Is Pope Protestant?

Is the Pope Protestant?

Does a bear use a Port-a-Potty in the woods?

Should the U.S.  try to be the global policeman?

Could the U.S., even if it wanted to, succeed in being the global policeman?

Does it matter if the reputation of the U.S. "suffers" if it doesn't retaliate at crossings of its red lines?

Is having the respect of other nations--whether allies or enemies--of any real value to the U.S.?

Should Americans boast about American "exceptionalism"?

Was it irresponsible of John McCain to play online poker during Congressional hearings on punishing Syria for its use of chemical weapons?

Is there any way to find logic in President Obama's statements that an American attack on Syria would be something bigger than a "pinprick" and also "unbelievably small"?

Does it matter if Vladimir Putin was the leader in the diplomatic negotiations if Syria in fact gives up its chemical weapons?

Is there any reason to believe Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel when he says of the mass shooting by Aaron Alexis: "Obviously, something went wrong.  Where there are gaps, we will close them, where there are inadequacies we will address them, where there are failures we will correct them"?

Has there ever been a more inarticulate Sec. of Defense than Chuck Hagel?

Can governmental probes into a person's mental condition be squared with the right to privacy?

Is the move to personal identification by means of biometrics reason for alarm?

Is there any way to prevent terrorists--or apolitical, deranged persons with murder in mind--from attacking shopping malls, such as the one in Nairobi, without so severely restricting access that neither shoppers nor merchants would tolerate it?

Does anyone know how to identify a prospective mass killer?

Is there any chance for a two-state solution in the Middle East?

Is loyalty to class or tribe or religious sect the main obstacle to nation-building?

Is the U.S. spending enough of its military budget on unmanned robotic vehicles?

Is a Tea Party member a terrorist?

Is a Tea Party member a freedom fighter?

Can Iran be trusted not to work on developing a nuclear bomb in exchange for a reduction in the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S.?

Should the U.S. therefore not participate in negotiations with Iran?

Was it best for the country that Lawrence Summers withdrew his name as a candidate for Federal Reserve chairman?

Should an environmentally-conscious corporation like Starbucks operate gas-wasting, pollution-making drive-thru windows?

Is it surprising that liberal critics have turned on President Obama for what they percieve as lack of leadership in his second term?

Will Republicans be able to kill Obamacare?

Will Obamacare eventually lead to single-payer health care?

Are there any better male actors than Michael Kitchen (Foyle in "Foyle's War")?

Should anyone over 40 ever be accepted as a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars"?

Is anything said by a celebrity more irksome than an admission, amounting to a proclamation, that he/she is "flawed" (unless, that is, he/she proclaims that he/she is "deeply flawed")?

Is anything said by a pundit or critic more irksome than that some book or film or political strategy is "nuanced" or "layered"?

Is the speech of an Oscar or Emmy winner ever anything other than an embarrassment?

Is the patter of the Oscar or Emmy telecast's host and of the award presenters  equally an embarrassment?

Is it sad that Ariel Castro committed suicide in jail?

Is it smart to buy more Lottery tickets when the prize money gets higher?

Is there any TV commercial more annoying than the one for Geico featuring a camel lumbering through an office and asking everyone to guess what day it is?

Is it better to have success early and fail later than to fail early and have success later?

Should websites allow readers to post comments without publicly identifying themselves to the proprietors of the website and without permitting their real names to be posted along with their comments?

Does it matter that none of us reads the "Terms of Service" agreements that we sign when we register for a new online service or app?

Can you or any of your acquaintances explain how a 3-D printer actually works and what it might be used to produce?

Did Ecurb Snave know what he'd been missing before he got a new high-speed desktop computer with a 23-inch high-resolution monitor?

Is there anything better for lunch than a protein-packed smoothie?

Are the vegetable yogurts available at Whole Foods--beet, carrot, squash, and the like--going to sweep the nation?

Is there any way to make quinoa taste good?

Did Diana Nyad cheat on her age-defying swim from Cuba to Florida?

In football or basketball, does a really good defense beat a really good offense?

In football or basketball, does a pretty good offense beat a pretty good defense?

Is a hip turn more important than a wrist snap in generating power in the golf or softball swing?

