Billy Joel's "Leningrad" and the Cold War

While many musicians have been known to use their platforms to express views about politics and religion, Billy Joel did so in a unique way which served as a reflection on the Cold War and many American events rather than expressing bold convictions.
An example of this style of political analysis can be seen in his song “Leningrad” which details his experience meeting a street performer (clown) in St. Petersburg. Billy Joel compares the life of Victor the clown to his own life. The song begins,

“Victor was born
The spring of '44
And never saw
His father anymore”

This opening line is a reference to Victor losing his father in WWII. Military plays a huge role in Russian culture and many Russians claim that all Russians can name at least one family member who has been involved in the military in some way. This is because military service is mandatory for all Russian men with some exceptions. The song then continues to talk about Victor’s life and some of the repercussions the post-war economy had on the daily lives of the people of Russia. He sings,

“The Russian life was very sad
And such was life in Leningrad”

Billy Joel then transitions to discussing his experience in the Cold War Era on the other side of the world. He sings,

“I was born in '49
A cold war kid in the McCarthy times
…
Cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desks in an air raid drill
Haven't they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?”

This is perhaps the most direct opinion we hear from Billy Joel regarding his views on the Cold War. He seems to be criticizing the Cold War as an unnecessary conflict given the fact that WWII was over. His analysis gives insight into what the American experience was like during the Cold War with air raid drills.
Billy Joel then continues to sing,

“The children lived in Levittown
Hid in the shelters underground”

Levittown was the blue-collar town Billy Joel grew up in. This lyric describes the atmosphere of fear created by the Cold War. This atmosphere continues as he addresses the Cuban Missile Crisis, singing,

“Til the soviets turned their ships around
Torn the Cuban missiles down”

Billy Joel then expresses his emotion that the Cold War has deprived the American children of the innocence of childhood. For many of Billy Joel’s peers, the realities of adulthood came too early when they were drafted into the Vietnam War.*
Joel sings,

“We knew our childhood days were done
I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?”

Overall, the song seems to be criticizing the Cold War as being unnecessary and disrupting world peace. Never once does Joel directly condemn either America or the Soviet Union. Instead, Billy Joel approaches the issue with empathy, reflecting on the similarities between him and his friend Victor the clown. Even though they were on opposite sides of the war, both were suffering as a result of the conflict. He seems to be asking the question, If both sides are suffering, is anyone really winning? And if nobody is winning, what’s the point of the war?
And so it seems Billy Joel is not criticizing either side, but criticizing the lack of unity and empathy in the world, especially after the loss endured by all from WWII.
The song seems to close appropriately with the lyrics,

“So my child and I came to this place
To meet him , eye to eye and face to face
He made my daughter laugh
Then we embraced
We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad.”

*Further opinions on the Vietnam War can be seen in the song “Goodnight Saigon” in which Billy Joel reflects on the very personal losses he faced as a result of the Vietnam War by referencing specific friends who lost their lives in the war.

Sources:
Joel, Billy "Leningrad"

Bono and Politics

Many are familiar with the Irish band U2, known for their catchy hits and revolutionary guitar work. Despite their Irish heritage, many U2 songs carry deeper political meanings regarding America.
A number of their songs provide commentary on the American Dream. These tracks include “In God’s Country”, a song which condemns the complacency taking place in America. America is represented in the song as the image of Lady Liberty. The song tells the story of “God’s Country” which was built for dreamers but seems to have forgotten its roots and now ceases to provide the American Dream. While lead singer Bono says the song isn’t necessarily responding to a singular event or cause, it is likely that the song is addressing the fact that many social movements and political passion in general was declining after the 1960’s in the US.
Many U2 songs provide commentary on specific events, individuals or political movements in America. The song “Angel of Harlem” was written about Billie Holiday, famous jazz singer and figure of the Harlem Renaissance. “Pride”, a song featured on the album “Rattle and Hum”, directly references Martin Luther King Jr. Bono sings in direct reference to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.,

“Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride”.

