A couple of sweet links for you

Back in the 1960s, during the space race, we were all amazed and fascinated with the space program (me more than most, as a geeky 7-year-old). What most Americans didn't realize, and didn't want to, was that Russia did everything but the moon landing first (and they tried that too). First satellite, first living creature in orbit, first man in space, first man in orbit, etc.

They didn't do the first space shuttle, but theirs was much bigger. You probably didn't know they had one, as information was rare, let alone photos. Those Soviets, always keeping secrets. I have found a collection of amazing photos from the glory days of their huge shuttle craft (the Buran) and the way-past-huge booster (the Energia). Check them out, and click the photos to enlarge.
http://tinyurl.com/2h77yn

Also, Cory Doctorow has a new book out called Little Brother, a "rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion". Some teenagers get accused of being terrorists, and draw heavy heat from Homeland Security. The kids are forced to use their tech skills to outwit and evade, and... well, read the book. Lots of useful tips for those who want their privacy back. The author is giving it away FREE right here:
http://tinyurl.com/4xse5t

Someone in Eugene?

Some of you may know that I'm an Oregon boy, and lived in Eugene for a few happy years before moving to Seattle and then to Atlanta.

So when I see that this week someone in Eugene spent hours looking over what appears to be my entire blog and its years of archives, I'm intrigued.

Mystery guest, sign in please - are you an old friend? One of my cousins? Use the Comment icon below and let me know.

This reminds me, I've got a lot of great old Eugene stories for you. Like, how I used to play in the actual frat house where Animal House was filmed, right next to University of Oregon (and, I've also played the Dexter Lake Club, and my Aunt Joanne is somewhere in the parade scene). I might tell you about the 3AM phone call I got from my drummer (rooming with Cray's) to come party with them and Belushi. Or how the Blues Brothers were actually a product of a chance meeting during that filming, because Robert Cray and Curtis Salgado and friends were the house band of The Eugene Hotel where Belushi was staying. In fact, if you look you'll see Robert playing bass in The Knights, which also featured local music luminaries (and nice guys) Robert Bailey, Sonny King, Tommy Smith, and Ron Steen. Belushi took that inspiration (some say "stole the act lock stock & barrel") and ran with it, pretty much causing the blues resurgence in the late 70s and early 80s. Or how Kenny Gorlick used to play there with Jeff Lorber, before he became Kenny G.

But there's no time to tell these stories properly right now, maybe later. Meanwhile, who's my mystery guest? Mitch Matthews? Dave Mischak? Monti Amundson? Drix Rixmann? Or do you know them? Speak up!

go Ducks!

Congrats, Geoff Achison

Big grins to Geoff Achison for being named at the top of Guitar Player Magazine's "Ten Hottest New Guitarists"! (June 2008, pg 64) Guitar Player is the oldest and most respected of the guitar magazines, and they know how to pick 'em. Good on ya!

Correction & Apology

(The following was composed Friday afternoon, but Charter prevented me from sending it out until I could find a way to bypass them by installing my own SMTP server. This is the first mass test of my new system, I hope it works. My apologies for the delay. The whole affair with Charter has scrambled my mail list too, so if you have opted out of the list and still get my reports, please let me know and I'll fix.)

Having received one outraged response (and many supportive ones) to my posting about Sean Costello, I do see the need to step back a bit from what I reported. I went with the news from very inside sources, friends' internet groups, and the grapevine in general that Sean had passed away from a drug overdose, after hearing and reading over a week's worth of what were nonetheless rumors waiting for an official report. All those rumors could still be wrong, so here is the latest official word I could find via Google and AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/04/19/costello_0420.html

The cause of Costello's death has not been determined; it will be a couple of weeks before toxicology test results are available. The Fulton County medical examiner's office has said there were no signs of foul play in the Cheshire Bridge Road hotel room where the musician was found.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the singer's non-profit, The Sean Costello Foundation for Bi-Polar Research, are requested. To donate, call 678-384-0063 or e-mail tray@bbandt.com

I do apologize for sending an unconfirmed report, that puts me down in Drudge territory. Those of you who've sent me various multi-forwarded emails know that I always Google them and if it's a hoax (and it usually is) I write back that it was false and shouldn't be sent out without checking. As most of you know, I usually insist on including links that confirm what I'm talking about. This time, I did not and should have, because doing so would've forced me to see the cause of death is still officially unknown. I don't know that the results of the toxicology tests will ever be made public, or even that they should be. If the tests do come out negative, and if I am so informed, I will be very happy to have been wrong, and will say so immediately. I will not wait 10 days to collect more info as I did before. I want to make very clear my respect and honor for the man,
and my condolences to his family and friends. If on the other hand the tests confirm what I said, I will say nothing further to draw attention to this unfortunate event, as the people who need to know will already know. I already wish I didn't know as much as I do about the whole sad affair.

