Miscellaneous
Minor Wisdom 
Legal writing and whatever else is on my mind.
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Amazing Grace
Posted on October 18, 2009When I was a freshman in college seminary back in the 1970s, I got the chance one morning to sing the psalm after the first reading. Many things conspired against me that day. First, this particular psalm was written for...
Free show by Buddy Guy
Posted on October 17, 2009Today in New Orleans, the weather is perfect, and there?s free music in Lafayette Square: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. Today?s finale belongs to Buddy Guy. For those who can?t make it out there, here?s a taste. Buddy...
You call this ?blight??
Posted on October 13, 2009If you haven?t already done it, please check out Inside the Footprint. There, Brad V and Curtis P parade the lovely homes in the Mid-City neighborhood that would be destroyed if the LSU-VA Medical Center is built where currently planned....
Getting by with some help from friends for S.E.B.
Posted on October 10, 2009I don?t have a video lined up for today?s edition of Saturday Evening Blues. Fortunately, two of my blogging buddies have come through with some good ones. So if you?re looking for a blues fix, please visit Adrastos for some...
Science marches on: The Ig Nobel Prize winners for 2009
Posted on October 09, 2009Everyone?s talking today about President Obama?s receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and wondering what he did to earn it. They should be talking about the Ig Nobel Prizes, awarded a mere eight days ago. For instance: The Peace Prize went...
Horse: Maravich v. Paul
Posted on October 07, 2009As far as I know, no one in the NBA ever beat Pete Maravich in a game of horse. But had they been contemporaries, Chris Paul might have (hat tip Adrastos): Pistol Pete didn?t do anything quite that dramatic 30...
That?s Ashley?s line, damn it.
Posted on October 05, 2009Yesterday a blogging friend from out of town was passing through New Orleans. We had lunch, and I told him about the late, great Ashley Morris and Ashley?s greatest hit, dated 27 Nov. 2005 and referred to locally as FYYFF....
Free concerts in Lafayette Square this month
Posted on October 03, 2009The last few Thursday evenings, I?ve noticed some music happening at Lafayette Square. Yesterday I figured out who?s responsible for it. It?s the Second Harvest Food Bank. The music is free; the money from food and drink sales goes to...
Eddie Bo
Posted on October 03, 2009Last week, I promised to post a video of Eddie Bo. Here it is. Eddie died on March 18 of this year. Before that, he had a stellar musical career. This video is from a 2007 appearance at the Louisiana...
Inside the footprint
Posted on September 29, 2009Inside the Footprint is a new blog by law students Brad V (of Letters in Bottles) and Curtis P (of Creole Tomatoes). The guys? goal is to document the Mid-City neighborhood that would be destroyed if the proposed LSU-VA hospital...
Our masters and patrons
Posted on September 27, 2009Today is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Here is a bit of Vincent?s teaching: Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem...
Red beans, courtesy of Snooks Eaglin and George Porter Jr.
Posted on September 26, 2009I made two good decisions during the 2008 Jazz Fest: to see Eddie Bo, and to see Snooks Eaglin. Both passed away before the 2009 Fest, so if I had missed them in 2008, I would have missed them forever....
Completing the circle: North Mississippi Allstars and Otha Turner?s family
Posted on September 19, 2009On Labor Day, we saw Otha Turner play his cane fife and sing ?Sitting on Top of the World? (a.k.a. ?Station Blues?) with Corey Harris. Last week, we saw the North Mississippi Allstars prove that the blues is not a...
Orleanians, mark your calendars.
Posted on September 16, 2009And non-Orleanians, eat your hearts out. The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest happens October 17-18, 2009 at Lafayette Square. The October 17 lineup includes Buddy Guy, Sonny Landreth, Robert Belfour, and many others. The October 18 lineup includes Grammy...
73% of doctors are extremist, left-wing, socialist, communist, ....
Posted on September 15, 2009Yesterday I had the misfortune of being forced to overhear a well-known propagandist (initials R.L.) attach pejorative labels to people and ideas he disagrees with, and repeat the attachment ad nauseam. (As I said, he?s a propagandist.) The subject happened...
At last, the North Mississippi Allstars
Posted on September 12, 2009During the 2005 exile from New Orleans, one rare source of joy was Electric Blue Watermelon, a then-new CD by the North Mississippi Allstars, which I often listened to while driving. Later, when I started posting blues videos here on...
Check your widgets
Posted on September 11, 2009As many of you know, I have two blogs: this one and The (New) Legal Writer. Until today, I had a widget on each blog that was a mini-RSS reader tracking the other blog. The idea was to integrate the...
9-11 remembrance by Jon Stewart
Posted on September 11, 2009The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cSeptember 11, 2001www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealthcare Protests Hat tip: ledygrey at Southern Appeal.
Otha Turner and Corey Harris: Sitting on Top of the World
Posted on September 07, 2009Here?s a special Labor Day edition of Saturday-evening blues: Otha Turner and Corey Harris, sitting on top of the world. Otha Turner & Corey Harris - Sittin' On Top Of The World' Uploaded by alex_blues - Explore more music videos.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Posted on September 06, 2009After seeing some YouTube videos from ?The Last Waltz? (The Band?s farewell concert), I had to get the DVD. Last night, Suzanne and I watched it. Now ?The Last Waltz? isn?t just a concert video. It?s a movie directed by...
Don?t read me; read this guy instead.
Posted on September 03, 2009I?ve said it before, but it bears repeating: If you?re looking for good stuff on spirituality, don?t stick around here. Instead, click through to Dan Lukasik.
Tablature for ?Silent Night? in key of A, standard tuning, slide optional
Posted on August 29, 2009For several weeks, I?ve been working on a little instrumental version of ?Silent Night? for guitar, key of A, standard tuning, with optional slide. Here is the tablature (PDF). It?s a minimalist version, just melody and bass notes, which works...
Unhappy anniversary
Posted on August 29, 2009About a week ago, I wrote a post responding to those who question New Orleans? right to exist. In a nutshell: this city did not come into existence because 1 million or so people made a lifestyle choice to live...
How long does it take you to walk 20 feet?
Posted on August 25, 2009This video is a lovely illustration of this blog?s tag line: ?You can observe a lot just by watching,? credited to Yogi Berra. Someone should introduce Yogi to John Medina, the brain scientist in the video.
Rising Tide postscript and some facts about New Orleans
Posted on August 23, 2009Lately I?ve been reticent about expressing my opinions on this blog. I?d like to say that?s been due to humility. The truth is that it?s easier to be disengaged from what passes for the debate in this country, plus being...
Rising Tide postscript and some facts about New Orleans (#rt4 for Twitter)
Posted on August 23, 2009Lately I?ve been reticent about expressing my opinions on this blog. I?d like to say that?s been due to humility. The truth is that it?s easier to be disengaged from what passes for the debate in this country, plus being...
Friedman?s fearless football forecast
Posted on August 19, 2009Every year, die-hard Tulane fan Reuben Friedman forecasts Tulane?s football fortunes. No fan is as loyal to his team as Reuben is to the Green Wave. And few fans are as steeped in college football as Reuben is. So if...
40th anniversary
Posted on August 17, 2009In most of America, it?s the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Around here, it?s the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Camille ? 190 m.p.h. winds, 24-ft. storm surge.
Quotations of the day
Posted on August 17, 2009Two quotations on the blogosphere today bear repeating: ?All we can do now is give cars away, or give US citizens free money to buy them ? which we are obviously already doing with ?Cash for Clunkers? ? which is...
Amazing Grace, bluegrass style
Posted on August 16, 2009Here is a little tablature (PDF) I worked up yesterday for ?Amazing Grace.? Actually there are two versions of the song here: one with slide (indicated by the little arrows) and one without slide but with more robust chords. Both...
Sorry, no SEB today.
Posted on August 15, 2009Usually on Saturday, I post a blues music video. This Saturday Evening Blues streak dates back nearly two years, to November 17, 2007, when I posted Hoodoo Man Blues by Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. Since then, I've posted a...
?None of us are free ...
Posted on August 08, 2009... if one of us is chained.? Solomon Burke and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Solomon Burke & Blind Boys Of Alabama - None Of Us Are Free Uploaded by Thevine - See the latest featured music videos.
You can observe a lot just by watching listening
Posted on August 03, 2009What if you could listen to a free 43-minute concert by one of the world?s greatest violinists, playing some of the most beautiful music ever, written on an instrument worth $3.5 million? About a year ago, 1,097 people in a...
Summit Meeting on ?Living for the City?
Posted on August 01, 2009Just Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder doing ?Living for the City.?
Rising Tide IV
Posted on July 31, 2009Although I?m not much of an activist, I?ve signed up for this year?s Rising Tide conference, to be held Saturday, August 22, in New Orleans. The conference is a gathering of NOLA bloggers and other lovers of New Orleans ?to...
Sticking my toe in the Twitter pool
Posted on July 30, 2009I recently signed up with Twitter, under the handle minorwisdom. For the one out of a million unfamiliar with Twitter, it?s a micro-blogging service that allows you to write short posts and follow others? posts on one screen. Post are...
Then, of course, you have your bloggers
Posted on July 28, 2009The Free Dictionary offers this quotation of the day, by Plato: ?Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.?
Some suggestions for Gambit?s ?Best of New Orleans? poll
Posted on July 25, 2009When I was in the seminary, a fellow seminarian who happened to be an ex-Marine used to say, ?Opinions are like assholes?everybody has one.? I beg to differ. You have only one asshole, but you can have many, many opinions....
Maybe the best version of ?Mannish Boy? I?ve ever heard
Posted on July 25, 2009A couple of weeks ago, fellow NOLA blogger Adrastos posted this version of ?Mannish Boy?:vocals by the one and only Muddy Waters; accompaniment by the one and only The Band, who prove that, with proper training, white boys can indeed...
Magna culpa
Posted on July 24, 2009Catholic lawyers (especially those in Great Britain), take heed: ?Enforcing? the Magna Carta may get you excommunicated?if canon law does not provide for prescription on a 796-year-old papal bull.1 Our friends at Drug & Device Law explain. __________ 1 No...
Yesterday
Posted on July 21, 2009Yesterday was either a bad day or a good day, depending on one?s point of view. Bad:I start my car to go to work, the engine just barely turned over. Uh-oh, sounds like the battery is about to die. Even...
40 years ago today
Posted on July 20, 2009Two videos to commemorate what happened 40 years ago today. First, as we saw it on CBS, reported by Walter Cronkite. Most of the video is a TV simulation, but the audio is real and real time. Next up, a...
Deeper Well
Posted on July 18, 2009On guitar, Daniel Lanois. On vocals, the world?s sexiest gray-haired lady, Emmylou Harris. The song: Deeper Well.
When men were men, and giants walked the land
Posted on July 16, 2009Confession: I?m a sucker for space travel. I was too young to remember the exploits of Alan Shepard and the other original seven Mercury astronauts. But I do remember the Gemini program and the tragedy of Apollo 1. Why talk...
Validate your web site
Posted on July 13, 2009Your blog or other web site may look good on your operating system, on the browser you use. But it may not look so good on other operating systems or browsers. Mister Thorne points out an example and suggests a...
Hollis Brown
Posted on July 11, 2009The first version I ever heard of The Ballad of Hollis Brown was by the Neville Brothers on Yellow Moon. It hit me in the solar plexus. Here?s the original version, by Bob Dylan.
I don?t need to write about depression anymore, ...
Posted on July 07, 2009... because Dan Lukasik is doing a much better job of it than I ever could. Whether or not you think you have depression, if you?re a lawyer with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction, read Dan?s latest post.
Freedom rock(s)
Posted on July 05, 2009This kid from Iowa, born in 1979, was inspired by the movie Saving Private Ryan. So every year around Memorial Day, he paints a patriotic mural on a rock near his home town. My favorite is the 2007 edition.
4th of July edition of SEB
Posted on July 04, 2009When the 4th of July coincides with Saturday-Evening Blues, this song must be posted. See also WAC?, where you?ll find Robert Johnson?s Crossroads performed by John Mayer and Eric Clapton.
Congratulations to a fellow law blogger
Posted on July 02, 2009Apparently this blogging thing can enhance one?s legal career. Steve Dillard, chief instigator of my favorite conservative blog, Southern Appeal, has made the short list for nomination to the Georgia Supreme Court. Congratulations, Steve. (And if it?s possible to pull...
Separated at birth
Posted on June 27, 2009So let?s say that New Orleans Council Member Stacy Head bleaches her hair, has some cervical orthopedic problems, and gets caught (without makeup) committing some petty offense. Her mug shot might look like this.
