I was moving.
I'd lived in my apartment forever and a day. Seriously, over ten years, well over ten.
And I wasn't in the mood to move everything.
So I went through trying to figure out what to keep and what to ditch.
I was oh-so-slowly finally getting into the digital revolution and had tunes on my phone.
So to save time, I gave away my CDs. I had over 5,000.
The bulk I had put on those computer sticks.
So I figured I was fine.
I kept a boxed set of The Mamas and the Papas and a few other things but only a few.
So for a few years, all was fine.
I could put the sticks into my flat screen TV and play them that way.
Then a stick came apart (the plastic).
Then other sticks started messing up -- would not play the whole stick, I'd have to play each song individually.
And, of course, I missed my CDs.
So now, I'm in the process of going back and getting the same things I had.
I had everything Carly Simon released -- including with The Simon Sisters.
I have about 12 of her CDs now.
I probably have the most of her. I have 10 Beatles CDs -- I had everything.
I had about 25 Aretha Franklins and only now have 5.
I'll probably take forever to get back where I was.
On the plus side, I didn't get rid of my vinyl.
Equally true, I'm in no rush to rebuy the U2 discs.
They were a huge let down.
In fact, I'd argue that after THE JOSHUA TREE the only must have is ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND.
On the plus, I have eleven Rod Stewart CDs -- I only had three back in the day. But used CDs of Rod were usually everywhere.
I miss my Stevie Wonder collection -- I had all the albums starting with TALKING BOOK.
Here's the thing, I was slow on the CD revolution as well.
I didn't get a CD player until 1993.
I started buying CDs in the 80s. I bought all of The Mamas and the Papas and a lot of Diana Ross.
But it was 1993 when I finally got a CD player.
I bought it at this place in the mall -- electronic store.
Get it home, take it out of the box and it's broken.
So I go back and they give me such a hassle, I go to Sears and get one with my returned purchase money.
So then I end up giving away my cassettes to make room.
And I missed them after!
So I should have known I'd miss my CDs.
It was really dumb to give them away.
Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Tuesday, October 17, 2017.
Kelly McEvers (ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NPR) explained it yesterday afternoon:
There's a confrontation going on over the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, and it's between two factions who have been trained and equipped by the United States. On one side are the Iraqi Kurds, and on the other side is the Iraqi central government. Both have been key allies in the U.S. fight against ISIS. The showdown has been a long time in the making, but it really heated up when Kurds recently voted to secede from Iraq. And when it finally boiled over last night, Iraqi forces moved very quickly into what had been a Kurdish stronghold.
She was speaking to THE NEW YORK TIMES' David Zucchino:
DAVID ZUCCHINO: As it turned out, they had managed to split the Kurds by cutting a deal with one faction of the Kurds to have them pull back and let government forces come through. But the other faction, the one that actually rules the autonomous area, decided to stay and fight. And so there was an outbreak of hostilities. But because half of the Kurdish factions just kind of surrendered and withdrew, it made it very easy for the Iraqi forces, the government forces to really sweep through very quickly.
MCEVERS: So does that mean that Iraqi forces from the central government in Baghdad are now in control of the city of Kirkuk?
ZUCCHINO: They absolutely are. They went to the governor's compound, where there were two flags. One was the Iraqi flag and one was the Kurdish flag. And they took down the Kurdish flag, left the Iraqi one and then went around the city taking down all the Peshmerga posters and flags and replacing them with their own. And there was a huge celebration. People poured out into the streets, mostly Turkmen and Arabs, firing guns and honking horns and parading with flags. And it went on for hours.
They managed to split the Kurds by cutting a deal with one faction of the Kurds . . .
Oh, the Talabani betrayers.
They always betray.
Usually because the US government pays them off and, yes, they were paid off yet again.
Jalal Talabani cashed in nicely in 2012 when he betrayed the Iraqi people. The Shi'ites, the Sunnis and the Kurds came together, remember, to call for a no-confidence vote on then-prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki. They followed the Constitution and got the needed signatures and all Jalal was supposed to do was officially present the petition in Parliament (at which point the Parliament would vote). But pressure and rewards via then-Vice President Joe Biden and Jalal refused to follow the Constitution and quickly took his back stabbing fat ass off the Germany.
The Talabanis have betrayed the Kurds yet again.
How long before that corrupt family is run out of Iraq?
THE NEW ARAB reports:
Bought off yet again, the Talabanis betray the Kurds.
Kelly McEvers (ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NPR) explained it yesterday afternoon:
There's a confrontation going on over the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, and it's between two factions who have been trained and equipped by the United States. On one side are the Iraqi Kurds, and on the other side is the Iraqi central government. Both have been key allies in the U.S. fight against ISIS. The showdown has been a long time in the making, but it really heated up when Kurds recently voted to secede from Iraq. And when it finally boiled over last night, Iraqi forces moved very quickly into what had been a Kurdish stronghold.
