New Classic WHOT Podcast

At long last, there is a brand new classic WHOT broadcast up from May 26, 1984 for your listening pleasure!

By e-mail request, we present the very FIRST WHOT appearance of the one and only Chuck Simpson! Chuck joins Hank to grace the WHOT mike and answer listener questions on "Dial-a-Bus-Driver" night!

May 26, 1984 Part One

May 26, 1984 Part Two

In Other News...

There's so much going on in RFNY and Hank and Jim land that I don't even know where to begin! Hank and Jim (and occasionally, yours truly) continue to bring you the finest in controlled insanity (AND your requests), every Friday evening at 8PM ET! You can join in on the fun by going to The All-New Hank and Jin Show web site - just go to the TUNE IN link and click away!

Since you're listening, why not stop in the all-new Hank and Jim Show CHAT ROOM? Crazy is more fun when you can share!

Last but not least, if you find yourself needing nitrous oxide when visiting SOME radio forums, we've got the answer for you: the BRAND NEW "Mixed Signals" Forum!!! Come on by, register, say hello and feel free to join in. Discussions on everything from radio (licensed and unlicensed) to music to your pet llama is welcome. We hope to make this bigger than plastics! Just click HERE to stop in!

Of course, for the latest in the Brooklyn Pirate Radio Archive Project, remember to come on by the Radio Free New York site, too!

It's multi-media madness, I tell you!

Meet the Hopper!

Yes. there's a new cat in the Pete household - the aptly named Hopper. Mon rescued him from a garage in the back of her workplace.

He's too damn cute for his own good!

Cory Lidle: 1972 - 2001

Please send thoughts and prayers to the wife and son of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. Cory died in a small plane crash earlier today when the Cirrus SR-20 he was flying crashed into an Upper East Side condominuim.

I can't really explain the mixture of shock and sadness that I am currently experiencing as I watch the news and hear players talk about Cory as a teammate and man. Always misunderstood - probably because his career began as a replacement player during the player's strike in 1995 - Cory spoke his mind but never really said anything that wasn't true. He called Barry Bonds out for his alleged steroid use and gave his teammates a hard time for their lousy performance in the ALDS against the Tigers.

I respect a guy that can be honest without being trite, and Lidle certainly was that. He did tireless work for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and never met a poker game he didn't like. He was, above everything else, a regular guy.

Thanks for the big games down the stretch, Cory - and thanks for being a regular guy.

October 9th

Today is October 9th, 2006. John Lennon would have been 66 years old today. Take some time today to enjoy some of John's music if you can.

Good news: looks like I survived the first round of layoffs at work. Whew.

Could be worse: Tower Records officially put the "Going Out Of Business" signs up today. The music institution suffered from the same old story (over-expansion, slow reaction to buyers trends, stubborn refusal to change, etc.) and will soon close its' doors. Of course, Tower has not really been the same for me since the days when I used to rifle through the stacks of LPs and 45s, but it will still be sad to see it go.

Keep smilin', folks...

The Party's Over...

In case any of you missed it, the Yankees were embarrassed by the Detroit Tigers in four games and ousted from the playoffs last night. Since then, I have received countelss e-mails and messages from friends and co-workers, all bandying about what the Yankees will do between now and next year. As such, I figured I offer up my two cents...

I am all for a total rebuild around the obvious nucleus. I wanted this team to rebuild 3, 4 years ago. If they'd done that - instead of putting new coats of nasty paint on the same old problems - the team would be just about ready to contend right about now.

Why rebuild? Obviously, the methodology of tired, old free agents on the downside of their prime is NOT working - especially in the pitching area. If the team can unload some of the older talent to hungry teams that would be willing to part with some high-level AAA or young talent, do it. Let them cultivate and mature here. They either end up playing for the Yankees or go in trades for needed talent (something under 40 from now in, please).

Rebuilding makes sense. Do it now, and you will have a team ready to contend just as Yankee Stadium III is ready to open. The downside is you MIGHT miss the playoffs for a couple of years (even that is not a given - look at the Tigers). OR - keep doing things the way they are done now - keep trying to win THIS YEAR - and make the playoffs, but win NOTHING again.

I'd rather not make the playoffs and work to another Dynasty than keep putting the same Rust-O-Leum on the rusting hull that we've been doing since 2002..

There are obvious things that need taking care of:

The Pitching Staff

Michael Kay said it best on the Game 4 post-game show: aging free-agents have not been working. Look at the teams that have been advancing: young, hard throwing guys that are not afraid of the strike zone. Cash a Co. need to look at what's out there and start dangling the dispensable parts.

