The weekend adventure called the 28th Annual Mid-America Mineral, Fossil, Jewlery Show was great. I talked so much this past weekend that I almost lost my voice. I don't normally talk a lot, but the kids were asking tons of questions about fluorescent minerals and I just couldn't stop talking. When the kids (and most of the adults) would step up to the fluorescent display and I pulled the black curtain closed to block out as much white light as possible, I could hear the oohs and aahs coming from behind the curtain as they saw all the green, orange, purple, yellow and blue light eminating from the minerals. They really enjoyed seeing these minerals . . . almost like a magic show. Before I turned the UV short wave light on, I would explain what minerals they were looking at, how the minerals interact with eachother, how fluorescence works, and what colors they would be seeing. This is something that you don't get to see often . . . sometimes never. That's why I love fluorescent minerals. They look like normal, non-spectacular rocks. Then you expose them to UV light and watch the transformation to color. The white calcite fluoresces orange. The brown dots of willemite fluoresce green. Shiny, black sphalerite fluoresces green. Bluish fluorite fluoresces bright purple. And the list goes on.
Well, I'm back to the grind today, doing my normal earn-a-living job. But, you know what? It's better. My job is better today than it was last week. I enjoy it more. The weekend was rejuvinating. It was exhausting (standing on the concrete floor all day and talking all day and moving boxes of rocks around), but I feel renewed and ready to work. I'm ready to contribute one hundred percent to each task on my list.
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Song 048: California Dreamin
Artist: The Mamas and The Papas
Album: If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears
Year: 1966
--------------------------------------------------
All the leaves are brown
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
And the sky is grey
Ive been for a walk
Ive been for a walk
On a winters day
On a winters day
Id be safe and warm
Id be safe and warm
If I was in l.a.
If I was in l.a.
California dreamin
California dreamin
On such a winters day
Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well, I got down on my knees
Got down on my knees
And I pretend to pray
I pretend to pray
You know the preacher likes the cold
Preacher likes the cold
He knows Im gonna stay
Knows Im gonna stay
California dreamin
California dreamin
On such a winters day
All the leaves are brown
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
And the sky is grey
Ive been for a walk
Ive been for a walk
On a winters day
On a winters day
If I didnt tell her
If I didnt tell her
I could leave today
I could leave today
California dreamin
California dreamin
On such a winters day
California dreaming
On such a winters day
California dreaming
On such a winters day
2007-04-30
2007-04-29
i see rocks in my sleep
This is a close-up of one huge piece of petrified wood. This particular piece is maybe five feet long and two and a half feet in diameter. It weighs over 500 pounds. One piece weighs over a ton. One of our friends and fellow club members excavated it (and several other huge pieces of petrified wood) from a gravel mine near Memphis. He can do that. He works for the company doing the mining. He's an explorer. What a great job.
This is the first year that my family and I have had a club table at the Mineral, Fossil, Jewelry Show, which is sponsored by our geology club. On a normal year, we would be there all day long both days anyway, helping out with the details of the show, so this is new for us. We are surrounded by great friends from the club. On our left our friends are busy demonstrating the fine art of lapidary (cutting and shaping minerals into workable pieces for jewelry). Their booth is filled with exquisite sculptures and jewelry. They are both such talented, gifted people. They even let my daughter try her hand to cutting stones (thanks for the pictures).
To the right of our tables are more friends from the club. At the first table are several older club members demonstrating how to make beaded jewelry and the folks at the last table are busy wire wrapping. They are from Mississippi and we don't get to see them as much as we used too. That's sad, because they are a really great family and I miss seeing them often.
At our tables we have minerals that we have collected over the years. Most of them we have collected from sites around the mid-south. One particular set of minerals at our tables that I am partial to are the fluorescent minerals. If you have been following along on the blog, you have read about my fluorescent mineral collecting adventures. We have a UV short wave light set up inside a black box at our tables. Folks drop by and peer inside at the amazing colors emitted from these minerals. They are also buying quite a few of them. I'm loving showing these rocks to the people who stop by.
I haven't had much opportunity to visit with many of the other vendors and exhibitors this year. Maybe I'll have a chance before the doors open to customers on Sunday. I love this show. We really get into it. We forget about the hustle and bustle of our real jobs and of real problems for a couple of days and just chill out with friends (old ones and new ones). I could do this for fun and profit when I retire . . . at least until I get totally worn out. This is a bit tiring.
-------------------------------------------
Song 047: You'll Never Walk Alone
Artist: The Righteous Brothers
Album: Just Once In My Life
Year: 1965
-------------------------------------------
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk
You'll never walk
You'll never walk alone.
2007-04-27
addy for the book
Add another award to the stack this year. The picture above is from a book that my company just had printed in December of last year. It is a history of our involvement in forestry practices. This picture is typical of several dozen images throughout the book of artifacts from our history archives. I took digital pictures of all the artifacts for the book. That was my total involvement in the project. I didn't design it or lay it out, I just took a bunch of pictures. But without the pictures the book would have been dramatically different. The pictures help make the story, and we all know that every picture is worth a thousand words. The picture above is of an abney level. The Abney Level is an engineering instrument which can be used to determine the height of a tree.
The book won a Silver Addy Award and I am so proud. Several people on my team at work worked on the book and we are all excited about the Addy. It's a great honor in the advertising business to win an Addy. It's like an Academy Award. And my part is like winning Best Supporting Actor.
------------------------------------------------
Song 046: We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Artist: The Animals
Album: Animal Tracks
Year: 1965
------------------------------------------------
In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refuse to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in crying
Now girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
you'll gonna die before your time is due
watch my daddy in bed and tired
watch his hair been turning gray
He's been working and slaving his life away
oh yes I know
He's been working so hard
I've been working too
Every night and day
Yeah Yeah Yeah
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'Cause girl, there's a better life
For me and you
now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due
you know it
watch my daddy in bed and tired
watch his hair been turning gray
He's been working and slaving his life away
I know
He's been working so hard
I've been working too
woahh
Yeah Yeah yeah
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life
For me and you
oh baby
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
oh you know it, baby
and I know it, too, baby
oh yea
2007-04-26
earth by any other name
Somewhere out there in space are planets similar to the one we live on. European astronomers this week announced the discovery of a potentially habitable planet about 1.5 times larger in diameter than Earth, orbiting a star very different from our sun. The planet circles the star Gliese 581 c, located 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra. It takes twenty and a half years for light from that star to reach our eyes. At this point in time there is only one thing that can travel that fast . . . light. If we were planning a trip to visit this planet, we would need to develop a whole new way of traveling. Right now we can't get there from here.
Although 211 planets have been discovered to date beyond our solar system, this planet is the first that is assumed to be rocky in composition, like Earth, and also residing in what is known as the habitable zone - the region around a star where the temperature is right for water to be present in liquid form. Because the host star is a red dwarf (smaller and colder than the sun), its habitable zone is much closer than the Earth-sun distance. Unlike the 365 days it takes our planet to make one trip around our star, the Gliese 581 planet makes one full orbit every 13 days. How would you like to celebrate a new birthday just about every two weeks. Great! That would make me over 2500 years old. I wonder if it would also make me wiser? Hum . . . brings thoughts of Yoda. It does.
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Song 045: Unchained Melody
Artist: The Righteous Brothers
Album: Just Once In My Life
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Oh my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time,
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much,
Are you still mine?
I need your love,
I need your love
God speed your love to me.
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea,
To the open arms of the sea, yeah!
Lonely rivers sigh "wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home,
Wait for me.
Oh my love, my darling
I've hungered,
Hungered for your touch
A long lonely time,
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much,
Are you still mine?
I need your love, I...
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Interestingly, the title of this song is not contained in the lyrics. Probably the best known version of Unchained Melody is the one produced by Phil Spector in 1965, credited to the Righteous Brothers, but performed as a solo by Bobby Hatfield, who later recorded versions credited solely to him. It climbed to number 4, then reappeared on the Billboard charts in 1990, reaching number 19, after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the film Ghost. This is one of my favorite songs from the middle sixites.
2007-04-25
baked onions
Spring is the perfect time for hiking and camping and one of the best parts of camping is the food. You have to be a bit more creative when you are backpacking because every ounce counts. But stationary camping leaves it wide open for any type cooking you want to do -- especially if you are staying in a campground that has grills at the campsites.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is one that is best suited for stationary camping. BTW--stationary camping is where you pull into a campground or hike into a backcountry campground, set up your tent and leave it there for the entire time you are camping. You can do day hikes and other campground activities, but you always come back to the same campsite each night. So, this recipe can be done on a camp grill, a backyard grill, in the oven at home, or as part of a foil dinner on a campfire. Here goes . . .
Baked Onions
Ingredients
one onion per person
black pepper
butter or margarine
Directions
Take an onion and take off the outer skin. Hollow out the core and add cracked fresh ground black pepper and put a large pat of butter or margarine in the hole. Wrap each onion in aluminum foil and bake on the grill for about an hour on medium, or in oven at 325 degrees for an hour. The onion will be juicy, sweet and delicious.
