October 2019 - Page 3 of 7 - Ramblin' with Roger

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli PM, 70

accused of meddling with an Israeli telecom company merger

When I looked at a list of all of the people turning 70 in 2019, I had decided NOT to write about Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.

Then, in February 2019, he was indicted on one case of bribery and two cases of fraud and breach of trust. This involves allegedly planning to help a newspaper disadvantage its competition to get good press in return. Also, he is accused of meddling with an Israeli telecom company merger in exchange for positive coverage on its news site. The prime minister, in the midst of a tough election contest, denied any wrongdoing.

The guy living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue started insinuating himself into the Israeli electoral process. This is possibly beyond what his base was looking for.

In the election of April 9, Bibi seemed set to win a fifth term after vowing to annex the West Bank, part of a so-called American peace plan.

The huge problem is that millions of Palestinians live in the area captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians want to make it part of their future state. This campaign promise is sure to raise tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The right-wing Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t win enough seats to govern. He attempted to form a coalition government, but it failed. By late May, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) voted to dissolve itself and redo the election.

Try, try again

Ahead of Israeli’s do-over election in September, the Prime Minister faced opposition from the left and the right.

President Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with forming a government when unity talks With Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan reached a stalemate.

There COULD be a third round of voting if this doesn’t work out, and as of this writing, here’s no real government. What are Netanyahu’s recent liabilities? They may be:

-criminal allegations, and the sense that a win could get him immunity.
-the American’s apparently-canceled wish to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as the Israeli prime minister insisted that Iran was developing its nuclear program

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Israeli officials “played” his ex-boss. He warned that a “healthy amount of skepticism” is needed in dealings with Israel’s prime minister.

“They did that with the president on a couple of occasions, to persuade him that ‘We’re the good guys, they’re the bad guys,’” Tillerson said, according to the Harvard Gazette. “We later exposed it to the president so he understood, ‘You’ve been played.'”

Benjamin Netanyahu turns 70.

Early voting, and the Political Compass

vote in “off-year” elections

Lots of people don’t vote in “off-year” elections, but I always do, because Math. In a local race, my ballot has a much greater impact in a smaller geography, with lesser participation. It’s diminished in a statewide race, such as for governor, US Senator or President, which of course, is a bunch of state races.

For the first time, there is early voting in New York State this year. Here are the times and places in Albany County, and the rest of the state, starting October 26.

Left? Right?

In a conversation about politics on Facebook, someone wondered if I had taken the Political Compass test, or something like it. “I’m referring to ones that compare results to party; or comparable ideology. I’m curious what a guy like you gets from it.”

I’ve certainly taken a similar test, maybe even this very one. As the folks behind it note: “Our weakest point is commercialism, so it was always inevitable that others with those skills would tinker a little around the edges of our basic concept — and even our name — and repackage it as a national issues-based tool for commercial sponsorship for a few weeks during national elections.”

After all, “The Political Compass has been on the internet since 2001… Our essential point is that Left and Right, although far from obsolete, are essentially a measure of economics.

“As political establishments adopt either enthusiastically or reluctantly the prevailing economic orthodoxy — the neo-liberal strain of capitalism — the Left-Right division between mainstream parties becomes increasingly blurred. Instead, party differences tend to be more about identity issues. In the narrowing debate, our social scale is more crucial than ever.

“We believe that, in an age of diminishing ideology, The Political Compass helps a new generation in particular to get a better idea of where they stand politically — and the sort of political company they keep.”

Take the test if you want; it appears to be anonymous, and the responses are not logged. Check out the other pages as well.

2020 Rock Hall of Fame noms

If I have a bias…

They are doing something different for the fan balloting with the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations. You can vote every day via Google until January 10, 2020 for five nominees, which, collectively, will be considered in the process.

My picks tend to be partly based on how long it’s been since they were first nominated, how many times they’ve been nominated before, their musical significance, and, frankly, whether I like them.