Mussina needs to go. He's done nothing to alter that rep he has of being "just good enough to lose". When you want to know why he's never won 20 games in his career, look no further than Game 2. His inability to hold a 2-run lead was the turning point in the ALDS. It caused the offense to press and put tons of pressure on the other pitchers.

Randy Johnson needs to go, but with a no-trade clause, we're probably stuck with him. A best-case scenario would be RJ retiring, but that is not likely to happen. Wright was never meant to be anything other than a #5 starter - but at this stage of his career can only get worse. Should go.

The young pitchers did not embarrass themselves this year. Give Karstens, Beam, Rasner and others a chance to fight for a spot (or two) in Spring Training. They certainly can't do any worse than what we have now.

Everything Else

More than anything, this team needs a REAL first baseman. If Giambi sticks around, he needs to be the full-time DH as his fielding is atrocious. Phillips has not shown he's 100-plus-game starting material. A problem that needs to be seriously addressed in the off-season.

Melky Cabrera showed himself to be for real by staying consistent until regulated to the bench. Although there is risk to doing this, I'd like to see him be the starting left fielder next season. We have way too many OF/DHs on this team, so let's use some to get younger. Sheff plays hard but is a liability in many ways. I would say "thanks for the monster shots" and bid Sheff farewell. Matsui is a solid player, but his lack of an arm and propensity to be streaky - and getting older - means I would NOT turn down any deal that brings his name up. Abreu fit in well, he should be a keeper. Damon is a solid CF despite having an arm made out of fusilli. Lost the sparkle in his eye when the post-season started - can't let that happen again.

Jeter and Cano are here to stay. Cano needed more pressure-seasoning, but another year under his belt should help. Jete is Jete - never stopped playing hard throughout. That leaves A-rod.

Love him? Hate him? Indifferent? Regardless of what you think, he needs to go somewhere else. Some marriages, no matter how good the courtship or the honeymoon, just don't last. This needs to be written off as another Brad and Jen...Burt and Dolly...whatever. It just didn't work out.

As much as Alex says he wants to stay, does ANYONE want to be there on Opening Day 2007 when his name is read during starting lineups? It will be pretty ugly. I for one do not call out other fans for booing. Booing has been part of the game since Day One. All new players get booed until they win over the fans. Happened to Tino, even Reggie. A-rod just seems to make his own mess worse, and I do not ever see any time when it will get better. So it would probably benefit all parties to start divvying up the living room furniture and part the closest of friends.

Last but not least, I think it is now the appropriate time to bring an end to the Joe Torre era. Joe was definitely the right guy at the start of the Yankees’ turnaround – a calming force in a place that had been filled with chaos. However, all things must come to an end. Even the great Casey Stengel eventually was shown the door as the stagnation of his managing style crept into the players’ psyche.

I’d always been non-committal about whether or not Joe should stay, even after the disaster of 2004. That all changed during Game 3 of the ALDS. When Joe didn’t even flinch when that horrific ‘safe’ call was made at third base – no argument, no yelling, not even a swear word – I knew it was his time to go. When asked by a reporter if he planned to speak with the team following the embarrassment of Game 3, Joe replied, “My guys know what they have to do”. Maybe not, Joe – or they would have been doing it. There’s laid back…and then there’s comatose. Joe’s behavior in this ALDS bordered on mummified, and perhaps after 10 years, that’s not what this team needs anymore.

So there you have it – my analysis on what needs to be done before Pitchers and Catchers hit camp in February. Let the games begin!

Congratulations 2006 AL East Champion NY Yankees!

It took a Red Sawx loss to make it happen, but maybe that was more "poetic justice" as the Baseball Gods continue their "market correction"...? :-)

What a year! 11 more wins to #27!

LET'S GO YANKEES!!!

Don't Mess With Jack

Not that we needed more proof, but THIS is just another reason why Jack Nicholson may just be the most awesome American actor of our generation.

You CAN handle the truth!

Hey Matt - You're an Idiot!

I may not always agree with President Bush, but right or wrong he's a genuine guy who tries to do what's right (unlike his predecessor), and I have to respect that.

Plus, nothing makes me happier than when he goes on the offensive - especially when it is against a lightweight pantywaist like Matt Lauer.

Check out how Lauer tries to bait Bush (and has the audacity to argue the side of Kahlid Mohammed, of all people). Bush refuses to take Lauer's shit and treats him like the bitch that he is.

I wish W would get his rankles up more often. I could totally get on board with THIS President Bush...not that I'm not already.

Recollections, Five Years Later

It's amazing how five years can seem like five minutes, but it surely can.

Five years ago today, on September 11, 2001 my day started out like pretty much any other day. I said goodbye to Mon and boarded the 6:50AM bus. On a normal day, this bus would have gotten me to Port Authority by 8:30.

