Virginia Tech Victim Profiles

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Virginia Tech Victim Profiles.

Heartache: 32 Fallen

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Michael Brecker Tribute

Michael Brecker was the most wonderful musician; a jazz genius who had a huge impact on the world of music. He passed away this year, and this video is my small tribute to one of my all-time heros of music. The first tune is "Naima," a Coltrane tune, and it's just Michael playing all by himself inventing lines. The second tune is "Some Skunk Funk," a rhythm section's dream song, and this particular early 80s band shows the level of musician that MB routinely played with, because he was the best. The Some Skunk band features Michael's brother Randy (hence the band The Brecker Brothers) Dave Weckl on drums, James Genus on bass, and Mike Stern on guitar. The 3rd video features:

Makote Ozone Trio With Mike Brecker
Between October 3-8, 2001
Blue Note Tokyo, Japan
Makoto Ozone: Piano
Michael Brecker: Tenor
James Genus: Bass
Clarence Penn: Drums

and it's a great example of how hard he could swing.

I put in a 4th video as well featuring another of my heros in music, Pat Metheny, with Larry Goldings on organ, of course MB on sax, and I believe Bill Stewart on drums.

Michael Brecker - I love you for putting it all out there and inspiring me and so many others.









Michael Brecker Feature Page at All About Jazz

Joey Crawford Ejects Player For Laughing At Him

"He was laughing at me and he hurt my wittle feelings. I work hard everyday and it's not easy to make those tough foul calls constantly, and Timmy Duncan was laughing at me. Wahhhhh." Joey Crawford, NBA Referee (author embellishment!!)

Joey Crawford called 2 technical fouls on Tim Duncan within a 3-minute time span, while Duncan was sitting on the bench. The second technical of course means the player is ejected (and pays a hefty fine). To earn the 2nd foul Duncan didn't actually speak, but was laughing, ostensibly at Joey Crawford's latest bad call. But it could also be that he was laughing because his bench mate had said something funny, and he wasn't even thinking about Joey Crawford at all at the time. It could actually be that Tim Duncan, unlike many Americans these days, actually still posseses a sense of humor.

Crossing Street Musician Off Of My Career List

What would happen if you placed one of the world's most acclaimed violinists (Joshua Bell) playing on an exquisite antique violin, in a busy D.C. subway station at rush hour, posing as a street musician? Not much! Click this link to see video.

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Hear the full audio file of his entire incognito performance at the D.C. Metro station.

The final haul for his 43 minutes of playing? $32.17. Yes, some people gave pennies. Not terrible, although just a few days before he had played to a packed Symphony Hall in Boston where people paid $100 per seat.

Thanks to the Washington Post's Gene Weingarten for this fun story.

Top 10 Women Drivers' Accidents

I'm an excellent driver!

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Are You Smarter Than a Doorjamb?

OK - there's a show called Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader and a lady on there tonight had won $50,000, and was going for $100k! The question that sent shivers through her bones and caused her to not risk it and take the 50k was from Algebra:

if y=3x and 3x=12. what does y equal?

It's funny to see how just the mention of a y or an x turns people's brains into jelly, but they practically gave her an additional $50k and she could not answer. She said she would've said 4. That's funny. What kind of a leap does it take to think y=3x=12 ??

Do they really have to go that extra step and say: y=12, therefore, what does y equal? Or y is exactly 1 less than 13 and exactly 1 more than 11. What does y equal???

The next lady had to try to figure out what the radius was equal to in a circle with a diameter of 4 inches. Also too tough for her. Never heard the word diameter before I guess.

Who's the idiot now?

After a co-worker quipped to Ed O'Neill that "some idiot" hadn't claimed an $800,000 Powerball winning ticket, Mr. O'neill chuckled, and then after further investigation realized the winning ticket was purchased where he bought his, so he checked the numbers and realized that he was that idiot.

O'Neill will now be an idiot whose mortgage is paid off, as well as his children's mortgages. The co-worker will remain just another idiot co-worker.

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Rocky Based in Truth

From the "in case you didn't know" department, the original story of Rocky was inspired by Chuck Wepner, a tough ex-marine who challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1975, and in a losing effort became the only opponent to knock Ali down during his championship years.

"When a young, impressionable and unknown Philadelphia resident -- Sylvester Stallone -- saw the Wepner/Ali fight he was instantly inspired to write the blockbuster movie screenplay, Rocky. It became one of the 20th Century's greatest box office hits."

