Check them out: Sharon Jones & The Daps-Kings.

A couple weeks ago I went to see the movie "Up In The Air". I heard a lot of great things and my expectations were high. Possibly too high, possibly up in the air. (Ba-dump-dump-chink!)

I thought it was enjoyable, had some funny moments, and of course George Clooney is adorable. But even though the idea of someone who fires people for a living seems an original concept that is appropriate for the current employment climate, I just felt the plot progressed predictably and the characters were fairly cliche.

For me, the most memorable part of the movie was actually the opening credits. They had a great retro feel with their use of fonts, fades and dissolves. And they played an amazing cover of "This Land is You Land". It was very funky; one of those covers that is a complete re-envisions  the original without completely disrespecting it.  It really stuck with me.

I assumed that it was performed by a great funk band of the 60's or 70's who never received the fame they deserved. While researching the song after the movie, I was shocked to find that the band, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, are a modern group and the song only came out a couple years ago. I didn't realize people were making music like this anymore.I bought their album "Naturally" and have been playing it on a loop for weeks.

Check out their cover of "This Land if Your Land" bellow along with two other vintage inspired music videos after the jump.

Lies my teacher told me.

I just finished reading the revised edition of James W. Loewen's insightful expose  Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.  This book should be required reading for every high school history teacher, and I strongly recommend it to Kneading follower. 

Originally released in 1995, Loewen surveyed the 12 most popular textbooks, taking note of misrepresentation, misinterpretations, and the flat our lies that the textbooks told.  Upon publication, Lies was an instant hit and re-released and updated in 2008 to include 6 additional textbooks.

What I found most interesting about Lies was not the correction of lies in textbooks.  Growing up with progressive parents who tried to raise me with an honest view of the world, supplemented with a college education which provided a more well rounded view of history than high school provided, and my own studies after college (like People's History of the United States), I could hardly said I found any of the untruths Loewen rectified ground breaking.   However what I found most interesting was Loewen's analysis on how textbooks are so inaccurate (i.e. heroification and eurocentrism), why textbooks are written the way they are, and what the ultimate effects on its' intended reader, the students.

The sociological study is really what made this book so unique and interesting to me.  Even for its complex concepts this book is written in an easy to follow and compelling narrative.  I found it to be a real page turner.  A great read: give it a shot!