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2011 Bracket
We have the 2001 FCS bracket here. I actually managed to correctly pick 26 of the 33 games I called last week. I also hit 15 of 20 playoff teams. Stony Brook beat Liberty fair and square to take that spot. Tennessee Tech gets the auto bid from the Ohio Valley conference; somehow, Eastern Kentucky still got a bid, despite the fact that they lost to the only playoff team they played, which was Tennessee Tech. Delaware's wins against Towson and ODU were deemed not as impressive as JMU's seven to six lead in Division I wins, despite the fact that JMU lost to ODU, UNH, and Maine- in fact, the only winning team they beat all year was Liberty. Illinois State's loss yesterday to Northern Iowa knocked them out of the mix, and Indiana State fell apart at the end. Furman blew their tire last week against Elon, even though they fought a valiant battle against the Florida Gators yesterday.
So other than Delaware, who got screwed? Because someone always gets "screwed" in choices like these. Other than the JMU/Delaware debate, the one dubious spot is Eastern Kentucky. I Think San Diego had a legit claim as Pioneer champs at 9-2; North Dakota loses out because of 3 wins against cupcakes out of DI; for Bethune-Cookman, either the loss to S. Carolina St. or to N. Carolina A&T could be forgiven, but not both. Duquesne and Georgetown are far outside thoughts. Harvard wasn't screwed by the selection committee but by the Ivy League, who refuse to allow their teams to play postseason; probably you could put Jackson State into this category as well. So, IMHO Delaware should be in JMU's spot and San Diego in EKY's, but over all a good bracket.
Instead of picking the whole thiong in one shot, like I did last year (with disastrous results), I'm going to pick this year one week at a time. Despite the struggles in the top heavy CAA, I see no reason why "we're not worthy" JMU can't thromp fellow "WNW" Eastern KY. ODU shopuldn't have a lot of problems with Norfolk State; When you consider the quality of their 3 losses (2 FBS teams and #1 seed Sam Houston), I think Central Arkansas should beat TennTech; And the real toss up, I have to give Stony Brook and all those points they score the edge over Albany.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
sunday message
Last week, I started a look at the prophecies of Messiah leading up to His birth which most of us celebrate at Christmas. Today I go slightly out of order to Deut. 18, where Moses describes what God told him on the subject:
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Okay, so this tells us that we will find similarities to Jesus in His servant Moses- a subject I have brought up before, so I'm only going to hit some very specific things here. But first, some of you might say, "Moses was a prophet? Jesus was a prophet? I thought prophets were the guys that sat around and predicted the future?" Not so fast, my friend. The word "prophet" means "someone inspired by God". And as you see, the phrase in v 17 "(I) will put My words in His mouth" covers that.
What I do want to look at are 4 similarities between the ministries of Moses and Jesus. First, just as Jesus died and returned resurrected on the third day, Moses was seemingly dead- he'd been MIA for 40 years- when he returned with his message. Concurrently, just as Jesus was betrayed by His own people, so was Moses:
12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”
14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” (Exodus 2:12-14)
And if no one else was around when he did it, that means it was a Hebrew who spread the rumor.
Second, Moses, like Jesus, had two main messages. Moses had one for the Hebrews, (Rise up, leave Egypt, follow God to a land of milk and honey) and one for Pharaoh (Let my people go). Jesus, also, had two ministries- leading the people to repentance and salvation and breaking Satan's hold on us.
But like them, we have these things that, in our minds, hold us back. We have the unwillingness to let go of what we see as the pleasures of this life (3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”, Ex. 16:3); the fear of what serving God entails (30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”, Num: 13:30-1); and the desire to "do it ourselves" (42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”
44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah., Num. 14:42-45).
Third, They both plead for us. When God was desirous of destroying Israel for their sin, Moses stood up for them (Ex. 32:11-14), just as Jesus does before the Father (Matt. 10:32-3).
And a sad fourth, we have trouble waiting on them both. When Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights (Ex. 32 again), the people declared him lost, urged their priest to "create a God they could see", one that would guarantee them the pleasures of life (1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.
Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Note here the word "play", which translates to laughing out loud, making sport... MOCKING. And note more importantly that we have no idea when in the process that the people began this slide in to outright disobedience. Those that like to play with numbers to prove "when Jesus is returning" , pay attention here. One thing I've never heard in all their misuse of "one day is as a thousand years to God" is that if Moses "delayed" 40 days on the mountain, then by that logic it might still be another 38 THOUSAND YEARS before Christ returns! (Do I believe it will be that long? Of course not. What I do believe is that Jesus has a LOT of wiggle room.)
To demonstrate that point, let's go to the Messianic prophecy that chronologically comes second... the one inspired by God in the pagan prophet Balaam:
17“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.[b]
18“And Edom shall be a possession;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession,
While Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion,
And destroy the remains of the city.”
That was spoken around 3700 years ago. 2000 years ago, we were told that the time was fast approaching. The trick is not in knowing when He returns- but to be waiting, not PLAYING, when He does.
15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Okay, so this tells us that we will find similarities to Jesus in His servant Moses- a subject I have brought up before, so I'm only going to hit some very specific things here. But first, some of you might say, "Moses was a prophet? Jesus was a prophet? I thought prophets were the guys that sat around and predicted the future?" Not so fast, my friend. The word "prophet" means "someone inspired by God". And as you see, the phrase in v 17 "(I) will put My words in His mouth" covers that.
What I do want to look at are 4 similarities between the ministries of Moses and Jesus. First, just as Jesus died and returned resurrected on the third day, Moses was seemingly dead- he'd been MIA for 40 years- when he returned with his message. Concurrently, just as Jesus was betrayed by His own people, so was Moses:
12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”
14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” (Exodus 2:12-14)
And if no one else was around when he did it, that means it was a Hebrew who spread the rumor.
Second, Moses, like Jesus, had two main messages. Moses had one for the Hebrews, (Rise up, leave Egypt, follow God to a land of milk and honey) and one for Pharaoh (Let my people go). Jesus, also, had two ministries- leading the people to repentance and salvation and breaking Satan's hold on us.
But like them, we have these things that, in our minds, hold us back. We have the unwillingness to let go of what we see as the pleasures of this life (3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”, Ex. 16:3); the fear of what serving God entails (30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”, Num: 13:30-1); and the desire to "do it ourselves" (42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”
44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah., Num. 14:42-45).
Third, They both plead for us. When God was desirous of destroying Israel for their sin, Moses stood up for them (Ex. 32:11-14), just as Jesus does before the Father (Matt. 10:32-3).
And a sad fourth, we have trouble waiting on them both. When Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights (Ex. 32 again), the people declared him lost, urged their priest to "create a God they could see", one that would guarantee them the pleasures of life (1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.
Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Note here the word "play", which translates to laughing out loud, making sport... MOCKING. And note more importantly that we have no idea when in the process that the people began this slide in to outright disobedience. Those that like to play with numbers to prove "when Jesus is returning" , pay attention here. One thing I've never heard in all their misuse of "one day is as a thousand years to God" is that if Moses "delayed" 40 days on the mountain, then by that logic it might still be another 38 THOUSAND YEARS before Christ returns! (Do I believe it will be that long? Of course not. What I do believe is that Jesus has a LOT of wiggle room.)
