Head of learning Jane Richmond, who is leading the sessions, said: I know it sounds a bit potty but a Welsh potty woman is a traditionally dressed woman made out of flower pots. It is definitely a fun activity and something all the family will want to get involved with, we are sure.

Family activities run at the garden from Monday to Friday, and as well as making your very own potty woman you can try your hand at Grow Your Own, Crafts for the Garden and the ever-popular Grape Escape.

On the Monday and Tuesday, experts will be offering tips on growing your own salad and veg.

On the Thursday and Friday there are craft-making sessions where you can create a potty woman, scarecrow head or jazzy plant labels. And, on Wednesday, why not try your hand at making a raft out of recycled plant material then sail it down the gardens beautiful rill?

All activities will run from 11am to 3pm and will be free with normal admission prices.

Star-gazers have their fingers crossed for a good view of some heavenly bodies at the National Botanic Garden on Friday, February 17.

Organisers from Swansea Astronomical Society are praying for clear skies because, as this is a moonless night, it is the ideal opportunity to see Jupiter and its moons.

They are also going to have their telescopes trained on lovely Venus, dashing red Mars, the Orion Nebula and a host of other deep-sky objects. Swansea Astronomical Society member Colin Miles said: If you have been inspired by Brian Cox and the BBC TV programme Stargazing Live maybe youve even bought a telescope or are thinking of buying one come along, bring your telescope and talk to the experts.

In addition to the telescope clinics, fellow Swansea Astronomical Society member Brian Spinks will give a talk entitled Sunspots and the Weather at 7.15pm. Brian Stokess talk at 8.15pm is called The Wonders of the World and Universe Part Two.

There will be cawl and coffee on sale in the licensed restaurant to keep out the chill.

The Star Party is on from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and entrance is pound;3, or free for under-16s.

For more information about events at the garden, go to www.gardenofwales.org.uk or call 01558 667149.

2. Wake Up to Wildlife over half-term at Colby Woodland Garden, Amroth, and check out the first signs of spring.

The National Trust and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority are teaming up for these ranger- led events and families are invited to discover whats coming to life in the woodlands.

Sessions will take place Monday from to Wednesday, February 15, at 11am and 2pm and cost pound;3 per person, including admission.

Booking is essential so call the Colby Shop on 01834 811885 or the National Park Centre, Tenby, on 01834 845040 for further information and to reserve your place.

The National Trust will also be offering free family woodland activities at Lodge Park Woods, Stackpole, on Monday, Wednesday, February 15 and Friday, February 17, at 11am and 2pm.

For more information call 01646 661425.

3. Aberglasney is a great place to take the kids, especially if they want to see some fabulous spring flowers.

There will be a Winter Gardening Weekend on Saturday, February 18, and Sunday, February 19, from 10.30am to 4pm.

4. Its Welsh Culture Week at Dinefwr Park and Castle over half-term.

From crafting to learning Welsh, there will be activities for all the family to enjoy.

Learn Welsh, watch a fashion show, learn the history of the house on a Welsh family trail, see the bilingual conservation room or try your hand at crafting

For more information call Dinefwr Park and Castle on 01558 824512/823902 or go to dinefwr@nationaltrust.org.uk

5. Castles always make a great day out and we are spoilt for choice in Carmarthenshire.

Two of the greatest are Carreg Cennen Castle, near Llandeilo, and Kidwelly Castle.

Carreg Cennens defences exploit the natural environment to great effect, glued to the sheer cliff-face on all sides.

The stronghold led a chequered life however, falling into Welsh and English hands during the troubled medieval period.

The castle is open daily from 9.30am to 4pm.

For further information call 01558 822291.

Kidwelly Castle is one of the greatest in Wales.

If you want a truly medieval moment, catch a glimpse of Kidwelly shrouded in early morning mist. Spine-tingling stuff so complete and well-preserved its a match for any of the great castles of Wales.

The earliest castle on the site was Norman and made of earth and timber. The town itself is equally ancient, established around 1115 AD.

Kidwelly benefited from the latest thinking in castle design. It had a concentric design with one circuit of defensive walls set within another to allow the castle to be held even if the outer wall should fall.

Kidwelly Castle is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.

For further information on Kidwelly Castle call 01554 890104.

6. Carmarthenshire has great beaches too you can even combine beach with castle at Llansteffan.

Parking in the picturesque village is free as is entry to the castle.

A walk along the beach is also well worthwhile but keep an eye on the tide.

7. February can be cold and wet so what better place to go than a nice warm theatre…

The Lyric in Carmarthen has the wonderful, heart-rending adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit on Saturday.