But this day, there was a disabled bus in the "express bus lane" to the Lincoln tunnel. From the loop of the Helix, I sent a text message to work to let them know I was probably going to be late. It was such a perfect morning, I didn't care. I took a few extra minutes to marvel at the Manhattan skyline and its' majesty in the morning sun.

As luck would have it, no sooner did I text my message when the traffic started moving. As the bus entered the mouth of the tunnel, I checked my watch: it was 8:45AM.

Running late, I purchased a new MetroCard, took a short cut through the 42nd street tunnel and ran up for the 1 train. As I hit the platform, an ominous announcement was being made overhead. "There is no 1, 9, or 3 service due to police activity at the World Trade Center". "Damn", I thought to myself, and prepared to walk up to get the M10 bus instead.

Strangely, as I turned to head up the stairs, a nearly-empty 1 train pulled in to the station. "Next stop, 50th Street". What luck, the train IS running. I jumped on and got off at 66th street like every morning.

As I emerged from the station to the street, my pager went off. Expecting it to be work, it instead read "Breaking News". I hit Enter and read, "Small plane hits the World Trade Center. Smoke visible for miles". I sped up 66th towards West End. At Amsterdam Avenue, I saw the guys at Engine 40 / Ladder 35 speeding out towards downtown.

As I raced up the elevator, I entered the lobby at 9:10AM. Staring at the TV monitor, I grabbed a co-worker by the arm and asked, "What the hell happened? Did a plane go through both buildings?". White as a sheet he replied, "No - there were TWO planes".

That's when I knew.

The rest of my day was a blur. The phone rang off the wall from radio stations in search of information. I remember not being able to get a dial tone, and the helplessness of not being able to call anyone. Finally, a call from Mon. I had to fill her in on what was going on as she had no TV at work. A frightening call from my Dad in Brooklyn, telling me that debris from the crash impact was landing in his backyard in Brooklyn.

Call after call, all day long. The Tower collapses. The Pentagon. Shanksville. Couldn't eat - no appetite, just a sick, queasy feeling. The next ten hours went by like a blur. The phones never stopped until President Bush came on. It was as if everyone stopped to hear what he had to say. It was then that the phones fell quiet.

With no way in or out of Manhattan, and an "all hands on deck" call at work, all of the day staff was still present. As the clock struck 10PM, we decided to venture out to stretch out legs and maybe find somethine resembling food. That was when the reality really hit me.

As the adrenaline rush of work subsided, I became aware of what was happening around me: armed National Guardsmen guarding the utility building; sharp-shooters on the roof; spotlights outside the Red Cross building; barbed-wire laden roadblocks in front of Lincoln Center; and a Broadway that was eerily dark and desolate.

This was the sort of thng you got used to seeing on TV in a war-torn nation - NOT in Manhattan. I felt sick. The combination of the ghostown-like Broadway combined with reality sinking in - oh, and "the smell" wafting up from Downtown - I probably couldn't have eaten anyway.

Our little group found a restaurant - kitchen closed, but bar open. We ordered a drink and said a prayer. The world as we knew it would not be the same again.

I decided to head back to work so I could call home before trying to get some sleep. After being scared to death by a low-flying fighter jet, I RAN back. I called home, tried to shut my eyes, and thought about everything that had gone on, not knowing when I was gonna get home, unable to sleep on the cot they set up for me because my mind was racing. Whenever I would drift off to sleep, I'd be awakened by the nightmares.

I finally gave up trying at about 3AM. I wandered into the newsroom with a hat on my sofa-headed hair and asked if I could do anything. I got put of coffee duty. Once the coffee was made, I sat and checked out the forums on NYYFans.com. It was almost theraputic.

After working another half a day came word that the trains were running to New Jersey. I finally got home at 7PM on the 12th, a trek that started around 1PM. NJ Transit was letting people on the trains for free, and I ended up taking three different trains (transfers at Newark and Bridgewater), with long pauses at almost every stop along the way so the police could walk the train. At the time, everyone was expecting another attack (I still think there was probably something else planned, but they cancelled it), so they were being super cautious with the trains. All cross roads the tracks went over were blocked with construction or farm equipment.

I stumbled into my house, ate my first real food in over 40 hours, and promptly collapsed on the sofa. As exhaused as I was, it was still the worst sleep I ever had.

Every year on the anniversary of 9/11, I replay that day in my head, minute by minute, in great detail. I guess in some way so I won't forget. None of us should EVER forget. I know I personally changed that day, as so many of us have.

As I sat and watched President Bush earlier this evening, I was reminded of how much we came together after 9/11, and how far we seem to have come apart at times since then. First and foremost, we should always remember the victims, the heroes and the fighting men and women that are still working to keep us free (even the ones that don't appreciate it).

