What a strange story from Onion News Network -- a mysterious traveler entrances a small town with a grand Utopian vision of the future if they'll just make him their leader.
Mysterious Traveler Entrances Town With Utopian Vision Of The Future
Update: It seems as if the journey of the enigmatic traveler has come to an end.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Sleeveface
What a cool flickr pool. It's nothing but people holding album covers up in front of their faces, but some of them are very funny...
(photo by flickr user soulkombinat)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Political Analysis From Red State Update
The boys from Red State Update, Jackie Broyles and Dunlap, offer their keen insights of the latest political contests in Nevada and South Carolina...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
One More Year
At high noon exactly one year from today, the reign of George W. Bush will finally come to a long-awaited close. Not that I'm keeping track or anything.
Weekend Assignment: When Do You Sleep?
Karen has the new weekend assignment at Outpost Mavarin:
Weekend Assignment #199: What is your usual sleep schedule on weeknights? Are you an "early to bed, early to rise" sort of person, or do you stay awake far into the night (voluntarily or otherwise), and get up as late as your work schedule permits? Do you give priority to getting adequate sleep? If so, how is that working out for you?
I am now and have always been a night owl. I work second shift and usually stay up most of the night, then sleep until it's time to get up and get ready for work -- usually around the crack of noon. The nighttime is the right time. I enjoy the peace and quiet of being the only one in the family still up. I can enjoy me some inner nets or watch the boob tube without having to fight and argue with someone else for the privilege. I don't have to wait until someone else gets off the computer or argue over which DVD to watch. If I try to write a few lines I can do it without the constant distractions that seem to be ever constant during the daylight hours.
I don't have a problem with getting up early. I love the early mornings for the same reasons I enjoy the late nights: the peace and quiet. I just hate to go to bed early. It's a voluntary thing -- not insomnia. When I do finally drag myself off to bed, I sleep like a log, a lamb, a baby...like I did before the rooster went blind. I don't always get a sufficient number of hours of sleep, but I usually make it up the next night.
Extra Credit: If you had no work or family scheduling obligations, would your sleeping pattern change substantially?
I don't think so. Like I said, I've always been a night owl. But no work or family? I might not have a regular sleep schedule at all. I might sleep all day sometimes, or just sleep whenever the mood struck.
----------------
Now playing: Robin Trower - Day of the Eagle
via FoxyTunes
Weekend Assignment #199: What is your usual sleep schedule on weeknights? Are you an "early to bed, early to rise" sort of person, or do you stay awake far into the night (voluntarily or otherwise), and get up as late as your work schedule permits? Do you give priority to getting adequate sleep? If so, how is that working out for you?
I am now and have always been a night owl. I work second shift and usually stay up most of the night, then sleep until it's time to get up and get ready for work -- usually around the crack of noon. The nighttime is the right time. I enjoy the peace and quiet of being the only one in the family still up. I can enjoy me some inner nets or watch the boob tube without having to fight and argue with someone else for the privilege. I don't have to wait until someone else gets off the computer or argue over which DVD to watch. If I try to write a few lines I can do it without the constant distractions that seem to be ever constant during the daylight hours.
I don't have a problem with getting up early. I love the early mornings for the same reasons I enjoy the late nights: the peace and quiet. I just hate to go to bed early. It's a voluntary thing -- not insomnia. When I do finally drag myself off to bed, I sleep like a log, a lamb, a baby...like I did before the rooster went blind. I don't always get a sufficient number of hours of sleep, but I usually make it up the next night.
Extra Credit: If you had no work or family scheduling obligations, would your sleeping pattern change substantially?
I don't think so. Like I said, I've always been a night owl. But no work or family? I might not have a regular sleep schedule at all. I might sleep all day sometimes, or just sleep whenever the mood struck.
----------------
Now playing: Robin Trower - Day of the Eagle
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Gloria / U23D
When I was in high school disco was king, but I was listening to hard rock -- KISS, Rush, Heart, Lyrnyd Skynyrd, etc., etc., etc. I was beginning to get a little bored with it all; I needed a new sound. Somewhere along the line I got involved with the college radio station and found a new sound to listen to. U2 became one of my favorites.
The other day I went to the National Geographic website and found this entirely by accident...
Gloria...2, 3, 4
I try to sing this song, I
I try to stand up
But I can't find my feet
I try, I try to speak up
But only in you I'm complete
Gloria...in te domine
Gloria...exultate
Gloria...Gloria
Oh Lord, loosen my lips
I try to sing this song, I
I try to get in
But I can't find the door
The door is open
You're standing there
You let me in
Gloria...in te domine
Gloria...exultate
Oh Lord, if I had anything
Anything at all
I'd give it to you
I'd give it to you
The other day I went to the National Geographic website and found this entirely by accident...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Romney Campaign Trouble
Yes, Mitt Romney won the Michigan Primary by a sizable margin and managed to drag himself back into the race for the Republican nomination, but his campaign is in real trouble. The Onion News Network explains...
Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance
Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Weekend Assignment: Winter's Winning Ways
Over at Outpost Mavarin, Karen has posted a new Weekend Assignment...
Weekend Assignment #198: What is your favorite thing about winter? Whether you love this time of year, hate it or merely endure it, you should be able to find something good to say about the season. What is it?
There are two things I love about winter.
First, the sky is so crystal clear at night that it seems as if you can see the entire universe. (That's assuming that it's not cloudy or rainy, which can be a pretty big assumption here during the winter.) At other times of the year, it can be pretty hazy here in my neck of the woods.
Second, I love snow. I especially love it when you wake up in the morning to find a couple or three inches of untouched, pure white snow on the ground. Everything looks so clean. It's a big change from the same old same old. The only problem is that snow is a fairly rare occurrence here, maybe once or twice a year if we're lucky. But I wouldn't want to live up north where snow is constantly on the ground -- too much of a good thing, you know.
Ice can be pretty neat too if you don't have to drive on it...
The photos above were taken on Missionary Ridge a couple of winters ago. Sorry about the blurry quality of the last shot; I think I smudged my lens.
Extra credit: What do you hate most about winter?
