Sultans of Swing

Knopfler AND Clapton! A discovery by jamesa ...

Captured

Photograher David Guttenfelder has been photographing the war in Afghanistan for the past seven years. Here, the Denver Post publishes a portfolio of his outstanding work on its Captured photoblog:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/10/30/photographer-collection-david-guttenfelder-in-afghanistan/

Black and White America

Roy DeCarava, the first black photographer to be awarded a Guggenheim grant, died recently. I remember him mostly from his photographs of Harlem neighborhoods and jazz scenes, which I encountered during my early years in photography. NPR offers up this tribute and story on DeCarava and his work.

Video of the Day

Song of the Day

Easy by Deer Tick (Born on Flag Day)

Leaping Wolf

We don't often see something really different in wildlife photography. This one is, and it captured the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 award for Jose Luis Rodriguez. Read the back story here.

Bah, Humbug?

Bob Dylan's music, as you probably know about me, would be among the very first that I would take to that desert island if I had to spend the rest of my life that way. Heck, I think he might be the most important rock/pop/folk artist of the last fifty years.

You may have heard that Dylan is doing a Christmas album. I heard it. My opinion: This is clearly the worst thing Dylan has ever done, and possibly one of the worst Christmas albums I have ever heard of any kind. Can't even pass as one of those Bob-Dylan-enigmatic-jokes. (On the other hand, I see that the proceeds are going to charity, thankfully. You can check that out at bobdylan.com.) Do yourself a favor and avoid this thing at all costs and get something worthwhile, say, the New Joy Orthodox Christmas Music album of two or three years ago with Paul Hillier conducting the Estonian Chamber Choir.