But most of all, my lack of realization that mentioning the topic at all would pour salt in fresh emotional wounds was shockingly stupid. I deserved some of what I got. I have promised to never again compose emails after 3AM, I need all my wits and then some.

(fresh material follows)
Now, taking Sean out of the equation, let me add that within the same two week period I'd been made aware of four other drug & alcohol problems within my circle of friends and family. When Sean passed away, that was all just too much for me and I just had to speak up. These matters have to be discussed, embarassment or not, because lives and families are at stake. Silence equals death. So please, if there's someone in your circle that needs talking to, or more, care enough to do what it takes. You don't want to live the rest of your life wondering if you let a friend die. I know.

Unfortunately the gentleman who demanded this apology won't receive it because he also demanded to be removed from my email list, and I obliged as I always promised I would. To the couple dozen of Sean's other friends and insiders who wrote to thank me for what I said and share grief, thank you for taking the time, that was nice of you. For the rest of you, once again I am sorry. Doing the right thing badly is still bad, and I hope you'll forgive my fumbling.

I'm just a poor boy whose intentions are good,
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

There's a little bit more I should have clarified and supported. I also mentioned that poppy farming in Afghanistan is way up (true, 300% in the last 10 years) and that "the Taliban used to keep a heavy Muslim boot on the poppy fields there" (also true). However, further research muddies the waters quite a bit there. Some believe that the Taliban's restrictions were actually coldly calculated to keep the price of drugs high, to protect their (unproven) profits. The Taliban is allegedly betraying their conservative morality by selling (or at the very least allowing to be sold) opium and all its derivatives. They also supposedly made up to $25 million a year from
a tax on poppy production. But it gets stranger. Osama allegedly "has talked about going after the West by coming up with a new, more potent strain of heroin and getting it into Europe or the United States to undermine them." Oh goody. Also, the Northern Alliance (resistance against the Taliban) funds themselves mostly, you guessed it, by farming and selling opium. And here's the forehead-smacking finale: in 2001, the US Government gave $43 million to the Taliban to "support drug eradication in return for a Taliban pledge to eliminate Afghanistan's massive opium crop." That program is reported to have had "mixed results". I'd say so. For one thing, immediately after the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban appeared to be dumping their stockpiles on the market, and the price of heroin in Europe dropped from $746 a kilogram to $95. So, if I seemed to be defending the Taliban (I was not, I am no fan of ultra-conservative totalitarian theocracy) I hope you'll see that I do not care for them one bit. If you want more info, just Google "Afghan poppy" and get all you need.
Old but very relevant article: http://tinyurl.com/yjm65r
Afghan poppy production since then: http://tinyurl.com/6fewjq

That was a lot more than I thought I was going to say, but I felt I needed to clean my messes up. I promise to be more careful. For instance, I will go to bed and re-read this tomorrow before sending it.

Now, while I'm here, a bit of music report: Friday's show at Little Alley was fun as always, but much more so for being Barbara's birthday party. My thanks to her many devoted friends and family who came out to party with us and have an extra good time.

Saturday was one of those busy days: a full slate of students, a drive-through meal, and an outdoor show at a wine-tasting party (as a duo with Mary Langdon, supporting her CD "Lovers and Liars"). Then a dash down to the Emory neighborhood to play what turned out to be a high school graduation party with Rashaan Griffith Band. I fully expected to be hated, to hear comments like "Hey do you geezers know anything from this century?", but that was not the case. The little cuties actually requested nothing modern, they asked for Mustang Sally and Play That Funky Music and other hits of the 60s and 70s, and then danced with joyful abandon. Sometimes I love being wrong. But after 12 hours of either playing guitar or driving, it was good
to be done for the night.

Many of you remember Leszek Wawer, the Polish guitarist who jammed with us so often at Darwin's and other places. He wrote me from Chicago with the following:

Hi everyone,
My friend Leszek (there's more Leszeks out there, can you believe it?) has a live broadcast on May 1st of the guitar event that has been taking place annually in my beautiful city of Wroclaw over the last several years.

The Thanks Jimi jam with more than 1500 guitar players earned Leszek his entry to the World Guinness Book of Records. And then, it is truly unique event and shows Leszek's amazing organizational skills - especially as the concert is being held in the heart of beautiful city of some 2 million people.

Give it a trial this coming Wednesday - I think it will be really interesting. See the city. Hear the music. We may all want to visit Wroclaw next year. I am taking early reservations...

