Wednesday, March 23, 2011

P.O.T.U.S. - do you have satellite radio yet?

Have you set up your subscription to Sirius/XM satellite radio yet? If not, what is your problem? It's really not that expensive. Bruce fan? You have your own station. Grateful Dead fan? Own station. Blues fan? Station. Jazz fan? Station. You get the idea.

But the most important reason I have found to subscribe to satellite radio is the relatively new station called P.O.T.U.S. — "politics of the United States for the people of the United States."

Wake up to Tim Farley providing an update of the day's news headlines, as well as history lessons and interviews with news makers.

Midday, Joe Matthieu takes over. He is a political guru and manages to get "the best reporters in the business" to weigh in on the day's issues. Joe can also be counted on to stay late or come in on weekends to provide live coverage. When Representative Giffords was shot in Tuscon, I was so relieved to find that Joe, and his talented staff, were on the job providing reliable information.

Come afternoon, Pete Dominick, takes to the airwaves. His goal is to find the most pressing issues of the day that affect the greatest number of Americans and find experts to comment on them. Then, he takes comments from callers. Pete is just a regular guy, a comedian, a husband, and a father, who wants to live a good life. He may be too passionate sometimes but you cannot doubt his honesty or integrity. That makes him a reliable discussion moderator.

The other day, Pete was out, and the most awesome Charles Ellison sat in for him. Callers love Charles, who is quite personable and gracious. One caller mentioned that Charles was the "greatest guest host" to fill in for Pete and then added that he was also filling in for the "greatest station in the history of broadcasting."

You know, that caller had a good point.

P.O.T.U.S. provides raw feed of events in Washington but moderates through intelligent reporting.

I love it.

Monday, March 14, 2011

A Diamond in Your Mind

Amazing words

author Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan / singer Solomon Burke


Best words from "Always Keep a Diamond in Your Mind," a song with intensely original and provocative lyrics:

She's got the milk of human kindness and the fat of the lamb
Scared like a baby, but she drives like a man
She lives outside of Natchez where she operates a crane
She's like a wrecking ball no longer connected to the chain

Oh Zerelda Samuel said she almost never prayed
Said she lost her right arm, blown off in a Pinkerton raid
Then they lashed her to a windmill with old "3-fingered Dave"
Now she's 102 drinking mint juleps in the shade

Everybody, always keep a diamond in your mind

(italics added)

You can hear Waits at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnghcGigzY

Or for a more fulfilling version try Solomon Burke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ZDjRnNUJQ