The Velveteen Rabbit is an inquisitive toy, he has bright button eyes and soft and velvety fur, and he doesnt have any cogs or gears or clock work.

He is just a rabbit with big dreams.

Dont miss the annual performance by the Carmarthen Youth Opera. This years show is The Sound Of Music, which runs from Monday to Saturday.

For further information go to www.sirgaerfyrddin.gov

8. Carmarthenshire Museum is a great place to visit over the school holidays.

See how county folk used to live over the centuries and imagine being a child in the Victorian schoolroom.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday and admission is free.

For further information go to www.carmarthenmuseum.org. uk

9. If were blessed with some mild spring weather, its great to get out on the bike and there are some tremendous cycle trails in the Brechfa Forest, north of Carmarthen.

For further information go to www.forestry.gov.uk

10. Carmarthenshire is blessed with beautiful countryside and parks.

We have Pembrey Country Park and Gelli Aur, too, with its deer park. Llyn Llech Owain, in Gorslas, is especially popular with families.

The parks central feature is the lake itself, which is surrounded by peat bog.

The rest of the park consists largely of coniferous woodland planted by the Forestry Commission during the 1960s, but there are also areas of dry heath and broad-leaved woodland.

A network of footpaths provides for some enjoyable walking.

Many paths are well-surfaced and accessible to push chairs, and a specially constructed path allows safe access over the peat bog and around the lake.

A forest track provides a longer walk or cycle ride around the country park, and there is a rough mountain bike trail for the more adventurous cyclist.

For further information contact the visitor centre on 01269 832229. There is a parking charge of pound;2.50.

Matthew Stevens(contact)
February 8, 2012 9:09:00 AM

STARKVILLE – No matter the result, Mississippi State University mens basketball coach Rick Stansbury will leave Humphrey Coliseum arm in arm with his wife, Meo.

As he walks out the front door, the arm and hand that isnt wrapped around his wife likely will have a scouting report or a video of the University of Georgia basketball program in it.

Less than 48 hours after No. 20 MSU (18-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) finishes its game against the University of Mississippi at 6 pm Thursday (ESPN2), it will have to prepare for another SEC home matchup.

Stansbury and other coaches in the league often have to handle quick turnarounds thanks in large part to the 15-year television contract package the SEC signed with ESPN in the summer of 2008. The deal, which is reportedly worth more than $2 billion, features sporting events, including football and mens and womens basketball. While the coaches enjoy the exposure the deal gives to their programs and the SEC, they say there are the inequities in the system that make their jobs more difficult.

I learned a long time ago not to worry about anything you cant control, Stansbury said. I just think it needs to be balanced for everybody. Theres some advantages and disadvantages, now. None of us like it. You ask me if I like it? No, its tough. As long as its balanced for everybody, you live with it.

The plan for the quick turnaround

MSU is 5-0 with all home games in the Saturday part of this schedule. The key to the programs success is preparation.

The assistant coach who is assigned to scout Georgia (the three assistant coaches divide the 11 opponents before the season starts) will be relied on to provide a report on individuals and to highlight trends the team will examine Friday afternoon.

MSU will walk through Georgias offensive sets and discuss what it will do to counter Georgias plans. The team wont do a lot of running, practice very long, or exert a lot of energy because they acknowledge Georgia will be the fresher team Saturday. The players arent likely to experience anything beyond some scouting reports and film work before they take the floor for the game.

Thats all you can do, Stansbury said. Physically you cant do anything. Mentally some of those adjustments you can make for that game, its a quick turnaround. It is a challenge, but it is part of the league, and some have to do it more than others. Thank goodness we are at home on Saturday verses being on the road Saturday.

With Dee Bost, Arnett Moultrie and Rodney Hood leading the league in minutes played per game, MSU coaches have stressed to the players it is critical for them to take care of their bodies so they have the energy to handle this final two-month stretch run.

I think thats why my body has been feeling tired, Hood said. Youve just got to be ready for it. Thats why you go hard in practice and get your rest at night. You cant be up all night, and Im just been listening to (the training staff) and trying to eat right and stuff like that.

Since the 2009-10 season, MSU and Florida are the only teams that have winning records with less time to prepare than their opponents. MSU is 7-1 record in that situation.

It is difficult, (but) its better when youre at home, Stansbury said. Its really difficult when you have a Thursday home and have to travel Saturday. That makes it really difficult. Thursday away, coming home Saturday is little easier. But, still, as a coach none of us likes that scenario. But its part of it and most of us in this league have to do it.

Since the creation of the TV deal, the other 10 programs in the

SEC are 13-17 when they have less rest time than their opponent.

