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Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Timing Is Everything

Kenneth Lay, 64, one of the Enron felons, died today. And my initial thought was "Bummer." I wanted him to live a good long life and, it was hoped, develop some real contrition. Is this grossly insensitive?
***
Someone sent me a review copy of a TCM movie "Edge of Outside", a TCM original documentary about independent movie makers such as John Cassavetes, John Sayles, Spike Lee and many more. I got it today. The show premieres tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. Ain't gonna be reviewing it before then. It DOES rebroadcast later tonight, and again on July 19, so I will review it anyway.

The Librarian Who Didn't Read

In her part of the blogiverse, Kelly writes: "But here is my ultimate question.....How many books can one person read at a given time?"

Here's something that bothers me somewhat. Lately I don't read any books. I mean from cover to cover. I START lots of books, but never finish them.

For instance, my friend Janna lent me "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay", the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Michael Chabon, TWO YEARS AGO. It's of the comic book genre, with which I have a passing familiarity. Yet at some point, I stopped, and I'd have to start all over again.

I took out "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, started reading, and got annoyed, because I'm reading the stuff I read before and haven't gotten to the new stuff yet.

I have any number of books by Bob Woodward (Wired, The Commanders, The Brethren) started but never completed, not to mention of other political books in the same boat.

The only reason I finished that Jimmy Carter book (barely) that I reviewed last month is that it rained at the Hall of Fame game.

Several years back, well Before Lydia, I belonged to a book club and read at least 10 books a year, so I USED to be able to read books.

I find anymore that I prefer the company of things I can refer to - I AM a reference librarian - such as the Joel Whitburn Billboard charts books, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide and other cinema books, The Complete Guide to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows, ESPN Sports Almanac, guides to specific TV shows, and the like.

And I do read periodicals, LOTS of periodicals, actually, things I can start and stop reading, such as newspapers and magazines. And when it's Wednesday and I haven't finished Sunday's newspaper- often the case - I feel a little guilty reading other stuff.

But this summer, I'm reading a book. Maybe two. Probably one I already own (or have borrowed). And now that I've put it out there, I imagine/expect that you'll hold me to it.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Declare yourself hopeful

Patriotic oldies you should list to while you read this, preferably aloud.

Modified from an e-mail from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee:
Dear Friends, Independence Day 2006 is here! As we celebrate 230 years of liberty and democracy, we must reclaim the spirit of our founding principles and stand up for the freedoms that we've lost in recent years. Let's bring awareness to our communities about the erosion of constitutional protections and insist that our representatives help us fight to restore the Bill of Rights. We have compiled some suggestions from a recent conference call with community activists. BORDC will post all of your events on our website, so others in your town or around the nation can see what’s happening in your area. Please send your Independence Day event information to Linda Stone or to Hope Marston*Here are Independence Day ideas for reclaiming the message!
Meet with your Congressional representatives. While Congress is in recess, July 1-9, it’s a good time to set up local meetings, or attend their town hall meetings. Take lots of allies! Find Congressional contact information here We'll also exchange tips and challenges to setting up appointments with members of Congress.
Connect with Independence Day events already occurring in your area. Pass out flyers at parades and community gatherings. Flyers. Carry placards in your local parade. Placards. Distribute Bill of Rights book marks. Bookmarks. Pass out BORDC "Dissent is Patriotic" buttons and bumper stickers. Catalogue.
Ask your local officials to hold public hearing/fact-finding sessions. Public utility commissions and attorney generals can hold such sessions to determine local reaction to domestic surveillance, and whether local and state laws have been abridged. In many states, the ACLU has already begun this process.

Recent News coverage:
Oregon 1
Oregon 2
Washington
Maine
Hawaii

If your community has not yet passed a resolution affirming civil liberties, draft a petition to demonstrate support for a local resolution and circulate it at local July 4th events.

Convert your community resolution into an ordinance, which has the force of law. Take a look at the following ordinances from eight communities: Ordinances Start work on a statewide resolution. State toolkit
Get petition signatures at local events for a resolution based on this model resolution: Resolution
Call on your local public utilities to disclose whether or not they are releasing customer phone records to the government’s domestic spy program.
Send a letter to the Federal Communications Commission demanding the FCC investigate AT&T and Bell South's role in domestic spying for the NSA at a time when these two companies are seeking approval for a merger.
Send a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission:FCC

Start a Circle of Scribes for a Letter to the Editor campaign. If you are part of a BOR (or related) group, plan a get together to write multiple letters. Workshop

Organize a "FOIA Request Party." Since the government seems so interested in gathering data on political activists, let’s flood them for requests for information about what they’ve found! Gather a group to fill out forms for Freedom of Information Act requests to find out what information is in your government files, as the Pittsburgh Bill of Rights Defense Committee is doing in conjunction with the local ACLU. You may contact Dean Gerber of the Pittsburgh BORDC for more information. Info

Oregon attorney Dan Stotter, who has a website to guide you through the process, will provide an initial consultation at no charge. FOI Advocates


Keep in mind, however, that the FOIA process is a marathon, seemingly designed to test your endurance. If you really want to get the documents from the government, you have to be willing to run the entire marathon, and work the paper trail. BORDC plans to engage volunteer organizers in a phone workshop on this subject in the near future. Let us know if this is something you’d be interested in participating in!
Another important part of any event is to have good media coverage.Please let us know if you would like some help drafting a news release.
Thanks for all you do!
Linda Stone
Hope Marston
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
413 582-0110; 541 683-1604 BORDC
***
A variation on the theme.
***
A video, Henry Rollins: A Love Letter To Ann Coulter
***
Greg's take on "values"
***
A strange perversion on the concept, here and here

Monday, July 03, 2006

What Year Do I Belong In

You Belong in 1968

If you scored...