If you cook the onion as part of a foil dinner, double wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place it directly on the hot coals of the campfire (not in direct flame but in the coals around the outside of the main fire). Turn the foiled onion packet a couple of times while it is cooking, to insure that it gets cooked on all sides.
You can cook potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob, bell peppers, hamburger steak and other foods as part of direct-campfire foil dinners. umm Umm! Makes me want to go camping . . . now!
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Song 044: Twist and Shout
Artist: The Beatles
Album: The Early Beatles
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Well, shake it up baby (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout_
Come on, come on, come on, baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
Well work it on out now (work it on out)
You know you look so good (look so good)
You know you got me goin' now (got me goin)
Just like I knew you would (just like i knew you would)
(Oooooooh)
Well, shake it shake it baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
You know twist little girl (twist little girl)
You know you twist so fine (twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer now (twist a little closer)
Let me know that you're mine (let em know you're mine)
Aaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaah
Yeah, shake it up baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on baby now (come on baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
You know twist little girl (twist little girl)
You know you twist so fine (twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer now (twist a little closer)
Let me know that you're mine (let em know you're mine)
Aaaaah, aaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaah
The recipe I am sharing with you today is one that is best suited for stationary camping. BTW--stationary camping is where you pull into a campground or hike into a backcountry campground, set up your tent and leave it there for the entire time you are camping. You can do day hikes and other campground activities, but you always come back to the same campsite each night. So, this recipe can be done on a camp grill, a backyard grill, in the oven at home, or as part of a foil dinner on a campfire. Here goes . . .
Baked Onions
Ingredients
one onion per person
black pepper
butter or margarine
Directions
Take an onion and take off the outer skin. Hollow out the core and add cracked fresh ground black pepper and put a large pat of butter or margarine in the hole. Wrap each onion in aluminum foil and bake on the grill for about an hour on medium, or in oven at 325 degrees for an hour. The onion will be juicy, sweet and delicious.
If you cook the onion as part of a foil dinner, double wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place it directly on the hot coals of the campfire (not in direct flame but in the coals around the outside of the main fire). Turn the foiled onion packet a couple of times while it is cooking, to insure that it gets cooked on all sides.
You can cook potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob, bell peppers, hamburger steak and other foods as part of direct-campfire foil dinners. umm Umm! Makes me want to go camping . . . now!
--------------------------------------------------
Song 044: Twist and Shout
Artist: The Beatles
Album: The Early Beatles
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Well, shake it up baby (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout_
Come on, come on, come on, baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
Well work it on out now (work it on out)
You know you look so good (look so good)
You know you got me goin' now (got me goin)
Just like I knew you would (just like i knew you would)
(Oooooooh)
Well, shake it shake it baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
You know twist little girl (twist little girl)
You know you twist so fine (twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer now (twist a little closer)
Let me know that you're mine (let em know you're mine)
Aaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaah
Yeah, shake it up baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on baby now (come on baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
You know twist little girl (twist little girl)
You know you twist so fine (twist so fine)
Come on and twist a little closer now (twist a little closer)
Let me know that you're mine (let em know you're mine)
Aaaaah, aaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaah
2007-04-24
turn turn turn
--------------------------------------------------
Song 043: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Artist: The Byrds
Album: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die.
A time to plant, a time to reap.
A time to kill, a time to heal.
A time to laugh, a time to weep.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to build up, a time to break down.
A time to dance, a time to mourn.
A time to cast away stones.
A time to gather stones together.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time of love, a time of hate.
A time of war, a time of peace.
A time you may embrace.
A time to refrain from embracing.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to gain, a time to lose.
A time to rend, a time to sow.
A time for love, a time for hate.
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
Turn! Turn! Turn!, was written by Pete Seeger, who set text from the Bible to music, specifically, a reading from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Although he wrote it in the 1950s, Seeger waited until 1962 to record it, releasing the song on his The Bitter and The Sweet album.
The Biblical text states that there is a time and place for all things, laughter and sorrow, healing and killing, war and peace. As a song, the text is commonly performed as a plea for world peace, with stress on the closing line: a time for peace, I swear it's not too late, the latter phrase being the only part of the lyric composed by Seeger himself. It is one of few mainstream songs to set a large portion of scripture to song,
The most famous version of the song is the Billboard number one single by The Byrds, released in October of 1965, and it is one of the defining records of the entire decade.
--------------------------------------------------
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 (New International Version)
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Song 043: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Artist: The Byrds
Album: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die.
A time to plant, a time to reap.
A time to kill, a time to heal.
A time to laugh, a time to weep.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to build up, a time to break down.
A time to dance, a time to mourn.
A time to cast away stones.
A time to gather stones together.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time of love, a time of hate.
A time of war, a time of peace.
A time you may embrace.
A time to refrain from embracing.
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to gain, a time to lose.
A time to rend, a time to sow.
A time for love, a time for hate.
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
Turn! Turn! Turn!, was written by Pete Seeger, who set text from the Bible to music, specifically, a reading from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Although he wrote it in the 1950s, Seeger waited until 1962 to record it, releasing the song on his The Bitter and The Sweet album.
The Biblical text states that there is a time and place for all things, laughter and sorrow, healing and killing, war and peace. As a song, the text is commonly performed as a plea for world peace, with stress on the closing line: a time for peace, I swear it's not too late, the latter phrase being the only part of the lyric composed by Seeger himself. It is one of few mainstream songs to set a large portion of scripture to song,
The most famous version of the song is the Billboard number one single by The Byrds, released in October of 1965, and it is one of the defining records of the entire decade.
--------------------------------------------------
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 (New International Version)
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
2007-04-23
online science fiction stories by card
I just discovered a website by Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game, called the InterGalactic Medicine Show. It's an online repository of science fiction stories by Card and others. The first issue was published in October 2005. There were two new issues published in 2006 and one in 2007, so far. Each issue features a new story by Card, based on the characters of the Ender series, as well as several other science fiction stories by other authors.
Click the title of this post to check it out.
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Song 042: Ticket To Ride
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Help!
Year: 1965
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I think I’m gonna be sad,
I think it’s today, yeah.
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
She said that living with me
Is bringing her down yeah.
For she would never be free
When I was around.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
I don’t know why she’s ridin’ so high,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
Before she gets to saying goodbye,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
I think I’m gonna be sad,
I think it’s today yeah.
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away, yeah.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
I don’t know why she’s ridin’ so high,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
Before she gets to saying goodbye,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
She said that living with me,
Is bringing her down, yeah.
For she would never be free
When I was around.
Ah, she’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
Click the title of this post to check it out.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 042: Ticket To Ride
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Help!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
I think I’m gonna be sad,
I think it’s today, yeah.
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
She said that living with me
Is bringing her down yeah.
For she would never be free
When I was around.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
I don’t know why she’s ridin’ so high,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
Before she gets to saying goodbye,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
I think I’m gonna be sad,
I think it’s today yeah.
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away, yeah.
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
I don’t know why she’s ridin’ so high,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
Before she gets to saying goodbye,
She ought to think twice,
She ought to do right by me.
She said that living with me,
Is bringing her down, yeah.
For she would never be free
When I was around.
Ah, she’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
She’s got a ticket to ride,
But she don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
My baby don’t care, my baby don’t care.
2007-04-20
boys contaminate town with mercury
I read an interesting story this morning about a group of fourth and fifth grade boys who recently took four pounds of mercury from a dentist's office in West Virginia. They created quite an environmental headache for one small town of 1400 people, after they tracked the mercury into their school, their homes, church and the steps of their public library.
For a 10-year-old, I can see how mercury would be fascinating, as it makes some very interesting patterns when you drop it (kind of like the liquid metal in Terminator 2). 5 of the 25 students who handled the highly poisonous mercury showed high levels of exposure, but none of them suffered serious health risks. Short term exposure to mercury vapors is not considered to be dangerous, but long term exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, causing behavioral problems and tremors. About 200 people in this small town are being tested for exposure.
Health officials have removed contaminants from the public library, two school classrooms and a public park in town.
As an avocational geologist, I spot questionable materials occasionally as I am out collecting minerals and rocks. If I am not sure what it is, I don't pick it up. You never know what has been discarded or dropped and you can be putting yourself and others at risk if you respond carelessly.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 041: My Generation
Artist: The Who
Album: The Who Sings My Generation
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
My Generation was named the eleventh greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, and quickly became The Who's anthem. Pete Townshend wrote the song in 1965 for rebellious British youth known as Mods, as it expressed their feeling that older people just don't get it. My Generation is considered the first punk rock song. Although my people have tried to analyze the lyrics over the years and try to determine why Townshend incorporated an angry and frustrated stutter in the lyrics (delivered so well by Roger Daltrey). Who producer Shel Talmy insists that it was simply one of those accidents that works.
For a 10-year-old, I can see how mercury would be fascinating, as it makes some very interesting patterns when you drop it (kind of like the liquid metal in Terminator 2). 5 of the 25 students who handled the highly poisonous mercury showed high levels of exposure, but none of them suffered serious health risks. Short term exposure to mercury vapors is not considered to be dangerous, but long term exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, causing behavioral problems and tremors. About 200 people in this small town are being tested for exposure.
Health officials have removed contaminants from the public library, two school classrooms and a public park in town.
