“Wall Street on the Tundra” by Michael Lewis.

from Vanity Fair

Previously on Take 2:  Iceland is…What?

follow david on twitter

“The Found Poetry of Postcards” by Sarah Boxer

from Slate

follow david on twitter

“The Dakota Pool Shark” by  Amy Shipley

from The Washington Post

follow david on twitter

Everybody Must Get Stoned by Katherine Mieszkowski

from Salon

follow david on twitter

Ted Libbey & Fred Child Recommend Beethoven’s 5th & 7th Symphonies

from NPR

follow db on twitter

Do not go another day without listening to this singer: More on YouTube

follow david on twitter

“One Big Unhappy Family” by Fred Halliday. From New York Review of Books

follow david on twitter

We’ll be tweaking it into shape over the weekend.

Got suggestions? Comment below.

Thanks. DB

follow David on twitter

We’ll be back Monday with a new look, more mixed posts, quicker takes, snappier, less-stylized, but elegant. And the same job of giving you a second look on all things human.

See you then.

DB

follow David on twitter

“Newsflash: McCain Lost the Election”

“he Republican Party has been using a grab-bag of strategies to counter Obama’s policies over the past month. They rail against the stimulus package for its (supposed) pork. They hammer home their points with gimmicky videos and props. They speak in warrior rhetoric and revel in heroic, fighting-man stunts. But if there is one strand running through all these strategies, it is that they evoke a discomfiting feeling of deja vu. We’ve seen this stuff before: The GOP is currently reliving John McCain’s presidential campaign. The return to the strategies of their fallen candidate may be the saddest illustration of the current state of the party.” Written by Eve Fairbanks.

from The New Republic

DB notes:  When your leadership is fresh out of ideas…

***

Previously on Take 2:  American Conservatism: Dead or Just Sleeping?

follow David on twitter

“As It Falters, Eastern Europe Raises Risks”

“Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the countries of Eastern Europe have emerged as critical allies of the United States in the region, embracing American-style capitalism and borrowing heavily from Western European banks to finance their rise.” Written by Nelson D. Schwartz.

from The New York Times

DB notes:  The last to come into prosperity in Europe, the last to regain its footing.

***

Previously on Take 2:  Iceland is…What?

***

follow David on twitter

From my new twitter account: 

Republican Governors thinking about New Hampshire & Iowa, 2012: Jindal, Palin, Sanford, Barbour, Perry. Plus: Romney & Huckabee.

about 1 hour ago from web.

***

Recently on Take 2:  From Sputnik to Facebook

“As a ‘Literary Farmer,’ and a Real One, Robert Frost Reveled in Planting Time”

“The new seed catalogs are piling up on the kitchen table, we’re meeting this month with friends to organize our separate small gardens into a micro-farm share, and what with all this sunlight pouring down like fertilized hope and the crimson clover gone to nothing in last month’s snows, I’ve been getting the biting urge to get the peas and collards into the ground right now.” Written by David Biespiel.

from The Oregonian

DB notes:  My column from February 22, 2009.

***

Recently on Take 2:  Poetic Adventure and Sexual Ecstacy

***

follow david on twitter

“Alaska Is a Frontier for Green Power”

“Alaska produces more oil than any state except Texas, but most of it leaves the state. Small markets and high transportation costs have kept local fuel prices high. As oil prices spiked last year, the state’s coffers overflowed with oil tax revenue, but the rising cost of diesel and other fuels became a local crisis. Gov. Sarah Palin and state lawmakers responded last year by pledging $300 million over five years in renewable energy grants to utilities, independent power producers or local governments. It is a substantial sum for a state with only 670,000 residents. ‘Oil used to be cheap and convenient,’ said Steve Haagenson, appointed last year by Ms. Palin as statewide energy coordinator. ‘Today, it’s just convenient.’” Written by Stefan Milkowski.

from The New York Times

DB notes:  Soon enough a story like this will not be news. 

“A Roundup of Slate’s Oscar Coverage”

“Great Book, Bad Movie: How Hollywood ruins novels,” by Willing Davidson. Posted Feb. 17, 2009.

“Don’t Give an Oscar to The Reader: We don’t need another ‘redemptive’ Holocaust movie,” by Ron Rosenbaum. Posted Feb. 9, 2009.

