Chrome

I forgot all about that stuff! How about the Gap Band's "Burn rubber" and "You dropped a bomb on me" ... man could those guys groove.

Rhino gets amorous with car Thursday, April 22, 2004 Posted: 9:16 AM EDT (1316 GMT) LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A rampant rhinoceros gave a group of visitors a glimpse of nature in the raw at a British safari park when he tried to have sex with their car. Sharka, a two-ton white rhino, got amorous with Dave Alsop's car when he stopped with three friends to take pictures of the animal mating with his partner Trixie at the West Midland Safari Park. The 12-year-old rhino tried to mount the Renault Laguna from the side, denting the doors and ripping off the wing mirrors before Dave drove away with a puffing Sharka in pursuit. "He was a big boy and obviously aroused," Alsop told the Sun newspaper on Thursday. "He sidled up against us. The next thing I know he's banging away at the car and it's rocking like hell." A spokeswoman for the park, which says "rhinos are not particularly intelligent animals" on its Web site, said Sharka was a hit with the female rhinos and had fathered two calves in the last five years. "He's got a bit of a reputation this lad and he was obviously at it again," she added.

Coincidentally, I just read his first two books ... pretty good stuff here, especially "Journey to the end of night."

I guess it depended on what radio station you were listening to I lived in Chicago for a fair part of the 1980s and they played it relatively often on WXRT, which, admittedly, WAS pretty much of an "indie rock" station. Good 1980s music fodder here:1980s music

How 'bout: Radio Free Europe - REM Back on the Chain Gang - Pretenders Tempted - Squeeze (Elvis Costello has some great stuff from the 1980s, but I wasn't sure it was "popular" enough. I believe the three I've got here were all "radio hits.")

Where are our Scandinavian posters when we need them? This is courtesy of the Finnish Music Information Centre. J-P Virtanen April 17, 1966 piano, organ, composer The leading torchbearer of rootsy organ jazz in Finland, J-P Virtanen began with the piano at age eight. His formative private lessons were soon embellished with three years at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory during the keyboardist's early teens. At the age of fifteen J-P got fascinated by his father's Vox Continental organ and started on a path of no return. Albums by Jimmy Smith, Larry Young and Big John Patton made a lasting impression and the youngster started practicing with newfound energy and enlightment. The organ grinder's mid-to-late-80's were spent among the most groovy groups in Helsinki from The Bullworkers to The Cool Sheiks. After The Bullworkers' hectic series of jam sessions at the legendary Kappeli restaurant in Helsinki, the boss of boogaloo branched out by taking on some rock gigs and studio work. The JP's In 1993 J-P founded his most recent group The JP's, which has so far released four albums; first two were "Micro Jazz Groove" in 1993 and "Soul Food Party" in 1996. The latter was released also in Japan, and has so far sold a respectable amount of 5,000 copies. The trio of Virtanen, bass player Pekka Lehti and drummer/producer Janne Haavisto released in early 1998 their third album "Do you see what I see?", which was followed by "Katastrof" in 1999. Apart from his old heroes the Finnish duke of drawbars likes nowadays to listen to Benmont Tench, who in J-P's opinion has brought the tradition of organ playing beautifully into the 90's.

... another amusing understatement.

I still haven't gotten over the Jimmy Smith horror stories posted on another thread, the stuff about him being such a jerk to audiences ... it's stuck in the back of my mind everytime I listen to his stuff now! Anyone else have this problem, where your personal feelings for someone get in the way of enjoying his/her music?

I don't have a lot of Cables recordings, but I've had the exact same experience ... loved him w/Pepper at the Vanguard; couldn't stand "Cables Vision." And I think your description of the latter is pretty much right on. I was expecting something a lot "boppier" than this, especially w/Hubbard and Hutcherson on board.

Mamie van Doren wearing a t-shirt from the Crawford, Texas, high school football team:

It might be worthwhile to go "backward," if you will ... start out with stuff that is more modern, with more of a "pop" sensibility ... Charlie Hunter, MMW, Bad Plus, Stefon Harris, Joshua Redman's "Elastic," Uberjammish John Scofield, etc.

