Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Blossom 8/31/10

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Blossom Music center was an awsome display of raw Rock and Roll craftmanship. TP and the HB's have never waivered from their unique and well defined sound. The last time I saw Tom Petty and the band was at the Colliseum around 30 years ago. His stage presence has magnified and depth of the band has flourished. This is a Rock and Roll band that has weathered the test of time magnificently.

The band consisted of, the Mad Hatter himself Tom Petty on guitar and vocals. Original guitarist extrordinaire Michael Campbell. Original keyboard player Benmont Tench. Original bass player who left and is now back Ron Blair. With the band since the early 90's on harmonica, keyboards and guitar Scott Thurston. And with the band since the mid 90's on drums Steve Ferrone.

The mixed aged crowd sang almost every word to every song except for the few songs that they performed off of their new CD "Mojo". You could tell the new songs they have a bluesy edge to them. The Heartbreakers also played two cover tunes, "Oh Well" by Fleetwood Mac and "Carol" by Chuck Berry (the Rolling Stones also do a wonderful cover of this song). If you listen to Tom Petty's Buried Treasure show on XM you know Tom loves Chuck Berry and early Rock and Roll. Look down the list of songs and most people will know at least half of the songs.

Listen to Your Heart
You Don't Know How It Feels
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac)
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Kings Highway
Breakdown
Jefferson's Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Mans Bible
I Should Have Known It
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee

Encore
Running Down Dreams
Carol
American Girl

Me, my Honey Bunny, Scarecrow and Ann sang and danced the night away along with every other fan that was there. The digital light show and TV screens were an awsome visual display to add to the aural pleasure we were experiencing.

As we were heading out to our cars I over heard some twenty somethings talking. They were wondering if there was any new bands just coming out that would be able to draw a crowd 30 years from now. They couldn't think of any off of the top of their heads but they sure were glad that they got to see one of Rock and Rolls top icons. I couldn't agree more. I rate this show 5 twirls, totally awsome.

Marcia Ball, Beachland Ballroom 8/19/10

If you are a fan of the Moral Compass then you have heard of Marcia Ball in some of my prior writings (see June 2009 Moral Compass). You have no excuse for missing a fantastic boogie woogie piano player with superb vocal abilities. Marsha has kept her current line up of backing musicians together for a couple of years now and they are all really starting to jell. On base forever is Don Bennett. Drums were aptly handled by Corey Keller. The superbly wonderful sax playing was performed by Thad Scott. The talented guitarist is Mike Keller. And of course on piano vocals and legs is the Handy Award winning Marcia Ball. Marcia no longer has to carry the band she can let the other band members take the front stage and play off of each other. Also a new twist was some harmonies with Don Bennett that reminded me of the Everly Brothers.

"Dance At The Ball", Come out of the gate running hard I always say. Great sax and guitar solos on this rocker.
"Red Beans", Marcia always cooks the piano on this scrumptious tune.
"Just Kiss Me Baby", proves this band can play classical blues with anyone.
"Watermelon Time", this song rocks in a Louisiana way that Marcia Ball has perfected.
Marcia Ball gave a huge shout out to the Knuckle Heads the founder "Stash" Cielec was sitting next to me. He had a smile on his face that was as wide as the Louisiana bayou. Stash also wanted me to be sure that I got the spelling of his name correct.
"Peace Love and BBQ", a great song.
"That's Married Life", Marcia wrote this song after one of her Delbert McClinton music cruises.
"Falling Back In Love With You", again Marcia can play the Blues with anyone.
"Honey Pie", shared vocals with Don Bennett, very nice.
"Don't Forget About You", three part harmony with Marcia, Don and Mike Keller.
"That's Enough Of That Stuff", Marcia excels at the syncopated piano style that Professor Longhair made famous. A wildly entertaining, uptempo, song.
"Coming Down With You Blues", a Fats Domino's type blues tune with a great sax solo, pointed out to me by my friend Michael sitting next to me.
"Louisiana" I don't know the name of this song but it was smoking.
"Right Tool", I am guessing at the name of this song also. It had a ZZ Top drum beat that broke into a guitar solo that could have had Paul Berrer form Little Feat playing instead of Mike Keller.
"Luelda", guessing again but a rocking tune none the less.
"Big Sister Little Radio" this is an original tune of Mike Keller's. A very catchy song that makes me want to go out and listen to more of his music.
Marcia announces that hopefully if we all pray that a new CD will be out by the end of the year.
"Craw fish", the whole band get in on the act on this one, guitar, sax, guitar, sax, guitar, sax, piano, sax, guitar. The crowd loves it people are up and dancing.
"New Orleans Is A Party Town", here's that syncopated piano again on an old favorite that keeps the crowd on their feet.
"Louisiana 1923", a Randy Newman song that tells of the troubles and tribulations of New Orleans. A slow ballad that always brings a tear to my eye.
"Play With Your Poodle", how can you not love this song, the crowd is up and dancing again.
Encore
"This Used To Be Paradise", Marcia is solo on stage just her and her piano. A very poignant song about corporations killing small businesses.
"I Wish You Well", the whole band is on stage for this final sweet song.

Over two hours and 21 songs well worth the $25.

The Sethro Quartet opened the show. They are a quirky band with a electric mandolin, upright bass, drums, guitar and a sometimes an instrument that the guitarist invented called a Jay Bridge. They played a loungy kind of Jazz, Blues with a touch of Boogie Woogie.

After the show ended we dropped into the Beachland Tavern that is attached to the Beachland Ballroom and caught a few tunes by Deke Dickerson who plays a Dick Dale style guitar. When we walked in they were playing "Ghost Riders In The Sky". He had one of the band members from Los Straight Jackets sans Mexican wrestling mask, playing with him. Quite entertaining.

Overall another entertaining evening at the Beachland Ballroom. What a diamond of a venue Cleveland has right in its old neighborhood. I hope this place stays open for a long time because no one else is providing the smaller name bands a chance to perform and get their music heard. A person in the crowd said "Live music isn't popular with the younger generation". Live Music is where it is at and it is happening at the Beachland Ballroom. Great show Marcia we will see you next year.

A Five Twirl Show.

Gov't Mule Buffalo NY 8/7/10

Gov't Mule and Jackie Greene played the Erie Canal Harbour for $10 in advance and $20 if purchased the last week before the show. I don't think you can find a better deal than that any where. Erie Canal Harbour is a park sandwiched between the Buffalo River and the Buffalo Sky way. You get beautiful River scenes with boats cruising by and a wonderful sunset and yet you are on the edge of Downtown Buffalo. A portable stage was set up to accommodate the weekend long affair. Herbie Hancock and Johny Lang played Friday night at the venue for the same price.

Jackie Greene played his Americana style music of original music mixed with some Beatles and Grateful Dead hits. Jackie had a stellar backup band and played a few acoustic songs also. I had never seen Jackie Greene before but I will be purchasing some of his CD's soon.