The Black Keys will do Voodoo
Posted on June 27, 2009Today I learned that my favorite band from Akron, Ohio, the Black Keys, will be in New Orleans to perform at the Voodoo Experience on Halloween weekend (Oct. 30, to be precise). In case you?re deciding whether to see them,...
Bad stuff in 3s
Posted on June 25, 2009I know that ?bad stuff happens in threes? is B.S.?three of anything will happen if you wait long enough. But Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett (the ultimate 70s poster girl?see left), and Michael Jackson in 3 days? Spooky, especially for someone...
Lost and found
Posted on June 21, 2009My friend Dan Hull is plugging The Lost and Found Family, which he describes as ?a poignant, uplifting, instructive and remarkably powerful family film set in the American South.? Personally, I think Dan just has the hots for the star,...
Who knew?
Posted on June 20, 2009Professor John Guillebaud (University College, London) claims that the main cause of population growth is sex. (Hat tip to Improbable Research.)
Ain?t no cure
Posted on June 20, 2009Happy Summer Solstice, everyone. Here in New Orleans, it?s hot as hell, and we have about three months more of the same to, uh, look forward to. So today is as good a day as any to post Eddie Cochran...
How to love
Posted on June 16, 2009Today?s daily mediation from HenriNouwen.org is worth sharing: Often we speak about love as if it is a feeling. But if we wait for a feeling of love before loving, we may never learn to love well. The feeling of...
Because I care about you, the reader
Posted on June 13, 2009This edition of Saturday Evening Blues was inspired by an experience I had during the last Easter Triduum. I was practicing with the choir in the church sacristy, and I noticed the super-cool keyboard that the music director had brought...
Lawyers, depression, and spirituality
Posted on June 07, 2009You may or may not be a lawyer who wrestles with depression. You may or may not sometimes wonder whether your life is out of balance. If you fall into one of those categories, or if don?t, but are interested...
Apparel for the LSU baseball fan
Posted on June 06, 2009The LSU Tigers and Rice Owls are opponents in the College World Series Super-Regional playoff in Baton Rouge. LSU fans in attendance may covet this item from the Onion Boutique. Of course, I would not wear such a thing; I?m...
Pedal to the metal
Posted on June 06, 2009At the most recent Jazz Fest, one of the best sets I saw was Sonny Landreth?s. For those unfamiliar with him, Sonny is simply the best slide guitar player in the world. I happened to be in the front row...
Blues with twang
Posted on May 30, 2009For no particular reason (except that I like this song), here?s Jeannie C. Riley doing the Back Side of Dallas, accompanied by a nice photo montage.
Another root of the family tree
Posted on May 30, 2009A year or two ago, my sister Kendra gave me copies of pages from a book on the Ward family?s genealogy. Recently, I finally got around to digging into it. The story starts with William Ward of Sudbury, Massachusetts. He...
Socrates? cave
Posted on May 25, 2009As we immerse ourselves in virtual communities, what may be happening to interact with others face to face? Rice University?s Dr. Tony Gorry explores this question in a thought-provoking paper, Empathy in a Virtual World. Here?s the abstract: Has our...
Come on in my kitchen?updated
Posted on May 23, 2009About 71 or 72 years ago, Robert Johnson recorded Come On In My Kitchen. Last week, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals performed their version at the Doheny Blues Fest. With her voice and bangs, Grace reminds me of Chrissie Hynde....
I got your 2009 Barathon photos right here
Posted on May 17, 2009Today, with better cooperation from my high-speed ISP, I managed to upload the 2009 Barathon photos taken last Friday. To view the album, click here. And in case you missed it, here is my account of my own performance.
Poke. (bum-bum-bum-bum) Salad.
Posted on May 17, 2009If you?re looking for a recipe for poke salad, check out Dee?s comment below the Tony Joe White video that I posted several weeks ago.
Nice and warm
Posted on May 16, 2009The weather in New Orleans lately has been mostly nice and warm. That makes today as good a time as any to post this performance of ?Nice and Warm? by Tab Benoit and Jimmy Thackery. If you like what you...
Tchoupitoulas Barathon 2009
Posted on May 16, 2009Yesterday evening I competed in the 27th annual Tchoupitoulas Barathon. For those unfamiliar with this unique athletic event: it?s a footrace from bar to bar; at each bar, the contestant must down a beer. Not for the faint of heart,...
Trouble weighs a ton
Posted on May 09, 2009Recently Dan Auerbach, one half of the Black Keys, released a solo album, Keep It Hid. Here?s a live performance of the opening track, Trouble Weighs a Ton. Enjoy.
15 books
Posted on May 09, 2009(Cross-posted on The (New) Legal Writer) John McIntyre inspired this post. John was recently let go as a copy editor by the Baltimore Sun due to the newspaper?s financial death spiral. Anyway, the idea is to list 15 books important...
Guitar update
Posted on May 05, 2009If (outside of Jazz Fest) I haven?t been blogging as often as before, it?s because some of the time I used to spend on blogging is now spent attempting to learn guitar playing. That?s good news. It?s been three months...
Want to play guitar like Neil Young?
Posted on May 04, 2009Amateur guitar players who caught Neil Young?s Jazz Fest set this afternoon may feel inspired to try playing some of his songs. If that?s you, click this.
Wow! And wow!
Posted on May 04, 2009I didn?t have time to write over the weekend about Saturday and Sunday at Jazz Fest. Sometimes there?s so much living going on that you can?t find time to stop and write about it. Saturday On Saturday morning, I spotted...
Heating up
Posted on May 02, 2009I?ve been seeing these Chaz Fest posters everywhere lately. So for today?s Jazz Fest starter, I had to see Washboard Chaz. He was excellent. His trio included an excellent old-school slide guitarist who played a couple of all-metal resonator guitars....
Doc Watson
Posted on May 02, 2009Yesterday at Jazz Fest, I managed to catch just a taste of Doc Watson?s set. Here he is doing ?Deep River Blues.? See also ?Peach Pickin? Time,? courtesy of Adrastos.
Get your needs met
Posted on May 01, 2009We interrupt our schedule of Jazz Fest posts for this important announcement. The next Tchoupitoulas Barathon is scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 6:05 p.m. sharp, start and finish at Le Bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine Street (21 blocks from...
Rain?
Posted on April 30, 2009The second weekend of Jazz Fest starts a little after 11:00 a.m. today. According to the Weather Underground, we have about a 40% chance of rain. That?s okay; my rain poncho is ready for action. Today?s lineup is solid. It...
Ho, hum, another great day at Jazz Fest
Posted on April 30, 2009If you like elbow room with your music, today was the day to be at Jazz Fest. Thursday is always a relatively low-key day. And on this particular Thursday, the clouds and threat of rain kept the wimps at home....
?My blues heaven? debriefed
Posted on April 27, 2009Every now and then I?ve had a perfect day at Jazz Fest. But this must be the first time I had a perfect weekend?all day, every day, Friday through Sunday. I arrived when the gate opened. And with some time...
Big Wide Grin
Posted on April 27, 2009Here?s a talented group you probably never heard of: Big Wide Grin, performing Bill Withers? ?Ain?t No Sunshine.? The vocalist is Lawrence Lambert; bandmates are Karl Werne Elaine Dempsey. Sitting in are Michael Mulder on guitar, Eric Schwartz on piano,...
My blues heaven
Posted on April 26, 2009My Jazz Fest experience yesterday was a bit up and down. It started when I arrived at my secret parking space, where I found the street partially barricaded. ?Hmm, is it still okay to park here?? I asked myself. Then...
One day down, six to go
Posted on April 25, 2009I feel like an old man trying to do a young man?s job. Jazz Fest today was great. But dang! I?m tired. I got to the Blues Tent fairly early: around 12:45 p.m., for Rockin? Tabby Thomas?s set. I wasn?t...
If you?re hungry at Jazz Fest
Posted on April 24, 2009Carolyn Jack has a wonderful feature on Vance Vaucresson, whose business, Vaucresson?s Sausage Company, is the last remaining food vendor from the original 1970 Jazz Fest. Katrina wiped out his business, but he got it going again with inspiration from...
Like Christmas Eve
Posted on April 23, 2009Tomorrow, Jazz Fest starts. The weather will be grand, and I have my Brass Pass in hand. And today I picked up my Jazz Fest Bible. Oh boy! I?ve looked over tomorrow?s schedule; here are some places that I may...
Jazz Fest gear
Posted on April 18, 2009If you?re going to Jazz Fest next weekend, then this weekend would be a good time to gear up. You want to travel light while having everything you need. With those goals in mind, I suggest shopping at your friendly...
CeDell Davis
Posted on April 18, 2009CeDell Davis was born in 1927 in Helena, Mississippi. As a child, he learned to play blues guitar. When he was nine years old, he contracted severe polio. As a result, he could no longer use his right hand, so...
Luke 20:38
Posted on April 12, 2009Thomas Merton, He is Risen (1967) (Source: Thomas Merton Essential Writings (Christine M. Bochen, ed., Orbis Books 2000): We often forget that in all accounts of the Resurrection, the witnesses started out with the unshakable conviction that Christ was dead...
Mary, don?t you weep
Posted on April 12, 2009Tonight I went to Easter Vigil at my parish church (pictured above) and heard a song kind of like this one. It was chant, not Gospel, but the same theme. Happy Easter, everyone.
Satisfied mind
Posted on April 11, 2009Here?s some holy music for your holy weekend: Satisfied Mind, written by Bob Dylan and performed here by the Blind Boys of Alabama. (Dylan?s version is pretty good too.)
Genesis 22:1?12
Posted on April 10, 2009Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, ?Abraham!? ?Ready!? he replied. Then God said: ?Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There...
When you hear the first six words, you know it?s blues.
Posted on April 04, 2009Those first six words are ?When my first wife left me, ....? By R.L. Burnside, with encouragement by Johnny Woods.
Curly had it easy.
Posted on April 02, 2009In American courtrooms, witnesses must promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In 19th century Burma, the witness?s oath was a bit more complicated. So reports Mark Abrams in the Guardian (hat tip: Improbable...
The NPR Dancers
Posted on March 31, 2009The non-commercial radio stations always play their best stuff during pledge week. So it is with our local NPR station, WWNO. This morning they presented the NPR Dancers. I wish only that I could have seen them. But wait ......
The joy of traveling
Posted on March 31, 2009Today?s Daily Mediation from the Henri Nouwen Society is so good that I hope you don?t mind my sharing it with you: Travelling?seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people?is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no...
New mistress
Posted on March 31, 2009In early February, I decided to revive my interest in playing guitar. I had lying around the house an old Ovation Deacon electric guitar and an Alvarez 5014 acoustic. I bought a new amp, re-strung both guitars, and made some...
Jazz Fest Weekend 2
Posted on March 29, 2009The second weekend of Jazz Fest is four days: Thursday, April 30 through Sunday, May 3. Here are the acts circled on my calendar: Thursday, April 30: Little Freddie King, 12:25 p.m., Blues Tent. I saw Little Freddie last year....
Preliminary Jazz Fest plans
Posted on March 28, 2009A few days ago, the good folks running the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival posted the day-by-day schedules. This is something I look forward to, as I find out when and where I can see my favorite artists. Here...
Mojo Boogie
Posted on March 28, 2009Johnny Winter is scheduled to be at the Jazz Fest on the first Saturday, April 25, for an interview at the Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage and, later, the closing set at the Blues Tent. Judging from this 1991 performance...
Preliminary Jazz Fest plans ? Weekend 1
Posted on March 28, 2009A few days ago, the good folks running the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival posted the day-by-day schedules. This is something I look forward to, as I find out when and where I can see my favorite artists. Here...
Poke Salad Annie
Posted on March 21, 2009Pardon this bit of nostalgia. Forty years ago, when I was 11 going on 12, when I first started listening to music, this song burned itself into my long-term memory. Which might help explain how this white boy got hooked...
New toy
Posted on March 15, 2009Big news in the Ward household yesterday: My wife and I finally traded in our Sanyo SCP 4500 phones (picture at right, photo credit here). We had these phones since May 2001 ? nearly eight years ago. Back then, they...
How progressive are you?
Posted on March 15, 2009According to this test, I?m 300 on a 400-point scale, which makes me ?very progressive? ? or, depending on your point of view, a very naive bleeding-heart socialist. (Hat tip to Southern Appeal, where most readers proudly score below 100.)
A little Howlin? Wolf, a little John Lee Hooker, ...
Posted on March 14, 2009Here?s a little blues medley by the Doors?Back Door Man (previously done by Howlin? Wolf) and Crawling King Snake (previously done by John Lee Hooker, and many before him). Note Robby Krieger?s finger-style guitar playing. That wasn?t bad. But if...