What: Thanks Jimi Festival
When: Wednesday, May 1, 11AM EST
Where: http://www.wrocek-itv.pl/Live/index.html

Here are some high lights from the previous years of the event clearly showing it is an interesting event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpPzNduP_rI

Leszek (the one you know)

Also, Jon Schwenke writes the following about his Tuesday night gig with Andrew Black and John McKnight:

Thanks so much for the plug @ Londzell's. However it is no longer a jam. Jason Pastras, Luke and I host one @ Bradley's Bar in Marietta on Wed fron 9 to 12 though.

I hope you can come enjoy some music this Wednesday at Bella Bocca in Marietta, or Friday at Little Alley in Roswell. Or one of the other fine groups at a venue near you. Live people need live music. Thank you and good night.

Something fun:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/25/ukulele-blitzkrieg-b.html

Music Report for April 25, 2008

Hello Friends, it's time to catch you up, and prepare you for the future.

I had a couple interesting gigs over the weekend. One was a sweet fill-in gig with the illustrious Chicago Joe Jones & friends at Killer Creek Steakhouse in Roswell (joined by Dave Hewitt, formerly of Humble Pie, Georgia Satellites, and others). The other was a beautiful outdoor wedding, as a duo with singer Adrienne Reynolds.

Last week I began a new gig with Larry Griffith Band at Bella Bocca in Marietta. This has turned out to be a nice little venue, deserving of good music and your patronage. It's a bit hard to spot, so do this: head west on Hwy 120, past Marietta Square, and keep going west as it becomes Whitlock. One mile past the square, you'll pass Nik's Back Porch on the left (which I'll discuss in a minute). A bit further ahead on the left, as you rise up a hill, you'll see the Clock Tower stripmall, which is mostly hidden. Turn in there, and Bella Bocca has the corner location. There are outdoor tables, so nice this time of year. Our hours are now 8PM to 11PM, so c'mon out. You can sit at the tables, or at the bar.
Bella Bocca Wednesdays 8-11PM
999 Whitlock Avenue
Marietta, Ga 30064 770-795-8984
map: http://tinyurl.com/4lrhml

On the way home, I stopped in at Nik's to visit Aaron Simpson's gig, and found a lively jam in effect. I had taught a full slate of students, then played a gig, so I didn't stick around very long, but I did see Atlanta jam icons John McKnight, Barry Richman and Terry Bradley there, among many other musicians and old friends. I happened to arrive just as Barry was coming onstage with a crew that included (say whut?!?) an electric kalimba player! Also called the
African thumb piano, the kalimba is not as popular here as, say, the bassoon. I've seen exactly two played onstage, the other time being in Earth Wind & Fire in 1975. This guy had it running through more pedals than I own, and an expensive amp. I don't know how many gigs he gets, but I'm glad I saw this one. God I do love jam nights! After you visit our show at Bella Bocca, stop by Nik's to take your musical experience to the logical next level. Say hi to Aaron, a very nice kid and fine young artist.
Nik's Place Restaurant and Bar (aka The Back Porch)
645 Whitlock Ave. (aka Hwy GA-120)
Marietta, GA 30064 770-792-6666
about 1 mile west of Marietta Square
across the street from Waffle House
Free Wi-Fi, good food!
web: http://www.niksplace.com
map: http://tinyurl.com/dhdek

On the way home, I also got a chance to slow way down in Historic Roswell (you can do that in the wee hours) and locate the future home of Red Salt, a new club by the folks at Little Alley. It's just a few doors north of Pastis. So far the plan is to have it open by June, and for me to be playing there at least some Saturdays while holding down the Friday spot at Little Alley. It's an "intimate" venue, so I won't have room for a band, only a duo. It'll have to be with someone small and cute because she'll probably have to sit on my lap. (just kidding, Barbara) Regardless of size, you can bet the food will rock because Chef Richard is amazing and getting better. If
you've eaten at Little Alley you know what I mean.

Speaking of my trophy sweetie Barbara, she and her daughter Tina just returned from Hawaii, just in time to celebrate her birthday at Little Alley tonight (Friday the 25th). By all means, stop by and wish her well, and I'll be there to make sure everyone has some music to dance to (she loves dancing, she MUST dance, that's how I met her). Your presents are not necessary, but your presence is. I will not specify which birthday this is, but it does include a zero. The
music starts at 7:30 and goes to 11:30, family-friendly, smokeless indoors, outdoor tables available.
Little Alley Fridays 7:30-11:30
690 Holcomb Bridge Rd.
(behind the Wolf Camera, at HBR & Grimes Bridge/Old Roswell Rd)
Roswell, GA 30076 770-992-9198
free parking, TOP quality food & service!
web: http://www.littlealley.com
map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2yjw3f

