Thursday, June 4, 2026

100 Living Songwriters

NY Times


Repost @nytimes:


As soon as we decided to make a list of the 30 greatest LIVING AMERICAN songwriters, we could guess how readers would respond to the results: with a combination of enthusiasm and outrage, quickly letting us know which of their favorites we had unconscionably forgotten.

We didn’t want all that passion to go undocumented. So we invited readers to assemble their own list in a formal poll. More than 25,000 ballots were cast, producing nearly 12,000 distinct choices. We spent weeks combing through the votes to tabulate the results.

Finally, here they are: the top 100 songwriters, according to our readers. They’re annotated throughout with facts, testimonials and interesting patterns we noticed in the data.

30 Living Songwriters

The New York Times recently posted a list of 30 greatest living songwriters as determined by their critics. Posted here


The expanded list of 100 created by a reader's poll is much better. The NY Times post is here.


Ego Power Chaos

From Vets Against Trump

After Fred Trump died and left Donald Trump a fortune estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars, Trump spent much of his life bouncing from one failure to another.

There are really only two undeniable successes on his résumé:
* The Apprentice, which transformed him from a struggling businessman into a television celebrity.
* Winning a second presidential term, which allowed him and his family to cash in on their political fame in ways most presidents never have.
But even as Trump profits personally, the list of failures surrounding this presidency continues to grow.
* Renaming institutions and attaching his name to everything in sight.
* The turmoil surrounding the Kennedy Center.
* Damaged relationships with longtime allies.
* Tariff policies that have created economic uncertainty.
* Continued chaos and turnover within his administration.
* An increasingly unpopular conflict with Iran.

And now there is another warning sign that even some Republicans are beginning to lose confidence.

The House recently passed a War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to continue military operations in Iran without congressional authorization. Four Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats, sending a message that cracks may be starting to appear in what was once nearly automatic Republican support for Trump.

That’s what makes the vote significant.

It isn’t really about four Republicans.

It’s about the fact that after years of loyalty, some members of Trump’s own party are finally willing to publicly tell him “no.”

Meanwhile, his polling numbers are slipping, public frustration is growing, allies are questioning America’s reliability, and controversy continues to follow this administration from one headline to the next.

Yet through it all, Trump continues to insist he is the greatest president ever, the smartest leader ever, the best dealmaker ever, and the most successful businessman ever.

The question isn’t whether Trump will declare victory.

The question is:

What could possibly go wrong next?

Because every time you think the chaos has reached its limit, Trump seems determined to prove there is always another level.

As this old veteran sees it, real leaders don’t spend all day telling people they’re great. Eventually, the results have to speak for themselves.

If you enjoy my political commentary, observations, and occasional dose of sarcasm, please consider following me. I may not always be right, but I promise I’ll always give you my honest opinion—and probably a few laughs along the way.

– Jim Lager, this old veteran

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Tom Petty Anthology - Kitchen Listening

Kitchen Listening with a couple of Tom Petty anthology compilations. Started yesterday with the Anthology: Through The Years, 2000. A double CD album featuring the best of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I followed that up today with The Live Anthology, 2009 which is a 4 CD compilation of live material recorded from concerts between 1980 and 2007. This awesome set of music played for nearly 6 hours. I'm sorry I never got to see him perform live in concert.



Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Scott Pelley & CBS

From Occupy Democrats



BREAKING: Iconic “60 Minutes” journalist Scott Pelley drops EXPLOSIVE allegations after the new pro-Trump CBS News FIRES him after 37 years, saying he “was told to lie" in news stories by Trump's corporate minions.

For years during the Trump era, Americans have watched one news organization after another bend the knee to political pressure, corporate interests, billionaire owners, and partisan agendas.

But what veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley just alleged may be one of the MOST disturbing warnings yet from inside a major American newsroom.

After 37 years at CBS News, Pelley says he was FIRED tonight because the network's new pro-Trump leadership abandoned the principles that made 60 Minutes one of the most trusted institutions in journalism.

And his allegations are HISTORIC in nature.

