2013: The Year of Twerking and Selfies

It has become a customary ritual during the waning days of every year. And as 2013 is poised to become history, like clockwork, folks are reflecting on the people, events, and trends that have made the past 12 months unique.

While having its share of politics and news of great significance, 2013, it seems, has had a curiously high percentage of catchy words and phrases. In my humble opinion, the following two entries are the most memorable:

Twerking

Hands down, “twerking” wins the award for generating the most news, social networking talk, and controversy during 2013. The Urban Dictionary defines a twerk as ‘the rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in ones intended audience’.

Pop singer Miley Cyrus and her infamous, and, shall I say, abominable, performance at this year’s VMA music award program catapulted the term into the national lexicon.

Due to my general lack of knowledge of contemporary pop culture, Cyrus’ performance, which was shown on seemingly every media outlet capable of playing video, was my first exposure to the term. My teenage sons, however, say they knew about twerking long before her performance last August.

Selfie

While not quite as earth-shattering as “twerking”, the entry “selfie” has made some significant headlines during the last year. The Urban Dictionary describes a selfie as ‘a picture taken of yourself that is planned to be uploaded to Facebook, MySpace or any other sort of social networking website.’ The picture of me on the right, which I’ve used as profile pic on Facebook, is an example.

The term gained a national audience when President Obama was caught snapping one with other world leaders attending the recent funeral for former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Within hours after its release, Obama’s selfie went viral, and his political opponents saw quickly another way to score some partisan points over his supposed narcissism. (First Lady Michelle’s body language in the pic suggested she was bothered, and this also lent fuel to the fire.)

Again, it wasn’t until the incident at Mandela’s funeral until I learned about the term, selfie. On the other hand, I suspect millenials have known about selfies for quite some time.

Early Resolutions

While not all bad, 2013 was kind of a discouraging year for me. In fact, I've been in kind of a rut. So, I've decided to get a proactive jump on 2014 by carrying out my annual New Year's resolutions before Christmas.

The first resolution I've begun pursuing is my pledge to learn how to play guitar. I've taken several casual stabs of taking up the instrument in the past But this time, I have a certain fire in my belly. After going nearly three decades without plucking a string, I, along with my wife, decided to buy brand new acoustic guitars as sort of a Christmas present to ourselves. So far, I'm really delighted that I have.

I've also begun putting the needed pieces in place that will enable me to act on another resolution, putting together a podcast file I can send to broadcasters as an audition for on-air employment. I've downloaded an audio editing software program called Audacity, and have settled on buying a 'Yeti' USB microphone online. It comes highly recommended from some trusted broadcasting acquaintances.

I'm at a point in my life where I want to work at jobs that I'll really enjoy, and fortunately, I believe that I'm financially secure enough where I can be really picky. Broadcasting is where I want to be. I just need to learn the mixing and editing techniques needed for a decent audition podcast. It will take some resolve, but again, I think I have that fire in my belly.

It's Time for a New Moron!

The subject of ignorant and uninformed voters comes up often in the blogosphere. And invariably, bloggers writing posts about this topic utilize this unforgettable image to accompany their story:

Just today, in fact, I had a story appear with that same image in my Facebook news feed from Alternet.org. The post's written content is spot on and enlightening. But I ask, must we fall back so consistently on making use of the not-so-bright looking St. Louis Cardinals fan holding up a sign that misspells morons?

Now, don't get me wrong! The image is a laugh riot. But it's more than 10 years old! So, it's not exactly current. Moreover, as a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I cringe at the thought of what Mr. 'Moran' is doing to pigeonhole the Cardinal fan base, St. Louisans, and Midwesterners, as well. This dude is hardly representative of us. And, we don't need to hand out added ammunition to outsiders that affirms their already-held beliefs that we're a bunch of uneducated rubes and rednecks.

My post, now, is mostly tongue-in-cheek, and I realize that my beef doesn't really touch upon any of the world's most pressing problems...not even close. But this is my blog, and I say right up front that it's my place to rant! Moreover, there is no shortage of political morons in the country. Might I suggest using this dude as the new poster boy.

A Kindergartner's Take on That Dark Time, 50 Years Ago

Folks often ask the question, "do you remember where you were and what you were doing?" when they recall momentous, and often infamous historical dates during their lives. Today, we observe the 50th anniversary of that terrible day in Dallas, Texas, where President John F. Kennedy was gunned down during the prime of his life. Since I was a 6-year-old kid back then, I believe that I may be one of the youngest persons alive who can actually recall that time. Most anyone who was younger than five or six back when JFK was assassinated is unlikely, I believe, to have any memory of it.