My Sure Things

#TODD RUNDGREN – Eligible year: 1995
Number of nominations: 2; Nominated in 2019, 2020
One of My Sure Things LAST year. I wrote: “I have his albums with the Nazz, Utopia and a number of his solo albums. He’s also produced a chunk of notable albums for others. It’s SHOCKING that he was never nominated before. He’s a wizard, a true star.”
Something to Fall Back On

#THE DOOBIE BROTHERS -Eligible year: 1996
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
The Doobies was one of my college-era bands. And I was impressed when they reinvented themselves with Michael McDonald on many lead vocals. I noted that only Walter Becker and Donald Fagan are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as Steely Dan. The group had initially included Skunk Baxter. On later albums, McDonald provided many vocals.
Members: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, John Hartman, Michael Hossack, Tom Johnston, Keith Knudsen, Michael McDonald, John McFee, Tiran Porter, Patrick Simmons
What A Fool Believes

I voted for them because I like them

#DEPECHE MODE – Eligible year: 2006
Number of nominations: 3; Nominated in 2017, 2018, 2020
Members: Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder
Three noms in four years. Put ’em in!
People are People

#PAT BENATAR – Eligible year: 2004
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo
If I have a bias, it’s probably in favor of women in rock.
Heartbreaker

The ones who appear influential

WHITNEY HOUSTON – Eligible year: 2009
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Lots of complaints in my circle that she’s not “rock”. Whatever. One of the greatest voices in pop music.
How Will I Know

KRAFTWERK; Eligible year: 1995
Number of nominations: 6; Nominated in 2003, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
Members: Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flür, Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
“KRAFTWERK IS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH ALL SYNTHESIZER-BASED ROCK AND ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC IS BUILT.”
Showroom Dummies

NINE INCH NAILS; Eligible year: 2014
Number of nominations: 3; Nominated in 2015, 2016, 2020
Members: Trent Reznor
Hurt

THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.; Eligible year: 2019
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Christopher Wallace/BIGGIE SMALLS
Hypnotize

SOUNDGARDEN; Eligible year: 2011
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto
I actually have a few cuts of the group and Cornell solo cuts, and I was sad when he died.
Rusty Cage

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND; Eligible year: 2018
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Carter Beauford, Jeff Coffin, Stefan Lessard, Dave Matthews, Leroi Moore, Tim Reynolds, Rashawn Ross, Boyd Tinsley
They’ve played around here practically every year. I’ve never seen them.
What Would You Say

JUDAS PRIEST; Eligible year: 1999
Number of nominations: 2; Nominated in 2018, 2020
Members: Les Binks, K. K. Downing, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Dave Holland, Glenn Tipton, Scott Travis
Hell Bent for Leather

MOTÖRHEAD; Eligible year: 2002
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: ‘Fast’ Eddie Carke, Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor
Not my cuppa.
Eat the Rich

I like them but I don’t know if they should be in there

MC5 Eligible year: 1991
Number of nominations: 6; Nominated in 2003, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Sixth nomination! Yet I can’t quite pick the Detroit group.
Members: Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, Dennis Thompson, Rob Tyner
Tonight

RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN; Eligible year: 1999
Number of nominations: 4; Nominated in 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020
Members: Dennis Belfield, Al Ciner, Andre Fischer, Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden, Nate Morgan, Kevin Murphy, Ron Stockert, Bobby Watson
I picked them a couple of years ago, but it was really for her. On the fence about the group.
Dance Wit Me

T. REX; Eligible year: 1993
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Marc Bolan, Steve Currie, Mickey Finn, Bill Legend
“The musical herald that ushered in the birth of Glam Rock.”
Jeepster

THIN LIZZY; Eligible year: 1996
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Eric Bell, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Phil Lynott, Brian Robertson
As I read their bio, they’re more impressive than I had remembered
Whiskey in the Jar

I vote for the first four. My fifth tends to float among Houston, Kraftwerk, and that last grouping. Who are YOU voting for?

