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"Café Society Swing" is Glorious Jazz and Troubling History

Lucy Komisar The Komisar Scoop
1948, the tenth birthday of Café Society, where great jazz and cabaret in a corner of Greenwich Village clashed with the worst know-nothings of the McCarthy era. But we're over that now, so come to this musical memoir to enjoy the delicious sounds of the 30s and 40s. And recall how evil the thought police of that era were...the vicious House Un-American Activities Committee (the ironically well-named HUAC) goes after the entertainers. Some get scared.(Closes Jan. 4)

It's a Wonderful Life, Comrade - Hollywood Movie Investigated by FBI, with Help from Ayn Rand

Michael Winship Bill Moyers and Company
Ayn Rand helped the FBI investigate whether `It's a Wonderful Life' was commie propaganda. When the movie first came out, it fell under suspicion from the FBI and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as Communist propaganda, part of the Red Scare that soon would lead to the blacklist and witch hunt that destroyed the careers of many talented screen and television writers, directors and actors.

Tidbits - December 25, 2014- Holiday edition

Portside
Reader Comments-Colbert Nation; Is It Band Enough Yet; Southern Jim Crow Murder; Cuba; How America's Relationship With Cuba Will Change; We express our condolences - Millions March NYC and Center for Constitutional Rights; Angela Davis on police violence; Youth Shall Lead in struggle against police violence; Political Athletes; "Negro-Jewish Unity" and IWO; torture; FBI; Panama invasion; New resources: On Torture; Staughton Lynd book; Stevie Wonder; theater review

Friday Nite Videos -- March 28, 2014

Portside
Sarah Jones: One Woman, Eight Hilarious Characters. Donald Rumsfeld: The Unknown Known. A Dog, a Noun and a Verb. Open Access Explained! Stop Freaking Out About the Debt.

A Dog, a Noun and a Verb

Chaser the border collie responds to combinations of three verbs and three nouns, demonstrating understanding of their independent meaning 

So, the Pope and Obama Walk Into a Slum ...

Chris Arnade The Guardian
When you bend the rules to favor the wealthy, they never give back. Francis knows this because it is how Argentina, and much of Latin America, has been run for centuries.

A Christie Life Primer

Gail Collins The New York Times
When the political ship is going down, nobody will bother to rescue the unattached woman and the dork from senior year.