Two Milestone Lists

The first list is a positive list: As of this week, I now own 700 albums. The second, is a list of movies, which I'll address further down.

Starting with the albums, then, I should state that the 700 number doesn't include classical.

Of those 700, most are studio albums, and some are live recordings. These, together, make up 580 selections. The rest are Greatest Hits, Anthologies, Compilations, etc. Of those studio and live albums, (almost exclusively LPs, with a few EPs thrown in), here are my top 500:

1.       The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

2.       The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, 1966

3.       Marvin Gaye, What's Going On, 1971

4.       James Brown, Live at the Apollo, 1963

5.       Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, 1959

6.       John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, 1964

7.       Van Morrison, Astral Weeks, 1968

8.       Stevie Wonder, Talking Book, 1972

9.       Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV, 1971

10.   David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972

11.   AC/DC, Back in Black, 1980

12.   PJ Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, 2000

13.   Guns n Roses, Appetite for Destruction, 1987

14.   The Who, Who's Next, 1971

15.   Daft Punk, Discovery, 2001

16.   Allman Brothers, At Fillmore East, 1971

17.   The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle, 1968

18.   Nick Drake, Five Leaves Left, 1969

19.   Love, Forever Changes, 1967

20.   Nas, Illmatic, 1994

21.   Keith Jarrett, The Koln Concert, 1975

22.   Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow, 1967

23.   The Strokes, Is This It?, 2001

24.   The White Stripes, Elephant, 2003

25.   Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' Else, 1958

26.   Ravi Shankar, Three Ragas, 1956

27.   Sasha, Global Underground 013: Ibiza, 1999

28.   Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt, A Meeting by the River, 1993

29.   Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 1955

30.   Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport, 1956

31.   Woody Gutherie, Dust Bowl Ballads, 1940

32.   Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Swiss Movement, 1969

33.   Tangerine Dream, Rubycon, 1975

34.   Anais Mitchell, Hadestown, 2010

35.   Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton, 2015

36.   The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street, 1977

37.   The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969

38.   Moby, Play, 1999

39.   Richard O'Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975

40.   Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti, 1975

41.   Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, 1984

42.   The Clash, The Clash, 1977

43.   The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, 1968

44.   Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, My Fair Lady [OLC], 1958

45.   Pete Seeger, We Shall Overcome, 1963

46.   The Beatles, Revolver, 1966

47.   A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory, 1991

48.   Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers, 1976

49.   DJ Shadow, Endtroducing....., 1996

50.   Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill, 1995

51.   Elvis Costello, This Year's Model, 1978

52.   Sam Phillips, Fan Dance, 2001

53.   Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA, 1984

54.   Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, 2006

55.   Beck, Sea Change, 2002

56.   Radiohead, The Bends, 1995

57.   Carole King, Tapestry, 1971

58.   Rhiannon Giddens, Freedom Highway, 2017

59.   The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols, 1977

60.   Queen, A Night at the Opera, 1975

61.   Big Star, #1 Record, 1972

62.   Gustavo Santaolalla, Ronroco, 1998

63.   The Bothy Band, Old Hag You Have Killed Me, 1976

64.   Joni Mitchell, Blue, 1971

65.   The Doors, The Doors, 1967

66.   The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground and Nico, 1967

67.   The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses, 1989

68.   Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, 1965

69.   Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon, 1970

70.   Fiona Apple, When the Pawn..., 1999

71.   The Beatles, White Album, 1968

72.   Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970

73.   David Bowie, Hunky Dory, 1971

74.   The Band, Music From Big Pink, 1968

75.   U2, The Joshua Tree, 1987

76.   Van Morrison, Moondance, 1970

77.   Paul Simon, Graceland, 1986

78.   T. Rex, Electric Warrior, 1971

79.   Neil Young, After the Gold Rush, 1970

80.   Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman, 1970

81.   Quicksilver Messenger Service, Happy Trails, 1969

82.   Roxy Music, Avalon, 1982

83.   Jeff Buckley, Grace, 1994

84.   Bonnie Prince Billy, I See a Darkness, 1999

85.   Decemberists, The Crane Wife, 2006

86.   Jethro Tull, Aqualung, 1971

87.   Rory Gallagher, Irish Tour '74, 1974

88.   Ted Hawkins, The Next Hundred Years, 1994

89.   The O'Jays, Back Stabbers, 1972

90.   Joao Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, 1973

91.   The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole, 1997

92.   Arcade Fire, Neon Bible, 2007

93.   Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, Celia & Johnny, 1974

94.   Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Trout Mask Replica, 1969

95.   Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited, 1965

96.   Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin, 1969

97.   Stevie Wonder , Innervisions, 1973

98.   Charlie Mingus, Mingus Ah Um, 1959

99.   Curtis Mayfield, Superfly, 1972

100.                       Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973

101.                       Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, 1969

102.                       Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain, 1984

103.                       The Cars, The Cars, 1978

104.                       Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes, 1979

105.                       Pentangle, Basket of Light, 1969

106.                       The Andy Statman Quartet, Between Heaven and Earth, 1997

107.                       The Eagles, Hotel California, 1976

108.                       Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, 1957

109.                       The Meters, Rejuvenation, 1974

110.                       Paul Bley, Fragments, 1986

111.                       Lennie Tristano, Lennie Tristano, 1956

112.                       Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 1975

113.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland, 1968

114.                       Patti Smith, Horses, 1975

115.                       Fairport Convention, Liege and Lief, 1969

116.                       Richard and Linda Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights, 1982

117.                       Black Sabbath, Paranoid, 1970

118.                       Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy, 1973

119.                       Stephen Sondheim, A Little Night Music [OBC], 1973

120.                       Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery, 1973

121.                       Sun Ra, Jazz in Silhouette, 1959

122.                       Oumou Sangare, Ko Sira, 1993

123.                       Wes Montgomery, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, 1960

124.                       Ozel Turkbas, How to Make Your Husband a Sultan, 1969

125.                       Ofra Haza, Yemenite Songs, 1984

126.                       Hector Lavoe, De Ti Depende, 1976

127.                       Paul Desmond, Take Ten, 1963

128.                       Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, The Last of the Mohicans, 1992

129.                       Djivan Gasparyan, I Will Not Be Sad in This World, 1989

130.                       Toumani Diabate and Ballake Sissoko, New Ancient Strings, 1999

131.                       Jay-Z, The Blueprint, 2001

132.                       Juana Molina, Segundo, 2000

133.                       The Beatles, Rubber Soul, 1965

134.                       Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York, 1994

135.                       Phil Ochs, There and Now: Live in Vancouver, 1968

136.                       John Coltrane, Giant Steps, 1959

137.                       Kanye West, The College Dropout, 2004

138.                       Willie Colon and Ruben Blades, Siembra, 1978

139.                       Codona, Codona 3, 1983

140.                       Dr. John, Gris-Gris, 1968

141.                       Almanac Singers, Songs for John Doe, 1941

142.                       Madvillain, Madvillainy, 2004

143.                       Kodo, Live at the Acropolis, 1995

144.                       Steely Dan, Aja, 1977

145.                       Astor Piazzolla, Tango: Zero Hour, 1986

146.                       Caetano Veloso, Livro, 1998

147.                       Kendrick Lamar, DAMN., 2017

148.                       Tal Farlow, Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow, 1957

149.                       Brian Eno, Another Green World, 1975

150.                       Goro Yamaguchi, A Bell Ringing in an Empty Sky, 1969

151.                       Los Munequitos de Matanzas, Ito Iban Echu, 1996

152.                       Konono No. 1, Congotronics, 2004

153.                       George Harrison et al., The Concert for Bangladesh, 1971

154.                       Miles Davis, In a Silent Way, 1969

155.                       Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963

