Pandora is a great place to listen to music. Not only can you customize stations based on your listening preferences, Pandora also throws in stuff that you might like. I'e heard a lot of great songs that I may not otherwise have had the opportunity to hear.
It used to be Yahoo Music (when it was Launchcast), and Last.fm is pretty cool too, but Pandora is my (latest) favorite online radio site.
Here's some great songs I've loved lately:
(in no particular order)
Sweet Apple - "Do You Remember" - a 70-ish rocker from the latest side project of J. Mascis (Dinosuar Jr.). If you own a Camaro, roll the windows down and crank this one up.
Peter Wolf - "Tragedy (featuring Shelby Lynne)" - I was just blown away when I heard this song. I remember Mr. Wolf from the 80's band J. Geils Band — and truthfully, I had never considered checking out his solo stuff because of that. Then I heard this song. If all aging rockers had the ability to crank out sweet Stones-inspired tracks like this, the music world would be a better place. Or maybe I'm just getting old.
Justin Currie - "A Man with Nothing to Do" - I've been a big fan of Del Amitri since 1992's "Change Everything," which is (in my mind) a perfect pop record. So I was excited to hear Justin Currie's voice again, as his 2nd solo cd, "The Great War" has just come out. Will have to check more from this.
Lately I've been thinking it's funny how much I've been getting into country music, progressively more and more, in the last 10 years...
I've always loved music, and even when I was a metalhead as a kid, I still had that pop music side (VIZION with Lee Z), as well as punk rock, classic rock (Bob Seger, AC/DC, Kiss, Alice Cooper), hardcore, indie rock...
I've run sound for cover bands, sang in every band that would let me...
But as I get older, country stirs something in me that I can't describe. It's like hearing a James Taylor song — when I was a kid, our local radio played all that kind of stuff all the time (Steve Schaeffer at WNBT - did I spell it right? He's STILL DJ'ing today I bet) — as a kid, you don't have that emotional connection to it as you do when you're older.
Now when I hear "Country Road" (or "Fire & Rain"), it's like the journey has created all these layers to it... I think of my childhood and Mom having the radio on all the time, I think of Scott Turner playing at the Gaslight every Friday night when I was in my twenties and still figuring out who I was, I think of Sunday drives when you just jump in the car and crank up the radio and see where the music takes you.
Country music...
The Charley Pride records at my grandmother's house. Working at WalMart and having these country music promo videotapes that played George Jones and Reba in endless loops, and selling tons of Tim McGraw / Garth Brooks cd's to locals and wondering what all the fuss was about.
Huffman's Office Equipment on Main Street where they always had country music on, and I knew that Tiffany Stewart was just cringing must of the time because she'd much rather hear Type O Negative or Pink Floyd.
The time I helped Kevin @ KC101 do a live remote because I had radio experience and knew the console, then seeing the possibility of a guy doing it out of a house (I was soooo tempted to buy a transmitter and start doing pirate radio)
Which brings us to today... I had a recent phone call with an old friend, someone I met in my teens primarily because of our mutual love for heavy music, and became the best of friends for some 20+ years now. When he & I talk these days, invariably the conversation comes around to what music we're digging lately, and I kind of felt too weird about it to tell him that — although I still look for new music of many types these days — more and more it's country.
I wonder now why I didn't share that... why I held that part of me back? Is it because he'd likely razz me about it? Nah, because razzing each other for us, over 20+ years, has become an art form, and we're secure enough in who we are to not give a crap if the other one looks at us weird. Is it because I knew he wouldn't be able to relate? Maybe. We don't get to speak much these days, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking to him about something he will not relate to. I don't know.
But, yeah, I'm really getting more an more into country. It seems to stir something in me, like an old friend, or a memory of home. I have every Joe Nichols cd. I'm totally looking forward to the new Jimmy Wayne coming out next week (ironically, he's covering "Sara Smile", and you don't get much more WNBT/classic rock/old-school than a Daryl Hall & John Oates song like that one). I'm into guys like Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan, Tim McGraw, and even George Strait. I'm getting into new country too, like Lady Antebellum and Love & Theft, Craig Morgan, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, & Chris Young. I love the song "Small Town USA", I saw Vince Gill in concert a few years back.
I don't talk or post a lot about it. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I don't see a lot of other people talking about country music. Maybe it's because my wife sees that side of me every day, and that's enough. I don't know.
So, yeah. I love country music. I said it. It's out there.
I can even put it up there right next to my love for my beloved hard rock/heavy metal, and alternative rock, and adult alternative, and classic rock.
And there's exceptions too. There always are. I still can't stand the "Yee Haw" aspect, that "Woo hoo, play somethin' country" vibe, the Trailer Choir "rockin' the beer gut" type twangy country party tunes...
