Financial Crisis Upheaves to Psychological Disorders

January 28th, 2009 - the L.A. police department reported and started investigating a murder of 7 people, one of whom was the culprit himself, while the rest being his wife and his children. Just dismissed from West Los Angeles Medical Center, the burly 40-year-old Ervin Antonio Lupoe went uncontrollably distraught, foraging his house and shoot his family with a hand-gun before killing himself. Before the grisly scene, he faxed to a local TV station a gruesome letter, accusing the employers for the financial crisis upon him. It said, "my wife felt it better to end our lives, and why leave our children in someone's else's hands. . . ." and also claimed that the hospital did nothing to help, "knowing we have no job and five children under 8 years with no place to go." The letter ends in desperation, "Oh lord, my God, is there no hope for a widow's son?"

January 13th, 1964 - The young 23-year-old folk singer Bob Dylan released his third album, "The Times They Are A' Changin'", which has officially authenticated him as a serious protest singer, with sarcasm and humor restrained while political and social concerns were addressed in the style of "Blowin' in the Wind". Not considered a concrete work, the album musically acquired the old Blues form into some few songs and lyrically recorded some significant events of the Sixties'. Both of the characteristics could be seen (and heard) from the second track, "Ballad of Hollis Brown". In a rural area in South Dakota, Hollis Brown was suffering from an alarming shortage of money to support his family, which consisted of two parents and five hungry, moaning children. He was being absent from possession, support ("If there's anyone that knows. Is there anyone that cares?") and mind; deciding to spend his "last lone dollar" on "seven shotgun shells" and gave each of them a special treat. Close to the finale, he could finally see the horizon and freedom from all agonies. By the last two lines, Dylan offered two ways of interpretation, either that deaths are alternated by new borns into the world, or that they are the only a step to revivals and rebirths.

Whether the song was based on a true story is unclear; however, you can always say that it could not be fictional.

Ecclesiastes / Books of Ketuvim

I ran into this Hebrew Bible book while listening to The Byrds. This is one of the few scripture songs I've heard, beside "Hallelujah" and "The Rivers of Babylon" (good that they don't sound hymnal at all). The alleged author, King Solomon talks about the absurdity of life and expresses his thirst for beings to make sense. Put aside the idea of God, I think this could be a worth-reading piece for a New Year's atmosphere. Further readings can be reached here.
1--All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
2--A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
3--A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.
4--A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5--A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
6--A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
7--A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
8--A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.