“The Batman Goes Bananas: Does being a jerk prevent you from winning an Oscar?” by Dana Stevens. Posted Feb. 6, 2009.

“It Girl(s): The three sides of Anne Hathaway,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Jan. 30, 2009.

“What, Exactly, Is Slumdog Millionaire?: Is it a) a portrait of the real India, b) a Bollywood-style melodrama, c) a fairy tale, or d) a stylishly shot collection of clichés?”
by Dennis Lim. Posted Jan. 26, 2009.

“Let’s Talk Oscars: Revolutionary Road Got Shafted. The Reader Is Still Ridiculous. Ledger Will Win,” by Troy Patterson and Dana Stevens. Posted Jan. 22, 2009.

“Why Is Philip Seymour Hoffman a ‘Supporting Actor’?: Your Oscar questions, answered.” Posted Jan. 22, 2009.

“Depressed Suburban Nazi Backward-Agers: Valkyrie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Revolutionary Road reviewed,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Dec. 23, 2008.

“Must Love Nazis: Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet find doomed romance in The Reader,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Dec. 11, 2008.

“Battle of the Foreheads: Frost/Nixon reviewed,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Dec. 4, 2008.

“Fresh Milk: Gus Van Sant’s biopic of the gay activist is vibrantly alive,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Nov. 26, 2008.

“ ‘Harvey Would Have Opened It in October’: Could Milk have changed the Prop 8 vote?” by Dennis Lim. Posted Nov. 26, 2008.

“Slumdog Millionaire: Danny Boyle’s irresistible hokum,” by Dana Stevens. Posted Nov. 13, 2008.

from Slate

DB notes:  Last night I walked out on “Slumdog Millionaire.’ Not into watching children get tortured. I thought the movie was about a game show. And: Why did so many people I know love it? Plus: I hated “No Country for Old Man.” And any movie where I spend the whole time with my hands covering my eyes.

***

Next on Take 2:  Alaska is quietly going green.

“Partisanship, by the Bye”

“Throughout the fortnight-long Battle of the Stimulus Package—the Capitol Hill confrontation that culminates this week in a signing ceremony for a historically unprecedented piece of legislation that will inject more than three-quarters of a trillion dollars’ worth of adrenaline into America’s fluttering economic heart—one question preoccupied commentators and observers, especially those desperate for relief from the daunting substance of the matter: was President Obama being “bipartisan” enough?” By Hendrick Hertzberg.

from The New Yorker

DB notes:  One message that Republican representatives sent to the electorate on the stimulus vote last week on the subject of relevancy is this: Not so much. Whether dead or just sleeping, 21st century American conservatism can certainly lay claim to being unified in the U.S. House of Representatives.

***

Next on Take 2:  The Oscars.

“Wild Thing”

“The foundations of Case’s music are still — somewhere down there, almost subterranean — country and indie rock, but for some time now her melodies have been growing more complex, the instrumentations more varied and ambitious, the modulations more surprising, the lyrics more imagistic, to the point, sometimes, of surreal impenetrability:

Who led you to this hiding place?
Whose lightning threads spun silver tongues?
The red bells beckon you to ride, 
A handprint on the driver’s side.

Written by Daniel Menaker.

from The New York Times Magazine

DB notes:  Voice is steely as a bullet.

***

Next on Take 2:  American conservatism may be dead or just sleeping. But it’s unified in the United States Congress.

“Iraq from the Inside of an Armored BMW”

“In late 2006, roughly speaking, months before George W. Bush’s “surge” strategy sent 30,000 more American troops into Baghdad and surrounding areas, the U.S. began making down-payments on the cooperation of local al-Anbar tribal sheiks and started funding and arming the Sunni militias they were then organizing. As a result, the number of insurgent attacks quickly began to drop, and so the Americans widened the program to other provinces. It grew to include nearly 100,000 Sunni fighters, most of whom were paid $300 a month—a sizeable income in a devastated city like Fallujah with sky-high unemployment rates.” Written by Dahr Jamail.

from Mother Jones

DB notes:  From my post on today’s Politico on the question of returning American coffins from Iraq and Afghanistan: “On a more serious note. Whether our military men and women return to the homeland to be paraded or memorialized, it’s our duty on the home front to fully participate in their ceremonies and traditions upon their return. Unquestionably, in a country this large, televised and still images provide many American with the only means for such intimacy and tribute. The Secretary of Defense supports a new policy, as do many members of Congress in both parties–and a majority of the public as well. We should have covered each and every one of the more than 5,000 soldiers coming home. Not covering their return to their families and to the nation they defended–as well as those to follow–is disrespectful and embarrassing. “

***

Next on Take 2:  Neko Case is at the door.

