You know, I should not find it surprising to see Serbs protesting in favor of arrested mass murderer, Gen. Ratko Mladic, and revering him as a national hero. This has always been the Serbian mindset, ever since they betrayed each other to defeat in Kosovo in the Middle Ages. In 1903, after decades of trying to enter "respectable" European society, they assassinate- then mutilate- King Alexander Obrenovic and his queen and throw them naked into a pile of manure. This is not an unruly mob, this is the military elite what did this- including the man code named "Apis", who was not only a high government official but the main supplier to the Black Hand terrorist group- whose splinter group led by Gavrillo Princep kicked off WWI by killing the Austrian Archduke and his innocent wife.
And yet, Europe went to war over the "poor Serbs" being "bullied" by Austria. Why? Because Russian saw them as "Slav brothers"; France saw Russia as their only chance of surviving the next war with Germany; And Britain needed the continental alliance with France, even though both were democracies who deplored the government system of their Russian "allies". And a prime example of acting from politics rather than a careful consideration of who's involved is set in stone. Grave stones, that is. Britain should have known better- between the dismal results of the so-called Great Game with Russia and the wasted lives in their attempts to make something valuable of Afghanistan.
But does anyone learn? We plunge into Vietnam to protect the "good guy', but was their a good guy. In his book White House Years, Kissenger describes the Vietnamese mindset all to well.
"...a conviction that it was Vietnam's destiny to dominate not only not only Indochina but all of Southeast Asia... we were simply one of the hordes of foreigners whose congenital ignorance over the centuries had tempted them into Indochina, whence it was Vietnam's mission to expel them (not, I often thought, without driving them mad first)." Kissenger, page 441.
And still today. A blogger friend of mine was recently on a tour of SE Asia, and her last stop was in the city formerly known as Saigon. She described verbal rudeness, physical semi-assault in the markets (She told the story about the "disturbing"Vietnamese from in-country on April 13th, and posted last week about the marks and pain she still had from the experience.
But do we learn the lesson- look WHO it is we're helping before we jump in? Look at the Pakistanis, the Iraqis. How about the Egyptians ( the "broken reed" of Ezekiel 29:6-7) who we're about to sign off on another Obama $2 billion bailout? Or the Libyans who are very glad for our help in getting rid of Qaddafyduck? His supporters already stand in line protesting the NATO strikes. Say what you want about Mubarek- he kept Sadat's word with Israel for 35 years. Who, of all the nations we are currently "helping", will we be able to say that about in 2046?
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Memorial Day for Jim Tressell.
Anyone who knows me knows that today's announcement of Jim Tressel's resignation at Ohio State is a cause for celebration. That said, I would like to sidestep gloating for irony. What makes a man like Tressel wait until Memorial Day to do something he should have done a long time ago, if not at least two weeks ago? Is he suggesting subtly that he has died for the cause, a martyr to a system out of control?
That would be accurate in a sense, if a laugh.
The system he lost his job protecting is the same one Pete Carroll was smart enough to jump off of just before the torpedo hit at USC. It is a system of money and the power derived thereof- that same system that made OSU prez Gene Smith look down his nose at Boise State and Utah, et al. We are richer than you, more powerful than you. That not only makes us better, but more deserving.
This is a system founded on TV contracts, bolstered by the monstrosity that is the BCS (who is not only besmirching the teams but the bowls themselves- look at the punishment and near expulsion that they handed the Fiesta Bowl for participating in a system THEY encourage), and built around the elite of the college football world- the Texases, Alabamas, USCs and Ohio States.
I found it amusing moments ago to read in a Texas alumni site called the Burnt Orange Review where the writer excoriates Tressel for not resigning earlier, for the constant stream of lies and disavowals that led him to today's action. He also goes on to blast ESPN for constantly feeding us investigative lollipops instead of tracking down evildoers like Tressel and OSU. I wonder how he would feel if ESPN woke up from the disingenuous lethargy he describes and turned their sights on the Longhorns. For the reason I found the article amusing is that it is his own Longhorns that manipulated the PAC-10 into taking Colorado off his hands, got Nebraska to agree to a self-imposed exile from the Big-12, all in the name of coercing the powers that be into giving U of T football a network of their very own. This was all very legal, and all very much a part of that same system. I'd like to know how many "Buckeye discount" type arrangements are going on in Austin. The university slogan "What happens here changes the world" is a good ad for their institution.. It is also a symbol of the arrogance these programs operate with- an arrogance shared by Ohio State.
Did Tressel share that arrogance? Well, he did give himself a 5-game suspension over the incident. Why wait for actual authorities to rule on the case, right? Except that what he probably regarded as less-than-full disclosure the rest of the world defines as lying. So, in an attempt to secure his own opinion of his actions, perhaps, he hired two weeks ago the former chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, Gene Marsh, to be his lawyer. Any body want to bet that Gene studied the case for two weeks and said, "You're dead, Jim." (Sorry, I've been watching Star Trek all day.) And that that is why he has had a change of mind (the day he hired Marsh, CBSSports.com ran an article titled, "Jim Tressel won't be resigning"). Which would also be amusing except that CBSSports.com has been op-ed-ing itself out of relevancy for some time now.
