I Want My HGTV!

Knox County seeks answer to cable delays (Registration Required)

"Four years after entering the Knoxville market, cable provider Knology has completed just 15 percent of its promised network in Knox County. The West Point, Ga., company also wants five more years to complete the project, which was to be wrapped up in June."

Knology has a great cable/HS Internet/phone service that I'd love to sign up for. Trouble is, even though I live about a mile or two from their main Knoxville office, they haven't seen fit to install in my neighborhood. What's funny is my in-laws have it - both their old and new residences - and my parents have it. They all live various places around Knoxville but for some reason I figured a black cloud hovered over my neighborhood, preventing Digital Cable and High Speed internet access. Combined with my PC problems below, using a 56k modem from home is so....so....90's.

Well, now I see Knology actually wants to expand to Farragut before fulfilling its Knoxville commitment. Yes, yes, we all know the market is lucrative in SoccerMomLand (wait, my wife is a soccer mom. That doesn't count.) but meanwhile we sit for 5 more years with Comcasts High Cost Internet service as my only option.

'"(Farragut) is one area we're looking at," Gilmore said. "We're talking to the Board of Aldermen. We do not discriminate whatsoever. We have to go west to east. We don't skip any areas. We just haven't been able to get as far or build as much (as the original schedule called for.)"'

Well, you've certainly done a good job skipping around all over town as it is. Why stop now?

"[Knox County] Commissioner [Mike] McMillan said his initial concern upon Knology's arrival was that the company would "cherry pick" promising areas of the county in which to offer service. He said that's exactly what it appears to be doing by trying to enter the Farragut market."

Bing bing bing - give the man a prize. That's exactly what they've been doing.

'Clark admitted Knox County should have caught the problem sooner. "There's a lot of people who've been asleep at the switch for a long time," he said."'

Well, that's SOP for Knox politics in general - why change now?

I don't know if we'll see Knology in our area any time soon. We have regular Comcast cable, but Knology's rates are so much better I'd change and upgrade in a heartbeat.

Does anybody else get fed up with Comcast's "$19.95 for the first three months" advertising pitch? Why would anyone base a financial decision on how much something's going to cost for only the first three months? We all know the price kicks into overdrive at the start of the fourth month, but they don't seem to advertise that so easily.

Near Disaster

Some of you may remember my recent bouts with forgetfulness: Tooth 1 and Tooth 2. Well, Easter Eve night was almost a major disaster....

I came to bed about midnight, was lying there for a few minutes and my wife turns to me and says, "We didn't set out the Easter Baskets!!!!"

Panic, mayhem, much hilarity ensued.

TV Tuesday

Is That Your Final Answer?

Game Shows have kept us playing along for years… From What's My Line? to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, we watch, yell at stupid contestants and generally feel superior, because we could be doing so much better! So let's see, do you have what it takes to play the game, or are you the Weakest Link?

1. Is there a game show (past or present) you think you would do really well on, as a contestant?

I think I could do really well on Jeopardy, $20,000 Pyramid, or Name That Tune. Or Miillionaire.

2. Is there a game show you think is the stupidest thing you've ever seen?

Win Ben Stein's Money seemed pretty stupid to me - the questions were ok, but the goofiness of it just did nothing for me.

3. Is there a game show you watch, but don't like to admit to watching? (A guilty pleasure!)

I always used to like watching "The Price is Right" when I was a kid.

~Bonus~ Who is your favorite game show host? Who is your least favorite?

My favorite host is Alex Trebek - does anyone remember him when he was hosting "High Rollers"?

(This theme suggestion comes to TV Tuesday from the lovely Busy Mom, our self-proclaimed "Child of the 70's". Thanks Busy Mom! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please e-mail me or leave it in the comment box!)

Thanks for playing! Now let's see what's behind curtain #3!

How Cool is That?

Yesterday sometime around 8:30, someone from Shamrock, Inc. found my site through a Google search for ["david stainton"+animation+interview].

Shamrock, Inc is the company created by Roy Disney, and has been in the center of the revolt against Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Also, David Stainton is the current head of the Animation Department at Disney.

See what you can find out by perusing your tracking stats every once in a while?

What's My Personality Disorder?

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid:	Low
Schizoid:	Low
Schizotypal:	Low
Antisocial:	Low
Borderline:	Low
Histrionic:	High
Narcissistic:	High
Avoidant:	Moderate
Dependent:	Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive:	Moderate
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! --

To Upgrade or not to Upgrade

Ok, here it is. Windows ME has begun collapsing into its own black hole, dragging most of my applications and internet connections into its Stygian depths. I bought the PC from Dell with WinME installed, but I can't find the backup installation disks (if they were even delivered) so I can't reinstall.

Real basic question: Should I upgrade to WinXP (Home Edition)? My PC should handle it - it's only about 3 years old. Or should I find Win2000 somewhere and only go that far? Or should I ditch the whole thing and attach a cup and a string to an abacus?

Let's just say Windows crashes at the most innoportune times lately...

Give Me Just a Little More Time

NASA Extends Mars Rovers' Mission

"NASA has approved an extended mission for the Mars Exploration Rovers, handing them up to five months of overtime assignments as they finish their three-month prime mission."

The report goes on to say that the mission got $15 million more to keep them going for 5 more months. What's cool is it's only an additional 2% investment that more than doubles the planned mission time. Hope they find something really interesting in the extra time.

Blimey, Freddy! It's the Witch!

Oh, happy day!

H.R. Pufnstuf is on!

Ah, for those sitting-in-the-floor, footy-pajama, bowl-of-Crunch-Berries Saturday mornings of the 70's....;)

Let's Just Have a Great Big W-a-a-a-a-a-h!!!

My car radio is broken. I don't know what's wrong with it - I turned it off, then tried to turn it back on and now it won't come on. I checked the fuse, and it's fine. I think maybe the on/off switch is broken.

But for now, nothing.

I was in the middle of listening to Sky of Stone, by Homer Hickham (see booklist to right) and I was on tape #8 of 9. Now the tape's stuck in the player, and if I can't get the dang thing working I'll have to rip it out.

Like I said, "W-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!!!"

Opening Day

Ok, I missed it by a couple of days. Actually, I missed it by almost a week because technically the Yankees and Devil Rays played in Japan (?). But anyway, baseball season is back. Here's a repost of what I posted last year about this time, in the words of the legendary (and fictional) Terrence Mann:

"Ray, people will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it's money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. And the memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

-- Terence Mann (James Earl Jones): Field of Dreams

People will come.

Cruelty

Last night, my son and I had a heart-to-heart, father-to-son talk.

He's had some trouble controlling his emotions at school, and has been arguing and disrespectful to his teachers and friends. We had a good talk, actually walk and talk as we took a stroll around the neighborhood. He's a smart kid who just has some trouble handling his emotions. He'll be fine.

Anyway, one part of the trouble he got into was rebuking a schoolmate. The little girl is Pakistani, with an unusual name - she asked my son if he needed help with something, to which he apparently replied, "Not from you". This hurt the girl's feelings terribly, and got him in hot water with his teachers and us.

As we were walking and I was discussing this with him, I asked him if he knew what the word "cruel" meant. He had a vague idea, and I explained that cruel meant deliberately hurting someone or something just because you like it or it makes you feel good. Then I used the example of kicking a dog - if you, say, kick a dog and laugh about it or don't feel anything about it -- that's cruel. And that was, I said, similar to what he did to your classmate - she's from another country, might sometimes feel out of place here, and by saying he did not want help from her, specifically, it was cruel. He understood that what he said was wrong, and promised to apologize to her and his teacher today.

Then I read this today, from SayUncle's site:

2-pound dog used for deadly place kick

"A Priest Lake man killed his neighbor's 2-pound miniature Yorkshire terrier by kicking it into the air like a football, police said, and authorities have charged him with animal cruelty."

Amazing how the abstract can suddenly become the concrete.

Keying cars, kicking dogs....this kind of stuff goes on and on and on. Maybe if the parents had had talks with these twerps when they were kids about what "cruelty" was, and what "respect" meant, these kind of things wouldn't happen as much.

Oh well, guess all I can do is my small part to teach my kids about it. And hope and pray they don't become a headline like this someday.

