52 Weeks of Music - Week 9 - Nina Simone

There's a bit of an advisory note on this week's post. I normally like to focus on one of an artist's albums, but this is a sticky wicket, as they say.

Nina Simone burst into my consciousness through the movie Point of No Return starring Bridgette Fonda. The desperate tones of the lead character are accompanied by equally desperate and poignant Nina Simone songs. As much as anything else, I always got the feeling that this movie wanted you to go out and by a Nina Simone record. So I did.

I found a compilation CD, so I bought it (the cover image of the disc I have appears above). This compilation was an actual CD, but when I put it into my iTunes years ago, it came up as the album "Bad Habits." I usually trust Gracenote or CDDB or whatever gives iTunes its data, but something was definitely off about this

I learned later on that Nina Simone had an incredibly difficult life. Born in the US, she was a gifted musician, forced into subserviance and denied educational opportunities because of her skin color. Just before the breakthroughs of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, Nina packed off for Europe and lived much of her life as an outspoken Expatriate. Really, if anyone blames her, they should have their heads examined.

Because of the legal battles over her albums, there are many issues and reissues. Still, I wanted to talk about her music as soon as possible, because it's still Black History Month, and I've sort of largely ignored any black artists so far, much to my detriment.

I view Nina as more of an aggressive protest singer. She was popular in the US during her lifetime (died in 2003), but she shunned the music business and chose to use her music to spread the message instead of becoming a superstar she was so obviously born to be.

Her romantic tunes are almost overshadowed by her brash and plaintive songs like "Mississippi Goddamn," but the tenderness in "Love Me or Leave Me," and "My Baby Just Cares for Me" give a glimpse of just how amazingly powerful and deep she really was. She could have become rich and powerful and popular, but she took the high road and changed the world.

Another note: The song "Young Gifted and Black" does not appear on my album, but it's too good not to talk about, so I am including it blow, along with a couple other songs that make me love her all the more.







Nina Simone on Wikipedia

Nina Simone artist link in iTunes

There Is Beauty in the World

Original Image from Billboard.com

Macy Gray has a new album coming out. You can stream it live here (as of 6/16/2010).

As I right this, the earth is spewing oil due to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It's important in times like this to stay focused on what's important. There is beauty in the world. Now, I don't want to minimize the disaster inflicted by our own greed. I want to think of this as an opportunity to move on. The President said something or rather last night, but it's vastly important that we blame not only the oil companies, but ourselves.

We have a responsibility. We need to make sure there is still beauty in the world for the people who come after us. We do not have dominion over this realm. We have to be stewards of it for future generations.

Here Lies Love

Eat your heart out, Evita, there's a new crazy dictator's wife to lionize: Imelda Marcos.

Of course, I am talking about the concept-album, song cycle, whatver you call it, "Here Lies Love" by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.

I heard one of the tracks, "Why Don't You Love Me" by Cyndi Lauper and Tori Amos, but I didn't care for it out of context. As the final track of the album, it brings it all together. Marcos was completely out of touch by the end of it all.

Of course, the whole album is itself out of context in a way. Byrne was recently interviewed on NPR and he said he specifically omitted the part about the shoes, the most notorious punchline to the fallen dictator story. I agree with Byrne though. The shoes anecdote minimize all of the great and terrible things that Imelda Marcos did. The album uses a disco milieu to bring life to the fascinating story of Imelda, who was herself a fan of discos, and all the decadence that went along with them.

There are eerie parallels to Imelda and Eva Peron, however, where Juan Peron survived Evita, making her a more tragic figure, Imelda lives on today. She's running for office in the Phillippenes, if you can believe that. This album kind of plays on the public's obsession with power and fame. It reminds us that there is often a very dark side to beauty.

Remembering Dixie Carter, or Do You Know Who Shirley Chisholm Is?

As a gay kid growing up in a repressive conservative household, Designing Women was the technicolor heroin to my impressionable youth.

When I found out Dixie Carter died, I was sad. Even though Ms. Carter's personal politics were actually much to the right of her DW alter ego Julia Sugarbaker, she (or more appropriately the writers of Designing Women) still taught me a lot about the unspoken pieces of US History.

Dixie Carter reminded me of my oldest sister Katherine. Kath and I both seemed to view the world in a somewhat skewed perspective, both metaphorically and physiologically due to our shared affliction of astigmatism. Kath was brash, but well-meaning, and today she conducts Julia-style dressings down of social mores on her own blog.

