Monday, October 13, 2008

The Red Elvises in Arlington



I received an e-mail from my friend, Karyn, last week entitled "krasnie elvisi" letting me know that the Red Elvises would be playing at a small club in Arlington, VA. I don't go to many concerts but got the impression from Karyn and her husband, who have both seen the Red Elvises before, that this would be fun. The Red Elvises were, on Saturday night, made up of four members, though I believe the founders are Igor and Oleg. Igor (lead singer) is from Odesa and Oleg (bassist) from Moscow. Lena is also from Moscow, and the drummer, who's name I can't remember, was introduced as the band's lone "American" from Minnesota. Considering the ba
nd seems to be based out of California, on the one hand having a drummer from Minnesota seems unlikely, though on the other he may be able to identify well with such songs as "Siberia" and "Winter Reggae." The Red Elvises are a unique experience and a lot of fun. They match their music's energy and youthfulness with their own, though they've been around for a number of years. Highlights include: an over-sized red balalaika-shaped bass guitar, grotesque fashion statements (see below), leading the audience in much clapping and disco-pointing, and one the of awesomest drum solos ever.


Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Yes We Can



Here are a series of Youtube clips I found recently all to help stir up interest in voting and increase voter turnout and hopefully mean more votes in favor of Mr. Obama.

Barrack Obama: Yes We Can (New Hampshire)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms

Yes We Can (music video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

The Talk: Convince Your Family to Vote Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9WOod26BH0

5 Friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhDRVKDcXQo

Sunday, October 05, 2008

The Latest Newsweek




Some favorite excerpts:

"Some comentators have argued that it's sexist to keep Sarah Palin under wraps, as if she were a delicate flower who might wilt under the bright lights of the modern media. But the more Palin talks, the more we see that it may not be sexist but common sense that's causing the McCain campaign to treat her like a time bomb.

"Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start.

"In these times, for John McCain to have chosen this person to be his running mate is fundamentally irresponsible. McCain says that he always puts the country first. In this important case, it is simply not true."

--Fareed Zakaria, "Palin is Ready? Please."


From an interview with Hamid Karzai, conducted by Fareed Zakaria:

FZ: Are you going to run again, Mr. President?
HK: I was asked this question yesterday and my answer was the poem by Robert Frost:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep/But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep..."
FZ: So can I say yes, you are going to run again?
HK: Yes.
.
.
I've gotten about 100 pages into Zakaria's The Future of Freedom and am eager to get my hands on The Post-American World. He's intelligent, level-headed, and I think has an original way of looking at and analyzing what's going on in the world and putting it in its larger historical context.