Quick Hits For November 30; Stop Tailing Tiger, And Other Assorted Rants and Raves

Once again I'm (a) too lazy or (b) too brain locked to spend a lot of time writing something coherent and substantive, so I'm going to resort to my old fallback, QUICK HITS.

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!!

(1). Tiger Woods- Too bad about the accident. And I really don't give a damn about the other stuff; was it a domestic dispute, why he won't talk to the cops, was he fooling around with a female diversion in New York.

I don't care. Talk about the "silly season", as a certain college football head coach put it.

(2). Charlie Weis and Notre Dame- Once again America's premiere Catholic University, which stresses moral integrity and doing the right thing, shows how its really done. Its win more and win bigger, or your out. Not that this is a surprise; Weis' tenure was dead after he lost to Navy earlier this month- the following losses to Pitt, UCONN, and Stanford just made the firing a little more expedient. I'm not shedding any tears for this one ( as you'll see in the next segment). I'm not a Charlie Weis fan or a Notre Dame fan....but notice how they treated a loyal alum who just wanted to succeed on his dream job. Quite frankly, anybody who leaves a high profile Division One college job for ND next stop should be the funny farm- you'd have to be a complete whack to make the move.


(3)More Notre Dame Kudos to ESPN's Kirk Herbtreit who finally told it like it is on last Saturday's COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMEDAY. Herbie asked, "Why do people still care about Notre Dame"....and added that the program has been irrelevant since 1993. I agree- Notre Dame has not been a true player on the national stage since today's incoming freshmen were in preschool. Notre Dame demands and gets special handling from the media and the public, and they get it- and they don't deserve it. I said it before in another post, and I'll repeat it here- Notre Dame football is like Old World aristocracy. The Irish and their fans live off of memories of The Glory Days, off of the accomplishments of previous generations. There has not been one Notre Dame team to warrant the attention they demand since the tenure of Lou Holtz, which ended in 1996. Notre Dame has their own television network (NBC) broadcasting their games and shilling for them. They have an abysmally unfair arrangement with the Big East in which they are in the conference for all sports except football, where they maintain their independence. Yet, Notre Dame is included with the Big East when eligibility for the Gator Bowl is concerned- they can take a spot guaranteed to the Big East under certain conditions. They won't join the Big East for football, and yet- I'm doing this from memory- they have lost the last three games they've played against Big East members; Last year against Syracuse, and this year versus Pitt and UCONN. Don't even get me started on the BCS which continues to give the weight of one of the six power conferences when determining BCS bowl eligibility. This is a total joke and a travesty. Its time to bring them into the 21st century, at long last. They don't deserve or warrant special handling, and haven't since the beginning of the Clinton administration. If they want a BCS bid, let them have to win one in a conference just like other member schools do, or like the Boise States and TCU's have to, as an at large with no more kid gloves. I'm not speaking out of jealousy, I'm talking about fairness here.

4. Afghanistan Tomorrow night President Obama will unveil his Afghan strategy. And this has me scared to death. How long does he think we can withstand an open ended war after eight plus years of American presence? We keep asking the same people to do the same job year after year...less than one percent of the American public is affected by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Stop loss" keeps troops on active duty after their term is up. We've never fought a war this long using troops in this manner. Maybe its time for America and and Americans to reconsider the cost of war, and the fairness to those who will be involved and of their families. If a war is to be fought, the American public must be willing to go forth and sacrifice even more- if you support a war be prepared to pay more taxes or even see a draft reinstated. If you can't go for that, and your representatives won't go for it, then maybe it would be expedient to find an alternative to armed conflict.

5. "Good Will to ALL Men....and Women" Yesterday in The Home News Tribune I saw an article that said Catholic churches in New Jersey were sent a letter by the state's bishops asking the faithful to pray for our members of the State Senate and General Assembly to oppose a bill to allow gay marriage in New Jersey. At mass yesterday, it was not read, but maybe it will be in the future. It is interesting...the Church will not marry a Catholic and a member of another faith unless certain things are agreed to. That being the case, they could just refuse to sanction same sex marriage because it is against Church rules. Since the Church doesn't believe a Catholic's marriage in a ceremony outside of the Church is valid anyway, then I ask this.....what's your beef? They don't believe a civil ceremony is valid under the eyes of God, so doesn't it logically render their opposition as a moot point? Sadly, the Catholic Church has gotten on the same side as those on the far, far right on this one.

Maybe I won't be so blown away by the crassness of this hypocrisy if the Church did admit that "higher ups" did know more than they admitted during the priest sexual abuse scandal. Frankly, I find it very hard to believe that so few knew so little about something so widespread that hurt so many.....where was the leadership and the accountability? Part of the Church's response was to deny the priesthood to anyone who was homosexual, and not acknowledging the difference between homosexuality and pedophilia. The Church hierarchy got their convenient scapegoat.

And don't dare to try to tell them otherwise....because (God knows)...they know best.

US design validity

Thanks to the very wonderful Patently-O blog for pointing us to this recent draft article by Mueller & Brean on US design patent validity - arguing, as we have done here, that there is little or no place for the obviousness-style approach used in utility patent cases, and that the "ordinary observer" test ought to rule validity as it does infringement.
Also on Patently-O, an illuminating aside on the US approach to the conflicting (or are they?) drivers of functionality and ornamentation, with reference to Bissell Homecare v. Wildwood Industries - it bears careful comparison with the approach of the OHIM Board of Appeal in the Chaff Cutters case reported here a little while back.

Design and copyright litigation on the rise in the UK

UK IP litigation is on the rise, according to law firm EMW Picton Howell. IP cases in the High Court rose from 230 in 2006 to 422 in 2007 (up 83%) and 562 in 2008 (another 33%).

Within these figures, design and copyright litigation rose 43% in 2007 and a further 66% in 2008.

The Tattoosday Book Review: 7 Tattoos

First and foremost, let me clear something up: 7 Tattoos by Peter Trachtenberg is a memoir and is not a book about tattoos. Oh, there are tattoos within, and stories about them and how they were obtained. But tattoos help form the context of the story within, and the ink is often secondary to the action at hand.

7 Tattoos is a riveting narrative, "a memoir in the flesh," about the author's inner struggles with his identity and the world around him. His tattoos form the structure of the book, serving as chapters around which Trachtenberg's life revolves.

