If you haven't heard by now that September 18th, marked the 40th anniversary since the passing of Jimi Hendrix, you are probably not looking at this post either - so it really doesn't matter.

But if you do and you are, I can't think of a better tribute to him than to play one of his concerts. His studio recordings have been the stuff of legend and scrutiny practically since the day they were released. But to see him live was another situation entirely. Luckily, there's enough footage of him around to get a feel for what the live gigs were like, even if it's not quite the experience of actually being there. Nevertheless, Jimi Hendrix was a truly gifted musician and an icon for a generation - there's really no doubt about that. And this concert gives you at least a partial glimpse why.

So I found one of his concerts, recorded on May 24th 1969 in San Diego. This was a few months before the original Experience started going their separate ways (Noel Redding being the first to leave, having formed Fat Mattress in 1968) and a few months before Hendrix put together The Band Of Gypsies.

I'm sure, like all his unofficial material, it's been circulated all over the place. The sound on this one is pretty good (as many aren't). So as long as you couldn't be there (or were born way after it happened), this is probably the next best thing for now.

Enjoy and remember Jimi kindly.

This day in 1982 was about shooting wars. British troops landed on The Falkland Islands and the shooting war started. Amid reports of casualties and both sides claiming the upper hand, the propaganda wheels were in motion. The diplomatic wheels however were not, and even though Pope John Paul II appealed to Britain to show restraint and seek a peaceful solution, Margaret Thatcher said "thanks, but no thanks". And the war was on.

Likewise in the Middle East, only this time it was Iran who boasted major gains in territory over the Iraqi's, but it didn't look as though this thing would be over anytime soon. Terrorist bombs went off in Beirut, this time at the French Embassy and with scores of casualties.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world. Successor to the ailing Leonid Brezhnev was looking more and more like Yuri Andropov, head of the Secret Police.

On Capitol Hill - Pres. Reagan's Fiscal spending plan for 1983 goes to battle at the House. Reagan also pushed for The Department of Energy to be merged with the Department of Commerce. The Supreme Court ruled people on Nixon's Enemies list did not need to be revealed. The Abortion question was also back on the docket, this time via State's rulings on abortions.

The DeLorean Auto plant in Ireland was ordered closed by the Irish government, citing no buyers in the foreseeable future.

All that, and a lot more on this May 24th in 1982 from the CBS World News Roundup and the 9:00 am (PDT) network news.

Washington and Scandal. The two just go hand in hand, and on May 23rd in 1976 yet another scandal broke. This time via the House Administration Committee, Wayne Hays and his Secretary Elizabeth Ray. It seems the story broke on this particular morning in the Washington Post with tales of favors and lip-locks and steamy innuendos all aimed at the Congressman from Ohio with promises of more to come and careers tearfully dismantled. Oh, the seats of power.

But in other news, the Presidential Primary season for 1976 was heating up with Ford and Reagan engaging in a horse race - the prize projected to be California some days away and the campaign in overdrive with barbs traded and Reagan's infamous quote with regards to President Ford as "the man with prematurely orange hair" sending waves of chuckles throughout the Press Corps. Politics. Meanwhile, relations between the U.S. and Sweden warmed considerably as Henry Kissinger went on a fence-mending trip to see Olaf Palme and clean up some wreckage Nixon left behind. They shook hands and threatened to hug. Fighting continued in Beirut with the PLO actively engaged and the French Peacekeeping overtures actively rejected. The fabled Supersonic Transport (SST) was scheduled to make it's first appearance on U.S. shores after months of wrangling - but flights were restricted to Washington D.C. only. And U.S. Steel threatened to pull up stakes and head to Texas from it's former base in Pittsburgh because . . .well, they were polluting too much and Pennsylvania was getting tired of it and U.S. Steel just hated the idea of regulations.

All in a day, this May 24th 1976 via The CBS World News Roundup.