1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all!

1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!


It was my decade for coming of age. But me, drugs? I'm MUCH too wholesome.

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Black Comedy

In your life, things are so twisted that you just have to laugh.
You may end up insane, but you'll have fun on the way to the asylum.

Your best movie matches: Being John Malkovich, The Royal Tenenbaums, American Psycho


I LOVED Malkovich. Not sure that I truly GOT Tennebaums. NO interest in seeing American Psycho.
***
Got this press release from Cantaloupe Music, "the NYC-based art/indie label", announcing the release of a promotional mp3 download from their latest release, "Bang on a Can/Don Byron: A Ballad for Many." I was interested in this because clarinetist/composer Don Byron played in the area recently. "The CD is dedicated to ground-breakers, with a large-scale work dedicated to one-of-a-kind comic/satirist/star Ernie Kovacs [!] (this mp3 is an excerpt from this), and to the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African-American WWII-era fighter squadron.
The excerpt, "Eugene II", is available here, while the album (which I have not heard) is available through iTunes and/or Cantaloupe Music.
***
No Nomar in the All Star Game? No way!

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Patriotic Question/Summer Question

I was watching Wednesday's Good Morning America the other day (naturally, NOT on Wednesday) when I saw something in the news scroll that puzzled me. According to some survey, "America's the most patriotic country", followed by Venezuela (the "Chavez factor") and Ireland. So what does that MEAN? The article describes the criteria. Which, of course, begat the question for this Canada Day/U.S. Independence Day weekend:

1. What does patriotism mean to you?

It means to me, to lift it up when it's right, to help it when it's in trouble, to point out when it's off track. It means to register and vote, to encourage others to do the same, to bug our elected officials, to be an aware citizen.

Oh, and It's Summer. I have some old Nat Cole song on my mind, maybe because it WON'T make it onto Kelly Brown's School's Out for Summer CD Mix, only because I don't own it.

So my other question, in the words of Marshall Crenshaw:

2. What is your favorite waste of time? For me, it Free Cell on the computer, usually when I can't sleep.

Your replies are always appreciated.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

"The champagne was..."

We tried to keep Lydia from watching TV before she was 2, and even now we try to limit it. But I was curious just what WAS out there for kids. So, I was flicking through the kids' tier of programming recently when I came across as show called Popular Mechanics for Kids. It purportedly starred a tween boy and girl, but clearly the girl was the star. (In fact, at some point, the boy was replaced.) The girl, Elisha, is a goalie in a hockey match! Elisha makes her own rap song! I looked at the credits. The show was filmed in the later 1990s (1996 or 1997, for the episodes I looked at), by some Canadian production company. And Elisha turned out to be Elisha Cuthbert, the Perils-of-Kim-Bauer co-star of the FOX TV show "24" .



This got me thinking about famous Canadians. When I grew up I knew about Lorne Greene, Pa Cartwright on "Bonanza", and Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young. But there are lots more: Sandra Oh, Rachel McAdams, Mars Bonfire (writer of that American classic, "Born to Be Wild")

So, in honor of Canada Day, check out:

Well Known People Who Happen to be Canadian

Famous Canadians

It's a beauty way to go.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Pop Redux

Here's one of those Internet connection things. I got this e-mail in mid-April, topic line McKinley Green:

Dear Mr. Green,

I just happened to be browsing the web and I typed in WNBF-TV on Google and as I scrolled I ran across your name and that your father was a janitor at WNBF in the mid-1950s. My brother, John, ran a grocery store at the corner of Oak & Dickinson Streets , in the 1st Ward, called Johnny's Market that used to be Ted Gold's Market previously. Anyway, there was this great gentleman named McKinley Green who would stop in most evenings after work for this or that and we'd chat about one thing or another. I was thirteen or so and it being a family grocery we all knew Mr. Green. As I said he was one of the most pleasant, courteous and charming people I have ever known. When I saw this web notation I just had to ask if this was the same person we knew. If it is the same person I just wanted to let you know I still remember him after all these years. I'll soon be 65 so you know that it has been a long time.

Anyway God Bless the man I knew as McKinley Green.


So I wrote back, clarifying that Pop was my grandfather, but that, yes, those stores were three blocks from my house, on the street of my elementary school.

I wrote my note before I actually read your blog that described your relationship to McKinley. Do you have anymore recollections of your Pop? It's been so many years since those days that it is hard to remember some things. I printed out the portion of the June 24th note to let my sisters read your memories of McKinley. I'm sorry that this grand man passed away so long ago and we didn't realize it. Was it in Binghamton?

So, I sent him a link to this story, which he evidently had not seen.

Since he asked: My grandfather loved tinkering with vehicles. He did some work in the driveway, but mostly, he'd be at some Texaco station downtown near the former post office.

He also read the National Geographic. This is actually something I remember only because he used to give me the maps every month. I used to study those maps all the time, so I developed a pretty good sense of where countries were, world capitals, and the like, at least circa 1971, when I went off to college.

So, while I hadn't thought of it previously, Pop was a vital participant in my educational process. Thanks, Pop.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

The Beatles LOVE, the spectacular

Like many Beatles fan, I took the news of a Cirque du Soleil show featuring Beatles music with a healthy dose of skepticism, even though the idea developed as a result of a friendship between George Harrison and Guy Laliberte, founder of the group.

So, I was much encouraged reading about the project both in last Saturday's Wall Street Journal (page A-2), and in the May-June issue of Beatlefan magazine, issue 160. The show, currently in previews, opens tomorrow in a "$130 million, 2,013-seat theater at the Mirage featuring 360-degree-in-the-round seating and advanced high definition video projections with 100-foot digital moving images."

The Beatles' legendary producer Sir George Martin and his son Giles, who helped create the "authorized mash-up", were on hand when the press, stripped of their cellphones and tape recorders, heard 15 minutes of the 90-minute presentation, which included:

Strawberry Fields (Anthology demo) morphing into an outtake, then the official version at its original speed, with riffs from at least a dozen other Beatles songs: Sgt. Pepper brass section, In My Life keyboards, the Hawaiian chant from Hello, Goodbye, plus Piggies and Penny Lane.

Within You Without You vocal to backing track, and monks, from Tomorrow Never Knows, with snippets of Got To Get You Into My Life.

Lucy In The Sky extended intro before the song.

Orchestration from Good Night with vocal from Octopus's Garden, plus bits of Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Lady Madonna, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

According to the WSJ, there will be "30 recognizable songs with snippets from 150 more." There will be a soundtrack by the end of the year, which I most certainly will want to get (somebody tell my wife, please). Giles Martin said he won't know what it'll sound like until "his bosses", Ringo, Paul, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono give the final word.

So, as I said, I'm encouraged.

Not so incidentally, my subscription to Beatlefan has a strange genesis:

Friend Fred had spent months trying to nag me to order a subscription. Then one day, about a month before my birthday, a copy arrives in the mail. I mentioned it to Fred, and, well...
ME: I thought to subscribe, and I'm in SUCH a fog, that I figured that
I MUST have, but I don't think I probably got around to it. (There
are LOTS of things I do I don't remember doing.) So, THANK YOU very much!
FRED: That's pretty funny! I tried imagining your shock and surprise when that first, unexpected issue showed up, you wondering HOW could this be, and then maybe figuring out yours truly was the one responsible, and gratitude would instantly overwhelm you!
Instead, it comes in, and you figure, "Gee, guess I did subscribe after all!..."
Honestly, that just cracks me up!
But you're gonna love it! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And I HAVE. So, thanks, Fred! Glad to bring some humor to your life.
***
CBS Sunday Morning piece on Paul McCartney, with a sidebar audio by early Beatles proponent DJ Cousin Bruce Morrow, on the significance of "When I'm 64."
***
Mild-mannered reporter, journalism scandal?
***
A belated happy 2nd blogiversary to Tom the Dog.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

I Blame Richard Dawson

When I went to one of my conferences in May, one of the evening entertainment segments was based on the TV show Family Feud. I managed to miss that. But during one of the classroom sessions the next morning, the exercise was ALSO based on the Feud. Two captains were chosen, I was the first one picked, probably because of my vast game show experience, and our library director was picked second.

The game itself was like the TV show, complete with working buzzers. The questions were all business-related, thus its applicability to work. I don't remember much what happened in the second round, when I was in my first face-off, but I do remember the seventh (!) round; there was the capacity to double or even triple the scores, which would have quickened the game, but this was not done.

The question was something like "Name a brand name." I said "Coke". Not on the board. My opponent picked something I thought might be up there, maybe Microsoft. Nope. OK, I picked "Nike". Try again. Opponent picked another loser. I thought I didn't understand the question, and picked "Clorox". Not there. My opponent picked Pepsi. No go. I picked "Dell",. Uh uh. The number one answer was McDonald's, which I might have gotten to, but answers #2-#4 were Starbucks, e-Bay, and Amazon. I knew there were 100 marketing people, but I NEVER would have gotten those last three answers. Still, there's that mild embarassment of going down in flames before several dozen people you work with.

More recently, I was getting a haircut, and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" was on. The question was something like: In Mexico, the program 100 Mexicanos Dijeron translates into which of these classic game shows?" IMMEDIATELY, before they gave the four choices, I knew the answer was Family Feud, even though I didn't recognize the verb. (The contestant didn't know, her lifeline didn't know, and she quit with her $8000.)