The burden of judging
Posted on March 09, 2009Today?s daily mediation from the Henri Nouwen Society:We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form...
A strange ceremony
Posted on March 08, 2009Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a ceremony was held to mark the 6th of 28 stages of the metageneration for Jessel, the Trifelj Utinard. We have video with English narration. (Hat tip to my parish?s director of...
Black Keys triple feature
Posted on March 07, 2009It?s been a little while since I posted anything by the Black Keys. I searched for some of their videos, found many good ones, and narrowed the selection down to three. First up is Set You Free, from their album...
A song for Ash Wednesday
Posted on February 25, 2009Here?s a song appropriate for Ash Wednesday: Gotta Serve Somebody, by Bob Dylan. No editorial videolizing?just a straight-ahead live performance.
200th Blawg Review
Posted on February 23, 2009Congratulations are in order for the anonymous editor of Blawg Review, the weekly law-blog carnival, hosted here in January 2007. Today sees the 200th installment, appropriately hosted at Blawg Review?s home base. To keep any web project going for nearly...
Tipitina
Posted on February 22, 2009This morning, my wife and I did our annual Carnival thing, catching the Thoth parade down on the corner. It was a cool, sunshiny day. My face is a bit sunburned, except for the white area protected by my sunglasses.We?re...
It?s Carnival Time
Posted on February 21, 2009The best Carnival song of all time is Carnival Time by Al Johnson. Give it a listen, and read the lyrics.(Hat tip to Mardi Gras Digest, via NOLA-dishu.)The Green room is smoking,and the Plaza burning downThrow my baby out the...
See also Luke 12:34.
Posted on February 19, 2009The Henri Nouwen Society offers a free daily e-mail mediation from Nouwen?s Bread for the Journey. I find today?s installment especially relevant:What is the basis of our security? When we start thinking about that question, we may give many answers:...
The Language Log asks whether this
Posted on February 16, 2009The Language Log asks whether this is the worst pun of all time. What say ye?
Another reason to hate this song
Posted on February 16, 2009The Language Log asks whether this is the worst pun of all time. What say ye?
First Arrow
Posted on February 15, 2009Roy Jacobsen was kind enough to tag my other blog, The (New) Legal Writer, with the Premio Dardo Award, recognizing ?the effort of a particular blogger to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values in his or her writing.? The...
Big Chief
Posted on February 14, 2009Here in New Orleans, Carnival officially started on Twelfth Night, January 6. But this weekend, Carnival kicks into another gear. In the city and suburbs, we had parades last night, we have more parades today, and (weather permitting) we will...
Now that?s more like it.
Posted on February 12, 2009The organizers of the New Orleans Jazz Fest have just announced a most suitable addition to this year?s lineup: Neil Young. According to the Times-Picayune, Neil will play the Acura stage on the last Sunday, May 3, slotted between Allen...
Bread for the wild beasts
Posted on February 09, 2009I was reminded of the Tibetan practice of sky burial when I read this quotation by St. Ignatius of Antioch. First some background. Igniatius was the third bishop of Antioch in Syria (St. Peter was the first). He was martyred...
Bon Jovi?
Posted on February 08, 2009The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has released its daily lineups. It?s still too early to plan any particular day at the Jazz Fest, because we don?t yet know any act?s exact time or stage. Nevertheless, realizing that inability...
Jimi Hendrix: Red House
Posted on February 07, 2009People think of Jimi Hendrix as a rock-and-roll guitarist. While he may have been that, he was first and foremost a blues guitarist. Case in point:
Knocking off the rust
Posted on February 07, 2009Taking another step toward reviving my guitar-playing, today I re-strung both my guitars. My acoustic, an Alvarez 5014, now has a new set of Martin SP medium gauge strings. My electric, an Ovation Deacon, has a new set of D?Addario...
Reviving the music (maybe)
Posted on February 03, 2009It had been a long time since I bought myself a toy. So last Sunday, after picking up some home-office supplies at a local Office Max, I went next door to the Guitar Center to see about getting a small...
Staples Singers: Why am I treated so bad
Posted on January 31, 2009For this week?s installment of Saturday Evening Blues, I went digging for something by Mavis Staples, and found this gem by her and her family?Why Am I Treated So Bad, performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981.
At first, I thought this story was about Sun Myung Moon.
Posted on January 27, 2009Kim Jong Il Announces Plan To Bring Moon To North Korea
Stingrays
Posted on January 27, 2009What you see at left are not autumn leaves blowing in the wind. They?re stingrays on mass migration. The photos were taken by nature photgrapher Sandra Critelli. To see a few more photos in this set, visit Bigpicture?s Posterous. You...
?I love Jesus, but I drink a little.? ?Gladys Hardy
Posted on January 25, 2009Courtesy of my conservative pal Feddie at Southern Appeal, here is New Orleans native Ellen Degeneres on the phone with a lady named Gladys in Austin, Texas. I laughed until I cried; maybe you will too.
Hard time killing floor
Posted on January 24, 2009Here?s an item from my video vault: a 2006 performance of Skip James?s Hard Time Killing Floor by Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar.
Today?s sign of the Apocalypse is ...
Posted on January 23, 2009... The Ashley Madison Agency. It?s sort of like a dating service, except it?s not for singles?it?s for married people looking for someone to have an affair with. Its proprietor, Noel Biderman, explains what it?s all about in this interview.Noel...
Purpose
Posted on January 21, 2009?God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission ? I never may know it in this life, but I shall...
A song for the inauguration
Posted on January 17, 2009Here is a music video of Political World. I don?t know where the video was made, but the song and the album it comes from (Oh Mercy) were recorded in New Orleans. I think the guy playing dobro is Daniel...
?Come Together,? acoustic
Posted on January 10, 2009Can John Lennon?s Come Together work as a solo acoustic number? It can, in the hands of Sungha Jung. If you don?t believe that, than watch this.1__________1The video was posted on YouTube on January 31, 2008, four months after his...
The Photographic Dictionary
Posted on January 09, 2009The coolest thing I?ve seen in a while is the Photographic Dictionary. While most dictionaries define words with other words, ?the photographic dictionary is dedicated to defining words through the literal, figurative, and personal meanings found in each photograph...
This season?s real NCAA football champion is ...
Posted on January 07, 2009... Tulane? So says King Kaufman, applying irrefutable who-beat-whom logic:The Green Wave went 2-10 this year, but they made those wins count. One of them was over Louisiana-Monroe, so I think you see my point. No? OK: Tulane beat Louisiana-Monroe,...
We three Kings ...
Posted on January 06, 2009Today is the 12th day of Christmas, also the traditional Feast of the Epiphany, when the Christ child was visited by visitors from the East, bearing three gifts. Traditionally, we refer to those visitors as the Three Kings. In New...
Patience
Posted on January 05, 2009Today?s daily mediation from HenriNouwen.org:Patience ... is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience...
Good music is easy to find
Posted on January 04, 2009Despite the crap spewing from most radio stations (WWOZ excluded, of course), it?s not hard to find good music. Do what I did a few days ago: Read Keith Spera?s list of top 10 local (New Orleans, LA) CDs for...
On the 9th day of Christmas, ...
Posted on January 03, 2009I?m?ll give you a healthy helping of Sam Myers. This is as sweet as the blues gets.
2008 years ago today (or thereabouts)
Posted on January 01, 2009?When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.?1 And lo, this song was sung in the temple: __________1 Luke 2:21.
A song for New Year's Eve
Posted on December 31, 2008Here?s a touching video accompanied by (what else?) Guy Lombardo doing Auld Lang Syne. I?m posting it now because I figure this evening, you?ll have other things to do besides reading blogs. It gets a little racy there at the...
How to set an ancient digital watch
Posted on December 30, 2008Years ago, my wife bought me a Citizen GN-4-S watch, just like the one in this photo.1 It has both analog and digital displays.There is one minor and endearing problem. The digital display can only handle years between 1989 and...
PS22 Chorus: ?Blues for Christmas?
Posted on December 27, 2008Happy Third Day of Christmas, everyone. To celebrate, please give a listen to the PS22 Chorus, a group of 70 fifth-grade students enrolled in New York City public schools. If you listen to this video and read their web site,...
A year-end reflection
Posted on December 26, 2008Here?s an excerpt from a Henri Nouwen collection that I?ve been reading off and on for weeks. It seems appropriate for the year?s end:When we speak about celebration we tend rather easily to bring to mind happy, pleasant, gay festivities...
Peace on earth, the war is over
Posted on December 24, 2008I?ve been to church this evening and gotten some good religion. Henceforth, I forsake war (at least for this year). So for the few readers remaining after the recent hostilities ...Meet Sungha Jung, a Korean lad who aspires to become...
Cluster bomb
Posted on December 24, 2008We?re getting near the end of the holiday-video war. Time to fire everything left in the arsenal. So here is a triple shot of Jingle Bell Rock, featuring Hall & Oates, penguins, and line dancers with bad audio.
Christmas Time for Hitler and Germany
Posted on December 23, 2008A couple of days ago, Loki posted a video with a Christmas-and-death theme. How to top that? Perhaps Christmas with Hitler:
?War is bestowed like electroshock on the depressive nation ....? ?Adrienne Rich
Posted on December 23, 2008This probably isn?t the worst performance of ?Little Drummer Boy,? but it?s certainly the most bizarre.
The rules of engagement
Posted on December 22, 2008What are the rules of engagement for this holiday-video war?1 Maitri quotes Greg Peters on that subject:?I think the purest kind of holiday horror is not something designed to be offensive, but a piece done with all sincerity and good...
?War is an ugly thing ....? ?John Stuart Mill
Posted on December 22, 2008Some versions of Charles Dickens? A Christmas Carol are good; some not so good. The best thing I can say about this version is it?s over in less than three minutes.
The least offensive Jackie Beat video I could find
Posted on December 21, 2008While searching for a good version of Santa Baby yesterday, I stumbled upon Jackie Beat?s version. I could have won this Christmas-video war if I had been willing to post it. Alas, it was just too offensive?even too offensive to...
?But little lord Jesus, no crying he makes.?
Posted on December 20, 2008You know the line from Away in a Manger: ?But little lord Jesus, no crying he makes.? Many a newborn?s parent would like to know how to pull that off. Here?s how.
Merry Christmas, Charles Brown
Posted on December 20, 2008This is not a Christmas-war video; it?s a seasonal installment of Saturday Evening Blues: Merry Christmas, Baby, by Charles Brown. Enjoy.Merry Christmas Baby -- Charles Brown blues
Terrorist warfare
Posted on December 20, 2008No one said that terrorism is off limits in the Christmas video war. So I?ll be the first to go there. Here is Achmed the Dead Terrorist singing his holiday favorite, Jingle Bombs:
I can?t do anything right
Posted on December 19, 2008For the last few days, I?ve searched for bad Christmas videos. Alas, I?ve found two amateur videos that are actually kind of good. Lousy weapons of war, but worth sharing.First, here?s a fellow who re-arranges some Christmas standards Bob Dylan...
Feline pharmacy
Posted on December 17, 2008?Cats are low-maintenance pets,? they say. They?re wrong. The cats in the Ward household are now batting 4 out of 4 for daily prescription medication. Here?s the rundown: Jelly Roll, the tubby tabby, gets theophylline every day for control of...
Suicide on a bike
Posted on December 16, 2008Please visit Jewel Thinks and read Suicide on a bike. Do it right now. And please be reminded that, no, it ain?t over. (Greg: thanks.)
?War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.? ?Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Posted on December 16, 2008It seems the Christmas-video war is moving into an ugly phase. See, e.g., Maitri and Greg. Here is my poor effort to respond in kind:PERE NOEL AUTOMATE MUSICAL VILLAGE PEOPLE CHRISTMASUploaded by FMILD34
I hope he comes out of this okay, but still ....
Posted on December 15, 2008Kidnapping is no joke. I hope and pray that the subject of this post will be returned safely to his loved ones. Having said that, here is the headline of the day (with hat tip to Improbable Research):U.S. anti-kidnap expert...
A break from the war for Johnny Adams
Posted on December 15, 2008For combatants in the Christmas-video war, I offer this respite. For several days now, we?ve been watching and listening to some of the most God-awful Christmas-related dreck on the web. We need a break. If you agree, then do yourself...
Have yourself a B.M. Christmas
Posted on December 14, 2008A few days ago, in the course of the NOLA bloggers? Christmas-video war, Varg fired a Michael Bolton stink bomb. All ran for cover, and as I adjusted the straps on my gas mask, I contemplated retaliation in kind. Like...
