Musings from the basement...

Rotator Cuff, the forgotten little band only I loved

February 20, 2017 2 Comments

I need to take a little trip back into Music Nostalgiaville for a moment. Not for any reason, just because. I’m going to do it with a cut from a band called Rotator Cuff. (If you want to skip the story and go right to the music, go below.) This band was completely local, so I acknowledge this is ’90s nostalgia for no one but me. It’s not even all that nostalgic for people in my area. This song got a decent amount of airplay on WHTG 106.3, which back in the day was one of the most important college rock stations in the northeast. Matt Pinfield of 120 Minutes was an alt rock icon locally thanks to his time there, and that’s where I (sort…
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Music, Videos

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Gardening Grief: Here’s Why It Pays To Hire A Pro For These Five Troublesome Tasks

February 20, 2017 1 Comment

Contributed Post It’s no secret that many of us love to spend time in our gardens. They are our personal sanctuaries from the outside world and allow us time to rest and relax. Our gardens are also the perfect place for social gatherings with family and friends. As you can imagine, a well-kept garden will look beautiful regardless of the weather. The thing is; gardening is a pastime that can sometimes involve lots of planning and heavy labor. Especially if wish to transform our gardens from something resembling a jungle! With all that in mind, there are just some tasks that are best left to the professionals. After all; they will have the right tools for the job, not to mention the expertise! Here are…
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Gardening

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No, the country is not plagued with historic crime sprees, immigrant-driven or otherwise

February 9, 2017 12 Comments

America is clearly at a crossroads. The picture painted of the United States during Donald Trump’s inaugural speech was a dire one: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. Holy shit! That sounds horrible! No wonder he wants to build that wall. We’ve got to stop all that crazy crime that is tearing our country apart! The situation sounds worse than ever!…
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Politics

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No, illegal immigrants aren’t sucking the system dry

February 8, 2017 4 Comments

Day three of some wall talkin’ (the one that won’t work). So, we need that big ol’ Trump wall because illegal immigrants are sucking the system dry and leaving Americans footing the bill, right? Not exactly. Or at least, it’s not the gigantic crisis demagogues like Donald Trump would have you believe. First, there is the charge that illegals don’t pay taxes. This is a myth. On the local and state levels they pay all the same rental, property, gas, and sales/consumption taxes we do. Further, according to the Social Security Administration, about 3.1 million working illegal immigrants (out of about 8 million working illegals total) pay into the Social Security system despite not being able to draw from it. Those taxes total $12 billion annually. (For…
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Politics

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