Famous QUESTION

There was an anti-war rally in NYC in May of 1972, which a bunch of us from New Paltz, about 90 miles away, attended. We left after a few hours of none-too-pleasant weather. We were VERY disappointed to learn that, shortly after our departure, John & Yoko showed up unexpectedly at the rally. In fact, we considered turning around, for their words were being carried live on the radio.

Which is only peripherally related to my weekly queries:

1. What famous people have you met for long enough to actually have a decent conversation?
Earl Warren, Rod Serling, Anita Baker. (Is Alex Trebek famous?)

2. What famous people have you had an unexpected brief encounter?
Randy Newman, Stanley Tucci, Pete Seeger, Mark Lane (Dick Gregory's VP candidate in 1968, who was in some legal trouble mentioned on the front page of the NY Times on the very day I saw him).

3. What famous people have you had an expected brief encounter with?
Nelson Rockefeller.

4. What famous people have you seen unexpectedly, but didn't talk with? I'm not talking about seeing someone at a concert, unless they were in the audience and seemingly unrelated to the artist.
Mike Tyson with Jack Nicholson, Daniel Patrick Moynihan
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Fred is happy that the Mets are up two games to none.. I'm happy because I actually picked the Mets and the Tigers (up two games to one against the YANKEES) to go to the World Series. Of course, I don't think I've picked both participants in a World Series since the Subway Series of 2000; I usually get one right. Didn't pick the Red Sox or the White Sox, that's for certain. And Oakland dispatched the Twins mighty easily, which makes me nervous.
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Kelly is being weird again. She is taking words and, through the magic of Google, is turning those words into images. Sadly, I find myself wanting to enable this weirdness. Her husband has strange thoughts, too. And curse GayProf for making me remember that I actually used to watch Chico and the Man.

Introducing...the Beatles

As I mentioned last month, I wrote to the local paper over this wire story about Beatles stamps on a Wednesday. A copy editor from the paper called me Friday, and the paper printed a correction on Saturday. The guy I spoke to for 20 minutes; he must be near my age, because the first album he ever bought was Meet the Beatles. He wondered how I knew all about the Beatles discography. (At some point, I noted that 'Yesterday'...and Today was comprised of 2 tracks from the British Help album, 4 from the British Rubber Soul album, 3 from the not yet released British Revolver album, plus the two-sided single.) I probably said, "I don't know; it's a sickness."

That could have been the end of the story. Guess not. Friday evening, I got THIS e-mail from the copy editor:
I just wanted to get back to you about the people item you e-mailed us about. Thanks for letting us know about it. The string of briefs was written by The Associated Press, so, on Thursday, I called them in New York to try to track down any complaints on this item. So far, they say, yours is the first comment. They wanted to research the story further and contacted the London bureau -- who actually - because of the time difference, AP says they haven't gotten any clear answers on a possible clarification. When they do come up with something, I'd like to run a correction on both points of your e-mail.

In the meantime, can you recommend a good source to check this information? An authoritative history? An accurate discography? The official Beatles site starts with the Capital catalog, so that's not much help. I want to research this in case The AP falls through.

Thanks again for letting us know about this.

Well, even though he did find what he needed, this e-mail sent me on a quest. When, exactly, DID Introducing the Beatles come out?

The source the copy editor found was the Beatles discography, a generally useful tool. But it says that Introducing the Beatles came out on January 10, 1964. This simply can't be right, can it? The Wikipedia listing says January 6, 1964. But I looked here and here and here and here, and they all say July 1963, which makes much more sense.

So, I looked at what I consider the authoritative source, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996, put out by Record Research, a VERY definitive source and authorized by Billboard, which says:
"Vee-Jay released above title in July 1963 and included 'Love Me Do' and 'P.S. I Love You' which were replaced in 1964 with 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why'; original release is valued at $6,000-$8,000."
Those incorrect sources undoubtedly picked up on a re-release date.

The successor Whitburn book, covering 1955-2001, also says July 1963. What I noted, however, is that the NEWEST book, covering up to 2005, and now called The Billboard Albums, doesn't give a release date at all, only that Introducing...the Beatles first charted on February 8, 1964, a week after Meet the Beatles. This means I need to hold on to at least one of the older books. As I've described before about the Brooks and Marsh television book, I HATE having to hold on to an old reference book because the new one has gotten rid of important information, but that's what happened here. AGAIN.

aplfriends.blogspot.com

I was elected as Vice-President of the Friends of the Albany Public Library last May. Being vice-president of most organizations is a peculiar thing; there's nothing one is really mandated to do in that capacity, except to run the meeting if the president is absent.

FDR's first Vice-President, John Nance Garner, a/k/a "Cactus Jack", is famously noted for saying the vice presidency wasn't worth "a warm bucket of spit," although reporters allegedly changed the spelling of the last word for print. I note this because when I was on JEOPARDY! some years back, my opponents and I could not remember his name.

For the Friends, I am supposed to work on the quarterly mailing, but that's more difficult since they take place during the day AND I'm working further from downtown.

So, what to do? Well, if you're me, you start a blog. So I did. Back in July, I showed a couple people how easy is it would be to do one. Then I promptly forgot about it until shortly before the September monthly meeting. Now, I've found a rhythm to the thing and plan to update it regularly.
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Scooter answers my questions.
Lefty discusses the mixed CD he sent me. And disses me AGAIN (see Fiona Apple).
Gordon discusses the mixed CD he sent me. And DOESN'T diss me. But he does offer tarot readings.

Alone Again, Naturally

The newsletter SUNY Watch solicited short articles, no more than 75 words, I think, about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or "My Favorite Hobby".

Dutifully, I wrote:

Three trips to hometown Binghamton in July. #1 took place right after the flooding in the area, yet a scheduled party near the convergence of two rivers took place, with one sister coming from San Diego, mom, another sister, her daughter niece from Charlotte, and cousins from NYC. #2 was an annual reunion of my wife’s family (http://olinfamilysociety.org/); my daughter is 11th generation from John Olin. #3 was my high school reunion, described here.

The editor wrote back last week and said: "Unfortunately, yours was the only summer vacation response we received so we ultimately decided against putting together the feature we had been planning. It does sound like you had a good summer, though!"

Yes, it was.

