WILLIS'S LAW

“What can’t possibly happen, happens. And what should be happening, doesn’t. There’s no middle ground.” - Songwriter Allee Willis, who passed away on Christmas Eve 2019:
Allee Willis, ‘September’ and ‘Friends’ Theme Songwriter, Dead at 72

Gazzaniga's Law

"There's nothing worse than a motivated brick." 
- Matt Gazzaniga, the father of cognitive neuroscience, in regard to persons who are highly motivated but have no talent, stated during a radio interview with Ian Punnett on December 10, 2011.

STROMBERG'S OBSERVATION

"Fact: Important work is often done by unpleasant people."-Theo Stromberg, in the novel Last Year by Robert Charles Wilson.

FUGATE'S LAW

"(in Washington), there is no problem so large it can't be solved by another meeting."

-former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, on the Wx Geeks Podcast 6/20/2018

HOGUE'S LAW

"When you flush a toilet, the loudest noise is the final gurgle."- author John Hogue,  Aug. 1, 2012

WEINER'S LAW AND HARFORD'S COROLLARY

Earl Wiener, a cult figure in aviation safety, coined what is known as Wiener’s Laws of aviation and human error. One of them was: “Digital devices tune out small errors while creating opportunities for large errors.” We might rephrase it as: “Automation will routinely tidy up ordinary messes, but occasionally create an extraordinary mess.” It is an insight that applies far beyond aviation.  

- from an article by Tim Harford in The Guardian (Oct. 11, 2016)

Harford's Corollary: A computer that is a hundred times more accurate than a human, and a million times faster, will make 10,000 times as many mistakes.  (Tim Harford, author of article)

______________________________________________________________________

Thomas E. Gill, Ph.D., P.G.

Professor of Geological Sciences and Environmental Science & Engineering

University of Texas, El Paso- Geological Sciences Building 401A

591 W. University Avenue

El Paso, TX 79968-0555

tel. 915 747 5168

email tegill@utep.edu

Professional URL: http://www.geo.utep.edu/pub/gill

Personal URL: http://about.me/tom.gill

________________________________________

From: Gill, Thomas E.

Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2016 11:14 AM

To: Gill, Thomas E.

Subject: Weiner's Law of Aviation Safety

ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S FIRST LAW

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.- Arthur C. Clarke

What Am I Missing?

There is a local attorney who is quite aggressive in advertising his web site, "Hit By A Truck, Call Chuck, dot com"

I'm wondering what is next. What am I missing here?

Hit By A Plane, Call Jane?

Hit By A Tram, Call Sam?

Hit By A Canoe, Call Stu?

Hit By A Barge, Call Marge?

Hit By A Van, Call Stan?

Hit By A Bus, Call Gus?

Hit By A Dolly, Call Rollie?

Hit By A Skiff, Call Biff?

Hit By A Tank, Call Frank?

Hit By A Trailer, Call Taylor?

Hit By A Ferry, Call Kerry?

Hit By A Ship, Call Rip?

Hit By A Tug, Call Doug?

Hit By A Trolley, Call Dolly?

Hit By A Cart, Call Bart?

Hit By A Scooter, Call Cooter?

Hit By A Bike, Call Mike?

Hit By A Ski, Call Lee?

Hit By A Raft, Call Taft?

Hit By A Subway, Call Sunay?

Hit By A Jet-Ski, Call Betsy?

Hit By A Yacht, Call Dot?

Hit By A Tube, Call Rube?

Hit By A Taxi, Call Maxie?

Hit By A Chariot, Call Harriet?

Hit By A Wheel, Call Neil?

Hit By A Sled, Call Fred?

Hit By A Sleigh, Call Ray?

Hit By A Surrey, Call Murray?

Hit By A Jet, Call Chet?

HERSCH'S LAW OF THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

"In the intensive care unit, good things happen slowly.   Bad things happen fast." [Told to him by a doctor, became the title of a book] Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz, by Fred Hersch

MEAD'S LAW AND BRAKEY'S ADDENDUM

Mead’s Law: “Never doubt that a few committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”-  Margaret Mead

Brakey’s Addendum to Mead’s Law: “A few committed citizens can change the world.  But if you turn them into a committee, we’re screwed.”- John Brakey

BUCKLEY'S COROLLARY TO HINCHCLIFFE'S RULE AND MURPHY'S LAW

"...attempts to weaponize Hinchliffe's Rule (by writing titles where "no" would be the fun answer) are doomed to fail, just like you can't take advantage of Murphy's Law by relying on something not working. If you try such shenanigans, it will fail to fail."
- Rutgers University theoretical physicist Matthew Buckley, in the Tweet:
https://twitter.com/physicsmatt/status/1185624901467754496?s=20

HINCHCLIFFE'S RULE (and PEON'S PURPORTED PARADOX), and BETTERIDGE'S LAW

"If a physics paper has a question mark in the title, the answer is no."
(From a Tweet by theoretical physicist Matthew Buckley, in response to a story titled, "Can scientists reverse time with a quantum computer?)
https://twitter.com/physicsmatt/status/1185621012706222083?s=20

This is derived from Betteridge's Law of Headlines, which stipulates that "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." Cook and Plourde (2016) explain that "When applied to the titles of academic publication, the assertion is referred to as Hinchcliffe's Rule." According to Holderness (2014), this was attributed to British physicist Ian Hinchcliffe. However, Peon (1995) asked, "Is Hinchliffe's rule true?," which allegedly demonstrates that Hinchcliffe's rule is false- but only if it is true, as discussed by Boswell (2017). The entire topic is discussed and Peon's purported paradox is deconstructed by Shieber (2015).

Boswell, D.W., 2017. The owl of Minerva: Governing technology in the quest for sustainability.  Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tasmania.
Cook, J.M., and Plourde, D., 2016. Do scholars follow Betteridge's Law? The use of questions in journal article titles. Scientometrics 108(3):1119-1128.
Holderness, M., 2014. Feedback.  New Scientist 223 (2982):48.
Peon, B., 1995. Is Hinchcliffe's Rule True?  New Scientist, 16 August 2014.
Shieber, S.M., 2015.  Is This Article Consistent with Hinchcliffe's Rule? Annals of Improbable Research 21(3):18-19.

LEGGETT'S LAW

90% of the Internet is people who don't know anything having their questions answered by (other) people who don't know anything.

-From a Tweet by Mark Leggett:
https://twitter.com/markleggett/status/448222076151681024?s=20

HOWE'S ADMONITION

"You have two ears and one mouth.  Keep the two open and the one shut."- The late hockey legend Gordie Howe, quoted on NPR's Morning Edition on 6/15/2016.

KASICH'S LAW OF POLITICS

"People like you to stick to your principles... until it's a principle they don't like."- Ohio Governor and Presidential candidate John Kasich, on MSNBC's "11th Hour with Brian Williams," Sept. 6, 2016

JESSUP'S LAW OF P.R.

"Don't leave public opinion (of you) up to the public, because you may not like what they have to say or what they think."
-Maggie Jessup, PR consultant and author of the book Fame 101

SAGAN'S ADMONITION

 "They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown."

- Carl Sagan

MOTHER BLUES' LAW

"Any day that you keep your gratitude higher than your expectations is a really good day."- Paraphrased from singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard, in his song "Mother Blues" from the album "Grifter's Hymnal."

