My Top Five U2 Albums

A short article in The Wall Street Journal on U2's best albums, and an argument for why 'The Unforgettable Fire' should be ranked at or near the top of the list; the article also includes an exclusive video clip with the band's comments on the making of 'The Unforgettable Fire'.

Here are my top five, in order:

1. Achtung Baby
2. War
3. The Joshua Tree
4. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
5. The Unforgettable Fire

somethingcool: The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

A must-have on your iPod. Well-crafted songs. Folksy harmonies, sweet and melancholy lyrics, Art-and-Garfunkuly and Joe-Jackson-Browny with a gospel quality and a bit of bluegrass mixed in. You ear hears what it wants to hear. The Eagles if you want. The Jayhawks at times. The Allman Brothers (yes, another brothers band), Ben Folds. Even the Beach Boys.

The album starts off with the slow and romantic "I and Love and You", and "January Wedding", both with smooth and easy-sounding vocals, but they eventually hit some high vocal notes and pick up the pace a bit on songs like "And It Spread" and "The Perfect Space". The second half of the albums has a good mix of ballads and lyrics that make you examine your soul and break your heart. Truthful and unpretentious. Half-way through the first listen I told myself I'll learn all of the lyrics to all of the songs. Powerful music.

The great thing about this album is that it covers so many styles within the folk, country and bluegrass genres, and even a bit of pop, too. And within many of the songs they're able to show off such craftmanship in songwriting and musicianships, so many harmony combinations, skillful guitar playing, string arrangements, even a few horns. "Tin Man" may be the best example of this. The song builds over time, brings you back down, then up and back down again -- such a pleasure to listen to it. Rarely do they use the same vocal and musical technique twice.

Right now it is my Album of the Year. With less than two months to go, it is likely to keep that title.

somethingcool: The Victory of the Cross

The Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago, and I have not done much thinking or blogging about it, which is a shame. I don't know if there is much insight I can give into it, only to say that every day I experience the impact of that event. Without the fall of the Wall, I wouldn't be living in Prague today.

I did listen to the American Enterprise Institute's recent lecture / discussion on how events in Poland were an important part of the changes that transformed Central Europe and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is an inspiring podcast -- download and listen to it when you have a chance.

Czechs Open First Hydrogen Filling Station North of Prague

Newsworthy: Czechs Open First Hydrogen Filling Station North of Prague.

Gigi's Pumpkin Bars

Time to pull out a classic -- my mother's pumpkin bars. Nothing unique about these, just something I've been accustomed to for a long, long time. And best with a lot of cream cheese frosting on top.

4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon soda


Beat 4 eggs and add 2 cups pumpkin. Then add 1 cup oil, 2 cups sugar, and 1 cup nuts. Sift in dry ingredients. Bake in ungreased pan at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar

1-2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together til fluffy. Add vanilla and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.

Dog. It's what's for dinner.

A thought provoking article that examines why most cultures don't, but maybe should, eat dog. It is legal in 44 states in the U.S., and it poses no greater health risk than other meat.

But unlike all farmed meat, which requires the creation and maintenance of animals, dogs are practically begging to be eaten. Three to four million dogs and cats are euthanized annually. The simple disposal of these euthanized dogs is an enormous ecological and economic problem. But eating those strays, those runaways, those not-quite-cute-enough-to-take and not-quite-well-behaved-enough-to-keep dogs would be killing a flock of birds with one stone and eating it, too.

Perhaps sometime in the futre we'll woof it down.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Easy, and good. Another good one for cold weather. This recipe is from Simply Recipes. Shallots are optional. Chopping the mushrooms in a food processor is optional -- you'll be fine if you cut them to the desired thickness/thinness with a knife.

1 pound regular white mushrooms, cleaned, quartered or sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced shallots (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
Minced parsley for garnish

In a food processor, coarsely chop mushrooms and lemon juice. (optional)

Melt butter in (4-5 quart) sauce pan and lightly sauté shallots on medium heat. Add mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf, sauté over moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid that is released from the mushrooms disappears.

Add salt, pepper, cream and chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add cornstarch and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Correct seasoning and add more lemon juice to taste.

Serves 4. Serve sprinkled with a little parsley.