The Top Ten Christmas Songs as of 2010

Here we go-

#1 Little Drummer Boy- by Katherine K. Davis, 1941

This has the best sentiment of any Christmas song- poor kid witnesses the birth of Christ, can't afford a gift, so he plays his drum. Nice. Also, one of the few Christmas songs based on the rhythm section. And he's a hit! Baby Jesus rocks out, and ox and lamb kept time. The ox and lamb kept time! How awesome is that? How did they even do that? One pictures tails swinging back and forth like some magical metronome in a manger menagerie. This was also my mom's favorite Christmas song, so it's pretty hard to get through it dry eyed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcXW0Se4HMs&feature=player_embedded#!

#2 Christmas Wrapping- The Waitresses, 1981

It's not officially the Christmas season until one hears the beautifully sarcastic vocals of the late Patty Donahue. She also knew what boys like, and did the theme to the short lived but well remembered TV show Square Pegs. This song also has a great bass line and that Duranish early 80's guitar riff. Sadly no video, but enjoy the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SzjDOk_u9I&feature=related

#3 Fairytale of New York- The Pogues, 1987

The other side of the Christmas song. There has never been a better opening line than "It was Christmas Eve babe, in the drunk tank..." Then of course the beautiful, late Kirsty McColl comes back with her delivery of "You scum bag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot. Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it's our last." And yet, they built their dreams around each other. This song is about the last grasp at redemption for the hopeless that is inherent in the Christmas spirit. And Matt Dillon makes a cameo in the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwHyuraau4Q&feature=related

#4 2000 Miles- The Pretenders, 1983

What to say? Chrissie Hynde writes another great song. Makes you want to be in a pub in London right about now, watching the snow fall. Or maybe that's just me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmx3QC7n6sk&feature=related

#5 Oh Holy Night- John Sullivan Dwight, 1855, Music by Adolphe Adam, 1847

One of the prettiest melodies this side of Ave Maria. Especially in the third refrain, when you're singing along in your car, and you can really belt the shit out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gemjzIzsek&feature=related

#6 Do They Know It's Christmas- Band Aid, 1984

Because I'm a man of a certain age, and when this came out, it was the Coolest Thing Ever. And it was a great idea, and Bob Geldof pulled it together in about a week. And John Taylor supports it all with his great bass line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

#7 Happy Christmas (War is Over)- John Lennon, 1971

Yep.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2YSAVHmIE

#8 Baby It's Cold Outside -Frank Loesser, 1944

Dean Martin at his best. Only he could make a lecherous drunk who refuses to take no for an answer charming. "Say, what's in this drink?" Ah, back when giving a lady a ruffie wasn't judged so harshly. Hey, he's just trying to keep her from going out and freezing to death... This isn't strictly a Christmas song, but it's usually heard this time of year, so I'm counting it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LyMiqz34LM

#9 Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, 1963

One of the best rock Christmas songs, it has been covered by everyone from R.E.M to Death Cab for Cutie, from Joey Ramone to U2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiSPNaQNGOY

#10 Feliz Navidad - Jose' Feliciano, 1970

This might seem like too obvious a choice to make the list, but it's a solid song. And probably more than any other on here, the one that everyone will sing along to at your office Christmas party. Or try to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnKD81Fsh9c

And there you have it. Happy Christmas, everyone. Próspero año y felicidad.

Commercial for Kiwi Supermarkets of Norway

Alright then, YOU do it...

After the recent elections, The New York Times ran an article challenging its readers to balance the national budget. This past Sunday, Doyle McManus ran a similar article in the LA Times.

The basic premise is to take the federal debt, which is about $14 trillion, and cut $2 trillion from it over the next 8 years, thus reducing the debt to about 60% of GDP. This would also stop it from growing larger. I know- the debt still being 60% of GDP sounds scary, but that's where we are.

