Ron S

That's because the only thing we have to fear is fear, itself. Oh wait--different administration.

Gee, I guess I haven't talked it up enough. [Memo to self: send Jim and Greg another 30 Philly PM's each. ] ← I hope you know I'm joking. ← Too late--30 PM's already on their way to you. (Yeah, I knew you were joking, and so did Jimmy Smith--wherever he may be--and Joey D. )

That may be true. But for the 295 million Americans who don't live in Louisiana, there's only one government that we fund and that is accountable to us. And there's only one government that we rely upon to move into a disaster such as this and competently deal with it, REGARDLESS of how incompetent, corrupt, inefficient, or underfunded the state and local governments may or may not be. Think back to the 2004 presidential campaign and imagine the reaction if Bush/Cheney had said, "Elect us if you want to be safe from a terrorist attack, or in the aftermath of one. But of course, this promise is null and void if your state or local governments aren't up to the task (regardless of whether we happen to have cut their federal funding)." In a massive disaster such as this, wherever it may occur in the US, I expect MY federal government to step in and deal with it competently, no matter who's in the state house or city hall. And I would venture to say that most Americans share this expectation (or at least they did before last week).

You mean in addition to all those voices from outer space?

Gee, I guess I haven't talked it up enough. [Memo to self: send Jim and Greg another 30 Philly PM's each. ]

Which, by the way, has its corporate headquarters in Philly, so get your butts here for a gig PRONTO!!!

yes, it puts the cloud like hair into a whole 'nother perspective. amazing stuff ← that's no cloud, and i'm no critic, but ... as you can discern by the envelopment of his tresses the artist is strongly influenced by the japonais block paintings of hokusai. ← aah! another layer of interpretation, comparing the King's hairdo to a full grown japanese tsunami of yesteryear. But where's the grease in that? ← If you don't have the artistic insight and inspiration to see it, there's really not much hope for you. ← you must be referring to the Japanese whaling; thereby creating puddles of sperm grease on the waves. An obvious point, but also much indicative of your fake artistic attitude. Not all paintings are a mere politico-social critique, you shallow hack! ← I resent that--I'm actually a very deep hack.

← Thanks for posting that. How absolutely awful! ← On the cable news networks, they've been showing the water being pumped out of a large pipe--it's BROWN. That shit looks NASTY.

. . . and to think, it was only supposed to be a 3 hour tour.

yes, it puts the cloud like hair into a whole 'nother perspective. amazing stuff ← that's no cloud, and i'm no critic, but ... as you can discern by the envelopment of his tresses the artist is strongly influenced by the japonais block paintings of hokusai. ← aah! another layer of interpretation, comparing the King's hairdo to a full grown japanese tsunami of yesteryear. But where's the grease in that? ← If you don't have the artistic insight and inspiration to see it, there's really not much hope for you.

All 3 discs:

And that tear really gets ya, dudn't it?

After a few months of marriage, that'll change. Be sure to keep in mind Ben Franklin's sage advice: "Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards."

Even though he signed it "Argo", I'm pretty sure this one's really a Rembrandt:

And what happened to the other ones you thought you couldn't do without? Part of your harem?

And don't forget to post a picture of YOUR new bracelets: Just kidding. Congratulations!

When will we see them on Ebay?

Yes, thanks for posting that. It would be interesting to know--and I suspect we eventually will--what 2 options were offered to Governor Blanco; what strings, if any, were attached; and why she needed 24 hours to decide.

Thanks for posting the list, Chris. I definitely have to pick these up. Althought I'm sure it's been suggested before, Concord/Fantasy should put all of these out together as a box set, including a booklet with photos and notes by you.

I wish I had it to listen to.

I am working it Ron. If I can't squeeze it into this fall mini-tour. I'll get it in the spring. g ← Sorry to keep nagging you but, to be truthful, Jim, Joe, and Randy secretly hired me to do just that. ← Well, I hope you are at least seeing some money for it. ← They promised me a percentage once sales of "This Is The Place" reach 100,000 units.

The name of the agency is Federal Emergency MANAGEMENT--not ASSISTANCE-- Agency. The purpose of the agency is to move into disaster situations that figuratively--and in this case literally--swamp and overwhelm the local and state authorities' limited capabilities. FEMA is supposed to move in, take over, coordinate, and MANAGE the response. Don't take my word for it--this is from FEMA's web site: Sitting in Baton Rouge or wherever they were and waiting for state or local authorities to tell them where and when to apply this powerful federal agency's resources is NOT MANAGEMENT by any definition. FEMA should be using its own resources--including, at the very least, having its own people on the ground and montioring ALL media reports (and not just the broadcast networks)--to determine where help is needed in the only big city affected by the storm. I don't know about you, but I expect more from the federal government and its leaders, and I say that having worked for the federal government myself, and having had many friends and relatives who have. I don't want to think that any federal agency, and especially one in the Department of Homeland Security, is relying upon state and local governments to do its job, especially in a situtation where those governments are as overwhelmed by a disaster as enormous as this. Yes, someone in local or state government may have screwed up by not advising FEMA about the tens of thousands of people at the convention center, but FEMA also screwed up--big time--by not asking the right questions, watching the right television, and having people in the right places to learn about this on its own. Call me naive (and with resepect to federal government capabilities I'm anything but), but I hold a federal agency such as FEMA--and the political leaders above it--to a much higher standard than I would municipal and state governments, and especially those in extremis as here.

Just Ubu's and Sangry's. (Only kidding. )

He DOES have great socks.

In Philly, North By Northwest's schedule, here, looks like it has some openings, if the other clubs don't. (Persistent little bugger, aren't I? )