Filmed at the Iridium jazz Club in New york City, forever associated with the legendary Les Paul, this film captures Jeff Beck celebrating the great man with a selection of Les Paul songs and other great rock ‘n’ roll tracks. Jeff Beck is joined by some very special guests including Imelda may and her band, Gary US Bonds, Brian Setzer, and Trombone Shorty. The intimate setting puts you right there in the audience for a performance featuring stunning musicianship and truly great songs. It’s the best party in town.
On the final day of 2011 as I sit here sipping my coffee trying to remember, perusing the other top story lists and trying to figure out a way to sum it all up from here, one thing occurs to me. While the protesters in the Arab world and the Occupy protests are making all the lists, I can’t find one single mention of the protesters in Wisconsin or the reenergized efforts of organized labor across the U.S. on any of the lists.
Could it be that the American news media’s anti-union bias is at work here?
A federal appeals court has balked at deciding a controversial legal case pitting the Alabama Education Association and its ability to raise membership dues against the new Republican administration dead set on weakening public employee unions and suppressing votes for Democrats.
According to a court filing that just popped up online from the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, the federal appeals court panel tossed the state’s appeal in the case back to the all Republican Alabama Supreme Court. The professional organization for teachers won a victory in a lower court and obtained a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a law passed by the new so-called “Super Majority” of Republicans in the state Legislature, a law written to prohibit payroll deductions to groups that use some of the money for “political activity.”
The appeals court panel indicated it would be “constitutional” for the Legislature to block the payroll deduction if the organization is guilty of “electioneering.”
The 2011 Kennedy Center Honors were bestowed on five giants from the world of the arts — not just for a single role or a certain performance, but for a lifetime of greatness. The recipients, Yo Yo Ma, Meryl Streep, Barbara Cook, Neil Diamond and Sonny Rollins, were honored at the White House in December.
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offer a special holiday tribute to the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and the families who support them. No matter what party you support, every American should watch and appreciate this.
The tea party Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have been defeated and humbled, so even though Christmas is not my favorite time of year, I have some Christmas cheer.
But that’s not why I’m writing today.
Over the past few days, my thinking has developed a little more on the subject of what constitutes “objective” journalism. So I want to get these thoughts down before I forget.
Much anticipated national standards limiting the output of mercury and other toxic air pollutants from the nation’s power plants were unveiled on Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards designed to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide, will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants, according to an EPA press release announcing the decision.
The long-delayed final standards have been the subject of a ferocious lobbying battle pitting environmental groups against industry lobbyists, and the unveiling of the standards is being hailed as a victory for environmental groups, some of which are still recovering from the bitter disappointment of the White House’s decision to delay new air pollution regulations.
EPA estimates that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.
“By cutting emissions that are linked to developmental disorders and respiratory illnesses like asthma, these standards represent a major victory for clean air and public health –- and especially for the health of our children. With these standards that were two decades in the making, EPA is rounding out a year of incredible progress on clean air in America with another action that will benefit the American people for years to come,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a statement. “The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will protect millions of families and children from harmful and costly air pollution and provide the American people with health benefits that far outweigh the costs of compliance.”
This seems like a good time to remember John Lennon’s Christmas song, Merry Xmas (War Is Over), now that President Barack Obama has ended Bush’s war in Iraq. This is the official video. Watch, listen and share with your friends.
Edward Abbey’s riotous novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, is the unifying thread of this character driven feature-length documentary nearing post-production. “Wrenched” offers a penetrating look at the environmental plight of the American Southwest, with a caustic sense of humor reminiscent of Abbey himself. This film is a lyrical tour de force of environmental activists, designed to give a voice to those both young and old.
How far does one go in defense of Wilderness? The split over direct action in the environmental movement, from its beginning to the current crackdown as seen through the lens of Edward Abbey’s groundbreaking novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang. The story of four ordinary people who were forever transformed by the degradation of the West, crossing a legal and ethical line — and inspiring generations of activists to do the same.
Watch for news of this new film’s release from ML Lincoln Films.
During the Bush years, we specialized in covering the politicization of the U.S. justice system as much as any news organization. Our archives are about the most comprehensive for anyone researching the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and the original case against Richard Scrushy, which Glynn Wilson covered for The New York Times.
