-American. Why don't you pack your bags and move to Singapore!!!

To be an American, you must support the right of women to have control over their sexuality. If you oppose abortion rights, why don't you move to Nigeria where you can genitally mutilate your daughters!!!

Historical Image of the Day

Jacob Lawrence, "The Shoemaker," 1945

Friday Guitar Blogging

Angus Young.

Mister Trend's Random 10

After a few weeks away from the internets, my random 10 is back. This week's seventh song comes from Brazilian Gal Costa's 1973 album Índia. Costa is not very well known in the states, but generally those who do know her tie her to the Tropicalia movement of the late-1960s (of which she was one of the major figures). However, her career goes well beyond Tropicalia, and she, like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, has spent decades bringing her own eclectic, multi-cultural vision of music to fruition. Índia is such an album, as Costa abandoned the psychedelic sound and screaming guitars of her late-1960s production for lush arrangements that go perfectly with her voice. And that voice is what makes Costa so special - her songwriting talent isn't of the caliber of Veloso and Gil, but she more than makes up for it with her voice, which is at the same time bold and fragile, projecting like nobody else's in Brazilian music. For those who only know her through tropicalia (or who don't know her at all), I cannot recommend her work highly enough (her psychedelic self-titled albums from the 1960s, Índia, or her double-album of her singing Tom Jobim's songs live are all great, if widely varying, starting points).


1. "Sugar Kane" - Sonic Youth
2. "Thou art gone up on high" - Messiah - George Friedrich Handel
3. "Entrada do Calafatinho/Bailado Santo Antonio Lisboa" - Brazilian Folkloric Music from the state of Pará
4. "Mamma" - Gilberto Gil
5. "Tomorrow is Already Here" - Stereolab
6. "Super-Connected" - Belly
7. "Da Maior Importância" - Gal Costa
8. "Easier" - Grizzly Bear
9. "Autumn Shade" - The Vines
10. "Ize of the World" - The Strokes

NFL 2007 Preview: AFC East

Last year, the Simool System appeared to be the king of all football prediction engines. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I looked a little silly putting so much faith in it. No longer. This year, I debut the Lyrad Line, a foolproof diviner of NFL records, successes and failures.

To start alphabetically, the AFC East:

BUFFALO BILLS (5-11)

OFFENSE: This is J.P. Losman’s “make it or break it” year. There is no chance he will have made anything positive come playoff time. With the exit of Willis McGahee and a line that features a rookie center and a number of starters changing position, Losman will have as much protection as David Carr. Look for this squad to feature astronomically low scoring totals.

DEFENSE: This will likely be more successful than the other side, but how much more is questionable. Questions are the big player for the Bills defense this year. They are young and less experienced than most, but could come up with some big plays. They could as well, however, give up astronomically high scoring totals.

It’s hard to believe they could go lower, but the Bills have actually taken steps backward this year. They signed a completely unknown RB in Marshawn Lynch, eschewing a proven commodity in McGahee much like they eschewed Travis Henry. It’s sad because I actually kind of like Buffalo now that the dippy Jim Kelly is gone.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-8)

OFFENSE: The Dolphins offense is a shambles. The quarterback debacle of last year has resulted in a move akin to Arizona picking up the washed-up Kurt Warner after the Rams benched him. Trent Green will help nothing in Miami except for, possibly, the neurologists’ paychecks after having to examine him so many times. Ronnie Brown is fine, but the offensive line is average at best and the receiving game, while on the move, is still pretty sub-par. It’ll be the Brown Show in Miami and it’ll be pretty easy for defenses to figure this out.

DEFENSE: The defense is the only reason these guys aren’t going 4-12 this year. They may be old, but their linebackers are still great and feature the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Jason Taylor. I’ll always be a Keith Traylor fan for his noble stint in Denver. Their secondary needs a lot of work, but those linebackers will pick up much of the slack.

