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The long silk road to int'l street cred
Well, no one said fixing the quagmire that is U.S. foreign policy would be easy. We're a long way from, uh, anything, but that doesn't mean our hardworking government isn't exploring every option in boosting our street cred overseas. As reported in the Christian Science Monitor, the State Department, in conjunction with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra's "Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad" program, is funding "jazz ambassadors" to represent the United States overseas.
What might be surprising to the casual jazz appreciator is that such endeavors have existed for decades (Eisenhower sent jazz musicians to combat those pesky Communists), albeit inconsistently. Equally surprising for others might be the choice of ambassadors.
The name Ari Roland isn't that mainstream (a roomful of Music School seniors in the Jazz Department gave me blank looks when I mentioned it), though he's been in the New York City jazz scene for years.
Silk rug and Grange among shower of gifts
PAMPERED politicians are being showered with gifts including cars, concert tickets, bottles of Grange, wetsuits and mobile phones. A Sunday Herald Sun investigation also found state and federal MPs from across the political spectrum are receiving exclusive memberships and flight and room upgrades. Prime Minister John Howard's stocking of recent gifts included an Iraqi silk rug, South Sea pearl cufflinks, a silver cigar box, an LG KG800 mobile phone, a crystal decanter and Montblanc pens. Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd received free use for electioneering of a four-wheel-drive Mazda Bravo provided by an Ipswich car dealer. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer's free tickets to the Grand Prix and a Burt Bacharach concert were made more palatable by a gift of two bottles of Penfold's Grange 2001 vintage.
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