The one bright light on the opinion horizon was ESPN college analyst and OSU alum Mark May, who I just got done watching as he said Tressel should have resigned "months ago" and that with the extent of the revelations coming out even as we speak, Gene Smith will likely be next.
Good. Smith's arrogance, unlike Tressel's, is not a matter of debate. I've a feeling that when it's all said and done, Smith will bow out to avoid criminal complicity, let alone NCAA sanctions. But when the sun comes up the next day, Ohio State, Texas, USC will still be there. The BCS, the TV sports networks will still be there. And the system will install another disciple- likely a more subtle one than Gene Smith- and the system will go on. Ohio State will still sneer at her weaker brethren, Texas will continue to manipulate things until it creates the Big 12 that earns them the maximum profit, and the NCAA under the wings of its wonderful head Miles (Yeah, I fired Bobby Knight) Brand will continue to ensure us that the education of the student-athlete is the #1 priority.
That would be accurate in a sense, if a laugh.
The system he lost his job protecting is the same one Pete Carroll was smart enough to jump off of just before the torpedo hit at USC. It is a system of money and the power derived thereof- that same system that made OSU prez Gene Smith look down his nose at Boise State and Utah, et al. We are richer than you, more powerful than you. That not only makes us better, but more deserving.
This is a system founded on TV contracts, bolstered by the monstrosity that is the BCS (who is not only besmirching the teams but the bowls themselves- look at the punishment and near expulsion that they handed the Fiesta Bowl for participating in a system THEY encourage), and built around the elite of the college football world- the Texases, Alabamas, USCs and Ohio States.
I found it amusing moments ago to read in a Texas alumni site called the Burnt Orange Review where the writer excoriates Tressel for not resigning earlier, for the constant stream of lies and disavowals that led him to today's action. He also goes on to blast ESPN for constantly feeding us investigative lollipops instead of tracking down evildoers like Tressel and OSU. I wonder how he would feel if ESPN woke up from the disingenuous lethargy he describes and turned their sights on the Longhorns. For the reason I found the article amusing is that it is his own Longhorns that manipulated the PAC-10 into taking Colorado off his hands, got Nebraska to agree to a self-imposed exile from the Big-12, all in the name of coercing the powers that be into giving U of T football a network of their very own. This was all very legal, and all very much a part of that same system. I'd like to know how many "Buckeye discount" type arrangements are going on in Austin. The university slogan "What happens here changes the world" is a good ad for their institution.. It is also a symbol of the arrogance these programs operate with- an arrogance shared by Ohio State.
Did Tressel share that arrogance? Well, he did give himself a 5-game suspension over the incident. Why wait for actual authorities to rule on the case, right? Except that what he probably regarded as less-than-full disclosure the rest of the world defines as lying. So, in an attempt to secure his own opinion of his actions, perhaps, he hired two weeks ago the former chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, Gene Marsh, to be his lawyer. Any body want to bet that Gene studied the case for two weeks and said, "You're dead, Jim." (Sorry, I've been watching Star Trek all day.) And that that is why he has had a change of mind (the day he hired Marsh, CBSSports.com ran an article titled, "Jim Tressel won't be resigning"). Which would also be amusing except that CBSSports.com has been op-ed-ing itself out of relevancy for some time now.
The one bright light on the opinion horizon was ESPN college analyst and OSU alum Mark May, who I just got done watching as he said Tressel should have resigned "months ago" and that with the extent of the revelations coming out even as we speak, Gene Smith will likely be next.
Good. Smith's arrogance, unlike Tressel's, is not a matter of debate. I've a feeling that when it's all said and done, Smith will bow out to avoid criminal complicity, let alone NCAA sanctions. But when the sun comes up the next day, Ohio State, Texas, USC will still be there. The BCS, the TV sports networks will still be there. And the system will install another disciple- likely a more subtle one than Gene Smith- and the system will go on. Ohio State will still sneer at her weaker brethren, Texas will continue to manipulate things until it creates the Big 12 that earns them the maximum profit, and the NCAA under the wings of its wonderful head Miles (Yeah, I fired Bobby Knight) Brand will continue to ensure us that the education of the student-athlete is the #1 priority.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Weekends with Scrappy
Imagine, if you will: Daylight breaks, and a beagle clambers out from underneath a heavy plush blanket. He walks up the bed, tail wagging vigorously- not fast, but with a lot of force behind each switch. He circles into the space between the right side of your chest and your right arm as you lay semi-conscious on your back. He leans onto your chest, putting his right front leg around your neck in a half hug- you feel his claws initially dig in as if he was a cat kneading. He stares you in the face for just a second or two, just long enough to lick the end of your nose once or twice. And then he places his head so one eye is pressed against your nose, and the other is staring into your free eye, watching to see if you are paying attention or looking away. If you look away, the other paw inserts itself into your nose and none-too-gently turns your head back to himself.
GOOD MORNING, DADDY!
And that's how we start the weekend, usually. After he gets his breakfast it's time to go for the morning adventure.
The bigger flowers are finally coming out.
We go down to Scrappy's landing to check out how high the river has gotten...
...and it's pretty high. Y'know, I always talk about Scrappy's landing, but I don't think I've ever actually put it on here. Here you go...
...the moral of the story being, cut the hollyhocks and leave the damn trees!