All of this to say, I'm going to be taping a program this week called Gameshow Marathon, hosted by Ricki Lake, where some blonde woman named Brande Roderick, who I never heard of (she was Miss April 2000 for Playboy, and later Playmate of the year, but I still don't know why she's particularly FAMOUS - oh, she was on BAYWATCH) will be playing with her friends and family against Kathy Najimy (her I know from King of the Hill, Sister Act, and, God help me, the dreadful Veronica's Closet) and her tribe in an episode of...well, I think you know by now, don't you?
***
Computer problems. Pictures are taking FOREVER to load, even simple graphics like the spell-check icon in Blogger. So if the spelling's been off, I apologize. (I'm actually a good speller, but a lousy typist.) I'll call my provider today.
***
Another TV and movie star has passed away: Moose.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Love and Marriage: June 2006

Carol and I attended our second wedding in a month this weekend. I have two more to attend this year, one in October, one on a date I do not yet know. Lydia came along this time.

Fiona is our most excellent alto soloist in our church choir. Michael is this great guy she met a couple years back. The three of us have played hearts together, although not in the last three months; last time we played, Fiona won, and I want a rematch.

This was an outdoor wedding at Moreau State Park, between Saratoga and Glens Falls. The weather in the morning did not appear at all encouraging, with yet another rainy night in Albany. But the weather cleared.

Carol seemed to think the wedding was at 4 p.m., rather than the stated time of 3:30, which turned out to be a good thing, because we got there at about 3:15, and she would have worried unnecessarily.

The groom, the bride, and her two daughters walked to the site of the wedding accompanied by a bagpiper. The choir sang God Is Love (not the lyrics in italics), accompanied by a guitarist and two violinists from the choir. The minister offered up a brief but joyous service, and then we ate. It was a pot luck, and it worked out well.

Some people commented to me how wonderful it was that the choir was there. I noted we pretty much had to be there. You spend 40 weeks a year, pretty much every Thursday night and Sunday morning with a group of people, and you almost inevitably develop a pretty tight bond. About a previous choir, someone once accused us of being a "clique", and that was probably true. this group may less cliquish, but still pretty close. (That said, Fiona is pretty swell - though she'd be embarrassed to read that.)

I met a woman I'd seen on the bus I sometimes take, who's a drinking buddy of the bride, and who I prostelized about, of all things, blogging.

The park had a playground not 50 yards away, and Lydia and some the other child had a chance to use the slides and do other activities.

To paraphrase the songwriter, "A splendid time was had by all."
***

This is a picture of Darrin and Suzy, from the reception of the first wedding we attended. Today is their first lunaversary. You don't know lunaversary? It is a word I invented: see this.
***
A person whose name appears very often in my record collection, producing love songs, and lots of other genres, died recently. Arif Mardin produced a slew of albums, especially on Atlantic Records, for such varied artists as The Rascals, Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, and most notably, the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha.
***
Unfortunately, the Ann-Adolf romance can never take place.

Monday, June 26, 2006

The Lydster, Part 27: Grandparents to the Rescue


Carol and I went to a wedding on Memorial Day weekend, and we were trying to suss out what to do with Lydia. So we tried the "noble experiment"; she would stay over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. A couple weeks before, on Mother's Day weekend, we mentioned the possibility to her, and she headed right for their vehicle. It wasn't staying with them we worried about, it was how she would be in the morning without either Mommy or Daddy there. It simply hadn't happened before, though her cousins had successfully stayed with them at an earlier age.

Little did we know that, within the month, we would be sending her there again. As I've alluded, Lydia's been sick, with pinkeye, then a bad cold, then an ear infection. I took care of her Friday, June 2, Monday, June 5, and Friday, June 9, plus the mornings of June 6 and 7, where Carol took care of her those afternoons. (We shared the weekend.) We thought she was well enough on the Thursday, but we were evidently wrong. Nor was she well enough on Monday, June 12. So Grandpa picked her up and brought her to his house, an hour and a quarter away. Then some combination of Grandma and Grandpa took care of her at our house Tuesday through Thursday.

She's feeling much better now, I'm pleased to report.

While she was sick, and I was tending to her, she still could be her charming self, applauding to my singing along with whatever record that happened to be on (likely Beatles or Beach Boys).

Glad your feeling better, honey. Love from Daddy. And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa from all of us.
***
Happy first birthday, Norah!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Suicide Isn't Painless: Three Questions

The coincidence of Lefty's question about heaven AND an e-mail I got from a Methodist listserv I belong to generates these questions:

One person was aware of someone who was Roman Catholic who was despairing over a suicide. Another person responded:

According to the online Catechism of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Under Part Three: Life in Christ Section Two: The Ten Commandments Chapter Two: "You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself"
Article 5: The Fifth Commandment I. Respect for Human Life
Subsection on Suicide (Paragraphs 2280-2283) States:
2280
Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.
2281
Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
2282
If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.
2283
We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.


Several people provided examples of a more understanding position by priests, including one who noted that the priest knew [X] and "his homily was warm and touching, indicating no hint of condemnation for suicide. I don't know what the official teaching is on suicide in the Roman Catholic Church, but the practice appears no longer to be condemnation to hell. I have been thinking recently that I would like to investigation this transformation."