“Lesser Known Love Songs”

“Tracks by artists like Betty Davis, The Gerbils, Brian Eno, and Clem Snide, plus a few classic favorites.”

from National Public Radio

Plus: Lists of top love songs

DB notes:  Always remember to put Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” on your list.

* * *

Previously on Take 2:  Nellie McKay, feminist torch songs

“Google and the Future of Books”

“You cannot legislate Enlightenment, but you can set rules of the game to protect the public interest. Libraries represent the public good. They are not businesses, but they must cover their costs. They need a business plan. Think of the old motto of Con Edison when it had to tear up New York’s streets in order to get at the infrastructure beneath them: “Dig we must.” Libraries say, “Digitize we must.” But not on any terms. We must do it in the interest of the public, and that means holding the digitizers responsible to the citizenry…You cannot legislate Enlightenment, but you can set rules of the game to protect the public interest. Libraries represent the public good. They are not businesses, but they must cover their costs. They need a business plan. Think of the old motto of Con Edison when it had to tear up New York’s streets in order to get at the infrastructure beneath them: “Dig we must.” Libraries say, “Digitize we must.” But not on any terms. We must do it in the interest of the public, and that means holding the digitizers responsible to the citizenry.” Written by Robert Darnton.

from The New York Review of Books

DB notes:  If you trust Google’s open source ethic, then their agreement to digitize books and provide them for some sort of fee will create a virtual institution of knowledge that Enlightenment thinkers could never have imagined. If you don’t trust Google’s best intentions, they’ll have a monopoly on book distribution like the sun has a monopoly on light.

***

Next on Take 2:  Love songs for your sweetheart.

“Harsh Year in Lincoln’s Fight for the Union”

“The bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth will occur on Thursday, and it has brought forth a tidal wave of new opining about Lincoln. Some historians have opted for overviews of Lincoln’s life; others have cordoned off specialty areas like Lincoln’s writing, military leadership, marriage, staff members and pre-presidency. But the survey books can be superficial. And the narrow-turf studies can suffer from tunnel vision. Mr. Flood’s “1864” compresses the multiple demands upon Lincoln into a tight time frame and thus captures a dizzying, visceral sense of why this single year took such a heavy toll. It takes many different kinds of expertise in order to do 1864 full justice. And Mr. Flood’s versatility is impressive. He analyzes Lincoln’s consummate political canniness in benching potential rivals for the presidency like Salmon Portland Chase (who eventually became chief justice of the Supreme Court and wound up swearing in his rival for a second term). He relives the great battles of 1864, with particular emphasis on how difficult it could be for the commander in chief to know where his armies were or what they were doing. He conveys Lincoln’s versatile approach to crisis management through broad and anecdotal evidence. Mr. Flood describes how Lincoln could physically eject annoying visitors from his office — even, on one occasion, when the annoying visitor was Mary Todd Lincoln, the president’s high-strung, shopaholic wife.” Written by Janet Maslin.

The book reviewed is Lincoln at the Gates of History by Charles Breacelen Flood.

from The New York Times

DB notes:  1864 is also the year Lincoln became the only president in U.S. history–perhaps the only leader in all history–to allow and then win a re-election in the middle of his own country’s civil war.

***

Next on Take 2:  Google and the future of books.

“What I’ve Learned: In Her Own Words”

“There is one America, but there are different priorities reflected in individual Americans that certainly can stand in stark contrast with — I’ll give you an example. Some people, money is the be-all, end-all to them. Money and power, prestige, a title next to their name is the be-all, end-all. Other people, the highest priority would be their character, their reputation, their word, and money has nothing to do with that. The beauty of America is that individuals making up this great country do have different priorities. And that’s the contrast that I would point out.”

from Esquire

DB notes:  No one has spotted her in Iowa yet but watch the county and state fairs this summer.