Gov't Mule took the stage just before dark and proceeded to light up the crowd with "Bad Little Doggie". Warren Haynes, Matt Abts, Jorgen Carlsson and Danny Louis were as tight tonight as I have ever seen them. They played two sets with a short intermission between. Gov't Mule played many of their best songs such as; "Thorazine Shuffle", "By A Thread", "Broke Down On The Brazos", "I'm A Ram", "Slack Jaw Jezebel". They also entertained the crowd with a Pink Floyd song and "Too Lazy" by Deep Purple. The encore was a very mornful version of "Morning Dew" with Jackie Greene on guitar with Warren Haynes switching leads and sharing vocals. I looked at Scottie who was standing next to me when the song ended and we both at the same time said "WOOOOW". It doesn't get much better than that.

The crowd was filed with people of all ages from little kids to old folks who have a hard time standing for 5 hour any more (like me). Many people brought lawn chairs and sat behind the standing mass of bodies. It was a beautiful night in the mid seventies to listen to some good Rock and Roll. I wish Cleveland would get their shit together and plan a weekend of music like Buffalo does. The three hour trip was well worth the weekend of music for a total of $20, gas and hotel. I give this show 5 twirls, totally awesome. I did do some twirling while I was dancing in the crowd and I danced all night.

Will Kimbrough Beachland Tavern 7/9/10

Last night I went to the quaint Beachland Tavern, not to be confused with the larger and part of the same complex Beachland Ballroom, to see the the ever charming, multi talented, singer, songwriter, guitarist extraordinaire, Will Kimbrough. Will plays a sort of Americana crossed with Rock and Roll, Blues and Southern Rock. He uses a loop machine to play the rhythm section and then he plays the lead guitar over the top of that. He is a very talented musician but Will is also a great songwriter. His songs tell stories about life with his daughters and wife, friends, of being on the road, and even some political commentary.

Will Kimbrough took to the stage in front of a quaint crowd of fifty people. He started the show playing an acoustic guitar, harmonica and slide on the upbeat "Piece of Work". He then broke into two songs off of his new album, the title track "Wings" and "Three Angels". Both songs are sure to grow to be some of Wills' more requested songs in the future. He then performed "Horse Shoe Lake". The next song I am not sure where it came from but it was a cute ditty about a small town big haired girl. He then performed the ever popular "Hill Country Girl".

Will switches guitars to a red electric hollow body possibly a Gretsch guitar. He uses the loop machine to get a full sound. "Nobody From Nowhere", was quite lively with a nice slide solo interlude. The crowd really got into the playful "Wash and Fold". Mr. Kimbrough slowed the tempo down on "Philadelphia Mississippi". Another new song "A Couple Hundred Miracles" was next. Then a nice bluesy jam dedicated to J. J. Cale with the lyrics "It aint cool to talk about people when their not around". Then Will gets the crowd involved and has them sing the second half of the verse, Will "You made your bed" and the crowd responds "You got to lay in it". He again slows the tempo down for "Good Night Moon".

For the encore he gets a couple of requests and plays the fast paced "Cape Henry" and the lazy slow "Champion Of The World". He could have kept on playing and I am sure the very receptive crowd would not have complained.

It is a shame that only 50 people show up to listen to this under rated showman. I love it because it is like my own personal concert. If every thing in the world was just, Will Kimbrough would be a household name. After the show I hung around and bought an autographed, for my wife, CD "Wings". I listened to the CD on my way home, it is exceptionally good. I give the concert five twirls and the CD five twirls. Will Kimbrough gets TEN twirls from me on the night.

PS. Will Kimbrough at the start of the show put things in perspective, he said I know Cleveland feels it is going through a tragedy right now. Down where I live we are going through a tragedy too (The Gulf Coast Oil Spill). I will trade you my tragedy for your tragedy any day. Thanks Will I needed that perspective to bring me back down to earth.

Lebron James Quitter

Lebron James has just made his free agency decision to leave Cleveland and play for the Miami Heat. When he made his announcement I yelled at the TV "F YOU, YOU ASSHOLE", and I meant it. My Honey Bunny is now stuck with worthless Cavs tickets for next years season. Lebron said that Cleveland watched him grow from a kid into a man. Sorry a man would have stayed and brought a championship to Cleveland like he said he would when he was drafted to Cleveland. A chump runs off to play third fiddle after he has failed to do what he has promised.

Yes Lebron we the fans in Cleveland have supported you in all of your glory and your failure. You were supposed to be one of us. You never were one of us, you just used us for seven years. We knew you were not one of us when you wore your Yankees hats and your Cowboys jerseys. You claimed you wore those viral, hated, signs out of loyalty to teams you have watched and rooted for your whole life. Loyalty would have been to root for Cleveland teams like a true Clevelander does. We Cheer for our teams win or lose. We cheered for you win or lose, but in the end you slapped us in the face.

Lebron has just set a new record, he has bumped Art Model from being the most hated person in Cleveland. Go ahead move to Miami. Sell your house in Bath and sneak out of town just like Art Model. Take your alcoholic mother, two bastard children, girlfriend, posse and your business and get out. You are no longer welcome in my Cleveland. I will boo you whenever you come to town. I will no longer back any of your charities. If I ever come close to you I will spit on you for being the piece of shit human being that you have proven yourself to be.

I will pray every night that people around the world realize what a Judas you truly are and that they stop buying your apparel. I hope now everyone will see what a back stabbing Brutus you are and they quit buying any thing you endorse. The Chinese have a sense of honor, something you don't have, so you will never be as big as Yao or Kobe over there. I wish, hope and pray for you to fail and that the fans in Miami and around the world come to hate you as much as I hate you right now.

I hope that leaving Cleveland becomes the biggest mistake of your life. You want to feel the love, well you are not going to feel the love in North East Ohio any more. You have closed the door on this part of your life forever. Good Bye and remember that you failed to accomplish your goals and dreams in your home town. Quitter.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Beachland Ballroom 6/19/10

My Honey Bunny, Miss Beth and I went to the Beachland Ballroom to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on Saturday June 19, 2010. The Ballroom was packed with a sold out crowd. I can remember just last year Grace Potter only had half of the Ballroom filled. Her popularity is catching on. FM 107.3 here in Cleveland was doing a live broadcast of the show.



The Band came on stage dressed as though they were attending a 1975 homecoming dance. The men were wearing suits with no ties and their shirts unbuttoned down two buttons. The bass player, Catherine Popper, had on a knee length, flowing, purple dress. Grace had on a sort of Greek Goddess, blue, mini dress cut up way high on her outer thighs. The back of the stage had three screen doors hanging with the screen crumpled to help reflect the lights, simple but effective.



Grace and the Nocturnals open the show with the rocking " Some Kind Of Ride". Then they move into the bluesy "Joey". Grace proves she has one of the best screams in rock and roll during "Joey". Grace is doing her hippie dance behind the organ while the band plays an ethereal instrumental in "Oasis". The crowd is dancing to "Money". There were excellent harmonies with Catherine Popper on "Good Bye Kiss". Grace and the band kick out the jams on "Only Love". Grace now straps on an acoustic Gibson guitar for "One Short Night". Grace now tells people it is OK to dance and loosen up. She grabs her Fender Flying "V" guitar and rocks out to one of my favorites "Ah Mary". Grace goes back to the organ and Benny Yurco helps out on the drums for "That Phone". "Fooling Myself" did not make the record, but according to Grace, it sold more copies than any of the songs on the record. "Fooling Myself" is a beautiful slow song with wonderful harmonies. Hacienda's drummer Jaime Villanueva plays maracas on "Mastermind".
Next is a song of freedom, hope and courage, smoke fills the stage for "Hold On Tight". Yes Grace you do have the medicine everyone wants. "Medicine" is rolling along when the whole band gathers around the drum kit, Grace on her knees playing the bass drum, and they all play different parts of the drum kit. Grace grabs the Flying "V" again and Rocks the crowd with Oooh La La La La La La La "Paris".

For the first encore The Nocturnals play 2:22. Grace again proves she is one of the great screamers in rock and roll. Oh my are we really going to go back to the sixties for a wonderful rendition of "White Rabbit". Grace playing what sounds like a church organ for a mournful version of "Apology". The whole crowd sings a very nice version of Happy Birthday to Grace. Miss Potter reminds us that she is still 26 years old. The band winds up the crowd during "Hot Summer Night".

The crowd is screaming and clapping and just like the old days as long as you screamed the bands used to keep coming out and playing. Grace takes the stage solo for an acapella version of "Nothing But The Water". The rest of the band filters back on stage and they play an electric version of "Nothing But The Water".

What a great night.

The Band is comprised of Scott Tournet on lead guitar a very capable player. Benny Yurco on rhythm guitar. Much of the time it is like having two lead guitarists on stage. Matt Burr on drums, very strong. The new addition and what a great addition she is, on both backup vocals and bass Catherine Popper.

People have asked me if Grace Potter is like Janice Joplin my answer is some what, but she also has Aretha Franklin's soul, Tina Turners energy, Ricky Lee Jones spaciness and Suzy Quatros and Chrissy Hynds Rock and Roll attitude. Grace Potter can be compared to the others but she is her own, new, unique Rock and Roller. Go and see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals now before they make it big. Believe me they are right on the cusp of hitting the big time.

This was a great show. The crowd was filled with young and old alike. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I give this show five twirls.

Get him to the Greek.

I went to the movies with my Honey Bunny and saw "Get Him To The Greek", what a funny movie. The movie is a spoof on Rock and Roll and the music industry. A young music industry executive Aaron Green has to go to England, pick up highball, slumping rock star Aldous Snow, and deliver him to the Greek Theatre in time for a come back concert. There are some funny site gags and goofy repartee through out the movie. One of the funniest parts I thought was Lars Ulrich from Mettalica and Aldous Snow quipping at each other, funny. Sean "Puffy" Combs plays a great part as the top record executive that believes in mind fucking everybody. This is a guys movie filled with raunchy language, drugs, racist comments and stereo types. I loved it but I am a pretty simple kind of guy to entertain. Four twirls and some fly catcher hand motions.

Lebron James

I understand that everyone in Cleveland had their hopes of a national championship dashed again but get off of Lebrons James back. I was out of town in Kansas City, Misouri when we lost the final game to Boston. I told the people I was visiting that I was glad that I was not in Cleveland to hear all of the negative comments. I came home and people are bad mouthing Lebron James. Lebron James who in the final game had a triple double. Lebron James arguably the greatest player on the court today and people in Cleveland are going to bad mouth him.

Lebron is a decent guy. He has donated money to victims of Katrina. He has his bikathon and hands out bicycles to needy kids in Akron. As far as we know he isn't banging a bunch of whores. And he gave his word when he first was drafted by the Cavaliers that he was going to bring a championship to Cleveland. I believe him.

I think that Lebron will never leave the Cavaliers as long as he is treated decent and the upper management listens to what he wants as far as players are concerned. No other team is going to allow him to have as much input as to what goes on with the team as Cleveland does. Dan Gilbert seems like he is willing to pay his MVP player a MVP salary so why would Lebron go elsewhere. Lebron is close to his magnificent home, his kids, his mother and a town that adores him.

Or should I say a town that used to adore him. If the press and all of the callers to sports talk radio keep bashing the guy then I don't blame him if he leaves. I don't believe he will, but who can blame him with all of the negative press he is receiving lately.

Was the poor play of the whole team because of Mike Brown's lack of coaching skill, disharmony in the locker room, Lebrons bad elbow, the addition of Shaq and trying to force playing time for him? I don't have the answers. But Cleveland has been chanting "next year" for as long as I can remember so why shouldn't we be chanting it again this year. Lebron will have a championship ring on his finger. If he feels the love from Cavaliers fans he might be wearing that ring while in a Cavaliers jersey. Keep on bad mouthing the guy and he will go somewhere else. Lebron this Clevelander loves you and hopes that you stay. I know you will get us a championship next year.

Illegal Immigration

What is all the fuss about the new Arizona Illegal Immigration laws? You are either in this country legally or you are not. If you here illegally then you must be arrested and deported. Seems pretty simple to me. As soon as you climbed over, under or around a fence, hid in a truck, or what other means you arrived in the United States Illegally you became a criminal. the definition of Illegal is Prohibited by law; against the law; unlawful; illicit; not authorized or sanctioned. So you are not authorized to be in this country, GET OUT.

If I am pulled over by a police man I have to produce papers proving who I am (drivers license). In order to get a drivers license I have to bring a Social Security card with me to prove who I am. I am now working on a Federal Building and I have to go through a very rigorous background check by Homeland Security. I AM A LEGAL CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES AND I HAVE TO CARRY PAPERS TO PROVE WHO I AM. Why are we so concerned about criminals who have snuck into this country and use up our tax dollars. "They are not criminals", see the preceding paragraph.

"Racial Profiling is going to take place" . I hope not. I don't just want one race of illegal immigrants removed from this country, I want all races of illegal immigrants removed from this country. I don't care if you are white, black, yellow or any other color if you are here illegally GET OUT. I don't care if you are French, Canadian, Mexican, Croatian, Arab or Jew, if you are here illegally, GET OUT. I don't care if you are Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish or Atheist, if you are here illegally, GET OUT. I don't care if you are male, female, young or old, if you are here illegally, GET OUT.

"But he is the father of my children and I love him". Oh that is so sweet. Take your ass and follow your "love" back to whatever country they came from. Once you are on the other side of the border you can apply for the "love" of your life to become a legal immigrant.

Right now there are over 10 million illegal immigrants in this country. We have no idea if they are the good, hard working immigrant or the scumbag, terrorist immigrant. So lets kick all of the illegal immigrants out and start screening them to get back into the United States so we know who is here. The primary role of any government is to protect its citizens. I am a legal citizen of the United States and why should I be afraid in my own country. I shouldn't. I never used to have to lock my doors. Now my house is locked up tight and has enough fire power to protect me and my family from any and all intruders be they foreign or domestic.