Moving on, I decided to cut back to the woods to see if any nature was abounding. I was skeptical after seeing what I thought were socceristas ahead. But it wasn't socceristas...
...it was a trail run! They had over a hundred people of all ages, shapes, and sizes, complete with a dj/announcer and music that drowned out my earbuds for a considerable distance. Of course, Scrappy was in hog heaven meeting all these people, and I had fun ragging the "runners" who, despite announcements of awards, had given up and were walking. Now one thing you should know about where they were running: the meadow and fields on the west side of the Plex road do NOT drain well. many runners were splattered with mud, especially one little girl so bad off it looked like she'd fell butt-first into one of Scrappy's beloved water puddles.
So into the woods (where I finally heard MY music again) and up the trail we went. We got a lesson in the condition of my eyesight when we ventured into a very soggy woods to check out a large white object I thought might be a puffball. It turned out to be a rather small plastic bag, and I turned back to the trail shaking my head and saying, "THAT'S what I saw?"
Then we encountered a row of hay bales across the trail...
...and I wondered at its significance until I got to the other side and turned around...
We proceeded up the dirt section (or should I say the goop section) of the trail, mainly to get away from the runneristas. We found out we had nothing to worry about from them in this section, both because of the goopitude of the trail...
...and the rather large stump that was fallen across the trail about three quarters of the way to the trailhead.
Despite the looks of the day, we got home relatively dry; now I can relax while Scrappy takes a nap.
GOOD MORNING, DADDY!
And that's how we start the weekend, usually. After he gets his breakfast it's time to go for the morning adventure.
The bigger flowers are finally coming out.
Now normally the trail to the landing is fairly well defined. But lately the hollyhocks are trying to obscure the entrance (or in this case, the exit)-
-at least I call them hollyhocks, I don't really know what they are. But they are big, bushy, and smell good.
Down the way, when they "rebuilt the trail" to a more greenway-like standard, they took a few too many trees out where the river bends close. As a result, they put up an orange safety fence. But all that rain has now caused the bank to slide...
Moving on, I decided to cut back to the woods to see if any nature was abounding. I was skeptical after seeing what I thought were socceristas ahead. But it wasn't socceristas...
So into the woods (where I finally heard MY music again) and up the trail we went. We got a lesson in the condition of my eyesight when we ventured into a very soggy woods to check out a large white object I thought might be a puffball. It turned out to be a rather small plastic bag, and I turned back to the trail shaking my head and saying, "THAT'S what I saw?"
Then we encountered a row of hay bales across the trail...
Despite the looks of the day, we got home relatively dry; now I can relax while Scrappy takes a nap.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Step into my time machine week fifty-seven
And now it's time for your regularly-scheduled trip into the mid-70s, courtesy of the big red time machine hiding in the woods out back. (Not really, but the muse was on a roll.) This week, we ask- who is Leslie Charles? Who is Bruce Fitzpatrick? Who is Uncle Ernie? Whose turn is it at #1 on the album chart? (Yours? no, I had it last week. How bout next week?) And who, pray tell, is at the top of our chart for this week in 1976? Strap in and let's find out!
11 debuts in the hot 100 this week. Lou Rawls leads us off with his classic You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine at #86. Admit it, how many times have you caught yourself over the years deepening your voice and going, "Youuuuu'll never fiiiiind..." An oddity only worth mentioning for graduates of the Martin School of the Ironic- Donnie Osmond debuts with a cover of the Four Seasons' C'mon Marianne at 81, followed by the Four Seasons at 80 with Silver Star. I'll confess I have not listened to Donnie, and Silver Star is very un-Four Seasons- like. Queen hits at 77 with You're My Best Friend, and ABBA follows at 76 with Mama Mia. Our big movers are each 20-spot movers: A Kind Of Hush manages a second biggest dropper award by falling from 54 to 74; and John Travolta's Let Her In climbs from 77 to 57.
I don't have a lot to say that hasn't been (or needs to be) said about our songs on the look at #1s of other years, this time in the 6s. 1996 was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony with Tha Crossroads (and no I did not bother to listen, although I'm sure Bob G. has heard it in the 'hood). 1986 was Whitney Houston's unnecessary remake of another Lou Rawls' tune, The Greatest Love Of All. 1976? Cahmannn!!! 1966 was Percy Sledge's original of When A Man Loves A Woman, a song that Michael (the Antichrist) Bolton makes me sick of everyday at work; and 1955 was headed by Elvis checking out of his 6-week stay at Heartbreak Hotel.
I'm finishing the last four on our #1 albums of the 70s list so that we will be up to date and look at our target week's #1 from here on in. As a result, I'll do 2 now and two later, okay? Okay! Our next contestant was number one the week of April 10th, 1976. And the week of June 24th. And the weeks of August 14th, 21st, and 28th. And the weeks of September 11th through October 9th- a total of ten weeks in all for Frampton Comes Alive. The gutsy move of a double live album after four low-selling studio discs paid off for Peter Frampton, as this was not only the #1 album of 1976, but also the #14 album of 1977. Recorded at Winterland in San Fran and at the Long Island Arena over the course of 4 shows, it featured the recent top ten Show Me The Way (#6 Billboard), Baby I Love Your Way (12), and Do You Feel Like We Do (10).
