And speaking of Germany trying to “transcend its gruesome past,” the New York Times relays the story of Yitzhak Ganon and his 65-year-long fear of doctors:

But when he became sick recently, his wife insisted that he visit one.  Stents were implanted to help his heart in a procedure made more risky because he was missing a kidney.  What happened to his other kidney explained his aversion to doctors, according to an account he gave Spiegel Online.

While held at the Auschwitz concentration camp, the 85-year-old Mr. Gannon told his doctors, he was the subject of an experiment by Joseph Mengele, the Nazi physician known as ?

 
Sister Wendy, the art lovin’ nun and a clearly flummoxed Bill Moyers discuss Andres Serrano’s controversial photograph “Piss Christ”. There’s something delightful about the way in which she calmly damns Seranno with faint praise and generally defends her appreciation for erotic imagery in this clip. Go Sister Wendy, go !

 
Since Dangerous Minds seems to be trading the Stones for Krautrock (thanks, Brad Laner!), I thought I’d chime in with this BBC documentary, Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany:

Between 1968 and 1977 bands like Neu!, Can, Faust and Kraftwerk would look beyond western rock and roll to create some of the most original and uncompromising music ever heard.  They shared one common goal—a forward-looking desire to transcend Germany?

Hey that’s my name up there in pretty red letters ! Sorry for the self-indulgence so early in my tenure, but this here atheist Jew has composed and recorded a Christmas song for the 8 days of Hometapes event and today is my day. Hometapes is the fine and happening Portland-based label that released my 2007 solo debut LP, Neighbor Singing and is due to release my 2nd, Natural Selections some time next year.

 

 

 
Yimmys Yayo is a colorful photoblog descirbed as “visual crack for the ocular fiend.” It is “purely to share amazing visuals found with as many people as possible.” Enjoy!
 
Yimmys Yayo

 
Quarteto 1111 was a Portuguese progressive/psychedelic rock band founded in 1967 in Estoril. Singer/Keyboardist Jose Cid went on to be what I’ve seen described as the “Portuguese Elton John” though there’s no early warning of that here thankfully. Here are a couple of lovely, pastoral, weirdly produced tracks from their eponymous debut LP, a conceptual piece dealing with racism and emigration (or so they claim). Evidently the censorship-happy Salazar regime made sure it was pulled from shelves the very week it was released. Dickheads.

This (unfortuntely truncated) black and white clip is for thier 1967 hit “El Rei D. Sebasti?ɬ

 
From Daily Record.co.uk:

A woman who killed her partner in a bust-up over whether to play a Kenny Rogers or Bob Dylan CD was jailed for more than six years yesterday.

Andrea Neil stabbed Rober t Hamilton, 46, after the argument at their home in May.

The article goes on to say:

There was an argument about what music to play. It got so heated that the accused asked Mr Hamilton to leave, but he refused.

Mr Hamilton attempted to throw a television at Neil. He then pulled her to the kitchen floor by her hair and a struggle ensued. She grabbed at a knife which was lying on a kitchen counter and stabbed him on the left side of his chest. Mr Hamilton staggered a few steps and then collapsed in the hallway

Jail for woman who stabbed lover to death over Kenny Rogers-Bob Dylan row

Just like the

 
Thank god she didn’t watch “Requiem for a Dream.”

My wife cries at the end of almost every movie. It’s really cute. I grabbed my camera to capture this moment right after we finished Return of the Jedi.

Note: I love my wife to death! She was okay after about 25 minutes. She laughed when she saw this video.

 
(via Arbroath)