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If All I Was Was Black
"I have a mind to bury them whole,” Mavis Staples sings on her new album, If All I Was Was Black (YT playlist). It is not a very Mavis-like thing to hear the perpetually upbeat gospel legend sing. But after a lifetime devoted to fighting injustice through her music, such is the singer’s recent mood toward a renewed wave of bigotry and racial violence. Mavis Staples has had it.
New blossom in the Wallflower bunch
The Wallflowers welcomed a healthy grandson to the world today at 2:06AM PST. He was 7lb10oz (3.46kg) and 21 inches (53.3cm) and as yet is unnamed, pending further negotiations.
It may be my 32nd or 33rd book
Judith Kerr, now 94,
escaped Nazi Germany with her family on the eve of Hitler's rise to power.
Writer of 33 books (so far!) she is the creator of the much loved Tiger who came to tea, as well as the lovable, recently deceased Mog.
No mere squeezebox
The bayan is a type of Russian chromatic button accordion with a phenomenal range and tone. The favoured tool of Eastern European and Russian accordion virtuosi in particular, you might be surprised at what it can be pressed to do in the hands of a skilled performer:
Sergei Teleshev performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Alexandr Hrustevich performing Vivaldi's Summer (Four Seasons) and Alexander Borodin's Petite Suite
Alexandr Hrustevich performing Franck Angelis' Etude sur Chiquilin de Bachin, Brahms' Hungarian Dancea, Vyachesla Chernikov's Jazz Waltz, Waltz Impromptu, and The Lonely Harmonica, Vladimir Zubitsky's Omaggio ad Astor Piazzolla, and Yevgeny Derbenko's Cabman
All links to YouTube
Sergei Teleshev performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Alexandr Hrustevich performing Vivaldi's Summer (Four Seasons) and Alexander Borodin's Petite Suite
Alexandr Hrustevich performing Franck Angelis' Etude sur Chiquilin de Bachin, Brahms' Hungarian Dancea, Vyachesla Chernikov's Jazz Waltz, Waltz Impromptu, and The Lonely Harmonica, Vladimir Zubitsky's Omaggio ad Astor Piazzolla, and Yevgeny Derbenko's Cabman
All links to YouTube
For The Union Makes Us Strong
“Over the past seven months, Tanisha Smythe has spent her entire life savings, and most of her son’s. She’s on the verge of losing her apartment and is relying on food banks for meals.
Smythe is one of 1,800 former Time Warner Cable employees who have been on strike in New York City since 28 March, over a contract dispute with Charter Communications.” - Seven months long, 1,800 out … an epic TWC strike mirrors US unions' fight to survive (The Guardian) A Conservative Case For Unions ( New Republic) - Meet The NYC Strippers On Strike (Broadly) - What Labor Needs Now (Splinter)
Culinary Historian Michael Twitty on The Souls of Southern Food
Boston University recently hosted culinary historian Michael Twitty as part of its Pépin Lecture Series. Here's what he had to say about his memoir, The Cooking Gene, and the "search for my food roots and family routes during the first 250 odd years of American history."
Sea snails, cow urine, mummy flesh and digital preservation
Alongside a few tubes of Mummy Brown are other pigments whose origin stories are practically legend. Tyrian purple, an ancient Phoenician dye that requires 10,000 mollusks to produce a single gram of pigment, is said to have been discovered by Hercules’s dog as he snuffled along the beach. Indian yellow, purportedly made from the urine of cows fed only on mango leaves, was banned by the British government in the early 20th century on the grounds that its production constituted animal cruelty. Ultramarine, a vivid blue made from lapis lazuli mined in Afghanistan, was once more precious than gold.
Emigrate from USA to a Nordic Country?
I'm a physical-science professor in the USA at an 'R1' university with an active research program. I'm alarmed enough at the present US political situation that I've put out some feelers about the possibility of moving to universities in Nordic countries. One department appears eager to proceed with the 'senior hire' process. Should I play ball with them?
Unclear as to whether the cat pictured is named Delilah
Rarely Seen Photos of Freddie Mercury with His Long-Time Love Jim Hutton: Mercury was a famously private person, but Hutton shared photographs from his personal collection; they appear in his memoir titled Mercury and Me. The pictures are a candid and intimate chronicle of their loving relationship during this time. They also showcase the normalcy of the couple as they celebrated holidays, took vacations, and cuddle with their cat.
She had become the unwanted mad
Culture profoundly shapes our ideas about mental illness, which is something psychologist Nev Jones knows all too well. David Dobbs writes about her experience at the intersection of culture, mental health, and academia.
Breast cancer death rates decreased by 39 percent since 1989
Washington Post: "Breast cancer death rates increased by 0.4 percent per year from 1975 to 1989, according to the study. After that, mortality rates decreased rapidly, for a 39 percent drop overall through 2015. The report, the latest to document a long-term reduction in breast-cancer mortality, attributed the declines to both improvements in treatments and to early detection by mammography."
Help me see and feed my friends!
Have you hosted a regular, open-invite potluck dinner? What made it work or not work?
How much should I charge to manage social media?
I have an opportunity to manage social media for a family friend's small but successful local restaurant. How much and how to charge for my services?
