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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
[Not My] CD collection for sale - 175 for $350 = 2 bucks a CD
Eminem to Zach Brown to Pink Floyd and Van Halen. Too many too list.
Pictures show all titles. Entire collection, no partial.
Monday, March 30, 2020
What a Gem!
This is an atrocity! I have loved the band called "Pain" for a very long time. I recall playing their tune called "Antidote" from the Wonderful Beef album for Chuck, my ex-brother-in-law. I specifically recall that Chuck liked the tune. That fact is only significant if you know that Chuck was a big Rush fan so liking "Antidote" which sounds nothing like 2112 made me chuckle. I still love "Antidote" for its lyrics and guitar riff:
This is a favorite tune of mine on Wonderful Beef as well:
A few years later, Full Speed Ahead was released. I wrote a review of it for Dailyvault.com - I stand by what I wrote. I don't brag up my review writing but rereading this sentence from 20 years ago (!!) cracked me up:
Also, I was surprised I mentioned Wonderful Beef in the review, but that, per the Pain page, I never wrote a review of that album. Perhaps that needs to be corrected in the near future!
Editor's Note: Added the Pain label to the blog.
This is a favorite tune of mine on Wonderful Beef as well:
A few years later, Full Speed Ahead was released. I wrote a review of it for Dailyvault.com - I stand by what I wrote. I don't brag up my review writing but rereading this sentence from 20 years ago (!!) cracked me up:
Was this going to be another 'live in" CD or a $50 night of passion?
Also, I was surprised I mentioned Wonderful Beef in the review, but that, per the Pain page, I never wrote a review of that album. Perhaps that needs to be corrected in the near future!
Editor's Note: Added the Pain label to the blog.
Friday, March 27, 2020
This is What is Happening in My World
I have on my laptop a Firefox Add-on that checks the writing when I write these posts. This is what I saw when I created this post.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020
Not a Flurry of Snow
I really adore the slower version of the riff from "Battery" as it changes the texture of the riff. It's not a flurry of snow as you drive on the highway at night. Instead, it's being in college with a girl as she makes you happy as you drive on the highway during the sunshine of God's blessings.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Some Words from EE
Soap Opera Politics
If there is one thing we know for certain about the American press corps’ interaction with President Trump, it is that they presuppose him an unserious and very vain dolt. If anyone grabs too much of the spotlight or utters anything disloyal, the President throws them out the door.That is what so much of the press believes. In fact, I suspect some of you reading believe it too. Certainly, some in the White House believe it. They have tried to exploit it by circulating rumors about various people riding too high in the saddle. The press has tried to drum up divisions between the President and Vice President in this way.
How many stories have we read about the Vice President overshadowing the President or operating as a shadow President, etc.? These were not true, but they were circulated to try to spark division in the soap opera-like drama of Washington.
The press fundamentally believes the President will fire people who are more likable than him, overshadow him, or make him look bad by outperforming him.
So I have to wonder if a portion of the press corps is trying to get a lot of Americans killed right now.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has loyally served Presidents of the United States going back to Ronald Reagan. In 2008, due to his loyal service to the nation, President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dr. Fauci is the most prominent voice in the administration now and its foremost presence on national television. But in the past several days, various media outlets have started pushing stories about Fauci undermining the President. Various reporters on Twitter have grabbed screenshots of Dr. Fauci at White House press briefings where he appears to be rolling his eyes or shaking his head when the President speaks — the full film shows he was not doing either.
There have been stories where the media plays up what appears to be Fauci disagreeing with the President or being critical of the President, but these have been taken out of context too.
Given the media’s presuppositions about the President, it is reasonable to conclude they are trying to get Dr. Fauci fired. Why would they do that? Is this not a crisis where they want the best men and women in charge?
The reason is that the media is addicted to drama. In the past two weeks, there has not only been no drama, but the President’s approval ratings for handling the crisis have gone up. Both Gallup and ABC News have polling showing as much. The drama of the virus should be enough, but the media now is addicted to the soap opera narrative.
When not trying to break up the marriage of George and Kellyanne Conway, the Washington press corps these days seems to pick other targets to try to get the President firing in that target’s direction. Right now, it is Dr. Fauci the press is after and they are after him selfishly. As long as President Trump is relying on Dr. Fauci, the President looks presidential. That is too much for the media.
Now they have to try to spark drama, get Fauci fired and go back to their narrative of an out of control, vain, and petty President.
Cancel the Briefings?
As a quick aside, I suspect we are about to see very loud calls for the White House press briefings to be canceled. Why? Because the President’s approval rating is going up.We have witnessed the press, for several years, demand briefings from the White House. They are now getting them every day. The President’s approval has gone up correspondingly. Therefore, I can conclude we will start to see screams about the briefings. We’ll hear that it is impossible for Fauci and Birx to work if they’re always on TV. We’ll hear that the President is lying and harming the public. Heck, look at reporters trying to tie him to idiots taking fish tank cleaner because it contains chloroquine phosphate.
The press is going to now oppose what they’ve long demanded because these briefings are helping the President.