"They do the jobs that Americans don't want to do". What they did was took the jobs that we as kids used to do. Kids today can't get a job and they don't learn how to work from the bottom up because the cheap labor is illegal immigrants. I worked in a car wash and washed dishes in a hotel restaurant and banquet room, I cleaned an office and scrubbed toilets when I was in High School. Now the illegals have those jobs. So where are our kids supposed to learn "boy I don't want to do this for the rest of my life". I hear people say kids today are lazy. I don't believe that. Kids today don't have a way to break into the job market because the starting jobs have been taken by the illegal immigrants. How do you break into an upper tier job if you have no experience at any job. I am who I am today because of the jobs I held in when I was younger.

Don't cry to me about civil rights for illegal immigrants, they have no rights. All they do is drive up the cost of health care, overcrowd our schools and jails, take jobs away from our children, use up our tax dollars and send the money they earn back to their homeland. If you want to live and work in this Country then learn the language and apply for a work visa. I have no problem with someone who can pass the screening process to enter this Country legally. If you can't pass the screening process then I don't want you here, GET OUT.

Joe Bonamassa Ohio Theatre 4/29/10

Joe Bonamassa may be a blues guitarist but he rocked Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday night. I have seen Joe Bonamassa before and although he was always good in the past, he has stepped up his playing a notch and his vocals have come into their own on this tour. The back up band was super, the sound was excellent and the lighting effects while simple were very effective in creating a mood. Joe mentioned the small crowds he used to play to in Cleveland in the past. 20 people at the Beachland Tavern 10 of whom were there for the two for one PBR's. He then moved up to the Beachland Ballroom where I first encountered this guitar virtuoso. I have seen Joe play at the House Of Rules and now a sold out show in the beautiful Ohio Theatre. This show by far was his best.

Mr. Bonamassa changes guitars through out the evening like a hooker going through rubbers. He started the concert with a double neck guitar, then came a black Gibson, a sunburst Gibson, a Gold Gibson, some weird looking Fender I guess, a red hollow body electric guitar, an accoustic guitar, a purple Gibson, a wine colored guitar and a flying V. Ten guitars and I am thinking I missed one or two changes in my notes.

Before the show I had it all set up to get the set list from one of Joe's people after the show. I started talking to some friends that I ran into after the show and forgot to grab the set list. Forgive me if I get some of the names wrong but I think I got most of them. The first song was a slow bluesy tune that I don't know the name of, Oh well. He then stepped up the tempo for "Last Kiss". A led Zepplin sounding song "So Many Roads". "So It's Like That" had a nice keyboard solo in it played by Rick Mellick. My friend Rick informed me that this next song was written by Warren Haynes "If Heartaches Were Nickels", Joes vocals were excellent on this song. Eric Clapton wasn't present to play "Further On Up The Road". Joe and Rick Mellick stay on stage the other two players leave and the song is "Slow Gin", they started out slow and worked it into a crescendo. The band then rocked out to "Lonesome Road". A drum heavy "Happier Times" was a crowd pleaser. The heavy metal "Blue and Evil" had Joe really starting to smoke. They went back to a more traditional type of blues for "Three Times A Fool". Then came Jeff Beck's "Blues Deluxe". Another cover song, the Who's "Young Mans Blues". Joe now straps on an acoustic guitar and starts out in a Spanish sounding style, that morphs into a get down funky beat, then Joe just starts shredding until the guitar should just burst into flames, "Wake Up Dreaming", I thought I was dreaming it was that good. A Jeff Beck ethereal sounding song called "Mountain Time" finished out the set.

Chants of Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe, went up from the crowd and Mr. Bonamassa blessed us with "Bird On A Wire" and "Just Got Paid" for the encore.

I must mention that the crowd was an older crowd considering Joe Bonamassa is only in his thirties kind of amazed me. I wonder why Joe's peers aren't coming out to see him. A lot of times when I go to concerts I feel like the old weird guy, tonight I was with many of my friends and a crowd averaging 50 years old if I had to guess.

The band consisted of Joe Bonamassa on guitar and vocals. Rick Mellick on keyboards which was a nice touch. In the past Joe was a three piece band. The keyboards added a welcomed warmth and depth to the music which was quite pleasing to the ears. Bass player Carmin Rojas stays somewhat unnoticed sitting on his bar stool but his bass lines are such a great compliment to Joe's guitar work, I hope the two of them stay together along time. I am sorry to report I did not catch the Drummers name but he was very strong and also was a compliment to the music. Overall I have to say it was a great show. Five Twirls in my mind, easy. If you ever get the chance and want to see one of the great new young guns of the guitar go see Joe Bonamassa.

PS. I would like to thank Rick and Debbie for inviting me and my Honey Bunny to a great show. I would also like to thank Dale and Sylvia for picking up the wonderful seats for us. Thanks and Rock on.

Browns Draft 2010

The first three rounds of the NFL draft are over. Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have made their picks and I am some what dismayed by their number one pick, Joe Haden. Joe Haden is rated very highly by all of the intellects connected with the NFL draft. He was a very good NCAA player. He has one attribute that has me wondering if he was a good pick, his height. Brandon McDonald was a very good open field tackler and was quick enough to stay with the wide outs but he was to small to defend in the jump ball situation. You know the situation a 6'6" wide receiver splits out and goes deep enough to get the first down or touchdown. The ball is thrown high enough that the receiver can jump to get it but the 5'10" midget playing corner back can't. I hope Joe Haden has springs in his legs to jump high enough because for the past three years I have suffered with McDonald being to short to cover the jump ball. All of the top prospects at corner back were 5'10" or 5'11". The Browns could have waited until the second round to pick up the taller Chris Cook out of Virginia or Jerome Murphy from South Florida, but they didn't.

In the second round the Browns pick up T. J. Ward, strong safety from Oregon another small defensive back at 5'10 and a half inches. Like Haden Ward is known for his open field tackling. The Browns look to be shoring up their run defense but again I don't like the short guys on pass defense. I will have to wait and see I guess.

The Browns second pick in the second round, the 59th pick overall, is running back Montario Hardesty from Tennessee. Hardesty is obviously a Mangini pick. Mangini likes ball players that will run through a brick wall when he tells them to and won't question him. Hardesty was banged up much of his college career and still compiled some impressive stats. He was a team leader as a captain of the team even when he didn't start in 2008. Hopefully he can stay healthy and run inside as well as outside to gain some yards for the Browns.

Our third round pick, 85th overall, is a big name player who possibly because of his size slipped to the third round, Colt McCoy. McCoy is the winningest Quarterback in NCAA history with 45 wins. He is accurate but does not have the strongest arm. Hopefully he can take two to three years of learning on the bench and developing his arm before he has to be called into duty. Remember the Browns have Jake Delhomme at QB now.

The Browns final pick in the third round at number 92 overall is Shawn Lauvao, Offensive gaurd from Arizona State. At 6'2" and 315 pounds he is a big boy that can certainly help shore up the Brown's offensive line. Plus all of those Hawaiian kids do well in the NFL because of their discipline.

