New Song to Dig On

Hi, all:

In honor of my victory last Monday (and Round Four this Monday night), here's a song I've been looping on my iPod recently: Regina Spektor's "Samson."  To get it, click on the listen tab (once you follow the link), and then up will come a new window playing the song and an option to get the original file.

As a sidenote, that site I found (drop.io) is amazing...sharing song files is ridiculously easy.  You don't even have to sign up with an email address or anything.  You name the page to which you're dropping, upload ANY kind of file, and call it a day.  Seems revolutionary, actually, in that quiet way real revolutions start.

--Tamo

A Grad School Milestone

I didn't have a child, nor am I yet officially a master of marriage and family therapy.

However, in addition to academic requirements, I have to compile 500 hours of client contact through my practicum and internship in order to graduate.

Well, I just finished my 500th hour!

Links to Outside Websites

Most of you know this, but for those who don't, there is a way to link text in a post to an outside website. The blue text in my recent post (and in Rog's and Tamo's recent posts as well) is a link to an outside website. What that means is that you click on the blue text, and you'll be transported to an outside website. In my post, for example, clicking on the first link will take you to a web post on a different website called Think Progress. Clicking on any of Rog's link would have taken you to any of those articles. Clicking on Tamo's link would have taken you to the website for the college radio station.

Again, I'm sure most of you know this, but I'm also sure there are some who don't.

Enjoy.

Tamo, are the cherry trees blossoming any time soon?

Housing Crisis Follow-Up

Following up on Rog's post on Bear Stearns, I agree that the gov needs to get more involved...and should have gotten more involved LONG AGO. John McCain has missed the boat on this one for years. Click here for more info.

I'd be open to hear criticisms of Obama and Hillary if they have also missed the boat on this issue.

To me, "missing the boat" means penalizing ordinary people for wanting to buy a home and believing that their bank (or lending institution) would not put them in an untenable position vis-a-vis their mortgage.

Of course, if that doesn't turn you off McCain, perhaps his concept of an indefinite occupation of Iraq will do the trick.

Orgasmic!!

I know this is preaching to the choir for many of you lovely people, but this post is about organic food. As organic foods are more expensive, here are two articles which can help you decide how to best flex your purchasing power.

This first article lists 12 items that typically receive a vast amounts of pesticides and/or growth hormones, so try to get these foods in organic when you can. (It includes Meats, Milk, Coffee, Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Strawbabies, Lettuce, Grapes, Potatoes, and Tomatoes. This article also lists alternatives for foods with similar vitamins and nutrients when you can't find the above in organic.)

The second article lists 10 foods that either receive lower pesticide treatments or have thick enough skin to protect the food from ag-chemicals. (It lists Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kiwi Fruit, Mango, Onions, Papaya, and Pineapples.)

Live well!
Much love, - Rog

Banter

Hey kids!

So, Matt O is back from China, Alissa just got back from Thailand, and I just opened a fortune cookie that says "You will gain admiration from your pears." I wanna see some blog posts and pictures about all this Asian goodness (sans the cookie, that is. Me and my pears are already sweet.)

In other news, I really dug Frank Rich's NYTimes column this Sunday, as I usually do. Check it out if you're into the whole politics thing. I also dug this really solid magazine article about the current Stock Market freak-out and the Feds' bailing out of Bear Stearns. (It also has a sweet pic of Greenspan, who looks like he’s gettin’ down to some BeeGee’s jams.) The article gives some interesting background on the unregulated 'shadow banking system' that has caused all the hub-bub this past year or so. After the housing bubble burst, this seems to be why the aftershocks have been so serious. Serious enough for the Feds to bail out a private firm for the first time since, well, I think since the Great Depression. I certainly don't advocate a socialist approach to market regulations, but I certainly DO think the invisible hand needs some wise guidance from better public policy. That invisible hand is kinda like a really dumb golden retriever. It'll keep eating more and more until it makes itself sick. The govt's job, in some aspects is to best limit that kind of harmful consumption. That sort of regulation for capitalism is one of the better New Deal legacies to come out of FDR’s first 100 days.