The next book was just reviewed in the NY Times ... anyone read this stuff? I read Stephenson's Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon, and they were okay and good, respectively ... but I'm not sure if I should take the plunge with this new trilogy of his.

Major League Baseball declares April 15 Jackie Robinson Day Jackie Robinson Day will be celebrated every April 15 beginning this season To honor the enduring impact of Jackie Robinson and his legacy, Major League Baseball has established April 15 as "Jackie Robinson Day" throughout the Major Leagues, it was announced today. The announcement further honors Robinson's legacy by establishing April 15 as a day each year when every Major League Baseball Club will recognize the important social contributions Robinson made to our country. Jackie Robinson Day is one of the first programs to result from The Commissioner's Initiative: Major League Baseball in the 21st Century. The Commissioner's Initiative, which was formed last year, has been charged with examining the current state of Major League Baseball and determining ways to improve it for the fans. "I have often stated that baseball's proudest moment and its most powerful social statement came on April 15, 1947 when Jackie Robinson first set foot on a Major League Baseball field," said Selig. "On that day, Jackie brought down the color barrier and ushered in the era in which baseball became the true national pastime. Fifty years after that historic event, in April 1997, I was proud to join Rachel Robinson and President Bill Clinton at Shea Stadium to honor Jackie by retiring his uniform number 42 in perpetuity. By establishing April 15 as 'Jackie Robinson Day' throughout Major League Baseball, we are further ensuring that the incredible contributions and sacrifices he made -- for baseball and society -- will not be forgotten." "On behalf of our family and the Jackie Robinson Foundation, I would like to extend my thanks to Major League Baseball for creating an event that ensures Jackie's legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of each new generation of Major League Baseball players and fans," said Rachel Robinson, wife of Jackie Robinson and Founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. "April 15, 1947 was a day of great significance, not only for Major League Baseball, but in the fight for equality in this country. It is only fitting that the anniversary of this groundbreaking event should become a day for celebration and reflection at Major League ballparks." On April 15, 1947, Robinson became the first African American player in Major League Baseball, shattering a barrier that had kept players of color from playing in the Major Leagues for more than half a century. Robinson's courageous act opened the door for others, and by the late 1950s every Major League Baseball team had players of African and/or Latin descent. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Robinson breaking the Major League color barrier, Robinson's uniform number 42 was retired throughout the Major Leagues. As part of Jackie Robinson Day 2004, special pre-game ceremonies are being planned for each ballpark hosting a game on April 15. Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to each game. Other details about Jackie Robinson Day events -- including a national celebration planned for Shea Stadium in New York that will air on MLB rightsholder TBS -- will be announced later this month. Founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson, The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a public, not-for-profit, national organization that awards four-year college scholarships to academically gifted students of color with financial need. Jackie Robinson scholars also participate in the Foundation's comprehensive support system that includes leadership development, mentoring programs and career counseling. The graduation rate among Jackie Robinson scholars is 92 percent. Major League Baseball supports scholarships to select Jackie Robinson/Major League Baseball Scholars and contributes to the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholarship endowment campaign. (http://www.jackierobinson.org) In addition to its support of The Jackie Robinson Foundation, Major League Baseball operates and/or supports a number of other youth programs focused on game development and educational initiatives, including: Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Initiative and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life is a multi-curricular character education program developed by Sharon Robinson in conjunction with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Player's Trust for Children, and Scholastic Inc. The program utilizes baseball-themed features, activities and lessons to teach children in grades K-12 the values and traits they need to deal with the barriers and challenges in their lives. Using baseball as a metaphor for life, the curriculum is based on nine values demonstrated by the late Baseball Hall of Famer and barrier breaker, Jackie Robinson: Determination, Commitment, Persistence, Integrity, Justice, Courage, Teamwork, Citizenship, and Excellence. Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a youth outreach program designed to promote interest in baseball, increase the self-esteem of disadvantaged children, and encourage kids to stay in school and off the streets. Managed in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, RBI programs exist in more than 190 cities worldwide, giving more than 120,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play baseball and softball. The Major League Baseball Urban Youth Initiative is a comprehensive program to grow the game of baseball, promote diversity, make meaningful contributions to inner-city communities, provide safe and organized recreational activities for urban youth, and prepare high school players for college and professional baseball and softball. A major component of the Urban Youth Initiative is the Major League Baseball Youth Academy program. The first baseball academy is being constructed on the campus of Compton Community College in Compton, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. Major League Baseball contributed $3 million to build four fields on more than 20 acres on the Compton Community College campus. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is the official charity of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball has generated more than $15 million in direct and indirect funding for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1997. (http://bgca.org/)

