The Oppenheimer Report 5/23/11

Aftermath of Slave Lake Wildfire 

Last Monday I was in Toronto to hear the band Echo and the Bunnymen play at the Phoenix. While the Eighties did usher in a lot of silly pop bands, there was plenty of music from that era that I liked. When I think of pop music from the Eighties I am reminded of those ridiculous “Flock of Seagulls“ hairdos. One of my old friends from Buffalo once called the Eighties the decade of the Limey drum band. Anyhow, my pal Bob recently turned me on to this seminal Eighties rock band, and I wanted to see what the Bunny had to offer. Last Monday night I bit the bullet and rode over to the Phoenix to wait in line with all the other aging rock fans. After the concert was over, and I was riding my bike home in the pouring rain, I realized two things: 1.The Bunny rocked the house, and 2. I may finally be approaching the age where I am too old to BE in that house anymore. While I still prefer clubs to larger arena venues, this was a very loud and very crowded concert. After downing several beers and stuffing some Kleenex in my ears, I managed to channel with my inner 17 year-old, and I did enjoy the music. While I did and still do sometimes like my rock music loud, these days I’m a little more protective of my diminishing capacity to hear.



Mother Nature continues to make headline news throughout the world, with earthquakes in New Guinea, volcanic eruptions in Iceland, and floods in the Midwest. For many of us in the East, this has been the wettest spring on record. As if Canada has not had enough natural disasters in the past week, the Town of Slave Lake northeast of Edmonton, Alberta was under an evacuation order last week after out-of-control wildfires swept through the small community and virtually incinerated one third of the town. The fire took everyone by surprise when shifting winds of over 100 kilometers per hour turned an already dangerous wildfire into a rogue blast furnace. Miraculously, all the approximately 7000 residents escaped with their lives. Another community was not so lucky. Last night, we were watching CNN when breaking news flashed across the screen about the monster tornado that had just barreled through Joplin, Missouri. Already there are 89 reported fatalities and a third of that city was wiped off the map. The winds in that Joplin tornado, which reportedly measured close to three quarters of a mile wide, approached 200 mph. This has been the eighth deadliest season for tornadoes in North America, and that is even with the sophisticated early warning systems that are now available.

And what is with the European power elite? IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn is in hot water after accusations he raped a chambermaid in his posh Sofitel Hotel suite in Manhattan. When I heard the story on the news the next day it sounded almost comical, with reports of the (sex-agenarian) naked Strauss-Kahn chasing the chambermaid around his suite. Certainly there is nothing funny about the accusation of rape, and Strauss-Kahn was pulled off a Paris-bound Air France flight last Saturday to face these charges like a common criminal. He could do some serious jail time if convicted, and I understand he just resigned from the IMF. “Mr. Bailout,” as some pundits called him, was thought to be the best hope for the resolution to the Greek financial meltdown. He was also a promising candidate to be the next President of France. Was he set up, as some French pundits suggested? Of course, in the world today, you’re guilty until proven innocent, and anything short of an immediate exoneration will likely end his political aspirations. Representing the Socialist Party in France, he seems to be an odd representative of “the people.” I mean, 3000 bucks per night for a posh hotel room is a bit excessive. If he does beat the rap, which seems rather unlikely at this point, I doubt his being a hound dog will hurt his chances in an election. Look at Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington D.C. . The guy was caught smoking crack in a hotel room with a prostitute, he served six months in prison, and he was still re-elected as mayor.


Final notes: last week, the Queen made a four day visit to The Irish Republic, and that marked the first royal visit to the Republic in 100 years. I’m a little surprised that the one of the radical splinter groups from the I.R.A didn’t take a pot shot at her, but I suppose she was wearing her royal armor. It’s amazing what they can do with Kevlar these days. And you wonder why her hats are so big. As for rock royalty, Bob Dylan turns seventy tomorrow. I thought his voice was bad in the Sixties, but it’s even worse now. Still, the guy writes great songs. I wonder if he ever puts Kleenex in his ears.


Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED