Music downloading, the way it ought to be

I am so impressed with this eMusic, legal music downloading service. I have been a member for about 6 months now. Apple iTunes... I love ya, and occasionally still cop a tune now and again, but my main source of new music has been this wonderful eMusic service. Yes, it requires a subscription of $9.99/month, but that entitles you to 40 tunes. That is a mere $.25 each, compared with a buck each from iTunes Music Store (ITMS). That's $2.50 for an average 10 track album compared with $9.99 and up at ITMS. If the music industry is serious at putting a dent in the illegal downloading trade, they must lower the price point of legal music and a quarter a song seems like the appropriate price to me. After all, digital music does not require CD production, packaging, printing, distribution, warehousing, etc. $.99 is simply outrageous, in my humble opinion.

The selection at eMusic is eclectic to say the least. You won't find the latest Brittney, Beyonce,or Coldplay here. The collection is a unique blend of old often out of print classics, and new indie material that will expand your musical horizons, and constantly surprise you with new quality creative artists that you will never see on ITMS or other similar sites. It never fails that just when I think I have exhausted the selections from eMusic that fit my taste, I discover several new albums to stash away in my account for next months downloads.

If you are a hardcore Jazz fan like myself, eMusic's jazz collection is a bounty of riches! Trane, Miles, Monk, Holiday, Sarah, Bud, Wes, Pass... the list goes on and on. eMusic is populated with hundreds of out of print classics from the Prestige/Milestone/Pablo/Fantasy labels, supplemented by many great independent recordings that provide a publishing outlet for great jazz artists that have since been shunned by the money grubbing greedy major recording labels that now make up the evil RIAA.

As an added bonus, I have been 'turned on' to many great artists, new and old that I never would have discovered by flipping through CD racks at the mall. These are artists such as Art Pepper, Steve Davis, and Eric Alexander to name just a few. I also have downloaded great new music in other genres like world music and electronic.

Do yourself a favor and check it out. If the offer is still out there, you can try it out with no obligation, and your first 50 tunes are free. That's how I got hooked. By the way, the music files are all high quality unprotected MP3's. Yep plain ole' MP3's, playable on all platforms, all portable devices, with no restrictions. Like I said, a Music Service the way it ought to be!!

Questions to ponder

Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot. What if the US did not have the military might that we have today? What if we didn't have hundreds of billions of dollars for defense? What if a coalition of Arabic Muslim nations decided that our form of government has led to a godless society with rampant racism, greed, crime and pornography. What if this Coalition felt that the US nuclear arsenal and capabilities to produce chemical or biological weapons posed a threat to other countries of the world? What if this Coalition overstated, or misled the world with evidence of this threat to justify a preemptive military strike against our nation? What if they invaded our cities, dismantled our federal, state and city governments and put in a Governing Council made up of Muslim clerics and others sympathetic to their cause. What if this Coalition dissolved our police departments and utility companies, and replaced them with their military, paid militia, and workers from the Arabic countries?

Would actions that our US citizens take to resist and sabotage this Coalitions efforts be justified? Would you consider men and women participating in such a resistance be terrorists?

The most terrible affliction

Alzheimers disease has hit home. If any affliction deserves the research funding to find a cure, this is the one. This disease touches us all. If not directly, than a family member or someone you care about. 1 in 10 over age 65, and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimers. I have read the symptoms, and sadly Mom mirrors those to a 'T'. It weighs heavy on my heart, and is a tremendous burden on Dad. Luckily, he was prepared and the living conditions are as good as can be expected for those in this situation. Dad, your children are here for you and Mom. You are not alone.

Though not likely to be a help for Mom, a cure needs to be found for the future. According to the American Journal of Public Health, finding a treatment that could delay the onset of Alzheimers disease by five years could reduce the number of individuals with the disease by nearly 50 percent.

I would urge everyone to learn as much as you can about Alzheimers. Learn what you can do to prevent or delay its onset, contribute to research for a treatment, and support those who are afflicted or those who are caring for a loved one with the disease.

The Year of Living Dangerously

My nephew Jason returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq. First time was during the 92 conflict. Unfortunately he had the honor of being called back a second time, another year stint, to fight Bush Junior's war. He was taken from his young family, two young children and one on the way, and sent to the very dangerous region of Al Ramadi and Falluja. His job was to detonate unexploded mines and shells left behind from Iraqi stockpiles and conflicts. His pictures and stories were incredible. Too much to explain here, but suffice it to say, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Jason, Erin and family for having to endure such a hardship. This weekend, we celebrated his return in Rochester NY.

