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Saturday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 11:52:38 AM EST
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Thinking good thoughts for Linda Ronstadt, who in an interview with AARP this week, says she can no longer sing due to Parkinson's Disease.

Picking just one of her songs is so difficult. Other favorites: Love is a Rose, Desperado, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Tumbling Dice, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Love Has no Pride, When Will I Be Loved, and on and on.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome (except Zimmerman).

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    Saturday Open Thread | 113 comments (113 topical)

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    they don't call it the Music of the Spheres (5.00 / 0) (#4)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:21:05 PM EST
    fer nothin'..

    Tumblin' (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Edger on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:29:14 PM EST
    Dice, Live 1977

    Here is Linda with Chuck Berry (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 01:58:19 PM EST
    singing Back in the USA

    Filmed at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, October 18, 1986 on Chuck's 60th birthday. Chuck's backup band includes Keith Richards, Robert Cray, Joey Spampinato, Eric Clapton, and long-time Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson.
    Awesome performance (none / 0) (#15)
    by Edger on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 02:03:31 PM EST
    Wow!

    Parent
    She was on "The Midnight Special" ... (none / 0) (#21)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 05:43:41 PM EST
    ... in 1973, singing "Long, Long Time" with The Stony Ponies.

    But my favorite Linda Ronstadt album has to be her Grammy-winning 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind, which closed with her powerhouse cover of Karla Bonhoff's "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me."

    Wishing her sweet thoughts during a trying time.

    Parent

    The Stone Poneys (none / 0) (#29)
    by Peter G on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 08:34:26 PM EST
    was the name of her band.

    Parent
    What terrible news (none / 0) (#46)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 08:49:05 AM EST
    I did not know this.

    Just last night listened to a whole medley of her songs.

    When I was still young, I bought her Heart Like a Wheel album, gazed at its cover and thought no one more beautiful.

    Her voice had lost that amazing clarity and range...I went to a concert of hers about 5 years ago where she sang a bunch of WWII era songs.  The few signature songs she did perform had lost something.

    Different Drum should be mentioned too.

    She gave birth in a way to the Eagles....Don Henley and Glynn Frye....

    Parent

    Yes, different drum (none / 0) (#47)
    by Politalkix on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 09:03:24 AM EST
    is my favorite of her songs.

    Parent
    Mine, too. She has been (none / 0) (#110)
    by Towanda on Wed Aug 28, 2013 at 03:09:26 PM EST
    my go-to for great music since the Stone Poneys.

    Parent
    Glenn Frey (none / 0) (#51)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 09:25:29 AM EST
    Frye is from the test.....

    Parent
    Me too Donald (none / 0) (#83)
    by ruffian on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 08:57:53 AM EST
    Also my favorite of her records. One of my favorites of all time.

    Parent
    I love that film, which is why I ended up (none / 0) (#31)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 08:46:14 PM EST
    @ a Charlie Daniels concert at that theatre.

    Parent
    Jeralyn, join thousands of us (none / 0) (#111)
    by Towanda on Wed Aug 28, 2013 at 03:15:07 PM EST
    on the FB page, "Linda Ronstadt Should Be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame."

    So sad that we didn't make it happen, when she still could sing.  But she'll be singing in my head forever.

    Parent

    Her duets with Aaron Neville are so (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by caseyOR on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 03:49:34 PM EST
    beautiful. Here is a live performance of Don't Know Much.

    This is my favorite... (none / 0) (#25)
    by DebFrmHell on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 06:43:04 PM EST
    Thank you for posting it.  It is such a beautiful song.  I loved Aaron Neville and together they was magic.

    I wonder why it is that songs from the past, so well loved, get shuffled off to a distant memory, only to return when tragedy strikes...

    8-(

    Parent

    Best wishes (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by Zorba on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 04:22:21 PM EST
    and healing thought to Linda. What a wonderful talent!  May you do as well as you possibly can, my sister.

    Saw her in concert here in Austin back in the very (5.00 / 0) (#20)
    by Angel on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 05:40:53 PM EST
    early 70's.  Great, great concert.

    Heart Like A Wheel is one of my all-time favorite albums and I listen to it often.  I am hoping that she can hold this disease at bay for many, many years.  

    Parkinson (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by lily on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:02:40 AM EST
    I am a care partner to my youngest brother with young onset PD, he was 38 when diagnosed now at 48 he is entering advanced PD. Linda is already relying on a wheel chair and cane, and having throat muscles spasms so problematic she can't control her voice for song. PD is horrible.
    This is very sad, there is no healing, no holding it at bay, it is just a question of how fast one degenerates.

