From the ever-expanding youtube archives, three live videos of some great songs.
"When you come back down" [complete with fans yelling at the beginning]:
"The Fox" with "The Weight" by The Band in the middle:
"Toxic" by Brittany Federline:
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
More fun with youtube
Go to youtube and type in "kishore." This gem, "Kishore dance clip 1," is your third option. Enjoy.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Mikey does like it
So he did do it, and then he lied about it to his team, prosecutors, and the NFL Commissioner. Uh oh. Check it out here [and every other news site].
And here's a good clip on a past Michael Vick issue.
And here's a good clip on a past Michael Vick issue.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Interesting article
First off let me say that I love dogs. Growing up we had at least one dog, sometimes two, and I've had three dogs while living here in Cville [Bailey 1, Bailey 2.0, and now Hazel]. Let me also state that I like deer. Not necessarily the deer that leave raisonettes in our backyard for the dogs to roll in and snack on, but the deer that I've hunted. That's right, I hunt[ed] deer. This will be the theme of an upcoming post, but let's get back to the topic at hand.
Michael Vick is alleged to have organized and participated in dog fighting at one of his properties. The public outcry, mostly organized by PETA and other animal rights groups, has been loud and constant against him. There's talk of banning Vick for 1 year from the NFL and cries that he be banned permanently from playing in the NFL. Not for rape, or murder, or buying crack, but for dog fighting.
While it's terrible if he did what he's accused of, it is utterly ridiculous that there is this level of outcry against brutality towards animals when there has not been the same level of emotion concerning violence against people. Take, for an obvious example, the level of outrage following the charges of rape of a 20 yr old placed against Kobe Bryant; while he was booed and picketed, it wasn't to the same degree as Vick has been getting. Not saying that Kobe did it, or that Vick did it, but rather that public reaction against the two disparate charges didn't make sense in light of what they were accused of.
All of this is a lead into a well-written article over at yahoo on this topic written by Michael Silver. It's not the most damning article, but it does begin to put some of this into perspective. You can find the link here.
Michael Vick is alleged to have organized and participated in dog fighting at one of his properties. The public outcry, mostly organized by PETA and other animal rights groups, has been loud and constant against him. There's talk of banning Vick for 1 year from the NFL and cries that he be banned permanently from playing in the NFL. Not for rape, or murder, or buying crack, but for dog fighting.
While it's terrible if he did what he's accused of, it is utterly ridiculous that there is this level of outcry against brutality towards animals when there has not been the same level of emotion concerning violence against people. Take, for an obvious example, the level of outrage following the charges of rape of a 20 yr old placed against Kobe Bryant; while he was booed and picketed, it wasn't to the same degree as Vick has been getting. Not saying that Kobe did it, or that Vick did it, but rather that public reaction against the two disparate charges didn't make sense in light of what they were accused of.
All of this is a lead into a well-written article over at yahoo on this topic written by Michael Silver. It's not the most damning article, but it does begin to put some of this into perspective. You can find the link here.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Editorial free speech
I try to stay as au courant as possible with current trends in America. Because I am lazy, I do this mostly through reading the op-ed pieces that I can find on-line; one of usual haunts is Yahoo!'s section [located here] b/c of the large number of writers that it includes.
Today this article jumped out at me for being overly dramatic and a bit offensive. Entitled "GOP Declares Open War on Brown People," the author [Pachacutec ?] takes a very narrow and biased look at how the Republican candidates are beginning to discuss illegal immigration. Some of the phrases and ideas that I found offensive included the title [the party hasn't declared war on anyone, and "Brown People" is an offensive term when what is really at the core is illegal immigrants, not all Hispanics], the phrases "the White House's announcement last Friday that they will cooperate with larger efforts to rally the bigoted GOP base" and "the decades-old pancake makeup covering the hateful racist core of the GOP has flaked so hard it's falling right off, and we're about to witness quite the Klan rally for the soul of the Republican Party heading into 2008."
I also disliked the last sentence of the article, which was simply "Jackboots de rigeur." This is of course a reference to Nazi fascists, who wore the boots while persecuting and murdering millions during WW2. The author is trying to create a relationship between Nazi Germany and the Republican party, who is "against brown people."
I completely disagree with the article and find it intellectually dishonest to equate being against illegal immigration with being against immigrants or Hispanics. Are there people who are against illegal immigrants who are also hateful bigots, or who hate Hispanics, or who want to "close the borders" to all immigrants? Absolutely. But just because someone is against illegal immigrants does not mean that he or she hates "brown people" or has "declared war" against them. That's just taking it too far.
Articles like this only inflame what is already a volatile and controversial topic. This issue deserves better and more responsible debate from both sides instead of a crude attempt at gaining support by outright lying and fear-mongering.