I can't stand "Eight Second Ride", or "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy". I have my limits.
But I'd be happy to tell you what I love. I always have been, and always will.
If you'd like to hear some of the songs I've into this year, you can check out my playlist 'Country '09' on Lala.com for free:
Bob Schneider amazes me. He's got many sides: drunken frat-party rock with The Ugly Americans and the Scabs... and the singer-songwriter vibe of his solo albums "Lonelyland" and "I'm Good Now."
Just go to his website and listen to some of his commentary (unless you don't like hearing him swear - profusely). He's funny, and a little out there.
But I always enjoy new songs from him, and the "40 Dogs (like Romeo and Juliet)" single sounds great.
Yeah, that's right, it's only the 2nd of June and I'm already starting a Christmas Wish List.
"What's wrong with you?," you say.
Well, it's not that I'm greedy, it's that I'm forgetful. So I thought I'd start a list here because it's easy to blog with Flock -- if I see something I want, I can just click the little "blog now" button.
Here's the first item (and these will be in no order of importance / want):
Priced right, Sony's slim-line PlayStation 3 (120GB) bundles the top-notch features of the earlier PlayStation 3 into a smarter, sleeker package.
(from PC World)
Sony just remodeled PlayStation 3 and bumped it up to 120GB, and shaved $100 off the price — now for just $300 you get a BD-Live capable Blu-ray player with 1080p HDMI output, Bluetooth, 802.11g wireless, an upgradable 120GB hard drive, gigabit ethernet, 7.1 channel Dolby Digital audio support... and yeah, and it plays PlayStation 3 games, too.
It won't handle PlayStation 2 games, but we have a PS2, XBox 360, and a Wii... so I think we're covered.
I've been waiting to upgrade to a Blu-ray player, and now that I can also do Web surfing and picture browsing on my 50" big screen with this new Playstation, I think I found THE thing I want for Christmas.
I'm always wishing I could get all the songs and pictures on my computer into the living room. I've yet to upgrade to BluRay, or get a network bridge connected to my TV / home theatre, so I've found a simple solution: the WD TV Media Player.
Here's what I found on Circuit City (price was $99.99)
Combined with a My Passport portable drive (sold separately), this player is the most convenient way to play HD movies or user-generated videos, listen to high-quality digital music and show high-resolution slideshows of your family photos on your TV. Also works with popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices.
Designed for My Passport, works with many other USB storage devices - Play content from most popular USB drives, digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices. Full HD video playback and navigation - up to 1080p - Experience the spectacular picture quality of HD video and crystal clear sound clarity of digital audio. Use the included remote control to navigate through your entertainment choices using our crisp, animated HD menus. Collect without limits - There's no limit to the size of your media collection, just add more USB drives for more space.
Detailed Features
A Closer Look
Screenshots
Features
Advanced navigation:
Thumbnail and list views – Browse your content by filename or by thumbnails of photos, album covers and movie cover art.
Media Library – This unique feature lets you view all your media by media type in one menu regardless of its location in folders or drives. You can view your content by categories such as genre, album, artist and date.
Search – Search by genre, title, artist, filename and partial filename.
Photo viewing:
Create custom slide shows with a variety of transitions and background music
Zoom and pan
Search by filename, partial filename, most recently viewed and date
Movie viewing:
Fast forward, rewind, pause, zoom, and pan
View subtitles
Search by filename, partial filename, most recently viewed and date
Music playback:
Fast forward, rewind, pause, shuffle, repeat
Search by filename, partial filename, most recently viewed and date
Access two USB drives simultaneously:
Two USB ports on the player let you connect two USB storage devices and access them simultaneously. Our Media Library feature aggregates the content on both drives into one list sorted by media type.
HDMI and composite video connections:
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port lets you connect to the highest quality HDTV or home theater. Additional composite (RCA) outputs ensure compatibility with virtually all television sets.
Includes free media conversion software:
ArcSoft MediaConverter™ 2.5 -- a fast, easy-to-use application that converts photo, video, and music files into formats optimized for use on the WD TV HD Media Player.
Ultra-compact design:
Fits easily into your entertainment center.
Ideal For:
Hassle-free playback of HD movies, home videos, digital music, and photos on your TV.
Minimum System Requirements
My Passport portable hard drive or other USB storage device with supported video or audio content stored on it.
Standard or high definition television with HDMI or composite video connections
I am a huge Hot Water Music fan. I could go on and on about that band, but I won't -- that's not what this blog is about.
It IS about how influential they are, and how many bands that are now sounding a LOT like them, picking up the torch with gruff vocals and catchy melodies.