    Parent
    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 107 (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by Dadler on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 06:28:00 AM EST
    Al spent two decades as a mercenary in Angola, then came home to work for Dick Cheney. But sales is where he found his real cutting edge. (link)

    And here's all of last week's comics, in case you missed any:

    Vol. 106
    Vol. 105
    Vol. 104
    Vol. 103
    Vol. 102
    Vol. 101

    Oy, I should still be asleep, but such is the life of the messed up mind. Happy Sunday, my good heathens.  Get thee to the church of fleeting mortal experience.  Peace.

    On this (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by lentinel on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:00:35 AM EST
    fiftieth anniversary of the "March on Washington", I think it is illuminating to read - or reread - Malcolm X's take on this event.

    I think he gives a very clear and rational presentation of what actually happened. It is different than that with which we have been presented lo these many years.

    Malcolm X on the March on Washington

    I think what he said has great meaning for us today.
    He tells us how the power structure works, and how it manages to diffuse the energy of any who would oppose it. It tells us how entrenched power maintain the status quo by skillfully substituting illusion for reality.

    What a tragedy to be shot down (none / 0) (#57)
    by Visteo1 on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 12:01:35 PM EST
    because your views of the world and truth were changing.  I wish we could hear his views today.  I think he would have joined hands with King.  Sadly, your comment does reflect his view at the time:

    Malcolm X was equally critical of the civil rights movement.[100] He described its leaders as "stooges" for the white establishment, and he once described Martin Luther King, Jr. as a "chump".[101][102] He criticized the 1963 March on Washington, which he called "the farce on Washington".[103] He said he did not know why so many black people were excited about a demonstration "run by whites in front of a statue of a president who has been dead for a hundred years and who didn't like us when he was alive".[

    link

    Yep, I think at that point in time he would have called MLK day a farce, pepetrated by whites.

    Parent

    His (5.00 / 2) (#68)
    by lentinel on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:12:10 PM EST
    criticism of King was of his tactics.
    He felt that it was wrong to encourage black people to put themselves in a situation in which they would be beaten, hit with high power hoses, and bitten by ferocious dogs.

    I attended that march, and I had to agree with Malcolm.

    We sat through singers, actors and Walter Reuther.

    By the time MLK came on, and his big pitch was that he had a dream, it was really dispiriting. It was not a call to arms - which was the original intent of the march.

    There is, by the way, a beautiful photo of King and Malcolm together and it is obvious that, what ever their differences, they had deep respect and even love for each other.

    Parent

    Who planned a call to arms? (none / 0) (#80)
    by Visteo1 on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:21:37 PM EST
    Are you saying you thought MLK was going to make a call to arms?  If so, why?  Perhaps this is a bit of history not told.

    Parent
    If you (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by lentinel on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 03:40:32 AM EST
    are asking me that, I don't have the impression that you read my link to Malcolm's statement.

    Malcolm X on the March on Washington.

    Parent

    Ha! (1.00 / 1) (#87)
    by Visteo1 on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:36:34 AM EST
    I guess there are some that had hoped that the tone of the March would be different.  Even Malcolm X appears to have lost hope of that before the event.  Sorry (sarcasm) for your disappointment at the March.

    Were you disappointed by Obama's victory?  I wish all American's could have seen the Canadian newscaster's take on the vicory with their mouth's gaping in disbelief.  Having heard our National anthem booed at sporting events only a short time before, the new Canadian rhetoric brought a tear to my eye.

    I wish I had tuned in to Canadian TV to see their reaction to a white man winning the Detroit mayoral primary, as a write-in.  I guess I was too shocked to think about tuning in.  Detroit is 83% black, if you did not know.  What is your take?

    I think great progress has been made in race relations.  I think we still have a long way to go.

    Do you think the US is still on the wrong path?  What do you see as a path forward?  You seem like you might offer an interesting perspective.      

    Parent

    What (5.00 / 2) (#93)
    by lentinel on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 12:09:45 PM EST
    Malcolm conveyed was that the spirit for the march was spontaneous and leaderless. It seemed to be emerging from all parts of the country all by itself.

    So, there were going to be thousands upon thousands of black people conversing on Washington demanding that immediate action be taken by the government to correct things - to enforce the law - to enforce the 1954 Supreme Court decision - and the like.

    So, of course he didn't expect much when MLK was chosen, not by some poll of black people, but by white people, to be the public face of black America at that event.

    And I guess you read about how the thing got scripted, and controlled from A to Z - by white people.

    As I told you, nobody wanted to hear about a fking dream. We had wanted ACTION from our government.

    About Obama's victory - I wasn't disappointed - but I also was not happy about it because I knew he represented the status quo in disguise. His record in the Senate was dismal. His support of Lieberman was unconscionable, his waffling on marriage rights for homosexuals, his talking down to black people - etc.