?War is a series of catastrophes ....? ?Albert Pike
Posted on December 14, 2008I actually like Ray Stevens. But thanks to some ugly nudity, this video qualifies as a war weapon.In case that wasn?t offensive enough, here?s a disturbing number about a Christmas stalker.p.s. (12/14/08): Let me correct the first sentence. I used...
Cease fire
Posted on December 13, 2008Things were mostly quiet on the Christmas-war front?until around midnight, when Adrastos dropped the big one. Stunned and reeling am I from that one. Tomorrow I may rejoin the war. For today, I?m waving a white flag while I bring...
War. What is it good for?
Posted on December 11, 2008May the good Lord forgive me for posting this. But someone must respond to Adrastos, and Varg, and Jeffrey, and Leigh, and Maitri, and Erster, and of course, Greg. Click on the play arrow, and the first three words you...
Unusual weather we?re having, ain?t it?
Posted on December 11, 2008This morning around 8:00, the rain turned to snow. The wet, clumpable kind, perfect for snowballs. Ho-hum for Midwesterners, but in New Orleans, cause for giddiness. Here?s a picture of the front of my house, taken just before I left...
War is hell.
Posted on December 10, 2008I cannot win the New Orleans Bloggers? Christmas Video War. Others have me outgunned. But then, facing overwhelming odds is no reason not to fight. So here goes. The faint of heart are urged to avert their eyes. As for...
Our Christmas newsletter
Posted on December 07, 2008I?ve uploaded our annual Christmas newsletter. To read it, click here.
How can Jones rent storage space so cheaply?
Posted on December 06, 2008Maybe it?s because people like me gladly run Jones's commercial for free. And apparently it helps if Jones is drunk. So if you?re trying to achieve Zen simplicity in your living space, Jones can help. Oh, and the web site...
Come together, over Tina Turner
Posted on December 06, 2008Driving home from work last Monday, I listened to WWOZ playing Ike & Tina Turner?s performance of Come Together. In case you weren?t listening to ?OZ at the time, here it is:And for those of you who are now feeling...
Memento man
Posted on December 06, 2008Many of us are familiar with the movie Memento, about a man who, due to a brain injury, lost his ability to form new memories. But few people know that the story was inspired by a real-life person. That person,...
In honor of the recession ...
Posted on December 03, 2008Since the recession is now official, let?s pay it a musical tribute, courtesy of Clarence ?Gatemouth? Brown:
Alas, poor Andre.
Posted on December 03, 2008Here?s one way to achieve an immortality of sorts on stage. When Polish pianist Andre Tchaikovsky died, he left his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company, so that it could star as Yorick in the RSC?s productions of Hamlet. And...
Checklist for the holidays
Posted on December 02, 2008If, like me, you have some sins to atone for, here are a few things you can do toward that end between now and the end of the year: Feed the hungry. Write a check to your local food bank....
Lucky
Posted on November 29, 2008Many years ago, I saw a 4-year-old prodigy named Lucky Peterson on the Johnny Carson show, playing the organ and singing a little song called 1 2 3 4. I remember Johnny asking him for an autograph, and Lucky taking...
?Come on in my kitchen?
Posted on November 22, 2008Meet Theresa Andersson, Sweden?s finest contribution to the New Orleans music scene. She is an eclectic musician, dabbling over the years in blues, R&B, and rock. Lately she?s been experimenting with loop pedals, both on stage and in her kitchen....
Navel gazing for bloggers
Posted on November 20, 2008Lately, many of my blogging buddies have been plugging themselves into the GenderAnalyzer, to find out how manly or womanly their blogs are. For those who are even more introspective, here is the Typeanalyzer, an engine that figures out your...
Guess I should buy me a fedora
Posted on November 19, 2008Number 116 on the list of Stuff White People Like: black music that black people don?t listen to anymore. Such as jazz and blues:?Along with Jazz, white people have also taken quite a shine to The Blues, an art form...
South Texas grand jury indicts Cheney and Gonzales
Posted on November 18, 2008A hat tip to Roger Hughes for this item: McALLEN, Texas ? A South Texas grand jury has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy...
An example of professionalism
Posted on November 17, 2008Here is a special Monday edition of Saturday-Evening Blues?an example of professionalism.1 Let?s say you?re a blues guitarist with a broken ring finger on your fretboard hand. What do you do? If you?re Albert King, you put a splint on...
In honor of Mitch Mitchell
Posted on November 15, 2008Former drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mitch Mitchell, died earlier this week. You can see him a little and hear him a lot on this video.
Dying isn?t so bad if you know how to live.
Posted on November 12, 2008Case in point: South Texas lawyer Doug Tinker, whom I didn?t know, but wish I did. The first paragraph of his obituary reminds me of Monty Python?s famous dead-parrot sketch. I hope that in heaven, he hooks up with Louis...
A post-election song for Saturday Evening Blues
Posted on November 08, 2008Here is New Orleans? contribution to Barack Obama?s successful campaign, courtesy of Lee Dorsey and Allen Toussaint. This song was later covered by the Pointer Sisters. Enjoy.
I cried.
Posted on November 05, 2008I expected that Barack Obama would probably win yesterday?s presidential election. I didn?t expect that, when I realized he had actually done it, I would cry. Cry at seeing his face on the TV screen with the words ?The 44th...
Life in the slow lane
Posted on November 01, 2008This week my soon-to-be-former Internet service provider dealt me a total breakdown in both products and service. Translation: the DSL stopped working, and after three tries with what they somehow refer to without any trace of irony as ?support,? still...
?We love you, Sarah, but ...?
Posted on October 27, 2008... the Anchorage Daily News endorses Barack Obama for president. Gov. Palin?s nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency ? but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all...
?Life is a near-death experience.?
Posted on October 26, 2008?Life is a near-death experienceHell is right here on this great big earthIt could be a little taste of heavenIf we only knew our worth.?? Mac Rebennack and Bobby Charles, ?You Might Be Surprised?from Dr. John and the Lower 911,...
Etta James
Posted on October 25, 2008?Here she is, MIss Peaches, Etta James, and ?Something?s Got a Hold of Me.? Go, honey.?
Where?s Travis McGee now?
Posted on October 22, 2008My friend and former colleague Brad Parker has had an interesting few years. You may remember Brad from his well-received blog, Where?s Travis McGee? A few years ago, he re-joined the Navy, and recently he finished a tour of duty...
Where???s Travis McGee now?
Posted on October 22, 2008My friend and former colleague Brad Parker has had an interesting few years. You may remember Brad from his well-received blog, Where???s Travis McGee? A few years ago, he re-joined the Navy, and recently he finished a tour of duty...
Dancing with the stars
Posted on October 21, 2008My sister Gabrielle e-mailed this photo to me. I must admit they make a handsome couple. If you know who created this photo, please leave a comment so that we?ll have proper attribution.
Delbert McClinton double feature
Posted on October 18, 2008Delbert McClinton is the second-funkiest white man on the planet.1 Here he is having fun with ???Lonestar Blues.??? Below that, a more soulful song, ???Don???t Want to Love You Anymore.??? __________1 First is Dr. John.
Junior
Posted on October 12, 2008It ain?t Junior Kimbrough. It ain't Junior Walker. It ain?t Junior Wells. It?s Junior Brown.
Bluesgrass
Posted on October 11, 2008The most popular version of ?Man of Constant Sorrow? is probably the one by Union Station, sung by Dan Tyminski and lip-synced by George Clooney on Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? But with all due respect to Dan, the best...
Civil disobedience in Chicago
Posted on October 09, 2008Let?s say you?re a tenant who pays the rent on time. Unfortunately, your landlord defaults on the mortgage. Result: the bank forecloses and you are evicted. Or not, if you live in Cook County, Illinois. The Trib reports:As the nationwide...
Payton to Payton: I?ve got your kicker right here.
Posted on October 08, 2008Sean Payton?s Hall-of-Fame namesake has the answer to the Saints? kicking woes:
Payton to Payton: I???ve got your kicker right here.
Posted on October 08, 2008Sean Payton???s Hall-of-Fame namesake has the answer to the Saints??? kicking woes.
String theory
Posted on October 07, 2008In Stockholm, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has begun handing out this year?s Nobel prizes. Meanwhile, another august group recently bestowed this year?s Ig Nobel prizes for ?achievements that first make people laugh, then think.? Sometimes the work honored...
The soup stone
Posted on October 05, 2008Here?s a lovely story found in The Heart of the Enlightened:A woman in a village was surprised to find a fairly well-dressed stranger at her door asking for something to eat. ?I?m sorry,? she said, ?I have nothing in the...
Diagramming Gov. Palin?s sentences
Posted on October 04, 2008Usually I tackle English-language uses and abuses on my other blog. But I try to keep that blog non-partisan. So I?ll use this one to post a link to Diagramming Sarah, in which Kitty Burns Florey attempts to diagram some...
Alex Johnson, the (almost) king of the blues
Posted on October 04, 2008A millions thanks to Greg Peters for introducing me to Alex Johnson. Here is Alex?s performance at the 2007 King of the Blues competition. After watching this, I can?t believe he was merely a runner-up.
Hope
Posted on October 04, 2008In any twelve-step program, the first step is admitting the problem. But when that step is taken, recovery becomes possible. Even for these people.
Diagramming Gov. Palin???s sentences
Posted on October 04, 2008Usually I tackle English-language uses and abuses on my other blog. But I try to keep that blog non-partisan. So I???ll use this one to post a link to Diagramming Sarah, in which Kitty Burns Florey attempts to diagram some...
Now it?s the Corps of Engineers? turn
Posted on October 01, 2008As reported in America?s Finest News Source, Hurricane Katrina returned to New Orleans yesterday to apologize for what she done.
Now it???s the Corps of Engineers??? turn
Posted on October 01, 2008As reported in America???s Finest News Source, Hurricane Katrina returned to New Orleans yesterday to apologize for what she done.
My favorite quotation by St. Vincent de Paul
Posted on September 28, 2008Yesterday was the feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Here is my favorite quotation by Vincent:It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humored....
Henri Nouwen
Posted on September 28, 2008When I was in seminary college in the late 1970s, I first started hearing about Henri Nouwen. But only recently have I read any of his writings. Right now I?m reading a book of his selected writings, which blows me...
Ho-hum, another major bank failure
Posted on September 27, 2008So how fucked up is the U.S. economy? Yesterday?s edition of the New Orleans Times-Picayune points to a disturbing answer. The newspaper carried a Washington Post story about the prior evening?s failure of Washington Mutual, it?s seizure by federal regulators,...
Classical music
Posted on September 27, 2008On my other blog, I write about legal writing. But here, I?ll express this thought:Typical lawyerspeak: However, I inflicted a gunshot wound on an individual in Reno, for the sole purpose of observing his expiration. Johnny Cash: But I shot...
The bailout (simplified)
Posted on September 24, 2008(click here to view) Ed SteinRocky Mountain NewsSep 24, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com Hat tip to First Draft.
Stevie covers Earl King: ?Let the Good Times Roll?
Posted on September 20, 2008I?m pretty sure this video was recorded in New Orleans, which would be appropriate. It?s Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble performing Earl King?s classic ?Let the Good Times Roll,? a.k.a. ?Come On.?
Apologies to Ambrose Bierce
Posted on September 15, 2008software upgrade ? noun phrase ? an attempt to fix something that isn?t broken.
?And who is my neighbor??
Posted on September 14, 2008From Slabbed comes the story of folks who take Luke 10:25?37 seriously. (That?s the parable of the good Samaritan.)
Everything is Broken
Posted on September 13, 2008Bob Dylan recorded his album Oh Mercy in New Orleans. Here is a live performance of one song from that album: Everything is Broken.
Holy ...
Posted on September 13, 2008Here?s a satellite view of Ike over Dallas, courtesy of Weather Underground. I can?t believe the sumbitch is this well organized this far inland. If you watch hurricanes (as we all do on the gulf coast), then your reaction to...
The cone of error
Posted on September 12, 2008The New Orleans Levee is always good for a chuckle or two. But every now and then, they hit a home run. The graphic at left, by Rudy M. Vorkapic, is comic genius. The caption: ?A recent National Hurricane Center...
Ike-o
Posted on September 11, 2008Chorus:Hey now, hey now,Ike-o Ike go awayIke-o, Ike-oIke-o Ike go away Hey you, hurricane, in the gulf Ike-o, Ike go away Don?t come here, ?cause we had enough Ike-o, Ike go away Chorus See that hurricane going west Ike-o Ike...
The worst injury is to his pride.
Posted on September 09, 2008Not even the Nature Boy is immune to time. According to the AP, it seems he got himself beaten up by his daughter?s boyfriend. That will happen when you?re (yikes!) 59 and the boyfriend is 22.