KILGALLEN'S LAW

"Justice is a like a big rug.  When you pull it out from under one man, a lot of others fall too."- Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, quoted by Mark Shaw, author of The Reporter Who Knew Too Much: The Mysterious Death of What's My Line TV Star and Media Icon Dorothy Kilgallen

TOM GILL'S 98TH LAW

"A long way is even longer when the long way is the wrong way."  

- Tom Gill (3/27/2014)

CLAUDIA'S TRIAD

There are three things you never get back : 1. A word after it's said 2. Time after it's passed 3. Your pen if I really like it

(from Claudia, @bossy_bootz  on Twitter, Feb 18, 2014)

BRAKEY'S LAW

“Never doubt that a few committed individuals can change the world. But if you turn them into a committee, we’re screwed.”- John Brakey

BERRY'S FLUVIAL GOLDEN RULE

Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. -Wendell Berry,  author and environmentalist

THE LAW OF SILENCE

Silence is golden.  Unless you have young children; then, silence is suspicious. 

LYLE LOVETT'S LAW

"Never eat Mexican food east of the Mississippi or north of Dallas."- Lyle Lovett

Corbató's Law

Computer pioneer Fernando Corbató passed away on July 12.  Known as the inventor of the computer password, he also came up with what has long been referred as Corbató's Law:

"The number of lines of code a programmer can write in a fixed period of time is the same, independent of the language used."

GOLDENBERG'S LAW

"Crowds are always big — but they’re not always wise. Sometimes it’s impossible to control which crowds are being sourced."

(David Goldenberg, http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-story-behind-the-worst-movie-on-imdb/)

KERR'S LAW

"Professors are a series of individual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grievance over parking.”

- former University of California president Clark Kerr 

MURRAY'S LAW

"Nothing makes me want to leave a website more than a pop-up window saying, “Are you sure you want to leave this page."- Bill Murray

AUNT ABBIE'S ADVICE

If the sum of a house's ghosts exceeds the sum of its tenants, sell it.  (From Robert Charles Wilson's novel "Last Year.")

BRAUDE'S LAW

"Intelligence is as much a liability as a virtue: it increases your repertoire of possible errors. it just gives you more ways that you can get in your own way, or screw up."  

-Stephen E. Braude, professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. (November 2, 2016)

BOURDAIN'S LAW: Remembering Anthony Bourdain A Year After His Passing

"If the waiter takes ten minutes to describe a dish, and it takes three minutes to eat it, something's really wrong"- the late  great Anthony Bourdain. 
That's what I loved about his show- he appreciated a good plate of drunken noodles from a street vendor, or a really well made toasted cheese sandwich at a neighbourhood dive, as much as the fine dishes from a Michelin Star rated restaurant.

SHATNER'S LAW

"There's only one problem flying by the seat of your pants.  Sometimes you end up naked." -William Shatner, in TV GUIDE 8/22/16

DONAHUE'S LAW

"The coin of our realm is the size of our audience."- Phil Donahue

on CNN, June 25 2017

LOPEZ'S LAW

"The people who drink the most Red Bull are the people who seem to have the least going on"

-Chloe Lopez, on Twitter, 11/20/2-14

PELTON'S STEPFATHER'S LAW

"Always sell the thing that people want, to the people who have the most money."- Adventurer Robert Young Pelton's stepfather, who was a hydrologist for the government of Saudi Arabia (who had plenty of people looking for oil but a need for, and lack of people exploring for, water).

GILL'S 80TH LAW

"Even a dead gecko sticks." - me

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/death-will-not-stop-geckos-sticking-walls/

KERR'S LAW

"Professors are a series of individual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grievance over parking.”- former University of California President Clark Kerr.

ADVICE FROM A VERY OLD POSTCARD

"Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe."- Found written on an old postcard dated 1909, but it's still great advice today!

LETTERMAN'S LAMENT

"America is a country where people believe the moon landing is fake, but wrestling is real."-  David Letterman, February 1, 2001

POLITICAL EXPLANATIONS

I came up with these four years ago and posted them on social media.   They still are true.

A. “Most cops do not engage in police brutality” is no justification for those who do. Full stop.

B. “Most protesters are peaceful” is no justification for those who engage in violence. Period.

C. “Crimes against (people of a given race or ethnicity) are mostly committed by members of their own race/ethnicity" is not a legitimate response to people committing violence against persons of a different race- OR vice versa.

D. “Most corporations aren’t polluters” is no justification for those who are. End of story.

E. “Most gun owners are responsible” is no justification for impunity for the irresponsible. No if’s or buts about it.

F. None of the above, or their analogs, shall be an allowable explanation of any of the others.

I could go on, but you probably get the picture. No deflection, no excuses. Neither false equivalence, nor false difference. As my momma always told me, “don’t be a yabbit rabbit.” Do. You. Understand?

THE LAW OF DECISIVITY

"The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn't make a decision."- Author unknown

DE VRIES' LAW AND CROTTY'S REJOINDER

DeVries' Law: Everybody needs an editor.  (Lloyd De Vries)

Crotty's Rejoinder to DeVries' Law: Every editor needs a proofreader, too, maybe two.  (David Crotty)

(The Philatelic Communicator, Vol. 49, 4th Quarter 2015, page 3)

ROBINSON'S RULE

"Ideology is like breath: you never smell your own."- economist Joan Robinson, quoted by Stephen Pinker: https://twitter.com/sapinker/status/563353225449832449

SHIFFMAN'S LAW

"Effectively thinking outside of the box requires some knowledge of where the box's boundaries are and why they are there."- Dr. David Shiffman

https://twitter.com/WhySharksMatter/status/661937884254089216

McRANEY'S LAW

McRANEY'S LAW: People don't know themselves very well.  Rather, they know their opinions of themselves very well.  (David McRaney, author of the book, "You Are Not So Smart")

THIEME'S LAWS

"Even if you know that 95% of a story is true, but you have to know which 95% it is in order to have the keys to the code." - Anonymous NSA agent, quoted by author Richard Thieme.

Corollary: "Fiction is the only way you can tell the truth, sometimes."

"When you think you have an original idea or see something brand new, just publicize it.  You'll find out that a million other people have already had it." - author Richard Thieme.

LEARY'S LAW

"You never get the truth from the company memo."- Attributed to Timothy Leary, quoted by author Richard Thieme.

BASEBALL MEMORIES

On this first weekend of the Major League Baseball season, I think back to when I was a kid. I spent several summers at a summer camp for kids with various types of (dis)abilities. Of course, there was baseball. I was a living argument for the designated hitter. I was, honestly, a great hitter: great hand-eye coordination, and a powerful swing. I batted third and almost always made a hit, usually a home run; even though I couldn't walk very well, I "hit'em where they ain't." When I didn't hit a homer, I even stole a few bases standing up, because no one paid any attention to me on the basepath because I was no running threat. Eventually I became a problem because I kept hitting the ball into the creek beyond the outfield.

But, due to my physical disability, I couldn't really play defense. With an extremely weird setup, I could (and did) catch, which is cool, because I always have had kind of the march-to-my-own-drummer mindset of a catcher.