    As for it being hailed as a breakthrough for black people - I couldn't feel that either - because I didn't see then, or now, that he was going to do anything for black people. I know how people felt over the world when he was elected. But - when it comes down to it - it was really an expression that thank God that fking idiot Bush is GONE.

    For the moment, I don't sense any path that we may be on.
    What I hope for is an end to our racing around the world blowing things and people up.

    I would like to see our tax money used to improve our lives. To improve our environment.

    If we were able to get to the moon when motivated and funded - I'll bet that we could do all kinds of marvelous things if we weren't constantly being distracted by these foreign adventures which are based in an outdated vision of colonialism.

    Parent

    I understand your POV. (2.00 / 1) (#97)
    by Visteo1 on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 01:28:21 PM EST
    I agree with some of it...some I do not.

    And I guess you read about how the thing got scripted, and controlled from A to Z - by white people.

     As I told you, nobody wanted to hear about a fking dream. We had wanted ACTION from our government.

    I hate when people talk in terms of absolutes that support their position.  The radical right does it all too frequently.  It may even work for them to build unity.  I don't believe it has any place on the left.

    I have a dream, a dream of consensus...that is how democracy is supposed to work.  The wheels of democracy turn slowly, even when it is working.  Those on the extremes may not be happy.  I'm not trying to accuse you of being in an extreme position, but your use of absolutes makes me wonder.

    I'm saddened by the new voter laws. I'm saddened by a lot of monopolistic GOP actions in my state of MI.  There is much to be done to change the path we are on.

    I hate going back to a different era, unless it sheds light on our current era.  I'm sure you know there was action taken by our government after the march.  Was it too slow or not enough? That would be debatable because you have to take into context that era.  I can only provide anecdotal views of the times after the march, after the government took action.  I don't trust everything I read from historians, or from those with obvious agendas.

    And though I don't agree with you on everything, I do value your POV.  I hope to understand where your POV comes from in the future; if we both continue in the TL discussions and are permitted to do so.

     

    Parent

    I'm (5.00 / 3) (#98)
    by lentinel on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 01:51:37 PM EST
    not speaking in absolutes to support my position.

    I don't have a position.

    I'm only telling you what i experienced - both in being aware of the beginnings of the march, how it was subsequently shaped, and how it felt being there.

    When I said that nobody wanted to hear about a dream... I am only reporting what I felt that day. There did not seem to be any electricity in the air. Part of it is, I think, due to MLK's delivery, but also partly to do with its content. Compare that with Malcolm's way of addressing a meeting and you'll see what I mean.

    All I can say beyond that is that Malcolm X is the one person who I feel accurately chronicled what happened that day and on the days leading up to it. And he was there.

    Parent

    I am certainly no expert in history (none / 0) (#100)
    by Visteo1 on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 03:02:49 PM EST
    of any kind.  I do like Malcolm X's last speech in Detroit.  I just heard it for the first time.

    link

    I have no doubt that Malcolm X felt those things you describe feeling, as well.  I'm not sure he felt that way at the time of his passing.  It is sad that we will never know.

    "I did many things as a [Black] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then ... pointed in a certain direction and told to march".[2]

    In February 1965, shortly after repudiating the Nation of Islam, he was assassinated by three of its members.

    link

    Parent

    Thanks (none / 0) (#91)
    by sj on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 11:25:34 AM EST
    I've never read the Autobiography of Malcolm X but I will now. That sounds like how the anti Iraq war demonstrations got diluted, and, it occurs to me, it is a harbinger of the oxymoronic "free speech zones".

    Parent
    I'm really surprised, SJ (5.00 / 3) (#101)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 05:07:28 PM EST
    that you have never read the "Autobiography of Malcolm X" - a classic, a basic, of its era.  Do it right now!

    Parent
    I am (5.00 / 1) (#102)
    by sj on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 06:02:55 PM EST
    properly chastised :\

    I have already downloaded a copy and it's next on my list.

    Parent

    The trend continues (none / 0) (#96)
    by sj on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 12:49:09 PM EST
    Did you see this? It's even more Orwellian.

    Parent
    Viral Video (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by squeaky on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:57:28 PM EST
    Meet Sarah Horn, a singer who wound up becoming an overnight star.. amazing voice and a touching story..  

    I am surprised (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by desertswine on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 07:41:39 PM EST
    to learn that Ronstadt is not in the R&R Hall of Fame.

    I was just thinking (5.00 / 1) (#79)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:18:45 PM EST
    that I really needed to go see her in concert someday.  Sigh.

    This makes me so sad.  I have loved her since I was a teenager.  Heart Like a Wheel was probably one of my favorite albums of all time.  I knew the song order and lyrics by heart.  I also loved the Aaron Neville collaborations.  