Right now it does not look like a bad draft but I am concerned by the lack of height. It will be interesting to see how these players pan out. Is Heckert, Holmgrin and Mangini's first draft together pure genius or a bust, only the season will tell. A defensive backfield filled with midgets does not make me feel confident in our ability to cover the pass. My man Nick Sorenson at back up safety is the tallest DB at 6'3". Abram Elem at starting safety is 6'0". The rest of the DB's are 5'10". In my humble opinion we are way to short in the defensive backfield to play competitively in the NFL. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.

Captains Game 4/21/10

My Honey Bunny and I joined some of our friends and went to the Cleveland Captains game last night. It was an enjoyable experience. A very nice spring night if you dressed for it. The temprature started to drop towards the end of the game so you needed to add a layer of clothing to stay comftrable. The Captains beat the Loons 6 to 5.

The highlight of the evening was the opening act. Mr. Robert Lippucci sang the National Anthem. Mr. Lippucci said he was a little nervous before he took the field. This fabulous tenor belted out a traditional version of the Anthem. No hip hop or jazzed up version Rob sang it the way it was written. His voice quivered a little in the very beginning but once he got into the song he belted it out like Rocco Scotti. I give my friend a ton of props it takes guts to go out in front of a large crowd filled with family and friends and sing solo one of the hardest songs to sing. Rob started out low so that he would have enough range to hit the high notes. A common mistake amongst singers of the National Anthem is they start out to high and they run out of voice when they get to the high notes.

When Mr. Lippucci finished a roar from the crowd went up and he received a standing ovation. I got a tear in my eye I was so proud of him. Rob says he will probably try again next year at a Captains game. I can't wait until he moves up to a CSU game, Cavs game or maybe even the Indians. I hope to get a chance to sing a duet with Rob when the Earls are in town playing in August. Keep your pipes warmed up because I will try and give you a run for your money. Congratulations Mr. Robert Lippucci you can scratch Singing the National Anthem at a ballpark off of your bucket list. Good Job.

Sucked in by the Machine.

Dear loyal readers of the Moral Compass I owe all of you an apology. I have neglected my duties as of lately in bringing you entertainment reviews and political commentary. I have fallen prey to the most modern obsession that is plaguing mankind right now, technology addiction. I have seen people in the past obsessed with playing Atari games. Then portable Game Boys became the rage. Texting consumed people to the point that I thought there was something wrong with the persons back because their head was always hanging down looking at their stomachs. Internet porn can become a problem when your eyesight starts to go just like your mother warned you. I see people who can afford blackberries not wanting to be disturbed by human interaction unless there is an app for it. As rude as it is for people to ask you to put your thoughts on hold so they can return a text while you are standing right in front of them, I was infected with something far worse. I became ill from Face Book.

It started out simple enough, a person on my e-mail asking me to join Face Book. Sure why not. You start meeting many of your old friends from past lives and it all seem like fun. Then one of your so called friends tells you about a thing called Farkle. Not all people get started on Farkle just like not all alcoholics get started on Strohs. No, you may have gotten your first taste of alcohol form Boones Farm or MD 20 20 or Black Velvet. Believe me there are many different flavors of games on FB to whet your gaming appetite on. I just happened to start on Farkle then moved on to Slot Machines ( I am still on level 2 but I have all of my keys). Yes then I got sucked in by Word Drop ( I had the high score amongst all of my friends who played thanks to the word Whitehorse). Word Drop led me to Bubble Pop ( I was sooo close to getting a perfect score after three weeks of practice) just one more time, almost, Ok this is the last one, fifteen more minutes, only until one O clock, two O clock, Three O clock. Screw it let me try Bejeweled. Bejeweled became my heroin. It is a one minute game that will consume you for hours. I can do better than that, I have done better than that, I need more coins so I can afford boosts to the game. And pretty much for a month and a half instead of writing I have been sucked in by the machine, my compulsive personality took over and I became a Computer Zombie.

I apologize.

It took one of my loyal readers, a devil to some RI666, to smack me up side the head and say "what the hell is going on with the Moral Compass you have not written in over a month. I miss reading your blog, get off your lazy ass and write something". And to Mister 666 I say thank you. You have snapped me out of an addiction that like most addictions just makes you senselessly waste time.

I forgot that I have a responsibility to my public and just like Tiger Woods I hope you can forgive me too. Like Ben Rothlesburger who was smart enough not to have any witnesses by posting guards at the bathroom door, May God watch over all of us. Like Shaun Rodgers, the dumb ass, who doesn't know there is a locked and loaded firearm in his overnight bag that he is carrying through an airport I ask you to pardon me.

Yes people I am one of the fallen but now I am back. And to all of those people who are tending to your gardens on Farmville "get off of your lazy asses and get outside and do some real gardening". Forgive me and I will try and not get sucked in by the machine again.

Jim Bunning and GOP opposed to the American Worker

Jim Bunning has stood up and stopped a vote from being conducted for the passage of an extension to unemployment benefits. He claims he wont allow a vote until the legislature can show how they are going to pay for the 8 Billion dollar extension. Not one GOP member tried to talk Senator Bunning out of his power play. Not one GOP member has come out and spoke out against Jim Bunning. Do Mr. Bunning and the GOP even have a clue how much pain and suffering is going to be unleashed across the United States if unemployment benefits are disrupted for even only one week to the 1.1 Million of unemployed workers. Unemployed workers who have already been cut to the bone by a lack of jobs that the GOP and their cronies have created. Kids will have to go without good meals, bills will have to go unpaid and, medication will have to go unbought pain and suffering will rain down on the already downtrodden.

The Bush Administration gave away close to a Trillion Dollars to the banks and the insurance companies without any stipulations. Just gave it away. Obama then gave the banks and the insurance companies over a Trillion dollars with stipulations that the GOP thought was unfair. Not that he was giving the money to the "Money Changers" and the Insurance People but that he was putting stipulations on the money so that the money might be repaid to the American People. A bank and or an insurance company produces nothing. They make nothing. They add nothing to exports to other nations, and yet they were too important to let fail. Now we come to the American unemployed worker and we are looking at 8 Billion Dollars, less than 1% of what was loaned to the banks and insurance companies, and these jackals known as the Republican party block a vote from taking place to help. ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS. If you want to get money into circulation plus help the unemployed give them the money they need to spend it out of necessity. The Banks have locked up all of the money giving to them and are not handing out loans to even rich people with good credit. All those Trillions of dollars only helped a select few rich people it did not help the economy.

The Banks and Insurance Companies reward their employees with Billions of dollars in bonuses per year even when the banks were failing. Congressmen and Senators when they do a bad job we have to wait until the next election then vote them out of office and they are punished with a nice pension and health insurance for the rest of their lives. Their is no punishment for ineptness in any of these situations. Everyone just keeps getting rewarded for being stupid, for playing games, for running America down the drain. The only people that get punished are the middle class and poor Americans. We keep paying with the sweat off our brows and blood in our veins for the rich and powerful in this country.

