MikeSpace

Toy Gun Control:

New York’s attorney general Eliot Spitzer has demanded changes to the way Wal-Mart sells toy guns in its New York stores

Apparently the Toy Gun lobby isn’t as powerful as the NRA . . .

But: Rifles and shotguns do not have to be registered in any jurisdiction within New York State except for New York City, which requires registration. Licensed carry of a handgun on one’s person allows the handgun to be fully loaded, including within an automobile, while visiting a place of business or while crossing a public road while hunting. (from wikipedia)

And of course all of the above, locked and loaded, on Federal Lands and National Forests (scary bears you know).

WTF?

Let’s all just kill one another and get it over with, ok? There’s enough hate, you know you wanna.

USA current Threat Level: Yellow, or Elevated.

I guess you end up taking it for granted after a while . . . encouraging, friendly, helpful, kind, and talented fellow musicians. And a vibrant active healthy choice of places to play, where original music is de rigeur – encouraged and preferred. Cool people, cool clubs, and cool bands. In any genre.
I only bring this up because I’ve been reading the musician section of craigslist in Rochester, and I must say it’s a huge contrast. I feel sorry for those folks, as apparently it has been a difficult place for so long that they have resorted to sniping and bitching and whining as a means of expressing their frustration, to the point that the whole section is a little like watching a train wreck – it’s horrible, but I can’t look away! If you need a reminder how good we have it in Buffalo, or you just need a morbid giggle, check it out. I think you’ll see what I mean. They are all welcome to come to Buffalo to play any time!

(art by Sean Madden)

Folks who know me well know that I listen to a lot of public radio. It has been perhaps 30 years since I last listened to a commercial radio station, or watched a television for that matter.

Here in Buffalo we have some pretty fine public radio stations – WNED fm does NPR (National Public Radio) and classical music, WBFO fm does NPR and jazz, and the one I use most often is WNED am, which is a 24 hour news station with NPR, PRI (Public Radio International), and (yay!) BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

Imagine my delight and surprise when I heard our own Gypsy Jazz(ish) virtuosos Babik being profiled on “The World”, a PRI show out of Boston that is on every weekday at 3PM on WNED AM! This show culminates each day with a musical segment that profiles musicians from the farthest reaches of the globe – quite a diverse selection – and has introduced me to more than one of my favorites! And somehow they found Babik! Awesome. A little national exposure for the guys who, as we’ve all known since that lovely summer when Hardware cafe opened their patio and diluted their yuppie regulars with freaky music affectionadoes, simply tear it up every time! I will risk copyright infringment by letting you all listen to the cool interview here, but I admonish you all to check out The World, as its a terrific show!

Click Here to listen to Babik on Public Radio International’s “The World”.

Meet my friend Wilbur:

It would seem that, after several years of abstinence, I have again become a pet owner! I have been aware that my 120 year old house – with its 2 foot thick walls and suspicious apertures – was home to at least one little fella whom I dubbed Wilbur. Now it would seem that the romantic influence of spring is not exclusive to humans, as Wilbur apparently now has a family, and the little ones are not as adept at avoiding the giant pink meat tube (named Mike). As I sat eating at my kitchen table the other day I began to be aware of little scrabblings around me, and was able to observe eventually that at least two little creatures were navigating the perimeter of the kitchen. As I watched them (smiling), I noticed that they returned to the rim of my kitchen canister which had been emptied of it’s bag that morning, and were precariously peering into it again and again. It was actually pretty fascinating to see all the ways that they were able to get around – expert climbers without a doubt. Well eventually I had to get up and see what was so fascinating in my canister, and what did I find? Two terrified little munchkins all huddled together next to a cotton ball! I tipped the can for them, and since that day I have observed the whole family quite regularly, culminating last night with one little dude peeking his head over the top of my keyboard as I sat at the computer! Cuteness overload!

I have done a bit of research about mousies, and discovered:

Mice and rats are complex, unique individuals with the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions. As highly intelligent as our canine friends, they’re natural students who excel at learning and understanding concepts.

Much like us, mice and rats are highly social creatures. They become attached to each other, love their families, and enjoy playing, wrestling, and sleeping curled up together. Despite the stereotypes of being “dirty” or “diseased,” mice and rats are fastidiously clean animals who groom themselves several times a day and are less likely than dogs or cats to catch and transmit parasites and viruses. These nocturnal animals are found throughout North America and are extraordinarily successful in adapting to human environments. Rats can slip into buildings through quarter-size holes, and mice can squeeze into dime-size holes.

Mice and rats are so smart that they can recognize their names and respond when called.

Female mice with litters will vigorously defend their nests and young.

My mice are the cutest little creatures ever!

And a whole year of mouse poo doesn’t even equal one pile of dog dirt!