There have been a lot. Here's just a few:
Small Brown Bike (though they were around at the same time as HWM, so you can't really say they are following them)
Lock and Key — who ended as a band last year, which is sad because I think they were at their peak at that point (go download the 3 song demo tracks for FREE at Purevolume and see for yourself)
Then there's Make Do and Mend. They're from Hartford, CT, and I can't really say they're aping HWM's sound... more like taking the passion and the approach, and expanding on it.
I'm checking out their latest EP, "Bodies of Water", and I'm pretty blown away. There's "Shambles", which starts out the EP as kind of a Brand New moody-ish piece, which launches into "Winter Wasteland", which just cements what they guys are doing. The song rocks.
From there, it's more of the same: up-tempo passionate rock that channels "Caution"-era melody and passion.
Look, I'm not good at elaborating about "nuances" and the "guitars buzzing like..." metaphors that rock critics use. I can only tell you that if you like any of the bands I mentioned above, you'll like Make Do and Mend.
— Note: here's a little bonus excerpt from a review I found about "Bodies of Water": "Confession time. If Make Do and Mend didn’t put this record up on their website for free, I probably wouldn’t have listened to them. The problem lies in the reality that gruff punk is becoming dangerously watered down; everyone claims to be the new Chuck and Chris when in truth it’s your standard punk songs with whisky soaked vocals. Very rarely do the pretenders match the technical rhythms and bitter-sweet lyrics that gained Hot Water Music such a rabid fan base. So why should I spend more money on another clone?
Consider me shamed because whilst the HWM influence is clear, something else is at work. On ‘Bodies of Water’, Make Do and Mend have captured the knack for huge melodies, they have bottled the sadness of a thousand shoe-gazers and they have melded the two into an EP drenched in sincerity, ambition and passion."
There is one artist, Matthew Ryan, who I can say, with full confidence, is my favorite discovery of the last decade. This singer-songwriter has consistently blown me away, both with his brilliance and his passion.
Once again I am just amazed by his latest endeavor....
From Matthew's blog on Myspace:
I've began an informal side project with Greg Richling and Rami Jaffee. We're calling it The Dead Satellites. It's beautiful, ugly and cinematic stuff. I wrote the lyrics, sang and added some music here and there. Greg and Rami built the tracks and played most everything. And of course, my good friend Brian Bequette played some guitar on the rather horny, If I Wanted You (I Could Have You). I'm pasting the Press Release info just below, because it say everything more concisely than I'll ever achieve. I hope you'll give it a listen. And you have my whole-hearted permission to share the songs as much as you like. We're doing this for the love of it, there is no label involved. So, truth is, we're depended on you sharing it. We want people to hear these songs. We're just gonna add songs to our Dead Satellites myspace as we complete them. So far there are two - Shook Down and If I Wanted You, I Could Have You.
Best,M
MATTHEW RYAN GIVING AWAY NEW SONG ON THE INTERNET
"Shook Down" marks the debut of Ryan's new project, The Dead Satellites - a collaboration with producer and long time member of The Wallflowers, Greg Richling and Rami Jaffee of Foo Fighters/WallFlowers
NASHVILLE, TN - Matthew Ryan, one of America's "most captivating singer/songwriters on the current scene" (-The Republican), is offering a free download of his new project's debut single, "Shook Down". The collaboration with Greg Richling, a record producer and long time member of The Wallflowers and Rami Jaffee, of Foo Fighters and The Wallflowers, under The Dead Satellites moniker, is a meditation on the economy and greed.
"It's a song about the economic narcissism of the insiders that lead to our current financial crisis," Ryan says. "The song is essentially calling for a coup, or at the very least, accountability."
"With 'Shook Down', Matthew came up with a timely and powerful lyric, perfectly complimenting the music," adds fellow collaborator Greg Richling. "He is one of the finest songwriter's in America and I'm so blessed to have the chance to work with him."
At the heart of the song are victims of the crisis- regular working-class folks facing unemployment, going uninsured, foreclosure, and worse, all without a voice: "Workers on the news/They take it in the gut/And in the kingdom's view/It doesn't mean that much." The song concludes with a powerful chant torn from the headlines: "The average CEO makes 400 times what the average worker makes."
"On a personal note, I've watched my Dad go from a fairly comfortable retirement, to a stressed malaise," Ryan says. " It pisses me off. He worked 35 years, saved every penny, invested what he earned, and is now feeling took."
As far as The Dead Satellites go, it's an informal but potent collaboration.. The purpose is simple: "I want people to hear the music. There's no label involved," Ryan says. "It's just a couple of guys wanting a song to be heard in such strange times. A song always has the ability to comfort or rally people around an idea."
In the meantime Ryan is writing and recording a new solo record, building upon the success of his two most recent indie releases, From A Late Night High Rise in 2007 and Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State in 2008.
