My favorite birds

Roadrunner
Woodpecker - and not just because of Woody
Water Ouzel
Owl (from the spotted own to the cigarbox White Owl)
Hummingbird - What's not to like?
Crow - for their color, and intelligence
Buzzards, Hawks, Eagles. . .all the raptors - Just Because
Chicken, Pigeon, Duck, Squab, Turkey, Pheasant, Quail, Goose - they're good eatin'!
Lyre Bird [1] - see this fantastic video by David Attenborough below if you doubt me on this one.
Any of the amazing birds Morris Graves ever painted


You will need to click the play button 2x (don't ask)

[1] The Lyre Bird is a fantastic mimic: it can imitate people, cars, machinery, even chain saws and pneumatic drills. According to the Wikipedia: "A lyrebird's call is a rich mixture of its own song and any number of other sounds it has heard. The lyrebird's syrinx is the most complexly-muscled of the Passerines (songbirds), giving the lyrebird extraordinary ability, unmatched in vocal repertoire and mimicry. Lyrebirds render with great fidelity the individual songs of other birds and the chatter of flocks of birds, and also mimic other animals, human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions and musical instruments. The lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound — from a mill whistle to a cross-cut saw, and, not uncommonly, sounds as diverse as chainsaws, car engines, and alarms, camera shutters, dogs barking, and crying babies. Lyrebirds are shy birds and a constant stream of bird calls coming from one place is often the only way of identifying them and their presence."
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Former Senator John Edwards is beginning to scare me: his cause may be hopeless if he keeps telling the truth

Former Senator John Edwards is probably not a real dark horse—to meet that definition, you probably need to be toward the back of the pack, and not No. 3. [1]

I haven't looked at any polls recently, but you have to think that Ann Coulter's recent comment must have helped his standing. If Coulter despises him that much, and is willing to slur him (and probably cost herself some book deals and speaking engagements). . .he must be doing something right. And he is. He's telling the truth. He tells us he will raise taxes to fund his health care program. He admits he made a mistake voting for The President's war (as opposed to, say, Senator Clinton who doesn't say she made a mistake. She says she was misled).

John Edward’s honesty and focus on actual issues is a welcome relief from the rest of the pack of weasels, who spend most of their airtime dancing around the issues and avoiding any real commitment to virtually anything at all this early in the race.

John Edwards on Bill Maher, February, 2007: “I was wrong” means – I’m only speaking for me – means that I take responsibility for making a serious mistake on a vote that was probably the most important vote I cast in the United States Senate. I think we desperately need leaders in this country who will admit when they were wrong. We’re all human. All of us make mistakes. Admit when we’re wrong, change course, take responsibility for being wrong. I don’t think you can have the foundation for leadership, the moral foundation for leadership, if you don’t start by telling the truth. And, at least for me, this is the truth."

[1]
Top Dogs:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Sen. Barack Hussein Obama
Ex-Senator John Edwards

Bottom Dogs:
Ex-Vice-President and Ex-Senator Albert Gore (undeclared, but not saying no)
The Reverend Al Sharpton (he's making noises)
Senator Joe Biden, Delaware - almost blew himself out of the water
Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico
Gov. Tom Vilsack, Iowa
Senator Christopher Dodd, Connecticut
Ex-General Wesley Clark
Ex-Governor Mark Warner, Virginia
Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana - already threw in the towel
Senator John Kerry, Massachusetts - blew himself right out of the water
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Poem: Changes 40/Deliverance

1

The hawk on a high wall
is hardened in his wickedness

2

A thunderstorm clears the air
Like Wyatt Earp's peacekeeper

3
Deliver yourself from your great toe.

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It's been another rough month at the white house

• The Eight Fired U.S. Attorney's (including Seattle's) and calls for AG Gonzales's resignation



• The Army Hospital scandal



• Scooter Libby's conviction for lying and the protracted appeal



• FBI data collection scandal using a Patriot Act loophole



• The War Going South



• Revelations POTUS played fast and loose with facts and figures



• The Stock market going south



• Blood money, oil money, lies

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Homosexuality (and adultery) is immoral

According to the Associated Pres, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday he considers homosexuality to be immoral and the military should not condone it.

Pace, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he based his views on his upbringing.

I wonder just how many gays and lesbians a person like the General has even met in his life?

It's immoral to have sex with someone of your own gender, but maiming and killing?, well, we make a little exception for that. I don't want to be the first one to throw stones, but you have to admit, the General looks like he just might be a little light on his feet himself!

[editor's note: And today, the General retracted his statement. A Fark caption suggested that the General would not doubt be entering rehab tomorrow!]
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Video: Will Farrell sings Dust In The Wind at Blue's funeral (from the film Old School)

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A confession: How I slipped through the NSA metal detectors. . .with some heavy metal!

When I was returning home to Seattle from Oakland last week, something happened to me that hasn't happened in eight years. I stepped through the metal detector and it didn't go off! I've been flying around the country a lot in the last few months, and I was a little shocked. I looked at the woman running the machine and she said "OK, you can go." And I almost told her. But I didn't.