Imagine a first tattoo: assuming that it wasn't inked on the fly, everyone's first tattoo comes with context. On Tattoosday, I try and tell the story behind the tattoo. But even I know that I am only scratching the surface of the narrative skin.

Each of the author's seven tattoos serves as a focal point out of which a life chapter spins.

From a tribal piece that is inspired by the ink of Southeast Asia (and subsequent trips there) to tattoos that mark chapters in a life punctuated by drug addiction and strained parental relationships, we are given a warts-and-all tour of Trachtenberg's life. As important as the tattoos may seem, they are really just sign-posts with memories in the ink.

Ultimately, 7 Tattoos is about relationships - Trachtenberg's relationships with women, his father, his mother and, ultimately, himself.

He is a writer and his skills show throughout as he describes tattoos with admirable simplicity:

"The tattoo Slam had given me was a drawing of a wrench placed diagonally between two gears. She'd rendered the spinner with punctilious thoroughness, down to the highlights on the chrome-plated shaft, while leaving the gears black silhouettes, and she'd unified the composition by framing wrench and gears with a red triangle that sat athwart my deltoid."

This passage describes the tattoo with political undertones, in a chapter entitled "I Keep the Red Flag Flying". He does a remarkable job taking a 1992 tattoo and narrating back twenty years earlier to 1972. Again, the tattoo anchors the chapter and is the glue that holds it together.

Trachtenberg has skillfully built a personal history around seven works of art. It doesn't matter where they were inked or if any of them are "good" or not. Each piece is a jumping-off point that elevates the memoir above the standard personal history.

7 Tattoos was recommended to me last Spring when I was interviewing poets and writers for my Tattooed Poets Project. I wish I could remember who suggested I read it, because I would love to thank them.

The tattoos in the book are not at center stage, yet they manage to grab a hold of the imagination throughout as we are carried along by the story of Trachtenberg's life. It's an experience I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in good writing, with a penchant for ink.

12 Hours Later (Plus)..... Rutgers Football, The Big East, More Thanksgiving Leftovers, and Some Bowl Projections

This is part of my on going look at the 2009 Rutgers football season. Its much delayed (with a house full of people this weekend) but here's a look at the penultimate week of the Big East Season .

Its been a couple of days since the last Rutgers football game, a 20-14 win over Louisville, the final game of Cardinals coach Steve Kragethorpe's tenure. The details of the game are familiar now- Rutgers went out to a 28-7 lead, bogged down a bit in the second half, but came alive in the 4th quarter behind Mohamed Sanu's 148 yards and his second TD from the Wild Cat formation.

I could go through the rehash, but anyone who's been following this knows what's up, and if you don't check out this link to Brian Bennett's Big East Blog on ESPN.com .

All that's left now is placement in the bowl picture with the last three games in the Big East football season coming up this weekend.

Pitt (9-2 5-1 Big East), who were upset at West Virginia on Friday 19-16, will meet Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0 Big East) for what is in essence the Big East Championship game on Saturday at 12:00noon. At the same time West Virginia (8-3, 4-2 Big East) goes to Piscataway to meet Rutgers (8-3, 3-3 Big East).

And in East Hartford (6-5, 2-4 Big East) host the flailing South Florida Bulls (7-4, 3-3 Big East) in a night contest.

There are six teams that are bowl eligible, and six bowl tie ins for the Big East.

Here's a scenario or two- Cincinnati beats Pitt, West Virginia beats Rutgers, and UCONN- USF a tossup. Cincinnati would go to the Sugar Bowl, West Virginia (tie breaker on Pitt) goes to the Gator, Pitt goes to the Meineke, Rutgers to St.Petersburg, South Florida to The International, UCONN to Papa John's.

If Pitt wins, and West Virginia wins, Pitt goes to the Sugar and Cincinnati to the Gator, WVU to the Meineke (again), the other three remain the same.

If Pitt wins and Rutgers wins, Pitt to Sugar, Cincy to Gator, RU (tie breaker on WVU) to Meineke, WVU to Papa John's, USF and UCONN to International and Papa John's , respectively.

If Cincy wins and Rutgers wins, its Cincy to Sugar, Pitt to Gator and all else would be the same as above.

Then again...I could be wrong.

This and that- Al Groh is out at Virginia, expect Temple's Al Golden to get that call. Charlie Weis is probably boxing his stuff at South Bend. I wonder how much of a distraction the Notre Dame rumors will be for Brian Kelly and Cincinnati as they prepare for the biggest game of the Big East year, though it is slightly tarnished by Pitt's loss to West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

And what about RU product Kenny Britt's game winning TD catch for the Titan's today in Tennessee's 20-17 win over Arizona with 00:00 on the clock? Way to go KB!

Cody's Eagle Braves the Storm

On the day after Thanksgiving, I was passing through Penn Station and I spotted this tattoo:


This depiction of an eagle flying through a storm belongs to Cody, who was in town visiting from Key West, Florida.


This symbol of strength and courage enduring the dangers of a powerful storm is fitting, as Cody began work on the piece as a tribute to his father, serving in the Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Cody has already had three sittings for this wonderful tattoo, and is close to finishing it with "Tattoo" Mike Haugh at Key West Tattoo Company.

Thanks to Cody for sharing this great tattoo! We look forward to seeing the final product!

"When Black Friday Comes"....I'll Be Cleaning Up The Thanksgiving Mess

I hope all of you crazies who decided to brave the stores on this Friday after Thanksgiving had a sweet old time and got your precious bargains, because its people like me who have to clean up the mess after Thanksgiving dinner....and as in "Alice's Restaurant" take out the heavy volume of garbage.

(Unlike the song I didn't have any confrontations with law enforcement...however, there's still time.)

That's OK....I stayed close to the fridge, there was a lot of leftovers, and even more football (which I forced myself to watch).

So I'll be back in the AM with my "12 Hours Later" series about Rutgers Football 2009, and talk about more stuff, like Pitt's stunning loss to West Virginia tonight in the 102nd "Backyard Brawl".

I've got sort through a cyber stack of 45 emails....seeya later!

Tay's Angel Reminds Him of a Battle Won

There are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I know that may cliché , but at its core, there is the kernel of truth. All it takes to remember this is to cross paths with someone who has overcome the odds to prevail in life.