Pelley didn't merely complain about management. He didn't simply criticize corporate restructuring. He accused the new MAGA CBS leadership of attempting to CORRUPT the news itself:

"New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story."

Read that again.

"New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story."

WOW. Pelley is openly accusing CBS News of lying to the American people to hide Trump’s corruption. He continued: "I've been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them."

This represents a DIRECT assault on the core principles of journalism.

But Pelley says the problems didn't stop there.

"Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast."

That is an EXTRAORDINARY accusation.

The entire purpose of an independent press is that journalists decide how politicians are questioned — NOT the other way around.

As Pelley bluntly put it:

"Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done."
No kidding. The allegations become even more alarming when viewed in the broader context surrounding CBS and Paramount.

For months, critics have questioned whether CBS corporate executives were softening coverage and restructuring news operations in hopes of maintaining favorable relations with the Trump administration to enrich shareholders and ensure that Paramount’s multibillion-dollar upcoming merger with Skydance is approved by Trump’s FCC.

Now one of the most respected journalists in America appears to be CONFIRMING those fears from the inside.

"Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration."

"60 Minutes lost its DNA. Our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause."

"Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience."
"They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias."

"They stood for professionalism against chaos."

But perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Pelley's statement was his conclusion:
"The collapse of values at the top has become untenable. The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable. The principles I hold dear are gone."

"And so I must leave as well."

Let that sink in. Scott Pelley spent nearly FOUR DECADES building his career at CBS News. He could have quietly accepted the changes. He could have collected a paycheck and remained silent. Instead, he chose to walk away while publicly warning Americans about what he says is happening behind the scenes.

"I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again—a day when sanity, competence, and courage return."

Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, one thing should unite us: No corporation should be telling journalists to LIE in stories. No politician should be CHOOSING which reporters interview them. And no news organization should sacrifice truth in exchange for political favors.

We salute Scott Pelley for being a shining example of integrity in the face of Trump's war on truthful journalism!

Monday, June 1, 2026

Philip K. Dick - Authors List

Philip K. Dick - Authors List. 6 Books. An interesting science fiction author who has written about 45 novels and numerous short story collections. I've read five novels and one collection. I had known about this author for many years but it took the movie Blade Runner for me to read a novel. Then it was another 20 years before I starting reading him again. There are plenty more I should check out.

I also liked the TV series of The Man in the High Castle. 

  • Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, 1968 - Nov 1986
  • Ubik, 1969 - Nov 2007
  • The Divine Invasion, 1981- Aug 2009
  • VALIS, 1981 -  Oct 2009
  • The Minority Report: Collection of Short Stories, 2002 - Dec 2009
  • The Man in the High Castle, 1962 - Jul 2016

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Typical Day for the Orange Turd

Trump had another mental health episode today.

This is what trump posted on social media 57 times.