***

Next on Take 2:   Abraham Lincoln’s worst year.

“Featured Artist: Kimsooja”

“Kimsooja’s breathtakingly beautiful photo, video and installation work bring movement to meditation and meditation to daily life.  Grounded in a nomadic work philosophy based on life experience, her work reflects a Buddhist way of life - ”detachment from both affection and materialism.”  However, her work also reflects a unique sensuality.”

from Culture Serve

DB notes:  A Korean artist who sees color as movement.

***

Next on Take 2:  The governor of Alaska can’t get enough.

“Politics of the Plate”

How farm and food programs will—and won’t—benefit from the President’s $825 billion plan.

“As members of Congress struggle to get their arms around the $825 billion economic stimulus plan passed through the House last week and currently being debated in the Senate, a report from the Congressional Research Service sheds light on how farmers and rural communities might be “stimulated” by the first round of spending.” Written by Sam Hurst.

Plus: Chocolate recipes for Valentine’s Day

from Gourmet

DB notes: The manner in which American farms have been propped up by government spending, welfare, and subsidy is byzantine and capricious. That the first in the nation presidential caucus takes place in Iowa has been no help for the American farmer.

***

Next on Take 2:  Kimsooja, Korean artist.

“The Godfather Wars”

“Published in 1969, The Godfather spent 67 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and was translated into so many languages that Puzo said he stopped keeping track. Paramount had bought a blockbuster cheap, but the studio bosses didn’t want to make the movie. Mob films didn’t play, they felt, as evidenced by their 1969 flop The Brotherhood, starring Kirk Douglas as a Sicilian gangster. Evans and Bart, however, thought they knew why: the Mob films of the past had been written, directed, and acted by “Hollywood Italians.” To make The Godfather a success—a film so authentic the audience would “smell the spaghetti,” in Evans’s words—they would need real Italian-Americans to produce, direct, and star.” Written by Mark Seal.

from Vanity Fair

DB notes:  Want to get a handle on the nature of American quest fantasies? Watch “The Godfather” and read Joseph Campbell at the same time.

***

Next on Take 2:  What’s in the new administration’s farm policy plans?

“Yet Another Coleman Witness Admits She Was Cherry-Picked”

“The Coleman legal team just went through another round of calling aggrieved voters to the witness stand, pleading that their absentee ballots were improperly rejected. And again, they’ve run into some problems. The Coleman campaign called Elissa Jackson, a sympathetic mother of a five-month old. During direct examination, Coleman lawyer James Langdon tried to be open about the fact that she found out about her uncounted vote because of a phone call from the Republican Party.” Written by Eric Kleefeld.

from Talking Points Memo

What the Franken camp says is happening

What the Coleman camp says is happening

____________________________________________________________________________________

DB Notes: Lyndon Johnson won his first Senate race in Texas in 1948 by 87 votes, earning him the infamous nickname “Landslide Lyndon” for the rest of his career.

____________________________________________________________________________________

“Mitchell Gets Earful from Mideast”

“Winding up his week-long tour of the region, President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, met Saudi officials here over the weekend for an exchange of ideas on ending the volatile Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Mitchell conferred with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud bin Faisal Saturday night and met with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Sunday. Specifically, the talks were said to cover the Saudi-initiated Arab Peace Initiative – first offered to Israel in 2002 – as well as how to counter what many Arab states regard as an alarming development: The increased involvement of Iran in Palestinian affairs, through its partners, Syria and Hamas.” Written by Carole Murphy.

from the Christian Science Monitor

____________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Where is the Israeli Marshall Plan? Where is the Palestinian Ghandi?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Also, see George Mitchell at State Department announcement:

____________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes:  She has a voice that’s a cross between Cole Porter’s flirtatiousness and Janis Joplin’s nerve.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Nine Obituaries

BBC News: John Updike’s novels, magisterial dissections of the soul of post-World War II middle America, placed him at the very pinnacle of his profession.