After MSU completes this weekends turnaround, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Ole Miss will have to complete the task later this season.

The Kentucky inequality problem

The main point of contention from veteran coaches in the league, including Stansbury, Florida coach Billy Donovan, and Vanderbilt coach

Kenny Stallings is the number of times the University of Kentucky, has played the Thursday-Saturday turnarounds. Kentucky lost to Tennessee on a Saturday in the 2009-10 season.

If you want to get more teams in the NCAA tournament and you want to do more with your non-conference schedule, our league should not put teams at a disadvantage competitively, Donovan said. I dont think thats right to the players, to the teams that are playing. I think we all agree we need to play Thursday-Saturday-Tuesday. But if youre trying to get more teams into the NCAA tournament, dont put the teams inside your league into a competitive disadvantage.

Stansbury also has noticed No. 1 Kentucky has been a beneficiary of the scheduling system.

How many does Kentucky have? Zero. OK, Stansbury said. You all research where Kentucky is at. What they got? Who they got? When and where playing those types of games? You just need to make it balanced for everyone.

SEC officials contend they have tried balance the Thursday-Saturday games among the teams, even though Florida has had more Thursday-Saturday matchups (seven) followed by Ole Miss and MSU (six).

These parameters are in place to ensure the schedule is as equitable as possible and enables the SEC to fulfill its contractual obligations with television, said Craig Pinkerton, director of media relations, in a release.

However, of the 50 times the SEC has scheduled these games in the past three seasons, teams have had to tip off with less than 48 hours before the next game 42 times.

Stallings, whose team has played five Thursday-Saturday turnaround games and three with less than 48 hours to prepare for the back half, questioned Pinkertons position on the parameters.

To not have any and to be able to play four teams that have to do it to play you, thats not right, Stallings told The Tennessean before splitting games at Alabama and home against Mississippi State on Jan. 19-21.

Kentucky coach John Calipari fired back about his teams schedule, referencing his policy while he was leading the University of Memphis and he needed to play power conference schools before Christmas break not only to improve his programs Ratings Percentage Index, but also to get on national television.

The option is dont go on TV and play the date you want to play or play when they want, Calipari said. We sign a TV contract and we have to go with what they say. If they wanted us on every Thursday, then wed play on Thursday and I wouldnt say a thing. Everyone knows from my history, well play any team, any place, any time. Well play on I-95, shut it down. Well play on Bluegrass Parkway, shut it down.

While he praised the leagues scheduling committee, which is led by former MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton, Donovan also

spoke strongly about the inequity of the scheduling, lamenting the fact that Alabama coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant for Donovan at Florida, recently had to play a night game Thursday followed and a day game Saturday at Kentucky.

That should never happen, Donovan said. Theyve got to go to school Friday, then theyve got to leave Friday and play at noon. Pretty much eat, wake up, and play the game. Give them an opportunity and play the game at 6, 7, 8 oclock at night.

Donovan, who is in his 16th season in Gainesville, hopes a competitively balanced system is put into place when Texas AM University and the University of Missouri join the conference next season.

Its the same thing as Alabama football a year ago, Donovan said. Alabama wins the national championship in football and all of a sudden theyve got to play six straight games against teams that had basically two weeks off and were laying in the weeds and getting ready to prepare for them. I dont know if it was an oversight or not, but thats not going to happen anymore, so I think that theres probably some things that are going on inside of our league with this contract being somewhat new that I think our league will figure out as time goes on. Ive got confidence they will.

Enter Soulo, a software and microphone kit that can turn an iPad or other Apple device into a karaoke machine. It gives you instant karaoke in the privacy of your own home, or wherever you carry your Apple gadgets.

Thats the idea, anyway.

In practical terms, the quality of the karaoke experience depends largely on the kind of sound system you pipe Soulo through.

The software app does a great job of emulating the sing-along video animation typically found in a commercial karaoke machine. It also offers a good selection of songs.

But I wasnt thrilled by the sound quality I got from the Soulo microphone. That dampened an otherwise entertaining way to use an iPad.

In particular, I like how the Soulo-iPad combo makes it a snap to record audio and video of a performance and then post clips _ not full songs _ on YouTube, Facebook and elsewhere.

Soulo is available with a digital wireless microphone, which retails for $99, or with a wired microphone, which sells for $69. Songs cost extra after the first handful. I tested the wireless version, which comes with a receiver that plugs into the iPad dock and syncs with the microphone.

The karaoke app and microphones are compatible with iPads, iPhones and the iPod Touch. Audio output options include listening through headphones or other speaker systems via the devices stereo jack. The wireless receiver also can connect to a TV.

