I have really enjoyed all of your comments and feedback. This has been a great experience for me to read, write, and share with you all. I really do appreciate your constant readership and promise to be back soon with some good articles and maybe some more ridiculous things to say.

Take care and see you soon.

Sincerely,

Adam.

I opened the Denver Post on Sunday at my parents house, and wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to spit at the article I was reading. Ward Churchill, a former CU professor who was caught lying, and worst of all (in the world of academia) plagiarizing, was awarded a symbolic $1 in his civil suit against the university.

Then I read a quote by one of the jurors, “I respect the fact that he stands up for what he believes in.” Like lying about his race (he claimed to be Native American, please see ridiculous picture), copying people’s ideas without citation, and making fun of 9-11 victims in his essay “Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens”. I was a) disgusted by the juror’s stupidity and b) scared that some day someone like you or me might have someone just as dumb on our jury in a trial.

To the other jurors’ credit, they did try. The lead asked: “Judge, we are feeling uncomfortable about the damages portion. Would you be able to meet with us to talk about what is required and other things regarding money? And is $0 an option?” I wish.

Churchill said after the verdict that CU “has been exposed for what it is,” but then added that he wants to be reinstated. I think the words he was looking for were these: I realize that the rest of the academic world now knows I’m a fraud, and the only way for me to get a job is via a jury, and not my false resume.

CU must take some blame too, though. They did give this man tenure and place him as chair, while he only has a masters degree. Let’s put this in perspective for all ye non nerds like me: this is like making the starting JV basketball guard suddenly the Varsity captain, while he didn’t even make the team. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

At the end of the day, anyone who needs to wear a pony tail and a multi-colored jacket to continue living a lie of race and sub-par academic talents, should not have a job teaching people. Maybe the theater department needs someone to play a rock or stool in the Summer Shakespeare festival? I’ll ask.

by M. Adam Carroll

I am sad to see Cutler leave. I was hoping big things for him and our Denver Broncos. That being said, his attitude off the field these last few weeks have equated to that of a five year kindergartner when he doesn’t get his cookies and milk. This is the NFL, you are a commodity, you can be traded. Suck it up.

I’m not saying “Good riddance” to Jay-boy, but I am saying “learn from this”. We got two first round picks and a third, on top of Kyle Orton. Not as good as Jay, but not exactly horrible. Orton did do a better job than Rex Grossman.  (I always thought his name “Rex” was manlier than he is).

I am actually getting excited for the season now, again. Denver needs to build a team and sustain the squad. Maybe this is the beginning again.

To read a good article and video on the subject from ESPN, click here.

by M. Adam Carroll

Today’s topic is music. One of my favorite. Here are some cool new bands I’ve been listening to. I hope you enjoy them.

The Weepies. A friend of mine, who I play with live, suggested this quorky band. Comprised of a man/wife duo, they eminate a fun indie sound. At the same time, their lyrics are very honest. Their music has been used in many TV series, so maybe you’ll recognize a tune or two.

The Weepies myspace. Listen to “World Spins Madly On”, “Gotta Have You”.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. These young dudes blasted on the scene a couple of years ago with their song “Face Down”, mixing rock with punk pretty darn well. Their lead singer, Ronnie, truly has an amazing range and displays it (finally) on their new album.

Their myspace. Listen to “Pen and Paper”, “Represent”, “Guardian Angel”, “Believe”.

Safetysuit. This band is getting ready to explode your local pop/rock/contemporary radio station. The problem? None. They vacilate between rock-out and guilty pleasure. I throw my Ali G respeckk down for these guys.

Their myspace. Listen to “Someone Like You”, “Anywhere But Here”, “Something I Said”.

That’s all folks. Enjoy your Thursday, and I hope I’ve provided enough material to distract you from any assigned work you might have at your job.

by M. Adam Carroll

I first thought I’d write about the 200 + Libyans that sunk in a boat on their trek to Italy through the Mediterranean. Illegal immigration shows a different face when hundreds die (article). But, let’s be honest. It’s Tuesday, and the last thing you (or I) need at this point to get us through the Spring season (ie random snow blizzards) is a depressing story.

So, instead, let’s talk about drinking and being young. Tim Kreider was brave enough to write about his formidable years (also known as our 20′s) and his drinking buddies. He explains: “my friends and I were spending whole days eating oysters, drinking pitchers of mimosas and beer, and laughing ’til we wept on decks overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. There is really no drinking half as enjoyable as daytime drinking”.