During the fall of 1963, I had entered Kindergarten at a suburban St. Louis grade school where I went to school for just half the day in the morning. So on that infamous Friday 50 years ago, I had apparently just gotten home from school when the shots rang out. I don't recall what I was doing when it actually happened, but I do remember my mother being very upset later that afternoon when she told my older brothers upon returning home from their schools that President Kennedy had been assassinated. I wasn't sure what that word meant, but I knew it was something really awful because when she said it, she was crying. (By the way, a family friend took the photo of me displayed on the right on Thanksgiving Day in 1963, which was less than a week after the assassination.)

Perhaps, it's more accurate to state that I recall the events during the immediate aftermath of Kennedy's death, than the actual, horrific deed itself. Many historians believe that JFK's assassination ushered in the age of television news. Fifty years ago, three broadcast networks basically dominated television, and all three, CBS, NBC and ABC, were giving this story wall-to-wall news coverage. As a result, my next memory of that time came on the following Sunday (November 24). While televised live before a national audience, JFK's accused killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, was fatally shot while police were transferring him to the county jail. I can remember vividly my mother shrieking in horror as my family and I watched this attack unfold before our eyes on our black-and-white TV.



The next day, November 25, 1963, I can remember watching the wall-to-wall coverage of the funeral procession, where a riderless horse was pulling a carriage holding JFK's flag-draped coffin to Arlington National Cemetery. I remember wondering what kind a man was Kennedy at the time. After watching John-John's iconic salute to his father's coffin, I began wondering about his kids who were about the same age as me. I wondered if they were sad as the concept of death was still pretty new to me.



The Kennedy assassination had a profound impact on me. Beforehand, all I knew was basically my family, my school, and my dog. But afterwards, my concept of the world increased exponentially. For the first time, I discovered the existence of news, history and the politics that shapes them. Moreover, the Kennedy assassination made me aware of my own mortality.

Where's the Outrage?

I just posted this Tweet. I thought I'd share it on my blog also.

Where's the outrage over this lie? #Votethemout2014 #doublestandards pic.twitter.com/cj4dCMzU2E

— Joel Wells (@animule) November 14, 2013

A True Equivalency

With the federal government shutdown now entering its fifth day, much of the mainstream media continue to frame the impasse in a false equivalency setting. This inaccurate portrayal appears in media reports complaining about "a failure of leadership", "partisan gridlock", or similar memes. John Darkow's political cartoon that ran in a recent edition of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune illustrates this widespread view quite nicely.

Fortunately, not all journalists are buying into this misguided effort to play the middle ground. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reveals in her blog the absurdity of this false equivalency by creating a fictional situation where a true equivalency occurs.

Let's say President Obama, feeling good after winning re-election fairly easily, adopted an overly confident posture with lawmakers. He started boasting about the fact that his approval rating is four times higher than Congress' approval rating; his policy agenda enjoys broader public support than Republicans' policy agenda; and he decided it's time they start rewarding him before he considered engaging in basic governance.

"Sure," Obama said to Republicans in this imaginary scenario, "I'll sign the spending measures to prevent a government shutdown, but first you have to raise taxes on the wealthy. And end the sequestration policy. And pass comprehensive immigration reform. And approve universal background checks. The American people are with me, so I expect you to compromise and negotiate with me on these matters."

The president then said to GOP lawmakers, "And sure, I'll sign a bill to raise the debt limit, paying the bills you already piled up, but I'm not ready to sign a 'clean' bill. Instead, I also expect Congress to pass a cap-and-trade bill, a public option for the health care system, universal pre-K, and billions in infrastructure investments. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to tell the public you refuse to compromise and negotiate."

-Rachel Maddow, The Maddow Blog

Maddow says reports claiming that Obama refuses to compromise or negotiate as if it were a legitimate debate point aren't just misleading, but "demonstrably silly". I agree. This isn't normal give and take. It's extortion. Part of the minority party is strong-arming the majority to get everything they want. To report otherwise is a failure of journalism.

Different Day, Same Drivel

This is really starting to sound like a broken record.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The reason alleged gunman Aaron Alexis was able to kill 12 people last week in the Washington Navy Yard shooting was that “there weren’t enough good guys with guns” present, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.

“When the good guys with guns got there, it stopped,” he said.