Picked up two great live sax/organ dates yesterday at the Border's Outlet: Fried Buzzard: Lou Donaldson (as), Bill Hardman (tp), Billy Gardner (organ), Warren Stephens (guitar), and Leo Morris/Idris Muhammad (drums). Some pretty funny Lou Donaldson stage patter ... Live! In Chicago: Gene Ammons (ts), Eddie Buster (organ), and Gerald Donovan (drums). I haven't had a chance to listen to either all the way through yet, but so far, so GOOD!

I was just curious ... was there a Hammond B-2? Is there a Hammond B-4?

It's a fine line for me ... Evan's lady is on the non-offensive side, the bouncing boobs stuff falls on the offensive side. That extreme focus on body parts is really "dehumanizing." What would people think if someone's avatar was just a guy's huge cock? That would be the proper analogy here. -------- Offensiveness aside, I think both are out of place where they are. While there may be controls to turn off avatars, etc., someone just logging on to the site likely won't know about them. I just think it sends the wrong message. ----------- It's different from stuff like the Babe thread, which someone has to actually seek out, and which is more of an all-around appreciation of beauty.

I can remember near the beginning of the season, the local sports radio station had Larry Brown on and one of the hosts asked Brown if fans would get to see Darko play at all this year. Brown just said "No" ... I thought he was joking, but I guess not. Picking Darko seemed pretty bizarre to me ... and so did letting Rick Carlisle go; I just hope Dumars knows what he's doing.

Thank god for Norah! Don’t play this music while driving Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ tops listThe Associated Press Updated: 2:41 p.m. ET April 14, 2004LONDON - When Richard Wagner composed his powerful “Ride of the Valkyries” in the 1850s, he surely wasn’t thinking of any danger he was posing to 21st-century motorists. Britain’s RAC Foundation for Motoring on Wednesday named the strident classical piece the No. 1 tune not to play while driving, based on research it says shows loud music can cause accidents. The “Dies Irae” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem” was also considered a no-no. The top-five list of tunes to avoid while behind the wheel was rounded out by three modern songs — “Firestarter” by the Prodigy, “Red Alert” by Basement Jaxx and “Insomnia” by Faithless. To help music-loving motorists, the foundation also provided a top-five list of songs that may safely be played while driving, “albeit quietly.” Norah Jones’ smash hit “Come Away with Me” was deemed calm enough, as was “Mad World” by Gary Jules. Other songs on the safe list were “Another Day” by R&B singer Lemar, “Too Lost in You” by girl group The Sugababes and “Breathe Easy” by boy band Blue. It’s not the first time the RAC Foundation has warned of the dangers of driving with Wagner. “Ride of the Valkyries” topped the RAC Foundation list of dangerous songs two years ago, when the issue was the peril of fast tempos. Verdi’s “Dies Irae” was No. 3 on that list. © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hey, how come Darko Milicic isn't up there!? Signed, An envious anxious Pistons fan

I think you're time away from the political boards is starting to get to you, Dan ...

Not a headline, but when I used to live in Chicago, they ran a PSA kind of thing with one of the Cubs (Gary Matthews?) about supporting your local "liberry" ... must have run for three-four days before they took it off the air.

Are you talking about "Wheelin' and Dealin'"? That's definitely worth getting ... nothing that totally jumps out at you, but good stuff through and through.

Coover has some winners out there ... check out his take on Pinocchio ... I think it was called "Pinocchio in Venice." Also great was his book "The Public Burning" ... Have you read that one yet? It's a "Cooverian" take on the Rosenberg case and was absolutely fantastic. And if you like postmoderns, David Markson would be worth checking out, especially "Wittgenstein's Mistress."

For me it's the other way 'round ... I just could not get into Rush at all. Now that was a band that seemed to take itself too seriously.