Blogrophenia: The Reverend Aton's Site

I'll have a more proper review up soon. But I've listened to Kanye West's new album once and I really dig it. A rapper for a new era. . . This may be better than the College Dropout, which was a pretty tremedous album. . .

Close your eyes and imagine,
feel the magic Vegas on acid,
Moses

"He asked me about my family. I told him about my grandma on my mom's side who lived with us. She was filled with nobility and goodness, told me once that happiness isn't on the road to anything. That happiness is the road. Had also instructed me to be kind because everyone you'll ever meet is fighting a hard battle. " - Bob Dylan

My thoughts and prayers go out to all my friends in NOLA. Particularly, Max Black, my friend who put me up during my last visit to NOLA. I hope things aren't too different next time I'm down there because it's a wonderful town and I hope it never changes. . .

BUSTED!
Down on Bourbon Street,
Moses

"Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is at their heels."
— Bertolt Brecht

I bought the latest Mojo, with Bob Dylan on the cover and I have to say it's a hell of a magazine. I did, however, think it was interesting that the feature story was on Zimmerman and the second biggest was an interview with Macca AND there was an article on Lennon. . . Maybe rock is dead if they are mining the 60's for stories. . .

Hey hey, my my,
Moses

Got an e-mail from a friend with a link to a good article, as he puts it:

"If you haven't read Scoop Jackson's article on Randy Moss' admissionthat he smokes pot, you should. It is funny, well written and makes acouple of good points you don't expect a media guy to make (like themedia is hypocritical, and athletes should always deny, deny, deny)."

Anyway enjoy!

What would you do if I sang out of tune,
Moses

This whole intelligent design argument is vaguely interesting and in the past few weeks has been addressed by seemingly everyone from Time to TNR to the NYT today. . . It's all the rage among the media types. They get like this once in a while. . .

Personally, I don't think intelligent design makes a lot of sense, but troublingly, nor does rejecting it. There are compelling arguments on both sides, after all certain complex systems just seem too incredibly complicated and functional to have popped up through trial and error and yet if there is an "intelligence" behind biology it seems to do things very inefficiently at times. . . Ultimately, this whole dialogue is really a conversation between those who believe in God and those who don't, without expressing an opinion on the question of God, let me say that this attempt on the part of the theists to engage the atheists on their own terrain (science) is foolhardy and does their position a disservice. . .

Mr. Charles Darwin had the gall to ask,
Moses

From a Jay Leno monologue last week:"It's gotten so bad in Kansas City, Major League Baseball is demanding they take steroids."

For those who think all rappers are violent criminals this piece from tomorrow's Time magazine on the exceptional rapper Kanye West (I reviewed his first album on this blog shortly after it's release) has been successful despite his unusual (for a rapper) background. . .

Through the Wire,
Moses

Movie Review: Broken Flower

Broken flower is an impressive but flawed movie that continues Bill Murray's transformation from comic extraordinaire to serious actor. Bill Murray is a master at playing the over the hill depressive and once again reprises that role here.

This movie finds Murray playing Don Johnston a materially successful consumate playboy whose life not only seems empty but seems to have paralyzed him completely. He has everything he needs financially and seems generous to his only friend the Ethiopian immigrant Winston (who is the polar opposite of him in the sense that he is a vivacious, hard working family man) and yet seems unable to connect with women who he can only objectify. In one hilarious exchange his girlfriend tells him that she feels like she's his mistress --- but he's not married!!!

Murray's character, Don, simply wanders through life, shades of Camus's Meursault from The Stranger and Salinger's Holden Caufield from The Catcher in the Rye, until he receives a letter that inspires him (albeit reluctantly and only via Winston) to go visit some of the women from his now distant past. The movie gets rather quirky here, with some really fun performances put in by some great actresses like Sharon Stone and Jessica Lange, and his adventures take him to some interesting places and in bring him into contact with some interesting characters. It's like Kafka meets the Farrelly brothers for a while.

Ultimately, the movie explores the effect of, and relationship between, the present and the past. We are the sum of our actions. If the movie is flawed it's in the fact that many things are too open ended and the movie may leave the viewer feeling that that the story was unresolved in some ways and perhaps it is. . . (although I think it isn't I'll leave that to the viewer to decide)

I can see his open mouth;
But I hear no sound;
I’m alive;
I’m dead;
I’m the stranger,
Moses

I'm speechless at this. . .