-Andy Meek, Time Magazine

NBC might as well have placed a cardboard cutout of LaPierre on the set complete with word balloon answers from his noteworthy news conference following the Sandy Hook massacre last December.

MTP moderator David Gregory, to his credit, called out LaPierre saying the that the Navy Base did indeed have armed guards present when the gunman entered the facility.

But LaPierre reiterated his stance stating simply that more good guys with guns were needed, all the while overlooking the obvious: a background check would have prevented or, at the very least, impeded Alexis from getting a gun in the first place.

Every time members of the National Rifle Association trot this windbag out to speak, they are revealing further to the public and many responsible gun owners that they are nothing more than a corporate shill for the highly-lucrative gun industry.

The Unasked Question...

Today's question inside the beltway and on the mainstream media: "How was such an apparently mentally ill man was able to gain access to a secure military facility?"

Valid question, but the not being asked, it seems, is the other obvious question: "How was such an apparently mentally ill man able buy a gun?"

Maybe next time. And, there will be a next time.

Dude, Where's My War?

John Stewart is a national treasure. On the Daily Show last night, he struck again by calling out Fox News for sounding disappointed that Obama, who, for the time being, is giving diplomacy in Syria preference over military intervention.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Once again, Stewart hit it out of the park. Could we actually be seeing a new trend in the U.S. where life is getting a little more challenging for the warmongers and chickenhawks?

Blog Verification

I'm making this post for internal, technical reasons that relate to establishing a blog feed with Technorati, who is asking me to publish a verification code in order to establish that I'm really the author of the blog, 'Outlook from the Outskirts'. The code: UF9C6XVC3AKY.

Geese at the Park

Geese at the Park: http://t.co/8P6KsqXM2l via @youtube #DemingPark #TerreHaute #Indiana #beautifulday

— Joel Wells (@animule) September 15, 2013

September's Other Infamous Anniversary

It has become a tradition, and rightly so. Every year as summer shows signs of receding into fall, millions of Americans take time out to participate in somber remembrances, such as holding moments of silence, reciting victims' names, and displaying U.S. flags at half staff, to commemorate the horrific tragedy of September 11th, 2001. It's been a dozen years since those attacks, but I, along with the vast majority of folks who are old enough can still remember where they were and what they were doing on that awful day.

However, another September anniversary of an event that had dire consequences for this country is about to pass. While not as lethal as the 9-11 attacks, the catastrophic meltdown of the nation's financial markets began emerging this week five years ago on September 15th, 2008. Investment bank Lehman Brothers initiated the downward spiral by declaring bankruptcy, the news of which sent Wall Street scrambling even before the markets opened.

Panic ensued that week as more financial institutions, such as Merrill Lynch, AIG, and Washington Mutual, faltered. By October, the stock market and the economy, in general, were in free fall.

This meltdown, arising from years of reckless and predatory lending practices, led to what is now known as the Great Recession. It proved to be the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930's, and many economic analysts from around the world believed that it helped, in part, lead the United States to electing its first African-American president.

Of course, the meltdown's fallout went far beyond electoral politics. The American middle class lost nearly 40 percent of its wealth. Their median net worth - the value of assets such as homes, automobiles and stocks minus any debt - suffered the biggest drops. The Federal Reserve reports that the median net worth for a middle class family plunged from $126,000 dollars in 2007 to just $77,000 in 2010. (By contrast, the wealthiest families' median net worth rose slightly during the same time.)

This loss of wealth was due, in part, to the unexpected loss of income resulting from skyrocketing unemployment. Between October of 2008 and April of 2009, an average of 700,000 American workers lost their jobs each month, which contributed to the largest sustained increase in unemployment since the Great Depression.

Since the automotive industry was especially hard hit, the impact of these massive job cuts weren't lost on me. My employer at the time, automotive brake manufacturer Aisin Brake & Chassis, suffered debilitating layoffs, which resulted in ending my three-year stint there as a forklift operator.

While far from being out of the woods, our sputtering economy, for the time being, appears to be on the slow road to recovery. Many folks continue to debate over who and what is to blame and what policies to pursue. While worthy of discussion, I decided to save those topics for another blog post. My only intention, here, was simply to call attention to the anniversary of this memorable historical happening in our not so distant past.

Radio Days (Part IV): A Homecoming of Sorts and "Grandma, Can I Have a CD Player?

With the decade of the 1980s progressing into its latter half, the twists and turns of my radio career landed me in my home state of Missouri, much to my delight. The setting for the new job was in a rural, small-town located in the northern part of the state quite close to the Iowa border. The following is the fourth in a series of essays about my life as a broadcaster. Time Frame: 1985-1986.

