Step into my time machine week 74

We're going to swing back a little farther than usual here at the beginning of the show.  It's 1966, I'm four years old.  How does my day start?  I begin to wake up hearing the morning get together of my dad and his two brothers for coffee before they pile in the car of whoever's week it was to drive, and head off to work- my dad and uncle Dick to International Harvester, Uncle Len to the Falstaff brewery.  Mom settles in to read her prayer book for a half-hour or so.  I emerge as the TV comes on to the last half of Wayne Rothgeb's farm show (hopefully to root for my sister's school, Woodlan, in the FFA quiz).  The a half-hour of cartoons with Engineer John before Captain Kangaroo, and...
Wait a minute.  Who is Engineer John?
He was John Seimer, a pioneer on WKJG-TV who pulled on his gray bibs every weekday morning, climbed aboard his cardboard train , and played cartoons.  I bet every one of you had an "Engineer John" in your town.  Mine passed away Sunday at the age of 89.

John hosted the local show from 1953 to 1971.  So for ten years, if I was up, I was there.  He has been sorely missed all these years; now he will be missed worse.

This week on Time Machine:  a new top dog; who hit #1 with Crying In The Chapel (and it wasn't Elvis!); more video evidence that local djs of the era needed to be whupped; Taco's real name (remember Putting On The Ritz?); the Reverend Patrick Henderson (?); the act who fans have been waiting for a second album from for almost forty years; and the connection between the Cowsills and Tommy Tutone.  Let's get this engine rolling, John!

Thirteen songs debut this week, and I know that there's probably a couple I won't mention we'll hear from later.  But today, I'll mention four of them.  Debuting at 96 is Bachman Turner Overdrive with a rockin' number called Gimme Your Money Please.  Alice Cooper comes in at 94 with arguably the best song he ever did, I Never Cry.  Another one you might not be familiar with- but should be- is the first stateside single for Australia's highly underrated Little River Band, It's A Long Way There, which debuts at 76.  And all the way up at 60 is the Captain (who'll get another mention later) and Tenille with Muskrat Love.  I had thought this was an original by America from their album Hat Trick in 1973, but the original was actually done by the composer, a now-cult figure named Willis Alan Ramsey, who made a great impression in Texas music history with his self titled debut (on which the song was called Muskrat Candlelight) in 1972.  He had some legal wranglings with his record label, the upshot of which is that, despite his regional popularity, he has never released a second album. 

All those guys celebrate there 35th birthday on the chart.  Reaching forty this week are Cat Stevens' Peace train, and the redoubtable Delaney and Bonnie with Only You Know And I Know.  Also, Tommy Roe's Hooray For Hazel hits 45 this week, and Dion's Runaround Sue turns fifty. Blow out the candles...

The Beatles chalk up another "honor", as Got To Get You Into My Life is the big dropper this week ( falling 28 to #61).  The Bee Gees are the big mover, climbing 27 to #52 with Love So Right.

Our look back at the #1s of other years is in the 3s this week.  In 1993, Mariah Carey held the top spot with Dreamlover (presumably not a Bobby Darin remake).  In 1983 it was Putting On The Ritz by Taco (real first name? Taco).  Grand Funk Railroad, still one of the coolest band names of all time, ruled 1973 this week with We're An American Band.  In 1963 the top dog is a song you'll be hearing MUCH later on the Saturday sixties countdown- Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet.  Now 1953 isn't such a clear story.  On Cashbox, the #1 was Crying In The Chapel.  The trouble here is the lovely early Cashbox policy of combining all versions of the same song as a single entry.  And there were four competing versions at the time (none of them Elvis' which came out in 1960).  One belonged to Darrel Glenn, whose father Artie wrote the song for him when he was in a high school band; it hit #4 by Billboard.  The other main competitor was June Valli who had hers up to #6 on BB.  So what did BB have at the top? Well at the time, BB did three separate charts- the best seller; most played on jukeboxes; and most played by DJs.  Of course, djs being a difficult lot (Grrrrr.....), they had the Ames Brothers' You You You at the top,; And where the people had the choice, both charts were topped by Les Paul and Mary Ford's Via Con Dios.  We're all about options here at time machine!

One thing you don't get an option on is the #1 album this week- still Frampton Comes Alive!

