MARYLAND HEIGHTS--It ended up being a very good day for jazz, though the outcome was in doubt for a little while after our performance.
The Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival is now a one-day event (it evidently used to be longer) in Shaw Park in the charming suburb of Clayton. The main stage is set up on what appears to usually be a pair of baseball fields, and there's also a smaller tent for upcoming local acts in another area of the park. Save for a couple of VIP tents off to each side (one of which we had access to, being performers and all), the seating was generally of the lawn variety. Rain had been in the area all week and was forecast for today, but our soundcheck found conditions very warm onstage (leading to a rather sunburned forehead for yours truly).
It's hard to review one's own concert, but we all felt like things went pretty well. As the opening act of a ten-hour showcase, our crowd was not huge, but nonetheless enthusiastic. Things sounded a little different onstage than in any of our previous venues this week (from my seat, I could hear a lot more trombones than usual, but very little of the trumpets), and a swarm of gnats tested our focus, but all in all, it was a good final performance of the tour.
After we were done, we put our instruments on the bus and went back to the seating area to hear the only other college band that had been invited--Southern Illinois. As we watched them set up, we noticed that the skies, which had become rather black in the background as we finshed our set, looked rather threatening at the moment. All of a sudden, an announcement came over the PA, but not an introduction of SIU. Instead, they said that lightning had been detected in the distance, and the park was being evacuated for at least an hour. We made the quick decision to return to the hotel on the bus and wait things out until later in the afternoon, when, hopefully, the headliners would be allowed to perform.
Thankfully, this was indeed the case, and we returned in time for all three of them. Highlights of the rest of the festival follow:
Poncho Sanchez: We had just missed seeing the master conguero and his energetic band last year in Port Townsend, when a late start to his set meant that we had to leave for our own gig before he began. This time, we were here for the whole thing, and it was well worth the wait.
Sitting under the protection of the VIP tent while the last of the raindrops left the area, it was a little hard to hear the titles of each tune, but Sanchez and company offered a spirited collection of Latin jazz tunes by a group heavy on percussion and horns, the latter of which upheld the jazz end of the Latin-jazz amalgam by offering harmonically interesting lines over sometimes static chord progressions (saxophonist Javier Bergara and trumpeter Ron Blake stood out in this regard). The leader himself, when not vocalizing, was often more than willing to share the spotlight with his fellow percussionists, resulting in a memorable bongo solo by Joey DeLeon.
Near the end of the set, the band played some tunes from their newest CD, Raise Your Hand (which was conspicuous by its absence from the Borders tent in the Marketplace area). The title track, featuring vocals from Sanchez, would not have been out of place on a Tower of Power recording. By the end of this set, the chairs out front of the VIP tent had been dried off, and the sound improved considerably from that vantage point. It was good to finally catch this band live, and I look forward to adding a few more of his recordings to my collection. (www.ponchosanchez.com)
George Benson: The prominent guitarist and silky-voiced crooner probably had the most polarized audience of the day; there were some who came to hear him play tasty licks on his guitar (with liberal doses of his trademark scatting along with his solos), while others came to hear him sing his many hits from the past 30-something years. (Lest you wonder in which camp I'm sitting, let it be known that this is my favorite Benson CD.) It was possible for members of each group to walk away satisfied, though the poppier numbers probably would have "won out" had there been a competition. Many tunes mixed both of these elements, and his polished rhythm section laid down solid grooves no matter the genre. The man still plays a mean guitar, the scatting-and-playing trick is as solid as ever, and the man is in extremely good voice. One could argue that his two keyboardists were no substitute for the fuller ensembles that had backed him on his recordings, but they were more successful replacing fewer instruments (like the flute patches on "Turn Your Love Around" and other songs) than many (like the faux-big band sitting in for the Count Basie Orchestra on "Beyond the Sea").
When Benson left the stage with ten minutes to spare, someone around me asked if it was done. I said no way, he still had to come back out and play "On Broadway" as an encore...which is of course exactly what happened. (I also got a kick out of someone in our group who, upon hearing the first few notes of that song, said, "Oh, now I know who this is!")
Some may refer to Benson as a sellout for going the pop-singer route, but his recordings have never completely strayed from his jazz roots, and can there ever be too much scatting or too many hollow-body guitar solos on pop radio? Methinks not. It was good to finally hear him for an entire set. (www.georgebenson.com)
Ramsey Lewis: Up until the final set of the evening, it was quite enjoyable in the VIP tent; there was free food and soft drinks (the frosted Chex mix was superb), and the seats were good (though it was still hard to wrap my mind around there being a fence to keep other people away from me). But just before Ramsey Lewis hit the stage, a whole gaggle of the "talky people" took over the row behind us. We hoped they would stop when the music started, but no such luck; if we were going to hear this piano trio, it would have to be from somewhere else.
[mini-rant] I've spoken before about the delicate nature of the relationship between the wine-and-cheese crowd and jazz: We need their finanical support (of our programs, concerts and recordings), but it's hard to share space with them at outdoor concerts sometimes, because they're not always there for the music, and their constant loud conversation often infringes upon the enjoyment of those of us who are there to listen. We have to treat them nicely, because we need their dollars, but it would be nice if they would give us the same courtesy and not treat the music as background wallpaper. [/mini-rant]
Thankfully, our All Access passes afforded us another listening option: backstage. If anything, the piano sounded much better in its close-to-natural setting (the tinniness of the instrument over the PA was the only true issue with the sound that I had all day), and we could see Lewis and his bandmates through the partitions in the back of the stage, only having to move around to get a better view of one or the other bandmembers or moving out of the way of the festival staff's golf carts that hummed back and forth behind the stage all day.
Lewis' music is beautiful and intricate, melding straight-ahead jazz with elements of both gospel and classical music, and sometimes, as has been the trend over his entire lengthy career, using pop songs of the day as vehicles (among tonight's selections was the '70s soul hit "Betcha By Golly, Wow"). His bandmates supported him with skill and precision: Drummer Leon Joyce offered a variety of timbres in his tasty solos, and bassist Larry Gray was quite impressive with the bow; it's always nice to hear an arco solo that has a pleasing tone quality and is always in tune, and Gray came through in both areas.
A lot of the tunes' titles were not announced, but there was a piece in there from a recent collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet and a closing gospel medley. After watching Lewis garner a number of awards at the recent IAJE convention, it was good to finally hear the trio in action.
Overview: All in all, I was very impressed with this festival. Everything was very well-run (even if a set started late, it still ended on time), and the staff and security personnel were friendly to a fault (I don't know how much the performer's pass played a role in that, but people generally looked like they were enjoying their jobs). I didn't get to explore the city of Clayton like I had hoped to do (the thunderstorm pretty much knocked that out of the schedule for us), but this suburb-with-a-real-downtown looked very cool. I would definitely attend this festival as a paying customer, and it's also a goal of mine to get invited here as a performer apart from the school somewhere down the road.
UPDATE: Read a review of the festival from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
Getting from Point A to Point B: Old-School vs. New
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MISSOURI--We're on the "chill day" of our tour (as in no performance today), so I'll divert a bit from the usual travelogue to discuss something interesting that I've discovered on this trip;
It's been quite a few years since I've taken an extended bus trip, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time that I've been on one that exclusively uses GPS for its navigation. Having gone the Texas-to-St. Louis trip many times as a kid, I was surprised that we didn't use the interstate in certain situations, but the GPS evidently goes strictly by the shortest possible distance to your next point, regardless of road type. I'm wondering how much the time that is theoretically saved by going the shortest distance is negated by going on "slower" roads. Anyone out there have experience with this thing? I'm still thinking that my best personal GPS is that thing called a "map" (or would that be a GPS hard-copy?). Chime in if you have an opinion on this.
Arch deluxe: This afternoon was spent in downtown St. Louis, going up the Arch one more time, as well as a lunch at my favorite local food place, the Old Spaghetti Factory in Laclede's Landing. Had the Cardinals been in town today (ironically, they're in Texas while we're here), a bunch of us would have definitely been at the game, but we settled for watching them on a number of plasma TV's in Ozzie Smith's sports grill, just a short jaunt from here. (I have a new Arch picture, but I can't quite Bluetooth it over to the computer yet; this is a great hotel, but they need more electrical outlets spread across the room to deal with the various chargers for laptops, cell phones, etc. As I write this, the phone is charging in the bathroom, while the computer is doing so--rather awkwardly, I might add--on the recliner chair. It's not ideal, but it works.)
UPDATE: Here's the Arch from the river side:
And New Busch Stadium, as seen from the Arch:
Tomorrow is the biggest performance of the trip; we're the opening act of the Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, which is headlined by the likes of Poncho Sanchez, George Benson and Ramsey Lewis. I'll have a full report tomorrow night.
It's been quite a few years since I've taken an extended bus trip, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time that I've been on one that exclusively uses GPS for its navigation. Having gone the Texas-to-St. Louis trip many times as a kid, I was surprised that we didn't use the interstate in certain situations, but the GPS evidently goes strictly by the shortest possible distance to your next point, regardless of road type. I'm wondering how much the time that is theoretically saved by going the shortest distance is negated by going on "slower" roads. Anyone out there have experience with this thing? I'm still thinking that my best personal GPS is that thing called a "map" (or would that be a GPS hard-copy?). Chime in if you have an opinion on this.
Arch deluxe: This afternoon was spent in downtown St. Louis, going up the Arch one more time, as well as a lunch at my favorite local food place, the Old Spaghetti Factory in Laclede's Landing. Had the Cardinals been in town today (ironically, they're in Texas while we're here), a bunch of us would have definitely been at the game, but we settled for watching them on a number of plasma TV's in Ozzie Smith's sports grill, just a short jaunt from here. (I have a new Arch picture, but I can't quite Bluetooth it over to the computer yet; this is a great hotel, but they need more electrical outlets spread across the room to deal with the various chargers for laptops, cell phones, etc. As I write this, the phone is charging in the bathroom, while the computer is doing so--rather awkwardly, I might add--on the recliner chair. It's not ideal, but it works.)
UPDATE: Here's the Arch from the river side:
And New Busch Stadium, as seen from the Arch:
Tomorrow is the biggest performance of the trip; we're the opening act of the Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, which is headlined by the likes of Poncho Sanchez, George Benson and Ramsey Lewis. I'll have a full report tomorrow night.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
We "Showed Them" Some Jazz
FARMINGTON, MISSOURI--We made it to the "Show Me" State in record time (our bus driver is awesome like that) and thus had time for a decent nap before tonight's gig at Mineral Area College, where we split a show with their "Kicks" Band, a community group not unlike my own Combo PM (except that this one is bigger and highly populated by local band directors). The venue was much more spacious and much more "live," and both bands did a good job.
And now we have a chill day tomorrow--going into St. Louis itself to see the Arch and eat at my favorite Italian place downtown. But in the meantime, I'm calling it an early night; the two consecutive 5 a.m. wakeups and the "road food" have taken its toll, so I'm using tonight to hopefully regenerate and prepare for the biggest performance of the trip on Saturday.
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to Jonathan; I can't believe I've known you for half your life now...
And now we have a chill day tomorrow--going into St. Louis itself to see the Arch and eat at my favorite Italian place downtown. But in the meantime, I'm calling it an early night; the two consecutive 5 a.m. wakeups and the "road food" have taken its toll, so I'm using tonight to hopefully regenerate and prepare for the biggest performance of the trip on Saturday.
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to Jonathan; I can't believe I've known you for half your life now...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Tour: Day One
HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS--Day One of the tour went well. There was a lot of rain for most of the trip (which kept me from really getting any good pictures of this place; maybe tomorrow on the way out?), but things went smoothly, and the bus is very nice--the kind that has airplane-like overhead bins, a DVD system, and enough seats that everyone in the touring group got two to him/herself.
Our gig tonight was in the Malco Theatre, a movie house-turned-performance hall in downtown Hot Springs (a short history may be found here). The venue is now the home of illusionist Maxwell Blade's magic show as well as the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, but the Hot Springs Jazz Society also hosts events there on occasion, including our concert tonight.
The theatre is a nice, intimate place--a little cozy for a big band, but I've certainly played on smaller stages. The band played well, and we were received warmly by the sizable audience. All in all, it was a great way to top off our first night. It's an early morning again tomorrow, as we head out at the crack o' dawn to drive to a college just south of St. Louis, so I'll call it a night here as well.
Dining tip: If you do happen to come to Hot Springs, you can't go wrong eating here.
Our gig tonight was in the Malco Theatre, a movie house-turned-performance hall in downtown Hot Springs (a short history may be found here). The venue is now the home of illusionist Maxwell Blade's magic show as well as the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, but the Hot Springs Jazz Society also hosts events there on occasion, including our concert tonight.
The theatre is a nice, intimate place--a little cozy for a big band, but I've certainly played on smaller stages. The band played well, and we were received warmly by the sizable audience. All in all, it was a great way to top off our first night. It's an early morning again tomorrow, as we head out at the crack o' dawn to drive to a college just south of St. Louis, so I'll call it a night here as well.
Dining tip: If you do happen to come to Hot Springs, you can't go wrong eating here.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Bigtime Travel Advisory
I leave in the morning with the college jazz band for its "Tour of the Ozarks." If you're actually going to be in the Hot Springs or St. Louis areas in the next couple of days, check the sidebar for more details and come out to see us if you can.