Yesterday I met Tay in the Borders on Penn Plaza, and he shared this tattoo:


Here's the complete piece:


Inked on his inner left forearm, this angelic image is a product of an idea of a spirit watching over him, He gathered a couple of photos for reference and presented them, along with a short written paragraph about the concept, to a tattoo artist at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. It was the tattooer who gave Tay the writing assignment. I am impressed that the artist would incorporate that into his creative process, and it makes perfect sense.

Although Tay is not religious, per se, he wanted something spiritual to remind him of his guardian angel that helped him overcome the mortal challenge of cancer.

As it turns out, Tay is a survivor, who has been cancer-free for ten years after a victory over acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tay notes that, all it takes is a look down at his arm to remind him that he has come a long way from the lows of facing one's mortality at such an early age.

I want to thank Tay for sharing his tattoo with us here. And I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the Tattoosday readers!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I'm just taking a minute to wish all of this blog's readers, fans, and visitors a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

I'll be back with more mindboggling musings in a day or so. But look for me tomorrow at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC.

I'll be one of the guys holding the ropes for the "Balloon Boy" balloon. On a given signal we'll release the ropes and watch the balloon fly away- and every reporter in the United States will follow the story like a bunch of idiots.

Seeya!!!

"Hugh Jee"

Doug's Dragon

Back on July 13, I posted a photo of Doug's Geisha. Doug was waiting around the Penn Station area before heading down to see Horisei, at tattoo artist working out of Rising Dragon's Chelsea Tattoo Company.

Doug followed up his moment in the Tattoosday light by sending us photos of the work he had done that day. As would be expected from work by Horisei, the tattoo is beautifully done:






Work from Horisei has appeared previously on this site here.

Thanks again to Doug for sharing his new tattoo work with us here on Tattoosday!

"Bohemian Rhapsody " by The Muppets

It was a trending topic on TWITTER. After seeing it you'll know why....BRILLIANT!!!

Here's BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, as performed by the Muppets!

Be sure to turn Arlo -and other music- off before clicking on!

"Alice's Restaurant"- Arlo Guthrie's Thanksgiving Classic

It was 44 years ago or maybe 44 years ago on Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie went to visit his friends Alice and Ray in their restaurant, but that wasn't the name of the restaurant, its just the name of the song.....and Arlo went on tell the story of his post Thanksgiving feast act of kindness- taking the trash to a city dump and how he was arrested for littering and how it affected his status with Uncle Sam and the draft during those days of the Vietnam War and....whew!  I need to catch my breath! 


Arlo Guthrie's 18 minute musical monologue has the distinction of being the definitive Thanksgiving song- and I don't mean this in a backhanded way, but its by default. Name other song about Thanksgiving....times up! "Turkey Trot" by Little Eva doesn't count.

Arlo is the son of folk legend Woody Guthrie, and claims to have once had a babysitter named Bob Dylan when he was a kid. The story began in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1965 when Arlo visited friends Alice and Ray Brock in their home, a deconsecrated church- the Thanksgiving dinner took place at the Brock's home, not at the restaurant they ran, THE BACK ROOM REST in Stockbridge, six miles away.


Arlo recorded the LP ALICE'S RESTAURANT in 1967, and it became an instant FM radio classic at the time. Director Arthur Penn, fresh from his BONNIE AND CLYDE success in 1967, adapted the song into a film in 1969, starring Arlo, Pat Quinn, and the late James Broderick, Matthew Broderick's father. The film had cameos by Pete Seeger, Lee Hays (a member of THE WEAVERS, blacklisted in the 1950's), and William Obanhein, aka "Officer Obie", the arresting officer in Arlo's case.

Arlo is still performing after all these years, and is a proud progressive activist (God bless him). You can find out more about Arlo, including his upcoming shows and activities by clicking here.

For those who are interested, click here for ALICE'S RESTAURANT'S LYRICS.

For even more information on the story of Alice's Restaurant, visit this entry by Dennis Volkert for GateHouse News Service.

Happy Thanksgiving! (Cartoons at MSNBC.com)

At MSNBC.com Daryl Cagle's cartoons....he leads off with one that a poster on TWITTER had commented "Lou Dobbs would be proud of the Indians in this Thanksgiving Day cartoon".

I never knew Lou Dobbs was a member of the Nauset Nation.

(Click the link below)


Happy Thanksgiving!

Food, Family, Football.....and Anxiety- Its Thanksgiving 2009.....Almost!

An artist's rendition of the First Thanksgiving. The Indians should have known something was up when they were relegated to The Kiddie Table.

I got some good news the other day...my Thanksgiving guest list just doubled. It was going to be my Mom, my Dad, my cousin and me.....and my brother called and he'll be here along with my sister-in-law, my nephew, and my niece and her husband.

So....I'm cooking for nine this year. And the planning stage went into full tilt yesterday. Scrap the fancy cranberries with nuts and mandarin oranges and go with plain old cranberries, fancier schmancier veggies will now be plain old green beans, get butter instead of margarine....and be sure to get at least one more case of Yuengling, all in the interest of getting stuff on the menu that everybody will actually like. Hey, I know my family.

(And while I'm at it...do check out that Yuengling Brewery Website- you have to be over 21 to enter. Do they have pictures of hot naked female brewmasters there or something?)

So I bought the 21 pound turkey yesterday, and the stuffing mix, jumbo shrimp to snack on while we watch Detroit get clocked by Green Bay. And it will get worse before it gets better. The Oakland Raiders visit the Dallas Cowboys next; I guess that one's the CBS game at 4:00PM. The best part about that start time is that we'll miss this game because will be eating dinner, and its just as well. I don't think I could handle three hours of "who's worse to work for, Al Davis or Jerry Jones?". The night game, Giants at Broncos, is the only game I really care about this Thanksgiving.

But that's in a couple of days...today its getting the house in order and making sure we have anything else necessary for Thanksgiving dinner, tomorrow its about getting the desserts and starting the food prep for Thursday...not to mention cleaning out the fridge to make room for all of the leftovers. And storage containers...I need to have tops that match the containers lined up and ready to go. I can't handle playing mix and match when I've been eating and drinking all day and have to play that game. Its like algebra- keep like things together.