True, But He Still Wouldn't Wear A Rolex

Instpundit points out this Foxnews.Com story:

Evangelism Catches Up With the Times

“If you want to reach them, you’ve got to speak their language,” said Paul Boutin, contributing editor at Wired magazine. “It makes perfect sense to take the ministry in that direction. I really think that if Jesus were around today, he would have a blog.”

Maybe Jesus would've had a blog, but he would never have been the one who created it or wrote in it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul would've been the bloggers. And maybe Steven and probably Peter. The disciples were the ones charged with spreading the Word to the world. True, Jesus recruited them individually and spoke to multitudes - but of course, the heart of his ministry was personal. There's no record (that I remember) of him corresponding with anyone, or writing anything except in the dust. All his interactions were one-on-one, since of course that's the relationship all Christians must have with him. It was up to his followers and chroniclers to take the message to the masses who didn't or couldn't see Jesus in the flesh.

And probably Bartholomew - I always felt sorry for Bartholemew...he was rarely ever mentioned as one of the 12 disciples, and when he was he was always the last on the list. I can imagine him posting some of the most humble, insightful commentary out there on Jesus and his ministry, but no one would read it...

What would the gospels and epistles been like as blogs? What would they have been called? How would their styles be different? Leave your thoughts in Comments.

Regions of Mind

I've added Regions of Mind to my "Best of the Rest" blogroll. This site was recommended by Rev. Sensing of One Hand Clapping

Break out the Lawn Chairs

The Official Release Date for Star Wars: Episode III is May 19, 2005.

Lines are already forming at Regal Cinemas West Town Mall and Carmike Cinemas. Come early and grab a place! Free Anakin Skywalker Happy Meal Toys to the first 500 people! Special appearance by the guy who played the 3rd Rebel Soldier from the left in the Throne Room scene in Star Wars.

Up in Flames

The house in the subdivision behind my across-the-street neighbors burned this afternoon. I was sitting at home when I noticed cars slowing down in front of my house. I got up to look outside, and noticed flames shooting out of the house across the way. Having finished a day's worth of video shooting for work, I still had my camera handy so I got a few minutes of footage before the tape ran out.

The house, I believe, was actually a condo - I don't believe anyone was hurt, but it was certainly a spectacle. Firefighters were already there when I went outside, but I can't believe I didn't hear them. I was concerned for neighboring houses, but there was very little wind and the fire, while intense, showed no sign of being fanned or jumping.

TV Tuesday

Executive Decisions

The Networks are getting ready to announce their new fall schedules. Imagine what would happen if you could play programmer for one day!

1. What shows would make up a perfect night of TV viewing for you?

Friends at 8:00, The Simpsons at 8:30, Enterprise at 9:00 and 24 at 10:00


2. What show(s) would you cancel without a moment's hesitation?
Everybody Loves Raymond


3. Is there a show (previously cancelled or just no longer airing) that you'd bring back, original cast and all?
Picket Fences, with David Kelley's full attention


~Bonus~ You get to create one show to put on the schedule, with any stars you choose. Who and what would it be?
After M*A*S*H went off the air, there was a short-lived spin-off called AfterM*A*S*H, set in a stateside VA hospital. I'd love to see a short series of episodes getting Hawkeye, BJ, Margaret and Charles back together to look back at the war 20 years later.

Thanks for playing "Programmer for a Day", now don't let the power go to your head - you know what Donald Trump says... "You're Fired!"

All Keyed Up

I witnessed something yesterday evening I'd never seen before, and I hope to never see again. And I'm unsure at my response.

My son, Brainyboy (v8.1) had soccer practice yesterday afternoon. As my wife and I were both coming from work to the ballfield, we were in separate cars. After practice, we decided to go to a local restaurant to eat. I took off in my car with Gigglegirl, she with Bboy.

I arrived first, and in searching for a parking place saw another car, an SUV, straddling a line between two parking places - effectively blocking both. One of my pet peeves is people doing this exact thing, on the off chance their car door might get dinged or some other such reason. As I passed it by, I mused backing my car in so the passenger door was almost flush to their driver's side - I could get myself and my daughter from the back just fine, but the SUV driver would have to climb in through his or her own passenger side. Har har har. I drove on.

Parking, G-girl and I began to make our way across the parking lot. I noticed another car drive through looking for a space. I noticed the driver glance at the SUV taking up two places and frowned. He went on and parked a few spaces away.

Now I thought nothing of this really. I noticed my wife pulling into the lot from the street, so I decided to wait on them. As we waited, I noticed the guy who had been driving around looking for a spot walking from his car toward the restaurant. He altered his course slightly and, walking by the drivers side of the SUV, nonchalantly keyed a big scar across the door, from under the rear view mirror to the seam of the door.

I gaped, not really believing what I was seeing.

The sound drew my attention initially - a high pitched squealing sound. It was over in only a second, and as he continued on I wasn't really sure if he'd actually done it. He glanced around easily and we made eye contact for an instant. He ignored me and continued on across the parking lot - keys in hand - and headed not for the restaurant but for the home and garden store next door.

I truly had no idea what I could, or should do. My 4-year-old was with me, so that immediately ruled out any direct confrontation. I thought of leaving the SUV owner a note that I had witnessed what had happened with the fellow's license plate number written down, but I couldn't recall which car he was driving exactly. I didn't know who the SUV belonged to, nor did I know for sure if they were even in the restaurant.

So I did nothing except relate my incredulity to my wife when they walked over. I had to explain to my son what a despicable thing it was, that it was vandalism and illegal. I didn't think you could actually go to jail for it, and told him so, but that you'd probably have to pay a fine.

I still find it hard to believe I actually witnessed it, that he saw me and continued on as if he'd done nothing wrong.

What's wrong with you people out there??? Is your comfort and convenience so important to you that a perceived violation of what you think of as your precious "rights" warrants such an extreme response?

I'm glad my daughter wasn't even watching.

I know this pales next to what happened in Iraq the other day. Keying a car is nothing compared to burning, hanging and mutilation of bodies. But even in situations like those - while inexcusable - sometimes mob behavior is difficult to handle and control. But on a cool night in March in East Tennessee, where the closest discomfort is a gathering evening meal hunger pang, such a willful disregarding of other people's rights and false elevation of your own is a signal that we still have a long way to go - all over.

Recommended Blog and My Assignment

I'd like you to take a look at Leslie's site, L's Stream of Consciousness.... . Leslie's another Knoxville blogger that I've been reading for a good while, and she's a frequent commenter on my site.

To say she surrounds herself with colorful characters would be an understatement - she has written about Wierd Cousin, the Überbreeders who live next door, and the haunted house down the street.

But she's not just an anonymous blogger, she's also a charming lady I met for the first time today. Take a look and bookmark her site - you'll want to go back.

I have an assignment, however. She was challenged by a regular reader to do a "drawering" - you can see her handiwork here - now she's challenged me to do something on the theme of Angry Starfish.

O-o-o-o-o-o-okay..... We'll see. My artistic skills lie somewhere between Michelango the great painter and Michelango the Ninja Turtle, so don't hold your breaths..

"Cell Phone Call for Jack Bauer...Cell Phone Call for Jack Bauer..."

NEWSDAY RAVES ABOUT THE FINAL EPISODES OF THE SEASON ON 24!
3/30/04
by Diane Werts

"Fans can relax now - which means get more tensed up - knowing that "24" has gone into the last third of the season overdrive. No more time fillers like the first two-thirds, no more presidential mistress and who's-the-baby's-daddy. Daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) is not (repeat: NOT) in distress. Next week's stunningly revelatory episode ties the current threat back into Jack's first-season nemesis, involves a foreign government, hints about a high- priced call girl ring and presents Jack with a truly unspeakable choice. No, really unspeakable. Really, really.

They jack up the stakes higher and higher, until by 7 a.m., things are truly nasty (truly, truly), and there's no end in sight. Guns blaze. Bombs explode. Bodies drop. Jack's jaw is more firmly set than ever. And Michelle's (Reiko Aylesworth) little curled hair strands still frame her face perfectly. Never mind that she's been up for 24 hours, she's running an ugly field operation, she's seen her husband shot and colleagues croak, and she's staring down death herself. For that matter, how's Jack holding up considering his own lack of sleep and, oh yeah, his smack addiction, remember that? When he countermands a superior "under the authority given me by the president of the United States," once again on that handy-dandy cell phone, how do his underlings even know Jack has that authority? And what about . . .