The photo is also from today

11:15 AM - Trump attacks judge who said he couldn’t put his name on the Kennedy Center
12:03 PM - Says he may perform and give a speech at the America 250 event instead of artists who cancelled
12:08 PM - Says Obama filled the Reflecting Pool with Garbage
12:09 PM - Attacks Biden
12:09 PM - Posts edited photo of Columbus Circle in DC with the caption “CLEAN”
12:10 PM - Attacks Biden again
12:11 PM - Posts AI photo of him and George Washington riding horses in front of the White House with a space shuttle and race car in the background
12:11 PM - Attacks Rosie O’Donnell
12:11 PM - Posts photo of him in front of the American flag
12:11 PM - Brags about his endorsed candidates winning
12:12 PM - Attack Obama and Biden over the reflecting pool
12:12 PM - Posts photo of him pointing at the camera
12:13 PM - Posts photo of the UFC event cage he’s building at the White House
12:13 PM - Posts an AI image of a “golden dome” for the White House
12:15 PM - Defends Jaxson Dart, calling him a “winner” and his critics “losers”
12:45 PM - Posts an AI image of him as a NY Knicks basketball player dunking on Governor Kathy Hochul
12:56 PM - Posts an AI image of him with Tom Brady
1:03 PM - Posts a garbage can labeling it “The Obama Presidential Library”
1:16 PM - Says America is back
1:16 PM - Says America is back again
1:16 PM - Says America is back for the 3rd time
1:55 PM - Posts an AI image of him golfing
2:55 PM - Says he’s in “excellent health” lol
3:17 PM - Promotes his Fox News interview with Lara Trump
4:33 PM - Attacks the Pope again
4:54 PM - Posts a weird image of him staring at Greenland (which he has posted already)
4:57 PM - Posts an AI image of the “drone port” he wants to build on top of the ballroom
5:33 PM - Attacks Biden
5:33 PM - Attacks Biden x2
5:34 PM - Attacks Biden x3
5:34 PM - Attacks Biden x4
5:34 PM - Attacks Biden x5
5:35 PM - Posts cartoon image of Governors Newsom, Pritzker, and Hochul saying they like crime (Trump is a felon)
5:36 PM - Posts meme about Republicans who voted to release the Epstein files losing their primaries
5:36 PM - Posts an old tweet of his where he attacks “disloyal” Republicans
5:37 PM - Posts an old tweet where he said he wants to stop the world from “killing itself”
5:37 PM - Posts a mock up of a “Trump Peace Prize” which may be the most useless peace prize known to man
5:37 PM - Posts a photo of a B-2 bomber with the caption “Trump energy 2026”
5:37 PM - Posts a photo of his face on Mount Rushmore
5:38 PM - Posts an image of him kissing the American flag (he’s the least patriotic president we’ve ever had)
5:39 PM - Compares himself to George Washington
5:39 PM - Says you were convinced to think a photo of a family sitting on a car is “evil” and billions were spent to do that (???)
5:50 PM - Says we should “physically audit” Fort Knox
5:50 PM - Posts an image of him cosplaying as a navy commander
5:51 PM - Posts another image of his face on Mount Rushmore
5:51 PM - Posts another photo of him and George Washington
6:09 PM - Attacks Biden again
6:09 PM - Attacks Biden x2
6:09 PM - Attacks Biden x3
6:09 PM - Posts an old photo of himself and King Charles
6:12 PM - Posts an old photo of himself and President XI in China
6:12 PM - Posts another photo of himself and President Xi
6:22 PM - Posts a photo of himself walking in China
6:48 PM - Says the U.S. should have a ballroom because China has one
7:03 PM - Says he wants to cancel his America 250 celebration and replace it with a MAGA rally
7:56 PM - Promotes Mark Levin’s show on Fox News
7:59 PM - Promotes his Fox News interview with Lara Trump
All in one day. This man is not well. Impeachment and removal NOW.

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Yukio Mishima - Authors List

Yukio Mishima - Authors List. I read five Mishima novels all in one year. 1978. The first book I read was The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea but that was about a year or so after I saw the film version with Kris Kristofferson that was released in 1976. I was fascinated with the story and really wanted to read the novel the movie was based on. Then it was on with reading the Sea of Fertility series.

In June 1978 I just finished my four years at Temple University with a degree in Media and Film Studies. I relaxed that summer reading these books.


  • The Sailor Who Fell Grace With The Sea, 1963 - Jun 1978
  • Spring Snow, 1969 - Jul 1978
  • Runaway Horses, 1969 - Aug 1978
  • The Temple of Dawn, 1970 - Aug 1978
  • The Decay of the Angel, 1971 - Sep 1978

Chicken Dinner

Becky made a wonderful chicken cutlet dinner with some nice potatoes in butter. Nice salad too.

It was a delicious dinner after a nice walk through the neighborhood.

Sonny Rollins - Kitchen Listening 4

Kitchen Listening. Sonny Rollins. The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings 1956 - 1958, 2000 - 5 CD Set. 

Another set of listening to Sonny Rollins this week. This collection brings together many of the albums from that two year period where he played on other artist's albums and some of his own works on the Riverside and Contemporary record company albums. This box set also includes the Thelonious Monk album Brilliant Corners from 1957. 

Overall a nice addition to the series of his albums I've been listening to this week.