Easter
For a great example of the media manufacturing controversy where there is none, consider the President suggesting he wants people going back to work by Easter. Actually, what the President said was, and I quote:
I think Easter Sunday and you’ll have packed churches all over our country, I think it would be a beautiful time, and it’s just about the timeline that I think is right. It gives us more chance to work on what we’re doing and I’m not sure that’s going to be the day but I would love to aim it right at Easter Sunday so we are open for church service and services generally on Easter Sunday, that would be a beautiful thing. [Emphasis added]
Later in the day, the President said he would continue to rely on the experts and he was not committed to Easter Sunday being the day.
I will forgive you if you did not know any of that. The press corps ran with the story as the President saying the nation will go back to work on Easter Sunday. There has been a collective freak out. But the press is reporting the President as definitive when he said multiple times that he was not being definitive. He wanted that as the goal, but he was not sure it was possible.
Yet again, the media is destroying its own credibility trying to destroy the President’s credibility. For all the issues you or I could have with the President, this really should not be one of them.
It kind of strikes me as the outrage-o-meter needing a re-calibration. Right now, if the President says the sky is blue a certain segment of America will deny it, scream about the President, and hate the color blue. I don’t want to downplay disputes with the President. I vehemently disagreed with his behavior on Friday as Pete Alexander asked him a question.
But wanting to set a goal and noting it depends on what the experts say is really not something to get upset about. And frankly, given the way so many people think the President operates, getting mad about it and self-immolating about it makes it more likely the President is going to push for that day. So calm down.
More COVID-19 Fallout
This is terrible and horrible and not very good news at all.
The following is text from the email I received Tuesday, 3/24/2020, at 5:29 PM:
The following is text from the email I received Tuesday, 3/24/2020, at 5:29 PM:
Dear Treasured Alumni and Donors:
We certainly live in unprecedented times as COVID-19 has changed our spring semester plans dramatically. Thankfully, Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, gave us wonderful words to live by in weeks like these, “A community in which universal charity reigns, is capable of surmounting all difficulties.” We continue to walk in unity and charity with one another, knowing that all faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of Mount Mercy are in this together! As we navigate uncharted territory, I thought you would appreciate a report on how Mount Mercy is faring. First and foremost, I’d like to direct you to our coronavirus website mtmercy.edu/coronavirus for all the latest updates and student/employee Q and A’s. We began sending regular messages on February 14, changing to daily messages on March 11, and you’ll find them all posted. Most questions fielded by the Pandemic Response Team have been answered within those Q and A’s. Our faculty have taken on the task of moving to entirely online instruction for the remainder of the semester with gusto. For some, of course, online instruction is part of their everyday life – in fact, US News and World Report ranked Mount Mercy the #1 online educational institution in the state this winter. For others, the move to an online delivery system began from scratch and has been a major accomplishment in a very small period of time. Our faculty, staff and students have been incredibly united in their desire to finish the semester strong, from a distance, and with top academic quality. The link to my ‘welcome back from spring break’ video distributed yesterday can be found here. By April 5, residence status will be limited to special circumstances (no internet access for course completion, housing/food insecure, travel restrictions, international and distant students) and we have begun “to-go” service in the cafeteria. All sports, music and other activities have been canceled. We are having only virtual gatherings between now and the end of the school year. Campus ministry is keeping the food pantry open as long as it is physically possible with social distancing for students in need. The Olson Clinic has moved to a telehealth operation for students requiring counseling. Of course, we continue to communicate with and follow the direction of the Centers for Disease Control, the State of Iowa, and Linn County Public Health regarding the coronavirus. I can guarantee that we will continue to change our operation in concert with our health officials, and those changes will be reflected in our daily communication with students and employees and in the Q and A section of the website. Our incredible Sisters of Mercy are safe and sound at the convent but no visitors are allowed at this point, and Mass has been canceled for the foreseeable future. We are finding ways to be involved in our mission and faith without our usual relationships and practices. Many have asked how they can help during this difficult and confusing time. Prayers for our students, faculty, staff and alumni (especially our many health care providers) would be most beneficial. You can find “A Prayer During Times of a Pandemic,” which we are praying across campus, on our coronavirus website. We are considering how best to assist our most vulnerable students, honor our seniors (many who were unable to participate in national championships, or participate in all the special events of senior year), and support our many nontraditional students who have lost jobs in the economic downturn. We will have more information about how you can join us in that effort at Alumni Reunion Weekend this fall. In the meantime, we’d love for you to send prospective students (undergraduate, graduate and online students) to our virtual visit days and admission events. Also, please watch for ways to support the Mount Mercy Fund which is more important now than ever! Catherine McAuley wrote the following to Frances Warde in 1838, and it seems apropos today – “The comfort comes soon after a well-received trial.” During times like these we are humbled to witness the compassion and unity that our community displays daily to one another and look forward to the truly good days ahead. We are grateful that you are part of our community and thank you for your strong support for Mount Mercy, its students and employees, over many years. Stay well and we will be in touch. Laurie Hamen President |
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