AP: John Updike, Author, Dies at 76

New York Times: John Updike, a Lyrical Writer of the Middle-Class Man

The Guardian: Acclaimed writer with an unerring feel for the poetry of ordinary American life

Esquire: The Miracle of John Updike

Los Angeles Times: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author

Washington Post: John Updike’s Lyricism Exalted the Everyday and the Unglamorous

Slate: Updike at Rest

Fresh Air: Retrospective, January 28, 2009

____________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: He wrote with a style that matched his subjects: incorrigible, self-lacerating, dystopic, and erect.

____________________________________________________________________________________

“The Tiffany Transcriptions”

“Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys took the fiddle-country-cawing influences of Wills’s Kosse youth and infused them with the popular music of the time—swing—for a combination that would inspire generations. Despite the band’s numerous albums over the years, it’s “The Tiffany Transcriptions” (Collectors’ Choice), a loose set of radio recordings made from 1946 to 1947, that many consider to be Wills’ seminal work. The 150 songs were recorded on the fly at the end of grueling tours (when the musicians could nail the material’s complex harmonies in their sleep), and the sessions, made without the time or financial constraints of 78 rpm label recordings, were sent out on sixteen-inch discs. Because of this, they captured the magic of the Playboys on the bandstand. This ten-CD set essentially collects ten previous single-disc Transcription reissues (Kaleidoscope and Rhino), missing the chance to assemble the sessions chronologically and give them further historical relevance. The liner notes are a bit skimpy too. But the music—which includes the first recording of “Faded Love”— is an absolute Texas treasure. Written by Jeff McCord.

from Texas Monthly

___________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes:  All hail the King of Western Swing. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

“The Next Real Estate Crisis:  Shuttered Stores and Empty Malls”

“The 1,120,000 lost US retail jobs in 2008 are a signal that the second stage of the real estate bust is about to hit the economy. This time it will be commercial real estate — shopping malls, strip malls, warehouses, and office buildings. As businesses close and rents decline, the ability to service the mortgages on the over-built commercial real estate disappears.

“Shopping malls are losing anchor stores, and large chains are closing stores and even going out of business altogether. Developers who borrowed to finance commercial ventures are in trouble as are the holders of the mortgages, derivatives and other financial junk associated with the loans.” Written by Paul Craig Roberts.

from Alternet

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes:  The dominoes keep falling. How much shopping can a nation do to stay afloat after all?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”

A Photo Series, 2001-2008

“The traveling pool of press photographers that follows presidents includes representatives from three wire services — AP (The Associated Press), AFP (Agence France-Presse) and Thompson Reuters. During the last week of the Bush administration, I asked the head photo editors of these news services — Vincent Amalvy (AFP), Santiago Lyon (AP) and Jim Bourg (Reuters) — to pick the photographs of the president that they believe captured the character of the man and of his administration. There are overlapping pictures — of the president with a bullhorn at Ground Zero, of the president looking out the window of Air Force One over New Orleans, of the president receiving the news on the morning of 9/11. It is interesting that these pictures are different. They may be of the same scene, but they have different content. They speak in a different way. (The photos are reproduced here with their original captions, unedited.)

“Vincent Amalvy (AFP), who started his job a couple of years into the Bush administration, is struck by the uncommon access Americans have to our head-of-state. His selections include shadows, reflections, the unexpected things that happen in an image — the president’s own shadow flanking the seal of the United Nations, the shadow that accompanies Bush and Barack Obama on a walk into the Rose Garden. Santiago Lyon (AP), on the other hand, speaks of the ways in which presidential images are scripted and posed, how very little is left to chance. Jim Bourg (Reuters) has selected images that showcase his fascination with odd juxtapositions and found moments of great emotion.” Written by Errol Morris.

from The New York Times

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes:  Sometimes even the stagecraft of the American presidency cannot transcend the man who is actually president. A riveting series of photographs of President Bush with accompanying commentary and dialogue from White House pool photographers about the context for each picture. He was never ready for the job.