Our #49 this week is Rock 'N Roll Music by the Beach Boys, and thus the Boys are our Where Are They Now victims du jour.  First, let's run down the six main members of the classic Beach Boys.
Brian Wilson is amazingly still out and about.  Just 2 years ago, at the request of the George Gershwin estate, he did a retrospective  Brian Wilson Re-Imagines Gershwin that received critical acclaim (better late than never, eh?). And producer Bill Pohlad and TV screenwriter John Wells are currently working on a "life and times" feature on him.
Dennis Wilson was the first of the Boys to pass on, proving that drinking and diving don't mix in late December back in '83.
Carl Wilson toured through his final illness in 1997, though he was on O2 after every song and sat down save for his solo on God Only Knows.  He died of lung and brain cancer in February of 1998.
Mike Love currently lead the touring Beach Boys, who still do 170 shows a year.  Among those with him in the group is John Cowsill, who not only does Carl's parts and drums, but was the drummer both for his family band- the Cowsills-and for Tommy Tutone on their big hit 867-5309/Jenny.
Bruce Johnston, also known for writing I Write The Songs and the background arrangement for Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, is also in touring Beach Boys.
Al Jardine first formed his own band called Beach Boys and Friends, which included his sons Matt, and Adam, Brian's daughters Wendy and Carnie, the mentioned in an earlier post Billy Hinsche, and Daryl Dragon, otherwise known as the Captain (who had been a member of touring Beach Boys a long time ago).  This band had to cease and desist when Mike and Carl's estate sued over the name in 2007.  He now tours with the Endless Summer Band and has released a critically acclaimed lp of his own in June of last year.  It was called A Postcard From California and had as guest musicians Neil Young, Steve Miller, the surviving members of America and others.
The Boys en masse are the subject of swirling rumours about their upcoming 50th anniversary.  The rumors run the gamut from a one night show to a new lp to a reunion tour that may include both Brian and early member David Marks. Or they make just issue a press release, who knows.  Apparently they have practiced a time or to together, to which Brian said, "Not bad singing for a seventy year old man!"  How's that for perspective?

Five songs debut this week. The first I'm going to share with you because I'd never heard it before last night and my reaction was, WHY OH WHY did my local DJs fail me?  It's Called Did You Boogie With Your Baby, and it's by Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids.




This song moves up from 45 to 39.  Coming in at 37, up 19, is Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.  Another one I didn't know (and didn't exactly flip over) was Diana Ross at 36, up 6, with One Love In My Lifetime.  Up 15 to #32 is Blue Oyster Cult's classic Don't Fear The Reaper.  And the high debut, shooting from 44 to 29, is ABBA with Fernando.  Damn, I'm hitting backspace a lot- time for a banana!

Odds and ends time:  A shout out to almost but not quites- Summer by War, which peaks at 15 last week here and drops to 17 this week, though it placed #7 on BB's hot 100, 4 on their R&B, and #1 on easy listening.  And to Jefferson Starship's With Your Love, which stalls here at13.  Also, Seals and Crofts now sit the grandpa chair with Get Closer at 25 weeks; and the lone dropper from the top ten is You Should Be Dancing, from 6 to 19.

Our six degrees victim this week is the #10 song, (down from 4, and the banana didn't work) I'd Really Love To See You Tonight (in fact, I think it made it worse!) . This song, along with the title cut from the lp Nights Are Forever, was written by one Parker McGee, who there's precious little info about out there.  What I did learn is among his credits is the #16 hit American Music By the Pointer Sisters, from  their album So Exited! (and you know what else was on THAT album!).  In perusing the track list of that album, I noticed a tune called Heart Beat, who had among its co-writers the Antichrist, Michael Bolton, and one Rev. Patrick Henderson.  The good Reverend was (not surprisingly) a Gospel musician, who allegedly appeared on several Michael McDonald lps and McDonald-era Doobie Brothers recordings.  I only found him credited on the Doobies' One Step Closer, though, where he played keyboards on the top 5 Real Love and a couple other tunes.

The rest of the top ten stacks up like this:  Dr. Hook moves one to #9 with A Little Bit More; moving into the top 10 at #8, up 3, is Orleans' Still The One; up 2 to #7 is Chicago with If You Leave Me Now; Cliff Richards moves up a spot to #6 with Devil Woman;  Rick Dees is at #5 up from 8, with Disco Duck; up one to #4 is Walter Murphy's A Fifth Of Beethoven; last week's top dog, Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music drops to #3; Boz Skaggs moves up to the runner up spot with Lowdown; and that leaves us with our new top dog...

KC and the Sunshine Band with Shake Your Booty!!!

That's a wrap for this week, kids.  Be sure to be here bright and early tomorrow for my favorite moment of the week, the great sixties countdown!  Until then....

(PS: Despite about a million backspaces, spellcheck still caught me 8 times! Not to mention the three I just fixed on proofread. Next time I'll eat the banana before I start!)

Chris' take on the GOP debate, round II (for me)

Yeah, I watched the debate on Fox.  It's usually pretty good entertainment, and I'd really like to have a good idea of who to vote for other than ABO.

So here's how I graded out this time around.