But she got a "good response" on the hobbies question. Which makes me wonder: is it that people are traumatized about writing those summer vacation essays, or am I an iconoclast?
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Carol & I went to friend Mary's wedding to Rick on Saturday morning. It was a lovely affair, even though we only knew the bride, her son, and one other person. My favorite moment during the service was during the lighting of the candles. The musical citation in the program was Hunter/Garcia. Indeed, the organist had suggested, and the couple agreed, to have a church organ version of the the Grateful Dead song "Ripple" playing at that moment.
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Alan David Doane wants you to know about:
*Comic Book Galaxy and Houghton Mifflin's giveaway of a copy of THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2006, "an excellent new collection edited by Harvey Pekar."
*Paperback swap. "Free books! Post books you don't want by their ISBN code...and get credit to order your own stuff. All is costs is media mail for shipping, usually less than two bucks for a single book."
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After two books about the GWB administration that Karl Rove probably has on his bookshelf, Bob Woodward has put out State of Denial, reportedly a scathing indictment of our Iraq War policy. I haven't gotten it yet, but it seems from the reviews that it's not that it's saying anything I hadn't read or, at least believed, before. Its importance is that it's from a writer with great access to the administration, and thus may have more credibility with the fence-sitters. I wonder if this book will sway the elections next month? Lefty has something to say about this here. In fact, he has a number of good pieces in his new Page 3 section, about George Allen of Virginia and global warming.
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SOMEBODY has to answer Greg's quiz, so it might as well be me.
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Just two degrees of separation between me and Ben Pershing, who commented on disgraced ex-Congressman Mark Foley for PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
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Got this e-mail yesterday:
Have you heard anything about Social Security Numbers and African-Americans and the 5th digit in your SS#? Supposedly, if you are an African American or a Minority the 5th digit in your SS# is EVEN, and ODD if you are White???
It has been said if you take a poll most African Americans will have an EVEN 5th digit. Rumor has it some companies are looking at potential employee's SS#s to discriminate.
Why not send this email to every African American and Minority that you know!! Mine was even, what's yours?
TAVIS SMILEY
THIS RUMOR IS FALSE, and I doubt Tavis Smiley has anything to do with it. And yes, my middle SSN digit is even.
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Don't expect any TV reviews here. I'm constantly behind on my viewing. Last night didn't help; while we taped Gilmore Girls (for both of us) and Dancing with the Stars (for my wife), I actually WATCHED baseball. The DVR operates anywhere from 70% to 80% full. So, go read Tosy about Gilmore Girls, Jaquandor about Studio 60 (still seen one day early) and Tom the Dog about everything else.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I love this time of the year: baseball playoffs, football in full swing. I think the Mets can get to the World Series without Pedro Martinez; friend Fred certainly hopes so - (Sept.28 & 29).

The Wall Street Journal is an interesting place to read about baseball. There was an article on September 27, Playoff Seats Get Harder to Score; Rank-and-File Fans Shut Out As Season Ticket Holders Gobble Up a Bigger Share. It reads that there is a "push by baseball teams to sell more season tickets by offering them in smaller packages and with extra perks, including early dibs on playoff seats. Some teams now offer a half-dozen different season-ticket packages -- including ones for as few as six games."

The WSJ of September 29 suggests that Batting Average Against is a far better reflection of post-season success than any other regular season factor. "Last year, in all six division and league championship series, the winner sported the better BAA. In 2004, it was five out of six. And since the beginning of divisional play in 1995, teams with the better BAA have won 43 of 66 series. That's a remarkable .652 winning percentage."
This means the San Diego Padres, the NL West champions on the last day, with a .250 BAA, should win the World Series. Other teams who were still in contention at the time of the article:
Detroit Tigers (.254 BAA). AL Wild Card. Swept by the KC Royals, who, to be fair, were thorns in the sides of a number of teams down the stretch. But now they have to go to Yankee Stadium, rather than host Oakland. Yikes! But the odds ARE in the Tigers' favor, BAA-wise.
New York Mets (.255 BAA). First in the NL East, won a couple games at the end of the season. I'm STILL gonna pick them to win it all, even without Pedro (.220 BAA).
Houston Astros (.257 BAA). Eliminated on the last day; could have won the division if they could have only beaten the tomahawk-choppin' Braves. I choose not to believe the allegations about Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte re: performance-enhancing drugs until provided further evidence.
New York Yankees (.262 BAA). 1st in the AL East. Looking formidable.
Minnesota Twins (.267 BAA). 1st in the AL Central. I heard that they're the first team to never have been in first place solo until the last day of the season.
St. Louis Cardinals (.269 BAA). 1st in NL Central, though they backed in. My favorite Cards fan, Lou at the Y, has been saying for weeks, "Stick a fork in them. They're done."
Los Angeles Dodgers (.269). NL Wild Card. I'd swear that every team in this division was in first place at some point.
Oakland A's (.270). 1st in AL West. Because a lot of their games are late in the east, I don't see/hear as much about them as I should.
Philadelphia Phillies (.275). Eliminated on the last weekend. Yes, I want Ryan Howard for MVP, though I feel badly for St. Louis' Albert Pujols, who came in second to Barry Bonds a couple times, and now will come in second, I'm guessing, to the sophomore Howard.

Speaking of Barry Bonds, he's the National League all-time home run leader with 734, surpassing Hank Aaron, who had 733 for the Braves, and 22 for the (then-American League) Brewers. I'm waiting for the movement to attribute all of the Brewers' games to the NL.

If you're a serious sabermetric-type baseball fan, you'll just HAVE to look at another September 29 WSJ article, "Baseball's Greatest Hits; We Rank the Most Decisive Postseason Clutch Hits; Apologies to Mr. Dent", which concludes a 7th inning double that only tied the game is THE most significant hit in baseball post-season history, while Yankee Bucky Dent's homer against the Red Sox in 1978 doesn't even make the Top 10.

The Immortals

We ranked some of the biggest clutch hits in postseason history in four categories to see which one was the most significant. Categories include how much the hit improved the team's chances of winning the game, how much winning the game improved the team's odds of winning the World Series, the inning in which it happened (later innings count for more) and the odds of the opposing pitcher giving up that type of hit (or greater). The score is the average of all four categories on a percentile basis (the best possible score would be 100).

PLAYER/TEAM: 1. Tony Womack, Arizona Diamondbacks SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 39%/83% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: M. Rivera (2.9%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 86.2 COMMENTS: Surprise! This overlooked one-out, game-tying double in Game 7 is baseball's greatest clutch hit.

PLAYER/TEAM: 2. Bill Mazeroski, Pittsburgh Pirates SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1960 WS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 65%/100%* ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: R. Terry (2.2%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 84 COMMENTS: The only Game 7 walkoff World Series HR in history, but the Pirates, playing at home with a tie score, already had a 65% chance of winning.

PLAYER/TEAM: 3. Kirk Gibson, Los Angeles Dodgers SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1988 WS Game 1, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 13%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: D. Eckersley (1.8%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +16% SCORE: 81 COMMENTS: This oft-televised Game 1 pinch-hit, two-out, two-run, come-from-behind walkoff HR off Dennis Eckersley (5 HRs allowed all season) actually lives up to the hype.

PLAYER/TEAM: 4. Bobby Thomson, New York Giants SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1951 NL Playoff Game 3, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 31%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: R. Branca (2.2%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +25% SCORE: 80.78 COMMENTS: HR erased a two-run deficit to beat rival Brooklyn Dodgers in final game of a division playoff. But new book "The Echoing Green" shows the Giants were stealing signs.

PLAYER/TEAM: 5. Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1912 WS Game 8, 10th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 39%/ 83% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: C. Mathewson (2.5%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 80.77 COMMENTS: One-out, game-tying single with two runners on set up game-winning sacrifice by a teammate. Christy Mathewson was pitching his 29th inning of the series.