We may never have that same naieve view of the world that we had on September 10, 2001 again, but in reality, we shouldn't. We must remain diligent and steadfast - and remember that our best plan of action is STILL to Defend, Protect and PREVENT. Freedom, as they say, is never free.

God Bless the United States of America. God Bless us all.

Insanity Update

We're now three days in to the "Path to 9/11" saga, and here's what we defintely know:

1. ABC, in their attenpt to make an even-keeled doco-drama on the events that led us to the tragedies on 9/11, used multiple sourcing (NOT just the flawed 9/11 Commission Report) as their guide. They then made the grevious error of pre-screening the thing.

2. Once the Democrats and Clinton saw that it wasn't going to be the typical Hollywood lovefest / whitewash of Clinton's culpability in what happened on 9/11, they blew a gasket.

3. In one of the most horrific examples of using power as a bully pulpit and censorship tool, the Dems further embrace the warm fuzzy glow of fascism by releasing a letter to ABC that coyly THREATENS THEIR BROADCAST LICENSE if they run the film as-is.

Since yesterday, a few things have happened: some left-wing web sites and organizations are trying to get a protest outside ABC together (wonderful); ABC claims it's still "editing" (when in fact, the final cut was completed weeks ago); Surprisingly, some of the actors in the film are speaking out AGAINST the censorship (good luck finding another job), and some 9/11 Commission members are supporting the film (not surpriising).

What has now become violently apparent, is what I have said for many years: The Democratic Left in this country talk a great game about free speech - UNTIL you say something they don't like. Then they have no problem censoring, bullying and threatening a victim into submission. Don't be fooled - this is nothing more that The Guilty not wanting people to see the fruits of their ineptitude, plain and simple.

Someone sent me a link to an entry on Power Line that spells out VERY clearly ALL of the Islamofascist attacks that took place while Clinton was president. It's WAY more than you think. It's a good learning tool for exactly how brazen these savages were while Clinton sat in the Oval Office, planning his next conquest. So I don't want to hear any more bullshit from the Dems about Clinton's "dilligence" against terrorism. He couldn't have cared less if he tried.

Clinton's been pretty lucky in getting a free pass or successfully blaming his messes on others since leaving office. As soon as he gets the FIRST example of Hollywood not playing nice-nice, he circles the wagons and calls out the Schumerman Pinscher attack dogs to squash the misbehaving child IMMEDIATELY to make sure it never happens again.

This is shameful behavior of the highest order, but since the 2000 Elections, I have learned that the Democratic Left has NO shame. I'm not surprised - just amazed.

PS - it was pointed out to me that several of the former Clinton administraions complaintants - and loud 9/11 Commission complaintant Richard Ben-Veniste - happily accepted invitiations to - and attended - the premiere of Fat Boy's polemic "FatAss 9/11". Surprising? No. Like I said - NO shame.

The ABC / Dem Saga Gets Crazier

Shame on me for not watching the news BEFORE posting last night's blog, or I woulda been REALLY steamed...I had no idea that Iger / BAC was doing a complete cave-in on "The Path to 9/11" because of the shameful bullying tactics of Clinton and the Democratic Party (I guess the old line appiles to the Dems as a whole: "You can't HANDLE the truth!"). There's even some discussion now that ABC might cancel the whole thing. Incredible.

Rather than go over and over what's already being blogged elsewhere, check out a detailed compliation of how this mess has been unfolding over the last 24-48 hours over at Hot Air (as always, mega-props to Tammy Bruce for the heads-up). There's stuff on there about the current conent being posted on the official Democratic Party web site that will make your colon prolapse.

Even more harrowing details of "The Great Cover-up" (a.k.a. the "Demo-Fascist-Bully-Censorship") are posted at Texas Rainmaker, whose link I got from Hot Air (above).

I can't believe kind of shit goes on - and gets neatly tucked away by 90% of the media (they seem to be coyly siding with the Dems - what a shock). I'm sure if the Bush Administration protested their portrayal in the film (something they haven't done BTW because they don't wring their hands about image issues), what the reaction would be.

Some people have no shame - others just don't care.

The Lunatics and their Asylum

Hey all...been a while since the last blog, been super-busy. The Archive Project is moving along so quickly even I cant believe it. I'm in the process of setting up a PodOMatic page to replace the Archive Shows page on the RFNY Site, and all other exciting bits of this and that...the Yankees are 9 games up, the Magic Number is down to 15...all the while, trying to work some SLEEP into the math.

But that is not why I come to you this fine evening. No, I am pounding away at the keyboard because I have my nuts in the kind of twist that can only be untied via all-out gut-spillage.