You may or may not recall that I have an artificial hip. It is made of stainless steel. And every time I've walked through metal detectors over the last eight years, they have sounded the alarm. But this time, there was silence. I was stunned. And it was so nice not to be stared at by my fellow fliers, gone over with the wand, and then frisked, that I just walked away without saying a word. Now, this hip replacement has more mass of metal in it than any handgun. Therefore, I could have been packing a Glock (far less mass than a prosthetic hip), or any number of grenades. But fortunately, I left them at home this time.

Hey NSA, you might want to check out security at the Oakland airport. For all I know, someone in your organization fiddled with the machine in preparation for a fellow member of their sleeper cell to slip through and do something heinous.

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226 years ago today, Uranus was discovered

Today in 1781, William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. Herschel, a German-born astronomer, was not the first person to observe the seventh planet from the sun, but he was the first to correctly identify it as a planet. Prior to Herschel, Uranus was believed to be a star.

That's 226 years of really lame jokes.
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Danger: Police In Area!

Click to enlarge

Click here to go to October22.org.
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Video: Van Morrison emerged from seclusion to sing with The Band at their Last Waltz

The Band somehow talked Van Morrison out of his curmudgeonly retirement to play with them at their November 1976 farewell, The Last Waltz. And play he did. This was an all-star show, but Van Morrison blew the doors off the concert hall. He may have been performing for the first time in years, but he owned the stage, and according to people who attended this last, great Band show at Winterland, he turned the show around with a spirited performance and set the stage for the great acts to follow.






According to the Wikipedia, Morrison considered skipping his appearance right up until the last minute, even refusing to go on stage when his name was called. His manager, Harvey Goldsmith, said he "literally kicked him out there." The Band, his old neighbours in Woodstock, even had a shared experience of stage-fright.

At the concert, Van performed two songs, one of them being this version of "Caravan", from his 1970 album Moondance. Greil Marcus wrote that "Van Morrison turned the show around...singing to the rafters and ...burning holes in the floor. It was a triumph, and as the song ended Van began to kick his leg into the air out of sheer exuberance and he kicked his way right offstage like a rocket. The crowd had given him a fine welcome and they cheered wildly when he left."
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Video: Rod Stewart and Faces play Stay With Me

One of the best live shows, I've ever seen was a Faces concert in 1972. That is approximately the vintage of this YouTube video.


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Karla Bonoff, Kenny Edwards, Chris Brockett & The Wasted Bullets, and The Drunks of Hazzard

I went to a couple of rock shows this week that couldn't possibly have been more different. On Friday, we were comped in to a show by Karla Bonoff and Kenny Edwards. My friend Dave Hokit's law firm sponsored the show. You may know Bonoff's work--she has had tunes in a lot of movies, and has been widely covered. She had some hits that you might recognize in the 80s. She has a fantastic voice with every bit of power she ever had. Alas, I am just not a fan of her music--it's just too Hallmark-poppy. I liked hearing her, but didn't much like the songs.

Kenny Edwards, however, put on an excellent set with folksy, rootsy tunes that could have almost come from the Anthology of American Folk Music. He is a long time associate of Bonoff and Wendy Waldman. In the last five or six years, he has begun performing his own songs, which are sad, funny, and often moving. He is also a member of the band Bryndle (Wendy Waldman, Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Edwards), where he co-writes songs and sings a few on each record. He was the opening act for Karla Bonoff, and played about 20 minutes. It was the highlight of the show for me. He is a facile guitarist and also played electric bass and mandolin. I am going to search out his hard to find CD...



Chris Brockett and The Wasted Bullets opened up a show on Thursday night at The Rendezvous. Chris played a short set with some of his own tunes and some great covers, including a Johnny Cash cover in which he was joined by the Drunks of Hazzard. Brockett was nervous about his guitar playing, but it didn't matter. His voice sounded great, and he put on a moving, and oh so humble show. I hope I can see him perform a longer set soon. Keep it coming, Chris!

The Drunks of Hazzard are Fraser Thompson, Tony Ravo, Eric Gingrich, and Mike Chavez--artists, designers, and a programmer in the game world. You can find some posters of their gigs here. This band is a gas to watch and hear. And for some reason, you get thirsty listening. After their Thursday night gig, my stomach hurt from laughing so much. Each of their faces are a unique mirror of the music. Tony Ravo and Fraser Thompson mainly front the band. Fraser, in particular, is a joy to watch. His frantic facial expressions and wild limb movements while he plays and sings (most lead vocals and lead guitar) are worth the price of admission. His face can be puzzled, amused, and demonic all at the same time and watching him bounce around the stage only amplifies the music.

I have seen the Drunks play four or five times, but this time they were the most rehearsed I'd ever seen, and they broke out six or seven new songs--most as sick and hilarious as the great old tunes. The audience was convulsed in laughter. I want to try and post some of their lyrics in the near future. If you live in Seattle, try to show up at one of their sporadic gigs. And, hey, Drunks! Isn't it time to put out a CD? I could already name 12 songs that deserve inclusion. I have some low-quality boots of them, but I need an actual CD. Thanks, Drunks!

Other recent music postings on All This Is That:

My Favorite Rock And Jazz Shows (1966-Last Weekend)
More Shows I've seen over the years
The Surprise At The Divorce Crocodile CD Release Party
The Divorce Releases New CD - Seattle Release Parties
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