" Fairy Tales do not tell children that Dragons exist. Children already know that Dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed." --G.K. Chesterton


I quoted him a bunch of posts back. And I liked the quote so much I decided to get to know him better. Now I’m just getting into his Book Orthodoxy…partly cause Graham Greene called it “among the great books of the age” and because I left the other book I was reading on the train. He wrote the Father Brown Detective stories, but next I’m going straight to the novel that seems to be considered one of his major works--The Man who was Thursday.

In reading about Chesterton, I came upon The Clerihew. It was invented by Chesterton’s friend, Edmund Clerihew Bentley. and Chesterton wrote a bunch of them.

A clerihew is a whimsical, four-line biographical poem
and has the following properties:

It is biographical and usually whimsical
It pokes fun at mostly famous people
It has four lines of irregular length and metre
The rhyme structure is AABB
The first line contains, and may consist solely of, the subject's name.
.

For example: A clerihew regarding the inventor of the thermos bottle (or Dewar flask):

Sir James Dewar
Is smarter than you are
None of you asses
Can liquify gases.

A modern literary example is:

Ted Hughes,
Sylvia's muse,
was rather good-looking.
Let his wife do the cooking.

In 1983, Games Magazine ran a contest titled "Do You Clerihew?" The winning entry was:

Did Descartes
Depart
With the thought
"Therefore I'm not"?

Looked a lot easier than the Limerick, so I took a crack at it:

Carmelo
much like Jello
Colorful-- full of shimmer
As sustenance? Not a winner.

It’s frontrunner Romney
Who’s Playing the Zombie
In the latest B horror flick
Called Our Bloody Body Politic

There was ring great Henry Armstrong
Moon man Neil, then juiced up Lance pedaled along
But for me it’s just ‘natch
To think only of Satch.

Barack FYI
Is just one guy
And though maybe anomalous
Even Remus had his Romulus


Jim Watson and his lab partner Crick
Were asking themselves “ What’s the trick?”
Then Watson flicked his wrist to see what was the time
“It’s a twist!” Crick cried, “How sublime.”


One more G.K…

"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."

And so it goes…









The superstar supercedes the system. Cause it’s not a game. It’s a business. Show Business. Dolan wants tushies in his seats. Tushies attached to deep pockets that can shell out hundreds of dollars for bad seats and thousands for good ones—and pass along the cost to the consumer for the fancy Garden renovation And like any Broadway producer eager to maximize returns on his investment, the number one asset is star power. Skill, talent, experience, teamwork, dedication, selflessness in service to consistency and long term success—fuggetaboutit. This is New York baby, not Utah.

Anyone who knows anything about Cablevision, the Dolan Family (I know a few who have worked closely with James the hirsute heir—some who made big money there and left for humbler pastures in order to save their souls) or what goes on in the offices at MSG isn’t surprised at this latest development.

Wonder if Isaiah Thomas is waiting in the wings. I doubt it, but still wouldn’t be surprised. Walsh now looks like the lucky one who got out of the nuthouse early.

As a fan though, and I’m just speaking for myself, there’s no upside. Even if they start winning, they’ll be ugly wins. Melo in isolation with everyone clearing to the other side so he can do his schoolyard stuff and go 11 for 28 every night? And when guys tend to stand around on offense, it spills over to defense too. Hustle begets hustle and loitering begets bums.

I was no big D’Antoni fan, but I liked him. He seemed like a good guy and a fair guy. It’s no secret that all the players (minus one) liked and respected him too. Amare came to NY in no small part in order to play for him. But maybe D’Antoni was too mellow for Melo. Maybe Woodson is better equipped to crack the whip. Last night he said he’s gonna “make damn sure” that players are held accountable. Maybe all those years in Utah drained out whatever “street” D’Antoni had him and maybe only some street smart tough love can wipe that self-satisfied smile off Melo’s mug. Goodbye Mike, hello Mike, and let’s go Mets.

JUST IN CASE...

...you were wondering why I suddenly shifted the focus of this blog onto the sports scene when
1. I don't really follow sports that closely (compared to others like: teddyvegas.blogspot.com)
2. I'm certainly no expert, nor do I have any inside info you can't find easily elsewhere
3. I am more a man of words than action, and sport is all about action...

