We try and stay topical around the Footenotes bullpen (read: my kitchen) so I feel like I ought to say something about the passing of Steve Jobs.  Truth is the only thing you can say is to hell with cancer.  I’m not an Apple guy, despite my friends’ suggestions of the “if you try it, you’ll love it” variety, but I think everyone can agree that Jobs was a visionary whose life was cut way too short.  Locally, down at Wall St. protesters got a much needed boost in ranks when several unions offered their support.  Tony Picciano’s blog has been doing a great job keeping everyone on the Commons up to date with OccupyWallStreet and posted some great pictures.  Down at Liberty Plaza a peoples’ library has sprouted.  The folks over at Zines at Brooklyn College had a quick post about this impromptu library and what it’s doing for the folks downtown.  Turns out the library has its own page and is seeking donations so if you’ve got some books to spare help them out.  I happen to know that some CUNYites are down there doing marvelous work with the library – keep it up!

Bill Ashton was back on the Commons this week with a handful of new posts.  The Redbook model photoshopping post was depressing but insightful.  Fortunately Bill balanced it out with a little 70’s product feature.  I’m fairly certain I have an aunt who still has these mushroom things tucked in various corners around the house.  The real gem over there is a Ronald Reagan track that was designed to scare…well…everyone I guess, or at least anyone who hates good health.  Great find!

Finally in the round-up this week is Helldriver.  About 12 years ago I worked in a record store in San Francisco.  The best thing about the job was that everyone was basically paid in little slivers of brass and peanut-butter crackers so instead of working we’d sneak around the place and talk about music all the time.  You wanted to learn about Afro-beat?  You’d sneak into the cashroom and talk to the guy who did the money.  Want to know something about classical?  Make an excuse to drop off a box of those CD anti-theft cases to the classical department and talk to those guys about Henri Gorecki.  Helldriver’s blog always reminds me of getting to sneak out to the dumpsters and talk about some great music.  Now it’s off to find some Bartók.

Till next week!