Oh, don't even get me started. Other than the clear skies and the occasional snowfall, there's nothing I like about winter. I hate, hate, hate cold weather. I would rather it be 100 degrees than 20. And here, the weather is extremely fickle all the way through March. You have to dress in layers and be ready to peel them off and put them back on. It might be 70 degrees for a week in February, then 20 for a week in March. That happened last winter. I'm just too cold-natured to deal with it all. I often comment, especially when it's extremely cold, that I'm someday going to move somewhere where they don't have winters. People think I'm joking, but I'm not. Give me white sand, blue skies, and sun in January and I'll be happy.
----------------
Now playing: The Connells - Carry My Picture
via FoxyTunes
Weekend Assignment #198: What is your favorite thing about winter? Whether you love this time of year, hate it or merely endure it, you should be able to find something good to say about the season. What is it?
There are two things I love about winter.
First, the sky is so crystal clear at night that it seems as if you can see the entire universe. (That's assuming that it's not cloudy or rainy, which can be a pretty big assumption here during the winter.) At other times of the year, it can be pretty hazy here in my neck of the woods.
Second, I love snow. I especially love it when you wake up in the morning to find a couple or three inches of untouched, pure white snow on the ground. Everything looks so clean. It's a big change from the same old same old. The only problem is that snow is a fairly rare occurrence here, maybe once or twice a year if we're lucky. But I wouldn't want to live up north where snow is constantly on the ground -- too much of a good thing, you know.
Ice can be pretty neat too if you don't have to drive on it...
The photos above were taken on Missionary Ridge a couple of winters ago. Sorry about the blurry quality of the last shot; I think I smudged my lens.
Extra credit: What do you hate most about winter?
Oh, don't even get me started. Other than the clear skies and the occasional snowfall, there's nothing I like about winter. I hate, hate, hate cold weather. I would rather it be 100 degrees than 20. And here, the weather is extremely fickle all the way through March. You have to dress in layers and be ready to peel them off and put them back on. It might be 70 degrees for a week in February, then 20 for a week in March. That happened last winter. I'm just too cold-natured to deal with it all. I often comment, especially when it's extremely cold, that I'm someday going to move somewhere where they don't have winters. People think I'm joking, but I'm not. Give me white sand, blue skies, and sun in January and I'll be happy.
----------------
Now playing: The Connells - Carry My Picture
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Ode to Billie Joe
I can't honestly say it is one of my favorite songs, but "Ode to Billie Joe" is a haunting, Southern Gothic-type song that gets stuck in my brain for days when I hear it. The song, written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry, was released in 1967 and shot straight to number one on the charts. I was six at the time.
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a story-song. Our young, female narrator tells the story of how she heard the news of Billie Joe McAllister's suicide. There's a great deal of mystery about the song: What was the relationship of Billie Joe and the narrator? What did they throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge? Why did Billie Joe commit suicide? Bobby Gentry has stated that she didn't have motives for what happened in the song, that the whole point was not the suicide but the matter-of-factness of the family discussion, "a study in unconscious cruelty."
The song was made into a movie (never a good idea) in 1976, called Ode to Billy Joe (different spelling.) It was directed by Max Baer Jr. (Jethro from The Beverly Hillbillies) and starred Robby Benson as Billy Joe and Glynnis O'Conner (as our narrator, now named Bobbie Lee Hartley.)
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a story-song. Our young, female narrator tells the story of how she heard the news of Billie Joe McAllister's suicide. There's a great deal of mystery about the song: What was the relationship of Billie Joe and the narrator? What did they throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge? Why did Billie Joe commit suicide? Bobby Gentry has stated that she didn't have motives for what happened in the song, that the whole point was not the suicide but the matter-of-factness of the family discussion, "a study in unconscious cruelty."
The song was made into a movie (never a good idea) in 1976, called Ode to Billy Joe (different spelling.) It was directed by Max Baer Jr. (Jethro from The Beverly Hillbillies) and starred Robby Benson as Billy Joe and Glynnis O'Conner (as our narrator, now named Bobbie Lee Hartley.)
It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day.
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay.
And at dinner time we stopped, and walked back to the house to eat.
And mama hollered at the back door, "Y'all remember to wipe your feet."
And then she said, "I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge.
Today, Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
Papa said to mama as he passed around the black-eyed peas,
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense. Pass the biscuits, please.
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow."
Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow.
"Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge,
And now Billy Joe McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show.
And wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece of apple pie. You know it don't seem right.
I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge,
And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?
I've been cooking all morning and you haven't touched a single bite.
That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today,
Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday. Oh, by the way,
He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And she and Billy Joe was throwing something off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo.
There was a virus going 'round, papa caught it and he died last spring,
And now mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything.
And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge,
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Narrative
I always get excited about a tightly contested presidential race or even a race for a presidential nomination, and after New Hampshire, it seems like it will be a while before either party's nominee is decided. Hillary Clinton, who seemed to be running out of gas after her third place finish in Iowa, is once again the front-runner, Barack Obama is still challenging with his sermon of hope, and John Edwards is still hoping to make it a three-person race. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel will probably stay in the race until the bitter end even without any money or support.
The Republican race is even more muddled. John McCain is the darling of the media. If you're a political reporter and want to talk to someone from his campaign, just board the Straight Talk Express and talk straight to the candidate, not a spokesperson or a surrogate. And he'll literally talk to the press until they run out of questions to ask. As long as the media gets that kind of access, they'll keep giving McCain the positive press, but it's hard to say that that will be enough against Romney's money and Huckabee's God. It just might if BushCo manages to continue to keep the war off the front pages a little longer. Guiliani seems washed up, but he'll probably do a little better in those states where all the campaigning is done on TV or at airport press conferences (places where the voters don't have to get all up-close and personal with him.) Ron Paul keeps on being Ron Paul, attracting a strange blend of hardcore support due to his strange blend of positions. Fred Thompson continues to sleepwalk through a campaign for a job he doesn't really want. And Duncan Hunter is still hanging around for some reason.
But enough about those silly and/or scary Republicans. The press keeps insisting that the Democratic candidates are pretty much the same. For example, we know that they all have health care plans that are similar in scope, but the similarities are all you hear in the media. But the devil's in the details and that's what's missing from much of the media -- the details of how the candidates differ. As long as they pretend the candidates are the same it frees them from having to talk about issues and allows them to keep doing process stories. No issues, just talk about polls, momentum and campaigns in crisis. It's like a big horse race. Clinton's ahead, no Obama, no Clinton. And Edwards is laying back, looking to make his move if the leaders falter.