Except for one game, when the coach of my team decided to put me at third base. The VERY FIRST batter BUNTED the ball down the third-base line straight at me. I fell flat on my face fielding the ball, then threw it wildly way over the first baseman's head and down the right field line. As of the next batter, I was back behind the plate.

NESSEN'S LAW

"Nobody believes the official spokesman but everybody trusts an unidentified source."- former USA White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen

PARRY'S LAW

Strong and wrong beats weak and right.- Edward Abbott Parry, 1912. (Often quoted about political campaigns)

LEWIS'S LAW OF PERSPECTIVE

"To a man on a mountain road by night, a glimpse of the next three feet of road matters more than a vision of the horizon."- C.S. Lewis

BIDEN'S LAW

"Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value.”  
- Joe Biden, March 2015, in a @JoeBiden tweet

GILL'S 83RD LAW

There are two kinds of people in this world. One, who complain that covers of classic songs by other bands aren't faithful to the original. The other kind, those who complain that covers of classic songs by other bands are too faithful to the original.

PELTON'S LAW

"Local delicacy" generally means, "let's see if the dumb foreigner will eat this."

-Explorer Robert Young Pelton

ROSSER'S LAW

"It's not fun when the meteorologist calls out your road by name."


(Aaron Rosser, arosser14 on Twitter, 4/19/15) 

https://twitter.com/ARosser14/status/589821181458419712

RULES FOR CATS

This is one of those "things" that has been going around the Internet, content essentially unchanged, since at least the mid- 1990s.

DOORS:
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get door opened, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, rain, snow, or mosquito season. Swinging doors are to be avoided at all costs.

CHAIRS and RUGS:
If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly. If you cannot manage in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good. When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so that it is as long as the human's bare foot.

BATHROOMS:
Always accompany humans to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything -- just sit and stare.

HAMPERING:
If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping", otherwise known as "hampering." Following are the rules for "hampering:

a) When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted.

b) For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.

c) For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you.

d) For humans paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim -- to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time.

e) When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump.

WALKING:
As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially: on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills.

BEDTIME:
Always sleep on the human at night so s/he cannot move around. 

PLAY:
This is an important part of your life. Get enough sleep in the daytime so you are fresh for your nocturnal games. Below are listed several favorite cat games that you can play. It is important though to maintain one's Dignity at all times. If you should have an accident during play, such as falling off a chair, immediately wash a part of your body as if to say "I MEANT to do that!" It fools those humans every time.

CAT GAMES:
"Catch Mouse":

The humans would have you believe that those lumps under the covers are their feet and hands. They are lying. They are actually Bed Mice, rumored to be the most delicious of all the mice in the world, though no cat has ever been able to catch one. Rumor also has it that only the most ferocious attack can stun them long enough for you to dive under the covers to get them. Maybe YOU can be the first to taste the Bed Mouse!

"King of the Hill": This game must be played with at least one other cat. The more, the merrier! One or both of the sleeping humans is Hill 303 which must be defended at all costs from the other cat(s). Anything goes. This game allows for the development of unusual tactics as one must take the unstable playing theater into account.

"Remember Your Roots": Remember that you, as a cat, are a direct relative of lions, tigers, and other jungle cats. Remind your humans of this frequently. The game is played by hiding behind furniture, bags, or basically anything which allows you to be hidden, yet maintain a good hunting position. Quietly stalk your prey, and then jump out and attack it as soon as you are sure no one's looking. Any furniture makes good Jungle foliage.

WARNING:
Playing either of these games to excess will result in expulsion from the bed and possibly from the bedroom. Should the humans grow restless, immediately begin purring and cuddle up to them. This should buy you some time until they fall asleep again. If one happens to be on a human when this occurs, this cat wins the round of King of the Hill.

TOYS:
Any small item is a potential toy. If a human tries to confiscate it, this means that it is a Good Toy. Run with it under the bed. Look suitably outraged when the human grabs you and takes it away. Always watch where it is put so you can steal it later. Two reliable sources of toys are dresser tops and wastebaskets. There are several types of cat toys. Bright shiny things like keys, broaches, or coins should be hidden so that the other cat(s) or humans can't play with them. They are generally good for playing hockey with on uncarpeted floors. Dangly and/or string-like things such as shoelaces, cords, gold chains, and dental floss also make excellent toys. They are favorites of humans who like to drag them across the floor for us to pounce on. When a string is dragged under a newspaper or throw rug, it magically becomes the Paper/Rug Mouse and should be killed at all costs. Take care, though. Humans are sneaky and will try to make you lose your Dignity.

PAPER BAGS:
Within paper bags dwell the Bag Mice. They are small and Camouflaged to be the same color as the bag, so they are hard to see. But you can easily hear the crinkling noises they make as they scurry around the bag. Anything, up to and including shredding the bag, can be done to kill them. Note: any other cat you may find in a bag hunting for Bag Mice is fair game for a Sneak Attack, which will usually result in a great Tag match.

FOOD:
In order to get the energy to sleep, play, and hamper, a cat must eat. Eating, however, is only half the fun. The other half is getting the food. Cats have two ways to obtain food: convincing a human you are starving to death and must be fed *NOW*; and hunting for it oneself. The following are guidelines for getting fed.

a) When the humans are eating, make sure you leave the tip of your tail in their dishes when they are not looking.

b) Never eat food from your own bowl if you can steal some from the table.

c) Never drink from your own water bowl if a human's glass is full enough to drink from.

d) Should you catch something of your own outside, it is only polite to attempt to get to know it. Be insistent -- your food will usually not be so polite and try to leave.

e) Table scraps are delicacies with which the humans are unfortunately unwilling to readily part. It is beneath the Dignity of a cat to beg outright for food as lower forms of life such as dogs will, but several techniques exist for ensuring that the humans don't forget you exist. These include, but are not limited to: jumping onto the lap of the "softest" human and purring loudly; lying down in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, the Direct Stare, and twining around people's legs as they sit and eat while meowing plaintively.

SLEEPING:
As mentioned above, in order to have enough energy for playing, a cat must get plenty of sleep. It is generally not difficult to find a comfortable place to curl up. Any place a human likes to sit is good, especially if it contrasts with your fur color. If it's in a sunbeam or near a heating duct or radiator, so much the better. Of course, good places also exist outdoors, but have the disadvantages of being seasonal and dependent on current and previous weather conditions such as rain. Open windows are a good compromise.

SCRATCHING POSTS:
It is advised that cats use any scratching post the humans may provide. They are very protective of what they think is their property and will object strongly if they catch you sharpening your claws on it. Being sneaky and doing it when they aren't around won't help, as they are very observant. If you are an outdoor kitty, trees are good. Sharpening your claws on a human is a definite no-no!

HUMANS:
Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. It is important to maintain one's Dignity when around humans so that they will not forget who is the master of the house. Humans need to know basic rules. They can be taught if you start early and are consistent. 

PLAYLIST FOR AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER

One or more atmospheric rivers are again set to hit California this upcoming week- perhaps bringing disruptions due to flooding, landslides, and heavy rain, but also bringing needed water to reservoirs and snow to the mountains.  Last night, Kathryn Myronuk asked me for my ideas for a playlist for an atmospheric river.  These songs popped in to my mind.  Consider this set as as a song starting with a dry spell, bringing an atmospheric river and its effects, with clearing and sparkling blue skies following.  It's heavy on classic and progressive rock, in tune with my tastes: I'm featuring some California-based artists and, of course, my own personal favourites.
What would your atmospheric river playlist tunes be?