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
A monument to America's 4,384 known victims of lynching
is being built in Montgomery, Alabama. (Background, with videos.)
The America's Black Holocaust Museum is being rebuilt in Milwaukee. The Brooklyn Museum's display The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America ends October 8th.
"the silhouette of an RV in motion, with the corporation’s 'smile' logo"
The story of Amazon's CamperForce.
Jessica Bruder describes a cadre of workers who are older, nomadic, and coping with financial disaster.
Small sights in Paris?
We'll be in Paris at the end of this month, and I'm looking for some personal recommendations. We've done the major museums already, and we have the restaurant angle pretty well covered. I'm looking for some small places that are good for casual browsing and window shopping. Things we like off the top of my head: Antiques and most things vintage, estate jewelry, art/design, books, stationary, decorative arts, ceramics, gardens, and related things. Have you any thoughts?
"Even having a conversation about the imbalance becomes emotional labor"
"Women Aren't Nags—We're Just Fed Up: emotional labor is the unpaid job men still don't understand."
Blue Music / Blue Songs / Blues
This may be the most circular exposition on The Blues I've ever read.
This two-part essay is entitled The Curses, which may give you pause in re The Blues, but eventually it will begin to make sense. The first part of Part I is some discussion of when the descriptor "blue" began to be attached to a certain type of music, and traces it back to the 1870s. The rest of Part I uses a colorful character by the name of Rev. Columbus Sylvester Clifton Bragg, an early music critic, to be the linchpin for the history of the Blues.
Your cat is probably in feudal China right now
Explanations of common cat behaviours.
What your cat is really trying to tell you.
beauty is only skin
Dolls can play a big part in the self esteem of young children. If they see a toy that looks like them, it can make them feel more accepting of who they are. For kids (and even adults) that have vitiligo [NSFW], this is a challenge....While not life threatening, it can affect a person’s confidence, and they might be subjected to taunts or bullying. Kay Black, aka Kay Customz, is an artist encouraging those with vitiligo to be proud of who they are; she’s doing so through inclusive custom dolls that have the same condition.
He ran so fast down in Texas he left his shadow behind
For the music lovers and the racing fans, here is a fine, superfine performance from Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon with a song about a horse.
Two stars. "Misdiagnosed as bipolar for being bisexual..."
“There needs to be a Yelp for psych wards.”
Kit Mead launched Psych Ward Reviews, a review site for psychiatric hospitals, after conversations with friends about the difference in treatment quality between different psych wards. While the site is on temporary hiatus, the 100+ user-submitted reviews remain accessible.
West, Jim West - before he was wicki-wicki-wild, he was a suave spy
Wild Wild West is a American steampunk western action comedy film from 1999, featuring Will Smith as U.S. Army Captain James West and Kevin Kline as U.S. Marshal Artemus Gordon, who together face off against a giant robotic spider and other mechanical menaces. But did you know the movie wasn't (just) an attempt to blend nostalgia for rollicking westerns and a more contemporary fascination with steampunk, but a remake of a TV series that was intended to capitalize on the then-contemporary 1960s spy thriller trend? It's true. Behold: The Wild Wild West, a western series with gadgets that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons, with 104 episodes that aired from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969.
Let Mrs Betty Bowers spend 3m42s talking to you about language.
Speak English? YOU FIRST!
Almost 20 Words/Expressions You Need to Humanely Euthanize Now. Featuring Deven Green. Written by Andrew Bradley.
Period dramas, but not those rich folk
I'm looking for the anti-Downtown Abbey, does it exist? I feel like I'm looking for a unicorn
Do you know this paper on weirdnesses in families with schizophrenia?
My partner once ran across an article in which a woman studied families that have several members with schizophrenia. She found that each home had some weirdness. The example she remembers is silverware kept under the sink so it would be extra clean. She doesn't remember the name of the article or the author, and an old psychologist told her about it, so she believes this is rather old research. Can anybody point to this article?
The crafting phenomena of the Montgomery County Fair
The Vietnam veterans who became the crafting kings of the county fair
"The first time Rod won a blue ribbon at the Montgomery County Fair, in 2010, it was Nathan who had secretly submitted Rod’s handmade blanket. After that, Rod submitted entries on his own every year. He had never mentioned anything about entering his final project at the fair. But seven months after he died, Nathan decided to do it anyway."
What was the name of the lipstick in last month's Sephora Play box?
I believe the brand is Tarte, the tube is a light blue. I loved it, I dropped it in a water fountain at the mall, and I want to buy it! The girls at Sephora said it was Tarte Rum Punch but I tried that one and it looks wrong. Can someone check for me please?
Cooks of MeFi: Can this recipe be right?
So I've been to the place that serves these amazing jackfruit sliders, and I'm excited that they shared the recipe and I can try them at home. But three tablespoons each of cumin and coriander for 16 ounces of jackfruit? That seems a little crazy to me. Can it be right? I have the ingredients ready to go and I can stay at home for the hours of cooking, so I'd really like to make them today, which means I can't contact them and ask.
