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Thursday, September 08, 2005

Music of '71

Just back from vacation this week. That always means look for the easy blog post.
So per Mr. Bacardi a couple weeks ago (August 22), I went to Music Outfitters, entered the year I graduated from high school in the search function.

Subsequently, I found that practically EVERYONE I read was doing the SAME THING. But I decided to post it anyway because NONE OF THEM GRADUATED IN 1971.

I decided to * the ones I like, # the ones I hate and italicize my favorite. Do nothing to the ones I don't remember (or don't care about). Just to be contrary, and because the page is bolded already.

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Mac and Katie Kissoon? How DID I miss that song?

Top 100 Hits of 1971 / Top 100 Songs of 1971
1. Joy To The World, Three Dog Night (overplayed)
2*. Maggie May / (Find A) Reason To Believe, Rod Stewart
3*. It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move, Carole King
4. One Bad Apple, Osmonds
5*. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Bee Gees
6. Indian Reservation, Raiders
7#. Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads, John Denver
9*. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Temptations
10. Knock Three Times, Dawn
11*. Me And Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
12*. Tired Of Being Alone, Al Green
13*. Want Ads, Honey Cone
14*. Smiling Faces Sometimes, Undisputed Truth
15. Treat Her Like A Lady, Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
16*. You've Got A Friend, James Taylor
17*. Mr. Big Stuff, Jean Knight
18*. Brown Sugar, Rolling Stones
19*. Do You Know What I Mean, Lee Michaels
20. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Joan Baez
21*. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
22*. Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey, Paul McCartney
23*. Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers
24*. Signs, Five Man Electrical Band
25. She's A Lady, Tom Jones
26*. Superstar, Murray Head and The Trinidad Singers
27. I Found Someone Of My Own, Free Movement
28. Amos Moses, Jerry Reed
29*. Temptation Eyes, The Grass Roots
30. Superstar, Carpenters
31*. My Sweet Lord / Isn't It A Pity, George Harrison
32. Sweet And Innocent, Donny Osmond
33. Put Your Hand In The Hand, Ocean
34. Chick-a-boom, Daddy Dewdrop
35*. For All We Know, Carpenters
36. Help Me Make It Through The Night, Sammi Smith
37*. Rainy Days And Mondays, Carpenters
38*. If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot
39*. Gypsy, Tramps And Thieves, Cher
40*. Never Can Say Goodbye, Jackson 5
41. Rose Garden, Lynn Anderson
42. Don't Pull Your Love, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
43*. It Don't Come Easy, Ringo Starr
44. Mr. Bojangles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
45. I Love You For All Seasons, Fuzz
46*. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, Dramatics
47*. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be, Carly Simon
48*. If You Really Love Me, Stevie Wonder
49*. Spanish Harlem, Aretha Franklin
50. I Don't Know How To Love Him, Helen Reddy
51. Yo-yo, Osmonds
52*. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Aretha Franklin
53. Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted, Partridge Family
54*. Draggin' The Line, Tommy James
55*. Proud Mary, Ike and Tina Turner
56*. Beginnings / Colour My World, Chicago (more for Beginnings)
57. Stay Awhile, Bells
58*. Sweet City Woman, Stampeders
59. Me And You And A Dog Named Boo, Lobo
60. Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why, Paul McCartney
61. If, Bread
62*. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), Marvin Gaye
63*. One Toke Over The Line, Brewer and Shipley
64. She's Not Just Another Woman, 8th Day
65. Bring The Boys Home, Freda Payne
66*. I Just Want To Celebrate, Rare Earth
67. Never Ending Song Of Love, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends
68. Easy Loving, Freddy Hart
69*. Liar, Three Dog Night
70. Stick-up, Honey Cone
71. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, Mac and Katie Kissoon
72. Love Story (Where Do I Begin), Andy Williams
73*. Wild World, Cat Stevens
74. When You're Hot, You're Hot, Jerry Reed
75*. Funky Nassau, Beginning Of The End
76. If Not For You, Olivia Newton-John
77*. Groove Me, King Floyd
78#. Watching Scotty Grow, Bobby Goldsboro
79*. Woodstock, Matthews' Southern Comfort
80*. Amazing Grace, Judy Collins
81*. I Hear You Knocking, Dave Edmunds
82*. Lonely Days, Bee Gees
83*. Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, Fortunes
84*. Won't Get Fooled Again, Who
85. Trapped By A Thing Called Love, Denise Lasalle
86*. Mama's Pearl, Jackson 5
87. Timothy, Buoys
88. I Woke Up In Love This Morning, Partridge Family
89*. Theme From "Shaft", Isaac Hayes
90*. If I Were Your Woman, Gladys Knight and The Pips
91*. I Am...I Said, Neil Diamond
92*. Wedding Song (There Is Love), Paul Stookey
93. Don't Knock My Love, Pt. 1, Wilson Pickett
94*. Love Her Madly, The Doors
95*. Here Comes The Sun, Richie Havens
96. Sweet Mary, Wadsworth Mansion
97. Right On The Tip Of My Tongue, Brenda and The Tabulations
98*. One Less Bell To Answer, Fifth Dimension
99*. Riders On The Storm, The Doors
100. It's Impossible, Perry Como

Which either means that the music of 1971 was REALLY good, or I'm incredibly tolerant.

Mixed Bag CD Blog-Thom

I hadn't forgotten these; I've been away.

NAME: Thom Gladhill
BLOG NAME: In One Ear
NAME OF CD: Into the Wabac Machine: In One Ear Vol. 2
NUMBER OF CUTS: 20
RUNNING TIME: 75:42
COVER ART: Peabody & Sherman on the cover, also on the CD itself, with the latter in a Mohawk. One of my two favorite covers.
SONG LIST:
1. Intro
2. The Reflex-Alexia
3. True Faith-Ghoti Hook
4. A Letter to Elise-Aaron Sprinkle
5. 1999 (the Bomb Mix)-Regenerator
6. Blood and Roses-The 77s
7. I Love Rock-N-Roll-Joe Christmas
8. Train in Vain-Hokus Pick
9. Love Song-Deluxtone Rockets
10. Kids in America-Morella’s Forest
11. Every Breath You Take-Fanmail
12. Where Is My Mind?-House of Wires
13. Send Me an Angel-Denison Marrs
14. We Got the Beat-Huntingtons
15. One Tree Hill-Mortal
16. Just What I Needed-Insyderz
17. Fascination street-Stavesacre
18. Eyes Without A Face-Phantasmic
19. I Would Die 4 U-Cush
20. Rock the Casbah-One Bad Pig
21. Take on Me-MxPx
ALREADY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on August 24
GENERAL THOUGHTS: This is another covers CD, but the original songs are from the 1980s. Quite possibly the best realized discs from concept to execution in the bunch..
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: 2 & 10 are better than the original. I love the revisit of 19, which reminds me of Steve Earle. 5, 6, 9, 14, and the much faster 11 are comparable.
ON THE OTHER HAND: Cut 13 isn’t on my copy; maybe a copying error? 16 and 20 are too similar to the original for my taste. I like ‘em, but what’s the point of doing a cover if it’s going to be a slavish imitation? 8 would be in this category too, save for the female vocal.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: As far as I could tell.
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: While I recognize all but 3 or 4 songs, I am totally unfamiliar with all of the bands except for MxPx. I went to a No Doubt show in July 1997 with my friend’s 14-year old daughter and four of her friends. MxPx played with such ferocity that thought I’d be knocked down by the sound waves. The middle group was a ska group, the Selecter (I think), and the kids (not so much the ones with me, but almost all the kids), hated them, HATED them, turned their backs on them, literally. At the end of their section, one young man proclaimed, "That was the worst piece of s*** I’ve ever heard." It was like Buddy Guy or another great blues guitarist opening for Eric Clapton and getting booed.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

What Age Do You Act?

I feel constitutionally required to post SOMETHING today that has nothing to do with Louisiana.

So, here's one of those blogaround things:

Try it.

You Are(that is to say, I am) 28 Years Old - wow, what a way to lose 24 years! Must be from having a kid.

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

Katrina aftermath

A number of articles analyzing the hurricane and response

The Last Time America Lost a City. First a little historical perspective.

Man-Made Mistakes Increase Devastation Of 'Natural' Disasters. This Wall Street Journal piece makes it clear that the hurricane was YOUR fault.

Bush's Role in the New Orleans Disaster. When W said to the FEMA head, "Brownie, you're doing a fantastic job," I did want to gag. I suspect that Greg wanted to gag, too.

And speaking of FEMA, Gotta love a site called Crooks and Liars, as it featurers the FEMA Rap for Kids, complete with music:
Disaster . . . it can happen anywhere,
But we've got a few tips, so you can be prepared
For floods, tornadoes, or even a 'quake,
You've got to be ready - so your heart don't break.

Disaster prep is your responsibility
And mitigation is important to our agency.