Breakin' the law,
Moses

"I wish to propose for the reader's favourable consideration a doctrine which may, I fear, appear wildly paradoxical and subversive. The doctrine in question is this: that it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true." - Bertrand Russell, opening sentence of Sceptical Essays

Question to my readers: What are you thoughts on Bush's extended vacation while Americans are dying Iraq?

The best news I've gotten in a while. Hey scratch that marathon, I'm going to have some beers tonight at the Mets game!!!!!

And to be yourself is all that you can do,
Moses

"I would believe only in a god who knew how to dance. Come, [with our laughter] let us kill the spirit of gravity." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Much more on this later, but the KC Chiefs could be a factor this year with their high octane offense and improved defense, I'm hoping for big things. . . See above link for Prisco's preview.

Here comes the sun,
Moses

Clinton on Bush:

Only at one point in our discussion does he allow something harsh about his successor. “I always thought,” he says, “that bin Laden was a bigger threat than the Bush administration did.”

Oh that there weren't term limits. . .

Ain't that a shame,
Moses

A letter I got from Democracy for America, that I wanted to pass on, for those of you with a soul.

Our sons made the ultimate sacrifice and we want answers. All we're asking is that President Bush sacrifice an hour out of his five-week vacation to talk to us, before the next mother loses her son in Iraq.- Cindy Sheehan, August 12, 2005

Dear Moses,

By now, you've heard of Cindy Sheehan, mother of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan who was killed in Iraq, and her vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. What you may not know is that Cindy is a regular DFA Meetup participant in Sacramento. She has held vigil outside the president's ranch for over a week now.
President Bush has refused to meet with Cindy. On Saturday, he said that there are lots of people who have "something to say to the president" and "it's also important for me to go on with my life."
But Cindy says that she won't leave until President Bush meets with her to discuss the war -- even if it means spending all of August there. We need to show that Cindy is not alone. Cindy has asked supporters to hold candlelight vigils in their communities to remind people of the terrible price of war. Democracy for America is teaming up with MoveOn and True Majority to organize nationwide "Vigils for Cindy Sheehan" on Wednesday, August 17, starting at 7:30 PM local time. Click below to join one in your community:
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/
President Bush's Saturday schedule included a two hour bike ride, an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a nap, some fishing and some reading. Don't you think he can take a few minutes to meet with Cindy?
Join a vigil this week to show support for Cindy and ask President Bush to do the right thing.
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/
These vigils aren't rallies or places to give long-winded speeches. They are moments to solemnly come together and mark the sacrifice of Cindy and other families.
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/
Thank you for standing with Cindy.
Tom HughesDemocracy for America
Check out the vigils' co-sponsors:
http://www.moveon.org/
http://www.truemajority.org/
P.S. After your local vigil, email Democracy for America to share a photo and description of your event:
vigils@democracyforamerica.com

Quick Thought: Something else to Clean

I'm a pretty typical 30 year old single male in the sense that I hate to clean. I hate to dishes, I hate to scrub out my bath tub and I hate to organize clothing. Recently I have realized that thanks to modern technology I have something new that needs cleaning periodically. My cyber life. I have just spent the last few hours cleaning out something that occupies almost no physical terrority in any meaningful. I responded to old e-mails, sent out others that I had been planning to, checked some old e-mails accounts that I rarely use etc. It's funnyh isn't technology supposed to simplify our lives?

We've got to move these,
Refrigerators,
We've got to move these,
Color TV's,
Moses

Gotta go to MO

Mariano Rivera is shockingly underappreciated considering his role in the Yankees's success in the past decade. In this excellent piece Joel Sherman of the Post puts things in perspective, consider this excerpt:

He had allowed 30 regular-season homers since 1996 - thirty. Eric Milton had allowed 34 this year. Rivera had allowed a homer once every 86.8 at-bats. The league average was 31.6 at-bats. That is almost three times better. Among those who have faced at least 1,000 batters in that time frame, Rivera is first in this category like Secretariat was first in the 1973 Belmont. Robb Nen at one homer every 60.3 at-bats was next, followed by Kevin Brown at 59.8. That is nearly a whole game (27 outs) better.

Even Better than the Real Thing,
Moses

The following is an article by James Taranto who attempts to address the issue of Cindy Sheehan the woman whose son was killed in Iraq. He offers many arguments or explanations. Notice, however, that he NEVER answers her question: Why did she have to bury her baby? Why is her son dead?