[Wikipedia]

[Chuck's Page]

Baby Tattoos

Feeling like your baby is just not hip enough? Tattoos on your little one may be just the answer. And before you call Child Protective Services, just know that these are FDA approved temporaries ;) At 10 cents per image, this bundle of 49 'baby tats' could give your child street cred until age 5.

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Tim Hardaway Comes Out of the Closet

It was time for former NBA star Tim Hardaway to finally come out... and say it. He's a homophobe.

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Hardaway should be thankful he's not running for political office.

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Here's a driver who does not litter

It may have been tempting, but no trash was going to be thrown out of this lady's car window. This is one case where I might recommend getting a large SUV, because this Ford Focus is clearly just running out of room!

The trash caused a minor accident when some coffee cups fell onto the gas and brake pedals, making it difficult to drive. Turns out the owner suffers from OC disorder, and has an issue with hording, not only in her car, but her home as well. Police are offering to help the lady overcome this difficult situation.


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Billionaire Robbed for Petty Cash

Ernest Rady, the billionaire founder of Westcorp and former part-owner of the San Diego Padres arrived home to witness his wife and maid being robbed by a phony delivery man. Rady was also bound by the intruder, who left the house with less than $1,000 in cash about five hours after arriving.

Newsflash: just because someone is a billionaire doesn't mean they have a billion dollars in cash in their home! Their ashtrays, however, may have been worth more than $1,000.

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Anyone here speak Yawi?

A woman who speaks only Yawi, a dialect spoken by Muslims in southern Thailand, boarded the wrong bus and accidentally headed for Bangkok. Already 800 miles off course, she boarded another bus which took her an additional 400 miles off course, to Burma.

The good news? She has been found by her children and has returned home. The bad? It took 25 years.

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He Said He Would "Fly me to the moon"

Former astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak was well-trained for this mission - a cross-country expedition on which she chose to wear adult diapers in order to avoid having to make bathroom breaks. Whether she also consumed food on the trip from little packets I'm not sure. Nowak's (alleged) goal: to make the drive from Houston to the Orlando airport in time to accost romantic rival Colleen Shipman, an Air Force captain who was flying back to Orlando after seeing the third leg of this cosmic love triangle, Bill Oefelein.

Equipped with a knife, pellet pistol, can of pepper spray, steel mallet and 4 feet of rubber tubing, one can only speculate that Nowak had more in mind than just a discussion. And there was no International Space Station in need of repair anywhere near the airport.

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Smell ya later!

This woman smelled like dead fish for most of her life. Smart, and pretty, but could someone open a window?

The story of Camille - former model, Phi Beta Kappa with a master's in education, who suffered from trimethylaMinuria, which depending on diet can make you stink to high heaven.

[When Camille got older, the insults continued. One of her first jobs was as a teller in a credit union.

"My supervisor would come by and spray my area with perfume, Lysol, and they put me in the drive-through section, which is separate from the rest of the teller area," Camille said.]

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"You cannot silence the muffled cries of these Russian orphans!"

Was that title dramatic enough for you? Here's a story about Russian nurses getting tired of baby orphans crying all the time, so they TAPED their teeny mouths shut, or plastered 'em shut, and someone caught it on their mobile phone. Is their a pacifier shortage in Russia?

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Mayor Has Strange Way of Showing Appreciation

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was served well by his long-time campaign manager, Alex Tourk, who worked tirelessly for the mayor helping him get elected. Then the mayor slept with Tourk's wife.

Given that this is San Francisco, the question remains, will this bit of news help or hurt the Mayor's re-election bid?

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First Thing Ever Sold on eBay?

First thing sold was a broken laser pointer for $14, sold by eBay creator Pierre Omidyar in 1995. Conveniently the negative feedback feature had not yet been created.

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Pot-Bellied Man Looked Pregnant

OK - this guy was teased to no end for his pot belly... bet they didn't know he'd had his mutated twin brother living inside his stomach for almost 4 decades.

"The case may have been a medical miracle to doctors, but to Bhagat his condition had been a source of shame and misery. All his life, people in the village where he lived had mercilessly teased him and told him he looked pregnant. Ironically, they were right in a way."

I don't think I have any similar excuse, unless I can blame the mutated carbs and pizza that make up some of my midsection.

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