People helping people is what we do
And FEMA is there to help see you through
When disaster strikes, we are at our best
But we're ready all the time, 'cause disasters don't rest.


20 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath, only five of which are by W (and one by his mother)

How New Orleans Was Lost
Toxic Shocker. Nuff said.

W doesn't fare too well in this piece, either.

Construction and real estate implications in New Orleans

The NRA wants to you to eat out for a good cause; that's the National RESTAURANT Association, BTW. NRA’s Dine for America event to help hurricane victims.

But there are sharks, or rather phishing out there, operating in the alleged name of Katrina victims. See also this article.

Vagabond Saints


"The NFL announced Monday that [the} second game [for the New Orleans Saints] - which was supposed to be their home opener against the New York Giants - will be on Monday, Sept. 19, at Giants Stadium.

"The game will begin at 7:30 EDT on ABC, then be switched to ESPN at 9 p.m., when ABC goes to the regularly scheduled game between Washington and Dallas in Irving, Texas. In New York and Louisiana, as well as other parts of the Gulf Coast, ABC will continue to carry the Giants-Saints game, switching to Redskins-Cowboys when the Saints game ends."

Yeah, I know it's only football, but this is dumb on SO many levels:

1) The Saints are practicing in San Antonio. Couldn't they play at a college stadium in Texas, northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, Tennessee, or Florida? If there was concern about beating up the field, they could play when the college team was on the road. At least some of the Saints' fans might be able to attend the event if the game were in the region. Not to mention that the team will have to otherwise offer refunds to those unable or unwilling to attend.

2) The time suits almost no one. I figure they picked 7:30 because it’s the time when World News Tonight is over in New York City. The schedule will mean that those people without cable will see only the first part of the Saints-Giants game, that those people who live in New York and Louisiana who are Washington or Dallas fans will miss the first half of that game, and that I’m going to miss JEOPARDY! (unless the local affiliate pushes back the shows a day and show the Friday show on Saturday).
***
Oh, I just read in TV Guide that former NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom - love that name - will be one of the participants on the CBS show Survivor: Guatemala starting on September 15. If I were watching the show, I’d be torn. On one hand, at 47, he’s the second-oldest player, and I have an affinity for the aging participants. On the other hand, he played six years for the @#$%&*! Dallas Cowboys, the team I love to hate. Maybe I’ll just root for Lydia, the 42-year old fishmonger, the oldest woman in the competition. My sign is Pisces, so I can relate. Strange thing is that I actually WATCH Survivor only sporadically, but I have managed to develop rooting interests most seasons nevertheless.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Maynard Gilligan Krebs


You ever decide a show isn't very good, but find that you watched it anyway? That's how I felt, even as a kid about Gilligan's Island, somewhat embarrassed to be viewing it, but view it I did. (It was probably because of Mary Ann.)

And before that, I used to watch a show called The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which I think was probably a better program, though in fact I haven't seen it in decades.

Both of these shows, of course, featured Bob Denver, who died last week. He revisited Gilligan a number of times, and Maynard at least once, but it appears that he was just happy being Bob Denver. As usual, Marl Evanier has a story that you probably won't find in tomorrow's obits. Also, the Guru has some thoughts.

The NOLA/Gulf Blame Game

Being bombarded by analyses of why Katrina happened (global warming, the sins of N’Awlins and the Mississippi riverboats) to the responses of government ("adequate", "crap"), I found that as even as I attempted to sleep, my own thoughts on the topic came rushing forth. Whether any of it's coherent, you can judge.

Was the response adequate?

I was watching CBS Sunday Morning this week. I don’t know that it was the producers’ intent, but the collective feeling was. "Boy, did the United States screw up!" They showed the rapid – less than 18 hours- response by the U.S. military to the victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, an event that was not at all anticipated. Meanwhile, a Category 5 hurricane is heading towards New Orleans all weekend, yet the response was so slow that government of tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka is offering US aid, not to mention Russia and our friends the Cubans. Moreover, even among our allies, the poor response suggested that "the only superpower in the world" had "feet of clay" when it came to protecting its own citizens.

The levee that gave way was supposed to withstand a Category 3 storm. But by the time the storm actually hit the city, the winds were only 100 mph; that's Category 2. Was the levee constructed poorly?

Meanwhile, Nancy Giles, a black woman of the liberal persuasion who does commentary for the show noted that Jesse Jackson kept away at arm’s length the suggestion that the lack of governmental response to Katrina was racially motivated. Then Giles, surprisingly to me, said: "O.K., if he won’t say it, I’LL say it," and launched into a scathing indictment of the federal response.