9. Gary Johnson.  The newbie was very nervous, not real clear, didn't contribute anything of real note other than a jab at his neighbors' dogs, and isn't Ron Paul all the libertarian we really need?  Grade: D+

8.  Michelle Bachman.  I know some of you are saying, "Oh, he must not want a woman president".  Let me assure you, I watched every episode of Commander In Chief with Geena Davis, and I would've gladly voted Christine Todd Whitman over Carter or Mondale.  I just listen to her and see a little Michelle in her brain flipping through index cards trying to find the appropriate one to read.  And the HPV shot thing is a well-beaten dead horse. Grade: C-


7. Rick Perry.  For me, he slips a bit in each succeeding debate; and while I know they keep fueling Perry/Romney stand up bits for the ratings, the simple truth is that Romney owns him almost every time.  Tonight, the battles weren't kind to him, and the last one left him looking confused and tongue tied.  Definitely hurt himself the worst.  Especially when he was directly asked by the moderator for details on his jobs plan since he was the only one who didn't have a specific plan on the table, and he basically said, "I'll tell you later" in a half-sentence on the way to answering a question nobody asked..  I said to Laurie, "A swing and a miss!" Grade: D

6. John Huntsman.  He neither hurt or helped himself, but a lot of people stepped up their game and he didn't.  He should wear a t-shirt that says, "I served four times in foreign posts for my country" so he doesn't have to keep reminding us.  He's a very intelligent man; I just sometimes get the notion that he appreciates that fact more than anyone else. Grade C+

5. Newt Gingerich.  If the last question was any indication, he'll be the #1 contender for VP.  And frankly, that's not a bad thing.  Really successful in an elder statesman sort of way.  Grade: B-

4. Ron Paul.  He definitely helped himself tonight.  It didn't hurt that Johnson made him sound more mainstream.  He was able to weave his similarities to the others with his more extreme ideas a lot better tonight, and may have positioned himself to outlast all the other "second tier" players save Cain.  Grade: C

3. Rick Santorum.  About a third of the way in, he began finally to assert himself.  At the beginning, I told Laurie, "He could light his tie on fire and no one would notice him. " Then he got into a big tilt with Huntsman over whether to pull the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan (he wanting to "fight to win", while Huntsman said "we all want the boys to come home"), and it seemed to charge him up. He also had a good performance on the thorny "don't ask, don't tell" subject by saying that the Army isn't there for having sex in, it's for fighting, and the whole topic is irrelevant compared to the stuff we should be worried about. A vastly better performance than the last one I watched.  Grade: B-

2. Herman Cain.  I actually liked what he said the best, and I think he really is putting himself into the thick of things in these debates.  He's intelligent, articulate, with good ideas, and he drips class.  I found myself clapping for his answers three separate times, to zero for the others.  My one reservation is that he's not really been bloodied in any of the one-on-one battles, and I'd like to see if he handles them as well as Romney and Santorum did tonight. Grade: A+

1. Mitt Romney.  I have to put him up at the top for one simple reason- he's getting lots of face time against his perceived main rival (Perry) and he's not only winning, but widening the gap.  Watch any of the one on ones with Perry, and tell me who you'd rather see 3 AM with someone arming nukes and aiming them at us.  Grade: A.

Scrappy's choice

Try to make this quick, as I'm fading fast, but since the Reds can't get one last man out, I guess I have time.

First, I should tell you the deer story.  This weekend, we took one of our normal walks down the new trail through the woods.  Suddenly, two deer ran across no more than 50 feet in front of us.  As per usual, Scrappy had to sit dumfounded for a few seconds- which is fine, because I figure the less we chase them, the more we see them.  Little did I know...
That night it was closing on 1 AM and the two of us went out for his last nightly trip.  Now the porch is all fenced in, so he can only smell and not see what goes on beyond.  But apparently he couldn't smell what I saw.  At the edge of the woods on the property line are three pines in a row on complex property.  Underneath one of them I saw eyes.  As I continued to watch (and be watched), I realized that one of the deer was lying down beneath the tree!  This was a new one on me, and Scrappy was oblivious- even as I talked to our reclining friend.  Soon, she stood up- and THEN Scrappy caught her scent.  She glided into the trees, and we went to bed.
Not the end of it.  For all his bluster, detecting animals upsets Mr. Drama Queen.  Ten minutes of "But daddy, it was a deer" later, I had just got him calmed down when he erupted again.  Sure enough, two more deer stood grazing at the tree line.  I'm beginning to think that they are spies from BarackObama.com.  After all, both groups have a common enemy in the NRA and environmental developers.  Which would be a nice seque into my last story, but I've got something else to share first.