...unless of course, you're the spectator, in which case its a feast for anyone with an appetite for the metaphorical or even the metaphysical. A very simple and quick search reveals that there is great wisdom and wit to be found on the diamonds, gridirons, courts, rinks and numerous fields of collision and concussion.

"The trouble is not that players have sex the night before a game. It's that they stay out all night looking for it." - Casey Stengal


Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very un-orderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off. --Bill Veeck

The key to managing is keeping the 12 guys who hate you away from the 12 who are undecided. -- Leo Durocher

"Baseball is religion without the mischief." - Thomas Boswell

"A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings." - Earl Wilson (Earl Wilson?)

"My sister's expecting a baby,but I don't know yet if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt." - Chuck Nevitt

"Kids are great. That's one of the best things about our business, all the kids you get to meet. It's a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to the games and call you names." - Charles Barkley

"The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” - Martina Navratilova

"When we started, it was based on lies. It's changing now. There are no secrets in the business. You've got to come with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's becoming very confusing." - Don King

"Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, and up, and up." - Bill Vaughn

I've found that prayers work best when you've got the bigger players. --Knute Rockne

'My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.- David Beckham

Catherine Russell.

Ellen and I Caught her live a few years back at a local library in Hastings-on Hudson (thanks to friends J.and B. who live there and are plugged into all the cool cultural happenings)
and she’s the real thing. Her dad was Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director and her main thing is vintage jazz/blues songs of the bygone days of honky-tonk bars and dance halls. Check out more at:

http://catherinerussell.net/html/about.php

This song isn’t vintage, though it sounds like it. It was written by the eclectic and one of a kind Rachelle Garniez, who I saw one night on a street corner in the East Village playing the accordion and blowing minds with her musicianship and Marx Brothers worthy comic flair and wit. Couldn’t find Cat singing the song on camera, so here’s the audio with pictures…you can see lots of Cat and Rachelle on YouTube.

Survey says….

Just got off the phone with an independent (so she said ) market researcher who asked if I’d be willing to answer a few questions about current political and economic issues…and it didn’t take long before I realized what was cookin…it started benignly ( albeit inanely) with questions like:

In general, are you pleased with the direction of our nation?

Which issues are most important for the U.S. Senate to focus on this year?

Do you believe that raising taxes will have a positive effect on our fragile economy?

Whoops…how did that “fragile” get into an “non-partisan” survey?

And before I could say “Independent market research my ass…” she was off and running with questions so stunningly partisan I had to stop her a few times and ask her to repeat herself slowly (very slowly, cause I was trying to write some of them down) and here’s some highlights:

Do you support an in-depth audit of the Democrats' $789 billion stimulus package to find out where your tax dollars went?

Are you in favor of unionizing Department of Homeland Security personnel such as airport screeners who could endanger our national security or bring commerce and travel in our country to a standstill if they strike?

Do you believe President Obama's foreign policies have strengthened the resolve of those who seek to do us harm?

Are you in favor of a new federal government bureaucracy to act as the "single payer" of all healthcare expenses?

Do you support allowing scientists to "manufacture" and destroy human embryos for the purpose of extracting stem cells for research?

Do you believe Republican candidates do best when they promote our core principles of lower taxes, smaller government and a strong, proud America?

I got so tired of saying ( as she get tired of hearing) “That’s a loaded question—I won’t answer it.” (and that's the nicest answer I had) --that we called it quits after I tried in vain to extract some information regarding who was the brains behind the bullshit. Only consolation was that she said many respondents had also declined to answer many questions. I was tempted to vent some steam but decided it probably wouldn’t faze her a bit (she actually sounded a bit embarrassed and I even felt sorry for her since she was just doing her job and didn’t sound the least bit interested in anything I might have to add that wasn't a direct answer to a survey question) and would most likely go unrecorded anyway.





I'm still kinda hot about that call. Wish I coulda found out who was behind it, but really, does it matter? Like once I find out I'm gonna do...what?