But, speaking of consumption, I'm gonna grab a beer. Bri just got home, so I’m gonna hang out with that wonderful lady and see how her day went. In reverence to ya’ll, in your absences, I'll pour a little ale out for all you homies. Much love! - Rog

Round Three REALLY on Tonight

The station's working...I'm listening to it as I type. So tonight's a go--8 PM, www.wvau.org, listen and travel back to the heady days of the mid-'90s. Vote after each song! Hear you there.

Friends don't let friends drink and dial....

I was out and about last night with my pal Kim and we met up with Molina (Roly that is). He says "hi" to all. He left Rog a voicemail and Adam I don't know if you have texting on your cell but he sent "chuppa chups"...

Hope the Easter Bunny came to visit everyone today : ) I pick Matt up from the airport today around 6:00 p.m. He's been in China for 10 days. I miss him and can't wait to hear all about his adventures. I will see if he wants to put up a post on China and maybe some pictures.

More later,

Kells

I'm 30.

In the immortal words of three guys named Tony...IT FEELS GOOD!

Video Link

I still haven't found out how to post videos to the video bar, so here's a link to a funny video message entitled, "A Message to Voters Somehow Older Than McCain."

http://video.236.com/services/link/bcpid1272014315/bclid1125909605/bctid1463244748

UPDATE: Okay, I have figured it out. Just wait for the video bar to switch out from Obama links.

SECOND UPDATE: I have no idea how Charlie Rose episodes got onto the bar, but whatever. Interesting stuff.

Best Speech of our Lifetime?

If you haven't seen Obama's speech from today, check it out.  It's amazing--a cross between the best college lecture and the best sermon you've ever heard (coming from me, that should say something).  "Brilliant" gets thrown around a lot, but I'm willing to call this speech brilliant--and honest.  It also dovetails nicely with the race relations discussion from a week or so ago here on the blog.  Let's talk about this thing!

Emergency Help from Group Needed!

Hi, all:

Tomorrow (Monday) at 8 PM I'm back on Dueling DJs.  Here's the emergency--I didn't realize it was happening so soon.  Me and the guy I'm going against are friends (he's a former student) and we've decided on a theme...songs from our high school days.  So, let me know what that triggers for you all.  In the words of the Beatles, Help!  I need somebody!  Help! Not just anybody...I need the Group!

The Glory of Guinness

Mr. Pagan kindly sent me this link to his favorite Guinness advertisement at this hallowed time of year. 'Tis a grand one, and there's a hefty collection of other brilliant Guinness ads to enjoy on YouTube. WELL worth you time. The geniuses behind Guinness's marketing campaigns have even made me a bit misty eyed here. In anticipation of the grand day itself, Happy St. Patty, ya'll. Much love.

The Simpsons Are Going to the Big Dance!

AU's in the NCAA Tourney!  Go Eagles!

My First Post

Testing, testing...
If this works, it proves you don't need natural borders in your homeland to create a blog post.
If this doesn't work, I will humbly return to the bread line.

Not to be getting into semantics, but is it racism or stereotypes and prejudice?

Brad,
This is a provocative and challenging bit of lyrics and we can all look within for deeply held beliefs. But I think that racism is not the problem, which according to Webster's dictionary is a belief that your race is superior to other races;i.e. Hitler's Aryanism., as much as prejudice is the root of the problem.

What I do agree with is we all are, black, white, Asian, Native American Indian, Eastern Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, etc. are all, if we are honest to a degree prejudice and carry stereotypes that go with it . Now, don't get me wrong, there are racists out there, such as skinheads, KKK, multiple xenophobes and closet racists that simply love to hate other people in their inferiority complexes or in their subtle and blatant hatred and racist beliefs. But I believe that the true racist is amongst the minority. These people are beyond help and reform of their hatred.

