a perfect opportunity to take pleasure in the misery of others

The news of the near-bankruptcy of the group that opposed the Cape Wind project brings me joy. How rare it is that one of the plutocrat Koch brothers is on the losing side of a political battle. In this case, joining the late Sen. Kennedy, Bill Koch opposed a much needed technology because it might interfere with his yachting pleasures. Of course, the fact that he makes his billions in the oil business has nothing to do with his opposition to clean energy.

It is comical to listen to the opposition to this project. One of my students told me that he is against it because the electricity to be produced will be more expensive that what coal or nuclear plants can produce. Of course, he (like many of his ilk) are ignorant of the concept of externalities: that is, if polluters had to factor environmental or social costs into the equation, their artificially cheaper electricity would not survive the comparison. But I guess Koch et. al. see that 130 windmills in their ocean pose a threat to their navigation skill, thus imposing a social cost on the rest of us? Hmmm, perhaps he could invest in a nice Garmin GPS unit so that he can chart a course around Nantucket Shoals. As for the rest of us, I hope this project represents a chance to chart a course away from the dangerous 19th Century technologies that have enriched people like Koch while endangering the whole planet.

Pity the rich: they really are different from the rest of us.

Bob Dylan in Lowell, Massachusetts

You have to give the man credit. Nearing 70 years of age, he is still working, writing and performing. As an event, I give it a grade of A+. Dressed like a cross between one of Custer's 7th Cavalry footsoldiers and an Argentinean cowboy, he sure looked the part of consummate stage performer. His band is really strong, and as the set commenced the sound mix toned down the guitars a bit, as the acoustics weren't great the Tsongas Arena. He even spoke to the audience before the encore, as he introduced the band.

Dylan croaks rather than sings, so the concert was more of a celebrity extravaganza than a tour down memory lane. (I don't mind "croakers", as I really like Tom Waits, and I grew up on Louis Armstrong). He took many old favorites and gave them new arrangements, some so outlandish that the band sounded like Canned Heat at Woodstock. Especially odd was the treatment of "Highway 61". I didn't recognize what I was hearing until he bleated "61".

I can understand why the great performer might want some relief from 40+ years of singing what his fans want, but some of the arrangements were extraordinarily self-indulgent. "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again", one his greatest songs ever, was unrecognizable.

However, on two occasions he strode to the microphone with just a harmonica, and the band backed it down a bit so that we could actually understand him. As for his rock-out numbers, I really liked "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum". His arrangement of the great "Tangled Up In Blue" was a major disappointment. And to conclude, he gave us the short, Top 40 radio version of "Like A Rolling Stone". All in all, a solid B grade, Bob.

The set list:

1.	Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
2.	It Ain't Me, Babe
3.	Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
4.	Love Sick
5.	Rollin' And Tumblin'
6.	Simple Twist Of Fate
7.	Honest With Me
8.	Visions Of Johanna
9.	Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
10.	Tangled Up In Blue
11.	Highway 61 Revisited
12.	Not Dark Yet
13.	Thunder On The Mountain
14.	Ballad Of A Thin Man
	(encore)
15.	Jolene
16.	Like A Rolling Stone