Ice....big bags of ice. Beer, soda, and wine go in the ice chest(s), to preserve room for the leftovers.

So, my loyal readers. If you're coming here to read my opinion of the latest in current events, politics, pop culture, music, or sports....faggeddabouttit! It's not going to get back to "normal" around here until Sunday at the earliest....whatever normal is.

And then Monday I can start making myself crazy because Christmas is less than a month away.

Mike Shares Some More Ink

Back in May, I met a guy named Mike outside of Penn Station and he shared this tattoo with us.

Occasionally, contributors who I have met on the street will send me a follow-up of additional tattoos that I didn't photograph the first time I met them. Mike was generous enough with his time and energy to do just that.

First is a piece that was done around the same time that the lion-skeleton tattoo, featured back in May, was completed, back in 1995:

This, like the previous work featured from Mike, was inked by Doug White at the Ink Spot in Linden, New Jersey.

Mike also sent along this snake:



I love the cross-hatch patterns on the back of the snake. The lines are so finely drawn, I am impressed by the amount of patience it must have taken to get these tiny details just right.

Mike also sent a photo of this gargoyle on his back:


These last two pieces were inked at Tattoo Lou's in Babylon, New York back in 2000. Work from Tattoo Lou's has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Mike for sharing more of his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

SC gov faces 37 charges he broke state ethics laws | General News | Comcast.net

Mark Sanford?

You mean the South Carolina Governor who took a walk on the Appalachian Trail, and ended up in Argentina....or something like that?

I wonder who's having the worse weekend, Mark Sanford or Mark Sanchez?

Below, the latest.........

READ MORE....from | General News | Comcast.net

Two Eclectic Tattoos from TG

I will pace subway platforms, while waiting for my train, so that I may exercise a bit, and, let's face it, spot the occasional tattoo.

After meeting TG on the 59th Street platform in Brooklyn, and talking tattoo with him all the way to 95th Street, he told me I was lucky he had removed his sweater back on 59th.

For it was there that I spotted his tattoos. First I noticed this one:


That is a brontosaurus, which is on his left arm. It was an impulse decision and serves solely as a decorative reminder of a moment in time. TG had just left work with a paycheck and wandered into Rising Dragon Tattoos in their (relatively) new 14th Street location.

The artist was Davide, who hails from Italy, and was most likely a guest tattooer at the time.

TG sings his praises as he took a relatively simple design and gave it his all, down to the shading of the dinosaur's eyes and toe nails.

An even more compelling tattoo is this line-drawn piece:


The caption under the robot and the bear reads "Go for the knees! Bears are known for weak knees!"

This refers to a brief snippet of dialogue in Season 1, Episode 3 ("Blind Date") of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. The line is uttered by the character Frank, who is played by actor/comedian Judah Friedlander.

The absurdity of the line made it memorable to TG, who chose to immortalize it on his right forearm.

The tattoo was inked by Mike at Mad Pup's Tattooing in Plattsburgh, New York.

Thanks to TG for sharing his two eclectic tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

12 Hours Later (Plus)..... Rutgers Football; Its Time- For The Second Time

This is part of my ongoing series reviewing the 2009 Rutgers Football season. Today we'll look at yesterday's loss to the Syracuse Orange, 31-13

I've been a Rutgers football fan for many years, attending my first game back in elementary school in the 1960's. And I've attended games spanning five decades. The reason I'm telling you this is to show that I've been around for awhile and just didn't jump on the bandwagon when Jeremy Ito hit that game winning field goal to beat Louisville in 2006. I've seen dramatic wins, a lot of losses, spent afternoon on the road following the team, and have missed maybe three home games in the last 20 years. With a certain amount of shame, I'll admit now, I ducked out of my aunt's wake to listen to Rutgers getting pasted by Miami way back in 1998.

Yes, I bleed Scarlet, even though I am not an alum.

This is a piece that actually troubles me to write, but I feel I have a responsibility to do so. And I'm not going to sugar coat my feelings about the 31-13 road loss of then #25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights to a last place Syracuse team.

This was an unfathomable, incomprehensible, mind boggling loss, one that any deserving ranked team should never have suffered. It follows a familiar pattern of Thursday night wins over ranked opponents being followed on the Saturday that follows nine days later with an embarrassing double digit loss, Its happened during the 2006, 2007, and now the 2009 seasons. You can read the stats here if you like. Its pretty ugly from the RU side of it. I won't go into the minutiae of it- but Syracuse, statistically one of the worst offensive teams in the country, was able to dominate Rutgers from start to finish with twice as many first downs and three times the total yardage. Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage was sacked an incredible nine times. The offense was bad, the defense was worse, and only the special teams seemed to have shown up at the Carrier Dome.

While following the game I started to think that maybe the premise of The Prisoner was taking place- a separate reality where people and things are the same yet different in a corner of a dreamer's subconscious. If that were the case "the dreamer" was wearing Syracuse Orange and RU was in for a few hours of torment in the Village otherwise called the Carrier Dome.

This was not the team that destroyed South Florida, so I thought....and it wasn't. But who were these guys?

Now naysayers and critics will start yelling "fraud". I won't, because any program that keeps going to bowl games and winning them while graduating their players is NOT a fraud. But its getting harder for even the most supportive fans to keep arguing their case to the critics. And frankly, its getting redundant.

Every Rutgers fan should be happy to have Greg Schiano as our coach. He took a program that was in the tank and rebuilt it the right way, without recruiting violations and with a minimum of off the field embarrassments. He recruits good kids who play hard and get their degrees. The fanbase has grown, and much of New Jersey has embraced Rutgers as New Jersey's College Football Team.

When Coach Schiano took over the program in 2001 the Rutgers Touchdown Club gave its members long sleeved tee shirts that had two words printed on the back.....It's Time.

It was time for the losing to stop, for the culture to turn around, for New Jersey to get its college football team, for the world to see Rutgers in a new light. Coach Schiano said he wanted to win a national Championship at Rutgers.

In 2001 we fans thought about first things first- it was more important for Rutgers to win a Big East Conference game. Things were so bad at Rutgers in 2001 that RU was in the midst of a eight game Big East losing streak that extended back to a 24-21 win over Syracuse in 1999. They lost the next game to Miami, and continued to go 0-7 in conference 2000. When Schiano took over Rutgers wouldn't win a conference game in 2001 or 2002, going 0-14 in the Big East. In 2003 RU lost to Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pitt. They had a 25 game conference losing streak going to then conference member Temple on October 25- Rutgers won that game at The Linc, 30-14. Think about it- a 25 game conference losing streak that spanned five seasons, two decades, and two millennium ended only a little more than six years ago.