We sit here tonight four days away from the 5th anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 - the worst attack on this country since Pearl Harbor. This is a topic for a future entry, probably on Monday.

However, the news was vivid today with stories and images of a newly-discovered tape on Al Jazeera (a.k.a. Terror TV) of Osama bin Laden meeting with the 9/11 hijackers in advance of the attacks (guess THAT shoots a hole in many of the wacko conspiracy theories out therebut then again, the insane ARE delusional). Interesting timing by Terror TV in magically finding this footage so close to the anniversary of the attacks, dont you think? Its akin to someone magically finding video of a loved one about to be murdered on the anniversary of their death. Nice work.

If it serves ANY purpose, it's a stark reminder of the lengths these parasites went to in their plan to commit mass murder. I know it's easy for a lot of us to not think about what happened, but its something we should ALWAYS think about.

The other and more ponderous story of the day was the former Clinton administration's reaction to preview screenings of the upcoming ABC docu-drama, "The Path to 9/11". To ABC's credit, they chose NOT to go with the broad whitewash of the administration's culpability in what transpired on 9/11 as much as the so-called "9/11 Commission" chose to (thanks in many ways to the heel-nipping of Dem commission lackey Richard Ben-Veniste, who has also chimed with his two cents against this film).

Previous to the day at hand, the buzz about "The Path to 9/11" was that it was a more close to what actually went on leading up to the attacks than what we actually got out of the 9/11 Commission. When I first heard that, I wondered what THAT meant. When I saw Clinton and his lap dogs going apoplectic in the papers this morning, I finally knew.

There's a pretty good reason why they are all foaming at the mouth: because the representations laid out in the film are just TOO close to the 'real thing'. The first blow in the war against America WASN'T on 9/11: it was eight years earlier when the FIRST attack on the World Trade Center took place. Then, the attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Africa. The terrorists saw the Clinton administration doing NOTHING to retaliate for these attacks, so they got bolder. Next came the attack of the USS Cole (something a little bit too close to home for MY liking), after which Clinton did - you guessed - it nothing.

Three major attacks and all Clinton could really get worked up about was how much adultery he could commit in the Oval Office without getting caught. It's percieved of late that the miscommunication problems between the FBI, CIA and other branches of law enforcement that proved so fatal on 9/11 all spiraled out of control under Clinton's watch. No one was able to muster a cohesive plan to take out bin Laden; several opportunities to do so were blown and lost.

One of the more outspoken critics of the ABC pic is none other than Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger, Clintons national Security Advisor, who gets called out in this film as being too tentative - and allowing bin Laden to escape a possible attack. Sandy's a fine, upstanding citizen after all, whose word is GOLD. This is the SAME Sandy Berger that stole critical documents from the National Archive and shredded them at home before the 9/11 Commission could see them! What a guy.

What makes this most humorous is the fact that "The Path to 9/11" supposedly takes a pretty even-keeled approach in the blame department. George W. Bush does not escape unscathed, although it IS pointed out in the film that the man had only been in office for 200 days at the time of the attacks. OF COURSE, the Clinton camp hasnt said word one about the Bush portions of this movie, because I'm sure they believe THOSE parts are ALL true! In actuality, Bush was probably never properly briefed about the Al Quada threat because despite Clinton's claims to the contrary, he couldnt give two flying shits about Osama bin Laden when he was in office.

All Clinton gave a crap about for eight years was getting fat, making hay and banging interns. All this crybaby bullshit that is coming out from Clinton (and his bunch of gorillas) today is nothing more than him trying to maintain this Vaseline-on-the-lens, smoke-and-mirrors joke of a supposed legacy he's invented for himself. WHAT legacy? As the Bang Master? Clinton believes if he keeps repeating it, everyone will eventually start believing it, too. Most Clinton sycophants already do.

When the 2000 Election mess was finally settled and the dust was clearing, I remember sitting here with The Mrs. and saying, "There's probably so much underhanded shit that went on while Clinton was President that this country will still be tripping over it for years to come". Little did I know at the time that Osama bin Laden, already viewing America as a weak, paper tiger in light of our lack of action and reaction to repeated attacks, had the worst by-product planned to come.

Of course, late word is coming now that Iger and ABC are caving in to the all-out uber-fascista-censor-and-fear campaign being waged by the Clintonistas, and will make some tweaks to "The Path to 9/11", and will stress that some of the film is a dramatization (something they previously swore they wouldnt do). Incredible. John Gotti didnt have such pull. I think Clinton is feared more than HE was, although I have no idea why. Strip away the faux-Hollywood veneer and he's still just a two-bit Arkansas used car salesman in a thousand-dollar suit, same as always.

