Wishing everyone out there a most Merry Christmas!
May 2013 bring you joy, prosperity and good health!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
The World Was Supposed to End Today
For the past year and a half or so, we've been hearing plenty about how the Mayan calendar was suggesting that the world was going to end today. The History Channel was running programming on this topic from time to time (and even today, giving us a welcome break from the other non-history programming they show) and these past few days there seemed to be this buildup. Just one week ago I learned that Shock Top brewing was selling this special "End of the World" brew (I tried some.....and liked it).
I remember when Mark was telling me two or so years ago about how some folks were saying that this was really it; the world would end on the 21st of December in 2012. I responded jokingly by saying "that ought to be about right". Last week someone was saying that the earth's magnetic poles would somehow reverse positions and someone else was saying that the sun would go out for three days, and both of these someones were serious......they were sure it was going to happen.
For the past several months my theory about the Mayan calendar was that they ran out of room, and thus stopped. I developed some other theories this past week. It could have been that whoever it was who was doing the calendar reached the solstice for this year and said "the hell with this, I'm not working on this stupid calendar any more!" Or it could have been that the Royal Chieftain of the Mayans told the guy "you've worked long enough on this calendar, we now need you to help us build some pyramids". We don't know.
But as for them picking out the date of the solstice, and how they were able to do that.....well we've had people studying the stars for 5000 years or so and my thinking is that some sharp minds figured out that the sun rose at its northernmost point in June while rising at its southernmost point in December. They figured out that the midpoints were in March and September. If you're an astronomer/astrologer some thousands of years ago and your king thinks that the stars foretell the future and charges you with figuring it out or have your head chopped off, you're going to spend a few years figuring out where the sun rises each day of the year. You're going to know which constellations appear in the evening for each month. You're going to keep track of the moon and the observable planets. Point here is, is that it shouldn't surprise us that the Mayans knew when the winter solstice would be.
Civilizations may have used the winter solstice to determine when the year started. They may have used one of the equinoxes. A year doesn't have to start on January 1. It can start on any day that you want it to. Choosing a solstice or equinox is a more recognizable reference point than the other days. A year ending on the winter solstice isn't really a bad choice......the days start getting longer after that for the next six months.
As for those few who really got fixated on this.....who bought into this........who really thought that this was it.........
..........they need professional help.
I remember when Mark was telling me two or so years ago about how some folks were saying that this was really it; the world would end on the 21st of December in 2012. I responded jokingly by saying "that ought to be about right". Last week someone was saying that the earth's magnetic poles would somehow reverse positions and someone else was saying that the sun would go out for three days, and both of these someones were serious......they were sure it was going to happen.
For the past several months my theory about the Mayan calendar was that they ran out of room, and thus stopped. I developed some other theories this past week. It could have been that whoever it was who was doing the calendar reached the solstice for this year and said "the hell with this, I'm not working on this stupid calendar any more!" Or it could have been that the Royal Chieftain of the Mayans told the guy "you've worked long enough on this calendar, we now need you to help us build some pyramids". We don't know.
But as for them picking out the date of the solstice, and how they were able to do that.....well we've had people studying the stars for 5000 years or so and my thinking is that some sharp minds figured out that the sun rose at its northernmost point in June while rising at its southernmost point in December. They figured out that the midpoints were in March and September. If you're an astronomer/astrologer some thousands of years ago and your king thinks that the stars foretell the future and charges you with figuring it out or have your head chopped off, you're going to spend a few years figuring out where the sun rises each day of the year. You're going to know which constellations appear in the evening for each month. You're going to keep track of the moon and the observable planets. Point here is, is that it shouldn't surprise us that the Mayans knew when the winter solstice would be.
Civilizations may have used the winter solstice to determine when the year started. They may have used one of the equinoxes. A year doesn't have to start on January 1. It can start on any day that you want it to. Choosing a solstice or equinox is a more recognizable reference point than the other days. A year ending on the winter solstice isn't really a bad choice......the days start getting longer after that for the next six months.
As for those few who really got fixated on this.....who bought into this........who really thought that this was it.........
..........they need professional help.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Some "New" Bachman-Turner Overdrive is out!
My copy of the the latest BTO release arrived in my mailbox a week ago. It's called "Bachman-Turner Overdrive 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". It's a two CD set, and contains not only two previously unreleased songs, it also has the complete "Japan Tour - Live" album on it with two bonus tracks from their Japan Concerts that were not on the vinyl release of 1977......and that release was only available in Canada.