Respectability as a program came that year and in 2004, though both were losing years. The turnaround began -and "the Chop" was born in 2005 with a 7-5 record and the first bowl appearance in in 27 years. Three more bowls followed, as will another after the 2009 season.

But once again...Its Time.

Rutgers is in a mode now of taking two steps forward and one back. The bowl appearances, the Thursday night wins, the 50,000 seat expanded stadium, the buzz on campus and in the state are great....but the program is treading water.

The goal for Rutgers is to be one of the elite programs. Elite programs don't have hangover losses after significant wins. Consider this- what do you think the likelihood Ohio State following up a win at Penn State with a loss at Indiana would be? Or maybe perhaps Florida smacking down LSU and getting beat at Vandy?

Slim and none. And that's what many prognosticators said about a Syracuse win over Rutgers. They saw RU as ready for Prime Time, that the arrival that was hinted at was finally here. They were wrong, we were wrong...and, sad to say, Rutgers was not worthy of a Top 25 ranking.

And because of this shocking loss, they probably won't see the Top 25 again in 2009. And probably deservedly so.

Rutgers has made great strides in the past decade, but now It Time once again. Its time to make the move and be a challenger to the Big East title, and not be eliminated from contention by Halloween. Its time to follow up big wins with wins over teams they are supposed to beat. Its time to reach and fulfill the promise they have hinted at over the past four years. Its time to shut the critics up once and for all. Its time for the fans to demand more...support the team and its Coach, but not be satisfied.

Its time for the Rutgers program to emerge from adolescence and hang out with the Big Boys. There is not a reason in the world for them not to be.

Everyone....Its time..

Some notes on other games Kudos go out to UCONN after their 33-30 double OT win over Notre Dame yesterday. It was the most significant win in the history of the program, and for all intents and purposes knocked Notre Dame out of contention from Gator Bowl consideration, and will probably go to the second place Big East team, which could be Cincinnati, Pitt, or even West Virginia. UCONN has had five losses by a total of 15 points, while the Irish have now lost three in a row, and back to back losses to Big East teams.

The win was for Jasper Howard, the slain defensive back was lost his life hours after UCONN's win against Louisville.

The question of whether Notre Dame will retain head coach Charlie Weis has yet to be determined.. My guess is that next week's game at Stanford would be his last.

And I wonder this out loud....how long will the rest of college football allow Notre Dame to be treated as a separate but equal partner in the BCS when they have not been relevant in the national discussion since the era of Lou Holtz, which ended in 1996? Notre Dame in the 21st century is like old world aristocracy, living off the reputation and accomplishments of their distinguished ancestors. And how long will it take before the Notre Dame administration comes clean and has to make a decision- are they serious about winning a national title as an independent where they make a fortune through TV and other revenues that they don't have to share with a conference? Or should they break down and join a conference where they can play their way to a conference title and a BCS bid? Do they want a return to football glory and a shot at a national title, or do they just going to keep the money, live off of past glory, and continue this tiresome kabuki dance they've been doing for a generation now?

Also yesterday- BJ Daniels and USF bounced back with a 34-22 win over Louisville after losing to Rutgers 31-0 a week ago last Thursday. Maybe they can win out the last two games, against Miami and Connecticut, and finish the regular season with nine wins. Rutgers fans should be thankful for USF; without them RU would be known as the most unpredictable team in the conference.

The Tattoosday Book Review: Tattoo Machine by Jeff Johnson

First, a point of clarification. I write blog posts with the ideal blog reader in mind. The ideal blog reader being me. And what I have noticed over the years is, despite the interest in the subject matter, it is rare that a blog post will hold my attention longer than a few paragraphs. This is why Tattoosday posts are generally brief, not drawn out, and some times split into multiple parts.

Similarly, my attempts at literary criticism are not as in-depth as many may like. I acknowledge that shortcoming while noting, for many, this is actually a plus.

That said, I am long overdue in reviewing Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink by Jeff Johnson.

Johnson is a tattoo artist and owner of the Sea Tramp Tattoo Company in Portland, Oregon.

As anyone in America can tell you, the rise in popularity of the art of tattooing has skyrocketed in the last twenty years, and the first decade of the 21st century has seen the acceptance of body art increase exponentially.

Johnson's book is not your typical tattoo primer (the fanciest of which has been Kat Von D's immensely successful High Voltage), but rather, a memoir of his life and experiences as a tattoo artist.

What separates Johnson from other tattoo writers is that he has a true gift for prose, a writing skill that eclipses the efforts of your standard "all about tattooing" books. As a result, the reader is sitting there in the shop with Jeff, listening to his story. I could hear the buzzing of machines and taste the neon in the air.

Case in point, a paragraph from Johnson's introduction:

"This isn't simply a memoir. It is also a personal look at the people behind an art form that has undergone a rebirth and is shaking the natal mucus from its drying wings as a new pool of exciting, schooled, and committed artists take their places. This is also a book about street shops and the artists that flourished or inexcusably withered in those fertile grounds. I want to give the reader a more complete picture of a tattoo artist's life and the lessons learned along the way, the things a TV show or a visit to your local establishment can't capture, the things people wonder about when they look through the window the first time and ask themselves What's really going on in there? This is what I've seen. You might not want to get a tattoo from me after reading this, but there you go..."

The narrative wends its way through Johnson's past to his present, getting the reader to appreciate the journey that led the author to the helm of the Sea Tramp.

He tells it like it is, warts and all. On shows like L.A. Ink, you don't get to see the unsavory characters that are often hindrances to a tattoo business. We get that here.

Part One, Dial Tone, dwells on the business side of tattooing, from employees and scheduling, to flash art and drawing, signs of a good shop, and shop lingo.

Part Two, Man's Ruin, provides a primer on the big problems confronting the business: drugs, criminals, scams and oddities. The oddities section certainly opened my eyes and made me realize any good artist wouldn't bat an eye lash over a mild case of psoriasis.

Part Three, Love and Hate, talks about the emotional journey that the author has taken.