To demonstrate that point, let's go to the Messianic prophecy that chronologically comes second... the one inspired by God in the pagan prophet Balaam:
17“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.[b]
18“And Edom shall be a possession;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession,
While Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion,
And destroy the remains of the city.”
That was spoken around 3700 years ago. 2000 years ago, we were told that the time was fast approaching. The trick is not in knowing when He returns- but to be waiting, not PLAYING, when He does.
Friday, November 18, 2011
step into my time machine week 82
Gather round, one and all, for an unusual trip through the music of 1976 and beyond/before. In addition to the usual fun, we have birthdays and debuts out debutt, a new top dog, the unusual twist of a big dropper- not big mover, big DROPPER- inside the top 40, and, what you've been warned was coming- the high school parties of my youth top ten! Strap in, please keep the windows UP at all times, and let's go!
Let's deal with the hot 100 debuts first. There were a whopping 13 of 'em this week, and I'm going to mention not one, not 5, but EIGHT of them! Coming in at 100 was the first of many great Bruce Springsteen covers by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (at least the first that pop audiences were going to know about), Blinded By The Light. At 98 comes the Doobie Brothers version of a Michael McDonald composition that Carly Simon had just missed the top 40 with, It Keeps You Runnin'. Foghat, always the great party band, comes in at 83 with Drivin' Wheel. At 81 is a song I heard at Quaker Steak and Lube a week or so ago, a song I had the 45 of, Queen with Somebody To Love.
Donny and Marie come in at 79 with their cover of Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing. George Harrison debuts at 78 with This Song; Bread's swan song, Lost Without Your Love, cracks the chart at 73. And the top debut 35 years ago this week was Aerosmith with Walk This Way. With that, we take a deep breath and hit the special list.
This list is the "top ten" songs I have the fondest memories of played at parties by my high school group. Along with each group, I'll throw out an interesting factoid. Factoid #1: The initiation to our group was to be the first with the blindfold played in Lorraine and Phil's basement- an event that usually featured somebody becoming intimate with a metal support pole.
10- Never Gonna Fall In Love Again, Eric Carmen, from All By Myself, Ann and Kathy's collection. Everything else on that lp was too depressing for words.
9- St. George And The Dragon, Toto, from Hydra, Phil's discs. Basically the title cut for the album. Phil had about all the Toto lps, but this song was my favorite.
Moving back to the birthdays this week, first off we have one song with two different birthdays this week- and neither was the best known version. (I Know) I'm Losing You, for me at least, meant the cover by Rare Earth, with all the echo effects. But the versions that celebrate this week are the Rod Stewart and the Faces (turning 40) and the original by the Temptations (turning 45). Also turning 40 were (speaking of Rare Earth) Hey Big Brother, and Betty Wright's Clean Up Woman (which got a mention in six degrees a week or so ago). Also at the 45-year anniversary is Wilson Pickett's Mustang Sally. But catch a whiff of all these birthday songs turning 50: Neil Sedaka's Happy Birthday Sweet50 16; Bobby Vee's Run To Him; The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens; Gene Pitney's Town Without Pity; and Joey Dee and the Starlighters' Peppermint Twist! That's a lot of candles to blow out.
Factoid: Despite the fact that our school was known as Goat Roper U., I don't remember any of us having goats.
8- Foreplay/Long Time, Boston, Boston, my records. This was my signature album, and we all had one. I remember this as being the most popular, though.
7- Bandstand Boogie, Barry Manilow, Tryin' To Get The Feeling, Lorraine's stack. She had all the Manilows. And all the Carpenters. And most of the John Denvers.
The big mover this week, up 27 spots from 89 to 67, Kenny Nolan's I Like Dreamin'. And I did, because it was the only way to get a girlfriend for me back then. The big dropper, surprise surprise, is in the top 40- but as we're not ruining the surprise, I can tell you that it was Fernando, dropping out of the top 10 from 10 to 24- a 14-notch fall.
Factoid: Signature albums- Mine was the Boston lp; Phil was Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell; Lorraine, (insert Manilow, Carpenters, or Denver album here); Ann and Kathy, probably Seger's Against The Wind. I remember Vince being involved with Cheap Trick's Dream Police; I really don't remember what Rosie was into, though I think she got me Gary Numan's Cars one year for Christmas. (or was it Jay Ferguson's Thunder Island? I don't remember for sure...)
6- Running On Empty, Jackson Browne, Running On Empty, Phil's wax. I remember most of us being in the school creative writing club ("Free-lancers"), and Phil's contribution was a poem/song based on this song.
5- Peaceful Easy Feeling, Eagles, Greatest Hits, my stuff. I remember trying one day to express the thought that it was nice to have a friend (Rachel) who was a very beautiful girl, yet such a good friend that there was really no "internal pressure" to fall in love with. I said, This song reminds me of 'Happy' (her nickname)" . Lorraine says, "You want to sleep in the desert with her?" I look at Phil, we both shrug, and I answer, "Well, there IS that..."
Our Where Are They Now nod goes to #49, Eric Clapton's Hello Old Friend. Ol' Slowhand has been a very busy bee, touring last year with the likes of Jeff Beck, Roger Daltrey, and classical Violinist Tom Norris. He also released a sel-ftitled LP last year, and played the Prince's Trust benefit at the Royal Albert Hall. This year he's just finished a South American tour. He married wife Melia in 2005, and they have three daughters: Julie, 10; Ella, 8; and Sophie, 6.
Factoid: "Free-lancers" were Mentored by Mrs. Hursh, who planted the seeds of much of my adult musical choices by letting me borrow CSNY's Deja Vu and Jesus Christ Superstar.
4- Her Strut, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Against The Wind, Ann & Kathy's music. Always hard to say whether he said, "they do respect her, but..." or, "they do respect her butt..."
3. Surrender, Cheap Trick, At Budokan, Not for sure if Phil's or Vince's. This was the song the seniors played at graduation practice my junior year. That was the year they let a bunch of birds loose in the gym/auditorium, and our cross-eyed janitor was sent after them with a bb gun.
The top 40 debuts this week include: coming in at 39, up 4, David Dundas with Jeans On; at 34, up 7, the Sylvers' Hot Line; and at 31, up a big 14, Dazz by Brick.
Let's do a quick run through the #1s of other years, the 1s this week. 1991 was topped this week by Prince and the NPG and Cream- a song Prince said he wrote while looking in a mirror, which is all I need to know before deciding not to sample it. 1981 was topped by Olivia Newton-John's Physical, which I would probably prefer Cream to if I knew it. Isaac Hayes' Theme from Shaft was at #1 in '71; Jimmy Dean ruled 1961 with Big Bad John. And a repeater at the top in 1951- Eddie Howard's Sin (It's Not A Sin).