It's all flash and no substance, but it's all been very entertaining. We had Clinton the Inevitable. Then their was Obama and his biggest endorsement, the one from talk-show host/media mogul Oprah Winfrey. She led him around Iowa, drawing "rock star" crowds of 70,000 or more to hear the sermon of hope. The ten million or so reporters in Iowa at the time woke up and took note. Here was a dynamic they could promote: the Queen versus the Rock Star, Experience versus Change.
There were other candidates, but they weren't in the center ring where the real circus was going on. There was John Edwards. He had the name recognition to match Clinton, but he was talking crazy -- going on and on about two Americas and maybe loosening our corporate chains a bit, sounding quite a bit like Dennis Kucinich. And there was Kucinich himself, still talking about peace, love and understanding. Perhaps, the media gurus speculated, we could get a laugh out of this. Hmm, maybe something to do with UFOs. Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd (Who?) rounded out the field. There's even some old crotchety Gravel guy. The media shrugged and moved back to the center ring.
Obama (and America?) scored a stunning win in Iowa and had all the momentum. The media's dynamic seemed in jeopardy what with Clinton finishing third and her campaign in disarray. The media plodded on with it though, now declaring it a two-person race, somehow ignoring the guy who actually finished second in Iowa. Biden and Dodd had had enough and crept back to Washington. All the polls showed Obama with a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, but something funny happened. Hillary showed a little emotion and managed to convince enough voters that, yes, she was actually a real person. Or maybe it had something to do with the yahoos who wanted her to iron their shirts. Or maybe there was a ghost in the (voting) machine. Whatever it was, everyone else's poll numbers reflected the actual votes that they ended up getting, except for Obama and Clinton, who was suddenly the New Comeback Kid -- a new campaign narrative for the media to get worked up about. By the way, Obama and Clinton won the exact same number of delegates in New Hampshire -- nine apiece. Bill Richardson packed up and went back home to New Mexico.
There's a little lull now before we get to some big states. The next event is the Michigan primary (on January 15) which is not sanctioned by the Democratic Party. All of the candidates have withdrawn from the event except Clinton, Kucinich and that Gravel guy. On January 19, Nevada holds a caucus and the Republicans hold their primary in South Carolina. The Democratic South Carolina primary takes place a week later on January 26. Then comes the Florida primary on January 29 with its own sanctioning problems. The Maine caucus (on Groundhog Day, February 2) is the last test before Super Duper Tuesday. Perhaps the race will be settled by then, perhaps it'll take until the convention to decide who the nominee is.
I guess my point is (and yes, I do have one) that there are still a lot of votes to be counted and anything can happen to decide the contest. Bullshit will probably be the most important issue for the electorate, but I encourage you to take that extra step: find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you. Ignore all the fluff and the silly narratives and the hype. The media is going to overplay every nuance of the race in an effort to sell newspapers and advertising. Do a little research on your own. The candidates' campaign websites are a good place to start. Dennis Kucinich's website has a "pick your candidate" test to see which candidate - Republican or Democrat -- comes closest to your positions on 25 issues. Here are the official campaign websites of the Democratic contenders in purely alphabetical order...
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
----------------
Now playing: Saliva - Ladies and Gentleman
via FoxyTunes
The Republican race is even more muddled. John McCain is the darling of the media. If you're a political reporter and want to talk to someone from his campaign, just board the Straight Talk Express and talk straight to the candidate, not a spokesperson or a surrogate. And he'll literally talk to the press until they run out of questions to ask. As long as the media gets that kind of access, they'll keep giving McCain the positive press, but it's hard to say that that will be enough against Romney's money and Huckabee's God. It just might if BushCo manages to continue to keep the war off the front pages a little longer. Guiliani seems washed up, but he'll probably do a little better in those states where all the campaigning is done on TV or at airport press conferences (places where the voters don't have to get all up-close and personal with him.) Ron Paul keeps on being Ron Paul, attracting a strange blend of hardcore support due to his strange blend of positions. Fred Thompson continues to sleepwalk through a campaign for a job he doesn't really want. And Duncan Hunter is still hanging around for some reason.
But enough about those silly and/or scary Republicans. The press keeps insisting that the Democratic candidates are pretty much the same. For example, we know that they all have health care plans that are similar in scope, but the similarities are all you hear in the media. But the devil's in the details and that's what's missing from much of the media -- the details of how the candidates differ. As long as they pretend the candidates are the same it frees them from having to talk about issues and allows them to keep doing process stories. No issues, just talk about polls, momentum and campaigns in crisis. It's like a big horse race. Clinton's ahead, no Obama, no Clinton. And Edwards is laying back, looking to make his move if the leaders falter.
It's all flash and no substance, but it's all been very entertaining. We had Clinton the Inevitable. Then their was Obama and his biggest endorsement, the one from talk-show host/media mogul Oprah Winfrey. She led him around Iowa, drawing "rock star" crowds of 70,000 or more to hear the sermon of hope. The ten million or so reporters in Iowa at the time woke up and took note. Here was a dynamic they could promote: the Queen versus the Rock Star, Experience versus Change.
There were other candidates, but they weren't in the center ring where the real circus was going on. There was John Edwards. He had the name recognition to match Clinton, but he was talking crazy -- going on and on about two Americas and maybe loosening our corporate chains a bit, sounding quite a bit like Dennis Kucinich. And there was Kucinich himself, still talking about peace, love and understanding. Perhaps, the media gurus speculated, we could get a laugh out of this. Hmm, maybe something to do with UFOs. Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd (Who?) rounded out the field. There's even some old crotchety Gravel guy. The media shrugged and moved back to the center ring.
Obama (and America?) scored a stunning win in Iowa and had all the momentum. The media's dynamic seemed in jeopardy what with Clinton finishing third and her campaign in disarray. The media plodded on with it though, now declaring it a two-person race, somehow ignoring the guy who actually finished second in Iowa. Biden and Dodd had had enough and crept back to Washington. All the polls showed Obama with a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, but something funny happened. Hillary showed a little emotion and managed to convince enough voters that, yes, she was actually a real person. Or maybe it had something to do with the yahoos who wanted her to iron their shirts. Or maybe there was a ghost in the (voting) machine. Whatever it was, everyone else's poll numbers reflected the actual votes that they ended up getting, except for Obama and Clinton, who was suddenly the New Comeback Kid -- a new campaign narrative for the media to get worked up about. By the way, Obama and Clinton won the exact same number of delegates in New Hampshire -- nine apiece. Bill Richardson packed up and went back home to New Mexico.