While “Pride” and “Angel of Harlem” seem to be glorifying American heroes and cultural movements, Bono’s music condemns American politics at times. An example of this can be seen in the song “Bullet the Blue Sky”, a song which exposes the poor living conditions and harsh consequences of US intervention in Central America, especially in Nicaragua. Bono discusses the political implications of Reagan’s policy and the disruption it caused in the lives of the native people. He sings,

“Where the sky is ripped open and the rain pours
Through a gaping wound, pelting the women and children
Pelting the women and children
Run, run in to the arms of America”.

Clearly, Bono and the rest of U2 were not afraid to address serious political messages in a way that is accessible and entertaining for their audience. While some of their most bold political songs discuss religion (“Until the End of the World”) and political conflict in Ireland (“Sunday Bloody Sunday”), Bono used his music to express his passion for American politics.

Sources:
U2 albums “Rattle and Hum”, “The Joshua Tree”, “The Unforgettable Fire”, “Achtung Baby”, “War”

History of the Camera Phone

In 1999 the first ever phone with a camera in it was made by Sharp Corporation and was released in Japan in November of 2000. It allowed you to share your photos electronically and the quality was pretty good for the first of its kind. Here's what a picture taken on it looks like.
In November of 2002 the US hopped on this new trend and Sprint was the first company to start manufacturing and releasing these phones. By the end of 2003 they were big in the tech market, and were selling about as much as DVD players at that time. They were making it more accessible for people to capture important moments without needing to bring a chunky camera, and there's now the ability to share with others.
However, there have also been concerns with the use of cell phones with camera capabilities for secret photography, because people may be having their picture taken without knowledge and/or consent. Additionally, it makes the sharing of illegal photos faster and easier, and once they are out on the web, there is no getting them back. Another concern is that phones are able to be hacked and random hackers could be watching someone through their phone camera.
However, nowadays we don't think of the phone camera as something dangerous, but a part of everyday life. Some studies by Pew Research Center show that in 2014 about 92% of smartphone users used them to take photos, and 80% used their camera phones to share those photos. Cameras on phones have become interactive devices, whether they are used to video call friends and family, use a snapchat filter, scan a QR code, or used as the password on the newer iPhones. This shows a huge leap not only in the technology used, but comments on how much modern humans rely on these phone cameras in our everyday lives.
Although there's been a huge jump between Sharp Corporation's J-SH04, and the newest Google and Apple phones, the intent is still there. We now have the ability to capture important moments and share them with others, the only difference is that the quality of the camera has increased.

Sources:
https://petapixel.com/2015/02/12/importance-cameras-smartphone-war/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/camera-phone-history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_phone#History

The Ponzi Scheme of the Century

       If you are looking for one of the biggest ponzi schemes in recorded history, the ponzi scheme led by Bernie Madoff is the place to look. As a well-respected financier, Madoff convinced thousands of investors to hand over their savings, falsely promising consistent profits in return. He was caught in December 2008 and charged with 11 counts of fraud, money laundering, perjury, and theft. In the end, Maddof was able to con investors out of close to 65 billion dollars in savings and went undetected for decades.
Ponzi schemes are run by a central operator, who uses the money from new, incoming investors to pay off the promised returns to older ones. This makes the operation seem profitable and legitimate, even though no actual profit is being made. Meanwhile, the person behind the scheme pockets the extra money or uses it to expand the operation. To avoid having too many investors reclaim their "profits," Ponzi schemes encourage them to stay in the game and earn even more money. The "investing strategies" used are vague and/or secretive, which schemers claim is to protect their business. Then all they need to do is tell investors how much they are making periodically, without actually providing any real returns.
Ponzi schemes aren't usually very sustainable. The setup eventually falls apart after: (1) The operator takes the remaining investment money and runs. (2) New investors become harder to find, meaning the flow of cash dies out. (3) Too many current investors begin to pull out and request their returns. In Madoff's case, things began to deteriorate after clients requested a total of $7 billion back in returns. Unfortunately for Madoff, he only had $200 million to $300 million left to give.
Many people find it surprising that Maddow was able to fly under the radar for so long, seeing the fact that he was promising 50 percent returns in only 90 days, a deal too good to be true. Even though it does leave you a little skeptical at first, there is a good reason for why people trusted Madoff so much. Madoff was a well-versed and active member of the financial industry. He started his own market maker firm in 1960 and helped launch the Nasdaq stock market. He sat on the board of the National Association of Securities Dealers and advised the Securities and Exchange Commission on trading securities. It was easy to believe this 70-year-old industry veteran knew exactly what he was doing.

Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-bernie-madoffs-ponzi-scheme-worked-2014-7
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Madoff
https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/us/bernard-madoff-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.foxnews.com/us/bernie-madoff-ponzi-scheme-everything-you-should-know
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bernie-Madoff

Rise of Crack in America

       While the use of coca leaves as an intoxicant dates back three thousand years, crack cocaine, a crystallized form of cocaine, was developed during the cocaine boom of the 1970s and its use spread in the mid-1980s. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, by the late 1970s there was a huge glut of cocaine powder being shipped into the United States. This caused the price of the drug to drop by as much as 80%. Faced with dropping prices for their illegal product, drug dealers converted the powder to “crack,” a solid form of cocaine that could be smoked.
The biggest surge in the use of the drug occurred during the “crack epidemic,” between 1984 and 1990, when the drug spread across American cities. The crack epidemic dramatically increased the number of Americans addicted to cocaine. In 1985, the number of people who admitted using cocaine on a routine basis increased from 4.2 million to 5.8 million. The epidemic first started in Miami, where Caribbean immigrants taught adolescents the technique of converting powdered cocaine into crack. The teenagers eventually introduced the business of producing and distributing crack cocaine into other major cities of the United States, including New York City, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Also, the emergence of crack cocaine in the inner cities led to a drastic increase in crime between 1981 and 1986. Federal prison admission for drug offenses soared, and murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rates increased significantly. There were also marked increases in robbery and aggravated assault.
The administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan early on began to prioritize what came to be called the “War on Drugs,” which combatted drug trafficking and aimed to end the crack cocaine epidemic destroying many lives. The efforts included the passing of federal anti-drug laws, increased federal anti-drug funding, the initiation and expansion of prison and police programs, and the establishment of private organizations, such as Partnership for a Drug-Free America, to campaign on its behalf. The idea of the War on Drugs was grounded in deterrence theory, whereby the implementation of legislation and harsher penalties would deter or discourage the use of drugs. The 100-to-l ratio between powdered cocaine and crack cocaine was used as a guideline for minimum mandatory punishment. For instance, a minimum penalty of 5 years was administered for 5 grams of crack cocaine or 500 grams of powdered cocaine.

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/crack-epidemic
https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/a-short-history.html
https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/2/16328342/opioid-epidemic-racism-addiction
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/dahleen-glanton/ct-opioid-epidemic-dahleen-glanton-met-20170815-column.html

Government Policies and S&Ls

In 1980, the Carter Administration implemented the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act, allowing thrifts to diversify their asset portfolios and eliminating Regulation Q’s cap on deposit interest rates. However, the government increased the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation subsidy for banks from $40,000 to $100,000 at the same time. This along with the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982, which gave thrift banks greater latitude to invest in real estate loans induced unrestrained real estate lending, resulted in the government creation of one of the greatest catastrophes in U.S. banking history. 