After a return to the top by Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-75, Our second contestant was #1 for the week of April 24th. And May 29th. And the weeks of June 19th through July 17th- a total of 7 weeks for Wings At The Speed Of Sound. A rare recording in England due to the hectic touring schedule Paul and mates kept, it featured a song we'll be talking about a bit later in Silly Love Songs, as well as Let 'Em In, a #3 hit. If you wonder who the heck all those people are that he lets in (and who doesn't), we'll clear that up right now. "Sister Suzy" Was Linda, who had a single with the band that she sang lead on and was labelled under "Suzy and the Red Stripes". Brother John was Linda's brother John Eastman. "Martin Luther" was apparently a reference to John Lennon, who was frequently called Martin Luther Lennon by other bandmates. Phil and Don were, of course, the Everly Brothers. Brother Michael was Paul's brother Mike; Auntie Gin was Paul's aunt, and "Uncle Ian" was her son Ian. "Uncle Ernie" was The Who drummer Keith Moon, who played the part of Uncle Ernie in the Tommy movie. And there you have it.
Three songs enter Airplay alley this week. At 39, up 5 is Cyndi Grecco, who makes it 4 TV themes in the top 40 this week with Making Our Dreams Come True from Laverne And Shirley. This was a one hit wonder for Cyndi. Up 12 from 50 to 38 is the Steve Miller Band with Take The Money And Run, the second of their 9 top 40s. And finally, the last hit for MHOFer Jimmy Dean, who reaches with I.O.U. His 8th top 40- and first since Little Black Book in 1962- and 17th country hit (including 3 #1s), it moves from 42 to 34.
Three shoutouts on the Almost But Not Quite front. Boz Scaggs drops from a peak of 43 (he hit 38 on Billboard) to 49 with It's Over, an overlooked song from the great lp Silk Degrees. Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three drop from 41 to 48 with One Piece At A Time, his last #1 country hit (which I was going to dispute, but his cover of Ghost Riders peaked at #2). Bruce Fitzpatrick of Abernathy Auto Parts actually constructed this vehicle from the names and years mentioned in the song, and presented it to Johnny in April of 1976.
And Billy Ocean (born Leslie Charles) slips from 16 to 19 with Love Really Hurts Without You, which despite a lot of success on the club and R&B scene was his only hit till 1984's Caribbean (or African, or European, depending on where you were when you heard it) Queen.
BTW, Dream On continues to sit the grampa chair, falling from 56 to 66 in its 33rd week spread across 2 chart runs.
Speaking of falling, two songs enter the top ten, two fall out. The droppers are Boogie Fever, from 9 to 12; and Tryin' To Get The Feeling, from 10 to 15.
Shocking news- the next album on our countdown had just a two-consecutive week stay at the top, and was the first of two critically panned lps by major groups. Presence by Led Zeppelin was recorded in just eighteen days at the Musicland studio in Munich (because the next #1 was scheduled to be recorded there next!), by a band dealing with the injuries to lead singer Robert Plant received in a car wreck in Greece. In fact, it's most notable track, Achilles' Last Stand, was almost called -tongue-in-cheek- "The Wheelchair Song" as a result. Presence was on top the weeks of May 1st and 8th, and after the first return of Frampton Comes Alive came the album for which Zep had to hurry up and get out of Dodge- er, Munich- for, the Rolling Stones' Black And Blue. The first lp with Ronnie Wood as a full time Stones employee, B&B was summed up by Lester Bangs of Cream Magazine as follows: "...the first meaningless album by the Rolling Stones, and thank God...they don't really matter anymore or stand for anything..." B&B contained the singles Fool To Cry (which currently sits just outside our top 10) and Hot Stuff (which, as it peaked at 49, it apparently wasn't). B&B would also play revolving top dogs- it was #1 the weeks of May 15th and 22nd, and returned for an encore June 5th and 12th.
All right, we have all questions answered except the top ten. Debuting at 10, up 2, are Daryl Hall and John Oates with Sara Smile. At 9, up 2, is the first top ten for Fleetwood Mac, Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win). Down 5 to #8 is the Elvin Bishop Band with Fooled Around And Fell In Love. Dorothy Moore climbs a spot to #7 with Misty Blue. Pratt and McLain move up one to #6 with Happy Days. Henry Gross holds at 5 with Shannon. ATTENTION GERMAN FANS: Silver Convention climbs 2 to #4 with Get Up And Boogie. Diana Ross is up 1 spot to 3 with Love Hangover. John Sebastian slips to #2 with last week's top dog, the theme to Welcome Back Kotter (our 4th TV theme in the top 40, the other one I didn't mention is Rhythm Heritage's Barretta's theme, which sits at 24 this week). And that gives us a new #1... his/their 5th top dog...
11 debuts in the hot 100 this week. Lou Rawls leads us off with his classic You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine at #86. Admit it, how many times have you caught yourself over the years deepening your voice and going, "Youuuuu'll never fiiiiind..." An oddity only worth mentioning for graduates of the Martin School of the Ironic- Donnie Osmond debuts with a cover of the Four Seasons' C'mon Marianne at 81, followed by the Four Seasons at 80 with Silver Star. I'll confess I have not listened to Donnie, and Silver Star is very un-Four Seasons- like. Queen hits at 77 with You're My Best Friend, and ABBA follows at 76 with Mama Mia. Our big movers are each 20-spot movers: A Kind Of Hush manages a second biggest dropper award by falling from 54 to 74; and John Travolta's Let Her In climbs from 77 to 57.
