Year: 2007

Random Web Page — The Scott Wheeler Story

Scott Wheeler 1954At the link is a Web site I came across by chance. [Link] It’s by a Boston area guy named Scott Wheeler, “The website of the first official Liverpool “Merseycat” musician born in the USA — on the cutting edge of a classic rock and roll sound!”

My take on Wheeler is he’s one of those Beatles fans who’s always hovered around the edges of the entertainment business, looking for a way in. He got a band together in the 60’s, worked in the radio biz, and wrote for a small city newspaper, etc. I can relate, except I’ve never tried my hand at music. Art was my forté.

Wheeler’s site is typical of someone who hasn’t yet discovered blogging software. It’s a collection of static pages that haven’t been maintained for over a year. There are a lot of dead links and missing pictures, but it’s still worth browsing because Wheeler has done some interesting things in his life, including a writing a book about someone at the outer fringes of John Lennon’s life, his uncle Charlie. [Link] One thing’s for sure — Wheeler had a better Superman costume than I did when I was a kid!

Postcript: George Scott Wheeler obituary.

Antiques Rock Show

Ever watch The Antiques Road Show? Lots of boring old stuff for boring old people, huh? But what if there were an Antiques Rock Show? At the link is a very amusing video of exactly that. [Link]

WFMU Record Fair

Probably the closest the actual Antiques Road Show has gotten to doing something like this is a segment with vintage rock concert posters. [Link] The show’s pop culture collectibles appraiser is Gary Sohmers, whose business is near here.

Going to Potter

I think J.K. Rowling has done something marvelous by creating the Harry Potter series. She deserves every penny of the millions — or is it billions now? — she has earned.

Eric has read all of the Harry Potter books, of course. I’ve read the first two books and have seen the movies. In the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Jason Isaacs first appeared as Lucius Malfoy. He’s from Liverpool, but he doesn’t sound like it.

I’m of mostly British heritage. About 15 years ago I spent some time on business in England, and I felt very much at home there. Sometimes I wish I’d grown up in England, so that I might be able to speak with the flawless articulation and inflection that Isaacs displays with such panache in this scene. But it’s safer to assume that my speech would sound more like that of Mark Williams, who is in this scene as Ronald Weasley’s father, Arthur.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/APR07/HarryPotter.flv 425 232]© Warners

Legal Loan Sharking

With all of the talk and concern about predatory lending practices, why is it that Web sites are still covered with ads like this one?

I don’t know what the girls in it have to do with getting a mortgage, but one gets the impression the ad is intended to appeal to non-white customers. I think the use of the term sub-prime should be stopped. The uninformed might get the impression it has something to do with the Prime Rate, and not unqualified borrowers.

The problem isn’t just with those who aren’t credit-worthy. The herd mentality that led to the stock market surge in the late 90’s simply jumped over to real estate. Professionals traded up to a bigger house than they could otherwise afford. The assumption was an $850,000 home would be worth $1m in no time. Combined with the hope, if not expectation, that interest rates wouldn’t go up significantly, some people with healthy incomes are now in trouble because the value of their house is down, and their adjustable mortgage rate is up.

More Westfield Waste

Argh. More bad news out of Westfield State College.

Westfield State rape suspect sought

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
By GEORGE GRAHAM

WESTFIELD — The Westfield State College Department of Public Safety has identified a suspect in the reported on-campus rape of a female student Friday morning. As of late yesterday afternoon, no arrest had been made in the case, which was reported in Davis Hall about 6:15 a.m.

Friday, officials said. “We think this is a singular incident rather than a predatory situation,” Arthur R. Jackson, vice president of student affairs at Westfield State, said yesterday. Jackson described the suspect as a “young man” but declined to state whether he is a student.

“Because the report is under investigation, we are not releasing further details at this time,” said Paul V. Scannell, director of public safety at the college. Scannell said that college public safety officers are working closely with Massachusetts State Police in conducting the investigation.

The student was assisted by campus personnel and is now with family, officials said. A campus-wide notice issued Friday advised all students to keep their room doors locked and report anything suspicious to campus police at (413) 572-5262.

©2007 The Republican

Violence, both actual and alleged, happens on and near many college campuses — the accusations and outcome of the Duke University case is a recent example — but Westfield State is a small school, and Davis Hall was my dorm.