With two seemingly long years in northwest Oklahoma working at KSIW under my belt, my desire to move on was growing increasingly more intense. I had sent out many audition tapes containing what I thought was my best work. These cassette tapes contained an air check of a recent shift and samples of some of my commercial production. (I was fortunate that management had relaxed recently its policy against allowing jocks to do production or to even say their names on air.)

At last, I got the break I wanted. After finishing an afternoon airshift, I came home to find a blinking red light and a surprising message on my answering machine. (Remember, this was 1985.)

I pushed 'playback', and I heard a pleasant-sounding woman's voice. She identified herself as Carla Robinson, the Program Director for KRXL-FM (XL-94) in Kirksville, Missouri. She said that she had just listened to my tape and was interested in talking to me about doing 'afternoon drive' there. When I returned her call, I scheduled an interview. About a week or so after our initial meeting, I was delighted to learn that I had landed the gig. Apparently, the interview had gone well, and I was ecstatic.

I was doing afternoon drive at a regional powerhouse in my home state of Missouri. (At left, my Mom and I were checking out the 'Radio Park' building that housed both KRXL and companion station, KIRX-AM. Both she and my Dad, who shot the photo, came to visit me at the station during my employment there.) At the time, 'XL-94' as it was called, was a 100,000-watt, Adult-Contemporary FM station that that covered the entire northeast quarter of Missouri (and much southeast Iowa, as well). The stations were in the hands of Vera Burk, an elderly and kindly widow who was left in charge after her husband, the founder of KRXL-KIRX, had died in 1982.

Vera's grandson, 'Burk' Forsythe, was XL-94's weekend and fill-in jock who for all intents and purposes called virtually all the shots at the station despite the fact, as I mentioned above, that Carla Robinson was in name, the PD. Carla, however, did render the personnel decisions since she recruited, interviewed, and hired me. But Burk, because of his family relationship, made most the other decisions.

Burk wasn't really that great of an air personality, but he was unquestionably an audiophile. And, I think his pull with Grandma Vera was essentially the reason why XL-94, a small market radio station in rural Missouri, had a CD player in September, 1985, a time when the overwhelming majority of commercial radio stations didn't. (Our unit look looked a lot like the one pictured on the left.) Unfortunately, players of the time weren't designed to withstand repeated usage as broadcasting situations require. Ours was no exception, and after some two months of use, our player couldn't play a CD without it skipping. Much to Burk's dismay, Grandma Vera said no to a new one. And thus, XL-94 was relegated to using cart players and turntables for the remainder of my time spent working there.

Along with the dawn of new digital recording technology, 1985 and 1986 was a momentous time for both news and pop music. I'll never forget how on the afternoon of January 28,1986, I came into my shift during which we were airing continuous wall-to-wall coverage of the horrific Space Shuttle Challenger disaster:

I remember that it was a difficult segue for me when I had to go back to playing music later that afternoon.

Also during my stint at XL-94, a HUGE sports story, at least for Missourians, occurred. The national media had dubbed it, 'The I-70 World Series'. Because of its geographic location, Kirksville seemed to be divided equally between Cardinals and Royals fans rabidly routing for their respective teams. For the record, the folks at KRXL-KIRX were decidedly pro-St. Louis since KIRX was a Cardinal network affiliate.

Musically, the pop songs we played at XL-94 were mostly synthesized, rhythmic dance tunes that all came accompanying videos that got extensive play on either MTV or VH-1. (Yes, this was the time when MTV actually played music!) While officially Adult Contemporary, XL-94 strayed heavily into Top-40 or CHR music. Billboard magazine had St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" by John Parr listed at Number One my first week in Kirksville , and XL-94 had it in heavy rotation.

I also remember these tunes during my time there.

For the most part, it was a great time for pop music, and a great time for being in radio. I look back at my time at XL-94 as a rewarding experience where I got to refine my broadcasting skills and work with a pretty decent group of people.

Unfortunately, my job came to sudden end under less than ideal circumstances. It seems that I made the bad move of recording an air-check over an 'unmarked' sales demo tape I found in the production studio without asking if it was okay. As it turned out, this tape belonged to the sales manager, and after one thing led to another, I was shown the door.

Coming up: Rock Radio and 'Lock It In and Rip the Knob Off' in Indiana...

Hurricane Marco Rubio?

Forget about Andrew, Sandy or Katrina. How about Marco Rubio, Michelle Bachmann or Rick Perry? It seems that an environmental group, 350 Action, has organized a petition drive to urge the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to name hurricanes and tropical storms after political leaders who deny the existence of climate change. The WMO normally names hurricanes using a pre-determined alphabetical list which gets recycled every six years.

In addition to the petition, 350 Action has also released a video, which shows fake news reports about hurricanes named after climate change deniers.

As of the writing of this blog post, the online petition had more the 40,000 signatures.

On the Mississippi

Check out my short clip..."On the Mississippi" http://t.co/BlwpHfJaUd via @youtube #MississippiRiver #StLouis #GatewayArch

— Joel Wells (@animule) August 10, 2013

Indiana's Borders in an Alternate Universe

Imagine if Indiana's eastern boundary with Ohio was 50 miles further to the east and simultaneously, its western boundary with Illinois was extended 50 miles further to the west.

If this unlikely scenario ever became the case, Indiana's population would more than double. This huge influx of people would arise from including the population of Cook County (Chicago) in Illinois and the Cincinnati area in Ohio comprising Hamilton County, Butler County and Warren County.




Indianapolis, which is now the most populous city in Indiana, would suddenly rank number three under this new border arrangement.

I don't think there is any other state that holds this somewhat dubious distinction.

#SharkNado?

Twitter was all abuzz yesterday with the debut airing of a made-for-TV movie called "SharkNado".


Yes, this is a flick about a tornado filled with sharks!!! And no, this is not an article from "The Onion".

It seems the hashtag for the SyFy network movie was the hottest discussion on Twitter as it garnered more interest than the ongoing Zimmerman trial. But all this interest making it a social network sensation is being generated for all the wrong reasons. There were folks deriding it many different angles.

The following is a sampling:

Jesse Ventura told us the government was secretly developing the ability to make a #sharknado & we didn't believe him
— Justin Stangel (@Justin_Stangel) July 12, 2013

If Spielberg could go back in time and stop Jaws from happening to prevent 2013's #SharkNado, I believe he would.
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) July 12, 2013

America: The Empire gave you tea, civilisation and the English language - and you responded with #Sharknado.
— The Dowager Countess (@theLadyGrantham) July 12, 2013

@weatherchannel It's a little embarrassing that I have to learn about sharknados from @Syfy
— Schuyler Patterson© (@TillOwlglass) July 12, 2013

According to NBC Universal, SharkNado generated up to 5000 tweets a minute for a brief time yesterday afternoon. If SyFy's goal was to generate publicity, then they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

Some Interesting Maps

I just love maps! While indiscriminately surfing the net last night, I came across a site called Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks. It's a site that can generate color-coded maps of every neighborhood in every city in America based on income and rental prices. Since I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, I thought I'd produce a map of my old stomping ground based on income.




Really no surprises here! I'm quite aware of the wide disparity of income in the St. Louis area. One can find some of poshest mansions just mere miles from some of the most blighted slums in the United States. Actually this map, in my opinion, doesn't quite do this huge gap justice. But you can get the idea from it.

Since my current residence is Terre Haute, Indiana, I thought I'd add an income map of it as well. (Hey, it's my blog! lol)


Terre Haute also has an income gap, but not quite on the level that one sees in St. Louis. For the record, I live in an orange shaded area.

In another visualization project involving mapping, so to speak, I found an intriguing 'YouTube' video that mapped New Yorkers' bus usage in a randomly selected day. The video is called, 'New York transit (MTA): one day of activity'.



Finally, I leave you with some information about the border between the United States and Canada that I bet you weren't previously aware.



I love maps! What can i say?

Scapegoating the Poor

I recently read a Facebook post that asked what facet of today's life would be the most difficult to explain to someone who time-traveled from the Fifties. The typical responses from folks, predictably, had something to do with the sweeping technological changes that have occurred. And to be sure, the idea of having iPads, social media and even microwave ovens would be inconceivable to people who lived in a world where television sets were tuned to 'Uncle Miltie' every week. Overlooked, however, among the answers was today's political mood, which I believe has taken an almost unrecognizable shift to the right during the last six decades.

You might be scratching your head at this moment wondering how I can justify such a claim. After all, longstanding racism with segregated schools and unfair voting practices remained the norm during the Fifties. The decade also produced unbridled Cold War paranoia that climaxed with the Communist witch hunts conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy. It was also a time of enormous conformity where mainstream society frowned upon overt individualistic expression and thought.