156.                       Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2010

157.                       Madonna, Ray of Light, 1998

158.                       The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs, 1999

159.                       The Clash, London Calling, 1979

160.                       Stereolab, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, 1996

161.                       Dave Van Ronk, Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger, 1963

162.                       Various, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, 1963

163.                       Green Day, American Idiot, 2004

164.                       Propellerheads, Decksanddrumsandrockandroll, 1998

165.                       Davy Spillane & Kevin Glackin, Forgotten Days, 2001

166.                       Clifton Chenier, Bogalusa Boogie, 1976

167.                       Little Richard, Here's Little Richard!, 1957

168.                       Nirvana, Nevermind, 1991

169.                       Various, Stormy Weather Soundtrack, 1943

170.                       Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997

171.                       U2, Achtung Baby, 1991

172.                       Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, 1961

173.                       Marty Robbins, Gunfighters Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959

174.                       Art Blakey, Moanin', 1958

175.                       M.I.A., Kala, 2007

176.                       Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, 1961

177.                       R.E.M., Automatic for the People, 1992

178.                       Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville, 1993

179.                       The Yardbirds, Roger the Engineer, 1966

180.                       Bill Evans and Jim Hall, Undercurrent, 1962

181.                       Dave Van Ronk, Inside Dave Van Ronk, 1964

182.                       Nitin Sawhney, Beyond Skin, 1999

183.                       Brad Mehldau, Largo, 2002

184.                       Bobby Bland, Two Steps From the Blues, 1961

185.                       Bloque, Bloque, 1998

186.                       Junior Wells, Hoodoo Man Blues, 1965

187.                       Mississippi John Hurt, Today!, 1966

188.                       Jan Garbarek, Dis, 1977

189.                       The Meters, Look-Ka Py Py, 1969

190.                       Horace Silver, Song for My Father, 1965

191.                       Toure Kunda, Paris-Zuiginchor Live, 1984

192.                       Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, 1959

193.                       Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Are a Drag, 1999

194.                       Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck, Djam Leelii, 1998

195.                       Dexter Gordon, Go!, 1962

196.                       Tito Puente, Dance Mania, 1958

197.                       Mongo Santamaria, Drums and Chants, 1957

198.                       Gong, Gazeuse!, 1978

199.                       James Carr, You've Got My Mind Messed Up, 1967

200.                       Wayne Shorter, JuJu, 1964

201.                       The Gil Evans Orchestra, Out of the Cool, 1961

202.                       Almanac Singers, Sod Buster Ballads, 1941

203.                       Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957

204.                       Dave Holland, Conference of the Birds, 1973

205.                       Orchestra Baobab, Pirates Choice, 1989

206.                       Almanac Singers, Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads, 1941

207.                       Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973

208.                       Brian Wilson, Smile, 2004

209.                       Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 [Encore], 1999

210.                       Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [OBC], 1979

211.                       Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark, 1974

212.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?, 1967

213.                       Nick Drake, Pink Moon, 1972

214.                       The Replacements, Let It Be, 1984

215.                       Cream, Fresh Cream, 1966

216.                       Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis, 1969

217.                       Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours, 1955

218.                       Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You, 1967

219.                       Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988

220.                       Bebel Gilberto, Tanto Tempo, 2000

221.                       James Taylor, Sweet Baby James, 1970

222.                       Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 1977

223.                       Jorge Ben, Africa Brasil , 1976

224.                       Creedance Clearwater Revival, Cosmo's Factory, 1970

225.                       Otis Redding, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, 1965

226.                       Glenn Morgan, A Following Wind, 1993

227.                       Michel Legrand, Legrand Jazz, 1958

228.                       Massive Attack, Mezzanine, 1998

229.                       David Byrne and Brian Eno, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, 1981

230.                       Ivo Papasov, Balkanology, 1991

231.                       Manu Chao, Clandestino, 1998

232.                       Gil Scott-Heron, Pieces of a Man, 1971

233.                       Oscar Peterson Trio, Night Train, 1962

234.                       Solomon Burke, Don't Give Up on Me, 2002

235.                       Odetta, Sings Ballads and Blues, 1956

236.                       Huun Huur Tu, The Orphan's Lament, 1994

237.                       The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet, 1968

238.                       Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, 1975

239.                       Aretha Franklin, Lady Soul, 1968

240.                       Neil Young, Harvest, 1972

241.                       Pink Floyd, The Wall, 1979

242.                       John Lennon, Imagine, 1971

243.                       Radiohead, Kid A, 2000

244.                       Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, 1975

245.                       John Coltrane, Blue Train, 1957

246.                       Cheap Trick, In Color, 1977

247.                       The Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique, 1989

248.                       Crosby, Stills and Nash, Crosby, Stills and Nash, 1969

249.                       Chet Atkins and Les Paul, Chester and Lester, 1976

250.                       Steelism, ism, 2017

251.                       Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch, 1964

252.                       Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, 1988

253.                       Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage, 1965

254.                       Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970

255.                       Andrew Hill, Point of Departure, 1964

256.                       Lo Borges, Lo Borges, 1973

257.                       The Smiths, The Queen is Dead, 1986

258.                       Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story, 1971

259.                       Eubie Blake, The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake, 1973

260.                       Ile Aiye, Canto Negro, 1984

261.                       Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger, 1975

262.                       John Fahey, The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, 1965

263.                       Waylon Jennings, Honky Tonk Heroes, 1973

264.                       Alison Krauss and Union Station, Live, 2002

265.                       King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King, 1969

266.                       McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, 1967

267.                       Louis Prima, The Wildest!, 1956

268.                       Roxy Music, Country Life, 1974

269.                       Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, 1956

270.                       Marta Sebestyen and Muzsikas, Dudoltam En, 1993

271.                       Buddy Guy, Damn Right I Got the Blues, 1991

272.                       Camaron de la Isla, La Leyenda del Tiempo, 1979

273.                       Meredith Monk, Dolmen Music, 1981

274.                       Karen Dalton, It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best, 1969

275.                       Andrew Lloyd Weber, Cats [OBC], 1982

276.                       Wes Montgomery, Smokin at the Half Note, 1965

277.                       Pixies, Doolittle, 1989

278.                       Jimmy Smith, Back at the Chicken Shack, 1963

279.                       Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry, 1996

280.                       Sinead O'Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, 1990

281.                       Sukay, Cumbre, 1990

282.                       AC/DC, Highway to Hell, 1979

283.                       EPMD, Strictly Business, 1988

284.                       Jan Hammer, Beyond the Mind's Eye, 1992

285.                       Deuter, Buddha Nature, 2001

286.                       Pink Floyd, Animals, 1977

287.                       Lee Morgan, The Sidewinder, 1964

288.                       Max Roach, We Insist!: Freedom Now Suite, 1960

289.                       Jonathan Larson, Rent [OBC], 1996

290.                       Leo Kottke, Six- and Twelve-String Guitar, 1969

291.                       The Streets, Original Pirate Material, 2002

292.                       Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings, 1950

293.                       Digital Underground, Sex Packets, 1990

294.                       Los Amigos Invisibles, Arepa 3000, 2000

295.                       Dave Matthews Band, The Gorge, 2004

296.                       Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, 1966

297.                       Elliott Smith, XO, 1998

298.                       Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club, 1997