She was speaking to THE NEW YORK TIMES' David Zucchino:
DAVID ZUCCHINO: As it turned out, they had managed to split the Kurds by cutting a deal with one faction of the Kurds to have them pull back and let government forces come through. But the other faction, the one that actually rules the autonomous area, decided to stay and fight. And so there was an outbreak of hostilities. But because half of the Kurdish factions just kind of surrendered and withdrew, it made it very easy for the Iraqi forces, the government forces to really sweep through very quickly.
MCEVERS: So does that mean that Iraqi forces from the central government in Baghdad are now in control of the city of Kirkuk?
ZUCCHINO: They absolutely are. They went to the governor's compound, where there were two flags. One was the Iraqi flag and one was the Kurdish flag. And they took down the Kurdish flag, left the Iraqi one and then went around the city taking down all the Peshmerga posters and flags and replacing them with their own. And there was a huge celebration. People poured out into the streets, mostly Turkmen and Arabs, firing guns and honking horns and parading with flags. And it went on for hours.
They managed to split the Kurds by cutting a deal with one faction of the Kurds . . .
Oh, the Talabani betrayers.
They always betray.
Usually because the US government pays them off and, yes, they were paid off yet again.
Jalal Talabani cashed in nicely in 2012 when he betrayed the Iraqi people. The Shi'ites, the Sunnis and the Kurds came together, remember, to call for a no-confidence vote on then-prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki. They followed the Constitution and got the needed signatures and all Jalal was supposed to do was officially present the petition in Parliament (at which point the Parliament would vote). But pressure and rewards via then-Vice President Joe Biden and Jalal refused to follow the Constitution and quickly took his back stabbing fat ass off the Germany.
The Talabanis have betrayed the Kurds yet again.
How long before that corrupt family is run out of Iraq?
THE NEW ARAB reports:
A deal was struck between the Talabani faction of the PUK, which
commands many of the Peshmerga based in southern Kirkuk - a group still
grieving over the loss of former leader Jalal Talabani earlier this month - and the Baghdad government.
PUK Peshmerga withdrew from their positions without resistance -
though reportedly under fire in several hotspots. Exactly what they were
offered in return remains to be seen. The deal has appears to have been
confirmed publicly - a statement from the KRG prime minister's office
explicitly accused the PUK of betrayal. Those in the PUK who wanted to
stay and fight, notably Kirkuk's former Governor Najmaldin Karim and
Peshmerga commander Kosrat Rasol Ali, were cut out of the
decision-making process, and by the time they were aware, it was too
late. The Kurds has lost Kirkuk.
Bought off yet again, the Talabanis betray the Kurds.
Pavel,Talabani's son,lived all his life in US&EU but returned to Kurdistan only a week to sell Kerkuk out to enemies
Im ashamed to read it
Is this how you continue the legacy of Talabani? He would be ashamed of you PUK. You sold kurdish unity, people of Kurdistan will remember.
Agreement signed by PUK's Pavel Talabani & PMF's Hadi Al-Amiri according to Gorran federal MP Massoud Haider.
Ala Talabani called Hashd al Shaabi ‘our brothers’, hours after reports of Hashd beheading Pehsmerga.
Lahur and Bafel Talabani ordered the PUK Pesh withdrawal from Kirkuk. Lahur was America’s line to YPG. Read US statement in light of that.
US statement?
US President Donald Trump yesterday lied and stated, "We're not taking sides."
On THE NEWSHOUR (PBS), Judy Woodruff spoke with Emma Sky (who "served as an adviser to General David Petraeus while he was commander of U.S. forces in Iraq from 2007 to 2010"):
JUDY WOODRUFF: Emma Sky, we heard President Trump say today the U.S. is not taking sides in this.
Is that accurate, that the U.S. isn’t taking sides? What is the U.S. role here?
EMMA SKY: Well, the U.S. has stipulated over and over again that its policy is to support a united Iraq.
So you can see the U.S. has given support to Iraqi security forces, but also to the Kurdish Peshmerga, to fight against ISIS. The U.S. policy for the last few years has really been focused on ISIS and not on the day after ISIS.
But what we’re witnessing at the moment is that different groups are already moving to the day after, which is the power struggle for control of different territories in Iraq.
And Barzani believed that during the fight against ISIS, he became stronger because he got weapons directly from the international community. And, as Feisal said, he was able to extend his control over the disputed territories.
He’s also facing domestic problems within Kurdistan. There are tensions between the different Kurdish groups, and some believe that Barzani has overstayed his term as president.
Yeah, you can't make the policy a united Iraq and still be neutral.
A lie.
The Iranian-back militias did not win. The Kurdish fighters withdrew as ordered by the Talabanis.
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