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50 songs for 50 states: Louisiana

Go to the Mardi Gras – Professor Longhair Going into this project, Louisiana was one of the single most daunting states. How could I pick just one song from this great state, that is home to such a cornucopia of … Continue reading

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Reversion to the mean, or: Polling is hard

In today’s edition of Pointlessly Provocative Headlines Based on Fundamental Misunderstandings of How Polling Works, we’ve got this: Support for Trump Plunges 12 Points: Did The Donald Finally Go Too Far? Did he go too far? Well, sure. The guy is … Continue reading

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50 songs for 50 states: Kentucky

You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive – Brad Paisley Kentucky is a difficult one. For one thing, it’s one of the few cases where the official state song is in serious contention. “My Old Kentucky Home” is a beautiful song, maybe the … Continue reading

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Rubio is the frontrunner (ignore those polls)

Marco Rubio is the most likely current candidate to win the Republican nomination, and that’s true regardless of what the polls say. And it’s true regardless of what the polls say about Iowa and New Hampshire, too. That’s a bit of a … Continue reading

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50 songs for 50 states: Kansas

Holy cow, does Kansas have some slim pickings. If not for this song, I honestly have no clue what I even would have picked. And this song isn’t even really about Kansas. Jimmy Webb’s inspiration for the song were the … Continue reading

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The kids are alright – three cheers for the students

We hear a lot of stories about students these days. Complaints about a culture of protest and shelter. About students who demand safe spaces, who shy away from engaging anything difficult, who treat the academic space as a therapy session, … Continue reading

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50 songs for 50 states: Iowa

Iowa (Traveling III) – Dar Williams Dar Williams can capture a specific feeling better than just about anyone, and this song is one of her finest examples. The feeling of repression that you learn to cultivate, the things that are … Continue reading

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Let’s always be you and me

Always – Moving Panoramas Gentle guitar lines that wash over you in waves. Warm melodies wrapped lightly around beautiful voices. Deceptively simple chord progressions that feel immediately intimate and familiar, but still fresh and exciting. It’s timeless, speaking truths that last … Continue reading

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50 songs for 50 states: Indiana

A musical celebration of the 50 states. One song each week over the course of the year. Not too many great songs about Indiana. There are lots of Mellencamp songs about Indiana, but like I said…not too many great songs … Continue reading

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50 songs for 50 states: Illinois

Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World’s Columbian Exposition – Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream – Sufjan Stevens Plenty of great options for Illinois—including but not limited to: Wilco, Common, Sinatra, Sun Kil Moon, … Continue reading

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