Re the Nov. 7 issue… 

From BJ: “I read your blog today and see that you think culture is the foundation of our world. I couldn’t agree more. We care more about culture than we do about money, politics, religion, or anything I can think of. Our culture is where we go to feel something. And that’s the most human thing we do. I’ve been struck by the reaction of people of all ages to the release of a new Beatles song. Basically, AI was used to separate John Lennon’s voice from his piano, and then images, notes, and videos, past and present, were spliced together to finish a song started five decades ago. Lots of people don’t care for the Beatles, and perhaps they are overrated. But there is no denying the roles they played in our culture over 60 years in terms of hair and clothing styles, politics, freedom, equality, and, of course, music.”

My Response: Thanks, BJ. Yes, it’s almost impossible to overstate the influence that the Beatles had. One band of four musicians, during such a short span of time.

From PN: “To give you credit, it’s starting to look a lot more like Biden will not be the Democratic presidential candidate. Just in the last few days, I have heard some prominent Democrats call for him to step aside as a 2024 candidate. I think this will gain traction. And the poll results showing Trump beating Biden in five of the six swing states certainly doesn’t help Biden’s case. In fact, polling also shows that almost every Republican candidate would beat Biden. Biden doesn’t have much time to act if he wants to give a new candidate a chance to be on the ballot, raise money, etc. The question is how do the Dems elegantly get rid of Kamala? The other question is, of course, who will be the candidate? Newsom? Dean Phillips announced he is running. This indicates another crack in the armor for Biden. Bottom line: I think you’re right. Biden won’t run.”