Part Four, Wine, Song and Your Mama, deals with success.

Part Five, Tiny Revolutions, revisits the technical aspects of tattooing and spends a nice amount of time discussing the politics of tattooing and the regulation of the industry.

And the final section, Part 6, Smile Now, Cry Later discusses pranks, rivalries, and the life cycles of a couple of shops. Johnson does a nice job addressing that aching question: how does an artist feel when a great tattoo dies along with its host.

Ultimately, Tattoo Machine, despite its meandering, is a thoughtful, humorous and well-written volume on the life of a tattoo artist. Is it every tattooer's experience? Probably not. But I'd be surprised to find an artist who would read this book and not relate to anything between the covers.

We here at Tattoosday give Jeff Johnson's memoir a big thumbs up and a hearty recommendation.

~~~~~~~

Here's some more on Tattoo Machine.

And here's a real treat, a clip featuring Jeff and a discussion of Sea Tramp Tattoo Company:

Pressing Issues: A Mad Man's Greatest Hits

If you're a fan of MAD MEN you'll love this. Roger Sterling's BEST ONE LINERS, from Greg Mitchell's PRESSING ISSUES blog.

After that nasty loss to Syracuse I needed the laugh!

Pressing Issues: A Mad Man's Greatest Hits

Ouch! Knightmare In The Afternoon- Rutgers Falls To Syracuse 31-13

Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano put it this way in his post game press conference...."We didn't play well, we didn't coach well- and that's on me....my hat's off to Syracuse".

Rutgers was ranked #25 in the AP poll, 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big East. The Syracuse Orange came into the game at 3-7, 0-5 in conference. Rutgers was an eight point favorite.

An injury ravaged Syracuse ran the ball down Rutgers throats, and sacked Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage nine times in a 31-13 upset.

Ladies and gents, it was so bad that I decided at halftime to go to 5:30 Saturday night Mass. I could pray for Divine intervention and for mercy from the media hounds and critics of my beloved team....I know, the Man Upstairs has more important things to do than worry about point spreads.

To be honest, I had a lot of apprehension about this game. Rutgers historically has a problem after big Thursday night wins. In 2006 Rutgers beat #3 Louisville 28-25 on a Thursday night; the next Saturday following the Saturday bye they lost at Cincinnati 30-11. In 2007 RU defeated #2 USF 30-27 on a Thursday night, only to get spanked the following Saturday by West Virginia 31-3 (wearing horrible black jerseys at home to boot).

And this month RU beat # 24 USF on a Thursday night 31-0, only to lay an egg the next Saturday. What made this one so painful is that RU's loss was to a regional rival....and was the only conference win this year for the Orange, who have already been eliminated from bowl contention.

I'll be back tomorrow with my regular "12 Hours Later" feature to look at this surprising but predictable loss, and I'll talk some more about the Big East landscape, including that big win by UCONN over Notre Dame in overtime.

What's In A Name -"So Where's All The Trivia and The Crazy Rants?"

Some people may log on to this blog in search of obscure facts about individuals, places, and things, and are disappointed to see that there just ain't all the trivia they were expecting. So much for truth in advertising.

Others may visit, looking for Dennis Miller style angry monologues loaded with obscure cultural references that need annotations at every juncture. They too find that its lacking in the "rants" presented in the title of this blog.

So what gives? This is a blog that has minimal rants (usually involving political figures) and marginal trivia. So why the name?

The answer is....I didn't know where it came from. Until early this morning, that is. You see when I decided to start blogging I neglected to have a name for this bit of cyberspace. When I was asked to present a URL for this blog by GOOGLE my mind went blank. The first -and only- thing that popped into my mind was "Useless Trivia and Mindless Rants", kind of a backhanded poke at the pretentiousness and pompousness of blogging and bloggers- myself included. Because blogging itself can be an exercise in vanity, for better or worse. We're trying to show the rest of the world how smart we are- sometimes we get it right, other times we're lost. Admittedly.

The fact that I'm writing this and sharing with you is my admission of guilt.

Anyway....about this blog's name. I couldn't sleep last night so I popped on the TV and went to the ON DEMAND menu. IFC had the documentary about the history of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, featuring the surviving Pythons (John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin). I had watched chapter one previously and clicked on chapter two. The episode opened with the day the Pythons went into BBC headquarters in 1969 and talked about doing a show with the suits. The BBC brass gave them 13 shows initially- but when they asked the guys what was the name of the show they had none.

After throwing around some off the cuff names, they settled on Monty Python's Flying Circus. The name amused them, but made no sense- and it stuck. Some early audiences consisting mainly of elderly pensioners actually thought they were going to a circus- and they couldn't comprehend what they were seeing.

While watching the Python history my Inner Voice started babbling to me (again!).... the name "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was the inspiration for the name "Useless Trivia and Mindless Rants" .....but I didn't consciously know it until about 3:00 am this morning, after 801 previous posts and close to 15 months in the blogesphere.

Either that Inner Voice was right or else the old Ian Hunter album "You're Never Alone with A Schizophrenic" was more accurate than I had imagined.

So there you have it...the REAL reason for the name of this blog.

I'll see you later...."WE" must go food shopping.

Shom's Chakra

I met Shom very briefly as he was about to board a train at Penn Station.

Aside from shoulder pieces and Sanskrit text circling his upper left arm, he has a couple of other tattoos, including this one on his inner left forearm:


This piece represents one of the many chakra for meditation.

It was inked at Jinx Proof Tattoo in Washington, D.C. Work from that shop has appeared previously here.

Shom had to board his train before I could get more information, but I express sincere thanks for his brief participation here on Tattoosday!

Quick Hits For November 20, 2009; Ms. "O" Says She's Done, Craziness at "The Q" and Other Fun Stuff

Its Friday and time to throw some stories and links at you that may be of interest. from the sublime to the ridiculous, and all points in between, with some QUICK HITS

(1). To those of you who may have been asleep for the past twenty five years and have some catching up to do, you'd better hurry- Oprah Winfrey will be giving up her daily talk show in 2011 after a quarter of a century. She is expected to make the announcement today (Friday 11/20/09) on her show.

I've said in other entries we throw the term "icon" around too loosely- very often it is used regarding a person or thing that is trendy, one which appears to have staying power but often doesn't. There are few true icons, symbolic of an era in our history or pop culture; Lincoln, Elvis, The Babe....both first and last names are not necessary, one will suffice.