Well I am finally fed up with it all. The last time I looked all of the Right Wing pundits were completely wrong and Obama did nothing to prevent me and all Americans from bearing arms. It is time to punish the banking and insurance company CEO's. It is time to make Congressmen and Senators pay for not protecting our American way of life. Yes it is time for the REVOLUTION. If we take a Jim Bunning and maybe a couple other of his friends and shoot them and hang them in Public Square, or better yet on the mall in front of the Capital Building maybe the rest will start to do what is right. Maybe the rest of the Congressmen and Senators will realize that there are consequences to their decisions and they will start to work for the good of America and stop punishing the small and downtrodden American blue collar constituents. Shoot a couple of bank CEO's and hang their bodies on Wall Street and maybe instead of rewarding stupidity with Million Dollar bonuses they will raise the interest paid on a savings account which would help the American population.

These thief's, these robbers, these crooks, need to be stopped before they completely wash America down the drain. At this point in time things have gotten so out of control the only answer is REVOLUTION. Block the Drain with the blood of the people who have gotten us here, our elected officials. They must be punished. My father told me when I was a young man never mess with a mans paycheck. Well you just messed with thousands of peoples paychecks and now you must pay. Vote nonincumbant get rid of professional politicians. Rise up my people rise up, bear arms if you must, the time is now to revolt.

PS: This has to be one of the biggest bonehead moves that I have seen come out of either party. By no way am I saying that the Democrats are innocent in their folly, they just were not the ones to blame for sticking it to the American People this time. If a Nancy Pelosi gets caught in the cross fire I would not be upset. The great Philosopher John Lennon warned that their was going to be a Revolution.

The Failure of American Politicians

If you have been elected to a public office in the past decade you have let the American people down. It doesn't matter if you are Democrat, Republican or Independent. Right Wing, Left Wing or Centrist. Capitalist, Socialist or Communist. It doesn't matter, you have failed the American people and you have failed at what you were elected to do. You were elected to run the greatest, most prosperous country in the world and to keep it the greatest and most prosperous country in the world. You have failed. Why have we failed?

Our forefathers set up a Democracy where a two and sometimes three party system evolved. An exchange of ideas was supposed to take place and a compromise was supposed to be reached that would benefit and be for the good of the American people. All parties were working for the good of the American people. Since the Nixon administration our government has been degenerating into a bunch of spoiled school children that don't care about anything but themselves. Our Professional Politicians are more worried about filling their war chests for the next election than they are about the issues at hand. They need to take care of lobbyist and special interest groups who have money that can be funneled into their campaigns for reelection. Pork barrel and earmarks stall and overwhelm our economy not for the good of the majority of people but for the good of the politician and his wealthy influential friends.

Filibusters have reached an all time high where over 80% of all Bills in the past year were filibustered by the Republicans. I hear the Democrats rubbing their hands together waiting for me to pounce on their obstructionist opponents. Not today. Filibusters have been on a rise for the past decade which means that the Democrats started filibustering more and more Bills while they were the minority party during the Bush years. The Republicans have just taken it a step farther than the Democrats. Is the filibuster being done for the good of the American people? NOOOO. It is being done trying to disgrace the opposite party, so in the next election the Professional Politician can claim that the other party didn't get anything accomplished. In reality nobody accomplished anything other than take a paycheck out of my pocket.

No Politician is concerned about the American people any more and that is why we are in the mess we are in. They are too concerned about keeping their jobs and not about the issues. Politicians are not graded on their performance. They are graded on their looks and on how much money they can raise for their next campaign. Very few times does a candidate with less money in their war chest, than their opponent, win an election.

Voting along party lines does not help the American people either. It is done to preserve the Ideals of the radical Right and the radical Left. Most Professional Politicians come from the far Right or the far Left there are very few true centrists in politics. Yet I believe that around 70% of the American population falls somewhere in the middle, with 15% each going to the extreme Right or Left. So why don't these Professional Politicians do what would be good for 70% of the country and find some middle ground to agree on? Because they need the party backing for their next election. Independents don't usually win elections as is evident by the lack of number of them.

Most politicians are not good businessmen as is evident by the number of bankruptcies filed by congressmen and senators. So why are we entrusting these men with Trillions of dollars with no consequences if they fail to spend the money wisely, when they can't even take care of their own finances. Most politicians as a matter of fact are Attorneys not businessmen.

I think we need to get rid of PERS and have all public employees be dependent on Social security like the rest of us. I feel that all congressmen and senators should have to purchase their own health insurance like a private contractor has to. Any laws passed by Congress and the Senate should pertain to the politicians who pass them as well as all the rest of Americans. Lets stop letting Politicians who are not affected by certain laws vote on these issues. If they have such good ideas on what we need, then how come they are not covered by the same retirement system and insureance as we the people are? What makes them so special? Why don't they like the plans they have stuck us with? Things have got to change.

Any politician that votes strictly along party lines needs to be voted out of office. Any politician that filibusters more than one Bill in a two year period needs to be voted out of office. any politician that has been involved with a company that has filed for bankruptcy or personally has filed for bankruptcy needs not to be elected. Any politician that tries to insert pork into a Bill or earmark funds that only benefit a few rather than the majority of people needs to be voted out of office. If you have the chance to vote for a businessman over a Professional Politician please do it. Until our elected officials start compromising, talking across the aisle and voting for Bills that are for the good of the majority of people and not the special interest and the minority of people America will remain on the brink of collapse. If things don't change soon we all better call Rosetta Stone and learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese.

Government Mule HOB 2/2/10

I tortured myself again and went to the House of Rules (House Of Blues) to see the capricious Government Mule on Tuesday. As good as the band was The house of rules staff and management drives me crazy. I have come to expect the invasion of privacy of being carded at the age of 53, the metal detector wand shoved up my crotch, groping at my front pockets they say to feel my keys and generally being molested without the simple courtesy of telling me they will call me tomorrow and respect me afterwards. What I didn't expect was to be told that if we sit in the HOB restaurant and eat dinner that our drinks are at full price and not at the Happy Hour prices listed. No, to get the Happy Hour prices you have to sit at one of the 15 seats at the bar. These people are unbelievable. Talk about misleading advertising. Plus you used to be able to get in early and get stools right next to the sound board. Not no more. The area next to the sound board is fenced off for special people who pay extra. In other words GA means there is very little chance that you are going to find a seat in the House of Rules. Joe, Michael and I were lucky we found three stools off to the right of the stage under the overhang. We were the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth people in the venue.

Gov't Mule took the stage and started out jamming hard off of their new CD with "Broke Down on The Brazos". Joe called that one while we were eating. They then sulked into "World Gone Wild". And had the crowd roaring for DA DA DA DA CHANG DA DA DA DA CHANG, Yep you guessed it "Thelonius Beck". They swerved and rolled through "Painted Silver Light", "I Think You Know What I Mean", "Railroad Boy". "Railroad Boy", " Monday Morning Meltdown" and "Gordon James" are all off of the new CD but the crowd was very receptive. Warren played "Gordon James" on the electric guitar rather than the acoustic guitar like on the CD. They finished out the first set with "Thirty Days In The Hole" what a classic.