    Still Within the Sound of My Voice was probably one of my favorites of her later individual works.  I wasn't a huge fan of her big band stuff.  Of course, I loved her Eagles' stuff.

    I so feel for her.  She must feel like part of her has died.

    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 108 (5.00 / 1) (#82)
    by Dadler on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 07:55:24 AM EST
    Billy heart began to race when he noticed a bottle of peppermint schnapps and a new pair of L'Eggs in the groceries he was delivering to his favorite customer. (link)

    Happy Monday, y'all. The wife and son and I got into a marathon Monopoly game over the weekend. Wifey and I are still in it, with the board laid out and waiting for this evening's resumption of greedy business dealings and celebration of your spouse's misfortune, otherwise known as family fun.

    Congrats to my award-winning mom (5.00 / 4) (#92)
    by Dadler on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 11:57:12 AM EST
    Her latest little documentary, SHOSHOLOZA (link, might be rough in places, not sure if this is the last cut or second to last), won Best Social Commentary Award at the Action On Film Festival. I wrote about half the narration for it. Good job, mama.

    Curse this thread, (5.00 / 3) (#94)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 12:16:30 PM EST
    I just spent an hour on youtube. Here she is doing "Willin" by Lowell George. Magical. Effortless.

    Linda w/ Phoebe Snow on SNL (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by shoephone on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:25:14 PM EST
    singing "The Married Men" was so great! 1981, I believe... but I can't find it anywhere online. What a shame.

    Try (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by Edger on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:35:04 PM EST
    here... (just audio, no video)

    Parent
    Thank you!! (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by shoephone on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:55:19 PM EST
    That was great to hear again. Can't figure out why there's no video available, Somebody is blocking through copyright... or something,

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#107)
    by Edger on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 11:15:10 PM EST
    on the couple I found it was blocked on copyright grounds by NBC Universal

    Parent
    For a singer (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by TeresaInPa on Tue Aug 27, 2013 at 09:53:09 AM EST
    losing your voice is the worst thing that could happen. I feel so bad for Linda Ronstadt and am reminded of Julie Andrews, another extraordinary voice silenced. So sad, but at least they each had careers they can look back on and recordings that will last forever.

    NYT article on Linda Ronstadt (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by shoephone on Wed Aug 28, 2013 at 03:53:22 PM EST
    here.

    What a great (none / 0) (#1)
    by desertswine on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 11:59:08 AM EST
    great talent. Sending all good thoughts her way.

    Yes, all healing energy going out to her.. (none / 0) (#2)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:11:17 PM EST
    And why, why, why didn't she and Lowell George ever have kids? They would've been something..

    Lowell's song Long Distance Love is supposedly about Linda. Or so I heard.

    Love that song! (none / 0) (#22)
    by Angel on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 05:45:57 PM EST


    Parent
    Sometimes the energy (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:18:19 PM EST
    of the entire universe conspires to make exceptional human beings?

    The 5 year impeachment itch (none / 0) (#6)
    by Politalkix on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:43:31 PM EST
    link

    that Republican politicians are cursed with!

    Well, Senator Tom Coburn (R, OK) (none / 0) (#17)
    by KeysDan on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 04:12:21 PM EST
    ---aka Dr. No, doesn't know what high crimes and misdemeanors are but whatever it is he says the president is perilously close.  And close is  good enough, just like in horseshoes--or dancing.    That's a fine how- do- you -do from Mr. Obama's "dear friend" and "brother in Christ."

    Parent
    And her collaborations with others (none / 0) (#7)
    by shoephone on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:46:03 PM EST
    have always been so great, because they elevated those songs to an even higher level. All the harmonies she did with Neil Young and Paul Simon... But I love her best with Emmylou and Dolly. Blue Train.

    And (none / 0) (#9)
    by Edger on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:50:13 PM EST
    Hobo's Meditation

    Last night as I lay on the boxcar
    Just waiting for a train to pass by
    What will become of the hobo
    Whenever his time comes to die

    There's a Master up yonder in heaven
    Got a place that we might call our home
    Will we have to work for a living
    Or can we continue to roam...

    full lyrics

    Parent

    Love "Trio" (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by TeresaInPa on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 07:42:49 PM EST
    I think I will go order the CD on Amazon. I had the LP, but that was a long time ago.

    Parent
    I said below..I wore out my cassette (5.00 / 1) (#86)
    by ruffian on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:33:17 AM EST
    Maybe I need to get the CD also. Such a great record.

    Parent
    What a wonderful voice (none / 0) (#8)
    by Politalkix on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:48:00 PM EST
    and such great talent. Sending good thoughts her way...

