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As If the Music Wasn’t Bad Enough in this Country, the Live Nation, Tickemaster merger has been approved. I love how rock n roll used to be about sticking to The Man. Now The Man is sitting next to you at every concert, sold you your tickets, over-priced beer, merchandise, and even charged you $20 for parking. I guess that I shouldn’t say that they kill art though, but they do however, make it blatantly easy to see what is and isn’t art in this day and age.

Joel Rose’s Story on NPR - Audio Story Posted as Well

Thanks to Darcy James Argue for tweeting this one! In a letter to the Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Lily Coyle wrote this letter as a response to Pat Robertson’s horrible remarks concerning the earthquake in Haiti. Bravo Lily!

“Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll. You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan”

- LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

{Full Article Found Here}

{Image by Lisandro Suero Found Here}

My friend Steb a poet in Tampa, wrote this prayer/poem for Haiti. In our community two of our friends have lost family members in the quake. On the other hand, things are looking hopeful for our friends who are trying to adopt two little boys from Haiti as the government seems more eager to expedite the process of adoption for the boys. Let us pray for people everywhere in the country of Haiti.

“Adonai
You who makes the mountains tremble and causes the seas to rage
We call upon the one who calms the waters with a word
We cry out on behalf of a broken land
We cry out on behalf of a broken people
We cry out on behalf of a broken history
Hear the cries of your people as you did in Egypt
When you rescued them from their slavery
Hear the cries of your people as you did in Babylon
When you delivered them from their captivity
Hear now the cries of your people for Haiti
Save them from this devastation and darkness
We plead for a land which the world has turned against
Do not turn your face from them
Torah tells us you are the God of compassion and of the orphan
See now the tears of her children
Your prophets tell us you are the God of justice and mercy
Come be with this people
Have mercy Shaddai, lift your hand
Do not turn away
Do not turn away”

- Steb Otero

Ok so there is an article on yahoo that you must read by Rick Newman entitled “Let’s Hope These 4 Things Don’t Happen,” found here.

“Consumers become rational. Given the painful transformation of the U.S. economy, Americans ought to be saving like crazy and buying nothing they don’t need. Some are, but it’s not clear yet if Americans as a whole will save more over the long term or go back to spending nearly everything they have. The savings rate has crept up to about 5 percent, but that’s still lower than the long-term average and far lower than you might expect after a collapse like the one we’ve endured. If savings continue to go up–a prudent move for most households–consumer spending will come down, leaving a hole in the growth of our gross domestic product, with little else to fill it. So hopes for a vigorous rebound rest on spendthrift consumers being as materialistic as ever. Now there’s a strong foundation for success.”

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Today, Freddie Hubbard passed. About 2 years ago, I got the change to hang out with Slide Hampton for a few days and he had told me at the time tha the had been trying to convince Mr. Hubbard to pick back up with his routine and to start playing again. There had been some recent articles about him playing at a few clubs and I selfishly had been hoping that we would hear another recording but alas, it never happened. He will be missed. Here are the NY Times and LA Times Obituaries.

Al sent me this…I’m speechless.