Never mind. There's a mass suicide in the offing. A president ordering evil to be done. And a crucial computer download. Hey, don't these guys' amazingly informative forensic computers ever hit the fritz like miiiine dosss xxzghgcb?#!!

24. Fox's nail-biting thriller returns for its final nine episodes of the season in killer form."

If you're not watching 24, it's not too late.

Well, yeah, it is if you want to make any sense out of it, but watch it anyway. Oh, and somebody's selling the Season 1 DVD collection on Amazon for $15.99 if anyone's feeling charitable ;)

Quick Thoughts

Being tied up in a shed all day gives you plenty of time for contemplation. Thankfully, Glurp left the TV turned on (he has trouble thinking in terms of "on" and "off") so I was able to keep up with all the days news and events....

• No, spammers, I really don't want to get John Grisham's "new blockbuster novel" today by your service, or any other service. If I want to read it that bad, I'll go to the bookstore and buy it myself! Sheesh! Now quit sending me emails about it!
  
  
• Pope declares feeding tubes a 'moral obligation' Directive applies to vegetative patients
  
  

  "His comments could require revision in directives on end-of-life care at one in 10 U.S. hospitals. And they may prompt confusion over the validity of advance directives people have drawn up that say they do not want ''extraordinary'' treatments to prolong their life under specified circumstances."

  The health system for which I work isn't affiliated with the Catholic church so this announcement won't affect us, but another hospital in town is. I wonder how they're going to be dealing with this?
  
  
• Bomb Found on Rail Line in Spain
  
  This is probably going to get a lot of blogplay today, but boy, it's a good thing the Spanish elected a new government that could negotiate a truce with the terrorists! Since the appeasement was what the people wanted, and apparently Al Qaeda agreed to leave Spain alone.......wait a minute....
  
  Although, you know, expect the conspiracies to pop up on hard-left blogs any day that the bombs were planted by the US Government to get the Spanish people back on our side....watch for it.
  
  
• Physicians say Rhode Island no longer attractive to many doctors (Registration Required)
  
  Sorry, all full up. Try the next state.
  
  

We Should Have Known

Disney's Financial Woes

Well, now it all makes sense why Disney is having so much financial trouble....

And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

One-man crime wave hits island

"Prior to last week, Boca Grande was a place where doors were left unlocked without a second thought, and golf carts were never stolen, just borrowed for a few hours. That all changed over the course of a few days this past weekend as the island witnessed an almost unprecedented string of burglaries, thefts and a threatened sexual assault that they largely attributed to a male in his mid- to late-teens who apparently confused Spring Break with Spring Break-in.

...

In a break-in at a residence on Third Street, on the same date as the Boca Bay burglary, police said the suspect entered the occupied home while the owners were sleeping by cutting a screen and opening an unlocked window. Finding the liquor cabinet, the suspect casually obtained a glass in the kitchen and made himself a drink of "Tia Maria" with whipped cream. Nothing else in the house was taken or disturbed, and theft wasn't discovered by the occupants until the following morning. The suspect, however, overlooked a bottle of expensive cognac and a case of whiskey, police said.

"The kid obviously didn't need money," one police officer said. "He was after the one thing his money wouldn't buy him - booze."

...

Police said the suspect broke into the Boca Bay Pass Club twice over the weekend. Twelve bottles of liquor, totaling $438, were stolen from the club. Broken shards of the bottles were later found along Harbor Drive within Boca Bay. The take included a bottle of Chambord valued at $215 and a bottle of Moet et Chandon valued at $198.

At Hudson's Grocery on Saturday morning, the question was the same. "Were you hit?" Many of the customers said they were trying to track down their golf carts or knew someone who had awakened to find a golf cart missing. In some cases, residents found their golf cart gone, but replaced with another golf cart. One woman found her customized golf cart missing, with a modest rental cart in its place. "I think they were trading up," she said."

This is the island community I just got back from spending two weeks in February music directing a play. It's true, people all over the island leave their doors unlocked, golf carts are a favorite way of spinning around town, and the whole town generally shows an air of nonchalance and peacefulness. It's a shame some frat guy on Spring Break had to go and ruin it, and I hope the community doesn't change itself over this, but the antics of this young fellow are hilarious.

Regaining Control

The management apologizes for the actions of his employee yesterday. More details of tor--thumbscre--recriminations will be forthcoming.

Thank you.

Pollenteer Talegait Harty - Volyooom 3

Nice meester Barry, he get whomped over hea-----he deecided to take nice long rest. Yeah, that it - nice long rest. So what happen? Me take over!

Me Glurp. Me Gully Dwarf. Not just any gully dwrf nope nope nope! Spesial guly dwarf! Me know how to count to three! See - one and one and one and one and one and one and one....three! At least me think it three. Oh well. Who care.

Anywaze... this vry vry spacial day in live of gulllly dwarf - me take over what riteful mine! Meester Barry make me run round, do what he call re-search, make me stay up all nite when good rat-hunting time to do reee-search for Mester Barry, but what I get in return? Nice big rat? nope. big whompin stick to catch nice big rat? nope. so time to make Messter Barry do reee-search, me take over big shiny komputer thingy. I try to use mouse thingy, but break tooth - no good in stew! Life like stew...stew like life. That big gullly dwarf saying, mean everthing. Where was me? Oh yeh.

Aynywaze, meester Barry all tied up in shed---um, takin long vacation so I do job on computter this wek. He want do Talegait Harty thingy - me dont see no tale or no gait but whatever. I rememememrmhber he say this sometin like bes and britest of Socky Hop Koolaid big peeple or sometin like that somehow. Anywaze here is. You like, me find rat to eat.

---

Here first thingy - some guy name Knox/News...no that Knock/Snooze...he sure he get name right? Look wierd to Glurp. whatevr. He talk bout smoking in readin place - me dont like smoke - make Glurp sneeze. (Smoke if you got 'em).

Next one scary. Me saw gate of hell oncet - was old woman guly dwarf Blurp ever time she eat rat been sittin out in sun too long. Open mouth...urp - gate of hell. Me no think that what meester Doug talkin bout though...(Gates of Hell Now Open).

Gunner guy my kind of guy- want to trade wife for sometim neat that make big bang and brite lite. Like thunner n litenin..wait how you trade thunner and litenin? big folk wierd.... (Might as well try).

Next thingy from Jo Fish who sound like somethin you pull out of big lake. Or game big people play with card thingys - they always runnin round saying "You got threes?" an somewon else say "Jo Fish!" At least me think that what they sayin. Me no know sometime what me think. (He really Cares. No Really. Twice.).

Me find new bes gully dwarf friend! He talk jus like Glurp! New gulluy dwarf frien name Buddy Don an he wannering around somewere. Me not know where he wannering. Who knows? Mebbe Buddy find rat! (pinions of buddy don: faith-based gummint)


Isn me pretty?

Some big movie come out in pitcher show other day. Me no unnerstan how pitchers move. Mus me magik. You know how pitchers mov? Somewon tell Glurp cause Glurp head hurt tryin to know how pitchers move. This movin pitcher real spascial to Sugarfused tho (My reaction to The Passion of The Christ).

This guy Brian in far off land - farthe than Solamnia, farther than Blood Sea of Istar - farther than Newport! This guy Brian in someplase call Chi-na. Me think it call Chi-na. He wanna come home too but poor guy cant. He just cant find car keys me think (Immigration blues).

Hey me wanna get to know this big person. His name Rich so he mus have lotsa lotsa lotsa shiny gold stuff - use shiny gold stuff, buy lotsa rats. Make stew. Life like stew....stew like life. Me say that already? He Back from the Races! Why race? only get you somewheres you not...

meester Les has those shiny bang bang thingys - he mus likem lots cause he talk bout them all the time. me think he need female, that what Glurp think.... (Thursday Gun Links).

(Big note bout last thingy - Meester Les....Glurp jus makin' funny joke, kay? Kay????? Glurp sometime think he more funny than famous gully dwarf comedy guy, Buddy Hackett. He really funny. Where was me? Oh yeh..)

When me little baby gully dwarf, me have 2 brother and 2 sisters. One and one and one and one and one and one and one and one...two. Anyways they all bigger than Glurp and allays gettin beat up. They make me say, "You say uncle, Glurp, or we eat fingers!!" Me allays say uncle - me like fingers, make easier to dig snacks out of tree stump. That why Say Uncle make Glurp nervous....you no eat Glurp fingers messter big person guy? (Blogging about Blogging and It's not a bug, it's a feature (or 20 synonyms for fart) )

This guy have name with bad word. Glurp no use bad words, dammit (Steyn column).