We took a Scrappy's choice walk tonight.  This is when I let him do the leading and see where we end up.  Not always a good idea, I assure you.  Anyway, we were up on the river end of the greenway trail and he chose a path we rarely take, possibly because itg usually looks like this:

Yeah, Rainbow, we've gotten a lot more rain than you guys, especially lately.  But anyhow, we found another orphaned golf ball (we now have given thirty-one such balls a home this summer), and worked our way around to one of the old canal feeders.

Amazing to find such peaceful little patches in this world of ours. Just tranquil, and reminds you that not all is man's madness.
So we go on, and I found this odd little plant.

Researcher Laurie learned that this is called White Baneberry, and those berries are quite poisonous.  Well, if I ever just want to disappear into the woods and end it all, I know what to look for.  Just sayin'.
Scrappy leading is a lot like trailing a drunk.  Weaving in and out, getting wrapped up, occasionally going around with a bush stuck up one's butt.

I mean, not just anyone can look good with his head in a hole...

Ahh, I bet you were thinking... but no, I meant gopher holes.

And now to that other story, one I could NOT just let lie.

Climate-gate, Himalaya-gate, and now … Atlas-gate?

Publishers of the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World scrambled Tuesday to correct a controversial statement that Greenland had lost 15 percent of its permanent ice cover over the last 12 years -- an assertion scientists labeled "incorrect and misleading."


The claim came in a HarperCollins press release on the publication of the 13th edition of the atlas, stating that global warming was "turning Greenland 'green.'" The gradual melting was also depicted in the atlas itself, as cartographers carved out huge chunks of ice to reflect the apparent results of a warming planet.
That was a mistake, scientists say.


Poul Christoffersen, a glaciologist at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, said the 15 percent decrease in permanent ice cited "is both incorrect and misleading." He believes the actual number is closer to 0.1 percent.
“It is regrettable that the claimed drastic reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around the world,” Christoffersen said. “There is to our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific literature.”






HarperCollins on Monday tried to justify its position. “We are the best there is. We are confident of the data we have used and of the cartography,” a company spokesman explained to the Guardian. “We use data supplied by the U.S. Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Col. They use radar techniques to measure the permanent ice. We have compared the extent of the ice surface in 1999 with that of 2011. Our data shows that it has reduced by 15 percent. That's categorical.”
But with mounting pressure from the scientific community, the publisher took an about-face one day later, retreating from earlier claims and admitting the company may have been “misleading with regard to the Greenland statistics.”
"The conclusion that was drawn from this, that 15 percent of Greenland's once permanent ice cover has melted away, was highlighted in the press release, not in the Atlas itself,” HarpersCollins said in a statement. "This was done without consulting the scientific community and was incorrect. We apologize for this and will seek the advice of scientists on any future public statements."

And that makes up for lying?  Not so fast, my friend!

Maintaining the accuracy of the new maps though, may not be enough. When comparing the maps to recent satellite images Christofferson and his team found “numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands.”
"In the aftermath of 'Himalayagate,' we glaciologists are hypersensitive to egregious errors in supposedly authoritative sources," Graham Cogley of Trent University in Canada told the BBC, referring to a debunked claim that the world’s glaciers were melting so fast that those in the Himalayas could vanish by 2035.


You remember this, don't you?  It seemed "scientists" with a vested interest in the existance of global warmingleft out a few zeroes "accidentally" in their time-estimate of the glacial melt-off.

"Climate change is real, and Greenland ice cover is shrinking. But the claims here are simply not backed up by science; this pig can't fly."
HarpersCollins did not return FoxNews.com requests for comment.


This is why you need to get the real facts people.  The liberal elite think that they can get you to believe any lie they tell without checking it out.  Too many people prove them right.  Sleep on it and have a nice evening, everyone.






Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/20/times-atlas-apologizes-for-misleading-greenland-ice-melting-claim/#ixzz1YY9YI2u3


NHFFL week 2

This week we accomplished something I seriously doubt we've ever did before.  I doubt in the 14 years and 2 weeks we've played this league that we have more than a dozen games with a team scoring 70+ points.  Keeping in mind we are actually playing one LESS starter per team than last year, we have now 3 70+ games in the first two weeks.  It was funny to watch, because the Clock BBQs had shot out to a 50+ total fairly early, only to watch not one, but two teams go rocketing past them. (Fortunately for the CBBQs, neither team was playing them.)