Last year, I chose Miami as one of the elites of the AFC. I learn from my mistakes and will not be so stupid this time. No matter how good that defense looks, the whole picture is mediocre. I am happy that, though they’re playing the AFC West this year, they will not be playing the Broncos. For years and years, they are Denver’s spoiler and it is eternally frustrating.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4)

OFFENSE: What can possibly be said that hasn’t already? With the inclusion of Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth, Tom Brady has his last year’s #1 in the slot, and look how well he did then. I’m not convinced of their running game and, honestly, don’t think it will be very good. That’s ok though; they don’t need to run.

DEFENSE: In spite of their age, the Patriots defense will be solid, if not earth-shattering this year. They’ll be in a much better position if they can get the Asante Samuel situation worked out, and I think they will. They’ve only got a couple of years of supremacy left if they can’t shore up the age situation, but it won’t matter this year.

A lot of people claim certainty that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl. I’m unconvinced, but they do have a good shot. With the numbers Brady is expected to put up this year, they’re going to be hard to stop on any level.

NEW YORK JETS (6-10)

OFFENSE: Will this finally be the year people stop thinking Chad Pennington is a worthwhile quarterback? Probably not, but the talk of his potential reminds me to much of how everybody dealt with Jake Plummer and it makes me sick. Thomas Jones will take over where Curtis Martin has left off, but only having Laveranues Coles and Jones does not make a good team. They have a great young center, but they really won’t reap the benefits of him until Pennington is gone and he has more experience under his belt. Not so much this year.

DEFENSE: The J-E-T-S have a few good players in their starting front seven, but the secondary is terrible. There are more problems with them to name here, but it would be to every team’s benefit to never run against them. It’s not as if they’re supreme against the run, but it’s possible for quarterbacks to have perfect passer ratings against these guys. Even if they throw interceptions, it isn’t as if their offense is going to be able to capitalize on it.

In the end, I think 6-10 is a generous prediction, but I like Mangini, and they had boxing trainer/commentator Teddy Atlas in to help with training camp and I support that. Plus, they get to play the Bills twice, so there’s a couple of wins right there.

…Tomorrow, it’s the AFC North. Will the Browns still be a JV team? Will Ben Roethlisberger remember to not have two catastrophes right before the season opener? Tune in next time.

Classy Yankee Fans

This is typical. After giving up 8 (yes, 8) runs in the second inning in today's Yankee 13-9 loss to the White Sox, Clemens was booed............sort of. "When Torre replaced him [Clemens] with left-hander Mike Myers, the fans at Yankee Stadium booed loudly, but the boos faded to polite applause by the time the Rocket had trudged to the dugout." I suspect the Yankee fans remembered Clemens throwing the broken bat at Piazza in 2000, and had second thoughts as he entered throwing range. Pity he couldn't have taken a few of them out...

Stax

By sheer luck, I happened to be flipping past PBS last night just as this documentary on Stax Records was starting. This was truly fortuitous, as I'm a huge Stax fan, and think their catalog contains some of the best music ever made. The program had some good interviews, and some absolutely fantastic performance footage.

The doc did a good job highlighting the significance of Stax's being racially integrated throughout the company, from the front office to the musicians, how unusual this was for America (and certainly for Memphis, TN) in the 60's, and how things were never quite the same after MLK's murder in 1968. One fact that I wasn't aware of was that Memphis's Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated, and which is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum, was a place where the Stax artists would often gather during the hot summer days, to relax around the pool and work on music together before going into the studio in the evening. King's murder was a disaster for race relations across this country, but it was all the more devastating for the Stax family that he was killed in a place that had been their oasis of racial harmony.

Here's Otis Redding bringing the soul to the hippies at the Monterey Pop Festival, in one of the great crossover performances of the pop era.

Lovin' It

In the blogging world, there has to be nothing more amusing to me than to see my post questioning the value of the American Revolution get spread around the right-wing blogs. I clearly committed 3 crimes for these people--I mentioned Michael Moore, I suggested that Canada might be a good place to live, and I dared say that maybe, just maybe, the American Revolution was not the greatest event in the history of humanity.