    I remember her with governor Moonbeam (none / 0) (#10)
    by Dadler on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:53:13 PM EST
    I wish she'd kept him on that planet. He's much more of an old fart now. Best of luck to her.

    That "old fart" ... (5.00 / 0) (#19)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 05:25:03 PM EST
    ... returned to the governor's office in 2010 when California was in pretty dire economic straits, with Sacramento mired in political gridlock and the state government facing an obscene $26 billion budget shortfall.

    Yet not only has Gov. Brown saved California from an almost certain fiscal meltdown, he's also managed some pretty deft political moves to publicly marginalize a malevolent right-wing state GOP in the process. He's engineering a remarkable economic turnaround, has eliminated the budget deficit and is now paying down Gov. Schwarzenegger's staggering mountain of debt.

    Old fart, fuddy duddy or whatever, I'd say that Jerry Brown has done an awesome job this time around as California's chief executive, and further, there are a lot of Democrats around the country who would do well to study what he's done. Let's please don't forget that.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Disagree (2.67 / 3) (#23)
    by Dadler on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 05:51:59 PM EST
    He's just not imaginative enough, sorry. California isn't saved by any one man. Never. Ever. It is always saved by its people, pols merely feel the wind and save their own asses from being pitchforked. IOW, the fact that a guy like Brown can be viewed as such a game changer, IMO, is just kind of pitiful.

    You and I just don't see eye to eye on what good politics is. In America, IMHO, there is ZERO imagination in politics, not an ounce. And that, in the end, will kill us.

    Just my two cents.

    Parent

    Okay. (5.00 / 6) (#26)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 07:00:32 PM EST
    Then please, by all means, enlighten us as to how you would have handled the crisis. Don't just continue waxing eloquent about the ethereal, but offer us some specifics about how you would've fixed things with spiraling budget deficits, a collapsing state bureaucracy and a state legislature frozen in place by a recalcitrant and malevolent GOP minority.

    And further, spare us the vacuous and empty "California is always saved by its people" folderol, given that these are the very same people who:

    • Passed Proposition 13, which gutted municipal budgets across California and ensured a perpetual "lather- rinse, repeat" cycle of political hostage-taking in Sacramento by the GOP, because Prop. 13 ludicrously mandated a two-thirds majority to raise state revenues and approve a state budget;
    • Recalled the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, because she opposed capital punishment;
    • Imposed draconian term limits on the legislature including a lifetime ban on further service, which washed away its institutional memory and shifted the balance of power from elected officials to unelected lobbyists and staff;
    • Passed Proposition 187, which if allowed to stand by the courts would have barred all children of undocumented immigrants from attending public school and receiving necessary health and social services  -- and then, to top it all off;
    • Decided that electing a shallow, egotistical, misogynistic, and cliché-spewing movie star / action hero as their governor -- TWICE! -- was somehow a really great idea.

    At this point, the only thing for which I'll credit California's people is that they finally sobered up after three decades of irresponsible and self-indulgent electoral tomfoolery, and had sense enough remaining to reject Meg Whitman's cynical, cash-fueled entreaties when she attempted to buy the governor's office for herself in 2010 with $165 million, and re-elect Jerry Brown to that office after a three-decade hiatus.

    Bottom line is that California was in very serious trouble at that point, and somebody had to take charge and lead, develop sound and sustainable fiscal policy, and make the brutally hard choices when the need arose -- and I didn't notice you standing up and volunteering your services and ideas to the state's embattled citizenry.

    Sorry, but talk is cheap, Dadler, and most astute and informed political analysts will disagree with you about Gov. Brown. He was the guy in the hot seat. You weren't.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Donald, It is not kosher to ask (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by Politalkix on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 09:36:58 PM EST
    specifics from "people with imagination". :-).

    Parent
    Brown in order to balance (5.00 / 2) (#50)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 09:16:32 AM EST
    the budget put the kaibosh on redevelopment projects....One of the first things he did.   Save hundreds of millions of dollars in what had been turned into a sophisticated welfare program for the rich....

    Parent
    Rose Bird (none / 0) (#48)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 09:05:11 AM EST
    I had not thought of her for a long time....

    Parent
    Can you really claim (none / 0) (#24)
    by jtaylorr on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 06:36:28 PM EST
    that California is "always saved by its people" when several of the state's biggest issues can be traced to CA's pretty radical proposition system?
    Rigid terms limits that destroyed all institutional memory in the legislature (giving lobbyists and special interest groups, who certainly aren't term limited, more clout and power over legislators) and Prop 13 both contribute hugely to dysfunction in the state.
    It's human nature - we love shiny new things but hate paying for them.
    Agree about a lack of imagination though. Real imagination would be calling a convention and fixing the systemic problems inherent to CA's constitution (ie overly-liberal proposition system). But Brown seems unwilling to tackle even low-hanging fruit with his supermajorities (removing ridiculous 2/3rd req for even local tax-funding proposition, CEQA reform to prevent wealthy NIMBYs from holding up or stopping sustainable and environmentally-beneficial projects)

    Parent
    You just gave me a great idea! (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by unitron on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 07:02:49 AM EST
    (too bad it's probably about 7 different kinds of unconstitutional)

    Forget about term limits for politicians.