299.                       The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed, 1969

300.                       Billy Joel, The Stranger, 1977

301.                       Sufjan Stevens, Come On, Feel the Illinoise!, 2005

302.                       Creedance Clearwater Revival, Green River, 1969

303.                       Janet Jackson, The Velvet Rope, 1997

304.                       Massive Attack, Blue Lines, 1991

305.                       Joi, We Are Three, 2000

306.                       Santana, Abraxas, 1970

307.                       Muddy Waters, At Newport 1960, 1960

308.                       Jane's Addiction, Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990

309.                       James Booker, New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live, 1977

310.                       John Martyn, Solid Air, 1973

311.                       Dino Saluzzi, Cite de la Musique, 1997

312.                       Shuggie Otis, Inspiration Information, 1974

313.                       War, Why Can't We Be Friends?, 1975

314.                       Darren Korb, Bastion Original Soundtrack, 2011

315.                       Gladys Knight and the Pips, Imagination, 1973

316.                       Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues, 1968

317.                       Tony Scott, Music for Zen Meditation, 1964

318.                       David Lindley, Henry Kaiser, and Musicians from Madagascar, A World Out of Time, 1992

319.                       Waldemar Bastos, Pretaluz, 1997

320.                       The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, 1964

321.                       Jerry Lee Lewis, Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, 1964

322.                       Manu Chao, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza, 2001

323.                       Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges, Clube Da Esquina, 1972

324.                       Sublime, Sublime, 1996

325.                       Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour, 2018

326.                       Black Star, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, 1998

327.                       Frank Lazarus and Dick Vosburgh, A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine [OBC], 1980

328.                       Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die, 1994

329.                       Augustus Pablo, King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, 1977

330.                       Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, 1962

331.                       The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!, 1964

332.                       The Stooges, Raw Power, 1973

333.                       Fela Kuti, Confusion/Gentleman, 1973

334.                       Prince, Sign o the Times, 1987

335.                       The Band, The Band, 1969

336.                       Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life, 1976

337.                       The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man, 1965

338.                       Television, Marquee Moon, 1977

339.                       Metallica, Master of Puppets, 1986

340.                       Tim Buckley, Dream Letter: Live in London, 1968

341.                       Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Paris-Soweto, 1987

342.                       Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame, 1971

343.                       Charlie Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, 1963

344.                       Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967

345.                       The Who, Tommy, 1969

346.                       Arcade Fire, The Suburbs, 2010

347.                       Alison Krauss, I've Got That Old Feeling, 1990

348.                       Beth Orton, Central Reservation, 1999

349.                       Kate Bush, Hounds of Love, 1985

350.                       Ghazal, Lost Songs of the Silk Road, 1997

351.                       Ralph Towner, Solstice, 1975

352.                       Bobby Hutcherson, Components, 1966

353.                       Juan Luis Guerra y 440, Fogarate!, 1994

354.                       Hole, Live Through This, 1994

355.                       Joe Harriott Double Quintet, Indo Jazz Suite, 1966

356.                       Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters, 1973

357.                       Ahmad Jamal, At the Pershing: But Not For Me, 1958

358.                       Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society, 2012

359.                       Peggy Lee, Black Coffee, 1956

360.                       Baby Huey, The Baby Huey Story - The Living Legend, 1971

361.                       M83, Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts, 2003

362.                       Earth, Wind and Fire, That's the Way of the World, 1975

363.                       Brian Eno, Ambient One/Music for Airports, 1978

364.                       Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin', 1958

365.                       Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Breakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture, 1961

366.                       Chico Science and Nacao Zumbi, Da Lama Ao Caos, 1994

367.                       Rush, Grace Under Pressure, 1984

368.                       Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston, 1972

369.                       Duke Ellington, Jazz Party, 1959

370.                       Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raga Darbari Kanada, 1993

371.                       Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster and Panaiotis, Deep Listening, 1989

372.                       Fishbone, Truth and Soul, 1988

373.                       The Band, The Last Waltz, 1978

374.                       Ali Akbar Khan, Traditional Music of India, 1995

375.                       Skip Spence, Oar, 1969

376.                       Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story [OBC], 1957

377.                       Michael Kamen, Brazil, 1985

378.                       Youssou N'Dour, Immigres, 1984

379.                       Janelle Monae, The Electric Lady, 2013

380.                       Jurassic Five, Quality Control, 2000

381.                       The Police, Ghost in the Machine, 1981

382.                       The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

383.                       Portishead, Dummy, 1994

384.                       Adele, . 21, 2011

385.                       Makaya McCraven, Universal Beings, 2018

386.                       Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman, 1988

387.                       R.E.M., Out of Time, 1991

388.                       R.L. Burnside, Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down, 2000

389.                       Beck, Mutations, 1998

390.                       Willis Alan Ramsey, Willis Alan Ramsey, 1972

391.                       Dimi Mint Abba and Khalifa Ould Eide, Moorish Music from Mauritania, 1990

392.                       Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime, 1984

393.                       Charlie Haden, Nocturne, 2001

394.                       Benny Goodman, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, 1938

395.                       Jill Scott, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, 2000

396.                       Ali Farka Toure, The River, 1990

397.                       Elis Regina, Como e Porque, 1969

398.                       Khaled, N'ssi N'ssi, 1993

399.                       Sly and the Family Stone, There's a Riot Going On, 1971

400.                       Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic, 1974

401.                       Tom T Hall, In Search of a Song, 1971

402.                       Mahmoud Ahmed, Ere Mela Mela, 1975

403.                       John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville [OBC], 1975

404.                       The Ramones, Ramones, 1976

405.                       Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out, 1959

406.                       Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express, 1977

407.                       The Ramones, Rocket to Russia, 1977

408.                       Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills, 1968

409.                       The Grateful Dead, Live/Dead, 1969

410.                       Parliament, Mothership Connection, 1975

411.                       Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, 1973

412.                       Joe Henderson, Power to the People, 1969

413.                       Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, Byker Hill, 1967

414.                       Dizzy Gillespie, Afro, 1954

415.                       Max Roach Trio, Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, 1965

416.                       Barry White, Can't Get Enough, 1974

417.                       Erykah Badu, Mama's Gun, 2000

418.                       Jerry Bock and Sheldon Hardnick, Fiddler on the Roof [OBC], 1964

419.                       Deep Purple, Machine Head, 1972

420.                       Michael Jackson, Off the Wall, 1979

421.                       B.B. King, Live at the Regal, 1965

422.                       The Grateful Dead, American Beauty, 1970

423.                       The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, 1971

424.                       U2, War, 1983

425.                       Eric B. and Rakim, Paid in Full, 1987

426.                       Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto ft. Antonio Carlos Jobim , Getz/Gilberto, 1964

427.                       Mary J. Blige, My Life, 1994

428.                       Bjork, Homogenic, 1997

429.                       The Doors, Strange Days, 1967

430.                       Nick Drake, Bryter Later, 1970

431.                       Supertramp, Breakfast in America, 1979

432.                       Lightnin' Hopkins, Lightnin' Hopkins, 1959

433.                       Jimmie Spheeris, Isle of View, 1971

434.                       Junior Kimbrough, All Night Long, 1992

435.                       Djavan, Luz, 1982

436.                       Randy Weston, The Spirits of Our Ancestors, 1991

437.                       Jason Moran, The Bandwagon, 2003

438.                       Townes Van Zandt, Live at the Old Quarter, Houston Texas, 1977

439.                       Sandy Denny, Sandy, 1972

440.                       Salif Kieta, Moffou, 2002

441.                       Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, The Hottest New Group in Jazz, 1960