There's a little lull now before we get to some big states. The next event is the Michigan primary (on January 15) which is not sanctioned by the Democratic Party. All of the candidates have withdrawn from the event except Clinton, Kucinich and that Gravel guy. On January 19, Nevada holds a caucus and the Republicans hold their primary in South Carolina. The Democratic South Carolina primary takes place a week later on January 26. Then comes the Florida primary on January 29 with its own sanctioning problems. The Maine caucus (on Groundhog Day, February 2) is the last test before Super Duper Tuesday. Perhaps the race will be settled by then, perhaps it'll take until the convention to decide who the nominee is.
I guess my point is (and yes, I do have one) that there are still a lot of votes to be counted and anything can happen to decide the contest. Bullshit will probably be the most important issue for the electorate, but I encourage you to take that extra step: find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you. Ignore all the fluff and the silly narratives and the hype. The media is going to overplay every nuance of the race in an effort to sell newspapers and advertising. Do a little research on your own. The candidates' campaign websites are a good place to start. Dennis Kucinich's website has a "pick your candidate" test to see which candidate - Republican or Democrat -- comes closest to your positions on 25 issues. Here are the official campaign websites of the Democratic contenders in purely alphabetical order...
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
----------------
Now playing: Saliva - Ladies and Gentleman
via FoxyTunes
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Horses Are on the Track
Obama has jumped out to a big lead in New Hampshire. He was tied with Clinton just a couple of days ago, now he's leading 39% to 29%. Edwards has dropped from 20% support to 16% in the latest CNN-WMUR poll. Of course, that's after a couple of days of stories of Obama's stunning success and Clinton's campaign in disarray. Oh, and a debate. Edwards is still hanging in there. McCain's leading Romney 32%-26% among Republicans.
----------------
Now playing: The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Touch Screen Nightmares
When you start talking about the integrity of an election, you're getting into third-world anarchy territory, but that's just where we're headed with touch-screen electronic voting machines. The NY Times has a lengthy piece about the glitches and crashes of these machines and how they can throw an election into doubt. The article focuses on the glitches and crashes and downplays the more serious problem of how hackers could intentionally throw an election, but it's a good read. And now, the mainstream media can go back to ignoring the story until after the next election when we're left to wonder (yet again) how those exit polls could have been so wrong.
Mark Crispin Miller's News from Underground blog and the Brad Blog are good places to go to for more information. The topic of electronic voting machines comes up often at both sites. Two sites devoted exclusively to the topic are Bev Harris's Black Box Voting and the unaffiliated Black Box Voting. (Bev Harris's site is blackboxvoting.org, the other site is blackboxvoting.com. I haven't delved into either site enough to recommend one over the other. I just use Bev Harris's name to differentiate between the two sites with the same name.)
Here, in my neck of the woods, Georgia acted quickly after the 2000 Florida debacle to adopt touch-screen voting machines statewide. They haven't been near as prompt in adopting paper backups or other safeguards. For a while, they had an unshakeable faith in the integrity of the machines. Tennessee still uses a variety of machines, but according to a recent story in the Knoxville News Sentinel, only two of Tennessee's 95 counties keep a paper trail of voters' ballots.
----------------
Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Black Country Woman
via FoxyTunes
Mark Crispin Miller's News from Underground blog and the Brad Blog are good places to go to for more information. The topic of electronic voting machines comes up often at both sites. Two sites devoted exclusively to the topic are Bev Harris's Black Box Voting and the unaffiliated Black Box Voting. (Bev Harris's site is blackboxvoting.org, the other site is blackboxvoting.com. I haven't delved into either site enough to recommend one over the other. I just use Bev Harris's name to differentiate between the two sites with the same name.)
Here, in my neck of the woods, Georgia acted quickly after the 2000 Florida debacle to adopt touch-screen voting machines statewide. They haven't been near as prompt in adopting paper backups or other safeguards. For a while, they had an unshakeable faith in the integrity of the machines. Tennessee still uses a variety of machines, but according to a recent story in the Knoxville News Sentinel, only two of Tennessee's 95 counties keep a paper trail of voters' ballots.
----------------
Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Black Country Woman
via FoxyTunes
Chaos
If you thought the drivers in your hometown were crazy, this will boggle your mind. It's video from an Indian traffic cam...
Weekend Assignment: Missing Words
I started my blogging journey at AOL Journals. The inimitable John Scalzi used to give us Weekend Assignments at his blog By the Way. Now, Scalzi and AOL have parted ways, but the Weekend Assignments live on at Outpost Mavarin.
This week's assignment...
I've got a lot of sympathy for the writers. The media companies are on shaky ground. They're pleading web ignorance. They just don't think there is any money to be made on the web, and they certainly couldn't figure out an appropriate formula to compensate the writers for any of their work that happens to go out on the web. It's all BS.
In a previous post, I talked about the effects of the strike on Battlestar Galactica. There was a long quote from showrunner Ron Moore. It bears repeating...
Previous posts on the strike:
Battlestar Galactica and the Writers Strike
The Colbert Report Writers' Video
A Daily Show Fix of Sorts
Extra Credit: I'm going to spend the free time the way I spend most of my free time: more time on the Internet.
----------------
Now playing: Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
via FoxyTunes
This week's assignment...
Weekend Assignment #197: Now that the WGA strike has had lots of time to affect the prime time television schedules, how is it affecting you as a viewer? What show do you miss most, aside from reruns? Do you miss your weekly appointment with that ill-behaved doctor, or your visits to Wisteria Lane? Does it bother you not to laugh at fresh jokes on your favorite sitcom? Or are you just as happy watching reality shows, or new episodes of shows that have been held back until now? We want to know!I don't watch a lot of network prime-time television because of my work schedule, but I would hate the glut of reality shows, game shows, and pseudo-news shows. What was really killing me was not being able to watch new episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Both shows are back on now without writers. I don't know how that's working out for them; I haven't been watching. My favorite shows, Battlestar Galactica and Lost have had their season premieres delayed, but Lost will start airing the episodes they've got in the can on January 31.