The two until now unheard songs are "Rough Ride", a Fred Turner composition that didn't make the 1984 album, and "West Coast Turnaround" which was recorded in 1975 for the Head On album, but didn't make that one. Also is a rehearsal version of "Another Fool".
As a longtime fan it's great to hear "new" material, even if that material has been languishing in the vaults all these years. It's also great that the well known songs are on as well, even if "Madison Avenue" didn't make this one.
I must also comment on the "Japan Tour Live" material. I first got this album in 1979 as an import, and couldn't understand why Mercury didn't release this one stateside. I also couldn't understand why this one never came out on CD. When Robbie Bachman had his board up, we asked him about this one, and he told us that the master tapes to this one had been lost or accidentally destroyed. For a long time this was the "holy grail" of BTO material; unobtainable on CD. It finally made the CD format last year but you had to order it from England, and a snippet of one of the songs was missing.....not to mention that it sounded like a bootleg (the bass was lacking).
This new anthology collection brings us "Japan Tour Live" complete, and with it adequately capturing the bass.
If you're into BTO, you'll want to get your copy as that these days CDs don't seem to stay in print as long as they used to.
Some odds and ends.
Work has been going well, and I've had the full weekends off again. I'm not sure how much longer that will last as that I'm being asked about my willingness to work overtime again next year. 2013 will be very busy for us, and my sense is that we'll be busier than we were last year.
These days, that's a good thing.
With some sadness I have to report that the April Wine official website has taken their forum down. From what I can gather all interaction between the band and us fans will be via Facebook from here on out. That's a shame, as that I won't do the Facebook thing, and Myles Goodwyn came out of his shell to start interacting with us in the final six months of the webforum.
I hope that they'll decide to bring back the forums. I wasn't much of a participant there this year but I sure had fun getting to chat with the fans, as well as with Myles and Brian.
Weather in southern Arizona has been gorgeous these past few weeks! I take this as an indication that we're in for a milder than usual winter. I think we're in for some rain next weekend though.
That's going to be it this evening. My sinuses have been killing me this weekend, and I'm turning in early for some rest.
I'll need it; I'm in for a busy week.
The two until now unheard songs are "Rough Ride", a Fred Turner composition that didn't make the 1984 album, and "West Coast Turnaround" which was recorded in 1975 for the Head On album, but didn't make that one. Also is a rehearsal version of "Another Fool".
As a longtime fan it's great to hear "new" material, even if that material has been languishing in the vaults all these years. It's also great that the well known songs are on as well, even if "Madison Avenue" didn't make this one.
I must also comment on the "Japan Tour Live" material. I first got this album in 1979 as an import, and couldn't understand why Mercury didn't release this one stateside. I also couldn't understand why this one never came out on CD. When Robbie Bachman had his board up, we asked him about this one, and he told us that the master tapes to this one had been lost or accidentally destroyed. For a long time this was the "holy grail" of BTO material; unobtainable on CD. It finally made the CD format last year but you had to order it from England, and a snippet of one of the songs was missing.....not to mention that it sounded like a bootleg (the bass was lacking).
This new anthology collection brings us "Japan Tour Live" complete, and with it adequately capturing the bass.
If you're into BTO, you'll want to get your copy as that these days CDs don't seem to stay in print as long as they used to.
* * * * * * *
Some odds and ends.
Work has been going well, and I've had the full weekends off again. I'm not sure how much longer that will last as that I'm being asked about my willingness to work overtime again next year. 2013 will be very busy for us, and my sense is that we'll be busier than we were last year.
These days, that's a good thing.
* * * * * * *
With some sadness I have to report that the April Wine official website has taken their forum down. From what I can gather all interaction between the band and us fans will be via Facebook from here on out. That's a shame, as that I won't do the Facebook thing, and Myles Goodwyn came out of his shell to start interacting with us in the final six months of the webforum.
I hope that they'll decide to bring back the forums. I wasn't much of a participant there this year but I sure had fun getting to chat with the fans, as well as with Myles and Brian.
* * * * * * *
Weather in southern Arizona has been gorgeous these past few weeks! I take this as an indication that we're in for a milder than usual winter. I think we're in for some rain next weekend though.
* * * * * * *
That's going to be it this evening. My sinuses have been killing me this weekend, and I'm turning in early for some rest.
I'll need it; I'm in for a busy week.
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