    Have term limits for lobbyists!

    Parent

    How could we tell'em apart? (none / 0) (#95)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 12:28:59 PM EST


    Parent
    I would offer that Gov. Brown is ... (none / 0) (#27)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 07:26:25 PM EST
    ... consolidating the California Democrats' political gains at this point, and he will move forward with further reforms such as the ones you noted, once he's confident that he has the necessary support to succeed.

    His first priority has been to stabilize the state's fiscal position after pulling it out of a free fall, and it does no good to go everywhere at once politically, especially when there's no assurance at this point that public support is there to sustain the effort.

    A wise political leader or military commander knows that impatience can lead to foolish and even disastrous choices, and that nothing good ever comes from getting enveloped by a dust cloud of your own making.

    Aloha.

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    Must be nice (2.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Mikado Cat on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:44:08 AM EST
    Not living in California and watching it crumble. Jerry Brown is a disaster for all who pay for his mistakes and live in the state.

    Brown is no better than Davis, he is just much better at handling the press.

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    Must be nice ... (5.00 / 4) (#41)
    by Yman on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 06:46:30 AM EST
    ... pointing the finger at Brown and blaming him for California's economic problems, which started years before he took office and were (in fact) much worse before he took office.

    Are there specific "mistakes" you're referring to, or are these just more general claims with (as usual) no evidence?

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    We ain't crumbling (5.00 / 5) (#49)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 09:08:36 AM EST
    Brown has balanced the budget.  And he did it the hard way....through tax increases on the wealthy and cuts....I am very pleased with Brown.  

    Real Estate is now roaring back....

    Conservatives just love to wish us ill here and declare us dead.

     

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    LOL (none / 0) (#71)
    by Mikado Cat on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:32:17 PM EST
    Seriously, laughed out loud when you said he balanced the budget.

    I really don't feel like getting banned today, so if you love Brown, I am glad for you.

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    You could always take (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by MKS on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 10:16:21 PM EST
    your guy Romney's advice and self deport.

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    "You're either with us, or against us." (none / 0) (#88)
    by jbindc on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:38:18 AM EST


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    Tedious repetition of talking (none / 0) (#103)
    by MKS on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:08:20 PM EST
    points lapped up by lackeys....Not interested in that kind of "discussion."  

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    How illustrative of (none / 0) (#73)
    by christinep on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:34:57 PM EST
    the similarities between the Libertarian rightist & cynic's viewpoint!  (Oh, I'm assuming that your viewpoint, Mikado, is akin to the right-of-center Libertarian.)  The nothing-is-ever-good-enough or everything political stinks attitude gets a bit stale.

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    Hey, he's doing a good job! (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 08:44:11 PM EST


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    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 106 (none / 0) (#11)
    by Dadler on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 12:54:33 PM EST
    LINKY

    Blue Bayou is my fave (none / 0) (#12)
    by TycheSD on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 01:42:41 PM EST
    Linda did the great classics with the Nelson Riddle orchestra too.  Awesome singer.  I always wanted to sing like her.

    Leep Me from (none / 0) (#54)
    by TeresaInPa on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:01:57 AM EST
    Blowin Away....

    My favorite


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    Keep Me (none / 0) (#55)
    by TeresaInPa on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:04:16 AM EST


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    Love Has No Pride (none / 0) (#56)
    by DFLer on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:39:07 AM EST
    great song...great performance

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    Her red greatest hits albums was one of the (none / 0) (#99)
    by ruffian on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 01:58:34 PM EST
    few records I had with me freshman year in college. That was my favorite song to sing along with, and to  sing to myself in the noisy dishroom where I worked, in the dark ages when we had to sing to ourselves if we wanted music with us all the time. Don't ask me what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can still hear every note and word of that song in my head, and I can't remember the last time I actually heard it.

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    Yes - Album with Nelson Riddle (none / 0) (#113)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Aug 29, 2013 at 10:54:47 AM EST
    was amazing; he brought out a whole other facet of her vocal ability.  

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    We also share the same birthday (none / 0) (#13)
    by TycheSD on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 01:44:33 PM EST
    July 15 - she's a little older though.

