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Showing posts from January, 2023

New Episode of Huskie History is here -- all about D-Day!

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Michal and Philip are back for a new episode of Huskie History. This episode is called:  Balloon Tanks and Drugged-out Nazis: Stories of D-Day. In it, they discuss the planning behind D-day, and offer some great stories about balloon military equipment used to deceive German intelligence. Plus, they talk about the use of methamphetamines among nazi troops.  Listen below or in your favorite podcast app.
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New Episode of the ARCLight Podcast has dropped featuring Hersey grad Erich Specht

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S03E03: Push Puppets, Adventures of the Musical Union and Elvis Costello’s Pizza: A Conversation with Erich Specht Erich Specht is a 1986 graduate of Hersey High School. He also attended River Trails back when it was a junior high. As the man behind the band Push Puppets, Erich came to the ARC Studio to talk about his life in music, the new Push Puppets album and played a few songs.  He also reminisced about his time at Hersey and the founding of a short-lived club called the Adventures of the Musical Union. Oh, and he also talked about a slice of pizza he got from Elvis Costello. Listen to the episode to understand this picture: More information about Erich Specht and Push Puppets can be found at https://www.pushpuppets.net .  Digital downloads are available on Bandcamp . The new album from the band is called Allegory Grey . You can also find the Push Puppets on Spotify . The episode features a lot of music references. Here is a list of the bands, artists and songs mention...
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Mr. Janu's Favorite Book of 2022: Unnatural Creatures by Kris Waldherr

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I first read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus when I was in junior high. Like most people, I was indoctrinated first by the Hollywood iterations of the story and only knew “Frankenstein” as Boris Karloff, and was surprised by the novel and the way in which the ideas of monstrosity were not associated with the creature, but with Dr. Victor Frankenstein. In particular, I was taken by the humanity and intelligence of “the monster,” who articulately narrates a significant portion of the book.  The novel remains one of my favorites, and I have returned to it several times in my life. But the novel is problematic, in many ways. In particular, the characters outside of Victor and the “Monster” are never fully developed and their motivations and personalities are never fully explored in the epistolary nature of Shelley’s work. Unnatural Creatures , by Kris Waldherr, corrects this flaw and presents Frankenstein in its full human and emotional potential by focusing no...
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Artists of the Month: Jerry Butler and Betty Everett

By Bruce Janu -
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My first exposure to Jerry "The Iceman" Butler came from a K-Tel commercial for an album called Superbad   in 1973 that I saw when I was a kid. I didn't know much about him at the time.  It wasn't until I was much older that I became a fan. Although Jerry Butler was born in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1941, and grew up in the  Cabrini Green housing projects. It was in church where he met Curtis Mayfield. Together, in 1958, they joined with three other singers to form "Jerry Butler and the Impressions." After leaving the group a couple of years later, Jerry Butler went solo and received the moniker "The Iceman" from a Philadelphia DJ, to highlight his cool, baritone voice. The name stuck. Betty Everett, too, was born in Mississippi. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago in 1957 to pursue a music career. In 1964, she produced a hit single. You probably know it, because it has been covered by many people including Linda Ronsta...
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"Race Music" and the Beginning of Rock and Roll

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Last month we highlighted Elvis Presley. He may have been the “King of Rock and Roll,” but in no way did he invent the music. In fact, he merely copied the music that had been invented and played in the Black community for years.   Not to diminish the importance of Elvis, though. He would eventually develop his own style. But more importantly, he introduced Rock and Roll to a whole new audience. Billboard , January 1, 1949 Public Domain Like Blues and Jazz before it, Rock and Roll music was developed by Black musicians in Black communities. But it was not known as Rock and Roll, however. It was, at the time, called “rhythm and blues,” or “R & B.” Which, according to Little Richard , stood for “real Black.” To White America, however, it was called “Race Music.” Major record labels refused to record it. White-owned establishments did not put the music in their juke boxes. White performers did not record the music, either. At least, not yet. This was a pattern that had played o...
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Summer Reading Book #6: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

By Bruce Janu -
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Alright. I've said this before. And I will say it again. This may be my favorite book so far this summer. (Sorry Pride ) To be honest, I haven’t read too many books like this---a book written in verse. And I loved how it looked on the page. I loved the cadence of it. It “sounded” good in my head, if that makes sense.  The Poet X is the story of Xiomara Batista, the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She lives in Harlem in a cramped apartment with her parents and twin brother, Xavier. She finds refuge in her poetry, and keeps her thoughts and poems secret in a journal.  Her poetry reveals a sensitivity and vulnerability that is absent from her tough exterior:  The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast.  When your body takes up more room than your voice  you are always the target of well-aimed rumors,  which is why I let my knuckles talk for me.  Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced      by insults....
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