  

BURKE'S LAW

"If you want to disperse something really effectively in the environment, put it in gasoline."- Thomas Burke, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official), speaking at a conference in Austin, Texas on Feb. 19, 2019.

EPSTEIN'S LAW

“Just because you’re a bird doesn’t mean you’re an ornithologist.”- David Epstein, author of “The Sports Gene.”

ENGLE'S EXTROVERTED ENGINEER EXPLANATION

"An extroverted engineer is one who looks at the shoes of the one standing next to them."- Overheard at an airport by Mark Engle, U.S. Geological Survey, and told to Tom Gill.

PODUNK'S LAW

"The best way to measure snow is to stay inside and let someone else go outside and do it."

https://twitter.com/NWSPodunk/status/939912371815972864

MADDOW'S LAW

"If you need to hide a needle, build a haystack."

-Rachel Maddow, on MSNBC, August 14, 2014

SIMMONS' LAW

"Your perspective on the ride depends on when you get on the train."- Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS, quoted by magazine editor Chris Alexander

REMINISCENCES OF A JUNIOR WEATHER NERD

Like a lot of people who wound up following my career path, I was indeed a total "weather geek" as a kid- although unlike many weather weenies, it wasn't my sole focus. I was a science geek in many other regards (biology, chemistry, geology- there will be posts about that) as well. But weather was one of the top passions.

Unlike most boys, I would listen to/watch the news not for the baseball scores, but for the metro area's daily high temperatures. One of the few things that would get me out of bed in the morning was to go watch the first weather reports on the early show. I had a rain gauge set up in the back yard, a minimum-maximum thermometer and other instruments, and I recorded their data daily for years. I'd obsess over measuring the temperature differences and other microclimatic variations between the front and back lawns, sun and shade, and between my parents' house and my grandpa's house on the next street. I made records of the visibility and different classes of clouds seen during different days and seasons, and tried to figure out ways to calculate cloud cover, visual range, and raindrop size. I'd go out in the rain or send my poor dad out in the rain when I was sick to calculate rainfall rates from different passing showers or the hourly progression of storms. There were no tornadoes or such storms to chase in Northern California, but I would convince my parents to take me on weekend day trips to places with differing microclimates.

I learned or got better at math as a kid by calculating things such as daily and monthly average temperature, storm total rainfall, percentage differences between the temperatures at one location and other, etc. One of my junior high school math teachers, in an earlier career, was one of the first "Hurricane Hunters" for the military, and knowing of my interest in weather, regaled me with exciting stories of flights into the eyes of storms. And, he kept reminding me that if I wanted to become a "weatherman," I'd need to get very good grades in math classes and take a lot of math and science courses: that advice made an impact.

In high school, with the help of a teacher and some friends, we made weather balloons of a sort, and launched them with postcards attached. One of them came down on a golf course about 100 kilometers away and the card was sent back by a golfer who said it distracted him when he was trying to putt.

When I was young, my concept of an actual, real, practicing "weatherman" back then- that's what we called them- was of someone who spent all day frantically driving around to different weather stations all over a region and constantly taking readings to decipher patterns and trends to make a forecast. The guy on TV was just the guy who ***reported*** the meteorology, not the one who actually did it, in much the same way that the sportscaster wasn't playing the football game, but reported the numbers (scores) and outcome. Remember, this was before computers, dataloggers, Internet, and GPS technology.  

DAVID'S LAW

"If ifs & ands were pots and pans, the world would be a kitchen."- sportscaster Howard David

McAULEY'S LAW

"Even the straightest path has two directions."- Novelist Paul McAuley, quoted in several of his books

PATRICK MAHOMES PREDICTION

TOM GILL PREDICTS: Patrick Mahomes will never have another season even vaguely as good as his 2018-19 NFL season: he will revert to being an average or worse NFL quarterback. He may lose his starting job before the end of next season: though this could be due to injury.

LA VALLEE'S LAW

From a Tweet by @Alex_LaVallee: 

Good friends will pick you up when you're down.

Great friends will pick you up, put you on their back, and say "I got you".

PITTMAN'S QUERY

PITTMAN'S QUERY: "Why is it that everyone who believes they were reincarnated thinks they were someone famous?" - Author Rebecca F. Pittman

TOM GILL'S 750 OR SO FAVOURITE SONGS

Since January 1, 2016 on social media I have been listing my favourite songs, one almost every day.  The full list I came up with had about 750 songs on it.  I like music of many different kinds.  Here is the full list of songs in alphabetical order.

1999- Prince

57 Channels And Nothin On- Bruce Springsteen

A Different Drum- Peter Gabriel

A Girl In Trouble Is A Temporary Thing- Romeo Void

A Lover’s Holiday- Change

A Man For All Seasons- Al Stewart

A Pirate Looks At Forty- Jimmy Buffett

A Soapbox Opera- Supertramp

Abraham, Martin and John- Dion

Accident on 3rd Street- Al Stewart

Across The Great Divide- Nanci Griffith

Africa- Toto

Afrika Suite- Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

Against the Wind- Bob Seger

Alabama Getaway- Grateful Dead

All Good Things- Jackson Browne

All of Me- Willie Nelson

All Summer Long- Kid Rock

All The Roadrunning- Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris

Almost Lucy- Al Stewart

Alone- Bee Gees

Alright Guy- Todd Snider

Also Sprach Zarathustra- Deodato

Amarillo by Morning (bilingual version)- John Arthur Martinez

Amazed- Lonestar                               

An Extraordinary Life- Asia

Angry Bird- Al Stewart

Another Brick In The Wall- Pink Floyd

Another One Bites The Dust- Queen

Another Saturday Night- Jimmy Buffett

Answering Machine- Rupert Holmes

Antarctica- Al Stewart

Arc Of A Diver- Steve Winwood

Are You Jimmy Ray?- Jimmy Ray

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls- Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays

Ashes to Ashes- David Bowie

Asimbonanga- Savuka

Atlantic City- The Band

Atomic- Blondie

Baby Likes To Rock It- Tractors

Baby Step Back – Gordon Lightfoot

Back To Life- Soul II Soul

Back To The Chain Gang- Pretenders

Badges Posters Stickers T-Shirts- Dire Straits

Ballad of Gilligan’s Island- Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle

Barricades of Heaven- Jackson Browne

Battle of New Orleans- Johnny Horton

Beachcombing- Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris

Beautiful Loser- Bob Seger

Beer For My Horses- Toby Keith

Beeswing- Richard Thompson

Before the Deluge- Jackson Browne

Beside The Yellow Line- Tom Gill

Best I Can- Chris Perez

Beth- KISS

Beverly Hillbillies (UHF Video) - Weird Al Yankovic

Beyond The End- Jimmy Buffett

Big Blue Ball- Big Blue Ball

Big Generator- Yes

Big Time- Peter Gabriel

Black and White- Jackson Browne

Blaze of Glory- Alarm

Blow Away- George Harrison

Blown By The Wind- Alan Parsons

Boat Drinks- Jimmy Buffett

Boom Like That- Mark Knopfler

Boom! It Was Over- Robert Ellis Orrall

Born In The U.S.A.- Bruce Springsteen

Brand New Day- Sting

Breathe- Faith Hill 

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On- Jimmy Buffett

Brilliant Disguise- Bruce Springsteen

Bring Back The Magic- Jimmy Buffett

Bring On The Night- Sting

Brother Up In Heaven – Alan Parsons

Brothers In Arms- Mark Knopfler

Bruises- Train and Ashley Monroe

Burned Like A Rocket- Bily Joe Royal

Bytor and the Snow Dog- Rush

California Stars- Billy Bragg / Wilco / Woody Guthrie / Bob Seger

Candle In The Wind- Elton John

Cannibals- Mark Knopfler

Cannonball- Supertramp

Change The World- Eric Clapton       

Changes In Attitudes, Changes in Latitiudes Jimmy Buffett

Changes- Yes

Chasing What's Already Gone-Mary Chapin Carpenter

Cherokee Boogie- BR5-49

Cherry Bomb -John Mellencamp

Children of the Sun- Billy Thorpe

Chimes of Freedom- Bob Dylan

Chocolate Cake- Crowded House

Choices- George Jones

Class of ’58- Al Stewart

Clementine- Neil Young

Clones- Alice Cooper

Closer to Fine- Indigo Girls

Coco Rayado- Ruben Vela

Coconut Telegraph- Jimmy Buffett

Colour Of The Sun- Jimmy Buffett

Come Monday- Jimmy Buffett

Comfortably Numb- Pink Floyd

Communique- Dire Straits

Conspiracy Radio- Shawn Hogan

Constant Craving- k.d. Lang

Cool Change- Little River Band

Copperhead Road- Steve Earle

Corazon Espinado- Santana

Crackerbox Palace- George Harrison

Creep- Radiohead

Crime of the Century- Supertramp

Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World- Savuka

Cups/When I’m Gone- Carter Family / Anna Kendrick

Da Da Da- Trio

Dallas- Flatlanders

Damned If I Do- Alan Parsons Project

Darkness On The Edge Of Town- Bruce Springsteen

Days Are Numbers- Alan Parsons Project

De Bolon Pin Pon- Flaco Jimenez

Dead Flowers- Rolling Stones

Dead Giveaway- Shalamar

December African Rain- Juluka

Deep Inside My Heart- Randy Meisner and Kim Carnes

Dela- Savuka

Demolition Man- Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

Der Kommissar / Deep In The Dark/ Ronnie Jones/ After The Fire

Desert Rose- Sting

Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes- Paul Simon

Digging In The Dirt- Peter Gabriel

Do They Know It’s Christmas- Band Aid

Don’t Answer Me- Alan Parsons Project

Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight- Bob Dylan

Don’t Forget About Me- Nanci Griffith

Don’t Forget Me- Al Stewart

Don’t Throw Stones- The Sports

Don’t Turn Around- Albert Hammond, et al.

Done With Bonaparte- Mark Knopfler

Doubting Thomas- Nickel Creek

Down Under- Men At Work

Dreamer- Supertramp

Dreamland Express- John Denver

Drop The Pilot- Joan Armatrading

Dry Lightning- Bruce Springsteen

Dust In The Wind- Kansas

Easier Said Than Done / 3 Ships album- Jon Anderson

El Mercado de Testaccio- Inti Illimani

El Nino- Dave Nachmanoff

El Paso City- Marty Robbins

El Paso- Marty Robbins

Electric Avenue- Eddy Grant

Electric Los Angeles Sunset- Al Stewart

Elevation- U2

Emotional Allegiance- Savuka

Emotionally Yours- Bob Dylan

End Of The Innocence- Bruce Hornsby/Don Henley

Enter Sandman- Metallica w/ SF Symphony

Even Better Than The Real Thing- U2

Even In The Quietest Moments- Supertramp

Every Breaking Wave- U2

Every Breath You Take- Police

Every Day Is A Winding Road- Sheryl Crow

Every Trick In The Book- Phil Manzanera

Everybody Have Fun- Wang Chung

Everybody Knows- Leonard Cohen

Everyday I Write The Book- Elvis Costello

Everything Is Broken- Bob Dylan

Everything That Glitters- Dan Seals

Exit Through You- Big Blue Ball

Eye In The Sky- Alan Parsons Project

Eyes of Nostradamus- Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

Faaap de Oiad- Tool

Family Man- Hall and Oates (Mike Oldfield)

Feel Like- Al Stewart

Feelin’ Kind of Lonely Tonight- Shelby Lynne

Feliz Navidad- Billy Joe Shaver

Fields of Gold- Sting

Fight the Power- Public Enemy

Find Your Way Back- Jefferson Starship

Fins- Jimmy Buffett

First We Take Manhattan- Leonard Cohen

Five Hundred Miles- Hedy West

Flaco Jimenez- Said and Done- Flaco Jimenex

Flood- Jars of Clay

Floridays- Jimmy Buffett

Flowers On The Wall- Eric Heatherly’s version

Fly Like An Eagle- Steve Miller Band

Fly- Sugar Ray     

Fool’s Overture- Supertramp

For America- Jackson Browne

Forever Young- Bob Dylan

Forget Me Nots / Men In Black- Patrice Rushen/Will Smith

Fortress Around Your Heart- Sting

Fountain of Sorrow- Jackson Browne

Freedom Now- Tracy Chapman

Freudiana- Eric Woolfson

Friends In The Distance- Poco

From A Distance- Julie Gol

Fruitcakes- Jimmy Buffett

Fur Elise- Beethoven

Gallo Del Cielo- Joe Ely

Games Without Frontiers- Peter Gabriel

Genie On A Table Top- Al Stewart

George of the Jungle theme- Stan Worth, Sheldon Allman

Georgy Porgy- Toto feat. Cheryl Lynn

Get Back On The Train- Phish

Get Lucky- Little River Band

Ghost Riders In The Sky-  Stan Jones

Ghostbusters- Ray Parker Jr.

Gillis Mountain- Rankin Family

Give A Little Bit- Supertramp

Give Me One Reason- Tracy Chapman

Giyani- Johnny Clegg

Going Home- Mark Knopfler

Good To Be Me- Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker

Graceland- Paul Simon

Gracias A La Vida- Mercedes Sosa

Great Heart- Savuka

Gulf Coast Highway- Nanci Griffith

Handle With Care- Travelling Wilburys

Hands of Time- Groove Armada

Happily Ever After (Now And Then)- Jimmy Buffett

Hasta Que Yo COnoci- Mana (Juan Gabriel)

Hawaiian War Chant- Prince Leleiohoku

Hazard- Richard Marx

He Drinks Tequila And She Talks Dirty In Spanish- Sammy Kershaw and Lorrie Morgan

He Went To Paris- Jimmy Buffett

Heavy Cloud No Rain- Sting

Here Comes The Rain Again- Eurythmics

Hey Ya- Outkast

Hey You- Pink Floyd

Hey! Bartender! There’s A Bear In My Beer- Tom Gill

Hide In Your Shell- Supertramp

Highwayman- Highwaymen

History Repeating- Propellerheads

Hold On Hold Out- Jackson Browne

Hold On- Triumph

Hold Out- Jackson Browne

Holiday Road- Lindsay Buckingham

Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives

Hollywood- Kasey Chambers

House of Clocks- Al Stewart

How I Feel Tonight- Birtles and Goble

Howling Wind- Alarm (5 years ago freeze)