Listening to Jay's stories just reinforced my feeling about this reckless action; the lies and misrepresentations that got us here, and the tragedy of lives lost, homes, families and properties destroyed. And for what? What good can possibly become of this action (other than the profits that may result by some diabolical few). You can't force a country into a Democracy. They need to want it and fight for it on their own. You also can't assume that a country with such a different culture and religious heritage even desires a western style, secular form of government like our own. IMHO, a US enforced democracy just won't work. Sadly, it is futile and tragic to even try.

Claire made a wise statement this evening while watching the news. The politicians that vote for these wars should be required to send their own sons and relatives first, before committing the rest of our youth to fight our battles.

College Basketball Capital of the World

Incredible week for the UConn Huskies. First time EVER that one college captures the NCAA championship in both Men's and Women's tournament. That makes Connecticut the Center of the Universe of college hoops. A very exciting time for the State of CT. This was a great, great Tournament. Now that it is over, I will surely miss it. It'll be tough to top this one next year.

As for the Laster clan... we got cuz Mawty traveling cross country with the Men's teams, warming them up for the games... and Dave providing the Audio/Visual for the pep rallies at Gample and hilite films shown on Statewide and ESPN networks. WooHoo!!!

Billy's Big Adventure

Bill Driggs is my co-worker with whom I share some office space at work. He is a Tri-Athalon athlete and adventurer. He has joined the Connecticut Everest Expedition, a group of 7 CT residents that are climbing Mt. Everest. They left this week. One of the climbers is a Hartford Courant Photographer, and the Courant is reporting on their trip with weblogs and video's being sent back almost daily (requires registering with CTNow). It's a great read. Sitting next to Bill at the office, its been mind blowing listening to him making preparations; making travel arrangements to Banghkok, Katmandu, Nepal; getting funding and sponsorship for the expensive gear. Having read accounts of climbing Mt Everest from the book Into Thin Air, I have some knowledge of what Billy is in for. Your crazy, man! Billy, be safe, don't take chances, come back healthy!!

My part in his preparation?.... Bill bought a mini-iPod, and I loaded it up with tunes. He'll be bringing up Miles, Trane, Jimi, Methany and a bunch of other tunes I gave him to the top of the world. Cool.

Fantasy Baseball has begun

Last night was Draft Night for the Fantasy Baseball league that I run. I look forward to this night all year long. Big fun last night at Rookies Sports Bar. A dozen baseball geeks, friends and co-workers, chuggin' beer, picking major league ballplayers for 3 hours straight. It is intense to say the least. Yeah, I made some bonehead picks, but I ended up with Bonds, Chipper, Griffey, I-Rod, Mussina. Not a bad draft.

Fantasy Baseball is what the Internet must have been invented for. It's is the killer-app on the World Wide Web, IMHO. Got home from Rookies, and worked till midnight inputting all 250 or so names into the 12 teams on Yahoo's Fantasy Baseball site. Now the fun begins.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Woa! this is one wild, crazy and great movie by the writer of Adaptation, Charile Kaufmann. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind explores a love relationship through the visualization of interconnected memories, as Joel (Jim Carrey) is undertaking a procedure to erase the memories of Clemintine (Kate Winslett). If you saw the trailer for this movie, you really don't have any idea of what this flick is really about. You gotta see this film. Read more about this film on my movie review page.

Our Anniversary...
Married for 29 years. She is my wife, best friend, confidant, lover, partner in just about everything we do. Some say marriage has its ups and downs... can honestly say that this ride has been just about all up-sides; no big downside comes to mind.

Best couple of weeks in Sports

Gotta admit - March Madness, is the best time in Sports. The Superbowl rarely lives up to the hype. Does anyone really care about hockey's Stanley Cup, or NBA Championship? Baseball's World Series is near and dear to my heart, but baseball ain't what it used to be. Something about college hoops and the NCAA Tournament. Face it, 99% of these kids will never see that NBA big money contract. They are in it for the glory of their school, the thrill of victory. They are playing with all their heart. One loss, and pack your bags. Everybody has that office pool going, so we all have something on the line to root for, and somewhere along the road to the final four, some underdog upsets a top rank team.