This piece, from a more fundamentalistist approach, suggests one person who may have committed suicide but got into heaven (Saul), but generally has a gloomier take on the topic.

So, my three questions:

1. Is there a hell?
2. Who goes there?
3. Does suicide necessarily send you there?

My answers are: Possibly; it's not my call to make; it's not my call to make.
***
I went by a church this week and saw the sign out front that said: "Revelation: The Last Word of God". Somehow, this really bothered me. It was as though God hasn't had anything to say to us in 1900 years. No wonder people thought God was dead.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Roger Answers Your Questions, Gordon and Lefty (or GordonLefty)

Near-twin Gordon Says:I have a few questions:

And I have a few answers.

1) Is it true that Lefty Brown and I are the same person? (After all, you never see us in the same room together)?

Well, that depends on YOUR answer to these two questions:

1. Are you left-handed?
and
2. Have you ever worn a bra on your head?
If the answer to both questions is YES, then maybe you ARE Lefty Brown.

and

2) What's the best thing about living in Albany, NY?


Probably the events: the Alive at Five free concerts, Pinksterfest, Larkfest, events on the Empire State Plaza.

Lefty found need to reply:

First of all...Gordon! Is this some lame attempt to claim ownership of my cd and comic book collection....'cause that can go both ways my friend!

Now questions:

One I've actually have been thinking about emailing you privately...
1.) The EW 25 Controversial films...have you watched Birth of a Nation? If so, what are your reactions to it? I'm trying to frame the question on the place of art versus racism. Take the Triumph of the Wills. I can appreciate the talent and artistry of R....(I forget her name)

(LENI RIEFENSTAHL)
but of course the subject and the use of film as propaganda is oft-times bone-chilling.

I've seen clips, of course, but not the whole thing. Like an argument I once made on behalf of Amos 'N' Andy, I think it SHOULD be seen, and discussed.

2.) You get one and only one Beatles album to survivor the coming Apocalypse. Which one would it be (and no fair going to either of the red or blue collections)?

Beatles Box 2. Oh, that's probably a cheat, too. Logic would dictate #1s, because it's far longer, but I'd probably come down in favor of Revolver over the white album (Revolution 9 seems too apocalyptic.)

3.) Resurrection. Will our lives in heaven being only as souls, or will it be in body as well? If it is bodily, which body type? Tattoos et al? The thinner or fatter me? Etc?

OK, try this on: it's like that story in the Acts of the Apostles where everyone hears the Word in their own tongue. You would be in your best self, but other people would recognize you from whatever stage of life they knew you best.

4.) Is violence ever justified? Do you believe a violent resistance when it comes to protect your loved ones?

Yes, and yes - but only as much as absolutely necessary. That said, I think one should avoid putting oneself in that position, which is why I oppose most wars, including the Iraq war. It is almost inevitable that an Andersonville/Abu Gharib or My Lai/Haditha will result over time, I'm afraid.

5.) Do you have any favorite sports teams?

I always pull for the NY Giants, who come up to Albany for a few weeks each summer.

6.) What musician/band do you find yourself a fan of, that 10 years you would have never expected to like?

The Dixie Chicks. They ripped off their name from the Little Feat song, they're country, all sorts of reasons for disliking them. I got their new album just this week.

7.) Why does Lefty ask so many questions?

He works in a library, which expands his mind for thought-provoking queries such as these.

That's it, for now.

And don't think I've forgotten about you, Gordon. I got my eye on you!


Assuming you're not Gordon.
***
Oh, I'd like to think I was immune to the charms of Aaron Spelling. I seldom watched Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Hotel, Dynasty, The Colbys, T.J. Hooker, or Charmed. OK, I watched the first season of Charlie's Angels, but didn't everyone? And I'd see The Love Boat, when there was a guest star I wanted to see, which was more often than I'd care to admit. But I forgot that Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, Hart to Hart, and probably a whole lot more that I realized were also his work. Aaron Spelling, who was an actor in the 1950s - I did not know that - died yesterday at 83.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Roger Answers Your Questions, Scott and Nik

Our first victim, er, contestant is Scott:

I took that test and got blue as well. Good thing I guess that my blog is already that color.

I thought to change my blog color just for the day, but changed my mind. But the blog is OBVIOUSLY green.

I really enjoy reading "Pearls Before Swine", even if the artwork is lacking.

Yeah, though the artwork is actually growing on me. It's better artistically than early Doonesbury, which was really minimalist, as I recall. In any case, it's probably one of my top three strips.

Questions for Roger:

Yeah, that's just like me, answering questions that weren't even being asked.

1. So far, what has been your biggest-happiest-proudest moment of being Lydia's father?

Don't know, actually. But I can tell you what's tickling me right now. She takes her carriage, the one she used to ride in (but won't now unless she's ill), which is still taller than she is, and walks it around the block, without riding off onto someone's lawn or someone's driveway. Just last week, I was walking behind her and the carriage and someone coming toward me though I must have had a remote control for the carriage. People seeing this from the street side seem to think it's "AWWWW"-inducing. I think it's amazing, since it involves six right turns (one out of the walkway, four at the corners, and one back into the walkway). She must be using her peripheral vision.

