“Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford helped define American music — and created the sound of strength.”
A good brief tribute. Good video, too.
Here’s another with a couple of videos: Jerry Leiber: Half of Everything.
I just searched my iTunes library for Jerry Leiber and got 53 tracks.
“Basically if the richest most awesomest country in the world can’t provide, for most people who try reasonably hard (and a safety net for those it doesn’t provide for), enough money to have a place to live, transportation, ability to raise a couple of kids and send them to college, have some nice things and the occasional vacation or night out, then we’re doing something wrong.”
He doesn’t mean charity or handouts. He means a living wage.
Elsewhere, Kevin Drum has a insightful piece on Raising the Retirement Age.
… was proclaimed as such 78 years ago today. This from the National Park Service:
A huge natural amphitheater has been eroded out of the variegated Pink Cliffs (Claron Formation) near Cedar City, Utah. Millions of years of sedimentation, uplift and erosion have created a deep canyon of rock walls, fins, spires and columns, that spans some three miles, and is over 2,000 feet deep. The rim of the canyon is over 10,000 feet above sea level, and is forested with islands of Englemann spruce, subalpine fir and aspen; separated by broad meadows of brilliant summertime wild flowers.
Both the photo and Karen’s musing are interesting — Oh Fair New Mexico.
Bonus, Karen still lets Ephraim F. Moya comment.
Great news at a glance source — Wopular.
This is a AAA game, Nashville Sounds vs. Omaha Storm Chasers.
Runners at first and second none out.
And if it isn’t clear, yes it is a triple play (notice tag of second before throw to first).
As a patriotic American and life-long student of American history I find myself genuinely depressed at some of the people — perhaps even all of the people — who aspire to the job once held by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
Of course, if God is telling them to run, that’s different.
“Again, I am not a lawyer, but what exactly has to happen before this stuff falls under RICO. How is this not an organized crime situation?”
John Cole commenting on a former VP’s revelations about the rating agency Moody’s.
If you issue a security, you ask a rating agency to rate it. You pay them for this rating. Conflict of interest? You think?
It’s like the home inspector when you buy a house. Your real estate agent usually recommends the inspector. How many referrals you think an inspector will get if he finds too much wrong and squelches a few deals? Multiply that times millions of dollars in the financial area.
“POLL: Palin Could Draw Votes Away From Bachmann and Perry Among Voters Who Describe Themselves as Morons”
Kenny Rogers is 73 today. Probably time enough for countin’.
Patty McCormack is 66. The actress, known now as Patricia McCormack, was nominated for the supporting actress Oscar as an 11-year-old for her performance in The Bad Seed.
The only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin is 57 today.
Kim Cattrall of Sex in the City is 55.
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, is 38 today.
The world’s fastest human, Usain Bolt, is 25.
Hayden Panettiere of Heroes is 22.
William “Count” Basie was born on this date in 1904.
Count Basie was a leading figure of the swing era in jazz and, alongside Duke Ellington, an outstanding representative of big band style.
Quotation from the PBS website for Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns. The page has a nice biography of Basie with some audio clips, including Basie’s 1937 recording of “One O’Clock Jump,” one of NPR’s 100 “most important American musical works of the 20th century.”
Wilt Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia 75 years ago today. Usually called “The Stilt” because it rhymed with Wilt, Chamberlain actually preferred the nickname “The Big Dipper.” He named his Bel Air house Ursa Major.
Chamberlain died in 1999.
Two of the top sportscasters of a previous generation were born on August 21, 1924 — Jack Buck and Chris Schenkel. Buck died in 2002 and Schenkel in 2005.
“Gibson…swings and a fly ball to deep right field. This is gonna be a home run! UNBELIEVABLE! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, five to four; I don’t believe what I just saw! I don’t BELIEVE what I just saw!” — Jack Buck, 1988 World Series.
Schenkel was the host on ABC for the 1972 Munich Olympics. Everyone remembers Jim McKay reporting the terrorist attack, but that’s because McKay filled in for Schenkel, who was asleep after doing the 2AM-5AM German time live coverage for the U.S. Schenkel covered the Professional Bowlers’ Tour for 36 years.
Hawaii entered the Union as the 50th state on this date in 1959. The eight major islands in the chain are Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lāna’i, Kaho’olawe, Maui and Hawai’i.
On this date in 1831 a 30-year-old black slave named Nat Turner, supported by about 60 followers armed with guns, clubs, axes and swords, launched the bloodiest slave revolt in American history.
“I’ve never seen him pass a mirror without looking in it.”