I will have computer access at every hotel, so I'll post regular updates and maybe even the occasional picture...and who knows, I might even catch up on the many half-completed posts that have been sitting in the pipe for a while. I'm back on Monday afternoon and start summer teaching the next morning...and I hope to have regular posts throughout the summer.
I will have computer access at every hotel, so I'll post regular updates and maybe even the occasional picture...and who knows, I might even catch up on the many half-completed posts that have been sitting in the pipe for a while. I'm back on Monday afternoon and start summer teaching the next morning...and I hope to have regular posts throughout the summer.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Real Reason We Have the Day Off Today
If we're not careful, it's easy to forget why today is a holiday (hint: it's not just "the beginning of summer" or "the day the pools open"). Even though Dad is a veteran, he served in peacetime, so his only "war wound" is the scar from when he split his thumb open playing softball in the Army. Since I don't have any eloquent personal experiences to relate, I'll let others do the talking:
- A great collection of soldiers' stories from Peter Collier.
- Ann Althouse recalls her veteran parents (they met in peacetime, but the connection is indelibly written in her memory).
- Jules Crittenden scans the Web for us and offers highlights.
- And it's now been replaced with an actual post, but for part of today, James Lileks' Bleat pretty much summed things up: ALL GAVE SOME. SOME GAVE ALL.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Class of '007--We Formed a "Bond" Through Music
I just got back from my second graduation in four days, so it seemed like a good time to post a short tribute to the class of 2007. All told, I had eight private students and my Webmaster graduate this year, and six of them are going to be studying music in college, either as majors or as half of a double major. (Having five of them do that in the same year might well be a personal record.)
So my hat's off to them first: Aaron (my protege, bandmate and li'l bro; you've done more in three years than anyone before you), Mark (another one of my "main cats" and another true success story), Carl (a veteran of all seven years with me; I'm glad that you decided to follow your passion), Jason (the future swingin' chef) and Brady (glad we got to work together again this year even if I couldn't make it to the school anymore) along with Nate, the aforementioned Webmaster and a gifted composer (he figured out the "007" connection and wrote original music for his graduation that interspersed James Bond themes throughout the piece). All of them are headed to my alma mater either right away or after a year or two with me at the community college. I'm really looking forward to my continued association with all of you.
And I also wish all the best to John and David and Lawrence; the latter two were also seven-year vets with me. Even though music will not be your vocation (though I know at least one of you will definitely play in a college band), I hope you keep it close to your heart (and, as I've found out at the college, you can always come back and play again later in life).
When I used to work at a music store on weekends, I ran into an older private instructor who said, in an almost bitter tone, that the worst thing about his job was cultivating all those students for all that time and then having them graduate and never hearing from them again. Maybe it's the Internet, or maybe I'm just doing something right, but I've always been happy with how many people I've at least kept in touch with over the years, and sometimes enduring friendships have been formed by graduation time.
The world of music is really small, so one can never have too many friends in the business (one of the benefits of that is, among other things, that there's always someone to jam with). And it's even more rewarding to perform professionally with those whom I used to teach, and to see them become teachers as well. I'm really proud of all these fine young people, and it'll be great to see what kind of an impact they'll make in the years ahead.
So my hat's off to them first: Aaron (my protege, bandmate and li'l bro; you've done more in three years than anyone before you), Mark (another one of my "main cats" and another true success story), Carl (a veteran of all seven years with me; I'm glad that you decided to follow your passion), Jason (the future swingin' chef) and Brady (glad we got to work together again this year even if I couldn't make it to the school anymore) along with Nate, the aforementioned Webmaster and a gifted composer (he figured out the "007" connection and wrote original music for his graduation that interspersed James Bond themes throughout the piece). All of them are headed to my alma mater either right away or after a year or two with me at the community college. I'm really looking forward to my continued association with all of you.
And I also wish all the best to John and David and Lawrence; the latter two were also seven-year vets with me. Even though music will not be your vocation (though I know at least one of you will definitely play in a college band), I hope you keep it close to your heart (and, as I've found out at the college, you can always come back and play again later in life).
When I used to work at a music store on weekends, I ran into an older private instructor who said, in an almost bitter tone, that the worst thing about his job was cultivating all those students for all that time and then having them graduate and never hearing from them again. Maybe it's the Internet, or maybe I'm just doing something right, but I've always been happy with how many people I've at least kept in touch with over the years, and sometimes enduring friendships have been formed by graduation time.
The world of music is really small, so one can never have too many friends in the business (one of the benefits of that is, among other things, that there's always someone to jam with). And it's even more rewarding to perform professionally with those whom I used to teach, and to see them become teachers as well. I'm really proud of all these fine young people, and it'll be great to see what kind of an impact they'll make in the years ahead.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Travel Advisory
I'm taking a quick trip to Austin this weekend to help a quartet at State Solo and Ensemble and pop in on the sis and her family for a second (happy anniversary to her and my bro-in-law today!). I'll be back tomorrow and start the task of "catching up on life," which includes blog posts. For anyone who's headed out as well this holiday weekend, have a safe and fun time.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
What Is Hip? ToP Still Is...
A little over two years ago, I had the opportunity to see Tower of Power at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, and the review of that show generated more comments than nearly any other post. The major bone of contention between me and some of the commenters was that they said that the Denton show was extremely subpar by ToP standards, whereas I--seeing them for the first time in a decade--was simply happy to experience them again.
So I'm going to do something almost unprecedented today: Admit that I was wrong on something. Because, having seen ToP again last night at the brand-spanking-new House of Blues in Dallas' Victory Park, I will now concur that the Denton appearance was a subpar show, and last night was the best ToP show I've ever seen.
The personnel hasn't changed all that much in the past two years; Larry Braggs remains the lead vocalist, the featured tenor player is still Tom Politzer, and guitarist Bruce Conte has rejoined the band, which means that three-fourths of the "classic" rhythm section is again intact (bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia and renowned drummer David Garibaldi rounding out the unit).
Without the sound issues that plagued the Denton show, it was a party from beginning to end.
Co-leaders Steve "Doc" Kupka (bari sax) and Emilio Castillo (second tenor, background and occasional lead vocals) have been together for 39 years now, still writing most of the tunes. I had been told by some friends who saw the band in New York recently that the show there was a little lacking in "classic" material, but most of the old favorites were included in last night's show, including "Down to the Nightclub (Bump City)," "So Very Hard to Go," "Oakland Stroke," "What Is Hip?" and the obligatory encore of "You're Still a Young Man."
All in all, it was a really fun show. I'll go out on a limb and say that Braggs has become ToP's best lead vocalist since the early days of Lenny Williams and Hubert Tubbs, and Politzer is the best lead tenor since Lenny Pickett (now of SNL fame). Standing within mere feet of the stage, the sound was great; everytime Kupka played a low A right into the mic, I could feel it in my marrow. Politzer augmented his bluesy licks with some occasional tasty sideslipping, as if to say "the blues is making me some money at the moment, but I can still play." UNT alum Adolfo Acosta had some tasty solos and some thrilling high notes, and he and fellow trumpeter Mike Bogart did a great job of playing some of Greg Adams' classic solos in two-part harmony. The crowd--made up of both diehard contemporaries from ToP's hitmaker days as well as people whose parents weren't even dating when "So Very Hard to Go" was on the charts--was enthusiastic, dancing and singing along to nearly everything.
There may not be a lot of new material these days, but this is one band that can still revisit its classic catalog with great results. After that last show two years ago, it's great to see them back in fine form.
A house for the blues: Overall, I was impressed with the House of Blues; the tickets were somewhat pricey, but the venue was nice, and there seemed to be plenty of room for everyone. We arrived early enough to get a close-in parking space, so that was not an issue. Security was tight--I hadn't had to empty my pockets or get wanded at a concert since my heavy-metal days--but the personnel were courteous, and they even had the foresight to do gender-specific wanding (which confused a lot of people, who didn't understand at first why they had to wait in line for the guy when the lady had no line in front of her). For a concert like this, we were happy to have not paid extra for the seating area in the balcony, as standing on the floor was much more fun. The drinks looked pricey--and the adjoining restaurant very much so--but we managed to hold off on dinner until later, so it is possible to have an evening here that's not a budget-buster. With the demise of the Bronco Bowl, it's always nice to have another midsized venue for concerts in Dallas.
A sign of victory for the future: Tonight's excursion also included a walk through the Victory Park area adjacent to the HOB. The new-urban development that leads to the south doors of the American Airlines Center (which I have yet to visit; Stars or Mavs game next year, anyone?) has been touted as a sort of "Times Square of Dallas." Having been to the real Times Square a few months ago, I can say that there would have to be a lot more neon to match the original, but it's still a cool place, and having the WFAA-TV (Channel 8) studios in there is a nice touch (we were able to see part of the ten o'clock news as it happened, and might have actually gotten to be on it had we stuck around for a while). There's still not a whole lot of stuff open that late at night, but the area definitely has potential; I'll be back.
So I'm going to do something almost unprecedented today: Admit that I was wrong on something. Because, having seen ToP again last night at the brand-spanking-new House of Blues in Dallas' Victory Park, I will now concur that the Denton appearance was a subpar show, and last night was the best ToP show I've ever seen.
The personnel hasn't changed all that much in the past two years; Larry Braggs remains the lead vocalist, the featured tenor player is still Tom Politzer, and guitarist Bruce Conte has rejoined the band, which means that three-fourths of the "classic" rhythm section is again intact (bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia and renowned drummer David Garibaldi rounding out the unit).
Without the sound issues that plagued the Denton show, it was a party from beginning to end.
Co-leaders Steve "Doc" Kupka (bari sax) and Emilio Castillo (second tenor, background and occasional lead vocals) have been together for 39 years now, still writing most of the tunes. I had been told by some friends who saw the band in New York recently that the show there was a little lacking in "classic" material, but most of the old favorites were included in last night's show, including "Down to the Nightclub (Bump City)," "So Very Hard to Go," "Oakland Stroke," "What Is Hip?" and the obligatory encore of "You're Still a Young Man."
All in all, it was a really fun show. I'll go out on a limb and say that Braggs has become ToP's best lead vocalist since the early days of Lenny Williams and Hubert Tubbs, and Politzer is the best lead tenor since Lenny Pickett (now of SNL fame). Standing within mere feet of the stage, the sound was great; everytime Kupka played a low A right into the mic, I could feel it in my marrow. Politzer augmented his bluesy licks with some occasional tasty sideslipping, as if to say "the blues is making me some money at the moment, but I can still play." UNT alum Adolfo Acosta had some tasty solos and some thrilling high notes, and he and fellow trumpeter Mike Bogart did a great job of playing some of Greg Adams' classic solos in two-part harmony. The crowd--made up of both diehard contemporaries from ToP's hitmaker days as well as people whose parents weren't even dating when "So Very Hard to Go" was on the charts--was enthusiastic, dancing and singing along to nearly everything.
There may not be a lot of new material these days, but this is one band that can still revisit its classic catalog with great results. After that last show two years ago, it's great to see them back in fine form.
A house for the blues: Overall, I was impressed with the House of Blues; the tickets were somewhat pricey, but the venue was nice, and there seemed to be plenty of room for everyone. We arrived early enough to get a close-in parking space, so that was not an issue. Security was tight--I hadn't had to empty my pockets or get wanded at a concert since my heavy-metal days--but the personnel were courteous, and they even had the foresight to do gender-specific wanding (which confused a lot of people, who didn't understand at first why they had to wait in line for the guy when the lady had no line in front of her). For a concert like this, we were happy to have not paid extra for the seating area in the balcony, as standing on the floor was much more fun. The drinks looked pricey--and the adjoining restaurant very much so--but we managed to hold off on dinner until later, so it is possible to have an evening here that's not a budget-buster. With the demise of the Bronco Bowl, it's always nice to have another midsized venue for concerts in Dallas.
A sign of victory for the future: Tonight's excursion also included a walk through the Victory Park area adjacent to the HOB. The new-urban development that leads to the south doors of the American Airlines Center (which I have yet to visit; Stars or Mavs game next year, anyone?) has been touted as a sort of "Times Square of Dallas." Having been to the real Times Square a few months ago, I can say that there would have to be a lot more neon to match the original, but it's still a cool place, and having the WFAA-TV (Channel 8) studios in there is a nice touch (we were able to see part of the ten o'clock news as it happened, and might have actually gotten to be on it had we stuck around for a while). There's still not a whole lot of stuff open that late at night, but the area definitely has potential; I'll be back.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
This is a Placeholder
I will post my "Beyond Race" discussion in this spot, but I want to make sure that it gets the time and thought that it deserves before I put it up. If nothing else, I'll have it over the weekend and will note its arrival in that day's post. Thanks for your patience.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
So Much for Letting the Voters Decide...
(Also known as, "after two weeks of being too busy to post anything except fluff, it's time for Kev to get topical again.")