I don't have a lot to say that hasn't been (or needs to be) said about our songs on the look at #1s of other years, this time in the 6s. 1996 was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony with Tha Crossroads (and no I did not bother to listen, although I'm sure Bob G. has heard it in the 'hood). 1986 was Whitney Houston's unnecessary remake of another Lou Rawls' tune, The Greatest Love Of All. 1976? Cahmannn!!! 1966 was Percy Sledge's original of When A Man Loves A Woman, a song that Michael (the Antichrist) Bolton makes me sick of everyday at work; and 1955 was headed by Elvis checking out of his 6-week stay at Heartbreak Hotel.
I'm finishing the last four on our #1 albums of the 70s list so that we will be up to date and look at our target week's #1 from here on in. As a result, I'll do 2 now and two later, okay? Okay! Our next contestant was number one the week of April 10th, 1976. And the week of June 24th. And the weeks of August 14th, 21st, and 28th. And the weeks of September 11th through October 9th- a total of ten weeks in all for Frampton Comes Alive. The gutsy move of a double live album after four low-selling studio discs paid off for Peter Frampton, as this was not only the #1 album of 1976, but also the #14 album of 1977. Recorded at Winterland in San Fran and at the Long Island Arena over the course of 4 shows, it featured the recent top ten Show Me The Way (#6 Billboard), Baby I Love Your Way (12), and Do You Feel Like We Do (10).
After a return to the top by Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-75, Our second contestant was #1 for the week of April 24th. And May 29th. And the weeks of June 19th through July 17th- a total of 7 weeks for Wings At The Speed Of Sound. A rare recording in England due to the hectic touring schedule Paul and mates kept, it featured a song we'll be talking about a bit later in Silly Love Songs, as well as Let 'Em In, a #3 hit. If you wonder who the heck all those people are that he lets in (and who doesn't), we'll clear that up right now. "Sister Suzy" Was Linda, who had a single with the band that she sang lead on and was labelled under "Suzy and the Red Stripes". Brother John was Linda's brother John Eastman. "Martin Luther" was apparently a reference to John Lennon, who was frequently called Martin Luther Lennon by other bandmates. Phil and Don were, of course, the Everly Brothers. Brother Michael was Paul's brother Mike; Auntie Gin was Paul's aunt, and "Uncle Ian" was her son Ian. "Uncle Ernie" was The Who drummer Keith Moon, who played the part of Uncle Ernie in the Tommy movie. And there you have it.
Three songs enter Airplay alley this week. At 39, up 5 is Cyndi Grecco, who makes it 4 TV themes in the top 40 this week with Making Our Dreams Come True from Laverne And Shirley. This was a one hit wonder for Cyndi. Up 12 from 50 to 38 is the Steve Miller Band with Take The Money And Run, the second of their 9 top 40s. And finally, the last hit for MHOFer Jimmy Dean, who reaches with I.O.U. His 8th top 40- and first since Little Black Book in 1962- and 17th country hit (including 3 #1s), it moves from 42 to 34.
Three shoutouts on the Almost But Not Quite front. Boz Scaggs drops from a peak of 43 (he hit 38 on Billboard) to 49 with It's Over, an overlooked song from the great lp Silk Degrees. Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three drop from 41 to 48 with One Piece At A Time, his last #1 country hit (which I was going to dispute, but his cover of Ghost Riders peaked at #2). Bruce Fitzpatrick of Abernathy Auto Parts actually constructed this vehicle from the names and years mentioned in the song, and presented it to Johnny in April of 1976.
And Billy Ocean (born Leslie Charles) slips from 16 to 19 with Love Really Hurts Without You, which despite a lot of success on the club and R&B scene was his only hit till 1984's Caribbean (or African, or European, depending on where you were when you heard it) Queen.
BTW, Dream On continues to sit the grampa chair, falling from 56 to 66 in its 33rd week spread across 2 chart runs.
Speaking of falling, two songs enter the top ten, two fall out. The droppers are Boogie Fever, from 9 to 12; and Tryin' To Get The Feeling, from 10 to 15.
Shocking news- the next album on our countdown had just a two-consecutive week stay at the top, and was the first of two critically panned lps by major groups. Presence by Led Zeppelin was recorded in just eighteen days at the Musicland studio in Munich (because the next #1 was scheduled to be recorded there next!), by a band dealing with the injuries to lead singer Robert Plant received in a car wreck in Greece. In fact, it's most notable track, Achilles' Last Stand, was almost called -tongue-in-cheek- "The Wheelchair Song" as a result. Presence was on top the weeks of May 1st and 8th, and after the first return of Frampton Comes Alive came the album for which Zep had to hurry up and get out of Dodge- er, Munich- for, the Rolling Stones' Black And Blue. The first lp with Ronnie Wood as a full time Stones employee, B&B was summed up by Lester Bangs of Cream Magazine as follows: "...the first meaningless album by the Rolling Stones, and thank God...they don't really matter anymore or stand for anything..." B&B contained the singles Fool To Cry (which currently sits just outside our top 10) and Hot Stuff (which, as it peaked at 49, it apparently wasn't). B&B would also play revolving top dogs- it was #1 the weeks of May 15th and 22nd, and returned for an encore June 5th and 12th.