As I said on December 15, 2000...we may never know the true extent of the royal fucking this country (and several interns) may have endured for eight years. Hopefully, 9/11 was the worst - and last - of the under-the-rug surprises.

New RFNY Site Update! - 8-18-06

Two BIG NEW SHOWS are now up for your listening enjoyment at the Radio Free New York Web Site.

From October 22, 1983: WHOT kicks off their FOURTH year with a FUN show! It's "Nothing But Oldies" night, and Hank and Jim are going wild!

From February 28, 1986: WHOT is now heating up the AM Band in full force, and the East Coast of America checks in early and often!

For more info & sounds, visit the Radio Free New York show archive at http://rfny.hankhayes.com/13_shows.html

Last (but not least), the Show Archive has been updated to include the newest additions. You can have a look-see at http://rfny.hankhayes.com/12_archive.html

Thanks again for stopping by Radio Free New York - we love ya!

Successful Perseids Tonight!

Hey Kats and Kittens!

First of all - Happy Birthday, Mon! :)

Most pleased with tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower viewing! Between 8:30PM and 10:30PM ET, I saw eight (count 'em - eight!) meteors - six of them of the streaking fireball variety! Most awesome. I wasn't expecting much since all the pre-Perseid buzz has been that the show would be kind of weak because of the full moon - but I wrapped up my sky watching just as the moon came up, pretty satisfied with eight meteors!

Hope you got to see some nice ones too!

In other news...the Yankees lost tonight to the freaking Angels - a team I truly dislike -cutting the AL East lead down to two games. A lead is a lead, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Nightly Bitch: You know what? I don't think we have enough card games on TV. I think we need a few more channels carrying card games. I love when I see ESPN running "The World Series of Poker" (which apparently takes 365 days to play). Um, in case anyone didn't notice, card games are games of chance - NOT a SPORT.

Now with ESPN, ESPN2, Spike TV, TNT, Game Show Network and who knows who else showing a bunch of fat guys sitting around a table playing cards, I think we need to have "The World Series of Uno". Maybe "The World Series of Monopoly". You know, something EQUALLY as exciting.

I can't wait for TV Food Network to start up "The World Series of Deal-a-Meal".

Breaking News

For those of you just waking up this morning, serious news coming out of London...Scotland Yard has foiled a major terrorist plot to blow up 'as many as ten' planes in mid-flight which would have caused massive death and destruction. Thank goodness for our English friends and the heroes at MI-5.

This is just another terrible reminder of how far Islamofascist terrorists will go to in their attempts to steer western civilization back to the stone age (where they feel most comfortable). Make no mistake. We are fighting an evil that may surpass Nazism in sheer barbarism before all is said and done, if it hasn't already.

Check out the latest at the BBC's web site here:

'Airlines terror plot foiled'

Kind of ironic that this story breaks so soon after Joe Lieberman gets 'purged' by anti-war Moonbats in Connecticut, isn't it?

Look...George W may drive me crazy with the way he spends like a drunken sailor, and his inability to fully grasp the seriousness of the illegal immigration problem, but one place where he's 100% correct is in the War on Terror. When I try to explain to my goofy Lefty friends the importance of a pre-emptive strike in Iraq and establishing a presence in the Middle East, they just don't get it. To them, he's just "Bush", object of ridicule...either a moron or evil genius, depending on what day it is.

If thousands dead throughout the world isn't enough to make some people see the forest for the trees, I fear they never will. But hey, maybe the Dixie Chicks can write some more cute songs about their unrepentant Bush hatred! Wouldn't THAT be special???

Havin' a Heat Wave

Guten Tag,

As most of you already know, the East Coast is boiling under a massive heat wave for the fourth consecutive day now. Temperatures around the area topped 100 for the third day in a row, and today is expected to be the "peak" before a cooling front moves through later today (with the obligatory accompanying thunder storms, I'm sure).

Naturally, it didn't take long for the moonbats to start crawling out from under thier collective rocks and start hemming and hawing about the old "global warming" chestnut. I have to admit, I admire the moxie used to futher the "global warming" hysteria. We get a heat wave? It's global warming. We get a blizzard? It's global warming. We get a lot of hurricanes? It's global warming.

A memo to all the global warming Chicken Littles out there: SOMETIMES IT GETS HOT...SOMETIMES IT GETS COLD. SOMETIMES IT RAINS...SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. It's been this way since the freaking lava cooled and crap crawled out of the resulting muck and evolved over tens of thousands of years so that we could have diet soda and porn! OK?

On a serious note...yesterday markes the 27th anniversary of the death of former Yankee captain Thurman Munson in a place crash. Hard to believe it's been 27 years. I can remember the day like it happened yesterday. I came in from a backyard barbecue to fetch something off the table and at that moment, the bulletin came on the TV. I was in shock. Who expected a guy like Munson to be taken from us in such a way...and so young.