Now, one argument he offers, and that I've heard elsewhere, is that the woman had met with Bush and made some positive statements. Well, if ever it would be understandable that someone would be in shock I think it's fair to say that a woman who has just buried her son is in the surreal position of meeting, in a shameless photo op opportunity with Bush, this would qualify.

Look, this war isn't about national security or about terrorism, that's simply not true. The WMD excuse is a non starter, most of us intelligent people never bought that to begin with. Nor is it about liberation (aka excuse #2). How arbitrary would that be anyway? Look the waffling alone does enough to discredit Bush and his henchmen. Good for poor Ms. Sheehan who has the courage to speak the truth, she's lost everything and now wants to fight to protect other mother's from suffering through what she did, maybe she can pull some meaning and good out of her incredible loss. . .

When you got nothing,
You got nothing to lose,
Moses

The Sad Story of Cindy Sheehan

By JAMES TARANTO

Cindy Sheehan suffered a grievous loss for a noble cause: Her 24-year-old son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died in combat in Iraq. Because of this, it seems churlish to criticize her. But enough is enough.
Sheehan has been camping out a few miles from President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, staging a protest that has received extensive media attention. Her demand: a meeting with President Bush. "I want to ask George Bush, 'Why did my son die? What was the noble cause that he died for?' "
In fact, Sheehan has met with President Bush, as her hometown paper, the Reporter of Vacaville, Calif., reported in June 2004. At the time, although she clearly held antiwar views, she pronounced herself pleased with the meeting:
Sincerity was something Cindy had hoped to find in the meeting. Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture.
"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." . . .
The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.
For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.
For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.
"That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said.
That gift seems not to have lasted. The Vallejo (Calif.) Times-Herald reports that Sheehan and her husband, Pat, have separated and that "family members of Sheehan denounced her actions Thursday in an e-mail":
Sent to a San Francisco radio station Thursday, the first public acknowledgment of a family rift came from Cherie Quartarolo, sister-in-law to Cindy Sheehan and godmother to her son, Casey.
Reached by phone Thursday, Quartarolo said she consulted with other family members before releasing the brief statement, but she declined to elaborate. She signed the memo on behalf of Casey's paternal grandparents, as well as "aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."
Noting that her family is still grieving the loss of Casey, Quartarolo wrote: "We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation."
Casey's father, Patrick, of Vacaville, was not mentioned. He has acknowledged that he and his wife are separated, but he has avoided the spotlight that surrounds his wife's high-profile protest.
The family's e-mail, however, said "The Sheehan family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. The rest of the Sheehan family supports the troops, our country and our president, silently, with prayer and respect."
What are we to make of Mrs. Sheehan's demand for a second meeting with President Bush? She claims she wants an explanation of why her son died, but she acknowledges that her mind is already made up. This is an excerpt of a speech she gave Monday, as transcribed on the Web site of an outfit called Veterans for Peace, describing how she conceived of her protest (quoting verbatim):
I'm gonna tell them, "You get that evil maniac [the president] out here, cuz a Gold Star Mother, somebody who's blood is on his hands, has some questions for him."
And I'm gonna say, "OK, listen here, George. #1, you quit, and I demand, every time you get out there and say you're going to continue the killing in Iraq to honor the fallen heroes by continuing the mission; you say, except Casey Sheehan.' "
"And you say except for all the members of Goldstar Families for Peace' cuz we think not one drop of blood should be spilled in our families' names. You quit doing that. You don't have my permission."
And I'm gonna say, "And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for." And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy' I'm gonna say, bullshit.
You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich. You tell me my son died to spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle East. You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy.
Cuz, we're not freer. You're taking away our freedoms. The Iraqi people aren't freer, they're much worse off than before you meddled in their country.
You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine
(massive round of applause)
And if you think I won't say bullshit to the President, I say move on, cuz I'll say what's on my mind.
According to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, "the moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute." So we now have it on absolute moral authority that America is a cancer, that Iraqis were better off under Saddam Hussein, and that Israel must be destroyed? The question is somewhat facetious, of course; Dowd is not known for thinking through the implications of the things she writes.
Yet thousands of American parents have lost children in Iraq, and thousands more in, among other places, Afghanistan, Germany, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, New York, Pennsylvania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania, Virginia and Yemen, either fighting Islamist terrorism or as a result of the failure to fight Islamist terrorism with sufficient determination. Although these thousands of parents doubtless have a wide range of opinions on the Iraq war and other subjects, we'd venture to say that not many--especially among those whose children were in the military--agree with Cindy Sheehan.
Indeed, we are now starting to see stories like this one, from the Gloucester County (N.J.) Times:
Marine Cpl. Marc T. Ryan, of Gloucester City, was killed in an explosion in Ramadi, Iraq in November.
"I would tell Cindy Sheehan that, as one mother to another, I do realize your loss is your loss and there's nothing you can do to heal from it," said the corporal's mother, Linda Ryan.
"George Bush didn't kill her son, it's the evildoers who have no value of life who killed her son. Her son made a decision to join the Armed Forces and defend our country, knowing that, at any time, war could come about," Ryan said. . . .
"George Bush was my son's commander-in-chief. My son, Marc, totally believed in what he was doing," she said.
Sheehan, she believes, is doing what she's doing because of the agony over losing her son.
"She's going about this not realizing how many people she's hurting. When she refers to anyone killed in Iraq, she's referring to my son. She doesn't have anything to say about what happened to my son," said Ryan.
Losing a child is probably the saddest thing that can happen to anyone. Unlike the death of a parent or a spouse, it is not part of the ordinary course of life. Yet somehow the vast majority of parents who suffer such a loss are able to maintain some perspective while coping with the experience.
That Cindy Sheehan has been unable to do so makes her story all the sadder. But it does not validate the hateful views she is espousing, nor does it make her pain more important than that of Linda Ryan or the thousands of others who have lost a child but maintained their dignity.