As an avocational geologist, I spot questionable materials occasionally as I am out collecting minerals and rocks. If I am not sure what it is, I don't pick it up. You never know what has been discarded or dropped and you can be putting yourself and others at risk if you respond carelessly.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 041: My Generation
Artist: The Who
Album: The Who Sings My Generation
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
My Generation was named the eleventh greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, and quickly became The Who's anthem. Pete Townshend wrote the song in 1965 for rebellious British youth known as Mods, as it expressed their feeling that older people just don't get it. My Generation is considered the first punk rock song. Although my people have tried to analyze the lyrics over the years and try to determine why Townshend incorporated an angry and frustrated stutter in the lyrics (delivered so well by Roger Daltrey). Who producer Shel Talmy insists that it was simply one of those accidents that works.
2007-04-19
new york to london
Check out Google Maps for a nice little travel twist. My daughter showed me this link earlier this week. It's awesome. Google definitely has a sense of humor. You can click on the headline of this post and you will be magically transported directly to a map and directions from New York to London. Check out step 23 of the directions.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 040: Mr. Tambourine Man
Artist: The Byrds
Album: Mr. Tambourine Man
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there aint no place I'm going to.
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Take me for a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
All my senses have been stripped, and my hands can't feel to grip,
And my toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Onto my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there aint no place I'm going to.
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Mr. Tambourine Man was written by Bob Dylan and he included it on his 1965 Bringing It All Back Home album, but it was a Billboard number one hit for the Byrds. They actually released it before Dylan released his version on his own album.
2007-04-18
taxes
TurboTax is the income tax preparation software designed by Intuit. It's the tax software I use to do my taxes. I heard this morning that Intuit has askd for a filing extension with the IRS because the software could not handle all the last minute tax preparations last night. Between 50 and 60 tax forms were being filed through TurboTax every SECOND. That's a lot of last minute taxes.
Why do people wait until the last minute on this? Employers and institutions are required to send out W2s, 1099s and other tax statements have to have all their documents sent out by the end of January. That means that we all have the paperwork we need to prepare our tax returns by the first week of February, at the latest. So why do we procrastinate? I can sympathize with the people who have to pay addtional taxes with their return. Hang on to your money as long as you can before having to send it to Uncle Sam. But for those of us that are getting a tax refund, there is no excuse. Why subject yourself to the added pressure of last minute preparation.
There are definite advantages to filling early. File early and electronically and you have your tax refund in about a week. I know that is true, because I filed in February and I had my refund back in seven days. Even mail-in tax forms are processed quickly if you send them in early. I know that is true because both my daughters filed their first retuns this year, and they both did them by postal mail. They received their refunds in ten days.
TurboTax and other tax preparation software guide you through the process easily and quickly. Unless there are some unusual or complicated circumstances surrounding your taxes, tax software is the way to go. I have been doing my taxes with software for more than ten years.
So to all you people that put off doing your taxes until last night . . . congratulations, it's done! I just hope yours isn't one of the ones that didn't get send out on time due to an internet overload. Even if TurboTax succeeds in getting an extension, you may be chaged a late-filing fee by the IRS. Next year you might want to think about doing them a couple of months earlier. Avoid the headache and get your money back quicker, without penalty.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 039: Michelle
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Michelle, ma belle.
These are words that go together well,
My michelle.
Michelle, ma belle.
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble,
Tres bien ensemble.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
That’s all I want to say.
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that
You’ll understand.
I need you, I need you, I need you.
I need to make you see,
Oh, what you mean to me.
Until I do I’m hoping you will
Know what I mean.
I love you.
I want you, I want you, I want you.
I think you know by now
I’ll get to you somehow.
Until I do I’m telling you so
You’ll understand.
I will say the only words I know that
You’ll understand, my michelle.
Michelle is a love ballad that departs from most of the Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French and it is believed to be one of the first bilingual pop songs ever. Paul McCartney wrote the song based on a song he heard being sung by a student at a party for art students. Lennon heard it and suggested he rework it for inclusion on Rubber Soul. Paul asked the wife of his old friend Ivan Vaughn to come up with a French name and a phrase that rythmed with it. Vaughan came up with "Michelle, ma belle," and a few days later he asked for a translation of "these are words that go together well" — "sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble". When McCartney played the song for Lennon, Lennon suggested that he put the verse of "I love you" in the middle, and the song was complete.
Why do people wait until the last minute on this? Employers and institutions are required to send out W2s, 1099s and other tax statements have to have all their documents sent out by the end of January. That means that we all have the paperwork we need to prepare our tax returns by the first week of February, at the latest. So why do we procrastinate? I can sympathize with the people who have to pay addtional taxes with their return. Hang on to your money as long as you can before having to send it to Uncle Sam. But for those of us that are getting a tax refund, there is no excuse. Why subject yourself to the added pressure of last minute preparation.
There are definite advantages to filling early. File early and electronically and you have your tax refund in about a week. I know that is true, because I filed in February and I had my refund back in seven days. Even mail-in tax forms are processed quickly if you send them in early. I know that is true because both my daughters filed their first retuns this year, and they both did them by postal mail. They received their refunds in ten days.
TurboTax and other tax preparation software guide you through the process easily and quickly. Unless there are some unusual or complicated circumstances surrounding your taxes, tax software is the way to go. I have been doing my taxes with software for more than ten years.
So to all you people that put off doing your taxes until last night . . . congratulations, it's done! I just hope yours isn't one of the ones that didn't get send out on time due to an internet overload. Even if TurboTax succeeds in getting an extension, you may be chaged a late-filing fee by the IRS. Next year you might want to think about doing them a couple of months earlier. Avoid the headache and get your money back quicker, without penalty.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 039: Michelle
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Michelle, ma belle.
These are words that go together well,
My michelle.
Michelle, ma belle.
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble,
Tres bien ensemble.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
That’s all I want to say.
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that
You’ll understand.
I need you, I need you, I need you.
I need to make you see,
Oh, what you mean to me.
Until I do I’m hoping you will
Know what I mean.
I love you.
I want you, I want you, I want you.
I think you know by now
I’ll get to you somehow.
Until I do I’m telling you so
You’ll understand.
I will say the only words I know that
You’ll understand, my michelle.
Michelle is a love ballad that departs from most of the Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French and it is believed to be one of the first bilingual pop songs ever. Paul McCartney wrote the song based on a song he heard being sung by a student at a party for art students. Lennon heard it and suggested he rework it for inclusion on Rubber Soul. Paul asked the wife of his old friend Ivan Vaughn to come up with a French name and a phrase that rythmed with it. Vaughan came up with "Michelle, ma belle," and a few days later he asked for a translation of "these are words that go together well" — "sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble". When McCartney played the song for Lennon, Lennon suggested that he put the verse of "I love you" in the middle, and the song was complete.
2007-04-17
like a rolling stone
--------------------------------------------------
Song 038: Like A Rolling Stone
Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Like a Rolling Stone was first released in 1965 and it is, without a doubt, one of the most influential of Dylan's songs. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the greatest song of all time, and declared, "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time." It is regarded by many as one of the greatest popular music songs of all time.
Like a Rolling Stone is the first song that ever made me stop and think about the lyrics that made up the songs of my youth. I still remember sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, studying the words and seeing the images they envoked. I don't know who the woman (or girl) was that Dylan wrote these words about, but I felt sorry for her with all her riches, and nothing else.
BTW -- This is my 100th post to Argon One. For all of you that are following along on a regular basis, thank you. Not a lot of comments are posted to the blog, but I do get a lot of verbal and email comments from friends that I know are reading. I am having a great time, and I hope you are getting something out of it, at least once in a while.
Song 038: Like A Rolling Stone
Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Like a Rolling Stone was first released in 1965 and it is, without a doubt, one of the most influential of Dylan's songs. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the greatest song of all time, and declared, "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time." It is regarded by many as one of the greatest popular music songs of all time.
Like a Rolling Stone is the first song that ever made me stop and think about the lyrics that made up the songs of my youth. I still remember sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, studying the words and seeing the images they envoked. I don't know who the woman (or girl) was that Dylan wrote these words about, but I felt sorry for her with all her riches, and nothing else.
BTW -- This is my 100th post to Argon One. For all of you that are following along on a regular basis, thank you. Not a lot of comments are posted to the blog, but I do get a lot of verbal and email comments from friends that I know are reading. I am having a great time, and I hope you are getting something out of it, at least once in a while.
2007-04-16
tethers in space
Three tiny American satellites will blast off tonight from Kazakhstan. Once in orbit, the satellites will separate and deploy a tether — a thin but strong woven string made of tiny, braided lines. The tether is designed to withstand the impact of particles flying extremely fast through space. Two satellites will anchor the tether at each end, while the third satellite will crawl along the tether, inspecting it for damage.
What's the meaning of all this? For some time, NASA has considered tethers as an alternate means of propulsion in space and engineers have tested tehters in space, but it has been more than ten years since those experiments. A thether works sort of like a South American bola. A bola has a weighted ball at either end of a cord or rope. The bola maintains its speed by tumbling end over end through the air once you throw it. So a space tether would consist of objects at either end of a long braided cable, with a satellite or space capsule secured in the middle. The tumbling action through space would provide forward momentum for the mission . . . a very low cost, fuel-free method of space travel.
