Say It Ain't So

Apparently the old mothercorp CBC has decided to dump Intelligence.
The good news, it's supposedly moving to Fox (I guess they'll have to clean up the language and nudity).

Sarah's Call For Equity This Christmas

I Like Ike -- RIP

"Turner died at his suburban San Diego home on Wednesday, according to a statement from his manager Scott M. Hanover.

Cause of death has not been released."

But, rumor has it, Tina might have finally kicked his ass!

Lyrics That Touch The Heart

Just listening to Neil Young's latest release and heard this classic snippet of lyrical wisdom:


I'm a dirty old man
I do what I can
Tryin' to make a livin'
I'm a dirty old man

I like to get hammered
On Friday night
Sometimes I can't wait
So Monday's alright

It's a battle with the bottle
I'll win it alright
But I lost another round
In the bar last night

Chrome Dreams indeed!

The Benefits of Experience

Y...A....W....N.........

Well Dunc, all I got to say, them 'Nucks are one awesome scoring machine!

Photographic Memory -- NOT!

Was in the pub the other night making some bets (like was the Monkee Peter Tork or Peter York) when someone brought up Sir Paul (McCartney). To make a long story short, I found someone who was willing to bet that Paul's first wife, Linda Eastman, was notof the Kodak/Eastman family. Myself, and everyone else at the bar was very confident that Linda was indeed of the camera-Eastmans, what with her penchant for photography etc.

As it turns out, lost this one (according to her entry in Wikipedia -- supported by other sources "She is of no relation to the Eastman Kodak dynasty).

Makes you really wonder how reliable are memories are.

Happy Halloween!!

Courtesy of JibJab!

Harvest Time!

In order to compile a list of top Canadian Albums/CDs, Bob Mersereau polled nearly 600 Canadian music journalists, retailers, musicians and DJs — of all ages — from across the country. The list he created is based on a tally of their top ten selections.

Here it is....how many are in your collection? What's been missed?