This particular site is from the bi-partisan think tank Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. If you don't like theirs, there are several others you can Google. Of course, depending on your political ideology, you will have some issues with the choices offered, but this one seemed about as centrist as they come.

So, good luck- it's not as easy as you think it's going to be.

http://www.crfb.org/stabilizethedebt

Stop Touching America's Junk

John Tyner became an unlikely hero this week with his now-viral video of his refusal to be subjected to a full body scan, or the alternative pat-down, including a "groin check." Every hero needs a catch phrase, and John's was "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested." Unfortunately for John, refusing to be checked and leaving the screening area somehow is an admission of guilt, according to the Transportation Security Agency's creative interpretation of the Constitution, and Mr. Tyner now faces a lawsuit and a $10,000 fine.

How in the hell did we get to this point in the nine years since the September 11th attacks? I know- the attacks were devastating. I watched them again on youtube before writing this article, and realized they're even harder to watch now, thinking about how much we've lost. I felt the same sickening anger in my stomach as the towers fell that I felt that day. But, it's as if America took that anger, and started swinging wildly, lashing out at anyone. Since when did we start playing the victim- the abused spouse who lashes out at the kids? We're supposed to be the grown-ups, the only remaining superpower in the world (well, at least we were nine years ago). And what did we do? We attacked a country that had as much to do with 9-11 as Canada did. And pissed away the lives of thousands of brave young Americans, who-knows how many Iraqis, lost the respect of the world, and, oh yeah, about a trillion dollars. You think the housing bubble was the only thing that has put America on the brink of bankruptcy? Now were spending more money as fast as we can in Afghanistan.


Meanwhile, on the home front, to be able to fly to go see grandma this Thanksgiving, we have volunteered to sacrifice our rights to the point where one must either be subjected to an x-ray which exposes your nude body to a stranger employed by the government, or have another stranger run his or her hands over your body, including breasts and groin. Or your children's. We sacrificed these rights on the TSA assurances that we will be safer. But, the reality is that once you and your family go through this dehumanizing screening process, the plane you get on may be carrying cargo that was never screened. If you were a terrorist, which way would you try and get a bomb on a plane? No matter- we sold off our rights for the perceived illusion of being safer.


We weren't always such pussies. As Patrick Smith pointed out in his article at Salon.com, there were seven attacks on airliners between 1985 and 1989, including TWA Flight 847, Air India Flight 182 (in which 300 were killed when the 747 blew up over the North Atlantic), and of course Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Aside from Pan Am 103, do you even remember the other incidents without Googling them? Now, suppose there were seven successful attacks on major carriers between 2006 and today. Can you imagine how we would react? We already are to the point of nudity-before-flying. What else could we do?


Where is the outcry from the Right on this issue? Are they not the party against intrusive Big Government? How much more intrusive does it get than a body scan or groin pat down by a government agent? Where is Obama on this issue? (Once again missing a perfect opportunity to call out Republicans, mainly Senator Joe Lieberman, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, on their hypocrisy.) Yet the Republicans and Democrats continue to wage this war on Religious Extremism in exactly the wrong way.


Case in point- the most recent attempt on America came in the form of bombs hidden in printers shipped via UPS and FedEx and intended to detonate as the planes were over the Eastern seaboard of the United States. We learned of this and were able to foil the plot not by waterboarding or otherwise torturing some terrorist, not by having thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not by launching another Drone attack somewhere. No, we found out from actionable intelligence from Saudi Arabia's Deputy Interior Minister in charge of Counter-terrorism, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who had learned of the plot from a double agent in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.


If you still think the "Advanced Imaging Technology" somehow is making it safer to fly, consider who else is against it- the Allied Pilots Association. The scanners emit a low dose of x-rays, and flight crews (and frequent fliers) would be passing through them hundreds of times a year. Of course, the TSA argues that the dose is extremely low, and poses no significant health risks. The TSA also tried to allay fears that the body scans could be leaked to the public by insisting that the machines can't store the images.