There's only one problem . . . debris. There's so much space junk flying around the earth and so many micrometeorites around the earth and in open space, all of them travelling at such an incredible speed that the tether is sure to get cut or severed. NASA has commissioned a tether researcher, Rob Hoyt, and the results of his research will be launched tonight. Once the satellites are deployed in earth orbit, two of them will move apart, reeling out a half-mile long cable between them. The third satellite will crawl back and forth along the cable for several months, photographing the cable, looking for and counting the number of cuts.
Hoyt has a rather unique approach to the tether problem. He has constructed his tether from more than one strand, like a woven net. If one strand gets cut, the others remain. He starts with light, strong fibers, like Kevlar, then the strands are woven together using a computerized machine. If all goes well with this experiment, Hoyt plans to send up another satellite. This time with a tether nine miles long, capable of slinging a small object to the moon.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 037: Let's Hang On To What We Got
Artist: The Four Seasons
Album: The 4 Seasons Entertain You
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
there ain't no good in our goodbye-in'
true love takes a lot of tryin'
oh, i'm cryin'
let's hang on to what we got
don't let go girl, we got a lot
got a lot of love between us
hang on, hang on, hang on
to what we got doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo
you say you're gonna go and call it quits
gonna chuck it all and break our love to bits
(breakin' up) i wish you never said it
(breakin' up) no, no, we'll both regret it
that little chip 'o diamond on your hand
ain't a fortune, baby, but you know it stands
(for your love) a love to try and bind us
(such a love) we just can't leave behind us
baby (don't you go) baby (oh no no)
baby (think it over and stay)
there isn't anything i wouldn't do
i'd go to any price to get in good with you
(patch it up) give me a second turn
(patch it up) don't cool off while i'm burnin'
you got me cryin', dyin' at your door
don't shut me out, open your arms for
(open up) your arms i need to hold
(open up) your heart, oh girl, i told you
baby (don't you go) baby (oh no no)
baby (think it over and stay)
What's the meaning of all this? For some time, NASA has considered tethers as an alternate means of propulsion in space and engineers have tested tehters in space, but it has been more than ten years since those experiments. A thether works sort of like a South American bola. A bola has a weighted ball at either end of a cord or rope. The bola maintains its speed by tumbling end over end through the air once you throw it. So a space tether would consist of objects at either end of a long braided cable, with a satellite or space capsule secured in the middle. The tumbling action through space would provide forward momentum for the mission . . . a very low cost, fuel-free method of space travel.
There's only one problem . . . debris. There's so much space junk flying around the earth and so many micrometeorites around the earth and in open space, all of them travelling at such an incredible speed that the tether is sure to get cut or severed. NASA has commissioned a tether researcher, Rob Hoyt, and the results of his research will be launched tonight. Once the satellites are deployed in earth orbit, two of them will move apart, reeling out a half-mile long cable between them. The third satellite will crawl back and forth along the cable for several months, photographing the cable, looking for and counting the number of cuts.
Hoyt has a rather unique approach to the tether problem. He has constructed his tether from more than one strand, like a woven net. If one strand gets cut, the others remain. He starts with light, strong fibers, like Kevlar, then the strands are woven together using a computerized machine. If all goes well with this experiment, Hoyt plans to send up another satellite. This time with a tether nine miles long, capable of slinging a small object to the moon.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 037: Let's Hang On To What We Got
Artist: The Four Seasons
Album: The 4 Seasons Entertain You
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
there ain't no good in our goodbye-in'
true love takes a lot of tryin'
oh, i'm cryin'
let's hang on to what we got
don't let go girl, we got a lot
got a lot of love between us
hang on, hang on, hang on
to what we got doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo
you say you're gonna go and call it quits
gonna chuck it all and break our love to bits
(breakin' up) i wish you never said it
(breakin' up) no, no, we'll both regret it
that little chip 'o diamond on your hand
ain't a fortune, baby, but you know it stands
(for your love) a love to try and bind us
(such a love) we just can't leave behind us
baby (don't you go) baby (oh no no)
baby (think it over and stay)
there isn't anything i wouldn't do
i'd go to any price to get in good with you
(patch it up) give me a second turn
(patch it up) don't cool off while i'm burnin'
you got me cryin', dyin' at your door
don't shut me out, open your arms for
(open up) your arms i need to hold
(open up) your heart, oh girl, i told you
baby (don't you go) baby (oh no no)
baby (think it over and stay)
2007-04-14
no more tiny bubbles
Don Ho passed away today. I saw him perform in Hawaii when I was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in the mid-seventies.
Donald Ho Tai Loy (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian musician and entertainer. Ho, of mixed Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaʻako, but he grew up in Kāneʻohe on the windward (eastern) side of the island of Oʻahu. In 1954 Ho entered the United States Air Force and spent time flying fighter jets in both Texas and Hawaii. Ho left the Air Force in 1960 due to his mother's illness. In 1962, he moved from Kāneʻohe to Waikīkī in Honolulu and played at a night club called Duke's, where he caught the attention of record company officials.
Ho released his debut album, Don Ho Show, in 1965 and began to play high profile locations in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and New York City. In 1966 he released his second album, a live compilation called Don Ho — Again!, which charted in the early part of that year. In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most famous song, Tiny Bubbles, which charted on both the pop and easy listening charts and caused the subsequent Tiny Bubbles LP to remain in the album Top 20 for almost a year.
Tiny Bubbles is one of those songs that get stuck in your head for a while. During the sixties songs from the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers, and the Four Seasons were all making the pop charts, so it is no surprise to me that Tiny Bubbles also made it to the pop charts. I remember singing along with it in the sixties, and enjoying it when I saw him perform in the seventies.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 036: Tiny Bubbles
Artist: Don Ho
Album: Tiny Bubbles
Year: 1966
--------------------------------------------------
Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the wine (in the wine)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine)
Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time
So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me
So here's to the ginger lei
I give to you today
And here's a kiss
That will not fade away
Donald Ho Tai Loy (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian musician and entertainer. Ho, of mixed Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaʻako, but he grew up in Kāneʻohe on the windward (eastern) side of the island of Oʻahu. In 1954 Ho entered the United States Air Force and spent time flying fighter jets in both Texas and Hawaii. Ho left the Air Force in 1960 due to his mother's illness. In 1962, he moved from Kāneʻohe to Waikīkī in Honolulu and played at a night club called Duke's, where he caught the attention of record company officials.
Ho released his debut album, Don Ho Show, in 1965 and began to play high profile locations in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and New York City. In 1966 he released his second album, a live compilation called Don Ho — Again!, which charted in the early part of that year. In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most famous song, Tiny Bubbles, which charted on both the pop and easy listening charts and caused the subsequent Tiny Bubbles LP to remain in the album Top 20 for almost a year.
Tiny Bubbles is one of those songs that get stuck in your head for a while. During the sixties songs from the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers, and the Four Seasons were all making the pop charts, so it is no surprise to me that Tiny Bubbles also made it to the pop charts. I remember singing along with it in the sixties, and enjoying it when I saw him perform in the seventies.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 036: Tiny Bubbles
Artist: Don Ho
Album: Tiny Bubbles
Year: 1966
--------------------------------------------------
Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the wine (in the wine)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine)
Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time
So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me
So here's to the ginger lei
I give to you today
And here's a kiss
That will not fade away
2007-04-13
dickens theme park has great expectations
What a bizarre idea for a theme park . . . the world of Charles Dickens. I'm not sure I'm on with the idea yet, but it does sound intriguing, don't you think? I enjoyed reading Great Expectations in high school, and seeing the movie . . . the original Great Expectations, not the dribble of a remake that came out a few years back (what a disappointment). I just can't imagine how you could incorporate that into a theme park ride, but it has been done. There's a Great Expectations ride in the new Dickens World theme park in Chatham, England. This $115million park is hiring its first employees right now.
Fagen's Den playground and the grimy walls of Newgate Prison are part of the park -- a remake of a dark, dirty and dank London which is populated by thieves, murderers and ghosts. It all has an air of authenticity as it was built in consultation with experts from the Dickens Fellowship. I wonder if characters from Dickens' novels -- Pip and Miss Havisham, Mr Pecksniff and the Artful Dodger, Mr Pickwick and Uriah Heep (hum, weren't they a band from the sixties?) -- will wander through Dickens World the way Goofy and Mickey walk the streets of Disney World. Maybe we could even have lunch with Oliver Twist. That's a gruelling thought!
"May I have some more please?" Uuuuhh!
--------------------------------------------------
Song 035: In My Life
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
There are places i'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends i still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life i've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When i think of love as something new
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
In my life i love you more
Fagen's Den playground and the grimy walls of Newgate Prison are part of the park -- a remake of a dark, dirty and dank London which is populated by thieves, murderers and ghosts. It all has an air of authenticity as it was built in consultation with experts from the Dickens Fellowship. I wonder if characters from Dickens' novels -- Pip and Miss Havisham, Mr Pecksniff and the Artful Dodger, Mr Pickwick and Uriah Heep (hum, weren't they a band from the sixties?) -- will wander through Dickens World the way Goofy and Mickey walk the streets of Disney World. Maybe we could even have lunch with Oliver Twist. That's a gruelling thought!
