The Daily Ed

Japanese language #1 at the University of Washington

Well, I wouldn’t have called this one: Japan Studies is no. 1 foreign program at UW

Turning over a long history of coming in second behind Spanish in terms of number of students enrolled, Japanese recently took the top spot in foreign language studies at the University of Washington (UW). Of the hundreds of students taking Japanese language courses, about 50 students major in Japanese language each year.

I’ve been involved with the Japanese language, in one way or another, for more than 30 years. Over that time, it has waxed and waned in popularity. But it’s almost always taken a back seat to Spanish at any educational institution in the United States.

The world’s biggest T-Rex discovered in Canada

World’s biggest T. rex discovered: Heftier than an adult elephant, the 9.8-ton animal shows that predatory dinosaurs got older and bigger than once thought.

I went through a dinosaur phase as a kid. I am still fascinated by them.

And I know this would have some huge downsides: But if scientists were able to genetically reengineer dinosaurs and put them out in the wild again, that would not be an altogether bad thing.

After all, folks in Florida already cope with alligators!

The best rock albums of the 1980s (Ed’s list)

Oh, like this one won’t cause any controversy…I would be better off writing another political post if I wanted to avoid hate mail.

I was very much into rock music during the 1980s (especially the first half of the decade). I turned twelve in 1980, so you might as well say that the 1980s were my “coming-of-age years”. And it is during this time that we are most into youth culture—especially music.

The list that follows is unabashedly and unapologetically a personal list.

I don’t think you’ll find any albums here that are too far off the beaten path. Even if they’re forgotten today (though some of them aren’t) they all had significant followings at the time.

That said, I’ve left off some albums that were popular, but not for me.

For example, you won’t find any Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, or Michael Jackson on the list below. I had nothing against these artists (and I liked a few of their songs) but I was never one of their fans.

Oh, one other thing: I did not include any “greatest hits” or live albums on this list. I wanted to focus on music that was being heard for the first time between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989.

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Escape (Journey): Yes, I know: There is nothing especially original about this choice. Released in 1981, this album continues to have a footprint in the 21st century. “Don’t Stop Believing” was featured in the final scene of The Sopranos. I heard the song in a recent episode of MacGyver, too.

 

Foreigner 4: This is the only truly memorable album Foreigner ever put out, in terms of every song being a good one. But they hit a home run with Foreigner 4.


Back in Black (AC/DC): This album came out in December 1980. I still hear the title track in my mind sometimes at the most unexpected moments.

This is a great album to play when you’re working out!

 

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (AC/DC): A year after Back in Black, another great album from those Australian guys.

 

Third Stage (Boston): Boston spent most of the 1980s on hiatus. Third Stage came out in the summer of 1986, and the songs were on the radio constantly throughout the rest of that year.

There were many good ones—especially “Amanda”.

 

1984 (Van Halen): The year 1984 was significant because of the association with George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel set in that year.

Van Halen released 1984 early in 1984.

I especially liked “Jump” and “Hot for Teacher”. (I am guessing that the latter song would be considered politically incorrect, or triggering—or something—in these more sensitive times.)

 

5150 (Van Halen): This was the first Van Halen album with Sammy Hagar in the lead vocal role (instead of David Lee Roth).

Perhaps because of that, 5150 had a different vibe from previous Van Halen albums. More polished…and kind of mystic.

Does anyone know what the lyrics of “Love Walks In” mean? I’ve been wondering about that one for more than 30 years.

 

Reckless (Bryan Adams): There were a lot of great songs on this one. But it would make the list for “Summer of ’69” alone.

 

Scarecrow (John Mellencamp): From back in the days when John Mellencamp focused on making great music, and kept his political views to himself.

 

Permanent Vacation (Aerosmith): At the beginning of the 1980s, everyone thought that this band had left their best days behind them. They proved everyone wrong with this album in 1987. Aerosmith is still going strong today.

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Moving Pictures (Rush): “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight” and “Red Barchetta” are among the great songs on Moving Pictures.

 

Signals (Rush): “Subdivisions”, “New World Man” and “Losing It” were among the songs that showcased Neil Peart’s lyrical skills—which were then at their peak (1982). Also, this is probably the only rock album in history that features a song about the space shuttle launch!

 

Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden): Dark and deep, but still very accessible, this is my favorite Iron Maiden album…and I like most of them.

 

Eliminator (ZZ Top): Some great MTV videos came out of this album..back when MTV still played music videos, that is.

 

Pyromania (Def Leppard): One of my all-time favorites, still sounds good after more than 35 years. The album that put Def Leppard on the map.

 

Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits): I like the politically incorrect, uncensored version of “Money for Nothing”…though it’s hard to find nowadays. Oh, how the finger-wagging do-gooders have ruined popular culture.

 

Invisible Touch (Genesis): The only Genesis album I ever really liked. But I liked this one.


This is my list. Which albums do you remember fondly from the 1980s (or wish you remembered fondly, if you weren’t around then)? Let me know on Facebook.

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When ordinary life goes awry

Joseph Finder is the master of the suspense novel in which ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary situations.

His stories often take place in corporate settings. (His books were a major influence on at least one of my novels, The Eavesdropper.)

The Switch is a novel about what can happen when you pick up the wrong laptop by mistake in the airport security line.

An ordinary situation…but not so ordinary.

 


Basic economics in one volume

Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics, now in it’s 5th edition, is one of my favorite economics texts for the lay reader.

This book gives you the equivalent of a college-level Economics 101 course. (And I should know: Economics was my undergraduate major.)

I will warn you: This book is long (about 700 pages) and parts of it are a little dry. But it is well worth the effort, if you want a basic understanding of how modern economies work.