All right, we have all questions answered except the top ten. Debuting at 10, up 2, are Daryl Hall and John Oates with Sara Smile. At 9, up 2, is the first top ten for Fleetwood Mac, Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win). Down 5 to #8 is the Elvin Bishop Band with Fooled Around And Fell In Love. Dorothy Moore climbs a spot to #7 with Misty Blue. Pratt and McLain move up one to #6 with Happy Days. Henry Gross holds at 5 with Shannon. ATTENTION GERMAN FANS: Silver Convention climbs 2 to #4 with Get Up And Boogie. Diana Ross is up 1 spot to 3 with Love Hangover. John Sebastian slips to #2 with last week's top dog, the theme to Welcome Back Kotter (our 4th TV theme in the top 40, the other one I didn't mention is Rhythm Heritage's Barretta's theme, which sits at 24 this week). And that gives us a new #1... his/their 5th top dog...
Wings with Silly Love Songs!!!
Well, that's about enough out of me for one weekend. See you in June, my friends- and stay thirsty!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Step into my time machine Memorial Day special
I came up with the idea for a Memorial Day special as a special countdown within the regular Time Machine for this week, but as this grew into a life of its own it became obvious to me that for a variety of reasons- not least of which being the debt we owe those whose ultimate sacrifice we honor (or should be) this weekend- this needed to be a stand alone. So, with a disclaimer that I know that others of you might have other fitting songs that you'd have put here- and if you want to, I'd be delighted if you'd post some of them in the comments- here are the songs that came to me for the occasion.
10. Living In America- James Brown. Perhaps the furthest off-track of the group, but rmember how good you felt about America when Apollo Creed came out in his star-spangled shorts and all the hoopla- and how far the fall when Clubber Lang laid him low for the last time. And the line: "You might not be looking for paradise/ but you might find it anyway/ under one of those old familiar names: New Orleans! Detroit City! Dallas! Pittsburgh PA! New York City! Kansas City! Atlanta! Chicago and L.A.!"
9. The Ballad of Davy Crockett- Bill Hayes. Adventurer. Lawmaker. Explorer. And ultimately, died for freedom's sake. What more can you ask?
6. Billy Don't Be A Hero- Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. His hand went up first. 'Nuff said.
3. The Little Barefoot Boy- Bobby Vinton. You might not remember this song- it was the flip side of I Love How You Love Me- But it might capture the spirit better than any of the others so far. Have a listen!
2. The Ballad Of The Green Berets- SSgt Barry Sadler. The ultimate Memorial Day song. So naturally I have it in the runner up slot. And mainly because I wanted to put another song you might not know- and a video- in the top spot.
And #1 on my Memorial Day list...
1. Johnny Come Lately- Steve Earle. The saddest part of this day, to me. Once we were a nation proud of ourselves and of our fighting men. Then a bunch of bleeding heart, maggot-infessted hippies and their leftist mentors in universities around the nation turned us into something else. Something that would cause a vet to sing this song. To all of those leftist pinkos in the media, on the protest lines, in the lecture halls, I have one wish for you this day:
8. A Long Road (Theme From First Blood)- Dan Hill. I love that movie, probably Stallone's best, but the moment that makes the whole experience for me- "There's a real war / right outside your front door, I tell you..."
7. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down- Joan Baez. The simplest truth of war- "You can't raise a Cain back up when it's in the feed..."
5. God Bless The USA- Lee Greenwood. The night Desert Storm started, I was at Wrigley Field Bar and Grill. The News came over the loudspeaker, the dj played this song, and an entire room of Americans stood ON their chairs and sang along. Many were crying, and I'm ready to thinking about it.
4. Born In The USA- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. "I had a buddy at Khe Sahn/ fighting off the Viet Cong/ they're still there/ he's all gone..."
Now here's where the countdown takes a bit of a typical TM turn...
3. The Little Barefoot Boy- Bobby Vinton. You might not remember this song- it was the flip side of I Love How You Love Me- But it might capture the spirit better than any of the others so far. Have a listen!
2. The Ballad Of The Green Berets- SSgt Barry Sadler. The ultimate Memorial Day song. So naturally I have it in the runner up slot. And mainly because I wanted to put another song you might not know- and a video- in the top spot.
And #1 on my Memorial Day list...
1. Johnny Come Lately- Steve Earle. The saddest part of this day, to me. Once we were a nation proud of ourselves and of our fighting men. Then a bunch of bleeding heart, maggot-infessted hippies and their leftist mentors in universities around the nation turned us into something else. Something that would cause a vet to sing this song. To all of those leftist pinkos in the media, on the protest lines, in the lecture halls, I have one wish for you this day:
And for everyone else, have a happy and safe weekend. Time Machine's regular episode comes next!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The storms, the numbers, and Piper
I sat down tonight to blog about the monstrous wave of Tornadoes the last few days, and the past few months. Even as I did my usual numbers-please research on the topic, I watched video live of damage in Bedford Indiana. As I tried to find out about Denning Arkansas, the town destroyed last night, I met Teena Evans and her four year old daughter Piper.