I was much more the reserved type. I was much more akin to Annie Potts' MaryJo on the show. I was reasonably informed, but less daring. I often felt stressed and put up with a lot that I shouldn't have.

When I finally got the gumption to get out, I did. But my abiding love and affection for my family means that there's no remaining ill will, even though we rarely see eye to eye. Even Kath and I rarely meet on the political spectrum, except for social issues. In a strange coincidence, Kath moved to Tennessee, which is actually Dixie Carter's home state. Kath also started ascribing to the Libertarian point of view, which is very much in line with that of Ms. Carter.

I prefer the fictional side of Ms. Carter. I am an unapologetic liberal. I believe in a strong federal government, not a namby-pamby network of nincompoop state legislators. But that is a topic for another day.

I want to thank Designing Women. The actors, writers, producers. Everyone helped me learn about America. I first learned about great women through that show -- Eleanor Roosevelt, Emily Dickinson, and Shirley Chisholm, just to name a few. The show inspired me to learn more about these women.

A couple of years ago, I chanced upon a copy of a DVD documenting the life of Shirley Chisholm. It was a video store clearance item, so I picked it up for under $5. It was money well-spent. Not only were the people of Designing Women correct in idealizing her, they didn't nearly go far enough. With all of the polarized and hateful, racists pundits going around decrying the "tyranny" of Obama in 2010, think back to what the country was like in the spring of 1972. The Vietnam War was in its death throes, Watergate was still just a hotel, and a black congresswoman from New York decided to run for President, against all the insurmountable odds, just because she wasn't going to let America maintain the status quo.

Though Ms. Carter is gone, I want to thank her again for allowing me to grow up inspired and with hope. And Ms. Carter, if you see Ms. Chisholm up in heaven, I hope you give her a high five from me.

Mickey Edwards, Co-Founder of Heritage Foundation, Voted Obama

NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross interviewed Mickey Edwards, Vice President of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. Edwards is also a co-founder of the infamous Heritage Foundation.

Edwards stated without much prodding that he in fact voted for Obama. He saw many faults with the McCain campaign, but he also sees a huge flaw in the Gingerich model of party politics. He describes the recent tactics of congress bowing to the will of the president as dangerous and undemocratic. Having separate, balanced branches of government is key to making the country work.

Edwards other criticisms included a stern indictment of the anti-intellectualism promoted by the McCain-Palin campaign. The idea that we don't want a well-educated person to lead the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of human civilization is utterly ridiculous.

This is absolutely true. We need a well-educated person. John McCain thought that Iraq bordered Afghanistan and that Czechoslovakia still existed. Sarah Palin didn't even know Africa was a continent and not a country and threw temper tantrums because she didn't like reading press briefings. Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review, taught Constitutional Law, and traveled Eastern Europe extensively with Richard Lugar.

In turbulent times, we need people who will stand firm with good economic plans and not try to divide the country with innuendo and lies.

Congratulations President Elect Obama.

Even more desperate Republican Rabble

Ignorance and Fear are now taking a backseat to made up allegations of fraud.

The Invisible Hand is Out to Lunch

I got scolded on the blog of my Libertarian sister for leaving a comment that I think tax increases under Obama are a better idea than tax cuts under John McCain. I would like to elaborate on my opinion here.

It is more than likely that the overwhelmingly vast majority of Americans will never see a tax cut under a McCain presidency. Is is also incredibly likely that taxes will need to go up because our deficit is 500 billion per year. Even by Reaganomic standards, this is insane.

In my college economics class, we learned about Adam Smith and the so-called Invisible Hand that guides market forces for good. I think that there is no Invisible Hand guiding the market. The government should take a more active role in regulation of markets to protect the welfare and domestic tranquility of the State. This is the fundamental difference between the economic philosophy of my conservative family and myself.

I also believe in some form of the so-called "Great Society" where social programs benefit those less fortunate. Most conservatives argue that the Private Sector should distribute wealth by paying more in wages, dividends, and investing in charities. But recently I've observed that Private sector investment in the poor only works when it suits the company's bottom line. Going green for the environment is much more about marketing non-solutions than it is about solving anything. Companies like WalMart, Target and other major retailers give money back to communities, but they can pick and choose who gets what, so there is no way to figure out the most equitable way. I believe that the government should be holding the lines of the safety net, not the private sector.