I just heard about this... seems that former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani have banded together to form the supergroup Chickenfoot.
Wow. Check this out:
Sammy Hagar For some people, his joining Van Halen was a sin committed against rock and roll, but frankly, I always thought that was bullshit... there was Van Halen Part I, and Van Halen Part II, and to me they were separate entities, each meant to be weighed by its own might and influence.
Van Halen, Part I, was a juggernaut. Pure and simple. I mean, the album Van Halen is and always will be a classic, and extremely influentual. Just think of what rock and roll would have been like if that album hadn't been let loose! C'mon! Running With the Devil! You Really Got Me! I could go on and on about Van Halen with Mr. Roth on vocals. But I won't. That's not the focus here. Van Halen part II: Sammy Hagar. I've been a Sammy Hagar fan since 1981, when I first heard "I'll Fall in Love Again" from the album "Standing Hampton". His music seemed like the perfect mix of great hooks, a cool voice, and harder-edged rock. Three Lock Box had great songs, VOA had great songs, the supergroup HSAS had great songs (such a great album, and barely anyone knew about it).
Then he joined Van Halen in 1986, 5150 came out, and I loved it. No, really, I mean I LOVED IT!
I don't need to expand further, because you know the rest...
Big Three auto CEOs flew private jets to ask for taxpayer money
(CNN) -- Some lawmakers lashed out at the CEOs of the Big Three auto companies Wednesday for flying private jets to Washington to request taxpayer bailout money.
Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli, left, and Ford CEO Alan Mulally testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.
"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious."
He added, "couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it."
The executives -- Alan Mulally of Ford, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler and Richard Wagoner of GM -- were seeking support for a $25 billion loan package. Later Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reversed plans to hold a test vote on the measure.
An aide told CNN that Reid decided to cancel the test vote when it became clear the measure would fall well short of the 60 votes needed. Reid did, however, make a procedural move that could allow a vote on a compromise, which several senators from auto-producing states were feverishly trying to craft.
At Wednesday's hearing, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, pressed the private-jet issue, asking the three CEOs to "raise their hand if they flew here commercial."
"Let the record show, no hands went up," Sherman said. "Second, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand if you are planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up."
The executives did not specifically respond to those remarks. In their testimony, they said they are streamlining business operations in general. Watch Nardelli ask for help »
When contacted by CNN, the three auto companies defended the CEOs' travel as standard procedure.
Like many other major corporations, all three have policies requiring their CEOs to travel in private jets for safety reasons.
"Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a statement.
Chrysler spokeswoman Lori McTavish said in a statement, "while always being mindful of company costs, all business travel requires the highest standard of safety for all employees."
Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker pointed to the company's travel policy and did not provide a statement elaborating.
But those statements did little to mollify the critics.
"If it is simply the company's money at stake, then only the shareholders can be upset or feel as it might be excessive," said Thomas Schatz, president of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.
But in this case, he said, "it's outrageous."
"They're coming to Washington to beg the taxpayers to help them. It's unseemly to be running around on a $20,000 flight versus a $500 round trip," Schatz added.
The companies did not disclose how much the flights cost.
Analysts contacted by CNN noted that the prices vary with the size of the plane and the crew, and whether the aircraft is leased or owned by the company.
Analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said that $20,000 is a legitimate ballpark figure for a round trip corporate jet flight between Detroit, Michigan, and Washington. When asked whether they plan to change their travel policies as part of the restructuring needed to shore up their finances, none of the companies answered directly. But they said they have cut back on travel in general as revenues have fallen.
The other day I was looking at a website called BMX Museum, where this guy collects and restores BMX bikes from the 80's, and also allows other people to post pictures of old-school bikes that they have.
It was a nice trip down memory lane for me. As I tell my wife, anyone who knew me back then will tell you I was ALWAYS on my bike...
Well, except for when I was either:
1) Flirting with girls at Packer Park 2) Out drinking somewhere
Anyhow, my family was pretty poor, and although I'd walk into Bike City and dream about getting one of the many cool bikes I wanted (GT, Hutch, Redline, Kuwahara), we couldn't afford it.
My friends felt badly for me, so they threw togther a bike out of spare parts they had. It wasn't pretty, and nothing matched, but I didn't care. I could finally ride with them. And we rode ALL over town. We were OBNOXIOUS!
At one point we had this jump over by the Acme grocery store, it was this big pile of dirt that they had built up to put a gas station in (I think it was called the Downtown TimeSaver). We'd line up in the parking lot, pedal our asses off, and hit that jump.
