Sexism

Gordon notes that today is Blog Agaimnst Sexism Day.

O.K. I'm against it.

No, I'm not that glib about it. I do recognize that there are lots of parallels between racism and sexism, such as people who are not experiencing it telling you: it's all in your head, you're exaggerating, you're whining, you want special privileges.

I did not know until today that there is The National Organization for Men Against Sexism. There's always more we can learn about each other, so I'm interested in learning more about them.

I have a daughter (as some of you may know), and I want her to have all of the opportunities that she's entitled, regardless of her gender, regardless of her race. It's seems almost puerile to state these things, but there it is.

Renaissance Man

"I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty," he once said.

It wasn't just that Gordon Parks, who died yesterday, did any of the things that he did, even if he was "The pre-eminent American photojournalist of sub-Saharan descent."


It was that he did SO many things and did them well.

Others have noted some of his other LIFE magazine covers, or his work on the movie Shaft. The image I remember the best is this photo by Parks of a woman named Ella Watson. He was an extraordinarily inspirational figure to me for as long as I can remember.

Becky & Rico

"March 7?" That's what I said to my sister when she told me.

Last year on that date, I know EXACTLY what I was doing: attending the wedding of my niece Becky (sister Leslie's daughter) and Rico Curtis. The wedding was on a MONDAY, and the same day as my birthday, but NOT because it was my birthday. It has to do with uniform numbers - Rico was number 37 when he was a defensive back with San Diego State, and later with the San Diego Riptide of the Arena Football League. Becky was number 5 when she played basketball with Berkeley, which is why they're getting married in '05. The wedding was scheduled for 3:57 PM.

My flight was the previous Friday. For monetary reasons, and because Carol could take off only so many days as a teacher, and because we were unsure about a transcontinental trip with a less-than-one year old, it was a solo trip.

Leslie picks me up during the rainiest day I've ever spent in San Diego. The next day, she, her friends and I arrange table ornaments - it's a football and basketball theme.

Sunday, Leslie gets sick and goes to an urgent care place. There's actually an urgent care place around there that is open only Monday through Friday, negating most of the NEED to go there. I stayed home and made a bunch of phone calls.


Sunday night, before the rehearsal dinner, the mothers of the bride and groom are negotiating who shall be mentioned in the program, which Mrs. Curtis would have printed overnight. Our family is fairly small. Three of my mother's first cousins were present and Leslie was angling to have them included. After a bit of haggling, it was agreed.

My mother and I stayed at the hotel where the wedding was being held. The day of the wedding, my mother, of course, wishes me a happy birthday. We all attend to various last-minute details.

Just before the ceremony, one of my mother's cousins was the first to look at the program. The cousins were included, but guess who was inadvertently left off?

Me.

After the lovely wedding, while we were at the reception, Rico's mom comes to me. She's one of those people who never apologize, she noted. But she made it clear that the omission of my name was totally accidental. I did believe her.


A couple weeks later, I receive about a dozen copies of the program with my name included. Rico's mom had them reprinted!

Happy anniversary, Beck and Rico. I've (almost) gotten used to sharing the day with you, and in any case, I'll never FORGET the date of your vows.

Baseball notes

The World Baseball Classic is being aired today: Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela on ESPN at 1 pm, EST, Mexico vs. the US on ESPN2 at 4 pm EST. I was really excited about the concept of a real "world" series, and hope to catch part of this.

Seventeen people, including 12 players and 5 executives, were selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame from the Negro Leagues. One of them is Effie Manley, the first woman in the Hall. I've actually owned her biography, "Effie Manley and the Newark Bears" by James Overmyer since 1993, according to the inscription from a friend of mine, though I've only now begun to read it. Interestingly, Overmyer was on the panel that selected Manley.
12 players were selected, but they didn't select Buck O'Neil? He's been a tireless ambassador for the league, and is still alive to enjoy being in the Hall, unlike the ones who were chosen.

Popular former baseball player Kirby Puckett died yesterday. He played his whole major league career with my father-in-law's favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. He had some difficulties after his career was over, but remained a well-beloved player because of his great attitude, despite the glaucoma that shortened his career. On a totally selfish note, I hate it when people younger than I die, especially from something like a stroke.

I'm 53

In case you just tuned in, today's my birthday. Born in '53, turning 53.

In our local Hearst paper, they always run this poem in August on the anniversary of the death of some founder. I think my tradition will be that I will quote a section from one of my favorite books, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit by Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Canadian theologian who died in 1996. (Copyright 1994, published by The Crossroad Publishing Company.)

I share this passage about birthdays, not only for my sake, but, I hope, for yours as well:

Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: "Thank you for being you." Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: "Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished." No, we say: "Thank you for being born and being among us."
...
Celebrating a birthday reminds us of the goodness of life, and in this spirit we really need to celebrate people's birthdays every day, by showing gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, and affection. These are ways of saying: "It's good that you are alive; it;s good that you are walking with me on this earth. Let's be glad and rejoice. This is the day that God has made for us to be and to be together."
***
Oh, and thanks, good friend Fred for your kind words today. I assume the use of the color green in the headline was no accident.

T-1, 2006

Obviously. I've confused many of you (well, not near-twin Gordon, whose birthday is today. ) MY birthday is tomorrow. Yesterday, I noted that those folks turn whatever they turn on TUESDAY. I think I was being too clever by half. I'll stop. After tomorrow.

As for tomorrow, I'm taking it off from work. It's a tradition I started when I was an intern at the Albany Housing Authority back in 1980. There were a lot of strange stuff there, but one of the more civilized things they did was to give one's birthday as a paid vacation day.

On a normal birthday, I'd get up and play racquetball for an extended time, go home to eat breakfast, read magazines and/or newspapers, watch unwatched recorded television, maybe catch a movie. Or get a massage - boy, I could use a massage.

Not this year.

I'm taking Lydia to her follow-up visit to the doctor for her ear infection, then taking her to day care.

At noon at the library, there's a tease for a program by Albany Pro Musica called "Voices of Light: The Passion of Joan of Arc". The actual performance is on Friday.

Since I'm in the building, and since I'm on the board of the Friends of the Albany Public Library, I'm going to help the person who does the new blog for the library.

I'm hoping there will be time to work on MY blog as well.