Extra Credit: how are you spending the time instead?
I've got a lot of sympathy for the writers. The media companies are on shaky ground. They're pleading web ignorance. They just don't think there is any money to be made on the web, and they certainly couldn't figure out an appropriate formula to compensate the writers for any of their work that happens to go out on the web. It's all BS.
In a previous post, I talked about the effects of the strike on Battlestar Galactica. There was a long quote from showrunner Ron Moore. It bears repeating...
"Fundamentally this is about the internet, and this is about whether writers get paid for material that is made for the internet or if they're paid for material that is broadcast on the internet that was developed for TV or movies." Moore shared a story to illustrate the scenario, saying "I had a situation last year on Battlestar Galactica where we were asked by Universal to do webisodes [Note: Moore is referring to The Resistance webisodes which ran before Season 3 premiered], which at that point were very new and 'Oooh, webisodes! What does that mean?' It was all very new stuff. And it was very eye opening, because the studio's position was 'Oh, we're not going to pay anybody to do this. You have to do this, because you work on the show. And we're not going to pay you to write it. We're not going to pay the director, and we're not going to pay the actors.' At which point we said 'No thanks, we won't do it.'"The future of entertainment is the merger of the traditional forms with the Internet. As their delivery systems improve, more people are going to go to the Internet to watch what they want when they want. That's where the money is, and that's the golden goose the media conglomerates are trying to protect. I don't think I'm going to watch The Daily Show or The Colbert Report until their writers come back.
"We got in this long, protracted thing and eventually they agreed to pay everybody involved. But then, as we got deeper into it, they said 'But we're not going to put any credits on it. You're not going to be credited for this work. And we can use it later, in any fashion that we want.' At which point I said 'Well, then we're done and I'm not going to deliver the webisodes to you.' And they came and they took them out of the editing room anyway -- which they have every right to do. They own the material -- But it was that experience that really showed me that that's what this is all about. If there's not an agreement with the studios about the internet, that specifically says 'This is covered material, you have to pay us a formula - whatever that formula turns out to be - for use of the material and how it's all done,' the studios will simply rape and pillage."
Previous posts on the strike:
Battlestar Galactica and the Writers Strike
The Colbert Report Writers' Video
A Daily Show Fix of Sorts
Extra Credit: I'm going to spend the free time the way I spend most of my free time: more time on the Internet.
----------------
Now playing: Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
via FoxyTunes
Huh?
I missed the debates last night, so I don't know what's going on. Did they have two different Democratic debates? They must have.
This is the debate according to the NY Times. In a story titled, "At Debate, Two Rivals Go After Defiant Clinton," with a picture showing Hillary off to the side by herself and the guys all huddled together, they opened with...
Which debate did you see?
----------------
Now playing: Depeche Mode - Only When I Lose Myself
via FoxyTunes
This is the debate according to the NY Times. In a story titled, "At Debate, Two Rivals Go After Defiant Clinton," with a picture showing Hillary off to the side by herself and the guys all huddled together, they opened with...
MANCHESTER, N.H. — It was as if they sensed vulnerability.The Washington Post reported it differently. Their article is titled "Underdog Clinton Goes After Obama." Their lead sounds like a totally different debate...
Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards went after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as never before in a televised debate here on Saturday night. With Mr. Obama hoping that a victory in New Hampshire, following his first-place finish in Iowa, would make him difficult to beat in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — and with Mr. Edwards looking to defeat Mrs. Clinton in a second straight contest — they entered an alliance of convenience.
In an exchange that summed up the basic story line of the contest, they cast her as a candidate of the status quo who would fail to deliver the changes in government that many Democratic voters demand.
With the New Hampshire primary two days away, Mrs. Clinton found her courage, likability and judgment questioned. But she fought back as she did when she was first lady of Arkansas and of the United States — with defiance and flashes of anger, pursing her lips, stiffening her back and staring intently at her rivals.
When it became clear that Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards, sitting side by side across from her, were teaming up, Mrs. Clinton sat up and pulled her coat tight as if preparing for battle.
MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 5 -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton tried repeatedly to knock Sen. Barack Obama off his footing during a high-stakes debate here on Saturday night -- criticizing his health-care proposal and questioning his ability to bring about change and actually serve as president.I guess it's all a matter of perception. While both stories talk about the men clashing with the woman, the Times makes it sound a whole lot more conspiratorial.
"Words are not action," she said, seeking to draw a distinction between the inspirational rhetoric that catapulted Obama into victory in the Iowa caucuses and what she said was her own long record of being an effective agent of change.
The debate came three days before a pivotal primary here, one that will set the course for the rest of the Democratic nomination battle. Obama's victory in Iowa put Clinton on the defensive and rattled her advisers, who know that a second loss on Tuesday could cripple her campaign. A pair of new polls showed the two front-runners even in New Hampshire, and one of them indicated that women are no longer breaking in favor of Clinton but are now divided between her and Obama.
In comparison with some past debates, Saturday's session produced a role reversal, with Clinton playing the scrappy underdog.
Obama repeatedly fired back at the senator from New York and found an aggressive ally in former senator John Edwards (N.C.), who portrayed Clinton as the "status quo" and himself and Obama as the two candidates promoting real change agendas, albeit with very different styles.
Which debate did you see?
----------------
Now playing: Depeche Mode - Only When I Lose Myself
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Romney Wins Wyoming Caucus
Mitt Romney has been declared the winner in today's Repub-only Wyoming caucus. Even Wyomicans don't care.
Who'll Stop the Rain?
The almost-weekly music quiz I was doing here is no more. I may bring it back sometime in the distant future, but it's on the shelf for now. I've decided instead to write about the soundtrack of my life, to highlight a song every now and then. I've already started.
My interest in music started when I wasn't much more than a toddler, even earlier than my interest in sports. I remember a little portable 45 record player and a stack of my mother's old records. There were about 200 of them -- original 45's of Elvis, Buddy Holly, and dozens of other old rock n' rollers from the 50's. I wore the grooves out on a lot of them.