This wasn't unexpected, but it's still disappointing to see that there have been three different lawsuits filed against the recent Farmers Branch ordinance--the one that required landlords to verify the legal status of anyone who rented an apartment from them. Despite the fact that this measure passed overwhelmingly--by more than a 2-to-1 margin--it didn't take long for the usual chorus of "community activists" and identity-politicians to try to do an end-around the will of the voters by using the courts to accomplish what they couldn't get done via the ballot box.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened this week. One day before the new ordinance was to go into effect, U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay issued a temporary restraining order halting the ban for the time being:
The judge asserts that the federal government has supremacy in the area of immigration law:
With any luck, the powers-that-be in Farmers Branch will come up with a slightly revised ordinance that passes Constitutional muster; will the judge lift his restraining order after that? Of course, it would be even better if the federal government actually enforced the laws that it already has on the books, but I'm not holding my breath.
And to add insult to injury, a group filed another lawsuit this week, seeking to change the way that Farmers Branch elects its city council members. The suit alleges that the current at-large system of elections "unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of Latino voters and denies them the right to vote on account of their race, color or ethnicity."
OK, wait a minute here. So you're saying that the only way Hispanic candidates can get elected is if Hispanic voters vote for them? That's wrong on so many levels, but it probably explains why many Hispanic "activists" come down on the side of illegal immigrants in the current debates. As much as I don't want to believe this, I guess there really is a group of people out their who will support someone of their same race no matter what--even if that person is breaking the law.
It's time to move beyond race in this country. I hope to elaborate on that tomorrow. In the meantime, stay tuned, because this story isn't going away anytime soon.
This wasn't unexpected, but it's still disappointing to see that there have been three different lawsuits filed against the recent Farmers Branch ordinance--the one that required landlords to verify the legal status of anyone who rented an apartment from them. Despite the fact that this measure passed overwhelmingly--by more than a 2-to-1 margin--it didn't take long for the usual chorus of "community activists" and identity-politicians to try to do an end-around the will of the voters by using the courts to accomplish what they couldn't get done via the ballot box.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened this week. One day before the new ordinance was to go into effect, U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay issued a temporary restraining order halting the ban for the time being:
Judge Lindsay, in a 20-page ruling granting a temporary restraining order, said Farmers Branch had wrongly used federal laws governing who receives housing subsidies to write its ordinance and had created its own classification system for determining which noncitizens may rent an apartment in the city.Well, color me frustrated here. The voters have spoken, and the activists (who organized under the rather deceptive name of "Let the Voters Decide") convinced an unelected federal official to nullify the results of a fair election.
"The court recognizes that illegal immigration is a major problem in this country, and one who asserts otherwise ignores reality," Judge Lindsay wrote. "The court also fully understands the frustration of cities attempting to address a national problem that the federal government should handle; however, such frustration, no matter how great, cannot serve as a basis to pass an ordinance that conflicts with federal law."
The judge asserts that the federal government has supremacy in the area of immigration law:
udge Lindsay said in the order that because the city is trying to regulate immigration differently from the federal government, the ordinance is in violation of the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have argued that the ordinance ventured into an area – immigration – reserved exclusively for the federal government.But this wouldn't be necessary if our bloated, inefficient federal government had done its job in the first place (yes, I've ranted about this before). Last week's poor excuse for an immigration bill proposed by Congress (which had the amazing ability to upset people on both sides of the aisle) shows just how out-of-touch our "leaders" really are.
With any luck, the powers-that-be in Farmers Branch will come up with a slightly revised ordinance that passes Constitutional muster; will the judge lift his restraining order after that? Of course, it would be even better if the federal government actually enforced the laws that it already has on the books, but I'm not holding my breath.
And to add insult to injury, a group filed another lawsuit this week, seeking to change the way that Farmers Branch elects its city council members. The suit alleges that the current at-large system of elections "unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of Latino voters and denies them the right to vote on account of their race, color or ethnicity."
OK, wait a minute here. So you're saying that the only way Hispanic candidates can get elected is if Hispanic voters vote for them? That's wrong on so many levels, but it probably explains why many Hispanic "activists" come down on the side of illegal immigrants in the current debates. As much as I don't want to believe this, I guess there really is a group of people out their who will support someone of their same race no matter what--even if that person is breaking the law.
It's time to move beyond race in this country. I hope to elaborate on that tomorrow. In the meantime, stay tuned, because this story isn't going away anytime soon.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
An Idea Worth Trumpeting
I meant to post on this subject a few months ago, but other things kept coming up. Finally, an article in yesterday's paper has spurred me into action:
People who have given their lives for their country ought to be able to be sent off in a dignified manner, and boom boxes just don't cut it. A colleague of mine at jazz camp plays in one of the military bands, and he talked about the emotional experience that playing Taps for a departed service member can be (in fact, he said he prefers not to know anything about the person he's playing for until after he does so, lest he get too choked up while playing). A fraternity brother of mine who works in the financial industry also picks up the horn again to participate in BAA, and he concurs that it's quite a moving experience.
In Texas, there are about 350 buglers who have signed up, but they could always use more. Feel free to pass this information on to any trumpet-playing buddies in your circle.
Now that's a sound sleeper: A man in Minnesota was stabbed nine times in his home and slept through the whole thing.
The No Fun Department: A Florida pub had a good time confusing its customers for years with signs that often sent people into the wrong gender's bathrooms. Now the father of a girl who was interrupted by a man who walked into the ladies' room has gotten the lawyers involved, so the fun is bound to stop.
Inside Shelter A at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, a Navy airman in white uniform steps forward to present a crisply folded American flag to the family. All is quiet.Since 2000, an organization called Bugles Across America has been helping to locate buglers for military funerals, because, thanks to the shortage, some veterans' families were having to settle for a recording of Taps played on a boom box (which some rightly consider a sacrilege), or an electronic bugle (which looks like the real thing, but the "player" pushes a button and the bugle-shaped device plays a digital recording of Taps).
Standing off to the side in a black suit and fedora, Kyle Hantz pulls a silver-plated bugle to his lips. With just 24 notes, he completes a melody at once comforting and haunting: taps.
For family and friends who have gathered for the burial of the 71-year-old military veteran, the moment swells with emotion. Some lower their heads; others nod in affirmation, wipe their eyes or clasp hands.
Mr. Hantz began volunteering his services at military funerals after 9/11. It's his way of expressing gratitude to those who've served their country. "I try to do as many as I can," he said.
Problem is, there just aren't enough buglers to play for the 1,800 veterans who are buried each day across the country – many from World War II and the Korean War.
People who have given their lives for their country ought to be able to be sent off in a dignified manner, and boom boxes just don't cut it. A colleague of mine at jazz camp plays in one of the military bands, and he talked about the emotional experience that playing Taps for a departed service member can be (in fact, he said he prefers not to know anything about the person he's playing for until after he does so, lest he get too choked up while playing). A fraternity brother of mine who works in the financial industry also picks up the horn again to participate in BAA, and he concurs that it's quite a moving experience.
In Texas, there are about 350 buglers who have signed up, but they could always use more. Feel free to pass this information on to any trumpet-playing buddies in your circle.
Now that's a sound sleeper: A man in Minnesota was stabbed nine times in his home and slept through the whole thing.
The No Fun Department: A Florida pub had a good time confusing its customers for years with signs that often sent people into the wrong gender's bathrooms. Now the father of a girl who was interrupted by a man who walked into the ladies' room has gotten the lawyers involved, so the fun is bound to stop.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Fraternal News Twins
This will be a busy day, so I'll devote one more post exclusively to the news. And today, our stories come in pairs...
Stupid criminals, part 1: A thief should've waited a little longer to celebrate after nabbing a woman's purse, as he was caught in the act of counting the loot by the side of the road, not too far from the scene of the crime.
Stupid criminals, part 2: Meanwhile, a guy who had burglarized a number of vehicles was caught after he left his wallet at the scene of one of the burglaries.
Embarrassment is the best punishment, part 1: A seventh-grade girl who was suspended for bullying another student got suspended for a week...but to add insult to injury, her mother made her stand outside her school carrying a sign that said "Don't be like me. Stop bullying."
Embarrassment is the best punishment, part 2: In a similar incident, a high-schooler who was suspended for roughhousing with a teacher was also made to wear a sign by his mother, and he had to do so while picking up trash by the side of the highway.
Weird animal behavior, part 1: A set of tiger triplets at a Chinese zoo, having been rejected by their mother, are being nursed by a dog instead.
Weird animal behavior, part 2: A young bear walked into a medical clinic in Albuquerque and did in fact get treatment--in the form of a tranquilizer gun.
Bizarre lawsuits, part 1: A pair of Rhode Island plumbers are going at it in court over the phone number 867-5309, made famous in the early '80s song.
Bizarre lawsuits, part 2: A judge in Washington D.C., upset over the fact that a dry cleaners lost his favorite pair of pants, is suing the cleaners for $67 million. Read what the commenters are saying, and check out this key quote:
Stupid criminals, part 1: A thief should've waited a little longer to celebrate after nabbing a woman's purse, as he was caught in the act of counting the loot by the side of the road, not too far from the scene of the crime.
Stupid criminals, part 2: Meanwhile, a guy who had burglarized a number of vehicles was caught after he left his wallet at the scene of one of the burglaries.
Embarrassment is the best punishment, part 1: A seventh-grade girl who was suspended for bullying another student got suspended for a week...but to add insult to injury, her mother made her stand outside her school carrying a sign that said "Don't be like me. Stop bullying."
Embarrassment is the best punishment, part 2: In a similar incident, a high-schooler who was suspended for roughhousing with a teacher was also made to wear a sign by his mother, and he had to do so while picking up trash by the side of the highway.
Weird animal behavior, part 1: A set of tiger triplets at a Chinese zoo, having been rejected by their mother, are being nursed by a dog instead.
Weird animal behavior, part 2: A young bear walked into a medical clinic in Albuquerque and did in fact get treatment--in the form of a tranquilizer gun.
Bizarre lawsuits, part 1: A pair of Rhode Island plumbers are going at it in court over the phone number 867-5309, made famous in the early '80s song.
Bizarre lawsuits, part 2: A judge in Washington D.C., upset over the fact that a dry cleaners lost his favorite pair of pants, is suing the cleaners for $67 million. Read what the commenters are saying, and check out this key quote:
"People in America are now scared of each other," legal expert Philip Howard told ABC News' Law & Justice Unit. "That's why teachers won't put an arm around a crying child, and doctors order unnecessary tests, and ministers won't meet with parishioners. It's a distrust of justice and it's changing our culture."I couldn't agree more; I hope this guy loses and gets countersued, and he certainly isn't the type of person we need on the judicial bench.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
News Blast, Part 2
Continuing to clean out the bookmarks...
A good day for blogging: Colleges are now linking selected students' blogs to their websites; the often-unvarnished true look at college life from a student's point of view is said to aid in recruiting.
A bad day for blogging: The Department of Defense has blocked sites such as MySpace and YouTube from departmental computers and networks.
Orange you glad it's not Dallas topping the list? The annual listing of America's rudest drivers is out; Miami tops the list again, and Dallas/Ft. Worth is the fifth-friendliest among cities surveyed.
This guy's a walking advertisement for helmets now: A bicyclist in Wisconsin had his head run over by a delivery truck but escaped with only a concussion (and a very messed-up helmet, needless to say).
...and Eye-talian food: A California school's beachside walk-a-thon had an unusual guest when a sea lion waddled ashore and joined them for a lap.
Funny story of the week: A blues singer's woman tells her side of the story and claims she didn't do her man nearly so wrong as the song would suggest.
Weird criminal of the week: Most people try to break out of a jail cell. A New Zealand man did this, but only after breaking into one first.
That sounds like fun--now, how about letting a musician be president for the day? A Mother's Day concert in Jamestown, Virginia last weekend had an extra added bonus when President Bush conducted part of The Stars and Stripes Forever.
Regular posts should resume tomorrow...
A good day for blogging: Colleges are now linking selected students' blogs to their websites; the often-unvarnished true look at college life from a student's point of view is said to aid in recruiting.
A bad day for blogging: The Department of Defense has blocked sites such as MySpace and YouTube from departmental computers and networks.
Orange you glad it's not Dallas topping the list? The annual listing of America's rudest drivers is out; Miami tops the list again, and Dallas/Ft. Worth is the fifth-friendliest among cities surveyed.
This guy's a walking advertisement for helmets now: A bicyclist in Wisconsin had his head run over by a delivery truck but escaped with only a concussion (and a very messed-up helmet, needless to say).
...and Eye-talian food: A California school's beachside walk-a-thon had an unusual guest when a sea lion waddled ashore and joined them for a lap.
Funny story of the week: A blues singer's woman tells her side of the story and claims she didn't do her man nearly so wrong as the song would suggest.
Weird criminal of the week: Most people try to break out of a jail cell. A New Zealand man did this, but only after breaking into one first.
That sounds like fun--now, how about letting a musician be president for the day? A Mother's Day concert in Jamestown, Virginia last weekend had an extra added bonus when President Bush conducted part of The Stars and Stripes Forever.
Regular posts should resume tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
News Blast, Part 1
I haven't been able to post consistently for a while now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel that I'm reasonably sure is not attached to an oncoming train. One of the results of this erratic period is that I have a whole bunch of news stories that have been stockpiled for the past couple of weeks, so I decided to just bring them all out in one fell swoop...