442.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love, 1967

443.                       Laura Nyro, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, 1968

444.                       Joan Baez, Joan Baez, 1960

445.                       Mother Love Bone, Apple, 1990

446.                       Boukman Eksperyans, Kalfou Danjere, 1992

447.                       Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Blow in the Wind, 2001

448.                       Dave Douglas, Charms of the Night Sky, 1998

449.                       Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, 1968

450.                       Frank Zappa, The Best Band You've Never Heard in Your Life, 1991

451.                       Nat King Cole, After Midnight, 1957

452.                       Ray Charles, The Genius of Ray Charles, 1959

453.                       Oscar Brown Jr., Sin and Soul, 1960

454.                       Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley, 1956

455.                       Bob Marley and the Wailers, Natty Dread, 1974

456.                       Michael Jackson, Thriller, 1982

457.                       Simon and Garfunkel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, 1966

458.                       Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, 1970

459.                       The Who, Live at Leeds, 1970

460.                       Aerosmith, Rocks, 1976

461.                       Santana, Santana, 1969

462.                       The Beatles, Let It Be, 1970

463.                       The Who, The Who Sell Out, 1967

464.                       Blondie, Parallel Lines, 1978

465.                       Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Composer of Desafinado Plays, 1963

466.                       Blind Faith, Blind Faith, 1969

467.                       Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die, 1970

468.                       Joe Jackson, Night and Day, 1982

469.                       Cal Tjader, Primo, 1973

470.                       Johnny Mathis, Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959

471.                       R.E.M., Murmur, 1983

472.                       Chick Corea, Light as a Feather, 1973

473.                       Yes, The Yes Album , 1971

474.                       Band of Gypsys, Band of Gypsys, 1970

475.                       Cassandra Wilson, Blue Light 'til Dawn, 1993

476.                       Sleater-Kinney, Call the Doctor, 1996

477.                       Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, 1964

478.                       Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, 1960

479.                       The Mothers of Invention, We're Only In It For the Money, 1968

480.                       Burl Ives, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger, 1941

481.                       Duke Ellington, Far East Suite, 1966

482.                       Randy Newman, 12 Songs, 1970

483.                       Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne, 1993

484.                       John Mayall with Eric Clapton, Bluesbreakers, 1966

485.                       Al Green, Call Me, 1973

486.                       The Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert, 1962

487.                       Thomas Dolby, Gate to the Mind's Eye, 1994

488.                       Bill Evans Trio, Waltz for Debby, 1961

489.                       The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, 1966

490.                       Casey Hurt, The Unfortunates, 2013

491.                       Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell, Old and New Dreams [1979], 1979

492.                       Flatt and Scruggs, Foggy Mountain Jamboree, 1957

493.                       Lalo Schifrin, Bullitt, 1969

494.                       The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy, 1985

495.                       Neu!, Neu! 75, 1975

496.                       Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998

497.                       Larry Young, Unity, 1966

498.                       James Reynolds, The Mind's Eye, 1990

499.                       A Cid Symphony, A Cid Symphony, 1967

500.                       Alex North, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

 

The second list, then, regards films. This list is a negative list: as of this week, there are 500 acclaimed films that didn't make the cut for my top 101. Here are those 500 films. (If some seem less acclaimed, they were likely old entrants on my personal list, that later got bumped.)

Pinocchio

The Fly

Finding Nemo

E.T.: The Extraterrestrial

Drunken Master II

Bonnie and Clyde

It's a Wonderful Life

Bringing Up Baby

The Philadelphia Story

Kind Hearts and Coronets

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

A Streetcar Named Desire

Some Like It Hot

Singing in the Rain

Meet Me in St. Louis

Schindler's List

Battleship Potemkin

City Lights

In a Lonely Place

Aguirre: The Wrath of God

The Lady Eve

Out of the Past

Metropolis

Charade

The Awful Truth

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

The Bride of Frankenstein

Belle et Beste

Tokyo Story

Swing Time

Unforgiven

Pyaasa

Awaara

Annie Hall

Fantastic Planet

The Searchers

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Closely Watched Trains

Berlin: Symphony of a City

Nayagan

Kandahar

It's a Gift

Bande a Part

Yellow Submarine

Das Boot

The Crowd

Detour

Baby Face

The Shop Around the Corner

Juliet of the Spirits

Double Indemnity

The Seventh Seal

Rules of the Game

Miller's Crossing

All Quiet on the Western Front

Paths of Glory

Raging Bull

Leolo

On the Waterfront

M. Hulot's Holiday

Leon: The Professional

Gone With the Wind

47 Ronin

The Three Caballeros

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Roman Holiday

The Pink Panther

Rear Window

Around the World in 80 Days

All About Eve

North by Northwest

Sleeping Beauty

Inherit the Wind

Spartacus

West Side Story

Cabaret

Goldfinger

My Fair Lady

Harvey

The Great Race

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Producers

Young Frankenstein

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The Man in the Glass Booth

Logan's Run

Life of Brian

The Muppet Movie

Airplane!

Gallipoli

The Big Chill

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension

Clue

The NeverEnding Story

This is Spinal Tap

Full Metal Jacket

Stand By Me

Rain Man

The Abyss

Dead Poets Society

Twelve Monkeys

Reservoir Dogs

The Usual Suspects

Cannibal: The Musical!

Magnolia

Dogma

Office Space

Zoolander

Princess Mononoke

Spirited Away

Love Actually

Labyrinth

Time Bandits

Videodrome

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

42^nd Street

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Silence of the Lambs

Braveheart

American Beauty

Titanic

The Matrix

Moulin Rouge

Howl's Moving Castle

American Psycho

Toy Story

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Enter the Dragon

L'Aventurra

Fight Club

Scarface

Adventures of Robin Hood

The Day the Earth Stood Still

M*A*S*H

The Sting

Die Hard

The Lost Weekend

Judgment at Nuremberg

Terminator

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Back to the Future

Fargo

Manhattan

Sabrina

Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Intolerance

Raise the Red Lantern

Stagecoach

Night of the Hunter

39 Steps

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Belle de Jour

Sunset Blvd

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

High Noon

Gunga Din

The Graduate

Harold and Maude

When Harry Met Sally...

The Ox-Bow Incident

Rashomon

Wild Strawberries

Patton

Platoon

La Strada

Strangers on a Train

Road Warrior

Breathless

Open City

It Happened One Night

Nosferatu

Gospel According to St. Matthew

The Earrings of Madame de...

