Noj

Always with the cheap shots, Goodie.

@John L and Jim R, that's the plan! I did that for a while with the first iPod, but I wanted more room for jazz and for the various other genres on the first iPod. This way the playlist will be less predictable and will require less maintenance. Just went through all my Booby and was shocked I'd never uploaded Medina/Spiral or Montara. Weird thing is my computer won't read Montara, even though the disc appears new. Jim R, what's Senuti?

For several years I've had a 160gb iPod for listening to my collection. The trouble is (which I'm sure it is for many here) my collection is much larger than 160gb of music. So a few days back I splurged and bought a second 160gb iPod to dedicate to jazz. It's an opportunity to go through the whole collection and see what never made it onto previous iPods. I'm also taking the time to make sure every album has an image of the cover art. It's been a blast so far and I'm finding scores of albums I have neglected. This is a great way to rediscover one's own collection and break out of listening habits. Like shopping at home!

I have high hopes for the Raiders in the coming season, with a healthy McFadden running the ball and Palmer having plenty of practice to get his timing with the receivers. I wasn't happy to see Michael Bush go to the Bears, he was a horse for Oakland last year. The departure of Boss also means they need to find a TE, and his brief stay brings back the sting of losing Miller to free agency. The team has been working to upgrade at DB and LB, which will make a world of difference.

If more of his songs were like this, I'd be more of a fan:

I'm not well-read on this topic and should probably just hush up. I don't even entirely agree with myself here, I just started arguing an angle and kept going. My bad.

I can't say I disagree, and I'd wager it's so organic that genetics are actually influenced by cultural tendencies. However, it's up to each artist to run with the individual talents as far as those talents can possibly go. By this, a culture can at most claim a certain under-riding element evident in the artist's creation. Yet art is an intellectual territory, and there's nothing which prevents any intellect from properly appreciating any given art. This is because even though culture is a part of the artwork, ultimately its expression is human. And, it's more likely to be fully appreciated by a properly-tuned intellect than anything inherent in every member of an ethnicity. Cultures are also far more specific than the blanket of race. Cultures are far more diverse. There's jazz cultures of various cities. There's basketball cultures of various areas. There's dance cultures, specific art genre cultures, skateboarding cultures, etc. etc. And while any one might be predominantly people of a specific skin tone none are exclusively so. And within any one of those cultures there are leaders and talented individuals who set the standards who are of diverse backgrounds. There are participants and fans of each who belong to a variety of other cultures. A person can belong to more than one culture. The assertion of a hard divide along an ethnic line in any one of them is sloppy, inaccurate, not inclusive enough, and doesn't tell us much about anything. All the meat is ultimately in who each person is, not in what most of the people are.