Ellen and I watched HBO movie Game Change about Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign. Pretty good. Mostly smart and believable dialogue, good cast, crisply put together. And about halfway through I'm feeling sympathetic to the McCain staffers who are suffering mightily from the consequences of their hasty and ill-considered choice of Veep candidate. And then it dawns on me that these poor saps are the real bad guys. Palin may be an ignorant, self-involved, opportunistic hypocrite and phony through and through, but the folks who put her in the game are something even worse. They are the total cynics who cheered her when she played the part, stuck to the script and fooled the public (and the media) and then panicked and punted when she went "rogue" and revealed her true colors. The whole game is debasing any way you slice it since winning trumps all other considerations and these campaign pros are all in it for the win. One or two characters are shown to have some measure of integrity and principle, but it's still hard to sympathize when you realize that only in defeat do these masters of deceit and manipulation stop to smell the shit stuck to their shoes.

Ok, I can shift gears and try to chase away those dark clouds of caustic cynicism or I can run with it and use it to cue up my latest list of...



Note: In my efforts to keep this blog active and refreshed on an almost daily basis, I've had to cultivate some strange habits Now, in addition to keeping notes and files on various topics and issues, I also keep running lists of such things as Pet Peeves, jokes, puns, images, news stories, random anecdotes culled from all manner of sources...not the least of which is the day-to-day contributions from friends and colleagues. And since most of my colleagues are "Creative-Services" types, it should come as no surprise that the majority of their contributions would be best described as gripes, complaints, annoyances and assorted other Grumpy Gus-isms that keep us happy and content in our cozy offices and cubicles of dysfunction and disdain. So here's a selection featuring some items of my own combined with assorted others that I somehow took the time to record or remember. Thanks to all for keeping this file fitter and fatter than all the others.

People obsess about what they'll put in their mouths and stomachs, but not about what they put in their eyes and ears.
How is eating a couple of Big Macs with Fries and a coke any different than watching Fox News or American Idol?
(Ok, I know it's different, but work with me here people...)

Women are always asking why men never put the (toilet) seat down . But you never hear men asking women why they don't put the seat up.

Parents/people who talk baby talk to kids who are no longer babies.

The toilets that flush themselves often flush while you're still sitting on them...which is not hygenic! All that splashing?
What was wrong with the handle? I did it with my foot...no muss, no fuss. Bet the auto flush wastes more water too.

Elevator eaters. Are you really that hungry? Can't wait the uh, oh maybe 16 seconds it takes to get from the lobby to your floor that you have to open that sandwich now and take a big bite out of it as the mayo oozes out of the side and drips onto...? Well, I hope it's your shoes.

You're using your speakerphone on the train? Now we can hear you and the person on the other line? Because....?
Oh, I see, you also want to be able to write, or read, or go through your handbag at the same time...Okay, I see...my bad.

Al Gore. Haven't seen or heard from him in years, but he still bugs me.

Ditto John Edwards.

First you cover nose and mouth, then you sneeze. First cover, then sneeze. Got it?

I know, life is hard. It's a lot of work. Especially when you're raising a family. But still, is it that hard to put the shopping cart in the cart holder space (what do you call it? The cart corral? ) or at the very least move it out of the parking space?

Why is it rude or distasteful to bite your fingernails in public but not to clip them? At least the biter usually eats the nail...the clipper is shooting pieces all over the room.

Skin tight jeans. On anyone. I can't breathe just looking at them.

When you toss it at the garbage can and miss...follow up the shot, and make the lay-up. Don't wait for someone else to grab the rebound. For christ sake...who do you think you are? Carmelo Anthony?

Take the clothes off your dog. Now!

"Let me ask you a question..." is no way to start a conversation...unless you're Joe McCarthy or Ken Starr.

Every pump at the Gas station is occupied. You just finished filling your tank. But now you leave your car where it is while you go to the bathroom, buy a chili dog, grab a soda, check out the newspaper headlines. I hope that Chili Dog gives you the runs.

Fathers who say " I gotta babysit the kids tonite." Sorry fella, too late, they're your kids now. Gonna be your kids for a while too. Better get used to it...cause there's no tip or carfare home after they're tucked in for the night.

Guitar Hero. Like American Idol. Innocent fun right? And people enjoy it...but all the same it just makes me sick.

You're giving a presentation. It's all data and numbers. And more than once you say " The numbers speak for themselves."
So why aren't you letting them?