I remember that different kids had different style. Some of us were really smooth, like Jamie Sherman, "Gunner" Chris Gundersen, Jon Keck -- and others had a lot of talent doing 'trick" jumps (Bill Rawson was a freak). I think Twit (Greg Hoke) even fell into the creek there with his bike and got hurt. I don't remember that too well.
Then there was me. I had NO style. I just always went fast and hit it hard. One time we were jumping up by Bill Rawson's house and I TOTALLY hit a jump too fast and LAUNCHED, like, 20 feet past the landing! On my ASS! It was embarrassing.
So, back to the Acme parking lot. On one fine day, there was a group of us hitting the jump, showing off, busting each others' balls. A couple of us (I think it may have been Ronnie Arthur or Brian Losinger) just decided to see how FAR we could jump, and I was DEFINITELY into that.
So I started pretty much over by Main Street, and starting booking across the parking lot. My bike was mostly steel parts, so it was HEAVY, which was a disadvantage if you wanted to fly. Man, I hit that jump as fast as I could, and FLEW! Like almost to the OTHER SIDE of this big pile of dirt, around 20-30 feet maybe.
Then my bike snapped. LOUDLY. Broke the frame. That was it for me. You can't ride a bike with a broken frame.
It sucked.
Some time later, my mom's boyfriend at the time (now my stepfather) went down to see Gary at Bike City and bought me this beautiful lavender GT he had hanging on the wall. I had been LUSTING after that GT because it was DIFFERENT that what everyone else was riding — Jamie had his Patterson, Jon Keck his Reach, Vern had a Kuwahara, Rawdog had a beautiful Redline, Jamie Morral and Rip White both had Hutch bikes — all nice bikes. And it wasn't like no one had GT's, but this one was PURPLE. Fucking purple! And I wanted it for THAT REASON.
To me, having a purple bike, when I knew how kids would talk shit about it (and me), was like a big "FUCK YOU!" And I was an angry kid.
To say I lived to be on that bike was an understatement. Probably one of the most important things to happen to me in my teenage years. That bike gave me pride and self-worth. To some people that may sound silly, because it was just a bike, but for me it was the nicest thing that anyone had ever bought for me. It wasn't a piece of shit. I could finally ride and not feel like the poor kid with the crappy bike. That purple GT was my LIFE.
Over the years I helped build Wellsboro's BMX track. I joined Price Pharmacy's BMX team (thank you John & Sandy). I raced to a 2nd place at the State Championships. I never could do many tricks, although I did learn how to coast backwards (once rolling down the entire length of Main Street).
And I went FAST.
- - -
Fast forward 20-plus years, and I still get nostalgic about that bike. I STILL wonder what happened to it — what asshole stole it, where it is now.
So, I was looking on BMX Museum, hoping to see some bike that even looked CLOSE to my old bike. Sadly, I haven't seen one yet. I've seen a lot of beautiful bikes on there, and once or twice I've seen purple GT's, but they're usually a Mach One, which was more of cheaper, entry-level GT (which the wanna-be's rode, ha ha).
The thing that's pretty amazing now is that for guys like me in our late 30's, those bikes now are worth a FORTUNE. I kid you not. There was a rare bike I once owned (which ALSO was stolen), a Hutch Judge Series, that recently sold for a rumored $5000. Yes, five-THOUSAND.
I guess if you're nostalgic enough, there's a price that can be paid for a memory.
I wish I still had my bikes, any of them. Just to be able to see them again, sit on them, take a spin around the block (and like like a fool - some old guy on a kid's bike)... try to recapture that FEELING I always had on my bike...
I've been a fan of a site called LALA.COM for quite a while now, initially using it as a place to trade cds (you'd create "have" and "want" lists and LaLa would help you set up trades with other users, even providing you the postage-paid envelopes).Then Lala became a music site not unlike Rhapsody or others: you can listen to music, or pay 89 or 99 cents to download. I began using it as my one-stop site for new music, listening to whole albums and downloading the songs I really liked. In many cases I would also list that cd as a "want", and see if I could trade on of my cd's for it.
Recently LaLa added another cool feature to their site: a music locker. This lets you store songs from your personal library on Lala's Web servers, and then access them from any computer later. Instead of having a Windows Media Player library at home, and then a second library at work, and then a third library on our laptop, I can now just log into my account at Lala and listen to any song I own.Granted, it's not top-notch sound quality, and the interface is sometimes a little awkward, but it's all there: every single song I have had on any computer I own.
What is making me laugh lately is all this speculation of "Are we heading into a recession?"
It seems to me we ARE in a recession. People are decidedly NOT spending their money. And why should they? The threat of losing a job or a home, and suddenly NEEDING that money, is keeping most of us from taking any cash out from under the mattress.