The first was the Fiery Beagles, who rolled up the high score in a 74-32 win over the Greenwoods.  A slow early-games start was made up for when Miles Austin got 21 points (3 TDs, one over 50 yards for 3 bonus points) and the Phillip Rivers/Vincent Jackson tandem rolled up 18 for the Beagles.  Despite a 4-TD performance by Matt Stafford, the Elves never were really in it.
The second was Laurie's Elks, who blew out to a 71-33 lead and hung on- so to speak- 71-52.  The Elks were paced by 12-spots from Drew Brees, LaGarrette Blount, and Jahvid Best.  Yeah, Best killed the first four weeks last year, too.  Let's see what he does from week 5 on. 5 players tallied TDs for the 'Chops, but it wasn't enough.

The defending champ KCAs continue to struggle, but at least they were in the game against the Rangers before Steven Jackson's injury miss finished off a 40-36 loss.  Darren McFadden (or Run-DMC, if you prefer) scored twice and Tom Brady chipped in 9 for the Rangers, while Matt Ryan threw for 12 points (4 TD passes) to narrow an early 40-22 deficit for the winless KCAs.
The Aguas rolled up a 35-14 lead, and then withstood a barrage Sunday and Monday nights to beat the Angels 39-36.  Calvin (Megatron)Johnson posted 2 more TDs for the Aguas, who then sweated bullets as LeSean McCoy and Josh Brown put 22 on the board during the night games.  4 points by Atlanta's D Sunday night was all that preserved the victory.
The aforementioned Clock BBQs won their game against the B2s 53-30 with Peyton Hillis and Fred Jackson scoring 12 each, and new acquisitions Ryan Fitzpatrick and Devery Henderson putting up 9 pts each.
Finally, the Ducks got their first win, topping winless Buzz 50-40 in a game that wasn't more than 4 points apart until the last of the day games.New starter Kevin Kolb and Arizona teammate Larry Fitzgerald tallied 9 apiece, and Michael Turner and Alex Henery chipped in 13 Sunday night to secure the win.  Adrian Peterson and Jeremy Maclin each popped in 2 TDS for Buzz.



Week three features the Beagles vs B2s; the father-son bragging rights game, KCAs vs Clock BBQs; The all Laurie battle of Angels vs Elks; the Rangers looking to move up against Buzz; a newbie clash with Greenwoods vs Porkchops; and the top-ranked Aguas vs the Ducks.

One disclaimer-filled post

Forgive any boo-boos, please, but blurry eyes do not cancel the need to post!  We have a lot to cover tonight, so hang on tight!

ITEM: For you out-of-towners, this weekend was the best event in Fort Wayne- the Johnny Appleseed  Festival.  KC and I walked on over, and in perusing the antique junk and miscellaneous knick-knack booths, I found me a couple of treasures. 

No, I'm not collecting old bottles as a habit.  But I had some reasons for these.  That little guy is a Grolsch beer with a ceramic swing-top cap-

And thus becomes my second stay-on-the-bottle cap.  (Yeah, this is more properly for the caps blog, and I'll put it over there later.)  The big boy is a bit older.  I know you can't make out what it says on my camera, so I tried a pencil-rub for you:

"Berghoff Brewing Co. Ft. Wayne, Ind."  I did some digging on this bottle.  It seems the fact that it doesn't say "H. Berghoff Brewing Co."  tells us it was made after 1889, and the fact that it says "Co," rather than "Association", or whatever abbreviation for that they used, tells us that it was made prior to 1910.  Either way, a bottle in excess of 100 years old!  Value:  about the $5 I payed for it, but if you've seen the cap blog, you know I love the hometown breweries and their stories, so for me, priceless.



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Second, my friend Chocolate Angel over at The Cat and the Coffee Cup passed on her recently received 7X7 award.  Now this is one of those "Pass It On" awards in which you let out some of your deep dark secrets and then pass it on to the next deserving soul.  Only in this case, it involves picking the posts that best fit seven categories, and then pass it on to seven others.  Now me, I'm not one much for passing on things (it gives me that low esteem feeling of being a pest) and when you consider of my 29 followers, there are several MIAs, a couple of doubles, one is KC's ex-gf and may not be around hereabouts any more (?), and several others who might be candidates have already either gotten the award from C.A. or will get it passed to them by the ones she passed it to, I'm just going to leave it up for grabs- if you want to play, just grab the award and answer the categories!

Now then, which of my posts are;

1. Most Beautiful- First I thought of one of the many sad memorials I've had to do this year- the one for Clarence Clemons (Goodbye, Big Man) comes to mind.  But I'll go with an anguished poem I posted Back in February- I Know There Is A Healing. 

2. Most Helpful-  I really hope that would be one of my sermonettes, like He Who Has Ears To Hear.  I may bother, borew or alienate a lot of people with my faith and the posts that come from it- but if one person learns, hears, is encouraged, the whole rest of the blogs are worth it.

