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Bad record to break

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Reuters

reports that the World Meteorological Organization announced today that a surge in carbon dioxide resulted in atmospheric concentrations growing last year "at the fastest rate since reliable global records began." "We are running out of time," said the organization's chief. 

Fwd: The Singer & the Song - for your consideration


Great Artist sings Great Artist
I love great art, no matter the medium.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Janis Ian Mail" <janisianmail@earthlink.net>
Date: September 9, 2014 at 12:51:36 PM EDT
To: "'Janis Ian'" <janisianmail@earthlink.net>
Subject: The Singer & the Song - for your consideration

Dear fellow artists, and friends of the arts,
First, apologies for the impersonal email rather than my sending a note to each of you singly. I'm on tour myself, and though it's not much of an excuse, it really has cut into my time!
Second, to all of you who supported me two years ago, when I won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word - my eternal thanks. To call it a bolt of lightning would be an understatement. I'd never have dreamed that my 60's would see me receiving my second Grammy, almost 40 years after the first.
I'm emailing to make you aware of another audio book I have up for consideration this year in the same category: The Singer & the Song. It's the autobiography of Medical Mission Sister Miriam Therese Winter. "MT" is one of the foremost feminist theologians in the world, and in addition, has written tons of wonderful songs like "Joy Is Like the Rain" that will be familiar to many of you.
There were multiple challenges in recording this audiobook, not the least of which was how to translate 28 songs originally done with choirs into just a short person with a guitar. At one point, I even borrowed some glasses, filled them with different amounts of water, and tapped them with a yellow highlighter pen to simulate bells!
The fact that MT had filled Carnegie Hall in the 70's and received a gold record for her own work made it even more important that I respect the music as much as the life journey. The arrangement challenges alone forced the creation of a script, which you can see portions of here:
You can read about the project itself here:
and if you're a NARAS member, on my GrammyPro page here:
You'll find instructions for obtaining a free download of the audiobook there.
Alternatively, if you would like to receive a download of the audiobook, you're welcome to email me back and request one. I'm happy to send the information!
I know the chances of lightning striking twice are pretty remote, but I wanted to make you aware of the project, since it's not the kind of thing that gets a lot of publicity out of the box. To me, it's a particularly American project - the life story of a Catholic nun and songwriter, narrated by a gay Jewish songwriter! The meeting point? We're both from New Jersey.
<smile>
Your support would be greatly appreciated, and please feel free to pass this on.
With thanks,
Janis Ian

Country is R&R

COUNTRY IS THE NEW ROCK

If you think rock is dead, you haven't listened to country music, which may feature a banjo or a fiddle, but really sounds like nothing so much as Skynyrd and the rest of the seventies icons. But it's not totally retro. There are electronic elements and rap and it's all very exciting. Country is taking over America, it's not just a red state thing.

I love great art, no matter the medium.

Do you wonder where that sock went to?

Great Dane was rushed to DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon, with severe stomach problems. During a two-hour-long surgery, vets extracted 43 1/2 socks from the dog. "That 1/2 sock remains a mystery," writes The Oregonian's Tom Hallman Jr. We're happy to report that, now sans socks, the Dane is feeling better. And his story helped the clinic win a $500 cash prize from Veterinary Practice News, which it will use to help low-income families pay for pet health care.

I love great art, no matter the medium.