I also think that the media and the financial prognosticators are LOATHE to actually say we're in a recession now, because with human nature, to say it's true is to make it true. You only have to look at the run-on-the-bank days of the Great Depression. Financially, we are like lemmings. Panic is VERY contagious.
Here's an article I saw on AOL: Stocks plunge anew as data points to recession
Investors agonizing over a faltering economy sent the stock market plunging all over again Wednesday after a stream of disheartening data convinced Wall Street that a recession, if not already here, is inevitable.
The market's despair propelled the Dow Jones industrials down 733 points to their second-largest point loss ever, and the major indexes all lost at least 7 percent.The slide meant that the Dow, which fell 76 points on Tuesday, has given back all but 127 points of its record 936-point gain of Monday, which came on optimism about the banking system in response to the government's plans to invest up to $250 billion in financial institutions.
Wednesday's sell-off began after the government's report that retail sales plunged in September by 1.2 percent — almost double the 0.7 percent analysts expected — made it clear that consumers are reluctant to spend amid a shaky economy and a punishing stock market.
The Commerce Department report was sobering because consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.
The reading came as Wall Street was refocusing its attention on the faltering economy following stepped up government efforts to revive the stagnant lending markets.Then, during the afternoon, the release of the Beige Book, the assessment of business conditions from the Federal Reserve, added to investors' angst. The report found that the economy continued to slow in the early fall as financial and credit market problems took a turn for the worse. The central bank's report supported the market's belief that difficulties in obtaining loans have choked growth in wide swaths of the economy.
"Even though the banking sector may be returning to normal, the economy still isn't. The economy continues to face a host of other problems," said Doug Roberts, chief investment strategist at ChannelCapitalResearch.com. "We're in for a tough ride."
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a similar opinion, warning in a speech Wednesday that patching up the credit markets won't provide an instantaneous jolt to the economy. "Stabilization of the financial markets is a critical first step, but even if they stabilize as we hope they will, broader economic recovery will not happen right away," he told the Economic Club of New York.
Analysts have warned that the market will see continued volatility as it tries to recover from the devastating losses of the last month, including the nearly 2,400-point plunge in the Dow over the eight sessions that ended Friday. Such turbulence is typical after a huge decline, but the market's anxiety about the economy was also expected to cause gyrations in the weeks and months ahead.
I'm at a weird place right now, and even deciding where to start to explain it is tough.
I'm just not happy.
Even in saying that, I feel I have to take stock in what I DO have:
I love my wife, she's wonderful. She's everything I always wanted in a partner.
I have a job that pays well for the work that I do -- I'm essentially paid for what I am able to do when the situation arises, not what I'm physically doing all day.
I have a pretty new house, it's only a few years old and in great shape (no need for major repairs). It's not as big as it could be, but it's cheap.
I drive a decent car, a 2001 Honda Accord, and my wife drives an '05 Accord. They're both safe, relatively fuel-efficient, and the car payment for the '01 is only $200 a month.
We're healthy (as far as we know).
We're not poor.
We have stuff (3 computers, 50" plasma TV, high definition channels, a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, etc...)
I guess what I'm saying here is that I have no clear reason to not be happy. I have all I need.
But it doesn't seem to be enough.
There's an emptiness. There's want.
I'm finding myself constantly wondering what it is that I need, what I am looking for, what it is that I'm missing.
I wonder if I'm unfulfilled somehow.
I wonder if I'm just self-absorbed.
I wonder if I've just been conditioned to believe I need more (wouldn't you LOVE to have a bigger house, a nicer car, better clothes, a bluetooth/MP3/GPS phone, hardwood floors, a well-stocked liquor cabinet, cool shoes, expensive toys? We're BOMBARDED every day by ads telling us we should HAVE IT ALL).
I'm frustrated. I know I should be happy, content. But I'm not.
Lately I've been digging this band Throw the Fight, with their catchy blend of rock/emo/alternative rock/hard rock — not unlike Bullet For My Valentine, but maybe not as heavy.
WASHINGTON—A panel of top business leaders testified before Congress about the worsening recession Monday, demanding the government provide Americans with a new irresponsible and largely illusory economic bubble in which to invest.
"What America needs right now is not more talk and long-term strategy, but a concrete way to create more imaginary wealth in the very immediate future," said Thomas Jenkins, CFO of the Boston-area Jenkins Financial Group, a bubble-based investment firm. "We are in a crisis, and that crisis demands an unviable short-term solution."
A prominent finance expert asks Congress to help Americans rebuild their ficticious dreams.
The current economic woes, brought on by the collapse of the so-called "housing bubble," are considered the worst to hit investors since the equally untenable dot-com bubble burst in 2001. According to investment experts, now that the option of making millions of dollars in a short time with imaginary profits from bad real-estate deals has disappeared, the need for another spontaneous make-believe source of wealth has never been more urgent.