PLAYER/TEAM: 6. Joe Carter, Toronto Blue Jays SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1993 WS Game 6, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 39%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: M. Williams (1%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +25% SCORE: 78.8 COMMENTS: Just the second walkoff HR to end a World Series. Only knock is that it happened in Game 6, not Game 7.

PLAYER/TEAM: 7. Edgar Renteria, Florida Marlins SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1997 WS Game 7, 11th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 66%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: C. Nagy (25.5%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 78.2 COMMENTS: Bases-loaded World-Series-winning single would rank higher if the pitcher had been tougher.

PLAYER/TEAM: 8. Francisco Cabrera, Atlanta Braves SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1992 NLCS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 24%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: S. Belinda (19.4%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +25% SCORE: 78.19 COMMENTS: Francisco who? This forgotten pinch-hit, two-run, bases-loaded come-from-behind walkoff single against Pittsburgh ranks among the greats.

PLAYER/TEAM: 9. Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds SERIES/GAME/INNING: 1975 WS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 51%/84% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: J. Burton (25%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 77.7 COMMENTS: HR by Boston's Carlton Fisk in Game 6 is better known, but Mr. Morgan's top-of-the-ninth single won it all.

PLAYER/TEAM: 10. Scott Brosius, NY Yankees SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 5, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER THE HIT: 4%/54% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: B. Kim (2.6%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 75.6 COMMENTS: Some Yankee fans had already left when Mr. Brosius uncorked this two-out, game-tying HR. The Yankees won the game three innings later.

*100% denotes a game-ending hit ---

The Recent Best

While Tony Womack's double and Scott Brosius's home run were the only postseason hits in the last five years that made our list of the best in baseball history (see above), there have been many other great clutch swings since 2001. Here's our top 10, minus Messrs. Womack and Brosius.

PLAYER/TEAM: 1. Luis Gonzalez, Arizona D'backs SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 84%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: M. Rivera (19.7%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 74.1 COMMENTS: His single iced the game, but Arizona had an 84% chance of winning before it happened.

PLAYER/TEAM: 2. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2005 NLCS Game 5, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 5%/83% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: B. Lidge (1.7%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +6% SCORE: 73.8 COMMENTS: This titanic two-out, three-run, come-from-behind HR off Houston's Brad Lidge forced a Game 6.

PLAYER/TEAM: 3. Mark Grace, Arizona D'backs SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 7, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 19%/32% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: M. Rivera (19.7%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +50% SCORE: 73.6 COMMENTS: Leadoff single didn't drive in a run, but sparked Arizona's epic come-from-behind win.

PLAYER/TEAM: 4. Tino Martinez, NY Yankees SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 4, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 4%/54% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: B. Kim (2.6%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +19% SCORE: 72.4 COMMENTS: Yankee Stadium rocked when this two-out, two-run HR off Byung-Hyun Kim sent the game to extra innings.

PLAYER/TEAM: 5. Aaron Boone, NY Yankees SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2003 ALCS Game 7, 11th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 65% / 100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: T. Wakefield (2.6%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +25% SCORE: 71.4 COMMENTS: Red Sox fans won't soon forget this leadoff solo HR, which capped a Yankee comeback.

PLAYER/TEAM: 6. Derek Jeter, NY Yankees SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2001 WS Game 4, 10th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 54%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: B. Kim (2.6%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +19% SCORE: 71.1 COMMENTS: One inning after Mr. Martinez's HR (see No. 4), Mr. Jeter evened the series with a two-out walkoff job.

PLAYER/TEAM: 7. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2005 WS Game 2, 7th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 24%/90% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: C. Qualls (2.1%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +16% SCORE: 69.5 COMMENTS: Rare WS grand slam against Houston would have ranked higher, but it came in the 7th inning.

PLAYER/TEAM: 8. Scott Podsednik, Chicago White Sox SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2005 WS Game 2, 9th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 60%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: B. Lidge (1.7%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +16% SCORE: 68.39 COMMENTS: This one-out HR, which came two innings after Mr. Konerko's (No. 7), was only Mr. Podsednik's second that year.

PLAYER/TEAM: 9. Alex Gonzalez, Florida Marlins SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2003 WS Game 4, 12th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 65%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: J. Weaver (2.2%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +19% SCORE: 68.37 COMMENTS: While hitting only .256, Mr. Gonzalez evened this series against the Yankees with this walk-off HR.

PLAYER/TEAM: 10. Ivan Rodriguez, Florida Marlins SERIES/GAME/INNING: 2003 NLDS Game 3, 11th ODDS OF WINNING GAME BEFORE/AFTER HIT: 24%/100% ODDS OF PITCHER GIVING UP HIT: T. Worrell (22.1%) ODDS OF WINNING THE WS: +6% SCORE: 68.2 COMMENTS: Though it came in a division series game, this bases-loaded, two-out single overcame huge odds.

Meanwhile, while I was looking for the scores of the Twins and Tigers games on Sunday - they were tied for the AL Central lead, just as the Dodgers and Padres were tied in the NL West, I watched the last five minutes of the Jets-Colts game, where the Colts scored a touchdown, the Jets had a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, then the Colts scored another touchdown (why did the Jets burn a timeout on defense when the Colts were at their 16?). The Jets tried to come back, lateraling the ball at least a half dozen times before fumbling it - it was very exciting - but they didn't have enough time.

President Bush is sending a delegation to Hungary to recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution later this month. Among the travelers will be George Pataki, New York's departing governor (does anyone outside of New York and Iowa know that he's actually considering a run for the Presidency?), whose grandfather is Hungarian; and Pete Gogolak, a placekicker for the Buffalo Bills and NY Giants, whose "family arrived in the United States in 1957, following the Hungarian revolution".

I Love the Sound of Vinyl in the Morning

In addition to the 1500 or so CDs I own, and try to play regularly, I still have about 1200 LPs. And I haven't played them much, because last time I moved them into the house, they were in such a state of disarray that I couldn't find anything. Whereas my CDs are anally organized by artist and chronologically within artist, e.g.

Well, after answering Eddie's question recently about how much music was too much, and having the unique opportunity to actually work on my own project - Carol took Lydia to see Grandma and Grandpa last weekend - I pulled out all of my vinyl, and put it in broad alphabetical order. by that, I mean all the A's are together, all the B's are together. O.K., that's not technically true either: there are A's on the first floor and on the third floor, likewise B's and C's. But on each floor, they are in rough alpha order.

What I had discovered that there are certain artists where most of my music of theirs is on vinyl: the solo Beatles, especially John (IS there a CD version of The Wedding Album? And, if so, do I WANT it?); Joan Armatrading; Joe Jackson; the Supremes; the Temptations; XTC; pre-1971 Stevie Wonder. Then there are the artists who I have ONLY on vinyl: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; the MC5; Don McLean; Moby Grape; Peter, Paul, and Mary; solo Todd Rundgren; Gil Scott-Heron; X. I must admit that I didn't know I had any Bobby Vinton at all, but there it was Melodies of Love, featuring that big hit, "My Melody of Love".