Coin toss triggers existential angst
Posted on September 08, 2008A hint to NFL general managers everywhere: don?t draft a philosophy major.Pre-Game Coin Toss Makes Jacksonville Jaguars Realize Randomness Of Life
All is not well after Gustav
Posted on September 06, 2008Wherever you are, please banish the notion that Gustav did little damage. Although New Orleans came through relatively okay, areas south and west of New Orleans did not. For details you won?t find in the main-stream media, please read this...
Propaganda
Posted on September 06, 2008Between now and November 4, we are going to be bombarded with propaganda from both major parties. To help us spot it, Roy Peter Clark offers his seven-point propaganda detector.
?You want them eggs ...?
Posted on September 06, 2008What can we say about Bobby Lounge? He says that he?s confined to an iron lung, not as a medical necessity, but as a matter of personal choice. His on-stage wardrobe is like a dumpster-diving version of Elton John. As...
The sound you here is millions of jaws dropping to the floor.
Posted on September 05, 2008The Hill reports:Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term ?uppity? to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday. Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin?s speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare...
Lemonade
Posted on September 05, 2008I?m happy to report that sometime this afternoon, the Ward household finally got some electricity from Entergy. What a relief! Nevertheless, a lengthy power failure isn?t all bad. For one thing, it prompted us to recover a New Orleans tradition:...
All is well here.
Posted on September 02, 2008This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C90D03.8E347E34 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable New Orleans weathered the storm well. We have no electricity, but water = and gas utilities are okay...
The saints
Posted on August 31, 2008?The wonderful thing about saints is that they were human. They lost their tempers, scolded God, were egotistical or testy of impatient in their turns, made mistakes and regretted them. Still they went on doggedly blundering toward heaven.??Phyllis McGinley...
Please read this.
Posted on August 31, 2008Athenae has written a beautiful essay and posted it on First Draft. Please read it.
Primary sources of hurricane information
Posted on August 31, 2008Here are some Web sites that New Orleans bloggers rely on for trustworthy information about hurricanes: The National Hurricane Center. This is where the TV weathercasters get their information. If you like your information unfiltered by TV announcers, then bookmark...
A third-year checkup
Posted on August 30, 2008I am blessed?or have the disadvantage of?living on what?s been called ?the sliver by the river,? or ?the isle of denial,? the part of town that didn?t flood in 2005. Where I live, it looks like New Orleans has recovered...
The Guard has arrived
Posted on August 30, 2008Just now I saw a sight I hadn?t seen since late 2005 and early 2006: a small military convoy of Humvees (the real ones, not the wuss ones with A/C) full of troops dressed in fatigues and army boots, driving...
Gustav
Posted on August 30, 2008As everyone knows, we?re expecting Hurricane Gustav to hit the Louisiana gulf coast sometime Monday. People have always been a bit anxious around here when a hurricane is threatening. But this time it?s been a little different. I?ve notice a...
Shelter from the Storm
Posted on August 30, 2008This one is for the hundreds of thousands of people who, three years ago, opened their homes for people they barely knew. It?s also for those who, right now, are doing the same thing. This is Bob Dylan singing Shelter...
August 29, 2005
Posted on August 29, 2008If you like this video, then you?ll like this record too. (For the search engines: this is Irma Thomas.)
Friedman?s fearless football forecast
Posted on August 28, 2008In late August, Orleanians keep an eye out for hurricanes and their tidal surges. We also keep an eye out for Reuben Friedman?s annual in-depth predictions about the Tulane Green Wave?s football fortunes. Reuben knows a lot about college football,...
NPR?s Top 100
Posted on August 25, 2008What are the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century, in any genre? Here is NPR?s list, including audio downloads of NPR?s story on each one. Some entries I agree with: ?Ain?t That a Shame,? by Fats...
A parable
Posted on August 23, 2008From The Heart of the Enlightened, by Anthony de Mello:A woman complained to a visiting friend that her neighbor was a poor housekeeper. ?You should see how dirty her children are?and her house. It is almost a disgrace to be...
Junion Walker, ?What Does It Take?
Posted on August 23, 2008I remember the late summer of 1969, right after the first Apollo moon landing, when I first started becoming aware of popular music?the stuff they used to play on WTIX, the Mighty 690 on you AM dial. One of the...
Ruling Imagination: Law and Creativity
Posted on August 20, 2008Law Professor Peter Friedman has started a new blog that?s worth a look: Ruling Imagination: Law and Creativity. The title alone is enough reason to check it out.
Random thought on the presidential race
Posted on August 18, 2008Senator Obama?s lack of foreign-policy experience is a legitimate subject for debate. But no one who voted for George Bush in 2000 is allowed to raise it.
Thomas Merton on Christian humility
Posted on August 17, 2008From The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton, via Thomas Merton: Essential Writings: One of the great tragedies of the Christian West is the fact that for all the good will of the missionaries and colonizers (they certainly meant well, and...
Dave Sherman
Posted on August 16, 2008What will it take to fix everything that?s broken in New Orleans, or in the rest of the world? Dave Sherman has the simple answer:
Post-Katrina Progress Report
Posted on August 11, 2008The Kaiser Family Foundation has released the results of its second post-Katrina survey, this one focused on Orleans Parish. The bottom line: We are not okay. (Hat tip to beSpacific.)
Pink Floyd, ?Money?
Posted on August 09, 2008Most music in the 1970s sucked. But not all. Among the un-sucky music was Pink Floyd?s classic album, Dark Side of the Moon, owned by everyone who fancied himself a ?serious? music fan. The biggest hit from that album was...
Just another absurdity
Posted on August 08, 2008Improbable Research appropriately refers to this as the Rube Goldberg approach to tanning. From the Sun Lounge Studio tanning salon: First, and most importantly, we are a SOLAR POWERED tanning studio. Sun Lounge Tanning Studio is the first of its...
I have just two things to say about Dr. John?s latest album, ?City That Care Forgot?
Posted on August 07, 2008Get it. Then listen until you get it. Got it?
Live for today
Posted on August 06, 2008Here?s a sure-fire recipe for misery; see if it sounds familiar. You endure an existence that makes you miserable, thinking that at some date off in the future (e.g. retirement), you will commence real living. James Dolan calls this Preparing...
Dr. John and Johnny Winter: ?Love, Life & Money?
Posted on August 02, 2008Here?s something special: Dr. John and Johnny Winter sharing a stage and playing Love, Life & Money. One of the commenters on YouTube says it?s from a video called Bits & Pieces. Watch carefully between 5:07 and 5:10 to see...
Family photo
Posted on August 01, 2008This picture is labeled ?Family Picture Fail.? I must disagree. I think it?s a smashing success.
Get up; stand up.
Posted on July 30, 2008?We are going to render an account to God, not only for our idle words, but also for our ill-considered silence.? ?John Trithemius. (Source: God?s Politics.)
Bail me out
Posted on July 29, 2008Some wise guy swore out a warrant for my arrest. As a result, I?m to be arrested on August 7 and taken to a temporary lockup at Galatoire?s. Getting out of jail won?t be free: it?ll cost $2,000. In the...
The silence of the woods
Posted on July 27, 2008?There are so many words that one cannot get to God as long as He is thought to be on the other side of the words.... That is where the silence of the woods comes in. Not that there is...
Stevie covers Stevie: ?Superstition?
Posted on July 26, 2008Here is Stevie Ray Vaughan?s cover of Stevie Wonder?s hit ?Superstition.?
Glasswing butterflies
Posted on July 24, 2008All butterflies are beautiful. But the most striking butterflies I?ve ever seen are these glasswing butterflies.
How to study for the bar exam
Posted on July 19, 2008I?m reading Brain Rules by John Medina, and just finished watching the DVD that comes with the book. It occurs to me that, when I studied for the Louisiana bar exam, I unwittingly followed several of the rules. Result: I...
The Black Keys: ?I Got Mine?
Posted on July 19, 2008Here?s a video of my favorite band from Akron, Ohio, the Black Keys. It?s ?I Got Mine,? as performed live on The Late Show. The song is from their latest album, Attack and Release. I have to confess that I...
His finest moment as president
Posted on July 16, 2008I was going to write a post about how sore the lower half of my 50-year-old body is, how all I did yesterday was a set of lunges with a 40-lb. barbell on my shoulders, and how today, as a...
24 years ago on the New Orleans riverfront
Posted on July 13, 2008In 1984, New Orleans hosted the World?s Fair. In the short term, it was a financial flop. But in the long term, it gave us the Convention Center and sparked the renewal of the Warehouse District. And for locals, it...
The dog days of summer
Posted on July 12, 2008They say that the phrase ?dog days of summer? has something to do with the conjunction of Sirius and the sun. Me, I define the onset of the dog days as the first day I take a shower without touching...
Gatemouth: ?Dollar Got the Blues?
Posted on July 12, 2008Here?s a timely number by Clarence ?Gatemouth? Brown: Dollar Got the Blues.
Rethinking depression (and how antidepressants work)
Posted on July 11, 2008The Boston Globe has this interesting article about the nature and etiology of depression. (Hat tip to Betsy McKenzie.) Though the article is not about the high incidence of depression in the legal community, it hints at a possible reason...
In a rare moment of candor, ...
Posted on July 10, 2008... President Bush bids the G8 Summit ?Goodbye from the world?s biggest polluter.? (Hat tip to Feddie.)
If you have no sense of humor, then read no further
Posted on July 06, 2008Have you ever imagined Chris Rose snagging a 60-second interview with the Savior of the World? Me too. I imagine it would go something like this: CR: My first name is Christopher. I guess that makes me your namesake. JC:...
Ironically, the pastor?s name is ?Lamb?
Posted on July 06, 2008It seems somebody stole a trailer belonging to the Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia and full of stuff the church needs every Sunday. So the pastor, with the love of Christ in his heart, wrote this open letter to the...
?It hurts me too.?
Posted on July 05, 2008Here is Keb? Mo?s interpretation of Elmore James?s ?It hurts me too?: And here is the original:
To help you get organized on the 4th
Posted on July 04, 2008Here is extraordinary organist Cameron Carpenter playing Stars and Stripes Forever at the Trinity Church on Wall Street. One trick he does that I?ve never seen before is around the 2:00 mark, where he plays two keyboards with one hand.
Who says George Carlin wasn?t a prophet?
Posted on July 04, 2008From The Heart of the Enlightened, by Anthony de Mello: An ancient legend has it that when God was creating the world, He was approached by four angels. The first one asked, ?How are you doing it?? The second, ?Why...
All we, like sheep ... (Isaiah 53:6)
Posted on July 03, 2008This morning I was flipping through George Carlin?s book When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, and came across this quotation attributed to Hermann Göring: Of course the people don?t want war. But after all, it?s the leaders of the...
?Tightening the belt? indeed
Posted on July 02, 2008Forget about the price of gasoline. The price of food, across the board, has jumped from last year. Everyone who buys groceries already knows that. For the nitty-gritty, check out these numbers published by the Cattle Network. Hat tip to...
John Hammond, ?Mother-in-Law Blues?
Posted on June 28, 2008If you look around for John Hammond videos on YouTube, you?ll find many good ones. Here?s a representative sample: a performance of ?Mother-in-Law Blues.? Now some of you out there are thinking, ?If he?s going to post a song about...
As if the flying termites and flying 2-inch-long roaches weren?t enough,...
Posted on June 27, 2008... we now have killer bees. (Hat tip to Suspect Device.)
An example for Louisiana
Posted on June 25, 2008To save the Everglades, Florida is going to spend $1.7 billion to buy 187,000 acres of land now used to farm sugar cane. The plan is to restore the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee. So reports the Miami...
Supreme Court ruling on death penalty
Posted on June 24, 2008This is satire, but the Onion pulls it off nicely. The graphics are spot-on. Supreme Court Rules Death Penalty Is 'Totally Badass'
Rest in peace, George
Posted on June 23, 2008?An update on the comedian health sweepstakes. I currently lead Richard Pryor in heart attacks two to one. But Richard still leads me one to nothing in burning yourself up. See, it happened like this. First Richard had a heart...
?Heard about a sled in New Orleans?
Posted on June 21, 2008Joe Cocker sings With a Little Help From My Friends, while the closed-captioner attempts to transcribe. (Hat tip to Improbable Research.)
Ike & Tina Turner: ?Higher?
Posted on June 21, 2008This video of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue is 37 years old. Great stuff?just don?t ask me what?s up with Ike?s hair. Ike & Tina Turner Live 1971 Uploaded by Fiasko
?They all axed for you?
Posted on June 19, 2008Why do New Orleanians sometimes pronounce ask as ax, as in the Meters? song, They All Axed Fer You? The answer may surprise you. According to grammar maven Patricia O'Conner, the pronunciation dates back to the 8th century, when the...