The National Review describes how both the American Bankers Association and Franklin Roosevelt opposed deposit insurance for three reasons: “First, it means there is no incentive for depositors to monitor the solvency of the banks and S&Ls in which their funds are deposited. Second, the flat-rate premiums provide no incentive to the owners to maintain solvency; in effect, these premiums represent a subsidy from solvent institutions to weak ones. Most important, deposit insurance creates a moral hazard for the owners of weak or insolvent banks and S&Ls, in effect setting up a one-sided bet. If they make unusually risky loans that do not later default, all the returns accrue to the owners; if these loans fail, the losses are borne by the insurance fund and, ultimately, the taxpayers. Heads I win, tails you lose. One should be surprised only that the insured depositories did not attract more crooks and frauds.” Thrifts were virtually given unlimited access to capital by the government, as they could promise to pay high interest rates on deposits to depositors who didn’t care about the thrift’s huge gambles (motivated by GSGDIA) due to the FDIC insurance increase. 

 Edward Kane expands on this by describing "although the Savings and Loan (S&L) debacle is extremely complex… simple-minded cartoons and horror movies can illustrate how the S&L insurance fund turned into such a mess. ...In movies such as George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, corpses climb out of their graves and walk around hunting for food. They are hungry for only one thing—human flesh. As soon as these living-dead "zombies" feed on another human, the human quickly dies and becomes a zombie too. Many S&Ls have, for some time, been zombie institutions. These institutions were insolvent in the sense that their assets had fallen below the level at which they could cover their deposit debt. These zombie S&Ls were able to survive only because they could feed off taxpayers through the device of government-guaranteed federal deposit insurance." This disastrous reregulation compounded with Depression era policies that had essentially divided the financial industry into strictly organized and vulnerable silos, resulted in 1,043 thrifts failing between 1986 and 1995 according to FDIC data.

The Perfect Heist

One of the greatest private property crimes in the United States, and one of the most infamous art crimes in the entire world, the theft of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains one of the craziest heists to this day. 

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which was constructed in Boston in the late 19th century, was originally built for the sole purpose of housing the personal art collection of the museum’s namesake, Isabella Stewart Gardner. The museum was soon opened up to the public in 1903, but, in just under a century later, the value of the collection Gardner left behind would diminish by $500 million. 

On March 18th, 1990, two men disguised in Boston police uniforms approached the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, pretending to respond to a security call. Thinking that they were, in fact, police, the museum’s two security guards on patrol allowed the two thieves to enter the museum. The thieves then sprung into action, tying up the two guards and successfully immobilizing them. Within 90 minutes, the duo had made off with thirteen priceless works of art, which were:

Vermeer’s "The Concert"

Rembrandt’s "A Lady and Gentleman in Black"

Rembrandt’s "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee"

Rembrandt’s "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee"

Rembrandt’s "Self Portrait"

Govaert Flinck’s "Landscape with an Obelisk"

A Shang Dynasty Chinese Bronze Beaker

Degas' "La Sortie du Pelage"

Degas' "Cortège Aux Environs de Florence"

Degas' "Three Mounted Jockeys"

Degas' "Program for an Artistic Soiree" 

Degas' "Program for an Artistic Soiree" (a second, less finished version)

Manet’s "Chez Tortoni"

Napoleonic Eagle Finial

Combined, the total estimated value comes out to about $500 million, so the FBI was on the case. But, the Bureau quickly encountered one major problem: the culprits left behind very little clues. It was only until 25 years later that the FBI was confident that they had figured out the identities of the two thieves, narrowing down their list of suspects to George Reissfelder and Lenny DiMuzio. Both Reissfelder and DiMuzio belonged to the crew of crime boss Carmello Merlino, but what was odd was that both had died within the same year of the heist. Without really any more leads to go off of, the FBI was met with a dead end, and all thirteen stolen artworks still remain missing today—thirty years later. Even with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offering $10 million for any information, the paintings remain in hiding, hinting at the possibility that they may never be seen by the public eye again. 

https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/03/18/30-years-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-heist-toll-endures
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gardner-museum-doubles-reward-10m-970745
https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-unsolved-art-heist-boston-500-million-2020-3