NOTABLOG MONTHLY ARCHIVES: 2002 - 2020

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

Song of the Day: I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, lyrics by Ned Washington, music by George Bassman, was immortalized by the orchestra of famed trombonist Tommy Dorsey. Listen to an audio clip of a vocal version by Ella Fitzgerald and an instrumental version by Gerry Mulligan, Check out also a YouTube clip of jazz guitar master Jim Hall and the original 78 rpm version of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Thanksgiving is among those American family holidays that appeal to the very best of sentiments. A Happy and a Healthy Thanksgiving to all. And hearty appetite!

Comments

checking jim out on that guitar and he has some skills... nice jazz guitaring... if that's a word. lol

Posted by: rap music | November 29, 2008 03:16 AM

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Song of the Day: Pata Pata features the words and music of Jerry Ragovoy and Miriam Makeba, who passed away today at the age of 76. This joyful track by "Mama Africa," as she was also known, is easily my favorite Makeba recording. Check out a live YouTube clip of Makeba as well as the original recording.

Comments

attempting to play songs... not able... hmmm

Posted by: rap music | November 19, 2008 07:40 AM

NOVEMBER 05, 2008

My goodness... the Obama victory last night seemed to have turned Times Square into New Year's Eve. Either they were celebrating the end of one of the worst presidencies in the history of the United States (Dubya), or the beginning of some new "era" ... or just the very real symbolism of the election. I have argued that nothing is going to change fundamentally under an Obama administration, but I'm sure many of those Times Square revelers believe, sincerely, that change is a comin'.

In the meanwhile, over at Inside Higher Ed, Scott McLemee conducted "an utterly unscientific survey of academics, editors, and public intellectuals to find out how � if given a chance � they might try to influence the incoming occupant of the White House." He asked, if we could recommend one book to the new President, what would it be?

I answered:

Given my own views of the corporatist state-generated roots of the financial crisis, I�d probably recommend The Theory of Money and Credit by Ludwig von Mises, so that he could get a quick education on how the credit policies of a central bank set the boom-bust cycle into motion. Perhaps this might shake the new President into a truly new course for US political economy.

Go read the whole article... it's got a lot of fascinating recommended reading!

Comments

The link in McLemee's article doesn't work. It adds a space (i.e., "%20") to the end resulting in http://nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/notablog/archives/001540.html%20

Posted by: Jamie | November 5, 2008 09:32 AM

It was, apparently, a software issue; it's now been fixed! Thanks for alerting me to it!

Posted by: Chris Matthew Sciabarra | November 5, 2008 01:28 PM

I am glad to find my own judgement about suitable reading material for the times we're living in sits in good company: I have started reading The Theory Of Money & Credit since the election, though I doubt Obama will ever hear of it.

Incidentally, Mr Sciabarra, I recently read your 'Russian Radical'. I expect that years from now it will still be educating both myself, as I re-read it, and other people to whom I loan it out to.

Thank you very much for that wonderful book.

Posted by: mike | November 12, 2008 07:41 AM

[Chris, I didn't realize you were still actively blogging; I'm glad I happened upon this. :-) ]

I'd heartily endorse your recommendtion of Mises's book, just by virtue of how pressing the matters it deals with are.

But in a more facetious take (as it's a little hard NOT to be facetious with these kinds of hypothetical questions), I'd probably recommend Antony Flew's How to Think Straight; or at least How to Think about Social Thinking. For whatever positive change Obama might be responsible for, I just can't help but think he's merely one from a legion of who don't properly respect the rules of inference.

Posted by: Andrew | November 16, 2008 02:35 PM

I truly believe he already knows the solutions to our financial woes. Whether or not he wants to sacrifice his life behind them would be another story.

I admit, I thought I'd never see a black president yet it's not surprising to me he was elected.

What would be surprising is if he broke his alliance with the wild beast and stood up for justice, peace and equality.

Posted by: buffie body | December 19, 2008 09:23 AM