"May I have some more please?" Uuuuhh!
--------------------------------------------------
Song 035: In My Life
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
There are places i'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends i still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life i've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When i think of love as something new
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
Though i know i'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know i'll often stop and think about them
In my life i love you more
In my life i love you more
2007-04-12
cat's cradle
Kurt Vonnegut passed away yesterday. I discovered his novels while I was in the Air Force, way back in the seventies. I read six of his novels during the summer of '76: Player Piano, The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions and Cat's Cradle. Cat's Cradle was the first Vonnegut book I read. I'll tell you a little bit about the beginning of the novel, but you have to promise me that you will read the book for yourself, if you haven't already. Vonnegut was my favorite author for a while. The last Vonnegut novel I read that summer was Breakfast of Champions. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the others, and I haven't read any of his novels since.
At the opening of Cat's Cradle, the narrator describes a time when he was planning to write a book about what important Americans did on the day Hiroshima was bombed. While researching the topic, the narrator becomes involved with the children of Felix Hoenikker, the fictional Nobel laureate physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb. As the novel continues, the narrator learns of a substance called ice-nine, created by the late Hoenikker and now secretly in the possession of his children. Ice-nine is an alternative structure of water that is solid at room temperature. When a crystal of ice-nine makes contact with liquid water, it becomes a seed that 'teaches' the molecules of liquid water to arrange themselves into the solid form, ice-nine. This is actually similar to how normal liquid water freezes. However in the case of ice-nine the process is not easily reversed, since the melting point of ice-nine is 114.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 034: Help Me Ronda
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: The Beach Boys Today!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Well since she put me down I 've been out doin' in my head
Come in late at night and in the mornin' I just lay in bed
Well, Ronda you look so fine (look so fine)
And I know it wouldn't take much time
For you to help me Ronda
Help me get her out of my heart
Help me Ronda
Help, help me Ronda
Help me Ronda
Help, help me Ronda
I find it interesting that Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, author of Help Me Ronda, was going through much the same emotional turmoil during this time as John Lennon was when he wrote Help!, Help Me, Rhonda went on to become the second biggest hit of the Beach Boys' career (after I Get Around).
At the opening of Cat's Cradle, the narrator describes a time when he was planning to write a book about what important Americans did on the day Hiroshima was bombed. While researching the topic, the narrator becomes involved with the children of Felix Hoenikker, the fictional Nobel laureate physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb. As the novel continues, the narrator learns of a substance called ice-nine, created by the late Hoenikker and now secretly in the possession of his children. Ice-nine is an alternative structure of water that is solid at room temperature. When a crystal of ice-nine makes contact with liquid water, it becomes a seed that 'teaches' the molecules of liquid water to arrange themselves into the solid form, ice-nine. This is actually similar to how normal liquid water freezes. However in the case of ice-nine the process is not easily reversed, since the melting point of ice-nine is 114.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 034: Help Me Ronda
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: The Beach Boys Today!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Well since she put me down I 've been out doin' in my head
Come in late at night and in the mornin' I just lay in bed
Well, Ronda you look so fine (look so fine)
And I know it wouldn't take much time
For you to help me Ronda
Help me get her out of my heart
Help me Ronda
Help, help me Ronda
Help me Ronda
Help, help me Ronda
I find it interesting that Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, author of Help Me Ronda, was going through much the same emotional turmoil during this time as John Lennon was when he wrote Help!, Help Me, Rhonda went on to become the second biggest hit of the Beach Boys' career (after I Get Around).
2007-04-11
tour and dinner
--------------------------------------------------
Song 033: Help!
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Help!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
I must say that yesterday afternoon and evening was very nice. Our business visitors from Cincinnati arrived and we joined them for a tour of our customer commitment center. The CCC is a testing and design facility, dedicated to our customers. We test paper and box stress and strength there, and our boxes are designed (or redesigned) accordingly. Every type of box imaginable is tested there. Boxes that house refrigerators and those that carry grapes or eggs or pickles. Everything you buy is transported in a box at some point in its journey from manufactured to consumed. Have you ever thought about how much stress a computer going through as it is transported from the factory to your desk? If it is broken in shipment, it it trash.
After the testing lab tour, we visited the design studio and took a look at some of the unique box designs as well as graphic design. I could definitely bring their digital photography studio back to my office and be happy. It is huge! My digital studio could all fit on their backdrop.
Dinner last night was very enjoyable. The conversation was a nice blend of business and social. Perhaps a bit more social. We talked about everything from fluorescent minerals to the disappointment of Pluto losing its status as a planet to the origin of our last names and a discussion of our combined heritage. And the food was incredible!
A note about today's song:
Help, i need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know i need someone, help.
When i was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, i'm not so self assured,
Now i find i've changed my mind and opened up the doors.
John Lennon wrote the lyrics of this song to express the stress he was feeling after the quick rise to stardom for The Beatles after years of obscurity. The rest of the band was surprised to learn about Lennon's stress, but they considered it normal. Since Lennon's feelings of insecurity did not fit the band's image of confidence, Lennon felt it was nearly impossible for the fans to understand the origin of the song.
Song 033: Help!
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Help!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
I must say that yesterday afternoon and evening was very nice. Our business visitors from Cincinnati arrived and we joined them for a tour of our customer commitment center. The CCC is a testing and design facility, dedicated to our customers. We test paper and box stress and strength there, and our boxes are designed (or redesigned) accordingly. Every type of box imaginable is tested there. Boxes that house refrigerators and those that carry grapes or eggs or pickles. Everything you buy is transported in a box at some point in its journey from manufactured to consumed. Have you ever thought about how much stress a computer going through as it is transported from the factory to your desk? If it is broken in shipment, it it trash.
After the testing lab tour, we visited the design studio and took a look at some of the unique box designs as well as graphic design. I could definitely bring their digital photography studio back to my office and be happy. It is huge! My digital studio could all fit on their backdrop.
Dinner last night was very enjoyable. The conversation was a nice blend of business and social. Perhaps a bit more social. We talked about everything from fluorescent minerals to the disappointment of Pluto losing its status as a planet to the origin of our last names and a discussion of our combined heritage. And the food was incredible!
A note about today's song:
Help, i need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know i need someone, help.
When i was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, i'm not so self assured,
Now i find i've changed my mind and opened up the doors.
John Lennon wrote the lyrics of this song to express the stress he was feeling after the quick rise to stardom for The Beatles after years of obscurity. The rest of the band was surprised to learn about Lennon's stress, but they considered it normal. Since Lennon's feelings of insecurity did not fit the band's image of confidence, Lennon felt it was nearly impossible for the fans to understand the origin of the song.
2007-04-10
let me entertain you
--------------------------------------------------
Song 032: For Your Love
Artist: The Yardbirds
Album: For Your Love
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Today promises to be a really busy day. Our department has business guests coming in from Cincinnati today to observe our department and share best practices. So for the the next couple of days we will be entertaining them, comparing our operating procedures, showing them samples of our work, our large format printers and digital studio, and "wining and dining" them this evening.
I don't drink alcohol and I used to feel a little bit uncomfortable at dinners or receptions where "everyone" was drinking and I was not. But I have gained a good bit of insight in recent years and I feel quite comfortable being among the drinkers. But wait, let me answer the question I know you have been dying to ask. "Why don't you drink?" OK, no where in the Bible does it say that man shall not drink. Jesus turned water into wine. Some of my best pastor friends drink. The Bible does advice us not to be drunkards. I have four reasons for not consuming alcoholic beverages:
[01] I think it is a waste of money -- whether it is money coming out of my pocket or out of the company's bankroll, that money could be better spent. Think of all the meals for needy families that one night's company drinking party could purchase.
[02] I like to remember what I do, where I go, what I say, how I act. I think it is funny to watch the transformation of personalities after a few drinks. I love observing people as they "open up". They get louder and louder as the evening progresses. They get friendlier and friendlier and tell stories they probably would not have told if they had been sober. And do you know the sad part? . . . they don't even remember it the next day, and sometimes they don't even remember how they got home or back to the hotel room. I would much rather be the designated driver. The added bonus is, I don't have to try and remember what I did the night before or how I got home. It's bad enough trying to remember with my 50+ year old brain. I feel great knowing that I acted responsibly.
[03] My father was a flat out alchoholic. I spent EVERY weekend of my childhood waiting for my dad to come home, and worrying about what kind of mood he would be in. He always came home mean and hurtful and I hated it . . . and he didn't even remember it come Monday morning. But I remembered. My mother remembered. My brothers and sisters remembered . . . and I am bound and determined that I will never subject my wife and daughters and family and friends to that intolerable abuse! I sometimes didn't see my dad from the time he left for work on Friday morning until late Sunday night. He drunk himself to death.
And reason [04] I am a Christian. I have responsibilities for my actions. If I spend my time drinking and someone I know sees me drinking, they might question my actions. I might loose their respect. What happens if a young person (for that matter, one of my daughters) sees me drinking or drunk and determines that if I can do it, so can they . . . I am causing them to stumble. I can't compromise my Christian witness. I have to live the same today . . . tonight . . . Saturday . . . as I do on Sunday morning.