Of course being from Connecticut, we have our UCONN Huskies, 2nd seeds for both Men and Women, not to mention our man Mawty workin' out with the team. This years NCAA's are da bomb. GO HUSKIES!

Enough already...

I have had it with the snow for this winter. C'mon Spring weather. Time for baseball.

Kerry-McCain Ticket?

I have read several comments about this on various news blogs, but today I heard on the radio that Senator McCain acknowledged on a TV news interview, that he would actually consider running as VP on the Kerry ticket! Now that would renew my faith in the Dems if such a thing could happen. It's unlikely, but just think about it. It's a dream ticket. McCain would definitely draw in the Independents, disenchanted Dems and Repubs and veterans. We know McCain HATES Bush and he is a free thinking reformer. Now this gets me excited about the Presidential race again. A Democrat-Republican ticket; Do the Democrats have the balls to break from tradition and let such a radical thing happen! I doubt it...even if though it just about guarantees a win in November.

Scamper, no more

A painful and sad evening, last night. Sat down to dinner, when the doorbell rang. Our neighbor came to tell us she saw our cat get hit by a car. Searched around, and finally saw Scamper go under our deck in the backyard. It was dark, and at first couldn't see what his condition was. Through our basement window, we saw him curled up against the outside wall under the deck. He was barely moving, just lying there. After a while he looked completely motionless, I saw one last gasp for breath, than all life had left him. In the dark, I pulled the lattice work off the base of the deck, and slithered underneath to retrieve the lifeless body of our cat that had been with our family for 13 years. We put him in a box and brought him to the vet for cremation. Scamper was a great cat. He loved to snuggle up to you and stretch out on your lap, just begging to be petted and stroked.

God Hates Shrimp

Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites

Ralph Nader to run for president

Now this makes things interesting. This is supposed to be a Democracy, not a country run by the duopoly that is the American political system. Not a country run by two parties, both funded, and in the pockets of the same corporate interests. Nader's voice in the debate can only be good for the country. Let's bring into the debate a voice for REAL election reform. Let's bring into the debate the issue of a bloated pentagon budget. Let's bring into the debate the issue of Corporate welfare. I am not saying I will vote Nader at this point in time... but let us begin to put a third party, a political outsider, an anti-politician into the equation. It can only be healthy for our political system.

I say to the Democrats... stop whining about Nader being a spoiler. The Dems have been wimps for too long. Put up a candidate that can attract the disenchanted, that can have the same kind of passion and conviction that we have seen with Dean and Nader. Don't nominate another tired old mainstream Politician, propped up by corporate contributitors. Don't nominate a candidate that has a voting record contrary to the issues that he is now campaigning on.

Democrats should welcome Nader into the debate. Be secure enough about your candidate and your message to say you are not afraid of openning the debate to all voices that desire to be heard. I don't recall ever hearing the Republicans complain that Buchanan or Libertarians or Pat Robertson was stealing their votes! To Kerry and the Democratic leadership... STOP BEING WIMPS and put up or shut up!

Dean is done

Damn. Once again, the Dems best candidate, Howard Dean falls victim to the candy-ass democrats that shun their liberal convictions for a middle of the road, seemingly more 'electable' candidate like John Kerry. At least, we can give Dean credit for changing the tone of the presidential debate. If it were not for Dean's rants, calling the Pres to task on WMD's and the war in Iraq, and showing that you can be MAD AS HELL at this administration, and still raise money and become the frontrunner... Kerry and Edwards would still be tiptoeing around the issues and trying to appeal to the center.

Kerry still will have to reconcile his voting record with his rhetoric. He states he is pro-union and anti-NAFTA, yet voted for NAFTA. He says we should not have gone into Iraq, yet voted for the war. He is against 'No Child Left Behind', yet voted for it. He says he is for Election Reform, yet has taken more money from special interest groups than anyone in congress.

Well, Dean may be out of the race, but the election is still a ways off. Who knows what may happen between now and the Democratic Convention. Oh yeah... that endorsement from Al Gore really helped Dean! And, damn, the media sure had a field day with that scream speach. Incredible how one little pep-rally can be turned around into a public relations disaster when the media smells a little blood.

Biggest trade since the Babe?

This is getting rediculous! Can the Yankees be allowed to buy up all of the best talent in baseball? Look at this team! Except for the 2nd base slot, this team is an entire all-star squad. Next they are going to get Barry Bonds, for Christ sakes. Ya got Posada, Giambi, Jeter, ARod, Matsui, Williams, Sheffield, Lofton. YIKES. No other team can stand a chance. This is NOT good for baseball, IMHO.