3.Most controversial- Hands down, What Government Is For.  This started out as a response to someone who saw our government as there to serve the minorities, and morphed into a knock-down, drag-out on atheism and evolution.  It would take the next category as well, were it not for Europeans who love Silver Convention and people who want to know why the world will end in May of next year.

4. Most Popular- #1 is The Day Of Judgement According to wecanknow.com; #2 is Time Machine Week Thirty, the infamous "picture of Silver Convention" post.  Apparently the most searched non-porn picture of all time.

5. Most Underrated- My all time favorite, Once Upon A Time In The Forest..., a fairy tale in real life, or vice-versa, featuring Scrappy.

6. Most Surprisingly Successful- Rikuzen Takata, the original post on the Japanese disaster which spawned 7 updates so far. #4 on the pageview list.

7. Most Pride worthy- Hey, I'm the Humble Author, capeesh?  No pride here.

There, that only took me half the night!  Check 'em out and see what you think.  Thanks again, C.A.- for the award and the exercise in reflection.

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Here's clips from a story I just had to share- a real WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??

ABOARD THE MANGYONGBONG, off North Korea — It was billed as a cruise ship, but the creaking, nearly-40-year-old vessel that set sail from the remote North Korean town of Rajin had more of the trappings of a tramp steamer. With its cramped cabins, cut-rate cuisine and foul, water-deprived bathrooms, it was not about to compete anytime soon with Cunard or Carnival in the leisure industry.

Then again, it does not have to. As North Korea’s latest venture into the tourism business, it need not concern itself with rivals. The trick, as its operators conceded, will be to attract enough vacationers.
Desperate for foreign currency, officials in secretive North Korea are trying to lure tourists to holiday cruises along the length of the impoverished country’s east coast. Earlier this month, a trial run by the rusty Mangyongbong was completed in 43 trying hours at sea. More than 200 people were packed into dim and musty cabins, sometimes eight to a room with floor mattresses. Chinese tourists and business people shared quarters with North Korean officials and foreign journalists.
The inaugural cruise presumably had support at the highest levels in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The organizer, Taepung International Investment Group, falls under the National Defense Commission, which answers directly to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il.
“I love peace and the Korean Peninsula,” said Park Chol-su, president of Taepung, as he sat on the deck of the Mangyongbong. “Our company symbolizes peace. We can even hire Americans.”






The trial run began on Aug. 29, when Mr. Park led scores of foreigners across the border from northeast China to Rajin, the port town that North Korea has designated a free economic and trade zone. Some of the visitors had paid about $470 for the five-day trip, which included several days on land. Others were traveling free of charge because they were friends of Mr. Park, who is a Chinese citizen. Many of the Chinese ran tour agencies, and Mr. Park and North Korean officials were trying to encourage them to promote North Korea tourism.
Bilingual government guides had been assigned to the tour buses. An affable 25-year-old, Mun Ho-yong, spouted off some facts in English about his country: “In 1950, there was a war, the Korean War, started by the United States.” Now, he said, Korea had entered the phase of “universal socialist construction.”

In Rajin, a town of dirt roads and occasional blackouts, the guides stuck to the program, first taking their guests to a towering portrait of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, for photographs and then ushering them into a theater to watch children perform patriotic numbers. That night, the visitors attended a banquet where the vice mayor, Hwang Chol-nam, toasted Mr. Park for organizing the cruise.

Confetti flew and about 500 students and workers in uniforms waved flags and plastic flowers as the boat lurched from the dock in Rajin.


“It has not been easy,” Mr. Hwang said. The two then belted out a karaoke song glorifying Kim Il-sung.






But it was at noon the next day that the real festivities got under way. At the harbor, where ships bearing coal depart for Shanghai, officials in dark suits lined up along a red carpet to give speeches. Then came the blaring of music dedicated to — whom else? — Kim Il-sung (“The Marshal Rides a Galloping White Horse”). Confetti flew and about 500 students and workers in uniforms waved flags and plastic flowers as the boat lurched from the dock.






The Mangyongbong had been used as a cargo ship since 1992, but before that had served as a passenger ferry mostly for North Koreans living in Japan.
The North Korean coastline disappeared from view for much of the 21-hour journey south. There was no shuffleboard. Chinese passengers broke out decks of cards. Mr. Hwang, the vice mayor, changed from a navy suit into a green polo shirt and drank beers with foreigners on the top deck. An American asked him whether there was any chance the ship might stray into international waters and encounter foreign naval vessels.
“You’re in North Korea here,” Mr. Hwang said. “You’re completely safe. The North Korean military is protecting you.”