Also, this adds proof to my theory that the more half-assed the post, the better chance people will talk about it. Strange world.

It's funny how crazy these people are and disturbing to see their poor levels of thinking. I won't bore you with the details. I'll only say that this guy said my post, "may be the most moronic post in the history of political blogging." But given that his favorite writer is St. Jonah of the Literacy Test and that he thinks this is funny, I'll take his claim with great honor.

Historical Image of the Day

The Southern High-Powered Cup, Georgia, 1908

Gasoline for the Fire

My new piece on Bush's Middle East arms deal is up at Foreign Policy in Focus.

One of the Dumber Sports Lists in Recent Memory

I enjoy sports counter-factuals and "hall of famer or not?" debates as much as any sports fan. But ESPN's article "Cantonized" is, to put it simply, absolutely stupid. Debating the top 10 or 20 people you think will get into the football hall of fame is fine, but fifty??????? It's one thing to say, "Warren Sapp will get in because of these factors", "Bret Favre is a lock", or "Alan Faneca may make it in"; all have been around for awhile, you can compare their results to other players throughout history, etc.

But saying "Adrian Peterson will get in" when he has no professional experience? Or (my favorite), saying Brady Quinn won't make it in only because the Browns are awful? This is just stupid beyond sublimity, and not just because there is no way of evaluating a future hall of famer when one hasn't even played a game (though there is that - saying Peterson won't ever get hurt seems rather ignorant of the fateful vagaries of issues like car accidents, plane crashes, unforeseen heart problems, exploding knees, etc.). It's also just absurd to know how a player will turn out in terms of personality. Did anybody look at Tom Brady pre-2000 and say, "now, here is a future hall of famer - even if he does play for the never-champion Patriots"? Of course not. You have no way of knowing who will turn into a born leader and who won't. While it's very possible Quinn could totally flame out, we know that as certainly as we know he could also be one of the greatest leaders ever in football.

And criticizing Quinn because he plays for the awful-for-the-last-17-years Browns is just as dumb, given the nature of modern sports contracts. If he ends up being unbelievable in terms of production, but wants more attention, there's nothing to stop him from going to New York or L.A. [if they have a team by then] when he has a contract expire.

In short, we just don't know anything beyond the top 15-25 potential hall-of-famers or so, and while performing such an exercise with 10 or 20 NFL players may be fun, by making it fifty and including who just misses is just one more way that ESPN.com has jumped the proverbial shark.

Move Out, Get a Job, and Share an Apartment with Southeast Asia

Strengthening my thesis that he is the Andy Rooney of the More Rubble Less Trouble set, Victor Hanson tells the Middle East to grow up, already!

No, really. He tells a loosely defined geographic region to grow up. Hanson gets extra points for rehearsing the moldy old "Islamists hate Western culture, but they use cellphones!" bit as if it were a devastating "gotcha!" It's gotten so that pointing out that there isn't a cliche in existence which Hanson won't boldly deploy in his war against accurately assessing the Islamist phenomonon is itself a cliche.

Republican Desperation

The Republicans are truly becoming desperate and are finding new forms of perfidy to give them a shot in 2008. Hendrik Hertzberg reports on a California GOP attempt to make the state give their votes to presidential candidates by district. Only Maine and Nebraska do this. What this would do is split up California's 55 electoral votes, with 20 or so going to the Republican nominee.

Now I don't have such a huge problem with this on a national level. If you have to have something as stupid as the electoral college, making it as democratic as possible is a good thing. But of course these same Republicans would oppose this measure vociferously if proposed in Texas, Florida, or Tennessee. Allowing California to unilaterally split up their votes means a Republican victory in '08. The chances are that this does not pass. But it is a serious threat.

