When this double bill was first announced, I had a double-take. It sounded too good to be true. There is no doubt in my mind that Sonny Landreth and Eric Johnson would occupy 2 spots on my own personal Top 10 guitar player list. A double bill would prove to be something akin to guitar heaven – at least in my world.
Better yet, a double bill in which they both played on the same stage at the same time would be even more incredible. One could only hope for such nirvana.
Last Friday, September 30, I was witness to, well, guitar heaven - or at least the little piece of it that came to the Paramount Theater in Austin.
Both of these guitar players have provided me with some significant memories over the years. They have both been a part of my journey, first to Texas and then in my development as a guitar player. On Friday, they reminded me of what passionate musicianship looks like, sounds like, and feels like – together on the same stage.
It may be hard to believe for some, but the University of Texas Longhorns are now 4 – 0. In some polls, they are even back into the Top 10. We do need to remember that these wins were against Rice, BYU, UCLA, and Iowa State – none of which have looked that spectacular this season.
However, the Horns have won 3 games on the road, and that does count. And although they started the season at Rice, they really got the road trip rolling with a big win against UCLA. It was against UCLA last season that the Horns got pounded. What was bad then became worse when they lost to Iowa State at home. And it was all downhill from there, in more ways than one.
Given the way they played last season, a 4 – 0 start is a big change in the right direction. They have already erased some of last year’s humiliating losses with solid victories this season. But there are a lot of games yet to be played, and Oklahoma – the number one team in the country – are lurking right around the corner.
Another day, another straw poll, another winner. That appears to be the standard media report these days. Fortunately, the world is a wild and wonderful place that leaves people like me with plenty of news to ponder, even in the quietest moments. And yes, I just quoted Supertramp. What is this world coming to?
Without further adieu, onwards to Episode 24, where we will find bread crust, Aggieland, and parallel parking – all in the same report.
It is a very persistent logical fallacy. You’ve heard it many times in the recent past: if we continue to give tax breaks to big business, then they will continue to be able to create new jobs. Or perhaps, you’ve heard it phrased differently: if we eliminate those tax breaks, oh my, then businesses won’t create new jobs.
Let’s start with a reality check. Big businesses have loopholes that bring their effective tax rate down to lower levels than most working Americans. Warren Buffett has noted that his effective tax rate – after corporate loopholes – is lower than his secretary’s tax rate. Go figure.
President Obama has presented the nation with a proposed Buffett Tax that would make a first attempt at balancing this out. Now, of course, we’re hearing the claims of “how are we supposed to create jobs now?”.
Note to America – you might want to look at those job creation numbers in the time that the loopholes have been in effect.
With all the insanity that is prevailing in the world of college sports these days, it is time to forge ahead and expand the Big 12 Conference. Wait, did I say that correctly? The Big 12? Isn’t it dead yet?
Far from dead, I suspect, now that the PAC-12 has decided that they don’t want to consider adding anyone else just yet. And since Texas A&M appears to have instigated the latest episode of this mess, let’s just get on with expanding the Big 12 with or without them.
There seems to be a trend of university presidents constantly seeing greener cash, errr, grass on the other side of the conference fence. Of course, cash has a way of doing that to university presidents, much like the BCS. Little thought is put into the long-term ramifications and growth of college sports. But in the case of the Big 12, instead of the ranks diminishing, they should in fact be aggressively expanding. For some reason, schools are jumping ship left and right, yet the Big 12 Conference has all the makings of being one of the premier conferences in the country, and perhaps the FIRST super conference with some intelligent regional involvement.
Here are five reasons why the time is ripe for the Big 12 to expand:
The 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival was the 10th anniversary of this three day musical extravaganza. It has been quite a decade of live music on the great lawn of Zilker Park. Once again, it provided me with a strong reminder of the beauty of live music and the powerful messages it can deliver.
Music has a way of pulling people together – or at least putting them back on the same page if only for a moment or two. The complex interplay of notes - and spaces between the notes - breathes life into the old, and passion into the young. I guess I still have a mixture of both. When played by those having that special musical genius, you are witness to something that is simply beyond understanding and comprehension.
Such is the power of music. And such are the delights of ACL.
The 10th anniversary of the Austin City Limits Music Festival had many delights. With that in mind, here is my own brief personal diary of this year’s festival.
This episode of the Rhubarb Report is chock full of vitamins and minerals – well, actually, just a few hot topics recently found in the Republican wilderness. The debates have the Republican Party front and center with the media and the public, so it’s only fitting that there would be plenty of Rhubarb generated at these little shindigs. If you have been able to watch these debates without squirming at the potential ramifications of them, then more power to you. I am certainly not of strong enough stomach to ponder Bachmann or Perry as our next President.
Onwards to this episode of the Report, where you will find the striking and perfectly coiffed presence of our own Governor Rick Perry.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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