Somewhere along the way, for a birthday or Christmas one year, I got a portable cassette player and a stack of about five or six cassettes. Even though I didn't pick them out, this was my first music collection. There was the Best of the Bee Gees (way, way before the Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees), an album by Tommy James and the Shondells, a Cream album (I wasn't ready for this yet; I was only about ten.), and Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I was too young to understand a lot that was going on in the 1960's; it was all filtered to me through my parents' perceptions. I think Cosmo's Factory was my first unfiltered taste. Every song on the album was great. Some, like "Who'll Stop the Rain," were special.
My interest in music started when I wasn't much more than a toddler, even earlier than my interest in sports. I remember a little portable 45 record player and a stack of my mother's old records. There were about 200 of them -- original 45's of Elvis, Buddy Holly, and dozens of other old rock n' rollers from the 50's. I wore the grooves out on a lot of them.
Somewhere along the way, for a birthday or Christmas one year, I got a portable cassette player and a stack of about five or six cassettes. Even though I didn't pick them out, this was my first music collection. There was the Best of the Bee Gees (way, way before the Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees), an album by Tommy James and the Shondells, a Cream album (I wasn't ready for this yet; I was only about ten.), and Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I was too young to understand a lot that was going on in the 1960's; it was all filtered to me through my parents' perceptions. I think Cosmo's Factory was my first unfiltered taste. Every song on the album was great. Some, like "Who'll Stop the Rain," were special.
Long as I remember
The rain been coming down.
Clouds of mystery pouring
Confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages,
Trying to find the sun;
And I wonder,
Still I wonder,
Who'll stop the rain.
I went down Virginia,
Seeking shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable,
I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals,
Wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder,
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain.
Heard the singers playing,
How we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together,
Trying to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pouring,
Falling on my ears.
And I wonder,
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Favorite Sites: Red State Update
I was watching the PBS show Pioneers of Television the other night. They were talking about The Andy Griffith Show and comparing it to shows that came later like The Beverly Hillbillies. Someone made the comment that Andy Griffith wanted people to laugh with him, not at him. I guess that's why I've always like The Andy Griffith Show more than The Beverly Hillbillies. I've always had a problem with TV shows and movies that portray Southerners as just a bunch of illiterate country bumpkins to be laughed at. Sure we have our share, but some of us can read and write and do occasionally wear shoes.
So I shouldn't like Red State Update. It's just a couple of rednecks from Murfreesboro, Tennessee talking about politics on YouTube. Jackie Broyles and Dunlap (aka, Travis Harmon and Jonathan Shockley) usually sit around a table littered with beer cans and other debris, with the U.S. and Tennessee flags in the background, and talk about whatever pops into their heads (it seems). It's a hilarious act and I know a couple of people just like that. If you got them together and got them started in on politics, it would sound just like this...
This is their latest video, their take on the results of the Iowa caucus.
WARNING: The above video is clean, but they do get carried away with language occasionally.
Last week, the Huckster, who is running low on money compared to Romney and some of the other Repubs, tried to get the news media to run his negative ad for free by trying to turn it into news. He called a press conference to announce that he had a negative ad that he had decided not to run "for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" He then proceeded to show the ad to "prove" that he had one, and even passed out DVD copies to the assembled press. They were laughing at him by the time the dog-and-pony show was over. In another video, the Red State Update boys make fun of this episode, but drop the F-bomb much more than normal in their own negative ads.
Here's more on Red State Update from the Nashville Scene. The cover story talks about their "big break:" a question on the Democratic YouTube debate.
----------------
Now playing: Beck - Loser
via FoxyTunes
So I shouldn't like Red State Update. It's just a couple of rednecks from Murfreesboro, Tennessee talking about politics on YouTube. Jackie Broyles and Dunlap (aka, Travis Harmon and Jonathan Shockley) usually sit around a table littered with beer cans and other debris, with the U.S. and Tennessee flags in the background, and talk about whatever pops into their heads (it seems). It's a hilarious act and I know a couple of people just like that. If you got them together and got them started in on politics, it would sound just like this...
This is their latest video, their take on the results of the Iowa caucus.
WARNING: The above video is clean, but they do get carried away with language occasionally.
Last week, the Huckster, who is running low on money compared to Romney and some of the other Repubs, tried to get the news media to run his negative ad for free by trying to turn it into news. He called a press conference to announce that he had a negative ad that he had decided not to run "for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" He then proceeded to show the ad to "prove" that he had one, and even passed out DVD copies to the assembled press. They were laughing at him by the time the dog-and-pony show was over. In another video, the Red State Update boys make fun of this episode, but drop the F-bomb much more than normal in their own negative ads.
Here's more on Red State Update from the Nashville Scene. The cover story talks about their "big break:" a question on the Democratic YouTube debate.
----------------
Now playing: Beck - Loser
via FoxyTunes
The Results From Iowa
The first speed bump on the Road to the White House has been crossed, the Iowa Caucus is over and done, and not much was accomplished. It picks up some speed from here on though, and we should know who the presidential nominees are by February 5, Super Duper Tuesday. On that date, both parties will hold primaries or caucuses in 19 states, three other states will hold Dem caucuses and one state will hold a Repub primary. The whole nominating process was accelerated by various states trying to move their primaries up, with Iowa and New Hampshire following suit to retain their "first in the nation" status. A couple of states have groused with the two parties over their moves.
Wyoming's Repub caucus takes place this Saturday, but the next major event on the calendar is the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, January 8. There used to be a couple of weeks between Iowa and New Hampshire. This year, it's just five days.
The big story in Iowa on the Dem side is the huge turnout ("huge" being a relative term), which benefited Obama. Edwards expended a lot of effort in the state to finish in second place ahead of Clinton. The final numbers are looking like Obama 38%, Edwards 30% and Clinton 29%. Edwards needs more money and more media attention to make this a three-person race. A good finish in New Hampshire would go a long way. Chris Dodd found support lacking in Iowa, and dropped out of the presidential contest almost as soon as results started coming in. Joe Biden soon followed suit. The other Dem candidates are barely holding on.
On the Repub side, Romney, the front-runner just a short time ago, was trampled in Iowa by Huckabee's "aw shucks" folksiness. The Huckster needs to ride the momentum to some more early victories, and also needs a fresh pile of cash to compete with Romney. Mitt, a venture capitalist/multi-millionaire, seems to be prepared to spend all of his personal fortune to win the presidency. Guiliani, who has been running a tutorial on how not to win the presidency, wasn't clicking too well with Iowans and quit campaigning in the state to concentrate on some of the later contests. He barely garnered any support at all (3.5%). The Repub numbers have Huckabee at 34% and Romney at 24%. Fred Thompson edged John McCain for third place.