"There will be time to assess blame later."

OK, that sounds like a benign, though self-serving comment from a government official (I saw the HHS Secretary say this on Wolf Blitzer’s show Sunday at noontime, but others have said almost exactly the same thing.) It is good that in this period of uncertainty, the White House got it together to keep everyone on script.
But even as HHS says that we avoid the blame game, the guy leaks out that the White House was trying to get the local officials to start the evacuation earlier. Oh, so not so subtlely, it’s the local officials’ fault.

And I have heard that once the evacuation order was given, it was the fault of the citizens, particularly of New Orleans for not heeding the call. This was a faulty argument both in terms of logistics and economics. Most of the middle class folks DID evacuate; I know one personally. But there were a lot of folks that simply COULDN’T get out. I don’t think people comprehended the situation. Cynthia Tucker, a black woman who writes a column for the Atlanta Constitution was on ABC’s This Week and asked her sister (whose family evacuated from NOLA to Tucker’s house) why didn’t the folks leave. Tucker’s sister said, essentially, "You don’t GET it. As a middle class person, you just don’t understand."

"It’s the looters’ fault."

Yes, there was looting, and I choose to put it in two categories; those who stole bread and clothes to survive and those who terrorized others. W was quick to support the "strong words" of Mississippi Governor on dealing with looters. Still, government has called out the National Guard for less provocation. The physical threat is continuing but limited and has finally been addressed.

"The lack of recovery in the early stages was racially motivated."

There are people who live in New Orleans’ 9th Ward who believe that the levee broke in their neighborhood, where I predict at least a quarter of the city’s dead will be found, because of an explosive device placed on the levee. Even the mayor, who has been very critical of the federal government response, has not suggested that. Nor do I believe the government consciously and callously responded with racist or classist intent. Or maybe I choose not to believe it, at this time. As for subconscious intent: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" There is a history of floods affecting particular ethnic neighborhoods and the response. I highly recommend that you read David Brooks’ New York Times column of September 1

"It’s the governments’ fault."

Ultimately, my concern in the blame (or how about a nice positive word, such as "responsibility") issue lies with three phases of responsibility, particularly when the less powerful are dealing with the more powerful. And this, I’ve found to be fairly universally true, especially if the power status quo remains:

Phase 1: We just don’t know enough to determine the responsibility for the problem. We’ll do a study.
Time passes, but no one accepts responsibility, or it’s the feeling that some low-level flunky is taking the fall.
Phase 2: It’s time to move on with your lives.
More time passes, and the anger just festers.
Phase 3: Get over it already!

If the people of the Gulf region are not given sufficient answers about the reasons for the breakdown of the response to the disaster, there will be a festering sore in this country that will explode in some other toxic form. I don’t know that it will require what at least one local legislator called for, the firing of every FEMA official.
Many have been particularly critical of director Michael Brown, who didn’t even know there were refugees at the Convention Center for two days, despite the media broadcasting this information. His real qualifications for his current job include being fired from operating an association for lovers of Arabian horses. The recovery should go on now, but if the issue of responsibility is evaded, nothing good will come of it.
***
Meanwhile, I had 141 hits on this site from Wednesday at noon until yesterday at 10 p.m. That means $141 to the Red Cross. Thanks.

Monday, September 05, 2005

No labor Labor Day



Hey, this is Labor Day. Ironic, then, that I'm taking the day off and letting the Census Bureau do my work!

Although, if I find time, I do have a couple thoughts to share about the past week. That is, if I can get back into Blogger, which was busy the first half dozen times I tried to post today.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Bookends


I've been away this week, which I'll tell you about soon. So it's been tricky trying to post, both in terms of time to write and Internet access. Thus, this late night musing:

Last week, I saw a woman named Jeanette who used to be in church choir with me. I don't know that I've seen her since Lydia was born, or shortly therafter.

Also, I saw this woman Jennifer, with whom I used to play racquetball, for the first time in at least three years.

My old boss, Michelle, who has been living in Chicago, New Hampshire and Bermuda since I last saw her in 1994, popped into town a couple weeks ago, as did my high school friend Jon, last seen by me at his wedding in 1990.

There were a couple others as well.

And of course, I saw Fred and Lynn, but at least I helped initiate that. These others all unexpectedly showed up. Likewise, Carol went to see her friend Kathy for the first time in seven years.