The majority of us that suffer the choice of prejudice and subsequent stereotypes, need to reach out to other ethnicities and start a forum for communication and understanding. I recently began to put this theory into action myself. For years I stayed in the safe white suburbs of Loveland and dreamed of reaching out to urban youth. In the past 6 weeks I met a young black man, yes he is okay with being referred to as black and doesn't care about the politically correct moniker of African American, who sold me my new cellular phone. As I waited for my phone to be activated, Brandon, a senior at U.Cincinnati majoring in business, and I shared many business ideas and values. If you've recently purchased a cell phone you can relate to the fact that this activation process probably took over an hour; plenty of time to shoot the breeze on all kinds of topics.

As a result of that meeting we agreed to meet with another friend of his, Dennis, who is majoring in business and is a senior @ U. Cincinnati and a young black man as well. Both young men are energetic, disciplined, hard working and enthusiastic .We decided to start an embryonic experiment we call for now, Cincinnati Business Reciprocity. We take turns bringing a business idea to our meetings. The rule is whatever idea you gain from the meeting must then be taken back to the community we live and work in and pay it forward as the movie states. In other words, we are required to give the ideas away from our meeting and receive nothing in return. It is our way of philanthropy and giving back.

This is just a beginning, but I believe we can make a difference in better communicating and understanding each other and hopefully positively touch other peoples lives in the journey.

Keep On Bloggin',
Tom Eardley

There's no title yet

Born into a world where everyone was White
Didn't take long to learn the stereotypes
Most folks felt the exception proved the rule
And the evening news provided plenty of fuel

Emotions flared - I realized the deal
No one questioned if these images were real
I'd be the one to set my people straight
I'd go downtown and meet my messianic fate

I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me

Being young, I got the breakfast shift
I unlocked the doors and served those nasty grits
The men came in - They all had tales to tell
Or maybe just looking to sit down for a spell

All the same I was scared consistently
One of them's bound to take their anger out on me
I'd say the wrong thing and that would be the end
Of all this talk of being brothers, being friends

I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I get a feeling, and it calls to me

Where in hell did I get this kind of thought?
I can't be sure, but TV'd be a place to start
If I had never looked these black men in their eyes
I wouldn't know that I'd been racist all this time

So, it's been said - Where do I go from here?
This is my story 'bout irrational fear
Don't know what the consequence will be
Good or bad, it's about honesty

I get a feeling, and it calls to me
I thought it'd be others, but the broken one was me
It's not what I intended, but it's what I need

Is there still room in this world for us to tell the truth?
Where that dream won't be reduced to the naivete of youth?
Many feel that we've passed the time for honesty
So much on the line now, but is that what it means to be free?

What an ass!

Click on this ass to learn more about his presidential campaign/ego trip.

I'll be honest. I voted for him in 2000, which was my luxury because Mass was heavily favored to vote for Gore (and did). I voted for him in 2000, because I was young and idealistic, and I wanted to vote my conscience. Eight years of George W. Bush has put that idealism permanently to rest...especially in the general presidential election.

I know Dad Eardley is a big fan of third-party candidates, and Nader does indeed represent something different than Obama, Clinton, or McCain. He has a point that the two-party system has begun to look more and more like a one-party system. But it pisses me off. Nader will only take votes from Obama, the same way he took votes from Gore. And in an election that is all about the war and healthcare, he's only going to take votes from the democratic nominee. The tragedy is that the democratic nominee will be closer to his positions than McCain is.

But it's the same as it was in 2000.

I admire Nader's refusal to sell out, but I think he, like Dennis Kucinich, does not represent the majority view in the USA. Neither Nader nor Kucinich will ever be president of the USA. They're far too radical. I admire that, but I also want Obama to get elected.

