Well the cold snap has passed and we have survived without any broken pipes or power failures. Our brand new roof gutters have survived the ice storm and they did fill up completely with ice but hung in there.
Now it's just rain at about 50f.

When you think of the petrodollar inevitably you will think of Saudi Arabia and the agreement they made with the Nixon Administration to sell all of their oil in dollars. That's why what happened just two weeks ago is so significant.

Merry Christmas

Christmastide
by H. P. Lovecraft

The cottage hearth beams warm and bright,
The candles gaily glow;
The stars emit a kinder light
Above the drifted snow.

Down from the sky a magic steals
To glad the passing year,
And belfries sing with joyous peals,
For Christmastide is here!

C99% readers, I don't know if you caught Dylan Riley and Robert Brenner's piece "Seven Theses on American Politics" over at NLR. But it's important. It's important because Riley and Brenner are willing to admit what others don't, which ends up with a revelation of how pathetic the current situation is.

Afternoon folks! I hope that you're all having a great xmas eve!

Well, I've got another pile of great stuff for you this week. There's a live recording of a bunch of great blues guys, Joe Turner, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Leon Thomas and T-Bone Walker to start off with. Otis Redding and Carla Thomas did an album together and most of it is next. After that we've got some great Chicago blues from Son Seals. After that there's an early John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (Mick Taylor period) album, a Michael Bloomfield album and a Doctor Feelgood album. In the diversity department, we've got Renaissance - after the Yardbirds broke up Keith Relf and Jim McCarty formed Renaissance, which is a completely different animal from the Yardbirds. There's a Richard and Linda Thompson album and finishing up there's an assortment of r&b vocal groups singles.

Enjoy!