Off To The Outback

I'll be back at the end of this month. I might be blogging from Central America depending on availability of internet. Until then, good luck, God speed, and don't drink the water.

Anti-Mullah Protests In Iran

Still very early to gauge, but the "Iranian street" is erupting again. This tends to happen every year around the Persian holidays (which are banned by the mullahs, though the citizenry pay no attention to the ban), but it'll be interesting to see whether they persist. One can only imagine that they've taken some cue from the Lebanese protests and the Iraqi vote across their border.

The status quo in the Middle East must be demolished. There is no other way to win the war against terrorism.

Hooked On A Feeling

This video must be seen to be believed. David Hasselhoff, of Baywatch fame (great show, by the way), flies through the air with angels, dances and sings with Dinka tribesmen, and takes a bite out of a really big Arctic dwelling salmon. Unfathomable brilliance.

The Lebanese Demonstration Continues....

This time, it is the anti-Syrian, anti-puppet government forces demonstrating again.

The pro-Syrian demonstration last week was a twee demoralizing to this blogger, not so much because I thought it was forced and bogus, but more because I thought it would demoralize the "forces of light". Thankfully, the forces of freedom are rallying again, not only as an answer to the Hezbollah/Syrian backed rally of last week, but also to protest the re-appointment of Prime Minister Omar Karami. Karami, if you recall, was the puppet head-of-state installed by the Syrians. Two weeks ago he handed in his resignation, but in mobster parlance, "someone got to him", and he was re-instated by Syrian puppet President Emile Lahoud. Thankfully, this just won't wash with the populace, so they're taking to the streets again. This time, however, the demonstrators are in the hundres of thousands. I'm not sure they'll match the 500,000 pro-Syrian, pro-Hezbollah demonstrators that came out last week. But chances are, these hundreds of thousands of Lebanese weren't bussed in from Syria or coaxed into protesting under the threat of retribution from Hezbollah.

We are living in interesting times, to say the least.

MLB Seeks To Dodge Congressional Subpoena Regarding Steriod Use

Bad idea, guys. Bad idea.


I'm not sure Bud Selig knows what he's getting into here, much less the players that have been subpoena-ed. Perhaps in a fit of hubris, the powers that be in MLB think they can take on the United States government. Hmmm....well, unless Bud Selig and/or Donald Fehr are capable of doing to certain members of Congress what Michael Corleone did to Senator Leary in The Godfather, they're going to do irreparable damage to their league. If it's true that "you can't fight City Hall", it is even more true that you can't win against the United States government. And just remember folks, MLB is exempt from all federal anti-trust laws. Piss off Congress, and you can bet that there will be talk about revoking their exemption. Just wait and see.

I've heard talk like "doesn't Congress have better things to do"? Well, not really. I mean, let's face it. When you've passed law after law, many of which are the same laws time and again, blown through all your Chivas, and you're done copulating with this year's crop of congressional pages, what else is there to do for a Congressman or a Senator? Right or wrong, these people wield tremendous power. And if Major League Baseball is arrogant enough to think that it can slough off congressional subpoenas, they're in for a rude awakening.

Hot New Band

These guys really blew me away....and I'm not just saying that.

Beethoven and Goethe

"His talent astonished me, but his is a totally untamed personality, and he is not entirely wrong in finding the world detestable, though this attitude does not make it more pleasant, either for himself or others …"
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, of his 4-day meeting with Beethoven in July, 1812.

"The Court suits him too much. It is not becoming of a poet."
- Beethoven, of his meeting with Goethe.

Beethoven and Goethe met in 1812. Beethoven was 42, Goethe, 63. In their first meeting they walked and talked. Then, some of the nobility passed with their entourage. Goethe politely stepped aside and bowed deferentially to the nobles - while Beethoven, in a typical gesture, strode almost defiantly right through their midst, with his hands behind his back and without acknowledging the presence of the nobles, who had no alternative but to give him clear passage. When Goethe asked Beethoven how he could so disrespectfully treat these nobles, the composer replied, again characteristically, "There are countless 'nobles', but only two of us."

Read the entire article here.

VDH

How odd that conservatives, usually derided for their multicultural insensitivity and blinkered approach to the world abroad, had far more confidence in the Arab street than did liberals at home and Euro elites who patronized Arabs as nice "others" who were "different" rather than oppressed by murderous thugs in the manner of former Russians, Hungarians, Bosnians, and Afghans.

--Victor David Hansen

Read the whole article here.

Band Names/Band Looks

How strange is it that when one band makes it big, a number of other bands wind up with similar names? Just to back up my thesis on this phenomenon, consider the following bands, all of whom are relatively big at the moment:

Blink 182
Sum 41
Matchbox 20
Maroon 5

I know there are others that I'm missing, but you get the point. The trend the last few years is to pick a word, apropo of nothing, and affix a number at the end of it. I'm fairly certain that Matchbox 20 were the originators of this naming technique, so they get a pass as far as I'm concerned. But what's with the rest of them? Did they name themselves, or did their record company do it for them? "Hey guys. Listen, we're going to affix you with a name that means nothing and has a number at the end of it. Believe me, it'll be cool!" Then there's this: Recently I came across the name of a band called Louis XIV. I don't think I'm jumping to conclusions when I say that it is fairly obvious that this band got their cue from Franz Ferdinand, another band that recently broke. "Hey guys, here's the new trend. We have to name ourselves after a European monarch who somehow precipitated a revolution or a war that was exceptionally destructive!" Don't be too surprised if you see a band named Alexander Kerensky. This isn't a knock on anyone's music per se (although I don't think much of any of them), but I do think it more than a coinicidence, this silly naming going on, no?

