I miss the days when you could turn on Much Music and you knew you were going to see an actual music video. I suppose the same thing goes for MTV in the U.S.
Back in the 80's when these two channels came on the scene they were driven by the music video and to be honest, there have been some amazing, groundbreaking, controversial and technically stunning music videos over the years.
When I think back to my teen years and the hours I spent watching Much Music and the videos, I think of it not as time wasted but as the soundtrack of my youth.
The first video that really peaked my interest was by the Canadian singer, Gowan and the song "A Criminal Mind". As it turns out, it's still one of my favourite songs by a Canadian but the video sold me on it. "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits was another cool video back in the day and arguably the best of all-time is probably "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.
Of course there were some duds in there as well. Among those I'd include the group Right Said Fred with "I'm Too Sexy" and Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" to name just a couple. Honestly, there are just too many to mention.
One video was filmed not too far from where I live and is by the Canadian band Honeymoon Suite. They shot the video in Prince Edward County in Ontario and at Sandbanks Provincial Park. The song was "Wave Babies" and it starts off by taking a ride on the Glenora Ferry which of course is still in operation today.
But on rare occasions a video comes along that just makes you stop and stare. You become transfixed by what you're watching and no matter how hard you try, you just can't look away. Such a video came along in 2004 and it has the rare combination of falling into the category of being just an awful song with a compelling video. Have a look at it for yourself and see if you agree. I give you Eric Prydz with "Call On Me".
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Love To Hear The Boos
Here's a short video for all of my readers who happen to be fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs...or just hockey fans in general.
This is actually quite well done even if the topic might be tough for Leafs fans to stomach.
This is actually quite well done even if the topic might be tough for Leafs fans to stomach.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Like Rodney, There's No Respect
Every time we turn on the sports these days, the number one topic that keeps bring brought up by the so-called experts is headshots in the NHL.
The majority of these hockey analysts feel the National Hockey League needs to make changes to their rules in order to force players to stop taking dangerous liberties on opposing players. Their feeling is that suspensions and more costly fines will get the job done and force players to stop targeting the heads of other players.
OK, maybe it will. I'm certainly no expert on the subject and I can honestly say if I was told I couldn't play the game I love for ten games and would lose $50-thousand dollars of my salary, I might think twice.
Hockey is a contact sport and accidents happen but one way to stop these "accidents" from taking place would be to penalize those who come in contact with the head of another player, even if they didn't mean to. Zero tolerance would be the term I suppose.
Recently Sidney Crosby became the latest poster boy for headshots when he was nailed not once but twice and has since been sidelined with a concussion. First he was "accidentally" hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals during the Winter Classic game. Steckel denies he did it on purpose but what do you expect him to say. Anybody who saw the replay knows he fully intended to hit Crosby. He had to see him and his non-reaction after they came together made it even more obvious.
The very next game Crosby was the target again as his head was the only thing between the glass and a hit by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Do you think this would have been tolerated years ago had it been Gretzky on the receiving end?
The league would have had something to say about it and better yet, his teammates would have taken matters into their own hands.
Marc Savard was the victim of one of the cheapest and nastiest headshots I've ever seen when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke blindsided him. What did Savard's Boston teammates do? Not a whole hell of a lot. I guess we're into the kinder gentler Bettman NHL now.
So what is the answer? Rule changes will likely be the end result but the real change has to come from the players themselves. There's no honour and respect among many of the players today. It's one thing to make contact with a guy coming at you but far too often the blindside hits or hits from behind to the head are the most damaging.
Until the players themselves realize that this crap needs to stop, there will continue to be a steady stream of stretchers to the ice and stars on the injured reserve list.
The majority of these hockey analysts feel the National Hockey League needs to make changes to their rules in order to force players to stop taking dangerous liberties on opposing players. Their feeling is that suspensions and more costly fines will get the job done and force players to stop targeting the heads of other players.
OK, maybe it will. I'm certainly no expert on the subject and I can honestly say if I was told I couldn't play the game I love for ten games and would lose $50-thousand dollars of my salary, I might think twice.
