Author: DOuG pRATt

All is Lost

Trump turned the White House into the backdrop for a Tesla commercial. The Secretary of Commerce recommended buying Tesla stock.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/20/trump-commerce-lutnick-elon-musk-tesla-stock-doge-cybertruck.html

Musk was going to be briefed at the Pentagon on plans for a potential war scenario with China. He threatened whomever leaked the story.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-calls-prosecutions-pentagon-140430579.html

Trump wants the Fed to lower interest rates as a way of offsetting the inflation that’s likely to come from his sweeping tariffs. Doing that could create a new supply chain problem and raise inflation to the point where it results in stagflation.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/20/trump-says-the-fed-should-cut-rates-to-ease-the-economys-transition-to-his-tariffs.html

We’re only eight weeks into this maelstrom, and the signs are already clear that we can’t wait for the midterm elections. Congressional Republicans must act and do something to put limits on Trump and Musk.

Musical Inheritance Society

When my Thorens turntable was new, 40 years ago, I was a Musical Heritage Society subscriber. It was an “opt out” arrangement. A new Classical LP (later CD) was offered each month. The mailing came with a postcard that had to be returned if you weren’t interested in that month’s selection, otherwise the record would be sent automatically. How quaint.

The picture above shows the first MHS release I ever heard, which remains a favorite of mine. It belonged to my college roommate Brad, who had some of his father’s MHS records in our dorm room, along with the numerous Prog Rock selections he favored.

It’s been fifty years since I spent a summer break living with Brad’s family on Cape Cod. Brad’s dad was quite an impressive and accomplished guy. I appreciated him letting me go through his MHS records that summer. He was only 60 when he died of cancer, fifteen years later.

After Dick died, I was very pleased to “inherit” his record collection when Brad offered it to me. This video has the same selection that’s on side 1 of my copy of the Rampal/Laskine Flute and Harp record.

I recall the Musical Heritage Society closing down, but it’s back with a download service.

https://themusicalheritagesociety.com/