And finally, a plug for my dear friends and first-call bandmates Andrew Black, Jon Schwenke and John McKnight, who hold court at Londzell's on Tuesday nights. It's another jam night, so go there and make some joyful noise with them (and maybe me).
Londzell's Jazz & Blues Cafe
2300 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite 309
(Kroger center near Centennial High, east end)
Roswell, GA 30076 678.795.9100
web: http://www.londzellsjazzandblues.com
map: http://tinyurl.com/3aq7pn

In other news, it's been a sad week for Atlanta's music scene. Blues artist Sean Costello, a rising star, the Next Big Thing, died April 15th of a drug overdose. Beloved by everyone who met him and a lot who didn't, he had been privately battling depression and bi-polarity for years, and finally lost, a day before his 29th birthday. You'll find that Google knows him well, there's even a brief Wikipedia article on him. The few times I played with him were pure joy, and he was always happy and polite when we chatted, same as I've heard from everone else I know. Ellen Hamby documents the Atlanta music scene with her camera, and has several good videos of him:
http://tinyurl.com/5p3zxt
A bit of curious clicking will lead you to lots of Ellen's other videos.

Adding another blue note to Sean's dirge is that another, much lower profile, local musician known to many of us has, shall we say, fallen into a giant crack. I'm going to keep his name private, but I wish I could only remember him as a fine human being and artist, rather than
the thieving wreck he has become. My heart goes out to those who tried unsuccessfully to salvage him.

It is wise to learn from your mistakes, but much wiser to learn from someone else's. Learn from these two fine examples: if you need help, get help, there's no shame in that, but stay away from drugs. Modern drugs are not like the relatively cute little drugs of the 1960s, they will make you either die or wish you had. And avoid anyone who has anything to do with them (except pharmacists, of course). If you have been recently involved with such a person, I suggest you increase your personal security by keeping a close eye on your credit (I don't know how hard it is to have your numbers changed), and chatting with your neighbors about keeping an eye on each other's property (they don't need to know why, it's just a good idea). Learn some lessons from that TV show where former professional burglars break into homes as a form of security audit.

Interesting point: 90% of the world's opium and opium derivatives (such as heroin) come from Afghanistan. The Taliban used to keep a heavy Muslim boot on the poppy fields there, but since the Americans came and killed so many of them the farmers are enjoying huge drug harvests, up manyfold from previous years. Oh goody.

Music Report for April 9, 2008

Hi friends, just a quick note to tell you some late-breaking news. This just in...

One of my heroes, Sarasota Slim, is coming to Atlanta and has asked me to come play with him at Darwin's tonight (Wednesday 4/9). I'm not sure if I'll be playing the whole evening; he's hired me before, but his email said "bring your guitar and pick a few" with no mention of a business arrangement. No matter, I'll make music with him any chance I can get, or just enjoy sitting and listening. Either way is great. I highly recommend this act; great tones from great guitars, masterful playing, and he's always had an amazing band every time I've seen him.
Darwin's 4/9 9PM $8
1598 Roswell Rd. (Hwy 120)
1 mile east of The Big Chicken (El Pollo Grande)
Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 578-6872
web: http://www.darwinsblues.com
map: http://tinyurl.com/2fko

Thursday, I'll be doing a dinner show (6 to 9PM) with Larry Griffith at KC Pit BBQ in Sandy Springs, near The Punchline.
KC Pit BBQ
234 Hilderbrand Rd. NE
Sandy Springs, GA 30328 404-459-6497
map: http://tinyurl.com/2fko

Starting next week, I'll have regular Wednesday night shows with Larry Griffith at Bella Bocca in Marietta (near Nik's on Whitlock).
Bella Bocca (Wednesdays, 9PM)
999 Whitlock Avenue
Marietta, Ga 30064 770-795-8984

As of March 2008, over 6,000 American troops came back from this century's foreign wars (errr, "police actions") only to commit suicide. Various difficulties with family, employment, health, finance, the VA, whatever, drove these incredible men & women to do what Saddam and Osama could not - end their lives. Today at the airport, I passed by some USO volunteers applauding a lone soldier who was coming out of the concourse area. A bit later, a group of male & female soldiers sat down next to me at the Wendy's. When I finished breakfast, I stopped and said "Hey guys, thanks for everything". Did their efforts and sacrifices make America and the world safer and better? The jury's still out, but I sure hope so. If not, it wasn't their fault; even if they didn't believe in their missions (most do) they have to follow orders or they get imprisonment or execution. Think again of the phrase "Support our troops" and remember that whether you agree with their civilian commander-in-chief or not, the well-being of these troops (and their families) is just as much our responsibility as ours is to them. Clearly what our government does for them is not enough (ask any war vet, and remember, over 6,000 suicides!) so the rest is up to us. Do what you can to help and protect the people who protect us. Here's a
good place to start:
http://www.uso.org

Time Capsule

I've been doing things online for a long time (since 1981, the very early days of modems) and I have a lot of old stuff squirreled away on various media. Anybody need some 8-inch floppy disks? Anyway, here's an article I submitted to TechRepublic.com back in 1999, about ways to improve the Tech Support experience.