I may go to this at the west wing of Albany Law School at 4:

The ALS Civil Liberties Union, Black Law Student Association, and the Student Lawyers Guild invite you to a DOUBLE screening of "DISSENT" AND "RACIAL PROFILING"

"Dissent," tells the stories of everyday Americans who were practicing their right to free speech and protest only to be thwarted, harassed, attacked, or arrested. "Racial Profiling," documents real people caught up in an illegal practice that destroys families, careers, and the peace of mind that most Americans take for granted.

Sandwiches, soda, and wine provided between these two 30 minute videos.

About The ACLU Freedom Files:

The American Civil Liberties Union and award-winning Producer/Director Robert Greenwald's have created an unprecedented new series called The ACLU Freedom Files. In ten 30-minute episodes, this series explores pressing issues that threaten the civil liberties of all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. The ACLU Freedom Files features well-known actors, comedians and activists, along with actual litigants and the attorneys who represent them. For more information about the series, visit www.aclu.tv.

This event is free and open to the public.

The invitation came with this:

"WARNING: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant or notice. The agency may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight."

Then home for whatever special dinner my dear wife has planned.

Of course, almost every time I lay out such a specific plan, something will come up to mysteriously alter it. Wish me luck.

78th Annual Academy Awards

"Hollywood is out of touch with mainstream America." That's what I was hearing all week, because of the five best-picture nominees were not big box office grossers. Again, on the Sunday morning news programs: Larry Elder, the black conservative talk show host, spouting the same rhetoric, on CBS Sunday Morning. George Will even did the "straw man" thing, noting that "Good Night, and Good Luck" was supposed to be "cutting edge", but that Joe McCarthy has been dead for 49 years, to which I say:
1) It was its cinematography and look which WAS cutting edge and
2) McCarthy may be dead, but McCarthyism lives on, as any early opponent of the Iraq war can tell you. In fact, I think the film is as much about McCartyhy as "M*A*S*H" was about Korea, which was not much.

The Oscars, supposedly, honor quality, not box office. There are People's Choice Awards for the most popular films. Moreover, there have been plenty of recent films that were both Oscar winners and big box office.

For the record, this is IMDB's top ten films in terms of domestic box office:

380,262,555 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
288,060,759 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
287,153,504 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
234,280,354 War of the Worlds
216,326,425 King Kong
209,218,368 Wedding Crashers
206,456,431 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
205,343,774 Batman Begins
193,136,719 Madagascar
186,336,103 Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Many WERE nominated in the technical categories. I dare say that most of these films also cost more to make than the five Best Picture nominees, and that a movie needn't be big box office to be profitable.

Anyway, I watch the Oscar broadcast for those WOW! moments, the emotional or controversial speech, the really funny shtick. There was exactly one WOW! moment in the whole broadcast for me, the performance of "It's Out Here for a Pimp", followed by its selection as Best Original Song. I saw both of the other movies from which songs were nominated, "Transamerica" and "Crash", and I didn't remember the songs at all.

Oh, there were moments:
*The video intro with former hosts turning down the gig, then Jon Stewart in bed with Halle Berry, then George Clooney
*Clooney's acceptance speech, where he notes (correctly) that he won't be getting the directing Oscar, that his obit will read 1997 Sexiest Man Alive, and that he was happy not to be in the mainstream
*The "invisible" Ben Stiller, mildly humorous
*Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin's somewhat lame attempts to be Altmanesque. The CBS film critic was hoping Altman would give 'em hell, but he was quite gracious
*Carell and Farrell in bad makeup was a visual treat
*The American Express commercial with M. Night Shymalan; I didn't know WHAT the heck was going on until the end
*Lauren Bacall's trouble reading the intro for the "film noir" film clips, which was painful

I thought most of those movie film clips were unnecessary and just made the program longer. In fact, the one I would have kept is the socially relevant film clip, introed by Samuel L. Jackson. I did enjoy the "political" clips, though, the supposed slam ads for the best actress and sound editing categories.

By the time Resse Witherspoon predictably won, it was 11:03, and I just went to bed. Wish Felicity Huffman had won; she got so emotional in the red carpet pre-show when one of the hosts showed her a video clip of her four co-stars on "Desperate Housewives" wishing her well, it might have been more interesting television.

I got up at 5 to watch the remaining part of the show:

Glad about all the award winners, but annoyed that the original screenplay winners were cut off by the music.

I'll admit; when "Crash" won for Best Picture, I jumped out of my chair for joy, in part because I really liked the film, and in part because I actually picked it to win.

But all in all, a pretty boring show, I'm afraid.

It's MY Birthday, Too

Here is a list of some folks born on March 7:
Year of Birth/Age on Tuesday
Alan Sues 1926 80 - "Laugh-In" notable
Anthony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon 1930 76- was married to Princess Margaret. Noted photographer.
James Broderick 1927 d. 11/01/1982 at the age of 55 -in the TV show "Family". Matthew's dad.
Willard Scott 1934 72 - "Today" show weatherguy
Janet Guthrie 1938 68 - race car driver
Daniel J. Travanti 1940 66 - "Hill Street Blues" Pizzaman
Tammy Faye Bakker 1942 64 - realty TV show diva
Michael Eisner 1942 64 - former Disney head
John Heard 1945 61 - fine character actor
Matthew Fisher -1946 60 - from the band Procol Harum
Peter Wolf 1946 60 - singer for the J. Geils Band
Franco Harris 1950 56 - Pittsburgh Steeler running back
Lynn Swann 1952 54 - Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver, potential Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor
Ivan Lendl 1960 46 - champion tennis player
Joe Carter 1960 46 - baseball player who hit winning HR in the 1993 World series for the Toronto Blue Jays
Freedy Johnston 1961 45 - quirky singer that I like.
Taylor Dayne 1962 44 - singer
Wanda Sykes 1964 42 -black female comedian
Jeff Kent 1968 38 - major league second baseman since 1992
Peter Sarsgaard 1971 35 - noted actor

Rachel Weisz 1971 35 -(pictured) nominated for an Oscar in "the Constant Gardener" tonight, and my pick for Best Supporting Actress
Jenna Fischer 03/07/1974 32 Pam on "The Office"
Laura Prepon 03/07/1980 26 - "That '70s Show"

Want more people who were born or died on March 7? Look here.

