Early and Later musical influences

There's no way to easily list out musical foundations without leaving out choice names, though my overbearing yet cuttingly post-modern La Heavana Musica attempted to chronicle much of the 20th century's harmonious noise.

Gotta take the dog for a walk, will expand this post soon.

Dylan, Lennon, Marley...

Okay, back now:

Canadian

Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Ray Materick, Bruce Cockburn, Stampeders, April Wine, The Guess Who, Rush, The Band, BTO, DOA, Subhumans, Young Canadians, Modernettes, Teenage Head, Demics, Salome Bey, Valdy, Stompin Tom Connors, Blaxam, Our Lady Peace, Billy Talent

International

Joe Jeffries, Tommy James, Todd Rundgren, Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, Pink Floyd, Cream, Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Clash, Dead Boys, The Who, John Prine, CSNY, Jimi Hendrix, Dennis Brown, Peter Gabriel, Ramones, Peter Tosh, U2, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Radiohead, Rise Against, Muse

I'll expand these lists in days and weeks to come.

Peace 2 All,

Joe

UPDATE on Music; Seeking Bass / Drums, Markham-area

Been rehearsing a lot on electric guitar, jamming out old songs like Picture My Face, London Calling, Goin Up the Country, After Midnight, Hey Joe, Heartbreaker, Crazy Love, New York City, My Pledge of Love and more gems.

Do I want to put a band together? Sure...

Do I believe it will last? Not really, but maybe low expectations are designed to be exceeded.

I know some truly great guitarists in Toronto and the GTA, yet having trouble finding a rhythm section for a rock reggae blues punk folkster.

Adventurous, rebel-minded musical sould can check these links for a taste:

Canadian Rock Reggae Singer Yuya (Joe College)

Punk Rock Pioneers Joe College and The Rulers

Not sure if I want it bad enough; have I been sucked into the confusing world of contentment?

Stay tuned!

Giant Blowout Condom / Underwater Pipeline could channel oil spill flow

Why not have emergency sleeves connected to 1/2 mile long connectible pipe sections on standby for just this type of blowout. The larger end of the funnel is positioned by manned or unmanned submarines and slipped over the accident scene, with the cone narrowing into a smaller pipe that would still be big enough to handle all the flow from the broken well. The issue would be water mixed in with the oil as it is loaded / vacuumed into tankers, but returning slightly oiled water in a separation process would likely be 100x less dangerous than just letting the oil spill as we do now...

NHL's Bettman an embarrassment who MUST GO!!!

Could Shanahan or McLean replace Bettman?

There was a time when the NHL and the hockey world in general needed an injection of marketing zazz, but at this Josephson juncture of puzzling opportunities, what the world needs now is an infusion of hockey blood. Brendan Shanahan, anyone?

The idea that NHL players will not be at the 2014 Olympics is an insult to hockey fans and all humanity. This guy is OUT OF TOUCH with hockey fans in Canada, the USA and globally. Team USA has a legitimate shot in 2014, as do Canada and Russia, so how can a true hockey fan not revere and foretaste this looming showdown? Sad to say, Bettman IS NOT a real hockey fan, but rather a frontman, a hired gun who needs to be run out of town for the health of the sport.

Rather than continuing to pour the league's money into failing franchises, let's make some moves to bring in outside cash, and if certain markets cannot be turned around, move them to markets looking greener.

Step One - Expand by 2 teams, raise $800 million

Offer one team for Canada and one for USA, at $400 mil per.

The Canadian team will go to Hamilton (Jim B is a technology and marketing whiz whose company Blackberry / Research In Motion sponsored a major U2 tour) and the funds divided:

A) 30 teams x 10 mil per = 300 mil

B) Bottom 5 to 8 teams financially = 50 mil

C) Leafs 30 mil Sabres 20 mil = 50 mil

D) NHL gets help assisting the weak, but no direct cash

Sub-Total 400 mil

The US team could be awarded by merit of proposal and the funds divided as above, with C funds being awarded to the 2 or 3 most affected nearby franchises.