The second set starts out with " Which Way Do We Run?". Again one of my favorites "Fools Moon". "Trying Not To Fall". Then here we go again with the band snaking through a medley of songs "The End", into a nine minute drum solo that the young girl in front of me kept jumping in the air whooping it up for, I guess she liked it. After the Drum Solo the Mule played "Stepping Lightly" off of the new CD and slid into "Mother Earth". They finish the set with "Mr. Man" and a little teaser of "Highway Star".

The encore is a soulful version of "Forevermore" off of the new CD. Whoo Hooo the last song is... just like my daddy used to say, Soulshine, is better than moonshine, better than sunshine, and damn sure better than rain. The whole crowd is singing to "Soulshine". What a killer ending to a show. "Soulshine" I love that song.

Warren Haynes' voice is spectacular and it is hard to pick a better guitarist than he is. Matt Abts as always was strong on the drums. Danny Luois is really starting to become an integral part of the band. His keyboard runs are fitting in better than when he first became a member of the band. Jorgen Carlsson has found his niche he isn't copying Allen Woody he is his own bass player. Over all a good show four twirls and some moth catcher hand moves. Maybe the Gestapo tactics by the House Of Rules hampered the experience for me. Got Mule?

"Going Rogue" Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue An American Life" is a light reading book. Sarah does not go into detail about boring things like where she stands on any major topics that are confronting the United States right now, or how to help the nation get back on its feet. No Sarah wrote a feel good book about her charmed life and how she has to overcome adversity from her own party, the left wing media the Democrats and anyone else who does not agree with her paranoid visions. Don't be afraid to pick up the book thinking that you will not understand it a fifth grader can understand it. The original transcript was probably written in crayon. "Going Rogue" is like reading "Legally Blond" a feel good story about a ditz that makes it to the top.

It only takes until page three for the whining to start. "I was pro-life enough for the grassroots RTL folks to adopt Piper as their poster child, but I wasn't politically connected enough for the state GOP machine to allow the organization to endorse me in early campaigns." Sarah these organizations have limited resources. They already had you in their pockets by putting your kid on their posters, they could better spend their money on a second candidate that if that candidate beat you they could then use. You were a long shot. You claim you always had an interest in politics from an early age and yet when you went to college you did not take Political Science courses, you graduated with a degree in Journalism.

Sarah tells heart warming stories of her brother pulling fake fire alarms and taking burning magazines out of a fireplace and almost burning down their house. She recalls her sisters doing dishes, ""I'm washing!"Heather would say. "I'm rinsing!" said Molly. "I'm singing!" I said. Then Heather washed the dishes and Molly rinsed, while I sat on the washing machine, which was squeezed up against the sink in our sunflower yellow kitchen, and sang until the dishes were dry." Isn't that wonderful, it is like a Doris Day movie from the sixties. In my house we bitched and moaned and fought with each other until the job was completed. 19 pages in and I already want to vomit.

Sarah who claims she was not a "girlie girl" explains how she entered into a beauty contest just to get money for college. "Linda also reminded me that the scholarship money was generous, especially if I won individual competitions within the pageant, in addition to the Miss Wassilla crown. I enlisted the advice of a former pageant winner, my friend Diane Minnick. Then I shocked my friends and family, put on a sequined Warrior-red gown, danced the opening numbers, gave the interview, and uncomfortably let my butt be compared to the cheerleaders' butts. I played my flute, and I won. In fact, I won every segment of the competition, even Miss Congeniality." Oh yeah, Sarah you are the greatest! OK lets break this down as simple as possible, she is a cute girl in Alaska showing off her butt and sucking, I mean playing a flute. She won on the sex ticket. Yes I hope my nieces look up to her, NOT! What a sell out on women's issues.

All right we are now on page 52 and Sarah is married to Todd and pregnant with their first child. Sarah must be about 23 years old and a college graduate. Remember this woman wants to be President of the United States some day. "Todd drove me to Valley Hospital. We saw the sign where we were supposed to go-deliveries-and followed the arrows...Since I thought I was dying, I didn't care that we were in the warehouse part of the hospital." She didn't go to Emergency or Admitting, she followed the signs to the back of the building and tried to go into deliveries. Even if I was that stupid to have done something that moronic I would not put it in writing for the whole world to see. Vote for me I am Sarah I am a dunce.

Sarah now captures a seat on city council and in order to keep big business out of Wasilla and keep taxes low she votes against local garbage pick up. Of course one of her foes owned the garbage truck company. She is very proud of the fact that even today much of Wasilla does not have garbage pick up and they drive, as she does, to the dump with their garbage themselves. So instead of one truck that could pick up a whole streets, lets say 100 houses, worth of garbage and drive to the dump for oh maybe $100.00 per week, $1.00 per house, Sarah figures it is better to have 100 people drive to the dump costing each person $3.00 per week in gas plus dump fees and the time to haul it. Yep, makes sense to me. A government employee for only a short time and she already has figured out how to waste constituents money and piss off her foes.

Stein is the Mayor of Wasilla and Sarah has her eye on his position. "Stein supported expanding land-use restrictions and building codes. I wanted to eliminate property taxes, slow down the rate of government growth, and build roads and water and sewer systems." How do you support road, water and sewer expansion while eliminating taxes? I hear this all of the time from Republicans, it does not make sense. I want smaller government but I support building roads and sewer and water plants. The government has to expand in order to maintain all of these amenities. It is double speak, talking with a forked tongue, talking out both sides of your mouth. Stein is old and been in politics a long time Sarah is young and cute and she wins another beauty competition, I mean Mayoral race.

Sarah tends to have a bad judge of character when it comes to people. She first backs them, then realizes that they are dishonest, then she tries to separate herself from them and can't understand how she gets caught in the crossfire. Throughout the book she tells different stories of how her bad judgement affects her. She doesn't see it as bad judgement but it keeps coming up throughout the book. She sidled up next to Mayor Stein when he first asked her to run then once her aspirations became bigger she tried to separate herself from him. She marries Todd. Todd's stepmother decides to run for Mayor after Sarah vacates the seat and Sarah backs the competition rather than her own extended family. She pairs herself up with Governor Frank Murkowski to be his lieutenant governor. Governor Murkowski is in bed with big oil companies and later is indicted for taking bribes. She writes a letter of recommendation for Mike Wooten to become an Alaska State Trooper. Mike Wooten is a drunk, poacher, wife beater, who cheated on Sarah's sister while they were married. Her first legislative director turns out to be an idiot with no political connections or savvy. Sarah has to fire the guy. On John McCains campaign one of the first people she meets is Steve Schmidt veteran campaign manager. "Schmidt AKA "the Bullet" told me he managed Arnold Schwartzenegger's campaign handled press relations for Dick Cheney, and worked on George W. Bush's 2004 reelection." "He was very good at setting traps for his opponents." Sarah loves the guy immediately. Later on in the book Sarah begins to hate Schmidt and thinks he in part silenced her. Sarah gives answers to us on how she was misled and that she isn't to blame.

She tells of the Catie Couric interviews and how Catie mistreated her and misrepresented what she said. How Joe the Plumber was an inspiration. How she tried to rewrite the Saturday Night Live skits to make them funny. She tells how the clothes that were purchased for her were not her idea, and that McCains people used the clothes to show how Sarah wasn't playing along. Sarah was being set up to take the fall. "It is unheard of for campaign staffers to brazenly throw a candidate under the media bus with sleazy anonymous comments." Poor Sarah.