While I don’t necessarily condone such an approach to alcohol and life, I did get a laugh by reading his hilarious article on his college and post college years on drinking. Something rang true when he writes that it doesn’t get much better than “sitting idly around having hilarious conversations with friends”. I would have to agree. The time we spend with friends and family, and the laughter, make this world a little more livable. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I’ll be the first to laugh, no matter how awkward it might be. And that’s when I’m at my happiest.

Finally, though, he punches in a sober word or two by saying, “Being clearheaded is such a peculiar novelty that it’s almost like being on some subtle, intriguing new drug.” Feeling good and healthy is my new drug too. Weird. I just think we all have to work a little extra hard to stay on it. Why can’t we get addicted to it as easily? (work out freaks aside, ‘cuz they’re just weird).

At the same time, too often too many of our brothers and sisters of the party fall victims to what we call careers, marriage, mortgages, children. Every invitation (or Facebook notice) I get of a wedding, I lose a little more hope for humanity and our possibility to rock on and rock out. Kreider speaks of his friends’ toast: “Gentlemen — our lives are unbelievably great.” Yeah, I think so too. Let’s have a laugh and throw our middle finger up to all those boring people out there!

by M. Adam Carroll

Here’s my favorite: “She probably made him mad for him to react like that. You know, like, bring it on?” Oh my gosh. Where is our youth going, and what is it coming to? Nowhere it seems.

So, who’s to blame? Parents, media, or the young impressionable pupils of America? It’s probably a combination of the three. But, for some reason, I’m highly disappointed in these girls’ lack-luster ability of discernment.

You may read the article to further indulge in these tweens’ strike for Chris Breezy: article.

by M. Adam Carroll

I say all this to put the proceeding into context. We began our shift at 5am sharp, ever day. Rain, snow, or sun, we were there with squinty eyes. And, who was there to greet us once a month? The local union representative with flyers, loud noises, running up to our car doors. But of course, according to the law, we are not allowed to ask them to leave…

The funniest thing about their handing out of literature to us? It was a slander against our own company. That the big wigs didn’t care for the hourly worker. That never made much sense to me: how does putting down your current employer encurouage the person to A) continue working there, and B) if you’ve conviced an employee that his/her job currently sucks, what makes you think they’ll stay to pay you money out of their check to get “better wages”? I never connected the dots.

Needless to say, no one ever bit during the year that I worked there. As I mentioned earlier, most of my employees could not read English and didn’t have the highest level of education. But still, they were able to ascertain which would be a better option: a company that pays them with benefits with annual raises, or an angry union telling you to pay them to get what you already have. What I’m trying to say is this: UNIONS ARE NOW OBSOLETE. And they are the fastest dying business in the US. Why do you think they’re so angry?

According to the NY Times, Two of the nation’s “fastest-growing” labor unions — the Service Employees International Union and the California Nurses Association, have now joined forces. They were bitter enemies, with constant law suits, showing up at each other conferences yelling, barricading doors… the list goes on. “We have buried the hatchet,” said Rose Ann DeMoro, president of the California Nurses Association. Sorry, I can’t use an erudite language here: LOSERS.

Maybe they “burried the hatched” because the California association will soon become the largest nurses’ union in American history, with 150,000 members, when it merges with United American Nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Union. More people, more fees, more money.

They have a goal of creating a single, nationwide union for registered nurses (socialists anyone). “We have a moment to seize,” said a rep. “We have to show hospitals that health care reform is the right thing to do.” I’ll leave you with this: Should you really have to convince us all of your great union product?

by M. Adam Carroll

Then I clicked on the international section of my online newspaper sources. Sometimes it is healthy and refreshing to read and observe beyond our own borders. I was struck by a piece on India and its hunger problem.

Countries like India and China have experienced an economic boom in recent years, thanks to their more open approach on national and international business. China has come out on top, it seems, not only by increasing their national GDP, but by increasing the standard of living for their nation as a whole. They have reduced their child malnutrition to 7.2%. Wow, that’s great for a third world country!

