Laura Nyro was a true original.
From GRATEFULWEB:
Can you surry? Can you picnic? Laura Nyro, to use her own fanciful word, surried onto the scene 50 years ago with the release of her debut album More Than a New Discovery. Its title was certainly apt. Throughout the course of her life, Nyro wrote and introduced some of the most beloved popular songs of all time with her singular fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, soul, Broadway, and folk sounds. Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are proud to celebrate the golden anniversary of Laura Nyro’s debut with a landmark 2-CD collection. A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection features, for the very first time on CD, both of Nyro’s original mono albums newly-remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony’s Battery Studios from the original master tapes. More Than a New Discovery, originally released on Verve Folkways in 1967, premiered the songs that Barbra Streisand, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The 5th Dimension would all take up the charts, including “Stoney End,” “And When I Die,” “Blowin’ Away,” and perhaps the most famous song Nyro ever wrote, “Wedding Bell Blues.” This special edition restores the original album sequence and mono mix from the very first version of the album. In 1968, Nyro moved to Columbia Records for her most acclaimed album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Its songs were once again adopted by other artists such as Three Dog Night, Frankie Valli, and of course, The 5th Dimension. Featuring “Eli’s Comin’,” “Emmie,” “Sweet Blindness,” and the era-defining “Stoned Soul Picnic,” this ultra-rare album – thought by many Nyro connoisseurs to be superior to the familiar stereo version – also makes its maiden appearance on CD. A handful of bonus tracks round out this special package, including the Bones Howe-produced “pop” version of “Save the Country,” and the CD debuts of the Verve “censored” single version of “Stoney End” and the single mix of “Eli’s Comin’.” The Second Disc’s Joe Marchese provides new liner notes; the crystal-clear remastering is by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York. A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection pays tribute to one of pop’s most enduring iconoclasts. It’s a soul picnic you won’t want to miss.
From THE GOOD MEN PROJECT:
You might know Laura Nyro as the songwriter behind hits like The Fifth Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues,” Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “And When I Die” and Barbra Streisand’s “Stoney End.” I fell in love with this uniquely talented artist when I first heard her landmark albums Eli and The Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry. Her music has inspired and delighted fans as diverse as Elton John, Todd Rundgren and Alice Cooper. But did you know that Nyro also recorded a tribute album of covers of the soul music that inspired her? That disc is entitled Gonna Take A Miracle (1971), and features none other than Labelle (Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx & Sarah Dash) on backing vocals, with production work from Philly soul masters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. To say that the results are memorable would be an understatement.
Gonna Take a Miracle’s song lineup is a mix of doo-wop and R&B with numbers like The Shirelles’ “I Met Him on a Sunday” and Martha and The Vandellas’ “Nowhere To Run.” Nyro, who was notorious for being a perfectionist in the studio, worked closely with Gamble and Huff to shape the sound and feel of the album. That combined with Nyro and Labelle’s ethereal vocals, not to mention Norman Harris on guitar and Ronnie Baker on bass, yields some truly enthralling results. Her gospel-fied version of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” gives the original by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles a run for the money. Believe me, that’s no small thing.
I love Laura's music.
I love "Emmie" but I think "Timer" is also an amazing song.
Kat has turned me onto Laura's later work as well.
She is a one of a kind artist who made a huge impact.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
Tuesday, June 13, 2017. The Mosul Slog continues, deportations of Iraqis begin in the US, and much more.
The never-ending Mosul Slog continues. Day 237.
And the 'accomplishments' just keep rolling in. As the use of White Phosphorus begins to get coverage, other issues emerge. James Cogan (WSWS) reminds, "Prior to the allegations of war crimes relating to the use of white phosphorus, evidence had already emerged in Mosul of the torture and extrajudicial murder of alleged ISIS fighters by US-backed forces."
And this morning?
UNHCR issued the following:
Zamira Rahim (CNN) reports, "People began vomiting and complaining of stomach pains shortly after Iftar, the evening meal that Muslims eat to break their fasts during Ramadan." ALJAZEERA adds, "The food was provided by a non-governmental organisation. Authorities have launched a formal investigation into the incident, officials said. The Kurdish news agency Rudaw, citing Erbil's mayor, said the owner of the restaurant that made the food had been arrested." AP quotes Ministry of Health spokesperson Seif al-Badr stating, "There are 752 cases of food poisoning and two death, a woman and a child."
The never-ending Mosul Slog continues. Day 237.
And the 'accomplishments' just keep rolling in. As the use of White Phosphorus begins to get coverage, other issues emerge. James Cogan (WSWS) reminds, "Prior to the allegations of war crimes relating to the use of white phosphorus, evidence had already emerged in Mosul of the torture and extrajudicial murder of alleged ISIS fighters by US-backed forces."
And this morning?
UNHCR issued the following:
Food poisoning incident at Hasansham U2 displacement camp.
Around 800 individuals have been affected by a serious outbreak of food poisoning at Hasansham U2 camp, which houses 6,235 individuals who have been displaced from Mosul and other conflict areas; around 200 people have been taken to hospital. At least one person (a child) has died.
The police authorities are currently carrying out an investigation into the incident.