Gassed: A Wisconsin gas station owner who gave discounts to senior citizens and supporters of youth sports has been ordered by the state government to raise his prices.
The scarlet sandwich board, in a way: An Alabama judge ordered two convicted shoplifters to stand in front of Wal-Mart with signs reading "I am a thief."
Music didn't soothe these savage beasts: Patrons of a recent Boston Pops concert were surprised when a fight broke out between concertgoers
Watch out; they'll come for your Frisbee next: Administrators at Tennessee State University have banned squirt guns from campus.
A crime of Paralympic proportions: Police in Florida were led on a high-speed chase by a legless, one-armed man.
Weird animal stories: What's up with all the unusual animals being born lately?tomorrow Thursday.
Gassed: A Wisconsin gas station owner who gave discounts to senior citizens and supporters of youth sports has been ordered by the state government to raise his prices.
The scarlet sandwich board, in a way: An Alabama judge ordered two convicted shoplifters to stand in front of Wal-Mart with signs reading "I am a thief."
Music didn't soothe these savage beasts: Patrons of a recent Boston Pops concert were surprised when a fight broke out between concertgoers
Watch out; they'll come for your Frisbee next: Administrators at Tennessee State University have banned squirt guns from campus.
A crime of Paralympic proportions: Police in Florida were led on a high-speed chase by a legless, one-armed man.
Weird animal stories: What's up with all the unusual animals being born lately?
- The six-legged pig
- The four-legged duck
- Thetwo-nosed cow
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The End of an Era on Fry Street
In just a little more than thirty minutes after I've started this post, the Tomato will close the doors of its original Hickory and Fry location for good.
I went up there yesterday with some friends, and of course I took pictures:
View from across Fry St.
The traditional view from across Hickory
(And for a really old picture of that block, go here.)
It was pretty crowded inside the whole time we were there.
Headed out the door one last time.
Thinking back, I should've taken some pictures of the Graffiti Wall. There used to be murals along the wall in the non-smoking section where I often sat, and the most recent one was painted over a few months ago to allow patrons to sign their names and offer their memories, but as Becky, the co-owner, told me a few weeks ago, it sort of turned into something else entirely. Seeing as how I lack Mad Photoshop Skillz, I doubt I could've cleaned up a picture of the wall enough to use in this blog; some of what was written really was quite, umm, "interesting."
My favorite (clean) graffito carved into a table? "TOBIAS LOVES BROCOLI [sic]." That would also be a cool name for a rock band. My favorite (also clean) graffito from the wall itself? "ALL MY BASE ARE BELONG TO THE TOMATO." (Raise your hand if you knew that "graffiti" was plural and "graffito" was its singular. "Broccoli"--at least when spelled correctly--is also plural, with the singular being "broccolo," though my radio audience in college never could tell me if the singular form would apply to an entire stalk or each individual branch of said stalk. These are the kind of thing one thinks about in idle college moments...and a lot of those idle moments for me were spent at the Tomato.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I couldn't disagree more with what the developers are doing to this historical block--an area which really has been a major part of the heart and soul of Denton. Perhaps nothing sums up my frustration with the whole thing better than the following sentence from this story in Friday's paper:
It sure seems like they could've gotten off on the right foot with the locals (and loyal alums like myself) by incorporating the original buildings into the new development and making room for some of the stalwart local businesses to join the new ones. But despite all the preservation efforts and petition drives, the developers decided to bow to the almighty dollar and nothing else.
They may yet regret that decision. I for one harbor not the slightest bit of enthusiasm for anything that gets built in this new project, and most of my friends who are current students feel the same way. I think I even convinced a future student to drive across town for his Starbucks--or patronize the local Kharma Cafe across the street (in the part of Fry Street that hasn't been targeted by "renewal"--yet) to satisfy his coffee jones, rather than visit the Starbucks that's supposed to be built in the new area. (Yes, I normally think that it's bad to indoctrinate college students with propaganda before they even start classes, but I'll happily make an exception in this case.)
As I finish this post (lengthened by the process of remembering how to get pictures off my phone), it nears midnight; the aforementioned doors are closing. So I will close this post as well, with three simple sentences:
Good night, Tomato. Thanks for the pizza and memories. I eagerly await your rebirth.
I went up there yesterday with some friends, and of course I took pictures:
(And for a really old picture of that block, go here.)
Thinking back, I should've taken some pictures of the Graffiti Wall. There used to be murals along the wall in the non-smoking section where I often sat, and the most recent one was painted over a few months ago to allow patrons to sign their names and offer their memories, but as Becky, the co-owner, told me a few weeks ago, it sort of turned into something else entirely. Seeing as how I lack Mad Photoshop Skillz, I doubt I could've cleaned up a picture of the wall enough to use in this blog; some of what was written really was quite, umm, "interesting."
My favorite (clean) graffito carved into a table? "TOBIAS LOVES BROCOLI [sic]." That would also be a cool name for a rock band. My favorite (also clean) graffito from the wall itself? "ALL MY BASE ARE BELONG TO THE TOMATO." (Raise your hand if you knew that "graffiti" was plural and "graffito" was its singular. "Broccoli"--at least when spelled correctly--is also plural, with the singular being "broccolo," though my radio audience in college never could tell me if the singular form would apply to an entire stalk or each individual branch of said stalk. These are the kind of thing one thinks about in idle college moments...and a lot of those idle moments for me were spent at the Tomato.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I couldn't disagree more with what the developers are doing to this historical block--an area which really has been a major part of the heart and soul of Denton. Perhaps nothing sums up my frustration with the whole thing better than the following sentence from this story in Friday's paper:
The company plans to tear down the existing strip center, built in the mid-1920s, and replace it with a retail center featuring 1920s-style architecture.Got that? They're tearing down buildings from the '20s and replacing them with...umm, buildings that look like they were built in the '20s. Am I missing something here, or does that make no sense at all?
It sure seems like they could've gotten off on the right foot with the locals (and loyal alums like myself) by incorporating the original buildings into the new development and making room for some of the stalwart local businesses to join the new ones. But despite all the preservation efforts and petition drives, the developers decided to bow to the almighty dollar and nothing else.
They may yet regret that decision. I for one harbor not the slightest bit of enthusiasm for anything that gets built in this new project, and most of my friends who are current students feel the same way. I think I even convinced a future student to drive across town for his Starbucks--or patronize the local Kharma Cafe across the street (in the part of Fry Street that hasn't been targeted by "renewal"--yet) to satisfy his coffee jones, rather than visit the Starbucks that's supposed to be built in the new area. (Yes, I normally think that it's bad to indoctrinate college students with propaganda before they even start classes, but I'll happily make an exception in this case.)
As I finish this post (lengthened by the process of remembering how to get pictures off my phone), it nears midnight; the aforementioned doors are closing. So I will close this post as well, with three simple sentences:
Good night, Tomato. Thanks for the pizza and memories. I eagerly await your rebirth.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Kids Say the Darnedest Things, Part XXV
As a teacher, I often encounter really humorous stuff (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not) said by the kids I teach. Here are some more:
SIXTH-GRADER: I rememberized my chromatic scale already.
(At least he had the basic idea of what he meant to say.)
And then the next kid came in...
SIXTH-GRADER #2: I don't got stuff.
ME: What's that?
SIXTH-GRADER #2: I don't got my check. My brother has the chicken pox, so we're focusing on that right now.
(I was laughing too hard at that to get mad at him for forgetting the money.)
And I never did post one from this same kid from a few months ago. He was playing a piece with two flats in it and kept missing the E-flats. That set up the following exchange:
ME: Someone kidnapped the E-flat! It's the case of the missing E-flat....
SIXTH-GRADER #2: Who cares? Who cares about flats? Sharps are what matter. The E-flat is like some wannabe off the streets. The F-sharp is the president.
There's rarely a dull moment in my job...
This circumstance deserves a little pomp: With a lot of college graduation ceremonies taking place this weekend, among the cap-and-gown wearers at Fort Hays State University in Kansas tomorrow will be a 95-year-old great-grandmother, who should break the Guinness world record for the oldest person ever to graduate from college.
Another outstanding achievement: Last week, a blind pilot successfully flew from London to Sydney.
SIXTH-GRADER: I rememberized my chromatic scale already.
(At least he had the basic idea of what he meant to say.)
And then the next kid came in...
SIXTH-GRADER #2: I don't got stuff.
ME: What's that?
SIXTH-GRADER #2: I don't got my check. My brother has the chicken pox, so we're focusing on that right now.
(I was laughing too hard at that to get mad at him for forgetting the money.)
And I never did post one from this same kid from a few months ago. He was playing a piece with two flats in it and kept missing the E-flats. That set up the following exchange:
ME: Someone kidnapped the E-flat! It's the case of the missing E-flat....
SIXTH-GRADER #2: Who cares? Who cares about flats? Sharps are what matter. The E-flat is like some wannabe off the streets. The F-sharp is the president.
There's rarely a dull moment in my job...
This circumstance deserves a little pomp: With a lot of college graduation ceremonies taking place this weekend, among the cap-and-gown wearers at Fort Hays State University in Kansas tomorrow will be a 95-year-old great-grandmother, who should break the Guinness world record for the oldest person ever to graduate from college.
Another outstanding achievement: Last week, a blind pilot successfully flew from London to Sydney.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
I Bet the Colonel Isn't Lovin' This News
Surprising news item of the day: McDonald's now sells more chicken than KFC. They also evidently sell nearly as much chicken as they do burgers these days.
In the past several years, out of a desire to eat healthier, my visits to Mickey D's have dropped off precipitously. When i do go there, it's usually for breakfast on a roadtrip, and if it is at lunch or dinner, my meal of choice will pretty much always be a chicken sandwich instead of the beloved Quarter Pounder with Cheese of my youth.
And even though they've been offering salads for the past few years, I'll admit that I have yet to try one. I'm often leery of eating salads from a fast-food place; just how long has it been sitting in that little plastic box, anyway? But on the other hand, my hat goes off to Wendy's for offering that little Caesar salad as an alternative to fries; they've gotten my business quite a bit because of that. Those salads have never been anything but good and fresh, so I have no idea as to the source of my skepticism about the same salad in an entree-sized portion.
At any rate, I just thought this was somewhat interesting that a place known for its hamburgers would sell more chicken than a place which specializes in chicken; I was also surprised to find out that the most T-bone steaks in the world are sold at Waffle House. I guess you really do learn something new every day...
Animal stories: A staple of my old KNTU radio show resurfaces from time to time on this blog...
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to my old friend Danny in Indiana, a fine musician if there ever were one.
In the past several years, out of a desire to eat healthier, my visits to Mickey D's have dropped off precipitously. When i do go there, it's usually for breakfast on a roadtrip, and if it is at lunch or dinner, my meal of choice will pretty much always be a chicken sandwich instead of the beloved Quarter Pounder with Cheese of my youth.
And even though they've been offering salads for the past few years, I'll admit that I have yet to try one. I'm often leery of eating salads from a fast-food place; just how long has it been sitting in that little plastic box, anyway? But on the other hand, my hat goes off to Wendy's for offering that little Caesar salad as an alternative to fries; they've gotten my business quite a bit because of that. Those salads have never been anything but good and fresh, so I have no idea as to the source of my skepticism about the same salad in an entree-sized portion.
At any rate, I just thought this was somewhat interesting that a place known for its hamburgers would sell more chicken than a place which specializes in chicken; I was also surprised to find out that the most T-bone steaks in the world are sold at Waffle House. I guess you really do learn something new every day...
Animal stories: A staple of my old KNTU radio show resurfaces from time to time on this blog...
- A drunk man in Germany leaves his horse "parked" in line for the ATM as he sleeps off his condition on the bank floor.
- A woman in Wyoming has come under fire from her neighbors for keeping a goat in her minivan.
- A bull in rural New York state wanders into someone's garage and attacks their car.
- A pair of deer takes an impromptu tour of a retirement home after one of them wanders up and trips the automatic door.
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to my old friend Danny in Indiana, a fine musician if there ever were one.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Allow Me to Bleat About Something for a Moment
(Originally a Monday post, but bumped up to the top for the rest of Tuesday)
James Liieks' weekday blog The Bleat is my second stop over breakfast every morning (right after my news browser that gives me the chance to win money every day). When he's not Bleating over the weekend, I stop by the homepage of his employer, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, to read his "Daily Quirk" columns that are published in their paper six days a week. So I couldn't believe what I read in this morning's Bleat:
Sure, I realize that most corporate (empty) "suits" don't have a creative bone in their bodies, nor do they really have all that much talent for management, either. The vast majority of them could be blasted into space on a Golgafrinchan "B" Ark and the world would be none the poorer (OK, except that maybe their wives and kids would miss them). But how could they "reassign" a talent such as Lileks to a beat-reporting job? Isn't that like having Leonard Bernstein in your employ and only letting him conduct a middle-school orchestra?