    In Syria, America Loses if Either Side Wins (none / 0) (#33)
    by Politalkix on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 09:45:28 PM EST
    link

    From a humanitarian perspective, a strategy that would allow the civil war to continue indefinitely is a cynical thing to consider. However, from a realpolitik standpoint this is the best option for America.

    That's just too much truth. (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 07:58:01 AM EST
    And Syrian Al Qaeda, all American created when we nuked the Sunni triangle in Iraq.  Thanks George W Bush and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

    We went around the whole of Iraq arresting, interrogating, and torturing Iraqis for being male and Sunni.  And now their children are being born with unexplained deformities.  Those people are blood relatives of the Syrian rebels.  So Republican base, I guess Russia wins due to horrible evil Republican stoopid phuckers.

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    Anonymous White House "official" (5.00 / 2) (#58)
    by oculus on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 01:22:17 PM EST
    writes there is "little doubt" the Assad government launched chemical weapons on Wed.  (Why must this statement be anonymous?  Why would not the U.S. talk in place while the U. N. inspectors do their work?)

    NYT

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    I saw one photo and had to stop (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 01:36:53 PM EST
    looking around for the stories.  Children

    And we don't even have half a leg to stand on to work or affect anything.  We've got zero credibility, zero human rights we can hold up or argue for, just zero thanks to horrible evil phuckers who just had their documentary about themselves aired on HBO...he's a god damned war criminal and our DOJ was arguing something to protect them all yesterday.  I couldn't even read it.  And NOBODY is blowing up or even talking about how BuchCo got Syria here and have enabled chemical weapons to be used on children while we have to sit here and watch.

    Most of America thinks that all folks waving an Al Qaeda banner are the same too.  Not true, but maybe the differences are becoming less since we have tortured, falsely arrested, and murdered Sunnis.

    I can't even let Josh watch the news.  Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria and photos of children who were tortured to death to destroy their families, Josh keeps asking why we can't do anything about it.  And the honest answers are practically a torture to inflict on an American child to have to keep talking about over and over again.

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    Did you see this account? Opposition is (none / 0) (#63)
    by oculus on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:28:59 PM EST
    definitely not unified:  

    Independent photographer's account of capture by Syrian rebels

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    Awful (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:45:28 PM EST
    What a mess.

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    I have not (none / 0) (#64)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:31:21 PM EST
    Thanks for sharing the link.  Josh is on the pad doing homework in the livingroom so I'll read this in the kitchen.

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    Calling BTD. (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by oculus on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:52:49 PM EST


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    If people had gone jail (none / 0) (#45)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 07:58:46 AM EST
    We might have a starting point.

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    But they haven't and won't as DOJ is working to (5.00 / 2) (#62)
    by oculus on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:17:32 PM EST
    assure their immunity.

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    We can't change the past. (none / 0) (#52)
    by Visteo1 on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 11:00:12 AM EST
    I don't know how realistic it would be to believe another option would be a ceasefire.  Maybe it IS time for the "mother of all coalitions".  It would include our ally Russia in pushing for a ceasefire.  Am I wrong to think China should be part of the coalition?

    I don't know how realistic this option is because of the Jihadists.  By definition, Jihadists will see ceasefire as surrender.

    Which is why this "mother of all coalitions" will need to include the Gulf states supporting the Jihadists, like Saudi Arabia.

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    And they wonder why we have lost our (none / 0) (#34)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 10:55:59 PM EST
    trust in government.

    "Although the copy of the citation which I was given had gotten wet and the date was not clear, upon arriving home, I placed the court date on my calendar for Aug. 30 at 10:30 a.m. and awaited my day in court," he said. "I was quite shocked to have a SWAT team come to my home on Friday, Aug. 23, in two vehicles to arrest me for what their computer clearly claimed was a felony arrest, when in reality the warrant was for failure to appear in court on August 21 on a misdemeanor citation."

    Tennessean

    What's your beef (none / 0) (#35)
    by CoralGables on Sat Aug 24, 2013 at 11:14:07 PM EST
    that he was arrested for missing his court date, or he's a clueless elected official that missed his court date?

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    The royal "we"? (none / 0) (#40)
    by Yman on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 06:40:13 AM EST
    Who is this "we" you speak of?  Personally, I've never had any reason to trust (or mistrust) the City of Nashville.

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    So it got wet... (none / 0) (#43)
    by unitron on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 07:10:40 AM EST
    ...and the date was not clear, but instead of contacting someone with the agency that issued the citation, he just decides to take a chance that he's right about what he thinks he can make out?

    How wet does something have to get to make a 21 look like a 30?

    Maybe it got wet and blurred and he thought it said "Show up whenever the 'bleep' you feel like it".

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    When her (none / 0) (#38)
    by Mikado Cat on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 02:54:43 AM EST
    First album came out with the Stone Ponies I bought, and every one after it. Most recent is I think the Zozo sisters.