Sub-Total 400 mil

Total 800 mil new money by adding 2 teams

With 32 teams, it will be easy to create 4 divisions of 8 teams each.

Step Two - Strengthen the Thirty-Two

If teams cannot be returned to profitability within 3 years, OR find local investors to support the team, then they can be moved to cities that want hockey, such as Winnipeg, Quebec, Seattle etc.

Leagues evolve and new strengths emerge to replace failed enterprises, that's just the way it goes in pro sports. You can't let the weak suck the life out of the strong...

I can't say the guy has been a total failure, as even Robert Mugabe did a lot of good when he was younger and less corrupt. Bettman's value to the NHL has diminished greatly, and he is becoming a nemesis of hockey fans; a new face is needed at the helm. Ron Mclean, anyone?

The BIG Seven of the Club of 27

Of ALL the great musicians who passed away at the tender age of 27, here are the seven saints who lead the march in:

Robert Johnson - August 16th, 1938

Bryan Jones - July 3rd, 1969

Alan Wilson - September 3rd, 1970

Jimi Hendrix - September 18th, 1970

Janis Joplin - October 4th, 1970

Jim Morrison - July 3rd, 1971

Kurt Cobain - April 5th 1994

Some might argue that Wilson doesn't belong there, instead positing another soul or suggesting the list should be just six names. Overstanding the 1969/70 Woodstock culture and its influence on our world makes me wanna include Blind Owl Wilson, so I have Al in there.

Anybody wanna post their own 7 of 27?

Wikipedia webpage about rock star club of 27

Any Ideas on Quitting Smoking?

If anyone has some experience or even anecdotes about how some people were able to kick tobacco, please advise. I don't smoke all that much tobacco, perhaps 2 to 3 cigarettes per day, but I have been smoking for a few decades and feel it is time to give this up.

Thoughts?

NHL's "Logic" is F#^#ED Up and MUST Change!

Excuse the passion kids, but the NHL needs a shakeup at the highest level; somebody's asleep at the wheel and the vehicle's careening out of control.

Players are bigger, faster and stronger yet the playing surface remains the same size, creating a scenario where higher numbers of high speed impacts will occur. It is imperative then that league management ensure that hits to the head that were allowed in previous eras are no longer fair game. Hit hard, but hit the body.

Here's the HUGE flaw in the NHL's reasoning this week, according to TheStar.com:

In his ruling, Colin Campbell said the league had to be consistent. Even though Cooke has been suspended for hits to head twice previously, the league VP cited Philadelphia’s Mike Richards, noting he was not suspended for a similar hit on Florida’s David Booth earlier this season.

“No one likes when a player like Marc Savard goes down the way he did. No one likes when a player like David Booth goes down the way he did. But we have to be consistent,” said Campbell.

“I know Matt Cooke is a repeat offender, he’s been suspended twice in the last year. I can’t suspend Matt Cooke for being a repeat offender, I have to find a reason. Right now our rules say that shoulders to the head are legal. Matt Cooke did not jump, and Matt Cooke did not do anything that we found illegal in his actions even though, again, you don’t like what happened.”

To compare Matt Cooke with Mike Richards shows a very short-term memory of the NHL. Hitting by skill players may sometimes involve an accidental injury to an opponent, but these guys generally have a career of tough, fair-minded achievements to illustrate their credibility. It sends a bad signal to goons that they're going to be treated the same as stars in these incidents. Not that Cooke is a goon, but his points to penalty minutes ratio over his career has been about 1:3, while Richards has been about 1:1.

Consider:

2nd offense - 10 game suspension, 5 games pay to NHL Injured Players Retirement Fund

3rd offense - 20 games, 10 games pay to fund

4th offense - 60 games plus any playoff games before the 60 regular season games are completed, 20 games pay to fund

5th offense - 2 year suspension

6th offense - career ban

You used to be able to chop the stick out of an opposing players hands and if he wasn't holding it strong enough that was too bad for him and his team. Now they call it slashing! What, did the poor little stick get hurt?

C'mon NHL, cut out the sissy calls, and protect your players with no-touch icing and a ban on head hits.