That is why I think Nader is an ass. I call it an ego trip, because he insists on running for president, instead of some lesser office, like governor, congressman, or senator. He could be a great liberal congressman, but he has to go all the way to the top.

Lame! Totally not cool!

Hey, fellow bloggers...just a quick FYI...Ledgedweller has jumped...parties (not off the ledge, yet). What began as a 30th birthday gift to my son has become this phenom...tomorrow a.m. I will vote for Obama and do my part for 2008...certain repercussions await me but life on the ledge has prepared me for this action.  Farewell to the life that late I lead.....goodbye!

Because there's more to life than politics...

There's football!!!

Dad Eardley's fantasies of a Browns team lead by Mighty Brady Quinn are now very much in doubt as the Dawgs have resigned Derek Anderson. I told you, Dad! The Brownies have also acquired WR Donte Stallworth from the Patriots. Nice.

Patriots DB Randall Gay is headed to New Orleans. DB Eugene Wilson is visiting other teams, too. Pro-Bowl CB Asante Samuel is headed to Philly. Exactly whom Belichick and Pioli are expecting to cover wide receivers next season is beyond me. Why Samuel is gone and Hobbs is still here is a HUGE mystery to me. The Giants proved that record-setting offense is not enough to win Super Bowls. A good defense is VITAL. Our secondary definitely needs work, so these changes are somewhat expected, but the loss of Samuel is a real drag.

The Pats have released TE Kyle Brady, LB Roosevelt Colvin, and LB Oscar Lua. No great losses.

The Pats resigned LB Tedy Bruschi, LS Lonie Paxton, and WR/ST Kelley Washington. No great gains.

WR Randy Moss is likely to resign with the Pats. Thank God.

Eat your heart out, folks!

I've sent most of you invitations to view our Hawaii photos (complete with succinct commentary) via Kodak.com. For those who haven't received an invite but would like one, send me your email address.

In Memorium - William F. Buckley

As a youth growing up, I would read William Buckley's column each Sunday in the Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin. I kept a dictionary at my side so I could understand and learn the many multi- syllabic  and arcane words  that he used in his columns. It was a wonderful vocabulary builder. I also learned how to think and evaluate opinions and theories. 

Buckley founded The National Review magazine, a journal of sound conservative thinking. He hosted Firing Line where he debated many of the nation's finest thinkers, both liberal and conservative. These debates were always carried on without rancor, bile, and demagoguery; a lesson both sides could learn from today.

He was a man of faith, of love, of wisdom and a gentleman always. With his passing, the bell tolls once again.

God rest, Mr. Buckley.

Aloha!

Although many of you did not know, Rebekah (Roo) and I were in Hawaii this past week, visiting her family.

Well, we've returned. As soon as I figure out how to get photos onto a Kodak.com account, I'll send y'all a link.

Hawaii is everything that everyone says it is and more. I was slightly skeptical, but it is a truly magical place. We were on Oahu (Roo's parents live just in a part of Honolulu called Manoa).

Also, I'm loving that others are trying to learn the guitar. Roo is also trying to learn! As TommyK said, it is a totally valid use of time. I just sat around playing notes that sounded good to me...never took a lesson, just watched others play and learned what I could from them. I also did my own thing for a couple years, before getting caught up in learning other people's songs. I'm glad I did that, but taking lessons is cool, too. My first and only unsolicited recommendation: buy an electric tuner and a guitar stand. I still don't have a stand yet, but I wish I did.

CincyBrownsFan aka Cleveland Sports Madman

To whom it may concern. As of today, March 1st, I have morphed from CincyBrownsFan into Cleveland Sports Madman. Just in case, any of you did not realize this trivial point, for I am a certifiable madman, as deemed by my buddies in Ctown, for the Big 3 major league sports; Browns, Cavaliers and Indians. I am also a big Reds Fan, especially Jr. Griffey fan; and heresy to most Browns fans, I root for the Cincinnati Bengals, as long as they aren't playing the Browns.