Transforming the iPad into a karaoke machine is easy. You download the free Soulo app from the Apple Store and register the software.

Soulo comes with a few songs and a code to download 10 karaoke tracks for free. You can purchase and download more songs for 99 cents each. The Soulo store has hundreds of tracks, including versions of songs by Diana Ross, Tobey Keith, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Maroon 5 and The Who. First Act Inc., which makes Soulo, continually makes more songs available.

You can also sing to songs you have on iTunes, thanks to a Soulo sound feature that lets you suppress a tunes vocal track. This works better with some songs than others. But only songs purchased from Soulos store come with lyrics.

As a more-than-casual karaoke fan, I enjoyed the Soulo app features and the no-fuss interface for downloading tracks and recording performances.

And when I tried it with some friends, we had a good time picking through the bevy of tracks for songs to sing. The ability to just pass around the iPad made this particularly easy.

We recorded video of a few performances, though they shall stay locked in a digital vault. We also tweaked settings on the app to add echo and alter the pitch on our vocals. The features mostly distorted our voices, which was good for laughs, but thats about it.

Although we had a fun time, I remain disappointed with the sound quality.

That may seem contradictory, given that were talking about karaoke.

Saunter into any karaoke bar and even the skilled singers can sound less than stellar crooning over dinky synth versions of songs that barely resemble the original recordings.

But just because bad singing often is synonymous with karaoke that doesnt mean the sound quality shouldnt be good enough for the butchered vocals to be clearly audible.

Ive used home karaoke machines in the past, and they packed enough sound for both the karaoke track and the singers vocals to be heard clearly.

I tested Soulo on a couple of different iPads, using stereo headphones, the iPad speaker and an Altec Lansing desktop PC sound system with a subwoofer.

For best results, I recommend using an external stereo speaker system with Soulo, rather than the speakers built into the iPad and other Apple devices.

Using just the iPad speakers at full volume in a living room made it difficult to hear the music over the singing. I found I had to sing at lower volume to compensate, which doesnt work so well when you dial up a song such as The Animals House Of The Rising Sun.

It took plugging the iPad into the PC stereo speakers to get the song loud enough to sing along at full volume. But then the microphone didnt seem to pick up vocals very well.

I could be heard over the music, but only because I was singing in a room, not a crowded bar.

Singing very close to the microphone got a stronger pickup, but that also led to some distortions in the sound.

For those looking for better sound performance overall, its possible to use another microphone with the Soulo app, though I did not test such a setup.

Another option may be a microphone with enhanced audio that Soulos manufacturer is due to release later in the year.

Soulo works as a novelty add-on for the iPad. That may be good enough for casual wannabe-singers, but anyone looking for more than the occasional karaoke amusement may be disappointed.

Although there have been rave reviews for Aaron Rodgers’ performance as a football analyst on NBC’s pregame Super Bowl show, the Green Bay Packers quarterback said he isn’t planning a broadcasting career after his playing days.

“As much fun as it was to be in that setting. … I really would like to use my talents for other things when I’m done playing,” Rodgers said on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show today. “That’s still the plan.”

Rodgers said it was tougher being an analyst than playing in the Super Bowl, considering there are sometimes multiple people talking in his earpiece when on camera. He said he has a new-found respect for broadcasters.

Rodgers had a four-hour rehearsal on the day before the Super Bowl. He wasn’t expecting to appear in so many segments during the pregame show (approximately 11).

Rodgers covered a variety of topics in his final radio show of the season:

*He said it was humbling to get a standing ovation when he received the NFL MVP award Saturday at the NFL awards show.

*He has received some feelers about appearing on Saturday Night Live and talked to some cast members over the weekend. He’s hopeful something can be worked out.

*He wasn’t too surprised at how well the Giants defense played in the Super Bowl because they’ve been playing great the second half of the season.

*He acknowledged it’s more important to be playing well heading into the playoffs than during the regular season. “It just shows you it’s really all about the last six or seven weeks, maybe even less, maybe the last two or three,” Rodgers said. “You want to be playing the right way and be healthy late in the year to go on that run.”

*He’s happy for Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who he believes has been an elite quarterback for a long time and is finally getting the respect he’s been due for a while.

*He said he would be more than willing to offer advice to Andrew Luck, who is expected to be drafted No. 1 by the Indianapolis Colts and will likely be the heir apparent to Peyton Manning. He said he sees similarities between Luck potentially replacing Manning and him replacing Brett Favre in Green Bay. He said the less Luck says now about his potential situation in Indianapolis, the better.

The Lee County Board of Commissioners and the Boston Red Sox have announced plans for the opening of JetBlue Park at Fenway South, the teams new 106-acre spring training and player development complex in Lee County.
Commissioners and Red Sox officials will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, February 25 at 11:30 am where they will officially open the ballpark and spring training complex to the public. Executives and crewmembers from JetBlue Airways, the official airline of the Boston Red Sox, will also be on hand to help officially open JetBlue Park. The grand opening ceremony will be followed by an open house, from 1 to 4 pm, open to all fans and visitorsDuring the open house, fans will have an opportunity to walk freely around JetBlue Park and enjoy concessions and entertainment on Fenway South Drive – a street festival reminiscent of Yawkey Way in Boston.
Much like at Fenway Park in Boston, the street will have entertainment including, face painting, magicians, stilt walkers, a bounce house, obstacle course and other games for children. To help support Floridas Blood Center, a blood drive will be taking place during the open house for those who are able to make a blood donation. February 25 also marks the date of the first full squad workout of the 2012 Red Sox team. Fans will have an opportunity to walk around the practice fields of Fenway South in addition to JetBlue Park where, for the first time, both major and minor league teams will train together at a single complex.
Other key dates this Spring Training season include: Sunday, February 19 – Pitchers and catchers report.
The player development complex will be open to the public free of charge. Saturday, February 25 – First full squad workout, opening celebration and free open house. Saturday, March 3 – First college exhibition games featuring Northeastern University at 2:35 pm, followed by Boston College at 7:05 pm Sunday, March 4 – First official Grapefruit League game matching the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at 1:35 pm

The battle between educational institutions and loudmouth students who fight for the right to say dumb things is a rich area of recent American history. A student says something inflammatory. The school suspends/fails/disciplines the student. The student sues, and everyone has a big First Amendment debate party.

Usually, I have a lot of sympathy for the schools. Teenagers are, how do I say this, dumb. They think they know everything, and that somehow its of cosmic importance that they are allowed to proclaim their love for illegal drugs on campus.

But I cannot abide when schools become the fun police. The University of Minnesota currently falls under this category. In a case that will be heard today by the Minnesota Supreme Court, a mortuary sciences student is fighting to overturn ridiculous penalties levied against her for a couple of (seriously) harmless jokes made on Facebook.

Some commentators are worried about broader implications the case will have on the power colleges have over their students. Im more upset about the fact that the University of Minnesota cant take a joke.

The Chronicle of Higher Education gives us the back story in Tatro v. University of Minnesota:

The case began in 2010 when Amanda Tatro was called before the student-conduct board at the University of Minnesota over a series of postings on her personal Facebook page. On her Facebook wall, Tatro had joked about how she and her fellow mortuary-science students had nicknamed their laboratory cadaver Bernie, and about stabbing someone with a dissecting knife (a reference, her friends knew, to an ex-boyfriend).

A classmate forwarded the postings to University of Minnesota authorities. A criminal investigation concluded that Tatro had no intent to harm anyone, but the university imposed disciplinary charges anyway, including a failing grade and a mandatory psychiatric exam.

Wait, what? Not only did she get an F, but they had to check if she was crazy? People from Minnesota love to brag about “Minnesota nice.” Now I realize its just a cover for the fact that the entire state lacks a sense of humor. I know we all have to be careful about what we post on Facebook. You never know who will read it, yada yada. But, come on.

Not infrequently, I declare that certain people should be defenestrated. One of my close friends has wished that certain corporate lobbyists be thrown into an active volcano. People make outlandish violent statements and off-color jokes as a way to make light of legitimate frustrations or awkward situations (like dissecting a human body). Thats very different from making plausible threats (which is clearly not okay).

The University even acknowledged that Tatro had no intention of hurting anyone (least of all Bernie). She did the reasonable thing and appealed the schools decision. Still, no dice:

Tatro challenged the penalties, unsuccessfully, before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She is appealing to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear arguments on February 8. The universitys amicus defenders include the head table of academe: the American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and others. My organization, the Student Press Law Center, co-authored a brief in support of Tatro.

God forbid a student makes fun of a cadaver and knocks her ex-boyfriend online. Because its disruptive! And American academia will have to bring out the cavalry:

What is important about the Tatro case is not what Amanda said, but why the University of Minnesota believes it may regulate what students say on social-networking pages on their personal time.

The university argues–and the Court of Appeals accepted–that Tatros speech was unprotected by the First Amendment because it prompted disruptive complaints from supporters of the mortuary-sciences program whose families had donated their bodies for dissection or pledged to do so.