Palm Beach Story

The Bicycle Thief

The Thief of Bagdad (24)

The Thief of Bagdad (40)

Steam Boy

Stalag 17

A Clockwork Orange

The Lady Vanishes

Nights of Cabiria

The Circus

Ran

The Killing

Seduced and Abandoned

Gigi

Blue Velvet

Alien

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

In the Mood for Love

Rocky

Blow-up

Last Tango in Paris

David Copperfield

Zelig

A Taste of Cherry

Best Days of Our Lives

Anatomy of a Murder

The Big Sleep

To Have and Have Not

Harakiri

Sullivan's Travels

Marty

Nashville

Come and See

High and Low

Ashes and Diamonds

Forbidden Games

Black Orpheus

Secret of Kells

The General

Do the Right Thing

The King's Speech

L'Atalante

Andrei Rublev

Tora Tora Tora

Curse of the Cat People

The Lost World (1925)

Nanook of the North

Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

1911

Lost in Translation

Birth of a Nation

There Will Be Blood

Brief Encounter

Touch of Evil

Tokyo Drifter

Gimme Shelter

Tokyo Olympiad

General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait

Z

The Times of Harvey Milk

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

The Leopard 

Simon of the Desert

The Phantom Carriage

Marathon Man

Make Way for Tomorrow

Amarcord

For All Mankind

Kramer v. Kramer

Rio Bravo

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Apartment

Le Million

McCabe and Mrs. Miller

Badlands

Brief Encounter

My Man Godfrey

The Crime of Monsieur Lange

Winter’s Bone

The Artist

L'Age d'Or

The Blue Angel

Pierrot le Fou

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Peeping Tom

Withnail and I

Schizopolis

Alphaville

The Orphic Trilogy

Ball of Fire

Grapes of Wrath

Once Upon a Time in America

Frost/Nixon

From Here to Eternity

The Great Dictator

Pan’s Labyrinth

Melancholia

Being There

Ivan the Terrible

Fanny and Alexander

The War is Over

The Human Beast

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Wall Street

The Lion in Winter

Becket

House

3 Idiots

Memento

Hamlet (1996)

Good Night, and Good Luck

Rififi

Vampyr

Hell in the Pacific

The Right Stuff

The Fifth Element

The Ghost and the Darkness

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Soylent Green

Ghostbusters

Frozen

Lincoln

When Worlds Collide

The Time Machine (1960)

THX 1138

Planet of the Apes

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Asphalt Jungle

Medium Cool

Throne of Blood

Days of Heaven

Tree of Life

The Wind Will Carry Us

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle

Moonrise Kingdom

The Blob

Winchester ‘73

Yi Yi

Gojira

Le Jour se Leve

Au Hasard Balthazar

Peking Opera Blues

Sansho the Bailiff

Japon

Mullholand Dr

Bashu the Little Stranger

Wages of Fear

Rebecca

Diabolique

City of Lost Children

Devdas (02)

Lagaan

The Greatest Show on Earth

Cimarron

The Flowers of St. Francis

A Matter of Life and Death/ Stairway to Heaven

A Separation

Going My Way

Mrs. Miniver

Argo

The Broadway Melody

You Can’t Take It With You

A Beautiful Mind

The Departed

Midnight Cowboy

12 Years a Slave

Gentleman’s Agreement

Tom Jones

Million Dollar Baby

Mutiny on the Bounty

The Deer Hunter

In the Heat of the Night

Adaptation

Ordinary People

Terms of Endearment

Hamlet (1948)

Out of Africa

Gandhi

Dances With Wolves

No Country for Old Men

All the King’s Men

Viridiana

Letter from an Unknown Woman

Bombay

Jodhaa Akbar

The Steel Helmet

I am Cuba

Pigs and Battleships

Letter Never Sent

The Saragossa Manuscript

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte

The Fire Within

Pink Flamingos

Hamlet (1964)

Union Pacific

Mamma Roma

Flesh for Frankenstein

Blood for Dracula

Mother and Son

Russian Ark

Robocop

Spotlight

Sixty Six

Grave of Fireflies

Ghost in the Shell

The Freshman

The Social Network

Black Swan

Touki Bouki

Cairo Station

Cabin in the Woods

Putney Swope

The Fall

The Act of Killing

L.A. Confidential

All That Jazz

Children of Men

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Darjeeling Limited

The Last Waltz

Silence

Killer of Sheep

Hero

Trances

Timbuktu

Tsotsi

Daresalam

Citizenfour

Man on Wire

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Nanami: Inferno of First Love

Trouble in Paradise

The Seventh Continent

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Moonlight

Close-Up

A Brighter Summer Day

Spring in a Small Town

Inside Llewyn Davis

In Vanda’s Room

Lola (1961)

The Mikado (1939)

Amour

Innocence Unprotected

The Bank Dick

Seconds

(The Complete) Monterey Pop

Diner

Faces

Chimes at Midnight

Repo Man

The Gleaners and I

The Shining

Eyes Wide Shut

Dark City

Stalker

Night of the Living Dead

Get Out

On Golden Pond

Cool Hand Luke

I'm Not There

Old Boy

White Material

Wendy and Lucy

The Phantom Thread

The Shape of Water

Shadow of a Doubt

Late Spring

Witness for the Prosecution

Floating Weeds

Snowpiercer

Top Hat

The Handmaiden

Easy Rider

The Revenant

Where Are My Children (1916)

Road to Perdition

Nightcrawler

Black Panther

Los Olvidados

Carol

Macario

The Breadwinner

Paris Texas

Imitation Game

Triumph of the Will (obviously)

Samurai Rebellion

Whale Rider

The Thin Red Line

Carmen Jones

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Barton Fink

The Jazz Singer (1927)

The Conversation

The Florida Project

Wild at Heart

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Elephant

Othello (1951)

Scarecrow (1973)

Napoleon (1927)

The Navigator (1924)

Underworld (1927)

The Docks of New York

The Post

All the President’s Men

The Triplets of Belleville

Django Unchained

Lady Bird

Mank

City Hall (2020)

Soul

Minority Report

Nomadland

Daisies

The Dacians

Michael Clayton

Heaven Can Wait

Magnificent Obsession

Hearts and Minds

Interstellar

Dune

Parasite

The Entertainer

Cleo from 5 to 7

To Kill a Mockingbird

Economic Magic Wand

If I could wave a magic wand and fix our economy, I would. But 1) that’s super vague and open to cursed monkey paw interpretation, and 2) there’s not one single issue that needs fixing – there’s a whole bunch of interlocking problems to deal with. Without giving specifics a wish “fixing the economy” could turn out really, really bad:

 

Here, then, are twenty problems facing the U.S. economy, not ranked by importance, that I would try and fix:

 

1.      Private Equity Reform. Private equity is truly bananas. A company finds another company that is struggling, buys it, and fixes it. Sounds great, except that the companies often aren’t actually struggling. Craziest of all, the private equity company often take out loans to buy the struggling company – and then the struggling company has to pay the loan back! It’s corporate sharecropping and should be totally overhauled (so that the private equity firm is responsible for the loan) or maybe just abolished. These private equity firms are often replacing pensions nowadays, and delivering worse returns to retirees than just regular stock market investment, or traditional pensions. The whole system is terrible.

2.      Glass-Steagall. This law said commercial banks and investment banks cannot mix. The bank where you deposit your paycheck isn’t allowed to then gamble it recklessly in risky stocks – at least not without your knowledge and permission. Repealed in the 1990s, this is a common-sense safeguard. It was not, in hindsight, a major factor, but it did exacerbate the 2008 financial crisis.

3.      Drastically Reduce Copyright and Patent Lengths. For copyright, life of the creator is fine – so long as they are alive, the copyright exists. After they are dead (or shortly thereafter) it should enter the public domain. The artist's family can make money anew. For company-owned media, let’s say 50 years, tops. And patents need more nuance, since different field have different requirements. A biotech firm may spend decades developing a new drug – that would require a longer patent protection to reap investment. But I think Coca-Cola doesn’t need their formula protected anymore.

4.      Redefine ‘Fiduciary Responsibility’. Corporate boardrooms, since around the 1980s, have demanded quarterly profits – constant growth, no matter what. This need to turn a profit is enshrined in the concept of ‘fiduciary responsibility’. It is unsustainable, and leads to putting profits above people, the environment, and everything else. Redefining fiduciary responsibility to be synonymous with ‘sustainable growth’ would curb many of the worst aspects of our American-brand capitalism.