A Texan who know Rick Perry well, quoted by Frank Bruni.
Issac Hayes was born on August 20, 1942.
Isaac Hayes is a multi-faceted talent: songwriter, producer, sideman, solo artist, film scorer, actor, rapper and deejay. He has been hugely influential on the rap movement as both a spoken-word pioneer and larger-than-life persona who’s influenced everyone from Barry White to Puff Daddy. Hayes is best known for his soundtrack to Shaft, one of the first and best “blaxploitation” films, and for the song “Theme from ‘Shaft,’” a Top Ten hit. But his varied resume boasts everything from backing up Otis Redding and writing for Sam and Dave and others at Stax Records in the Sixties to serving as the voice of Chef on South Park in the Nineties. At the peak of his popularity in the early Seventies, Hayes devised the character “Black Moses,” based on his public persona. With his shaved head, dark glasses, bulging muscles, gold chains, fur coats and serious, unsmiling demeanor, Hayes came off as both a potent sex symbol and an icon for African-American pride. Moreover, according to Jim Stewart, founder of Stax Records, “Isaac Hayes is one of the main roots of the Memphis Sound.”
Hayes died in 2008.
Don King is 80 today.
Ron Paul is 76.
Connie Chung is 65 today.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (as part of Led Zeppelin) Robert Plant is 63.
Al Roker is 57.
Three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen is 55 — Nixon, The Crucible, The Contender.
Three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams is 37 — Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter.
Demi Lovato is 19.
Alan Reed was born as Edward Bergman 104 years ago today. I won’t tell you why he’s famous. Just listen when the man talks in the video. (Fun even if you see the title at the beginning.) No need to listen after the first few seconds.
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president, was born on this date in 1833. Until Jenna or Barbara Bush gets the job, Harrison remains the only grandchild of a president to also be president.
The NFL is 91 today.
The National Football League was the idea of legendary American-Indian Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, player-coach of the Canton Bulldogs, and Leo Lyons, owner of the Rochester Jeffersons, a sandlot football team.
. . .
On August 20, 1920, at a Hupmobile dealership in Canton, Ohio, the league was formalized, originally as the American Professional Football Conference, initially consisting only of the Ohio League teams, although some of the teams declined participation. One month later, the league was renamed the American Professional Football Association, adding Buffalo and Rochester from the New York league, and Detroit, Hammond, and several other teams from nearby circuits. The eleven founding teams initially struck an agreement over player poaching and the declaration of an end-of-season champion. Thorpe, while still playing for the Bulldogs, was elected president. Only four of the founding teams finished the 1920 schedule and the undefeated Akron Pros claimed the first championship. Membership of the league increased to 22 teams – including more of the New York teams – in 1921, but throughout the 1920s the membership was unstable and the league was not a major national sport. On June 24, 1922, the organization, now headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, changed its title a final time to the National Football League.
The Great Fire of 1910 began on August 20th. It burned over 3 million acres in Washington, Idaho and Montana and killed 87 people, 78 of them firefighters. Timothy Egan wrote about the fire in The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America
Long time reader Elaine in Colorado has a wildfire much, much too close.
Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents the Pavilion at Mesa del Sol
NewMexiKen apologizes for being a slacker on the Kim Kardashian wedding news. I’ll get on that.
“Long Beach (Calif.) Police Chief Jim McDonnell is defending his officer who detained a Long Beach Post contributor for taking pictures of an oil refinery on June 30. ‘If an officer sees someone taking pictures of something like a refinery, it is incumbent upon the officer to make contact with the individual.’ Detaining photographers for taking pictures ‘with no apparent esthetic value’ is within Long Beach Police Department policy, the chief says.”
“Witches are upset about how they are being portrayed on the True Blood television show. In a related story, sheriffs continue to have their feelings hurt by their portrayal on the Dukes of Hazard.”
Bill Clinton is 65 today.
It’s also the birthday
… of Ginger Baker of Cream and Blind Faith. Peter Edward Baker, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is 72. Rolling Stone says Baker is the third greatest rock drummer ever (after Neil Peart of Rush and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin).
Even if you missed growing up in the 1960s, you’re bound to have heard Ginger Baker’s explosive drumming with the rock bands Cream and Blind Faith. In both beat combos, Baker was an amazing sight.
His kit featured two bass drums, tuned slightly differently, so that he could play counter-rhythms with both feet, while his hands belaboured the snare, toms and cymbals. His arms flailed; his wild red hair shook like a Celtic warlord’s. He was, rumour had it, the most truculent of rock stars, handy with both verbals and fists; while his Cream co-members, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, were mostly cool and understated, he was mysteriously agitated, bug-eyed and feral, like a pissed-off wizard.
