Continuing our survey of Christmas songs. Tonight it's another track off the IRS 1987 Just In Time For Christmas album. The Balancing Act and Green Pants And Finance.

I don't know why The Balancing Act are left out when it comes to reminiscing about the 80's. They weren't Techno, they weren't gimmicky, they weren't Metal. They turned out some pretty decent, intelligent music that was honest and not over-produced. The label may have had something to do with it (they were in the financial shits shortly after this album came out), but I suspect mainstream audience tastes may have been a bigger factor.

In any event, here they are doing their nod to Christmas.

More coming up tomorrow.

One of my favorite bands this weekend and from an earlier incarnation. Mazzy Star, although probably not a household name with a lot of people, is nonetheless one of the more influential bands to come along in some time. With the other-worldly voice of Hope Sandoval, Mazzy Star have maintained an avid fan base for quite a while. Although not officially broken up, but in various states of hiatus, allowing Sandoval to loan her ethereal talents to the likes of Massive Attack, Mazzy Star are rumored to have reconvened and are slated to tour sometime next year. Nothing firm and no confirmations, but wonderful news if that's true.

But in the meantime, here is a concert Mazzy Star did in Chicago, recorded on December 11, 1994.

In lieu of actually catching them live, this is the next best thing and hopefully will cause you to eye tickets when the time comes next year. Should be a great concert, just like this one.

Enjoy.

While the Criminal investigation and the Leveson Inquiry continues over allegations of phone hacking at News of The World and its implications to Rupert Murdoch and his publishing empire, I ran across this interview done earlier today via the BBC World Service Hardtalk program which features attorney Mark Lewis, who is handling several of the phone-hacking victims cases as well as being on the receiving end of harsh reprisals and threats from his former colleagues as well as those in the Murdoch Organization.

Lewis, himself a victim of the debilitating disease MS, has been taking on the herculean task of these cases and is considered by some, not only in the press, but in the legal profession, as something of a crusader.

Whether or not that's true doesn't diminish the fact that he's bearing the brunt of a lot of intimidation from many sides. But the bottom line is he's actively engaged in doing the right thing. And one gets the impression that those throwing the biggest stones are the ones living in the largest glass houses.

It's a great interview on a story that is anything but over, and which will be having far-reaching implications in the weeks and months to come. Stay tuned.

As the news broke several hours ago of intense and brutal crackdowns on the part of the Military government in Tahrir Square in Cairo, word that nine protesters had already died and hundreds were injured on what has become the second day of clashes between the protesters and the Army.

In this newscast, Focus On Africa from the BBC Africa Service, there are several reports of escalating violence as of 1900 GMT when this was first broadcast.

Since the newscast also covered a number of other important stories, I have included the entire broadcast in this post. This segment marks the first anniversary Mohamed Bouazizi, the fruit and vegetable seller, whose self-immolation in protest to the corruption of the Tunisian government became the flashpoint for Arab Spring. Amid news of the latest clashes in Cairo there were celebrations and the unveiling of a monument to Bouazizi in his memory.

In other news, and while the program was on-air, it was announced that Andre "Dede" Ayew was named BBC African Footballer of 2011, with reports direct from Marseilles France where Ayew's team was playing a match and excerpts of the awards ceremony.

And finally, sad news that "The Barefoot Diva" Cesaria Evora, the singer from Cape Verde who rose to international and Grammy-winning acclaim had died at the age of 70. A tribute as well as a BBC interview with Evora end the program.

Yes, there is a lot happening everywhere. And it's happening all the time.

With 8 days until Christmas (7 if you don't want to count Christmas day), it's getting about that time to get into the spirit of things and toss some Christmas music on the Roundtable.

Tonight it's by way of a sampler the late/great IRS Records put out in 1987 called Just In Time For Christmas, and I will most likely be featuring a lot of these tracks between now and the 25th because I don't think this little seven track sampler has been reissued anywhere and there's some pretty good stuff on it.

Like this one from Tirez Tirez. Christmas Time And You (Let's Put The X Back In X-mas) isn't one of those beat-you-over-the-nose-with-a-tire iron type Christmas songs. It's actually a great song and right up your alley if you want to get into the spirit but don't want to get all mental about it.

Like our Christmases, we like low-key - and this track nails it.

More tomorrow.

The news of the passing last night of Christopher Hitchens came with its own cloud of sadness. Knowing full well how these situations usually end, as they have so often in the past, it still came as a shock when word came of the passing of one of the all-too-few eloquent and articulate observers of our life and times.