The point was made in my class that the government could never go broke because it could always print more money. And people will always loan the government money. Both points are of course true, but the end result of the government just printing more money would be disastrous. And now, no one wants to lend money to anyone, yet the Treasury wants to give hundreds of billions that it doesn't even have to Wall Street firms.

When do we start paying this check? Sure, no one thinks we should have to because it's not our fault. That may be true, but I find it unconscionable that people are just sitting there waiting for tax cuts for only the wealthy to trickle down and let the market take care of it. But we've already seen what the market will do when you give it more money. It crashes and takes off for a spa weekend.

Besides that, the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith's book, was written almost three hundred years ago. People weren't even using electricity, let alone inventing risky financial instruments like Credit Default Swaps and Collateralized Debt Obligations. Republicans actually inserted amendments to pending legislation back in 1998 that allowed these instruments to be created and forbid them to be regulated.

I believe that the progressives will bring more accountability and organizational transparency. I believe in positive progressive solutions. I do not believe in theoretical conservatism.

I expect that I will be paying more in taxes under the next president, whomever is elected. What really matters is a future where the government works for everyone, not just the rich.

Desperate Republicans

People at a Palin rally were actually so incensed by the racist, fear-mongering Republican rhetoric that they called for blood.

This is ridiculous. Why haven't people realized they are being duped by these statements? It's completely irresponsible to stir up people's hate and fear, and they have officially gone too far.

UPDATE: The real news is abuzz with this story. Fox "News" is crying foul that Newsweek didn't airbrush the blemishes out of Palin's cover photo. It's just further proof they are a tool of the RNC.

Gotcha Journalism is Good Journalism

Marty Kaplan has a great column on Huffington Post about the necessity of gotcha journalism.

There is a necessity to have good journalism. There is a need to be skeptical about everything we see, hear, and read.

Can I please have the leg of zebra giraffe with a side of mint jelly?

The title of this post is meant to be completely humorous, though the humor is somewhat dark.

Scientists have captured photos of an Okapi, a rare mammal that's about the size of a deer, but is related to the giraffe, and has some zebra-like markings. You really can't make this up.

The sad thing is, poachers are trying to kill the creature. It will probably become extinct within a few years. I can understand why people would kill it. It seems like a fairly easy target and people are freaking starving, so why not kill a free freak like this?

Really, we need to figure out a way to end hunger in Africa so that we don't have to worry about such a unique creature being driven into oblivion. The Tasmanian Tiger, the Dodo, and soon the Okapi.

Obama on Terrorism and Palin's Word Games

Don't mock the Constitution. Don't make fun of it. Don't suggest that it's not American to abide by what the founding fathers set up. It's worked pretty well for over 200 years.

Click here to read more from the Washington Post.

Huffington Shares Her Common Sense about Palin

Arianna Huffington has a brilliant post about the real issues of this campaign.

Every second of this campaign not spent talking about the Republican Party's record, and John McCain's role in that record, is a victory for John McCain.

Her critics like to say that Palin hasn't accomplished anything. I disagree: in the space of ten days she's succeeded in distracting the entire country from the horrific Bush record -- and McCain's complicity in it. My friends, that's accomplishment we can believe in.

Sarah Palin's Record

Snopes has published a letter from Anne Kilkenny. She is a resident of Wasilla who knows the actual FACTS behind Palin's claims. Most of her claims are distortions, especially the claim of having more experience than Obama.

Palin Pain

Political Time again, this time, it's Sarah Palin.

This story from 365gay.com has got me riled and raised my level of ire such that I had to post on the old blog to get some sense of normalcy.

Apparently, she just took office on 1/1/2007. She has no national political experience and this is the first elected statewide office she has held. With McCain being 72 and in uncertain health, if he were elected and died in office, the honorable (?) Governor Palin would be president.

As much of a feminist as I am, I am less than enthused with this woman. Her record is less than comforting. I feel that this is a cheap ploy to appeal to the bigoted portion of the electorate who want to "keep the White House white." Many disenchanted Hillary voters may see this as an opportunity for a woman to get into the second highest political office in the country, but she is not anywhere near Hillary on the ideological continuum.

