Boxing and Sampling

Re: Some things I know a little about (a very little). (1) Boxing. Newt Gingrich says he “…wants to knock Obama out”. Well, if I were to handicap this match, using traditional metrics, I’d say they are in the same weight class, thus the fight could be sanctioned by the proper councils, but the most overlooked statistic in comparing two boxers is “reach“, the difference in the length of the opponents’ arms, a clear advantage to the President. Though not always exact (Ali had a distinct reach over Frasier, and Hearns over Leonard), of the physical traits, it is the most telling. If the shorter reach wins, it’s always a great fight. Of the abstract considerations, I’ve found the “lack of respect” factor to have a high correlation with victory. The fighter who feels most disrespected will typically fight harder. Possible nod to Newt on that one. Lastly, is the “finishing power”, or “killer instinct”, of the fighter. Ask bin Laden how that worked out for him-oh, that’s right, you can’t. I gotta put my money on the Pres., the Scholar from Harvard, the Hell-bent Incumbent, the Hawaiian Punch, the Maui Wowie, the Pineapple Express (I seem to be off on a tangent here), Barack’n his world, the Obamanator. I’d pay to see that fight, though…as long as I get the winner. (2) Sampling. On yesterday’s show, it appeared that either you or Wil Surrat were unaware of the laws that surround legal sampling. As settled in the landmark MC Hammer “Can’t touch this” vs. Rick James’ “Superfreak” lawsuit (for really reals, I’m not making this up) any sample exceeding 8 notes establishes plagiarism. So, because “Barbie Girl” is written in pentameter (five notes per bar), it’s not a good song to sample: the best you could do is “I’m a Barbie girl, in my Bar“(bie world exceeds the legal limit). Written in an 8 note bar, “My anaconda don’t want none” from “Baby got Back” by Sir Mixalot falls safely under these guidelines. I hope you find this instructive. (I have to say the “anaconda” riff made my day which, I suppose, makes me a very wrong, and deeply troubled, man. No one, anywhere, gets away with that reference but you. Nicely done.) (3) SOPA. The only clear winners in the piracy debate are the Washington lobbyists who how have the deep pockets of Silicon Valley to plumb. I’m sure that’s going to work out just great-it always does. I hope you stay with this story and don‘t dropa the SOPA. Good advice for the Costa disaster captain, as well. (4) Drones. Do the Iranians know they don’t have to settle for miniature drones? There are many pills and lotions available over the internet (and they all work great-trust me.) I’m just saying they seem to have a problem with their moral authority and when I say moral authority, well, I think you know what I mean…All the Best, TVA. Ps. I got my 9 year old a talking Ken doll last Christmas, one that repeats back anything in a man’s voice. The first phrase she used was “Hey there, Barbie: let’s go party!” You don’t see that kind of durability in a pop song very often…