Dinner that night resembled a mess hall at an American Army base in Iraq: metal trays, fluorescent lights, diced chicken and cucumbers ladled from self-serve communal bowls. Waitresses threw leftovers overboard. The wind blew bits of trash back onto the deck.
The next morning, the boat pulled into the harbor of the nature park at Mount Kumgang, not far from the border with South Korea. The day and night spent there involved hiking, an acrobatics show and a video pitch for the Chinese businesspeople on investing in the park. The South Korean government has barred its citizens from traveling there since a fatal shooting in 2008, and the park’s South Korean developer has suspended its operations. “Now we’re in a military zone; if you stay behind, you get shot,” Mr. Mun said, apparently jokingly, as the buses pulled up to a rocky beach.


The hotel had a tennis court and a bar, and the visitors were taken to a well-trimmed golf course. There was even a North Korean-style duty-free shop offering, among other things, a homegrown version of Viagra (main ingredient: antler).
The return trip took 22 hours. After a lunch of instant noodles, the harbor at Rajin loomed in the distance. “We admit that we have a lot of shortcomings to overcome,” Mr. Park said.


The passengers stared at the buses waiting to take them back to China. “One trip is enough for a lifetime,” someone said. The ship slowly approached the dock.


Then there was a great crashing sound, and the Mangyongbong shuddered. “It’s like the Titanic,” a Chinese man yelled. People pointed at the concrete pier — the ship had rammed straight into it, denting the front of the hull and reducing a corner of the structure into a pile of rubble. The captain, it seemed, was just as eager as everyone else to get back to shore.


'Nuff said. Thank God I get seasick.

tonight i get fcs stuff done on time...

Which means hot off the presses.  My new rankings are done, and sadly the three teams that stood 0-2, and I made excuses for them- good ones I thought- went out and got beat today, and thus will be out.  That starts with former #1 and defending champ Eastern Washington who lost to Montana 17-14.  A decent loss to a good team, sealed when QB Bo Levi Mitchell threw a pick with 40 ticks left, his second of the game.  Then we have Villanova, who has been so good for so long, I couldn't make myself believe they were really that bad- until they lost to Monmouth 20-9.  They had just pulled back to a 4 point game with a safety and the ball, but went 3-and-out inside the 2 minute mark.  They punted, and with 1:12 left Monmouth sealed it with a 44-yd run.  The third was Stony Brook, who seemingly survived their first two losses in Big Boy Games, only to blow a 17-7 lead in the 3rd quarter against Ivy Leaguer Brown to lose 21-20.

So Georgia Southern and Wofford, who watched the games on TV, stayed 1 and 2.  App State stayed at 3 after pounding hapless Savannah St. 41-6.  Here comes my controversial call, though:  I leapfrogged Montana to #4 after the win over EWU; held Montana State to 5th despite a 43-7 win - because it was against cupcake Minot State-; and dropped William AND Mary to #6 despite their win, 13-10 over Division II #23 New Haven- because, ranked or not, a cupcake is a cupcake, and I'm still wondering if W&M has any offense once they play the powerhouses of the CAA.

Richmond dumped VMI 34-19 to go to 3-0 and take my 7th spot.  I moved Jacksonville State up one to #8 despite another lackluster performance, 37-21 over Georgia St.  Moving into the top ten are 2 of the other bye weekers- New Hampshire in 9th and Northern Iowa in 10th.  Lehigh moved up to 11th after a 34-22 win over Princeton; Chattanooga to 12 after beating tough Eastern Kentucky 21-14. JMU, 16th going in, played then #11 Liberty; James Madison got a FG with :02 left to win 27-24.  JMU moves up to 13, while Liberty drops to 15th.  Rocketing up to take #14 is Delaware, who beat cupcake rival Delaware State 45-0.

Two more layabouts this week, North Dakota State and Southern Illinois, move up to 16 and 17 respectively.  I held South Carolina State at 18 despite losing their BBG to Indiana 38-21.  After watching UMass take out a tough URI team 36-27, I relented and ranked them at 19.  SF Austin drops to 20 after getting beat in their BBG by #19 Baylor 48-0 in a game ended by lightning after three quarters.  Western Carolina spent what might be their last week in the top 25 at 21; ODU moves up to 22 with a tough Hampton team 45-42.  Coming in for the first time at 23 is Sam Houston State, who played an "also getting votes" Central Arkansas team and flattening them 31-10.  Bethune Cookman was the last of the day-off teams and hold at 24; Indiana St. takes the last available decision after winning their BBG over (allegedly) FBS team Western Kentucky 44-16.

When I shut down the scoreboard, South Dakota, who everyone loved after their win over EWU, had won, but against cupcake NW Oklahoma State, 48-10; Sacremento State, who started out so promisingly with that win over Oregon State, was getting pasted by a conference foe; and for all those Ivy Leaguers that thought Penn was going to repeat, they were abbreviated by Lafayette 37-12.  And thus, all missed their chance to enter my rankings.