Couples who sit on the same side of the booth when there is no one on the other side.

Taking 20 napkins, using one, throwing rest in trash. You think those napkins grow on trees? Well, you’re right.

Referring to oneself as mommy or daddy when talking to your dog.

Drivers who are unyielding at yield signs.

Spending countless weeks or months researching, digging, putting two and two together and realizing that the official story is a crock... only to be accused of being a sucker for conspiracy theories.

Taking more food at a Buffet table than you can eat.

Asking the waiter (who will have to ask the chef/cook) to customize every element of your meal…

Paying for a bagel and coffee with a credit card while six people are waiting behind you on line

Jelly beans that don’t remotely taste like anything their color would indicate.

Greeting Cards with political jokes.

Callers who leaves their phone number too fast or incoherently.

It’s 'supposedly' not 'supposebly'.

Theatre seats with one armrest for two seats. What’s the protocol? First come first served? Ultimately (among the civil minded) it then goes unused by either party.

“You can skip this ad in 5 seconds”. Has anyone ever not skipped the ad?

The plastic hinges on CD cases that break just by breathing on them.

The ranking of people and things that can’t/shouldn’t be quantified ie: He/she/it’s the number one/best/finest/most amazing musician/writer/actor/restaurant/….blah blah blah.

Anti-climactic ends to long lists.



I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
Abraham Lincoln

A Correction.

Seems I was a bit hasty in choosing the vintage ads for last post. My search criteria should have included some mention of words like "real" "genuine" or "actual". By not specifying my requests I mistakenly included at least one (and possibly two or three) ads that were bogus. The Japanese Proz-Zak ad was part of a vintage advertisement art contest in which designers created ads to look like the old ones--and I got fooled. I've lost the thread of my search history, but I now suspect that perhaps one or two others in my collection were from the same pool of parodies. I'll leave it to you to suss out which those might be--I suspect it may be the guys wrestling in their girdle/underwear...and maybe one or two of the outrageously sexist scenarios that push the "It's a man's world" ethos to improbable limits. In a way, it may still be interesting even if they are phony, to the extent that they succeed at fooling us (certainly me) because we/I recognize(d) how close to the truth of their time they are/were.

Anyway, to make up for it here are a few more...








The copy is the epitome of eloquent euphemism.










"This is your opportunity to gain quick popularity..." Someday I'll write an ad this good.




For the kid who has everything...except a parent with a brain.










One of many such ads for this product, and Company founder N.K. Fairbank was also University of Chicago Board Chairman. But to be fair, that was back in the late 1800s...













...by 1952 advertisers had become much more enlightened...











The Knicks are driving me nuts!

I keep trying to figure out what's really wrong (aside from lack of focus, defensive doldrums, general lack of spirit and a host of other factors cited by all the B'ball pundits and frustrated fans) and my latest speculation is that it has something to do with the influence of playing in New York City. The Big Apple is a rotten place for learning, growing, developing and nurturing. It's a playground for established movers and shakers. It's a town of big money, big media, big business and big egos. It's the heart of the "Empire" State. It's the "What have you done for me lately?" city. It's the Yankees with their insufferable sense of entitlement. It's the world of Fashion with its emphasis on style over substance. It's Wall St. and the big swinging dicks of finance. And now, more than ever, the people who go to see the games at the Garden are more apt to be deep pocketed, over indulged expense account corporate types rather than hard core hoops enthusiasts who really know and love the game. And Carmelo (and to a lesser extent Amare) came to New York with all the baggage that made the weight of expectations too great to withstand anything less than instant success. Dolan is the problem too. He wants stars and glamour and all that crap and probably hasn't got a clue about what it takes to build a winning team. I feel sorry for D'Antoni. I think he does know what it takes, but he's a victim of Big Apple Blues too.

Anywho...


Here's something I found years ago when I got in the habit of sending e-mails to my son Eli with interesting/inspiring quotes. I don't know exactly where I found it, but if memory serves, it was a website created by a young man who was traveling the world after abandoning a budding career (in corporate law maybe?) During his travels he kept a journal/log (I guess that's a blog) in which he shared thoughts, ideas etc. He put a much longer list together over time and I liked it and sent it to Eli. I think he had a clever headline for it but I can't remember that either. Anyway, here's what I kept of it.



