This week's Friday Five touches on several themes I've covered in this blog for a long time:

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?
Overall, my favorite is Billy Joel. His songs have always told stories that resonate with me.

I still remember listening to the Glass Houses album over and over on a car trip to Florida when I was younger.

In Jazz, I've been a huge fan of Holly Cole. Her haunting song styling hypnotized me years ago. Ironic, since one of the songs she's well-known for is a cover of Trust in Me from the Disney film The Jungle Book - a song sung by the snake character as it tries to use its hypnotic powers.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?
I've never been able to get into Diana Krall. Maybe because I'm a fan of Holly, granted - but I listened to one of Diana's albums and was bored out of my mind.

Outside of Jazz, I can't stand Eminem. He comes across as a jerk, and his voice is one that gets on my nerves the moment he performs.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?
Billy seems in interviews to be a cool guy. I'd still like him if I had the chance to meet him.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?
Let me see:

Cindy Lauper put on a very fun show. This was in the 1980s, during the height of her popularity.
Julian Lennon I saw a few months later. MAJOR snore fest.
The Jackson Family I can't remember ever wishing such hurt to Michael. The show was great, but he was still a freak back then.
Huey Lewis and the News was another fun show.
U2 during their Joshua Tree tour. That was a very high energy concert.
Whitney Houston was fantastic musically, but she came close to topping Diana Ross in insincerity. The difference was that Whitney did sound bored.
ZZ Top was fun for all the trademark spots we knew, but their show just felt lacking in many ways.

The best concert to me: Styx a summer earlier. They had a huge library of songs, and I'm a huge mark for harmonies. Plus, when they praised Montreal, said it was special to them we knew they meant it; ours was the city where they first got their big break.

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?
Why stuff like Kazaa and the P2P era became so popular was that 20 years after the introduction of the CD the cost of one still didn't go down. It's near 20 bucks to buy a disc where you may like 2-3 songs. Listeners got fed up with that expense, and record industry greed.

I think the RIAA has gone too far in their moves. Like David Bowie said: "You don't sue your customers." With over 63 million potential buyers, the music industry will take a huge hit if a large enough number of them get angry enough to stop buying anything - and all the RIAA is doing is turning these folks against them.

The Apple I-Tunes store has proven what should be done. Not lawsuits, just having people pay for what they want.

look! cute little kittens! blogjam random kitten generator

Since I'm such a cat lover, this site had me cooing over photos repeatedly.

This week's Friday Five:

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed?
It remains the same, although my full name of Jeffrey I usually shorten to Jeff.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?
I would take my original middle name of Alan, as I'm the only person in my group of siblings not to have one.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)
I'm named Jeffrey from my zeide's name Jack. In our Jewish traditions, childrens' names come from those of deceased family or friends, to honor their memory.

My non-existent middle name has a story:

I was supposed to have Alan initially. I have a nasty aunt who made a big stink that it was the name she intended for her son. I've come to the conclusion that this aunt is bi-polar. It's the only reason that makes sense for her always being so antagonistic to me. That, and she's always been competitive; I was the firstborn, and not to her, so she always treated me and anything about me badly.

Long story short, she ended up giving her son the middle name Ian. I think she just wanted that extra small victory.

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?
I've always been partial to the names Amanda for a girl (also the name of one of my nieces), and Jake for a boy.

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com / triggur.org / astroexpert accurate? How or how isn't it?
My analysis at kabalarians was fairly on the mark. It gives the image of a warm, caring and artistic person.

Triggur is way off the mark. Mind you, it aims at a very dark, negative description anyway.

Astroexpert was hard to get through to an answer, but this part fits me to a 'T':

The native will be of intellectual kind and his mind will be ever active and sharp. He will be restless, versatile and inclined to have changes often. He will be much interested in reading and writing and may develop special interest in a few subjects.

The native will be known for his wit, logic and intelligence. The native will quickly learn new things. He has the ability to do a task with great skill and grace. The native will prefer company of learned and wise persons.

Well, 9-11 wasn't as difficult to get through this year - although the fact that it was dealt with so off-the-cuff by many, only two years past, disturbs me.

- Oh: I had the casualty numbers much higher than they really were... there were nearly 3100 lives lost, not 8000. Still, anything over 0 is still too much to me.

It's now the eve of the 2^nd anniversary of 9-11... I suspect it will be a very emotional day for me.

I couldn't help but find it "convenient" that a new tape of Osama bin Laden was "discovered" just on the eve of that horrible day.

Regardless of my feelings about G.W. Bush (you'd have to be hiding under a rock to miss them), the fact remains: this is a mmnan who orchestrated the murder of nearly 8000 innocent lives, under a foolish belief that this was a choice that a higher power wanted. To him, these weren't people, just means to an end.

I don't know if he's actually alive, or if his image is being used by other jackals. Regardless, these are evil men, and they have to be found and brought to a justice they deserve.

CNN.com - Bush to ask billions more for Iraq - Sep. 7, 2003

When 'Dubya' was named President (I don't say elected; the popular vote was won by Gore) my words in this blog were:

I hope we live through this mistake. - or words to that effect.

Now, while the American economy is in the dumps, what does he do? Ask for more money than what was originally figured.

The country will ultimately be one of the worst off economically in the world... but hey, we'll have a pretense of terrorism squashed, huh? Neither Osama bin Laden or Saddaam Hussein have been caught yet (nearly 2 years since 9-11 too), but let's not mention those things...