5.      Carbon Tax and Real Pricing. Speaking of sustainability, we need as a nation to start altering our lifestyles. A carbon tax on corporations would help – a majority of the world’s emissions come from a handful of companies. An individual tax, with offset options, is also a good idea, based on individual income levels. There are lots of common-sense options here, including real pricing – making products reflect their environmental costs.

6.      Close ‘Philanthropy’ Tax Loopholes. Billionaires get good press for giving their money to charity – it’s an idea as old as Carnegie and Rockefeller. But it is, on reflection, fairly undemocratic – they tend to give to the things that make them happy, and not what communities or the country needs. Opera houses are nice, but climate change is more pressing. And when they do give this money away, it’s usually so they don’t have to pay taxes on it – robbing the American people once again. Worst, they often give it to themselves: they create some sort of charity, in their name, and so are still controlling the cash. On the other end of the spectrum…

7.      Minimum Wage Tied to Inflation. No one working full time should not be able to earn a living. But since Congress has to authorize minimum wage increases, and political fights ensue, that means it doesn’t get done. A big swath of this country is trying to scrape by on $7.25/hour in 2022. That’s absurd, and a major drain on the economy. 40% of the country can’t afford a surprise $300 expense – that’s not great for an economy based on goods and services. A bill that tied minimum wage to inflation would be far more reasonable – and wouldn’t require political fights and authorizations.

8.      Paid Sick Leave, Vacation, Parental Leave, and the Child Tax Credit. Again, on the topic of how keeping a perpetual underclass is a bad idea both morally and economically, we have the problem of people being overworked. We are the only developed nation without paid parental leave. We know, better than ever, that when sick people feel compelled to work it’s bad news for everyone. We know that paid vacations make for happier, more stable employees, and we saw the Child Tax Credit lift ½ of American children out of poverty – if only briefly.

9.      Single-Payer Healthcare. Again, in the category of ‘sick, tired, uneducated laborers make for bad employees, consumers, and citizens’ we have a ridiculous healthcare system. No other developed country has the same terrible healthcare that we do – it gives corporations way, way, too much power as healthcare providers, and produces bad results. You shouldn’t have to beg for your life in the wealthiest nation on Earth. It’s bad morals, and it’s bad for the economy - money that could be better spent elsewhere. Replace it with cheaper single-payer.

10.  Education Investment. Teacher shortages, structurally unsound buildings, lack of supplies – the public school system is churning out citizens who aren’t ready for the world, barely educated, and only able to secure low-paying jobs. This is, once again, dangerous for a democracy which requires a well-informed citizenry (to quote Jefferson) in order to survive. Mobs are not well-informed, nor are conspiracy theorists, or people who think the 2020 election was ‘stolen’ – a strong predictor of which is education attainment. If we invest wisely in our schools, then we’ll have a better workforce and citizenry.

11.  Reform Student Loans. When you are 18 you can sign a loan for hundreds of thousands of dollars – but you can’t be trusted with the financial responsibility of renting a car or hotel room. Or celebrate your new loan with a drink! That’s ridiculous. In-state college tuition should be free or close to it for state-run schools. These loans have become a huge drain on the economy, and we shouldn’t perpetuate the cycle moving forward.

12.  Ad-Free News and the Fairness Doctrine. The nightly news is an hour of television designed to provide a public service. But since they still want to make money, news companies need to attract advertisers during this bloc of programming. If they eliminated that need, then corporations’ influence on the fourth estate would diminish. Even better, if we reintroduced the fairness doctrine, which disallowed partisan bias in reporting, then companies wouldn’t be able to target specific groups of consumers – and I expect our discourse would begin to heal.

13.  Enshrine Labor Rights. The labor unions of yesteryear were predominantly manufacturing based. Nowadays, in a more service-based economy, unions are catching up. But union-busting is still all too common, and should be unequivocally outlawed. If employees of any sector wish to form a union that should be a right that is legally and federally protected.

14.  Reform the Guest Worker Program. Described as “modern slavery” the seasonal worker program in the U.S. depends on non-citizens (almost exclusively from Latin America) coming to the States and working in the fields. They are vital to the economy, but treated terribly. No one wants these jobs in the U.S. – it’s back-breaking labor – and pilot programs of using Americans have failed spectacularly in the past (like getting college kids to work on their break – they ended up unionizing and striking). Changing guest worker wages and benefits, and implementing reforms on how they can cross the border will help.

15.  Abolish Private Prisons. Speaking of modern slavery… The idea that we have private prisons, that people make money and profit off of incarceration, is morally abhorrent. To incentivize locking people up is not a Good Thing. They should be eliminated. Which leads us to…

16.  Eliminate Cash Bail. The majority of people in jail haven't actually been found guilty of a crime – they are awaiting trial, but can’t afford the bail. A system of justice where wealth equals freedom is not a just system. We wouldn’t need all the private prisons if we didn’t lock people up because they were poor. Debtor’s prisons were a bad idea the first time, and they haven’t gotten better with age.

17.  Campaign Finance Reform. Moving into the more explicitly political, we waste billions each election cycle on seeing who can raise money better – as if that’s a good measure of competence for our Presidents, mayors, and sheriffs. By mandating that candidates must use a public pool of equally-distributed funds (over a certain popularity threshold, to weed out real cranks), we would save tons of money, and improve the nature of debate and our politics. It also would lessen corporate power – since they couldn’t give to campaigns. Which brings us to…

18.  Eliminate Lobbying. Minimum sentence of 35 years without parole. Make it unthinkable that companies would try to bribe and influence our politicians. I may be open to non-profits being given a pass, but otherwise no way. If they’re not beholden to companies, than they can act in the interests of the American people. Another means to do that is…

19.  Reform Corporate Welfare and Subsidies. American taxpayers pay companies not only through buying their goods and services, but also though Congressional subsidies to certain industries. Some I understand, are worth propping up because they put people over profits (small family farms, for example). Others are not (enormous factory farms, for example). A UN report in 2021 found that nearly 90% of all farm subsidies were harming the planet - and our pocketbook. Time to break the cycle, and once again reduce corporate power over Congress.

20.  No Congressional Trading. Finally, in the political-economic reform category, members of Congress cannot have personal investments and play the stock market, when those are areas they need to be impartially regulating and investigating. If I’m on the committee of Health and Human Services, then I can’t have millions invested in biotech. This last suggestion would not drastically change our economy, but it could significantly change our politics.

 There you have it. With luck I'll see some of these reforms in my lifetime.

150 People

A while back, I came up with a list of the top 100 people in history - those who were most important. But of course that means certain omissions, some of which bothered me, and so I expanded the list to 150, which is a very solid number, and has no major omissions that I could think of. Here, alphabetically, is that list: 

Alexander. Macedonian. Spread Hellenic culture to India.

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins. American. First people to travel to the moon.

Ali ibn Abi Talib. Arabian. Founder of Shia Islam.

Roald Amundsen. Norwegian. First explorer to reach South Pole.

Mary Anning. British. Pioneering paleontologist.

Archimedes. Greek. Developed quantification and inventions.

Aristotle. Greek. Developed logic and systematic ethics.

Louis Armstrong. American. Introduced improvisation to Western music, jazz pioneer.

Atahualpa. Inca. Incan Emperor during colonization.

Augustus. Roman. First Emperor of Rome, oversaw ‘Pax Romana’.

Leo Baekeland. Belgian. Plastics pioneer.

Matsuo Basho. Japanese. Haiku poetry and travelogue pioneer.