It's probably the convergeance of all of these items that prompted me to call my old friend Susan (or not so old, she insists) after losing her phone number, twice; I last spoke to her in 1999.

I remember reading a truly terrible book called the Celestine Prophecy a number of years ago. It was awful, but it was a page-turner, and I finished it in about a day. It had some mumbo jumbo about nine "insights," the first of which was (and I'm paraphrasing here from a book I haven't seen in at least seven years): "Everything happens for a reason." It's not dissimilar to a line in the play "Boys in the Band": "There are no accidents."

So, my question to you, or the universe, or whatever: Why have I seen so so many people in August 2005 that I had not seen in years? What is the purpose? If it's a sign, what does it signify?

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Ramblin' Labor

Busy week. Not as productive on the blog as I would have liked. Got only one CD review done this week, e.g.

Certainly, our hearts go out to those affected by Katrina. So, is it sacrilege to suggest that living below sea level isn't exactly a great idea? See what Greg Burgas thinks. More pointedly, read this National Geographic article posted by Socks in Box on September 2.

Bush: Vacation Ruined By 'Stupid Dead Soldier'. From "The Onion," natch.

Since you were planning on filing for bankruptcy anyway, now seems like a good time.

You haven't heard of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Clearly, knowledge of Him must be taught in our schools. If you and if you want to see Him for yourself...

When the child doesn't sleep, I have weird dreams: in a sea of black suits, charcoal gray suits, navy blue suits, and dark brown suits, Fred Hembeck is named as head of the FBI. Not the real Fred, cartoon Fred. And he's wearing a robin's egg blue tux.

My best to those affected by war, floods, illness (including Steve Gerber and his pneumonia), and all sorts of pain, physical and emotional. Especially that bestest couple who I've never met; I think they know who I mean.

Mixed Bag CD Blog-Johnny B.

NAME: David Allen Jones a/k/a Johnny Bacardi
BLOG NAME: The Johnny Bacardi Show
NAME OF CD: Different Stuff for Different People, Volume 4
NUMBER OF CUTS: 17
RUNNING TIME: 79:35
COVER ART:

Stylish yet decadent. Made me want to drink a Psychic Martini, and I don't even LIKE martinis. One of my two favorite covers. It's even better in a size you can read it.
SONG LIST: His live journal of June 20
SUBSEQUENTLY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on October 6
GENERAL THOUGHTS: A wonderfully eclectic mix, elegantly presented. Unfamiliar songs by familiar artists (Beach Boys, Kinks), familiar songs by different artists (Tomorrow, Morning Glory), artists I forgot I had in the collection (Dax, Wood, Cibo Matto). A very satisfying experience.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: Sobule-instrumental backing based on Chicago’s “Saturday in the Park”! Blodwyn Pig, Dax; Wood-"something to make my hair grow long" (too late for THAT); Alex Harvey; Cibo Matto, Price (campy); Buckley (I love the song, which I’ve heard by others, and I love the voice); Zevon (anytime);
ON THE OTHER HAND: I like Lou Reed, I do, but 11 minutes of that vibe was a little sleep inducing. I also wonder about the 9 ½ minute Grand Funk track; I know the live cut so well (see below) that it wasn’t a problem for ME, but COULD be for other listeners; I prefer the live cut, BTW.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: As far as I could tell.
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: My sister Leslie had a boyfriend named George in high school who thought of himself as a black militant. He thought of ME as one of those hippie types. For Christmas or my birthday, he bought me "Live Funk" from Grand Funk Railroad, a group I was barely aware of at the time. I think he thought it fit my demographic. It featured a LONG version of "Inside Looking Out."

Friday, September 02, 2005

Worst Job Ever

Worst job, hands down:






A Mr. Burgas was doing a contest (actually three contests.) One involved describing the worst job the reader ever had. There were even prizes involved. Of course, that was really a secondary consideration. The primary thing is that it gave an excuse to write this piece, appropriate for the beginning of the Labor Day weekend.

You might think it would be a job cleaning huuman feces from a wall (mentioned SOMETIME last month) would be the worst job I've ever had, but you would be wrong.

I worked in a box factory. You know the cardboard that separates cans or bottles in a case of beer or soda? There was a conveyer belt in which four people, women as it turns out, took these innards and put them together. My job was to tie them into bundles of 20.

These women were developmentally disabled with IQs of about 70. Perhaps that is why the repetitive nature of the work did not seem bother them, but it certainly annoyed me. So they were much faster putting together the box innards than I was tying them into bundles, using a specific knot that I did not know. (Why that specific knot, I never knew.)

