Protests, Musicians who died too young & 2000 free SMSes

Hey folks,
Exams are over here--I think "Holocaust and Aging" went well last week, and "Policy" and "Nursing Home Management" both went splendidly. Now I just have to write three papers...

I spent the weekend before the last exam in Ashkelon, another former home from the OTZMA days. Israel's southernmost Mediterranean coastal town is also very dear to me. I got through that exam with a little help from my Ben-Gurion University friends.

As for the protests that have sprouted across Israel over recent weeks regarding increasing housing prices, no, I haven't pitched a tent and joined in. I'm taking a wait-and-see approach, but certainly think that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer deserve due respect as they have helped guide Israel's economy to ridiculously-low unemployment (5.7%) and economic growth amidst the global meltdown.

If it were up to me, the protests would focus on improving the educational and public transportation systems. Those are two major drawbacks that prevent many Israelis from leaving the overpriced center of the country (where most of the jobs are located). So that's my challenge to the government--Get the periphery's schools up to speed, make transportation to the center fast and cheap, and then we can truly settle the entire country--a strategic imperative that we can all agree on.

For all her problems, I am as thrilled as ever to live in Israel. I belatedly celebrated three years since my aliyah over Shabbat lunch last Saturday with several close friends. It was lovely, despite the boiling heat.

In music news, Dad definitely would have asked me "So what do you think of Amy Winehouse's stuff?" He was intrigued by my connection to popular music. He didn't quite see how hip-hop appealed to me. There was something about our generation's urban voice that spoke to both of us--he was simply blessed with being 18 years old in the most magical of jazz years, 1959. Any attempt to compare the astounding output of that year's urban music with my coming-of-age year of 1997 would be the ultimate exercise in futility. The best my generation had to offer was Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy 's ubiquitous "Mo Money, Mo Problems," heard everywhere around campus freshman year (anyone who stepped foot on a college campus that year can certainly get my back).

Anyway, sadly I never paid attention to Winehouse until it was too late. When I heard the news from a Ben-Gurion classmate, I thought immediately of the last similar story in my mind--the death of Kurt Cobain, which came as a huge shock to me back in 1994. This memorable scene from Six Feet Under kept that loss on my radar a decade later. Here's Nirvana's "All Apologies" on MTV Unplugged (man, the crowd at that show caught a seriously historic show). If you haven't heard of the depressing club of wasted talent that Winehouse joined, here's the 27 Club. By me, 27 was a phenomenal year--unimaginable to die so young. Whether it was the suspected overdose or not, an Israeli told me not to bother learning the depressing phrase: מנת יתר m'nat yeter. Too late!

Of course as I'm sure you're hearing plenty of her stuff these days, I too soaked up the tributes on VH1 and MTV here last week. In general, I see her as a pretty Jewish girl underneath a really bizarre costume. I of course think her messages in several songs are appalling (i.e. glorifying substance addiction), but there's no debating that she was an incredibly soulful singer and rich songwriter. And her style defied genre, which is a very special trait. Here's a great performance of "You Know I'm No Good." And if you have a little more time, here's a fantastic nearly hour-long show on BBC one sessions (or just watch "Back to Black" from that show here). Dvora Meyers sums up Amy's story aptly here.

As for all the attention that the tormented Winehouse has received (I found the 257-strong list of references on her Wikipedia page particularly striking), it saddens me deeply that so many penultimate professionals in the industry, like Dad, don't garner that kind of attention. Of course her bandmates knew there was risk involved in joining her band, but her complete lack of professionalism in showing up to a show in no state to perform cost them months of work. Dad was always early for his gigs, as a bandleader he always treated his bandmates with the Golden Rule in mind, and he consistently brightened others' lives through his playing. So my message is twofold: a) go out and support the little guys in the music industry who do a great job every night, and b) my submission to Wikipedia of a page for Dad. I'll keep you posted as I hear back from them...

Dad was one of the countless jazz musicians who have jammed with Von "Vonski" Freeman over his seven-decade-strong career in Chicago. Here's hoping Vonski recovers and is able to keep wailing on the sax, but man I would have loved this tribute to the irreplaceable Vonski!

Here's a cool article about Jewish entrepreneurs' involvement in reinvigorating New Orleans' jazz scene, replete with three tracks.

For any friends here in Israel, here's your chance to get in on Orange's Ramadan deal of 2000 free SMS messages this month! I'm hoping I am actually receiving the deal as advertised, but I did receive a confirmation SMS and email from them.

Here's a Wall Street Journal piece on America's slowly recovering job market. The way Bret Stephens rants here about both Obama and the lack of a legitimate Republican contender in next year's elections, you'd think he was about to throw his hat into the race.

Back to my Mavs, Yisrael Hayom (a major free newspaper) has a cool feature where you can look at archived editions online. From this link, flip to pages 38-39 to read all the stories about "טקסס על הסוס"- Texas on the Horse and our defeat of the Heat.

That's it for now. Much love,
אריק/Eric