1. Harvest, Neil Young (1972)
2. Blue, Joni Mitchell (1970)
3. After the Gold Rush, Neil Young (1970)
4. Music From Big Pink, The Band (1968)
5. Fully Completely, The Tragically Hip (1992 )
6. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette (1995)
7. The Band, The Band (1969)
8. Funeral, Arcade Fire (2004)
9. Moving Pictures, Rush (1981)
10. American Woman, The Guess Who (1970)
11. Songs of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen (1967)
12. Reckless, Bryan Adams (1984)
13. Five Days in July, Blue Rodeo (1993)
14. Twice Removed, Sloan (1994)
15. Up to Here, The Tragically Hip (1989)
16. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1969)
17. 2112, Rush (1976)
18. Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell (1974)
19. Whale Music, Rheostatics (1992)
20. Acadie, Daniel Lanois (1989)
21. Day for Night, The Tragically Hip (1994)
22. Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1979)
23. Gord's Gold, Gordon Lightfoot (1975)
24. You Were Here, Sarah Harmer (2000)
25. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan (1993)
26. Road Apples, The Tragically Hip (1991)
27. Gordon, Barenaked Ladies (1992)
28. You Forgot it in People, Broken Social Scene (2002)
29. I'm Your Man, Leonard Cohen (1988)
30. Tonight's the Night, Neil Young (1975)
31. Decade, Neil Young (1977)
32. Miss America, Mary Margaret O'Hara (1988)
33. Surfacing, Sarah McLachlan (1997)
34. One Chord to Another, Sloan (1996)
35. Songs of Love and Hate, Leonard Cohen (1971)
36. Cyborgs Revisted, Simply Saucer (1989)
37. Ingenue, k.d. lang (1992)
38. Melville, Rheostatics (1991)
39. Love Tara, Eric's Trip (1993)
40. On the Beach, Neil Young (1974)
41. Not Fragile, Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1974)
42. The Best of the Guess Who, The Guess Who (1971)
43. Let it Die, Feist (2004)
44. The Last Waltz, The Band (1978)
45. Night Train, The Oscar Petersen Trio (1963)
46. Down at the Khyber, The Joel Plaskett Emergency (2001)
47. Harvest Moon, Neil Young (1992)
48. Cuts Like a Knife, Bryan Adams (1983)
49. L'heptade, Harmonium (1976)
50. Teenage Head, Teenage Head (1979)
51. High Class in Borrowed Shoes, Max Webster (1977)
52. Hejira, Joni Mitchell (1976)
53. The Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould (1955 and 1982)
54. Forgarty's Cove, Stan Rogers (1977)
55. Wheatfield Soul, The Guess Who (1968)
56. Si on avait besoin d'une cinquieme saison, Harmonium (1974)
57. Dancing in the Dragon's Jaw, Bruce Cockburn (1979)
58. Frantic City, Teenage Head (1980)
59. Hymns of the 49th Parallel, k.d. lang (2004)
60. Hot Shots, Trooper (1979)
61. Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson (1987)
62. The Trinity Session, Cowboy Junkies (1988)
63. Ron Sexsmith, Ron Sexsmith (1995)
64. Nothingface, Voivod (1989)
65. Come on Over, Shania Twain (1997)
66. Everything I Long For, Hayden (1995)
67. Outskirts, Blue Rodeo (1987)
68. Joyful Rebellion, k-os (2004)
69. Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot (1970)
70. Love Junk, The Pursuit of Happiness (1988)
71. Jaune, Jean-Pierre Ferland (1970)
72. Somewhere Outside, The Ugly Ducklings (1966)
73. Electric Jewels, April Wine (1973)
74. Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot (1973)
75. Left and Leaving, The Weakerthans (2000)
76. Clumsy, Our Lady Peace (1997)
77. Harmonium, Harmonium (1974)
78. Share the Land, the Guess Who (1970)
79. Greatest Hits!, Ian & Sylvia (1970)
80. Steppenwolf, Steppenwolf (1968)
81. Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell (1970)
82. Bud the Spud and Other Favourites, Stompin' Tom Connors (1969)
83. Shine a Light, Constantines (2003)
84. Shakespeare My Butt, The Lowest of the Low (1991)
85. Clayton Park, Thrush Hermit (1998)
86. Smeared, Sloan (1992)
87. Living Under June, Jann Arden (1994)
88. The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Joni Mitchell (1975)
89. Bad Manors, Crowbar (1971)
90. Official Music, King Biscuit Boy With Crowbar (1970)
91. Lightfoot!, Gordon Lightfoot (1966)
92. Mad Mad World, Tom Cochrane (1991)
93. Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright (1998)
94. Face to the Gale, Ron Hynes (1997)
96. Hobo's Taunt, Willie P. Bennett (1977)
97. Cowboyography, Ian Tyson (1986)
98. Favourite Colours, The Sadies (2004)
99. The Way I Feel, Gordon Lightfoot (1967)
100. A Farewell to Kings, Rush (1977)

The Ultimate Back-Up Solution -- less than $40.00

If this doesn't scare you I'm not sure what would....

I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter

Blender magazine has released it's ranking of the 40 worst lyricists in rock. Sorry Dunc

1 Sting
2 Neil Peart
3 Scott Stapp
4 Noel Gallagher
5 Dan Fogelberg
7 Paul Stanley
8 Diane Warren
9 Donovan
10 Jim Morrison
12 David Crosby
13 Tony Banks
13 Mike Rutherford
13 Steve Hackett
13 Phil Collins
13 Peter Gabriel
14 Will.i.am
15 Bernie Taupin
17 Jon Anderson
18 Ian Anderson
19 Queensryche
21 Alanis Morissette
22 Jon Bon Jovi
23 Robert Plant
24 Fred Durst
26 Simon Le Bon
29 Timbaland
30 Kevin Federline
31 Carly Simon
32 Matisyahu
33 Diddy (Sean Combs)
34 Henry Rollins
35 Dashboard Confessional
36 Common
37 Bryan Adams
38 Paul McCartney
39 Billy Corgan
40 Anthony Kiedis

Do you get it?

Not sure what's going on in the big city -- results of the vote on the proposed contract are as follows:

CUPE Local 15, voted 73 per cent in favour of accepting the proposed deal following their union leaders' guidance-- so they're back to work

The 800 library workers represented by CUPE Local 391 voted 78.1 per cent against mediator Brian Foley's recommendations but in agreement with their union leaders -- so they're still out

The 1,800 outside workers, represented by CUPE Local 1004 voted 57% in favour of accepting thereby going against their leaders' recommendations -- however, because of their bylaws this group of employees will remain on strike since they need 2/3rds majority to accept any contract


All in all it still looks like a big mess (especially with garbage still not being collected) but what I really want to know is how can the union leaders of Local 1004 still be looking themselves in the mirror -- 57% of their members went against their recommendation to reject -- surely this is clear evidence of a lack of confidence in the current leadership and these bozos should step down.