    Still within the sound of my voice, is a favorite of mine.

    Video of the Pirates of Penzanze is great as well.

    Once again, the spelling (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 01:23:52 PM EST
    of her early band's name was "The Stone Poneys."

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    I do think you've put your finger on something (5.00 / 4) (#61)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 01:46:01 PM EST
    very special about Linda Ronstadt's singing career -- as suggested by the range of favorites cited in the comments here.  And that is her ability to recognize and sing great songs wonderfully well in such a wide variety of styles and traditions -- from her original folk-rock, to hard rock, to ballads old and new, jazz, big band, country, Cajun, Mexicali.  Even Pirates, by Gilbert and Sullivan, which is really the only work of her that I didn't like (even though I am a G&S fan), was adventurous and praise-worthy for that spirit alone.

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    I'm mixed (none / 0) (#75)
    by Mikado Cat on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:44:48 PM EST
    You might guess I am a fan of G&S, but Ronstadt's Pirates has a certain charm to it even if her voice isn't the same flavor as the regulars. Other versions just don't engage me as much. Hard to find but there is a wide screen version of her Pirates.

    My only beef is that she used a nasty vocal effects box for most if not all of her work, the Aphex Aural Exciter, a distortion box of sorts. Good maybe for radio, not so good on a nice big home system.

    DCC did a remaster of her Greatest Hits that is very good.

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    Because I was such a Polanski fan (none / 0) (#69)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:26:53 PM EST
    This interview just devastated me

    "I think that the Pill has changed greatly the woman of our times, masculinized her ... that chases away the romance from our lives and that's a great pity," the 79-year old claimed, according to the Toronto Star.

    You know how Polanski avoids unwanted pregnancy? He doesn't have sex with a woman who is old enough to get pregnant.  He gets her before she is masculinized and also before she feminized.  Now I KNOW I will never watch another one of his movies ever again.

    Are you baiting me???? (5.00 / 2) (#70)
    by oculus on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:31:46 PM EST


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    But....legal mind (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:36:05 PM EST
    Can I shake him down for his pills?  I think HIS pill might have made him an unconscionable dick forever :)  And you can't believe what a sap on romance that is :)

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    Never...who me? (none / 0) (#72)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 04:33:42 PM EST
    He's getting old though, and when his obit shows up here I am pre-notifying that my grief will be overwhelming :)

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    he's a pig (none / 0) (#108)
    by TeresaInPa on Tue Aug 27, 2013 at 07:09:59 AM EST
    he avoids getting women pregnant by drugging them and having anal sex with them against their will.....oh wait, that's 13 year old girls. But "The Pianist" is still one of the greatest films ever. Never really cared for the rest of his work.

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    We saw The Butler today and it was fabulous. (none / 0) (#77)
    by Angel on Sun Aug 25, 2013 at 08:46:31 PM EST
    Forest Whitaker is deserving of an Oscar nomination, and the rest of the cast was stellar.  The scene juxtaposition really told the story.  Be prepared to cry at the end.  

    Forrest (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by jondee on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:16:44 AM EST
    should get automatically nominated every year just to make up for the fact that he wasn't nominated for Bird..

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    Still Within the Sound of My Voice (none / 0) (#85)
    by ruffian on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:30:08 AM EST
    Linda . Can't go wrong with a Jimmy Webb song.

    I have been such a fan of hers for so long..can't imagine my life without her music, from all phases of her career. In addition to being enormously talented and entertaining, she brought music of different genres to those of us who would not have paid it much mind otherwise.

    Not sure if anyone has mentioned her 'Trio' records with Dolly Parton and Emmy Lou Harris, but I pretty  much wore out my cassette tape of the first one.

    Everything I've read about her indicates a very sweet souled person. I'm sure she will continue on with grace.

    Republicans are lining up (none / 0) (#89)
    by CoralGables on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 10:53:47 AM EST
    to challenge Lindsey Graham in South Carolina in 2014 (three so far). They are attempting to label Graham as a left wing liberal and a community organizer for the muslim brotherhood.

    Not surprising, South Carolina Tea Party Republicans acknowledge they are looking for their own Ted Cruz. Too bad the Dems don't have a strong middle of the road candidate like Georgia has with Michelle Nunn. If Graham were to lose the primary the SC Senate race would be competitive. Instead, if Graham loses the primary, the Senate will be stuck with another Ted Cruz/Jim DeMint type for six years.

    Maybe another chance for (none / 0) (#90)
    by ruffian on Mon Aug 26, 2013 at 11:11:22 AM EST
    Stephen Colbert's sister, Elizabeth Colbert Busch?

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    Saturday Open Thread | 113 comments (113 topical)

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