I root for the Cincinnati Reds because growing up; the Indians only had flashes of brilliance with players like Buddy Bell, Rick Manning, Dennis Eckersley and Duane Kuiper and earlier years with Gaylord Perry, Sam McDowell, Ray Fosse and many others that will go down in infamy in Indians Major League history. Bottom line, the Big Red Machine of the mid '70s caught my attention with their All Star Hall of Fame lineup; Rose, Morgan, Geronimo, Foster, Bench, Perez, Griffey Sr., Gullett, etc. This team had so many stars that Manager, Sparky Anderson was tasked to get all the talent maximized in each and every game.
Major league baseball nearly did not exist growing up in Cleveland so moving here in '85 made it easy to embrace the Reds as my baseball team to follow.

I root for the Bengals for an eclectic set of reasons. First , I respect and admire Marvin Lewis, despite his need to exercise discipline on players like Chad Johnson. Marvin brought class back to the Bengals and removed a decade of doormat performances. Secondly, those Bengals fans that badmouth Browns fans don't respect the rivalry and the rich history of the meld of both teams;i.e.Bengals commentator Dave Lapham's ignorance of asking Marvin Lewis in a pregame press interview... "Coach, if its Brown, flush it down?...Right?", to which Marvin answered the need to move on and ask an original question that was pertinent to the game. Third, without the Cleveland Browns, who legend has it was named after their first coach Paul Brown, there may not be a Cincinnati Bengals franchise.

For those that care, current owner Mike Brown is the son 0f Paul Brown. Paul Brown, perhaps the greatest coach of pro football in NFL history with his decades of excellence leading the Cleveland Browns in their infancy and perrenial success as the model of success in the 50's and 60's winning several AAFC (the old All America Football Conference)and NFL championships(now known as SuperBowl). The Cleveland Browns, in that era, were the current day Patriots, winning virtually everything. Paul Brown, was fired by Art Modell, then Cleveland owner, and Brown then was motivated to start his own pro football team here in Cincinnati. Soooo, when ignorant fans like Lapham say,"...if its Brown, flush it down" they are saying, in effect, flush Paul Brown down. Paul being the original founder of the Bengals and namesake of the Cleveland Browns is a paradox for all Ohio NFL fans to admire.

Finally, the most important reason I root for the Bengals when they aren't playing the Browns is because the woman I admire the most in this world;the lovely, intelligent and super talented neuro nurse named Mary Ellen, whom I am honored to call my wife, is a Bengals fan. For you guys reading this, that would be all the reason I would need; just a little unsolicited advice to take or leave.

I know I went into "Sweets like" detail here but these are things of which I am passionate and love. Must have been Tommy's passions were activated upon on his last blog, keep it up my freind! For if we gain nothing else out of this cyberspace place, it is just that, an opportunity to share part of ourselves via print. It is truely a modern day forum for communication. A Council of The Group. Thank you one and all for allowing to be a small part of this journey.
Keep On Bloggin',
Tom(aka Dad) Eardley

Posting Videos

Here's the sitch...when you go to create a new post, there are a series of icons above the main text box.  If you put the cursor above each icon and just let it sit there, you'll get a little pop-up box that tells you what it does.  On the right-end of the line of icons is a little eraser that removes formatting from the post (probably nothing anyone needs to worry about).  In from this is the "Add Video" button, and then the "Add Image" button.  The ABC-over-a-checkmark button is spell check, and the button with quotation marks would format something as a block quote within the post.  Moving still further left are buttons for adding bulleted or numbered lists, and then four buttons controlling justification of text.  The button to the left of these, with a little chain link above a globe, is the Link button.  To hyperlink something, simply highlight the text you want to hyperlink, then press the Link button.  A little window will come up where you can paste in a web address.  Left of this button is the Text Color button, then the italics and bold button, and finally the font size button.  And the drop-menu against the left side lets you change font.  Hope that helps!