I can't believe that I'm suggesting this, but on the other hand I can't believe no one else has either, westerns. I obviously don't mean every crappy b western ever made, but there are some real gems out there, mostly made by John Ford, and Howard Hawks.

I know that they are occasionally racist but Ford is the almost the only director that acknowledged the Native Americans had real grievances.

I can attest that at least one 11 year old who's being raised as a flaming liberal love them. So I have to suggest Stagecoach (the original version), The Cavalry Trilogy, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and Hawks' El Dorado. My son particularly loves James Caan's character Colorado in the last one.

So there you go, politically incorrect, but good quality movies non the less.

I have a real problem with bailing out investors. Investing on Wall St. is a gamble, but lately it seems that investors believe that they have some god given right to make a killing on the market. I get extremely tired of the same economists who's mantra was "Free Market, Self Correcting" suddenly explaining why the Government should bail them out. It's kind of like a gambler expecting Vegas to pay their bills.

By the way, both Fannie, and Freddie were Government entities until 1968, when they started to change the rules they operated under, so the wealthy could benefit from them. for me it's one of those "You made your bed, now lie in it" situations.

That's all I can think to say about the groups mentioned in this article, dissimilar in every way except they all used, or tinkered with, bouncy orchestration on occasion.

What separates them is degrees of talent, timing and luck, The Raspberries had the least talent, but Eric Carmen managed to come up with one of the greatest singles of all time," Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" that blows everything ABBA did out of the water. But one record, no matter how good, doesn't make for a long, and respected career.

Badfinger for all their talent, and they were far more talented that both the Raspberries and ABBA, have become the Poster Children for how to get screwed over by the music industry. By the mid-seventies their career was in shambles, leading to two members of the band committing suicide in 1975 and 1983. If you can find any of their records they're definitely worth picking up.

That leaves us with ABBA, not the most talented, (they're not Badfinger, and definitely not The Beatles) but talented, but more importantly they were lucky. They always seemed to have the right song at the right time, particularly in Europe, where they were much more popular than in the U.S. However I think the biggest reason for their longevity,when it comes right down to it, is the songs are nothing more than ear candy. And ear candy can be addictive, full of hooks to pull you in and lyrics that are easy to sing along with, while not challenging you in anyway. I've never heard of anyone becoming introspective while listening to ABBA. The same can't be said about Badfinger, just listen to "Carry On Till Tomorrow " from Magic Christian Music. Come to think of it just listen to the whole album.

I can honestly say that not only did I hear of most of the beers listed here in the Northeast/New England section, my dad at one time or another featured them in refrigerator at our family camp. The one omission that seems to be the most glaring is Piels Real Draft. Like most of the "great" (used ironically) beers listed here it tasted best ice cold. Mostly because that way it had no discernible taste.

Also, Genny Cream Ale was better known as Genny Screamers in the capital district of New York back in the 70s when I was going to high school and it was the best beer we could afford on any given Friday night.

Drink one, you're ok. Drink two, still ok. Drink three, and have your friends regret having you in the car for the rest of the night.

The win at all cost attitude displayed here is why I've lost interest in the Olympics, and sports in general. The complete lack of perspective just turns me off completely. Shockingly enough, whether you win or lose, the world still goes on.

As a life long Mets fan, one who can remember Willie Mays tripping while trying to steal second during the '73 series for instance, I'm not surprised.

What surprised me this year is that they stayed competitive, and in first as long as they did. That's not easy to do with no bullpen, and a bunch of aging stars. So I guess you can color me realistic, even if they had made the playoffs they'd probably be eliminated straight away.

Admittedly, I'm routing this year for an all Chicago series. It's been refreshing to hear about the possibility of an "El Series" instead of a "Subway Series".