The work was 2 hours on, 10 minutes off, 1 hour 50 minutes on, 30 minute lunch, 2 hours on, 10 minutes off, 1 hr 50 minutes on, go home. No variation. No one with whom to have a decent conversation.

And since I couldn't keep up with these women, the boss was screaming at me by day 2. Moreeover, the women on the line were resentful of me, because if they slowed up, it meant that they didn't reach their bonus goals. Not so incidentally, the guy doing the tying was not eligible for any bonuses.

My back was very sore every night from the bending and lifting.

By day 3, I decided to quit at the end of my second week, even though I REALLY needed the money for college. It was after that when I learned that the previous person on the job had the position for one week, and his predecessor for one DAY.

3 Laborious ?s

Labor Day weekend.



If you be so kind as to tell me:

1. Your favorite job, and why?

2. How much money would you need to never work again?

3. At what age, if ever, do you expect to retire, and what will you do then with your time?

BONUS: What was your worst job? (You'll see my answer soon.)

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Obviously

Obviously,
the thing

that's most significant

about this month's blogging

is my use of visual representations.


They don't always come out as well as I'd like, but I'll keep at it.

Another thing is that since I opened up the response mechanism to non-bloggers, I've gotten more comments, for which I thank you. Please keep it up.
I've also gotten these blog spam things that say something like:
"Really like your site. For your insurance needs, click here."
I've started deleting them as I find them, but they don't bother me as much as they probably should. It's like those Viagra e-mails I get (I must REALLY be impotent!)
that I zap.

Finally, as of mid-day on August 26, I have put up a counter on the site, but don't plan to look at it for fear that I might become a blog statistics junkie. Well, maaybe I'll look, but only once a week. Or once a day. Perhaps thrice daily...

Ciao.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Katrina


I have nothing particularly pithy to say. New Orleans, which thought it had dodged a bullet, is devastated by weather, infrastructure failure and human behavior. The gulf states are facing damage in terms of life and property that we won't really know the extent of for days, as officials frantically try to rescue what's salvageable. So, I've decided, and maybe you'll decide, to donate to the Red Cross.

So, how to do this that might work to maximize the effort among folks reading this? How about this: I will give $1 to the Red Cross for every person going to my blog - they don't even have to read it, though obviously I wish they would - between now and the end of Labor Day (Monday) at 10 pm EDT. (The counter is at 144.) The challenge is for every blogger and web person to do something similar. The need is extraordinary.

Mixed Bag CD Blog-Larry

NAME: Larry Young (with Charlie Allard and Matt Smith)
BLOG NAME: AiT/PlanetLar
NAME OF CD: Astronauts in Trouble
NUMBER OF CUTS: 20
RUNNING TIME: 51:38 (the first CD I received that was shorter than mine)
COVER ART: Label
SONG LIST:
1. Prof. Hawking’s Channel Seven Promo: The World’s Smartest Man Watches Channel 7 (talk)
2. 21st Century Newscast: We Will Rock You Bipartisan Mix-EBN
3. Hayescorp Command Center: Apollo 11 Mission Control, Houston (talk)
4. AiT/TMP Opening Titles: Sing Sing Sing (with a Swing)-Louis Prima
5. In the Newsvan Tapedeck: Bad Astronaut-James Kolchaka
6. Re-Align the Low-Gain: Turn It On-the Flaming Lips
7. Heck’s Got a Hangover: Absurd- http://www.absurdfluke.com/ Fluke
8. The Moon from Inside of a Spacesuit: Oye Como Va-Santana
9. Neil and Buzz: Tranquility Base 20 July 1969 (talk)
10. Pepperoni Pizza Nightmares: Dean’s Dream-the Dead Milkmen
11. Float Me Another One: Feelin Existential-Mojo Nixon
12. Cry Me to the Moon: St. Cajetan-Cracker
13. Static, Baby-Open Frequency- http://www.sharpeworld.com/marcy/pages/article.html Dr Zomb’s Stereo Obscura
14. Annie’s Suit Radio: Greetings to the New Brunette-Billy Bragg
15. The Cows Go In: Ring of Fire-Johnny Cash
16. Home Box Office: Tom Hanks Apollo 13 (talk)
17. Not Enough Coffee to Go Around: Fade to Black-Dire Straits
18. AiT;TMP End Credits: Hi Side-the Mad Capsule Markets
19. Doomsday Plus One: Press conference-President Ronald Reagan Talk)
20. Hot Mike: Canon Help Desk-Troubleshooting (talk)
ALREADY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on August 24
GENERAL THOUGHTS: Not only did I get a CD, I (and all of the other participants) received a book. An interesting mix of talk and music, not surprising space-related.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: All the talk snippets except the last; 3-I have a couple Benny Goodman versions, but was unfamiliar with the Prima doing it; 12-17 (I own the last three song tracks).
ON THE OTHER HAND: 7-some sort of techno-grunge that would have been OK in a short piece, but the 6-minute track felt like twice that long. 20- wasn't prepared for the obscenity-laden tirade.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: 5 is naughty, 10 has F-bomb but it’s down so much in the mix, I nearly missed it. 20-that’s a big time no.
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: I’m looking forward to the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, this fall.