UNHCR is extremely concerned by events at the camp, which has resulted in at least one casualty, with hundreds of other people falling ill, and more than 200 hospitalised.
Staff have been working closely overnight to coordinate the response with other agencies and the relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Baghdad to ensure that those who have fallen ill were able to receive swift medical treatment and that the seriously sick were provided transport to nearby hospitals.
Extra clean water is now being provided at the camp and additional health agencies have been brought in to help in the response.
We are waiting for the police investigations to understand clearly the chain of events and to draw lessons from this tragic incident which will allow agencies to reinforce public health protocols to prevent such situations in the future.
Staff who were at the camp on Wednesday saw many residents being treated by health staff.
It is understood that families became sick, complaining of stomach ache and vomiting, after eating an iftar meal to break the daily Ramadan fast.
One woman receiving treatment in the camp with her daughter and neighbour, told UNHCR staff : "We felt stomach pains as soon as we ate. We felt we couldnt breathe and then saw that our neighbours were all suffering at the same time".
Another elderly man, who was waiting to return to his tent after being treated said: "We're grateful for the assistance you have provided. You have been very good with us".
PHOTOS: UNHCR/ Amira Abd El Khalak
Around 800 individuals have been affected by a serious outbreak of food poisoning at Hasansham U2 camp, which houses 6,235 individuals who have been displaced from Mosul and other conflict areas; around 200 people have been taken to hospital. At least one person (a child) has died.
The police authorities are currently carrying out an investigation into the incident.
UNHCR is extremely concerned by events at the camp, which has resulted in at least one casualty, with hundreds of other people falling ill, and more than 200 hospitalised.
Staff have been working closely overnight to coordinate the response with other agencies and the relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Baghdad to ensure that those who have fallen ill were able to receive swift medical treatment and that the seriously sick were provided transport to nearby hospitals.
Extra clean water is now being provided at the camp and additional health agencies have been brought in to help in the response.
We are waiting for the police investigations to understand clearly the chain of events and to draw lessons from this tragic incident which will allow agencies to reinforce public health protocols to prevent such situations in the future.
Staff who were at the camp on Wednesday saw many residents being treated by health staff.
It is understood that families became sick, complaining of stomach ache and vomiting, after eating an iftar meal to break the daily Ramadan fast.
One woman receiving treatment in the camp with her daughter and neighbour, told UNHCR staff : "We felt stomach pains as soon as we ate. We felt we couldnt breathe and then saw that our neighbours were all suffering at the same time".
Another elderly man, who was waiting to return to his tent after being treated said: "We're grateful for the assistance you have provided. You have been very good with us".
PHOTOS: UNHCR/ Amira Abd El Khalak
Zamira Rahim (CNN) reports, "People began vomiting and complaining of stomach pains shortly after Iftar, the evening meal that Muslims eat to break their fasts during Ramadan." ALJAZEERA adds, "The food was provided by a non-governmental organisation. Authorities have launched a formal investigation into the incident, officials said. The Kurdish news agency Rudaw, citing Erbil's mayor, said the owner of the restaurant that made the food had been arrested." AP quotes Ministry of Health spokesperson Seif al-Badr stating, "There are 752 cases of food poisoning and two death, a woman and a child."
Deadly outbreak of food poisoning strikes Iraqi refugee camp f24.my/1LdB.t
Day 237 of The Mosul Slog.
Still it continues.
It's produced a record number of refugees.
It's produced War Crimes.
And still it continues.
Igor Kossov (USA TODAY) reports:
The Iraqi military had planned on a big celebration Saturday, the third anniversary of the Islamic State's capture of Mosul, by completing the liberation of Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' last major stronghold in the country. But it didn't happen.
Instead, the military is still struggling to eject a militant group that has shown renewed determination and ferocity than expected despite being heavily outnumbered.
Remember when The Mosul Slog was only supposed to last a couple of weeks?
Meanwhile, in the United States . . .
A daughter of 38-year-old Iraqi immigrant arrested Sunday recalled what happened when ICE agents showed up at her Sterling Hts, MI, home:
ICE has arrested and is planning to deport dozens of Iraqi Christians cnn.com/2017/06/12/pol…
Eric London and Niles Niemuth (WSWS) report:
In a series of raids Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested as many as 100 Iraqi immigrants in the Detroit metro area, including Muslims and many Chaldean Catholics, some of whom were reportedly captured while leaving church services.
Family members of the arrestees told the World Socialist Web Site that the detainees were sent to a for-profit prison four hours away near Youngstown, Ohio, from where they face immediate risk of deportation to Iraq.
[. . .]
Relatives say that deportation will be a “death sentence” due to the ongoing war and sectarian strife that has enveloped Iraq since the US invasion of 2003. While ICE claims they are only deporting dangerous criminals, relatives say some of the arrestees were convicted for crimes as minor as marijuana possession and that many of the convictions are decades old.
The decision by the Trump administration to deport refugees to Iraq explodes the claims that the US wars in Iraq and Syria are “humanitarian” interventions aimed at protecting the population. In violation of international law, the US government is sending the arrestees into an active warzone in a region that it continues to bomb. Iraq has been laid to waste by 25 years of permanent US-led war. The death toll is in the millions.
The following community sites updated:
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