It finally hit me, because I had frankly forgotten: there were people who just GAVE me their LPs when they moved or were just going digital. I can tell, because some of their names are still on many of the album covers.

While working on the project, I listened to CDs on the boombox while I was on the third floor, but while this task was going on on the first floor, why not listen to some vinyl? Well, because the turntable is a bit funky. I turned it on, the arm automatically went to the beginning of a 12" album, then stopped; I had to manually get the turntable going before it would run on its own. Then when it got to the end of a side, the arm just sat in the inner groove until I hit the stop button two or three times.

What to listen to? No, it wasn't Bobby Vinton, though being from Binghamton, with its large Slavic population, I have an admitted affection for the first track. No, I started with Smile, a bootleg of the Beach Boys' album that Brian Wilson finally put out 37 years after he started. It was not unfamiliar to me; between the legit Beach Boys albums, the outtakes from the Beach Boys box set and Brian's SMiLE album, it all sounded a bit familiar. Except for some cacophonous saxophone piece, which, fortunately, I don't think survived.

I should talk about bootlegs. I don't have many, maybe 10, mostly Beatles, and with few exceptions, they are disappointing sonically. In retrospect, they are dubious to own morally, I suppose.

The next thing I played was Side One of Daryl Hall's first solo album, Sacred Songs, produced by Robert Fripp. My favorite song is the second, "Something in 4/4 Time". Lefty once asked if I liked vocal choruses, and I do, this song being the epitome of this. In the middle, it gets kind of Fripp-like, with a bunch of triplets, but never loses the beat. One of my favorite songs ever.

Anyway, at some point, I will have to cull this collection. One group that will definitely stay are the Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders, all of which I own except Zapped, the two Peaches collections and the more recent Loss Leaders Revisited. I suspect they'll be the albums I'll play next.
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Speaking of vinyl, Mark Evanier has posted that YouTube of WKRP's Johnny Fever and his compatriots listening to Les Nessman describe the station's turkey drop (5:40).

MOVIE REVIEW: A Prairie Home Companion

Before that, though, I need to tell you about the venue: Proctor's Theater in Schenectady. It was an old vaudeville house, the "site of the first public demonstration of a new technology - television" on May 22, 1930.

By the 1970s, though, it has fallen into disuse and disrepair. I walked in the arcade in 1977 and was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of bodily wastes. Yet, it was at that time when the revival of Proctor's took place. Among the many supporters of Proctor's was the Schenectady Arts Council, which obtained a grant to provide arts in the schools of Schenectady in 1978. The offices of the artists and the administrative staff, which included me doing the bookkeeping, were located on the second floor of Proctor's. My very first task was to sell ad space for a program that would be a benefit for Proctor's in April 1978. There were a number of performers on stage for that show, and even more including our secretary, Susan, two of her friends, and me, singing in the arcade. I was also in charge of an Artisans' Arcade, a biweekly event, not surprisingly, in the Proctor's Arcade.

So, I have a great deal of affection for the elegant Proctor's, and am thrilled by its comeback. Its director, Philip Morris (really) is leading an expansion of the facility that will include two new theaters. Meanwhile, it's a great place to see a film, with a BIG screen, rather than one the proportions of an oversized home entertainment theater. The ticket prices skyrocketed from $2 to $3 last year, though.

After the previews for Ant Bully, Superman Returns, and An Inconvenient Truth, all showing in the near future, the featured film came on. I liked it well enough. The performers are uniformly excellent, including Lindsay Lohan, who holds her own. Meryl Streep's singing was a revelation. The music throughout was great. But...

Both my wife and I remember quite distinctly Ebert and Roeper's review of the film. Roger gave it a thumbs up, while Richard gave it a thumbs down. The difference? Ebert listens to, and likes the radio program upon which the film is based, and Roeper does not, or more to the point, has heard it and hasn't especially enjoyed it.

It is true that nothing much happens in the film. Yes, it's "the last show" but Garrison Keillor's character, GK, treats it like any other show; must be that Norwegian bachelor farmer reserve. Oh, Virginia Madsen wanders around, but that mystery is resolved soon enough. And there's no "It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon," probably because it was decided that such a monologue wouldn't be very interesting in a cinematic product.

The Robert Altman-directed film will be available on DVD on October 10. I think it's worth a look-see.

Those Damn Lipton QUESTIONS

Gotta get rady for Mary and Rick's weding at 10 this morning. Lydia was uncharacteristically awake in the middle of the night for a while. And, what the heck; after all, he turned 80 this month. Share, if you will.

James Lipton’s Ten Questions
Since I'm unlikely to appear on the show, here are the ten questions (compiled by Bernard Pivot) that James Lipton asks every guest on Inside the Actors Studio, along with my own responses.

1. What is your favorite word?
"Rendezvous." I'm fond of words of French or Italian origin.

2. What is your least favorite word?
"Blitzkrieg"

3. What turns you on?
Curiosity.

4. What turns you off?
Hard-headed stupidity.

5. What is your favorite curse word?
It starts with an a, it has seven letters, we all have one, and my friend Karen says
it with such passion that it's almost music.

6. What sound or noise do you love?
Actually, I like white noise- fans, certain vacuum cleaners, even. I'm thinking noise vs. music.

7. What sound or noise do you hate?
A jackhammer.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
It took me so long to figure THIS one out. I suppose law.

9. What profession would you not like to attempt?
Oh, so many. Medicine - don't want to kill anyone.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"So you finally figured it out, eh?"

Hamlet, the Musical

I've been puzzling mightily over two musical choices. The first involves the tracks for Gordon's mixed CD thing. When he announced it, I knew immediately the theme would be murder - it was near 9/11 at the time - but in what form?

My first thought was to show the range of murder from comedy to tragedy, but there simply wasn't enough comedy: Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Beatles), The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun (Julie Brown), Lizzie Borden (some folk duo). Then I thought to do that murder ballad thing I had thought of years ago, with Delia's Gone (Johnny Cash), Pretty Polly (Judy Collins), any number of songs from Nick Cave's Murder Ballads CD, and others. But then I got my disc from Lefty, which contained two of my choices: Down By the River (Neil Young), and Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix). OK, scratch that.

I'm now working on a new concept, but Gordon himself stole Somebody Got Murdered from me. What to do, what to do? Anyway, I THINK my burning issue is solved, but the discs probably won't go out until the end of next week. Those not involved in the exchange can still get whatever homicidal package I put together.