India, on the other hand, boasts a child malnutrition number of 42.5%. Imagine almost half of our nation’s kids dying due to the simple fact that their parents cannot provide for them, or that their mother’s own body cannot produce milk to feed their children. This is a bleak, bleak state of affairs… Seeing pictures of children that look more like an animal (and I say this with no humor intended) is devastating.

I guess I really don’t have a conclusion for you today, other than the suggestion to go read the article yourself. To try to make some sense of these numbers, their reasons, and if this much suffering can actually poke into our own reality. I know I’ve said this before, but I think that, despite our current state of affairs, it could ALWAYS be a lot worse.

Click here for the article in the NY Times.

He founded the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC in 1960, and was its chairman until his arrest on December 11, 2008. That’s a tough lie to carry with you for all those years.

One victim said, “I would love for him to have nothing. In jail, he’ll have food, clothing and shelter, and there will be people who are affected who are going to be out on the street.” Interesting and valid point.

How was he caught? Not through the S.E.C., but by telling his sons, who subsequently turned him in. Madoff had this to say: “There is no innocent explanation. [I] paid investors with money that wasn’t there” and expected to go to jail. With that, agents arrested Madoff, according to an FBI complaint that provided a timeline.

I think the most alarming point of this story, is not necessarily that the systems in place did not detect this humongous scheme (although it is pretty sad it took a layman to poof it out), but that a human being with such amount of power abused it. He hurt people, destroyed their lives, and actually contributed to the state of our economy.

Another victim stated that “I feel bad for this man who lost all sense of reality.” Ethics go a long way in the business world. And it seems a vacant room right now.

by M. Adam Carroll

Today’s discussion is music. So, more of a presentation. Every now and then I like to throw artists your way that I think you should know, check out, and add to your list of tunes.

Today, we’re going for different yet sonorous. First up we have a man that goes by the name of Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon). Early on he was part of a couple bands here and there in the cold mid-north section of the US, he escaped to a winter cabin in Wisconsin, and recorded For Emma, For Ever Ago. It has garnered critical acclaim both here and in the UK. A few weeks ago, he released an EP titled Blood Bank. He vacillates between a raspy and falsetto vocal, using folk strings.

The tunes: For Emma, Skinny Love, Blood Bank, Stacks, Flume

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Beirut (not the pong game we all used to enjoy). 23 year old Zachary Francis dropped out of high school at 16, traveled the world, and came back with it in his songs. His sound is unmatched right now. Nothing really sounds like him: 1920′s sounding recordings, European rhythms, and epic like lyrics.

Tunes: Elephant Gun, Nantes, A Sunday Smile.

Alright folks. I hope you enjoy the tunes and this wonderful day. We’ll see you tomorrow for the Moron of the Week.

by M. Adam Carroll

Kendall Marshall is someone who sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He is now a 6-3, 175-pound junior guard at Bishop O’Connell High School and has penned a deal with North Carolina already for when he graduates. He was ranked the #1 recruit in sixth grade too, by a man named Clark Francis: “recruiting analyst”. This fact is both impressive and sickenning.

Impressive, because it seems sports has come down to a science of diet and work outs (i.e. Marshall wakes up every morning at 5:30am to do ball handling drills). Some, such as these kids, master the details early on. But it’s sickening, because these people are still children. In my view, they’re losing a piece of their childhood and innocence. Do they really love the game, the constant NATIONAL pressure to produce?

Dr. Ellen Braaten, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, said “To rank a boy at that age sets up a dynamic of possible failure. I think it’s a tremendous amount of pressure to put on a child. Some are resilient, but there’s definitely the potential for others to develop depression or anxiety disorders.” Well, my untrained psychological brain would have to agree. There’s a reason they only list a couple of boys in this NY Times article: because only a few make it every year to the college level, and even less make it to the professional ranks.

Dozzier, the child mentioned earlier, has his own website (perrydozierjr.com), was invited to play in the Junior NBA, and already attended the Adidas camp (one you must be selected to). His father worries: “There might be expectations that are unreachable, or there are worries about getting injured or anything that could possibly take this game away. But he’s a very mature young man.”

Sorry, he’s not yet a man, but he is young. My older brother went through similar hype in high school. Ranked numerous times by recruiters, 19 scholarship offers, Nike Camp, Adidas Camp, McDonald’s All-America Finalist, recruiting trips all over the country. He finally landed at Purdue University, to play for the “touted” Geane Keady where started his freshman year. Then he tore the ligaments in his ankles and was never the same.