Also: she sees my change (coins), and has not indicated any interest in swallowing them. (Conversely, her father swallowed a penny once.) Instead, she brings it to me. This frustrates her mother; when SHE finds my change (on the floor, on the bed, in the laundry), she puts it in her change jar.
Recently, Carol was reading the paper, and Lydia said, "NO, Daddy's!" (I read it a lot more than my wife does.) I thought it was very funny. Not sure my wife did.

2. It's early yet, but who are you picking to win the World Series?

You're a cruel man, Scott.
All right. The New York Metropolitans over the Detroit Tigers in six games.
BTW, I saw the Tigers' leadoff hitter, Curtis Granderson, playing in Class A Oneonta three years ago.

3. What is the most controversial book you have read and what are your general thoughts about it?

I don't know. Really. So, I went to Banned Books list and picked out four "challenged" books I've read.

Captain Underpants - I used to read this series with my niece who's now 15, when she was maybe half that age. We enjoyed it tremendously.

A Handmaid's Tale - I'm not a big novel fan, but that was the assignment for that particular month in my book club. I was surprised how much I was enraptured by this Margaret Atwood story.

Pentagon Papers - I was really ticked off with the abuses of my government.

Joy of Sex - I was 15. I don't remember. Oh, wait, I do remember. I said, "THAT can't be right, can it?" (It was.)

(And forgive me if questions #1 and #3 have already been asked of you in the past.)

I'm sure I've answered #1 before, but it's always changing, so I never mind answering it.


And now from Nik:

Cheesy cliched questions!

I like cheese.

If you were a tree, what kind would you be?

A chestnut tree. There were chestnut trees on my walk home from school, and every year in season, I'd collect chestnuts. They're smooth and beautiful, like fine wood. I'd keep them through the winter, to remind me that there would be new life. Then I'd toss them before they would go bad and do it again the next year. I should note that they were actually horse chestnuts, and therefore not edible.

If you could meet any person living or dead, who?

Thomas Jefferson, or Thomas Edison. Or maybe politician, inventor and regular raconteur Ben Franklin.

If you were a book, what would your title be?

I've ben thinking about this a lot, actually, because I signed up at The Remembering Site to write my life story. Haven't actually WRITTEN much (started three sections), but have mused on it. In 1989, I probably would have stolen "Still Crazy After all These Years". Now I really don't know yet. But I'm open to suggestion/persuasion.
***
Fred Hembeck:
a) got married to Lynn Moss 27 years ago today
b) is smart enough to have mentioned same in his blog today
c) was kind enough to mention me in his post yesterday even though he was
d) the subject of my teasing last year on this date over this subject
e) is someone, along with the aforementioned Lynn Moss (and the artist currently known as Julie!) who we hope to see this summer
f) has a new outlet for his musings - this week, Beatlemania...and Al Jolson?

Yes, the answer is all of the above. Congrats, you kids!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Add Some Music to Your Day

Got some new music lately. Finally listened to it the three times required by Roger's Rules of Listening to Music.

Paul Simon- Surprise. I found a surprising number of people online who indicated that they didn't like the album. I've enjoyed it thus far, especially the first song, which was so atypical Simon, probably the Brian Eno influence, that I though I had put in the wrong album. "How can you live in the Northeast? How can you live in the South? How can you build on the banks of a river When the flood water pours from the mouth?" A conversation I've had with others since the flooding on the Mississippi in the last decade.

Lesley Gore - Ever Since. Gorgeous. Great reinterpretation of "You Don't Own Me".

George Harrison. This is an album of rarities a friend sent me. My favorite tune so far is a song that starts out with My Sweet Lord musically, but lyrically is a pirate song.

Jesse James appears in both the Mark Knofler/Emmylou Harris disc, and the Springsteen disc. I found Mark and Emmylou's disc quite enjoyable.

The new Springsteen album, The Seeger Sessions, which I got from one of my sisters from Father's Day, it felt like I've know for years. It's like what Carole King once said about her early performances; she felt that she went on the stage "pre-loved", because her friend James Taylor would introduce her by asking the audience, "Do you know (these songs)? This lady wrote them!" That's how I feel about this album - loved practically before I heard a note.
Springsteen's version of "We Shall Overcome" I had already owned from this Seeger tribute compilation that I bought in 2002 at an Old Songs festival. "Overcome" and "Eyes on the Prize" were on the Seeger "We Shall Overcome" album I've owned for 40 years. "Froggie Went a-Courtin' " and "Erie Canal" I knew from my childhood - all upstate New York children of a certain age knew "from Albany to Buffalo". And the gospel and folk songs were also largely familiar.

Lefty made an album for Eddie, and sent me a copy, too. My enthusiasm practically matches Eddie's.

