Peter Paul & Mary: El Salvador

On today’s date of February 19 in 1981, the United States government released a report claiming an El Salvador insurgency came from aggression by communists. The report prompted the U.S. government under new President Ronald Reagan to begin to address the perceived threat. The U.S. then assisted the government of El Salvador against rebels by sending money and advisers to the country.

Through the 1980s, the U.S. government spent more and more money on El Salvador. Still, violence and instability continued in El Salvador, with many accusations of torture, kidnapping, and assassination on both sides.

Although Peter, Paul & Mary are best-known for the songs they recorded in the 1960s, they still made some excellent music later in their career. One of their late-career highlights is “El Salvador,” which they recorded in 1982 soon after the U.S. report and the escalations in that country.

In the song “El Salvador,” written by “Paul” — i.e., Noel Paul Stookey, the trio helped bring attention to the continuing atrocities in that country and the involvement of the U.S. government in the mess. Stookey and the other singers were surprised to sometimes hear booing when they sang the song, which later appeared on Songs of Conscience and Concern (1999). Here, Peter, Paul & Mary perform “El Salvador” at their 25th Anniversary Concert in 1986 — without any booing.

At the end of the song, the trio asked a question:

peter paul and mary songs of conscience and concern

They’ll continue training troops in the USA,
And watch the nuns that got away,
And teach the military bands to play South of the Border,
And kill the people to set them free;
Who put this price on their liberty?
Don’t you think it’s time to leave
El Salvador?

In 1992, the United Nations and Costa Rica President Oscar Arias helped negotiate a deal between the warring parties in El Salvador. Although a U.N. commission condemned the U.S.’s involvement in Salvadoran military atrocities, then U.S. President George H.W. Bush claimed that the peace was a result of the U.S.’s long fight against communism El Salvador.

But today even the U.S. Department of State website recognizes the problems: “During the 12-year civil war, human rights violations by both the government security forces and left-wing guerillas were rampant.”

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Pluto Discovered

    pluto On today’s date of February 18 in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh — an Illinois-born man in his early 20’s working at Lowell Observatory in Arizona — discovered a moving object on photographic plates taken weeks earlier. The object turned out to be Pluto.

    A number of scientists had earlier theorized about the existence of the object, and Tombaugh was part of the observatory’s quest to find a mysterious Planet X they predicted existed. After further investigation confirmed Tombaugh’s discovery, news of it was released in March.

    The discovery created excitement around the world, and the object’s name came from a suggestion by an eleven-year-old girl in Oxford, England — Venetia Burney — who had suggested the name to her grandfather who had passed it on to various contacts.

    In recent years, scientists have changed the classification of Pluto because of its small size, so that the International Astronomical Union no longer classifies it as a “planet.” Instead, it is classified as a “dwarf planet.” For various reasons, including some that are sentimental, others have argued that Pluto should still be regarded as the ninth planet in our solar system.

    There is another famous Pluto, i.e., Pluto the pup from Walt Disney. Like the debate about whether Pluto is a planet, there is no consensus on how Pluto the dog got his name. The cartoon dog was created in 1930 around the same time as the “planet” was named, although people dispute whether the planet was named after the cartoon, or whether the cartoon was named after the planet, or whether it is just a coincidence they have the same name. Cartoonists there at the creation are not sure where they got the name.

    At least Pluto the dog does not have to worry about being downgraded from a cartoon. So let us celebrate the Pluto in the sky with the Pluto of our childhoods. Pluto is one of the more interesting Disney characters in that the cartoon character is portrayed as an animal. He does not talk, unlike the talking mice (i.e., Mickey and Minnie), talking ducks (Donald), or the talking dog Goofy. Enjoy.

    If you are more interested in the celestial object, check out this PBS documentary on the Pluto “dwarf planet”

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    Matthew Ryan: I Recall Standing As Though Nothing Could Fall

    Matthew Ryan I Recall Standing As Though Nothing Could Fall

    I have already discussed on this blog how I am a fan of Matthew Ryan’s music. His recent album I Recall Standing As Though Nothing Could Fall (2011) captures his trademark sound of a combination of gravely voice and hypnotic music with a touch of despair. On this CD, Ryan uses a number of friends and collaborators to help create an excellent sounding album. Check out the tracks here.