Also, update on my post from December 30, 2008, “Iceland Is What…?”:  Iceland’s government collapsed today. Iceland’s Prime Minister Geir Haarde announces the immediate resignation of his government in the wake of his country’s dire economic crises. Read report from the BBC.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Ms. Kennedy Regrets”

“The announcement took everybody by surprise. Even her closest friends had had no idea on Tuesday that it was coming. What could have happened? Nobody believed it was about Ted Kennedy’s collapse, as the Times initially reported. That didn’t make any sense—he’d been seriously ill for months. And his staff was said to be angry that his illness was being blamed. It was reported, on Thursday afternoon, that she had a household-employee problem and a tax problem, but even this, true or not, didn’t answer all the questions: given that Paterson (according to some, contradicted by others, in a blizzard of claims and counterclaims) had apparently urged her to reconsider her decision, he evidently didn’t regard the problem as disqualifying.

“By Friday morning, the situation had degenerated into open warfare, with some in Paterson’s camp claiming that he hadn’t meant to pick her anyway, and some in Kennedy’s camp claiming that he had meant to pick her, that there was no nanny problem, and that the Governor was destroying an American icon out of pique. ‘This is a governor who lost his chief of staff a couple of months ago to the weirdest tax scandal imaginable, whose first day required him and his wife to discuss the affairs that they had during their marriage and whether or not government money was used for the hotel rooms, and he has people pushing vile comments about Caroline Kennedy?’ Lawrence O’Donnell, a friend of hers and a political analyst for MSNBC, says. ‘And when they get into that phrase ‘not ready for prime time’? This is the ‘not ready for prime time’ governor you’re watching.’” Written by Larissa MacFarquhar.

from The New Yorker

_________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes:  William F. Buckley famously said, “I am obliged to confess I should sooner live in a society governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than in a society governed by the two thousand faculty members of Harvard University” Agreed, to a point. I was rooting for her.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Sex and Depression: In the Brain, if Not the Mind”

“One patient, a young man in his mid-20s, described it this way: ‘After sex, I feel literally achy and depressed for about a day.’ Otherwise, he had a clean bill of health, both medical and psychiatric: well adjusted, hard-working, lots of friends and a close-knit family. Believe me, I could have cooked up an explanation very easily. He had hidden conflicts about sex, or he had ambivalent feelings about his partner. Who doesn’t? There is nothing strange about a little sadness after sexual pleasure.” Written by Richard A. Friedman, M.D.

from The New York Times

___________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Says Wallace Stevens in “Le Monocle de Mon Oncle: “If sex were all, then every trembling hand / Could make us squeak, like dolls, the wished-for worlds.

___________________________________________________________________________________

“Cat Power: The ‘Dark End’ Of Depressive Soul”

“Over the course of the ’00s, Cat Power (a.k.a. singer Chan Marshall) has charted a course from depressive alt-folk singer-songwriter to depressive soul interpreter. It’s been a surprisingly easy fit: Marshall has issued several amazing covers discs, culminating in 2008′s odd, remarkable Jukebox.

“Dark End of the Street is an all-covers, vinyl- and digital-only EP composed of Jukebox leftovers. Its title track reworks the 1967 Muscle Shoals hit first made famous by Southern soul singer James Carr and ably re-interpreted by everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Afghan Whigs.

“A dark tale of cheating lovers that’s a chronicle of trouble foretold (“They’re gonna find us someday”), it’s a hard song to mess up. The best versions of this track have an air of enervated misery which Marshall, the human embodiment of enervated misery, nails completely. Slowed to a crawl, heavy on reverb and regret, her rendition is quavery and grim — a logier version than its creators must have intended, but somehow just right.” Written by Allison L. Stewart.

from National Public Radio

Listen: “Dark End of the Street” by Cat Power

___________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: She does a rocking sultry version of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck in Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” too, on the soundtrack for Todd Haynes’ movie “I’m Not There.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

“Yeah, It’s Worth It”

“It’s not like you have to stock your pantry with this kind of stuff. As a financial mortal, mine is full of bright blue boxes of supermarket pasta and three-buck cans. But here’s the thing: In the case of spaghetti and tomato sauce, you can spend very little money and have your thousand-and-first plate of something banal, or you can spend some more and have its platonic ideal. Something you will pay attention to, something you’ll concentrate on for all its nuances of texture and flavor, something you might remember for the rest of your life. Something for which to invite three of your best friends over, so that they will remember it for the rest of their lives. Twenty-five bucks doesn’t sound like very much when I think of it that way.” Written by Francis Lam.