Nevertheless, as seemingly unenlightened as the Fifties were, today's political climate tops those times in dysfunctional obstinacy and downright cruelty.

The clear distinction between then and now is how the general attitude about poverty has shifted away from benign ignorance to contempt. Being poor today has become a crime literally in some instances. After performing an internet news search using the words 'being poor is a crime', I came across several stories, all dated within the last month. The most recent one reveals how two Texas teenage boys had to perform community service for school tardiness, which came about because their families couldn't afford to buy a working car to get them to school on time.

Moreover, it seems that in many American cities, local businesses and governments have begun a 'get-tough approach' with the homeless, encouraging police to issue more frequent arrests for heinous crimes like sleeping in public, loitering, littering and public urination. It seems wickedly peculiar that many people in the wealthiest country in the world treat its stray animals better than their fellow citizens who are down-and-out.

This intolerance of the poor is becoming increasingly reflected in government policies aimed at battling the so-called 'debt' crisis as many right-wingers politicos have decided to preach the claim that entitlement programs have transformed the U.S. into a nation of takers. In the name of austerity, governments at the federal, state and local level have gone out of their way to slash programs aimed specifically at helping the poor while leaving corporate welfare policies intact. While providing unnecessary tax breaks for defense contractors and massive subsidies to wealthy farmers, our political leaders seem to be competing to see who can introduce the most callous measures that ensure that the poor endure a disproportionate share of sacrifice. This reality couldn't have been more evident than on Thursday when some conservative congressional lawmakers rejected this year's farm bill because its proposed $20-billion-dollar food stamp funding cut DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH! Until recently, Congress routinely passed farm bills, which are considered bipartisan pieces of pork.

Such blatant inhumanity wasn't evident back during 1950s. Yes, some conservatives called for rolling back the New Deal. But, most Republicans, including President Eisenhower, decided to continue carrying out most of FDR's popular and effective programs. In fact, Ike helped initiate several new, large-scale public works programs including the Interstate Highway System.

This is not to say that America embraced the poor during this relatively affluent period. As a political issue, poverty didn't really take on any emphasis until the next decade when Lyndon Johnson initiated the 'Great Society' and the 'War on Poverty'. Nevertheless, neglecting the poor is quite a far cry from demonizing and punishing them.

The Golden Age of Pop Music...IMHO

The other day, I stumbled upon a Facebook discussion thread about a photo showing a radio station’s playlist from 1988, to which I commented on how lousy I thought pop music was that year. After composing that remark, I was moved to summon up my opinions about how I thought this genre seemed to be at its finest when I first began listening to it around 1964.

Pop music was thriving during the 1960s. I consider myself to be extremely lucky to become aware of it during this decade as Top 40 radio filled the radio airwaves with distinctive tunes coming from a diverse background.

Most notably, perhaps, the ‘British Invasion’ was in full force with artists like the Beatles, the Animals, Herman’s Hermits, the Hollies and Manfred Mann. My musical standards weren't yet very sophisticated, and I remember that I particularly liked “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones.



However, Great Britain wasn't the only source for pop music during the mid-60s. “Motown” permeated the scene with hits from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, the Four Tops, the Temptations, and of course, the Supremes.

Artists such as The Beach Boys, the Byrds, Sonny and Cher and the Mamas and Papas led the “Sunshine Pop” movement from California. The Monkees with the 1966 hit,“I’m a Believer”, is an example. It is one of the first songs that I can recall consciously going to number one.



Even country songs from the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller and Buck Owens became mainstream Top 40 hits. This Statler Brothers tune is unforgettable to me because of the reference it makes to Captain Kangaroo, one of my favorite TV show back then. (Hey…I was only nine!)

High Water on the Wabash

My post today is all contained within this tweet. (I'll post a real, written blog entry soon, I promise.)

Recent rains have the #Wabash River surging.|High Water on the Wabash: youtu.be/_uz9myp3E4g via @youtube #terrehaute

— Joel Wells (@animule) April 24, 2013

Outlook from the Outskirts Meets Animule

It seems that with every passing day, I become just a little more internet savvy. Today, I learned how to post a Twitter embed to my blog.

May calm and sanity prevail in #Boston. #Prayers to the victims and their families. #BostonMarathon

— Joel Wells (@animule) April 15, 2013

I believe this added capability will enhance my blog's value and appeal. And yes, I've neglected adding any new material to it lately. But I plan to reverse that trend real soon.