Accept a breath mint if someone offers you one.

Never give anybody a fondue set or anything painted avocado green

Plant zucchini only if you have lots of friends.

Take off the convention badge as soon as you leave the convention hall.

Remember, the wrapping on a gift sometimes says more than the gift itself.

Learn the word for " love " in many languages.

When you are totally exhausted but have to keep going, wash your face and hands and put on clean socks and a clean shirt.

Check for toilet paper before sitting down.

Don't sleep all you want...just all you need.

Live an honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.

Purchase one piece of original art each year, even if it's just a small oil painting by a high school student.

Don't do business with anyone who has a history of suing people.

Never pick up anything off the floor of a cab.

Leave loose change where a child can find it.

When travelling the back roads, stop whenever you see a sign that reads "Honey for Sale."

Don't outlive your money.

Let some things remain mysterious.

Never eat a sugared doughnut when wearing a dark suit.

Hire people more for their judgement than for their talents.

Love someone who doesn't deserve it.


AND FINALLY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS. I HAVE THIS POSTED ON MY OFFICE WALL.

REMEMBER: CLICKING IMAGES ENLARGES...USUALLY.



As good a way as any I think to start off another tour of vintage advertising that says in very few words and pictures just about all you need to know about the general zeitgeist of a particular moment in time. This was run by The Office of War Information and it's amazing to think that not so long ago our economic model was still simple enough to be reduced to such easy math. Supply side running low? No problem, reduce demand. Class dismissed.






Subtle ain't it? Wonder if it just blended in with everything else at the time or kinda, sorta, maybe just a little bit bothered some sensibilities? Mad men indeed.






Well, as long as we're in the ballpark, might as well follow a few more pitches. I see nothing disturbing here, except that maybe the illustrator overdid the burning pan a bit. But he certainly captured our pretty homemaker...that perfect combination of "Oh, silly me" and " will you ever forgive me?"



And three's a charm. Rounding out our trio of true love stories is this romance brought to you by the Corn Flakes folk.
I find it confusing though. What's the guy's angle? The inset panel almost suggests that he's either jealous or just a big fat liar.










What's not to love? Honest, clear, benefit driven advertising. Wonder if you can find it on E-Bay.










Oooh...I'll bet burping this kid was a snap! Dig the little doggie behind the bottle...you just can't keep a good art director down.



















Dr. Batty alright.














Now meybes dere was a time wen folks jus dint know no bettah-- and wasn meanin no harm.
Or den agin meybe's dey did know bettah-- but jus dinnt care one ways or de otha bout nobody cept
they own dum ignorant cold blooded black hearted venal and evil as the devil selves.





Whaaaaa?



Huhhhhhh?



Holy Delusional Dingbats Batman!



Clearly a campaign with a strong ideological foundation. Like a cross between Ayn Rand and Jules Verne.
Maybe the CEO of Motorola thought everyone lives like this. And "hey you kids, don't let me catch you running down those stairs or it's no movie in the basement amphitheater tonight."





Including this only cause I really like the bike. Never saw one like it before. Wonder why you never see them at antique shops--guess the good ones are too valuable? And always nice to remember that before photography completely took over, there were people who could really draw ...and earn a living.









And you thought it was " you can't be too thin".














...and nothin gets the appetite going like knowing your meat is fresh and came to you of its own free will.











Feel free to provide your own caption. I'm speechless














Fascinating.
Gotta dig for more info on this one.
I'll let you know what I find out.











And finally...can't believe I found this.
If you know the routine he did about it, it's even funnier.

If you don't...





here it is...

THEY DIDN'T TELL US THIS STORY IN SCHOOL

Meticulously researched historical account while also a moving and heartbreaking narrative. Unsentimental, unbiased, and as even handed as one could imagine possible —leaving it to the reader to draw conclusions based on substantiated fact, documented records and first person accounts. An impressive scholarly achievement that occasionally reads like dramatic fiction simply by virtue of the intensity of the actual human drama it depicts.


Quanah Parker was the son of Cynthia Ann Parker who was captured by Comanches in a raid when she was 9 yrs. old. She spent next 25 years living as a Comanche, marrying the tribal chief and raising three children. She was then recaptured and returned to her family where she resisted reintegration with anglo life and died after starving herself. Her story was the basis of John Ford's classic western The Searchers.