(article as sent to Jeff Davis 9/21/99)

I've learned a few things in my (many) years of phone support. For instance, you should never overlook the subconscious mind of the client. Some word or phrase will trigger resentment in an already unhappy listener.

People hate to be "transferred". They equate it with being shuffled, passed off, or punted. When they hear, "I'll transfer you..." that phrase raises their antagonism. But they love to be "connected". Powerful people are connected, and your clients are feeling a need to regain some of the power they lost by having to call for support in the first place. "One moment please, and I'll connect you" works wonders. Same act, different word, big difference. Oh, and they don't like to hear "hold" either, so say "One moment please".

Now that they're connected, be sure to thank them for holding as you make a warm transfer. Never just dump a client into someone's line and run; instead, always thank the client for holding (it's OK to mention holding after the fact), and then introduce the client to the new party. After that little courteous act, you can back out gracefully, knowing you may have erased half the problem simply by connecting the client painlessly to the correct agent.

Never tell a client they "have to" do something. No matter how true it is or how right you are, and they know it, some subconscious part of the client rebels against being commanded to perform. "How dare you tell ME I "have to"?!? Tell them they'll "want to" or even "need to". You could begin with "Would you please....?' or "Are you able to.....?". Sometimes, "Our next step will be to..." makes the caller a partner rather than a subordinate being given an order.

Don't say "I want you to...(click, do, whatever)". Say "Please..." instead. They don't care what you want, and they're not in the best mood even if they did. Use "Please", "Thank you", and "I'm sorry" whenever you get a chance.

If you can remember you are talking to a person with a real problem who has called you, the expert, for help, some of the magic words might be easier to use. The phrase "How can I help you?" as a conversation opener may be trite today, but it does serve to put the situation in the proper perspective: I am here to help you. Your attitude about your role will communicate subtle signals from your subconscious to your client's. Some experts recommend keeping a mirror next to the monitor, claiming it has a strong effect on how you present yourself on the phone.

Use these tips and you'll find the conversation and the instructions go more smoothly. Your client will think so too, and probably won't even be able to figure out just why.

(George Price is a support professional with nearly 20 years experience in the computer field, working with clients such as DEC, IBM, and currently GE Capital. He has A+, Network+ and MCP certifications, is nearly through with his MCSE, and will soon be a Microsoft Certified Trainer.)

Sir Arthur C. Clarke leaves Earth

One of the greatest science fiction (and fact) authors of all time, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, passed away today at age 90. You've probably seen "2001", widely considered the greatest movie of all time; he wrote that. You've surely used geosynchronous satellites for everything from phone calls to TV (cable or satellite) to weather; he popularized that concept too, and the tiny strip of ultra-prime orbital real estate where those satellites park is still named "the Clarke Belt". He was one of the "Big Three" authors (along with Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov) that hooked me on science fiction from the fourth grade on. He was one of the main proofs of the adage that science informs science fiction, which in return inspires new science. He was truly one of those authors who helped invent our actual future. I hope that his ideas will continue to inspire mankind to reach beyond this little planet, so that the human race may survive when the next inevitable disaster comes.

Clarke insisted that his funeral have no religious content whatsoever.

UPDATE: An enormous astronomical event, so bright that it was visible to the naked eye even though it was halfway across the universe (7.5 billion light-years) was detected just a few hours before his death. The brightest thing ever seen by humans. Some are proposing that this event be permanently named "The Clarke Event". Super-novas are big, but this is estimated at 2.5 million times more luminous than the most luminous supernova ever recorded. We're talking BIG explosion here, folks - if this gamma ray burst had happened in the farthest side of our own galaxy, we'd all be dead. Much of the galaxy itself would be missing. If we were a mere 2700 light-years away, the visible light would be brighter than the sun, but all that visible light is only a teensy side-effect from the real energy, the gamma rays, which would destroy all human life in seconds even from that distance. You like big numbers? ~9*10^45 W of peak apparent power output (that's a 9 followed by 45 zeros! You only need 19 zeros to describe the age of the universe in seconds, and each additional zero is ten times bigger!) So, that's a wall of 9 hundred-watt Marshall amps, times.... uhhh... a whole lot. There are no words for numbers that big. Humans can do the math, but cannot comprehend. So, the Clarke Event? I'm all for it.