Hypermileage
Posted on June 18, 2008Based on some personal experimentation, I feel confident telling you that you can dramatically increase your gasoline mileage without trading in whatever you?re driving for a hybrid. I drive a small SUV (a Saturn VUE), and lately I?ve been trying...
The Wizard of Odd, Part 3
Posted on June 15, 2008I guess there?s no denying I?ve done a lot of lying, my president to serve. But you can bet your wisdom tooth That I would have told the truth, If I?d only had the nerve. Now that I?ve finally found...
The Wizard of Odd, Part 2
Posted on June 14, 2008To not be such a hater, As sour as Darth Vader, I?d make a brand new start. I would give up all effrontery. And I?d let George run the country, If I only had a heart. I?d not be such...
Rory Block: ?Crossroad Blues?
Posted on June 14, 2008Here is Rory Block?s interpretation of Robert Johnson?s ?Crossroad Blues.? If you like this, then you may be interested in her DVD, Guitar Artistry of Rory Block.
The Wizard of Odd, Part 1
Posted on June 08, 2008If I were only smarter Than that one-term Jimmy Carter, Full of knowledge so arcane. My thoughts would be so many, I?d stand up to Mr. Cheney If I only had a brain. I could figure out your taxes And...
Sonny Landreth, ?Überesso?
Posted on June 07, 2008Sonny Landreth?s new album, From the Reach, features this hot number, Überesso. The video is from the Crossroads 2007 DVD, which is excellent. As usual with Sonny, the wonder here is how he makes what he does look so easy.
Sonny Landreth, ?????beresso???
Posted on June 07, 2008Sonny Landreth???s new album, From the Reach, features this hot number, ??beresso. The video is from the Crossroads 2007 DVD, which is excellent. As usual with Sonny, the wonder here is how he makes what he does look so easy.
Robert F. Kennedy
Posted on June 05, 2008Today is the 40th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy?s assassination. Here is a video to commemorate his life and death.
In case you needed another reason to despise David Vitter
Posted on June 03, 2008Senate Bill 2731 would authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. President Bush supports this bill. But seven Republican senators?the so-called ?Coburn Seven??are blocking it from going...
Food: More scarce, more expensive
Posted on June 03, 2008The high price of gas is a hardship for people who have to drive a lot. But worldwide, a more serious problem is brewing. For instance: According to these stories in the Chicago Tribune and the Guardian, high food prices...
John 9:41
Posted on June 01, 2008A story from Awareness, by Anthony de Mello: A man born blind comes to me and asks, ?What is this thing called green?? How does one describe the color green to someone who was born blind? One uses analogies. So...
John Campbell, ?Saddle Up My Pony?
Posted on May 31, 2008In a comment to my recent post about John Hammond, Greg Peters recommended John Campbell. Greg said that Campbell?s album Howling Mercy ?will take the top of your head clean off.? If this video is any indication, then Greg is...
John Campbell, ???Saddle Up My Pony???
Posted on May 31, 2008In a comment to my recent post about John Hammond, Greg Peters recommended John Campbell. Greg said that Campbell???s album Howling Mercy ???will take the top of your head clean off.??? If this video is any indication, then Greg is...
A discovery
Posted on May 29, 2008So I?m driving home from work one evening, listening to WWOZ. It?s a blues show. And as I hit Lee Circle, this amazing acoustic number comes out of the speakers. The song is ?No One Can Forgive Me But My...
Obama, Clinton, and McCain are of one mind on Darfur
Posted on May 28, 2008The three remaining major presidential candidates released a joint statement today on Darfur.
Quotation of the day
Posted on May 26, 2008?The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of other men! A weird life it is, indeed, to be living always in somebody else?s imagination,...
Quotation of the day
Posted on May 25, 2008JFK, 1961: And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what...
Taj Mahal and Corey Harris: ?Sittin?€™ on Top of the World?
Posted on May 24, 2008All I can say about this video is it?€™s as sweet as sweet tea. See also A Scale Canadian, where Jim Bates has posted a live performance of ?Shelter from the Storm? by Bob Dylan.
Taj Mahal and Corey Harris: ???Sittin??????? on Top of the World?????
Posted on May 24, 2008All I can say about this video is it???????s as sweet as sweet tea. See also A Scale Canadian, where Jim Bates has posted a live performance of ???Shelter from the Storm????? by Bob Dylan.
Your song
Posted on May 22, 2008Today is the 58th birthday of Bernie Taupin, the guy who wrote the lyrics for most of Elton John?s song. To commemorate Bernie?s birthday (and for the sake of nostalgia), here?s a video of ?Your Song,? Bernie and Elton?s first...
Another Barathon survived
Posted on May 17, 2008I?m happy to report that I survived last evening?s running of the 26th annual Tchoupitoulas Barathon. Six miles, six bar, six beers; time 1:02:25. Not bad, considering that my longest recent run was five days prior: five miles (with no...
The Pretenders: ?My City Was Gone?
Posted on May 17, 2008Here?s a rock-and-roll apple that didn?t fall far from the blues tree: the Pretenders? live performance of ?My City Was Gone.? Orleanians can relate to that. The good folks at What About Clients Paris?, who led me to this video,...
The Pretenders: ???My City Was Gone???
Posted on May 17, 2008Here???s a rock-and-roll apple that didn???t fall far from the blues tree: the Pretenders??? live performance of ???My City Was Gone.??? Orleanians can relate to that. The good folks at What About Clients Paris?, who led me to this video,...
Get your FYYFF t-shirt right here
Posted on May 14, 2008If you want an FYYFF t-shirt (you know you do!) but can?t make it to Dirty Coast?s store on Magazine Street to buy one, fear not: you can buy one (or several) on line at Dirty Coast?s web site. While...
A suggestion for legislative pay raises
Posted on May 12, 2008State Senator Ann Duplessis has caught a lot of flack lately for proposing a substantial pay raise for state legislators. Whatever you think of her proposal, two things should be universally accepted: If legislators are going to be paid at...
The Kelo backlash and the recovery
Posted on May 11, 2008In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held, in Kelo v. City of New London, that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit a state from expropriating private land for ?economic development,? e.g. a Wal-Mart. In reaction, Louisiana (like many other states)...
I got mine
Posted on May 10, 2008The Ashley Morris memorial t-shirts just arrived at Dirty Coast on Magazine Street. Go get yours. You?ll look cool, and you?ll be helping Ashley?s family. For the signification of ?FYYFF,? read this classic by Ashley.
Trying out a new design
Posted on May 10, 2008I?ve done some remodeling here at Minor Wisdom. I re-arranged the layout to put both sidebars on the right side, so that the newest post will appear in the upper left corner?the first place people usually look at on a...
Get your needs met
Posted on May 10, 2008The 26th annual Barathon is this Friday, May 16, at 6:05 p.m. sharp. The flyer (PDF) is here; other details are here.
Henry Butler
Posted on May 10, 2008Why did I say that Henry Butler is special? Here?s why, in two parts: See also these two posts at A Scale Canadian: Two versions of ?Aberdeen Mississippi Blues?: one by Kenny Wayne Shepherd (pretty good), and the original by...
The nutcracker sweet
Posted on May 08, 2008This picture, spotted on Library Chronicles, is too funny not to share.
God speed, Mildred Loving
Posted on May 05, 2008Every student of constitutional law knows about Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision striking down laws against interracial marriage. Well, Mildred Loving, the petitioner in Loving v. Va., died last Friday. We should commemorate her as we commemorated Rosa...
After all, it is the Jazz Fest
Posted on May 04, 2008I didn?t go to the Fair Grounds today planning to see mostly jazz. But as usual, the best moments at Jazz Fest are unplanned. On arriving at around 11:30 or so, I headed for the Jazz Tent and caught most...
An editorial
Posted on May 03, 2008After Ashey Morris?s death, one of the New Orleans bloggers (I forget which one) suggested that every NOLA blogger post something with the word ?fuck? during the month following Ashley?s death. I missed the deadline by a day or two,...
Sonny Landreth, ?Native Stepson?
Posted on May 03, 2008Sonny Landreth is playing at Jazz Fest tomorrow. I won?t get to see him, so I?ll console myself with this 2007 performance of ?Native Stepson?.
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Posted on May 03, 2008So how was Stevie Wonder?s performance yesterday at Jazz Fest? I was going to say it was worth seeing, even though it bogged down in the middle. But Times-Picayune music writer Keith Spera says it better than I can. On...
Take a vacation
Posted on May 01, 2008One of my chronic failings is failing to take a real vacation. Since passing the bar and beginning my legal career, I?ve never spent a solid two weeks away from work. And I?ve never traveled for pleasure?to me, ?travel? and...
No demons
Posted on May 01, 2008?Jesus broke all the social etiquette in terms of relating to people and bringing people into relationship with himself. He acknowledged no barriers or human divisions ... no category of sinners from whom he would isolate himself.... I am a...
So what is this ?Christian? thing all about?
Posted on May 01, 2008It?s not about people who abuse children. It?s especially not about people who are called ?religious? abusing children. It?s about a child who undergoes such abuse and turns into an adult with no bitterness. Like Sr. Mary Martha?s mom. Maybe...
An ordinary Thursday at Jazz Fest
Posted on May 01, 2008Today was the first Jazz Fest Thursday since Katrina. Thursdays were relatively low-key days. Today seemed to fit that mold. Here?s a short account of one attendee?s low-key day: Arrive some time after 11:00 a.m. Go first to the Gospel...
Master class
Posted on April 29, 2008For all you guitar players out there, here?s an interesting video of Sonny Landreth playing ?Gone Pecan.? The camera operator focuses on Sonny?s right hand, so you can watch Sonny?s finger-picking technique. This reveals how he does what he does,...
One dilemma solved
Posted on April 28, 2008Jazz Fest can pose some difficult choices. Case in point: This Saturday, Marcia Ball is playing the Gentilly Stage at 3:45, while John Mooney is playing the Blues Tent, also at 3:45. What to do? This dilemma has an easy...
Jazz Fest Day 3: ?It?s Raining? and ?Feet, Don?t Fail Me Now?
Posted on April 27, 2008Another monsoon at Jazz Fest today. Another great time. I made a point to get there early today to catch all of Little Freddie King?s set (11:30?12:30, Blues Tent). I have a couple of his records, but I?d never seen...
Rained real hard and it rained for a real long time
Posted on April 26, 2008Once again, my day at Jazz Fest did not go as planned. It started off nominal. Sonny Bourg & the Bayou Blues Band were good. Wayne Toups and Zydecajun were great. But toward the end of Wayne?€™s set, a few...
High-energy blues by Tab Benoit
Posted on April 26, 2008Yesterday at Jazz Fest, I heard Tab Benoit simulate a washboard on his guitar. This video features the same thing, along with some other spicy guitar playing.
Where I?ll be on Friday (maybe)
Posted on April 25, 2008A day at Jazz Fest rarely goes as planned. As Chris Rose wrote a few days ago, the most carefully thought out plans always yield to serendipity. So with that disclaimer, here?s my plan for First Friday: 11:20: Susan Cowsill...
First Friday
Posted on April 25, 2008Okay, so my Jazz Fest plan for today was to see Susan Cowsill, J. Monque?D, the Zydepunks, Anders Osborne and/or Tab Benoit, and Buckwheat Zydeco. As usual, I departed from the script as the day developed. I did arrive early...
What was that about the price of gasoline?
Posted on April 23, 2008While we in the U.S. bellyache about the price of gasoline, millions worldwide are starting to go hungry, because food has become unaffordable. See these stories in the Washington Post and the Guardian. (Hat tip: God?s Politics.)
The official Tchoupitoulas Barathon web site
Posted on April 23, 2008For years I?ve been, by default, an unofficial webmaster for the Tchoupitoulas Barathon. But today I?m glad to announce the launch of the brand new, official Tchoupitoulas Barathon web site, courtesy of the new race director, Andrew Lilly. Go there...
Global warmings
Posted on April 21, 2008My sister Gabrielle sent me this video. The kid is lip-syncing Will Ferrell; still he does a good job of it. Gives me hope for the future of our great nation. Speaking of George Bush, let?s give him credit for...
Little Richard and CCR: ?Good Golly, Miss Molly?
Posted on April 19, 2008Before getting to this evening?s double feature, a few random blues-related thoughts: If you enjoy these Saturday-evening blues videos, then for goodness? sake, double your pleasure and subscribe to A Scale Canadian. Its proprietor, Jim Bates, has found and posted...
Blawg Review # 155
Posted on April 14, 2008Last week for posts he did beg, That California lawyer named Greg. Now he?s done something new With this week?s Blawg Review. He?s ready now to tap a keg.