And yet, I cannot say that it is wrong for you to drink, unless you are underage or drink to excess. I can only say that it is wrong for me to drink.
A note about today's song:
For your love.
For your love.
For your love.
I'd give you everything and more, and that's for sure.
For your love.
I'd bring you diamond rings and things right to your door.
For your love.
This Yardbirds song, from their second album, made it all the way to number 6 on the pop charts in 1965. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were both part of the original Yardbirds.
Song 032: For Your Love
Artist: The Yardbirds
Album: For Your Love
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Today promises to be a really busy day. Our department has business guests coming in from Cincinnati today to observe our department and share best practices. So for the the next couple of days we will be entertaining them, comparing our operating procedures, showing them samples of our work, our large format printers and digital studio, and "wining and dining" them this evening.
I don't drink alcohol and I used to feel a little bit uncomfortable at dinners or receptions where "everyone" was drinking and I was not. But I have gained a good bit of insight in recent years and I feel quite comfortable being among the drinkers. But wait, let me answer the question I know you have been dying to ask. "Why don't you drink?" OK, no where in the Bible does it say that man shall not drink. Jesus turned water into wine. Some of my best pastor friends drink. The Bible does advice us not to be drunkards. I have four reasons for not consuming alcoholic beverages:
[01] I think it is a waste of money -- whether it is money coming out of my pocket or out of the company's bankroll, that money could be better spent. Think of all the meals for needy families that one night's company drinking party could purchase.
[02] I like to remember what I do, where I go, what I say, how I act. I think it is funny to watch the transformation of personalities after a few drinks. I love observing people as they "open up". They get louder and louder as the evening progresses. They get friendlier and friendlier and tell stories they probably would not have told if they had been sober. And do you know the sad part? . . . they don't even remember it the next day, and sometimes they don't even remember how they got home or back to the hotel room. I would much rather be the designated driver. The added bonus is, I don't have to try and remember what I did the night before or how I got home. It's bad enough trying to remember with my 50+ year old brain. I feel great knowing that I acted responsibly.
[03] My father was a flat out alchoholic. I spent EVERY weekend of my childhood waiting for my dad to come home, and worrying about what kind of mood he would be in. He always came home mean and hurtful and I hated it . . . and he didn't even remember it come Monday morning. But I remembered. My mother remembered. My brothers and sisters remembered . . . and I am bound and determined that I will never subject my wife and daughters and family and friends to that intolerable abuse! I sometimes didn't see my dad from the time he left for work on Friday morning until late Sunday night. He drunk himself to death.
And reason [04] I am a Christian. I have responsibilities for my actions. If I spend my time drinking and someone I know sees me drinking, they might question my actions. I might loose their respect. What happens if a young person (for that matter, one of my daughters) sees me drinking or drunk and determines that if I can do it, so can they . . . I am causing them to stumble. I can't compromise my Christian witness. I have to live the same today . . . tonight . . . Saturday . . . as I do on Sunday morning.
And yet, I cannot say that it is wrong for you to drink, unless you are underage or drink to excess. I can only say that it is wrong for me to drink.
A note about today's song:
For your love.
For your love.
For your love.
I'd give you everything and more, and that's for sure.
For your love.
I'd bring you diamond rings and things right to your door.
For your love.
This Yardbirds song, from their second album, made it all the way to number 6 on the pop charts in 1965. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were both part of the original Yardbirds.
2007-04-09
one black hole to go please
--------------------------------------------------
Song 031: Eight Days A Week
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Beatles VI
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Not only is this the stuff science fiction is made of . . . it is the stuff of science fact. This summer, physicists plan to throw the switch on what is most likely the largest and most complex science experiment ever conducted. An underground ring of superconducting magnets, reaching from Switzerland into France, will smash subatomic particles together with incredible force.
Physicists aren't sure exactly what will emerge from those collisions. They're hunting a mysterious, hypothetical particle called the Higgs boson, but it is also possible they will make miniature black holes, or discover new dimensions of space-time in the process.
The world of physics has been quiet for a long time . . . since the 1970's when the standard model of physics was written and is considered one of the crowning achievements of modern science. It is a theory of almost everything . . . that is, it's an equation that explains with remarkable precision how particles interact at the smallest levels: the foundation of atoms, of chemistry, of biology, of existence. A deviation from the standard model of physics has not been found in these past 30+ years since it was established, but physicists insist there are more questions to be answered . . . Why do things weigh what they weigh? . . . What is the dark matter that astronomers see tugging at the universe?
CERN (Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, or the European Council for Nuclear Research) hopes to answer some of these questions soon. Three hundred feet below the surface, beneath the CERN facility, workers are installing superconducting magnets in a long tunnel. They are building a new, powerful particle accelerator capable of reproducing energies present just after the big bang. The first accelerator like this was just 12 inches around. This one, called the Large Hadron Collider is 16 MILES in circumference. The magnets of the Hadron Collider will form a kind of racetrack for trillions of protons and these protons will race around at nearly the speed of light. Half of the protons will be racing in a clockwise direction, while the other half race in a counterclockwise direction on a collision course directed by the magnets. When these particles collide, it will be like the force of two buses colliding in a tiny speck of space . . . times a few trillion!
Even the physicists don't know what the outcome will be. That's why this is an experiment . . . to analyze the data and determine the results. One result could be tiny black holes. These black holes would be evidence for extra tiny dimensions of space-time. If black holes do appear, researchers say they will be harmless as they break into pieces.
Another idea is that the collisions could produce things like the dark matter particles that physicists are confident they see affecting the motion of galaxies. They have seen the effects of dark matter, but they have never known what the particles actually are.
Learning about this accelerator makes me want to be there when the experiments actually begin . . . or does it? Maybe it will be better being on this side of the ocean. This is definitely an exciting time to be a scientist!
On this day in history
NASA announced the first group of astronauts, the Mercury Seven, in 1959.
A note about today's song
Although Eight Days A Week was a huge American hit, the Beatles didn't think very highly of the song, and never performed it live. The title comes as a result of a chauffeured drive to Lennon's house. McCartney asked the driver how his week was going, and the driver replied, I've been working Eight Days a Week. McCartney shared the bit with Lennon and both quickly laid down words to the song.
Song 031: Eight Days A Week
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Beatles VI
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Not only is this the stuff science fiction is made of . . . it is the stuff of science fact. This summer, physicists plan to throw the switch on what is most likely the largest and most complex science experiment ever conducted. An underground ring of superconducting magnets, reaching from Switzerland into France, will smash subatomic particles together with incredible force.
Physicists aren't sure exactly what will emerge from those collisions. They're hunting a mysterious, hypothetical particle called the Higgs boson, but it is also possible they will make miniature black holes, or discover new dimensions of space-time in the process.
The world of physics has been quiet for a long time . . . since the 1970's when the standard model of physics was written and is considered one of the crowning achievements of modern science. It is a theory of almost everything . . . that is, it's an equation that explains with remarkable precision how particles interact at the smallest levels: the foundation of atoms, of chemistry, of biology, of existence. A deviation from the standard model of physics has not been found in these past 30+ years since it was established, but physicists insist there are more questions to be answered . . . Why do things weigh what they weigh? . . . What is the dark matter that astronomers see tugging at the universe?
CERN (Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, or the European Council for Nuclear Research) hopes to answer some of these questions soon. Three hundred feet below the surface, beneath the CERN facility, workers are installing superconducting magnets in a long tunnel. They are building a new, powerful particle accelerator capable of reproducing energies present just after the big bang. The first accelerator like this was just 12 inches around. This one, called the Large Hadron Collider is 16 MILES in circumference. The magnets of the Hadron Collider will form a kind of racetrack for trillions of protons and these protons will race around at nearly the speed of light. Half of the protons will be racing in a clockwise direction, while the other half race in a counterclockwise direction on a collision course directed by the magnets. When these particles collide, it will be like the force of two buses colliding in a tiny speck of space . . . times a few trillion!
Even the physicists don't know what the outcome will be. That's why this is an experiment . . . to analyze the data and determine the results. One result could be tiny black holes. These black holes would be evidence for extra tiny dimensions of space-time. If black holes do appear, researchers say they will be harmless as they break into pieces.
Another idea is that the collisions could produce things like the dark matter particles that physicists are confident they see affecting the motion of galaxies. They have seen the effects of dark matter, but they have never known what the particles actually are.
Learning about this accelerator makes me want to be there when the experiments actually begin . . . or does it? Maybe it will be better being on this side of the ocean. This is definitely an exciting time to be a scientist!
On this day in history
NASA announced the first group of astronauts, the Mercury Seven, in 1959.
A note about today's song
Although Eight Days A Week was a huge American hit, the Beatles didn't think very highly of the song, and never performed it live. The title comes as a result of a chauffeured drive to Lennon's house. McCartney asked the driver how his week was going, and the driver replied, I've been working Eight Days a Week. McCartney shared the bit with Lennon and both quickly laid down words to the song.