They found Teena up against a phone pole... Piper, hurt but alive, over a hundred yards away. It didn't look to me- if I learned nothing else- that Denning was a town that had a lot of options as far as shelter.
How do you begin to cover such a topic? Coming into tonight, there were so far this year 20 counties with 5 or more deaths in a single day. 38.6% of tornado deaths since 2008 happened Sunday in Joplin, Missouri. The tornado death toll of 2008-2010 was more than doubled on April 27th alone. 504 Teenas so far this year. Several dozen Dennings and Joplins. Countless hundreds of Pipers.
How many Dennings until we get a Maples, or Zulu? How many Joplins until we have a Huntington? Is the next Birmingham Fort Wayne? On the 16th of April, the plant our company operates in Sanford NC was missed by less than a half a mile. It's getting too close, too personal, even at this distance. One look at Piper Evans, orphan, tells me that.
Atheist holy day
From an e-mail I got today... Got to hope this is true!!!
Florida Court Sets Atheist Holy Day!
Gotta love this Judge!
You must read this......a proper decision by the courts...for a change.
FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY
In Florida , an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening t o the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..."
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."
The lawyer said, " Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool’s Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.
Court is adjourned..."
You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!
This is too good not to forward!
Florida Court Sets Atheist Holy Day!
Gotta love this Judge!
You must read this......a proper decision by the courts...for a change.
FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY
In Florida , an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening t o the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..."
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."
The lawyer said, " Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool’s Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.
Court is adjourned..."
You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!
This is too good not to forward!
Monday, May 23, 2011
The birthday game 2011
Sunday was the annual trip to a ballgame for my birthday #3. this year was Reds vs Tribe in Cleveland, and I took some amazingly poor photos of the fun but not particularly enjoyable trip.
Random shot of McClure, Ohio.
Shortly after this, we passed three billboards touting Saturday's end of the world event. Probably would have been a good thing for the Reds.
What would a trip to Cleveland be without the windmills in Bowling Green?
And here we are in the city by the lake.
And Progressive Field, home of the Indians.
Got yer ticket? Yep.
KC and Ashley on the mean streets of Cleveland. Thank God the homeless presence, unlike in Cincy, was minimal.
Here's Drew Stubbs about to be thrown out stealing in the first. And had he just waited...
Jay Bruce's HR seconds later would have made it 2-0 instead of 1-0.
At this point, half the stadium was dark and forboding...
...and half was bright and sunny. Sunny (and HOT) soon won that battle.
This, I believe, was the first of Asdrubal Cabrera's 2 HRs for the home team.
After an agonizing three inning stint in which Reds pitcher Edison Volquez not only sucked, but sucked VERRRRRRRY SLOWLY, Dusty finally takes him out of my misery.
In the fourth inning, all the clouds were gone. Of course, by now it was 7-1.
I think this is Joey Votto scoring on his HR that made it 7-2. Game would end up 12-4.
Afterer dinner at Fridays ( and an accidental tour of what I believe was Cleveland's north side, trying to get back to the turn off we missed), we started for home. About that time (@7 pm) Laurie called to let us know that we would be heading home into a line of nastiness.
When it came up, around 9:30, it came up FAST...
Shortly after this, we passed three billboards touting Saturday's end of the world event. Probably would have been a good thing for the Reds.
I think this is Joey Votto scoring on his HR that made it 7-2. Game would end up 12-4.
Afterer dinner at Fridays ( and an accidental tour of what I believe was Cleveland's north side, trying to get back to the turn off we missed), we started for home. About that time (@7 pm) Laurie called to let us know that we would be heading home into a line of nastiness.
...but the bark was much worse than the bite, thank God.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The funny side of the end of the world: Trivia about Harold Camping
1. His middle name is Egbert. Which is not damning, but certainly amusing.
2. He believes that the "church age" has ended, all organized churches are apostate, and advises his followers to just get out. Good grief, don't get caught in a church when Jesus returns!
3. He believes that, based on the obscure Hebrew phrase "qara shem", that Adam actually fathered Seth, Seth actually fathered Enosh, and Lamech was Noah's real daddy, but all the rest were "reference patriarchs", i.e. actually separated by other ancestors not worth mentioning.
4. No Hell! If you're a sinner, you just cease to be at death. Sounds like partially following atheist doctrines, making him half-athed.
5. His radio network, Family radio, is still offering promos expiring on the 28th- one week after anyone wanting them (or able to give them out) are supposed to be gone. Entrepreneurship goes on in Heaven?
6. The closest station to us carrying family radio is WOTL out of Toledo. Google thought I meant WTOL, the main AM station there, but I had to insist on the "backwards" version. Go figure.
7.Since the church age is over and all churches are apostate, he has over the years either dropped or heavily deleted any programs that give aid and comfort to organized denominations. Between that and the fact that most of his stations are non-commercial, you gotta wonder just what programming they DO have.
8. Just so you know, the world was made in 11,013 BC, the flood (which is a historical fact when he needs it to be and an allegory when necessary) was in 4990 BC, and Jesus died on the cross on Friday, April 1st, 33 AD.
9. Yes, he did already predict the apocalypse once before, for September of 1994. In the book about that one, 1994?, he did say, "...but I could be mistaken." Not so this time... I guess he neglected the disclaimer in his old age.