Son House: ?Death Letter?
Posted on April 12, 2008Son House had a background as a child Baptist preacher, and it shows in his singing. He embodied the original American blues and passed it on to succeeding generations, including ours.
Eulogy for Ashley
Posted on April 12, 2008Ray Shea has posted his eulogy given at Ashley Morris?s funeral yesterday. I can assure you that every word of it is true, and all of it occurred in just the last three years. Read it, and marvel at a...
?Now we got here in the state of Louisiana what?s known as the Napoleonic code.?
Posted on April 11, 2008Actually the Louisiana Civil Code is not the Napoleonic Code?ours has a heavy Spanish influence. But the Napoleonic Code must have influenced the Louisiana Civil Code: the structures of the two codes are identical. As a gift to civilian legal-researchers,...
Ashley?s obituaries
Posted on April 10, 2008Ashley Morris?s obituaries (he has two) are here and here. The funeral is tomorrow at Jacob Schoen on Canal Street. Mrs. Morris says that if you attend, you may wear your Saints attire.
A flood is a flood, regardless of its cause.
Posted on April 08, 2008This morning, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a decision holding that a flood exclusion in a commercial-property policy applies to damage caused any flood, regardless of whether the flood damage resulted from human negligence (that is, negligence by the Corps...
You can help
Posted on April 08, 2008Last week, extraordinary New Orleans blogger Ashley Morris died suddenly, leaving behind a wife and three young children. On hearing the news, many of us felt helpless, thinking ?I wish there was something I could do to help.? Here?s some...
I got your Jazz Fest t-shirt right here
Posted on April 08, 2008Or your French Quarter Fest t-shirt ? Ashley did prefer the FQF. Anyway, shirts with this design should be available at Dirty Coast later this week. Proceeds go to Ashley?s widow and children. If you?re wondering what ?FYYFF? stands for,...
Spencer Bohren: ?Born in a Biscayne?
Posted on April 05, 2008I?ve heard Spencer Bohren?s name for years, but I didn?t really listen to him until one day, driving to work, I turned on the radio, tuned in to WWOZ, and fell right into the middle of ?The Long Black Line.?...
Muddy
Posted on April 05, 2008I just heard on WWOZ that today is Muddy Waters?s 93rd birthday. So here?s some Muddy in your eye.
Remembering Ashley
Posted on April 04, 2008In December 2005, Ashley Morris first hit my consciousness. Not like a bug hitting a windshield; more like a baseball bat hitting a grapefruit. My conclusion after reading his blog for the first time: ?I can?t write.?
40th anniversary
Posted on April 04, 2008I was a ten-year-old child, full of the fear caused by then-lingering segregation, when Martin Luther King Jr. was slain 40 years ago today. The reaction then of the people around me: more fear (?They?ll riot!?). We?ve come a long...
Our loss
Posted on April 03, 2008The New Orleans blogging community has lost one of its unique personalities: Ashley Morris, who now belongs to eternity. As everyone who read his blog knows, Ashley loved with a passion beyond passion. He loved New Orleans, and God help...
Saturday-evening blues ? not
Posted on March 31, 2008Someone once recommended swallowing a live frog every day, first thing in the morning. If you do, nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. With that happy thought in mind, here?s a little something to start...
Saturday-evening blues ??? not
Posted on March 31, 2008Someone once recommended swallowing a live frog every day, first thing in the morning. If you do, nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. With that happy thought in mind, here???s a little something to start...
The center of the universe
Posted on March 30, 2008From April 25 through May 4, New Orleans will be the center of the universe. That?s when the Jazz Fest will be happening. A few days ago, the day-by-day, stage-by-stage lineups were released. So with Brass Pass in hand and...
Up jumped the devil
Posted on March 29, 2008Jeremy Lyons, originally from Ithaca, New York, is an adopted son of New Orleans. His music is blues with a touch of swing. Here he is with the Deltabilly Boys, in a live performance of Preachin? Blues. Me, I?m captivated...
???You can observe a lot just by watching.???
Posted on March 29, 2008In keeping with this blog???s tag line, here???s a video test of your ability to observe things by watching. (Hat tip to the [non]billable hour.)
?You can observe a lot just by watching.?
Posted on March 28, 2008In keeping with this blog?s tag line, here?s a video test of your ability to observe things by watching. (Hat tip to the [non]billable hour.)
Do you think you know Mike Huckabee?
Posted on March 28, 2008Below is a video of Mike Huckabee on MSNBC, responding to the controversy over comments made by Barack Obama???s pastor. He has many good things to say. For instance: As easy as it is for those of us who are...
Do you think you know Mike Huckabee?
Posted on March 27, 2008Below is a video of Mike Huckabee on MSNBC, responding to the controversy over comments made by Barack Obama?s pastor. He has many good things to say. For instance: As easy as it is for those of us who are...
For those who like to plan ahead
Posted on March 27, 2008The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has released its day-by-day, stage-by-stage schedules. To view them, visit their web site and wander around. I haven???t had time yet to read the schedules and make my own plans. That will be...
70 x 7
Posted on March 27, 2008???It is hard for me to forgive someone who has really offended me, especially when it happens more than once. I begin to doubt the sincerity of the one who asks forgiveness for a second, third, or fourth time. But...
For those who like to plan ahead
Posted on March 26, 2008The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has released its day-by-day, stage-by-stage schedules. To view them, visit their web site and wander around. I haven?t had time yet to read the schedules and make my own plans. That will be...
70 x 7
Posted on March 26, 2008?It is hard for me to forgive someone who has really offended me, especially when it happens more than once. I begin to doubt the sincerity of the one who asks forgiveness for a second, third, or fourth time. But...
The first
Posted on March 26, 2008The UN???s World Food Program is facing a $500 million shortfall. The reason: rising food prices. This is bad news for the 73 million people fed by the WFP. So what does that have to do with us? The United...
The first
Posted on March 25, 2008The UN?s World Food Program is facing a $500 million shortfall. The reason: rising food prices. This is bad news for the 73 million people fed by the WFP. So what does that have to do with us? The United...
Woman got my devil
Posted on March 25, 2008A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video of Skip James playing ???Devil Got My Woman.??? Here is an interesting response: ???Woman Got My Devil,??? performed by Grady. This video has heavy-metal blues and (for Ashley and his Mrs.)...
Woman got my devil
Posted on March 24, 2008A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video of Skip James playing ?Devil Got My Woman.? Here is an interesting response: ?Woman Got My Devil,? performed by Grady. This video has heavy-metal blues and (for Ashley and his Mrs.)...
Albert King: ?Born Under a Bad Sign?
Posted on March 22, 2008I noticed from watching this video that Albert King didn?t just play left-handed; he played upside down.
Albert King: ???Born Under a Bad Sign???
Posted on March 22, 2008I noticed from watching this video that Albert King didn???t just play left-handed; he played upside down.
Good Friday
Posted on March 21, 2008See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man so shall...
My kind of people
Posted on March 21, 2008Stuff White People Like is a blog devoted to?what else??stuff that white people like. I?m afraid that I?m guilty of many things on the list, such as coffee, microbreweries, wine, marathons,1 sushi, public radio, Whole Foods, lawyers, recycling (?saving the...
So how many homeless people do we have in New Orleans?
Posted on March 18, 2008Everyone who???s been by the intersection of Canal Street and Claiborne Avenue has seen them. Under the Claiborne overpass is a large encampment of homeless people. To see them???so many of them???is to know that we are failing. But I...
So how many homeless people do we have in New Orleans?
Posted on March 17, 2008Everyone who?s been by the intersection of Canal Street and Claiborne Avenue has seen them. Under the Claiborne overpass is a large encampment of homeless people. To see them?so many of them?is to know that we are failing. But I...
Skip James: ?Devil Got My Woman?
Posted on March 15, 2008Before Aaron Neville?s angelic tenor, before Johnny Adams? unbelievable falsetto, there was Skip James. Besides accompanying himself on guitar or piano, he sang with a voice most ethereal. He didn?t hit the high notes; he caressed them. But don?t take...
Skip James: ???Devil Got My Woman???
Posted on March 15, 2008Before Aaron Neville???s angelic tenor, before Johnny Adams??? unbelievable falsetto, there was Skip James. Besides accompanying himself on guitar or piano, he sang with a voice most ethereal. He didn???t hit the high notes; he caressed them. But don???t take...
Return to hell
Posted on March 13, 2008The Independent reports: The conflict in Darfur has entered a violent and deadly new phase. Another ?scorched earth? policy is being unleashed, reminiscent of the worst waves of government-backed violence that brought the Sudanese region to world attention five years...
Just as he said
Posted on March 10, 2008I?ve called Jim Kunstler a prophet, meaning he tells us stuff that we don?t want to hear. He?s also a prophet like Daniel, in that he reads the writing on the wall. If you?ve been reading Clusterfuck Nation for the...
Soul
Posted on March 08, 2008I can?t tell you what soul is. But I can show you. Watch and listen to Irma Thomas sing Backwater Blues.
Robert Belfour
Posted on March 08, 2008Robert Belfour was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1940, which isn?t so long ago. His music is as close to its African roots as any American music I?ve ever heard ? proving that the distance from Mali to Mississippi...
For some intelligent conservatism
Posted on March 06, 2008My conservative-blogging friend Feddie is reviving Southern Appeal. Feddie is a Catholic convert, a consistent pro-lifer who opposes capital punishment and torture,1 and a lover of fine bourbon. I agree with him on some issues, disagree on others, and always...
Get good religion
Posted on March 04, 2008So should you get the Blind Boys of Alabama?s latest CD? Only if you care about music, New Orleans, or your immortal soul. But don?t take my word for it.
Why do law firms undervalue blogs?
Posted on March 01, 2008The boys at Drug & Device Law?the most widely read products-liability blog on the Internet?ask why their respective large law firms are indifferent to their efforts, and come up with four possible answers.
Happy Gumdrop Fairy-Tale Land
Posted on February 26, 2008In Your Mumia sweatshirt won?t get you into heaven anymore, TBogg explains why Ralph Nader devotees should bite their collective lips (or whatever) and vote for the Democratic nominee. (Hat tip to Suspect Device.)
John Fogerty encore
Posted on February 24, 2008John Fogerty and CCR cannot be confined to one evening or one post or one era. Here is a 1997 performance of Fortunate Son. CCR had many, many great songs, but this is the one I identify with themost .
[A]nd a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was ...
Posted on February 24, 2008When you look at your digital photos 15 or 20 years from now, would you like to remember what they depict, when they were taken, and who is in them? Then do this as soon as you download them: As you view them, right-click on each one, select ?Properties,? and click on the ?Summary? tab...
Creedence
Posted on February 23, 2008It?s a mystery how someone born in Berkeley, California write, play, and sing swamp blues as John Fogerty can. Here he is with his old band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, performing Green River.1 If you?re in the mood for an encore, watch Heard It Through the Grapevine and Suzie Q...
The real meaning of the Second Amendment
Posted on February 19, 2008The meaning of the Second Amendment is fiercely debated between NRA-types and gun-control types. The wording and punctuation of the amendment don?t do much to resolve the debate:A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed...
I thought one sign was enough.
Posted on February 18, 2008?Into? is sometimes used as a preposition to describe enthusiasm. I remember one comedian (don?t remember which one) who poked fun at a fitness enthusiast?s statement, ?I?m into my body.? Then there?s the headline of this feature. My reaction: if she needs five signs, she?s not paying attention.
First kid on the block
Posted on February 16, 2008I?ve never been the first kid on my block to own anything. But according to the folks at Saturn of Metairie, my wife and I are the first kids in the New Orleans area to own a Saturn Astra. This little puppy is actually made in Belgium, and though I?m not acquainted with European cars, it feels and rides as I imagine a European car would...
Basketball Jones
Posted on February 16, 2008Since this is NBA Allstar weekend in New Orleans, I thought something with a basketball theme would be appropriate for Saturday Evening Blues. So without further ado, here is Basketball Jones.
Pistol Pete
Posted on February 15, 2008The Hornets are having a great season. But they have a marketing problem that no one in the NBA wants to talk about: they?re competing with the memory of Pete Maravich and the New Orleans Jazz. And fans with long memories who felt betrayed when the NBA allowed the Jazz to leave have cold feet when it comes to giving their hearts to another NBA team...
Not that anyone should care whom I?m voting for, but ...
Posted on February 14, 2008... it?s the guy on the left. Photo credit: Phillip Lee.
And I thought Boswell admired Johnson.