Seriously? Bernie is dead. And I dont think he will care that his name is not actually Bernie. Because he is dead. Not to be disrespectful, but if you donate your body to science, youre explicitly allowing a bunch of twenty-somethings to take the vessel which once contained your consciousness apart, piece by piece. (Side note, did you know that you cant libel someone who is dead?) If the students give your body a nickname, that shouldnt even register on the scale of disrespect when youre already laid out on the table and some sorority girl has her hands inside your rib cage.

I hope the Minnesota Supreme Court realizes how stupid this is. Because the last thing we need in this country is to punish people for making jokes.

Free Speech Off Campus Must Be Protected [Chronicle of Higher Education]

Soinspired by the reemergence of I Believe In A Thing Called Love (which I have found out since the Super Bowl that damn near everyone loves, thus proving that I had little to fear in the first place) here are 14 other songs that at some point in my life I may have been embarrassed to admit loving, but that have always captured the rhythm of my heart.

14 Other Irresistibly Fun Songs
1. Can You Feel It The Jacksons

Don’t be surprised when you see Michael Jackson pop up on this list a few times. No artist created more irresistibly fun songs than MJ. And if you get a sense of deja vu seeing Can You Feel It on another one of my music lists, you should. I can almost always find a way to convince myself that it belongs, because this song is greatness.

2. The Warrior by Scandal

I first became acquainted with this song, as probably many of you did, while watching the first NBA Superstars VHS tape. This was the song for Charles Barkley’s mixtape (though we didn’t call them mixtapes back then), and it was an inspired choice that was edited perfectly.

Contrast it with a later Barkley Superstars video featuring Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, and the difference is obvious. Thanks to Scandal, the first Barkley highlight video is a classic.

But even without Charles Barkley, this is a great song that some 20 years later always finds its way onto my driving and workout playlists. I can’t help it.

3. Small Town by John Mellencamp

Speaking of the NBA Superstars videos, this was the song for Larry Bird’s highlight montage. As great a fit as Warrior was for Barkley, Small Town for Bird was perfect, summed up by the quote that kicks of the video: There’s only one place I’d rather be: French Lick.

I’ve always loved this song. First off all, it describes me, being from Bloomington and all, and growing up so close to where Mellencamp himself great up. In addition, liking the erstwhile Johnny Cougar hasn’t always been the cool thing to do, but it’s never stopped me from doing it.

A fellow Hoosier, I’ve always loved Mellencamp, especially when he’s singing words like these that I can relate to so well, tucked within a triumphant beat and easily sing-along-able chorus.

4. Run-Around by Blues Traveler

I’ll be interested to see what people say about this song, because I feel like most people like it, or at least did like it. Do they still? The John Popper lyrics? The harmonica? The quintessential 90s vibe?

5. Motownphilly by Boyz II Men

There was a pretty long time period during elementary school when I listed Boyz II Men as my favorite musical group. And it all started with this song.

My affinity for Motownphilly faded over time as I was drawn more to Boyz II Men’s subsequent ballads about love and loss, relating so well to them as I did when in 5th and 6th grade, but as I look back on the careers of Nate-Mike-Shawn-Wan now, I think this song stands above all others.

Without question, it’s the most irresistibly fun song in their catalog. So check this out. See if this one still moves you.

6. A Little Respect by Erasure

I must admit, I have no idea when this song came out because I didn’t listen to it when it first came out. But thanks to Scrubs and SingStar ’80s, it’s become one of my favorite irresistible guilty pop pleasures.

Turk and the dude being operated on may not like this song

But Ted does, and so do I.

7. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You by Heart

It’s not always cool for a dude to admit that a band full of chicks rocked, but I do indeed believe that Heart rocked.

Granted, I didn’t necessarily think this back when I was a kid and my mom played this song over and over again on shopping trips and such (which now seems really strange since I actually understand the lyrics. WTF Mom?), but I’ve now come to appreciate this song on my own, in part because it does such a good job of telling a compelling story while still including ridiculously cheesy lyrics like these:

I told him I am the flower, you are the seed,
We walked in the garden and planted a tree

Regardless, great song.

8. Together Forever by Rick Astley

And speaking of songs that to this day I blame my mom for me liking

It seems impossible for a single song to encompass both the best and worst of an entire decade of music in three minutes and thirty seconds, but the ironically iconic Rick Astley does it here. He may be more well known for this song, but I actually, dare I say, like this one (I can’t help it!):

9. PYT. (Pretty Young Thing) by Michael Jackson

Okay, since I know the last two choices will probably be controversial with some of you agreeing loudly, some of you agreeing but keeping it to yourself, and others of you contemplating not reading anymore for me unironically including Rick Astley let me now go with a song that I bet no one will say they don’t like.