Another thing I've noticed is the return of the greasy, slightly long-haired look, circa 1975. Wearing tweed jackets, ripped jeans, Chuckie-Ts, and playing unpopular guitar models that Fender used to put out when they were at the nadir of their production quality, we have bands like The Strokes (who were the ones that brought back the look), Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, and the aforementioned Maroon 5. Now again, this isn't a dig on any of the bands I've mentioned musically. (I'm slightly partial to The White Stripes...but not much.) But I do find these "fashion" trends in music amusing. I do also find it amusing that these bands choose to play some of the weakest, technologically anachronistic equipment available, if only for the "look". Curious, no?

The Porno Boy Chronicles: The Cabbie Stories

Porno Boy was a notorious cab ditcher. He did this for two reasons: he was/is a sleaze, and he's also a racist. He also was drunk pretty much every single time he did it; he's also broke most of the time as well. Since a fairly large portion of the cab drivers in NYC are either Pakistani, Indian, or Sikh, Porno Boy feels he can justify ditching the fare on these hardworking folks due to their ethnicity. But his cab ditching tendencies didn't always go off without a hitch.

On one occasion, whilst living with a very good friend of mine (who most certainly regretted inviting Porno Boy into the living arrangement), there was a knock on the door of the apartment at 2:00 am or thereabouts. (On a weeknight, no less.) At the door were two cops and a slight Pakistani man. The cops said to my friend something to the effect of, "This guy says you ditched his fare." Now, this friend was in a dead sleep, and it was fairly obvious to the cops. After thinking for a second, he said to the cops, "Uh....c'mon in." He guided them to the sofa, where Porno Boy was hiding behind it. "Oh....I was just kidding around," or something to that effect, then sheepishly paid the fare.

Another time I received a call from Porno Boy on a Saturday morning. "Hey, what's goin' on?", I asked. "Nothing. What are you doing?", said Porno. We chatted a bit more, then he told me that he tried to ditch a cabbie the night before. This particular time the cabbie had no interest in letting him get away with it. The cabbie ran down the street after him, and promptly beat the crap out of him until Porno Boy paid the fare. Quoth Porno Boy, "You know, I hate those f***kin' Pakis, but I gotta tell ya. That guy that beat the sh*t out of me for the fare....I respect that guy."

Bonds

It is fairly obvious to even the most casual observer of baseball that there's something strange about a guy like Barry Bonds to have such an amazing surge of home-run power past the age of 37. Sure, he can credit dieting, a state-of-the-art work-out regimen, etc. But nature is nature, and no matter which way you slice it, the natural progression of nature renders even the greatest athletes lesser men in the long run. But in the case of Bonds, it has done the opposite. Strange, no?

Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, has decreed that any records that Bonds (or anyone else for that matter) has broken up to this point will not be marked with an asterisk. Quoth Selig, “That would be unfair to do that… We can't turn history back… Each era, each decade has had situations where people said there were unfair advantages.” True enough. Gaylord Perry was quite open about his spitballs. God knows what else he was guilty of. So I understand Selig's point. But to my mind, the integrity of the game has been blemished, and not just by Bonds. So whether or not there's an asterisk next to Bonds' name, or McGwire's, or anyone elses, it matters not. The masses of Americans who watch the game (and I'm a casual, not obsessive, observer) will know that McGwire's home run record for a single season was tainted, as was Bonds' subsequent breaking of it.

At this point, the best thing that Selig can do, though he probably won't, is place MLB under the same strict anti-performance enhancing rules as the International Olympic Committee has for Olympic athletes. The integrity of the game has been called into question. If he wants to rectify that, he should implement the same Olympic standards, Donald Fehr and the players' union be damned.

On a personal note, I don't like Bonds. Conversely, I've always loved Hammerin' Hank Aaron. The first ballgame I witnessed at the age of seven was the Yanks versus the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yanks won 10-1. Hammerin' Hank got the lone Brewers homer. The memory of it thrills me even now. So in the interest of full disclosure, I'd rather see Hank keep the all-time homer record than see that ugly cad Bonds take it. Let's preserve that record for someone a bit more worthy, a bit more classy, and preferably someone who isn't juiced up to the point of resembling the Michelin Man.

Mike Stern

Last night I went to see Mike Stern at 55 Bar on Christopher St. in the Village. I didn't go on my own volition, mind. My friend Ed, who's a guitar virtuouso, dragged me there. I'm glad I went. Wow, what a performance.