I still wonder how prepared Democrats are to counter Republican dirt. Ady Barkan chastises Harry Reid for allowing the Republican Senate minority to control the agenda through their filibuster threats. His solution--let them filibuster. I could not agree more. Pick the issue you want to start this with--do you want to see Republicans filibustering to support the war? To support HMOs? To oppose a minimum wage hike? And then watch them self-destruct. I would guess that if forced to, the Republicans would cave on most of these issues rather than have to publicly announce how in bed they are with interests counter to most Americans. But Reid seems afraid to do this. Why? I wish I knew.

Classic Hollywood Liberalism

I recently viewed the 1960 film production of Inherit the Wind, with Spencer Tracy as the Clarence Darrow character, Frederic March as William Jennings Bryan, and Gene Kelly as H.L. Mencken. This was my first exposure to the work, as I have never seen or read the play.

It's a very strong film. I'm sure some of you have seen it. What I'm interested in writing about here though is not a review of the work but rather an exploration of the politics behind it.

I find old Hollywood liberalism amusing. Spencer Tracy films are emblematic of this work. Take Bad Day at Black Rock where soldier returned from Europe Tracy goes to the town of his fallen Japanese comrade after World War II only to find that locals had taken advantage of anti-Japanese prejudice after Pearl Harbor to kill his friend's father. Or of course Guess Who's Coming to Dinner where Tracy and Katherine Hepburn play well-meaning wealthy liberals who discover their daughter is dating a black man. Really, you don't see too much of this anymore, despite what conservatives say. Sure, Hollywood is as liberal as ever. But you don't see it too much in the films. Maybe studio executives are too worried about offending touchy conservatives.

Inherit the Wind is a perfect example of old Hollywood liberalism and the differences between the 1960s and today. One can see this through how the play and film change the story. Some changes are normal. William Jennings Bryan died about a week after the trial's conclusion. In the film, he dies immediately after. A sensible transition. To humanize both Darrow and Bryan, Darrow gets to express his disgust for Mencken's mocking of Bryan after he died. In reality, Darrow made fun of Bryan just as Mencken did, and publicly too.

More interesting is how the relationship between John Scopes and the local residents is portrayed. In the film, Scopes is standing up for what he believes in. The locals are Bible-beating bigots who want to lynch Scopes and Darrow. The reality is quite different. Scopes was a pretty non-descript young science teacher in Dayton, Tennessee. Local business elites, concerned that their little town was losing population to bigger nearby cities like Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, set up the case to attract publicity to the town. Dayton's residents hardly wanted to lynch Scopes. They were just glad someone was paying attention to the town, even if many of them did not want evolution taught in the schools.

Today, it would be much harder to portray Christians as idiots, which is what Inherit the Wind basically does. That classic Hollywood liberalism had little problem saying that large groups of people and their beliefs were wrong, backwards, and out of step with enlightened thought. Today, you'd have to tone down the criticism significantly. There would have to be some locals who are really humane and want peace. Moreover, the film could not attack evangelical Christianity in any way.

Some years ago, I would have been a bit offended at the film's portrayal of Southerners. This was a time when I cared a lot more about ideology than partisanship. I would have blanched at making the South look like a bunch of hatred-filled backwards bigots. I've always been sensitive to anti-Southern propaganda, or at least since I first lived there in the late 90s. But now, not so much. It's pretty much this simple. If you believe that evolution is a hoax and that God created the world in 7 days, you're stupid. Whether that's ignorance or willful, I don't know. But the point stands. If Hollywood wants to make "the good people of the United States" look like backwards morons, so be it. Because a lot of them are. The same goes for racists, homophobes, sexists, and other purveyors of hate, stupidity, and ignorance. If Hollywood wants to produce films pushing their own viewpoint, good. Let's hope they can stand up to the Bill O'Reilly's of the world, not to mention their own accountants and executives worried about how their film will play in rural Mississippi.

Historical Image of the Day

Jewish service, Mariana Islands, 1944