Monthly Archives: December 2012

12-12-12 THE CONCERT FOR SANDY

I don’t usually recommend live CDs (most of them have bad sound and sloppy production values) but I’m making an exception for this recording of the Concert for Sandy. The line-up is impressive: Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Alicia Keyes, The Who, and Bill Joel. The sound, for once, is surprisingly good. And the proceeds from the concert goes to Hurricane Sandy relief. You get some good music and you’re helping a good cause. What could be a better way to end 2012? Happy New Year everyone!
TRACK LIST
1. Land Of Hope and Dreams (Live) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 5:27
2. Wrecking Ball (Live) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 6:15
3. Another Brick In The Atlantic Wall (Live) Roger Waters 7:15
4. Us And Them (Live) Roger Waters 7:48
5. Comfortably Numb (Live) Roger Waters feat. Eddie Vedder 6:44
6. Hallelujah (Sandy Relief Version) (Live) Adam Sandler and Paul Shaffer 4:53
7. It’s My Life (Live) Bon Jovi 3:50
8. Wanted Dead Or Alive (Live) Bon Jovi 5:29
9. Got To Be Better In A Little While (Live) Eric Clapton 5:56
10. Crossroads (Live) Eric Clapton 4:04
11. You Got Me Rocking (Live) The Rolling Stones 4:18
12. Jumpin Jack Flash (Live) The Rolling Stones 5:24
13. No One (Live) Alicia Keys 7:22
14. Who Are You (Live) The Who 7:00
15. Baba O’Riley (Live) The Who 5:27
16. Love Reign O’er Me (Live) The Who 6:53
17. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (Live) Billy Joel 4:50
18. Moving Out (Anthony’s Song) (Live) Billy Joel 3:50
19. You May Be Right (Live) Billy Joel 4:37
20. Viva La Vida (Live) Chris Martin 3:00
21. Losing My Religion (Live) Chris Martin feat. Michael Stipe 3:58
22. Us Against The World (Live) Chris Martin 3:33
23. Helter Skelter (Live) Paul Mccartney 4:10
24. Empire State Of Mind (Live) Alicia Keyes

NEW YORK JETS VS. BUFFALO BILLS

It’s fitting that this meaningless Jets vs. Bills game is blacked out here because 13,000 seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium remain unsold. Who in the world would want to sit in a snow-filled stadium to watch these two underachieving teams. This is the final game of the season for both of these disappointing teams. How is your favorite NFL team going to do today? Are you ready for the Playoffs?

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #201: DESPERATE DAYS: SELECTED MYSTERIES Vol. 2 By Jack Vance


Subterranean Press rendered us all a big favor by reprinting these Jack Vance mysteries in one handsome hardcover edition. Desperate Days includes The Fox Valley Murders, The Pleasant Grove Murders, and The Dark Ocean . All three books were written in the 1960s (The Dark Ocean was finally published in 1985) when Jack Vance was at height of his powers. Sheriff Joe Bain of Central California’s San Rodrigo County figures in The Fox Valley Murders, The Pleasant Grove Murders. The Dark Ocean tells the story of a young woman and her dangerous stalker. For more information on Desperate Days just click here.

NEW DELL XPS ONE 2710 COMPUTER


In our unending quest to stimulate the U.S. economy before we fall off the Fiscal Cliff, I bought the DELL XPS One 2710 all-in-one computer. No computer tower: everything is in the monitor. And I really LOVE the 27 inch high-definition monitor! Yes, there are some annoyances. I have to learn Windows 8. I’m just bumbling around so far using the touch screen. Patrick needs to install the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard before he leaves for Peru. Right now, I’m using the Chiclet keyboard that came with the DELL. I HATE Chiclet keyboards! After just a day of using the new DELL XPS One 2710 I can testify that it’s lightning fast. If you’re looking for a new computer, I recommend this DELL.

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, ONE CHRISTMAS & THE THANKSGIVING VISITOR By Truman Capote

This slim volume contains three gems: “A Christmas Memory,” “One Christmas” and “The Thanksgiving Visitor.” “A Christmas Memory” shows Capote’s childhood in rural Alabama in the 1930s. “One Christmas” revolves around a six-year-old narrator who is the child of divorced parents. The boy travels to New Orleans by bus to spend Christmas with his father. In the last story, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” Miss Sook, Capote’s cousin, invites the school bully to Thanksgiving dinner one year and tells what happened. For a little 100-page book, A Christmas Memory packs plenty of surprises and delights. GRADE: A

BUFFALO BILLS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS


The Bills ran for the bus last week in Toronto. I’m expecting another lame performance today in Miami as the hapless Bills just play out the season. Fan pressure is building to fire Head Coach Chan Gailey. But who would want to coach for a franchise plagued with a culture of losing for the past 13 seasons? What’s up with your favorite NFL team? Are you getting ready for the Playoffs or are you contemplating your team’s NFL Draft situation?

Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Complete and Annotated…All the Bits By Luke Dempsey

If you’re a Monty Python fan (like me!) or still have a Monty Python fanatic still on your shopping list, this book is an essential purchase. Luke Dempsey annotates all 45 Monty Python episodes. This 880 page book has 2000 photos and almost as many laughs. This volume is a browser’s delight! Who wouldn’t welcome Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Complete and Annotated under their tree? GRADE: A