Focused on Schoolhouse Rock

We're off!


Item:


Lou Piniella has always been one of our favorites.  A guy who played better than his talents.  A winner in almost every city he managed in.  A great quote and an epic tantrum-thrower.  He worked with both George Steinbrenner and Marge Schott.  He played for Billy Martin.  The stories the man could tell.  Sweet Lou retired today, to tend to his ailing mother.  Not many of us are afforded the opportunity to be in a position to just walk away from our job to pay attention to what matters.  Not may who can actually do.  Good luck, Lou.  And our prayers for your mother.


 ~~~


Item:


Here's some food for thought.


Name the streets that surround the former site of the World Trade Center's twin towers.  You can't?  OK, name two of them.  Still can't?  Then why do you care if a mosque is built two blocks away?


If you cannot even name the streets, it's safe to assume you do not live in New York City.  You have no traffic concerns due to the construction of the new Park 51 Islamic Center.  Your city services won't be adversely affected by the loss of tax revenue from the location due to its exempt status.  Your property values will remain unchanged and you won't interact in any way with the people who go there.  So again we ask -- why do you care if the place is built?


Personally, we don't care one way or the other if a mosque is built in New York City.  Nor do we care if something truly evil -- like a Wal-Mart -- is constructed.  It doesn't affect us.  It's none of our business.


Now, we do have a problem with religious persecution.  And we are troubled by the staggering ignorance of our countrymen, most of whom, like us, live hundreds, even thousands, of miles from Ground Zero.  And yet they rant on about the travesty of a mosque being built so close to the former WTC site.  Why?


The most popular argument is that its proximity to the site of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 is an insult to the dead.  Really?  Well, if two blocks is inappropriate, how about six?  Or ten.  Or twelve.  Should there be no mosques on Manhattan island?  Or should the ban extend to the City limits?  Where is the line?  Where does it become discrimination?


Should we go back through all of our history and make sure we're not building something that will offend dead people?  Christians have bombed abortion clinics.  How far from those sites should we prohibit construction of their churches?  Klansmen claim to be Christians as well.  Do we forbid construction of Southern Baptist churches anywhere near a lynching or beating or rape or cross burning?  Sorry Alabama -- no churches for you.  Anywhere.  Let's not even start to get into how limited construction options would be were we to take into consideration the offenses to Native Americans.  Where does it end?  The closing of synagogues in Germantown, TN?


It's not like pornography, where one can say, "I know it when I see it".  The constitution is clear here.  Muslims -- just like Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, et al -- have an inalienable right to build their places of worship wherever they see fit.  Preventing them from doing so would be illegal and even wanting to stop them is against everything this country stands for.  You want the terrorists to win?  Then blame everyone of the Muslim faith for the events of September 11th.  Be the stupid, hateful, elitist bully they say we are.  Become what we hate.  Then -- the terrorists will have truly won.


 ~~~


Fare thee well, Bobby Thompson.  We'll see you on the Other Side. Save us a shot.


~~~


Item:


This city of Philadelphia is closing five fire stations per day for one shift, on a rotating basis, in an effort to curb costs.  The firefighters' union is screaming bloody murder, telling every media outlet they can get to that the policy is endangering lives and the city is now unsafe.  On the surface, we see their point.  It appears to be a reckless policy that cuts costs in one of the worst possible areas.  That is, until one hears the proverbial rest of the story.  Turns out the city has been closing five houses a day for years, with those firefighters going to training classes.  In the event of a fire, the houses rotate coverage and there have been no fatalities as a result of the policy.  It should be noted that the union did not oppose this initial policy.  The only change that has actually been made now is that, instead of five crews going to training, two will do so.  The other three houses will be dispersed throughout the city to cover vacations, off days and PTO days for other firefighters.  So in reality, more firefighters will be working every day, providing more coverage, over more of the city.  The only difference is that now they won't be getting overtime -- proving once again just how far past their usefulness unions have become.   They would rather terrify an uninformed public in order to get a few more bucks for their members than support a policy that not only cuts costs but is actually making the city a safer place to live.