And speaking of Eddie - it's always about you, Eddie - he and I were the grand winners of the Blog This Pal 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway. We were also the ONLY entrants in the Blog This Pal 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway. One prize was a book called Fun with Milk and Cheese, which is...fun. Dairy products with attitude is always fun. It was one of the last things I was reading when I went cold turkey on comics back in the early 1990s, so it was great to get.
Then there was the music. Gordon starts with a Star Trek cut called which you would recognize, Amok Time. Then the Beatles' Revolution. Then Ernie from Sesame Street singing "Rubber Duckie"? A brave man, that Gordon. My favorite track, though, is the next one, Harry Belafonte's Mama Look A Bobo, with the line, "Shut your mout' Go away Mama, look at bobo dey", which I hadn't heard since I was about four years old. It's a dumb song, but it brought pleasant memories. There were other good songs, too.
***
Now, of COURSE it would be inappropriate to ask for you folks to burn music for me. But I DID own these, and they got lost in the office move.
One was the first disc of a 2-disc Ella Fitzgerald 75th Birthday Celebration on the Decca Jazz label.
One was the first disc of the 4-disc Steve Winwood box set.
One was the soundtrack for Toy Story 2.
Now if you happen to have any of these items, and are willing to...share, please let me know.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Summer Solstice: Ask Roger Anything

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.
You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.
From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

Song in my head: What Kind of Fool Am I.

In celebration of summer, here's your chance once again to Ask Roger Anything. And he has to answer! The answers might even be true! E-mail me or leave it in the reply space.

The other day, Chris Black asked "Are you following the World Cup?" Well, I haven't actually SEEN any of it, though I read the write-ups in the paper (and see a very occasional ESPN SportsCenter) enough to fear the Brazilians. I think it's because I don't find soccer (or futbol) to be a great TV sport; it's MUCH better live, when you can see the whole field, and the strategies the players employ. (Whereas football, American-style, is a great TV sport, because the action is more limited.)
I've also discovered that, for me, hockey is better live than on TV, pretty much for the same reason; TV hockey feels like "follow the puck." Oh, congratulations, 'Canes.

So, Roger, what new acronym do we need to adopt? IYT. The acronym already has a couple definitions, but needs another: An "Inapplicable 'You, Too' " as described in the 5/23 edition of Pearls Before Swine

It is SO true. Sunday, my wife said to two of our male neighbors, "Happy Fathers Day." They replied in unison, "You, too." Then they grinned sheepishly.

Add IYT to the lexicon!

Oh, and look at yesterday's (6/20) Pearls for wisdom about blogging.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

You may have read this wire story about the surviving Beach Boys getting together on the roof of the Capitol Records building to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pet Sounds album.

I thought I'd list, not so much my favorite Beach Boys songs, but the ones that have affected me the most. Truth is, I could probably pick seven songs from Pet Sounds for the Top Ten, but what fun would THAT be?

1. Sail On Sailor - from my freshman year in college; the first time I really listened to post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys.
2. God Only Knows - damn, this is so beautiful, I could practically cry.
3. Our Prayer - ditto.
4. I Get Around- the first Beach Boys song I ever owned. The instrument-only version from the box set merely enhances my enjoyment.
5. Help Me Rhonda - the BAW BAW BAW BAW version with the "Help me Rhonda, yeah" in harmony, not the other, inferior version.
6. Don't Talk - "Listen. Listen, listen, listen."
7. In My Room - beautiful, but sad.
8. 'Til I Die - beautiful, but REALLY sad. "I'm a cork on the ocean."
9. Darlin' - just because.
10. Feel Flows - from my college days, reinforced by Cameron Crowe.
11. Wouldn't It Be Nice - a specific personal reference.
12. When I Grow Up - I was a sucker for the years going by: "14, 15, 16, 17".
13. All Summer Long - from American Graffiti. Always thought the instrumental bridge was out of tune.
14. You Still Believe In Me - another Pet Sounds track.
15. Barbara Ann - great sing-a-long song.
16. Caroline, No - the single listed as by Brian Wilson.
17. Don't Worry, Baby - the other first song in my collection.
18. Be True to Your School - another song with multiple versions; I like the one without the female background singers. A JEOPARDY reference.
19. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times - sometimes, I could relate to the title.
20. Transcendental Mediation - I loved the irony: a relaxed title with fairly raucous music.
21. Break Away - it was a VERY minor hit in 1969 (#63); I didn't hear it until the mid-1970s.
22. Good Vibrations - probably would have ranked higher except that it was savagely overplayed.
23. Surf's Up - I have no idea what most of the lyrics mean, but it has that classic BB vocalese ending.
24. Let's Go Away for Awhile - instrumental from Pet Sounds.
25. Surfer Girl

And, Friends, if I were to Do It Again, under the Warmth of the Sun, I might have picked a dozen other songs and rearrange the order.

Anyway, happy 64th birthday to Brian Wilson, who, with the release of SMiLE last year and the related tour, seems to be in a very good place.
***
School budget vote in Albany today. Budget is $500 LESS than the contingency budget, but the contingency budget would be more restrictive. Vote YES., 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Need, feed

I've always loved the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Not that I was there; I'm not THAT old. But its impact was quite fascinating, especially as it related to what people thought the World of tomorrow would look like.