The NY Times article title of “First Impressions Can Create Unrealistic Expectations Basketball Recruit” says it all. It’s unrealistic, and believe me, once you get to which ever institution you go to, it’s not a glamour train.

by M. Adam Carroll

Norman Golb, a University of Chicago professor, has spent the last ten years defending his theory of the Dead Sea Scroll. He maintains that it was not a  the Essens, a sect of Jews, who were the authors of these circa 100 AD manuscripts, but someone else, maybe even a military  group protecting their beliefs. Sounds good. I can respect that.

But in comes his son, Raphael Golb, starkest defender of his father’s theory (I guess it has not been a popular one). Raphie thought it a good idea to take on the identity of Lawrence H. Schiffman, the New York University professor who disagreed with his father the most, and sent emails from Schiffman’s account to other Dead Sea scholars, admitting Golb’s brilliant discoveries and righteousness…

The Times reported that “Mr. Golb, 49, was arrested Thursday morning and charged in Manhattan Criminal Court with identity theft, criminal impersonation and aggravated harassment. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.” Sounds about right.

I thought identity theft was reserved for the Kenya 409 schemers and the high school hackers who have way too much time on their hands. The fact that scholars are teetering with such criminal acts is just, well, stupid. Their not stealing money, not even glory, just atta-boys from fellow book worms.

Schiffman said in response to all of this, that “We debated the theories. I thought that’s what scholarship is about. You don’t have to impersonate me.”

And then Golb’s father said: “Don’t you see how there was kind of a setup? This was to hit me harder.” Right (as I step slowly away from the man in the stray jacket) it was a set up. Professors stay up long nights, rubbing their brittle hands together, thinking of ways to debunk you, Golb.

by M. Adam Carroll

I could write on the economy, but it usually takes me a full week to pent up my anger enough to do so. Besides, I think we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel weening.

So, let’s talk about immigration and music. What? Yes, the two do go together. Let’s contextualize: people have talked of putting up some kind of wall or fortress around our borders in the US . To protect us from the infidel, the “illegal alien” crawling over. We can’t contaminate our western nation of purity, our country of high morals, and Christian beliefs… blah. Two things: our nation is secularizing faster than Europe, so I don’t see that. Furthermore, most of the immigrants coming from the south are of Christian background, so I guess I’m trying to figure out people’s reasoning there, too. Second, do we not see that keeping people out ALSO keeps us in? Why do we wish to put ourselves so high upon a pedestal, then lock ourselves in? I guess if you can show me a country or an instance where someone locked themselves in a closet ever helped them grow or learn, let me know.

So, where does the music come in? Naturally, I’d like to look abroad to extract a good example. Jose Gonzalez is the son of Argentine parents, born in Sweden. There he was educated and was working on his PhD at the University of Gothenburg, when his music career hit it off with the cover of “Heartbeats” from a Swedish band called The Knife.

So, now we have an Argentine boy, playing in Swedish bands. Then London came calling for him to come play at the European music mecca. Gonzalez uses the classical guitar for an instrument, sings in English, and plays a variety of styles and rhythms. A man, three times displaced, has concieved what is arguably some of the freshest and quality music in the last couple of years. Thanks to immigration, thanks to the osmosis of cultures, people, and music.

Where does the US come in, you may ask? That’s just the point, it doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to move my son to a country with such blatant tunnel vision, either. With the name Jose Gonzalez, you might as well glue “Janitor” to everyone’s expectations, the western man’s expectations of lesser, non moral people…

I hope you see the irony in my article and understand where I’m coming from. If not, that’s OK. I hope you at least enjoy the music:

Jose Gonzalez’s songs: Heartbeats/famous Sony Commercial, Heartbeats (live), Crosses, Hints (live), Fold.

His myspace: here.

I think we can all pretty much agree that not many of Bush’s foreign policies were all that great. Our relations with many nations have disseminated. Though, it’s more complicated than just pointing a finger at dubya jr. But it’s a good place to start. My biggest criticism on some of our actions abroad was going into countries and trying to fix socio-political problems by inserting our own methods or structures. This, I believe, is a poignant recipe for failure.