Sad. Very sad.

CNN.com - Ugandan dictator Idi Amin dies - Aug. 16, 2003

Is anyone actually sad for this? He was one of the bloodiest dictators of our times.

Now, if only Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein obituaries were posted too...

CNN.com - Actor-dancer Gregory Hines dead at 57 - Aug. 10, 2003

Another part of my youth gone way too young.

Peter's Place Of Freelance Journalism

As a writer, I can't support such reference sites enough.

CNN.com - Gary Coleman on California ballot - Aug. 6, 2003

OK... with comedians Ghallager and D.L. Hugelly in the running as well and Arnie... it has officially become the most bizarre election in North America.

CNN.com - Schwarzenegger announces bid for governor - Aug. 6, 2003

Could Arnie follow in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood here?

Original Cartoons and Games by Camp Chaos!

Most of the toons here (and the language) are very adult in nature... however many of the anti-Mettalica and Napster toons are here, and they are pretty funny.

CNN.com - Bush uncertain about gay marriage ban - Jul. 2, 2003

Nothing like flip-flopping views from "Dubya"reported on the same day. Well, the stories were 28 days apart, but I read them on the same day. 28 days to give opposite views; another strike against Bush's presidency.

I'm hetro, but some of my friends are gay. I'm sick of this BS against their happiness.

CNN.com - Bush wants marriage reserved for heterosexuals - Jul. 30, 2003

He says he wants the USA to be a "welcoming country", but also wants to ban homosexuals from marriage.

Can you say hypocrite?

You'll find a new addition to this blog now: a Creative Commons license.

I'm not 100% sold on it's validity, but I saw Leo Laporte talk of it on Call for Help today. I wanted to protect my words.

Note that all copyrights to other people's works revert to them.

There was a drawback to republishing my archives, but a rather small one... the original site designs were lost. Not a big thing: I'll make a new page to show the warts of this blog's genesis in thumbnail images.

I finally succeeded in republishing my archives so that they were readable!

About time. 3 years worth of material to re-code would have been exhausting work.

Once again, a Friday Five (a day late), that interested me:

1. If your life were a movie, what would the title be?
Hmm... the filmmaker in me comes out... I'd say I Get Up Again.

2. What songs would be on the soundtrack?
Obviously Tubthumper by Chumbawumba, the title track... also Destiny's Child Survivor, Kate Bush / Peter Gabriel Don't Give Up, Queen Show Must Go On... I have to think of the others a bit. I'd dream of a musical score by John Williams, but he generally does bigger epic film scores.

3. Would it be a live-action film or animated? Why?
Live-action. This would be a story requiring real feelings, real emotional depth... animation would distance viewers from that a bit.

4. Casting: who would play you, members of your family, friends, etc?
Let me see... I'd cast Johnny Depp in my role, because he's proven to be fantastic in such complex roles. As the parents... if Annette O'Toole were a little more mature, I'd cast her as mom... maybe Diane Wiest as mom, Tommy Lee Jones as dad, Winona Ryder and Brittany Murphy as my sisters.

(I'm basing that by fitting cast to their age ranges, nothing else.)

As my best friends, I'd say Sean Astin to play Pat, Michael Rosenbaum (with hair grown in) as Mike.

5. Describe the movie preview/trailer.
(Show my character, getting a University degree)

VOICE OVER: He had the brains.

(Cut to me performing voices in a sound lab for cartoons, mixed with stage performances singing.)

VOICE OVER: He had the talent.

(Cut to a doctor's office. Mom and dad are seated with me. My right arm appears "off". The doctor is speaking to us.)

V.O.: Then, life tossed in a roadblock.

DOCTOR: You have Multiple Sclerosis.

(Cut to a montage of scenes from the film: me going through a range of emotions, learning of the suicide of a high school friend who also had MS, shots of me reading and writing, heated talks with Pat and Mike on the road in a car.)

V.O.: Follow an emotional journey of a man forced to redefine his life, to come to grips with the worst, finding the strength to go on and live.

(Close with a scene of me walking on with Canada Crutches for support. My face shows both determination and peace. The title appears on screen. The title song by Chumbawamba is playing. The announcer says the title.)

V.O.: I Get Up Again.

This week's Friday Five:

1. Do you remember your first best friend? Who was it?
That's a tough question... I was only 7 when we moved from Chomedy. I remember being friends with twin brothers, but I don't remember their names.

2. Are you still in touch with this person?
As my lack of name memory shows, no.

3. Do you have a current close friend?
There's a guy I still consider my closest friend, but I haven't seen him a lot in the past few years. Only once every few months or so.

4. How did you become friends with this person?
We met through Comicopia, the fanzine I founded 13 years ago. We learned we were born the same day, the same year, just hours apart and on different sides of Montreal. We've often referred to ourselves (and been called such by others) as Astral Twins.

5. Is there a friend from your past that you wish you were still in contact with? Why?
Actually it's three people - my friends from High School that were my clique (actually, I think we were four). I saw them all briefly once or twice years ago, but we never really kept in touch. I'd like to catch up with them.

Damn. I heard on the radio today that the Iranian co-joined by the head twins who'd tried surgery to separate them died.

They had stated they'd rather die than continue life so joined, but it's still sad news.