I switched back and forth between CNN and MSNBC for coverage and saw quite a few of the candidates' speeches. "Change" seemed to be the general mantra. Romney had a hard time putting a good spin on his "silver medal."
There's been a lot of griping about Iowa and New Hampshire, two small, almost-lily white states, having such a prominent role in presidential politics. I've got no problem with it; they can have it. I think it's pretty good that the states are so small. A good percentage of the population can meet with the various candidates face-to-face and start the winnowing process, separating the serious candidates from those that are only fooling themselves. And the people of these tiny states are bombarded night and day with TV and radio ads, direct mail, and telephone calls from the various campaigns. I don't envy them that at all.
----------------
Now playing: Toad the Wet Sprocket - Whatever I Fear
via FoxyTunes
Wyoming's Repub caucus takes place this Saturday, but the next major event on the calendar is the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, January 8. There used to be a couple of weeks between Iowa and New Hampshire. This year, it's just five days.
The big story in Iowa on the Dem side is the huge turnout ("huge" being a relative term), which benefited Obama. Edwards expended a lot of effort in the state to finish in second place ahead of Clinton. The final numbers are looking like Obama 38%, Edwards 30% and Clinton 29%. Edwards needs more money and more media attention to make this a three-person race. A good finish in New Hampshire would go a long way. Chris Dodd found support lacking in Iowa, and dropped out of the presidential contest almost as soon as results started coming in. Joe Biden soon followed suit. The other Dem candidates are barely holding on.
On the Repub side, Romney, the front-runner just a short time ago, was trampled in Iowa by Huckabee's "aw shucks" folksiness. The Huckster needs to ride the momentum to some more early victories, and also needs a fresh pile of cash to compete with Romney. Mitt, a venture capitalist/multi-millionaire, seems to be prepared to spend all of his personal fortune to win the presidency. Guiliani, who has been running a tutorial on how not to win the presidency, wasn't clicking too well with Iowans and quit campaigning in the state to concentrate on some of the later contests. He barely garnered any support at all (3.5%). The Repub numbers have Huckabee at 34% and Romney at 24%. Fred Thompson edged John McCain for third place.
I switched back and forth between CNN and MSNBC for coverage and saw quite a few of the candidates' speeches. "Change" seemed to be the general mantra. Romney had a hard time putting a good spin on his "silver medal."
There's been a lot of griping about Iowa and New Hampshire, two small, almost-lily white states, having such a prominent role in presidential politics. I've got no problem with it; they can have it. I think it's pretty good that the states are so small. A good percentage of the population can meet with the various candidates face-to-face and start the winnowing process, separating the serious candidates from those that are only fooling themselves. And the people of these tiny states are bombarded night and day with TV and radio ads, direct mail, and telephone calls from the various campaigns. I don't envy them that at all.
----------------
Now playing: Toad the Wet Sprocket - Whatever I Fear
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Dead Man (Carry Me)
This is a pretty cool concept...
Dead Man (Carry Me) Mobile Mash Up-Jars of Clay
Posted Jan 30, 2007The following footage was shot entirely by fans during Jars of Clay's live performance of Dead Man (Carry Me), using their mobile phones at 3 west coast concerts in November 2006.
January 1, I've got a lot of things on my mind
I'm looking at my body through a new spy satellite
Try to lift a finger, but I don't think I can make the call
So tell me if I move, 'cause I don't feel anything at all
So carry me,
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat
Make me breathe,
I want to be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan
I woke up from a dream about an empty funeral
But it was better than the party full of people I don't really know
They've got hearts to break and burn
Dirty hands to feel the earth
There's something in my veins,
But I can't seem to make it work...won't work
So carry me,
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat
Make me breathe,
I want to be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan
Can you find a beat inside of me?
Any pulse?
Getting worse?
Any pulse?
Getting worse?
Inside of me, can you find a beat?
Carry me,
I'm just a dead man
Lying on the carpet
Can't find a heartbeat
Make me breathe,
I want to be a new man
Tired of the old one
Out with the old plan [2x]
The Iowa Caucus
Does anyone really understand the Iowa caucus? An article at Truthdig sort of explains the arcane process, but I'm not sure that I fully understand it. No one cared at all about the Iowa caucus until 1972 when someone came up with the idea of moving the caucus ahead of the New Hampshire primary, making it the first test in the process of picking a president.
It's primarily a public relations stunt, a way for Iowa to say look at me, pay attention to my problems. This year, the Iowa caucus is almost meaningless. Between it and the New Hampshire primary, we should begin to separate the wheat from the chaff, the contenders from the pretenders, but the media and the party establishments are already doing that.
The big questions that will be answered early on (in Iowa and New Hampshire) are: 1.) Can Edwards do well enough to insinuate himself into the media's Obama/Hillary dynamic?, and 2.) Which is stronger, Romney's money or Huckabee's God?
I'm hoping that Edwards can make it a three-way race. I like what I'm hearing of his populist rhetoric. So far, he's the candidate I'm leaning toward. In a more perfect world where he might be taken seriously, I might be tempted to cast a vote for Chris Dodd just for last month's Senate filibuster. Clinton and Obama seem too centrist for my taste, but I would vote for either of them in a second over any of the Repub candidates. Most of them, but especially the Huckster, scare me. Romney, I suspect, would say anything or change any position to get elected. I certainly wouldn't buy a used car from him. Meanwhile, Guiliani is busy running for president of 9/11.
Update: The NY Times The Board blog has more on the inner workings of the anachronistic Iowa caucus.
It's primarily a public relations stunt, a way for Iowa to say look at me, pay attention to my problems. This year, the Iowa caucus is almost meaningless. Between it and the New Hampshire primary, we should begin to separate the wheat from the chaff, the contenders from the pretenders, but the media and the party establishments are already doing that.
The big questions that will be answered early on (in Iowa and New Hampshire) are: 1.) Can Edwards do well enough to insinuate himself into the media's Obama/Hillary dynamic?, and 2.) Which is stronger, Romney's money or Huckabee's God?