Factoid: Our senior class were the ones that put for sale signs all along the front of the school, and a burnt-out car, an out house, and stop and yield signs in the courtyard planter.
2-Summer And Lightning, ELO, Out Of The Blue, My stuff, among others. This was me and Susie's song- except that all we ever did was meaningless flirting, and it was only "our Song" in my mind. Good enough for me.
1- and could there be any doubt about this- Paradise By The Dashboard Lights, Meatloaf, Bat Out Of Hell, Phil's platters. A song with truly something for everyone. Action, adventure, sex, and Phil Rizzuto.
The other two that fall from top ten grace are Disco Duck, from 4 to 12; and If You Leave Me Now, from 9- to 21.
The Ten biggest songs in the land start with a debut in each of the first three slots. At 10, up 5, are the Spinners with Rubberband Man. At 9, Firefall climbs two with You Are The Woman. And the high debut jumps 5 to #8- Nadia's Theme by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. Holding at seven is Kiss' Beth. The Bee Gees climb two spots to 6 with Love So Right; Boston moves up one to #5 with More Than A Feeling. Former top dog Steve Miller and Rock'n Me drops one to #4; Last week's #1 The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, sinks to 3.
Which brings us to our six degrees victim- Captain and T's Muskrat Love. As we've previously discussed, this was first released by America off the album Hat Trick. Now I COULD go down a VERY familiar road here; Billy Hinsche, Bruce Johnston, and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys sang backup on the title track (And tap dancing was done be Lorene Yarnel of Shields and Yarnel!). But I'm going to scroll down to the track Green Monkey (which I did sample and it was very good), wherein Joe Walsh supplied some GEE-tar. Now, Joe had just left the James Gang and formed one of the best bands who never get mentioned when their songs play- Barnstorm. (most of their work is considered "Solo Joe".) One of the members of Barnstorm was one of those ubiquitous names I recognized- drummer Joe Vitale. Now I didn't realize that he was a touring member of CSNY (and wrote Live it up and That Girl for them on my Live It Up cd) or the Eagles, nor that he co-wrote Joe's first Barnstorm (AKA solo) hit, Rocky Mountain Way. But I did know he co-wrote my favorite Eagles song with Joe, Hotel California's Pretty Maids All In A Row. And that he was one of a roomfull of people (including the aforementioned messers Seger and Ferguson) who got writing props for The Long Run's Heartache Tonight.
And with 'Skrat Love at #2, that means that we have a new top dog- and I've seen the future, and the man's pitching a tent. That man would be...
...Rod Stewart, with Tonight's The Night!!!
No sixties countdown to pimp anymore, so just tune in next week, when things return to a semblance of Normalcy.
Factoid: Music had degraded so much by the time that we graduated, the week of the event, my top "ten" was Against The Wind, Little Jeanie, and some third song I don't even remember. So I began to build a time machine...
Let's deal with the hot 100 debuts first. There were a whopping 13 of 'em this week, and I'm going to mention not one, not 5, but EIGHT of them! Coming in at 100 was the first of many great Bruce Springsteen covers by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (at least the first that pop audiences were going to know about), Blinded By The Light. At 98 comes the Doobie Brothers version of a Michael McDonald composition that Carly Simon had just missed the top 40 with, It Keeps You Runnin'. Foghat, always the great party band, comes in at 83 with Drivin' Wheel. At 81 is a song I heard at Quaker Steak and Lube a week or so ago, a song I had the 45 of, Queen with Somebody To Love.
Donny and Marie come in at 79 with their cover of Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing. George Harrison debuts at 78 with This Song; Bread's swan song, Lost Without Your Love, cracks the chart at 73. And the top debut 35 years ago this week was Aerosmith with Walk This Way. With that, we take a deep breath and hit the special list.
This list is the "top ten" songs I have the fondest memories of played at parties by my high school group. Along with each group, I'll throw out an interesting factoid. Factoid #1: The initiation to our group was to be the first with the blindfold played in Lorraine and Phil's basement- an event that usually featured somebody becoming intimate with a metal support pole.
10- Never Gonna Fall In Love Again, Eric Carmen, from All By Myself, Ann and Kathy's collection. Everything else on that lp was too depressing for words.
9- St. George And The Dragon, Toto, from Hydra, Phil's discs. Basically the title cut for the album. Phil had about all the Toto lps, but this song was my favorite.
Moving back to the birthdays this week, first off we have one song with two different birthdays this week- and neither was the best known version. (I Know) I'm Losing You, for me at least, meant the cover by Rare Earth, with all the echo effects. But the versions that celebrate this week are the Rod Stewart and the Faces (turning 40) and the original by the Temptations (turning 45). Also turning 40 were (speaking of Rare Earth) Hey Big Brother, and Betty Wright's Clean Up Woman (which got a mention in six degrees a week or so ago). Also at the 45-year anniversary is Wilson Pickett's Mustang Sally. But catch a whiff of all these birthday songs turning 50: Neil Sedaka's Happy Birthday Sweet
Factoid: Despite the fact that our school was known as Goat Roper U., I don't remember any of us having goats.
8- Foreplay/Long Time, Boston, Boston, my records. This was my signature album, and we all had one. I remember this as being the most popular, though.
7- Bandstand Boogie, Barry Manilow, Tryin' To Get The Feeling, Lorraine's stack. She had all the Manilows. And all the Carpenters. And most of the John Denvers.
The big mover this week, up 27 spots from 89 to 67, Kenny Nolan's I Like Dreamin'. And I did, because it was the only way to get a girlfriend for me back then. The big dropper, surprise surprise, is in the top 40- but as we're not ruining the surprise, I can tell you that it was Fernando, dropping out of the top 10 from 10 to 24- a 14-notch fall.
Factoid: Signature albums- Mine was the Boston lp; Phil was Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell; Lorraine, (insert Manilow, Carpenters, or Denver album here); Ann and Kathy, probably Seger's Against The Wind. I remember Vince being involved with Cheap Trick's Dream Police; I really don't remember what Rosie was into, though I think she got me Gary Numan's Cars one year for Christmas. (or was it Jay Ferguson's Thunder Island? I don't remember for sure...)
6- Running On Empty, Jackson Browne, Running On Empty, Phil's wax. I remember most of us being in the school creative writing club ("Free-lancers"), and Phil's contribution was a poem/song based on this song.
5- Peaceful Easy Feeling, Eagles, Greatest Hits, my stuff. I remember trying one day to express the thought that it was nice to have a friend (Rachel) who was a very beautiful girl, yet such a good friend that there was really no "internal pressure" to fall in love with. I said, This song reminds me of 'Happy' (her nickname)" . Lorraine says, "You want to sleep in the desert with her?" I look at Phil, we both shrug, and I answer, "Well, there IS that..."
Our Where Are They Now nod goes to #49, Eric Clapton's Hello Old Friend. Ol' Slowhand has been a very busy bee, touring last year with the likes of Jeff Beck, Roger Daltrey, and classical Violinist Tom Norris. He also released a sel-ftitled LP last year, and played the Prince's Trust benefit at the Royal Albert Hall. This year he's just finished a South American tour. He married wife Melia in 2005, and they have three daughters: Julie, 10; Ella, 8; and Sophie, 6.