They can. Want to see them? Here- http://gizmodo.com/5690749/these-are-the-first-100-leaked-body-scans And those were the low-resolution pics.


So what else is the TSA not telling us about the scanners? Who knows? However, we do know that that Rapiscan, a major supplier of the scanners, is a client of The Chertoff group. The Chertoff group is a consulting company founded by Michael Chertoff, the former head of Homeland Security after his departure. During his tenure as the leader of DHS, Chertoff ordered the first batch of scanners from Rapiscan, and later gave interviews using his credentials to promote Rapiscan.


Chertoff is just one of many making money off of promoting Fear in America. Turn on Fox News today and see how many stories actively encourage anxiety over health care, terrorism, crime, the economy, etc. To be fair, all of the 24 hour news cycle is to blame- I single out Fox only because they have raised fear mongering to an art form. But, let's take a step back, America, and pause for some rationality and reality. Yes, many, many people are hurting in this economy, and anxiety breeds more anxiety. But sacrificing your freedom and dignity isn't going to make things better anytime soon. You are more likely to be struck by lightning twice than be on a plane that falls victim to terrorists. And in regards to our current war against- well, I'm not exactly sure exactly what group this current war is against. But I do know this- there is no scenario in which Osama Bin Ladin, or Kim Jong-il, or Nasir al-Wahayshi, or any of the other current batch of enemies of America, will ever be leading a victory parade down the National Mall. Unless, of course, America is so consumed with irrational fear that we literally divide and rip ourselves apart and do the job for the terrorists. Freedom isn't free- it involves certain risks. In America, we used to believe that freedom was worth these risks. Today, I'm not so sure we do.



sources included-
http://www.salon.com/technology/ask_the_pilot/2010/11/10/airport_security
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/tsa-encounter-dont-touch-my-junk/19716789
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130935022
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/world/31terror.html?_r=1
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/international/uk-plane-bombs-explosions-were-possible-over-u-s-ncx-20101110
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704462704575589802860920626.html
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/apa-president-advises-against.html
http://www.rapiscansystems.com/rapiscan-wavescan-200.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/148885/investigate_the_tsa,_not_the_guy_who_refused_to_go_through_its_%27porno_scanners%27

Election Thoughts 2010

Another thought before elections next week- many of the candidates aligned with the Tea Party, the "peoples' party", want to abolish the minimum wage. (Never mind that most of them couldn't tell you what the minimum wage is). Minimum wage is $290 a week, before taxes. I feel sorry for the working poor who buy into the bullshit message of the Tea Party, not realizing this would be a gift to the corporations who own their candidates and fund this "Grass Roots" movement.

They will argue that this will create more jobs, and it might. But, are you really okay with the people working around you- the maids, cooks, janitors, servers, retail workers, the people who harvest the food you feed to your children- living in poverty? Hard working folks, people there to help your life function more smoothly- you're really okay with their employers paying them less than $7.25 an hour!?

This is the America that voting Republican will bring you. An ever expanding chasm between the rich and the poor. That's a society that has been proven not to work time and again over the past centuries.

One of the problems is that many of these poor folks in the Tea Party believe they'll be rich someday. The overwhelming vast majority will not. They will be lucky to stay at their current earning levels. In fact, for years now, the U.S. has lagged behind such countries as Canada, Denmark, Norway, Australia, and Germany in income mobility. A little socialism goes a long way, it seems.

A rising tide may raise all boats, but the Republicans don't think people have a right to earn a living wage to buy that boat. So, when the tides rise, they drown.

No Smiles with these Kochs

The Koch Brothers, whose combined worth makes them the third richest people in America, have been covertly funding the Tea Party movement through their support of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. They have consistently been against almost all of Obama's policies, and have used their vast fortunes to fight such things as new environmental laws (their corporations are the 10th biggest air polluter in the U.S.), and support California's Proposition 23, the ballot initiative that would suspend the state's global-warming law.