"Perhaps the new bubble could have something to do with watching movies on cell phones," said investment banker Greg Carlisle of the New York firm Carlisle, Shaloe & Graves. "Or, say, medicine, or shipping. Or clouds. The manner of bubble isn't important—just as long as it creates a hugely overvalued market based on nothing more than whimsical fantasy and saddled with the potential for a long-term accrual of debts that will never be paid back, thereby unleashing a ripple effect that will take nearly a decade to correct."
"The U.S. economy cannot survive on sound investments alone," Carlisle added.
Congress is currently considering an emergency economic-stimulus measure, tentatively called the Bubble Act, which would order the Federal Reserve to† begin encouraging massive private investment in some fantastical financial scheme in order to get the nation's false economy back on track.
Current bubbles being considered include the handheld electronics bubble, the undersea-mining-rights bubble, and the decorative office-plant bubble. Additional options include speculative trading in fairy dust—which lobbyists point out has the advantage of being an entirely imaginary commodity to begin with—and a bubble based around a hypothetical, to-be-determined product called "widgets."
The most support thus far has gone toward the so-called paper bubble. In this appealing scenario, various privately issued pieces of paper, backed by government tax incentives but entirely worthless, would temporarily be given grossly inflated artificial values and sold to unsuspecting stockholders by greedy and unscrupulous entrepreneurs.
"Little pieces of paper are the next big thing," speculator Joanna Nadir, of Falls Church, VA said. "Just keep telling yourself that. If enough people can be talked into thinking it's legitimate, it will become temporarily true."
Demand for a new investment bubble began months ago, when the subprime mortgage bubble burst and left the business world without a suitable source of pretend income. But as more and more time has passed with no substitute bubble forthcoming, investors have begun to fear that the worst-case scenario—an outcome known among economists as "real-world repercussions"—may be inevitable.
"Every American family deserves a false sense of security," said Chris Reppto, a risk analyst for Citigroup in New York. "Once we have a bubble to provide a fragile foundation, we can begin building pyramid scheme on top of pyramid scheme, and before we know it, the financial situation will return to normal."
Despite the overwhelming support for a new bubble among investors, some in Washington are critical of the idea, calling continued reliance on bubble-based economics a mistake. Regardless of the outcome of this week's congressional hearings, however, one thing will remain certain: The calls for a new bubble are only going to get louder.
"America needs another bubble," said Chicago investor Bob Taiken. "At this point, bubbles are the only thing keeping us afloat."
I ran across a news article just now stating that 2 guys were arrested in the Tucson area with nearly 2 million dollars worth of pot.
Here's the info:
TUCSON- Two men have been arrested in connection with the seizure of nearly 2 tons of marijuana, authorities said.
Arnulfo Vega MontaIno and Guillermo Carrillo Garcia were taken into custody in connection with the seizure, according to Sgt. Mark Morlock of the Counter Narcotics Alliance - a multi agency task force.
Morlock said the marijuana, which weighed approximately 4,000 pounds, was seized from a vehicle during a traffic stop and from a home Tuesday.
MontaIno was arrested on a charge of transportation of marijuana for sale while Garcia was arrested on conspiracy to transport marijuana for sale.
Detectives then went to Garcia's home where they found 2,200 pounds of marijuana in the laundry room and another 1,000 pounds in the back of another truck that hadn't been unloaded.
Authorities said the marijuana had street value of about $2 million.
This immediately made me think to myself:
1) Damn, that's a LOT of f**king pot!
2) Why is marijuana still even illegal?
I haven't smoked pot since I was in my twenties, but I know a lot of people who do, and they don't cause any trouble (and if they do, certainly not as much trouble as they do when they're drunk.
They aren't robbing people/stores for drug money. They aren't panhandling for quick money so they can go get a fix. They aren't getting baked and then going out and crashing their cars. They aren't jumping off of buildings or stripping down naked in drug-induced hallucinations and dementia.
Think about these common arguments against it:
Pot's a gateway drug. C'mon! If anything, ALCOHOL's THE gateway drug. I bet that statistically, people who have tried any drug - any drug period - started with alcohol first.
Intoxication is the same, regardless of the drug. Again, c'mon! I have seen more people get in their cars drunk and drive like stupid idiots, then those who are high. If you could magically turn every person who's driving drunk, into someone who's driving high, I'd feel a certainly feel a lot safer on the highway. Have you ever seen anyone drive high? They are the slowest, most paranoid "Am I keeping it between the lines" driver on the road. I'd even go so far as to suggest a high-school girl with a cell hone to her ear is the BIGGER threat!
