Rock and roll week

Posted by shazapp on July 30, 2011 No comments

On Wednesday, July 27th, I went down to the Grog Shop and caught metal gods, Anvil, on their Juggernaut of Justice tour.  I’d never been to the Grog Shop before despite wanting to for several years.  (Many bands I wanted to see have played there but I never had the money or the time to get there.) This time though, when I heard Anvil were going to play, I immediately logged on to TicketWeb and snared a ticket.

The show started about an hour after the advertised 8 PM.  Opening band Destructor (from Cleveland) were pretty good.  I’d never heard anything they’d done before.  When they were done, I was surprised that a lot of the crowd moved away from the stage.  I took the opportunity to get right up front for Anvil.

Anvil hit the stage with lead singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow yelling “Hello, Cleveland!” into his guitar’s pickup.  And, with that, they blasted into “March of the Crabs.”  I had a place directly in front of bassist Glenn “G5″ Gyorffy.  He was intense.  Every so often, Lips would come over and play directly in front of me and make faces at me.  It was hilarious.  The band was in great spirits and sounded fantastic.  They’ve got a fan for life.

Here are some pictures I took at the show:

It was a great show and I had a blast despite being extremely dehydrated afterwards.

Tonight, it’s off to Geneva on the Lake to see my friend’s band, Sonic Age.

Pirates vs Indians in the World Series? Let’s not get carried away…

Posted by shazapp on July 17, 2011 No comments

A recent article on The Plain Dealer’s website had this gem of a quote:

After 18 straight losing seasons, the Pirates in first place? Send the script to Steven Spielberg.

What’s next, a Cleveland-Pittsburgh World Series?

My grandpa was a huge Pittsburgh Pirates fan.  They haven’t been in the playoff hunt since he died in 1995.  It would be a great thing to see them win it all at least once more in MY lifetime.  But, let’s get a little closer to the postseason before we start worrying about a Rust Belt Series.

Let me say, though, that it is great to see the Pirates reside somewhere other than the basement after the All Star Game.

For the whole article:  click here.

What happens when you remove the apex predators? This.

Posted by shazapp on July 16, 2011 No comments

According to a study conducted by an international team of scientists and published in the July 15 issue of Science, the decline of apex consumers (or apex predators), largely caused by humans through hunting and habitat fragmentation, has had far-reaching and often surprising consequences, including changes in vegetation, wildfire frequency, infectious diseases, invasive species, water quality and nutrient cycles.

Some people ask me why I am such an outspoken supporter of sharks and their well-being.  This is why.

But it’s not just sharks or whales.  The study found that the decline in lions in Africa has “led to population outbreaks and changes in behavior of olive baboons, increasing their contact with people and causing higher rates of intestinal parasites in both people and baboons.”

Every action has a reaction.  The destruction of apex predators for reasons of sport, greed, and/or fear have consequences.

The study also shows there is hope.

The decimation of wolves in Yellowstone National Park led to over-browsing of aspen and willows by elk, and restoration of wolves has allowed the vegetation to recover.

Let’s hope that it’s not too late to reverse the damage that’s already been done in other areas, particularly the sea.

For the entire article:  click here.

A new blog with a new purpose

Posted by shazapp on July 14, 2011 No comments

In an effort to reduce the signal to noise ratio on my Facebook page, I will post my thoughts here instead.

I may post on political things, personal things, or just plain random things.

I really don’t care who reads this blog.  I do, however, want to keep the negative vibes off my Facebook page.