Why We're Off Beef

Barbara & I haven't been eating much beef lately. We're not granola-head hippie vegans, it's just that we've found several good reasons to quit, and an unexpected benefit. First, our reasons:

1. Barbara's sister Betty was killed last summer by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a relative of Mad Cow disease. CJD is hard to trace to cows, but then again until relatively recently it was hard to conclusively link global warming to human stupidity, or cancer to cigarettes. And oh by the way, even though Mad Cow deaths are "practically unheard of" and "never happen in USA" according to the news, Barbara and I personally know two people who have died of MCD. What are the odds? We're aware that the beef industry is not to be trusted (click here to see lots of reports, including secret videos, of slaughterhouse workers illegally hauling cattle that were too sick to even stand up in to be prepared as our food) so we're definitely avoiding ground beef, and avoiding other beef when possible.
2. Bovine flatulence (cow gas) turns out to be a really huge source of global warming; even more than cars, according to some calculations. Methane is chemically 23 times more dangerous as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Catch up on the research here.
3. Barbara is somewhat lactose-intolerant. We've recently tried soy milk, and find that for most uses we don't detect a difference. Generic house-brand soy milk is even a few cents cheaper than the equivalent milk. Besides, it turns out that adults (and we are definitely past 21) really don't get any good out of real milk, the best thing about it is the calcium which we get in a much more chemically digestable form from cheap calcium pills and Tums. Sorry, Bessie.
4. Nutritionists seem to routinely come on TV and strongly recommend that we eat far less meat (especially "processed meats", which I'm guessing means Spam) and more vegetables.
   

I know, by not supporting the American farmer, we're just helping good farm land get irreversably scraped & raped into subdivisions, and we do have mixed emotions about that. We've also started thinking about how much of the American economy is tied up in beef & dairy infrastructure; the farmers, truckers, slaughterhouse workers, inspectors, repackagers and resellers are only part of the picture. Consider also the farm implement makers, geneticists, vets, cattle feed (they don't eat much grass anymore, you know), grain silos, auctioneers, specialized tools and milking machines, cattle drugs (antibiotics, steroids, etc) and a jillion other strange things, right down to electric fenceposts, cattle guns, fly nets, and strong magnets designed to be swallowed & pooped while sweeping up stray metals along the way. Then there's all the secondary industries such as leather, cheese, bone meal and glue. There are a whole lot of people out there who want to keep us all using lots of cows. We think that's why the real dangers of too much beef are being covered up.

Look, I'm from timber and cattle country. I've milked cows, I've fed cattle, I've been to my share of fairs and 4-H events. I even know several uses for Bag Balm. Some beef & dairy are doubtless a good thing, but the vast corporate factory farming systems are way beyond reason, and as the videos show, beyond control.

Oh yeah, the benefit: since we've quit beef, we've found that body odor pretty much disappears. Interesting!

Finally, a reason to like Fox News

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

You gotta be !@$!in' me...

More evidence of why national leaders elsewhere are removed from office for being too friendly with the USA, from BoingBoing.net:

Bush administration wants Europeans' family details, the right to put armed officials on European planes, and a pre-approval for European visitors

The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements.

According to a US document being circulated for signature in European capitals, EU states would also need to supply personal data on all air passengers overflying but not landing in the US in order to gain or retain visa-free travel to America, senior EU officials said.

And within months, the US department of homeland security is to impose a new permit system for Europeans flying to the US, compelling all travellers to apply online for permission to enter the country before booking or buying a ticket, a procedure that will take several days.

The poster (Cory Doctorow) goes on to suggest that by logical extension, we should give Mexico the right to put its Sky Marshals on any American flight that's bound for South America, and Canada could put Mounties on all US flights headed over to Alaska from the mainland. Also: if you're on a US flight headed to, say, Germany, your flight could have gun-toting cops from Canada, Ireland, the UK, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Switzerland on it. Soon there'll be no room for passengers, as if anyone would want to travel... Just imagine the fun of sticking up a lifesize photo of a terrorist-looking guy, and two dozen jumpy skycops popping up and spraying it with bullets from all directions, shouting in their various languages. Fun for the whole cabin!

Or, the EU could think about Bush's idea, think about how all his other ideas have worked out, and after a nanosecond or so shout "Hell no, fool!". In their various languages, of course.

Email Hoaxes

As I predicted earlier, hoax emails (barely true, partly untrue, or total lies) about Clinton and Obama are currently among the top 25 email hoaxes tracked by the top anti-hoax site, Snopes.com

Here's the Top 25 Hoaxes list: http://www.snopes.com/info/top25uls.asp

However, just as most of us rarely see hoax emails from the political center or leftwing, there are zero hoax emails being reported about Republican candidates, or even any Republicans in general. It's certainly not for lack of material to talk about. Say what you will about Democrats, they don't seem to play as dirty as the other side. Or maybe, they're just not as gullible about forwarding emails. Either way, I respect that.