Cesare Beccaria. Italian. Pioneering criminologist and punishment reformer.

Kamal ud-Din Behzad. Persian. Miniature painting master.

Alexander Graham Bell. American. Invented the telephone.

Tim Berners-Lee. British. Invented the World Wide Web.

Daniel Bernoulli. Swiss. Developed probability and statistics.

Chuck Berry. American. Developed rock and roll.

Jeff Bezos. American. Internet commerce leader, founder of Amazon.

Nellie Bly. American. Developed investigative journalism.

Franz Boas. American. Developed anthropology.

Simon Bolivar. Venezuelan. Liberator of most of South America.

Brahmagupta. Indian. Developed zero and negative numbers.

Cai Lun. Chinese. Invented paper.

Willis Carrier. American. Invented air-conditioning.

Rachel Carson. American. Launched environmental movement and ecosystem awareness.

Catherine II. Russian. Expanded Russian empire to greatest extent.

Chakalte. Maya. Prototypical Mayan artist.

Cristopher Columbus. Italian. Launched colonization of the Americas.

Confucius. Chinese. Developed Confucian philosophy.

James Cook. British. Explored the Pacific and Australia.

Thomas Cook. British. Launched the modern tourist industry.

Hernan Cortes. Spanish. Conquered the Aztecs.

Jacques Cousteau. French. Developed scuba, pioneer of underwater research.

Francis Crick and James Watson. British and American. Developed DNA theory.

Marie Curie. Polish. Radiation pioneer.

Louis Daguerre. French. Photography pioneer.

Charles Darwin. British. Developed evolution.

David. Israeli. Made Jerusalem holiest site in Judaism.

Leonardo Da Vinci. Italian. Renaissance master painter and scientist.

Simone De Beauvoir. French. Launched second-wave feminism.

Rene Descartes. French. Developed coordinate geography, scientific method, and modern philosophy.

Thomas Edison. American. Invented audio recording, motion pictures, and commercial lightbulb.

Albert Einstein. German. Developed relativity physics.

Enheduanna. Akkadian. World’s first author and poet.

Euclid. Greek. Geometry pioneer.

Frantz Fanon. Algerian. Developed post-colonial theory.

Michael Faraday. British. Developed the motor, electromagnetism pioneer.

Philo Farnsworth. American. Developed television.

Alexander Fleming. British. Invented antibiotics.

Henry Ford. American. Developed modern assembly line for mass market cars.

Sigmund Freud. Austrian. Pioneer psychologist.

Fu Hao. Chinese. Pioneering female general and warrior.

Galileo Galilei. Italian. Developed modern physics and astronomy.

Mohandas Gandhi. Indian. Nonviolence pioneer and father of modern India.

Yuri Gagarin. Russian. First human in space.

Genghis Khan. Mongolian. Created largest land-based empire.

Amadeo Giannini. American. Developed modern banking.

Mikhail Gorbachev. Russian. Ended the cold war and dismantled the Soviet Union.

Johann Gutenberg. German. Developed printing press with moveable type.

Guo Xi. Chinese. Pioneering landscape painter.

Fritz Haber. German. Developed artificial fertilizer and chemical weapons.

Hammurabi. Babylonian. Pioneer of written law.

Hatshepsut. Egyptian. First female pharaoh/head of state.

Johann Hecker. German. Developed modern primary schooling.

Werner Heisenberg. German. Developed quantum physics.

Adolph Hitler. German. Launched World War II and the Holocaust.

Hokusai. Japanese. Ukiyo-e master.

Homer. Greek. Purported author of the Iliad and Odyssey.

Edwin Hubble. American. Proved cosmos extends beyond Milky Way galaxy.

Huineng. Chinese. Brought Buddhism to China.

Ibn Battuta. Berber. Premodern global explorer.

Imhotep. Egyptian. Built the first pyramids.

Juana Ines de la Cruz. Mexican. Pioneering protofeminist.

Ishi. Yahi. Last ‘wild Indian’ of North America.

Jasaw Chan K’awiil I. Maya. Ruler of Tikal at its height.

Edward Jenner. British. Developed vaccines.

Jesus. Judean. Prophet, founder of Christianity.

James Joyce. Irish. Developed modern literature.

Frida Kahlo. Mexican. Iconic modern artist.

Kalidasa. Indian. Master Sanskrit author.

Al-Khwarizmi. Persian. Developed algebra.

John Maynard Keynes. British. Developed modern economics.

Lao Tzu. Chinese. Founded Daoism.

Louis and Mary Leakey. British. Traced human origins.

Abraham Lincoln. American. Leader during the American Civil War, abolished slavery in U.S.

Edward Lloyd. British. Insurance pioneer.

Louis XIV. French. Influential monarch, built Versailles.

Toussaint Louverture. Haitian. Led successful slavery revolution.

Martin Luther. German. Founder of Protestant Christianity.

Nelson Mandela. South African. Global civil rights revolutionary.

Mao Zedong. Chinese. Turned China communist, mass murder of the Great Leap Forward.

Karl Marx. German. Developed communism.

Catherine de Medici. Italian. Spread Renaissance outside Italy, developed ballet.

Gregor Mendel. German. Pioneer geneticist.

Michelangelo. Italian. Master Renaissance artist and architect.

Thomas Midgley Jr. American. Poisoned tens of millions with lead, destroyed ozone layer.

Claudio Monteverdi. Italian. Developed opera.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Austrian. Master western classical composer.

Muhammad. Arabian. Prophet, founder of Islam.

Murasaki Shikibu. Japanese. Developed the novel.

Mansa Musa. Malian. Mali Emperor, exposed West African wealth to Europe and Asia.

Guru Nanak. Indian. Founder of Sikhism.

Napoleon. French. Attempted to unify European empire.

Isaac Newton. British. Physics pioneer, developed calculus.

Florence Nightingale. British. Developed modern nursing and hospital practices.

Robert Noyce. American. Developed silicon chips for modern computing.

Louis Pasteur. French. Developed pasteurization.

Patanjali. Indian. Purported developer of Yoga.

Pablo Picasso. Spanish. Master modern artist.

Paul. Roman. Founder of Christianity.

Plato. Greek. Founder of western philosophy.

Qin Shi Huangdi. Chinese. Emperor, oversaw the Great Wall and Terracotta Army.

Ramses II. Egyptian. Extended Egyptian empire to height, made first peace treaty.

Maximilian Robespierre. French. Leader of the French Revolution.

John D. Rockefeller. American. Developed oil business.

Rumi. Persian. Master poet.

Andrei Sakharov. Russian. Developed nuclear weapons, campaigned against their use.

Margaret Sanger. American. Birth control advocate, helped developed birth control pill.

Sarngadeva. Indian. Developed Indian classical music.

William Shakespeare. British. Master playwright.

Shen Kuo. Chinese. Polymath, developed the compass.

Siddhartha. Indian. Founder of Buddhism.

Adam Smith. British. Developed capitalism.

Socrates. Greek. Founded the Socratic philosophical method.

Solon. Greek. Developed democracy.

Sophocles. Greek. Developed drama.

Joseph Stalin. Russian. Killed millions, started the Cold War.

Sun Tzu. Chinese. Developed military and political strategy.

Suryavarman II. Cambodian. Oversaw Angkor Wat.

Marie Tharp. American. Proved the theory of plate tectonics.

Thucydides. Greek. Developed historical writing.

Tokugawa Ieyasu. Japanese. Founder of the Shogunate Era.

Alan Turing. British. Developed the computer.

