tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154247662009-07-04T11:23:52.160-05:00Opinions, thoughts, & recommendations.Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-34106375996278858552009-07-04T11:20:00.003-05:002009-07-04T11:23:52.171-05:00

Happy Independence Day, especially to those people who have fought and sacrificed for our freedoms (including my friends Bob Pierotti and Diane Arstein, who posed for this picture so many years ago).

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/07/happy-independence-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-24122847265825685292009-06-19T00:58:00.002-05:002009-06-19T01:05:28.379-05:00

I've updated my music pages, replacing the static ones with Blogger pages. This allows me to update more frequently and easily, and it also provides up-to-date RSS and Atom feeds without me having to hand-code them as before.With the update we have some new music:Doves is a funereal tribute to a neighbor.Numbers on a Clock is an ode to Time.I've got more new and old songs to post in the future.

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/06/new-music-2-new-songs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-69958761438653535692009-06-16T10:56:00.004-05:002009-06-17T08:58:49.522-05:00

I'm more than slightly sick of hearing that Journalism is dying. Mostly this is coming from print journalists who have finally noticed that the newspapers for which they work are going the way of the dodo. They whine and moan about the Web, and blogging, and how all of this is diluting the information stream and degrading the quality of reporting.It's bullshit, every single cotton-pickin' word of

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/06/journalism-is-dying-whatever-shall-we.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-67807346243549688842009-06-05T15:32:00.004-05:002009-06-06T07:47:20.685-05:00

Well, last night was opening night of Can't Live With 'Em, this summer's Boogaloo play, in which I play Benny, a blind roofer.The opening went more smoothly than we could have imagined, although another actor, who shall remain nameless to protect his dignity, forgot to say his most crucial line, which was critical to establish the storyline for all the scenes that followed. Despite repeated hints

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/06/cant-live-with-em.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-28422137941473003512009-05-24T13:00:00.003-05:002009-05-24T13:31:47.622-05:00

I know I said I'd post this tomorrow, but the last one was kind of sad, and I feel obligated to make up for it. I've written about my mother before, in eulogy. This is more of a straight remembrance of who she was.What I can say about my mother is that she was simply the best person I have ever known, in the most literal sense.First, I'll get the unpleasantness out of the way. She left my father

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/05/memorial-day-part-2.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-36058142652102719622009-05-24T12:51:00.004-05:002009-06-09T08:34:16.816-05:00

It's Memorial Day tomorrow, in which we remember and honor those who have lost their lives in defense of their country. I certainly am doing that, complete with the traditional hot dogs and grilling out, but from the very name of the holiday I can't help but observe it in a broader sense as well, and remember all of those that we've lost. So today I'm going to post a remembrance of my father, and

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/05/memorial-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-45732188494050634332009-05-09T07:59:00.007-05:002009-05-10T23:15:43.714-05:00

Warning: if you don't like spoilers, don't read this. True Trek fans don't mind the spoilers.I'm a Star Trek fan from Day One. I vividly remember watching the Man Trap episode on Sep 8, 1966. I was only 4 years old at the time, and it was the most terrifying thing I'd seen up to that date. Today I know enough not to confuse it with hard science fiction, but I'm willing to set aside physics for

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/05/star-trek-is-winner.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-2852981323146021902009-05-07T23:22:00.004-05:002009-05-07T23:31:40.023-05:00

"In My Memory" is a song William Hoover and I wrote for the 2009 Boogaloo Folk Life production of "Can't Live With 'Em". You can probably guess from the title that the theme is relationships.Now, my opinion is biased, but I quite like this one.

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/05/new-music-in-my-memory.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-38889789907569327422009-05-02T12:41:00.002-05:002009-05-02T12:46:03.954-05:00

Believe it or not I've actually recorded Billy Jean. It's crap... don't say I didn't warn you.I sincerely hope it inspires someone to go forth and do a better job so I can link to their version instead. As usual, it's released under a Creative Commons - attribution, share-alike, non-commercial license to make that possible. If you think you can make money with it, then more power to you... write

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/05/new-music-billy-jean.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-838996154648643892009-04-15T22:14:00.001-05:002009-04-20T00:17:14.840-05:00

(Oy veh. I tried posting on this topic on the 15th and Blogger lost it during the post. Did I mention I hate web apps? Well, I do.)On "Tax Day", April 15th, 2009, thousands of Americans turned out to protest at hundreds of "tea parties" across the country. Sadly, the President doesn't even begin to understand the nature of these protests or what the country wants. He thinks it's a motivated by

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/04/tea-parties-obama-doesnt-get-it.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-54345219962678120782009-03-24T23:00:00.001-05:002009-03-24T23:00:55.684-05:00

I'm not commenting on Obama's speech tonight. I'll wait for a transcript first.

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/03/oy-veh.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-5566099439987052262009-03-23T22:31:00.008-05:002009-03-24T00:00:12.942-05:00

I'm not super-rich. By the standards of this country I'm not even sort of rich. As I'm fond of saying, I want to make a living, not a killing. I'm a single wage earner in a household of six people, for cryin' out loud. But I paid attention enough when I was a kid to know how well off we are today.My father was a native American. He was born in this country with nothing. My grandparents on my

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/03/wealth-capitalism-and-greed.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-39258217466839849672009-03-20T08:31:00.007-05:002009-03-20T14:21:05.131-05:00

Good Lord! I haven't updated this blog in months. Have I been that busy? Well... yes, actually, but that tale can wait. As for right now, I'm waiting on a script to finish running on my computer, so I'll post this little story:On December 6th, 1985 I was in an auto accident in the UK. I remember the date vividly, as this was the opening night of Guys and Dolls, and I was in one of the lead

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/03/story-and-endorsement.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-12501569583789690582009-01-06T15:42:00.003-05:002009-01-06T15:59:43.060-05:00

I was going to resolve to not make any resolutions, but then I realized that that's the one resolution that breaks itself. So here they are:1. Eat only at mealtimes.2. Clean my basement.3. Put out a new VIC release4. Learn Java5. Listen to my backlog of audio dramas.