So, I was taken by an article I read in the NY Times that described a movement for women’s rights in Afghanistan, prompted by its own citizens. Since the overthrow of the Taliban (which we might have helped with a little bit), a community service called Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been put in place to harbor the beaten and abused women of Afghanistan. Others have followed.

According to Manizha Naderi, director of Women for Afghan Women, the beating, torture and trafficking of women remain common and are broadly accepted. “Simply put, this is a patriarchal society. Women are the property of men. This is tradition.” This is something, I think, that is hard for a westernized culture such as ours to grasp, without blind criticism on this nation’s culture. How do we speak about and analyze an issue such as this without putting our own culture on a pedestal? Has our country reached such moral heights that we can honestly say, that we, the westerners, are better and more fit for ethical living? I really don’t think so.

Afghanistan is an eastern country few of us, including myself, understand. Their nation has experienced more civil and military violence on their own soil than we ever have, and most likely ever will. Winners make history and found traditions, and the victors of their culture-wars have forced an ugly, patriarchal tradition on their children. So much so, that even the men fear breaking with it.

Take Miriam from Kabul, for example. At 11 years old, she was sold off to a 41 year old blind cleric for a meager $1,200 to help pay off her father’s debt. After being beaten by her husband, Miriam fled (families, especially fathers, do not give refuge to women, it forsakes family honor) to the police and was finally placed in a women’s shelter. Before 2001, this would have been an impossiblity.

If we read or look hard enough, the stories just keep stacking up. Some of them break our hearts, and some even echo happenings in our own country’s homes. But, what I think we can come away with from this article, is that there is a strong movement occurring in Afghanistan. One that has been long overdue, but timely none the less. Our own nation has made many racial, sexual, and ethnic mistakes, and others stood by us as the people changed history. I would hope we do the same here, and not scream “Finally!” but stand behind them and say “Keep going, you’re almost there. We’re still fighting, too.”

by M. Adam Carroll

Like last Friday. Colorado State Trooper Ryan Sullivan thought it a good idea to follow the right arm of the law and impose a jaywalking ticket on a man, after witnesses saw him help and save the lives of three people.

58 year old bus driver Jim Moffett let off two elderly women from his transport, when he recognized they were struggling to make it across the street. He (and another man) got off the bus and went to their aid. At the same time, someone in a pick-up truck drove through a left-hand turn. Moffet pushed these three people to safety, but then was hit by the reckless driver. Trooper Sullivan issued him a $22 after he was taken to the hospital.

Now, I’m not saying that we should let people off because they had good intentions. They hard to prove in court. But, this is hardly a crime, and I can’t help but think that there other, worse things going on in the Denver-Metro area than jaywalking (I don’t know… maybe gun crime, abuse, robbery…).

According to Fox News, “Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He was in serious but stable condition Wednesday.” And then he received the ticket as he woke on his hospital bed. Welcome back, Mr. Mofett. The state of Colorado thanks you for your service and salutes you with a $22 ticket. By the way, the two old ladies send their regards.

A Sgt. of the DPD said in a statement, “An accident investigation is a pretty complicated matter. A trooper has a variety of circumstances he has to consider when he goes out to an accident scene.” Yes, like his (minute) level of intellect. The police are still considering ticketing the two elderly women.

by M. Adam Carroll

But, this doesn’t detract from the following: GM reported a $9.6 billion loss in its fourth quarter and spent $6.2 billion of its reserves in that same period. They spent a total of $19.2 billion of its cash reserves in 2008, and have only $14 billion left. GM burnt through almost half of its reserves in one quarter. So, forgive me if I have no simpathy for CEO Rick Wagoner when he presents his case to our government and cries, “Help me, government and tax payers, help me!” I guess those bonuses don’t look too hot now, do they?

G.M.’s chief financial officer, Ray Young, said on a conference call Thursday, that “The economic situation is having a dramatic impact on our industry, on General Motors. We’re still forecasting a cash flow burn of $14 billion in ’09, so we will need some additional funding support.” Where do we draw the line, then? Can we be honest here and agree with the fact that GM will most likely not make it through this crisis?

Ford, on the other hand, is extending early retirement to its employees and has eliminated performance bonuses. I’m not a huge fan of Ford in the last two decades, but their attempts seem a little more practical and realistic. Moreover, they are not taking government aid.

I don’t think that there’s a simple answer to any of these questions, especially for those working on the front-lines of these organizations. When addressing the auto industry, President Obama described the situation well: “millions of jobs depend on it” and the country “cannot walk away from it.”