Meester Chris real quiet guy. Me no like quiet me like it LOUD!!! he neat little marks after word LOUD!!! me like neat little exclymation marks. Me make more. SCORE!!! heh. FIRE!!!! heh heh. OKLAHOMA!!!! me no have no idea what that means.... anywayz quiet chris guy have two thingys - first one fulla nummers, make Glurp head hurt (everywon know there no nummers after three - silly big person) and other bout buncha big people get gone and nowon know where they went. Mebbe they go to Chi-na, Brian come home? Me think they go to Newport, that what Glurp think. (Consumption an There Are None So Blind).

What with all the fish? First Jo, then Mick the Fish Kite? He like gully dwarf, wanna do stuff differen, so he want you to see somethin not on his place (More Clarke/Krugman Fact-Checking)

Me no think poor big stoopid tommy not feel good. He think he big and stupid.....why tommy not that big at all! He talk bout some day when everwon wear green clothes and drink green stuff. Me drink green stuff alla time, spacialy after it rain lots and big puddle out back fill up (St. Patrick's Day).

Teresa friend of meesster Barry. She make funny hats, like big smelly aplac---altpaca---aplacta---critters, have funny husband who gets attacked by squirrel. She funny. (Florida is ready for 2004).

Medb nice lady who have pretty pitchers. They real nice cause they dont move. That sure pretty place we live in, aint it? (Barn and Tree an Just Another Dusk Photo). Me like make pretty pitchers, too. Me have good ones, call Rat in Stew an Stew in Rat an Finger in Nose. me regalar Picaso.

Bjorn have funny name, but that not wierdes thing bout bjorn. He broke radio, cant fix. Poor Bjorn - maybe call fixer man? (Why the new liberal radio won't work).

Mike think he only half baked. Why not he keep self in oven for rest of time? Even gully dwarf know that. Silly big people (An Excellent Example Of How The Blogosphere Works)

Pore Jay dead. Pore Jay Johnson dead. He lookin oh so purty an so nice - he look like hes asleep, its shame he wont keep, but it summer and we runnin out of ice.

Hey, that make pretty song. What Jay care? he dead (Reflections on The Weekly Game.

Janet live up in New Yewk City. Where New Yewk City? Me no know. have somethin to do with apples, thouh. Glurp like apples, but only with lotsa worms. New Yewk got worms? Who care - what time dinner? (Ban these words, please! Part 2: Words that TV news could do without).

Butchmule mind warped. Poor butch - maybe he an big stoopid tommy can go have beer? Not green beer, though. that one already bin done. Sound better than post name, though.... (Sight for sore eyes leaves dirty urine!!!).

Goobage....me know all bout goobage. Meester barry make Glurp take out goobage alla time - sometime goobage even make it alla way to trash! mosta time goobage end up in Glurp. Hm...wonder if messter barry got more goobage? (Hardball Capitalism)

Thomas' nephew sent sumthin in - that nice of Tommy to let little boy post for him! ("Who won the elections?")

Hey, me think me find sumthin here tacked up on bullyteen board. Yep, meester barry wanted you folks to see this...he say it "hot stuff" and "pleez no more name-callin". What name it callin? Fred? Not Glurp, Glurp only Glurp in world. (Quick Thoughts and My Reply)

---

Wow, that alla stuff!! Me real tired, go whomp some rats and make some stew. Me tell you bout stew? Oh, kay.

Me sure meester barry untie hisself---er, come back from vacashun reel soon but he be pretty mad, so Glurp make self scarce. Bye!

---

OOPDATE: WHOOP!!! Turn over rock, look what me find!

Granny don look nothin like Glurp granny. Glurp granny look like potato. (Just Another "Bush Knew" Revelation and Welcome Back To Ashcroft ~~ He Knew Too)

Reading (And Listening) is Fundamental

Thanks to Sugarfused, I recently added an automatic "What Am I Reading" section to my sidebar. Usually I have about three books going at once - one main book, one I'm getting through in my spare time, and an audiobook I listen to in the car.

Feel free to send me comments about one if it looks interesting, or if you've read it and you want to discuss it.

Click on the "ALL CONSUMING" link under the title list to see what other things I've read.

TV Tuesday

Oh, Get Real!

Reality TV is everywhere, love it or hate it. From Survivor to My Big Fat Obnoxious American Idol - Oh, sorry, there are too many to keep track of!!! So do tell- what's your take on the topic???

1. Do you consider yourself a "fan" of reality TV?

Nope. I watched Survivor II some to see Tina Wesson (from Knoxville) but that's it.

2. What's your "can't miss" reality TV show (or shows)?

Some kind of show simulating a group of people trying to handle an unknown - but not just survival - situation. Like you are one of a group of people who are stuck on a ship that the crew has disappeared. Can you get it to sail back to safety? Or maybe you're one of a group of people who going on some kind of intercontinental treasure hunt. That would be fun, but the only competition was how well you held up your part of the team, and your reward at the end was dependent on how well you participated and contributed.

3. What reality TV show do you suppose the devil plays on the TV in Hell as punishment?

"My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance". I almost lost my lunch when I saw this one advertised...

~Bonus~ If you were given a free ticket to be on any reality show, which one would you choose?

Probably "The Mole", since I think it was mostly just puzzle solving. I could handle pretty much any interpersonal "living together" type arrangement, though, so if the producers were looking for any dynamics for me, they'd get pretty bored.

Thanks for playing, evidently fear is not a factor for you!


UPDATE: I realize now from reading other folks' responses to this week's question that I misinterpreted #2 - When it said, "What's your "can't miss" reality TV show (or shows)?" I thought it was asking what would be a formula for a reality show that "couldn't miss" - or the ideal reality show. I think they meant what reality show can you not miss watching every week?

In which case, they answer would be, "None".

Thank you for your time and attention..

The Only Winning Move Is...

I was invited by Brian Keegan of the Centrist Coalition to take a look at his group and his blog. Although I don't necessarily agree with each of the specific principles they espouse their idea is refreshing:

"We believe strong leadership involves a bold mix of views drawn partly from the right and partly the left.

On the one hand, we embrace an economic agenda focused on growth and fiscal responsibility. We believe in free trade, fair competition, and limited government.

On the other hand, we embrace an inclusive social agenda that celebrates the rich diversity of American life, and seeks to avoid imposing one person's choices on another. We are pro-choice and pro-civil rights.

We endorse candidates with a bold mix of views consistent with this vision of a prosperous and inclusive America."

As I've been saying lately (and has been unfortunately demonstrated), only a willingness to create new rules will save our political process from partisan self-destruction.

Check out the site - I've added it to my "Best of the Rest" blogroll - and let me know what you think.

My Reply

Since SKB decided to rebut my post below by writing a 5-part novel, I'll reply here instead of there in Comments.

-------------------------------

Hey, Barry. If you'd bothered to read you would see that SKB

You always talk about yourself in 3rd person? Ok, one and only cheap shot out of the way first.

didn't spend the last week "drawing these". That was from over a year ago before the ill-advised invasion of Iraq.

I don't think I made a distinction about when they were drawn/made/compiled. Simply that they were made at all, and in this case brought back out.

You're starting to sound as shrill and irrational as Hobbs. Or maybe he's your new ideological hero. I don't know.

I don't consider wishing for a stop to the endless partisanship and name-calling "shrill or irrational". If anything, drawings and doormats and such like the ones I linked to only exacerbate the dislike the two sides have for each other. If you make fun of your adversary, it doesn't help come to any kind of understanding. And as for Bill, I criticized him just the same as you.

Because you sure don't act like much of an intelligent progressive Democrat any more.

As I've said before several times, I consider the anti-war left to be the ones who don't sound like intelligent, progressive Democrats anymore. And the most common reason I see is not a rational disagreement with policy, but a disagreement with the policy maker.

I realize you have a blind spot on Iraq and that you somehow feel safer now that they have been occupied. Whatever.

I don't necessarily feel safer in the short run, but the long run prospects for the area certainly have improved. I realize to you it's a blind spot that I don't subscribe to the notion of the Iraqi liberation being a bad idea. I think it was a good idea, and good things are happening - and will continue to happen for everyone involved - because of it.