Quanah was about 12 when his mother was recaptured and taken away from the tribe, and he grew up to be one of the last of the great Comanche warrior chiefs to escape capture while leading an ever dwindling population of resisters into ever more ill-fated battles until U.S. military might ultimately prevailed. And then, (most amazingly) he shrewdly adapted by becoming a respected (by white establishment including Teddy Roosevelt) leader and champion of indian rights within the new world of the reservation. But the book is primarily the story of the expansion of anglo settlements and the hundreds of battles, raids, counter-raids and outright slaughters that led to the total demise of free native american tribes throughout the entire region.


About halfway through reading, it started to dawn on me that this was the same story that has played out over and over again throughout history. A clash of civilizations with no chance or possibility of resolution other than complete and total dominance by one over the other. Treaties made, treaties broken. Peace policies introduced, policies abandoned. And the critical role that technology often plays in such sagas. In this case that initially included the Horse ( The introduction of which by the Spaniards made the Comanche (and dozens of other tribes) way of life possible. The Comanches were Buffalo Hunters and warriors--and the greatest horsemen. On the anglo side, it was the gun. The Colt repeating pistol and the long range rifle. And in the end the Railroad was the ultimate game changer. The writing was on the wall from the outset--and only the date of the endgame was ever in doubt.

“Manifest Destiny” (a term coined in the 1840s by John O'Sullivan) repelled me the moment I first understood it’s meaning. Most of us learned it in school and as I recall, no one ever pointed out or made mention of the fact that in essence it was simply a self-righteous rationale for slavery, conquest and genocide. 'This is our destiny (because it is God’s will) and we will make it manifest by whatever means necessary.' And reading David Remnick’s piece on Israel in this week’s New Yorker--

(http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2012/03/12/120312taco_talk_remnick)-

- it resonated again. Remnick talks about the rising tide of extreme fundamentalism taking hold as a similar dynamic plays out in the middle east –and it gave me chills. Two sides. Both convinced of their religious, spiritual, geographic, historical and immutable right to a particular piece of the planet. Neither genuinely interested in co-existence anymore--only retribution and conquest. Like any Hatfield and McCoy scenario, the initial causes and events fade into distant memory and all that remains is the fear and anger rising from each new confrontation. Emotional fervor rises as tragic and senseless death tolls mount and one begets the other in an endless cycle. I thought I generally understood the hard core hawks over there, but the article cites things that sound like the zealous Zionists are turning into fanatical fascists. Maybe Space exploration is a good thing…never thought so before.


I’ve been foolin around with “Over the Rainbow” for months now and havin fun playing with voicings and chord substitutions.

(Interesting document here: Piano/Accordian solo from British Edition of original film score)

The song is so pretty and the changes allow for enough variation for me to find the tune a challenging little puzzle.




And everything Harold Arlen wrote was great (my son's guitar teacher turned me on to Arlen when he led the Westchester Jazz Orchestra in a concert of his work. Arlen was one of the few "Broadway" composers whose style was steeped in jazz and blues influences--Stormy Weather, Come Rain or Come Shine, Blues in the Night) and E.Y. (Yip) Harburg is one of my favorite lyricists--(Brother Can You Spare a Dime?, It's Only a Paper Moon, Lydia the Tattooed Lady) I think what keeps me going with it is that the melody comes through so strongly even when you just concentrate on the changes—but I suspect that has something to do with how familiar it is and how locked into our psyche it’s been all our lives.

Anyhow…I’m slowly making progress trying to find new ways to treat it...and it’s given me a new appreciation for how great the tune is. And how it lends itself to so many interpretations.

I've posted Per-Olav Kindgren before. His old homemade website was full of great (and free!) stuff--but he's wised up and now it's all high-tech and slick (http://www.per-olovkindgren.com/ipnmonitor/index.php) and not free. But good for him...and I hope he's making a go of it. I found him while looking for easy Bach transcriptions and he had a few I could tackle. I like what he's done with this tune here too.