Potter at Gitmo, courtesy of Guzaro. . . Just kinda weird. . .

You may leave here for 4 days in space,
But when you return, it’s the same old place,
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace,
Moses

Anyone else get the distinct impression that the NY Post LOVES to rip the Catholic Church any chance they get? Why not though, right? They are essentially openly hostile to Arabs and Muslims. Just add it to their laundry list of journalistic indisgressions.

You talk to much,
Boy you never shut up,
Moses

That collision between Cameron and Beltran in the Mets @ Padres game last night was horrific. Que lastima. I'll say a prayer for both of them.

He shot me down,
Bang Bang,
I hit the ground,
Bang Bang,
Moses

I was very pleased to see that my very own 6 Train was voted by riders the best subway line. Personally, I love the 6, it's clean fast and well lit.

Funny website about being a Dylan fan. . .

Me and the Yankees

I grew up a huge Yankees fan. That's not that unusual in that I grew up in NY. The Northeast is probably where baseball has it's strongest fan base and the Yankees are arguably the most popular franchise in the game.

However, for a lot of reasons my choice to be a Yankees fan was very unusual.

First, I grew up in Long Island which is predominantly Mets territory. Secondly, the Mets won the World Series when I was 12 and were the much more popular team in general when I was pretty young.

Thirdly, I grew up in a house where sports weren't popular. Actually that's a dramatic overstatement. My father is particularly anti-sports and is my sister, Yolanda Aton. They both despise sports. My mother is generally indifferent to sports, although she's come to watch some sports with me from time to time. So it was extremely unlikely that I would become so interested in sports at such a young age.

But as I've gotten older, I've realized that there is something even bigger than all of those things. The Yankees in many ways are anathema to everything I stand for! The Yankees harp on tradition and the past. I don't believe in that. I prefer to look forward, I prefer to think that things are getting better not worse. I don't believe in "the good old days" I believe in the future. I believe in change, in progress and improvement.

The Yankees are bullies. They are rich, they spend money, they traditionally dominate smaller market teams. I hate bullies. I hate rich snobs. I believe in the little guy, I root for the little guy. I think it's a shame that some people are economically oppressed. I'll root for the individual over the corporation. I believe that people are more important than money. It's the foundation of my political and religious philosophy. I actually try to live out the values espoused by Christ, I try to do unto others. It's why I am a Democrat.

Meanwhile across town I have a team that stands for many of these ideals in a lot of ways. The Mets are the team of tommorrow, they celebrate their future more than their past knowing that they couldn't compete with the Yankees in terms of history.

So while I can enjoy and appreciate the Mets. I choose, strangely perhaps, to stay with the Yankees. They were my team when I was four and I idolized Reggie Jackson and they'll remain my team when I'll be old enough to be the grandfather of the players provided I am blessed with long life. I guess sometimes it's best not to analyze things so deeply.

Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot,
Moses
Moses

While at the Yankees game last night with the Deertick, his wife and some other friends we saw, in addition to great game that the Yankees unfortunately lost, we witnessed this kid plunge from the upper deck into the netting behind home -- actually we really just saw the aftermath in that they stopped the game. He apparently has been arrested. On the subject of the Yankees they just dropped a very tough game to the White Sox for the second day in a row. It's disappointing, but to pull a positive out of this series the pitching has been VERY solid. This team can go either way, but there's a possibility that they actually don't even make the playoffs this year. . . Wow how things have changed. . .

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown,
Moses

The horror!!! The horror!!! Brendan Miniter makes a compelling argument that a Jeb in 2008 candidacy could become reality. . . Imagine that Bush versus Clinton in 2008, the 1992 rematch, hopefully this one ends the same. . .

It's the end of the world as we know it,
And I feel fine. . .,
Moses

The New York Yankees pulled out a great victory against the league leading Chicago White Sox when they managed to eke out just enough runs against El Duque and then have Mussina and TanGorMo hold the lead. It was nice to see El Duque back at Yankee Stadium, I'd seen him start once before in Chicago earlier this year, and boy do I like to watch that guy pitch. You just never know what he's going to do and consequently he just keeps you on the edge of your seat. It'd be really nice to have him on the Yankees right now and I think it was crazy to let him go. For that matter I think it was insane to let Well and Leiber get away and lest you claim that hindsight is 20/20 let me say that I thought and said all of this at the time. These guys (esp El Duque and Wells) not only wanted to be here but could have been obtained relatively cheaply. If in fact, the Yankees don't make the playoffs and we've seen the last of the dynasty these choices as much as any will be to blame. The Yankees have chance to win this series and perhaps even a chance to sweep these dominant Sox by winning tonight and taking it tomorrow too. A win here would not onlky help with confidence but could be valuable psychologically come October. . .

Cardinal's Mass at St. Patrick's

As any good denizen of Blogrophenia knows I have rejected the common trendy approach to religion in NYC, by actually studying and becoming interested in religion. While most New York Citians take the trendy and lazy approach to religion, essentially becoming the mirror image of the, let's say, Southern fundamentalist evangelical types they resent so much and reject Christianity wholesale (other religions have been spared this to greater extent than Christianity although none completely), personally I have chosen to study and experience religion in it's various forms. I fairly regularly attend services in Protestant Churches (especially Baptist, Southern Baptist, Episcopal and Unitarian), Orthodox (Armenian, Egyptian and Russian), Roman Catholic, Islamic services (almost exclusively Sunni), Temple (always Reform Judaism only) and others including Hari Krishna services etc. I find truth and comfort in all of these services and consider myself incredibly lucky to have such easy access to all of them.

Unfortunately, I am sad to say that Catholic Mass which I attend often leaves me disappointed. I often feel that the priest are out of touch and of little use in giving useful homilies. I must say having recently attended the Cardinals Mass at St. Patrick's which takes place at 10:15 on Sundays that the Cardinal has some very amazing and relevant things to say. When I attended the Mass two weeks ago his homily was about truth in the media and in culture and could not have been more thought out or concise. I would encourage those who could get over the trend of atheism and culture of materialism that we live in to attend. Or just wait a few years, growing older has a way of bringing us closer to God. God bless.

You can see it in a clear blue sky
You can see it in a woman's eyes
You can hear it in your baby's cries
You can hear it in your lover's sighs
You can touch it in a grain of sand
Yeah hold it right thereIn the palm of your hand
Feel it 'round you everyday
And hear what I've got to say
God gave me everything I want,
Moses

Westchester DA Jeanine Pirro has literally ZERO chance against Hillary but will be a welcome distraction for all this upcoming election. Learn from Lazy Eye Lazio I say Jeanine. . . stay home!!!!

All that said Hillary is full of it when she says that doesn't know if she'll run for the Presidency. That was decided long ago. I suppose she can't very admit it while running for the Senate, but well. . . you know. . .

Hey, Hey, You, You,
Get off of my cloud,
Moses

Good for Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones who have called out Bush on their latest album. . .