Ain't It The Truth

"Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother's tasted better the day before. " Rita Rudner

Burning Down The House

Just heard that a major fire has hit Bimini's in Kitsalano. Think the last time I was there Ron & I were waiting to hook up with Alex for lunch at Noodle Box. Owner is saying that he's expecting to re-open in a couple of months -- might have to go for a Xmas drink!

I Drink Therefore I Yam

Apparently recent research with rats is suggesting that moderate amounts of daily alcohol consumption may actually improve memories (click here).

My problem is that after about the third drink I forget this.

Does Anyone Really Care?

Canada now up 2-0 in Super Series against RussiaAug, 29 2007 - 9:10 AMRUSSIA/CKNW(AM980) -

Saw this on one of my rss newsfeeds. And at the risk of being accused of being negative, really, how popular is this series, especially at this time of year?





I've heard more buzz (and not a lot of it great) over this amalgamation of all things past....

And 25 years ago Philips introduced the CD

And 25 years ago Philips introduced the CD:

Hard to believe that it's been that long but looking at the shelves in my second bedroom it must have been at least that long for me to collect so many. However, I'm not sure how many more I'll be acquiring --- what with emusic.com and the mad Russians I'm continuing to download more than buy CDs. In fact, I think it's become something of a problem..click here here to see my digital shame!!

MuchMoreMusic | The very best in pop music past and present

Saw this on MTV the other night and found it somewhat hard to believe that ol' Cher was number two (at something like 600 million).

MuchMoreMusic | The very best in pop music past and present: "

THIS WEEK: The 20 Richest Rockers 1. Sir Paul McCartney 2. Cher 3. Michael Jackson 4. Elton John 5. Celine Dion 6. Sting 7. Madonna 8. P. Diddy 9. Mick Jagger 10. Tom Jones 11. Jay-Z 12. Keith Richards 13. Jennifer Lopez 14. Eric Clapton 15. Phil Collins 16. Ringo Starr 17. David Bowie 18. Barry and Robin Gibb 19. Robbie Williams 20. Britney Spears

"

Sergio on the Skids

Sergio's season continues to be in the skids as he was disqualified for submitting an incorrect score card after the third round of the PGA Championship yesterday. However, I'm thinking that he's just too arrogant to put a boogie on his score card -- I on the other hand have no problem with such things!!

Booty Call

Boots Randolph, perhaps best known for writing Yakiey Sax (which serves as the Benny Hill Theme song) died on July 3rd at 80.

Rory's Sun Peaks Initiation

Words from the wise....

: "

'Howard Hughes was able to afford the luxury of madness, like a man who not only thinks he is Napoleon but hires an army to prove it.'

Ted Morgan

Ouch!

Guns Don't Kill People -- Guns, Planes, and Drugs Do

Watch this and see if you don't feel a little more anxious the next time you're flying the friendly skies!

Maybe He Should Have Married A Vegan

SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports -- Daly says his wife attacked him with steak knife: "

John Daly smokes a cigarette while on the putting green after a rain delay Friday at the Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Daly told authorities his wife tried stab him with a steak knife, and the golfer had red marks on his cheeks when he showed up to play Friday on the course where he lives.

"

Sure Shot

There's probably just enough time before hunting season begins for DRo to switch brands (if he insists on continuing this silly habit) to help him acquire the elusive prey.

Really hard to believe how much societal views and attitudes towards smoking have changed in the last several decades.

Boxing Day

Went to Kitsilano today to pick up a birthday card and decided to check out The Noodle Box just down the street at 1867 West 4th.
I had read a fairly positive review in the Georgia Straight about two or three weeks ago. Essentially, it's stir fries etc. Place was busy and it took about 20 minutes to receive my order. Food might be slightly overpriced. Check it out when you're next picking up tix or CDs from Zulu.

Decisions, Decisions....

Heard reference of this the other day on RadioOne's "Quirks & Quarks".