THE PLATONIC IDEAL OF SPAGHETTI AND TOMATO SAUCE

Serves 4; takes maybe 15 minutes, most of it standing around

1 28-oz can of Miracoli di San Gennaro tomatoes
1 500-gram box of Pasta Latini Spaghetti Classico
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Sugar, maybe
A chunk of the best Parmigiano-Reggiano you can get your hands on

· Boil water, at least a gallon of it. Yes, that much. And make it taste as salty as the sea.

· Put your oil and garlic in a cold pan and over low heat. You want a nice long infusion without browning the garlic.

· Meanwhile, purée the tomatoes and their juice in a food processor, or use a food mill if you’re the rustic-fancy type.

· When you can smell the garlic and it’s just turning golden around the edges, pour in the tomatoes. Now crank up the heat and bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a healthy simmer, and season the tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper. A touch of sugar will bring out the tomatoes’ sweetness. Cook it, partially covered, until the puddles of tomato juice cook off the surface and you’re left with a thickened purée. It took me ten minutes. Maybe it’ll take you more, or less.

· Cook your pasta in your viciously boiling salty water. Stir it right away, and marvel at how quickly it wilts in the water and coils around your spoon, not like supermarket spaghetti that sticks straight up out of the pot for minutes.

· When is your pasta done? There are times on the box, so take a look. But do this: Taste it. Keep sticking your spoon in there. Is it still a little white in the middle? Try again in 20 seconds. Does it stick in your teeth? Try again in 20 seconds. Is it just hinting at sticking in your teeth? Good. Take a couple spoonfuls of your pasta water and splash it in your tomatoes; the starch will make the sauce and the pasta like each other. Strain your pasta and toss it with the sauce in the pan and divide into bowls.

· Grate some Parmigiano on top, finish with a little more olive oil, and get ready to remember this moment.

from Gourmet

___________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Still might be simpler to work with fresh tomatoes and garlic and bottom of the larder wine.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Inauguration Day Special: David Biespiel’s post on Politico’s Arena

I write this as a Texan who grew up in a racially polarized South, and I write not as a Child of the Sixties but as a child during the 60s. Upon taking his oath, President Obama did more than break a vicious racial barrier in American history, he became the physical embodiment of the ideal of American unification.

Private racism is alive and thriving in our country, make no mistake. But if institutional racism can be depicted as a statue in a town square, that statue was pulled down and shattered once and for all today. Obama’s assumption of the presidency indicates not that we have mastered racism but that we have mastered some part of ourselves that has long desired to live wisely and true to our bonds of humanity.

That faith seemed evident, as well, in every close-up of the audience on the Mall. As I say, I’ve been in that crowd at other inaugurations, and from this corner of the country it seemed to me as if the entire country marched on Washington to start afresh.

from Politico

___________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Then conservative blogger Pejman Yousefzadeh disagreed. Here’s the link to the exchange for January 20th, at least. After the 20th, you’ll have to google it with something like “biespiel yousefzadeh obama politico arena” to see where it’s turned up on the Internet.

___________________________________________________________________________________

“Langston Hughes’ words are in sync with new political era”

“Langston Hughes once said, “an artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what might choose.” Such are the times again. A deft political poem, a poem that inserts itself into civic discourse with one eye on time and another eye on lyrical imperatives is a rare and necessary piece of art.” Written by David Biespiel.

from The Oregonian

________________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Late in the campaign on October 28th in Chester, Pennsylvania, then-Senator Obama rallied supporters in a downpour. If any image from the campaign is destined to become iconic, this should be the one.  