10. To understand Camping, first understand he says that organized churches are failed because they use "doctrines and hermeneutics" to interpret the Bible. Second, understand that he says both that the Bible is the complete Word of God, but not all of it need be taken literally. Third, the reasoning behind #2 is that if Jesus spoke in parables, and Jesus is the Word of God, and the Bible is the written word of God, then much of the Old Testament can be taken as parables as well.
11. Because of this he can combine the factual flood's date of 4990 BC, the parable flood's "seven days more and I shall make it rain", and 2 Peter's "A thousand years is as a day", and get that 7000 years after the flood is 2011, and with similar ironclad mathematics figures the 6 PM today target.
12. Camping's actual education was a B.S. in civil engineering. Other famous civil engineers include the late Osama bin-Laden, Mahmoud Iamanutjob of Iran, Gen. Curtis Le May ( 1968 running mate on the American Independent ticket with Gov. George Wallace), and Sir Thomas Crapper, the alleged inventor of the flush toilet.
13. Heaven's gonna get busy- he estimates 200 million raptured today.
14. Of course, he hadda take away all his wiggle room- the 6 PM he referred to is local time, sweeping across the globe. Earthquakes were supposed to follow the clock like a set of dominoes. The closest he's been at 11 am our time is a 5.3 that hit Luzon in the Philippines at 1:08 PM local. No estimates in yet on the disappearances there.
15. People that show their character in a crisis. The Seattle Atheist group is raising money to help earthquake victims- and if nothing happens, the funds go to a camp to teach critical thinking to children. Locally, Joshua attended "Post-rapture looting" according to Facebook. There's class for ya.
2. He believes that the "church age" has ended, all organized churches are apostate, and advises his followers to just get out. Good grief, don't get caught in a church when Jesus returns!
3. He believes that, based on the obscure Hebrew phrase "qara shem", that Adam actually fathered Seth, Seth actually fathered Enosh, and Lamech was Noah's real daddy, but all the rest were "reference patriarchs", i.e. actually separated by other ancestors not worth mentioning.
4. No Hell! If you're a sinner, you just cease to be at death. Sounds like partially following atheist doctrines, making him half-athed.
5. His radio network, Family radio, is still offering promos expiring on the 28th- one week after anyone wanting them (or able to give them out) are supposed to be gone. Entrepreneurship goes on in Heaven?
6. The closest station to us carrying family radio is WOTL out of Toledo. Google thought I meant WTOL, the main AM station there, but I had to insist on the "backwards" version. Go figure.
7.Since the church age is over and all churches are apostate, he has over the years either dropped or heavily deleted any programs that give aid and comfort to organized denominations. Between that and the fact that most of his stations are non-commercial, you gotta wonder just what programming they DO have.
8. Just so you know, the world was made in 11,013 BC, the flood (which is a historical fact when he needs it to be and an allegory when necessary) was in 4990 BC, and Jesus died on the cross on Friday, April 1st, 33 AD.
9. Yes, he did already predict the apocalypse once before, for September of 1994. In the book about that one, 1994?, he did say, "...but I could be mistaken." Not so this time... I guess he neglected the disclaimer in his old age.
10. To understand Camping, first understand he says that organized churches are failed because they use "doctrines and hermeneutics" to interpret the Bible. Second, understand that he says both that the Bible is the complete Word of God, but not all of it need be taken literally. Third, the reasoning behind #2 is that if Jesus spoke in parables, and Jesus is the Word of God, and the Bible is the written word of God, then much of the Old Testament can be taken as parables as well.
11. Because of this he can combine the factual flood's date of 4990 BC, the parable flood's "seven days more and I shall make it rain", and 2 Peter's "A thousand years is as a day", and get that 7000 years after the flood is 2011, and with similar ironclad mathematics figures the 6 PM today target.
12. Camping's actual education was a B.S. in civil engineering. Other famous civil engineers include the late Osama bin-Laden, Mahmoud Iamanutjob of Iran, Gen. Curtis Le May ( 1968 running mate on the American Independent ticket with Gov. George Wallace), and Sir Thomas Crapper, the alleged inventor of the flush toilet.
13. Heaven's gonna get busy- he estimates 200 million raptured today.
14. Of course, he hadda take away all his wiggle room- the 6 PM he referred to is local time, sweeping across the globe. Earthquakes were supposed to follow the clock like a set of dominoes. The closest he's been at 11 am our time is a 5.3 that hit Luzon in the Philippines at 1:08 PM local. No estimates in yet on the disappearances there.
15. People that show their character in a crisis. The Seattle Atheist group is raising money to help earthquake victims- and if nothing happens, the funds go to a camp to teach critical thinking to children. Locally, Joshua attended "Post-rapture looting" according to Facebook. There's class for ya.
Friday, May 20, 2011
More walk pictures
Nature's bird bath? Maybe for a very small bird.
Here's some flowers!
Here you can actually see his fuzzy butt, about dead center.
Here, a Mexican daddy showing the geese to his little girl. She was such a doll!! She clapped at Scrappy and tried to follow us when we left.
There was the sounds of another goose war along Stony Run. Upon investigation, it proved to be two or three sets of parents trying to keep their dozen or so goslings in line. Apparently shouting is how you do it in Gooseland too.
Scrappy on the edge!
And its the only way to get him clean enough to go home!