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/01/2009-resolutions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-28645071261195059652009-01-01T00:22:00.002-05:002009-01-01T00:29:47.739-05:00

And here's a gift for the new year. A recipe for Shampagne... much smoother than real champagne, if your tastes run toward Boone's Farm or Mad Dog 20/20.Shampagne2 fingers Captain Morgan's spiced rum.8 oz Welches' sparkling grape juice.That's it. Enjoy.Credit for the recipe goes to Dave Wade of Union, SC, who invented it tonight for no explicable reason other than he doesn't like real champagne.

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2009/01/happy-new-year.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-76480496291658775712008-12-14T21:00:00.005-05:002008-12-14T23:31:47.066-05:00

This poorly considered remake starring Keanu Reeves should be re-titled "How to Fuck up a Classic". Sorry, but it's true. How bad is it? Well, try this on for size: The reviews are so nearly universally bad that it scores lower than Attack of the Killer Tomatoes on RottenTomatoes.com.So, we can take it as a non-debatable "given" that TDTESS sucks. The bigger question is why? Well, I think it's

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com1http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/12/day-earth-stood-still.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-36658130799445425192008-11-05T09:43:00.004-05:002008-11-05T12:19:47.943-05:00

Today we awake with a new President-elect, Barack Obama.Although I was and am a McCain supporter, I'm almost glad that he lost this election, if for no other reason than to show the Democrats how it's done.Although there was arguably cause for bitterness, given many thousands of questionable voter registrations by groups such as ACORN, voter intimidation at the polls, etc. McCain chose not to

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/11/class-act.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-43308718195854231782008-10-09T08:09:00.004-05:002008-10-09T08:35:43.446-05:00

The pundits and talking heads pretty much agree that there was nothing "game changing" about the second Presidential debate. I'm not so sure about that.If you've been reading this blog, you'll remember that when McCain suspended his campaign, I offered a solution to the banking crisis. What I said was that we should make every possible effort to renegotiate the loans rather than foreclose. These

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/10/will-wonders-never-cease.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-76043486571476099022008-10-07T18:35:00.005-05:002008-10-09T09:10:59.704-05:00

You've probably received an email questioning where Barack Obama got the money for a 'round the world trip while he was in college, for his house, etc. The implication is that there is some sort of conspiracy among nefarious evil-doers to enrich Obama. This post is directed specifically at those people who buy into those implications.There's no mystery here. Here's a link to the Snopes page

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/10/where-obamas-money-came-from.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-3352819266195957912008-09-24T14:57:00.006-05:002008-09-24T18:21:30.154-05:00

John McCain has announced that he's suspending his campaign (including his television ads) to go back to Washington and work on the financial bailout. He had already spoken with Senator Obama and invited him to join McCain.I agree. We have three senators campaigning who should be rolling up their sleeves and doing their day jobs. McCain's statement indicates that the bailout will not pass "in its

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/mccain-suspends-campaign-puts-country.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-31155364339298711052008-09-17T07:57:00.003-05:002008-09-17T08:22:57.309-05:00

The Associated Press reports, "Clinton Cancels Rally Appearance After Learning Palin Invited". Well, there's no surprise there. What is a surprise is the revelation in this story that Hillary Clinton doesn't know what the word "partisan" means. From the story:“Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event,” said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines. “

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/hillary-clinton-needs-dictionary.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-31671779187577753512008-09-11T08:04:00.002-05:002008-09-11T08:05:16.795-05:00

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/never-forget.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-56727330338891041242008-09-03T22:34:00.005-05:002008-09-03T23:17:23.972-05:00

Sarah Palin didn't knock it out of the park tonight... she launched it into orbit.Tonight she showed us a beautiful, intelligent, decisive leader who is a better orator than Barack Obama. Whereas Obama has stilted rhetoric, Palin has sincerity, humor, a relaxed conversational style, and substance. With a smile and a quip she tore the Democratic ticket apart. Here's the speech.This excellent

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/and-star-is-born.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-9328106051135394942008-09-02T20:07:00.005-05:002008-09-02T21:15:45.208-05:00

Alan Colmes provides provided us with a milk-through-the-nose moment this evening when he said, "If McCain wanted to be a maverick then he should have picked somebody like Joe Lieberman."Get that? To be a maverick, McCain should make the choices that the Liberals expect him to make. The left-wing media's outrage about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin boils down to "why didn't you choose who I

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/alan-colmes-provides-provided-us-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15424766.post-28078174361783158232008-09-02T15:58:00.004-05:002008-09-02T18:06:09.054-05:00

This from Reuters. Barack Obama, on his qualifications vs. Governor Palin's:"My understanding is that Gov. Palin's town, Wasilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million dollars a year -- we have a budget of about three times that just for the month," Obama had said.Y'know for somebody who's supposed to be a pretty smart guy, Barack

Dave Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617556290378317379noreply@blogger.com0http://www.cratchit.org/dleigh/2008/09/live-in-present-obama.html