It's been said that newspapers are a dying breed. I'm one of the rare ones who still subscribes, mostly because I can't/won't carry my laptop everywhere (and I have my doubts that a good, sanitary way to take one into the bathroom will ever be discovered). But what I read a newspaper for is not the front section, because everything in there ends up being something that I already read online 24 hours ago. I read the paper for local news coverage, sports, the comics and a few columnists. And I would have never been to the Strib's site, and read their ads, were it not for Lileks. But I bet the empty suits never thought of that, did they? It's amazing how a dying medium could obliterate so much of their readers' goodwill by marginalizing one of the brightest stars in their universe.
Needless to say, the blogosphere is abuzz about this. There's a good roundup over at InstaPundit, as you might imagine. Here's one of the better reactions, from Vodkapundit:
And while it's not like Lileks is going to have to give up Jasperwood or eat Ramen noodles anytime soon, feel free to buy some of his stuff.
UPDATE: I should also point out that, despite what I'm sure is still an overflowing inbox, the man himself took the time to respond to an email of support within an hour of when I sent it to him. (He liked the Bernstein analogy, incidentally.)
James Liieks' weekday blog The Bleat is my second stop over breakfast every morning (right after my news browser that gives me the chance to win money every day). When he's not Bleating over the weekend, I stop by the homepage of his employer, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, to read his "Daily Quirk" columns that are published in their paper six days a week. So I couldn't believe what I read in this morning's Bleat:
Yes, friends, it’s finally happened! Synergy! Synthesis! Brand consolidation! In a move that was as welcome as it was unexpected, I’ve been moved – you could almost say promoted – over to the StarTribune online division.OK--allow me a brief moment to push the PG-13 envelope of this blog and say...WTF??
I’ll be developing new content, both video and audio, as well as blogging throughout the day in a new, improved, evolving Bleat!
[...]Hah! Just kidding.
That didn't happen.
As it happens, they've killed my column, and assigned me to write straight local news stories.
Really.
Sure, I realize that most corporate (empty) "suits" don't have a creative bone in their bodies, nor do they really have all that much talent for management, either. The vast majority of them could be blasted into space on a Golgafrinchan "B" Ark and the world would be none the poorer (OK, except that maybe their wives and kids would miss them). But how could they "reassign" a talent such as Lileks to a beat-reporting job? Isn't that like having Leonard Bernstein in your employ and only letting him conduct a middle-school orchestra?
It's been said that newspapers are a dying breed. I'm one of the rare ones who still subscribes, mostly because I can't/won't carry my laptop everywhere (and I have my doubts that a good, sanitary way to take one into the bathroom will ever be discovered). But what I read a newspaper for is not the front section, because everything in there ends up being something that I already read online 24 hours ago. I read the paper for local news coverage, sports, the comics and a few columnists. And I would have never been to the Strib's site, and read their ads, were it not for Lileks. But I bet the empty suits never thought of that, did they? It's amazing how a dying medium could obliterate so much of their readers' goodwill by marginalizing one of the brightest stars in their universe.
Needless to say, the blogosphere is abuzz about this. There's a good roundup over at InstaPundit, as you might imagine. Here's one of the better reactions, from Vodkapundit:
It probably won't do James much good with his bosses for me to point this out, but how dumb do you have to be to spike Lileks? You're talking about the best-connected and very likely best-read online columnist in America, and what do the geniuses at the Star-Tribune do? They demote him and strip the paper of his signature in-print work.Even Dave Barry weighs in:
Ideological payback? Maybe. Dinosaur thinking? Obviously. Stupid? Without question.
If the Strib had any institutional sense whatsoever, they'd make James the poobah-in-chief of their online division, and turn him loose. They'd have the best online paper in the country in less than a month. What they're doing now is an idiotic waste of talent.
This is like the Miami Heat deciding to relieve Dwyane Wade of his basketball-playing obligations so he can keep stats.I have no doubt that Lileks will land on his feet, but as someone in the creative industry, I just really hate to see fellow creative types getting shafted by the aforementioned empty suits. Is that "B" ark ready yet?
Sometimes I don't understand the newspaper business. What's left of it.
And while it's not like Lileks is going to have to give up Jasperwood or eat Ramen noodles anytime soon, feel free to buy some of his stuff.
UPDATE: I should also point out that, despite what I'm sure is still an overflowing inbox, the man himself took the time to respond to an email of support within an hour of when I sent it to him. (He liked the Bernstein analogy, incidentally.)
Monday, May 07, 2007
Getting There
I've had a little time this morning, so I've finished some posts that were sitting around half-done; there's one from a few weeks ago about the FCC asking Congress to further regulate TV content and a more recent "what should we do now" questionnaire for Mavs fans. Read and enjoy, and I'll have more old (and new) stuff up during this much-more-relaxed week. (Isn't it funny how exam week is very relaxing...for professors?)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Want To Know How Not to Teach Music?
Here's Exhibit A:
In a college methods class, I once had a professor hit me on the hands with a violin bow because he didn't like my hand position. As a timid freshman at the time, I did nothing; the "current me" would have reported him to the dean. I also heard that the person I replaced as saxophone teacher in a few of my schools hit students with sticks and used to threaten to super-glue their fingers to the keys to keep them from lifting their fingers too high when they played.
I often wonder how many people abandon something they might have ended up doing really well just because of a bad experience like that; it's one more reason that a teacher's job is so, so important. This story would almost be funny if it weren't so wrong.
This one would be funny unless it happened to you: A gang of robbers in South Africa robbed a man's house while he was forced to watch them; they kept him subdued by gluing him to his exercise cycle.
A music teacher who twice ordered a seven-year-old pupil to hit himself in the head with drum mallets will not return to the Parkway School District next year.Great; that's all we need--one more student who probably won't stick with music because of an experience with a bad teacher.
The incident happened on February Ninth in teacher Paul Provencio's music class at Carman Trails Elementary School in suburban St. Louis.
State officials say the 36-year-old teacher intended the head-banging as a lesson to Justin Barricklow about hitting the drums too hard.
In a college methods class, I once had a professor hit me on the hands with a violin bow because he didn't like my hand position. As a timid freshman at the time, I did nothing; the "current me" would have reported him to the dean. I also heard that the person I replaced as saxophone teacher in a few of my schools hit students with sticks and used to threaten to super-glue their fingers to the keys to keep them from lifting their fingers too high when they played.
I often wonder how many people abandon something they might have ended up doing really well just because of a bad experience like that; it's one more reason that a teacher's job is so, so important. This story would almost be funny if it weren't so wrong.
This one would be funny unless it happened to you: A gang of robbers in South Africa robbed a man's house while he was forced to watch them; they kept him subdued by gluing him to his exercise cycle.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Hey Mavs Fans...
(assuming you'll still admit to being one today), I have a few questions prompted by last night's debacle:
- Did the Mavs show themselves to be pretenders rather than contenders in this series, or was it more that Nellie got inside their heads and messed them up but good? (I'll admit to believing that they would've, could've should've beaten any other team besides Golden State in this round.)
- Would getting rid of Dirk really do the job, or does he simply need a teammate who's more of a vocal leader?
- What would you do if you were Mark Cuban at this moment?
Thursday, May 03, 2007
A Good Sign?
I was happy to notice this recent devlopment at my favorite gas station near the college: On Tuesday, a gallon of regular unleaded would set one back $2.84, but tonight, it was back down to $2.79. And though I realize that it's completely wrong to get excited about paying only $2.79, at least it's not rapidly approaching three bucks again. Anyone want to make a prediction about what it will do this summer?
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Pretty Cool So Far
Sorry about the lack of posts; the busiest portion of the Busiest Semester Ever is in full swing; things should be easier after the jazz concert at the college this weekend.
Anyway, a small piece of trivia here: Thanks to a colder-than-usual April and a lot of rainy weather lately, I've managed to go this far into May without turning the air conditioner on even once since last fall. Anyone else have me beat on that?
And i trust that everyone out here made it through yet another round of storms tonight with no problems. What an odd spring it's been...
Anyway, a small piece of trivia here: Thanks to a colder-than-usual April and a lot of rainy weather lately, I've managed to go this far into May without turning the air conditioner on even once since last fall. Anyone else have me beat on that?
And i trust that everyone out here made it through yet another round of storms tonight with no problems. What an odd spring it's been...
Sunday, April 29, 2007
You Know You're a Music Major When...
... you try to talk to your non-music major friends about your classes but you give up because they just don't understand.
...you had to convince your parents that your life would be OK if you majored in music instead of business.
...you're pretty sure you're probably going to be kind of broke for the rest of your life because you majored in something you actually liked.
...you've ever had to sing to yourself in class to understand the point the teacher was trying to make.
... someone's cell phone goes off in class and people try to name the interval, including the professor.
... you took more semesters of keyboarding than you can count, and you STILL can't play the piano.
... you're pretty sure it's going to take you more than four years to graduate college.
... everybody in your department knows everyone else, if not by name then at least by face and instrument.
... two people in your department start dating, and it's all anyone can talk about for the next week.
... you've ever turned down a good time because you had to practice
... you actually know what "juries" mean, and no, it has nothing to do with the law.
... recital attendance credit will be the death of you.
... you actually have some classical music and show tunes on your iPod.
... you know the difference in between baroque, classical, and romantic music, and that Beethoven did not write all three.
... you know the beauty of manuscript of paper, one packet can last you for years.
... your reputation has become defined by your instrument or voice part.
... you understand there is a silent war between the vocalists and the instrumentalists.
... you've wondered if God created more than one semester of music theory simply to torture you.
... your classes are randomly interrupted by the sound of someone loudly practicing down the hallway.
... someone says the words "sight-singing and ear training" and you feel a sudden urge to cry.
... even if you try to stay under the radar, most of the professors in your department actually know who you are.
... you decided to skip one of your classes for the day, so you had to skip them all. They were all in the music building and you would get caught by the professor who's class you were originally skipping.
... you have more than one class with the same professor on the same day.
... you've ever turned a pop song into an opera or classical piece.
... you get excited when key modulations occur.
... you know what a key modulation is.
... you've ever had to write a paper that was more than five pages long on a freakin' piece of music.
... you feel like less of a musician just because you'll be getting a B.A. in Music instead of a B.M. in whatever.
... you understood what that just meant.
... you're brave enough to eat lunch in the music building when you're skipping a music class to eat your lunch. You don't know where else to go.
... you've pretty much been in classes with all the same people since your freshman year.
... you would count your private instructor as one of the people who know you best in this world.
... you've been in music history for a few semesters now and you still haven't bought those NAWM cds.
... you know what NAWM means.
... sometimes you pretty much hate making music, but it's such a part of you that you know you're not changing your major.
... you could consider the music building as one of your residencies
... when you tell people you're a music major they give you a skeptical look and ask, "What do you plan on doing with that… teaching?" If you say no, they look kind of sad for you.
... you keep catching yourself randomly conducting music, even if it's
"Money Maker" or "Bye, Bye, Bye".
... you've ever laughed at a really corny joke that used a musical term.
... you've ever MADE a really corny joke that used a musical term, then actually laughed at your own stupid joke.
... meter changes in pop music make you cheer.
... you even realize a pop song just had a meter change.
... you associate Beethoven Symphonies with certain moods during your day.
... you laugh when TV ads come on that have instruments in them and you know that the person is holding it wrong.
... you know that the person on TV playing the music but rather, Joshua Bell, or Yo-Yo Ma dubbed over the person.
... you've ever spent more than an hour in the music reference/musical scores section of the library.
... you know where the music reference/musical scores section is.
... you and your library's local copy machine are very, very good friends.
...there's all kinds of randomly assorted furniture around your department's building.
... you own some type of clothing or accessory that clearly indicates that you are a musician: anything with a musical note or symbol all over it; anything that says, "Rock on;" a guitar T-shirt, and you're a freakin' singer!
... if you're in class and hear a muffled but insistent ticking coming from somewhere. Eventually everyone starts noticing and looking around, and diving for cover screaming, "Bomb!" and you are so used to the noise that it takes long awkward moments for you to finally realize... "Oh yeah, um, sorry guys. That's my metronome in my book bag. It must have been bumped accidentally...."
...you take some empty bottles and make seventh chords out of them.
...you see a sheet music mural and think it is just about the coolest thing ever, but mostly you just sit there trying to figure out composer/piece.
... the only things you can spell are chords.
...you would rather practice piano than go to dinner and eat crappy cafeteria food.
... you get to the music building at the crack of dawn. DEDICATION!
... you and everybody else spends quality time in the lounge between classes, practice, and rehearsals.
...when listening to music as you walk, you automatically fall into step.
... your professors are like a second set of parents.
... you cringe every time somebody says their favorite movie is Drumline.
... you whistle in style brisé.
... you've tried to hum and whistle at the same time.
...at lunch, you and a bunch of other music students grabbed glasses of water, straws, and actually practiced circular breathing.
... you can answer the phone with a real or tonal answer.
... you have had to be forced to stop labeling motives.
... you enjoy the tang of a tri-tone whenever you can.
... you wish you had twelve fingers.
Hat tip: Brother Marco. (On a day when I'm three posts behind and still awash in activities, you'd better believe I'm going to be lazy and let someone else write my post for me.)
...you had to convince your parents that your life would be OK if you majored in music instead of business.
...you're pretty sure you're probably going to be kind of broke for the rest of your life because you majored in something you actually liked.
...you've ever had to sing to yourself in class to understand the point the teacher was trying to make.
