Michael Russell

Chris, there is an update to the Radosh article you are referring to; Pete Seeger has denounced Stalin. It only took him 54 years after Stalin's death. Too little too late. To quote Mark Steyn in the September 24, 2007 issue of Natonal Review: Yes Chris, we should be thankful that Ayn Rand escaped to the United States and was able to add her voice to the cause of individualism and liberty. Mick

Brant, what's not appropriate? Are you a Who fan? Michael, here's Mark Murphy performing ; I think you'll enjoy it.

In the current issue of The New Republic, David Hajdu has an excellent review of two new albums by jazz veterans and survivors Abbey Lincoln and Mark Murphy. Both have recently survived serious illnesses but are now creating fantastic music again. DAVID HAJDU ON MUSIC Stolen Moments Post date: 09.11.07 Near the end of 1956, two young jazz singers made their first albums: Abbey Lincoln's Affair ... A Story of a Girl in Love, released by Liberty Records, a quality- conscious shoestring operation, and Meet Mark Murphy, issued by Decca, then a major jazz-pop label. Lincoln was twenty-six and black and a woman, Murphy twenty-four and white and a man, and both had talent and looks. For half a century, they followed separate and circuitous but roughly parallel career paths. Both started out singing in traditional modes, soon developed quirky original styles, indulged their inclinations to extremes, pushed the tolerance of the general public, moved out of Manhattan (Lincoln to California, Murphy to Europe), and bought time by doing some acting and teaching; and then both returned to the New York jazz scene and made a great deal of mature, sophisticated music. The full article is available at The New Republic Online, although you will be asked to register.

I'm sure the purists will cringe, but check out Pavarotti collaborating with James Brown here. Not only was Pavarotti a magnificent man and artist, he had a great sense of humor and was willing to take risks.

On another thread, Chris Grieb was rightly "disgusted" that more people seemed to be concerned about the plight of Paris Hilton than that of Richard Paey. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't heard of Mr. Paey before Chris's post. I am outraged over this case, and yes, Chris, so should we all. Here are some links to articles about the case of Richard Paey: Pill Sham Radley Balco on Richard Paey And here's a link to an organization working on Mr. Paey's behalf: Pain Relief Network Mick

In all seriousness, Sheriff Baca should have been held in contempt for violating a court order. Mick

The Sara Silverman link on youtube has been removed. Here's one that should work: Sara Silverman at the MTV Movie Awards

Michael, My post wasn't meant as a criticism of Neil's literary taste, or Ayn Rand, or Kipling; I was genuinely interested in what others on OL thought of Rand as a novelist. Of course everyone has a right to his own tastes; Ayn Rand probably wouldn't make my list of 10 favorite novelists, though there is no denying that *all* of her novels show moments of brilliance. My favorite Rand novel is We The Living, in my opinion her later books suffered from a creeping dogmatism. I'm sure many on this list will disagree; not surprising on a site "dedicated to Ayn Rand". Mick

Neil Parille wrote on SOLOP about Ayn Rand's writing "I think she was a pretty good author, but not at all on the level of, say, Rudyard Kipling". To which James Valliant asks "Gosh, I wonder what OL will think of his literary taste?" I, too, wonder what OL members think of Rand as a novelist. As a philosopher, Ayn Rand was a giant, but I find her novels to be wooden, preachy and over the top. I say this not as a writer or critic, but as a lover of books. Mick

Steve, I agree with you that Silent Spring was "junk 'science'", and with Michael that "the DDT issue is a shameful blot on human history", hence the Reason article. But to label Rachel Carson a mass murderer on par with Hitler, Stalin and Mao is about as over the top as labeling you a LaRouchie. I apologize for my unfair cheap shot; I genuinely enjoy most of your posts. Rachel Carson is guilty of rushing to judgment on DDT, not mass murder. I think the fact that she was dying of breast cancer while writing the book, and believed (wrongly) that DDT caused cancer, may have had something to do with her overzealousness on the issue. I place most of the blame not on Ms. Carson, but on the governments who banned DDT without thinking through its implications. Mick

Thanks for the link Kat, Sir Paul has an amazing ability to write songs instantly recognizable upon the first listen. Mick

I logged on to OL this morning and wondered what on earth was Lyndon LaRouche doing here. For a reasoned critique of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring check out this article. Mick

Chris, Peri and I wish you well; we send good thoughts your way. Mick

Chris, I take the quote as a disparaging comment on academia, particularly in regards to literature. Like most maxims, however, there are exceptions. Mick

Whatever Paul's stance on the "war in Iraq/fighting terrorism" he has a firmer grasp on the historical truth in regards to Iraq and terror than does any of the other Republican candidates, including GOP frontrunner Rudy "America's Mayor" Giuliani. Mick

Normally I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but ... what comes around goes around. Anyway, I'll leave the speaking ill up to Hitch. Gotta love Christopher Hitchens! Hitchens takes on Hannity and the hypocrite Reed. Mick

I'm writing articles and trying to decide which of three possible books I want to write first. Barbara I'm looking forward to all three. ;) I wish you many more happy birthdays. Thank you for all of your productivity. Mick

Chris, You are a kind and decent man, I wish you well. Mick

Michael, I don't know how this is here in the USA anymore, but if that had been in Brazil, I would say this guy either just got out of jail or was in trouble for some kind of hustle, moved on and decided to open a fundamentalist church as a scam. Notice that he looked at the clock near the end (time to pass that plate, brother). Also, he appeared drunk or high, couldn't sing worth a damn, and poured it on thick to appear sincere. (Come on. What pastor doesn't know the words to "Amazing Grace"?) The congregation certainly applauded him and high-fived him with an "Amen" at the end. Touched? Try the congregation. This dude knew exactly what he was doing. He just couldn't sing. But he knew that if you appear sincere and emotional, it makes folks dig deep for Jesus. I know after trying to get one mediocrity after another to sing in the pop music world, this hit my funnybone like a sledgehammer and I just couldn't stop laughing from the awfulness of it all. God knows I have suffered, but not like that... Michael Michael, If this guy is a pastor, I stand corrected. I was under the impression that he was a lay-person and that the congregation was simply offering an encouraging Amen at the end of his "song". I will tell you that during my seeker years, I saw a lot of decent and sincere people do a lot of weird shit at a lot of weird churches. That said, although I'm not a musician, I do appreciate good music, I prefer Aretha Franklin's version of Amazing Grace. Mick

Here's an interesting post from freerepublic.com claiming that the murderous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar is a Randian hero. :hmm: Mick

Michael, I don't know what to think of this. Are we all having fun at some "touched" individual's expense? It wasn't only the singing that made me uncomfortable watching this video. Mick

Jonathan, I found your "misspelling" of Perigo as Pigero quite appropriate and clever. Michael, What can you expect from a pig, but a grunt? I stopped reading SOLOP; It's bad for my blood pressure. Just ignore the insignificant buffoon. Mick

He sure did. Although I never thought of Kucinich as "intelligent and right thinking". Mick

Theodore Pinnock, the attorney who is harassing the communities of Alpine and Julian over ADA compliance, is nothing more than an extortionist. It's a shame, really, because his life story is inspirational. Mick

Paul was and still is against the war in Iraq. Although Ron Paul is not strong enough on national defense for my liking (I believe he opposed action against Afghanistan), he was right to oppose the Iraq war. This Bush debacle has increased the threat of terrorism, not diminished it. Mick