The other musical topic is the fact that someone (to whom I owe a picture of myself, but I haven't had a chance for my wife to take it; I haven't forgotten) gave me a $25 iTunes card. While I know I could use it on a number of things, I've decided that I want to get songs of artists that are one- or two-hit wonders, for whom I don't need their whole album. So far, I've selected:
But It's All Right (J.J. Jackson), not, as I understand, the late original MTV VJ, but one of the few black artists on Warner/Reprise in the 1960s, along with Bill Cosby.
I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four) in Gordon's honor.
Expressway to Your Heart (Soul Survivors), with that insistent bass line. Maybe my sister owned the single.
And because I suppose every music-loving boomer is supposed to have it:
Incense and Peppermints (Strawberry Alarm Clock)

But what else? Here are some examples:
I Can Help (Billy Swan) - possibly the least well-known #1 of the era (1972), at least until ServiceStar used it in a commercial.
Why Can't We Live Together (Timmy Thomas) - so of its period, and yet still relevant.
The Ballad of the Green Berets (S/Sgt. Barry Sadler) - not that I'd actually buy it.

As I pondered this aloud at work, my boss said, "Why don't you ask the people reading your blog?" What a swell idea! What singles, or for that matter, tracks of albums where the album's not all that hot, but has one killer cut ("killer cut"? - back to the murder theme?), do you think I should own? I have the Nuggets CD, so I have Wild Thing by the Troggs, e.g.

And while I'm thinking about it: iTunes does NOT have the 12" (about six-minute)version of Paul Simon's Boy in the Bubble. Nor does it appear on Simon's box set, much to my annoyance. Anybody out there know where I can find it in a digital form? (I borrowed my friend Rocco's vinyl, and put it on a cassette tape about 20 years ago.)
***
I mentioned Mario Puzo yesterday, and while looking for something completely different, came across this piece about Superman.

Roger Answers Your Question, Scott & Gordon

First up, Nigel's proud father, Scott:

1. I asked you earlier in the baseball season who would be playing in and win the World Series. You answered the Mets would be the Tigers in 6. Do you still stand by this prediction? If not, then who?

I'll stand by the Mets to win it all. The American League winner could be anyone. My father-in-law is a Twins fan. There are lots of people around here who are rooting for the Yankees to win the AL, and then lose to the Mets. But in a short series, anything can happen, including the Tigers winning.

2. If you could dine with one athlete, one politician, and one writer (all either dead or alive) who would they be and why?

I'll pick all dead people on the theory that I could somehow still meet the live ones:
Athlete - Arthur Ashe. He was a pioneer who lived his life with dignity.
Politician- Thomas Jefferson. Maybe he'd give me the real scoop on Sally Hemings.
Writer- Mario Puzo. Just because I happened to see this name on my bookshelf. Also, because I'd be interested in how he researched "The Godfather".

3. (Playing off Lefty's first question) How far do you think we are away from having an African-American President?

It'd have to be someone not perceived either as an old-line liberal (Jesse Jackson) or a sellout (Condi Rice). Someone like Barack Obama. 2016. Maybe.

4. Do you think it's right for the President (whether Dubya or any other after) to put their religious beliefs so in the forefront, considering that we have freedom of religion in this country?

Yes. I'm old enough to remember JFK having to say that he wouldn't take orders from the Pope. That said, as a Christian myself, his brand of Christianity makes me very uncomfortable.

5. Do you know that I was going to do this same segment again on my web site because it was really fun the first time (after stealing your idea) but you beat me to it by a week or so?
No, but if you hum a few bars...
"I was gonna do
The same post as you."
Is that how it goes?
And I see you did yesterday. I hope I found questions to make your life a living heck, at least.

And now, a fellow Piscean, Gordon:

1. Have you seen the remastered STAR TREK? And if so, what do you think?

No. And I think I've grown weary of re-release, remastered, release the original (Star Wars). Now, I'll ask you, should I see the remastered STAR TREK? I know you wrote about the Trekkers' complaints. It doesn't BOTHER me, philosophically, as opposed to my feelings about colorization, e.g., I just think it's a way to squeeze more dimes out of my pocket, and I'll pass, thank you.

2. Does William Shatner really deserve to be a cult figure?

As opposed to whom? Sure, why not? I'm always reminded of the folks on Hollywood Squares, where I no longer knew WHY Charley Weaver was famous in the first place. Shatner's avoided that with his three series plus the Star Trek movies. (Gee, a visual of him doing Rock-et Man suddenly flashed through my brain. Whoa!)

3. Mike Sterling: pro or con?

Well, when he's behaving himself, he's OK. But when he's being a great big cheater pants, to the pits with him!

Roger Answers Your Questions, Eddie and Lefty

Our first contestant is Eddie, who not only asked a couple questions but promoted this Q&A.

1. How many CD's does a person have to own before you, Roger, consider the amount to be excessive?

Well, it depends on the amount you play. Let's say I have 1500 CDs. (OK, let's.) If I play six albums five times a week, that's 30 albums. Multiply that by 50 weeks, and 1500 is just the perfect number to be able to play your whole collection at least once a year. All of the discs get played, and none of them feel lonely and rejected. If one plays more music, one can own more music; if less, then less.

This is the reason, in large part, why I have a system of music playing that I know I've described in this blog, but cannot find. In brief, I play music around artists' birthdays (Springsteen now, Emmylou in April), compilers' birthdays (Motown compilations in November, in honor of Berry Gordy), events (movie soundtracks in February and March, in honor of the Academy Awards), etc. Which reminds me: when's your birthday? I like to play your compilations around then.

This is not to say I'm limited to these times; when I get the new Dylan album for Christmas (someone pleeeeease tell my wife she's getting this for me), I'll get the sense that I'll be playing it a lot in January and February, even if his birthday's not until May.

Of course, you don't HAVE to play them all annually. There are those albums you keep around for a few songs to put on compilation discs. (So why don't I just put them all on mp3s? Because I'd miss the information on the package.)

So my answer, for me, is 3000, and I'm only (a little more than) halfway there.

2. What does a guy have to do to get your summer mix, considering he was theoretically part of the exchange?

Well, theoretically, I wrote you an e-mail on this very topic that said I would send you a copy when I finished the crime CD in Gordon's exchange. But then, I got, curiously, a number of e-mails unsendable from two bloggers: my friend Lori in Florida, one of the few bloggers I actually know, and you. (Did you know I can see stuff such as on your page?)

So, for your trouble, my next package to you will contain the summer mix, the crime mix, and a mix that's totally randomly selected from a pile I put together when I was only exchanging with Hemby. And not so incidentally, I received your package on Friday. Boy, I hope Lydia doesn't turn out like the Lydia in that song.

Great groveling to Lefty, BTW.

And speaking of the southpaw:

1. Would you vote for a African-American Presidential candidate if they were conservative?

I suppose conservative in what way? Prior to 2003, I would have considered Colin Powell. He seemed to be a man of integrity. And truth is, maybe he bought that bill of goods about Iraq he spoke about at the UN in February 2003. Certainly, I appreciate his position on opposing torture.

Whereas his successor as Secretary of State, Condi Rice, I would NEVER vote for. At least Alan Keyes seems to have a consistent moral position, even if I oppose most of it.

2. Will we ever see a non-Christian presidential candidate?

Sure, he'll be Jewish (and it'll be a he) in 2016. Or 2020.

