Guy Berger

Yeah -- the thesis certainly isn't new. But this paper is probably one of the first to tackle this question with analytical rigor. I have some thoughts on this but probably will not post them until the weekend. Guy

If you go to www.nber.org you can download a copy of an earlier draft of this paper. Looks very intriguing though from reading only the abstract I am inclined to believe that there is no causal link and that the correlation is driven by other factors.

I thought you were kidding... but wow. A screenplay draft.

Anybody else read Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink?

I think this is in fact the most likely explanation. According to the blog you link to, the authors themselves say they find no causal relationship between the two. Yeah, but... institutions don't exist independently of their environment. Payday lending isn't an important difference between Mass. and Miss., but the conditions that create a high demand for it are. Guy

I remember this from the last time somebody posted it. Hilarious. Almost enough to redeem Kenny G, as long as I never have to listen to him again.

Late -- I will probably take some grief for saying this, but I have V Ashkenazy's performance of the sonatas and really like them. I am not familiar with any other versions. Guy

I hear this a lot, and understand the point, but please, let us remember this - more than just "listening" to Coltrane, he traveled with him & played beside him night after night for more than a handful of gigs. He got it about as up close & personal & intensely & viscerally as you can get it. This cannot be emphasized enough! I know what you are getting at BUT -- the two hadn't played together (aside from maybe a sit-in or two) for almost three years when this recording was made, and the Cannonball recordings in the intervening time don't show the stylistic link nearly as much as this one or its successors do. Guy

In anticipation of Blue Note's impending demise (at least in terms of CD issuance) I snapped up a bunch of Cannonball stuff. Man, this is a great recording and much better (IMHO) than the near-contemporaneous Jazz Workshop Revisited. There's a real edge to Cannonball's playing here (he's clearly been listening to Coltrane); I like his earlier playing, but maybe it was lacking a certain gravitas or depth that appears more regularly from this point onward. And Yusef Lateef is just awesome -- a guy who I'm embarrassed to say I have generally overlooked in the past. Next up: Fiddler on the Roof, Money in the Pocket, and Cannonball Plays Zawinul. Guy

This is a solid date... I wouldn't call it great. Very "cookie-cutter" late 60s hard bop. Guy

Yeah, JQA has no place on that list. I think Harry Truman would have been worthy of consideration as well. And Jackson should have clearly been #1. Guy

I had the misfortune of listening to some of this nonsense at the airport today. Parties at Jose Canseco's house, Roger Clemens's nanny... a sad testament to the sorry state of our government that our representatives are wasting their time on this trivial non-story. Guy

Agreed, DS9 was pretty freaking great, especially after Worf joined the crew. I lost interest after Jadzia died, though. I think the 7th season was fantastic, especially near the end. Guy

I've been watching the 8th season. In general not as inspired as the best moments from the 4th, 5th or 7th seasons, but with plenty of enjoyable moments. That said, no apologies or excuses need to be made for "The Yadda Yadda", an incredible episode by any standard. I should've known it was a Peter Mehlman. Guy

Another funny moment -- or rather series of moments -- is from the 1st season episode "Justice", where the Enterprise visits a planet that's part resort, part fitness club and part orgy den. (The scantily clad natives jog from place to place.) As one would obviously guess, this easygoing paradise imposes the death penalty for breaking a handful of infractions -- one of which is triggered when young Wesley Crusher ignores the ankle-high warning fence and trips into a flower bed. "WE'RE FROM STARFLEET -- WE DON'T LIE!" I was literally laughing for five minute straight during this one. Guy

Well of course... Actually, I heard that at least part of the second season overlapped the 1988 writer's strike, which gives them an excuse for not improving the storylines much from the first season. Overall, the third season was an amazing improvement over the second, and I agree that the fourth was their best. It was steadily downhill from there, though. Growing up I always thought the funniest moment in the original series was when the cascade of tribbles fell on Kirk. But then, that was supposed to be funny. If we're talking about unintentional moments, there are too many to choose. Season 1 generally sucked with only a few exceptions. Season 2 is genuinely better -- there are several good episodes and two great ones. I think the writers were starting to figure out what to do with the show. Season 3 was the big leap forward and season 4 the best. However, while I agree that later seasons were not as good as 4, season 6 was probably the 2nd best of the series and season 5, while somewhat erratic, had three of the episodes the series ever ran. Season 7 was probably the weakest aside from the 1st 2 but that's probably because they were working on other stuff. DS9 was a substantially better series. Guy

I remember watching this terrible episode, but not this (especially at 0:45). Guy

Not sure if it's literally a fugue, but the head to Bird's "Ah Leu Cha" has an imitative counterpoint thing going on. Guy

I was thinking the same thing. Lots of great movies (and some not so great) mentioned in this thread that I wouldn't call "action films" -- though hey, vox populi vox dei. Guy

i repeat the heat might not win another game I hope not. I can't stand that team. Guy

When was the last time the West wasn't the better conference? It's been a really long time. God, that Lakers trade pisses me off. I hate the Lakers! (Sorry Noj ) Guy

Extensions is excellent -- one of those albums I listen to only rarely, but which surprises on the upside every time. Guy

The best! I thought this was overrated though there were some classic sequences. Guy