Mixed Bag CD Blog-Logan

NAME: Logan Polk
BLOG NAME: House of the Ded
NAME OF CD: The Ded Mix Vol. 2-Songs I Know By Heart
NUMBER OF CUTS: 19
RUNNING TIME: 76:59
COVER ART: Typed
SONG LIST:
1. Anyway-Dynamite Hack
2. Screaming Infidelities-Dashboard Confessionals
3. Now That It’s Over-Everclear
4. One Thing-Finger Eleven
5. Superhero Girl-Eve 6
6. Someday We’ll Know-New Radicals
7. Songs About Rain-Gary Allen
8. C’mon C’mon-Sheryl Crow
9. Always on My Mind-Phantom Planet
10. I Can’t Stand Losing You-Blue Flannel
11. Everything to Everyone-Everclear
12. Long Drive Home-John Oszajca
13. Solitude-Edwin McCain & Darius Rucker
14. She Talks to Angels-the Black Crowes
15. Stepping Stone-the Monkees
16. Lonely of Faith-Kid Rock
17. Recollection Phoenix-Willie Nelson
18. Walls-Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
19. ???????-???????
ALREADY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on June 30
GENERAL THOUGHTS: These things don’t HAVE to start with a rocker, but it usually a good formula; no exception here. The album bounces back and forth between rockin’ and more mid-tempo stuff.
Most of these songs I DON'T know by heart- only the Heartbreakers, Crow, Black Crowes, and Monkees; hmm, some sort of animal theme developing. The disc has introduced me to people I might have heard of or even caught on the radio, but the DJs almost NEVER announce the performer anymore. So, Logan has broadened my horizons.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: 1, 6, 7 (esp. the chorus), 9, 10 (esp. lyrics), 11, the quirky horn of 12, 16 (oh, no, I like a Kid Rock song).
ON THE OTHER HAND: Nothing really. I just didn’t really get engaged in the disc until the second quarter. Oh, and the completist in me needs to know what/who is on track 19.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: F*** in 1, 3, 5, S*** in 12
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED:

I have had an irrational addiction to the Petty song since I heard it on the "She the One" soundtrack.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Low A


Dear Mr. Will:

I am a big fan of your baseball stories, such as the one that appeared in our local paper the Times Union (Albany, NY) this week. We too have a team that plays in a stadium called the Joe, named for Joseph Bruno, the Majority Leader of the State Senate.

The team is the Tri-City Valley Cats in the New York-Penn League, playing out of Troy, NY. This is a single A , short season (roughly Father’s Day to Labor Day) . In our league, there is the Staten Island Yankees, an affiliate, of course, of the NYY.

You described your team as “low A”. I inferred (and I think others will as well) that it is the “lowest A”, which I don’t believe it is. The short season A I believe to be on the lowest rung. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Thank you.
Roger Green

Dear Mr. Green,

Thank you for contacting the office of George F. Will. Mr. Will is thankful to have actively engaged readers like yourself. In single-A ball, there is class A-advanced, class A and class A-short season. The column used class A low (also used by minor league officials and the RiverDogs staff) to distinguish the level from class A-advanced. You may access a list of all the minor league teams by classification via [this site] Thank you for your readership and have a nice day.

Best Wishes,
Office of George F. Will

I learn something new every day. I suppose I should note that I agree with George Will on most baseball things, but not usually political things.
***
And re: the Little League World Series final, it was a great game. Since I wasn't going to be home Sunday, I taped the ABC broadcast and watched it later, making sure not to hear the score.
It was a great game. The Curacao pitcher walked the first three Hawai'i batters, and then the relief pitcher struck out two and got another out without giving up a run. The scoring went back and forth. Hawai'i was down by three in the bottom of the sixth (the last scheduled inning), but rallied to score three to force the first extra innings game in about 35 years.
ABC then sent the game to ESPN2. Since I wasn't home, I missed the dramatic 7th-inning home run that won the game for Hawai'i. Sigh.