Hey... first baseball post of the season! Spring must be near.

The Grammy Awards - Back to the Future

Woa! Grammy Awards were actually watchable this year! Things are looking up in the music biz. Didn't see much Hip-Hop. Not much baggy pants, crotch grabbin', foul talkin', ghetto gestures, bling-bling, floppy crooked hat wearin', gangsta, simulated sex on stage. What we saw was some great hard rockin', funkified, R&B, psychedelic, talented singers and musicians... just like the old days! I heard some real creative acts like Outkast and White Stripes, Black Eyed Peas, and more.

Wasn't all good though. Who's idea was it to pair up jazz great Chick Corea with Foo Fighters? Both can play, but not on the same stage, please. And that Suit from the RIAA talking about downloading. Really, give it up. Just put out a good alternative, at a REASONABLE PRICE (much less than $.99/song), and illegal downloads will go away. Meanwhile, stop whining about it. You just piss off the kids.

See George Squirm

On Meet the Press this morning, we got to see President Bush really squirm... as well he should. The truth is about to be revealed like Janet Jackson's... well you get the picture. There were no WMD's, there was no imminent threat, Iraq was not the source of 9/11 terrorists. UN sanctions and weapon inspections were working. Saddam did not even have the fire power to launch a single ground to air missile against our planes, let alone launch chemical or nuclear weapons against its neighbors or the US forces. Bush was determined to go to war, for his own reasons (US expansion, oil, revenge?), and would say and do anything to get his way, including invent evidence of WMD's. The tragic cost is hundreds of US deaths, thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians deaths, destruction of cities, property, etc. Is the world safer because of our actions in Iraq? I see US interests under attack, more suicide bombings, terror alerts increasing, commercial flights grounded, and the World's distrust of America's intentions.

Democratic Party Nomination Process
Why is the press and the Dems trying to treat this process as if it were all over? Only a small handful of states have had their caucuses and primaries! Don't we all get to have our votes count? I am standing firm in the Howard Dean camp. The Dems best chance for real change is to have a political outsider, a maverick, run and beat George Bush. Kerry voted for this War. Kerry voted for the Patriot Act and he voted for Bush programs like No Child Left Behind. Dean stood against all these policies when others were politically afraid to do so. We need and Anti-Politician nominee. One who does not have a history of being beholden to special interests. One that can garner the support and raise money from the grass roots. Come'on... Lets keep the debate alive. For once, I see a great field of candidates. This thing can't be over till the fat lady sings at the Democratic Convention!!

Dude Where's My Country?

Just finished an incredible book by Michael Moore. A surprising expose about what Dubya has done to this country, and why Regime Change in Washington must happen. The book details the WMD lies, fear mongering, and usurping of civil rights that have been written about here and elsewhere. The book also has chapters on the following subjects:

• Bush's close family ties with Saudi Prince Bandar and other Saudi's in high places. These connections and Saudi oil money has enabled Saudi Arabia to gain influence and favor from this Administration despite many years supporting terrorst organizations and activities worldwide. In fact James Baker (close Bush family friend, ex-Secretary of State, and council to GWB during Florida recounts) is now defending the Saudi Government in a law suit filed by the families of 9/11 victims!
• In the days following 9/11, the FBI went to extrordinary measures to assist the Bin Laden family in fleeing the country, even though they may have had valuable information that could lead to Osama and other Al Qaeda operatives.
• Democrats are wimps. We have been afraid to speak out in an environment where questioning the governments actions is treated as unpatriotic. We have been consumed with political correctness which detracts from effectively communicating our message.
• An entire chapter on how to win over that mis-informed right-wing conservative brother-in-law!

... and much much more. Required reading for all Americans.

Wardrobe Malfunction?

As for last nights Superbowl... a great game but...anyone who believes that this was a wardrobe malfunction should get their head examined. This thing was definitely planned and choreographed. These pop-superstars have no limits when it comes to self promotion. Between that and all the erectile dysfunction ads, it was pretty bad to watch the Super-Bowl in a room full of kids. When will the madness end... when will the entertainers, marketers and the media learn to exercise some self-control.

And to think that CBS refused to air this political ad by moveon.org protesting Bush's deficit spending because they felt it was too controversial... WTF??