It's a beautiful essay. Thank you for creating and sharing it, Allen. Somewhere in this there's the simple truth that art is created by individuals, and while the culture of each individual is sure to shine through in each creation, it's never as important as the identity of the individual. Cultures encompass all the good and bad of which a whole group of people are capable. An artist, while of course also capable of good and bad, in his or her greatest creative achievements makes something which is wholly good and wholly memorable. While great art can be associated with a culture, its first and most important association is with the individual intellect(s) responsible for its existence. The artwork speaks above and beyond its cultural category. The individual is more specific than the culture. The individual artist is more intelligent/more interesting/more creative/more in tune than the vast majority of those he/she is associated with in said culture. It's not that the painting is French, it's that it's a Matisse. It's not that the artist was white, it's that he was a really cool cat who saw things differently and was able to express them in this amazing way. Any clown with a few lessons can tinkle around on the ivories. That doesn't make him Duke Ellington. What is most interesting about, say, Michaelangelo? His culture, or the sheer scope of what he accomplished as an individual? True, the two are inseparable. But it is the individual talent which is most fascinating. It's what he did with his time on earth as one man which made him who he was. The culture part is this unchosen happenstance which was lucky to have spawned Michealangelo's genius. As a white man who grew up playing basketball, I can say without question that the best players I ever played against were black. And that's an entirely objective opinion. I have also played against white players who were great. And Mexicans. And Armenians. And Asians. I have played against players of all sorts of backgrounds (even black) who I was better than. Yet there's a certain level of athletic ability which more black players are able to attain than those of any other descent. Those of other descents can get there, but such individuals don't happen nearly as often. I can imagine musical and dancing ability being the same way. It's just that it comes more naturally to those of a certain genetic background. It's not racist, it's just the way it is. And just because they were black and good by my standards doesn't mean they were Michael freaking Jordan. Jordan was an individual great--and it had more to do with his individual genetics and his individual experiences which molded him into the exceptional individual he was. His race wasn't nearly as important as his experiences and his identity as a man. It's not that he's black, it's that he was extra clutch and did things most people don't have the fortitude to accomplish on such a stage. Culture and race didn't hit the big shots, one man did. It was much more a matter of personality than a matter of being black. I think the same thing goes for talented musicians. It's more about the intellect and personality of each than it is about the culture or race of each. This attempt by race and culture to claim what any one man accomplishes is the territory of people who want credit for shit they didn't do. Know what I mean? This race and culture thing is a great big expanding folder full of mostly useless crap and all the best stuff is buried in individual sub-folders like needles in a haystack. If we're going to credit race or culture for the great accomplishments of individuals who dedicate themselves to an art, then we're going to have to blame race and culture for the great failings of the worst criminals and horrible people associated with each. Once all the positive is completely outweighed by all the negative and worthless, you gotta wonder what the fuck we were keeping score for.

Magic Johnson is my favorite basketball player of all time and one of my childhood heroes. I thought he was going to die soon thereafter. If you're going to judge NBA players for promiscuity you're going to have an awful short list of players to root for. My guess is you're not much of a basketball fan at all, and should troll elsewhere.

Most of it. I can remember hearing the news that Magic had HIV in my science class in high school. Our teacher turned on the radio. I cried.

I must admit that I simply want to blame D'Antoni because I don't like him and his big mouth. And I'm glad Phoenix never won anything with him at the helm.

Neither of those guys have any excuse. Defense is mostly effort. They need a coach who will stay on them to work hard on defense.

I think the biggest problem for the Knicks is that D'Antoni preaches nothing but offense. That was the same problem he had with the Suns, except he had one of the best offensive floor generals to run his show in Steve Nash. If the Knicks become a defense-first team, their offense will fall right into place. The same goes for this years' Clippers. They have tons of terrific young offensive players, but they have the defensive fortitude of a wet paper towel.

The Lakers made some good moves today, moving Luke Walton (and his ridiculous contract) with Jason Kapono (dead weight) to the Cavs for Ramon Sessions, a significant PG upgrade. They also sent the aged Derek Fisher to Houston for Jordan Hill, a young athletic forward. Fisher's locker room leadership was probably the biggest loss, but it's been several seasons since DFish could guard anyone.

I grew up with my brothers' Van Halen records so their music will always take me back to my youth. To me, the DLR Van Halen is the very best "heavy metal" party music group, followed by AC/DC. Like all music, it has its own place, its own intended audience, and its own set of standards. My brother exclusively loves all guitar rock and metal, so that's what's playing when I hang out with him. I "get" it, but it gets tiresome and I can't understand how anyone can just constantly be immersed in that rock sound alone. Having heard the new VH, I'd say it's much better than I expected but I didn't hear any tracks which can compete with their biggest hits from the past. It's an album of second-tier Van Halen, without the high points of their older albums.

I love that one too. "Louisiana Slim!" RIP

By coincidence, my friend on FB just posted this link.

My Photoshop sense is tingling.

Doesn't all this boil down to the fine print of contracts designed to favor the investor? It's a dishonest business, and it sucks for the artists, but the artists signed the contract...so they're screwed.

Damn. I bought The Time Has Come just recently. Cool album.

Sad. Can anyone make an educated guess as to who that is?

The fact that that a dirty cheater like Siragusa does sideline reporting for the NFL speaks volumes as to how strongly they actually feel about players who purposely injure other players.

They really are among the best skateboard shoes, Jim. That model in particular.