2007-04-08
written 700 years in advance
--------------------------------------------------
Song 030: Do You Wanna Dance
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: The Beach Boys Today!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
The prophet Isaiah foresaw the life, death and resurrection of Christ 700 years before He was even born. Here are a few verses from Isaiah 53, each one making reference to Christ (700 years in the future).
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 (the cross)
He was opressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:9 (the death)
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:11 (the resurrection)
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
He bore our iniquities (He died for our sins)!
Song 030: Do You Wanna Dance
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: The Beach Boys Today!
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
The prophet Isaiah foresaw the life, death and resurrection of Christ 700 years before He was even born. Here are a few verses from Isaiah 53, each one making reference to Christ (700 years in the future).
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 (the cross)
He was opressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:9 (the death)
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:11 (the resurrection)
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
He bore our iniquities (He died for our sins)!
2007-04-06
boston marathon in space
---------------------------------------------------
Song 029: Do You Believe In Magic?
Artist: The Lovin' Spoonful
Album: Do You Believe In Magic?
Year: 1965
---------------------------------------------------
NASA astronaut Suni Williams has been onboard the International Space Station since December. She plans to run the Boston Marathon, April 16 in the space station while her sister is running the marathon in Boston.
While Williams won't have hills and thousands of competitors to face, she will have challenges unlike those confronting her earthbound counterparts. She will be teathered to a treadmill set on a gyroscopic balance system to prevent the pounding of her feet from affecting the station's orbit 210 miles above the earth. The treadmill is a normal component of the station's equipment, where astronauts use it to combat muscle loss which develops from living in a low-gravity environment.
Another challenge facing Williams is sweat. Despite the station's constant 75 degree Fahrenheit, she will need to change clothes several times during the marathon. In the low-gravity environment, sweat does not evaproate off or just drop off, it just stays on the skin until it forms glops big enough to float away. What an unusual challenge to face.
A note about today's song:
Do you believe in magic?
In a young girls heart
How the music can free her
whenever it starts
And it's magic
if the music is groovy
It makes you feel happy like an old time movie
I'll tell ya about the magic
It'll free your soul
but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
Do You Believe In Magic was written by John Sebastian. In 1965, Sebastian's group, The Lovin' Spoonful, released the song as the first single from their debut album Do You Believe in Magic. The song was well-received by the public and became a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the lyrics, the magic referenced in the title is the power of music to supply happiness and freedom to both those who make it and those who listen to it.
Song 029: Do You Believe In Magic?
Artist: The Lovin' Spoonful
Album: Do You Believe In Magic?
Year: 1965
---------------------------------------------------
NASA astronaut Suni Williams has been onboard the International Space Station since December. She plans to run the Boston Marathon, April 16 in the space station while her sister is running the marathon in Boston.
While Williams won't have hills and thousands of competitors to face, she will have challenges unlike those confronting her earthbound counterparts. She will be teathered to a treadmill set on a gyroscopic balance system to prevent the pounding of her feet from affecting the station's orbit 210 miles above the earth. The treadmill is a normal component of the station's equipment, where astronauts use it to combat muscle loss which develops from living in a low-gravity environment.
Another challenge facing Williams is sweat. Despite the station's constant 75 degree Fahrenheit, she will need to change clothes several times during the marathon. In the low-gravity environment, sweat does not evaproate off or just drop off, it just stays on the skin until it forms glops big enough to float away. What an unusual challenge to face.
A note about today's song:
Do you believe in magic?
In a young girls heart
How the music can free her
whenever it starts
And it's magic
if the music is groovy
It makes you feel happy like an old time movie
I'll tell ya about the magic
It'll free your soul
but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
Do You Believe In Magic was written by John Sebastian. In 1965, Sebastian's group, The Lovin' Spoonful, released the song as the first single from their debut album Do You Believe in Magic. The song was well-received by the public and became a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the lyrics, the magic referenced in the title is the power of music to supply happiness and freedom to both those who make it and those who listen to it.
2007-04-05
maundy thursday
--------------------------------------------------
Song 028: Barbara Ann
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: Beach Boys' Party
Year: 1965
--------------------------------------------------
Today is Maundy Thursday and our church will be celebrating tonight with a Communion Service. Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, is the holy day before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It will be followed tomorrow by Good Friday. Four events in the life of Christ are commemorated on Maundy Thursday: the washing of the Disciples' feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.
The evening celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. Triduum is a Latin word which means a three-day period, and the three days being celebrated this week are from the death to the resurrection of Jesus. In the time of Jesus, and still today in some cultures, such as the Jewish, the (24-hour) day was measured from sunset rather than from midnight. According to present-day timekeeping, the Last Supper was held during the evening of Holy Thursday, but during the time of Jesus, that time would have been considered the first hours of Friday. So this annual commemoration begins the three-day period (or triduum) of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, days of special devotion that celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.
The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, and from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ( A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.
A note about today's song:
Ah, ba ba ba ba barbara ann
Ba ba ba ba barbara ann
Oh barbara ann, take my hand
Barbara ann
You got me rockin and a-rollin
Rockin and a-reelin
Barbara ann ba ba
Ba barbara ann
Went to a dance, lookin for romance
Saw barbara ann, so I thought Id take a chance
With barbara ann, barbara ann
Take my hand
You got me rockin and a-rollin
(oh! oh!)
Rockin and a-reelin
Barbara ann ba ba
Ba ba ba ba black sheep
Barbara Ann was written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961, but the most famous cover version is by the The Beach Boys. It was released as a single on December 20, 1965 and peaked at #2 in the U.S. and at #3 in the U.K.
Song 028: Barbara Ann
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: Beach Boys' Party
Year: 1965
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Today is Maundy Thursday and our church will be celebrating tonight with a Communion Service. Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, is the holy day before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It will be followed tomorrow by Good Friday. Four events in the life of Christ are commemorated on Maundy Thursday: the washing of the Disciples' feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.
The evening celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. Triduum is a Latin word which means a three-day period, and the three days being celebrated this week are from the death to the resurrection of Jesus. In the time of Jesus, and still today in some cultures, such as the Jewish, the (24-hour) day was measured from sunset rather than from midnight. According to present-day timekeeping, the Last Supper was held during the evening of Holy Thursday, but during the time of Jesus, that time would have been considered the first hours of Friday. So this annual commemoration begins the three-day period (or triduum) of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, days of special devotion that celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.
The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, and from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ( A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.
A note about today's song:
Ah, ba ba ba ba barbara ann
Ba ba ba ba barbara ann
Oh barbara ann, take my hand
Barbara ann
You got me rockin and a-rollin
Rockin and a-reelin
Barbara ann ba ba
Ba barbara ann
Went to a dance, lookin for romance
Saw barbara ann, so I thought Id take a chance
With barbara ann, barbara ann
Take my hand
You got me rockin and a-rollin
(oh! oh!)
Rockin and a-reelin
Barbara ann ba ba
Ba ba ba ba black sheep
Barbara Ann was written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961, but the most famous cover version is by the The Beach Boys. It was released as a single on December 20, 1965 and peaked at #2 in the U.S. and at #3 in the U.K.
2007-04-04
gold bug and ender wiggin
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Song 027: You Send Me
Artist: Otis Redding
Album: Pain In My Heart
Year: 1964
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If you have been following along since the beginning of this blog, then you know that I am an Ender's Game fan. Actually, I'm an Orson Scott Card fan. First of all, he is from North Carolina. Second, he is an excellent writer. And third, he created Ender Wiggin's universe.
This summer, we are in for a treat when Gold Bug is released. Orson Scott Card has teamed up with Marvel Comics and the Dabel Brothers to create an original comic book story set in the universe which originated in Card's Ender's Game science fiction novel.
Gold Bug begins just after the Bugger Wars, and Ender Wiggin arrives as the new governor on one of the former "bugger" worlds. Many of the younger colonists on this world resent the fact that a fourteen-year-old has been sent to be their governor, but the older generation of former pilots and officers who fought under the command of Ender know his brilliant mind.
I can hardly wait to read the first issue of Gold Bug. I'm still waiting to hear an update on the Ender movie which will be based on Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The last information I saw was that it should be released in 2008 (that's from Internet Movie Database) and that Orson Scott Card is still tweaking the script. Card has gotten so involved in writing the script for the movie, that he is considering rewriting the novel, to include some of the cool stuff that will be in the movie.
If you hear any updates on the movie or the comic, please leave a comment.
A note about today's song:
Darling you, send me
I know you, you send me
Darling you, you send me
Honest you do, honest you do
Honest you do, honest you do
Darling you, you thrill me
I know you, you thrill me
I know you thrill me
Honest you do, honest you do
Honest you do
At first I thought it was infatuation
But ooh well it lasted
So very, so very, so very long
Now I find myself wanting you
And marry you and take you home
You Send Me was written by Sam Cooke. In 1957 it was his first non-gospel hit. Since its release, the song has become a landmark record of the soul genre, which Cooke helped create. It was named as one of the 500 most important rock and roll recordings by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2005, the song was voted #115 in Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including Nat King Cole, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers, José Feliciano, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Van Morrison, the Steve Miller Band and Rod Stewart.