It is, of course, completely within their rights as citizens and tax payers to fund whatever they want. It's also within their rights to be dishonest about whom and what they are supporting. It's within your rights not to buy products produced by their companies. These include Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper, Mardi Gras napkins and towels and Quilted Northern toilet paper, Dixie cups, Georgia-Pacific lumber, Stainmaster carpet, and Lycra, to name a few.

Will your banning these products affect the Kochs' bottom line? Probably not. But, at least you know that your purchase won't be supporting the Tea Party and the Right Wing Agenda for America.

For more information on the Kochs, please check out this great article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer

It Ain't Me, I Ain't No Senator's Son

With the campaign season upon us, many incumbents and hopefuls from both parties will be trying to sell the "Ah, shucks, I'm just an average Joe like you, feelin' your pain."

They're not. One percent of Americans are millionaires. Forty-four percent of the 535 members of congress are. Many of the richest are Democrats; John Kerry is worth approximately $209 million, California's Jane Harman is worth roughly $245 million. But the Republicans aren't doing too badly for themselves. The richest member of congress is Republican California Rep. Darrell Issa, who is worth over $250 million. These numbers are somewhat murky, as they are averages between the highest and lowest figures calculated by the Center for Responsive Politics. Also, federal financial disclosure laws don’t require members to list the value of their personal residences. Perhaps that's why McCain couldn't quite remember how many homes he owned during the Presidential campaign a couple of years ago. (Vice President Joe Biden, who is President of the Senate, is reportedly worth a mere $27,000.)

The median worth for members of the House in 2008 was $622,254. For the rest of us, the average income of Americans aged 35 - 44 is $51,575. (Most members of congress are older than this, but even among Americans 55-64, the average is $180,124.)

"So what?", you may be saying. "It takes a Highly Motivated Person to manage to be elected to the House or Senate. These are the same qualities that would drive a person to potentially become very wealthy." And you're right. (Except, of course, for those who were born into it.)

However, what does matter is where this wealth is coming from. According to the CRP, "some lawmakers have profited from investments in companies that have received federal bailouts; dozens of lawmakers are invested in Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America." So, members of both parties are receiving money from TARP recipients, who were bailed out by those Americans earning about 1/6 of what their representatives are earning.

While both parties are roughly equal in their share of Very Wealthy Members, it is the Republicans who seem to try and pull off keeping one foot in the country club, and one down on the farm. Who could forget (much as we try) the embarrassing spectacle of "Joe the Plumber", who held neither a plumber's license nor union card, on the campaign trail with multi-millionaire John McCain. Sarah Palin continues with her should-be-trademarked "How's that working out for ya?" shtick, pretending to be a folksy Alaskan mom who just happens to only take speaking engagements that pay her in the tens of thousands. Most relevant to this election season is the Tea Party, who claim to be a collection of grass roots activists coming together organically; "everyday Americans rising up and engaging in the process.” This, of course, is bullshit. As evidenced by the spelling on their signs, many Tea Partiers couldn't name the three branches of government, or one amendment, save for the second. They certainly couldn't mount the massive P.R. campaign that's sucked in every news outlet from Fox to MSNBC. That takes money and political acumen, which has been funneled into the Tea Party by the likes of Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers.

Nothing here is new. The Founding Fathers probably enjoyed a similar ratio of wealth to the population of their time. But what is so insidious is the tactic of many Republican candidates, and to be sure, a few Democrats, who will try and convince American voters who are hurting that they have some idea of what we are going through. They don't. And that's fine. Just, please, please, have some good ideas on how to fix it. If I was to be diagnosed tomorrow with cancer, I don't need my doctor to be a cancer survivor, or to lie to me and tell me she is. None of that will make me better. I just need her to do her job and fix me.

But, the next congressional fundraiser I attend, there had better be an open bar.


Sources included-

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29235.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5553408-503544.html
http://www.moneyrelationship.com/retirement/the-average-net-worth-of-americans-where-do-you-stand/
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/

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