A Technical Update

Due to some problems with GOOGLE the videos I had hoped to put up for you of Buskin and Batteau and also of Modern Man seem to always show some true inane videos. Once the tech problems are resolved I shall restore video to the page.

Given the vast following I can only apologize and hope you don't switch over to The Huffington Post. Amazing, is it not?

You ask what---why are people now glued to computers and read that as opposed to newspapers? Their prices, I grant you, have come a long way from 25 cents and let advertising pay the freight. Imagine; The New York Times is $5.00 for the weekend paper at the newstand and as far as the NY Post is concerned it has become quite expenseive to wrap the fish we caught on the lake today.

If you did not ask that--well , then, I have answered an un-asked question. On Jeopardy it would have worked for a statement like-- "Newspapers on the Internet are replacing these in a suicidal plunge". Answer: What are Print Newspapers?

Speaking of Jeopardy. A few days back there were 3 contstants aged, I believe, approx. 20s to 40s in age and the question came up (well, since it is Jeopardy--the answer) --paraphrase here "...Oscar Brand has been playing a certain genre of music that was later popularized by The Weavers". Not one person got the answer. Must be a generational thing--though they were not that young.

THURSDAY--Another Edition of:

With the weekly flip of the fedora to Jimmy Cannon

Nobody Asked Me But:

1) The Monty Python documentary on the IFC channel is superb---and something completely different.

2) Is there any chance that TV news can be a bit less obsessed by Baseball and its unending playoffs and spend more time on important matters which---to TV-- seems to be house fires and mayhem of all sorts?

3) Why do people feel Baseball is a team sport when it is a huge managed business that allows people to patronize the stadiums (for exorbitant prices) so they may by $9 Beer—and in the case of the Yankees in a stadium that the tax payers subsidized at the expense of local parks meant for the youths of the area?

4) The obits mention the demise of many evil doers who always wanted publicity which just encourages more of them (who want notoriety)---did we really need to know or the death of the murderer of Sharon Tate, or Howard Unruh (Camden mass murderer before it became a sad fad)?

5) The people who sell a piece of paper to another party who in turn sell it to another creating nothing but paper profit are faring better than those who actually work to create concrete things—so its really satisfying to know that the Goldman Sachs, the JP Morgan/Chase, etc; are weathering the storm so well and limping along with millions in personal bonuses.

6) Isn’t it really unremarkable that the T. Geitner spent so much time on the phone with his compatriots in the financial industry after he became Treasury Secretary?

7) Taking a bus down 5th Avenue have you wondered how people afford the digs between 60th Street and 96th Street and folks in other areas are having trouble meeting the monthly bill?

8) I loved the letter in the Times about “Compassionate Releases” for dying prisoners and, forget Capital Punishment arguments, did these felons give the victims of whatever crime they committed a “Compassionate Release”?

9) I am so amazed by Sarah Jones and her ability to capture the culture of different ethnicities and slide into their dialect (accent) with such ease that she allows us not to even notice the change the same person has undergone.

10)But some of the most interesting and meaningful productions are Off Broadway.

11)That balloon incident is another example of media hype that ballooned (pun intended) into an embarrassment to the participants (and a criminal charge) and to the media who took them seriously thanks to everyone’s love of reality TV. We need another OJ car chase at 20 MPH for excitement.

12)It seems that the kids today can learn all about the birds and the bees (though, did you ever see any of them *&^%?) by watching commercials for E.D.---everything has an acronym—fancy name for ---well. No graphics here. So, TV is educational after all.

13)I anxiously awaiting Theodore Bikel’s latest production at The Folksbiene---and my conversation with him to air on WFDU (Sunday Simcha / Traditions).

14)While life seemed a lot simpler some 60 years ago on the subject of Medical Insurance, Crime, and such the truth is that Minorities and Women did not fare well.

15)Why are African Americans described as “People of Color”? Does that make Whites the new Invisible Man because they have no color? Or are they just colorless instead of colorful?

Some News & Views

A few comments about TRADITIONS on October 18th; a program that I found singularly interesting and appreciative of the audience reaction(s). Had to use the (s) since many of you called in. So a few comments about the sets and the artists seem appropriate:

Jonathan Edwards: I appreciate all your nice comments and I do apologize for the poor phone connection. Nobody seemed to notice so I guess my ear was more attuned to that. He will be, as you know, at Mexicali Blues on November 6. It portends (we must use $5 words whenever possible to keep this thing "classy") to be a sellout --so reservations are a must. Jonathan will not use $5 words. That is a promise.

Dana & Susan Robinson / Zoe Mulford What they have in common is that both of their CDs came in over the always open transom and are such that one has to hear them from start to end---and then start again. Their pictures are on the Playlist Page.

The Sets: As I said on the program we properly mourn and miss those who left us too soon. There were many. Yet, there are many of a "ripe" age and we should celebrate them---and we did. Glad many of you appreciated that---check the playlist. If you have any thoughts please do e mail me with your thoughts and requests.

As to some upcoming news. The news involves some upcoming guests and events:

THEODORE BIKEL will be joining me on SUNDAY SIMCHA on November 8 and, perhaps, on TRADITIONS on November 15 in anticipation of his latest performances in NYC in a wonderful production of SHOLOM ALEICHEM-LAUGHTER THROUGH TEARS. It will take place at the Baruch Performing Arts Auditorium of CUNY at Lexington Ave. & 25th St in NYC from Nov. 8 through Dec. 12.

BUSKIN & BATTEAU: They will be bringing their brand of music, wit, and personas to THE HURDY GURDY FOLK MUSIC CLUB on Dec. 5 but, possibly, they will be joining me earlier for a chat and some music. I have a slogan that I hope they adopt---or should they adapt it? Nope--adopt---it is original. "AFTER DINNER SWITCH FROM COINTREAU TO B&B---MUCH MORE CLASS..

That does it for the news---how about a few views Best to wait until Thursday for Nobody Asked Me But.... Well, a few random thoughts anyway---

1) The Internet covers the world so it seems pointless for me to make note of local issues here and of candidates who surely disappoint and really only seek higher office to inflate their coffers and their large egos. Though, that would be most of them in any case.
2) Without passing judgement on the family of the "balloon boy" (for want of a better word) it has to be noted that people are so commercialized or, perhaps, intrigued by reality shows and making a buck they have lost touch with good programming and what life is really about.