Other events on March 7: look here, here and here.
***
Today's post comes courtesy of friend Bruce, who lent me his spare monitor when the previous monitor suddenly died last week. I thought that perhaps the 23-month old had somehow done something to it. I spent the last week posting from the library.

I have a question for the bloggers amongst you, which is: When do you blog?
My usual schedule during the week is to post at 5:30 a.m., when my wife gets up to take a shower, until 6, when I get dressed in anticipation of Lydia getting up.
Most nights, I have another block after I've changed Lydia into her pajamas and her mother puts her to bed, and perhaps a few minutes when Carol gets ready for bed.

A Matter of Cents

You know, we don't usually deal with IMPORTANT stuff on a regular basis. So why is it the most mundane day-to-day stuff that drives one (OK, me) a little nuts?

The sales tax law is fairly arcane in New York State. It reads, in only small part:

Tax Law § 1115. Exemptions from sales and use taxes.
(a) Receipts from the following shall be exempt from the tax on retail sales imposed under subdivision (a) of section eleven hundred five and the compensating use tax imposed under section eleven hundred ten:
(1) Food, food products, beverages, dietary foods and health supplements, sold for human consumption but not including (i) candy and confectionery, (ii) fruit drinks which contain less than seventy percent of natural fruit juice...
[Emphasis mine]

I go to the corner store to buy a bottle of juice. The proprietor carefully peruses the bottle, notes that it's 100% juice and correctly rings up the sale on the non-taxable key. I mention how strange the sales tax law is, that if the beverage were less than 70% juice, it'd be taxable. The proprietor scowls, "No, if it were 99% juice, it'd be taxable."

So this is is my issue: should I go print out the law (actually, I already have, and have highlighted it to boot) to show the proprietor, or should I let it go?
Certainly, I was mildly peeved with his dismissive tone, but it's also the case that he's charging tax on some products that just aren't taxable. Then again, how many beverages ARE there out there that have between 70% and 99% juice, anyway?
The tax in the state between the state plus the local is about 8%, so on a $1.50 drink, it's only 12 cents.
Is it the "principle of the thing" or is it just ego?

Another example of the same thing: I bought one donut from the Dunkin' Donuts in the 20 Mall a couple weeks, generally 79 cents when I buy it elsewhere, but 85 cents there. I saw her ring in 79 cents, but it must have been on the taxable button, the button one would use for prepared foods to be consumed. Restaurant food is taxable, but a dozen donuts (which one would HOPE would not be downed in one sitting) is not. I seldom go to that mall, so I'm not likely to go complain over six cents, but still...

Veering off topic somewhat: I had this friend from Manhattan. For some reason, I mentioned that she lived in New York County. She became indignant. "No, I don't, I live in Manhattan County." I agreed that she lived in Manhattan borough. "And I live there," she scolded. "I ought to know!" Yes, she should, but she didn't. I let it go.

Oscar 2005/2006

Remember the year when Peter Fonda was nominated for Ulee's Gold? I do. It was the 1997 Oscars that were presented in 1998. It was the ONLY performance that year that I did not see in all of the major categories.

I went out of my way to see the nominated films. On Presidents' Day weekend 1998, I saw four of the selections, including "L.A. Confidential" and "Mrs. Brown" on the same day.

How times have changed.

There are big holes in my viewing this Oscar season. But that won't stop me from suggesting who will win, who should win and who I want to win.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"
Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow"
Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"
Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line"
David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Saw three out of five, not Howard and not (alas!) Phoenix.

Strathairn won't win, because a lot of people don't think it was much of a stretch; I do, but there it is.
Howard won't win, because he was selected as much for "Crash" as for this.
Ledger has a very strong Aussie accent, so his vocal transformation was quite astonishing. But he mumbled a lot, and people behindd me in the theater kept asking each other, "What did he say?" I couldn't help them, either.
I was listening to the "Walk the Line" soundtrack last week. Phoenix was very good, especially on the vocals of the early tunes such as "Get Rhythm" and the duets, not so much on "Ring of Fire". Though he also sang, I doubt they'll give it to an actor portraying a singer two years in a row.
Who will win: Hoffman
Who should win: Phoenix or Hoffman
Who I want to win: Hoffman, who I've enjoyed in other films and who shares the last name with two of my co-workers.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

George Clooney in "Syriana"
Matt Dillon in "Crash"
Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man"
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain"
William Hurt in "A History of Violence"
Saw the middle three.

Hurt could win, though I've been told it's essentially a cameo.
Giametti's been jobbed before - should have been nominated for "Crumb" and certainly for "Sideways". He's good here, but there's a Ron Howard backlash.
Clooney could get three Oscars...or none.
Gyllenhall will win if there's a Brokeback sweep.
Dillon is a strong contender in a strong cast.
Who will win: I have no idea. Clooney, Dillon or Gyllenhall. If Clooney gets only one, it'll likely be this one.
Who should win: Ditto
Who I'm rooting for: Dillon
BTW, who was the STAR of "Crash"? Don Cheadle was pivotal, but I doubt he (or anyone else) was on the screen for even 50% of the time. I'll contend that EVERYONE was a supporting performer.


Performance by an actress in a leading role

Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica"
Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice"
Charlize Theron in "North Country"
Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line"

When the nominations came out, I had seen NONE of these performances. Subsequently, I saw the first two.
Dench has the Meryl Streep problem - Oh, another good performance! (Yawn.)"
Huffman is in a film no one has seen.
Knightley's probably too young, though with an impressive body of work. Pictured, she's my wife's choice also the only one she's seen.
Theron got her Oscar a couple years ago.
Witherspoon has paid her dues in fluff.
Who will win: Witherspoon
Who should win: From what I hear, Witherspoon.
Who I'm rooting for: Huffman. I liked her in "Sports Night". I also loved her response to Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes" a few weeks ago, when asked if having children was the most rewarding thing she ever did. "No!" she bellowed. "And I'm insulted that you said that!"
However, I was totally perplexed by that commercial of hers for Dove that ran during Gilmore Girls (and, I understand, Desperate Housewives). I was watching the GGs on tape, but it stopped me dead in my tracks until I watched the thing.

I do like the idea of Hoffman and Huffman as Oscar winners.



Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in "Junebug"
Catherine Keener in "Capote" (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
Frances McDormand in "North Country"
Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain"
Saw Keener and Williams.

It doesn't matter how much Roger Ebert loved Adams' performance; it still won't win.
I love Keener, but her role in this movie didn't move me.
McDormand, I heard, was good.
Weisz was the heart of her movie, I read.
Williams was quite good, a far cry from "Dawson's Creek". I also liked her in "Dick".
Who will win: Weisz.
Who should win: Probably Weisz.
Who do I want to win: Weisz, for a most prosaic reason - wanna guess?
And the picture is of Thandie Newton, who won the British equivalent of the Oscar in this category, who I might have been rooting for if she were nominated here.

Adapted screenplay

"Brokeback Mountain" Screenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
"Capote" Screenplay by Dan Futterman
"The Constant Gardener" Screenplay by Jeffrey Caine
"A History of Violence" Screenplay by Josh Olson
"Munich" Screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth
Saw the first two.
"Capote" was more a star turn, "gardener" never got mo. and "Violence" was underseen. The morality of "Munich" disturbed some.
Who should win: Munich or Brokeback
Who will win: Brokeback
Who I'm rooting for: Brokeback and Munich, because of my appreciation for McMurtry and Kushner

Original screenplay

"Crash" Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco; Story by Paul Haggis
"Good Night, and Good Luck." Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov
"Match Point" Written by Woody Allen
"The Squid and the Whale" Written by Noah Baumbach
"Syriana" Written by Stephen Gaghan
Saw "Crash", "Good Night" and "Squid"
"Crash" could win, but there seems to be a backlash
Is "Good Night" where they'll honor Clooney?
I love Woody, but he's been accused of copping Dostoevsky, and he isn't Hollywood.
"Squid" is too small a story.
Some people, even those who LIKED the movie, found "Syriana" incomprehensible.
What will win: Crash (?)
What should win: Crash
What I'm rooting for: Crash

Achievement in directing

"Brokeback Mountain" Ang Lee
"Capote" Bennett Miller
"Crash" Paul Haggis
"Good Night, and Good Luck" George Clooney
"Munich" Steven Spielberg
Lee is an eclectic director with an impressive body of work. Just don't think it'll be Miller, and I figure Haggis will get the screenplay. Hollywood has often been generous to actors who direct (Beatty, Costner, Eastwood). And of course, one cannot write off Spielberg.
Saw all all except "Munich"
Who will win: Lee
Who should win: Lee or Spielberg
Who I'm rooting for: Lee or Spielberg

Best motion picture of the year

"Brokeback Mountain" A River Road Entertainment Production, Diana Ossana and James Schamus, Producers
"Capote" An A-Line Pictures/Cooper's Town/ Infinity Media Production, Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven, Producers
"Crash" A Bob Yari/DEJ/Blackfriar's Bridge/ Harris Company/ApolloProscreen GmbH & Co./Bull's Eye Entertainment Production, Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, Producers
"Good Night, and Good Luck." Good Night Good Luck LLC Production, Grant Heslov, Producer
"Munich" A Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel, Producers
Saw all except "Munich"
I guess it's between "Brokeback" and "Crash". One of the Washington Post movie critics believe that the older Oscar voters will get the "Brokeback" DVD and not get through it; he picks "Capote".
What will win, what I think should win, and what I'm rooting for: Crash

In any case, I'll watch the show Sunday, and then read Tom the Dog's cogent, if not sober, analysis on Monday.

Have I Ever...

When I was a kid, my birthday was always during Lent. I was always bummed by that, because I thought I was always supposed to be giving up something at a point when I wanted to, well, GET stuff.
Now, I revisit the idea of Lent as more of a reflective time.
Incidentally, my birthday was on Shrove Tuesday in 2000, and it'll be during the Mardi Gras period again in 2038.

Purloined from Tosy and Cosh.