If you start me up,
Moses

FUN FACT: Baseball and Communism

To illustrate the hysteria that once captivated this country consider our baseball fun fact of the day:

"The Cincinnati Reds franchise changed their name to Cincinnati Red Legs from 1953 through 1958 to avoid ties to communism"

Look at all the hate there is in Red China,
Then take a look around to Southern Alabama,
Moses

It's a Question of Comfort

I noticed it again tonight as I watched World News Tonight which was basically all about Peter Jennings. They showed Bush and Clinton talking about Jennings.

All their other attributes aside I must say that I am so happy that Bill Clinton is more vocal than other ex Presidents because from the aftermath of 9/11 to this very recent demise of Peter Jennings I have to say that I have derived tremendous comfort from Bill Clinton. While George Bush never fails to stammer and stutter his way through his points, obsfucating whatever wisdom is contained therein Bill never seems at a loss. In sharp contrast to Bush's ham handed rhetoric, Clinton is smooth, avuncular and articulate. In short he's comforting while BUsh is a verbal train wreck. I remember distinctly that the best I felt in that dark time that was the aftermath of 9/11 was seeing Clinton back in NYC, I believe he had been in Australia.

Whatever else their qualities yield, one thing is for certain: When this lovely country of ours is in pain, we look to Bubba whose comments and presence seem to comfort us much more than his inept succesor. . .

Listening to you,
I get the story,
Moses

Even Bush grasps the importance of Jennings to America. . . It's that obvious. . .

Here's a nice little article by the very often misguided Peggy Noonan. Some of her normal ugliness rears it's head in this article, but only slightly and it's generally a well intentioned sweet little piece on the, apparently, lovely state of West Virginia from the WSJ. . .

The argument for Morgenthau. . . Interesting article for those interested in the Manhattan DA race. . .

Is your boss a psychopath? More interesting stuff courtesy of Zammy. . .

Band Review: Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl has had a great life. As a member of perhaps the biggest band of 90's Nirvana, he helped to change music in America forever. His incredibly hard hitting beats drove Nirvana's pop punk music into heretofore unchartered areas in the popular consciousness. Cobain's subsequent suicide chould have easily destroyed other men or at the very least left Grohl wealthy and complacent. It did neither. In fact only a few years after the shocking death of the Nirvana frontman Grohl was releasing his first Foo Fighters album on which he played almost every single instrument on every track. It was an impressive both for showcasing Grohl's instrumental dexterity and for showing off his song writing ability.

Now, while that album was impressive it is very possible that Grohl never would have had the opportunity for such a mass release were it not for his background. Ironically Courtney Love likes to call him the luckiest man in music. Uh, yeah. . . ok Courtney. . . he's the lucky one. . .

Well, compared to the rest of us perhaps he is a bit lucky. Because while his songwriting ability, guitar playing and voice are all above average and good, well, none are great. . . Perhaps least of all his songwriting ability. He comes no where near the song writing ability of his fallen compadre Cobain and his voice while occasionally impressive is generally thin and not particularly distinct. But most of all he lacks a certain gravitas.

Make no mistake about, Grohl is incredibly talented. He's a world class drummer, and excellent guitarist, a creative bassist and he can sing. But none of these abilities -- save his drumming which is almost never featured on Foo Fighters albums -- are truly exceptional. So what you have is a guy who is pretty damn good at everything, writing some pretty damn good songs. But generally not much more.

So what does all this mean? It means that you pick up some Foo Fighters albums, that you should listen to them and enjoy them. They really really really good. They just aren't great. But that's fine. The band crafts some great tunes and plays them really well. They are a talented and hard working band that just misses greatness. . .

This is a Call to all my
Past resignations,
Moses

Cola Wars in the Holy Land. . . very interesting stuff. . .

"I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as President I must put the interests of America first.
America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad. To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home. Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. "


On this day 31 years ago Richard Milhous Nixon resigned the Office of the Presidency of the United States giving the above speech. I think that it's fair to say that history has exculpated the Duke Law graduate to some extent. In my humble opinion he was for the last years of his life viewed as a venerable elder statesman whose expertise on foreign policy was sought out. Even the left which had traditionally vilified him, lightened up a little. It's always intrigued me that he should be so vilified as he was a righty who went left and supported, indeed even started, some major left leaning organizations. He is in manyh ways the mirror image of Bill Clinton, who was a lefty who went right and was reviled by the right.

Nixon will be remembered as a good Quaker kid from California who made it into the highest office in the land after surmounting some impossible hurdles from his extremely humble origins to his political death at the hands of JFK an American icon. While today marks the anniversary of his darkest moment let us here at Blogrophenia, ever the optimists, remember his better ones. . .