How could you? This is irresistible pop music perfection.

10. I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

And speaking of pop music perfection, it doesn’t get much more perfect or irresistible than pre-crack Whitney Houston, with this song a quintessential example.

Also, here is a fun fact you’d probably never assume about me: I do a killer rendition of this song on SingStar. (Okay fine, so it probably sounds like cows dying to all ears except my own, but after one or eleven whiskey and cokes I promise you I do about as well as any white dude could do on this song.)

11. Wonder by Natalie Merchant

For our next song, let’s slow the tempo down just a bit.

This is my favorite of Natalie Merchant’s songs. It’s upbeat. It’s positive. It’s optimistic. It’s triumphant. This is just a great song, and Merchant’s voice is the definition of irresistible.

12. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen

And speaking of irresistible voices

Rest in peace Freddie. No one’s stopping you from anything now. I don’t really need to say anything else about this song.

13. The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News

Yes, this song is one of my ringtones. And yes, it’s always gotten extra credit for its prominent role in Back To The Future. But the fact is, strip all of the peripheral stuff away, and this is just an awesome song by a fun band. Irresistibly awesome.

14. Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell (with Michael Jackson)

In the history of music, no song has ever gotten a bigger lift from guest vocals than this one, which is why it both makes and ends this list.

This song is irresistible on a number of levels. First, Rockwell’s ridiculous spoken-word singing is both comical and inviting I can laugh at it while speak-singing right along and feel like I’m participating in the song as well as Rockwell himself did.

And second, of course, is that it features one of the most iconic and memorable choruses in the history of music, and no song can be irresistibly fun without a great chorus.

All Michale Jackson does is sing I always feellike somebody’s watching me! (with some Oh-oh-ohs and He-he-hes mixed in) over and over again literally, he doesn’t say anything else in the entire song. Yet the chorus is so infectious that this song is one of Jackson’s most recognizable, despite not even being his own song! Incredible.

So there they are, 14 songs that I consider to be just as irresistibly fun as I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness.

But I know that there are many, many, many more such songs out there. Use the comment section liberally to provide your own recommendations, because one can never have too many irresistibly fun songs in his or her iTunes.

Also, while writing this, I got a sense of deja vu feeling like I’d written a post similar to this before, possibly even with some overlap. And sure enough, a quick search of my music posts revealed this one: My 18 Favorite Guilty Musical Pleasures. Surprisingly, only two songs overlap: Scandal and Don’t Stop Me Now. So apparently I really like those songs.

But now I’m starting to wonder why I suddenly feel this need to reveal all of my deepest, darkest musical secrets. Despite my daily quest to find the best indie songs on the web, I apparently also have an irrepressible old school pop music junkie inside of me bursting to be unleashed.

Let’s all hope I’ve now gotten it out of my system.

Bonus: Grand Finale

But wait! There’s more!

In closing, I want to add two more songs to this post, perhaps the two most irresistibly fun songs I currently own, but for whatever reason they just didn’t seem to fit with the these of this post, as inspired by The Darkness. My hypothesis is that the first one is too new, the second is too old, and they both are so supremely good that they felt out of place being lumped in with the others in this post.

Either way, songs don’t get much more pleasant and fun to listen to than What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club and Good Times by Sam Cooke. So if for some reason you didn’t agree with my choices above, at least I’ll leave you with two songs that, frankly, are impossible to dislike.

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

This song always seems to pop up on any mix or Best of playlist I make. The beat has infiltrated my soul, latched itself on, and won’t let go. And I’m okay with that.

Good Times by Sam Cooke

And here is perhaps the most irresistibly fun song of all-time. It’s got it all:

• Sam Cooke’s iconic voice.
• A happy, uptempo beat.
• Cheesy nonsense lyrics (Whoa-oa-oa la-na-ta-da, Noo-oa la-ta-na, La-na-na all night long)
• A simple, sappy, fun message: have fun, let the good times roll

If you can resist this song, then you and I will never get along. It’s musical perfection, and easily the best note to close this post on.

*********

The Philippines rolled out an advertising campaign on Wednesday to attract millions more tourists, confident that kidnappings in its rebellion-torn south would have little impact.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said the Its More Fun in the Philippines campaign would help drive annual visitor arrivals to 3.91 million this year and up to 10 million by 2016, from about 3.5 million last year.

Jimenez and a local association for travel agencies that hosted the campaign launch said tourists had not cancelled visits to the Philippines since the abduction a week ago of two European birdwatchers in the south.

Fortunately it is not reflected in our arrival figures, Jimenez said when asked about the fallout from the abductions a week ago of Swiss Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, and Dutchman Ewold Horn, 52, in the Tawi Tawi archipelago.