Hitchens detractors and critics are legion - they run the political gamut. He was loved and hated, often by the same people. The thing was, Hitchens had the gift and ability to articulate in ways that, even if you passionately disagreed, you found yourself listening to and understanding. Maybe not agreeing, probably not changing minds, but understanding.

Sadly, and this is an indictment of our society and its failure at civil discourse, there are too few Hitchens' around to pick up the slack. The playing field of intelligent social commentary has shrunk immeasurably over the years. Christopher Hitchens presence, particularly with mainstream media, was more of an anomaly than a common occurrence, and for that we are the poorer.

During his tour promoting Hitch-22, he was interviewed by Philip Adams of the Late Night Live program from ABC National Radio in Australia, shortly before he was diagnosed with the Cancer that eventually took his life. I originally ran it as part of my World Week posts for the week of May 27th, 2010. I thought I would re-post it as a way of tribute to the man and his gift.

He'll be missed.

News on this day was dominated by the NATO Summit Conference which was getting underway in Paris. President Eisenhower had addressed the assembly and the big concern on everyone's mind was the Cold War. The question of stockpiling nuclear weapons in NATO countries was a subject for much discussion and fear was the big factor in talking about Soviet missile capabilities.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, hearings were underway regarding the Vanguard Space Program and the missile failures that had been occurring recently. Also news on the Atlas Missile program and a scrapped launch that had been scheduled to take place earlier in the day. Needless to say, morale around NASA was getting pretty low.

And that was what was going on during this particular December 16 in 1957. Further evidence of a nervous decade as reported on The Don Lee Newsreel via Mutual.

Continuing our romp through Modern Day Psychedelia (last night we did Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter, in case you missed it) it occurred to me that I haven't played any Tame Impala yet. The album's been out for a little less than a year and I don't know how I missed it, but this band from Perth Australia is f-ing amazing.

So tonight's track is off their debut album Innerspeaker. I Don't Really Mind is a sampling of what they're up to. They were a huge hit at last years SXSW and have been seen doing live gigs at KCRW. They're currently back in Perth, but I suspect they will be hitting the road at the start of the new year and if they make it back over to the States, I would really try and check them out if I were you. They've gotten a lot of good word of mouth and it's all justified. In the meantime, check out their site and pick up their album along with their debut ep and two singles they currently have available.

You can never get enough of having your mind twisted - trust me on this one.

Initially an interview as part of series on the state of the US Economy in 1975, news of President Ford's appointment of AFofL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer (at the time) Lane Kirkland to a blue-ribbon panel investigating the CIA the day before took a brief detour. This January 6, 1975 episode of Washington Straight Talk features Lane Kirkland in conversation with reporter Paul Duke and one of the first questions to be asked was:

Paul Duke (Washington Straight Talk): “Do you feel that there is ever any justification for the CIA to spy on Americans here at home?”

Lane Kirkland (AFofL-CIO): “Well I share with, I think, most American citizens and I’m sure you are biased in favor of the Constitutional rights of American citizens against unlawful search and seizure. I want no part of any domestic Secret Police operation in this country. I have those biases and those attitudes. As to what the facts of the matter are, as to what’s actually been going on, what the truth is, I have no pre-conceived notions and I’ll deal with the facts as I see them”.

After the initial responses to the upcoming CIA panel, Kirkland is then asked about the current state of the economy and the labor force. At the time it was bad, and as was reported only a few days earlier the economic picture became more bleak than previously thought. With unemployment during the last quarter of 1974 upwards to 7 1/2% it was cause for alarm, and Kirkland feared the economy was going in free-fall.

In retrospect, those numbers look actually quite good. But even in 1975 the Union movement in this country was facing a crisis.

An interesting and informative interview with one of the key figures in the Labor Movement in later years who went on to head the AFofL-CIO after George Meany in 1979 and who faced a number of crises during the Reagan Years.

In case you knew who he was and never heard him or had no idea who he was in the first place.

That's why there's the Reference Room.

News of this day in 1941 was all about America's entry into the war and little else. From Navy communiques regarding fighting in the Philippines and islands throughout the Pacific region to reports of heavy fighting in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and the loss of Kowloon to the Japanese. Reports from North Africa and continued fighting in and around Tripoli in Libya. On the Eastern front, reports of Russian armies engaging in heavy fighting with German army advances on Leningrad.

And domestic news was preoccupied with Congress and the War effort. Air raid blackouts of most cities in the U.S. - the cancellation of the Rose Bowl Game on New Years Day in Pasadena in favor of another location, not on the West Coast, which was nervous over possible attack from Japanese carrier based planes.

A nervous day as presented by the Blue Network of NBC on December 15, 1941 with morning and afternoon reports and bulletins.

Truly uncertain times.