No short-haired, yellow-bellied,
son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope,
Moses

"A Rose By Any Other Name. . ."

The day after Zambrano faced himself at Shea, the Rockies send out two mean named Kim in both games of the double header. . . that's Sunny and Byung Young respectively. . .

Hello, I love you;
Won't you tell me your name,
Moses

Check out my latest article on the New York Mets and their upcoming road trip and long and short term future. Enjoy!

Theater Review: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

All anyone wants to talk about these days in terms of musicals is Spamalot. And indeed, the show is outstanding, but if you want to see a show that can go toe to toe with Spamalot and that you can probably actually get into consider DRS!!

This exceptional musical is a remake of the hilarious 1988 movie featuring Steve Martin and Micheal of two swindlers who both admire and despise each other and bring out the best and worst of each other.

Featuring John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott (who wasn't appearing when I saw it) the cast also includes an amazing Joanna Gleason who almost steals the show!! Which is saying quite a bit considering the fantastic performances turned in by Lithgow and Butz!

The book is good, great by modern standards, the music is fun and catchy and the lyrics are consistently clever. All in all, it's a great bit of fun that feels much shorter than it's two hour run time. . .

Ruprecht's all about. . .,
Moses

The Death of Peter Jennings

Of the three networks we at the Aton household always favored ABC and so it was with great sadness that I heard the news about Peter Jennings. The man who brought us the news for all those years is gone and his era was a long one and one that has encompassed most of my life. We mark the times through events like this and certainly the day will come when we look back and fondly remember all those evenings we spent hearing the news from Mr. Jennings. But today we mourn that Canadian high school dropout who always seemed to be at the center of everything while it was happening. For a variety of reasons we very likely won't see another like him ever again. It's a sad day.

I read the news today oh boy,
Moses

In some ways you get the impression that the New York magazine article on Gary Sheffield is going to feed some of the paranoia and bitterness that the article says he harbors. . . The article honestly left me a bit sad for him. . .

I would rather starve than eat your bread,
Moses

Courtesy of Zammy, enjoy this hilarious piece from The Onion that you may think is real for a minute when you read it: The Onion White House Denies Existence Of Karl Rove

As if this sometimes swooning Yankees team needed more distractions apparently the irrepressible Gary Sheffield has popped off yet again to the once proud New York Magazine (it's crap now) about his teammates saying among other things that Jeter isn't the real leader of the team. He then says he know who the real leader is, but doesn't elaborate further. . .

This team was already in trouble, this is no good at all. . .

You had to be a big shot,
Didn't cha,
Moses

Inappropriate thing for a straight man to say:

"I'm a sucker for show tunes. . ."

The Death of Fahd



With the death of King Fahd oil prices have gone up and one question now is how will this affect the -- perhaps not as strong anymore -- relationship between the Bushes and the Saudi Royal Family? What exactly is the connection between the Bush family and the Saudi Royal Family? A good start for those interested is probably House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger. It's also looked at, and presented in a very negative light, in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. . .

You may recall the above picture from a few month back of Bush with then Crown Prince -- now King -- Abdulllah they famously locked arms in Arab tradition. . .

The Times They are A'Changin,
Moses

Sunday's Pitching Form for the Cubs @ Mets looks like this:

1:10 pm
Chi. Cubs @ N.Y. Mets
CHC: Zambrano (7-4, 3.43)
NYM: Zambrano (5-9, 3.78)

Don't see that a lot. . .

I see trees of green;
Red roses too;
and I think to myself;
What a Wonderful World,
Moses

Too Poor to Die (kinda)

Estate taxes in the Northeast are really getting out of hand. Connecticut and New York seem to almost be providing MORE incentive for people to move down South. I am not one to decry necessary taxes but a 16% estate tax is absurd no matter how wealthy the decedent or his or her heirs. With a thousand people a day leaving the Northeast this could spell disaster down the line.

For more on this, specifically how to now plan in CT, go here.

That's one you;
nineteen for me,
Moses

Palmeiro just got suspended for steroids. This is big. One of three or four members of the 3000 hit & 500 HR club. Just got hit 3000 recently too. They may have eased us in with a few insignificant players before getting to the big guys. It'll be interesting to see whose next, they may try to cluster a few together to get it over with and spread the heat. . . Stay tuned. . .

I can't believe the news today,
I can't close my eyes and make it go away,
Moses