When George Orwell wrote 1984 back in 1949, I imagine it seemed that 1984 would reflect a none too distant future for this New Society to take hold. Of course, a version of Newspeak has been around ever since the first euphemism was devised.
(I think the degree to which it took hold in that title decade was epitomized by the lyrics from Tracy Chapman's 1987 Why?
Why, when there's so many of us are there people still alone?
Why are the missiles called peacekeepers, when they're aimed to kill?...
Love is hate, war is peace, no is yes,
We're all free...but, somebody's gonna have to answer, the time is coming soon.
Amidst all these questions and contradictions there're some who seek the truth.
)

Science fiction has long sought to reflect on the future, possibly most notably in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Prince's 1999 may have seen out of reach in 1983, or maybe it was just the apocalyptic nature of the penultimate year of the 20th Century that was so attractive to the songwriter.

So when Paul McCartney wrote, when he was a teenager, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me," I imagine it was with that time was so very, very far into the future." I'm guessing that that he couldn't envision his life nearly decades on, so he needed a somewhat campy, vaudevilian tune (perhaps the music of his father) to create an emotional distance from that far off time. (Ain't that far off anymore.) And I'm sure others have noted the irony that in his 64th year, his second wife presumably doesn't need him, won't be around to feed him. As a Beatles fan, as a Paul fan, that makes me sad. Paul as supermarket tabloid fodder: "Paul to Heather, 'Give me our baby!' " Heather's sister to her defense. Sir Paul, who turned 64 yesterday (or "Yesterday" -appropriate lyrics there), deserves better.
***
Johnny B with his birthday greetings, bottle of wine for Macca.
***
Bloggers: ever see something that just BEGS for comment, and then just forget? Last week's Supreme Court no-knock warrant ruling, which seemed terribly stupid and terribly dangerous, falls in that category. Fortunately, ME remembered.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Father's Day 2006

Lydia's illness of over 10 days has made her very mommycentric. Seems like the same thing was happening LAST Father's Day. Still, she DOES let me hang with her when Mommy's not around, when we read, play with her blocks, and eat and even change her diaper. But when I try to change her when mommy's around, she screams and thrashes about violently.

I can't help remembering (again) how I wish MY dad could have met Lydia. Interestingly, both of my sisters send me Father's Day cards. It surprises me, but maybe it's a function of me being the alpha male in the family. (Heck, except for my niece's husband of a year and a quarter, the ONLY male in the Green line.) Certainly, I seldom (or maybe never) sent THEM Mother's Day cards, but then our Mom is still around. My friend Mark called me last night (his daughter is 10) to wish me a Happy Father's Day. What really surprised me is that my friend Sarah Kim sent me a Father's Day card, handmade.

I should note that my father-in-law Richard has been great. His 70th birthday was last month, and we had a surprise birthday party for him yesterday, with his kids converging in Oneonta from Albany, Catskill, and southeast Pennsylvania, along with a few dozen of his friends and relatives. He's coming up to Albany, so he and I can go to the season opener of the New York-Penn League game Tuesday between his Oneonta Tigers and my Tri-City Valley Cats (a Houston Astros farm team). He'll feature in the Tales of Lydia a week or so hence.

Still, there's some fatigue-driven melancholy - I finally fall asleep around 4 a.m. yesterday morning, only to be awakened by my favorite daughter 30 minutes later, so even though I slept last night, I'm still running on fumes - and I've found there is only one cure for me: listening to music. Which will be a post unto itself soon. Amazon, do you still have my credit card on file? (Answer, at least at work, no, because we have a new IP address.)

But one couplet from the new Paul Simon album, seems appropriate here:
"There could never be a father
Who loves his daughter more than I love you"
Fathers of daughters everywhere, INCLUDING HERE, will claim the same.
***
I haven't had time to listen to this three minute audio (and I don't have sound on my computer at home, but friend Sarah recommends it for Fathers Day, and that's good enough for me.
***
I'm feeling for my buddy Eddie, whose father died last year just before Father's Day.
***
Ooh, it's Paul McCartney's 64th birthday today. I'm SURE Mr. Hembeck will have something, ESPECIALLY since I reminded him. I'll get to my thoughts, soon.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

If I Had a Billion Dollars -Three Questions


The other song playing in my head: Money Changes Everything

I was thinking about Bill Gates, the epitome of nerdy technogeek, having donated through the Gates Foundation $10 billion in 11 years, and how he's getting out of the rate race and, like Andrew Carnegie, another "richest man in the world", is dedicating the rest of his life to even more philanthropic work.

Meanwhile, the technopress has been having a field day with the "Microsoft after Gates" story. One loving story was a slide show of Microsoft's Top 10 Flops. So, the questions:

1. If you came into money, real money, maybe lottery or inheritance money, beyond taking care of the needs (and wants) of yourself, family and friends, what cause or causes would you spend the money on? There are any number of charities I'd like to give $1000 to outright, then evaluate further.

2. What WILL Microsoft look like post-Gates? To tell you how little I know about this, of the 10 flops, I remember only 2.

3. How much money would you want to have in order to say, "I'm done with working"? With a 2-year old going to college in only 16 years, and with an aging mother and an even more aging house, I'm guessing...$10 million?