Factoid: "Free-lancers" were Mentored by Mrs. Hursh, who planted the seeds of much of my adult musical choices by letting me borrow CSNY's Deja Vu and Jesus Christ Superstar.
4- Her Strut, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Against The Wind, Ann & Kathy's music. Always hard to say whether he said, "they do respect her, but..." or, "they do respect her butt..."
3. Surrender, Cheap Trick, At Budokan, Not for sure if Phil's or Vince's. This was the song the seniors played at graduation practice my junior year. That was the year they let a bunch of birds loose in the gym/auditorium, and our cross-eyed janitor was sent after them with a bb gun.
The top 40 debuts this week include: coming in at 39, up 4, David Dundas with Jeans On; at 34, up 7, the Sylvers' Hot Line; and at 31, up a big 14, Dazz by Brick.
Let's do a quick run through the #1s of other years, the 1s this week. 1991 was topped this week by Prince and the NPG and Cream- a song Prince said he wrote while looking in a mirror, which is all I need to know before deciding not to sample it. 1981 was topped by Olivia Newton-John's Physical, which I would probably prefer Cream to if I knew it. Isaac Hayes' Theme from Shaft was at #1 in '71; Jimmy Dean ruled 1961 with Big Bad John. And a repeater at the top in 1951- Eddie Howard's Sin (It's Not A Sin).
Factoid: Our senior class were the ones that put for sale signs all along the front of the school, and a burnt-out car, an out house, and stop and yield signs in the courtyard planter.
2-Summer And Lightning, ELO, Out Of The Blue, My stuff, among others. This was me and Susie's song- except that all we ever did was meaningless flirting, and it was only "our Song" in my mind. Good enough for me.
1- and could there be any doubt about this- Paradise By The Dashboard Lights, Meatloaf, Bat Out Of Hell, Phil's platters. A song with truly something for everyone. Action, adventure, sex, and Phil Rizzuto.
The other two that fall from top ten grace are Disco Duck, from 4 to 12; and If You Leave Me Now, from 9- to 21.
The Ten biggest songs in the land start with a debut in each of the first three slots. At 10, up 5, are the Spinners with Rubberband Man. At 9, Firefall climbs two with You Are The Woman. And the high debut jumps 5 to #8- Nadia's Theme by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. Holding at seven is Kiss' Beth. The Bee Gees climb two spots to 6 with Love So Right; Boston moves up one to #5 with More Than A Feeling. Former top dog Steve Miller and Rock'n Me drops one to #4; Last week's #1 The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, sinks to 3.
Which brings us to our six degrees victim- Captain and T's Muskrat Love. As we've previously discussed, this was first released by America off the album Hat Trick. Now I COULD go down a VERY familiar road here; Billy Hinsche, Bruce Johnston, and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys sang backup on the title track (And tap dancing was done be Lorene Yarnel of Shields and Yarnel!). But I'm going to scroll down to the track Green Monkey (which I did sample and it was very good), wherein Joe Walsh supplied some GEE-tar. Now, Joe had just left the James Gang and formed one of the best bands who never get mentioned when their songs play- Barnstorm. (most of their work is considered "Solo Joe".) One of the members of Barnstorm was one of those ubiquitous names I recognized- drummer Joe Vitale. Now I didn't realize that he was a touring member of CSNY (and wrote Live it up and That Girl for them on my Live It Up cd) or the Eagles, nor that he co-wrote Joe's first Barnstorm (AKA solo) hit, Rocky Mountain Way. But I did know he co-wrote my favorite Eagles song with Joe, Hotel California's Pretty Maids All In A Row. And that he was one of a roomfull of people (including the aforementioned messers Seger and Ferguson) who got writing props for The Long Run's Heartache Tonight.
And with 'Skrat Love at #2, that means that we have a new top dog- and I've seen the future, and the man's pitching a tent. That man would be...
No sixties countdown to pimp anymore, so just tune in next week, when things return to a semblance of Normalcy.
Factoid: Music had degraded so much by the time that we graduated, the week of the event, my top "ten" was Against The Wind, Little Jeanie, and some third song I don't even remember. So I began to build a time machine...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
They found me...
...but, of course I was never lost. That is, my personal retinue of scammers submitting their attempts for my advice. Let's take a look at this weeks crop. #1...
Us ambassador office (First of all, you might want to make it US, not "Us."
11 Garki Road Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria.
+234-8036810298.
Dear Beneficiary,
FROM THE US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA. (Maccaulley Terence),(Next, don't put your name in parentheses!)
`
Be informed that I have resolved with the Nigeria Foreign Remittance Department to deliver the sum of us$5.5m being the accrued interest from your contract/inheritance fund. I shall be coming to your Country for an official meeting by next week and I will be bringing your consignment containing the fund which has been packaged and sealed in your favor but this time I will not go through Customs because as a USA Ambassador to Nigeria, I am a US Government Agent and have the veto power to go through Customs. (Wow! Veto power! Do you wear a cape?) I am scheduled to have a brief meeting with the Secretary of States by next week.
Send your mobile cell phone number and the address where you want me to bring the consignment/fund package. You have really paid so much as I was made to understand and that is why I have personally intervened. Your package (US$5.5m} must be registered as an Ambassadorial package for me to defeat all odds (Ta da da... It's SCAMMAN, with his amazing Veto Power!)and the cost of registering it is $175.00 only.
The fee must be paid in the next 50 hours via western union (insert blah blah blah, please hurry and send info, blah blah)
Treat as urgent,
Maccaulley Terence
Okay, two tips here. #1, you are sending a scam, not fighting Dr. Doom. Tone down the heroic efforts. Two, your name should be in FRONT of your title, not in parentheses behind it.
Okay, contestant #2.
ECONOMIC COMMUNITY FOR WEST AFRICAN STATES
Official HeadQuaters,
101, Yakubu Gowon Crescent,
Asokoro District P.M.B. 401 Abuja, Nigeriahttp://www.ecowas.int (Nice touch, giving a legit link to someone who really has nothing to do with you. )
Tel: +2348130 989982
Dear Winner,
This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of One Million
United States Dollars, ($1,000,000.00) for the year 2011 Lottery
promotion which is organized by ECOWAS DONATIONS 2011.(Okay, Here we have to believe that a West African economic group is actually holding a lottery. Bit of a stretch, but okay.)
ECOWAS DONATIONS 2011, collects all the email addresses of people that
are active online, among the millions that subscribed to the Internet.we
only select five people every Year as our winners through electronic
balloting System without the winner applying,We congratulate you for being
one of the people selected. (And how does it help the West African economy to give 5 mil a year to unknowing strangers? WELL?)
To file for your claims (insert blah blah contact info etc.)
Thank you and Accept my hearty Congratulations once again!
Yours faithfully,
Mr.Peters Brown
Tel: +2348130989982
**KHN Confidentiality Notice**
This message and the accompanying document or attachments may contain information which is privileged and/or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, discuss, disclose, copy, or distribute the contents of this message.