He’s right, we can’t forget about the millions of people who depend on these jobs to put food on their tables. But at the same time, we cannot continue down this current economic bail-out road of flushing these same workers’ tax money down the toilet.

by M. Adam Carroll

Like it or not, liberal arts institutions and state universities that offer a good amount of humanities courses produce well-rounded, civic and socially aware human beings. The biggest criticism, especially in today’s economy, is that such people (ehem, like me) do not have an immediate impact on our economy; they do not produce or stimulate the economic cycle like the business professional does. Maybe. OK probably.

But maybe that’s the problem: we are still looking for immediacy in our culture. Isn’t that what got us here in the first place? Buying houses we can’t afford, signing up for that umpteenth credit card, throwing on those dubs to your brand new car. Maybe what we need now is more thought and prudence, and less big-bang economic theories. Will this take time? Absolutely. And I say good.

Anthony T. Kronman, a professor of law at Yale, said in a recent NY Times interview that this is the time to re-examine “what we care about and what we value,” a problem the humanities “are extremely well-equipped to address.”

Universities are beginning to experience hiring freezes or drying up departments they deem as not relevant (students are not signing up for the courses). In the 60′s, as Richard M. Freeland points out, we began “to focus almost entirely on personal intellectual development. But what we haven’t paid a lot of attention to is how students can put those abilities effectively to use in the world. We’ve created a disjunction between the liberal arts and sciences and our role as citizens and professionals.”

Maybe what we need is a little more balance between the two genres of study, and not to entirely promote or dismiss either side.

by M. Adam Carroll

Before we envelope our “case of the Mondays”, take a look at this article I read this afternoon in the NY Times about children and pre-teens taking care of their parents who are either physically or mentally ill. Suddenly my Monday doesn’t seem as torturess.

Anmarie, who started taking care of her sick mother at 11 years old, says “There’s no law that says I have to take care of her. Why should I have to do it? Other kids, they could go out and play with friends.” For some reason, I can’t put this against her. At 11 I was playing soccer outside with my brother and learning how to rollerblade.

At one point or another, we have to take care of a close family member. But not before we have the ability to drive a car or finish our math homework without the help of a parent.

I thought this article timely. This is a time when we are starting to re-think many things. Life could always be worse, but we can always make things better at home.

Have a great Monday, everyone. Check you tomorrow.

by M. Adam Carroll

On July 25th, 2008 during Critical Mass, in which hundreds of cyclists ride through the city to advocate nonpolluting forms of transportation, Pogan randomly decided to side-clean Christopher Long, who was enjoying the day’s activities. This, my friends, is no joke. But it is hilarious.

According to the Manhattan PD, Pogan was fired last Monday. Oh, but wait, not before he could say, “Oh yea?! Well I QUIT!” Yes, while this police officer was on a national stage of moronic heights, he decided to pull a move only the George Costanza’s of the world would attempt.

Stuart London, one of Pogan’s lawyers, stated that the policeman resigned “to concentrate his efforts on fighting the criminal charges that are against him. So that when he is ultimately acquitted he can reapply to the Police Department.” Right. Sounds good. I’m assuming, though, that the Manhattan PD might show this video (which has been viewed nearly 2 million times) to the jury. Please enjoy:

Have a great weekend, boys and girls. Just watch where you cycle.

by M. Adam Carroll

Here are some artists that you should go check out.

Duffy - a more sane and eclectic Winehouse. Try “Mercy” and “Stepping Stone”: myspace.

Lilly Allen – for a potty mouth and a good time beat, check out her new release: myspace.

Katie Melua – probably the best looking and sounding female voice to come out of the UK in years. She vacillates jazz, blues, and folk. Try “If You Were A Sailboat” and “Closest Thing to Crazy”: myspace.

You can also do a search in youtube and find a lot of her well done videos and live sessions. I would suggest visiting my own playlist of her: here.

Moses Mayfield - a band that came and went too soon. Their songs were honest and true. Try “Fall Behind” and “Element”: myspace.

Lead singer Mattew Mayfield now has a solo EP. It’s a must hear: myspace.

Enjoy the music. We’ll see you guys tomorrow for the ‘Moron of the Week’ session.

by M. Adam Carroll