1. Smoked cigarettes - Yes, about two dozen total in the late 1970s, usually while drinking.
2. Smoked a cigar - I tried once, couldn't do it.
3. Broken a CD - Not "smashed", but I spilled Coke on one, and it was irrevocably wrecked.
4. Crashed a friend's car - Well, actually not wrecked, but I did once knock over a Dumpster while going in reverse when I wanted to be going forward.
5. Stolen a car - Well, technically, no.
6. Been in love - Oh, yeah....
7. Been dumped - A number of times, the last time by e-mail.
8. Shoplifted - When I was a kid, chewing gum. Got caught, had to bring it back and apologize. Mortifying.
9. Been fired - No, although I did quit one job because I feared being fired. Also, I HATED the job, so no great loss, except financially.
10. Been in a fist fight - Yes. Three times, when I was 7, 11, and 16, none initiated by me, and at least two of which will be blog fodder for the future.
11. Snuck out of your house - Oh, yeah, to see HS girlfriend.
12. Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back - sure.
13. Been arrested - Yes, intentionally. May 8, 1972. There's a story there, too.
14. Made out with a stranger - Yes, at a Halloween party 20 years ago.
15. Gone on a blind date - No.
16. Lied to a friend - Undoubtedly, probably "for their own good", or so I thought at the time.
17. Had a crush on a teacher - Yes, 12th grade English.
18. Skipped school - I had perfect attendance from 3rd to 11th grade. 12th grade? Not so perfect.
19. Slept with a co-worker - Yes, unfortunately. When you break up and you're still working together, it's tricky. Especially when our mutual boss abdicated, making me her boss.
20. Seen someone die - No, but I've been there within the hour a couple times - my great uncle Ed and my father.
21. Been on a plane - Yes., most recently a year ago. It's like a flying bus; I don't much like it.
22. Thrown up in a bar - No.
23. Taken painkillers - Yes, given to me by my father, for soexcrruciatinging pain some two decades ago.
24. Love someone or miss someone right now - Oh, my, yes.
25. Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by - Yes, and I will again.
26. Made a snow angel - Yes.
27. Played dress up - Yes.
28. Cheated while playing a game - Not to my recollection.
29. Been lonely - Yes.
30. Fallen asleep at work/school - Yes
31. Used a fake id - Don't think so.
32. Felt an earthquake - Yes, and at least twice in upstate New York.
33. Touched a snake - I think so, but I'm honestly not sure.
34. Ran a red light - No.
35. Been suspended from school - No.
36. Had detention - Don't think so.
37. Been in a car accident - At least three, one bad enough to put me in the hospital for a couple days. and physical therapy for six weeks.
38. Hated the way you look - Yes. there are these dreadful glasses I had when I was 13.
39. Witnessed a crime - I'd say so. I was walking with my mother and this loutish man was screaming at and shoving a woman. I wanted to intercede, but my mother was nervous, so I ran home and called the cops.
40. Pole danced - My, no.
41. Been lost - When I was three or four, I went exploring at Ross Park. I didn't think I was lost, butparentstly my partents did.
42. Been to the opposite side of the country - Yes.
43. Felt like dying - Yes, but not lately.
44. Cried yourself to sleep - Yes, but not lately.
45. Played cops and robbers - Probably.
46. Sang karaoke - Strangely, no. Not adverse to it, just never happened. Did sing live, background vocals to "Disco Inferno" a couple years ago, which was interesting.
47. Done something you told yourself you wouldn't - Sure, usually involving food.
48. Laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose - Probably.
49. Caught a snowflake on your tongue - Of course.
50. Kissed in the rain - Absolutely.
51. Sing in the shower - Yes, but only at home, not at the Y.
52. Made love in a park - Yes.
53. Had a dream that you married someone - Yes.
54. Glued your hand to something - Don't think so.
55. Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole - No, but saw the movie.
56. Worn the opposite sex's clothes - See my Halloween post
57. Had an orgasm - Oh, come on!
58. Sat on a roof top - Not nearly often enough.
59. Didn't take a shower for a week - Yes, when I was living at my grandmother's house in 1975.
60. Ever too scared to watch scary movies alone - No. I tend to avoid them alone or with companions.
61. Played chicken - By this, I assume he means the "Funky Chicken" - yes.
62. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on - Not "pushed", but I've gone in voluntarily a few times.
63. Been told you're hot by a complete stranger- No. Dammit.
64. Broken a bone - No.
65. Been easily amused - I write a blog, don't I?
66. Laugh so hard you cry - Yes, at the scene of "Young Frankenstein" with the blind man. There have been other times since.
67. Mooned/flashed someone - No.
68. Cheated on a test - Yes. 9th grade biology. Didn't get caught either, but I regretted it greatly.
69. Forgotten someone's name - I am absolutely awful with names. Horrible. Everyone should wear nametags.
70. Slept naked - In the summer.
71. Gone skinny dipping in a pool- Yes, and also in a pond.
72. Been kicked out of your house - No.
73. Blacked out from drinking - No.
74. Played a prank on someone - Probably, little things, nothing cruel.
75. Gone to a late night movie - The first was Rocky Horror.
76. Made love to anything not human - Nope.
77. Failed a class - a pre-law course in college.
78. Choked on something you're not supposed to eat - Don't think so.
79. Played an instrument for more than 10 hours - No.
80. Cheated on a gf/bf - Unfortunately. I've come to the conclusion that you don't have to actually have physical intimacy to cheat.
81. Ate a whole package of Oreos - Maybe half, not lately.
82. Thrown strange objects - I don't know what this means. Like cows?
83. Felt like killing someone - Metaphorically? Sure. Literally? Probably not.
84. Thought about running away - Yes.
85. Ran away - No.
86. Did drugs - Occasional MJ use over 20 years ago. And didn't much enjoy it. Tended to make me sleepy.
87. Had detention and not attend it - No.
88. Yelled at parents - Don't think so.
89. Made parent cry - Not that I can recall.
90. Cried over someone - Oh, heck, yeah.
91. Owned more than 5 puppies - Puppies? No. I've had one dog in my whole life. Once had three kittens at the same time.
92. Dated someone more than once - I assumed "dated" means, "had a dating relationship with". Yes, and with more than one person.
93. Have a dog - No.
94. Have a cat - Not for a couple decades.
95. Own an instrument - Yes. A tambourine, some other percussion.
96. Been in a band - Folk trio- yes. Rock band? No.
97. Had more than 25 sodas in one day - My stars, no.
98. Made out with a member of the same sex - Nope. Mildly curious many years ago.
99. Shot a gun - My grandfather's rifle when I was 7. Landed on my keister.
100. Been online for more than 5 hours straight - Possible, but unlikely.

The Ego Rises to the Top

My birthday is this week. Most every day this week, I'm going to write about me. Heck, it's a blog - everything I write is about me at some level.

But this month, even more so. Not every day, though. Tomorrow? Probably.

For instance, this from the strange world of Greg Burgas:

Roger Green -- [adjective]: Visually addictive 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I always wanted to be an adjective.


My sister Leslie sent this one:

MARCH - Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved.
Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and
serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered.
Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses
others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves
attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decor.
Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

I don't think I'm "revengeful", and I'm not much into decor, but the rest of it has some validity, either currently or in the past.


Then there's this from Kelly Brown:

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

This is SO wrong on so many levels. If I were a Muppet, CLEARLY I would be Kermit "Bein' Green" the Frog.

Anyway, this is what I want as my birthday present. No, you don't have to send presents (though I would never turn down a music mix).

What I want is to get my name in lights, as it were. Specifically, I want to make it to the top seven in Google by my birthday. Presently, I'm at position 9. I have hit the front page a couple times, but then retreated on the roster. Two weeks ago I was #10, then was #14 the next day. Now, I don't expect to overtake Fung Shui Seminars with Roger Green or Roger Green Sound and Vision or even discredited state Assemblyman Roger L. Green, but maybe I could supplant some of the others.

So, if you would: go to Google once a day, type in Roger Green, then click on the posting for Ramblin' with Roger. Maybe by March 7, I can hit the big time, Google-wise. BTW, type in Roger Owen Green, and Ramblin' IS #1 on the Googleplex.