If you have received this information in error, please immediately contact the Kettering Health Network representative whose number is listed on the message and destroy all evidence of this correspondence.
Kettering Health Network??? WTF does a health network ourt of Dayton OH have to do with the ECOWAS? Next time, make sure the computer you are siphoning through doesn't add closing comments. So much promise wasted. Okay, #3:
Good-Day,
My name is Mr.Kenneth Danquah , a politician and a previous member of Ghana's executive committee on contract awards.
My purpose of connecting you is to crave your indulgence to assist me in securing some funds abroad for safe keeping which I incidentally kept to help me finance my senatorial elections campaign under the party umbrella of National Patriotic Party (NPP) on December 7th 2008, Unfortunately for me I lost the seat to my opposition member under the party of National Democratic Congress (NDC).
But with my immediate contact, I was able to deposit some kickback money emanated from award of contracts awarded to Chinese and Malaysia companies in a security vault with a commercial bank in Ghana pending when I will found a trustworthy person to move out the fund from Ghana to oversea bank account for business investment. (Wow, basically "I am a crooked politician. Please help me get some of my ill-gotten gains out of country before I'm found out and become goat pellets. I like this guy!)
The need to contact you arose from the fact that the present elected government vow to crack down on past immediate government functionaries of (NPP) and trying to trace all the funds that was made through contract awards and other mouth watering deals during our tenure in the office from the year 2000 to 2008, if they succeed in tracing this fund to me, they will seize it and thereby incapacitating my life time opportunities.
I wish to relocate this fund in a foreigner's name to avoid any trace. All I need from you is an assurance that you can handle the amount involved (US$19,500,000) comfortably and that I can also trust you.
Be fully rest assured that there is no risk involved. (Oh, of course not.) I want you to immediately inform me of your willingness in assisting and co-operating with me, so that I can send you full details of this transaction.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Kenneth Danquah
To take action on this issue, click on the link below:http://www2.peta.org/site/Advocacy?s_oo=113HdGWokBWY_JzOuLWctQ&id=3811
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.
If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please follow the link below:http://www2.peta.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=ea2a99191ca1c91c9f02a51d26653840a6df0ba77c4a89a7
First it's KHN, now PETA? This is too funny. Save that spotted owl or we'll sic scammers on you. Okay, contestant #4:
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF BENIN/>MINISTRY OF FINANCEECONOMIC AND DEBT REFORM DEPARTMENT.
WORLD BANK READ, COTONOU , BENIN REPUBLIC (Civil Procedure)(F.H.C.B)
( ARRANGEMENT) Attention beneficiary. (Man, is Benin nothing but one big collection of economic groups?)Why have you decided to abandon your fund by refusing to pay the $85 dollars for the renewal of your transfer file,(This is a question, not a comma!) Be rest assure that as soon you send the $85.00usd they must start transferring of your fund through Western Union within 2hrs after confirmation of the fee without any further delay and this is the only fee you have to pay in this transaction as it was written down already by the Federal government of this country that mapped out the compensation for you ok. (Blah blah, send info etc.)
FROM THE CHIEF JUDGE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF BENIN
So now, it's my fault I'm not rich, because I didn't send you $85 I didn't know about? You catch more flies with honey, pal.
Contestant #5:
Good day!
How are you today together with your family,i thank God almighty for his infinity mercy upon my life for latter making this business to work out sucessfull. (Too bad God's "infinity mercy" didn't come with a better Yoruba to English translater.)
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting the funds transferred under the cooperation of the new partner from LUXMBURG, Presently iam in LUXMBURG for investment projects with my own share. (Or spell check, for that matter.)
meanwhile,i didn't forget your past efforts(?) and attempts to assist me in transferring those funds despite that it failed us some how. (probably because it never happened.)
Out of my sincere heart(?) i have deceided to show gratitude to you and i have signed a cheque on your behalf for your compensation,now contact my secretary in Ouaga, Burkina-Faso, his name is Mr. Arahad Gad and his email address is (arahadgaad11@yahoo.com) and ask him to send you the cheque worth $800,000 Usd which i kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter and instruct him where to send the amount to you.I appreciated your efforts to assist that time despite that you later disappointed me.(Darn, what an ass I am! Again, you have to keep positive to your customer/victim. This is a bad check, as the cheese says.)
So feel free and get intouch with my secretary Mr.Arahad Gad Please do let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy together(!) after all the sufferness(?) at that time.
In the moment, i am very busy here because of the investment projects which i and the new partner are having at hand, finally, remember that I had forwarded instructions to my secretary on your behalf to receive that money, so feel free to get in touch with Mr.Arahad Gad and he will send the cheque to you.
Regards,
Mr.Dubey sudian
"Sufferness"? I may have to use that one! I do like that part about sharing the joy- too bad you srtupidly ruined it by telling me I disappointed you. Okay, last contestant:
Good News For Your Atm Card This office is writing to inform you about the payment of us$2.5million dollars been approved in your name from World Bank Award Payment Program 2011, after the verification of your payment inheritance fund in our custody, we confirm that the federal united state of America and ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOwAS) has been asigned in agreement with World Bank to distribute all your payment to you in ATM visa card pacific which you should use to withdraw all your fund in any ATM service machine working in any bank in your country. But the maximum amount you will withdraw in a day is ($5000 dollars) till you cash all your fund credit in your ATM account. so if you would like to receive your total fund in new ATM visa Card, please let us know by contacting the ATM payment department with below address information.
Best Regard.
Mr Innocent Yaro.
(Board Members of ATM payment department)
Boy, that ECOWAS really gets around. And they just want to send me a visa card, right? As if that isn't a big red flag in and of itself.
So let's grade this out. Macauley Terrance, AKA Scamman, you get a A for grammar, D for message.
ECOWAS #1, Credibility score is a D, revealing your bot-computer draws an F. Kenneth Danquah, for the use of the "Crooked Politician" persona and using a PETA computer to send it, 2 A+s! Chief Justice of Benin, you were rude and not very interesting. F's all around. Dubey Sudian, D for not upgrading your translator, D for being disappointed in me, and B- for everything else. And ECOWAS #2, this wasn't the laziest effort I've ever seen, but certainly lazy. D-. Overall, I'm disappointed in you all. Take a lesson from Kenneth Danquah- be interesting, be clever, be informative, be polite, and stick it to PETA!
Us ambassador office (First of all, you might want to make it US, not "Us."
11 Garki Road Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria.
+234-8036810298.
Dear Beneficiary,
FROM THE US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA. (Maccaulley Terence),(Next, don't put your name in parentheses!)
`
Be informed that I have resolved with the Nigeria Foreign Remittance Department to deliver the sum of us$5.5m being the accrued interest from your contract/inheritance fund. I shall be coming to your Country for an official meeting by next week and I will be bringing your consignment containing the fund which has been packaged and sealed in your favor but this time I will not go through Customs because as a USA Ambassador to Nigeria, I am a US Government Agent and have the veto power to go through Customs. (Wow! Veto power! Do you wear a cape?) I am scheduled to have a brief meeting with the Secretary of States by next week.