    The album came out several months ago, but Ryan’s website is selling the CD download for the low price of $5.00 if you like it. (I have no affiliation, just providing the links because I like the music.) I particularly like the opening track, “The Sea” and the full-band songs like “All of That Means Nothing Now.” The beautiful lyrics range from the heartbroken to the political, assuming wishing for peace can be qualified as political. On “I Want Peace” he sings:

    You know the facts are being murdered
    By the din of politics
    And in the ways that we avoid each other
    While the big clock tics
    There’s a violence in doing nothing
    As if the plot could be ignored
    Just because you’ve picked your poison
    Doesn’t mean the wolf’s not at your door
    I get no thrill from bringing bad news
    I’d much rather make you smile
    But I refuse to be a passenger
    As we smile
    And swallow up the miles

    Cause I want peace
    Yeah I want peace
    Cause I want peace
    Yeah I want peace
    For you
    And for me
    For you and me

    Let’s hope his wish comes true.

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    Missed Movies: Another Earth

    Another Earth Another Earth (2011) is one of those movies like The Man from Earth (2007) that uses science fiction elements with little or no special effects to reveal some understanding of human existence. While Another Earth, now available on Blu-ray/DVD, will be seen by many fewer people than Transformers 3, it is the former movie that is more likely to linger in your memory.

    The film, directed by Mike Cahill, follows Rhoda Williams (played by Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the story), who causes a car accident with a family out for a drive. The accident kills the mother and child, but the father (played by William Mapother) survives. Around the same time as the car accident, scientists discover “another earth,” a planet that looks like earth that can support life and that is approaching our own earth. The film follows Rhoda’s grief at the harm she caused and her later encounters with the surviving father, while at the same time, more is revealed about the other earth, including the fact that it may contain another version of everyone on earth too. The film focuses on Rhoda, so that stories about the other earth come over television or the radio at various times in the background, but the two stories also intersect at several points, including when Rhoda enters a contest to be the first to go to the other planet. Through these stories and the possibility of meeting our doppelgangers, the movie raises questions about how our lives are created out of lost chances and choices made.

    The film divided critics and viewers, with some loving it and some hating it. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 64% critics rating and a 69% audience rating. I can see why some would not like it, as the movie deals with depressing themes, and the movie moves a little slower than one would expect going to see a film with science fiction elements. Still, without spoiling anything, there are striking moments. And if you go into the relatively short 1-hour-and-32-minute movie with modest expectations like I did, you probably will be pleasantly surprised that the thoughtful meditation on life stays with you. An early scene in the movie shows The Foundation Trilogy books by Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite science fiction series of books that like Another Earth, makes one think about possibilities.

    Conclusion? Another Earth has little action and is far from perfect, but if you are in the mood for a subtle contemplative film about grief and loss and possible second chances, with just a touch of science fiction, you might enjoy Another Earth.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}


    Other Reviews Because Why Should You Believe Me?    : Roger Ebert liked the movie and gave it 3 1/2 stars. TribecaFilm.Com interviewed the director and praised the ending without spoiling it. Some critics, like Colin Covert at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, criticized the movie’s lack of science and plausibility. If you have seen the film and are looking for an explanation about some aspects of the movie, check out this discussion with the movie’s director and star on 109.com. Meanwhile, in science news, The Economist speculates whether there is a real another earth.

    Bonus Movie Music Links: If you enjoyed the music played on the musical saw in the film, it is entitled “Another Earth” and was written by Scott Munson and recorded by Natalia Paruz. Check out Paruz playing the Star Trek theme on the musical saw too.

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    Valentine’s Day: Steve Earle and the Fairfield Four

    There are many great love songs. But I am not sure there is a better one specifically about Valentine’s Day than Steve Earle’s song, “Valentine’s Day” from his 1996 album, I Feel Alright.

    In this live version of the song below, Earle has The Fairfield Four providing backing vocals. And I’m not sure anyone has ever made a better video of a song.

    The beauty of the song is how it turns the cliches around, reminding us that the things we associate with Valentine’s Day are things that really do not have much to do with love. The singer tells how he forgot about the holiday so does not have a card, flowers, diamonds or gold to give.

    Finally, the singer offers an IOU and to make it all up to the person, concluding, “Until then I hope my heart will do.”

    Happy Valentine’s Day.

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