As they used to say in those old Bartles and James commercials, "Thank you for your support."
***

Here's a labored coincidence: I got a bunch of people coming to this blog in the latter half of last month. Checking the source log, it came as a result of Fred Hembeck's kind weekly plug and from a mention of Olympic figure skater Tanith Belbin at Tom the Dog's reply section. Meanwhile Tom the Dog opined about Gilmore Girls, one of the few shows Carol and I watch together. Mr. Hembeck also is a fan. So, in honor of that synchronicity in this Dog eat Dog world, here's a pic of Lauren Graham from Thunderdog. Told you it was labored.
***
And lest I forget: the four librarians in my office at the NYS Small Business Development Center now have a blog as well, targeting the small business community and our SBDC advisors. We each contribute something once a week. My day is Tuesday. Actually, we've been doing it for several months, but it was an intranet site. Subsequently, we decided that there wasn't anything that would be violating confidentiality. So the Research Network blog is here.

TV Cable a la carte

You probably saw the article earlier this month noting the Federal Communications Commission's reversal about a la carte cable programming, or in the words of Ray Davies, "Give the people what they want."

First off, I'm puzzled.

The story is clear that Congressional legislation is likely needed to effect the change, so it wasn't as though the change came with the report, only the Commission's position on cable programming. So the play it got confounded me.

Also, I'm suspicious.

I certainly don't know if it would be cheaper or not to configure individual homes, this one with channels 1-25 and that one with channels 11-35, although it is counterintuitive to think that if they charge $50 for 100 channels, the companies will now start charging $25 for 50 channels. There are some fixed costs, I would imagine.

What I'm suspicious of is promises. The 1996 Telecommunications Act was supposed to create greater competition, and therefore lower prices for cable television. This simply has not happened.

Some analysts suggest that there will be fewer new cable cable stations, because without being bundled, people will be less likely to choose a not yet aired network.
Finally, I'm concerned.

I'm hoping that whatever is ultimately worked out makes some sort of provision for "must-carry" stations. It is local programming, generally news, that distinguishes watching TV in Detroit from Denver or Dallas. The homogenization of TV (and OK, malls and lots of aspects of American life) worries me. Maybe it's windmill-tilting, but I like being able to turn on a TV in a hotel and actually have some idea where the heck I am, besides seeing the "On the 8s" graphic on The Weather Channel.

Oscar Poll; Dennis Weaver

The Internet Movie Database is taking an unscientific poll, asking for people's "dark horse" pick for the Oscar:
Jake Gyllenhaal for Best Supporting Actor 1881 (18.0%)
George Clooney for Best Director 1145 (11.0%)
Matt Dillon for Best Supporting Actor 998 (9.6%)
Keira Knightley for Best Actress 858 (8.2%)
Munich for Best Picture 797 (7.6%)
Good Night, and Good Luck for Best Picture 694 (6.6%)
Terrence Howard for Best Actor 631 (6.0%)
Capote for Best Picture 585 (5.6%)
Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress 572 (5.5%)
David Strathairn for Best Actor 518 (5.0%)
Other 451 (4.3%)
Steven Spielberg for Best Director 422 (4.0%)
William Hurt for Best Supporting Actor 327 (3.1%)
Judi Dench for Best Actress 225 (2.2%)
Charlize Theron for Best Actress 161 (1.5%)
Frances McDormand for Best Supporting Actress 143 (1.4%)
Bennett Miller for Best Director 34 (0.3%)
A total of 10442 votes were collected.
(as of 3 pm today)
I voted for Knightley, even though I never saw the movie Pride and Prejudice, because my wife liked her performance so much.
***

When my sister Leslie and I were little, we'd limp around the house, saying "Comin', Mr. Dillon." Somehow, this was terribly funny when we were 7 or 8. We were watching Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, the limping deputy to James Arness' rugged Marshall Matt Dillon, a role he played during the first half of the long run of "Gunsmoke".

Later, I watched the fish-out-of-water "McCloud", who was promoted to sheriff. He seemed to always get the bad guy, despite the doubts of New York City's finest. McCloud was a 60-minute, 90-minute and 2-hour show on NBC in the early 1970s, often in rotation with shows such as "Columbo" and "McMillan and Wife".

As a fine working actor, he took on many other parts, including on the the Simpsons, but I can't help but to identify him by these two pivotal roles. He died on Friday, but I only heard today.

Sunday Funnies: The Black Comic Book, Pt. 7

The last piece on The Colored Negro Black Comic Book by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon. Yes, I know it's Monday, but if Kelly Brown can do Weird Thoughts Monday on Tuesday, and her husband Lefty can do Friday Three Questions on Saturday, who am I to be a purist?

Note: in the comic strip tradition all the words in the strip are in capitals, but for readability, I've deigned to write in standard English. Also the words that are in bold in the strip are in red in this text.

"B.S.", a 4-page reply to "B.C."

Page 1:
White caveman (sharpening spear): What are you doing?

Page 2, Panel 1:
Black caveman (holding arrow): I am inventing something called the wheel…
Page 2, Panel 2:
Black caveman: What are you doing?

Page 3:


Page 4:
Both cavemen dead, one from spear, one from arrow.
Cave boy: What did they do?
Father: They just invented brotherhood!

All they were saying was, "Give peace a chance." There were a lot of songs about getting along at the time, notably "Friendship Train" by Gladys Knight and the Pips: "Unrest between races must come to an end." That song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who wrote a number of "message" songs for the Temptations.

***

"Brother Blackberry", a 1 page parody of "Brother Juniper", not in Toonopedia, but in my local newspapers when I was a kid.



Well, if God did make us in His/Her/Their image... There are lots of pictures of black Jesuses in black people’s homes I visited, even to this day.

***

"Likriss Sikniss", a 1-page reflection of "Dennis the Menace"



Some things that one wants to avoid have no race.

***

"Believe It or Watts!", a 2-page riff on "Ripley's Believe It or Not"

Page 1:

Page 2 (left side)
Nude man sitting in steamy area:
Narrative: This black man has slept in a hot coal bed for fifteen years!! (Before that, he was an idiot albino from Kalamazoo!)

Page 2 (right side):
Tree carved with word “black”.
Markings found on a white birch in Caucasia, Pa. The tree is owned by Mrs. Fiona Black, whose son carved his name into it.

(In arrow): Look what can be done with Sidney Poitier’s name:
which involved the words Hi, Doris Day (from the D and O in his name), plus Rosh Hashona, apple, Ship, parsley, Altoona, Nipsey, CORE, and NAACP in crossword form

The first page was a pretty OK piece, but the second generated a Huh? from me.