Human Rainbow- Savuka   AUG 31

Human Wheels­-John Mellencamp

I Ain’t Even Done With The Night-John Mellencamp

I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow- Soggy Bottom Boys

I Am A Patriot- Jackson Browne

I Am The Bullgod- Kid Rock

I and I- Bob Dylan

I Call Your Name- Savuka

I Can Never Be What You Want Me To Be- Savuka

I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)- Hall and Oates

I Do The Rock- Tim Curry

I Don’t Want To Talk About Love- Nanci Griffith

I Dream Alone- Little River Band

I Fall To Pieces- Patsy Cline

I Feel So Good- Richard Thompson

I Grieve- Peter Gabriel

I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues- Elton John

I Had The Time Of My Life- Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack

(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight- Cutting Crew

I Know You’re Out There Somewhere- Moody Blues

I Like To Walk- The Simpsons

I Love You But- Judy Fjell

I Misunderstood- Richard Thompson

I Need A Lover-John Mellencamp

I Predict- Sparks

I Ran (So Far Away)- A Flock of Seagulls

I Robot- Alan Parsons Project

I Still Believe- The Call

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For- U2

I Walk The Line Revisited- Rodney Crowell

I Want To Know What Love Is- Foreigner

I Wish I Were Blind- Bruce Springsteen

I would Do Anything for Love But I Won’t Do That- Meat Loaf

I/G/Y- Donald Fagen

I’ll Be Missing You- Puff Daddy, Sting, Faith Evans and 112 et al.

I’m Alive- Jackson Browne

I’m Alive- Kasey Chambers

I’m Not Running Anymore-John Mellencamp

I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying- Sting

If I Could Change Your Mind- Alan Parsons Project

If I Could Just Get It On Paper- Jimmy Buffett

If I Had A Boat- Lyle Lovett

If I Had A Rocket Launcher- Bruce Cockburn

If I Needed You- Emmylou Harris and Don Williams

If I Should Fall Behind- Bruce Springsteen

If It Doesn’t Come Naturally Leave It- Al Stewart

If The Phone Doesn’t Ring It’s Me- Jimmy Buffett

If You Want To Find Love- Kenny Rogers

Imaginary Lover- Atlanta Rhythm Section

Impi- Johnny Clegg

In The Lap Of The Gods- Alan Parsons Project

In The Shape of a Heart- Jackson Browne

In Your Eyes- Peter Gabriel

Indian Summer- Al Stewart

Industrial Disease- Dire Straits

Inevitable Consequence of Progress- Juluka

Into The Groove- Madonna

It Can Happen- Yes

It Could Happen To You- Blue Rodeo

It Don’t Come Easy- Ringo Starr

It Never Rains In Southern California- Albert Hammond and Al Stewart

It’s A Long Way There- Little River Band

It’s All Coming Back To Me Now- Celine Dion

It’s An Illusion- Savuka

It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere- Jimmy Buffett

It’s Just Another Morning Here- Nanci Griffith

It’s My Job- Jimmy Buffett

It’s Raining Again- Supertramp

Jackie Brown-John Mellencamp

Jingle Bells- traditional

Joutilas- YUP

Just Enough Rope- Rick Trevino

Just Like The Weather- Suzy Bogguss

Just Say Yeah- Jackson Browne

Just The Two Of Us- Grover Washington Jr. feat. Bill Withers

Just The Way You Are- Billy Joel

Just When I Needed You Most- Randy Vanwarmer

Keep Your Distance- Richard Thompson

Kings of the World- Mississippi

La Sagrada Familia- Alan Parsons Project

Land Of Hopes And Dreams- Bruce Springsteen

Landslide- Fleetwood Mac

Las Cosas Simples De La Vida- Nino

Last Days Of The Century- Al Stewart

Last Mango In Paris- Jimmy Buffett

Laughing into 1939- Al Stewart

Lead Me On- Maxine Nightingale

Lemon Tree- Will Holt (Trini Lopez)

Lessons in Love- Level 42

Let’s Go Crazy- Prince

Levelland- James McMurtry

Lies- Thompson Twins

Life During Wartime- Talking Heads

Life In Dark Water- Al Stewart

Life Short Call Now- Bruce Cockburn

Lift Me Up- Yes

Light At The End Of The Tunnel- B.B. Watson

Light of Day- Little River Band

Lights of Taormina- Mark Knopfler

Like A Prayer- Madonna

Little Green Apples- Bobby Russell

Little Lies- Fleetwood Mac

Little Red Corvette- Prince

Little Victories- Darden Smith

Lives In The Balance- Jackson Browne

Living In The Plastic Age- Buggles

Livingston’s Gone To Texas- Jimmy Buffett

Lluvia Al Corazon- Mana

London Calling- Clash

Lone Palm- Jimmy Buffett

Loneliest Place On The Map- Al Stewart

Lonesome Loser- Little River Band

Long Island Sound- James McMurtry

Looking East- Jackson Browne

Lord Is it Mine- Supertramp

Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good- Don Williams

Lost In Love- Air Supply

Love Can Find A Way- Yes

Love Is A Bridge- Little River Band

Love is Dangerous- Fleetwood Mac

Love Is Like A Rock- Donnie Iris

Love Plus One- Haircut One Hundred

Love’s Theme- Love Unlimited Orchestra

Lovely Day- Bill Withers

Loving Arms- Darden Smith

Lubbock Tornado- Terry Allen

Lucky Man- Emerson Lake And Palmer

Lyin’ Eyes- Eagles

Making Love Out Of Nothing At All- Jim Steinman (Air Supply, Bonnie Tyler)

Man In The Mirror- Michael Jackson

Man On Your Mind- Little River Band

Manic Monday- Bangles

Marching to Pretoria- Traditional

Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffett

Maria- Blondie

Maria- Willie Nelson with Rob Thomas

Maybe Tomorrow- Nanci Griffith

Meet Me In Montana – Dan Seals

Meet The Flintstones- Hoyt Curtin, Joseph Barbera and William Hanna

Mendocino County Line- Bernie Taupin (Willie Nelson & Lee Ann Womack)

Message In A Bottle- Police

Mi Verdad- Mana and Shakira

Mineral Wells- Amanda Shires

Miss You So Badly- Jimmy Buffett

Missing You- John Waite (Tina Turner, Brooks & Dunn, Flavio Cesar, Cameo, Stephen Colbert and Congressman Jason Chafetz, Alison Krauss, Melanie, Evoke, Rod Stewart, Orianthi, David Wilcox)