Obama really does stand for a change, other than that of race. Sarah Palin stands for nothing more than a Republican benchwarmer, someone who would be the mouthpiece of failed conservative politics. Few people had even heard of her until August 29.

Hopefully, few people will know her name on November 5.

Register and vote.

UPDATE:
There's another blogger in Alaska who goes into a LOT more detail about the real Sarah Palin.

Would we have had a Stan Palin as our VP pick? No. So choosing a woman because you think her gender will get votes is insulting.

Progressive Politics and Cookies

This evening I attended a fundraiser for Jill Long Thompson, the Democratic nominee for the Indiana Governor's race. I was invited because I made a small donation to her campaign. This evening she discussed her platform and the importance of economic recovery.

Also, she laid out her ideas for getting better health care. It was a fascinating event. She was very poised and assuring.

Of course, I will vote for her. She was after all my congresswoman until Mark Souder came along.


I don't know if it's the highbrow appetizers, but there really is an electrifying effect to being around someone so charismatic and powerful. Of course, it may have also been the sugar from the yummy cookies.

The Nominee

On to November 4!

Thank heaven the primary is over. I have never been more excited about the election as I am right now.

I am also glad he is crediting Hillary for her tenacity and persistence. He has such an entrancing quality.

Elitism, Youth, and Novices

Obama won in Allen County. Even if the people I know did cross party lines to vote for Hillary, they were thwarted.

This map is also very interesting because it really shows where many of the state's urban centers are. Marion, Lake, Allen, St. Joseph, and Elkhart Counties; which are home to Indianapolis, Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Elkhart/Goshen respectively, went clearly to Obama. In Vanderburgh County, home to Evansville, Obama lost by just 1,293 votes.

Another interesting fact is that counties with major universities tended to go for Obama. Monroe County, home to IU Bloomington; and Tippecanoe County, home to Purdue both went to Obama.

Speaking of colleges, CNN's exit polls page had some fascinating statistics on how people with college educations voted, showing that people who graduated college favored Obama to Clinton 56% to 44% and those with post graduate education favored Obama 57% to 43%.

For the all-important Youth vote, the voters in the 17-29 demographic favored Obama over Clinton 61% to 39%. The 30-44 demographic (my fellow GenXers) favored Obama 56% to Clinton's 44%. Clinton captured the two-thirds of the votes from those over 60, which is really not a shock.

One thing of note is that neither candidate really got that many inspired new voters, according to the exit polls. Of the respondents, only 7% had never voted before, so it makes me think that a few voters may have been put off by the constant pandering by the candidates. But still, for those who did brave the primary process, 60% went for Obama and only 40% chose Clinton.

So you may wonder how my personal coin toss went. Well, let's just say that I live in an urban area and I am a college graduate. You do the math.

I'm sorry, I'm just not that into you

I heart politics, but this election cycle is increasingly on my last nerve. The Democrats keep sending me e-mail telling me to get out the vote, but I'm still undecided. I have yet to make up my mind for whom to cast my vote. I think it may come down to a coin toss in the voting booth after work. Yes. After work. I am not voting early in the morning because 1) I am still up at 1230 a.m. and 2) I don't want to be stuck in line and be late for work.

I'm 31, so I am in a key demographic that both campaigns want to woo to their side. But in reality, issue tracking websites show a 86% similarity between Clinton and Obama, so there isn't that much of a swing for swing voters.

It could all be over tomorrow night when the NC and IN primary votes are tallied, but it probably won't be. I just hope my conservative family doesn't end up voting for Hillary out of spite. I think they're scared that Obama is a Muslim, which he isn't.

As landmark candidates, they both capture my imagination. I think Obama would be more effective, but Hillary could get more older people away from McCain. Who knows. I better get my thumbs ready for flipping.

She should have used spell check

I found this on the SFGate.com website's daily pictures roundup. Maybe she'd have better luck spelling in Spanish.

Climate Change

This video impacts me more in 3 minutes than An Inconvenient Truth impacted me in 2 + hours.

Scientists have created a computerized model of CO2 emissions in the continental US. I find this very disheartening because it is overwhelming to think how much of a carbon footprint I have as an individual and the nation has as a whole. However, I do find it enlightening to finally have an idea of what our emissions actually look like. The one bad thing is that we cannot compare this to Europe or China, but they have pretty compelling data as part of the representation. Check it out.

Found via Towleroad.