... someone's cell phone goes off in class and people try to name the interval, including the professor.
... you took more semesters of keyboarding than you can count, and you STILL can't play the piano.
... you're pretty sure it's going to take you more than four years to graduate college.
... everybody in your department knows everyone else, if not by name then at least by face and instrument.
... two people in your department start dating, and it's all anyone can talk about for the next week.
... you've ever turned down a good time because you had to practice
... you actually know what "juries" mean, and no, it has nothing to do with the law.
... recital attendance credit will be the death of you.
... you actually have some classical music and show tunes on your iPod.
... you know the difference in between baroque, classical, and romantic music, and that Beethoven did not write all three.
... you know the beauty of manuscript of paper, one packet can last you for years.
... your reputation has become defined by your instrument or voice part.
... you understand there is a silent war between the vocalists and the instrumentalists.
... you've wondered if God created more than one semester of music theory simply to torture you.
... your classes are randomly interrupted by the sound of someone loudly practicing down the hallway.
... someone says the words "sight-singing and ear training" and you feel a sudden urge to cry.
... even if you try to stay under the radar, most of the professors in your department actually know who you are.
... you decided to skip one of your classes for the day, so you had to skip them all. They were all in the music building and you would get caught by the professor who's class you were originally skipping.
... you have more than one class with the same professor on the same day.
... you've ever turned a pop song into an opera or classical piece.
... you get excited when key modulations occur.
... you know what a key modulation is.
... you've ever had to write a paper that was more than five pages long on a freakin' piece of music.
... you feel like less of a musician just because you'll be getting a B.A. in Music instead of a B.M. in whatever.
... you understood what that just meant.
... you're brave enough to eat lunch in the music building when you're skipping a music class to eat your lunch. You don't know where else to go.
... you've pretty much been in classes with all the same people since your freshman year.
... you would count your private instructor as one of the people who know you best in this world.
... you've been in music history for a few semesters now and you still haven't bought those NAWM cds.
... you know what NAWM means.
... sometimes you pretty much hate making music, but it's such a part of you that you know you're not changing your major.
... you could consider the music building as one of your residencies
... when you tell people you're a music major they give you a skeptical look and ask, "What do you plan on doing with that… teaching?" If you say no, they look kind of sad for you.
... you keep catching yourself randomly conducting music, even if it's
"Money Maker" or "Bye, Bye, Bye".
... you've ever laughed at a really corny joke that used a musical term.
... you've ever MADE a really corny joke that used a musical term, then actually laughed at your own stupid joke.
... meter changes in pop music make you cheer.
... you even realize a pop song just had a meter change.
... you associate Beethoven Symphonies with certain moods during your day.
... you laugh when TV ads come on that have instruments in them and you know that the person is holding it wrong.
... you know that the person on TV playing the music but rather, Joshua Bell, or Yo-Yo Ma dubbed over the person.
... you've ever spent more than an hour in the music reference/musical scores section of the library.
... you know where the music reference/musical scores section is.
... you and your library's local copy machine are very, very good friends.
...there's all kinds of randomly assorted furniture around your department's building.
... you own some type of clothing or accessory that clearly indicates that you are a musician: anything with a musical note or symbol all over it; anything that says, "Rock on;" a guitar T-shirt, and you're a freakin' singer!
... if you're in class and hear a muffled but insistent ticking coming from somewhere. Eventually everyone starts noticing and looking around, and diving for cover screaming, "Bomb!" and you are so used to the noise that it takes long awkward moments for you to finally realize... "Oh yeah, um, sorry guys. That's my metronome in my book bag. It must have been bumped accidentally...."
...you take some empty bottles and make seventh chords out of them.
...you see a sheet music mural and think it is just about the coolest thing ever, but mostly you just sit there trying to figure out composer/piece.
... the only things you can spell are chords.
...you would rather practice piano than go to dinner and eat crappy cafeteria food.
... you get to the music building at the crack of dawn. DEDICATION!
... you and everybody else spends quality time in the lounge between classes, practice, and rehearsals.
...when listening to music as you walk, you automatically fall into step.
... your professors are like a second set of parents.
... you cringe every time somebody says their favorite movie is Drumline.
... you whistle in style brisé.
... you've tried to hum and whistle at the same time.
...at lunch, you and a bunch of other music students grabbed glasses of water, straws, and actually practiced circular breathing.
... you can answer the phone with a real or tonal answer.
... you have had to be forced to stop labeling motives.
... you enjoy the tang of a tri-tone whenever you can.
... you wish you had twelve fingers.
Hat tip: Brother Marco. (On a day when I'm three posts behind and still awash in activities, you'd better believe I'm going to be lazy and let someone else write my post for me.)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Hey FCC--Don't Mess with 24 or Jack Bauer Will Shoot You in the Thigh
I didn't like the sound of this story when I heard it on the radio earlier in the week:
I've said before that I'm only a fan of government when it's as small and limited as possible. Protect our shores and our borders, tweak a few things to help the proverbial trains run on time, and otherwise, just leave us alone...and stop reaching into our pockets every thirty seconds. You want more money? Go earn it in an honest fashion like I did.
Whew, there, I feel better. But seriously, the government doesn't need to be in the censorship business, save for extreme things like keeping porn off the broadcast airwaves. And they don't need to be messing with cable at all, because that's a choice made by the consumer. Yes, some kids see some things that they probably shouldn't see because parents aren't doing their jobs...but that's not for the government to step in and dictate either. And as a member of the "creative element," it alarms me to see them wanting to step in and regulate such things, because who says that music won't be next?
(Incidentally, the title of this post came from a line in the radio story that specificially cited 24 as an example of the type of programming the government might want to regulate.)
Weird hobbies that can pay well, part 1: A 64-year-old New Hampshire man just earned the chance to win $50,000 playing rock, paper, scissors.
Weird hobbies that can pay well, part 2: Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania teenager just won $25,000 in a text-messaging contest.
This hobby is just weird: Citizens of Arkansas are being asked to help the natural heritage commission count the number of box turtles in the state.
Congress could regulate violence on cable, satellite and broadcast television without violating the First Amendment, the Federal Communications Commission said in a report released Wednesday.Funny--I thought that parents already had a wonderful tool to limit their kids' exposure to violent programming; it's called an off switch. (That's very constitutional, by the way.)
The report, which had been requested by Congress, contains suggestions for action by lawmakers, but it stops short of making specific recommendations.
A correlation exists between bloodshed on television and violence in real life, the commission said.
Concluding that "exposure to violent programming can be harmful to children," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wrote in a statement accompanying the report that, "Congress could provide parents more tools to limit their children's exposure to violent programming in a constitutional way."
I've said before that I'm only a fan of government when it's as small and limited as possible. Protect our shores and our borders, tweak a few things to help the proverbial trains run on time, and otherwise, just leave us alone...and stop reaching into our pockets every thirty seconds. You want more money? Go earn it in an honest fashion like I did.
Whew, there, I feel better. But seriously, the government doesn't need to be in the censorship business, save for extreme things like keeping porn off the broadcast airwaves. And they don't need to be messing with cable at all, because that's a choice made by the consumer. Yes, some kids see some things that they probably shouldn't see because parents aren't doing their jobs...but that's not for the government to step in and dictate either. And as a member of the "creative element," it alarms me to see them wanting to step in and regulate such things, because who says that music won't be next?
(Incidentally, the title of this post came from a line in the radio story that specificially cited 24 as an example of the type of programming the government might want to regulate.)
Weird hobbies that can pay well, part 1: A 64-year-old New Hampshire man just earned the chance to win $50,000 playing rock, paper, scissors.
Weird hobbies that can pay well, part 2: Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania teenager just won $25,000 in a text-messaging contest.
This hobby is just weird: Citizens of Arkansas are being asked to help the natural heritage commission count the number of box turtles in the state.
Come Hail or High Water
I was none to happy to read the weekend forecast yesterday, seeing as how it called for a chance of rain on Friday night. After all, this weekend is the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, a cool, free outdoor weekend of music that's notorious for attracting bad weather. Let's recap the past few years, shall we?
So now we have two wild cards going into the weekend: Will it stay dry from up above on Friday night, and will the ground be dry enough to even spread a blanket on? (While researching this post, I did notice another article that talked about a water-removal company spending quite a bit of time at the Civic Center, so hopefully the situation is well in hand.
This headline would get a lot of laughs in Denton: Riggs Named Most Beautiful Bulldog.
She's obviously not a music major: A 19-year-old student is set to graduate from the University of Michigan after only a year.
- 2004: Arturo Sandoval cancelled because of a tornado warning.
- 2005: Arturo comes back and gets to play. I was there.
- 2006: Joshua Redman is scheduled to play; it monsoons like crazy. My friends and I had to find another place to hear live music that night.
So now we have two wild cards going into the weekend: Will it stay dry from up above on Friday night, and will the ground be dry enough to even spread a blanket on? (While researching this post, I did notice another article that talked about a water-removal company spending quite a bit of time at the Civic Center, so hopefully the situation is well in hand.
This headline would get a lot of laughs in Denton: Riggs Named Most Beautiful Bulldog.
She's obviously not a music major: A 19-year-old student is set to graduate from the University of Michigan after only a year.
Monday, April 23, 2007
On Its Way
The Big Phat Band concert was totally amazing on Saturday night. I'm putting the finishing touches on a review of the show, and I'll have that up in the next day or so. Today was consumed with teaching and playing, and the only thing I've got left in me at the moment is sleep.
And now, on to the news...
Don't Mess with Granny: An intruder tried to steal some items from a storage shed on a Kentucky woman's farm, but the owner, who happened to be Miss America 1944, shot out the tires of the getaway car and used her gun to keep the man at bay until 911 could be called.
No, this isn't a stereotype at all: An Arkansas high school's prom last weekend was serviced by porta-potties, thanks to plumbing problems at the armory where the event was held.
A bad habit gone good: A South Carolina woman can claim that smoking helped save her life, after an oak tree crashed through the roof of her house while she was outside taking a smoke break.
One man's trash is (literally) another man's treasure: A couple picking up trash along the highway found a winning scratch-off lottery ticket. That ticket was only worth $15, but they traded it in for a new one and that second ticket netted them a thousand bucks.
And now, on to the news...
Don't Mess with Granny: An intruder tried to steal some items from a storage shed on a Kentucky woman's farm, but the owner, who happened to be Miss America 1944, shot out the tires of the getaway car and used her gun to keep the man at bay until 911 could be called.
No, this isn't a stereotype at all: An Arkansas high school's prom last weekend was serviced by porta-potties, thanks to plumbing problems at the armory where the event was held.
A bad habit gone good: A South Carolina woman can claim that smoking helped save her life, after an oak tree crashed through the roof of her house while she was outside taking a smoke break.
One man's trash is (literally) another man's treasure: A couple picking up trash along the highway found a winning scratch-off lottery ticket. That ticket was only worth $15, but they traded it in for a new one and that second ticket netted them a thousand bucks.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
A Phat Time Was Had By All
For the second time in seven months, I found myself traveling across several states to hear a jazz concert, and, also for the second time, it was totally worth the trip.
This time, the group that prompted the plane-hopping was Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, a collection of top L.A. studio musicians, who performed at the Univeristy of Missouri-St. Louis Touhill Performing Arts Center last night. While Goodwin is a veteran composer/arranger (known for tunes with quirky titles like "Let's Eat Cactus" and "Mama Llama Samba" (say that ten times fast!), as well as the soundtrack to the admittedly awful movie, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), he came to prominence back in 2001 with the release of the Big Phat Band's debut, Swingin' for the Fences, which featured such tunes as "Sing, Sang, Sung" (a clever remake of the Benny Goodman classic "Sing, Sing, Sing") and "Count Bubba."
Since then, Goodwin has become a household name in the big-band world, and his charts have sold like hotcakes in the educational world (one of the stories he told during the show concerned a jazz festival where "Count Bubba" was performed by six bands in a row). When the band first started making recordings (there are three in all, with a fourth one about to be started), their only purpose was to document the music and leave it at that. The feasibility of touring seemed unlikely, considering the players' day jobs, but after a few gigs, the band was bitten by the live-performance bug, and the past few years have brought them to places like the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, where they played to an enthusiastic near-sellout crowd, many of whom were young musicians who had played Goodwin's charts.
The band wasted no time getting down to business, opening with the rollicking "High Maintenance" off their second album, XXL. (In one ironic twist, a worker at the "swag table" downstairs was overheard telling a potential customer that they were all out of that particular T-shirt size even before the show began.) For the next two hours, buffeted by only a short intermission, the band played high-energy, totally swinging jazz that was as tight as the recordings, mixing older favorites ("Count Bubba's Revenge," "Hunting Wabbits") with selections from the forthcoming album (which, if the tunes they played last night are any indication, will be a buy-on-the-first-day candidate upon its release).
Even though two of the best-known members of the band, lead trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and lead alto Eric Marienthal, were not able to make this performance, their replacements (ex-One O'Clocker Pete DeSiena, who's recorded with the band before, and second alto Sal Lozano, respectively) did a fine job in their absence--DiSiena nailing the high notes left and right, and Lozano doing a fine job of channeling David Sanborn on "Play That Funky Music."