~~~


Quote of the Week:


“It's like a very good marriage. I found when push came to shove, I just did not want to leave.."


--Vin Scully, on his decision to return for a 62nd season in the Los Angeles Dodgers' broadcast booth.


~~~


Internet Video of the Week:


Here.


~~~


Ridiculous Story That Actually Appeared in a Publication of the Week:


"After surveying 374 waitresses, professor Michael Lynn, who teaches marketing and tourism at Cornell University, told the Cornell Daily Sun, that he had concluded that customers left larger tips to those with certain physical characteristics such as being slender, being blond or having big breasts."


Umm...ya think?


"Lynn...said...his study was important in helping potential waitresses gauge their 'prospects in the industry'."


 ~~~


Idiot Criminal of the Week:


Ethan Ayers, 18, was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in March after an alleged mugging. Police found him easily, as his transportation that night was a relative's van advertising in large lettering, "Big Earl's Gold Mine," a Des Moines strip club.


 ~~~


Vintage Album Review of the Week:

Paul Simon
Graceland
1986


The Boy in the Bubble - (4:00)*
Graceland - (4:51)*
I Know What I Know- (3:13)
Gumboots - (2:45)
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - (5:51)
You Can Call Me Al -(4:41)* (Can you believe this video cannot be found on the internet?!?!?)
Under African Skies - (3:37)
Homeless - (3:49)
Crazy Love, Vol II - (4:19)
That Was Your Mother - (2:52)
All Around the World or the Myth of the Fingerprints - (3:19)
* - singles


We came to music late in life, not buying our first album until the age of 13.  We later realized that we had loved music all along, still knowing words to songs from our childhood, but the realization of that love was not until our early teens.  Graceland was our second musical awakening.  It exploded into our ears with wondrous sounds we'd never heard.  Odd rhythms, strange instruments -- listening to this album opened our ears to an entirely new melodic world and led to the exploration of music we never would have thought to explore had we not heard it.


As much an artistic masterpiece as a political statement (although recorded mostly in South Africa and using predominantly local musicians, the apartheid government received nothing from the endeavor), Graceland is one of those albums that one simply must possess in order to have a definitive American collection.


In these songs are the African roots of zydeco, jazz and calypso.  In their lyrics are the story of us all.  Distinctly not Top 40 material, despite featuring  one of the best videos of the decade and one of the absolutely most bad-ass bass riffs ever on You Can Call Me Al, the album explores the exotic without being gimmicky.  It addresses social injustices without being preachy.  It pays homage without being condescending.  In short, it is as close to a perfect album as possible.


Listening to it almost 25 years later, it still broadens our horizons and takes us to a new place every time we press play.


Music: 5 (of 5)
Lyrics: 4 (of 5)
Authorship: 4 (of 4)*
Production: 3 (of 3)
Packaging: 2 (of 2)
First Blush: 2 (of 2)
Aging: 3 (of 3)
Videos: 1 (of 1)
Total: 24 Stars: 4.8 (of 5)


*Although Simon had a number of co writers on the project, we deduct no points because, had he written it alone, a good deal of the authenticity of the sound very well could have been lost.
 ~~~


Parting shots:


With the recent discovery of new remains, our prayers go out to the poor souls murdered at Duffy's Cut near Malvern, Pennsylvania in 1832.  We come from Irish immigrants ourselves and hope light finally comes to bear on what really transpired all those years ago...Is Betty White not awesome?...We're glad to see Vin Scully's staying around for at least one more year...With the return of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, we're feeling pretty good about the Phillies' chances going into the home stretch...While writing this, we learned of the death of a former classmate, Lori Storck, 41, of Philadelphia.  She leaves behind four kids and a husband, along with many, many friends.  We wish her soul well on its journey and pray for her family.


And with that, we bid you adieu.


Until next time,


 Keep the Faith