Oprah is among that elite, not just because of her place in television history but what she has meant to our culture and to her greater history as a nation. In the 1980's THE COSBY SHOW gave us a middle class African American family that became THE ideal American family of the era. And Oprah Winfrey came on the scene to become America's talk show host. Ms. Winfrey zoomed to the top and has stayed there for 23 years. She broke down barriers in this nation, and became a figure as important in our racial history as Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, or Bill Cosby. She came to us when a generation came of age in which color didn't matter anymore, and in doing so she became possibly the most influential person in the United States, and an international mega personality symbolic of an era....in other words, an icon.

For more on this story, click here.

(2). Great moments in TV censorship- Lucy and Desi can't say the word "pregnant" when "Lucy Ricardo" is carrying "Little Ricki"; Mary Tyler Moore's "Mary Richards" character is changed to single woman from divorcee shortly before production starts on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW because CBS was afraid America would reject a divorced woman. MASH takes place in a battlefield hospital with thousands of casualties- but no blood; in ALL IN THE FAMILY the Bunkers couldn't say the word or show a toilet, but we could always hear Archie flushing whenever Mike was looking for him; Barbara Eden couldn't show her naval in I DREAM OF JEANNIE; and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE- the list is too long. There have been chapters of books devoted to the battles SNL's writers and performers have had with NBC's standards and practices people.

And now its time to add another chapter to The Pantheon of Censorship. Its from our Jersey Girl pal Linda Moss on her Homeshoppingista blog. This one involves the folks at QVC. Linda reports that during the NARS cosmetics launch on QVC show host Lisa Robertson was forbidden to say out loud the name of one of the line's blushes.

The name of the product was ORGASM.

To add to the craziness she also reports that the word ORGASM was allowed on the screen, but could not be spoken out loud.

Then there was the fallout from the viewers, with some very interesting stuff happening on the QVC forums....

You can read more about at homeshoppingista.com.

(3). More from Miss Moss. Some have wondered "whatever happened to Judy Crowell?" Judy was a former QVC host who moved on to rival HSN with husband Paul Deasy to rival HSN a few years ago, and then both left HSN a few years ago. Linda is reporting that Judy will be debuting the Judy Crowell Collection fashion line of ShopNBC in the near future. Husband Paul Deasy has already made the move to the Minnesota based electronic retailer with a jewelry line. Check Linda's story by clicking here, and click here for more on Paul and Judy at PaulDeasy.com.

(4) From the world of sports, a sad story. Stefanie Spielman, wife of former NFL and Ohio State star Chris Spielman, has died at age 42, losing 12 year battle against breast cancer. She was thirty years old and pregnant when first diagnosed with the disease in 1998. I remember reading her story years ago, and that Chris left the NFL to stay home to care for her and their kids, and how he shaved his head when Stefanie's hair fell out after chemo.

The irony of her death coming on the heals of this week's mammography controversy involving new guidelines isn't lost on me. Her death was not in vain. Maybe her's is a cautionary tale that all women are vulnerable, not merely those of a certain age.

My condolences go out to the Spielman family.

(5). Just one more item in a parting shot this morning. I wonder if John McCain can relate to Mary Shelly's fictional Dr. Victor Frankenstein just a little more. Both gave birth to an out of control creature- the doctor's became the subject of countless movies, the Senator's is now on a nationwide book tour....and I'm not talking about Meghan.



"Its alive!!!!"

Drew's Samoan Circle

I met Drew in Penn Station and he shared this, one of his two tattoos:


It's a cool design that he saw in an encyclopedia and took to an artist at State of the Art Tattooing in Southampton, New Jersey.

Drew ascribed his own meanings to the piece, creating his own interpretation of the designs.

The main circles he regards as two pinwheels, spinning in different directions. These two, as a whole, represent progression, as life moves forward.

Also, along the edges, in addition to some traditional design aspects, Drew pointed out two half-circles and four quarter-circles. These fragmented wholes represent the realms of dreams and realities.

By ascribing his own meaning and understanding of the tattoo and its elements, Drew makes the impersonal design (out of a book) more personal and special.

Thanks to Drew for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

X5 and CEO – Are they still riding side by side?

Design fetishists and car maniacs will certainly remember those puzzling news from Munich and Turin, with the Munich District Court (Landgericht München I) confirming a claim for design infringement raised by the famous – Munich based (!) – car factory BMW against the Chinese version of its X5 model called CEO, while the Turin District Court (Tribunale di Torino) had dismissed the very same claim against the very same contested design a few months earlier. The truth is that both courts addressed validity but draw deviating conclusions. While the Italian court found the ML novelty-destroying over the X5, the Munich judges did not. The defendant – the German importer – appealed to the Munich Appeal Court (Oberlandesgericht München). After a hearing on May 14, 2009, it took quite a while for the court but now the dismissal of the appeal has become public. Good news for BMW: X5 apparently does not infringe ML but CEO still infringes X5!
Since the first generation of the X5 is protected only by German national and corresponding Hague designs (not: Community designs), the Munich Appeal Court couldn’t render a Europe-wide ban on the CEO. Hence, BMW will have to go on a country-by-country ride and attack the CEO wherever a judge will be prepared to grant injunctive relief …

"Dial 800".....Our Eight Hundreth Post!

800 posts on this blog!

Simply amazing....and I really didn't think I had it in me- and I still don't.

I just want to take a minute to thank all who have taken time to visit blog, readers from over 100 nations, and a special thanks to those who have offered their comments and their feedback, and to all who have mentioned this blog on their websites or publications.

In the coming weeks I might not be publishing as much as I normally do- I like to add two or three items a day, but I'll be scaling that back just a bit in coming weeks. The holidays are beginning, time will become more precious.....and I have the possibility of jury duty looming in December (yeah, you're right- bad timing, it really sucks).

And actually, I do need to take a short slow down. When you start writing an entry and you go back to proof read, and not only have a zillion spelling errors but the absence of subjects and predicates in the sentences- well, you may need to take a break from writing for awhile.

But then again....tomorrow I just might have changed my mind.

(BTW....the hairy "800"- like an "800 pound gorilla? Get it?)

Thanks again everyone for your support!

More GOP Reaction To Terrorist Trials in NYC (So What Did You Expect?)

Do you remember John Shadegg?

