Brad Delp, RIP

You may not like the band Boston; their first album is still all over AOR radio despite being over 30 years old and hearing anything that much can make one's ears weary. That first album is a pop-metal masterpiece that, to my ears, was as much responsible for all the hair-metal and melodic rock of the 80s as Led Zeppelin and glam rock. I never got into many of those bands from the 80s for exactly that reason: they were all trying to do something Boston already did perfectly.

The lead singer of Boston was a guy named Brad Delp, a man with one of the greatest voices you'll hear on pop/rock radio and a major part of Boston's sound. He died a while back (I would have posted this sooner but I wanted to post the Stew track in conjunction w/ his being featured on Jefito) and while that's too bad, at least we don't have to hear his voice go downhill.

Hollyann (4.73 M mp3) is from Third Stage, their 3rd album, which had the nerve to combine AOR with mature lyrics about becoming an adult. The high note he hits may have sustain that's assisted by some studio magic but it's still a note few men in pop music would dare to attempt.

When in Columbus

Took a short trip to Ohio recently and while we didn't have a chance to enjoy all Toledo has to offer we did get to see a bit of Columbus. It was quite nice, a decent college town in the middle of a whole lotta flatlands. If you're ever near the university, be sure and get a bite to eat at Mad Mex, which had some of the best Mexican food I've tasted in a state not bordering Mexico.

Goat report: 4/28/07

Wow! You can get a pretty good goat for about $400!

"Hurt" - double cover

Kermit the Frog does Johnny Cash doing Nine Inch Nails. I thought he was strictly a banjo player... via Ain't it Cool News.

My State Senator on... health care!

A while back I sent my state senator, George C. Runner, Jr., an email expressing my support for SB 840, a public health care initiative. I got a very long response in reply that included his criticisms of the initiative, some of which follows:

This system produces overwhelming cost-overruns that simultaneously result in tax increases and rationed care. Consumers lose choices in care providers and treatment options as governments reduce consumers' ability to drive costs by taking away options. It results in fewer people pursuing medical careers as doctors and nurses lose the financial compensation provided by the private market, the freedom to work as they choose and are condemned to work in government medical clinics. It results in rationed care, especially for the aged and disabled, that we see has devolved in the Netherlands to euthanasia for the aged and severely ill or disabled infants. Its price caps and disincentives to investment essentially stops the clock on private innovations and development of new treatments and drug therapies in California.

Besides objecting on purely ideological grounds, the practical ramifications of such socialized healthcare have been disastrous everywhere it has been implemented.

This is obviously a man who hears the cries of suffering from all over Canada, Europe, and the other areas that have socialized medicine. And he's also one who wants to preserve end-life spending sprees. Bright fellow.

Geography skillz

In one of my recent busywork teacher classes, a social studies teacher pointed out that she was amazed when her middle school kids didn't realize that Madagascar was, in fact, an island and not just a name made up for a movie. As we all shared another one of those 'aren't kids silly' laughs, a classmate (that is, another who is in this teacher-prep program) mentioned that she didn't learn that Kazakhstan was a real nation until after she had seen the Borat movie.

I'll grant that those are both a little obscure but it reminded me of a story a colleague told about how, while in Italy teaching young and rich Americans, she overheard one say to another that 'I may go to Ireland this weekend, I think it's a short train ride away.'

Takin' it to Raj and Rerun

Another great classic that YouTube makes available for the world: the Doobie Brothers episode of What's Happening. The 2nd half includes some great acting from the Doobies themselves and records for history how much African Americans loved the Doobies back in the early 80s.

Nearly exploding Bill

I used to think poor of how Bill O'Reilly tells people to shut up or cuts their mic but now I can see there's a good reason for it. As one can see in his discussion with Geraldo Rivera, if he can't force somebody to shut up, he is in serious danger of literally exploding.

Goat report, 4/11/07

If you don't keep children away from goats, you risk them winding up covered in feces.