Today this article jumped out at me for being overly dramatic and a bit offensive. Entitled "GOP Declares Open War on Brown People," the author [Pachacutec ?] takes a very narrow and biased look at how the Republican candidates are beginning to discuss illegal immigration. Some of the phrases and ideas that I found offensive included the title [the party hasn't declared war on anyone, and "Brown People" is an offensive term when what is really at the core is illegal immigrants, not all Hispanics], the phrases "the White House's announcement last Friday that they will cooperate with larger efforts to rally the bigoted GOP base" and "the decades-old pancake makeup covering the hateful racist core of the GOP has flaked so hard it's falling right off, and we're about to witness quite the Klan rally for the soul of the Republican Party heading into 2008."
I also disliked the last sentence of the article, which was simply "Jackboots de rigeur." This is of course a reference to Nazi fascists, who wore the boots while persecuting and murdering millions during WW2. The author is trying to create a relationship between Nazi Germany and the Republican party, who is "against brown people."
I completely disagree with the article and find it intellectually dishonest to equate being against illegal immigration with being against immigrants or Hispanics. Are there people who are against illegal immigrants who are also hateful bigots, or who hate Hispanics, or who want to "close the borders" to all immigrants? Absolutely. But just because someone is against illegal immigrants does not mean that he or she hates "brown people" or has "declared war" against them. That's just taking it too far.
Articles like this only inflame what is already a volatile and controversial topic. This issue deserves better and more responsible debate from both sides instead of a crude attempt at gaining support by outright lying and fear-mongering.
Beckham scores, Ronaldo follows Zidane
Ronaldo, playing for ManU but more importantly playing on my fantasy team, did something really, really dumb Tuesday night. Tuesday he got a red card late in the game, which keeps him from playing this weekend and also earned an amazing -2 pts for the fantasy cause. ManU finds itself in somewhat unfamiliar territory, with 2 ties and 2pts earned after 2 games. Everton finds itself tied in first place with Chelsea and Man City, while there are five teams ranked at the bottom with 0 pts after 2 games.
In MLS action, David Beckham started his first game and scored his first MLS goal. He scored in the 1st half with a free kick that he - wait for it....bent- over a wall and into the side netting. Here is a link to video footage of the goal. Two highlights of the video are Posh aka "Victoria" Beckham's enthusiastic celebration and the utter frustration of the keeper [was he surprised that it could happen to him?].
Monday, August 13, 2007
Wrap up of 1st weekend
Quick wrap up from yesterday's EPL games:
ManU managed to rescue defeat from the jaws of victory, finishing 0-0 [that's 'nil-nil' to you Yanks] against Reading. Pretty amazing, in my opinion, for the defending champions to tie a team that is in its second year of the EPL AND not score any goals with a lineup that includes Ronaldo, Giggs, and Rooney. Give due credit to Marcus "I'm an American, too" Hahnemann, who had a fantastic game with 5 big saves that earned him the shutout [and won Mitch the 1st week of fantasy EPL].
As I'm sure has been noted somewhere, there is a sad bit of irony in having 3 Americans [Fridel, Hahnemann, and Howard] in the world's best league where they're getting world class coaching and development and they're all playing the same position, which is a pain for the US National Team. Even with Friedel officially retired from the USMNT, it's still a shame; think if they were midfielders or defenders...oh well.
Wayne "Osteoporosis" Rooney broke his left foot right before half yesterday and sat out the 2nd half of the game. He's previously broken his right foot 2 times. In keeping tradition, Rooney breaks his foot only right before England desperately needs him for an important match or tournament [say, for example, Euro 2008 qualifiers, Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup]. Yahoo has a decent article about this here.
Mitch is running the table in our EPL league, almost doubling up everyone else's points. I wish I could say something witty here about this, but I can't; it's too painful for a Yankees fan to win in EPL football, even if it's fake.
Found a good guide to the EPL for Americans, located here, that is worth checking out.
David Beckham is still sidelined, which is frustrating many fans. To be fair, he's here for five years and he's hurt right now. Let's give the ankle a bit of time to get better and let him play a few matches before we dismiss him. If you've ever sprained an ankle, you understand how hard it is to come back to this at 100% before you're truly ready. People need to prepare themselves that this season might be a wash, but that it's going to pay huge dividends over the years...we hope.
[By the way, check out Mitch's site [here] for some great links and funny videos.]
ManU managed to rescue defeat from the jaws of victory, finishing 0-0 [that's 'nil-nil' to you Yanks] against Reading. Pretty amazing, in my opinion, for the defending champions to tie a team that is in its second year of the EPL AND not score any goals with a lineup that includes Ronaldo, Giggs, and Rooney. Give due credit to Marcus "I'm an American, too" Hahnemann, who had a fantastic game with 5 big saves that earned him the shutout [and won Mitch the 1st week of fantasy EPL].