Music recommendations, African and S. American vintage dance/funk
I have £50 to spend on itunes and I'd like to explore some new musical areas. I have included examples below of what I'm looking for, what I would say they have in common is a dirty funky sound, very danceable, quite old (60s-70s), originating in Africa or South America mostly.
Best way to respond to the Equifax credit hack?
I know there aren't many details on the Equifax hack yet, but I'm wondering about some best practices to move forward with given what we do know.
Is Melbourne worth visiting?
I've never been to Australia before (ie. I'm grossly ignorant about the country). Friends of mine have invited me to Melbourne but I'm on the other side of the world in Ottawa, Canada. It would take me more than 20 hrs of traveling to get there. So is Melbourne similar to say, Toronto? If it is, then I would likely pass. What is there that is compelling/exciting about Melbourne? What would I see or experience that I would not in other parts of the world?
The maple kind?
I'm having surgery next week and will be laid up and medicated for a few days. I'll additionally be a nervous wreck as we may find out some very good or very bad health news. I expect my attention span will be fly-level and I might feel a bit down, but nothing cheers me up like a funny internet clip! What are your favorites?
Hurricane Irma Help, Advice and Check In
Hurricane Irma is heading towards Florida, and I thought it would be good if we had a central place for information for and about MeFites.
Opera Singers Dubbed With Dial-up Modems
Opera Singers Dubbed With Dial-up Modems. (this is a link to a single 19-second YouTube video. Don't @ me.)
May evac to Orlando. Where to stay?
I'm making a few evacuation plans based on where Irma may go. One is to Orlando. I'd love to hear from locals on areas to seek or avoid - somewhere safe, not too prone to flooding. I'll need a place that is pet friendly and disabled accessible.
Home is in the intellectual capacity to be happy
Martin
a short documentary by Donal Moloney
"Martin has not slept in a bed for many years. He doesn't consider himself homeless. He is one of the most content and happiest individuals I have ever met. This short documentary explores the development of our relationship over the last few years but more importantly the search for happiness and what it means to different people."
All-women band from San Francisco back to rocking
The Ace of Cups were contemporaries of all the big late-60s bands from San Francisco's Summer of Love that you've heard of. They were an all-women band and they opened for Jimi Hendrix. They were never signed and didn't release music at the time, but there's a 2003 CD release of old recordings. Four members of the band are playing together again and recording a new CD, 50 years later, as shown in this 8-minute video from KQED.
Haiku Masters Forgotten Postcards
Found in a NYC junkshop, these postcards were sent to Cor Van de Huevel, a noted haiku poet, by another noted haiku poet named Arizona Zipper.
Well, I couldn't resist the lure of those names, could I? Cor was well-known for his readings in the beat clubs of the 1960s. But Arizona Zipper! Now, he's also known for his haiku, especially in the looser form he and Cor used, not so strict as the 5-7-5 format. The first thing I found about A.Z. was Renku Jazz-ku an article about a collaboration between Bob Richardson, jazz drummer, and A.Z. trying to meld haiku and jazz; they both loved Ella Fitzgerald's scat.
Exuma, the Obeah Man
"I came down on a lightning bolt / nine months in my mama's belly. / When I was born, the midwife scream and shout / I had fire crystals coming out of my mouth. / I'm Exuma, I'm the Obeah Man!" Being an introduction to the unclassifiable Bahamian musician Exuma (1942-1997). Read a Downbeat Magazine profile from shortly after his death, or a slightly less easy on the eyes profile from
Perfect Sound Forever. Or listen to some music after the jump.
Are you Photoshop savvy: shiny engraving of a different color?
I have a 300 dpi photo of a blank #2 pencil. I would like to use Photoshop to recreate the proper shiny green lettering of a Ticonderoga pencil. My attempts have not gotten me far. Specifics and pics inside.
Help me find more music that sounds like this 90s lofi indie rock song.
Can you point me to songs that sound like "Anytime You Want" by Eric's Trip? This is a short, fast, fuzzed out punk song with contrasting vocals on a poppy hook, a prominent low end, a few drum fills, and pretty crappy production. That's what I like about it! It also lacks a guitar solo, but I could go either way on that.
Hey, You Got Your Jazz In My Math!
'Beginning at one, start counting upwards. When you reach seven, say, "Unh." When you reach ten, say "Woof." When you reach any number containing a seven, or any number into which seven can be divided, say, "Unh, unh." When you reach twenty, thirty, or any number up to seventy that ends with a zero, say, "Woof Woof." All right, boys – here we go!' —Mezz Mezzrow and his Swing Band, "I'se A Muggin Part 2" (1936). Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow was an adequate instrumentalist, but was better known for three things: he arranged some classic recording sessions; he was the jazz scene's main weed dealer back in the 1930's and 40's, so much that musicians and others referred to marijuana as 'Mezz'; and he crossed racial boundaries without effort and with pride in an age when it was dangerous to do so, calling himself a "voluntary negro". Here's a link to his autobiography, Really the Blues.
When the boat comes in
I certainly didn’t come out of university and think: "I’m going to work with lobsters." (SL BBC)
A short photoseries from the BBC on women working in the male-dominated fishing industries of south-west England. Hope they add more narratives in the future.