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cactus is our friend: Girlie Pop

September 27, 2007 by David Baer

In the mid-nineties, London’s Sunday Times ran an excellent CD club with the most eclectic offerings imaginable. One of them was Girlie Pop, which presented hits by a larval-stage Madonna, P.P. Arnold, Marilyn Monroe, The Shangri-Las, The Dixie Cups, Betty Everett, Maria Muldaur, Lesley Gorre, Fontella Bass, The Shirelles, and Lulu. Continue Reading »

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and she’s beautiful to boot!

September 27, 2007 by David Baer

This album is for Jaci Velasquez an extraordinary achievement. In it she emerges from the status of a managed star-in-the-making to that of a young woman who really sings. Mi Corazón uses the hit ‘Como se cura una herida’ as its title track, giving Jaci an opportunity to hint at things to come. Continue Reading »

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high-minded: Isaiah 10-12

September 27, 2007 by David Baer

The moral architecture of the book of Isaiah is one of its sustaining threads, holding together deep complexity by the persistence of a singular theme. With its recurrent promise that ‘YHWH alone shall be exalted on that day’, the book establishes that when things are as they should be, YHWH is lifted up and all his creatures stand below him in proper submission. Indeed, chapter six’s vision tells us that the view from the heavenly throne room is just this way. Only matters on earth have gone temporarily akilter. Continue Reading »

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double edge: Isaiah 7-9

September 26, 2007 by David Baer

YHWH’s proximity is an inconvenient wealth.

The Lord’s covenanting labors with Israel in the desert before Sinai are paradigmatic of the demanding consolation that his presence brings to a people with whom he chooses to live in close quarters. Rightfully, the Israelites of the Exodus narrative have a difficult time deciding whether this is precisely what they wanted. Continue Reading »

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telling stories: Ryan Ahlwardt, I Can See Forever

September 26, 2007 by David Baer

Ryan Ahlwardt’s deep roots in four-part men’s music down at Indiana University show up even in a thoughtful-pop album like I Can See Forever. It’s there in the capacity and control of his voice even when it flits near the limits of his natural range. Continue Reading »

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because you’ve got better things to do: Quicken Medical Expense Manager

September 26, 2007 by David Baer

This year I initiated an HSA with a high deductible insurance policy and an FSA. I threw myself into this particular lunacy on the grounds of liking the idea of people taking responsibilty for something that costs society (you ‘n me) as much as medical care does. I’m still glad I did, but man does it get complex! Continue Reading »

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mediocrity has its virtues: Bicycling magazine

September 25, 2007 by David Baer

Publications like Bicycling practically define narrow-casting. Aimed at a modest population that throbs with interest in their shared pursuit, a magazine like this one has to meet elevated expectations and yet recruit enough advertisers to pay the bottom line and maintain an accessible price.

The result is almost doomed to be something of a hybrid. Continue Reading »

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managing the information explosion: Old Testament Abstracts

September 25, 2007 by David Baer

A peculiar joy mixes with the horror of realizing how daunting it is to keep up in the field of biblical studies as one peruses the thrice-yearly publication called Old Testament Abstracts. Published by the Catholic Biblical Association, Abstracts is a very handy tool for keeping abreast of the literature in a highly specialized field and making decisions about which abstracted publications to pursue and which dogs are better left to sleep. Continue Reading »

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what they died of: The Lady Killers (The Sunday Times Music Collection DVD)

September 25, 2007 by David Baer

Back in the 90s, London’s Sunday Times flogged a music collection on a week-by-week-delivery basis at a ridiculous loss leader price. The results were magnificent overall.

One of the disks in the collection’s ‘Contemporary’ genre was titled The Lady Killers. It is an uproariously eclectic collection of tunes, held together that they’re all sung by blokes. Fronted by a photo of the bare-chested and youthful Rod Stewart, rarely was there ever a strong argument for obligatory waistcoats. The Victorian Age seldom seemed so allluring. Continue Reading »

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exasperation: Isaiah 4-6

September 25, 2007 by David Baer

In spite of its structural intricacy, the Song of the Vineyard in the book of Isaiah’s fifth chapter comes across with formidable blunt force. As parables go, it is brief. One surmises that the prophet led his listeners along the path of a well-told tale, then hit them in the gut with its damning burden. Continue Reading »

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