Next week, nobody is off.  We have 3 more big boy games- #16 N. Dakota State vs Minnesota; #19 UMass against neighborhood rival Boston College; and #23 Sam Houston faces a New Mexico team that got schmeared  by Texas Tech today.  One team gets a cupcake- #18 S. Carolina St. gets their turn with Delaware St.  Battles among the ranked teams include #21 Western Carolina vs #1 Georgia Southern; #12 Chattanooga draws #3 App State; #6 Wm. & Mary better wake up that offense NOW, because #13 JMU is coming to town; #7 Richmond and #9 UNH duke it out; #14 Delaware and #22 ODU face off; and #15 Liberty goes from ranked JMU to #11 Lehigh.  Other matches include Wofford getting off easy against Samford; Montana gets reeling Sacremento St.; Montana St. has their turn with newly-unranked EWU;   J'ville St. gets Eastern Illinois, while Northern Iowa gets Western Illinois;   Southern Illinois chimes in against Missouri St.; SFA gets state rival Texas St.; Indiana St. goes up against conference rival Youngstown St.; and B-C gets a Thursday game with Hampton.

the great sixties countdown week eight

Ready for another trip down memory lane?  I know I am!  It's almost as fun as reporting small animals to AttackWatch!  We pick up my countdown of my 300 top sixties tunes with:

160- Chapel Of Love, Dixie Cups.  The classic wedding song.  Who can resist the rich harmonies?

159- Stoned Soul Picnic, the 5th Dimension.  Fun and slightly surreal.  "Down from the sky comes the Lord and the lightning, lightning..." 'Surry!

158- I'll Never Find Another You, the Seekers.  Have I not told you how in love I am with Judith Durham?  She could sing Happy Birthday and bring a tear to my eye.



157- All You Need Is Love, the Beatles.  What gets me is the ending, complete with Paul throwing in "she loves you, yeah yeah yeah".

156- Society's Child, Janis Ian.  Great vocal, chilling in the chorus. The contrast of railing against prejudice but not willing to begin the changes herself.  And the contrast between living beyond society's dictates to "spread my wings and fly" and being chained to conformity.

155- The Twist, Chubby Checker.  Did you remember that this hit #1 in 1960, and again in 1962?  Probably the ultimate dance song.  (Which statement will make #152 a bit ironic.)

154- Classical Gas, Mason Williams.  I love instrumentals, and my Aunt Cleo used to have this album on vinyl.



153- The Letter, The Box Tops.  Forget Joe Cocker's mauling of this song, the original is the one that makes your neck hairs stands up.

152- Let's Twist Again, Chubby Checker.  I've been on a roll with the English this weekend.  This sequel, that came out between the original's two chart runs in 1961, charted higher than either run in the UK .  I liked it better too.  You know nostalgic me- any time you can throw the phrase, "Do you remember when" into the song, I'm there.

151- Big Girls Don't Cry, the Four Seasons.  Hard to say anything I haven't said- or am planning to say later- about Frankie and the boys.

150- Hawaii 5-0, the Ventures.  Did I mention I love instrumentals?  The Ventures' work stands up well even today.  In researching this chart, I came upon a video of them doing Love Is Blue that was dynamite.

149- I've Got To Get A Message To You, the Bee Gees.  I've heard this a lot of late, and If I had during the plotting of this chart, it might well have placed higher.  The back melodies, Barry's background behind Robin's vocals, and the desperation of the lyrics all combine to make this easily the brothers' most powerful song.

148- I'd Like To Get To Know You, Spanky and Our Gang.  Just a pleasant, dreamy song.

147.  Like A Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan.  "Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse/ when you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose/ You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal/ How does it feel?"  Wow.

146.  The Rain, The Park, And Other Things, the Cowsills.  The most inexplicable title on a non-Dylan song in music history.  It amazes me how on every record, the Cowsills can sound so much like just a bunch of singers doing their own thing and yet it comes together so well.



145- Crazy, Patsy Cline.  William Hung couldn't f 'up this song.  Ms. Cline, however, does it the best.

144- Heatwave, Martha and the Vandellas.  Even though I'll admit I like Linda Ronstadt's version better.

143- Stop In The Name Of Love, the Supremes.  Like Crazy, I've never heard a bad version of this.

142- Turn Around, Look At Me, the Vogues.  Didn't you say that, too, a few times in your youth?  It was practically my mantra.

141- La La Means I Love You, the Delfonics.  Probably what started me on the Stylistics a few years later.  Gotta love the "Philly sound", right, Bob?

And just like that, we are done again.  And we're that much closer to the top 100 where hairs' breadth separates the tunes.  So, be back next week, and be ready to twist!