YES re-ran the Thurman Munson Yankeeography after the game last night, which brought back all the emotions again. I still think about all the "what-if's": What if he'd just gotten a summer home in North Jersey like everyone else? What if he'd just not taken that "one more" landing practice run? Sadly, we'll never know. It's a shame that we don't get to see Thurm at Old-Timer's Day, busting balls and having fun, like he should be.

But we have the memories, and based on comments made by current Yankees on what his his legacy means to this team, Thurman is still around - showing the young'uns just how a ballplayer should play the game. Jorge Posada keeps a picture of Munson in his locker, and hit a huge home run last night to keep the Yankees percentage points ahead of the Red Sox...just the way Thurman would have liked it.

Last, but certainly not least, Hobbes is back home. The finest minds in the veterinary world can't figure him out, so I'm not even gonna bother trying. He's doing well, eating and drinking and being Hobbes - a blessing on four paws.

Stay cool, y'all.

Just Checking In

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since the last blog, however that has more to do with MySpace's issues than my laziness (sorry, Blogger.com readers - although truth be told, it's been a combination of both).

The back's acting up, and it's been a crazy couple of days, and rather than rework her sentiments, I'll just borrow from Monica's Blog, as her thoughts very much echo mine right now:

I am not going to ask you to pray for me. Instead, I am going to ask you to pray for those I love.

I wish for you to pray for my wonderful cat, Hobbes, who got sick yesterday and is in the hospital. Pray that it's just a tummy ache. I would be lost without him and wrecked if something was wrong with him.

I wish for you to pray for my brother, Brian, who was deployed to Iraq on 12 hours notice to the James E. Williams, a guided missle destroyer. The man who told me, "No I am not afraid. This is what I do".

I wish for you to pray for his wife and kids so he comes home safely and returns to being the most wonderful husband and father I know.

I wish for you to pray for my mom. My mom who is the rock of this family. The woman that makes everything better. The woman who stood before me yesterday crying for her son.

And, I wish for you to pray for all of those who are risking their lives everyday so we can sit on myspace bitching about mundane crap that seems so important but in retrospect really isn't as disastrous as we think at the time.

Please, pray for them all...

Thanks, all.

Poisoned at Work

Good evening. Right now, I'm just happy to be not bent over and wretching. They ordered pizza for us at work today, and I thought, "wow, cool deal - free pizza on a Friday!". Little did I know that I was gonna get poisoned by what was probably some bad ricotta cheese on what was supposed to have been a white pizza. I should have known something was up because I never saw white pizza with tomatoes and basil on it (FWIW, that's a margherita pizza, folks).

Even BEFORE that, I should have been suspicious of any pizza that comes in boxes bearing advertisements for Manhattan mini storage.

The funny thing is, as I was eating the offending pizza my taste buds were sending up flares to my brain, trying in vain to warn me that something was amiss. But you know how it is...you see everyone else eating the pizza, so you rationalize that it MUST be OK. And hey, it's free, right? So I eat it anyway.

Twenty minutes later, I'm starting to feel some rumblings down below. Thirty minutes later, I knew I was in serious trouble. If not for being alone at work, I would have bolted right then. But I stuck it out until 6PM, and on the way home suddenly found myself in a moving bus restroom throwing up a Volkswagen van. I think I left my spleen in there.

Thankfully, here I am, a little over six hours later, and I'm alive and NOT hurling projectiles anymore. The lesson to be learned here is two-fold: if something doesn't taste right, down't eat it. In addition, unless you pizza comes in a white box with a stereotypical drawing of an Italian chef saying "You've tried all the rest, now try the best"...DON'T EAT IT.

Speedy Alka Seltzer, I love you.

A Few Minutes Without Thunder

Hey kids...just wanted to post a quick bloggie update before bed. Another day, another round of massive storms. We had the power going on and off all freaking night, as usual. Guess I should be used to it by now. The poor cats are gonna lose thier minds soon from all this racket.

The power was kind enough to come back on in time for me to see Pat DiNizio's "7th Inning Stretch" special on ESPN2, which was great. I learned a lot of things about Pat (and the Smithereens) that I never knew. I have to meet Pat one day so I can tell him all about how WHOT used to play The Smithereens before anyone else. We were wearing out "Especially For You" before ANYBODY, man!

I then went ahead and did the stupidest thing I could have done before bed - I sat down with a calculator to figure out how much I have to shell out in bills this week, only to find out the bill-to-money ratio is waaaay out of wack. So now I have agita and I'm borderline manic depressive. Plus, I'm still bent out of shape about the friggin' tax hike boloney.