3. Can you remember that last time you heard a piece of music that made you nearly weep (for joy or sorrow)?

Sure, happens all the time.
Joy: the vocalization at the end of Surf's Up by the Beach Boys
Sorrow: there's a suspension at the end of a dramatic crescendo about 6 minutes into an 8 minute version of Barber's Adagio that almost never fails to get to me. (Anyone want to explain this better than I just did, please feel free.)

BTW, re: your question about going blind or deaf, sometimes I can recreate in my own mind a piece of music. If I would still have that, that'd be great.

4. What was the worst vacation you ever went on?

Undoubtedly it was some damn camping trip my father foisted on us. One place, north of Binghamton on the way to Syracuse actually had laundry facilities, but it was so fly-infested that I ended up killing dozens, including - and this is true - seven with one blow.

5. What website could you not live without?

At work, I use the Census Bureau page a LOT at work.
Personally, right now, it's my own page, or links thereon. What great insight has Gay Prof provided for us? What pop culture wisdom will Tom the Dog share? How's Nigel?

6. What did you think of my Circle of Friends mix?

I liked it, especially that middle section with Duran Duran and the Hall & Oates cover and that song that swipes, among other things, the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown".

7. So is Bush dumb, ill-informed, greedy, crafty, or evil?

I DON'T KNOW. Maybe all of them. Surely, he's crafty enough to have surrounded himself with people who could make him President. Early on in his administration, he was clearly ill-informed; you'll recall during the 2000 campaign how little he knew of world affairs. I don't care how many books he reads, but some of his comments in this area - I'm too lazy to look 'em up - sounded just dumb.

Evil. A serious word, that. But some of his non-response to the issue of torture as disingenuous at best. Did you see him interviewed by Matt Lauer this month? Something very disturbing about that, at least.

The Lydster, Part 30: Two and a Half

I had all of these grandiose ideas about a panoply of pictures of Lydia over the past 2.5 years, but I was having trouble with Blogger, which put the kibosh on that. The picture above, with my mother and Carol's, was supposed to be used for Grandparents' Day, but I forgot. And I did manage to get a couple old pics to post.

You know the physicians' creed to do no harm. I'm pleased to note that Lydia has made it to 2 1/2 in one piece, because of the parenting skills of her mother, and in spite of the parenting skills of me, or so she'll tell her therapist in 20 years.

O.K., that was unnecessarily self-effacing. I do have some skills. I can get her to squueze her medicine thingy into her nose, usually. I can get her to stop crying by doing something extraordinarily silly. (Don't ask.)

I've been taking my bike on the bus when I take her to day care. What pleases (and frankly surprises) me, and the people in the bus, is that I'll say to her, "Stay on the sidewalk until I put the bike on the bus" and she does, saying "Bike on bus and then get me". Then I carry her onto the bus. Then I take her off the bus, ask her to stay on the sidewalk until the bike comes off, and she complies again.

Good news: Lydia has ONLY a peanut allergy. That's good, because I pretty much knew that anyway, and that she DOESN'T have an allergy to anything else, according to the blood test, such as tree nuts, grasses, milk, cats, dogs, or any number of other things that might have affected her.

Lydia only a month ago used to say she was two, but now says she's two and a half, something neither her mother or I taught her. I blame her day care.

I love her a lot. When I get home from work, she'll quit what she's doing (eating, playing) to greet me. She is a good hugger.

Well, enough of this saccharine stuff. More cynicism soon.

***
Lydia, Carol, and I are mentioned in this story in the Capitaland Quartly section of this past Sunday's Times Union. The paper was going to get a picture, but the photographer's schedule changed and we were unable to wait around.

Dad would have been 80 Tomorrow

This is what I know. Les Green graduated from high school, barely, it seems, in 1944. He spent time in the military (in Texas and in Europe), came back to Binghamton, his hometown, and married Trudy in 1950.

He worked at a florist - arranging flowers for events, drove a truck, worked nights at IBM for six years, worked for a social service agency called Opportunities for Broome, then Associated Building Contractors, and finally J.A. Jones Construction.

He taught himself to play guitar around 1959, and billed himself as the "Lonesome & Lonely Traveller", which was his theme song, even when joined by his son (me) and daughter (Leslie).

Now this is what else I know. You may not be able to read the document above, so I'll share. It's my father's birth certificate.
[Name] Leslie H. Green
Male. Single birth [as opposed to twin, etc.] Sept 26 [19]26 1:30 a.m.
[County] Broome [City] Binghamton
[Mother's maiden name] Agatha Walker [Age] 24 [State of birth] PA
[Residence: state] N.Y. [City] Binghamton [Street and number] 18 East St.
[Father] McKinley M. Green [Age] 47 [State of birth] Pa.
[Local filing date] 9 30 26 [Date] 9 13 44

One thing I've long known, and my sisters have long known, from my mother was the fact that McKinley was not my father's biological father. I also know that McKinley wasn't 47 when my father was born, that he was probably 47 in 1944, when this certificate was re-issued.

I went to the 1930 Census. I needed help from Alan and others at the New York State Library.

Listed
Samuel E. Walker-Head-56-Age at first marriage:25-Born in VA, father born in VA, mother born in VA. Janitor in public building.
Eugeni [sic] M.-Wife-52-Born in PA, father born in PA, mother born in PA.
Agatha H.-Daughter-27-Born in PA, father born in PA, mother born in PA. Housekeeper for a private family.
Earl S.-Son-25-Born in PA, father born in PA, mother born in PA. Caterer for hotels.
Stanley E.-Son-20-Born in PA, father born in PA, mother born in PA.
Vera C.-Daughter-17-Born in PA, father born in US, mother born in PA.
Melissa C.-Daughter-15-Born in NY, father born in VA, mother born in PA.
Jessie G.-Daughter-13-Born in NY, father born in VA, mother born in PA.
Morris S.-Son-11-Born in NY, father born in VA, mother born in PA.
Wesley H.-Son-3 6/12-Born in NY, father born in VA, mother born in PA.

Samuel was the patriarch I knew as a little kid. He was a stern old man, and Agatha (my grandmother), Earl, Stanley, Vera, and Jessie all seemed to fear him, especially the older ones, who would have been in their fifties at the time. (Melissa was not around.) And Wesley? He would have been born in September 1926. So, Samuel and Eugenia feigned that Wesley was their son. But my father's name was Wesley when he was born? Or was this a clerical error on the part of the Census taker?

Another curiosity: Agatha, Earl, Stanley and Vera all had a father born in PA, so since Samuel was born in VA, he's not their biological father. So who was? Or is this another error?

When did McKinley Green marry Agatha Walker and adopt Wesley H. Walker? When did Wesley's name change to Leslie H. Green? From research my sisters did, the Walkers were all in the same house on Court Street in 1936, while McKinley was elsewhere. So, it would seem that McKinley adopted Wesley/Leslie sometime between 1936 and 1944. But then I hear from one of my father's younger cousins - all of my father's cousins were younger than he - that McKinley and Agatha had a rough go early on, so it's possible that McKinley adopted my father after 1930, was married to Agatha and cared for my father for a time, but not in 1936.