________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Cellphone Abilities That Go Untapped”

“71% of cellphones sold in the United States from January to November could play video. 28 % of cellphone users actually watch videos on their cellphones.”  Written by Alex Mindlin.

from The New York Times

________________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: I need my phone–I don’t have a landline–but it’s like having a space shuttle in my pocket. I don’t even use all the switches on my blender.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Benedict in a Box: Pope Launching YouTube Channel”

“The initiative will involve Google, the Vatican Television Center and Vatican Radio. What happens when a group that commands respect meets an audience that doesn’t give it readily?” Written by Peter Cashmore.

from Mashable

________________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Amazing but true: Vatican television is gripping and addictive.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Italian Officials Retrieve Twice as Much Stolen Artwork in 2008″

“Actual tomb raiders are as real as Indiana Jones’s fear of snakes, but it’s only been recently that Italian police have really gone after the “tombaroli,” as they are called in Italian. By July 2007, the most famous profiteers of the illegal art market, who had previously looted hundreds of sites without interference, were finally facing scrutiny from the authorities.” Various articles.

from Finding Dulcinea

________________________________________________________________________________________________

DB notes: Like putting a wolf in charge of the hen house.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Obama’s Call to Arts”

“The president-elect’s proposed Artists Corps is one plank in his push to revitalize the arts in education.” Written by Gloria Goodale.

from The Christian Science Monitor

The Obama Arts Education Fact Sheet

“Howard Dean Says Goodbye in a Letter”

“Four years ago, I became chairman with a mandate for bottom-up reform — grow the Democratic Party in your neighborhood and every other community in America. We promised to compete in every state, for every level of office. And we demanded a party that would stand up for itself and fight for an agenda that reflects our values. But we are not stopping here. And even though my term as chairman is ending, I will be with you — and with our new chairman — every step of the way.” Written by Howard Dean.

from The Huffington Post

“Let’s Invent an iTunes for News”

“Free is not a business model,” said Mr. Moffett of Bernstein. “It sounded good and everybody got excited about it, but when you look around, it is clear that is creating havoc and will not work in the long term.” (He pointed out with a laugh that his report on print for Bernstein, a proprietary piece of research, was quickly passed around as Web samizdat.)” Written by David Carr.

from The New York Times

“Miso Roasted Sea Bass”

6 eight-ounce sea bass filets; salt and pepper to taste; flour as needed
6 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons scallions, sliced; 3 tablespoons garlic, sliced
3 ounces white wine; 3 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 ounces fish stock

Season bass with s & p. Dredge bass lightly in flour and brown in olive oil in a hot skillet on both sides. Place fish in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them. Add remaining ingredients around the fish in roasting pan. Place fish in a 400-degree oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place fish on a serving platter. Spoon sauce around fish and serve. Serves 6. Recipe by John Carver.

from Texas Monthly

“Howls”

“The two men met in Berkeley in 1955 and took part in the famous Six Gallery poetry reading at which Ginsberg gave the first notable reading of “Howl.” After the event, which served as an informal coming-out reception for the Beat Generation in San Francisco, he published “Howl and Other Poems,” which became the subject of an obscenity prosecution, then moved to Europe to join forces with William Burroughs. Meanwhile, Snyder entered a Japanese Zen monastery, embarking on a course of study that would last until his return to the United States permanently in 1969.” Written by James Campbell.

from The New York Times

“Iran Using Fronts to Get Bomb Parts from U.S.”

“Iran in the past two years has acquired numerous banned items — including circuit boards, software and Global Positioning System devices — that are used to make sophisticated versions of the improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that continue to kill U.S. troops in Iraq, according to documents released by the Justice Department and a new study by a Washington research institute.” Written by Joby Warrick.

from The Washington Post

“How the Web Was Won”

“Fifty years ago, in response to the surprise Soviet launch of Sputnik, the U.S. military set up the Advanced Research Projects Agency. It would become the cradle of connectivity, spawning the era of Google and YouTube, of Amazon and Facebook, of the Drudge Report and the Obama campaign.” Written by Keenan Mayo and Peter Newcomb.

from Vanity Fair

“The Amish Flock from Farms to Small Businesses”

“The businesses, which favor such Amish skills as furniture-making, quilting, construction work and cooking, have been remarkably successful. Despite a lack of even a high school education (the Amish leave school after the eighth grade), hundreds of Amish entrepreneurs have built profitable businesses based on the Amish values of high quality, integrity and hard work.” Written by Glenn Rifkin.

from The New York Times

“Blue Note Records Celebrates 70 Years Of Jazz”

“The label was co-founded on a shoestring budget by a German emigre named Alfred Lion. But Lion was both meticulous and passionate about recording music that he believed in.” 

from National Public Radio