Monday, August 29, 2005

No Satisfaction



"It's a one-in-a-lifetime thing!"
"Yeah, but the money, the time away from the family, the hassle, the traffic."

Oh, sorry, I was just rehashing the debate I was having with myself a couple weeks ago when I read, on the front page of the Albany Times Union, that the Rolling Stones were coming to Albany, NY, maybe three blocks from where I work, on September 19.

On one hand, it's the Rolling Stones!
On the other hand, the tickets started at $60, and I'm sure those seats would have required balls of cotton to stop the nosebleed, not to mention binoculars. So, I would have wanted the $100 seats. Wife Carol showed no interest in going, so it would have been a night that I'd be off while she had to stay home. this would require some sort of later trade-off.

But it's the Rolling @#$%^&* Stones! With Alanis Morissette opening, it was recently announced.
The (Naming Rights Sold to a Soft-Drink Company) Arena was doing that "get in line for the wristband on a Friday so that you would be eligible to buy a ticket on Saturday" thing. What a pain. Moreover, that all took place a weekend I was out of town anyway.
On the other hand, my student intern was going to go get tickets ANYWAY for her and her MOTHER and her mother's boyfriend. (Why does that make me feel just slightly OLD?) And there was an 8-ticket maximum, so I could have given her the money to buy one more. Oh, but she didn't get any, either, because while she was early in line for the wristbands, they started with a "random number" that came AFTER hers. (She said she would rather have slept in the ticket line overnight, rather than go through that frustrating ordeal.)

One of the things that I read recently made seeing the Stones more interesting. On their upcoming album, A Bigger Bang, they reportedly have a song with the lyrics:
You call yourself a Christian,
I call you a hypocrite.
You call yourself a patriot,
Well, I think you're full of s***.
How come you're so wrong,
My sweet neo-con?

Will they play the song? And if so, what will be the reaction?

Well, it's all moot now, unless I win a ticket in the contest offered by the Berkshire Bank (located just downstairs from my office), or unless I want to buy a $351 ticket ($1 more than the previous highest ticket sold at the venue.) If spending $100 brought me pause...
***
And speaking of the Rolling Stones, there's a new album of jazz covers of their tunes, called The Rolling Stones Project. It features:
Norah Jones-Wild Horses
Bill Frisell-Waiting on a Friend
Sheryl Crow (with Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts!) -Slipping Away
John Scofielfd-Satisfaction
Bill Charlap-Paint it, Black
It's reviewed pretty well, FWIW. I could buy THAT album, plus A Bigger Bang, AND insure domestic tranquility.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Mini-Ramble

Working on the theory that there is a finite number of hours in a day, I didn't get a chance to do links this week, save for these:

I knew SOMETHING was up when I saw cars stopped in front of my house a full block from the main intersection of Allen and Madison. At first, I figured that it was an accident, but as I headed to the Price Chopper supermarket, I found that it was a bank robbery at the Trustco, where hostages were taken, just two blocks from my house. The Price Chopper, just beyond the bank, required me to walk nine blocks to get there. When I got home, the helicopter that would pass by occasionally rattled the windows of our house. During the LLWS US championship (won by Hawai'i), Channel 10 interrupted the game three times - in mid-inning!- to announce that there was a situation and that people should avoid driving on that part of Madison Avenue. The Cable News Channel 9 had a scroll, but didn't, in my watching, interrupt its pre-Travers coverage.

A Republican Dictionary. All you Republicans reading this may be deeply offended. Oh, well.

Book: Hendrix avoided Vietnam with gay ruse. This MSNBC story takes a somewhat salacious angle, I think. But if the draft comes back - the cover story in this week's Metroland - what WILL keep one out of the army these days?

Speaking of war, my friend Cecily sent me this: The first and only federal conspiracy trial arising out of civil resistance to the Iraq War begins September 19 in Binghamton, NY. Imagine - in my hometown.

Mark Evanier is the self-appointed tracker of all appearances of the characters in the comic strip Blondie in other comic strips, in advance of the 75th anniversary of Mrs. Bumstead and her family next month.

Today is Jack Kirby's birthday. You don't know who Jack Kirby is? Horrors! Fred Hembeck has a whole bunch of links TODAYso that you can find out.