"I don't like to hear people complain; I am the first to say "Buck up or stay in the truck." You have a choice on how to react to circumstances. But I will state this complaint for the record: what used to be called "mainstream" national media are, in many respects worthless as a source of factual information anymore." Yet Sarah later goes on to acknowledge respectable reporters. "To some media professionals whom I admire because you don't let anyone tell you to sit down and shut up, please keep making the idiot's heads spin...Amanda, Andrew, Ann, Bill(s), Bob, Cal, Dennis, Dick, Eddie, Fred, Glenn, Gretta, Hugh, Joey, John, Jonah, Larry, Laura, Lou, Mark, Mary, Michael, Michelle, R. A. M., Rich, Rush, S. E., Sean, Tammy, Walter." Yep no unbiased reporting out of any of these people.

After reading this book it is amazing how she takes no responsibility for losing the election or any thing else that goes bad in her life, it is always someone elses fault. She thinks running government should be done by her baking brownies, smiling and deals get done. I get a sense she hates men. She will turn on anyone who can't help her. She pretty much describes herself as an egocentric, right wing, opportunist that regards politics like a high school election where you win on looks and popularity not knowledge of the issues. Get the book from the library, read it, and look for someone else to vote for in 2012.

Sherlock Holmes and Avatar

Sherlock Holmes and Avatar are two good movies that I recommend all to see. Avatar is a must see on the big screen in 3D.

Avatar is a story about a wheelchair bound veteran Jake Scully, who gets a chance to become an Avatar. Science has figured out a way to merge a human with an alien body to form an Avatar. Even though Jake Scully has lost the use of his legs in his human form he can run and jump in his Avatar form. As an Avatar Jake befriends an alien life form that is very connected with nature. As an ex Marine he reports back to the commander on the humans base. Of course the humans are after minerals that are below the aliens home and want to move them by negotiations or by force. Jake Scully is caught in the cross fire. You must see the 3D animation and the vivid colors in this alien world, fantastic. I kept wanting to swat at the mosquito like creatures that fly around you throughout the movie.

Sherlock Holmes, I was glad kept to its roots. Unlike the Basil Rathbone movies this Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as a drug addled genius. They kept the inventions as plausible to the 1800's as possible much like the old "Wild Wild West" show. There is even a mention of Dr. Moriarty Sherlock Holmes nemesis. A funny, quirky movie that I recommend all to see. It is not necessary to see on the big screen but worth viewing at some point. Some of the dialogue I could not understand because of the brogue accents but you can still figure out the plots.

2009 Moral Compass In Review

Well 2009 did not go out with a bang and 2010 has come in with a whimper. 2009 was a year of trying to hold on until the economy can pick up. A President just getting his feet wet. A year of few accomplishments in Cleveland sports. And some good and bad music that I reviewed. The Moral Compass has completed one year of publication and I have not been sued for slander or defamation of character. I have pissed off some friends with my views but not enough to get them to write in on the comment sections at the end of each article. I will have to try harder this year. I have heard comments on the street that lets me know that I am being read and that I do get people to think.

I wrote six articles on the Browns, none of them were very complimentary. Manidiot will stay, The autistic son of Buddy Ryan should go and Duhboll is probably out of a job. Quinn and Anderson both proved to be mediocre at best. The Browns finished the season at 5 and 11. The five teams the Browns beat have a combined record of 31 and 49 with Pittspuke being the only team with a winning record at 9 and 7. None of the teams that we beat made it to the playoffs. The highlights for the year are the Browns beat Pittspuke. My one nephew got to see the fourth longest field goal in NFL history being made by, unfortunately, Janikowski from Oakland, 61 yards. My other nephew Brett gets to brag that his first tail gate party was in snowy weather, 12 degrees outside with a wind chill of minus two. Cribbs sets record with the most kick off returns ever. Harrison breaks Jim Browns single game rushing yardage record.

I did not write about the Indians because there was nothing to write. The Indians traded away two Cy young winners and got nothing in return. The Cavs bowed out of the play offs in the finals without giving Miami much of a struggle. Congratulations to Gary Waters and the Cleveland State Vikings. CSU went to the NCAA tournament and beat Wake Forest in the first round then got crushed by Arizona. I think a NIT berth is waiting for CSU this year 2010 with a return to the NCAA tournament next year 2011.

I wrote 16 articles connected to music. Reviews of The Dead with Warren Haynes, Farm Aid, The Rock and Roll Induction Ceremonies, Jeff Beck and Dave Matthews were some of the highlights. Todd Rundgren was one of the disappointments. George Taylor Morris the DJ from Deep Tracks passed away along with Amy Farris a talented fiddle player. I did not write about the tribute to Janice Joplin which was quite good except for Lucinda Williams she sucked. Susan Tedeschi, Nona Hendrix, Carolyn Wonderland and two of the members of Santana stole the show. Remember RAP ain't Rock and either is ABBA. I hope to keep up with the music reviews people do not get as mad with a bad music review as they do with politics.

I gave my comment 11 times on political issues. I must admit that I was hoping for a little more from Obama but he has three more years to finish out strong. The economy is showing signs of picking up even though I am still unemployed. There is a health care bill being worked on that could reform the way we think of health care in the United States. People have been talking about health care reform since the Eisenhower administration, it is about time something got done. We are pulling out of Iraq and escalating in Afghanistan. I thought my Christmas wish was going to come true but alas Rush Limpdick is still alive.

Michael Steele tried to separate the Republican Party from the rantings of Rush Limbaugh but had to back down because Rush controls too many GOP votes. The NFL owners made sure that a lout like Rush would not be associated with them. Even though the rich and powerful GOP's like the way Rush lies, cheats and steels to get votes for the Republicans, no one wants to be associated with him because he lies, cheats and steels to get votes for the Republicans. Poor Rushie baby has not figured out that his personality keeps him out of the inner circle where he wants to be. Maybe this will be the year that the drug addled, bufoon will go to rot in hell.

"Going Rogue" has come out and I will be doing a book review on it early this year. Rah, rah rah, I LOVE YOU SARAH!

I still feel "Slum Dog Millionaire" is over rated and that "Gran Torino" should have been picture of the year. Looking forward to seeing "Sherlock Holmes".

Two of my friends from High School lost their fathers this year. When I went to the wakes I realized how much we had drifted apart. At some point in time I was almost like family to them as they were to me. I feel terrible for their loss and am not looking forward to the day that I lose a parent. I can not even imagine the pain. Bobby Perko lost his wife to cancer. Bob I feel for you. Again I can not even imagine what he is going through. I really can not even think of going on without my Honey Bunny, I would be lost. My prayers go out to the Focaretto, Makowski and Perko families.

Hopefully 2010 can pick up momentum and go out with a bang so that the first decade in the new millennium can close on a positive note. Here is wishing you all a prosperous, healthy New Year and may God bless us all and keep us safe.