And, of course, the prime question I want to know: who was Leslie Green/Wesley Walker's biological father? The apocryphal story is that it was some minister from the AME or AME Zion Church, and that it was a great scandal in the Scrantonian, a newspaper, now defunct, that served the Scranton, PA area, about a hour south of Binghamton. Or maybe it was a Baptist church in Binghamton.

My next task was going to be to get microfilm of the Scrantonian, which is located at the University of Scranton, Penn State University, and at the State Library in Harrisburg to see if I can find any mention of this tale of a rogue pastor, but my father's cousin has already done this, with no success.

I mention all of this now, with the permission of my sisters Leslie and Marcia, and my mother, in an attempt to find the truth of the matter. It was a topic my sisters and I never broached with my father, because we knew it was painful for him.

The only time it was even noted in passing is when McKinley died in 1980. My father stepped up to take care of things. McKinley's brother sneered, "Oh, yeah, he (Mac) DID adopt that bastard, didn't he?" Never before or after that moment did we see my father so wounded.

If you have any information - if you knew my father or his family, if you have some ideas how to proceed further - please let me know. At some point in his youth, my father also lived on Tudor Street in Binghamton.

Thank you.


***
My father liked to watch football. He loved New Orleans. He would be watching the 2-0 Saints play the 2-0 Atlanta Falcons tonight in the first game of the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina. He'd probably even be watching the collaboration between U2 and Green Day during the pregame.

Everybody Wants to Have Something

Britannica wants Web sites and blogs to link to full texts of their encyclopedia articles, and it offers free samples online.

Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine wants to know if pet washes and car washes are a good mix.

Contingency Planning wants you know the answer to this question: Of those people who refused to evacuate their homes during Hurricane Katrina, what did 44% of respondents give as the reason?
Answer: 44% of people who did not evacuate their homes during Hurricane Katrina said they stayed behind because they did not want to leave their pets.

My boss wants you to have fun with geography with this.

About.com wants you to know about the Psychology of Color, especially green, and The Meaning of Color, especially green.

The TV show JEOPARDY! is looking for better ratings. Of the top 10 syndicated shows -it's #2 - it took the biggest drop in ratings from 2004-05 to 2005-06, 13.3%. That's going from 10.9 million to 9.4 million daily viewers.
1. Wheel of Fortune down 5.9%
3. Oprah down 5.9%
4. Entertainment Tonight UP 1.8%
5. Dr. Phil down 0.1%
6. Judge Judy down 4.4%
7. Inside Edition UP 3.5%
8. Millionaire down 4.9%
9. Regis & Kelly down 2.6%
10. Judge Joe Brown down 7.6%

My colleague Lenny from the SDC wants people know about the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA)'s recently created online feature called QuickStats. "Drawing on a select group of nationally representative surveys, QuickStats provides easy-to-read tables and graphs with a single click on the topic of interest... The topics include religious affiliation, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and experiences, and will continue to increase as more of the ARDA's holdings are integrated into the new program."

A pastor on a listserv I monitor wants people go here and take action to condemn torture. He writes: "We have two Christian commands to follow here: 'Do unto others...' and 'Love your enemies'. Either we stand up for Christ or we don't. Our choice. To do nothing means to condone torture in our name."

A librarian on another listserv commented on my tagline, "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning, but without understanding."- Justice Louis Brandeis, 1928
He wrote: "Don't think in today's world your tag line is for the X generation?" Can someone explain to me what the heck that means?

Jeanine Pirro, Republican candidate for NYS Attorney General, wants this story to go away.

The Times Union, the local paper, reported on the victim of the pedestrian accident in Saratoga on Sept. 14 who had not been identified. The paper wanted their readers to tell them if they thought it was OK to publish a photo of the man. The paper wanted to know if the newspaper should publish the images to help authorities identify the victim of an accident? (I didn't think the photos were too graphic.) They did print one, and other media also showed one or both of the photos, and as a result, the man was identified the next day.

My sister Leslie wants you to know about the jury duty scam. It's not new to me, but it IS true, and is another method of identity theft.

Speaking of preventing ID theft, Fred Cole of Schaap Records Management & Certified Shredding e-mailed me to ask me to publicize the company's Free Shredding Day. It’s happening again (for the 6th time) Saturday, Oct. 7. from 9 am to 2 pm on Brown Street, near Railroad Avenue, in Colonie. Up to 200 pounds of paper for each individual and not-for-profit organization can be brought.

God/Concept/Pain QUESTIONS

I must tell you that I found out something just this week that really surprised me. I'm finding it distracting. Monday, you'll know what it is.

Meanwhile, some of the dialogue about Pope Benedict remarks which inflamed a number of Muslims has been addressed in one of the blogs that the local paper has posted, Perspectives on Islam for September 18. I find myself largely agreeing it, but also sympathetic to one of the replies:

Although it is true that Mohammad did conquer the Arab world by the sword, (as did the Catholic Church I might add - - they took religion seriously in the old days), I don't see the relevance in using this quote by Benedict. Wasn't he trying to "open a dialogue" between Christians and Muslims?

Actually, I believe was trying to do just that. But it seemed injudicious to assume that people are going to recognize the nuance he seemed to be attempting to achieve, and naive to think that the inflammatory language wouldn't be the lead story, rather than the speech as a whole.

Also, his "apology" referred to being sorry for the "reaction" to his quote, not using the quote itself!

And why did it take four days to even respond at all?

So what do you think? More importantly, how can we achieve greater communication among peoples of various religions and faiths? I've always been a fan of ecumenical and interfaith services and activities, but those heal the world only a little at a time, while an event such as the Pope's speech, even if it has been exploited by certain parties, only widens the gap.
***
I suppose I want to ask you if you think George W. Bush IS the devil, as Hugo Chavez said at the UN, but not even I believe that. I don't THINK I do. The event did generate one of those classic New York Daily News headlines" "Zip It!"

Ask Me Anything, September Equinox Version 2006

Since today or tomorrow is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere depending on the time zone, and the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere:

Once again, it's time for that exciting opportunity to ASK ROGER ANYTHING. This does two things: it gives you the opportunity to make my life miserable by forcing me to respond to queries, whether they be mundane or profound. And I learn something new about you.

I expect that certain people will retaliate, or rather respond, because, when they've asked the question, I try to ask them whatever happens to be on my mind.
A couple people, for instance, were asked, "Why is there air?" I happened to have been thinking about a Bill Cosby album of the same name, in which Cos' brilliant college girlfriend went around asking questions such as that. Bill's response: "To blow up volleyballs, to blow up basketballs. Every phys ed teacher knows why there's air!"

It's funnier in the delivery.

Last time he posed it, I discovered that Tosy and I share a pet peeve: "People who think they are more important than others. Line cutters. People who are too good for certain tables at restaurants. People whose e-mails are ALWAYS flagged as 'important.' Those people." Yeah, I often fantasize about those people in untoward ways.