But you might notice that I've said pretty much the same thing as you about these hearings. They are a sham. Just like Bush. Just like his "war on terror". Just like his invasion of Iraq.

But ask yourself - are they as sham because Bush is bad, or is Bush bad because they're a sham? It's the order you come to the opinion that determines the level of partisanship.

Some day YOU might grow up and be able to think and process information rationally and logically and be able to read between the lines fed to you by idiots in power.

What line is that, exactly? From sources I trust, I get the reports that things are overall going well in Iraq and the people for the most part are happy we're there. I'm sure the sources you trust say the opposite. But I have considered the opinions rationally, and you see the conclusions I've come up with. However, I don't see this from a cynical perspective, convinced that there's an ulterior motive behind everything that Washington does and says. I hated to see it suring the Clinton years, and I hate it now from the other side.

And there are plenty of idiots on both sides.

I will agree with you there.

What's sad is that you feel such an affinity to the current idiots who want to take away your rights, not to mention your money that they want to give to their rich pals.

See, there again it all comes back to what are the bad guys in power doing to screw us all? Just because I agree with his policy doesn't mean I have an affinity for Bush. I can separate the man from the mission, but it seems some people can't. The same with Clinton - I wasn't in tune with current affairs when he first took office 12 years ago, but I remember the bickering over the national health plan. Republicans opposed it primarily not because it was necessarily a bad plan, but because Clinton pushed for it. Now Democrats oppose Bush's War on Terror plans, not because they're necessarily bad, but because it's Bush. And the artwork reflects that.

Folks like you are the ones that hurt the most. I can understand an opportunistic scumbag like Zell Miller. But when progressives lose a good guy like you it hurts.

Actually, thank you for the sentiment - it's appreciated. I hope to help you and others see that I didn't get "lost" - I'm still in the same place, waiting for the rest of you to come back :)

Bill Clinton sold us out to the GOP, but he did it in the spirit of compromise and moving us forward (i.e. the definintion of progressive) and embodied the so-called "moderate" approach you espouse which resulted in the largest economic expansion in history and relative peace. But look what happened to him for his troubles. It's ideological war now. Brought to us by the GOP. They set the rules.

I understand exactly what you mean, and I agree to a point. Clinton did what he could to move the nation forward, and he was slammed mercilessly for eight years. (But it wasn't, at the heart, really over idealogy - it was over what team you were on. If you were on the Republicans, you hated those dang Democrats - and vice versa. And that's just the way things were.) Yes, they set the precedent on what was to happen to Bush in his term, and the 2000 election fiasco elevated the chance for partisan roadblocks even further. I remember thinking just after the election was finally decided that it was going to interesting and a little wickedly fun to see what the Democracts would dish out onto Bush in revenge for their treatment of Clinton. Maybe the GOP set the rules, but after 9/11 it was clear the entire gameboard had changed. The time for partisanship was over, and it was time to Get To Business. Remember Joshua, the computer from Wargames? After endless futile simulations of US/USSR war scenarios, he concluded that the only winning move was not to play. In this case, it means of you're heading for endless partisan conflict, one side has the take the initiative to break the stalemate and not play by the rules. But for the most part, it hasn't happened, and that's bad.

And their rules spread far beyond our borders, and have much more far reaching implications than protecting your children from obscenity or promiscuous sex (a job which you should be doing, by the way). Now we have to play by their rules. You seem to have trouble picking a side. Pick one. Or quit calling yourself a Democrat.

I am doing my best as a parent to keep the obscenities I see in the media from my children. But I owe it to myself and to others as a Christian, as - yes - a Democrat, and as a human to look after my fellow man as well. If I think rap music is obscene and harmful, then I have an obligation to speak out against it and use my words to try to convince others of what I believe. But that's another argument for another day.

Again, you seem to believe that we have to play by their rules. No, we don't. If you're afraid you're going to appear diminished in their eyes because you don't go tit for tat with them, that's not a big deal. Be above it. Don't stoop to the level of the opponent.

Sorry, force of habit from my natural tendencies - that goes for Republicans, too. Don't blindly play by the rules - create your own. Do what you know is right, not what someone else dictates as the way things should be done.

I'm not having trouble picking a side, necessarily. I'm having trouble remaining a Democrat and living with the stereotyping that now comes from the actions of the anti-Bush Left.



P.S. I guess the point of all that was, leave me out of your stupid irrational ideological jihad.

You really equate this with a jihad? I want people to talk to each other, to be rational and mature. I don't want people to bicker or call each other names, or create pictures and objects and bumper stickers whose seemingly raison d'etre is to "get" the other guys.

Find another poster boy for your juvenile arguments. You're getting to be just like Hobbs and Rich. You can't make your point without dissing some other regular guy,

I'm not dissing (and you guys are just high profile bloggers I read all the time). What I'm trying to do is put forth examples of a method of political discourse I consider distracting, argumentative, petty and ultimately unhelpful.

which is particularly disgusting when you do it to other RTB members. There are a lot of idiots in the RTB that I could spend all day shredding, including you. But I try to play nice among erstwhile associates, and either say nothing at all or confine it to their comments.

I don't see you pulling many punches when it comes to Bill Hobbs or Rich, as you do above. In fairness, Bill does it right back to you - only snootier.

Oh, wait. I just realized. You evoked the desired reaction. I played right into your hands. You are the master. I bow before you. Heh. Indeed.

Whatever.

Anyway, I truly and sincerely want people to listen to each other, and not make fun of each other. That's all - just be adult about things and fight for the right reasons. If you don't like Bush - fine, but don't disagree with his policies automatically because you think he and those policies are by default corrupt. This is the most important time in the life of the US since the 40's and we can't afford the distractions. Just think about it.

Does anyone out there feel the way I do? Or am I just lost in the tidal wave?

Quick Thoughts

• My take on the whole Richard Clarke fiasco - Predictably, all Liberal bloggers think he's a saint and all Conservative bloggers think he's a sinner. I have yet to find one site that isn't aligned one way or another to break ranks. Nary a one seems eager to look at the information presented and come to their own reasonable conclusion on culpability or opportunism. If you hate Bush, you believe him and take everything he says at face value. If you love Bush, you condemn him and paint him to be the AntiChrist.
  
  Neither side, while offering amazingly detailed analysis, do very little real objective analyzing.
  
  Now the ones toward the middle tend to blow it off, or find the whole procedure mind-numbingly partisan and pointless - instead of placing blame, what are we doing to use this information to ensure another 9/11 doesn't happen?
  
  Oh, sorry, we don't have time. We're too busy making these, and drawing these, and putting this out in public, or posting things like these.
  
  Grow up, people - just grow up. You left the sandbox behind years ago in daycare.
  
  Yes, I know I'm going to get hammered from both sides now, but if you think I'm right I'd like to hear from you, too. We've spent a week almost on these hearings and haven't seen anything that makes me feel lessons are being learned that will help us in the future. Republicans, you spent 8 years ridiculing and condemning Clinton. Because of those attacks Democrats are retaliating with unrelenting attacks on Bush. Each side is blind and so consumed with hatred and the desire for revenge nothing else matters - oh, they pay lip service to current affairs, but really it's just us vs. them -- me vs. you -- an eye for an eye and screw anything else.
  
  Grow up.
  
  
  
• Call a Tow! - Navy F-18 Crashes at Raleigh Airport
  
  

  "Andy Palahnuck told News14 Carolina, "We were watching the two F-18s take off. First one took off, and the second one behind it is the one that had the problem." Palahnuck said the plane had some sort of problem as it came down the runway and that he saw a pilot eject from the craft. He said the plane never got off the ground before crashing."

  Um, not to be picky - and I'm glad the pilot's ok - but since the plane never left the ground, isn't it more accurate to say it wrecked?
  
  
• And You'd Rather...? - Iraqi cleric: 9/11 was a 'miracle from God'
  
  

  "An influential Shiite cleric in Iraq called Israel's assassination of the spiritual leader of Hamas a "dirty crime against Islam" and the September 11, 2001, terror attacks "a miracle from God."

  Yeah, you're welcome.
  
  

Say It Ain't So....!!!

September 1998...."The Phantom Menace"



August 2001...."Attack of the Clones"



March 2004..."The Creeping Fear"?????


Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grr...

Study: Daily Drink Eases Hypertensives' Heart Risk

"The protection against heart disease from moderate drinking extends to men with high blood pressure, suggesting current advice for such patients to avoid alcohol is wrong, researchers said on Monday. "

Reading headlines like this just makes my blood pressure go up.....grrr....

This Just In....

Muppets Bringing Peace to the Middle East

" Where countless politicians and diplomats have failed, Elmo, Cookie Monster and their "Sesame Street" buddies are on a mission to promote peace and tolerance in the Middle East.

A programing experiment using the Muppet characters was launched six months ago and was widely welcomed by parents, educators and the media. But the Muppets are not without their critics in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.

'It's a highly charged environment, and the press is going to reflect some of that," (Sesame Workshop president Gary) Knell says. "Yes, some Israeli reports accused us of being lackeys of the Palestinians, while another article accused us of being lackeys of the Bush White House and charged that Elmo was carrying the will of the White House to the Middle East. A Jordanian Internet site accused us of being Zionist lap dogs.'"

Thousands have gathered worldwide to protest the muppets. Police had to break up demonstrators in Sydney, Australia burning Big Bird in effigy, and in Berlin garbage cans were dumped into the streets to symbolize the trash characters like Oscar the grouch were bringing to the unsuspecting people in the area.

Reaction from the muppets themselves was mixed - Muppet spokeswoman Prairie Dawn expressed her hope that the world would be able to come to view her people as "messengers of peace, love, and the alphabet" to all mankind. Grover and Baby Bear reportedly were attempting a world-wide e-mail campaign, Ernie and the two Aliens discussed ways to better get their search for self-understanding across to the people, while a despondent Elmo quietly sobbed in the arms of The Count. Cookie Monster was nowhere to be found, having run off earlier in the day.

Some muppets, however, did not take matters as well and reportedly have opened talks with opposition forces....



That's the news - good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

TV Tuesday

Calling Dr. Bombay... Calling Dr. Bombay... Emergency, come right away!

TV doctors from Kildare to Kovac have been healing our ills since way back when. (Remember Steve Martin on the original Saturday Night Live, as Theodoric, Barber of York?! A good blood-letting always cured what ailed ya!) Yep, from leeches to CAT scans, we love our TV Docs!

1. Which TV doctor would you choose to remove your appendix?

Easy one - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce from M*A*S*H

2. Which TV doctor would you not let touch you with a 10- foot pole?

Also from M*A*S*H, Major Frank Burns

3. Which TV doctor/hospital would you choose for the best medical care?

Other thank Hawkeye, I guess Dr. Jeffrey Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) on Chicago Hope (because he'd sing), although I would never check into that hospital. Not when they drop transplant hearts on the floor...

~Bonus~ Everyone knows nurses run the hospital. Who was/is your favorite TV nurse?

Here's one I'll bet no-one puts down: Nurse Terri from Three's Company :)

Joining the Blogging Elite

Cool - Haloscan now has Trackback.

Someone link to this entry, and let me see if it works...

Word

I took BrainyBoy (v8.1) to the dentist today. He needed a filling, and as we left he was understandably quite numb. And quite tired (see previous post for the weekend's activities).

I drove him to his grandparents' house for the day, since he's on spring break - BBv8.1 slept all the way. As I pulled into the driveway, I looked back at him, mentioning that we were here. He mumbled to me, "You know what I'm going to do first?"

"Take a nap?" I said.

He nodded. "Straight up."

Huh? What was that again?

"What do you mean...straight up?" I asked, casting my mind back to wonder when in the world he'd started speaking Urban slang..

He said, "Straight up - straight upstairs to the bedroom where we sleep over."

"Ohhhhh. Got it...."

Yo, yo. My frizzle was shizzled on that one...

What I Did Over the Weekend

Pretty uneventful, if you ask me. Let's see..

• Watch BrainyBoy (v8.1) score the winning goal in the final seconds of his second soccer game ever. He's a hefty guy, and not too swift of foot, and he looked like Warren Sapp running for a touchdown out there but I've never been so proud :)
  
  
• Stayed home with BBv8.1 and his buddy from the team as they plated at our house the rest of the afternoon in the warm sunshine
  
  
• Helped him lose a tooth, put it under the pillow, forgot to exchange for a gold dollar, woke up the next morning with him sadly holding the little baggy w/tooth in it to me. I B.S.'ed for a couple of minutes, got him and GiggleGirl wresting on the bed, ran downstairs, quickly exchanged the tooth for a dollar and ran back to get in the shower. To him, I'd never left. I suggested subtly he check again, but he didn't...
  
  (Wait -- something about this seems familiar...)
  
  
• Discovered my left contact lens had split down the middle so it looked like a Pac Man. Have to wear old crappy glasses with one earpiece held together with tape till I can get a replacement next week :(
  
  
• BBv8.1 stayed with another friend at his house yesterday, had a great time.
  
  
• Oh, yeah, saw a little flick yesterday afternoon...."Passion of the Christ". Wow.
  
  
• Returned home with the kids, advised BBv8.1 to check and see if something had happened with his tooth now, he did and was all "wow's" and smiles to find the gold dollar.
  

Another weekend for the archives...

Take Heart

Peggy of A Moveable Beast - a blogger whom I read often, and respect, had this to say about the 1-year anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war:

BUSH'S BIG LIE TURNS 1 TODAY!

"Unfortunately, 575 Americans, hundreds of coalition troops and thousands of Iraqis will not be celebrating any more birthdays. God rest their souls...

The important thing, though, is the new and deep sense of security we feel here at home and that the Iraqi people, missionaries, and relief workers now feel, (the ones who aren't being blown to pieces or shot dead in cold blood, that is).

I know I feel safer now. Thank you so much, Mr. President, but you'll excuse me now, since I must go click here to urge Congress to censure you for misleading us (and the world) about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, in order to wage your pre-ordained war."

(Note: there are some reference links included in the original post, visit her site to access them)

I replied in her Comments, but I'd like to include my reply here:

--------------------------

Peggy, I'm sorry you don't feel safer, and I join your sympathy with those lives that were lost, but I'd like to offer with all humility, a couple of points to ponder:

1) Every year of Saddam's reign, thousands of Iraqi's were killed for resisting his or his regime's edicts and whims. In his 30+ years of power, over 300,000 Iraqis are believed to have been killed. While the resistance is regrettable, in this first year of freedom the # of Iraqis killed has dropped from 10,000 (avg) to about 1/4 of that. And assuming the Coalition military assistance remains consistent in the coming months, by this time next year hopefully that number will have dropped even more drastically.

If a program were introduced to reduce the # of US highway deaths by 75% in the first year of operation, it would be called a major success. And by another - who knows? - 75% in year 2, it would be called a phenomenal success.

Of course, that's small condolence to the families of those Iraqi's killed in the past 12 months, but take heart in the fact that the families of 3 or 4 times as many Iraqi's are now not having to go through that pain themselves.

And this was brought about by US and Coalition servicemen who were willing to give their own lives that others may live. Their sacrifeces were not vain, or empty ones.

Fear and despair were replaced with hope and freedom. The cost was great, but the rewards are greater.

2) Perhaps you don't feel safer 2-1/2 years after 9/11. The point to remember is - whether you believe it or not - you are safer. You are still alive, as are millions of your fellow Americans. If the US had not pursued the courses of action they did, I have no doubt in my mind that we would be mourning the losses of thousands, if not millions more dead today in the US. You may not feel safer, but the fact that it's worked through this point is empirical evidence that you were.

There's every reason to believe we may be hit tomorrow, and hit hard - I accept that. But that fact that we weren't hit last week or yesterday convinces me that nothing succeeds like success. Take heart :)

The Parliament of Dreams

Go and read this:

Could our Dreams be True?

"We were only dreaming, That's what we could do, and you must not share your dream with any one ,because you don't know... maybe they won't like your dream ,and you will be punished for your dream. Believe me-- that's was what happening here.

A lot of changes happened here. Good ones. We can dream freely now. It's a good thing, and beautiful that you can share your dream with any one. But just dreaming is not enough to move life. All of us wants his own dream be true-- and we wish all dreams to be true, if it is possible. I'm going to talk about the Iraqis' dreams. Many dreams came out after they had been kept for a long time, and these dreams show how they think and feel , The shared dream for all Iraqis was to be released from Sadaam's regime...

...

But what happened on the 9th of April made many Iraqis feel like they were reborn, and brought others to life after they had been dead. They began to think and respond to changes after they could not speak or think, (even with your self!) You can now think, and dream, and share your dream, and let any one know what you are thinking. This is one good step forward, and the rest will come.

...

All those who bet on civil war in Iraq , well, their dreams have crashed on the rock of the new free Iraq . All the killing stuff they are doing, to "create a situation between the Iraqis" will fail."

This is from an Iraqi blogger, whose blog will soon be added to my blogroll. If you can read his whole post, and still say that the reasons you disagree with in why we liberated Iraq outweigh the reasons why it was a good thing - you have no dreams.

(Link via One Hand Clapping)

Just Say No

This is your Brain.

This is your Brain on Drugs.

Any questions?

The Backpedaling Begins

Rhea County Council Meeting On Gay Ban Issue

"The Rhea County Commission called a special meeting for tonight at 7 p.m. to reconsider a Tuesday vote seeking to ban gays from the county. The commission had voted 8-0, with one member absent, on the resolution.

...

Since there has been a nationwide focus on the vote, several commissioners said they wanted further clarification on the issue."

That's what you get for snoozing during meetings, guys.

Seriously, if you don't want sudden, fierce national media attention and public ridicule - don't pass spur-of-the-moment discriminatory resolutions, no matter how righteous you feel they are.

UPDATE: Our long, national nightmare is over

Except it isn't, of course. Apparently, according to news reports on another station, the motion they "rescinded" was not entirely verbatim as the motion they unanimously passed two nights before. Guess that was enough for them, because they were out of there as quick as they came, in a hail of reporter questions and crowd commentary.

And tomorrow folks in Rhea County will wake up - the bigots will still be bigots and the gays will still be gays. But maybe - just maybe - somebody somewhere learned something. I hope so.

More from Rhea County

Coverage from a local Television station:

NEWS CHANNEL 9 - Rhea Commissioners Vote to Ban Gays (Note: Link may expire - if it does, please let me know in Comments)

The info in the story itself is pretty much the same as the report below, but what's interesting to note are:

1) The poll - As of 3/18, 10:24 am:

I fully support the Rhea County Commission action to ban gay/lesbian lifestyles: 160 / 20%
I am opposed to gay/lesbian lifestyles, but I believe this action will never hold up in court: 135 / 17%
I support gay/lesbian lifestyles, but I believe this action will never hold up in court: 27 / 3%
I am outraged by the Rhea County Commission action to ban gay/lesbian lifestyles: 495 / 61%

817 total votes

Read the Current Results

Of course, all online polls are suspect and inscientific but I think this one might be fairly representational - seems to me people from both sides would be inclined to make their opinion known, one not more than the other.

2) The Comments:

Oh, yes - come for the story, stay for the Comments!

UPDATE: Here's more language from another story on the Chattanooga TV Station's site:

Rhea Commission Motion On Gays Creates Controversy

"The Rhea County, Tennessee commission unanimously approved a motion that says it would ban gay couples from living in Rhea County. It would take a state representative amending Tennessee's criminal code for that to happen. The Commission Chairman says the motion was confusing, change may soon be coming.

I just have one question: if by some wild chance this criminal code amendment ever passed, how could it be proven that two homosexuals were living together? How do you prove someone is or is not homosexual in a court of law?

I had male roommates all through college - a total of seven of them, actually. We all lived together in dorms or off-campus housing over the span of about three years - none of us were homosexual (that I know of) and several of us had girlfriends or dates at various times over those three years (one became my wife, as a matter of fact). Will same-sex roommates be banned in Rhea County, just in case?

I kiss my son goodnight, and probably will for a good number of years to come. Will that be outlawed, just in case?

There's obviously no biological test for homosexuality, so no medical examination would be anywhere near conclusive.

Sounds to me the only possible way to enforce this ban would be to base arrests on rumor and gossip - and finger-pointing by piouser-than-thou neighbors....

"Officer, I seen 'em....those two boys sharin' that apartment next door! They's goin' up to the commun'ty college but I seem 'em leave ever morning, and come home about the same time. Sometimes they's other fellers comin' in and leavin' at wierd hours - they's strange noises comin' from over there - hootin' and hollerin' and carryin' on, wearin' the same orange-colored clothes and bringin' in beer and who knows what all - seems to 'bout the same time the Vols is playin on the telebision but 'spect they's just using it to mask their evil, fornicatin' ways.. You know what they's doin' in their, officer, go do yer duty and keep decent people like me safe from the likes a' them Godless heathens! Oh, by t' way...that nice family down the hall, I saw the dad kissin' his little 12-year-old son on the cheek right before he went to work t'other day....better get him, too - best not to take any chances...."

And You Think Your Neighbors Are Crazy?

PSYCHIC ABUSE against NON-PSYCHICS! A LOOK A THE AMAZING WORKS OF TAMMY

"Meet my parent's old neighbor, Crazy Tammy. She's been gone from the neighborhood for about nine months now, hopefully getting the treatment she so sorely needed. From what I understand, and from what others have told me, Crazy Tammy is a textbook case of paranoid schizophrenia. We would have never known about her terrible mental problem if she hadn't advertised her insane views on giant sheets of cloth hung from her fence."

(Link via Big Stupid Tommy)

Ashamed to Live in East Tennessee

Rhea County asks legislators for gay criminal bill (Registration Required)

"Rhea County commissioners unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending Tennessee’s criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature.

"We need to keep them out of here," said Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the motion."

I saw this story earlier today here, and my jaw literally dropped. I had to laugh out loud at the sheer audacity of it.

SayUncle has a good quote.

This is worse than the "God Resolution", worse than Union County schools letting kids off for a revival, worse than almost any other local event I can think of lately that shows how the misuse of religion can blind community leaders to blatant bigotry.

Please, please - let people know about this unbelievable example of local politics run amok. Let it be ridiculed in the public arena as it should be. If anybody reading this lives in Dayton or Rhea County, let your Commission know they will be voted out of office next term - this is even a better reason for recall than anyone here that participated in KnoxRecall (a recent effort to remove former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe and several City Council Members) ever dreamed of having.

Hopefully we'll see another headline soon that reads, "Rhea County citizens remove commissioners from office for Crimes Against Humanity"

TV Tuesday

A New Tuesday Tradition

In honor of the TV Land Awards going on Wednesday evening, this week's questions will be about "Classic" TV shows! (Any show counts, as long as they are not still making new episodes.)

1. What is your favorite "Classic" TV show?

The Dick Van Dyke Show

2. What character from a "Classic" TV show would you like to be?

Rob Petrie - great job writing comedy for television in the Golden Age, beautiful wife, nice kid, good home, good neighbors - what more could you ask? A queen-size bed, I suppose.

3. On which "Classic" TV Show would you have loved to have a walk-on role?

Star Trek

~Bonus~ Can you remember a line you liked from a "Classic" TV show?

There are so many...how about, "My big toe is stuck in the faucet!!"

Thanks for playing, have a "Classic" week!

Hat Tip: Busy Mom

Gettin' a Whuppin!

Good for you Katie Allison Granju...

"Yesterday I had a really terrible experience at Target. I was shopping by myself and from several aisles away I could hear a little kid crying as her mother kept telling her to "shut up," and then following up by telling her that if she didn't stop crying, she was going to "whup" her. It was awful.

Feeling powerless, I started to leave that area of the store but in doing so, I happened to walk right by their aisle just as the woman proceeded to belt her kid in the head three times.

I literally gasped out loud. It was totally involuntary. I stopped dead and said very loudly, "What in the world do you think you're doing hitting her like that?!"

I hope that if ever I'm in the same situation and I witness such child abuse, I'll also have the courage to stand up against the parent.

Read the whole post for Katie's pursuit of help for the child, and the disgusting reactions by onlookers. Pathetic. And I'm raising my kids alongside yours, who are being taught that might makes right? Good grief.

Conversations

Gigglegirl: Daddy?

Me: Yes?

GG: Where do babies come from?

Uh oh...

Me: Well, they come out of their mommy's tummy...

The standard party line. I waited, wondering what I would need to answer next.

GG: Oh. Daddy?

Me: Yes, dear?