Song 027: You Send Me
Artist: Otis Redding
Album: Pain In My Heart
Year: 1964
--------------------------------------------------
If you have been following along since the beginning of this blog, then you know that I am an Ender's Game fan. Actually, I'm an Orson Scott Card fan. First of all, he is from North Carolina. Second, he is an excellent writer. And third, he created Ender Wiggin's universe.
This summer, we are in for a treat when Gold Bug is released. Orson Scott Card has teamed up with Marvel Comics and the Dabel Brothers to create an original comic book story set in the universe which originated in Card's Ender's Game science fiction novel.
Gold Bug begins just after the Bugger Wars, and Ender Wiggin arrives as the new governor on one of the former "bugger" worlds. Many of the younger colonists on this world resent the fact that a fourteen-year-old has been sent to be their governor, but the older generation of former pilots and officers who fought under the command of Ender know his brilliant mind.
I can hardly wait to read the first issue of Gold Bug. I'm still waiting to hear an update on the Ender movie which will be based on Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The last information I saw was that it should be released in 2008 (that's from Internet Movie Database) and that Orson Scott Card is still tweaking the script. Card has gotten so involved in writing the script for the movie, that he is considering rewriting the novel, to include some of the cool stuff that will be in the movie.
If you hear any updates on the movie or the comic, please leave a comment.
A note about today's song:
Darling you, send me
I know you, you send me
Darling you, you send me
Honest you do, honest you do
Honest you do, honest you do
Darling you, you thrill me
I know you, you thrill me
I know you thrill me
Honest you do, honest you do
Honest you do
At first I thought it was infatuation
But ooh well it lasted
So very, so very, so very long
Now I find myself wanting you
And marry you and take you home
You Send Me was written by Sam Cooke. In 1957 it was his first non-gospel hit. Since its release, the song has become a landmark record of the soul genre, which Cooke helped create. It was named as one of the 500 most important rock and roll recordings by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2005, the song was voted #115 in Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including Nat King Cole, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers, José Feliciano, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Van Morrison, the Steve Miller Band and Rod Stewart.
2007-04-03
the beginning of hard rock
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Song 026: You Really Got Me
Artist: The Kinks
Album: Kinks
Year: 1964
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Girl, you really got me goin'
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin'
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
What the Beatles are to rock and roll, the Kinks are to hard rock. You Really Got Me could very well be the first hard rock song. The Kinks' 17-year-old lead guitarist Dave Davies slashed the cone of their amp with a razor blade to create a unique sound that would later be accomplished with fuzzboxes and distortion pedals.
If you have a copy of You Really Got Me, take a listen and compare it to the Beatles. You Really Got Me was a love song, but the harshness of the Kinks' vocals set it apart from the Beatles love songs. Bands like The Who and Cream adapted The Kinks' style and hard rock found its beginnings in history. Other bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath would carry the style to a new level which came to be known as heavy metal.
You Really Got Me was the Kinks' first hit in 1964 and it was also Van Halen's first hit in 1978. I like them both, but I think I like the original just a little bit better.
Song 026: You Really Got Me
Artist: The Kinks
Album: Kinks
Year: 1964
--------------------------------------------------
Girl, you really got me goin'
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin'
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
What the Beatles are to rock and roll, the Kinks are to hard rock. You Really Got Me could very well be the first hard rock song. The Kinks' 17-year-old lead guitarist Dave Davies slashed the cone of their amp with a razor blade to create a unique sound that would later be accomplished with fuzzboxes and distortion pedals.
If you have a copy of You Really Got Me, take a listen and compare it to the Beatles. You Really Got Me was a love song, but the harshness of the Kinks' vocals set it apart from the Beatles love songs. Bands like The Who and Cream adapted The Kinks' style and hard rock found its beginnings in history. Other bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath would carry the style to a new level which came to be known as heavy metal.
You Really Got Me was the Kinks' first hit in 1964 and it was also Van Halen's first hit in 1978. I like them both, but I think I like the original just a little bit better.
2007-04-02
foggy monday, full moon and easter
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Song 025: Twist and Shout
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Introducing the Beatles
Year: 1964
--------------------------------------------------
This morning the weatherman said there might be a little fog in our viewing area, but it wouldn't effect where I live. The fog is so thick here you could cut it with a knife. It should be in the eighties today and tomorrow but look out rest of the week. By the end of the week, we should be having highs in the upper fifties. This is typical Easter weather. I recall some Easters being in the thirties with snow. Of course those were the March Easters.
The date for Easter has a strict set of rules, based on the phases of the moon and the beginning of Spring. We are in full moon right now. Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox. The full moon involved is not the astronomical full moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from tables first established by the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 AD) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical moon. The ecclesiastical rules on setting the date for Easter are: [01] Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox (the time when the sun crosses directly over the earth's equator, marking the beginning of spring); [02] this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and [03] the vernal equinox is fixed as March 20 (March 21 in some years), which means that Easter can never occur before March 21 or later than April 25.
Here are the dates for upcoming Easters:
2007--April 8
2008--March 23
2009--April 12
2010--April 4
2011--April 24
A note about today's song:
Well, shake it up baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on, come on baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
For the past sixteen days, the song of the day has been a Beatles song. Beatles' songs will be scattered throughout the remainder of my tribute to music, but there won't be another run of songs by any artist as long as this one has been.
Song 025: Twist and Shout
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Introducing the Beatles
Year: 1964
--------------------------------------------------
This morning the weatherman said there might be a little fog in our viewing area, but it wouldn't effect where I live. The fog is so thick here you could cut it with a knife. It should be in the eighties today and tomorrow but look out rest of the week. By the end of the week, we should be having highs in the upper fifties. This is typical Easter weather. I recall some Easters being in the thirties with snow. Of course those were the March Easters.
The date for Easter has a strict set of rules, based on the phases of the moon and the beginning of Spring. We are in full moon right now. Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox. The full moon involved is not the astronomical full moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from tables first established by the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 AD) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical moon. The ecclesiastical rules on setting the date for Easter are: [01] Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox (the time when the sun crosses directly over the earth's equator, marking the beginning of spring); [02] this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and [03] the vernal equinox is fixed as March 20 (March 21 in some years), which means that Easter can never occur before March 21 or later than April 25.
Here are the dates for upcoming Easters:
2007--April 8
2008--March 23
2009--April 12
2010--April 4
2011--April 24
A note about today's song:
Well, shake it up baby now (shake it up baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
Come on, come on, come on, come on baby now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it on out)
For the past sixteen days, the song of the day has been a Beatles song. Beatles' songs will be scattered throughout the remainder of my tribute to music, but there won't be another run of songs by any artist as long as this one has been.
2007-04-01
speak the gospel all the time
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Song 024: Tell Me Why
Artist: The Beatles
Album: A Hard Day's Night
Year: 1964
------------------------------------------------
We had a very interesting discussion this morning in our Fellowship Class about what it means to honor everyone. Someone told us that he receives an email quote everyday and one of the ones he received recently was this:
Speak the Gospel all the time. Use words when necessary.
I really like that. What it says to me is . . . we should live out our faith in our everyday lives. People should know our convictions, our beliefs, our morals by how we live our lives daily. Be consistent. I want to live my life in such a manner that people know I am a Christian even without me having to say a word, but I should be ready in a moments notice to share my faith with others. My neighbors, my coworkers, my family and friends should all know that I have faith in God. That I honor everyone. I don't necessarily have to believe the way you believe or live the way you live, but I do have to honor you. The Bible commands us to love our neighbors as ourself. How can we love our neighbors if we gossip, or envy, or criticize. We should be helpful, considerate and kind, but not vendictive or hateful.
A note about today's song:
Tell me why you cried
And why you lied to me
Tell me why you cried
And why you lied to me
Well I gave you everything I had
But you left me sitting on my own
Did you have to treat me oh so bad
All I do is hang my head and moan
Although this song is credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it was written by John Lennon, and completed in only eight takes on Thursday, 27 February 1964, at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Song 024: Tell Me Why
Artist: The Beatles
Album: A Hard Day's Night
Year: 1964
------------------------------------------------
We had a very interesting discussion this morning in our Fellowship Class about what it means to honor everyone. Someone told us that he receives an email quote everyday and one of the ones he received recently was this:
Speak the Gospel all the time. Use words when necessary.
I really like that. What it says to me is . . . we should live out our faith in our everyday lives. People should know our convictions, our beliefs, our morals by how we live our lives daily. Be consistent. I want to live my life in such a manner that people know I am a Christian even without me having to say a word, but I should be ready in a moments notice to share my faith with others. My neighbors, my coworkers, my family and friends should all know that I have faith in God. That I honor everyone. I don't necessarily have to believe the way you believe or live the way you live, but I do have to honor you. The Bible commands us to love our neighbors as ourself. How can we love our neighbors if we gossip, or envy, or criticize. We should be helpful, considerate and kind, but not vendictive or hateful.
A note about today's song:
Tell me why you cried
And why you lied to me
Tell me why you cried
And why you lied to me
Well I gave you everything I had
But you left me sitting on my own
Did you have to treat me oh so bad
All I do is hang my head and moan
Although this song is credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it was written by John Lennon, and completed in only eight takes on Thursday, 27 February 1964, at Abbey Road Studios in London.
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