From a review of Hellraiser, The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Drummer at The Independent
.
… of Johnny Nash. He’s 71.
I can see clearly now, the rain has gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
… of Jill St. John; she’s 71. A 1960s hottie, St. John, real name Jill Oppenheim, reportedly has an IQ of 162.
… of Fred Dalton Thompson. The actor and former U.S. Senator is 69.
… of Gerald McRaney, Major Dad. He’s 64 today.
… of Tipper Gore. She’s 63.
… of Kyra Sedgwick, 46.
… of Matthew Perry. The Friend is 42.
Gene Roddenberry was born on August 19th in 1921. The creator of Star Trek died in 1991.
The poet Ogden Nash was born on this date in 1902.
Candy
Is Dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
From his “Reflections on Ice-Breaking.” Or, from “The Firefly”:
The firefly’s flame Is something for which science has no name
I can think of nothing eerier
Than flying around with an unidentified glow on a
person’s posteerier.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was born on this date in 1883. She died in 1971.
Orville Wright was born on August 19th in 1871. He was four years younger than his brother Wilbur. The brothers opened a bicycle repair shop in 1892 and manufactured bicycles by 1896. It was Wilbur more than Orville that became interested in flight about that time. It was Orville however, who was the pilot for the first ever fatal crash. In 1908, Army Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge was a passenger. Selfridge was killed when the propellor fractured and the plane lost control and crashed. Orville Wright was seriously injured. This was at Fort Myer, across the Potomac from Washington. Orville, of course, flew again. In May 1910 he piloted with Wilbur as a passenger, the only time the two ever flew together. Wilbur died of typhoid in 1912, age 45. Orville last piloted a plane in 1918 but lived as the elder statesman of aviation until 1948. Photo shows the Wright brothers in 1910, Orville on left, Orville’s brother on right.
The British landed on the Patuxent River in Maryland on August 19th in 1814. It took them five days to reach Washington. Arsonist bastards.
Four men and one woman were executed in Salem, Massachusetts, on this day in 1692. They had been convicted of witchcraft.
“So raising the income tax rate on the top 2 percent of earners would raise $700 billion dollars, but taking half of everything the bottom 50 percent have in this country would do the same. I see the problem here: we need to take all of what the bottom 50 percent have.”
“Last week you did O.K.: an average score of sixty-five per cent. But will the August curse bring you down today?”
What a Week: The Cursed Quiz? : The New Yorker
NewMexiKen correctly answered the first ten of the twelve questions.
“To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”
Three boys you might have read about on these pages at a place you might also have read about on these pages. Photo taken by their mother. There is a larger version if you click on the image.
Among the great things about baseball are some that its critics most disparage — too slow and too many statistics. Many of us that love baseball cherish most that it moves at a pace that allows us to revel in the inside stuff.
Joe Posnanski has written another piece that shows what I mean. There are human beings that despite the great effort it takes to pitch, can throw the ball with various speeds and spins and move it around within a finite space. Read about Glavine and Maddux deep in his story and think of the mastery it takes. The Ball-Strike Machine.
I don’t think there’s really any question that Maddux in his prime was the beneficiary of a wide strike zone. He didn’t just achieve this with his name or reputation. He achieved it by expanding the zone with his almost ludicrous command of pitching. He pitched the way a brilliant shell-game operator works the cup and balls — he showed the umpire a pitch a tenth of an inch outside, then pitch a half inch outside, then a pitch three-quarters of an inch outside, and so on, until he could throw a pitch into Centennial Park and the umpire would think it grazed the corner.
… was authorized 40 years ago today. It is the only National Park Service unit in Illinois.
“My friends — No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.” An emotional Abraham Lincoln opened his farewell remarks to the citizens of Springfield, Illinois with these words on February 11, 1861. Lincoln was leaving his friends and neighbors of twenty-four years, and the home that he and his family had lived in for seventeen years, to serve as president of a nation on the verge of Civil War.
The Lincoln home, the centerpiece of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, has been restored to its 1860s appearance, revealing Lincoln as husband, father, politician, and President-elect. It stands in the midst of a four block historic neighborhood which the National Park Service is restoring so that the neighborhood, like the house, will appear much as Lincoln would have remembered it.
NewMexiKen photo, June 2006. Click image for larger version. The shades are kept pulled to protect furnishings from sunlight.