Hundreds of security forces have deployed to search for the two European museum workers, who were snatched by gunmen while on an expedition to photograph rare hornbills in the wild.

The Europeans were in a remote area of the south where foreign governments warn their citizens from traveling because of the threat of kidnappings, as well as a decades-old Muslim separatist rebellion.

Islamic militants that roam the area regularly kidnap foreigners to extort ransom payments. Seven foreigners are now believed to be in captivity in the south.

But the dangerous southern extremes make up only a small part of the Philippines and Jimenez said tourists were increasingly starting to see the many attractions across the rest of the country.

Slowly but surely, our image as an exciting country to go to is taking hold. Ive been saying all along that when our positive image is stronger than our negative one, the momentum will hold, he said.

Jimenez said the governments new tourism drive, released on social networking sites last month but officially launched Wednesday, had already been a huge success. Agence France-Presse

Roman Polanski might have well have said, “[Screw 'em] if they can’t take a joke,” about his film adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s play “Carnage” because joke, after all, is what the film is — a short (not even 80 minutes long) little joke on upper middle-class civility that purports to show us what happens when four parents get together in a New York apartment to thrash out an incident between their kids in the park.

One kid hit another kid with a branch and knocked out some teeth.

Not trivial, to be sure. No parent wants a kid risking life, limb and dentition every time he plays with his friends. Clearly apologies are called for at least; and a pledge of future peace.

So there they are — Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet as the parents of the aggressor come to make peace in the apartment of the victim’s parents, played by Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly.

And then the fun begins. Put four self-absorbed adults in an upper middle-class living room with a grievance to thrash out and you’ve got a good chance of civilization’s veneer falling to the carpet and rip-roaring incivility rearing its smug, self-congratulatory head.

And so it goes. “Carnage” is a pretty funny little movie. That’s especially true when the offending kid’s parents–Waltz and Winslet — keep failing to do the obvious thing (leave, after speaking their peaceful piece) and continue sticking around for another escalating go-round.

After they’ve threatened to leave — and don’t — a sufficient number of times, their host, aggrieved father Reilly, breaks out a really great old Scotch and you know this confrontation is going south in a hurry.

Polanski has never exactly been much of a believer in bourgeois civility. What his own horrendous childhood didn’t teach him, the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson family did. And if that somehow wasn’t enough, the legal pageant surrounding his own sexual abuse of an underage California victim made him just about the last man in movies to take bourgeois pseudo-civilities on their face. If, for instance, you imagine someone like Mike Nichols directing this adaptation of a stage drama, I think it would have been far more theatrical but probably less funny. You need Polanski’s elaborately restrained disgust to make it as funny as it is.

Our four parents, of course, reveal themselves before all is done. That’s what dutiful characters in plays do, after all — they stand on stage, peel off layers, and earn the tears or revulsion and/or enlightened applause of the audience. In this case, Polanski asks only for your laughs and sneering chortles.

That flawless actress Foster plays the politically committed mother of the victim. Somehow, the incident feeds her political indignations and as her passion turns full-throat, her veins stick out and her voice becomes more annoying. You hate yourself for dismissing her so cavalierly but you understand why her husband is in such a hurry to break out the good Scotch and reveal his disgust at just about everything.

Waltz, as the aggressor’s father, is a wealthy lawyer who continually takes cellphone calls and meetings during the discussion. What his incomparable rudeness reveals of his contempt for everything, is actually said when he begins to declare himself. He believes, he says, in the god of carnage and malice. (“Women drink too much,” he observes in an aside guaranteed to frost that part of the audience that somehow didn’t register his rudeness and insufferability before.)

Most eloquent of all here is Winslet, as the aggressor’s mother, who, after enough tension and Scotch and an empty stomach have had their way, takes the occasion to vomit right in the living room (a waste basket proves handy). There’s nothing like living room upchucking to transform any social event completely. Everything afterward is a comedy of manners at its most pointlessly mannered.

None of the serious talk here should be taken for much. It’s just the director’s little joke on polite society with the superb collaboration of four hugely able movie actors clearly delighted to work with him.

A small joke, really, at heart but a pretty good one.

—–

CARNAGE

3 stars

STARRING: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly

DIRECTOR: Roman Polanski

RUNNING TIME: 79 minutes

RATING: R for language.

THE LOWDOWN: Four parents discuss misbehaving children and wind up misbehaving in their own ways.

jsimon@buffnews.comnull

In Praise of the Golden Globes
They’re more fun than the Oscars, and they pick better winners, too.

By Tom Shone|Posted Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, at 6:16 PM ET