As I'm sure has been noted somewhere, there is a sad bit of irony in having 3 Americans [Fridel, Hahnemann, and Howard] in the world's best league where they're getting world class coaching and development and they're all playing the same position, which is a pain for the US National Team. Even with Friedel officially retired from the USMNT, it's still a shame; think if they were midfielders or defenders...oh well.
Wayne "Osteoporosis" Rooney broke his left foot right before half yesterday and sat out the 2nd half of the game. He's previously broken his right foot 2 times. In keeping tradition, Rooney breaks his foot only right before England desperately needs him for an important match or tournament [say, for example, Euro 2008 qualifiers, Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup]. Yahoo has a decent article about this here.
Mitch is running the table in our EPL league, almost doubling up everyone else's points. I wish I could say something witty here about this, but I can't; it's too painful for a Yankees fan to win in EPL football, even if it's fake.
Found a good guide to the EPL for Americans, located here, that is worth checking out.
David Beckham is still sidelined, which is frustrating many fans. To be fair, he's here for five years and he's hurt right now. Let's give the ankle a bit of time to get better and let him play a few matches before we dismiss him. If you've ever sprained an ankle, you understand how hard it is to come back to this at 100% before you're truly ready. People need to prepare themselves that this season might be a wash, but that it's going to pay huge dividends over the years...we hope.
[By the way, check out Mitch's site [here] for some great links and funny videos.]
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The EPL started this weekend
The English Premier League officially kicked off its 2007-2008 season this weekend. I've been eagerly awaiting this season since the last one ended [or as Ad Homonym stated, "I've missed the EPL tremendously over the long, arduous 3-week offseason."]. One of the reasons I've been looking forward to this is because I'm playing Fantasy Premier League. Organized by the K-Mish, this is the second year we've had a private league. However, this will be my first year playing for more than 1 week. Last year I somehow got distracted after the first week and forgot to keep my roster and team up to date. One of my better moments was keeping Captain America, Claudio Reyna, not only in my lineup but as my team captain for the entire season. This was a bold move on my part, especially since Claudio switched not only teams but leagues [from the EPL and Manchester City to MLS & the NY Red Bulls].
Right now I'm watching the clinic on ball possession being put on my Manchester United. Theoretically they're playing Reading today, but as of this point [58 minutes in] the other team is largely defending with their lives and not really attacking. If you don't like soccer, this would be a very boring game for you as it's currently 0-0 despite the fact that one team is completely outplaying the other. Games like this remind you of how difficult goals are to get, especially in the EPL. Side note: Ryan Giggs is underrated, if there is such a thing for a man who captains the Red Devils. He's very solid and is a workhouse on this team filled with some superstars [Rooney and Ronaldo come to mind].
Funniest comment of the game so far has to "They should charge Van der Sar [ManU keeper] a spectator fee b/c all he's doing is watching this game today."
Christiano Ronaldo is as good as you've heard; he's in his own league out there against some of the best players in the world. His technical ability and his tactical knowledge [when to use his skills] are changing the play of this game.
Of course all of this is [so far] for naught; the score remains locked at 0-0 at this point. Selfishly I hope that Ronaldo or Rooney score, which would really help my fantasy points this week. That could almost help make up for Carlos Bocanegra giving up a penalty goal.
Dave Kitson, a substitute in the game, has just earned a red card for a "rash and hard challenge." This coming after being on the field for exactly 45 seconds, which is the current record for quickest red card this year. This dismissal and man advantage should open up the field and game a lot for ManU.
The other fun moment of the day was watching Jens Lehmann give up a silly, simple goal to Fulham. I'm sure you can find it on YouTube in a few hours. If today is any indication, it's going to be a long & exciting season to watch, especially since I kept up our Fox Soccer Channel subscription so I can watch the games live.
Right now I'm watching the clinic on ball possession being put on my Manchester United. Theoretically they're playing Reading today, but as of this point [58 minutes in] the other team is largely defending with their lives and not really attacking. If you don't like soccer, this would be a very boring game for you as it's currently 0-0 despite the fact that one team is completely outplaying the other. Games like this remind you of how difficult goals are to get, especially in the EPL. Side note: Ryan Giggs is underrated, if there is such a thing for a man who captains the Red Devils. He's very solid and is a workhouse on this team filled with some superstars [Rooney and Ronaldo come to mind].
Funniest comment of the game so far has to "They should charge Van der Sar [ManU keeper] a spectator fee b/c all he's doing is watching this game today."
Christiano Ronaldo is as good as you've heard; he's in his own league out there against some of the best players in the world. His technical ability and his tactical knowledge [when to use his skills] are changing the play of this game.
Of course all of this is [so far] for naught; the score remains locked at 0-0 at this point. Selfishly I hope that Ronaldo or Rooney score, which would really help my fantasy points this week. That could almost help make up for Carlos Bocanegra giving up a penalty goal.
