Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday PSA

Happy Friday, Beatdowners!

This Public Service Announcement brought to you thanks in part to throngs of women in the greater Pasadena and Glen Burnie areas, their excursions on the town (that sometimes make their Jersey Shore heroes look like amatuers), and their Facebook or MySpace pictures.

Speaking as the silent majority, NO ONE wants to see your muffin top.


NO ONE wants to see your belly that shows your familiarity with the most excellent combination of barley, wheat, hops, and delicious alcohol.


Look at yourself in the mirror before you venture out for a night on the town, be it in the Dena, Glen Burnie, "Naptown", "Fed", or "Fells". 

If you MUST wear a shirt that is obviously not right for your figure (probably in hopes of showing off your boobs in an effort to attract a man - and trust me, you'll surely get a winner if that's your only charm), at least get one to cover the gut.

Additionally, get some pants that fit - no need to squeeze into pants that look like they are painted on (again in hopes of attracting a man with the shape/size of your badonkadonk), which in turn will unquestionably create the aforementioned muffin top and beer belly.

Don't get me wrong - women with curves are 100x more appealing IMO than the stickly figures that grace the cover of so many magazines...but most have something that a vast majority of women in this neck of the woods that go out to party don't have, and that's CLASS.

CLASS.  Try some.

Until next time...
1. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
2. Have an awesome, kick-ass day.

TGIF!

Monday, April 11, 2011

U2 360°

Happy Monday from a beautiful day here in Maryland, Beatdowners!

Anyone that knows me is well aware of me being a huge fan of U2 - I have been ever since I can remember.  I'm anxiously awaiting their 360° Tour to land at M&T Bank Stadium on June 22nd - only 72 days away!

Anyhow, the tour currently has the lads from Ireland in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  They played there on the 9th and again last night, and they have one more show schedule for the 13th.

Last night's set list is amazing, and hoping to see and hear a similar one in June...

They opened up with the energizing Even Better Than The Real Thing (from their EPIC album Achtung Baby).

Next came Out Of Control (from their debut album Boy), making it's first appearance on a set list for this tour - prior to last night it hadn't been played since December, 2006.

They then jammed two of my favorites from No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots and Magnificent.

Mysterious Ways came next, followed by Elevation, Until The End Of The World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Pride (In The Name Of Love).

They played a new song (from their upcoming yet-to-be-named release) called North Star, and followed that one up with Beautiful Day and Miss Sarajevo (wasn't a big fan of this one live when I saw them on the How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb tour).

Next up - Zooropa.  WOW.  That's one I would LOVE to see live.  This was the first time they ever played the full version, as the other 3 times they ever played it they began the song at the verse that starts off, "And I have no compass...".  The last time they played this one live in any capacity prior to this show was WAY back in August of 1993.  Really hoping this one makes the list in Baltimore, it's one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite U2 albums.

Then came City Of Blinding LightsVertigoI'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy TonightSunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet (from October), and finally Walk On.

For encores, they played OneWhere The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, and closed with Moment of Surrender.

Quite a show, if you ask me.  The only songs I didn't see on here that would make it even more awesome is my 2 all time favorite U2 songs, New Year's Day and Drowning Man.

Looking forward to the show in Baltimore...it will be MAGNIFICENT, a bit OUT OF CONTROL, and a BEAUTIFUL DAY for sure!

Until next time...

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sunday Morning Randoms, Completely From My iPhone

Top of the morning, Beatdowners!

I'm writing this one entirely from my iPhone. A virtual computer that I can hold in one hand...amazing how far technology has come in my lifetime.

So here is some complete and total randomness. Take it for what it's worth...

Political conversations with people who believe their way is the only way & whoever differs in opinion is wrong can be so trying. I don't even know why I engage in them.

The blinders people put on re: politics, be it friends, family, or elected officials drives a majority of problems our country has. Working together, compromise, being open to differing opinions...knowing that sacrifices must be made...crossing party lines...that's what we must have; without it, our country is doomed.

$0.68 of every tax dollar our government collects is used for entitlement programs. I'm all for helping people get back on their feet, and think the general purpose behind the entitlement programs are necessary; however, they MUST be reformed. No one is entitled to have a free ride.

$0.41 of every dollar our government spends is borrowed; I sure hope the lenders don't come calling the debt...if so, bye-bye USA.

Hearing the little dudes (and their folks) call me "coach" for CYLA lacrosse is one of the neatest feelings in the world.