And maybe because I'm so handicapped by my limited knowledge and technique, I'm that much more amazed when a wizard like Art Tatum takes a crack at it.
Tatum isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (though his “Tea for Two” rarely fails to blow minds) cause he’s almost too good. Listening to him is almost like watching the workings of some kind of complex high speed machinery with so many moving parts you can't ever quite see how they all fit together. There’s almost too much going on to take it all in and after a while it doesn’t even sound like music anymore. But here he sticks to the tune most of the time…and displays the technique (those arpeggios!) and the imagination that even made Oscar Peterson want to throw in the towel.


OVER THE RAINBOW




Great music scenes in the movies continues

...with Tatum taking a back seat to an all star front line.

This is a Jam Session From The 1947 Film "Fabulous Dorseys"

 with:

Art Tatum : Piano

Tommy Dorsey : Trombone

Jimmie Dorsey : Clarinet

Charlie Barnet : Sax

George Van Eps : Guitar

Ray Bauduc : Drums

Ziggy Elman : Trumpet

Stuart Foster : Bass




I’m in the restaurant at SeaWorld and halfway through my fishburger I realize, I could be eating a slow learner.

Lynda Montgomery

"...And if you don't finish your vegetables, Daddy's gonna take you to a Knicks game. "


After last night's loss to Dallas, Carmelo ( after going 2 for 12) said:

“I think anytime you go from the early part of the season, just having the ball and me just having the ball and being the distributor, and now just running the wings and waiting for the ball to come to me, that’s quite an adjustment for myself.”

Sad. So much talent, so little understanding of the game. He's like a guitar player who only cares about his solo with no concept of the song.


NOT A WHOLE LOT TO SAY TODAY...

SO HERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF NUMBERS THAT PROBABLY SAY SOMETHING...



The world population = 7 billion (give or take a few)

Total annual births 134 million

Total annual deaths 56 million
(but expected to increase to 80 million per year by 2040)

Population by continent

Asia
4.1 Billion

Africa
994 Million

Europe
738 Million

North America
528 Million

South America
385 Million

Oceania
36 Million

Antarctica
4.5 Thousand


Ok. Now that we have our points of reference...


◦ 107 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2010
.
◦ 294 billion – Average number of email messages per day.

◦ 1.88 billion – The number of email users worldwide.

◦ 480 million – New email users since the year before.

◦ 2.9 billion – The number of email accounts worldwide.




• 255 million – The number of websites as of December 2010.

• 21.4 million – Added websites in 2010.




• 88.8 million – .COM domain names at the end of 2010.

• 13.2 million – .NET domain names at the end of 2010.

• 8.6 million – .ORG domain names at the end of 2010.


• 1.97 billion – Internet users worldwide (June 2010).

• 14% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year.

• 825.1 million – Internet users in Asia.

• 475.1 million – Internet users in Europe.

• 266.2 million – Internet users in North America.



• 204.7 million – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean.

• 110.9 million – Internet users in Africa.

• 63.2 million – Internet users in the Middle East.

• 21.3 million – Internet users in Oceania / Australia.



• 152 million –
The number of blogs on the Internet

• 25 billion – Number of sent tweets on Twitter in 2010

• 100 million – New accounts added on Twitter in 2010

• 175 million – People on Twitter as of September 2010

• 7.7 million – People following @ladygaga (Lady Gaga

• 600 million – People on Facebook at the end of 2010.

• 250 million – New people on Facebook in 2010.

• 30 billion – Pieces of content (links, notes, photos, etc.) shared on Facebook per month.

• 70% – Share of Facebook’s user base located outside the United States.

• 20 million – The number of Facebook apps installed each day.

• 2 billion – The number of videos watched per day on YouTube.

• 35 – Hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute.

• 186 – The number of online videos the average Internet user watches in a month (USA).

• 84% – Share of Internet users that view videos online (USA).

• 14% – Share of Internet users that have uploaded videos online (USA).

• 2+ billion – The number of videos watched per month on Facebook.

• 20 million – Videos uploaded to Facebook per month.

• 5 billion – Photos hosted by Flickr (September 2010).

• 3000+ – Photos uploaded per minute to Flickr.

• 3+ billion – Photos uploaded per month to Facebook.





LUDDITES OF THE WORLD UNITE! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR PENCILS.