Dave Kitson, a substitute in the game, has just earned a red card for a "rash and hard challenge." This coming after being on the field for exactly 45 seconds, which is the current record for quickest red card this year. This dismissal and man advantage should open up the field and game a lot for ManU.
The other fun moment of the day was watching Jens Lehmann give up a silly, simple goal to Fulham. I'm sure you can find it on YouTube in a few hours. If today is any indication, it's going to be a long & exciting season to watch, especially since I kept up our Fox Soccer Channel subscription so I can watch the games live.
Matt & Gunnar, under the stars in Nelson
Last night we had a great time in Nelson county. Located to the southwest of Cville, the county is home to Wintergreen Ski Resort, the real home of 'The Waltons', and Veritas vineyards, and it was named after Matthew and Gunnar Nelson of the band 'The Nelsons' ("the ONLY family in history to have unleashed THREE successive generations of #1 hitmakers!"). With Matt & Gunnar providing the tunes, we headed out to Veritas for their "Starry Night" concert and wineapalooza.
We decided to go last minute with some neighbors, so we missed 1/2 of the evening, but the final half that we did make was fantastic. The vineyard puts this concert series during the summer that features a live band, catered food, and a bonfire. You're invited to come early and picnic along the grounds [you can bring your own food], which is what the other half of our group did. With a new puppy [see here if you hadn't heard of this not-so-recent development], we figured we couldn't do a five hour evening, so we decided to grub here and catch the tail end of the fun.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this far exceeded it. There must have been at least a thousand people there when we arrived at 8:30 [doors at 6:30]. For $10 a head you got admittance and a cool Veritas wine glass. Wine was, of course, on sale there for somewhat reasonable prices, and the lady and I split a nice bottle of the house Viognier. The neighbors were incredibly hospitable, making us feel welcome and sharing their leftover food; this only added to the enjoyment of the evening.
The band for the evening was Ban Caribe, a blend of Carib & Latin music from Richmond. They were a good option for the not-so-hot evening, as they played a good mix of hits. Besides, who doesn't like a steel drum at an outdoor summer concert? My favorite thing about the band had to be the percussionist. Last night the 7 members of the band were older [50's ish] black musicians who were very talented; sitting in the middle of them, however, was one person who didn't appear to be with them band. He was a white kid with flaming red hair in a fro who probably is still gearing up for his senior year [of high school]. He was playing the bongos and other drums, and he was having a blast and was very talented. Lots of people around us remarked that they never would have expected a red-headed white kid to be the percussionist for this band, but he seemed at home in the middle of the group; he made us smile all night.
After a couple of hours of fun, we had to head home to release the dogs for the night. Surprisingly we encountered no traffic on the way home, which was amazing considering the amount of people in such a small venue with limited access to main roads.
All in all it was a great night, and I have to give credit to the Mrs. for pushing me out to this fun and unusual event. The next one appears to be in September; maybe we'll round up a group for an evening of fun under the stars.
We decided to go last minute with some neighbors, so we missed 1/2 of the evening, but the final half that we did make was fantastic. The vineyard puts this concert series during the summer that features a live band, catered food, and a bonfire. You're invited to come early and picnic along the grounds [you can bring your own food], which is what the other half of our group did. With a new puppy [see here if you hadn't heard of this not-so-recent development], we figured we couldn't do a five hour evening, so we decided to grub here and catch the tail end of the fun.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this far exceeded it. There must have been at least a thousand people there when we arrived at 8:30 [doors at 6:30]. For $10 a head you got admittance and a cool Veritas wine glass. Wine was, of course, on sale there for somewhat reasonable prices, and the lady and I split a nice bottle of the house Viognier. The neighbors were incredibly hospitable, making us feel welcome and sharing their leftover food; this only added to the enjoyment of the evening.
The band for the evening was Ban Caribe, a blend of Carib & Latin music from Richmond. They were a good option for the not-so-hot evening, as they played a good mix of hits. Besides, who doesn't like a steel drum at an outdoor summer concert? My favorite thing about the band had to be the percussionist. Last night the 7 members of the band were older [50's ish] black musicians who were very talented; sitting in the middle of them, however, was one person who didn't appear to be with them band. He was a white kid with flaming red hair in a fro who probably is still gearing up for his senior year [of high school]. He was playing the bongos and other drums, and he was having a blast and was very talented. Lots of people around us remarked that they never would have expected a red-headed white kid to be the percussionist for this band, but he seemed at home in the middle of the group; he made us smile all night.
After a couple of hours of fun, we had to head home to release the dogs for the night. Surprisingly we encountered no traffic on the way home, which was amazing considering the amount of people in such a small venue with limited access to main roads.
All in all it was a great night, and I have to give credit to the Mrs. for pushing me out to this fun and unusual event. The next one appears to be in September; maybe we'll round up a group for an evening of fun under the stars.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
