I hope all’s good with y’all. I do hope to be back in the near future, even if only to post a daily roundup of stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Naturally 7 – Wall of Sound

Frank Sinatra
“We’ll Be Together Again”

We will be taking an hiatus here at Blue Herald. Anyone who reads regularly knows that I care for my Mom, who is 85 and suffers from dementia and has macular degeneration. I’ve reached the point now where caring for her is taking more and more time. Buck’s brother has injuries from an accident that warrant him to help with the family. It’s just not in the cards right now for us to keep up the blog. Bat and Chicher both have jobs and we all feel that for right now, it’s better to go on hiatus rather than not give the blog the attention we like to. I have no idea how long we’ll be out of the loop. We’re going to take things day by day and see what happens in our lives. You can always read Bat at his blog, Vagabond Scholar. I thank Buck, Chicher and Bat for all the time and effort they’ve put in here. I have come to love them and will miss the daily chatter with them.

For myself, I’m trying to look at this as an opportunity, not a burden. It’s a tough job taking care of someone with dementia. Very tough. It gets quite depressing at times. For several reasons. It’s depressing because it’s a 24/7 job. It doesn’t get better, it only gets worse. It’s depressing because it’s my Mom……and to watch her slipping away is heartbreaking. Totally heartbreaking. But to be able to have her with us is a gift. I can’t imagine her in a nursing home or in the care of a stranger. I won’t have it. So for now, I will devote my days to taking care of her. Making her comfortable and helping her in any way I can.

Thanks for reading us! If you’re at all interested in knowing when we get back up and running you can drop an email and I’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.

See you on the flip side!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVKjlQ0_WWo

Jason Mraz
“Song For a Friend”

Billy Taylor, Duke Ellington and Willie the Lion Smith
“Perdido”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcmL2Oo8fII

Rachel Maddow reports on the new review out on the warrantless wiretapping of the Bush administration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8TX0TXcds

Naomi Klein in Bil’in
Prior to the demonstration a press conference took place, where a representative of the village’s popular committee, a member of the Palestinian Boycott National Committee and world renowned Canadian journalist and author Naomi Klein spoke of the local struggle, of the village’s new court case in Canada against Canadian companies building the new neighborhoods on Bil’in land, on the boycott, and of the inability to detach art and politics.

The Central Intelligence Agency withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, the agency’s director, Leon E. Panetta, has told the Senate and House intelligence committees, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday.

The report that Mr. Cheney was behind the decision to conceal the still-unidentified program from Congress deepened the mystery surrounding it, suggesting that the Bush administration had put a high priority on the program and its secrecy.

Mr. Panetta, who ended the program when he first learned of its existence from subordinates on June 23, briefed the two intelligence committees about it in separate closed sessions the next day.

Efforts to reach Mr. Cheney through relatives and associates were unsuccessful.

The question of how completely the C.I.A. informed Congress about sensitive programs has been hotly disputed by Democrats and Republicans since May, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the agency of failing to reveal in 2002 that it was waterboarding a terrorism suspect, a claim Mr. Panetta rejected.

We’re car shopping at my house today. Trying to get the kid a decent car so he can get on with gettin on. Back to posting ASAP. Hope you all enjoy the weekend.

Les Paul and Chet Atkins

Any way you look at it, Les Paul is a living legend.

Better yet, Lester William Polsfuss (later changed to Lester Polsfuss, and then Les Paul) is a national treasure like no other. He’s a rare, class-act-of-a man that comes around once in a lifetime, and anyone who has the pleasure of being in his presence is a better person for it.

At the tender, young age of 94 – which he celebrates today – the incomparable Les Paul is still as amazing as the legacy he continues to grow with every passing year. Of course, he is best known for inventing the modern solid body electric guitar – a glorious instrument that still bears his name today. And he was also the first person to utilize multi-track recording in a studio. Can anyone even begin to imagine where our industry would be today if it wasn’t for these two genius inventions? We sure can’t, and we don’t think you can either.

He still holds court every Monday night at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, a tradition he started back in 1995. It’s a ceremony of sorts that become somewhat of a pilgrimage for guitar players from all walks of life, from every corner of the world. And he (thankfully) shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

In a world filled with tons of fool-headed, flaky superstars, Les Paul stands as a shining example of what a real role model should be like. And so, it is with great pride that everyone here at Gibson Guitars wishes you, Les Paul, a very Happy Birthday. May your 94th birthday be the grandest one yet. Happy Birthday ol’ friend. And make sure you check out the Happy Birthday video we put together with some of our best friends, who just happen to be Les’ good buddies too!