I have never been one to wish time away. Not ever. And though I am happy to see this decade disappear, you can count on me enjoying the last 31 days. But lets face it, this has been one of the worst periods in modern history. We have had two significant market crashes, one in 2000-01 and the other in 2008, the tragic attacks of Sept 11, an event that has changed virtually everything we do, Katrine, the Tsunami, Madoff, the contested 2000 Presidential election, the jobs recession, foreclosures, Iraq, Afghanistan, H1N1…should I go on? It’s been miserable any way you look at it. So goodbye Oughts, we’re happy to see you go but undoubtedly you will leave with a roar that will be felt for years to come.
☞I have been following the Amanda Knox trial in Perugia, Italy for some many months. If you’re unfamiliar with the case, it’s about a Seattle co-ed who while studying abroad in Italy is accused, along with her Italian boyfriend, of killing her roommate in a bizarre sex game request that went pear-shaped. There are two others who have been accused, one now convicted for his part in the crime. If you look at Knox and her former boyfriend, they look like they stepped out of a J. Crew catalog. It’s hard to imagine that they would commit the crime for which they are accused. The prosecution has now rested. Their closing arguments consisted of a character assailment of Amanda Knox with no mention of the evidence. The defense will present their closing arguments shortly with a verdict due on Friday. No one wins in this case. The fallout has been all encompassing to anyone who touches this case. If you’re interested in reading more, I suggest these two articles which you can read here and here. I think Knox goes free this week. Her parents think so too. Knox’ airplane ticket to Seattle says so.
☞I heard a song, an old song, yesterday that blew me away. In 1969, the Stones released Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out! a live concert album recorded at Madison Square Garden. Since this is the 40th anniversary of that show, a new release has been born of that entire concert. I’ve always loved this album and thought it was one of the best live albums I’d ever heard but I’d never heard the opening performances by Ike and Tina Turner and BB King. Until now. This week’s AWT song is Tina Turner belting out the old Otis Redding/Jerry Butler shouter I’ve Been Loving You Too Long. It is an impassioned version that will make your toes curl. Check it out.
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☞I love this. The truth hurts.
☞Everyone is putting out end of the decade lists these days and I am not going to be any different. Staying true to my lists of 5, I present my favorite movies and albums from the worst decade ever.
MOVIES
- Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Ray
- The Departed
ALBUMS
- Blue Guitars (11 album set) – Chris Rea
- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
- How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2
- Speakerboxxx, The Love Below – OutKast
- Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
The Chris Rea box set is a masterstroke, 11 albums and 137 songs. The songs represent Rea’s interpretation of blues around the world and were written when Rea was at death’s door after his 7th operation in 2000 leaving him without a gall bladder, pancreas and duodenum. Blue Guitars is an under known, under owned gem. Get it.
☞Yesterday, Politico published a great article entitled 7 stories that Obama doesn’t want told. You can read it here. I want to weigh in on the President’s job performance for his first year in office- kind of. I think it is premature to judge the job he is doing. His critics are all over him for everything but what do they really know at this point. Yesterday, Dick Cheney said that the President was projecting weakness on Afghanistan. As opposed to what? The frivolous manner that he and George Bush sent our young men and women to war in Iraq after a mysterious bogeyman? I would rather have a President who takes his time to weigh the options and make informed decisions. When President Obama took office, we were clearly in a domestic and international mess. In order to fix things, you have to start from the ground up. That’s what he is doing. Whether this turns out to be a sturdy, well constructed house, time will tell. But there are few people who can look at things that are under construction and see what the finished product looks like. I say give the man time.
☞We are just about to enter 2010 and this is a current news story: A bill currently before the Ugandan parliament (pdf) proposes seven year prison sentences for discussing homosexuality; life imprisonment for homosexual acts; and death for a second offence. Amazing. Sickening.
☞Say it ain’t so, Tiger. Please refer to David Letterman.
☞Time time time. It’s all we have and all we don’t. This week’s AWT quote is all about time.
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.
~Writer, Henry Van Dyke
That’s it for today. Another AWT in the bank. There are 4 more coming before the end of this crazy, awful decade. Good riddance, I say. But lets have fun till the end.
Aye Wonder.
What about you?
Possibly Related Posts:
- Time for an AWT Good News Edition
- A New Decade AWT – I Feel Better Already
- AWT is on the Record
- The Decade in Review – The AWT version
- An Old Year’s AWT. The New Decade on its Way.
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