Molokai Slide- Ehukai

Mondo Sinistro- Al Stewart

Money For Nothing- Dire Straits

Moonlight Feels Right- Starbuck

More Than This- Roxy Music

Morning Dance- Spiro Gyra

Murmansk Run/ Ellis Island- Al Stewart

Must Be Santa- Bob Dylan

My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus- Jimmy Buffett

My Oklahoma Home- Bruce Springsteen

My Personal Revenge- Jackson Browne

My Problem Is You- Jackson Browne

My Toot Toot- Rockin’ Sidney

NBA on CBS Theme- CBS Sports

Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart- Chris Cornell

Never Be The Same- Christopher Cross

New Kid In Town- Eagles

New Morning Sun- Blue Rodeo

New Year’s Day- U2

Night Inside of Me- Jackson Browne

Night Train To Munich- Al Stewart

Nightshift- Commodores

Nikita- Elton John

No Leaf Clover- Metallica

No One Is To Blame- Howard Jones

No Surrender- Bruce Springsteen

Nobody Knows- Tony Rich

Norwegian Wood- Beatles

Nostradamus- Al Stewart

Not Pretty Enough- Kasey Chambers

Not What I Expected- Dave Nachmanoff

Nothing At All- Heart

Nothing Left To Lose- Alan Parsons Project

Notorious Cherry Bombs- It’s Hard To Kiss the Lips at Night…

November Rain- Guns ‘n’ Roses

Nuevo Amanacer- Mana

Oh Life (There Must Be More)- Alan Parsons

Old Admirals- Al Stewart

Old And Wise- Alan Parsons Project

Oldest Surfer On The Beach- Jimmy Buffett

On A Slow Boat To China- Jimmy Buffett

On The Border- Al Stewart  

On The Road- Lee Roy Parnell

Once Upon A Time In The West- Dire Straits

One Human, One Vote- Savuka

One More Song- Randy Meisner

One Particular Harbour- Jimmy Buffett

One Slip- Pink Floyd

One Stage Before- Al Stewart

One Step Up- Bruce Springsteen

Only Time- Enya

Original Sin- INXS

Our Lips are Sealed- Fun Boy Three

Owner of a Lonely Heart- Yes

Pacing The Cage- Bruce Cockburn

Paint By Numbers- Al Stewart

Pancho and Lefty- Townes Van Zandt / Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard/ others

Paper Moon- Nat King Cole

Peaceful World- John Mellencamp

People of the South Wind- Kansas

Photograph- Ringo Starr

Picture- Kid Rock

Piece of Work- Jimmy Buffett

Pink and Black Song- Terry Allen

Pink Houses-John Mellencamp

Planet Claire- B52s

Playing With Lightning- Shot In The Dark

Please Remember Me- Tim McGraw

Polly Wolly Doodle- Dan Emmett

Popeye The Sailor Man- Sammy Lerner

Precious Life- Lichtmond feat. Alan Parsons and SubClones

Pressure Off- Duran Duran

Pride In The Name of Love- U2

Prime Time- Alan Parsons Project

Punish The Monkey- Mark Knopfler

Purple Rain- Prince

Rain Barrel- Al Stewart

Rain In The Summertime- Alarm

Rain On The Scarecrow-John Mellencamp

Ram Goat Liver- Pluto Shervington

Ramblin’ Rose- Nat King Cole

Rancho Grande- Jorge Negrete

Rapper’s Delight- Sugar Hill Hang

Rapture- Blondie

Raspberry Beret- Prince

Red Toupee- Al Stewart

Refugee- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Return to Tunguska- Alan Parsons

Rhinestone Cowboy- Glen Campbell

Rhythm of Love- Yes

Ride- Liz Phair

Ring of Fire- Johnny Cash

Rise- Herb Alpert

Road To Hell- Chris Rea

Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through- Jim Steinman

Roll The Bones- Rush

Roxanne 97- Sting with Pras

Rumours of War- Al Stewart

Run Away- Sun Stroke Project

Run Like The Wind- Thrasher Shiver

Runaway Train- Soil Asylum

Running Man- Al Stewart

Running on Empty- Jackson Browne

Sailing to Philadelphia- Mark Knopfler and James Taylor

Sampan- Al Stewart

San Jacinto- Peter Gabriel

Sand and Water- Beth Nielsen Chapman

Sara- Fleetwood Mac

Save Me San Francisco- Train

Scatterlings of Africa- Juluka

Screw You, We’re from Texas- Ray Wylie Hubbard

Secret World- Peter Gavriel

Seine City- Little River Band

Seminole Wind- Jon Anderson

Sentimental Journey- Doris Day

Seven Bridges Road- Eagles

Seven Spanish Angels- Willie Nelson and Ray Charles

Shadow Of A Lonely Man- Alan Parsons Project

Shaking The Tree- Peter Gabriel

Shame On The Moon- Rodney Crowell / Bob Seger

Shanghai Breezes- John Denver

Shaving Cream- Fabulous Five

She Blinded Me With Science- Thomas Dolby

She Finally Spoke Spanish To Me- Joe Ely

She Never Spoke Spanish To Me- Joe Ely

Sheila Won’t Be Coming Home- Dave Nachmanoff feat. Al Stewart

Shelter- Lone Justice

Shock The Monkey- Peter Gabriel

Shoot High Aim Low- Yes

Shoten Theme- Hachidai Nakamura

Shotgun Down The Avalanche- Shawn Colvin

Signal To Noise- Peter Gabriel

Silence and I- Alan Parsons Project

Singh Is King- Snoop Dogg and Akshay Kumar with RDB

Sirius- Alan Parsons Project

Six Months In A Leaky Boat- Split Enz

Sixty Eight Guns- Alarm

Sledgehammer- Peter Gabriel

Sleeping With The Television On- Billy Joel

Slow Train Coming- Bob Dylan

Small Paradise-John Mellencamp

Smiling Islands- Robbie Patton

Smoke From A Distant Fire- Sanford Townsend Band

Smooth- Santana

Snake Eyes- Alan Parsons Project

So Far Away- Dire Straits

Soho Needless to Say- Al Stewart

Solid Rock- Mark Knopfler

Solsbury Hill- Peter Gabriel

Some Days are Diamonds- John Arthur Martinez

Some Velvet Morning- Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra

Some White People Can Dance- Greg “Fingers” Taylor

Somebody’s Watching Me- Rockwell

Someday Soon- Suzy Bogguss

Someday- Sugar Ray

Someone’s Taken Our History- Graham Goble

Somewhere in England 1815- Al Stewart

Somewhere Over China- Jimmy Buffett

Somewhere Over The Rainbow- Bruddah Iz

Sooner or Later- Alan Parsons Project

Sorrow- Pink Floyd

South Of Santa Fe- Brooks and Dunn

Southern Cross- Crosby, Stills and Nash

Souvenirs- Jimmy Buffett

Soy De San Luis- Texas Tornados

Space Oddity- David Bowie

Space Race- MiSex

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness- Nanci Griffith

Spooky- Atlanta Rhythm Section

Standing On Higher Ground- Alan Parsons Project

State of Independence- John Anderson

Steady On- Shawn Colvin

Steam- Peter Gabriel

Steppin’- Shaka

Stepping In A Slide Zone- Moody Blues

Stereotomy- Alan Parsons project

Stones in the Road- Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Baez

Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around- Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty

Strange Girl- Al Stewart

Strange Times- Moody Blues

Street Dance- Break Machine

Streets of Philadelphia- Bruce Springsteen

Sultans of Swing- Dire Straits

Sunday Bloody Sunday- U2

Sure Know Something- KISS

Switchin’ to Glide- Kings

Symphony #1- Edvard Grieg

Synchronicity II- Police

Taco With A Pork Chop- Ray Brown

Tainted Love- Soft Cell

Take A Chance With Me- Roxy Music

Take Another Road- Jimmy Buffett

Take Five- Dave Brubeck

Take It Easy- Eagles

Take It Easy On Me- Little River Band

Take It To The Limit- Eagles

Take My Heart Away- Savuka

Take The Long Way Home- Supertramp

Tea In The Sahara- Police

Tearin’ Up My Heart- *NSYNC

Telegraph Road- Dire Straits

Temporary Secretary- Paul McCartney

Tempus Fugit- Yes

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out- Bruce Springsteen

Thank You- Dido

That Girl Could Sing- Jackson Brownw

That’s The Way of the World- Earth Wind and Fire

That’s What Living Means to Me- Jimmy Buffett

The Aircrash Bureau- Gary Numan

The Bug- Dire Straits 

The Captain and the Kid- Jimmy Buffett

The Chain- Fleetwood Mac

The Chase- Giorgio Moroder

The Coldest Winter in Memory- Al Stewart

The Crossing- Johnny Clegg

The Crow On The Cradle- Sydney Carter

The Dark and the Rolling Sea- Al Stewart

The Eagle Will Rise Again- Alan Parsons Project

The Finer Things- Steve Winwood

The Fox- Elton John

The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades- Timbuk 3

The Grand Tour- Aaron Neville

The Great Joe Bob- Terry Allen

The Ground Beneath Her Feet- U2

The Hamster Dance- Hampton the Hampster

The Last Resort- Eagles

The Last Worthless Evening- Don Henley

The Ledge- Fleetwood Mac

The Lighthouse’s Tale- Nickel Creek

The Man’s Too Strong- Dire Straits

The Naked Ride Home- Jackson Browne

The News From Spain- Al Stewart

The Next Voice You Hear- Jackson Browne

The One that Got Away- Al Stewart

The Pretender- Jackson Browne

The Raven- Alan Parsons

The Rebel Jesus- Jackson Browne

The Reflex- Duran Duran

The Revolution Will Eat Its Children- Johnny Clegg

The River- Bruce Springsteen

The River- Garth Brooks

The Road Goes On Forever and the Party Never Ends- Robert Earl Keen

The Rumor- Little River Band

The Smurf Song- Pierre Kartner

The Stand- Alarm

The Time Machine- Alan Parsons

The Trawlerman’s Song- Mark Knopfler

The Voice- Moody Blues

The Wall- Willie Nelson

The Way- Fastball

The Weather Is Here Wish You Were Beautiful- Jimmy Buffett

The Winner Takes It All- ABBA

The Writing On The Wall- Poco

They Dance Alone- Sting

Things Have Changed- Bob Dylan

Things that Make You Go Hmm- C&C Music Factory

This Is Not America- David Bowie & Pat Metheny Group

This Is Us- Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris

This Old Man- Traditional (Bob Dylan)

Three Cornered Hat- De Falla

Tight Connection To My Heart- Bob Dylan

Tijuana Taxi- Herb Alpert

Time – Alan Parsons Project

Time For Me To Fly- REO Speedwagon

Time Passages- Al Stewart

Time The Conqueror- Jackson Browne

To Make You Feel My Love- Bob Dylan

Tom’s Diner- Suzanne Vega

Total Eclipse of the Heart- Jim Steinman (Bonnie Tyler)

Train, Train- Blackfoot

Traveling Soldier- Dixie Chicks (Bruce Robison)

Treaty- Yothu Yindi

Trespasser- Al Stewart

Trip Around the Sun- Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride

Truckload of Art- Terry Allen

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season- Jimmy Buffett °

Tu Tranquilo- Kiko Veneno

Turn Of A Friendly Card- Alan Parsons Project

Turning It Into Water- Al Stewart

Tusk- Fleetwood Mac

Tweeter and the Monkey Man- Traveling Wilburys

Twilight Zone- Golden Earring

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey- Paul McCartney

Under A Wine-Stained Moon- Al Stewart

Under African Skies- Paul Simon

Under My Thumb- Rolling Stones

Under Pressure- David Bowie & Queen

Union of the Snake- Duran Duran

Unwell- Matchbox 20

Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother- Ray Wylie Hubbard

Uptown Funk- Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

Used To Could- Mark Knopfler

Valentina Way- Al Stewart

Video Killed The Radio Star- Buggles

Viva La Vida- Coldplay

Volcano- Jimmy Buffett

Wag The Dog- Mark Knopfler

Wagon Wheel- Bob Dylan (Darius Rucker, Keith Secor)

Waitin’ On A Sunny Day- Bruce Springsteen

Wakafrika- Manu Dibango

Walk of Life- Dire Straits

Walk On- U2

Walk the Dinosaur- Was (Not Was)

Walking in Memphis- Marc Cohn

Walking On The Sun- Smash Mouth

Wall of Death- Richard Thompson and Linda Thompson

Walls Came Down- The Call

Waltzing Matilda- Slim Dusty

Warsaw 1943 (I Never Betrayed The Revolution)"- Johnny Clegg and Savuka

Wasn’t That A Party- Irish Rovers

Wasted On The Way- Crosby Stills and Nash

Watching the Wheels- John Lennon

Wayward Wind- Tex Ritter

We Can Fly- Yes

We Shall Be Free- Garth Brooks

We’re Still Here- Douglas Spotted Eagle

Western Days- Tom Gill

What Have I Done To Deserve This- Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield

What It Is- Mark Knopfler

Whatever way The Wind Blows- Kelly Willis

When Love Comes To Town- B.B. King and U2

When The Coast Is Clear- Jimmy Buffett

When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky- Bob Dylan

When The System Has Fallen – Savuka

When We Both Say Goodbye- Elton John & Catherine Britt

When You Need A Train It Never Comes- Amanda Shires

Where Are They Now- Al Stewart

Where Have All The Flowers Gone- Pete Seeger

Where The Streets Have No Name- U2

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning- Alan Jackson

Wherever I Go- Mark Knopfler with Ruth Moody

White Dawn- Alan Parsons

White Flag- Dido

Who Knows Where The Time Goes- Richard Thompson

Why Aye Man- Mark Knopfler

Why Don’t We Get Drunk- Jimmy Buffett

Wide Open Spaces- Susan Gibson (Dixie Chicks)

Wildest Dreams- Moody Blues

Will the Circle Be Unbroken- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Winding Me Up- Alan Parsons Project

Windy Days, Dusty Skies- Carr/Munde

Wine From The Water- Alan Parsons

Winter Wonderland- Eurythmics

Woke Up This Morning- Alabama 3

Wrack My Brain- Ringo Starr

Year of the Cat- Al Stewart

Yellow Submarine- Beatles

Yo! Bum Rush The Show- Public Enemy

You Can Call Me Al- Paul Simon

You Can’t Always Get What You Want- Rolling Stones

You Don’t Even Know Me- Al Stewart

You Lie Down With Dogs- Alan Parsons Project

You Never Can Tell- Emmylou Harris

You Oughta Know- Alanis Morrissette

You Were Meant For Me- Jewel

Young Man’s Town- Vince Gill

Your Latest Trick- Dire Straits

Your Life Is Now-John Mellencamp