The Big Phat Band is best-known for two things: lots of energy (as evidenced by Goodwin leaping back and forth from the piano to give cues and fermatas, along with the manic energy of percussionist Brad Dutz; drummer Bernie Dresel was also quite fun to watch) and the uniqueness of Goodwin's writing. Having done extensive film scoring and writing for the likes of Disney Studios, Goodwin brings that orchestral approach to his big-band charts, and the result is a much wider palette than that of many other writers; at times, it's almost as if each tune is its own little movie.
One of the cool things about this concert was that it gave virtually every member of the band his time to shine in some way. I'd have no problem hiring any of these guys for a gig, but the personal favorites were trombonist extraordinaire Andy Martin (whom I'd seen as the guest artist at TCU a few weeks ago), guitarist Grant Geissman (a Chuck Mangione alum from the "Feels So Good" days), and a former schoolmate, tenorman Jeff Driskill.
As a leader, Goodwin is engaging and funny. Sure, there's a lot of shtick involved, and there were elements of the show that could be called cheesy, including a "Big Phat Band trivia" game that featured high school kids from the audience. (Some of the trivia was pretty funny, but I won't ruin the jokes here.) But it was great to hear a high-powered big band that, when all is said and done, is brimming with excellent musicianship.
It was cool to see this band in the very same auditiorium where I'd seen the Maynard tribute back in September, and in a way it was quite fitting; among all the talk of who would take over the Maynard mantle, maybe it won't be a star soloist after all (although Goodwin is no slouch on either piano or tenor); maybe it'll be this exciting big band that packs the house full of young jazzers for years to come.
This time, the group that prompted the plane-hopping was Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, a collection of top L.A. studio musicians, who performed at the Univeristy of Missouri-St. Louis Touhill Performing Arts Center last night. While Goodwin is a veteran composer/arranger (known for tunes with quirky titles like "Let's Eat Cactus" and "Mama Llama Samba" (say that ten times fast!), as well as the soundtrack to the admittedly awful movie, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), he came to prominence back in 2001 with the release of the Big Phat Band's debut, Swingin' for the Fences, which featured such tunes as "Sing, Sang, Sung" (a clever remake of the Benny Goodman classic "Sing, Sing, Sing") and "Count Bubba."
Since then, Goodwin has become a household name in the big-band world, and his charts have sold like hotcakes in the educational world (one of the stories he told during the show concerned a jazz festival where "Count Bubba" was performed by six bands in a row). When the band first started making recordings (there are three in all, with a fourth one about to be started), their only purpose was to document the music and leave it at that. The feasibility of touring seemed unlikely, considering the players' day jobs, but after a few gigs, the band was bitten by the live-performance bug, and the past few years have brought them to places like the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, where they played to an enthusiastic near-sellout crowd, many of whom were young musicians who had played Goodwin's charts.
The band wasted no time getting down to business, opening with the rollicking "High Maintenance" off their second album, XXL. (In one ironic twist, a worker at the "swag table" downstairs was overheard telling a potential customer that they were all out of that particular T-shirt size even before the show began.) For the next two hours, buffeted by only a short intermission, the band played high-energy, totally swinging jazz that was as tight as the recordings, mixing older favorites ("Count Bubba's Revenge," "Hunting Wabbits") with selections from the forthcoming album (which, if the tunes they played last night are any indication, will be a buy-on-the-first-day candidate upon its release).
Even though two of the best-known members of the band, lead trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and lead alto Eric Marienthal, were not able to make this performance, their replacements (ex-One O'Clocker Pete DeSiena, who's recorded with the band before, and second alto Sal Lozano, respectively) did a fine job in their absence--DiSiena nailing the high notes left and right, and Lozano doing a fine job of channeling David Sanborn on "Play That Funky Music."
The Big Phat Band is best-known for two things: lots of energy (as evidenced by Goodwin leaping back and forth from the piano to give cues and fermatas, along with the manic energy of percussionist Brad Dutz; drummer Bernie Dresel was also quite fun to watch) and the uniqueness of Goodwin's writing. Having done extensive film scoring and writing for the likes of Disney Studios, Goodwin brings that orchestral approach to his big-band charts, and the result is a much wider palette than that of many other writers; at times, it's almost as if each tune is its own little movie.
One of the cool things about this concert was that it gave virtually every member of the band his time to shine in some way. I'd have no problem hiring any of these guys for a gig, but the personal favorites were trombonist extraordinaire Andy Martin (whom I'd seen as the guest artist at TCU a few weeks ago), guitarist Grant Geissman (a Chuck Mangione alum from the "Feels So Good" days), and a former schoolmate, tenorman Jeff Driskill.
As a leader, Goodwin is engaging and funny. Sure, there's a lot of shtick involved, and there were elements of the show that could be called cheesy, including a "Big Phat Band trivia" game that featured high school kids from the audience. (Some of the trivia was pretty funny, but I won't ruin the jokes here.) But it was great to hear a high-powered big band that, when all is said and done, is brimming with excellent musicianship.
It was cool to see this band in the very same auditiorium where I'd seen the Maynard tribute back in September, and in a way it was quite fitting; among all the talk of who would take over the Maynard mantle, maybe it won't be a star soloist after all (although Goodwin is no slouch on either piano or tenor); maybe it'll be this exciting big band that packs the house full of young jazzers for years to come.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Travel Advisory
I'm off to St. Louis in just a little bit, taking advantage of the direct Southwest flights once again. This time, I'll be seeing Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, which just seemed like too good a thing to miss (and it's the closest they'll be to here for the foreseeable future). They're playing at the same UMSL performance hall where we saw the Maynard tribute back in September.
Back late tomorrow, with, if not a review, at least the weird news stories that have been sitting in the pipe for a few days.
Back late tomorrow, with, if not a review, at least the weird news stories that have been sitting in the pipe for a few days.
Friday, April 20, 2007
I Oughta Be in Pictures...
...and when I am, I oughta post 'em.
So I finally figured out how to transfer photos from the RAZR to the MacBook (if you're in a similar situation, these two articles were quite helpful to me). This means that I can finally post pictures onto this blog that have been taken with the camera phone, going all the way back to last July. I'm certainly not going to post them all at once, but here are a few posts that have been updated with pictures as of tonight:
Now that I know what I'm doing, I'll have pictures of things on this blog on a much more timely basis.
So I finally figured out how to transfer photos from the RAZR to the MacBook (if you're in a similar situation, these two articles were quite helpful to me). This means that I can finally post pictures onto this blog that have been taken with the camera phone, going all the way back to last July. I'm certainly not going to post them all at once, but here are a few posts that have been updated with pictures as of tonight:
- Kurt Elling and me
- Branford Marsalis and me
- Bob Mintzer and me
- A couple pics from the trip to New York
- Two cool views from the St. Louis Arch
- The Czech stop is no longer accepting checks!
Now that I know what I'm doing, I'll have pictures of things on this blog on a much more timely basis.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A Mini Restau-Rant of Sorts
Imagine, if you will, this scenario:
You're sitting in a restaurant that, while not exactly in peak hours, has now totally filled up in the non-smoking section where you're located. You're totally done eating (as evidenced by the closed styrofoam to-go box on the table), but you're just chillin', sipping some coffee and reading the paper alone at your four-person table. If you looked up from your paper, it would be easy to see the front of the restaurant, where a group of three is patiently waiting to be seated.
Fifteen minutes later, the three are still waiting, and other customers have bitten the bullet and filled up the smoking section as well. A group of seven comes in shortly after that, but you're still oblivious. You also don't notice the older couple who decided to dine elsewhere because the smoking section had been the only option.
Of course, you're under no obligation to leave, but if you're done with your meal and others are waiting, wouldn't it be a nice gesture to take your paper-reading elsewhere and open up a table for some new paying customers? It sure seems as though both the restaurant personnel and the customers would appreciate it. Sure, it's possible that you're so totally engrossed in your paper that you don't know what's going on outside of your little bubble. But if you do notice, and stay there anyway, are you being selfish?
This really happened this morning; I was part of the group of three. There's no reason to name the restaurant, but if you have to know, it's the answer you'd get if you asked the bunny or the kangaroo how it gets from place to place. The manager felt bad when we left, but we were on a fairly tight schedule. He also said that there was more than one table being occupied in this manner; we could just see the one with the styrofoam-and-paper person. I'm not saying that there should be a policy to deal with this--you can't legislate courtesy, after all--but it's a shame that some people are so caught up in themselves that they're so unaware of what's going on around them.
(This isn't the first time I've encountered selfishness in restaurants; the original Restau-Rant is here. It was written before Blogger comments had been developed, so feel free to chime in on that scenario as well.)
Here comes Peter Cottontail, clogging up the auto trail: Traffic on a major Hungarian highway was snarled when a truck overturned and released 5000 rabbits into the intersection.
He had quite a tail to tell after this: A young whale got lost and ended up in New York Harbor--not exactly something you see every day.
You're sitting in a restaurant that, while not exactly in peak hours, has now totally filled up in the non-smoking section where you're located. You're totally done eating (as evidenced by the closed styrofoam to-go box on the table), but you're just chillin', sipping some coffee and reading the paper alone at your four-person table. If you looked up from your paper, it would be easy to see the front of the restaurant, where a group of three is patiently waiting to be seated.
Fifteen minutes later, the three are still waiting, and other customers have bitten the bullet and filled up the smoking section as well. A group of seven comes in shortly after that, but you're still oblivious. You also don't notice the older couple who decided to dine elsewhere because the smoking section had been the only option.
Of course, you're under no obligation to leave, but if you're done with your meal and others are waiting, wouldn't it be a nice gesture to take your paper-reading elsewhere and open up a table for some new paying customers? It sure seems as though both the restaurant personnel and the customers would appreciate it. Sure, it's possible that you're so totally engrossed in your paper that you don't know what's going on outside of your little bubble. But if you do notice, and stay there anyway, are you being selfish?
This really happened this morning; I was part of the group of three. There's no reason to name the restaurant, but if you have to know, it's the answer you'd get if you asked the bunny or the kangaroo how it gets from place to place. The manager felt bad when we left, but we were on a fairly tight schedule. He also said that there was more than one table being occupied in this manner; we could just see the one with the styrofoam-and-paper person. I'm not saying that there should be a policy to deal with this--you can't legislate courtesy, after all--but it's a shame that some people are so caught up in themselves that they're so unaware of what's going on around them.
(This isn't the first time I've encountered selfishness in restaurants; the original Restau-Rant is here. It was written before Blogger comments had been developed, so feel free to chime in on that scenario as well.)
Here comes Peter Cottontail, clogging up the auto trail: Traffic on a major Hungarian highway was snarled when a truck overturned and released 5000 rabbits into the intersection.
He had quite a tail to tell after this: A young whale got lost and ended up in New York Harbor--not exactly something you see every day.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Another NIght of Madness...and That Was Just the Weather
Last night was the annual Lab Band Madness concert at my alma mater, UNT. In case you're a new reader, Madness is the concert where all nine (count 'em) lab bands perform in one marathon event; they've been doing it now for sixty years. I explained the format of the concert last year at this time, but suffice it to say, a short evening it's not.
Since we had big band rehearsal until about fifteen minutes into the start of the concert, we didn't get there until a tad after eight (and the weather on the way up was absolutely hideous--rain, rain and more rain; I'm guessing there was a point where my car wasn't really touching the pavement at all). Thankfully, KNTU does a live broadcast of the concert every year, so we really only missed listening to the very first band. (I wish they'd done that when I worked there; I would've tried to get involved in the broadcast team, which filled up the time when the bands were changing over with brief commentary. I would've given an insider's view of the thing, taking off momentarily to play in and/or direct my band; woulda been fun.)
I can't stop talking about this concert every year, because it's so unique; I'm reasonably sure that no other school has nine jazz big bands to begin with, and certainly not of the quality of UNT. There were a few more student compositions and arrangements than in previous years, and they were all quite good, and of course, the improvisation is at a very high level (which is to be expected, I suppose, at a school where there are four semesters of undergrad improv classes, with four more prerequisites before Improv I can even be attempted). I'm proud to be an alumnus of such a school; there really is no other place like it.
I'm glad I live in America, part 1: Clerics at a radical mosque accused the Pakistani tourism minister of sinful hugging.
I'm glad I live in America, part 2: As the 2008 Summer Olympics approach, officials in Beijing have forbidden female cab drivers from having red hair.
Since we had big band rehearsal until about fifteen minutes into the start of the concert, we didn't get there until a tad after eight (and the weather on the way up was absolutely hideous--rain, rain and more rain; I'm guessing there was a point where my car wasn't really touching the pavement at all). Thankfully, KNTU does a live broadcast of the concert every year, so we really only missed listening to the very first band. (I wish they'd done that when I worked there; I would've tried to get involved in the broadcast team, which filled up the time when the bands were changing over with brief commentary. I would've given an insider's view of the thing, taking off momentarily to play in and/or direct my band; woulda been fun.)
