Hump Day - Moving On

Is it cold where you are? For this part of the country at this time of the year, 39 is pretty cool. I see that Boone is hanging at freezing today and Floyd is expecting some snow this morning. Falling white stuff should give Fred First some fodder for his new blog, Nameless Creek.

Here we are on a day when more greeting cards are sold that any other, celebrating Love. I hope your Valentines Day is just "Lovely". For more on the day, check out the Writer's Almanac For Wednesday. You'll need to scroll down the page.

What do anise seed, avocados, basil, chili peppers, figs, garlic, ginger, honey, licorice, nutmeg, pine nuts, and tomatoes have in common? According to Robert L. Wolke they have all been considered aphrodisiacs at one time or another. If you are interested...emm...he has an article in the Washington Post - Lusty Appetites.

Reading the news this morning I was struck by a quote from an article on the house debate on the Iraq War. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said about the resolution, that it is "a political charade lacking both the seriousness and the gravity of the issue that it's meant to represent". Damn, at last someone has actually come up with a description of the last few years of congress. It is almost funny how being out of power gives the Republicans such a clarity of sight into the issues they couldn't even see just a few short months ago. Rant over.

Well, it's time to take youngest daughter to school and hed for work...Catch you later.

Another voice: Revenge of the Chicks | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

This from The Boston Globe

In 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines told fans in London that she and her bandmates were ashamed that President Bush was from their home state. In response, Clear Channel Communications struck the group from play lists at its country radio stations.

The music-business insiders who gave the Dixie Chicks five Grammy Awards Sunday night — including three for their song Not Ready to Make Nice — aren't the same people who shunned the Texas trio four years back. But the Chicks' resurgence, coupled with other rumblings of discontent within the world of country music, shows how much the nation's mood has shifted since March 2003.

You know, I said then and I still say I agree Natalie. I told everyone I knew around the country in 1999 and 2000 that George W was a mistake. I guess the lesson I learned from this whole episode is that putting too many stations into the hands of too few lends itself to a shutting down of unpopular voices, especially voices unpopular with the people who control the mikes. This whole experiment in media consolidation has and is a major mistake that we may not recover from.

I watched the Grammy Awards on Sunday and even with the "Chicks" sweep, I was unimpressed with the show. For some reason I would think the "Music Industry" would at least get the sound right. For some reason about half of the performances seemed to be coming out of a well. I am not sure what they should do differently, but at least they should hire someone who can broadcast decent sounding and mixed music. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

Source: Another voice: Revenge of the Chicks | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle