These places were the largest cities in the Confederacy at the time of the Civil War. New Orleans was the only major city in the South at that time.

1. New Orleans, LA (168,675)
2. Charleston, SC (40,522)
3. Richmond, VA (37,910)
4. Mobile, AL (29,258)
5. Memphis, TN (22,623)
6. Savannah, GA (22,292)
7. Petersburg, VA (18,266)
8. Nashville, TN (16,988)
9. Alexandria, VA (12,652)
10. Augusta, GA (12,493)
11. Columbus, GA (9,621)

My favorite Clash song, Train In Vain, is one that self-proclaimed true Clash fans dismiss as a tossed off pop hit. I say too bad, it made me (a 10 year old when it was released) interested in the Clash and it remains my favorite. It made me bounce around the room then, and it makes me bounce around the room now. I am not a punk rock prophet. Some of it, I can take or leave. However, the Clash were more than punk rock. They redefined punk. They made music that was progressive. The Clash showed people that punk was not about style (mohawks, safety pins), it was about substance (musical experimentation and meaningful lyrics).

1. Train In Vain (Stand By Me)
2. Brand New Cadillac
3. One More Time
4. Police & Thieves
5. I Fought The Law
6. Guns On The Roof
7. Pressure Drop
8. London Calling
9. The Guns Of Brixton
10. I’m So Bored With The U.S.A.
11. Clampdown

That’s right, here is the definitive list, as of 2012. All bands, no solo artists. This list was much tougher to compile than you might think. Bands come and go, but all 11 listed here have withstood the test of time for me, which is regular rotation in my CD player. Even an open-minded guy like myself is a little more set it his ways at this point in my life, therefore this list remains as stable as it has ever been.

Even still, all band rankings are subject to change, after all 20 years ago Def Leppard and Ratt were in my Top 11. I know, so mainstream, brother. Times and opinions change, this is what it is as of today. It’ll probably change next week.

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Love Battery
3. Screaming Trees
4. Queens Of The Stone Age
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Soundgarden
7. Melvins
8. Swervedriver
9. Masters Of Reality
10. Super Furry Animals
11. Morphine

Pie is not as good as ice cream, but it’s still damn good.

1. French Silk
2. Cherry
3. Banana Cream
4. Key Lime
5. Coconut Cream
6. Apple
7. Lemon Meringue
8. Chocolate Cream
9. Raspberry
10. Blueberry
11. Strawberry

Paul Newman. Great actor and supremely generous philantropist. Maker of the best salad dressing on the mass market. Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinegarette. Tutto naturale baby!

1. The Sting
2. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
3. Road To Perdition
4. Cool Hand Luke
5. The Hustler
6. Nobody’s Fool
7. The Verdict
8. Slap Shot
9. Fort Apache The Bronx
10. Absence Of Malice
11. Hud

I own over 1000 CDs, and hundreds of CD mixes, cassettes and mixtapes. I’m even old enough to have a few dozen albums on vinyl, mostly bought as a kid when they were first released. It’s a collection that would make Jack Black (in School of Rock) and John Cusack (in High Fidelity) proud. Out of that collection I’ve put together my all-time favorite Top 11. All 11 of these discs still receive steady rotation on the six shooter (my CD player) and will continue for years and years to come. I’ll never get tired of these personal classics. As my friend Jima would say, they’re “wall to wall,” meaning every song is solid and the disc is great from beginning to end. As you can see, I think highly of the 1970’s. The 90’s were a golden age of sorts for music according to the timeline of my life. This list is subject to change of course, but then again maybe not.

1. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975)
2. Love Battery – Straight Freak Ticket (1995)
3. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969)
4. Swervedriver – Mezcal Head (1993)
5. Queens Of The Stone Age – self titled (1998)
6. The Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (1991)
7. U2 – War (1983)
8. Morphine – Cure For Pain (1993)
9. Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
10. Chris Whitley – Living With The Law (1991)
11. Mark Lanegan Band – Bubblegum (2004)

At one time these places were referred to as Megacities, now in the 21st century we call them Global Cities. Metropolitan area by definition includes suburban areas immediately surrounding a major city and sometimes multiple major cities which may be close enough together to function essentially as one area. Here are the 11 largest metropolitan areas by population in 2005.

1. Tokyo, Japan (35,197,000)
2. Mexico City, Mexico (19,411,000)
3. New York City, New York (18,718,000)
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil (18,333,000)
5. Mumbai, India (18,196,000)
6. Delhi, India (15,048,000)
7. Shanghai, China (14,503,000)
8. Kolkata, India (14,277,000)
9. Jakarta, Indonesia (13,215,000)
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina (12,550,000)
11. Dhaka, Bangladesh (12,430,000)

This is a list of the largest cities of the world estimated for the year 2005. The populations listed are for the city proper and not for the entire metropolitan area.

1. Mumbai, India (12,778,721)
2. Karachi, Pakistan (11,507,254)
3. Delhi, India (11,055,365)
4. Shanghai, China (10,840,516)
5. Moscow, Russia (10,375,688)
6. Sao Paulo, Brazil (10,136,978)
7. Seoul, South Korea (9,747,972)
8. Istanbul, Turkey (9,621,565)
9. Mexico City, Mexico (8,548,639)
10. Jakarta, Indonesia (8,407,479)
11. New York City, United States (8,158,957)

Most of us have known someone with the last name Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones or Brown. I’ve often wondered what the most common surnames in America are. The following are the top 11. Once thing is certain – Smith’s are everywhere!

1. Smith
2. Johnson
3. Williams
4. Jones
5. Brown
6. Davis
7. Miller
8. Garcia
9. Wilson
10. Rodriguez
11. Moore