And that’s it, except for these final thoughts:

Thanks to the anonymous correspondent who identified the Little King as the antecedent for "King Coal" a couple weeks ago. It has been rectified in the original posting.

The book publisher, Price/Stern/Sloan, also put out other books at the time, including You Were Born on a Rotten Day, The Power of Positive Pessimism and my favorite, the Wit and Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew, which was a title page, followed by a bunch of blank pages.

It was great to find something that the comic book fans, which I (marginally) still am, would appreciate.

The Lydster, Part 23: B.L., L.S.

Lydia's doing OK, getting over an ear infection and a persistent cough, talking more, growing. She walked down the stairs by herself yesterday, not using the railing, but leaning on the wall, for the first time; I didn't help her at all, but I was two steps below her, you'd better believe. Since her birthday is next month, I thought I'd write about life before Lydia.

Ever since the beginning of this millennium, we've been - how do you Americans put it? - "trying". For whatever reason, it wasn't happening. So we were "tested", me first because it's "easier". So when it finally happened that Carol was pregnant, we were excited, but also stunned. I had all but given up hope, and I was OK with that. So now, we have to rearrange our focus.

One of the things I thought I would do when Carol was pregnant, then after Lydia was born, was to keep a journal for her to read when she got older. Well, the journal was used before the birth, but not at all after the fact. Indeed, this blog was created, at least in part, so that I could note Lydia's development at least once a month.

In some ways, the best part of the early part of the pregnancy was that period of about a month between when we found out and when we told our parents. It was our little secret, wonderfully conspiratorial.

Naturally, we needed to go on vacation - who knows when we'll be able to do THAT again? - and we picked an inn in Poland Springs, ME, (yes, near where they bottle the water), a quirky place that was quite reasonable. If they say dinner is from 5 to 6:30, you'd best be there at that time, for at 7, the room is transformed into the entertainment center. One of the particular rules is that there be no children, so we know we're not likely to be there again anytime soon.

Carol's friend Alison started referring to the expected baby as Little Soul, which we adopted. It beat saying "him/her".
8/7/03 - Ultrasound. LS is 6 mm long
10/15/03- Ultrasound, LS heart beating strongly. we opt against the amniocentesis.
10/17/03- The news goes "wide" about LS.
11/7/03-Lots of people are being very generous to us, giving us clothes, toys, equipment.
11/12/03- Went to a specialist and saw a "Level 2" ultrasound. LS's body has the right amount of fluid, the brain is the right proportion. weight: 11 ounces. Due date 3/31/04. But LS was positioned so we could not determine the gender, which was OK.

12/3/03- Putting together a CD for LS (finished 12/23). LS is "making it difficult for her mother to sleep, which is making it hard for ME to sleep."
12/29/03- Gave Carol CD for LS's 0th Christmas. "It is my desire that you develop an eclectic taste in music (not necessarily mine, though some overlap would be nice.)"
1/2/04- "Lots of people ask, Do we want a boy or a girl and what type of person (shy, showy, etc.) we want. Don't care. You'll probably be smart (it's in the genes), but I hope you'll really appreciate music. Doesn't have to be the music I like, but I'm thinking you'll come around eventually."

***
I was reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears to Lydia yesterday. It was a version that our babysitter Anne gave to her. It's illustrated by Gill Guile (love that name) and published by Brimax of Newcastle, England, copyright 1995.
I thought I knew the story until I got to the last page, which reads:
"Now the three bears always make sure that the cottage door is locked when they go for a walk in the forest. They do not want anyone else eating their porridge, breaking their chairs or sleeping in their beds."
I missed that part in the version I grew up with.

Don Knotts, R.I.P.

Someone asked about black and white vs. color movies recently, and one could make a case for each. But Don Knotts, who died yesterday, was the perfect character inside that TV set in the mostly black and white film Pleasantville.
Of course, he's best known as Barney Fife on Andy Griffith Show, a five-time Emmy winner. The show suffered greatly after his departure. I watched religiously for the well-meaning, but inept deputy to mangle something that Sheriff Taylor would put aright. But Barney always had a good heart, right under the pocket where he usually kept that one bullet for his gun.
I even watched an episode of Matlock, just to see Andy and Don back at work.
He almost was enough to make me watch Three's Company, but not quite.
***
Johnny B. notes the death of "Kolchak: the Night Stalker" star Darren McGavin.

John R. Cash

I appreciated Johnny Cash well enough when I was growing up. I watched his 1969-1971 TV show, mostly because he had great guests such as Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young. I enjoyed his music on the radio, but didn't buy any of his albums until Class of '55, his 1986 collaboration with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins.

Then, someone gave me that first American Recording, produced by Rick Rubin, that came out in 1994. And I was hooked. I figured the second disc, with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backup band, would be a big hit in 1996. It was well-received, but only got to #170 on the charts. By the time I bought the third album in 2000, which features Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat", I had started picking up some of Johnny's earlier work as well, Folsom Prison and San Quentin.

I was slackjawed when I saw the "Hurt" video from the fourth album, and cried when I saw it again after Johnny died in 2003.

Subsequently, I picked up the American Recordings box set. Fans of Johnny might want to pick up his daughter Rosanne's new album, "Black Cadillac". The video that comes with the disc, and which can also be found on her website really enhances the listening experience.

In my office, we refer to the man as "John R.", because the title of this piece is the name in which the songs he wrote were copyrighted.

Never did see the movie "Walk the Line", and I REALLY wanted to, but it's available Tuesday on DVD.

Rock meme:
Artist/Band: Johnny Cash (b. 2/26/1932, d. 9/12/2003)
Are you male or female: Boy Named Sue; Man in Black
Describe yourself: I Walk the Line
How do some people feel about you: Come In Stranger
How do you feel about yourself: I Won't Back Down
Describe what you want to be: Everybody Loves a Nut
Describe how you live: Against the Wind
Describe how you love: I Love You Because
Share a few words of wisdom: One Place at a Time
***
Today, some time after 5 pm EST, there will be 6.5 billion people on this planet, according to the Census population clock.

George Harrison

Today would have been George Harrison's 63rd birthday. Or maybe tomorrow; even George was confused about it. For years he thought he was born early on the 25th, but in his forties came to believe he was born late on the 24th.