TSA searches & detains 5 year old because his name was on no-fly list

Say whaat?!? From my beloved BoingBoing.net :

Posted by Cory Doctorow, January 9, 2008 1:25 PM | permalink

A five-year-old boy was taken into custody and thoroughly searched at Sea-Tac because his name is similar to a possible terrorist alias. As the Consumerist reports, "When his mother went to pick him up and hug him and comfort him during the proceedings, she was told not to touch him because he was a national security risk. They also had to frisk her again to make sure the little Dillinger hadn't passed anything dangerous weapons or materials to his mother when she hugged him."

It's a case of a mistaken identity for a 5-year-old boy from Normandy Park. He had trouble boarding a plane because someone with the same name is wanted by the federal government. Mimi Jung reports from Sea-Tac Airport.

You know, if you wanted to systematically discredit the idea of a Department of Homeland Security, if you wanted to make an utter mockery of aviation safety, you could not do a better job than this. Link (via Consumerist)

Forgotten Masterpiece

I'm listening to an old favorite of mine, "Remote Control" by The Tubes. Produced by Todd Rundgren and released in 1979, it's a bit too poppy-dancy for some, but I always loved it. I know a lot more about music theory and composition now than I did back in the 70s, and now I see how rich and layered it really is. In fact, I double-dog-dare my most educated friends to try and transcribe these songs. You'll learn a whole lot about polychords and harmony, I guarantee. Yet, even for non-musicians, the songs shine on their brilliant funny lyrics and compelling beats.

The whole album is a concept story about a "couch potato", a guy who has been so glued to his TV that he only knows the outside world from what he's seen on the tube. The opening song is "Turn Me On", about the joy his TV brings him. "TV Is King" further illustrates how much he loves his TV, and in "Prime Time" it sings seductively back to him with punny lyrics like "I give you my prime time" and "I have had my eye on you", a cute reference to the CBS logo (or maybe the Neilson ratings). At some point he starts to wonder about the outside world, and in "I Want It All Now" he begins to realize he's got to get up and get out somehow to that wonderful world he's seen on TV. "No Way Out" is tinged with desperation as he realizes the depths of his TV addiction. In a brilliant and perfect move, side 1 of the vinyl ends there; side 2 picks up with "Getoverture", an instrumental intermission that picks up the major themes of the songs in the album and prepares the listener for our hero's introduction to the brutal outside world in the song "No Mercy". Then in "Only The Strong Survive", someone else (possibly a co-worker) sings back to him in hard-bitten tones that he'd better get used to it, real life ain't easy. In "Be Mine Tonight", he sees a girl and is smitten by love at first sight. He makes a sweet clumsy plea for her affection, but we see in the next song that it didn't go well. "Love's a Mystery" is so plaintive and sweet - the poor guy was totally unprepared for the devastation of love gone bad (if it ever came together at all is unclear). He couldn't handle it, as shown in the frantic and cynical "Telecide", the last song on the album. The news anchor sings with an apparent leer, "This one is so juicy, we've pre-empted Lucy". A female voice, possibly his love interest, says "I used to know him, he seemed like a regular guy". The final moments are a glorious anthem with angelic choir as he apparently rises to heaven (maybe to watch TV).

Even the cover art shows great wit - a baby in a seat that molds smoothly into a TV just inches from his face. The TV is in a case roughly like a human head, and on the front of the screen is a big rubber nipple. What's on the screen? "Hollywood Squares". The back cover was a photo of all eight Tubes members sitting in the Hollywood Squares set.

It's hard to write one good coherent song, but to put a whole album together with a story, a cast (knowing The Tubes, I can only imagine how theatrical the stage show must have been) and all that great music... well, it's just a masterpiece. Check it out.

New Scam on Musicians

I got an email the other day that was so specifically tailored and semi-believable that I actually responded. Someone (allegedly a priest, currently in England) claimed that they liked my music and wanted to hire me to play an anniversary event at a specific address in Conyers. Very nice, I responded, but since I'm a variety artist, what kind of group did you want, and what size? What did you see of mine that you liked, and I'll play that. The response came back in a totally different writing style from the original letter, using classic teenspeak (all lower case, "u" and "4" as abbreviations for "you" and "for", no real sentence construction, etc.) saying essentially that he didn't remember what he'd heard, on "some talent site". Hmmm, spidey senses tingling. Still wanted a quote.

I sent a quote for a nice party act, four players and a female singer. He responded, in a much more adult writing style this time, that the price was agreeable, and that he'd send me $200 more than I was asking so that I could advance some money to his associate here before his (the "priest") arrival. Whoa, big red flag! Not only not enough money for any caterer or florist that I know of, but I've never heard of the band being involved in money handoffs to others.

