Left of the Dial

I Want You Back

My new favorite cover ever:

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Iraq and who died at a military hospital of their injuries in Afghanistan:

Kevin A. Dupont, 52, of Templeton, Mass.; sergeant first class, Army National Guard. Dupont died Wednesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio after suffering third-degree burns March 8 when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb and burst into flames in Kandau, Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 79th Troop Command in Rehoboth, Mass.

Edmond L. Lo, 23, of Salem, N.H.; staff sergeant, Army. Lo was killed June 13 when a roadside bomb he was trying to disarm exploded in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Ordnance Battalion at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jonathan C. O'Neill, 22, of Zephyrhills, Fla.; specialist, Army. O'Neill died Monday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio after being badly burned June 2 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in southeast Afghanistan's Paktia province, south of Kabul. He was assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne) at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Kafele H. Sims, 32, of Los Angeles; captain, Army. Sims died of noncombat-related injuries Tuesday in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigade in Schwetzingen, Germany.

Joshua W. Soto, 25, of Avenal, Calif.; sergeant, Army. Soto was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Ft. Bliss Texas.

The Carrot Highway

There are times I am so very glad I didn't decide I loved music so much that I would attempt to make my life in the music industry. 

Like these folks: 

 

Aquaman's Lament

So I've listened to this song probably a dozen times over the past couple days. I've spent a bizarrely large percentage of my life thinking about the Batman, but I always loved Aquaman as a kid: we both had blonde hair and loved to swim, and that's about the extent of my introspection. 

And I must say, the King of the Seven Seas makes a good argument, especially when it comes to the unlimited free seafood. 

He, of course, doesn't understand just what it is that makes the Dark Knight not just the greatest comic book character ever but, in fact, one of the greatest characters in the history of fiction full stop. But that's okay, as the song's from Aquaman's POV. The homoerotic angle's kinda been done to death, but we can overlook that given its other charms. 

One thing, though, Mark, if you're reading this: awesome job, oh so catchy, love pretty much everything about it. Except this bit: 

Have you ever got the notion
That he's just a rat with wings
I'm the king of seven oceans
And, Vicki, you're my everything

would work better as:

Have you ever got the notion
That he's just a rat with wings
I'm the king of seven oceans
And I want you to be my queen

Tell you what, you can have it, free of charge. 

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan:

Rocco M. Barnes, 50, of Los Angeles; major, Army National Guard. Barnes was killed June 4 in a vehicle rollover in Afghanistan. He was a member of the California Army National Guard's Tactical Command Post, 40th Infantry Division and assigned as an individual augmentee to the 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Ricky L. Richardson Jr., 33, of Franklin, Mo.; chief warrant officer 2, Marine Corps. Richardson was killed Wednesday while reportedly trying to dismantle a bomb in western Afghanistan's Farah province, on the Iranian border. He was assigned to the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan.

Eduardo S. Silva, 25, of Greenfield, Calif.; specialist, Army. Silva died of noncombat-related injuries Tuesday at Afghanistan's Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul. He was assigned to the 563rd Aviation Support Battalion, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Joshua R. Whittle, 20, of Downey; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Whittle was killed in combat June 6 in southwestern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Ragtime 80s

So I'm going to just post YouTube vidyos from now on. Because I no longer have anything even remotely worthwhile to say. If I ever did. 

So...here. 

Would it be overly pedantic to point out that ragtime is never supposed to be played quickly? That this is actually stride and not ragtime? Either way, boy can play. 

New 80s Brat Pack Video

This makes me very happy. 

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, or who died at a military hospital of their injuries:

John C. Beale, 39, of Riverdale, Ga.; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. Beale was among three guardsmen killed in an ambush Thursday when Taliban militants detonated a roadside bomb and opened fire on the soldiers' vehicle in Afghanistan's Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Calhoun, Ga.

Justin J. Duffy, 31, of Cozad, Neb.; sergeant, Army. Duffy was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in east Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Jarrett P. Griemel, 20, of La Porte, Texas; specialist, Army. Griemel died of noncombat-related injuries Wednesday at Forward Operating Base Gardez south of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Jeffrey A. Hall, 28, of Huntsville, Ala.; staff sergeant, Army. Hall was among four soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in the Nerkh district west of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Roberto A. Hernandez II, 21, of Far Rockaway, N.Y.; specialist, Army. Hernandez was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Afghanistan's Paktia province, south of Kabul. He was assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne) at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Bradley W. Iorio, 19, of Galloway, N.J.; private, Army. Iorio died May 29 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered two days earlier in a noncombat-related incident in Tallil, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Kevin M. Jenrette, 37, of Lula, Ga.; major, Army National Guard. Jenrette was among three guardsmen killed in an ambush Thursday when Taliban militants detonated a roadside bomb and opened fire on the soldiers' vehicle in Afghanistan's Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Calhoun, Ga.

Jeffrey W. Jordan, 21, of Rome, Ga.; specialist, Army National Guard. Jordan was among three guardsmen killed in an ambush Thursday when Taliban militants detonated a roadside bomb and opened fire on the soldiers' vehicle in Afghanistan's Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Calhoun, Ga.

Christopher M. Kurth, 23, of Alamogordo, N.M.; specialist, Army. Kurth was killed Thursday when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade in Kirkuk, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Thomas E. Lee III, 20, of Dalton, Ga.; private Army. Lee was killed May 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jasper K. Obakrairur, 26, of Hilo, Hawaii; sergeant, Army. Obakrairur was among four soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in the Nerkh district west of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Matthew D. Ogden, 33, of Corpus Christi, Texas; private first class, Army. Ogden was among four soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in the Nerkh district west of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Charles D. Parrish, 23, of Jasper, Ala.; specialist, Army. Parrish died Thursdayin Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered earlier that day when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade in Jalula, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.

Matthew G. Reza, 27, of Austin, Texas; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Reza died of noncombat-related injuries May 31 in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, southwest of Kabul. He was assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C.

Marko M. Samson, 30, of Columbus, Ohio; specialist, Army. Samson died of noncombat-related injuries May 31 in Tikrit, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Samuel D. Stone, 20, of Port Orchard, Wash.; private first class, Army National Guard. Stone was killed May 30 when his vehicle overturned in a noncombat-related accident in Tallil, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment in Bremerton, Wash.

Robert D. Ulmer, 22, of Landisville, Pa.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Ulmer died of noncombat-related injuries Friday in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune N.C.

Matthew W. Wilson, 19, of Miller, Mo.; private first class, Army. Wilson was among four soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in the Nerkh district west of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Literal Total Eclipse of the Heart

Ah, another week gone by, another lack of anything interesting to say. Oh, for the days when I could effortlessly pontificate for hundreds, nay, thousands of words and not worry that I had naught worthwhile to say. I am a shell of my former myself. And yet ever so much bigger. Time sucks. 

But this makes it all better. 

I know what you're thinking. How on earth did they take The Greatest Song Ever and make it even better? 

Very simple. 

Ringo Starr? Lined eyes.