Why doesn't my iPhone battery hold a longer charge?!?!?

I think I've mentioned this before, but Mumford & Sons has restored my faith in music.

Watching someone morph into a troll (sorry for the Sheen-isms; but I find them hysterical), especially someone I was tight with, isn't fun.

I'm in the mood to sit at a bar & listen to some tunes and have some good conversation today; all day. Who's with me???

BSSC football games are canceled today because of wet fields; that sucks...playing football in the mud would be wicked cool.

I hate the fact that I give & give, be it advice, help, opinions, picking up tabs, an ear to bend, a shoulder to cry on, etc., and get sh*t on in return; the ONLY thing I want in return from anyone is respect.

The South got pummeled with baseball sized hail; imagine taking one of those to the dome...OUCH!

Stink bugs suck.

The O's are off to a great start...hoping the keep up the intensity and competitiveness all the way through the season...could be a lot of fun to watch!

I watched a "rockumentary" about the Foo Fighters last night on VH-1 - I've always liked the band, from day 1...but my respect for them grew 100 fold after watching the show.  Excited for their new album coming out Tuesday (4/12/11).

Equally excited for the new Beastie Boys album due out 5/3/11 - HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO.

Off for another week - looking forward ti getting back in the game...chomping at the bit ready to come out swinging.

Hoping for some Sunday Funday activities - I'm bored out of my freakin' mind.

Until next time...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners.

So I saw a status updated on Facebook that got me thinking about the origin of some sayings, a ton about hypocrisy (considering who posted the saying), and a ton more about the idiosyncrasies of certain people (of which I won't get into in this public forum).

So to the point, then..."Actions speak louder than words".

We've all heard and/or read that saying a million times before.

Where did it come from?

I did a little digging and came up with this:
  • The 16th-century French writer Michel de Montaigne is usually given props for coming up with the saying when in one of his essays he wrote, "Saying is one thing and doing is another".
  • Before him, St. Francis of Assisi (the dude that founded the Franciscan Order of friars in the Catholic Church) had been credited with saying, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary"; essentially, he's saying always do good deeds, and speak of doing good deeds only when necessary.
Pretty neat little factoids, if you are a geek like me.

Anyhow, do actions speak louder than words?

In this bloggers opinion, ABSO-FRIGGIN'-LUTELY.

Actions unquestionably "prove" things better...more clearly. 

Actions show who a person is, where their head is, and where their heart is; most importantly, actions show an individuals genuineness.  
 
Far too often, people say they will do something, say they want to do something, promise this, that, and the other, but they don't follow through.  They say whatever sounds good at the time to appease the masses, to avoid conflict, to be "safe", and/or to hold on to something or someone that benefits them.
 
That's bullsh*t.  That's cowardly.  That shows what they are inside, and that ain't pretty.
 
You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
 
Life is too short to not be honest.  Life's too short not to tell it like it is.  And the world is full of bullsh*t - don't add to the heap.
 
If you say you are going to do something, DO IT.
If you have no intentions, be honest about it - don't lead people on, don't lie, don't create a powder keg that 100% guaranteed will blow up in your face one day; while you may hurt someones feelings by being blunt and brutally honest up-front, you'll prevent many more sticky situations, hard feelings, and poor opinions being formed of you in the long run...opinions that will always be in others minds no matter what.
 
Trust me, I'm talking from experience.
 
That's all I got.
 
Get out there and climb another rung on the ladder of AWESOMENESS today.
 
Make it count.
 
Follow through on something you said you were going to do and haven't yet.
 
Until next time...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Budget Mess

I'm worried, Beatdowners.

The budget fiasco in DC right now and pending government shutdown underscores a very simpe and very undeniable truth - if our government continues to spend at the current rate, we're done for.  It will cause an economic tsunami that will cripple this country for decades.

Take a look at this article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/opinion/05brooks.html?_r=1

Some highlights...
  • Last fall, the Simpson-Bowles Deficit Commission released a report on how to avoid an economic catastrophe; the report got the attention of various think tanks and government offices who suddenly were overflowing with proposals to reduce debt and reform entitlements, the tax code, and just about every other government program..
  • As soon as a poll came out that registered and likely voters weren't willing to accept any tax increases or benefit cuts, President Obama and other government officials bailed on the idea; it would be political suicide.
  • The President walked away from the Simpson-Bowles package and instead submitted a budget that would double the country's debt over the next decade, according to the NONPATRISAN Congressional Budget Office.
  • Over the last few weeks some highly respected economists (including the ex-chairmen of the Council of Economic Advisers) have cited in letters to our governement that the debt situation is so explosive, that simply doing nothing is "not a survivable option".
I concur with one fact that the article drives home - WE AS A COUNTRY LACK ANY AND ALL COURAGEOUS POLITICAL LEADERSHIP - as the article states, we do not have "a powerful elected official willing to issue a proposal, willing to take a stand, willing to face the political perils".