Posted on February 13, 2008This Onion piece, like many others, is funny on at least two levels:Kitchen-Floor Conflict Intensifies As Rival House Cats Claim Same Empty BagMAPLEWOOD, MO?Ongoing turmoil in the troubled kitchen-floor region of the Branson household reached a boiling point Tuesday, as relations between rival house cats Boswell and Johnson erupted into fresh violence...
Electric communication
Posted on February 09, 2008?Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.?? Charles Dickens (1812 ? 1870). (Hat tip to the Free Dictionary?s Quotation of the Day.)
Dumb warning label
Posted on February 09, 2008I?m not the first to riff on dumb warning labels. But the one I?m looking at now, on a bottle of aspirin, is too tempting to pass up. The one that provoked this post is the alcohol warning:If you consume 3 or more alcoholic drinks every day, ask your doctor whether you should take aspirin or other pain relievers/fever reducers...
The Black Keys: ?Thickfreakness?
Posted on February 09, 2008Thickfreakness is the Black Keys? second album (I love the cover photo). The video below is a live performance of the title cut. The distortion, on a 1 to 10 scale, starts out at a 15 before settling down to an 11. Dan?s voice likewise hits 11 on the bluesy / earthy scale...
Just wondering ...
Posted on February 08, 2008... whether I?m the only one who sees a double entendre in this headline. (I wonder if batteries were included.)
Bleeding hearts, unite.
Posted on February 07, 2008Today?s SojoMail brought this quotation of the week, by Nick Kristof: Bleeding-heart liberals could accomplish far more if they reached out to build common cause with bleeding-heart conservatives.Kristof describes some of those bleeding-heart conservatives ? evangelicals and Catholics ? who are pouring their hearts and souls into fighting AIDS, hunger, and genocide...
Called it wrong
Posted on February 06, 2008Two months ago, I predicted that the presidential nominees would be decided by the time the Louisiana primary is held. That?s certainly not true on the Democratic side. So between now and Saturday, I have to start paying attention. Right now I?m leaning heavily toward Obama...
A song for Ash Wednesday
Posted on February 06, 2008Last year for Ash Wednesday, I posted Johnny Cash?s austere version of ?Run On.? On seeing it, my friend Ashley Morris recommended the Blind Boys of Alabama?s version. I like both versions, but since I posted Johnny?s version last year, I thought I?d post the Blind Boys? version this year...
Appropriate for the credenza
Posted on February 05, 2008The Meters, Earl King, Professor Longhair, and Dr. John perform Big Chief, which today is ?appropriate for the credenza.?1 Happy Mardi Gras. __________1Dr. John, at around 0:30.
A super blawg review
Posted on February 04, 2008What About Clients? is this week?s host of Blawg Review, the carnival of law-related blogs. The proprietor, Dan Hull, has excellent taste when it comes to blogs, so the outstanding job he?s done is no surprise.
Archie Manning?s gonads elected to Hall of Fame
Posted on February 03, 2008CANTON, OHIO. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning?s gonads were selected for enshrinement today in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Manning gonads will join defensive end Fred Dean, cornerback Darrell Green, wide receiver Art Monk, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, linebacker Andre Tippett, and tackle Gary Zimmerman as the Class of 2008 enshrinees...
Archie Manning???s gonads elected to Hall of Fame
Posted on February 03, 2008CANTON, OHIO. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning???s gonads were selected for enshrinement today in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Manning gonads will join defensive end Fred Dean, cornerback Darrell Green, wide receiver Art Monk, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, linebacker Andre Tippett, and tackle Gary Zimmerman as the Class of 2008 enshrinees...
A chance to invest in New Orleans
Posted on February 02, 2008For years, I?ve thought that the best coffee you can buy in a supermarket is Folger?s. During the 2005 evacuation, cut off from my usual sources of high-powered caffeine (CC?s, PJ?s, and Rue de la Course), the only thing that stood between me and caffeine withdrawal was Folger?s...
Franz Jagerstatter
Posted on February 02, 2008?I can say from my own experience how painful life often is when one lives as a halfway Christian; it it more like vegetating than living.? Franz Jagerstatter, circa 1936. Last October, the Catholic Church beatified Franz Jagerstatter. This means he is one step away from being recognized as Saint Franz Jagerstatter...
Saturday-evening blues, Carnival edition
Posted on February 02, 2008Here?s the patron saint of Tipitina?s, the Jazz Fest, and WWOZ: Professor Longhair. Enjoy.
Honorary Orleanians
Posted on February 01, 2008Here?s something to kick off your four-day Mardi Gras weekend: the Grateful Dead performing Iko Iko, with lead vocals by Jerry Garcia.
Easier and harder
Posted on February 01, 2008?The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, ?Give me all. I don?t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you.... Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked?the whole outfit...
Strange coincidence
Posted on January 31, 2008Alice Cooper?s birthday: February 4.Al Kooper?s birthday: February 5.
Thank you, John Edwards
Posted on January 30, 2008When John Edwards kicked off his presidential campaign in New Orleans, a cynical person could suspect him of opportunism. Today, in ending his campaign, he returned to New Orleans. Cynical me cannot think of an ulterior reason for him to do that. God speed, John Edwards...
Franz Jagerstatter
Posted on January 28, 2008Last night, I read a one-page article in Sojourners about Franz Jagerstatter (1907?1943), and was awed. I want to share it with you, but unfortunately it seems to be the only article from the current issue that?s not uploaded to the Sojourners web site...
He doesn?t look Jewish
Posted on January 28, 2008As I recall from the famous photo on the Two Virgins album, John Lennon definitely was not Jewish. Which makes this video artifact unexplainable.
He doesn???t look Jewish
Posted on January 28, 2008As I recall from the famous photo on the Two Virgins album, John Lennon definitely was not Jewish. Which makes this video artifact unexplainable.
Amazing Grace
Posted on January 27, 2008So what?s it like inside the Gospel Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival? It?s exactly like this:
He must be coming for Carnival.
Posted on January 26, 2008Jesus just left Chicago, and he?s bound for New Orleans. Or so say these guys. Speaking of the blues, What About Clients? has a nice video featuring Son House, who describes what the blues is. My takeaway: ?No jumping.? Next week: Fess.
A slight change in programming
Posted on January 25, 2008Regular readers of his blog know about Saturday Evening Blues, a relatively new regular feature here of blues-oriented music videos. I had a great one lined up for tomorrow: the Grateful Dead performing Death Don?t Have No Mercy. Unfortunately, when I checked yesterday, the YouTube video was ?no longer available...
Resegregation
Posted on January 25, 2008If Kipling were alive today in America, he might write, ?Oh, black is black, and white is white, and rarely the twain shall meet.? At least not in school. Which is why Dr. King?s work is not yet done.
Gotta serve somebody
Posted on January 21, 2008Maybe the most inspirational Flash intro I?ve ever seen or heard is on the King Center?s web site. Today would be a good day to spend a minute listening to it. If you have a few extra minutes, read the Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
Johnny Lee Hooker: ?Hobo Blues?
Posted on January 19, 2008This, folks, is the real deal: Johnny Lee Hooker playing Hobo Blues.
Do dogs talk?
Posted on January 19, 2008The subject of dog communication has come up on the Language Log yesterday and today. If you?re interested in the research, read the posts and follow the links. On the other hand, if, like me, you?re too intellectually lazy to do that, then watch this video spotted a few days ago on Improbable Research...
10 years ago today, ...
Posted on January 17, 2008... Junior Kimbrough died. Last August, I posted this music video of his song Sad Days, Lonely Nights. I thought that today would be a good day for a rerun.
Answer: Not since Katrina.
Posted on January 16, 2008The Onion asks the man and woman on the street what they think of Bobby Jindal?s inauguration as governor of Louisiana. One steelworker asks rhetorically, ?Man, Louisiana goes from a woman to an Indian. Are we still classifying Louisiana as part of America??
Susan Tedeschi: ?Wait for Me?
Posted on January 12, 2008Here?s Susan Tedeschi performing Wait for Me, from her album Live from Austin TX. See also Otis Redding at ?What About Clients?? Next week here: Johnny Lee Hooker. In the pipeline: the Grateful Dead, Fess, the Black Keys, Son House, Robert Johnson, Gatemouth, ZZ Top, and Skip James...
Today?s legal news: Theft of brains
Posted on January 11, 2008It seems that in Maine, a research lab has been sued for removing brains from corpses. The lab, which collects brains for research into mental disease, is alleged to have collected some brains without consent of the decedent?s family. News story here...
Loneliest in a crowd
Posted on January 10, 2008?Who has not, at some time, been lonely in the midst of a social event? The feeling of our separation from the rest of life is most acute when we are surrounded by it in noise and talk. We realize then much more than in moments of solitude how strange we are to each other, how estranged life is from life...
A prophet in New Orleans
Posted on January 08, 2008New Orleans has the dubious honor of being the 2007 Murder Capital of the United States. Some people think that?s no big deal, because most of the victims are gangsters or druggies. One person, Charles Anderson, thinks otherwise; he believes that each of those lives is precious...
Then I must not be a rational person.
Posted on January 08, 2008Bill Maher, whom I usually like, actually said this:You can?t be a rational person six days a week ? and on one day of the week, go to a building, and think you?re drinking the blood of a two-thousand-year-old space god.Bad theology there, Bill. Actually the Word is more than 2,000 years old...
A status report on New Orleans
Posted on January 08, 2008January is named after Janus, the two-faced Roman god. Yat Pundit appropriately uses Janus as a theme for summarizing the dual state of things in New Orleans as we begin 2008. There?s the good face, experienced by tourists and those living in some neighborhoods...
One more question in response to Mr. Vance
Posted on January 06, 2008Here?s a little thought experiment in response to Beaumont Vance?s little opinion piece: Let?s say that the U.S.A. is involved in a controversial war ? exactly 51% of the population and 51% of Congress think we need to fight this war; the other 49% oppose the war...
Keb? Mo? and Corey Harris: ?Sweet Home Chicago?
Posted on January 05, 2008Keb? Mo? and Corey Harris do a Robert Johnson number: Sweet Home Chicago. Next week: Susan Tedeschi. In the pipeline: Johnny Lee Hooker, the Grateful Dead, the Black Keys (I love those guys), Son House, the aforementioned Robert Johnson, Gatemouth Brown, ZZ Top, and Skip James...
Q: Who is Beaumont Vance, and what does he know?
Posted on January 03, 2008A: He has his own web site, so he must be an expert. He wrote this piece for his own newsletter, Risk Management Reports, which he humbly describes as ?a synthesis of the leading thought on risk and uncertainty from hundreds of different sources...
Tanned, rested, and ready
Posted on January 03, 2008Yesterday Mike announced his return to blogging at Crime & Federalism, where he will provide ?[d]aily commentary on criminal law, civil rights, and what?s new and outrageous in the law.? Last September he began a hiatus. Now he?s back, with batteries recharged...
Logan
Posted on December 29, 2007My cousin Katy sent me a link to this video with a Christian message.
Retrospective
Posted on December 29, 2007I thought it might be fun to look back at this year?s posts and highlight some of my favorites. I also thought that the exercise might give me a clue about exactly what the hell I?m doing with this blog (because frankly, I haven?t figured that out yet)...
Keb? Mo?: ?Folsom Prison Blues?
Posted on December 29, 2007Keb? Mo? performs Johnny Cash?s Folsom Prison Blues. ?Nuff said. Next week: Keb? Mo? again, in a duet with Corey Harris.
Proof that I used to be a good runner
Posted on December 27, 2007Yesterday I noticed that our Christmas decorations did not include a manger scene. So with nothing much else to do, Suzanne (my wife) and I dug into the backroom closets in search of Jesus Mary & Joseph. We did not find the Holy Family. But we did find an old issue of Running Times, circa 1986, with an account of that year?s Barathon...
Merry Christmas, everybody.
Posted on December 25, 2007Photo credit: Val Karg, via the Chicago Tribune.
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Does a lawyer have the right to ask what your religion is when it has nothing to do with the situation?
In divorce issues and the children's well being religion doesn't matte...
Under the circumstances that a 17 year old male was with an 18 year old male who possessed cigarretes and had one lit, could the 17 year old male be given a ticket for possession of tobacco without the 18 year old male b
Infractions of the type referred to as "disturbing" are largely open t...
I am 19 my girlfriend is 17 and has a 7 month old daughter that is not mine. She currently lives with her aunt under her mothers regard but we want to live together and her mother approves but her aunt said she will call
You and your girlfriend should learn to be less impulsive. She will be 18 within...
My husband died in 2003 without a will. My son and myself inherited a vehicle. The vehicle is only in my name because he is a minor. The vehicle is worth approximately 10000. When I file chapter 7 bankruptcy in Tennessee
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