My point here is this: I think that keeping pot illegal is stupid. Make it legal, tax it and control it like alcohol, keep people under control by keeping the DUI and public intoxication laws, and take the MONEY out of the hands of people smuggling and dealing.
Look, I know this is an INCREDIBLY oversimplified argument towards decriminalization. There are a lot of valid arguments against this thinking.
All I'm saying is this: we've seen that PROHIBITION doesn't work — isn't it time to take a long hard look at the WAR ON DRUGS, and take marijuana off the list?
Just like with hardcore, I'm not as big into Metalcore as I once was. At one point, I was fully into Hatebreed, played their cd "Satisfaction is the Death of Desire" constantly - simply an AMAZING release, and considered by many to be a classic - probably one that brought metalcore further into the mainstream than it's ever been.
Flash forward ten years, and I'm married now, and have a good-paying job that helps bring the creature comforts when I want them. Simply put, I'm just not as ANGRY now. Sure, I have my moments, but as a whole, there's not a lot of heavy music lately that WOWS me like it used to... except maybe Lamb of God's "Ashes of the Wake"or Thowdown's "Vendetta".
Thinking about it now, the thing that has always made a heavy album stand out for me has been if the band can write good hooks, and create songs that are memorable for more than just being heavy.
A recent cd that caught my attention has been Sworn Enemy's "Maniacal."
"Maniacal" has hooks. Period. I was never really into Sworn Enemy all that much. I couldn't really tell you why - maybe it was the vocals, maybe it was simply I didn't find the songs all that memorable.
With "Maniacal", it seems that Sworn Enemy has learned how to turn up the HOOK quotient. Check out this review from AMG's Alex Henderson:
"Much has been written on metal and hardcore websites about the evolution of Sworn Enemy, who came out of New York City's hardcore scene in 1997 and became increasingly thrash metal-minded as time went on. This 2007 recording/2008 release definitely turns up the thrash factor, drawing on influences like Slayer, Exodus, Megadeth, and Anthrax. But Sworn Enemy haven't forgotten their hardcore roots; in fact, "thrashy metalcore" is probably the best way to describe Maniacal, which was produced by Tim Lambesis (of As I Lay Dying fame) and guitarist Joey Z. (Life of Agony).
Lead singer Sal LoCoco still sounds like a hardcore/metalcore vocalist; he screams and yells his way through this 34-minute CD, never failing to sound angry and rage-filled. And Sworn Enemy have no problem making metalcore and thrash sound like a perfectly logical combination because that is exactly what they are. It's true that hardcore and thrash had different beginnings; hardcore was a direct offshoot of punk, and thrash came about when headbangers were influenced by punk and starting playing a lot faster (Motörhead was arguably the first thrash metal/speed metal band, and the likes of Venom, Slayer, and Metallica weren't far behind).
Essentially, hardcore was punks acknowledging metal, while thrash was metalheads acknowledging punk -- and on Maniacal, punk and metal elements unite to create a loud, vicious, head-kicking sensory assault. There are, of course, numerous bands engaging in metalcore-related activities in the 21st century, but the thing that ultimately makes Maniacal worthwhile is the band's ability to come up with a fair amount of strong hooks.
Perhaps working with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta taught them the value of hooks -- Hatebreed, after all, has had some of metalcore's best hooks -- and while Maniacal isn't quite as consistent as it could have been, it is still a generally decent example of Sworn Enemy's ability to thrash their way through metalcore."
There are so many, some of them straight-edge, some post-hardcore. But no matter what the label was, the music's aggression and a sense of striving for unity, responsibility, respect -- it all spoke to me.I'm almost 40 now, and hardcore's come a long long way. It's no longer a common thing for me to get excited about a new hardcore band. But just the other day I got a sampler that had a song that grabbed me and made me want to check out the band.
Internet radio has been around for a long time, and I'm tried my share of sites / programs streaming music over the 'net. Remember MusicMatch? Spinner? Live365?Well, my favorite place for online radio as of late has been Pandora.com.
Pandora is based around something called the Music Genome Project® -- and essentially you tell it what you like -- a song, or an artist -- and it starts playing. You then tell it what you like and don't like by giving a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down" to each song.
You really have to try it. Creating your own customized station is SO easy. I have 5 differents stations; two are based around the bands Anberlin and Hot Water Music, and the others are "genre" related: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, and Adult Alternative.
I've turned so many people on to this site I should get spiffed. Hey Pandora, how about a referral program, huh?
"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. 
The market's despair propelled the Dow Jones industrials down 733 points to their second-largest point loss ever, and the major indexes all lost at least 7 percent.The slide meant that the Dow, which fell 76 points on Tuesday, has given back all but 127 points of its record 936-point gain of Monday, which came on optimism about the banking system in response to the government's plans to invest up to $250 billion in financial institutions.