From Joshua Greene's Homepage:

"A runaway trolley is hurtling down the tracks toward five people who will be killed if it proceeds on its present course. You can save these five people by diverting the trolley onto a different set of tracks, one that has only one person on it, but if you do this that person will be killed. Is it morally permissible to turn the trolley and thus prevent five deaths at the cost of one? Most people say yes.




Now consider a slightly different dilemma. Once again, the trolley is headed for five people. You are on a footbridge over the tracks next to a large man. The only way to save the five people is to push this man off the bridge and into the path of the trolley. Is that morally permissible? Most people say no.





These two cases create a puzzle for moral philosophers: What makes it okay to sacrifice one person for the sake of five others in the first case but not in the second case? But there is also a psychological puzzle here: How does everyone know (or 'know') that it's okay to turn the trolley but not okay to push the man off the bridge? My collaborators and I have collected brain imaging data suggesting that emotional responses are an important part of the answer."

I haven't read the full versions of the papers yet but I'm surprised that apparently the first choice is considered to be a cognitively easy one whereas the second one isn't. Where are these people coming from? The CTU training institute that spawned Jack and his ilk?

Anyhow, something to think about.

It's Only Rock & Roll...

Saw this on Craig Ferguson last night. Impressive!

Karma Chameleon???

At the pub today and bought a couple of moms some drinks. One group was apparently a brother and sister in their fifties or so taking out their mom who wanted to watch the hockey game on a big TV (as it turned out she was 89). Anyhow, bought the group a drink and mentioned something about "getting Karma points" for the good deed. Bartender responded that I couldn't buy Karma. I think to some extent he was right but don't I get something for the thought?


What do you think????

What the f.....

Listening to "And Sometimes Y" on CBC radioone this morning and they were discussing punctuation including a brief discussion of the most recently introduced punctuation mark, the interrobang. According to Wikipedia Martin K. Speckter concocted the interrobang in 1962.

Here it is.



I'm thinking that D-Ro must have been using this last week watching and commenting on his beloved Canucks playoff performance.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work I Go!

"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play at it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf."

Bob Hope

For Dusty's Eyes Only

And some of us have had a better year!

"America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week."

Evan Esar

Pure Gold

Heard this line late last night while listening to an audiobook version of Ian
Fleming's Goldfinger.


Spoken by Auric Goldfinger:

'I don't myself drink or smoke, Mr Bond. Smoking, I find the most ridiculous of all the varieties of human behaviour and practically the only one that is entirely against nature. Can you imagine a cow or any animal taking a mouthful of smouldering straw then breathing in the smoke and blowing it out through its nostrils? Pah!' Goldfinger showed a rare trace of emotion. 'It is a/vile practice. '

So suck away brothers & sisters.

I'll Drink To That

"Beer is the basis of modern static civ­ilization," according to Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis. "Because before beer was discovered, people used to wander around and follow goats from place to place. And then they realized that this grain [barley] could be grown and sprouted and made into a bread and crumbled and converted into a liquid which gave a nice, warm, cozy feeling. So gone were the days that they followed goats around. They stayed put while the grain grew and while the beer was brewed. And they made villages out of their tents. And those villages became towns, and those towns became cities. And so here we are in New York, thanks to beer." Another syllogism ended his address: "He who drinks beer sleeps well. He who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven. The logic is impeccable."

For the full article click here.

Pop Culture Recycled

Just a couple of things to keep your eyes/ears out for.

First, premiering on Monday on CBC (Radio One) is Jian's new show with the somewhat non-descript title of "Q". According to the CBC web site:

"Q is promising a fast-paced mix of interviews, reporter pieces, soundscapes and music that covers a broad range of arts.

And like the James Bond gadget man of the same name, it hopes to be smart and inventive."


Well see whether it lives up to its hyperbole starting Monday April 16th. It's replacing the somewhat variable Freestyle (although that show did have a weekly feature This is Your Brain on Music with psychologist Daniel Levitin) and here's the schedule:

Q will air each weekday on CBC Radio One from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in most markets, 2.30 to 4 p.m in Newfoundland, 2 to 3 p.m. in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Alberta, and from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Manitoba. An hour-long encore presentation will air each weeknight at 10 p.m.