For those of you not familiar w. Mike, he's a jazz-rock (fusion) guitar player who's played with Jaco Pastorius and Miles Davis. He's now gigging under his own name. He played with Richard Bona, a six-string bassist I've never heard of until last night, who was tremenous, as well as a gal drummer by the name of Kim Thompson, who could've been the hardest hitting jazz drummer I've ever witnessed. There was some great interplay between the three, and it was pretty cool when the band broke out into a few bars of "Seventh Stone From The Sun" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". (Obviously, even though Stern is a jazz guy, his insertion of these tunes shows that he still has great love for rock.)

I came stumbling in at 4:00 am. Ouch. But it was worth it.

My Lebanese Obsession Continues...

Bush calls for complete withdrawal. Assad looks for ways to buy time and make it look like he's withdrawing when he really isn't. But more important than any of that is the fact that Lebanese chicks are really hot.

I'm Starting To Think He's Completely Hopeless

“Iran is the only country in the world that has now had six elections since the first election of President Khatami (in 1997). (It is) the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in six elections: Two for president; two for the Parliament, the Majlis; two for the mayoralties. In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote. There is no other country in the world I can say that about, certainly not my own.”

--Former President Bill Clinton, last month in Davos, Switzerland

For all the talk about how intelligent and insightful Bill Clinton is, he's made statements in the last few years that really make me question, if not his intelligence, his sanity. Clearly Clinton either isn't aware or doesn't care that Iran is the single-most repressive regime, short of (perhaps) North Korea, in the world. And yet Clinton provides the ruling theocratic government with such a juicy piece of propoganda that it is sure to demoralize even the most virulent dissident of the regime. Nice job, Bill. Deprived of the filters that the presidency bestowed upon him, Clinton unfiltered clearly has no idea what he's talking about, has no idea the negative impact of his pronouncements throughout the Islamic world, or doesn't care. Whatever the case, his endorsement of the ruling tyrannical Iranian regime undermines whatever nascent democratic movement that presently exists behind the lines in Iran. I'm sure Hezbollah is pretty happy about it, though. And the Left has the temerity to rip on Bush for his malapropisms? Stalinist USSR used to have frequent elections too, Bill. Didn't make it a democracy, you f***king moron.

Rhodes scholarship obviously doesn't give one common sense, does it. (No...it doesn't.)

Lebanon (Again)

I'm pretty excited about what is going on in Lebanon at the moment. I'm particularly excited about how this development has really put a sour taste in the mouths of those that doubted Bush's plan to democratize the region. I explained Bush's ultimate goal for the Middle East to a friend of mine shortly before we upended Saddam Hussein's regime (2003?). Stating that the goal of the Iraqi endeavor was not oil, a puppet government, etc. but to plant a democracy smack dab in the heart of the Middle East that would serve both as a model and to pressure those despotic regimes that border it, he replied, "that's insane!". I further explained that a free republic that borders Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia would present clear competition to the tyrannies it bordered, that people that live under tyranny would look across the border and wonder why they couldn't have that same freedom. A similar response occurred. Well, it is happening. Not only that, but there looks to be a REAL shot at a Palestinian/Israeli peace. None of this would be possible without taking out Iraq. It might be presumptuous of me at this juncture, but I'm going on record. Within the next two years, Iranian and Syrian governments will have been upended by popular revolution. Freedom is in the air.

Bush isn't looking so stupid these days, is he?

QEII Meets Three Members of the Yardbirds

Great story in the London Independent about Queen Elizabeth II meeting a number of legendary British guitarists, namely the "big three": Clapton, Page, and Beck (as in Jeff), as well as Brian May. Seems QEII wasn't particularly up on her rock history, and didn't know much about any of them. The following exchange occurred between Eric Clapton and the Queen:

QEII: Have you been playing long?
Clapton: About 45 years.

Read all about it here. It was a whimsical little encounter.

For the record, I think Beck kicks both Page's and Clapton's asses.

Hunter S. Thompson Suicide

About a week has passed since Thompson offed himself. This clearly shouldn't be a surprise to anyone familiar with the man, considering his massive intake of alcohol and drugs virtually every day of his life for the past forty plus years. I've often had a libertarian stance in the past when it came to substance abuse, but I've since revised my point of view. In the past, I felt that what a person put into their body was their business, and that drugs should be legalized. I've changed my point of view on this because there is no way that anyone could indulge in the destruction of their mind and body without affecting other people around them. If it were the case that druggies and alcoholics would go away to some far off place and shoot or drink themselves up without impeding the lives of their friends and loved ones, I might still be sypathetic to the libertarian line. But that never is the case, and as a result, family and friends suffer greatly when someone slips down into that hole. Why I bring this up is because Thompson, whilst under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, put a bullet in his skull while his six-year-old grandson was in the next room. Of course, as Thompson was a counter-culture hero, this fact was buried or just plain omitted. I've never been a fan of Thompson's writing; I find it self-indulgent and generally useless. I have plenty of friends of mine (and fans of his) that would disagree with me. Fair enough. But what is indisputable is that Thompson went out like a chump, and he, in all likelihood, caused permanent psychological damage to a six-year-old boy. What a loser.