Sanity Sunday - The Music of Los Tabaleros

by Nomad

Well, I can't really tell you too much about the featured band for this week's Sanity Sunday. The name of the group is Los Tabaleros, which, if Google Translate can be trusted, seems to mean "The cigar makers."

Originating from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the band released their first album, "Crimson" in 2009. According to their bio, in their early years, they dedicated themselves to interpret and understand the traditional folklore. Over time, they developed their own unique voice.
Even though I am not able to tell you much about the meaning of the songs, I was really captivated by their sense of harmony. Tell me what you think.

On This Day - August 28

by Nomad

The date of August 28 has special significance to all Americans, but particularly to African Americans.

1833 - First Steps to Freedom

With the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act, slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom and most of its colonies on this date in 1833. Historians point out, however, that the new law was not quite what it seemed.

What Happens When Young People Lose Their Faith in Democracy

by Nomad

The Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), José Ángel Gurría, has thought a lot about a disturbing global trend: the crisis of public faith in democracy. 
What are the causes? What are the effects and what are the long-term implications? And, perhaps most importantly, after the recent rise of right-wing populism, how can trust in liberal democracies be restored?

Can the US Ever Recover from the Trump Era?

by Nomad

There's no question that Trump has left his mark on America. Nobody could argue with that.
As we steel ourselves for horror show election of 2020, it is not too early to reflect on what Trump has already done to America.

The Symptom and the Cause

In terms of US foreign policy alone, this administration has been an utter disaster. Take foreign policy, as Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Eliot A. Cohen, observes:

[The] surface-level calm of the last two years should not distract from a building crisis of U.S. foreign policy, of which Trump is both a symptom and a cause. The president has outlined a deeply misguided foreign policy vision that is distrustful of U.S. allies, scornful of international institutions, and indifferent, if not downright hostile, to the liberal international order that the United States has sustained for nearly eight decades.

It goes deeper than upending the world order.

Diversion: The Observations of Daniel Koren

by Nomad

Time for a distraction from politics.

Daniel Koren is an Israeli musician, comedian and director, now living in Brooklyn. 

With his quirky point of view, 35-year-old Koren has not abandoned the wonder we once felt as children. His Youtube videos have received hundreds of thousands of views. 

I have chosen five videos from his online collection. There's the euphoric "Enjoying Stuff" - a guide to finding your snatch of happiness, and "Benches" - where Koren finds the greatest show on Earth. His video called "The Thing about Dogs" is heart-breaking and "Cactus"- a treatise about what emotional pain can do starts out ok but then completely falls apart because of a detail.
Hope you enjoy Daniel's ideas as much as I did. 

Sanity Sunday - Laid-Back Lounge Music

by Nomad

In the wake of yesterday's demoralizing and tragic news, I thought we needed a bit of a diversion. In this case, I selected lounge music, songs from another era. A time when people didn't have to worry about being shot while Saturday shopping or a night out at a local bar.   

Highlights from the Second Democratic Debate

by Nomad

Highlights from the First Half

Highlights from the Second Half

LIVE: Mueller Testimony Before Congress

by Nomad

This Livestream kicks off at 7:40 a.m. EDT with a breakdown of the major findings and moments from Mueller's report.

PBS coverage of Mueller's testimony begins at 8:30 a.m. in a House Judiciary Committee hearing, and continues at noon with a House Intelligence Committee hearing.

Update:  The PBS livestream doesn't appear to be active. I will be switching to ABC News instead.

America Circa 2019

by Nomad

Obsolete Ideals: The Truth Behind Putin's Eulogy for Western Liberalism

by Nomad

In Conflict with the Majority

Quite a few eyebrows were raised recently when President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the Financial Times, declared that Western liberalism and its values were "obsolete" and have been rejected by the majority of the people in Western nations.

Much like Trump during his campaign, Putin talked about migrants running amok who are allowed to "kill, plunder and rape with impunity." Every crime, he declared, must have its punishment.
(Unless, of course, you happen to be an oligarch with lots of bigly connections.)