Hockey is a contact sport and accidents happen but one way to stop these "accidents" from taking place would be to penalize those who come in contact with the head of another player, even if they didn't mean to. Zero tolerance would be the term I suppose.
Recently Sidney Crosby became the latest poster boy for headshots when he was nailed not once but twice and has since been sidelined with a concussion. First he was "accidentally" hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals during the Winter Classic game. Steckel denies he did it on purpose but what do you expect him to say. Anybody who saw the replay knows he fully intended to hit Crosby. He had to see him and his non-reaction after they came together made it even more obvious.
The very next game Crosby was the target again as his head was the only thing between the glass and a hit by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Do you think this would have been tolerated years ago had it been Gretzky on the receiving end?
The league would have had something to say about it and better yet, his teammates would have taken matters into their own hands.Marc Savard was the victim of one of the cheapest and nastiest headshots I've ever seen when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke blindsided him. What did Savard's Boston teammates do? Not a whole hell of a lot. I guess we're into the kinder gentler Bettman NHL now.
So what is the answer? Rule changes will likely be the end result but the real change has to come from the players themselves. There's no honour and respect among many of the players today. It's one thing to make contact with a guy coming at you but far too often the blindside hits or hits from behind to the head are the most damaging.
Until the players themselves realize that this crap needs to stop, there will continue to be a steady stream of stretchers to the ice and stars on the injured reserve list.
Monday, January 10, 2011
News Oddities For January
It's time for more news of the weird and wacky with comments by me thrown in for good measure.
Police say a man who had three outstanding warrants for his arrest gave officers a false name during a traffic stop — but ended up in custody anyway because that man was also wanted. During a traffic stop in Great Falls, Montana, Jonothan Ray Gonsalez told police that his name was Timothy Michael Koop Jr. The officer learned a man by that name was wanted in Hill County and arrested him. A a search of Gonsalez after his arrest turned up half a gram of methamphetamine in his jacket pocket and he was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs. To add insult to stupidity, a charge of issuing a false report to law enforcement was added.
**Why didn't he pick a different name of someone that he knew wouldn't be wanted by police like Willie Nelson, Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan?**
Authorities in Delaware say a man broke into a house, got drunk and couldn't make his way back outside — so he called police for help. Police say 44-year-old John Finch was trapped in the home partly because he'd broken into it before, back in April. That led the homeowner to change the locks so that a key was required — even inside. No one was home when Finch broke in again, through a rear window. He stayed for a few days, drinking five bottles of liquor. He was too drunk to climb back out of the window, however, and called police, who arrested him.
**He has a lawyer but hasn't been in front of a judge yet. It seems he's too busy setting up the jail house chapter of Mensa.**
A man confessed to robbing a bank after his wife saw a surveillance photo on the evening news and alerted them. A camera got a clear shot of the man with a pony tail and scruffy beard robbing the First Bank in Bradenton, Florida. The robber got away. According to reports, Manatee County Sheriff's officials got a break when Afra Sandifar saw a news report about the robbery. She called authorities and told them her husband was the robber. That's when 45-year-old Troy Sandifar fled the couple's apartment. Deputies stopped his vehicle but Troy Sandifar refused to get out. They say he ingested what appeared to be drugs before they were able to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital, where authorities say he confessed.
**See guys...this is why you don't buy your wife a Chia Pet and dieting books for Christmas.**
OK, I never said my comments would be funny.
Police say a man who had three outstanding warrants for his arrest gave officers a false name during a traffic stop — but ended up in custody anyway because that man was also wanted. During a traffic stop in Great Falls, Montana, Jonothan Ray Gonsalez told police that his name was Timothy Michael Koop Jr. The officer learned a man by that name was wanted in Hill County and arrested him. A a search of Gonsalez after his arrest turned up half a gram of methamphetamine in his jacket pocket and he was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs. To add insult to stupidity, a charge of issuing a false report to law enforcement was added.