On a positive note, last night's MLB All-Star Game was pretty decent for a change. As much as I hate using a glorified exhibition game to decide home field advantage in the World Series, at least they didn't have a tie after nine innings that needed to be settled with a SHOOTOUT!

Soccer. What a retarded sport.

Alright, since I'm good and agitaged, let me go try and get some "quality" sleep,

Petezs

Still Fest-ering After All These Years

I'm sitting here this morning trying to figure out how I managed to instigate an argument last night about something that happened four years ago. I finally concede that all people (including myself) are crazy, and in the words of Paul Anka, That's just the (bleeping) way it is.

Here's the proof: about four or five years ago (I forget), the folks that participate in the Saturday Night Jam at Beatlefest (or whatever it is they're calling it these days), made an effort to try and prevent the thing from turning into the discordant, ear-splitting train wreck it had increasingly become over the last few years. The previous year's shenanigans challenged The Who at Shea Stadium for sheer blood-splattering decibels and The Clash for sheer lack of musicianship. It was an unmitigated disaster. Even the Red Cross refused to show up with blankets. You know it's bad when other Fest guests actually call the lobby to complain about the noise. But that's exactly what happened. No one really enjoyed themselves.

After much discussion between many of the jam regulars, right up until that Saturday night, it was decided that rather than have 100 people with AC-30s and Fender Champs bitch-slapping each other into permanent tinnitus, a professional P.A. system would be set up and people could sign up to take turns jamming for a few songs, a couple at a time, plugged into already-supplied amps and everyone would get a chance to play for a bit instead of turning the evening into another Hindenburg.

Sounded like a beautiful idea, except that as with anything and everything, there were a handful of people that got pissed off because they couldnt set their amps up and play all night. Wouldnt listen to reason, just stormed out. "Whatever", I thought. Screw you, I want to be able to hear when Im 50. Good riddance.

After the initial brouhaha calmed down, one member of the group stepped up to try and organize the sign-up. It could have been ANY of the 20 or so people already assembled there, but it just happened that this one guy stepped up first and tried to keep things organized. People signed up, people played, the jam went on until the wee hours of the morning and no one bled from the ears, no one called security - everything was beautiful. Or so it seemed.

The next morning at breakfast, everyone seemed pretty happy about the previous night's affair. I had missed the real bulk of it, but the folks that had stayed were very pleased with the resulting quality of the music and the crowds enjoyment thereof.

Some time between bacon and eggs and the start of Sundays festivities, things took a nasty turn. Word started spreading through the place via the 'Devil's Radio' that people had been prevented from playing, or were only allowed to do one song. I had seen just the opposite before turning in, but I checked with some of the gang that had remained after I left. "Thats not what happened at all", "Not true", and "No way" were the general responses.

It didnt matter. By the middle of the afternoon, the guy that had foolishly volunteered to manage the sign-up sheet (and it really could have been ANYBODY) was being vilified. Childish cartoon characterizations of the guy started appearing all over the hotel and the place was abuzz with bad vibes. None of the bullshit came remotely close to the truth, but once you start an avalanche, it cant be stopped. Things got so bad, the guy stopped coming to the Fest for a couple of years. All this because some people got their nuts in a twist because things weren't being done "their" way anymore. As a result, the organized jam idea was abandoned, and the next year, chaos and deafness ruled once again.

Now, fast-forward to last Wednesday. I'm on vacation with some friends and one of the guys has a CD of the audio from the ill-fated organized jam. I was taken aback by just HOW good it was. Musically, it was superb. No clashing amps on full volume. No sharp and flat guitars dueling like the 200 Spastic Musketeers.

So last night, I'm chatting with a bunch of friends and one of the guys there happens to be the one that (foolishly) volunteered to manage the jam sign-up. I off-handedly mentioned that I'd JUST heard tapes from that night a few days earlier, and that I was surprised at just how good it actually was, and how sad it was that a few people had to ruin a good thing.

We're talking back and forth about all the crap that had gone on when suddenly, without warning, someone jumps in and starts arguing about it! Four years later, and theres STILL crap going on about what supposedly went on that night - and heres the punch line - mostly by people that weren't even there.

I felt bad that the whole thing got re-hashed again, and I was sorry I'd even brought it up. But in the aftermath, I was mostly dumbfounded by how much info from that night is STILL 100 percent WRONG, and how people are still clinging to the phony-baloney bullshit version like it was Moses clutching the tablets.

Oh yeah - so at this LAST Fest back in March, I ran into a guy who no longer participates in the Saturday Night Jam. I asked him why, and he said because its become a train wreck that gets crashed into by a plane wreck.

What can you do.