Regardless, I've been listening to a lot of Harrison music, including an album friend Fred put together of George's songs with the Beatles. See if you can identify them. They are in chronological order, and I'm thinking the running times might help. (To reveal the answers, just block over the white space.)

Notes: These are the songs written and sung by George that appeared on the Beatles CDs. So no "Cry for a Shadow", the early Harrison/Lennon instrumental. No Carl Perkins covers, such as "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby" or Lennon/McCartney songs, such as "I'm Happy Just To Dance with You".
The list does include the songs on the Anthology albums, at the point they would have appeared on a Beatles album, had they been releaseded at the time. It contains only one version of the song; thus, no Anthology "Taxman", only Revolver "Taxman".. It includes songs from Anthology 3 that George ultimately performed on his solo albums.

1. Don't Bother Me 2:31
2. You Know What To Do 2:00
3. I Need You 2:33
4. You Like Too Much 2:40
5. Think For Yourself 2:20
6. If I Needed Someone 2:25
7. Taxman 2:41
8. Love You To 3:00
9. I Want to Tell You 2:31
10. Within You Without You 5:07
11. Blue Jay Way 3:58
12. The Inner Light 2:38
13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 4:47
14. Piggies 2:06
15. Long, Long, Long 3:06
16. Savoy Truffle 2:56
17. Not Guilty 3:24
18. Only A Northern Song 3:26
19. It's All Too Much 6:27
20. Old Brown Shoe 3:20
21. Something 3:05
22. Here Comes the Sun 3:07
23. For You Blue 2:34
24. I Me Mine 2:27
25. All Things Must Pass 3:06
***
David Bromberg was in town recently. (Unfortunately, I didn't see him.) A review alluded to him writing a song with George. I assume the writer was referring to The Holdup, which I have on vinyl from over 30 years ago. The line about taxes sounded very Harrison, but it seemed incongruous for the peaceful guy to come up with "I'll put a bullet right through your best liver." I found clips of the song all over the Internet, the same 29-second snippet, which leaves off one of my favorite lines in all of pop music: "Wealth is disease, and I am the cure."
***
Rock Meme:
Artist/Band: George Harrison (b. 2/24/1943, d. 11/29/2001)
Are you male or female: Far East Man
Describe yourself: Under the Mersey Wall
How do some people feel about you: Mystical One
How do you feel about yourself: Run of the Mill
Describe what you want to be: Breath Away from Heaven
Describe how you live: Living in the Material World
Describe how you love: Love Comes to Everyone
Share a few words of wisdom: All Things Must Pass; Answer's at the End

(No) Opinion

Sometimes, I just don't care. That is, I really don't have an opinion. One example is when my wife wants to know if we should paint the walls eggshell white or ecru. Don't care. Really. I cede my opinion, and I won't complain later. I promise.

Because I'm a blogger, people sometime say to me, "You ought to write about X." Usually, except on those occasions four times a year (your chance is coming next month) when I allow readers of this blog to boss me around, I usually decline. Sometimes, it's because the topic doesn't interest me.

More likely, though, I DO care about the topic. (I'm very opinionated.) I just don't have very much to say, or much to add to the existing discussion.

For instance:

How do I feel about the controversial Tom Toles cartoon? The Washington Post was right to publish it.

What do I think of the publication of the Danish cartoon depicting Islam in a bad light? They had the right to publish, although from what I've read and seen, the Danish papers were rather paternalistic in telling the 2% of the population Danish Muslims, "This is the way we do things here." I thought some of the other papers publishing was unnecessarily incendiary.

What do I think of the violence from that? I'm against it. (Duh.)

What do I think of Google defying a Dept. of Justice subpoena? I'm in favor, and shame on Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft.

What do I think of Google censoring its search services in China? I find it troubling.

Are you worried about mad cow or anthrax? Not especially.

How about the avian flu? I feel as though I should be worried about it, but I know our government will protect us.

And that's it. Nothing pithy. No attempts (however poor) to be funny or clever, or except in the last example, snarky. Snarky - a word I never used before 2005.

Conversely, I am interested in all sorts of things, such as:

Wolfgang's Vault: Bill Graham and his concert promotion company produced more than 35,000 concerts all over the world. His first venue, the legendary Fillmore Auditorium, was home to many of rock's greatest performers - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Prince - and the list goes on and on.

"Graham taped thousands of live performances and stored the tapes in the basement of the BGP headquarters.

"These tapes and the concerts they captured lay dormant until the Bill Graham archive was acquired by Wolfgang's Vault (Bill Graham's given first name was Wolfgang) in 2003."
Opinion: access to this music is very exciting. There's also a bunch of stuff for sale - Graham was a pack rat - such as vintage posters, t-shirts and tickets.

Youtube.com is low-resolution source of re-edited movie trailers and other video items. From a wire story: "Brokeback Team America" - This clip marries the audio from Brokeback Mountain trailer to scenes from Matt Parker and Trey Stone's puppets-only flick." Other titles listed: Sleepless in Seattle (stalker movie), Shining ("Jerry Maguire-ish candygram), Brokeback to the Future (Marty and Doc Brown's tale re-edited). I found a performance of Let It Be from the movie of the same name. 6700 uploaded videos.
Opinion: Could be lots of people's favorite waste of time, such as Mike.

I love word play.

I was inclined to follow Mark Evanier's thinking on Dubai, but I was mystified. Why is THIS where W threatens his VERY FIRST veto EVER, when the war in Iraq and at least the trial balloons re: our policy towards Palestine under Hamas are more likely to inflame Arab sentiment?
Then I saw this: White House Has Ties to Dubai Firm Taking Over Ports. Then all was made clear.

In the Olympics, I'm glad that Belbin and Agosto won the silver in ice dancing, as I thought they might a couple months ago and I know that schaudenfraude has taken over when I say I'm really glad Bode Miller is 0 for 4 in his medal search.

But my favorite part of the Olympics are the commercials. I haven't seen the one for "The Office", but my wife liked it. I saw a piece for "Scrubs", where J.D. is getting bad marks from the judge from Janitoria. My favorite, though, has Campbell Brown doing a mock promo: "This is Olympic Ice on NBC." When told it was really the USA Network, she storms off the set and says, "I don't DO cable." Guess you had to be there. As E. B. White said, "Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."