Send your mobile cell phone number and the address where you want me to bring the consignment/fund package. You have really paid so much as I was made to understand and that is why I have personally intervened. Your package (US$5.5m} must be registered as an Ambassadorial package for me to defeat all odds (Ta da da... It's SCAMMAN, with his amazing Veto Power!)and the cost of registering it is $175.00 only.
The fee must be paid in the next 50 hours via western union (insert blah blah blah, please hurry and send info, blah blah)
Treat as urgent,
Maccaulley Terence
Okay, two tips here. #1, you are sending a scam, not fighting Dr. Doom. Tone down the heroic efforts. Two, your name should be in FRONT of your title, not in parentheses behind it.
Okay, contestant #2.
ECONOMIC COMMUNITY FOR WEST AFRICAN STATES
Official HeadQuaters,
101, Yakubu Gowon Crescent,
Asokoro District P.M.B. 401 Abuja, Nigeriahttp://www.ecowas.int (Nice touch, giving a legit link to someone who really has nothing to do with you. )
Tel: +2348130 989982
Dear Winner,
This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of One Million
United States Dollars, ($1,000,000.00) for the year 2011 Lottery
promotion which is organized by ECOWAS DONATIONS 2011.(Okay, Here we have to believe that a West African economic group is actually holding a lottery. Bit of a stretch, but okay.)
ECOWAS DONATIONS 2011, collects all the email addresses of people that
are active online, among the millions that subscribed to the Internet.we
only select five people every Year as our winners through electronic
balloting System without the winner applying,We congratulate you for being
one of the people selected. (And how does it help the West African economy to give 5 mil a year to unknowing strangers? WELL?)
To file for your claims (insert blah blah contact info etc.)
Thank you and Accept my hearty Congratulations once again!
Yours faithfully,
Mr.Peters Brown
Tel: +2348130989982
**KHN Confidentiality Notice**
This message and the accompanying document or attachments may contain information which is privileged and/or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, discuss, disclose, copy, or distribute the contents of this message.
If you have received this information in error, please immediately contact the Kettering Health Network representative whose number is listed on the message and destroy all evidence of this correspondence.
Kettering Health Network??? WTF does a health network ourt of Dayton OH have to do with the ECOWAS? Next time, make sure the computer you are siphoning through doesn't add closing comments. So much promise wasted. Okay, #3:
Good-Day,
My name is Mr.Kenneth Danquah , a politician and a previous member of Ghana's executive committee on contract awards.
My purpose of connecting you is to crave your indulgence to assist me in securing some funds abroad for safe keeping which I incidentally kept to help me finance my senatorial elections campaign under the party umbrella of National Patriotic Party (NPP) on December 7th 2008, Unfortunately for me I lost the seat to my opposition member under the party of National Democratic Congress (NDC).
But with my immediate contact, I was able to deposit some kickback money emanated from award of contracts awarded to Chinese and Malaysia companies in a security vault with a commercial bank in Ghana pending when I will found a trustworthy person to move out the fund from Ghana to oversea bank account for business investment. (Wow, basically "I am a crooked politician. Please help me get some of my ill-gotten gains out of country before I'm found out and become goat pellets. I like this guy!)
The need to contact you arose from the fact that the present elected government vow to crack down on past immediate government functionaries of (NPP) and trying to trace all the funds that was made through contract awards and other mouth watering deals during our tenure in the office from the year 2000 to 2008, if they succeed in tracing this fund to me, they will seize it and thereby incapacitating my life time opportunities.
I wish to relocate this fund in a foreigner's name to avoid any trace. All I need from you is an assurance that you can handle the amount involved (US$19,500,000) comfortably and that I can also trust you.
Be fully rest assured that there is no risk involved. (Oh, of course not.) I want you to immediately inform me of your willingness in assisting and co-operating with me, so that I can send you full details of this transaction.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Kenneth Danquah
To take action on this issue, click on the link below:http://www2.peta.org/site/Advocacy?s_oo=113HdGWokBWY_JzOuLWctQ&id=3811
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.
If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please follow the link below:http://www2.peta.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=ea2a99191ca1c91c9f02a51d26653840a6df0ba77c4a89a7
First it's KHN, now PETA? This is too funny. Save that spotted owl or we'll sic scammers on you. Okay, contestant #4:
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF BENIN/>MINISTRY OF FINANCEECONOMIC AND DEBT REFORM DEPARTMENT.
WORLD BANK READ, COTONOU , BENIN REPUBLIC (Civil Procedure)(F.H.C.B)
( ARRANGEMENT) Attention beneficiary. (Man, is Benin nothing but one big collection of economic groups?)Why have you decided to abandon your fund by refusing to pay the $85 dollars for the renewal of your transfer file,(This is a question, not a comma!) Be rest assure that as soon you send the $85.00usd they must start transferring of your fund through Western Union within 2hrs after confirmation of the fee without any further delay and this is the only fee you have to pay in this transaction as it was written down already by the Federal government of this country that mapped out the compensation for you ok. (Blah blah, send info etc.)
FROM THE CHIEF JUDGE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF BENIN
So now, it's my fault I'm not rich, because I didn't send you $85 I didn't know about? You catch more flies with honey, pal.
Contestant #5:
Good day!
How are you today together with your family,i thank God almighty for his infinity mercy upon my life for latter making this business to work out sucessfull. (Too bad God's "infinity mercy" didn't come with a better Yoruba to English translater.)
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting the funds transferred under the cooperation of the new partner from LUXMBURG, Presently iam in LUXMBURG for investment projects with my own share. (Or spell check, for that matter.)
meanwhile,i didn't forget your past efforts(?) and attempts to assist me in transferring those funds despite that it failed us some how. (probably because it never happened.)
Out of my sincere heart(?) i have deceided to show gratitude to you and i have signed a cheque on your behalf for your compensation,now contact my secretary in Ouaga, Burkina-Faso, his name is Mr. Arahad Gad and his email address is (arahadgaad11@yahoo.com) and ask him to send you the cheque worth $800,000 Usd which i kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter and instruct him where to send the amount to you.I appreciated your efforts to assist that time despite that you later disappointed me.(Darn, what an ass I am! Again, you have to keep positive to your customer/victim. This is a bad check, as the cheese says.)
So feel free and get intouch with my secretary Mr.Arahad Gad Please do let me know immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy together(!) after all the sufferness(?) at that time.
In the moment, i am very busy here because of the investment projects which i and the new partner are having at hand, finally, remember that I had forwarded instructions to my secretary on your behalf to receive that money, so feel free to get in touch with Mr.Arahad Gad and he will send the cheque to you.