So I inquired further about the local phone number and contact name at the venue in question, so I could nail down the load-in times and electrical availability. I declined his generous offer for extra money, and said I'd be happy with just the amount I'd quoted but didn't want to handle his other business for him, that his "associate" should do that. I said that PayPal or certified cashier's check would be just fine, and as soon as my bank was happy with the transfer we could proceed. I never heard from him again.

Since then, I've learned more about this type of scam. A fake check arrives, with orders to redistribute parts of the money to other parties. The bank takes a while to figure out that the check is fake, but the victim has already given out the real money. Beware!

The Top 25 Lies

My well-meaning friends keep sending on all those rubbish hoax emails about a variety of things, from the Invitation torch virus to the Clinton Circle of Death to rants attributed to Andy Rooney, George Carlin and others. One of those stories I got recently was about Australian Santas being ordered to say "Ha ha ha" instead of "Ho ho ho", apparently composed by one of those guys who hates political correctness so much that he actually makes up lies about it. Look, if I wanted to hear crap like this, I'd listen to AM radio. I keep asking my friends to please use Google to check this stuff before remailing it, but noooo...

So, here's the deal. You can stay ahead of the crap curve by reading Snopes.com's Hottest 25 Urban Legends , a daily updated list of the fecal flood you're most likely to be sent. What the heck, make it your browser's start page. If (make that when) someone sends you yet another email about Obama being a radical muslim, or H.Clinton being a baby-eater, you can just direct them to this page for starters, and the specific page pertaining to their spam du jour. Keep yourself even further ahead of the foolish forwarders by reading the very latest reports on the What's New page.

It's like a condom to protect your brain...

My Santa Website is UP!

Last night (this morning, technically) I went to GoDaddy.com and bought the domain name SantaGeorgePrice.com for my new Santa site. I also bought hosting there, and the Website Tonight package, and within a couple hours, had the bare bones of a new website open to the public. Please come check me out at http://www.SantaGeorgePrice.com and let me know what you think. Notice that under Info & Contact, you'll find my calendar of public Santa appearances (private shows aren't listed, of course). I do hope you'll come visit me, bring the young'uns, and let's have some fun.

I have nothing but nice to say about GoDaddy in general, and Dino the support guy in particular. I've owned the domains GeorgePrice.biz and GeorgePriceBand.com via GoDaddy for a couple years now and haven't done anything with them, but my experience last night could change that pretty soon.

Secret Oil-grab Revealed

Here's a little gem from http://www.JimHightower.com revealing a (deliberately) little-known maneuver by our (deservedly) unpopular White House.



PS, some of you may remember me saying in 2003 that Iraq was not "all about oil", any more than it being all about WMDs (which other, more dangerous nations definitely had) or oppressive regime (which other, easier-to-conquer nations also definitely had and have). Of course, the oil and its machinery is of huge interest to Bush's employers (major campaign contributors in the oil and oil equipment industries) and puppetmasters (let's see, who owns a lot of stock in Halliburton?) who apparently still write a lot of our foreign policy, but it's obviously oversimplifying to say the war is "all about oil".

I still believe, and I'm believing it more each day, that Iraq was intended to be a forward base for American military power to keep a thumb on Iran if not invade them directly. That would be an absolutely idiotic and nationally suicidal move that I sincerely pray Dubya will not be persuaded to attempt. But then, it was idiotic and nearly-suicidal to pull troops out of Afghanistan to start a fight in Iraq to begin with, and he doesn't seem to be a fast learner... This could all get much worse, much more easily than getting better.

Santa Transformer

The transformation is complete! As those who've seen me over the last year know, I've been growing hair and beard (at an alarming rate, according to some - maybe because I'm so full of fertilizer) to prepare for a role as Santa Claus. On Nov. 1st I got the final bleach-out, removing the last of my dark hairs. So, diggest thou this poor-quality home snapshot, and imagine how great it really looks (pro photos coming soon). Please mentally add the fat pad and white gloves I forgot to put on.

Now I've got the top-shelf Santa outfit, I've been educated at the intense Santa Claus Academy, I've gotten my shots, and now sport the very best natural hair & beard money can buy. I'm good to go for Christmas, and I'm eager to accept bookings.

Today's Favorite Links

Hi, I know I've been a slacker about updating the blog, but here are a few links to keep you occupied:

How to untangle headphones:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1080956&fr=yvmtf

Much Cooler Online (check out the stars!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GcVnhNjWV0
Check the related videos too.

NOW you tell us!
http://tinyurl.com/2o7ta9

and of course, my beloved BoingBoing:
http://boingboing.net/
New wonderful stuff every day. Check out also their Gadget and TV sub-sites.