GG: How do babies eat?

Good - no mechanical questions. On we go.

Me: Well, babies have no teeth so they have to eat soft stuff. Like mashed up food, and they drink milk from bottles and from their mommy's chest.

Ok, slipped breastfeeding in there - that's for you, Katie. What's next, how do they do their taxes?

GG: Oh. Daddy?

Me: Yes?

GG: How do babies sleep?

Not often enough, kid, not often enough...

Me: Um, they sleep pretty much like everyone else does. Except more. And at wierder times.

Anything else?

GG: Oh. Daddy, let's play the Goofy game!

Spacial anomoly averted, Captain - resuming course and speed.

Journalism School

Japanese school in search of more students (Registration Required)

That's great, but the point of this post is that headline is not what was actually printed in the paper on Sunday. It actually read:

Japanese school in search more students

Apparently some headline writers need to retake Sentence Structure 101.

Watch the Skies

The cicadas are returning to East Tennessee.

I showed the picture of them in the newspaper to four-year-old GiggleGirl, and she asked what they did. In addition to making a lot of noise, I told her sometimes the couch-sized bugs swoop down on eagle-sized wings, scoop up little kids and fly away with them.

I don't think she appreciated that very much.

Welcome to the Rocky Top Brigade

New Recruits:

Doc B, Gunner of No Quarters, and Ashby of Knock/Snooze.

Welcome everyone!!!

Boo, Betcha I Scared You, Ha Ha

Big Stupid Tommy auditions to take over the host duty on Scare Tactics.

Somehow I think Shannon Doherty has nothing to be afraid of...

But Where's Helen Hunt?

Today has been declared Blog it Forward Day! Actually, I believe it's Blog it Forward Day VI, so this is apparently one in a long line of sequels. Therefore I'm arbitrarily calling my version Blog it Forward Day VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Anyhoo...

From Buzzstuff:

" It's really simple. All you need to do is pick someone (or sometwo or somethree) off of your blogroll and post on your site just why you feel that they are linkworthy. Why the heck did you link them? Why are they given that place of prominence over there on your sidebar? Are they funny? Are they wise? Are they just too damn good-looking to pass by? Let us know about them."

Michael Williams of the fine blog "Master of None" was kind enough to include me in his selections, so I'm returning the favor by naming some of my featured blogroll residents:

1) Michael Totten - Michael has quickly become my favorite political blogger. He's an ex-sorta-Democrat who's found a comfortable niche in the middle, and enjoys popularizing his new home. I find his views frequently agree with mine, but he articulates them much better than I so it's a good source for political ideals.

2) Donald Sensing, "One Hand Clapping" - a Rocky Top Brigade member, Rev. Donald is a Methodist Minister from Franklin, TN and has frequent insights into life from a religious perspective. A definite daily read for me.

3) Mark Evanier, "News from Me" - Mark runs a pop culture/animation/comic books/movies/TV/entertainment biz blog and draws from his extensive experience working in the entertainment industry. A fun daily read for the kind of news that I love to read - and no gossip.

And a couple of quick hits:

4) Sofia Sideshow - the trials and travails of an associate film producer making movies in Sofia, Bulgaria. No, really. Where else can you read stories about going out for drinks with John Rhys-Davies?

5) Teresa, of "Hatamaran" - my co-worker and my buddy (even though she is a vegetarian and has an unhealthy fixation with South American pack animals...

Ok, I've fulfilled my duty to king and country so click on!

For the Living

I'd always heard the old expression that funerals aren't for the deceased, they're for those left behind.

I'd never quite understood the gravity of that phrase until this afternoon. See, today I went to a funeral.

The deceased was the brother of a friend of mine - someone I haven't known for very long, nor are we particularly close. He's a recent participant in a morning Bible Study I've begun attending at a local restaurant. Let's call him Steve.

I never met Steve's brother, and as it turns out it's probably a good thing. You see, his brother did some Bad Things. Actually, some Very Bad Things. And it seems he also took the Easy Way Out, if you see my meaning.

The afternoon was cool, but clear and sunny. There were a number of family members and friends at the graveside service, as well as Steve, his father, his wife, and Steve's brother's wife. I and the other members of the Bible study group came together to support our new friend, and we met several folks there. We murmured our condolences, and stayed out of the way. On the other side of the cemetary, some children ran and played amongst the headstones. Every few minutes something that looked like an Air Force radar plane lumbered by, circling the airport area.

Then the graveside service started.

I've always wondered what people would say at my funeral. It's not something I like to dwell on, obviously, but I'd like to think the minister and whoever spoke would find some nice things to say about me. He was a good son, a good father, a good friend. He loved music, he loved theatre, he loved science fiction, he loved things that made people smile. That sort of thing. This service was different, there was none of those platitudes for the brother, because he had done a Very Bad Thing, and because of that he took that Easy Way Out.

The minister's words were words of comfort for his surviving family. While I took some meaning away from them, I wonder if the family were able to hear through their grief. I hope that something of his words will have some resonance with them in the days ahead, because they will need it.

The brother's name was mentioned about twice, both times in context of recalling playful times as a child enjoying his brother, Steve's company. But that was it. The noise of the plane at regular circling intervals provided almost chapter breaks for the me

The service lasted about a half an hour. Muffled sobs throughout the assembly, but for most a look of quiet bewilderment. What only 48 hours earlier had been trouble, but trouble that could be dealt with and atoned for - now is a new kind of trouble. And this will never fully heal.

We left.

Sometimes you think about the choices you make in life, and you feel proud of the paths you've chosen. Not "pride" proud, but happy - happy the paths you took led you to thouch people's lives that made you richer, and enrichened them. Experiences that you remember and build on, that pointed you to new, deeper experiences. People you met, people you've helped, people you've loved.

Others take the wrong path, and ahead lies nothing but chaos and tragedy and tears and mystery.

As we drove away, I realized the plane must have finally landed several minutes before. Some people choose to end their pain in the their own way, and for them it stops. For those left behind, the guilt and loss goes on and on.

Lord grant them comfort.

A Public Service Announcement

Slight Clarification

To waffle on an issue does not mean you take a stand one way 15 years ago, and take another stand today.

Nor does it mean you take a stand on an issue 5 years ago and take a different stand today.

Nor does it mean taking a stand on an issue 2 days ago and taking a different stand today.

Waffling on an issue is when you take a stand 2 days ago, take a different stand today, and then either go back to the old stand or adopt an entirely new one 2 days from now.

There, are we clear? Now, can we all use the term in its proper context and stop accusing candidates of "waffling" on the issues just because they thought a different way several years ago?

I know some folks don't have to much else to grasp at, but hey, use your heads...



We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Blog.

Camel Humps

Hatamaran's Educational Day at the Zoo

Now here's something you don't see every day.....

Blogging in the News

Two articles in today's Knoxvile News Sentinel (slogan: We've Added Online Registration and Passed the Savings on to You!) about local blogging:

Web logs bringing new attention to East Tennessee (Registration Required)

"Mountains, guns, dogs, weather and politics are all longtime fundamental interests of most East Tennesseans. They're also subjects covered at the Rocky Top Brigade, a loosely knit collection of blogs from across the state that includes several East Tennessee sites."

RTB members mentioned include Instapundit, SayUncle, South Knox Bubba, Wandering Hillbilly and A Smoky Mountain Journal (links on blogroll to the right).

and...

Weblogs generating ad bucks (Registration Required)

"At least three high-profile Tennessee bloggers are now running advertisements, with charges as low as $20 a week or as high as $375 a week....The move represents a growing trend of advertising on some weblogs, a trend most recently taken advantage of by candidates for political office."

In this article, those RTB bloggers mentioned are Instapundit (natch), Bill Hobbs and Rev. Sensing of One Hand Clapping (again, links in blogroll).

Skunked again. Guess I'm still not being controversial enough....

What a Pal....

Neil Simon Receives Kidney from Publicist Bill Evans in March 2 Operation

""We've been friends form [sic] 25 years," Simon, 76, told the Times. "It's wonderful of him to do this."

Well, since Mary Tyler Moore was suddenly unavailable, I guess somebody had to do it...

Volunteer Tailgate Party - Vol. XXII

Teresa of Hatamaran is hosting the latest Volunteer Tailgate Party, a bi-weekly compilation of the best and brightest blatherings of the Rocky Top Brigade.