My kids, my lady, my cats, my two blue-front amazon parrots, my beautiful blue-and-gold macaw, music, science, economics, literature, poetry, skeptical inquiry, and reading.
I'd like to offer a free lunch to Rose and Milton Friedman.
Patti Austin, Marvin, Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, the Beatles, Aretha, Michael McDonald, Tom Jobim, Elvis, Luther, Stevie Wonder, Dave Grusin, Carlos Santana, Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Otis Redding, anybody who sings "My Funny Valentine" or "Wee Small Hours of the Morning" well, the Stones, Lennon, McCartney, Dylan, Sting, Koz, Monk, Miles, David Benoit, Lee Ritenour, ZZ Top, George Benson, Michel LeGrand, Alan Parsons Project, George Clinton, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Gershwin, Santana, Aaron Copland, Brubeck, EW&F, Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Chet Baker, Bobby Caldwell, Nat King Cole, Torme, ARS, the Duke, Bacharach, Ronstadt, Ray Charles, Janis, Jimi, Pink Floyd, James Brown, William "Smokey" Robinson, Bob James, Chicago, Sly, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Barbra Streisand, Manfred Mann, Cheryl Lynn, Stray Cats including Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Leon Russell, Michael Jackson, The Spinners, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Kenny G, The Funk Brothers, The Average White Band, Barry White, Kenny Loggins, Deniece Williams, Johnny Mathis, The Monkees, Lionel Richie, Joss Stone, Al Green, Louis Armstrong, Natalie Cole, Toni Braxton, Josh Groban, all great American Songbook standards, all rhythm and blues, all classic rock, all southern rock, all rockabilly, all jazz, all vocal ballads, and all bossa nova.
"The Littlest Hobo" (1958)(BW) changed my view of movies forever. I felt the raw power of American cinema with a riveting plot, stunning special effects, and an oscar-worthy performance by the protagonist -- a very smart and shrewd stray German Shepard dog which moves from town to town by hopping boxcars and freight trains (like a hobo). The dog saves a farm animal from slaughter, helps a crippled child in the process, and teaches a small farm boy about letting go of possessions. 4 stars.
"Capitalism and Freedom" by Milton Friedman, "Free to Choose" by Milton and Rose Friedman, “The Grapes of Wrath†by John Steinbeck, “To Kill a Mockingbird†by Harper Lee, “Moby-Dick†by Herman Melville, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†by Mark Twain, “The Red Badge of Courage†by Stephen Crane, “War of the Worlds†by H.G. Wells, “The Jungle†by Upton Sinclair, “Hunt for Red October†by Tom Clancy, “For Whom the Bell Tolls†by Ernest Hemingway, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†by Ken Kesey, "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith (even though I never finished reading even half of it), “On the Road†by Jack Kerouac, “In Cold Blood†by Truman Capote, "The Trial" by Franz Kafka, “Through the Looking Glass†and “Alice in Wonderland†by Lewis Carroll, “The Lord of the Flies†by William Golding, “1984†by George Orwell, “Of Mice and Men†by John Steinbeck, “Red Dragon†by Thomas Harris, “Brave New World†by Aldous Huxley, “Schindler's List†by Thomas Keneally, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz†by Frank L. Baum
My Dad, William F. Buckley, Jr., Rose and Milton Friedman, Richard P. Feynman, Leonardo DaVinci, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King . . . AND all those who serve and have served this nation and its people.