**Why didn't he pick a different name of someone that he knew wouldn't be wanted by police like Willie Nelson, Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan?**
Authorities in Delaware say a man broke into a house, got drunk and couldn't make his way back outside — so he called police for help. Police say 44-year-old John Finch was trapped in the home partly because he'd broken into it before, back in April. That led the homeowner to change the locks so that a key was required — even inside. No one was home when Finch broke in again, through a rear window. He stayed for a few days, drinking five bottles of liquor. He was too drunk to climb back out of the window, however, and called police, who arrested him.
**He has a lawyer but hasn't been in front of a judge yet. It seems he's too busy setting up the jail house chapter of Mensa.**
A man confessed to robbing a bank after his wife saw a surveillance photo on the evening news and alerted them. A camera got a clear shot of the man with a pony tail and scruffy beard robbing the First Bank in Bradenton, Florida. The robber got away. According to reports, Manatee County Sheriff's officials got a break when Afra Sandifar saw a news report about the robbery. She called authorities and told them her husband was the robber. That's when 45-year-old Troy Sandifar fled the couple's apartment. Deputies stopped his vehicle but Troy Sandifar refused to get out. They say he ingested what appeared to be drugs before they were able to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital, where authorities say he confessed.
**See guys...this is why you don't buy your wife a Chia Pet and dieting books for Christmas.**
OK, I never said my comments would be funny.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
He's a Real Hoot
Finally the holiday season is behind us and life can return to normal. Well, as normal as it ever is.
I haven't had any time to devote to the blog lately which I feel bad about but there's not a whole lot I can do about it. Besides, I really haven't had a lot on my mind lately worth blogging about.
By the way, if you're on Twitter, I spend a bit of time on there most days sharing my opinions on different things. I guess in a way each Tweet is a mini 140 character blog each time I type something. You can see my most recent Tweets in the right hand column of this blog but you can also follow me on Twitter as well. I know a lot of you aren't into it and that's fine. I realize it isn't for everyone.
Anyway, I bought myself, I mean, Santa brought me a new camera for Christmas so I managed to get out with it on the final day of 2010. I was about to head home from my outing without photographing anything too interesting when I saw something big land beside the road I was slowly driving down.
After it took flight again I realized it was a Barred Owl and he was close enough for me to snap a few shots. I pulled the car over, grabbed the camera and my 70-300 lens and started shooting. I wasn't overly happy with what I was getting being too far away so I ventured across the frozen marshy area while praying I didn't break through the ice and get a soaker. The ice held for the most part.
I watched as the owl flew to the ground again and caught an unidentified rodent which it carried back to his perch and ripped apart with both it's beak and claws. Do they call them claws? Any way, he made short work of the rat like corpse.
Moving as close as I dared I eventually snapped a few photos I felt were keepers. Below is one I really liked. There are a few more where this photo is stored on Flickr if you care to have a look.
Please remember my photos are copyrighted so look but don't steal. :-)
I haven't had any time to devote to the blog lately which I feel bad about but there's not a whole lot I can do about it. Besides, I really haven't had a lot on my mind lately worth blogging about.
By the way, if you're on Twitter, I spend a bit of time on there most days sharing my opinions on different things. I guess in a way each Tweet is a mini 140 character blog each time I type something. You can see my most recent Tweets in the right hand column of this blog but you can also follow me on Twitter as well. I know a lot of you aren't into it and that's fine. I realize it isn't for everyone.
Anyway, I bought myself, I mean, Santa brought me a new camera for Christmas so I managed to get out with it on the final day of 2010. I was about to head home from my outing without photographing anything too interesting when I saw something big land beside the road I was slowly driving down.
After it took flight again I realized it was a Barred Owl and he was close enough for me to snap a few shots. I pulled the car over, grabbed the camera and my 70-300 lens and started shooting. I wasn't overly happy with what I was getting being too far away so I ventured across the frozen marshy area while praying I didn't break through the ice and get a soaker. The ice held for the most part.
I watched as the owl flew to the ground again and caught an unidentified rodent which it carried back to his perch and ripped apart with both it's beak and claws. Do they call them claws? Any way, he made short work of the rat like corpse.
Moving as close as I dared I eventually snapped a few photos I felt were keepers. Below is one I really liked. There are a few more where this photo is stored on Flickr if you care to have a look.
Please remember my photos are copyrighted so look but don't steal. :-)
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