Afterall, it's all about holding on to power inside the beltway.  I mean the President - in the midst of this potential Doomsday situation - announces his re-election bid for 2012 and starts - you guessed it - FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES.

However, everyone should take note of Paul Ryan, the chair of the House Budget Committee; he's going to release what some are calling "the most comprehensive and most courageous budget reform proposal any of us have seen in our lifetimes".

Ryan proposal will tackle the real issues...not about simply cutting a few billion dollars, but seriously looking at the very foundations of ALL domestic programs in 2012 and beyond.  It will show all arguments in proper context, that the current welfare state can not be sustained and a new deal of the social contract has to be invented.

The press will nail Ryan on his top number of $4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years; but, I'm sure they will ignore his proposals on HOW he would reform programs. He would reform the tax code along the Simpson-Bowles lines, but without the tax increases.  Medicare isn't changed for anyone over 55, and for younger people it turns into a DEFINED contribution plan..."Instead of assuming open-ended future costs, the government will give you a sum of money (starting at an amount equal to what the government now spends) and a regulated menu of insurance options from which to choose".  It will also turn Medicade into a a block grant, which gives states more flexibility.

It tackles agriculture subsidies and other corporate welfare.

It consolidates the job-training programs into a single adult scholarship.

It reforms housing assistance and food stamps.

It stares down almost every single "politically risky issue" without worrying about re-electability. 

It does NOT (although will be painted to) take the proverbial meat ax approach; it emphasizes social support, social mobility and personal choice.

Most importantly to me, at least, is that it is going to force President Obama's hand.  Is he going to be the catalyst of change he campaigned about and look at this proposal and COMPROMISE after coming up with a counterproposal, or will he do what I fully expect - politicise the issue by ranting about "savage", "uncaring", "protecting only the wealthy", "previous administration's fault", etc., Republican proposed cuts and continue to turn a blind eye to the glaring and very real long-term fiscal consequences?

I can't wait to hear what Pelosi will have to say as she will be on the attack from the word "Go".

And we as a country have to look at the very hard and ugly truth; the government can't afford to continue spending the way they are without raising taxes and cutting and reforming some programs, including social programs.  The majority of American's need a STRONG dose of reality, and we ALL need a leader to have the grapefruits to tell us what is needed to prevent our country from going bankrupt...and I can assure EVERYONE, if that happens, the pain and inconveince will be 100-fold stronger than any proposed cut or tax hike.

ENTITLEMENT doesn't work anymore. 

Stop the spending, reform ALL programs, and save our country!

Until next time...

There Ain't No Grave...The Johnny Cash Project

I became a fan of Johnny Cash over the last 6 years or so. Words really can't do justice to his music. I won't even begin to try. And the attached video for "Ain't No Grave" is more than a fitting tribute to The Man In Black. Interesting note regarding the vid - it's been put together by a group called The Johnny Cash Project (www.thejohnnycashproject.com). The Johnny Cash Project is a worldwide art project, in the most simplistic terms...people from around the globe draw their own personal image of Johnny Cash, basing it on a specific template they are provided with. The key to the picture is to make it personal - YOUR vision of Johnny Cash, the man, the artist, the sinner, the saint. All of the individual portraits are then combined and made into a moving video for the haunting hymn, "Ain't No Grave". It's remarkable that the one-of-a-kind portraits of the Man In Black flow together so well. And the best part of the project - the video will continue to evolve and change as more portraits come in from around the world - so the video I attached is one version - another is sure to follow and will be totally different. The video will change and continue to change as long as the portraits of Johnny Cash continue to be submitted - it's a tribute that grows; dare I say LIVES. And it's awe-inspiring. Enjoy, Beatdowners. Happy overcast and wet Tuesday from Maryland. Until next time...

Monday, April 4, 2011

MLK

"WE AS A PEOPLE WILL GET TO THE PROMISED LAND!". Amen, Dr. King. A man for ALL of us - black, white, red, yellow, or anything inbetwwen. Rest in Peace, MLK - 1/15/29 - 4/4/68.