Pope Urban II. French. Started the Crusades.

Valmiki. Indian. Author of the Ramayana.

Mies Van der Rohe. German. Developed modern architecture.

Andreas Vesalius. Belgian. Pioneer of human anatomy.

Victoria. British. Oversaw British Empire during global expansion.

Vyasa. Indian. Purported author of the Mahabharata.

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Arabian. Founder of fundamentalist Wahhabi movement.

George Washington. American. Founder of the United States of America.

Frank Whittle. British. Developed the jet engine.

Orville and Wilbur Wright. Americans. Developed flight.

Mary Wollstonecraft. British. Developed modern feminism.

Wu Cheng’en. Chinese. Author of Journey to the West.

Yuwen Kai. Chinese. Engineered the Grand Canal.

Zhang Qian. Chinese. Developed the silk road.

Zheng He. Chinese. Explored the Indian Ocean and beyond.

Zoroaster. Persian. Developed monotheism, founder of Zoroastrianism.

Grading Joe Biden

Let’s stop and, roughly halfway through his term, and take a look at how Biden has handled the Presidency, breaking down his accomplishments and missteps, grading each.

 

Foreign Policy and Military

 

Climate Change: This is the really big win. Reducing American emissions by 40% by 2030 is a major victory, and the looming existential threat of climate disaster seems like less of an apocalyptic reality than it did just a year ago. It was a game changer – more electric cars, clean air provisions, and renewable energy priorities (the bill also reduces drug prices). Manchin and Sinema weakened it, of course, but overall this was a success – as was the U.S. rejoining the Paris Climate accords, after Trump had reneged on our commitment. 27/30: A-

Afghanistan: While Americans agree that the U.S. couldn’t remain in Afghanistan, they also agree that the withdrawal was a mess. Reminiscent of the Fall of Saigon, it was tragic to see the Taliban regain control so quickly – and women’s rights, especially, were devastating to watch as they eroded. Yes, the occupation had to end, but this was not what anyone wanted. 13/20: D

Ukraine: When Putin decided to invade their neighbor, the U.S. came to their aid, and has been a major supporter of president Zelensky, as well as a major arms dealer. Strong sanctions also helped. Thanks to American muscle, Ukraine did not fold. The response to the war also strengthened both NATO and the EU – a major achievement. How the war will end is yet to be seen, but at this stage, this is one of the best-hoped-for outcomes. 20/20: A

Al-Zawahiri: One of the leaders of Al-Qaeda, the assassination of Zawahiri did send a strong message to the world, and Afghanistan in particular, that America is still committed to minimizing the effects of terrorism, and seeking retribution for Osama bin Laden’s closest allies. 9/10: A-

China and Saudi Arabia: Biden had two tricky foreign policy PR moments to navigate. The first was when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rather recklessly visited Taiwan. It could have been worse, and some credit is due for avoiding a bigger scandal, but China withdrew from major points of cooperation, and relations soured to their worst levels in decades. In Saudi Arabia meanwhile, giving a fist bump to murderous dictator MBS was not a great look. 6/10: D-

Immigration: Biden stopped the border wall “state of emergency” and rolled back a lot of the most draconian policies of the Trump administration – but hasn’t replaced it with anything meaningful or made any improvements to handle a crisis that has existed since before the Trump era. It’s better than a few years ago, but still not great. 7/10: C-

 

Overall Foreign Policy and Military grade: 82/100: B-

 

Domestic Policy

 

Pandemic Response: This was a huge challenge, right out the gate. The vaccine rollout took up much of 2020 and 2021 – we can now safely say Covid is endemic. Most Americans got the jabs, and for free, and the government also gave free testing kits, and continues to do so. Schools reopened, and hospitals stopped looking like war zones. There’s still vaccine hesitancy, though, especially in the under-5 category. 26/30: B+

Infrastructure Bill: Long overdue, a massive investment in infrastructure was needed. A better electrical grid, clean water resources, rail investment, and even broadband internet access provisions. Our infrastructure needed help, and it (mostly) got it. 18/20: A-

Gun Legislation: After Uvalde Congress finally took action, ending decades of obstruction. More background checks, a partial close to the “boyfriend loophole”, better red flag laws, and mental health services for those affected by gun violence. That said, it didn’t tackle the critical, and much bigger issue of assault weapons. 15/20: C

Chips Act: A bipartisan bill that produces more semiconductor chips in the United States, to address the shortages and build up manufacturing, lessening reliance on China. 10/10: A

Supreme Court Appointments: Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first black female justice, and was exceptionally qualified for the job. She replaced Stephen Breyer – a reliably liberal seat. 10/10: A

Juneteenth National Independence Day and Anti-lynching Act: The first new public holiday since the 1980s. Nice. Meanwhile, incredibly, lynching was not classified as a federal crime until this Presidency 5/5: A

Abortion Rights: Admittedly, there is not a lot the Executive branch can do about abortion rights. In the wake of the Dobbs disaster, Biden’s response was slow and, to many, inadequate. As always, at the start of his Presidency the rights and funding were restored for NGOs abroad, after the Trump years. Some abortion safeguards were made for federal workers, but a far more aggressive push to protect bodily autonomy was – and still is – needed. 2/5: F

 

Overall Domestic Policy grade: 86/100: B/B+

 

Economy

 

American Recovery Act: Designed to specifically address issues of the pandemic’s economic toll, this blockbuster gave a lifeline to the Americans who needed it. The Child Care Tax Credit, alone, was a monumental policy decision, that brought ½ of American children out of poverty – at least through 2021. It was good, if something of a mixed bag. 22/25: B+

Inflation and Supply Chain: This was bad, and things became unmanageable for a few months there. Gas prices, food prices, the basics skyrocketed – but this wasn’t like the 70s, where it lasted for years. Yes, inflation spiked, and part of that was due to Biden’s policies, but a lot was also due to Ukraine and the supply chain. Things have cooled down significantly, and so hopefully the aberration is now over. 19/25: C+

Unemployment and Workplace Transitions: Unemployment levels are at the lowest they’ve been in decades. We recovered the jobs lost from the pandemic and then some. That has allowed workers to be choosy and demand better wages and more flexibility, hopefully with companies taking a more relaxed line with hybrid and at-home working models. We’ll see how it shakes out for now, but Biden’s economic recovery deserves the credit for lowest unemployment in half a century. 20/20: A

Student Loan Forgiveness: This was huge – for the first years of his Presidency Biden paused federal loans, and then forgave $10,000 including reimbursements if you paid them off during the pause. About 1 in 5 people with federal loans will have their debt entirely or nearly entirely wiped out. Debt has been a shackle for a generation and this will significantly help. For those with greater amounts, it still gets rid of years payments down the line, and the accumulated interest that would have cost. 17/20: B

Unionization: It’s really great to have a pro-labor President in the White House. After decades of union decline, the service sector (Starbucks) and retail (Amazon) are starting to unionize, secure in their knowledge that the Federal Government supports them. Biden also secured a $15 minimum wage for all federal employees. More to come on this front, hopefully. 8/10: B-

 

Overall Economy grade: 85/100: B

 

So, all told, as we add up Biden’s first two years (so far) we have an 82, 85, and 86 – an 84% overall, just about a B. Definite missteps and problems (Afghanistan, inadequate abortion response) but overall lots of successes (unemployment, climate change). At this moment in time, Biden’s legacy (if not his popularity) seems decidedly solid. If Trump had been reelected I seriously doubt he’d have earned even a 20/100 overall.