Is a wrist snap more important that a hip turn in generating power in the golf or softball swing?

Is Ecurb Snave able to coordinate his hip turn with his wrist snap?

Is the "human element" one of the endearing aspects of sports officiating?

If we could fully mechanize sports officiating, would we in any way miss the human umpires and referees?

Should professional athletes be expected to serve as an example of anything except success in sports?

Should any taxpayer money be used to fund the building of professional sports facilities unless approved by a direct vote of the public?

Is there a better hitter in baseball than Detroit's Miguel Cabrera?

Is Eric Wedge responsible for the poor performance of the Seattle Mariners in the past two years?

Should the unfortunately named Jerry Kill, the University of Minnesota head football coach who has had several epileptic seizures on the sideline during games, be prevented from coaching during games?

Does it matter that black players are underrepresented and that Latino players are overrepresented in professional baseball; or that white and Latino players are underrepresented and black players overrepresented in professional basketball?

*****

Ecurb's Playlist

Ecurb Snave who, back in the day, never had a Walkman to clip to his shorts when he hit the streets for his daily run, and who, even today, doesn't have an iPod to velcro to a bicep when he lifts weights at LA Fitness, nevertheless carries in his head a playlist of his 100 favorite jazz and pop tunes that he occasionally listens to on compact discs or 50-year-old vinyl LPs.  Here--not in order of preference, because preference depends so much on mood and occasion; nor in alphabetical order, because alphabetizing is far too tedious (wait a minute--is there something in Microsoft Word that would do the job for him?)--is the first installment of the 100, with brief annotations revealing that Ecurb's lack of computer savvy is equaled only by his lack of musicological savvy.

 

"Let's Dance," Benny Goodman--A toe-tapping, jitterbugging one-two, one-two beat from the git-go, with reeds and brass taking turns leading the ensemble and then, knowing their place, quietly comping behind Goodman's clean, authoritative, quick clarinet, which darts its way through traffic before stopping abruptly at a light that has suddenly turned red.

"Sing, Sing, Sing," Benny Goodman--Pounding jungle drums command attention, growling brass and aggressive reeds alternate leads, then Bwana Goodman's clarinet assumes command of the war party.  The bass drum keeps returning us to the warpath, driving hard throughout, Gene Krupa at his best.  The brass adds another exotic element, something quasi Southeast Asian, snake-charmers at the market, perhaps.  Frenzied little sprints alternate with rests, storms after lulls, lulls before storms.  Dogs yap, birds trill, then Goodman fires off salvos as he strafes the upper register before Krupa leads the ensemble to a machine-gun finish.

 

"Moonglow," Errol Garner--Has there ever been a bad version of "Moonglow"?  Certainly not this one, as Garner puts his unique stamp on the tune.  As usual, Garner is his own best rhythm section, prividing a back beat with a pulsating left hand while sticking to the melody with his right hand the first time around, once over lightly, then going off on exploratory tangents that nevertheless maintain the tender tone of the tune (a tenderness made visible by Kim Novak and William Holden in their great outdoor dance scene in the film "Picnic").  There is a more sparing use of notes than is usual with Garner--the flood gates never fully open, as they so often do at the whims of this prankish elf--but he provides plenty of accent with his touching trills.  At the end, Garner repeats a phrase of descending notes four times, each rep a bit slower and softer, a train coasting into the station after a most satisfying journey.

"Blue Rondo a la Turk," The Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond on alto sax--A fast-paced middle-Eastern aura provided early by Desmond's sharp chirps and Brubeck's deep left-hand chords.  The rondo motif governs the tune, Brubeck returning to it to punctuate Desmond's solo, which soars like a plane, free and easy.  Brubeck then assumes command, pounding some two-hand chords and in the process suddenly discovering a hypnotic repetition that inspires him, soloing longer than he usually does, playing contrapuntal syncopation against the steady beat of bass and drums.

"A Day in the Life," The Beatles--A plaintive tone augmented by repetition of the multiple-meaninged phrase "Oh, boy."  The wish to "turn you on" drives the song to a crescendo, a huge wave overpowering and swamping us before splashing us up on the beach, a final somber note held long and resounding apocalyptically.