Sample question #1: On your way home from work, you bump into God and get to ask one question or make one statement. What do ya do?
Sample answer #1: I had this good friend for about a decade, then suddenly we don't talk. What the heck happened?

Sample question #2: Toilet paper: over or under?
Sample answer #2: I really don't care.

Well, you get the idea. You may pose the questions in the comment section of this here blog or e-mail me, if you're the shy type.

You CAN Fight City Hall

Last month, on a Thursday night, Carol and I went to downtown Albany for our monthly dinner together, alone, a restaurant in a local hotel. We wanted to take advantage of the $16.09 deal, whereby several downtown restaurants all put out a special menu of an all-inclusive dinner (appetizer, main course, dessert) for $16.09. (1609 was the year Henry Hudson became the first European to reach what is now Albany.)

We had a lovely dinner, and came out to our car, parked on North Pearl Street, at a location where there is a parking meter operational from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Since we got there shortly before 7 p.m., and were coming back about 8:25 p.m. , we were surprised - and not a little distressed - to have received a ticket for parking in a No Parking zone, at 8:18 p.m., a mere seven minutes before our unrushed return. Then we noticed all the cars in front and in back of us also got tickets. Only three weeks earlier, the city had posted signs - three or four car lengths from us - indicating that this part of North Pearl was now a taxi stand on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The $50 ticket far outstripped whatever we saved on dinner, and it left the evening with a bit of a sour taste in our mouths - no pun intended.

The next day, I called the Downtown Business Improvement (BID) office. I told some young man my plight, and the plight of the other folks. Knowing we're technically in the wrong, it nevertheless seemed as though this was no way to attract people downtown. He agreed and said he'd see what he could do, though he thought the police were supposed to be putting out only warning tickets.

A couple days later, he called back to note that all of the tickets issued on North Pearl Street before 10 p.m. during the $16.09 week would be canceled. Based on just the ones we saw, that was more than a few dozen citations.

So, thanks to the Downtown BID, who has gotten us to want to come downtown yet again. But this time, we'll check the signs more carefully.
***
He LIKED it, he LIKED it! Lefty liked my Summer Mix. And you can have a copy, too. Just let me know.

In the Words of Toby Keith, "Let's Talk About Me"

I discovered that in the past week or two, I've been mentioned in blogs by Greg (fearing my chastisement over his affection for Led Zeppelin - I don't dislike them, I just got aggravated by their uncredited ripoffs of old blues artists), Chris Black (making insignia - his looks better than mine), Chris Brown - no relation (citing my blood donation piece AND dissing my musical taste in the same post), and Jaquandor (quoting from my September 11 piece). Also, I make Eddie happy - that's just the kind of guy I am - even as I confound him. And let me say here what I posted on Greg's blog: "Album is a perfectly fine word for a group of things under one cover (photo album, e.g.) The CD, the LP, the cassette is the format; the collection is the album. Or so I say. Again."

Chris Brown, a/k/a Lefty, (like the Hall & Oates cover, guy, and especially the song after that) also was inspired by me. Speaking of inspirational, I'm enjoying summer songs from Mrs. Lefty.
***
I had a letter to the editor published on Saturday. It's here, and if that becomes inaccessible, it's been copied here. My racquetball mates got annoyed that I didn't mention it to them.
***
If you're a blogger, please consider adding this guy. Although Hurricane Dymowski is named for him, he's generally a sensitive fellow. A Pisces, I believe.
***
I'm mildly pleased that the Mets finally clinched the NL East pennant, as is Fred (Sept. 19).
***
Oh, and the Toby Keith reference came from watching CBS Sunday Morning on September 10, where he revealed, among other things, that he's a Democrat. I actually own one Keith album that I got for free at a conference in Nashville a few years ago, and it includes the song "Let's Talk About Me".

Talk Like a Pirate Day

It's TODAY, and I almost missed it, but didn't, thanks to Lefty.

"Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth."

"I am convinced that God wanted me to be a baseball player. I was born to play baseball."

"I am more valuable to my team hitting .330 than swinging for home runs."

"I dedicated the hit (his 3,000th) to the Pittsburgh fans and to the people in Puerto Rico and to one man (Roberto Marin) in particular. The one man who carried me around for weeks looking for a scout to sign me."

"I felt kind of bashful (when the fans went crazy). I'm a very quiet, shy person, although you writers might not believe because I shout sometimes."

"If I could sleep. I could hit .400."

"I tell you, (Steve) Blass, you pitch me inside, they never, never find that ball."

"I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give."

"I will hit .450 if you give me Ralph Garr's legs, Johnny Bench's age and cut the travel schedule."

"Nobody does anything better than me in baseball (said before the 1971 World Series)."

"There's no difference between me and you (Manny Sanguillen). You need something, a glove, a place to live, you let me know."

"When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth."

"Why does everyone talk about the past? All that counts is tomorrow's game."

RC

The New TV Season

Tosy claims the new season officially started yesterday. Couldn't tell by me. It's not just because my TV Guide subscription lapsed months ago. It's that Prison Break and any number of other shows started in August, a few started last week, some won't start until October.

Guess I should figure out what to watch.

Mondays
10-11
Studio 60
The single most hyped new series. The Ad Age critics, who have a pretty good track record, are mixed about the success of this show. I liked Sports Night, liked West Wing until Sorkin left, then I came back for the last season. (Studio 60 aired on Sunday in Toronto. And I recorded it last night but have not watched it; I was in BED by 10 pm.

Tuesdays
8-9
Gilmore Girls
How WILL they handle last year's stunning season-ender? I have no idea.
10-11
Boston Legal. It's trash. I like it anyway.

Wednesdays
8-8:30
30 Rock. The OTHER SNL-inspired show.
10-11
I've avoided Lost, not because it's not good, but because I have only a limited tolerance for such convoluted fare. The Nine looks a little like Lost to me (ABC must have paired them for a reason), yet the commercials have compelled me to at least give it a try.

Thursday
8-9
Earl and Office. Tosy said, "The most solid comedy hour in a long while." Agreed.
9-10
I'm a latecomer to Grey's Anatomy. Saw quite a bit of it during summer reruns, enough to at least try it again.

Friday
9-10
Saw the first Men in Trees. Very Northern Exposure, with Alaska, a bar, and a pilot. I happened to have watched Anne Heche on Another World and liked her. I'll try it again.
10-11
Once upon a time, I used to actually watch Law & Order, but not since Jerry Orbach left. If I'm absolutely desperate...

Saturday
There really is nothing on network TV on Saturday if you don't like football.

Sunday
7-8 (probably more like 7:30-8:30)
60 Minutes. Katie Couric's first piece on the damaged lungs after 9/11 was strong, more interesting, actually, than her daily broadcast.
8-8:30
The Simpsons.
10-11
Brothers and Sisters. (No, Tosy, I didn't remember that Skerritt and Fields played matriarch and patriarch of a family in Steel Magnolias, and I actually saw the movie.)