Regards,
Mr.Dubey sudian
"Sufferness"? I may have to use that one! I do like that part about sharing the joy- too bad you srtupidly ruined it by telling me I disappointed you. Okay, last contestant:
Good News For Your Atm Card This office is writing to inform you about the payment of us$2.5million dollars been approved in your name from World Bank Award Payment Program 2011, after the verification of your payment inheritance fund in our custody, we confirm that the federal united state of America and ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOwAS) has been asigned in agreement with World Bank to distribute all your payment to you in ATM visa card pacific which you should use to withdraw all your fund in any ATM service machine working in any bank in your country. But the maximum amount you will withdraw in a day is ($5000 dollars) till you cash all your fund credit in your ATM account. so if you would like to receive your total fund in new ATM visa Card, please let us know by contacting the ATM payment department with below address information.
Best Regard.
Mr Innocent Yaro.
(Board Members of ATM payment department)
Boy, that ECOWAS really gets around. And they just want to send me a visa card, right? As if that isn't a big red flag in and of itself.
So let's grade this out. Macauley Terrance, AKA Scamman, you get a A for grammar, D for message.
ECOWAS #1, Credibility score is a D, revealing your bot-computer draws an F. Kenneth Danquah, for the use of the "Crooked Politician" persona and using a PETA computer to send it, 2 A+s! Chief Justice of Benin, you were rude and not very interesting. F's all around. Dubey Sudian, D for not upgrading your translator, D for being disappointed in me, and B- for everything else. And ECOWAS #2, this wasn't the laziest effort I've ever seen, but certainly lazy. D-. Overall, I'm disappointed in you all. Take a lesson from Kenneth Danquah- be interesting, be clever, be informative, be polite, and stick it to PETA!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
We make holes in cushions!
Today, I'd like to tell you a little about our job today. The sewers were all sewing a cushion set that consists of a seat that gets poly-filled and a back that gets a blown filling and a button on front and back. Due to down season for cutting, Laurie and I got elected to this button job. Laurie had to take scrap fabric to cut out the little button coverings, and then put them into a machine that magically mounts it on the button. I got to attach the little buggers, and this is where everything got a tad complicated.
The shell itself is a 25X27 square, with a 4-inch wide band. It has a 7-inch space left open at the bottom for the fill to be shot in. When we cut these in mass quantities (as we had here, because these are for K-Mart retail orders going out in a few weeks), you have to use a drill and fabric bit to drill a hole in the exact center of each piece for the button. With me so far? Okay, now the fun stuff.
The fabric is a thick, dark maroon-ish with roses stitched in black. It has been a rip-roaring delight to tell which direction is up on this stuff, but that's another story. Now once upon a time, we had a "regular size" fabric bit, but then some big fat arse of a customer crushed a cushion beyond its weight limit and the button tore, leading them to bitch that the "hole was too big". So now we use this tiny pin-prick of a bit that makes hard to see holes in the easiest of fabrics. Combine tiny holes, dark fabrics, the fact that apparently cutting this fabric at depth (maybe 60 plies) makes the holes "heal themselves", and you know why my first words were "I hope there's not a RATE on this!" To which my super said, "400 per hour" (jokingly). The actual action is much like hooking a rug, even uses the same tool with the tip that lays back going in, folds back to grab the thread and go out. But the very first one they grabbed to show me how to do it proved almost impossible to find the holes. So we designed a pattern to put a mark where the hole should be. And it worked pretty good. But speed is not an option here. Thousands were being made, and it took me from 7:30 to 4:30 to do 190.
So they gave me a lady to help do them, and asked me to show her what I was doing. But, I protested, what I was doing was basically blind ass luck. How do you explain that to a woman who speaks no English (and wasn't real sure what was going on when another lead explained it in Spanish)? So we made another pattern, gave her a hook (which our super had to run to Wal-Mart and get, as we only had the one). From noon to 4:30, she had somewhere between 20 and 40.
Then our super discovers we don't have enough plastic buttons- and of course waits until Laurie's used them up to find out. So now Laurie gets to help by using the pattern to mark the spots where the holes MIGHT BE (and were about 60 % of the time, and within 3/4 inch another 30%, with 10% non-existent for all practical intents). Which made things go much faster, except for the occasional time that Laurie managed to rub off the marker mark on the table before giving it to me. And THIS is how we got to the point that Laurie and I got tomorrow off because of the used up buttons and the lack of any other semi-productive labor to foist on us. In the meantime, the stuffers, finishers, and packers get 6 hours OT on Friday. Go figure. And the sewers putting together all these loverly cushions get to come in 2 hours late tomorrow. Scratching your head? Welcome to Arden Corporation, Quality products by any means possible.
On the way home, we were listening to my brand new (replacement copy) of ELO's Out Of The Blue. This was the ONE album everybody in our group in high school had, and it got played at most every occasion. Which got me thinking, and then thinking again, and I've come up with a great (to me) idea. This Friday's Time Machine will have a special "Top Ten songs of our high school parties" countdown, a countdown that may well apply to many people, but especially to groups like ours, which was basically what you got when you weeded out all the other cliques (including the geeks), and jocks, and we were what you were left with. Be sure to tune in then (or maybe Thursday, if sitting around the house due to these ridiculous winter-like temperatures in wintertime bores me enough to act early).
The shell itself is a 25X27 square, with a 4-inch wide band. It has a 7-inch space left open at the bottom for the fill to be shot in. When we cut these in mass quantities (as we had here, because these are for K-Mart retail orders going out in a few weeks), you have to use a drill and fabric bit to drill a hole in the exact center of each piece for the button. With me so far? Okay, now the fun stuff.
The fabric is a thick, dark maroon-ish with roses stitched in black. It has been a rip-roaring delight to tell which direction is up on this stuff, but that's another story. Now once upon a time, we had a "regular size" fabric bit, but then some big fat arse of a customer crushed a cushion beyond its weight limit and the button tore, leading them to bitch that the "hole was too big". So now we use this tiny pin-prick of a bit that makes hard to see holes in the easiest of fabrics. Combine tiny holes, dark fabrics, the fact that apparently cutting this fabric at depth (maybe 60 plies) makes the holes "heal themselves", and you know why my first words were "I hope there's not a RATE on this!" To which my super said, "400 per hour" (jokingly). The actual action is much like hooking a rug, even uses the same tool with the tip that lays back going in, folds back to grab the thread and go out. But the very first one they grabbed to show me how to do it proved almost impossible to find the holes. So we designed a pattern to put a mark where the hole should be. And it worked pretty good. But speed is not an option here. Thousands were being made, and it took me from 7:30 to 4:30 to do 190.
So they gave me a lady to help do them, and asked me to show her what I was doing. But, I protested, what I was doing was basically blind ass luck. How do you explain that to a woman who speaks no English (and wasn't real sure what was going on when another lead explained it in Spanish)? So we made another pattern, gave her a hook (which our super had to run to Wal-Mart and get, as we only had the one). From noon to 4:30, she had somewhere between 20 and 40.