You know- the Arizona Republican who dangled Baby Maddie as a stage prop on the floor of the United States House of Representatives during the House debate on the health care reform bill?

Well, this might be old news by now, but Mr. Shadegg decided to attack the decision to try five terror suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 suspects in lower Manhattan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the city of New York can handle the security....but here's a look at what Shadegg said to earn a spot on Keith Olbermann's WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD last night.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(Notice that the O'Reilly guy mangaed to take the two top slots last night).

To be fair, Shadegg did offer an apology to Bloomberg yesterday, but not until he was smacked down by by House Democrats and rebuked by some New York Republicans for his loose cannon tactics.

But it gets worse from the GOP'ers.

Texas Republican Louie Gohmert glibly told FOX NEWS that trying terrorists in Mew York could be a job creator, according to nydailynews.com.



After eight imprisoning these guys for six years or more, isn't it time to bring them to trial in the state where they took the lives of more than 2,000 innocent victims?

I say yes. We have a Constitution- no matter what O'Reilly says- and its time to do the right thing. To those who are afraid of future terror attacks even if they were to be held by military tribunal down at Gitmo, they would be looking for a soft target anywhere, not exclusively in New York City. That argument doesn't wash.

These men were never a part of a foreign army of combatants. What they are accused of doing were multiple acts of air piracy and murder. They weren't defending another country- what they are accused of was simply murder, many times over. Treat them like any other accused criminal. Military tribunals should be reserved for military personnel, not pirates.

OHIM Board of Appeal rules on functional designs

According to Alicante News, OHIM's Board of Appeal has invalidated a design on the basis that it is dictated by technical function (Decision of the Third Board of Appeal of 22 October 2009 in case R 690/2007-3). This is unsurprising - but what certainly is surprising is that the Board has not followed the Opinion of the Advocate General in the Philips case, nor that of the UK Court of Appeal in Landor & Hawa v Azure (which followed the A-G in Philips) but has gone its own way. To quote:

“That provision [i.e. CDR 8(1)] denies protection to features of a product's appearance that are ‘solely dictated by its technical function'. Those words do not, on their natural meaning, imply that the feature in question must be the only means by which the product's technical function can be achieved. On the contrary, they imply that the need to achieve the product's technical function was the only relevant factor when the feature in question was selected.”

To UK ears, this sounds much like the House of Lords in Amp v Utilux. It is also, of course, consistent with the treatment of trade marks by the ECJ in Philips, as suggested by the Dutch courts.

The complete decision is not yet available on the website. In the meantime, here is a link to the first instance decision. Will this be appealed to the CFI? Will the ECJ follow OHIM, or its own A-G? We await these answers (and your thoughts, dear readers) with bated breath.

Rebecca's Reiki Symbols of Healing

Last week I met Rebecca, who was waiting for an Amtrak train in Penn Station.

She had these tattoos on her inner wrists:


I recognized that they were kanji, but I didn't know that they were reiki symbols.

Reiki is a Japanese healing art, and Rebecca is a certified reiki practitioner.

As part of her certification and training, she studied enough to know that these symbols are accurate and refer to graphic representations of healing. Her right wrist speaks to long distance healing, and her left wrist refers to balance and healing.

Since reiki practitioners work with their hands, it seemed fitting that she had these symbols on her wrists.

She noted, as my wife has told me about her wrist tattoo, that the pain was very intense on this part of her body and that she passed out not once, but twice, in the course of having these tattoos inked over two sittings.

The tattoos were done at Gothic Tattoo & Body Piercing in New Hampshire.

Thanks to Rebecca for sharing her healing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

More On The Music On This Blog

Wang Chung; Jack Hues(l) and Nick Feldman(r)

A few weeks ago I added a music player from Playlist.com and wrote a short blog entry about what went into selecting music.

Well...forget what I said in that last entry, because there is little rhyme reason why I add or delete something, other than I like the particular song and think it would fit here, and on some occasions I just want to expose people to an artist or song that has been forgotten or ignored. There's a great deal of really good music and amazing artists who for some reason never find wide acceptance, or have written or performed a great song that for whatever reason fell the the popular cracks.

Most people hear Wang Chung and think about their two US hits from the 1980's, Dance Hall Days and Everybody Have Fun Tonight- you know, "everybody Wang Chung tonight". Many have forgotten that the group also wrote and performed the soundtrack from a classic 1980's crime drama, To Live And Die In LA , directed by William Friedkin and starring William (L) Petersen, John Pankow, and Willem Dafoe and has early career appearances by John Tuturro, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jane Leeves- she doesn't say a word in the film but she does make an impression. I always like the music from the action sequences and thought the theme was a good example of 1980's electronic movie theme music (of anything not composed and sung by Kenny Loggins). I followed that song with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing Don't Come around Here No More because (a) I like that song (b) SOUTHERN ACCENTS is a much under- rated Petty album (c)TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA segues nicely into it.

The instrumental Persuasion is included because Richard Thompson has always been a favorite. Sometimes his memorable lyrics and evocative singing makes you forget what an incredible guitarist he is, with a style distinctly his own. There is a rye and wicked sense of humor as well; later on in this playlist there is his version of OOPS I DID IT AGAIN. And for a laugh, look for his version of JANET JACKSON, as he tells the epic story of her Super Bowl wardrobe "malfunction".

Fools Overture by Supertramp leads off because I love the epic scope of it. Its provocative in its nature, referencing the insanity of war and its packaging in patriotism; in the this case the song samples Winston Churchill's famous "never surrender" speech. Whether you go along or not with the song's point of view, it is something unique and memorable. That's why I decided to lead off with it.

One last song i want to talk about, John Prine's humorous The Sins Of Memphisto. Many years ago on the old NASHVILLE NETWORK there was a show called THE AMERICAN MUSIC SHOP that usually included rock, folk, and country acts in various combination. John Prine was featured on one show. He sang SINS OF MEMPHISTO, but first told the story of when he wrote the song and recorded it, no one told him that the name of the fictional devil was "Mephisto" and not "Memphisto"...but the result was so good he never bothered to change the lyric or recording.

Signing off....."Hugh Jee"