Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 171

Greatest Thanks Giving Music?

When Beethoven, late in his life, and fully deaf, survived a serious illness, he wrote a slow movement for one of his fabled final string quartets, calling it a  "convalescent's holy song of Thanksgiving,"  now known as the Heiliger Dankgesang.  I am not alone in considering it one of  the greatest and most profound  pieces of music ever written.  Below this recording, if you are so inclined, a one-hour lecture about it from Rob Kapilow.  Plus latest on our film and book about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Songs for Thanksgiving

A few tunes follow expressing various reasons for giving thanks. (Also note: I posted earlier the greatest of them all, Beethoven's "Hymn of Thanksgiving").   Kicking off with the very seasonal, "King Harvest" by The Band in amazing live in studio version.

Then "Now Be Thankful," from Brit trad legends Fairport Convention, with very young Richard Thompson.

From Sam Cooke, one of the true greats, from his gospel days, with the Soul Stirrers,  1950s, mentioning everything from flowers to kids on the street. 
Then very early Led Zep in one of the few songs actually titled "Thank You." Though there's also Natalie Merchant's.



And, of course, we then have to let Sly Stone thank you for letting him be himself again (and in his case, again and again).

Zizek on Ludwig Van

Don't agree with all this, but swell vid with Zizek on "Ode to Joy" around the world--theme of our film and book--all the way to Clockwork Orange.

'Poor' Reporting We Can Applaud

We've lauded the tireless NYT public ed. Margaret Sullivan--tirelessly--but it seems that (though she won't say so directly)  now there's another example of her work has resulted in a truly important shift at the paper.  Last June she wrote that the Times produces a lot of high quality reporting on poverty--but far too little of it.  Today she observes that there has been a lot more lately, including today's haunting portrait on how many kids go hungry in New York (as Thanksgiving nears).  Much of this is related to the cut in food stamps, post-stimulus.  And to come:

The Times has other changes in mind. For example, the reporter Rachel Swarns on Monday will begin a weekly column, “The Working Life,” exploring “the experience of working – or not working – in New York,” Mr. Jamieson said. And Michael Powell’s “Gotham” column will change to twice from once a week to help highlight some of the experiences of lower-income New Yorkers.

Prediction: Though awards may be largely trumped-up, I think Sullivan will be a Pulitzer finalist if not winner next April.  

Lara Logan on Leave

Finally:  CBS suspends Lara Logan and producer Max McClellan after their internal probe found serious problems (duh) in their "60 Minutes" Benghazi report.  Hits Logan for not knowing about, or knowing and not caring, about Dylan Davies telling different story to employer and FBI; for not really substantiating her claims of al-Qaeda leading assault; and for her now-famous October 2012 speech.  Her boss, Jeffrey Fager, now says he needs to "make adjustments" at the show.

This adds injury to insult as Logan had just been disinvited to host the Committee to Protect Journalists dinner tonight. 

Summary of the findings by CBS's Al Ortiz do not add much that we don't already know, but perhaps it exists in full report:

• From the start, Lara Logan and her producing team were looking for a different angle to the story of the Benghazi attack. They believed they found it in the story of Dylan Davies, written under the pseudonym, “Morgan Jones.” It purported to be the first western eyewitness account of the attack. But Logan’s report went to air without “60 Minutes” knowing what Davies had told the F.B.I. and the State Department about his own activities and location on the night of the attack.

• The fact that the F.B.I. and the State Department had information that differed from the account Davies gave to “60 Minutes” was knowable before the piece aired. But the wider reporting resources of CBS News were not employed in an effort to confirm his account. It’s possible that reporters and producers with better access to inside F.B.I. sources could have found out that Davies had given varying and conflicting accounts of his story.

• Members of the “60 Minutes” reporting team conducted interviews with Davies and other individuals in his book, including the doctor who received and treated Ambassador Stevens at the Benghazi hospital. They went to Davies’ employer Blue Mountain, the State Department, the F.B.I. (which had interviewed Davies), and other government agencies to ask about their investigations into the attack. Logan and producer Max McClellan told me they found no reason to doubt Davies’ account and found no holes in his story. But the team did not sufficiently vet Davies’ account of his own actions and whereabouts that night.

• Davies told “60 Minutes” that he had lied to his own employer that night about his location, telling Blue Mountain that he was staying at his villa, as his superior ordered him to do, but telling “60 Minutes” that he then defied that order and went to the compound. This crucial point — his admission that he had not told his employer the truth about his own actions — should have been a red flag in the editorial vetting process.

• After the story aired, The Washington Post reported the existence of a so-called “incident report” that had been prepared by Davies for Blue Mountain in which he reportedly said he spent most of the night at his villa, and had not gone to the hospital or the mission compound. Reached by phone, Davies told the “60 Minutes” team that he had not written the incident report, disavowed any knowledge of it, and insisted that the account he gave “60 Minutes” was word for word what he had told the F.B.I. Based on that information and the strong conviction expressed by the team about their story, Jeff Fager defended the story and the reporting to the press.

• On Nov. 7, The New York Times informed Fager that the F.B.I.'s version of Davies’ story differed from what he had told “60 Minutes.” Within hours, CBS News was able to confirm that in the F.B.I.'s account of their interview, Davies was not at the hospital or the mission compound the night of the attack. “60 Minutes” announced that a correction would be made, that the broadcast had been misled, and that it was a mistake to include Davies in the story. Later a State Department source also told CBS News that Davies had stayed at his villa that night and had not witnessed the attack.

• Questions have been raised about the recent pictures from the compound which were displayed at the end of the report, including a picture of Ambassador Stevens’s schedule for the day after the attack. Video taken by the producer-cameraman whom the “60 Minutes” team sent to the Benghazi compound last month clearly shows that the pictures of the Technical Operations Center were authentic, including the picture of the schedule in the debris.

• Questions have also been raised about the role of Al Qaeda in the attack since Logan declared in the report that Al Qaeda fighters had carried it out. Al Qaeda’s role is the subject of much disagreement and debate. While Logan had multiple sources and good reasons to have confidence in them, her assertions that Al Qaeda carried out the attack and controlled the hospital were not adequately attributed in her report.

• In October of 2012, one month before starting work on the Benghazi story, Logan made a speech in which she took a strong public position arguing that the US Government was misrepresenting the threat from Al Qaeda, and urging actions that the US should take in response to the Benghazi attack. From a CBS News Standards perspective, there is a conflict in taking a public position on the government’s handling of Benghazi and Al Qaeda, while continuing to report on the story.

• The book, written by Davies and a co-author, was published by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, part of the CBS Corporation. “60 Minutes” erred in not disclosing that connection in the segment.

Indies Ins and Outs

The Independent Spirit film nominations just out--these are the Indie version of the Oscars and carry a lot of weight.  A lot of no-brainers and a lot of surprises--just read,  I won't ruin for you.  Surprised Short Term-12 did not get more but it did okay.   12 Years a Slave will clean-up both here and with Oscars.   Not sure about doc list.  Definition of "indie" is budget under $21 million--my how times havd changed.

Magneto Killed JFK

Or so claims wild new vid--narrated by the "Frontline" guy--for upcoming X Men film.  Magneto did not shoot Kennedy but was in Dealey Plaza and bent Oswald's fatal shot.  And there's now a Bent Bullet web site...

The 'Last' and the Best

Thirty-seven years ago tonight, The Band played their last gig, with friends, at Winterland in SF, later immortalized in The Last Waltz.  I was invited but couldn't fly out from NY and, after all, it was Thanksgiving.  Well, I also missed Woodstock and it was only a few hours away.   Remember the cool story about The Hawks playing Jack Ruby's club in Dallas?  The Skyline, because it was burned out and had no roof.  Another highlight: Van the Man.  And he had to be coaxed from his hotel at last minute to do it. Below that, by popular demand:  uncut version of "Don't Do It."

What a Turkey

For old time's sake, the good old Sarah Palin turkey slaughtering video.


Note:  My unique  e-book on Obama-Romney race is"Tricks, Lies, and Videotape" covers the contest and aftermath right up to mid-November, and includes over 500 clickable links to the most important articles and videos.  Just $2.99 for Kindle, iPad, phones, PCs.

Sandy Hook Report Today--But Much Suppressed

Update:  Report, 44 pages,  release comes at 3 p.m.  Read the whole thing here.  For one thing, they have ruled out any prosecutions and consider case closed.  Findings:  Adam Lanza acted alone.  No clear reason why he did it and why Sandy Hook.   He did have significant mental health problems but no clear cause-and-effect--although he did fail to take certain medication or attend prescribed therapy.  Also: he had "obsession" with mass murders, especially Columbine--and "access to firearms."

Amazing fact: autopsy found he was six feet tall--but weighed only 112 pounds. In final weeks he would only talk to his mother via email--though they lived in the same house and he never went out.  Had phobia about staying in hotels and would not leave house even when power and heat out after Hurricane Sandy.  Would not allow a cat or Christmas tree, and no one allowed in his room, even to clean.

Also he was interested in a game--yes, this exists--titled "School Shooter" where, the report says, you could enter a school and shoot kids--with same weapons used by your favorite school gunman.   See details and  video on it here.  Apparently it's been withdrawn.  But he seemed most interested in the game "Dance, Dance, Revolution."  And there's a new online game where you can re-enact the Newtown shootings, which had drawn the ire of the victims' families.

All guns were purchased legally by mother.  Police arrived in four minutes.  No criticism of police work.  Overall:  report is heavily redacted, few new details, and media have long complained about secrecy.

Found on his hard drive (where he destroyed nearly everything) or in bookmarks:  "images of hamsters" and "images of Lego creations." 

Earlier:  We will finally get a "summary" report of the official probe into the Sandy Hook school shootings (and Adam Lanza's mom)  last year--but the full report still held back as well as much evidence gathered by police and 911 calls, which are routinely released long ago.   "Dan Klau, a Hartford attorney who specializes in First Amendment law, said the decision to release a summary report before the full evidence file is a reversal of standard practice and one of the most unusual elements of the investigation."

Hartford Courant with fresh reasons to think Lanza was acting as a first-person-shooter video gamer.