Then our super discovers we don't have enough plastic buttons- and of course waits until Laurie's used them up to find out. So now Laurie gets to help by using the pattern to mark the spots where the holes MIGHT BE (and were about 60 % of the time, and within 3/4 inch another 30%, with 10% non-existent for all practical intents). Which made things go much faster, except for the occasional time that Laurie managed to rub off the marker mark on the table before giving it to me. And THIS is how we got to the point that Laurie and I got tomorrow off because of the used up buttons and the lack of any other semi-productive labor to foist on us. In the meantime, the stuffers, finishers, and packers get 6 hours OT on Friday. Go figure. And the sewers putting together all these loverly cushions get to come in 2 hours late tomorrow. Scratching your head? Welcome to Arden Corporation, Quality products by any means possible.
On the way home, we were listening to my brand new (replacement copy) of ELO's Out Of The Blue. This was the ONE album everybody in our group in high school had, and it got played at most every occasion. Which got me thinking, and then thinking again, and I've come up with a great (to me) idea. This Friday's Time Machine will have a special "Top Ten songs of our high school parties" countdown, a countdown that may well apply to many people, but especially to groups like ours, which was basically what you got when you weeded out all the other cliques (including the geeks), and jocks, and we were what you were left with. Be sure to tune in then (or maybe Thursday, if sitting around the house due to these ridiculous winter-like temperatures in wintertime bores me enough to act early).
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
NHFFL week 10
The playoff picture with 2 games to go in our fantasy league is now pretty clear. The Rangers win again, routing the Clock BBQs 41-25 behind the 9 point days by Tom Brady, Eric Decker(thanks to the BAL* of Tim Tebow), and Mason Crosby. This cliches the Purple Division for the Rangers, who hold the tie breaker over the Aguas. The Aguas failed to keep within striking distance, falling 49-25 to the red hot B2s. All those free gifts from Matt Stafford gave the Bears D 20 points, and Arian Foster chipped in 15 for the B2s, who've won 4 of 5. Meantime, the Greenwoods put their destiny in their own hands with a 49-31 romp over Buzz, and a win in either of their last two games gives them the final playoff spot in the Purple. As usual, it was the Green Bay rescue squad as Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings put 18 points up Monday night.
The Elks kept pace in the Gold division with a 29-22 win over the Beagles. The Elks and B2s have their rematch the last week of the season, and if they are still tied, the Elks will need a 4-point win to take the division and the first-round bye. The Porkchops top the Angels 29-27 to go 2 up with 2 to go for the last spot in the Gold. This time, Aaron Rodgers' 12 points come up one TD shy for the Angels. Which was good news for the KCAs, who kept their flickering hopes alive with a 31-26 win over the Ducks. And when I say flickering, they have to have the Angels lose at least one, and must win out, including needing a 33 point win over the Greenwoods in the season's last week, as well as needing the 'woods to lose next week. The 'Chops win puts them in a position to clinch a spot to clinch with a win over either the B2s next week or (more likely) Buzz in week 12.
Next week, it's Rangers/Greenwoods; Aguas/KCAs; Beagles/Angels; CBBQs/ Buzz; Ducks/Elks; and B2s/Porkchops.
*BAL= blind-ass luck.
The Elks kept pace in the Gold division with a 29-22 win over the Beagles. The Elks and B2s have their rematch the last week of the season, and if they are still tied, the Elks will need a 4-point win to take the division and the first-round bye. The Porkchops top the Angels 29-27 to go 2 up with 2 to go for the last spot in the Gold. This time, Aaron Rodgers' 12 points come up one TD shy for the Angels. Which was good news for the KCAs, who kept their flickering hopes alive with a 31-26 win over the Ducks. And when I say flickering, they have to have the Angels lose at least one, and must win out, including needing a 33 point win over the Greenwoods in the season's last week, as well as needing the 'woods to lose next week. The 'Chops win puts them in a position to clinch a spot to clinch with a win over either the B2s next week or (more likely) Buzz in week 12.
Next week, it's Rangers/Greenwoods; Aguas/KCAs; Beagles/Angels; CBBQs/ Buzz; Ducks/Elks; and B2s/Porkchops.
*BAL= blind-ass luck.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Why are things so corrupt in State College?
You'd think that this Penn State scandal had taken every stupid turn you could have. Here's a guy that has been accused of various crimes involving young boys since 1998. But he has a charity for underprivileged boys from which he selects victims at his leisure, and NOBODY tries to boot him out, NO ONE runs the appropriateness of his being involved with kids past social services. He gets booted out of a high school campus for inappropriate acts, but has Emeritus status at Penn State, including run of the campus. He CONFESSES to indiscretions to a victim's mom while police listened in, and the prosecutor says, "It was all a big misunderstanding". He gets caught red handed not once, but twice, at the PSU campus, with one incident never reported, the other reported to his former boss, Joe Paterno. JoPa reports it not only to the AD but to the VP who is over Campus police. Said VP "never knew" about other such reports worked on by campus police, never reported this one to his own police force (let alone the authorities, and then lies under oath that he contacted Child Services when he should have realized the grand jury would SUBPOENA CPS's records. Everyone involved in the whole deal from the University President to the dishwasher's assistant gets fired. But is this the worst of the STUPID side of the story? Oh, hell, no.
Because when it goes to court, it goes before this wise woman:
Meet Judge Leslie Dutchcot, a member of the law firm Goodall and Yurchak. Dutchcot, who had not only been a contributor to the charity/farm for perverts, but had been a VOLUNTEER for them. Ant not only did she not RECUSE herself from the case, NOT ONLY did she cut Prosecution's bail request by 80%, but she also left it UNSECURED- he only has to pay anything if he doesn't show for his trial date!!!!! Her friends at G&Y quickly responded- by pulling ALL bios off of its website, including hers(which is where everyone found out about her conflict of interest in the first place). There are SO MANY crooked hands in this story, from a legal system bent on protecting a serial child molester, to a university operating on the same disclosure laws as the Catholic Church, to a system of authority operating solely on the CYA principle, that I have just one more question:
HOW FAR BACK IN THE WOODS IS STATE COLLEGE, PA????? I'm half waiting for them to call JOP Sam Drucker from frickin' Hooterville to sentence the scum! Bobby G. you're my expert in all things Pennsylvanian. WTF is going on back there?
Because when it goes to court, it goes before this wise woman:
Meet Judge Leslie Dutchcot, a member of the law firm Goodall and Yurchak. Dutchcot, who had not only been a contributor to the charity/farm for perverts, but had been a VOLUNTEER for them. Ant not only did she not RECUSE herself from the case, NOT ONLY did she cut Prosecution's bail request by 80%, but she also left it UNSECURED- he only has to pay anything if he doesn't show for his trial date!!!!! Her friends at G&Y quickly responded- by pulling ALL bios off of its website, including hers(which is where everyone found out about her conflict of interest in the first place). There are SO MANY crooked hands in this story, from a legal system bent on protecting a serial child molester, to a university operating on the same disclosure laws as the Catholic Church, to a system of authority operating solely on the CYA principle, that I have just one more question:
HOW FAR BACK IN THE WOODS IS STATE COLLEGE, PA????? I'm half waiting for them to call JOP Sam Drucker from frickin' Hooterville to sentence the scum! Bobby G. you're my expert in all things Pennsylvanian. WTF is going on back there?
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