Stalingrad

Seventy years later, experts continue to argue over the final body count.

Aus dem stillen Raume
Aus der Erde Grund
Hebt mich wie im Traume
Dein verliebter Mund
Wenn sich die späten Nebel drehn
Werd’ ich bei der Laterne steh’n
Wie einst Lili Marleen

Moon Of Minnesota

Oh, show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why

Show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why

For if we don’t find
The next whisky bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die

Oh, moon of Minnesota
We now must say goodbye
We’ve lost our good old mamma
And must have whisky
Oh, you know why

Oh, show us the way
To the next little dollar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why

Show us the way
To the next little dollar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why

For if we don’t find
The next little dollar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die

Oh, moon of Minnesota
We now must say goodbye
We’ve lost our good old mamma
And must have dollars
Oh, you know why

Bertolt Brecht (1927)

________________________________________________


Thought of the day:

Add an “R” to the word “MOON” and it becomes “MORON”.

As in “MORON OF MINNESOTA”.

Another Ever-Fading Music Act: Tim Zavadumb And The Stinkies

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk. Talk about things you'd like to do.

Oscar Hammerstein II, lyrics from the song, "Happy Talk", from the musical, "South Pacific"

A Good Rolodex Is Always Helpful . . .

A good Rolodex is always helpful, and the words of a man of high probity and high integrity and high reputation are always given great weight.

This afternoon, six minutes after Andrew’s father telephoned an executive of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the newspaper made an alteration on its website.

One “Mina Fisher”, who had submitted a guest editorial to the Star Tribune, had been identified by the newspaper only as a “music teacher”. Only after Andrew’s father telephoned the newspaper executive and noted that such a conspicuous misrepresentation of Fisher’s genuine identity—totally misleading and totally unacceptable—had remained on the newspaper website, uncorrected, for over 23 hours, did the Star Tribune make the following alteration regarding Fisher’s identity:

“Mina Fisher, of Minneapolis, is a music teacher” was amended to become “Mina Fisher, of Minneapolis, is a music teacher, arts manager and retired cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra. She can be reached at sossaveosmo@gmail.com.”

The significance of the final sentence in the amended identification, made on the newspaper’s own volition, signifies that the newspaper—perhaps as an act of contrition—is now tipping off its readers that Fisher, because of her association with sossaveosmo, is nothing more than an all-around, all-purpose nut.

Andrew’s father said he knew the newspaper would do the right thing once the matter was brought to the attention of an appropriate executive—and Andrew’s father, as always, was right.

Six minutes . . .

I’d say that’s a pretty quick response.