I can't stop talking about this concert every year, because it's so unique; I'm reasonably sure that no other school has nine jazz big bands to begin with, and certainly not of the quality of UNT. There were a few more student compositions and arrangements than in previous years, and they were all quite good, and of course, the improvisation is at a very high level (which is to be expected, I suppose, at a school where there are four semesters of undergrad improv classes, with four more prerequisites before Improv I can even be attempted). I'm proud to be an alumnus of such a school; there really is no other place like it.
I'm glad I live in America, part 1: Clerics at a radical mosque accused the Pakistani tourism minister of sinful hugging.
I'm glad I live in America, part 2: As the 2008 Summer Olympics approach, officials in Beijing have forbidden female cab drivers from having red hair.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
This Day is TAKS-ing, But Not Taxing
Thanks to April 15 being on a weekend, as well as some sort of obscure government holiday yesterday, income taxes aren't officially due until today. But am I sweating? Not at all; for one thing, it's way colder than normal for this time of year in Dallas. But also, my taxes were done by spring break, which has to be a personal record of some sort. Sure, back in the times when I would owe taxes (a.k.a. "The Days When I Was Bad at Math"), I would wait until around "the day of" to actually mail the return (so that I could keep my money for as long as possible before tossing it into the gaping maw of Uncle Sam), but I've just never been able to grasp the concept of waiting until the absolute last minute, driving a good 30-45 minutes to the 24-hour post office just west of downtown Dallas and all that. Never mind the fact that we're supposed to have really crappy weather tonight; I wouldn't want to make the trip anyway. I may be a procrastinator at time, but waiting till quarter to midnight is just too much for me.
But this was a Refund Year, so I was happy to approach tax day with nary a shrug. My accountant (who goes by "Dad" the rest of the year) brought me the finished product on their spring break visit, and I mailed it the following day. As we hit the halfway point of today, my refund has been sitting happily in the bank for over a week now.
Did you get your taxes done early this year? Respond in the comments.
And in Texas, tax week is also TAKS week, the dreaded state standardized tests in the public schools. I"ve ranted about them plenty of times before, so I won't belabor the point here, except to say that this week does get pretty expensive for me once all the missed lessons are taken into consideration. (For example, here's my usual Tuesday lesson total: 9 or 10, depending on whether or not it's an A or B day. Today's lesson total: Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing until I get to the college. You get the idea.) So while it's not by any means the important reason to get rid of the TAKS (that would be so that we get back to actually having the students learn something beyond how to take a standardized test), I'll shed no tears if the Legislature does indeed decide to drop it in favor of end-of-course exams. Keep your fingers crossed...
SEA LIONS! SEA LIONS!, part 1: A rogue elephant seal is causing trouble in the waters off California by messing with a kayaker, eating smaller seals and biting people and pets.
SEA LIONS! SEA LIONS!, part 2: Meanwhile, off Australia, a seal has also attacked a surfer.
But this was a Refund Year, so I was happy to approach tax day with nary a shrug. My accountant (who goes by "Dad" the rest of the year) brought me the finished product on their spring break visit, and I mailed it the following day. As we hit the halfway point of today, my refund has been sitting happily in the bank for over a week now.
Did you get your taxes done early this year? Respond in the comments.
And in Texas, tax week is also TAKS week, the dreaded state standardized tests in the public schools. I"ve ranted about them plenty of times before, so I won't belabor the point here, except to say that this week does get pretty expensive for me once all the missed lessons are taken into consideration. (For example, here's my usual Tuesday lesson total: 9 or 10, depending on whether or not it's an A or B day. Today's lesson total: Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing until I get to the college. You get the idea.) So while it's not by any means the important reason to get rid of the TAKS (that would be so that we get back to actually having the students learn something beyond how to take a standardized test), I'll shed no tears if the Legislature does indeed decide to drop it in favor of end-of-course exams. Keep your fingers crossed...
SEA LIONS! SEA LIONS!, part 1: A rogue elephant seal is causing trouble in the waters off California by messing with a kayaker, eating smaller seals and biting people and pets.
SEA LIONS! SEA LIONS!, part 2: Meanwhile, off Australia, a seal has also attacked a surfer.
Monday, April 16, 2007
A Momentary Pause
In light of the horrible shootings on the Virginia Tech campus earlier today, it doesn't seem right to post any of my usual whimsical material. In fact, it doesn't seem right to post anything else right now. We should all just pause for a moment to think about what happened today, wonder how in the world someone could see fit to treat his fellow human beings so badly, and be very, very thankful for those in our lives who mean something to us.
You've probably read at least one account of the story, but here were the ones that caught my attention:
(And on that subject, here's a prayer for the victims by Newsweek columnist, Rabbi Marc Gellman.)
UPDATE: This is ridiculous--despite the fact that today's shootings are still very much in the investigative stages, a Florida attorney has already gone on TV to blame the whole thing on video games.
Blowing out the candles, but quietly: I do want to wish a happy birthday to Mom. Unlike most years, I'm off the hook as far as calling her goes, because she and Dad are vacationing in Egypt at the moment. (I'm glad that I was a "good son" and sent her card a few days early this year--in tandem with that of her sister, my Aunt Nora, whose birthday precedes hers by a year and two days).
You've probably read at least one account of the story, but here were the ones that caught my attention:
- A series of text messages between a VT student taking cover and a building and her brother and mother (strong language warning)
- A leading criminologist discusses the likely motive of the shooter
- The principal of Columbine High School reacts to the shooting
(And on that subject, here's a prayer for the victims by Newsweek columnist, Rabbi Marc Gellman.)
UPDATE: This is ridiculous--despite the fact that today's shootings are still very much in the investigative stages, a Florida attorney has already gone on TV to blame the whole thing on video games.
Blowing out the candles, but quietly: I do want to wish a happy birthday to Mom. Unlike most years, I'm off the hook as far as calling her goes, because she and Dad are vacationing in Egypt at the moment. (I'm glad that I was a "good son" and sent her card a few days early this year--in tandem with that of her sister, my Aunt Nora, whose birthday precedes hers by a year and two days).
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Another Way This Test is TAKS-ing to Students
The dreaded TAKS test (the state standardized testing here in Texas) is almost here; from Tuesday through Friday of the week ahead, I'll hardly be doing any teaching at all. Much as I (and the seniors who passed the test last year as juniors) will enjoy the extra sleep--it could almost be dubbed Spring Break II--it also causes this sharp, stabbing pain in my wallet area every year. (I don't even want to do the math on how much income I'll be losing this week.)
So it was quite interesting to read an opinion column on Friday by Linda Duran, a guidance counselor in a local school who points out one more drawback of the TAKS: It may actually hinder students' preparation for college and the real world:
And in the meantime, it's encouraging to note that a state Senate panel is backing the bill that would replace the high-school-level TAKS with end-of-course exams (as discussed here). Even though this change wouldn't be phased in until 2009's freshman class, it would be great to know that, in just a few short years, the actual process of learning wouldn't grind to a screeching halt every April.
All I can say is WoW: At a Georgia zoo, the orangutans are playing video games.
This driver was no hack: A just-retired New York couple needed to move to Arizona. Being New Yorkers, they didn't own a car, and they didn't want to put their cats in the cargo hold of an airplane. So what did they do? Like all good New Yorkers, they hailed a cab for the entire 2400-mile trip. (The trip was planned in advance, and they did get a break on the fare.)
So it was quite interesting to read an opinion column on Friday by Linda Duran, a guidance counselor in a local school who points out one more drawback of the TAKS: It may actually hinder students' preparation for college and the real world:
All actions – personal, social, even governmental – have consequences. Many of these consequences are unintended and not originally foreseen. Such is the case with the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test (TAKS) actually lowering the SAT scores of our Texas students and hurting their chances of getting into prestigious college and receiving scholarships.Despite all my gripes against the TAKS, I had never even thought of that particular angle before, but I think she's dead-on. Read the whole thing.
[...]The state puts so much importance on the TAKS test results that administrators and teachers are pressured into overemphasizing it. Students are drilled and drilled, and since the TAKS test is a power test – meaning, for one thing, it is untimed – teachers encourage students to "take as long as you need." Students take little breaks; they eat a little; they stretch; they put all their answers in the book and go back over each and every one – sometimes several times – and finally put the answers on the scan sheet. Some students will take five or six hours to take a test that at most should last about an hour or hour and a half. I'm not faulting the teachers and administrators for this approach. After all, they are only trying to help these students win at this TAKS game.
But the game is different for timed tests like the PSAT (Preliminary SAT test), which is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (that means big money, folks); the SAT; the ACT; and of course Advanced Placement tests.
And how do our Texas students do on these tests? Just OK. Recently, I have individually reviewed PSAT results with 223 sophomores and juniors who took it in October. At least half of these students didn't even finish the test. They had OK scores, but those scores could have been excellent had these students understood the concept of time management. These lower scores also hurt their chances of getting into prestigious college programs all over the country. And it makes Texas teachers look like we don't teach our children very well – which I believe to be untrue.
All of these college entrance tests have strict time limits for very good reasons. They are predictors of college success.
And in the meantime, it's encouraging to note that a state Senate panel is backing the bill that would replace the high-school-level TAKS with end-of-course exams (as discussed here). Even though this change wouldn't be phased in until 2009's freshman class, it would be great to know that, in just a few short years, the actual process of learning wouldn't grind to a screeching halt every April.
All I can say is WoW: At a Georgia zoo, the orangutans are playing video games.
This driver was no hack: A just-retired New York couple needed to move to Arizona. Being New Yorkers, they didn't own a car, and they didn't want to put their cats in the cargo hold of an airplane. So what did they do? Like all good New Yorkers, they hailed a cab for the entire 2400-mile trip. (The trip was planned in advance, and they did get a break on the fare.)
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Another "Law for Thee, But Not For Me" To Go by the Wayside
Regular Musings readers know that I'm no fan of red-light cameras, and the city of Dallas is doing something about one of the many problems caused by these devices:
And after all the deaths of innocent bystanders (by-drivers?) at the hands of speeding or light-running officers who didn't have their sirens or emergency flashers on, there really shouldn't be too many occasions where those flashers and sirens aren't engaged to begin with. You can talk all you want to about losing the "element of surprise" when trying to catch a bad guy, but the minute that such action would endanger someone else, it's time to do something different. And we definitely need to avoid future situations like this one:
I've recently before about how our lawmakers shouldn't be exempt from the laws they pass for the rest of us, and I believe that should apply to those who enforce the law as well. In Dallas, at least the Fire Department has the right idea:
Here's an officer who gets it: A sheriff in Green Bay wrote himself a ticket for making an unsafe lane change. Key quote: "As sheriff, I'm held to the highest standard in law enforcement. How can I hold officers accountable if I don't hold myself accountable?" he said. "I'm satisfied I'm doing the right thing."
And here's a kind-hearted crook: A man robbing a Florida convenience store apologized to the clerk he was robbing and allowed her to call 911 after she began to hyperventilate and thought she might be having a heart attack. (He still fled with $30 and some cigarettes.)
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to my Aunt Nora in Indiana!
Dallas police and firefighters will soon have to pay up if they run afoul of the city's red-light cameras.This makes total sense to me. But, as you can imagine, the subjects of this regulation are none too happy:
Starting Sunday, any Dallas police officer in a marked squad car who is captured on the city's cameras running a red light will have to pay the $75 fine if the incident doesn't comply with state law.
Firefighters who run red lights will have to pay if they're not on an emergency run.
Many police officers are angry about the proposed policy. The prevailing belief among officers has been that they can run red lights as they see fit.And there's the problem in a nutshell. People who are charged with enforcing the laws should make sure that they are obeying those same laws themselves. Otherwise we have a double standard, hypocrisy, all that bad stuff.
And after all the deaths of innocent bystanders (by-drivers?) at the hands of speeding or light-running officers who didn't have their sirens or emergency flashers on, there really shouldn't be too many occasions where those flashers and sirens aren't engaged to begin with. You can talk all you want to about losing the "element of surprise" when trying to catch a bad guy, but the minute that such action would endanger someone else, it's time to do something different. And we definitely need to avoid future situations like this one:
Cameras recorded an officer on routine patrol not only running a red light, but also turning left from the center lane rather than from the turn lane. "He is being counseled in an effort to correct his driving," Lt. Lannom said. "We're looking at correcting the driving habits of officers."I sure hope so.
I've recently before about how our lawmakers shouldn't be exempt from the laws they pass for the rest of us, and I believe that should apply to those who enforce the law as well. In Dallas, at least the Fire Department has the right idea:
"We don't really have a lot of business running lights, period," {Fire Department spokesman] Lt. [Joel] Lavender said. "If you mess up and you're not on an emergency run, you get a ticket. They're subject to the same penalty, in addition to being punished by the fire department."That's a good policy, guys. I hope the police see the light.
Here's an officer who gets it: A sheriff in Green Bay wrote himself a ticket for making an unsafe lane change. Key quote: "As sheriff, I'm held to the highest standard in law enforcement. How can I hold officers accountable if I don't hold myself accountable?" he said. "I'm satisfied I'm doing the right thing."
And here's a kind-hearted crook: A man robbing a Florida convenience store apologized to the clerk he was robbing and allowed her to call 911 after she began to hyperventilate and thought she might be having a heart attack. (He still fled with $30 and some cigarettes.)
Blowing out the candles: Happy birthday to my Aunt Nora in Indiana!
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