Here is my annual pitch for Estelle Axton, the AX of STAX Records. Her brother, Jim Stewart, has been in nearly two decades.

First kiss; still retired; Fan-Taco

Things get settled eventually

First Kiss Some Ask Roger Anything questions, all from people I met in the 1970s or 1980s IRL, as it turns out. All were asked on Facebook.

Kevin, who I’ve known since college, asks: How old were you when you had your first kiss?

This proved to be surprisingly difficult to answer. I thought my first kiss was when I was 13, at the home of my friends Danny and Bob, and I kissed Mary under the mistletoe. But Mary, who I’m still in touch with via FB, has no such recollection. Maybe it’s a false memory.

That would mean I was 15 or 16 when I surely kissed Martha. That would have been 1968 or 1969. Not incidentally, the Beatles white album came out in November 1968. So I sang the song Martha My Dear a LOT at the time, and played it too, Side 2, 1st track.

How was I to know that it was a paean to Paul McCartney’s English sheepdog?

Still retired

Augustus, with whom I worked at the comic book store FantaCo in the mid-1980s, wants to know: How long have you been retired?

My last day of work was Friday, June 28. I say I retired on Sunday, June 30 because that’s the day my insurance ended. I was primary on Medicare as of July 1, though, based on the denial got recently for a doctor’s service, Medicare STILL doesn’t know it. It’s not really their fault but my previous insurance company’s.

My friend Catbird wrote:
What I’ve heard about Medicare is:
Find a provider who takes it (prepare for disappointment)
Receive service
Receive bill for what was not reimbursed in 45 days
Tell provider, who resubmits
Things get settled eventually
No wonder so many providers don’t accept Medicare! It seems like the only ones that do are the big medical machines like MedStar (and maybe United Healthcare)
Other countries do healthcare a LOT better than the US.

Fan-Taco

Mark, my old roommate who also worked at FantaCo, is being funny: Did you ever work at a Restaurant called Fan-taco?

Ha. It does remind me, though, that I have NEVER worked in food service in my whole life. No cooking, waiting, dishwashing. I was not opposed to it but just did other stuff.

I was a Downton Abbey virgin

expect a sequel

When Downton Abbey was on our PBS television station a few years back, my wife discovered it about halfway through the first season. Eventually, she watched the whole series. I supported this, nay, stoked it, as I purchased each season on DVD.

Heck, I bought her Christmas At Downton Abbey music CD back in 2014, which is pleasant enough. (Note to self, for this holiday season…)

However, I never actually WATCHED the show. I might walk through the room while she was viewing it, but not enough to know the names of the characters, let alone their relationships. Peculiar too, because I did see a bit of Upstairs, Downstairs back in the 1970s, which Downton broadly resembles.

I saw the trailer for the movie repeatedly. This is no spoiler: the king is coming to Downton! After catching a number of television interviews with the actors, it allowed me to think I might just go see the film.

My wife had the day off from school for Yom Kippur, so we went to see the second matinee showing at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany. By then we knew it had done well enough to warrant a sequel.

I liked the movie, actually. More than occasionally, I was unclear who was related to whom, but it mattered little. Unsurprisingly, I found the “downstairs” people much more relatable. I rooted for them in the major plot point about them collectively.

Almost every time Maggie Smith, who is the Countess of Grantham, had a line, or dialogue was spoken to her, I laughed. But I LOVED Carson (Jim Carter) who came out of retirement to help with the house. The anti-royalist sentiment also intrigued me.

Still, I should note my wife’s reaction. She’s been watching the series all of these years, after all. As the credits rolled, she said, “it was yummy.”

It occurred to me that the Downton Abbey series was probably a soap opera. I don’t mean that pejoratively. When I was watching Grey’s Anatomy recently and she was in the next room, she said, perhaps snarkily, “It sounds like a soap opera.” We all have our own sudsers, I suppose.