On another front, bought dbClifford's debut release "Recylable". He's a Canadian, one man band -- on this CD he plays all the instruments etc. Check out his myspace video:
Simple Things




He's probably a little too poppy for most of you but DRo/Dusty, put this one on your ipod and you're sure to have the sweeties swooning!

A Kurt Ending

Recently passing away as a result of head injuries received as a result of a fall is Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut was the creator of such memorable characters as Billy Pilgrim and Eliot Rosewater. But really, his most memorable creation, at least for the name alone clearly has to be Montana Wildhack!

Flying Coffin

Well I'm off to Calgary tomorrow for a "celebration of life" and after some debate have decided to fly instead of driving.

In the course of discussion with the cognescenti at the pub one person suggested that the plane I'm scheduled to fly on was a "flying coffin". Let's hope this isn't the case.

Hopefully, see you later.

PS:

If I don't survive, remember TBot, what your duties are as my unofficial executor!

Oxford English Dictionary: New Entry Under Asshole

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

We knew it was coming, and after the boys at the mine turned down probably their 2nd best potential employee, we knew it was coming to the 'loops!

Greyhound Gets Serious

The Streak Is Over

Based on a similarly named individual I played a couple of tracks from this artist's greatest hits CD yesterday before lecture. And surprise, surprise, no one new who it was. This breaks the class's streak of correctly identifying the artist in the last 18 or so attempts.


And yes, based on Mr. Brown's recommendation I played some Jackson Browne. I guess it's back to indie music recorded this century!

Hotter Than Hell

Former Canadian defense minister Paul Hellyer, 83, suggests that alien technology recovered from crashed UFOs could provide green alternatives to fossil fuels. From the AFP:

Alien spacecrafts would have traveled vast distances to reach Earth, and so must be equipped with advanced propulsion systems or used exceptional fuels, he told (the Ottowa Citizen)...

"We need to persuade governments to come clean on what they know. Some of us suspect they know quite a lot, and it might be enough to save our planet if applied quickly enough," he said.

Now why aren't guys with insight like this no longer in politics?

Back At It

Golfed with the boys on Friday afternoon. First time I've had a club in my hand since early October. That clearly provides support for the naysayers of global warming!

Broke 50 and managed to par the eighth and not lose my ball on my tee shot over 9.

Look out Tiger!

Best Line On TV This Week

On this week's episode of Bones --- FBI agent to the main character:

I've got a degree too, but I'm not going to let it ruin my life.

Just The Facts Mam....

Heard this little gem of a line from an old time radio (OTR) show this morning at about 1:45 am.

The line is from an OTR show that aired between 1947 and 1948 entitled Pat Novack and starred Jack Web. The little snippet below describes in graphic detail some of the seedier clubs I've been to and the comment about the dancer's talents is hilarious. I'm sure the ole' Funky Dude has seen one or two that would qualify.



With shit like this playing on my radio it's no wonder I can't sleep at night!

More Hobbes than Calvin

Take the test, I did.

It's Only Rock & Roll

Well, it looks like the old fogies of rock are still not going to be moving into the poor house anytime soon.

According to Forbes the Rolling Stones were the top earning music industry act in 2006 with a reported income of over 150 million (that's a lot of concert t-shirts).

Here's Forbes' list of the top 10 money earning musical acts for 2006:


















Looking at these numbers I'm embarassed to be a Canadian (Nickleback & Celine in the top 10 -- ugh!)

Only The Good Die Young

Sad to read today that Michael Brecker died of leukemia. Mainly a jazz performer, the award-winning Brecker also played with Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Paul Simon.

Jazziz magazine recently called him ''inarguably the most influential tenor stylist of the last 25 years."

He will be missed.

All's Well That Ends Well

Here's one (well maybe two) of the reasons why I didn't get out of the Well on Christmas Eve until 11pm.

A Cross To Bare

Recently announced is the approval from Simon Fraser University's Board of Governors for a change to the 40-year old coat of arms.

This news was recently released and while I haven't seen the normal reactions on the SFU forums the news has received some fairly negative reaction (especially in the local rag The Province).

While I'm not sure how accurate the argument is that the University is changing the coat of arms by removing the apparently overly Christian crosses (because they alienate potential foreign students), I haven't heard anything more convincing. If I could find it, I think I'd send back my undergraduate diploma from SFU so they can update it with the new logo!

Do the university administrators really have nothing better to do?