I'm hoping that Edwards can make it a three-way race. I like what I'm hearing of his populist rhetoric. So far, he's the candidate I'm leaning toward. In a more perfect world where he might be taken seriously, I might be tempted to cast a vote for Chris Dodd just for last month's Senate filibuster. Clinton and Obama seem too centrist for my taste, but I would vote for either of them in a second over any of the Repub candidates. Most of them, but especially the Huckster, scare me. Romney, I suspect, would say anything or change any position to get elected. I certainly wouldn't buy a used car from him. Meanwhile, Guiliani is busy running for president of 9/11.
Update: The NY Times The Board blog has more on the inner workings of the anachronistic Iowa caucus.
Be It Resolved
"No matter how cynical I get, I just can't keep up." -- Lily Tomlin
Since I've started this blog, I haven't had too much to say about politics. I've been in a state of apathy or malaise. I still care about what's going on, but I just can't work up much outrage anymore. How do you sustain outrage when each day, it sometimes seems, brings some new horror? It's always something. It's like Reagan's "ketchup is a vegetable" times 365 days times seven years. At this point, I'm just marking time until January 20, 2009, when we can chase these rogues out of the White House and, hopefully, into oblivion.
How do you sustain outrage against a group, such as the Bush administration and their many apologists and enablists, that has such a sociopathic lack of values? Domestic surveillance, torture, the U.S. attorneys' scandal, signing statements, S-CHIP vetoes, secrecy, FEMA failures, cronyism, outing Valerie Plame, commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, Abu Gharab, the Downing Street Memo -- it just goes on and on until one scandal bleeds into another.
The only thing more outrageous than the scandals and disaster is the spin they use to try to justify it all. Just when you think they can't get any more brazen or hypocritical, they top themselves. It comes out of the White House Press Room and Faux News in a wave of talking points and obfuscations, and turns into news show after news show of repetition of the slogan of the day. The surge is working, we'll stand up when they stand down, weapons of mass destruction, bring it on, dead or alive, etc., etc. ad nauseum. It all becomes a big brain stew until you click off the TV in disgust or change it to "Dancing with the Stars."
Starting today, with the Iowa caucus, we begin the long process of choosing the person who, hopefully, will stop the bleeding, the next president. I've resolved to snap out of my lethargy and get more involved in the process, primarily by writing more about what's going on in my little blog. Stay tuned.
Since I've started this blog, I haven't had too much to say about politics. I've been in a state of apathy or malaise. I still care about what's going on, but I just can't work up much outrage anymore. How do you sustain outrage when each day, it sometimes seems, brings some new horror? It's always something. It's like Reagan's "ketchup is a vegetable" times 365 days times seven years. At this point, I'm just marking time until January 20, 2009, when we can chase these rogues out of the White House and, hopefully, into oblivion.
How do you sustain outrage against a group, such as the Bush administration and their many apologists and enablists, that has such a sociopathic lack of values? Domestic surveillance, torture, the U.S. attorneys' scandal, signing statements, S-CHIP vetoes, secrecy, FEMA failures, cronyism, outing Valerie Plame, commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, Abu Gharab, the Downing Street Memo -- it just goes on and on until one scandal bleeds into another.
The only thing more outrageous than the scandals and disaster is the spin they use to try to justify it all. Just when you think they can't get any more brazen or hypocritical, they top themselves. It comes out of the White House Press Room and Faux News in a wave of talking points and obfuscations, and turns into news show after news show of repetition of the slogan of the day. The surge is working, we'll stand up when they stand down, weapons of mass destruction, bring it on, dead or alive, etc., etc. ad nauseum. It all becomes a big brain stew until you click off the TV in disgust or change it to "Dancing with the Stars."
Starting today, with the Iowa caucus, we begin the long process of choosing the person who, hopefully, will stop the bleeding, the next president. I've resolved to snap out of my lethargy and get more involved in the process, primarily by writing more about what's going on in my little blog. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A Wintry Blast
It doesn't matter when they say winter is supposed to officially arrive, it's here now in full force. Last night, we saw our first snowfall of the season, flurries that left a light dusting that was gone by morning. Tonight, the low is supposed to be around 13. With the wind chill, that should feel like 8 degrees.
I guess things are tough all over. I wish this was a political map.
I guess things are tough all over. I wish this was a political map.
Cold Case
And this is for the questions that don't have any answers...
For the time bombs ticking and the heads that hang
All the gangs getting money and the heads that bang bang
Wild mustangs and porno flicks
All my homies in the county in cell block six
The grits when there ain't enough eggs to cook
And for D.B. Cooper and the money he took
You can look for answers but that ain't fun
Now get in the pit and try to love someone
-- Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
So now, more than 35 years after the fact, the FBI is still trying to solve the case of D. B. Cooper and the money he took? They don't give up, do they? They've just released a bunch of composite drawings and maps, hoping to jog someone's memory and get some new information on the case.
D. B. Cooper is a name from the distant past. In 1971, a man flying under the name Dan Cooper hijacked a plane flying between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. When the plane landed in Seattle, he exchanged the passengers aboard for $200,000 and four parachutes, then ordered the crew to fly to Mexico. Shortly thereafter, he jumped from the plane and was never seen again. The FBI now believes that he did not survive the jump, but still wants to find out who he was and close the case. During the initial investigation, the FBI questioned a man named D. B. Cooper and dismissed him as a suspect, but the name "D. B. Cooper," as a result of a miscommunication with the media, became the name associated with the unknown hijacker.
D. B. Cooper became something of a folk hero and has been immortalized in books, movies and songs (such as the one above.) In the Hollywood treatment of the saga, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, released in 1981, Treat Williams played the famous hijacker
.
For the time bombs ticking and the heads that hang
All the gangs getting money and the heads that bang bang
Wild mustangs and porno flicks
All my homies in the county in cell block six
The grits when there ain't enough eggs to cook
And for D.B. Cooper and the money he took
You can look for answers but that ain't fun
Now get in the pit and try to love someone
-- Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
So now, more than 35 years after the fact, the FBI is still trying to solve the case of D. B. Cooper and the money he took? They don't give up, do they? They've just released a bunch of composite drawings and maps, hoping to jog someone's memory and get some new information on the case.
D. B. Cooper is a name from the distant past. In 1971, a man flying under the name Dan Cooper hijacked a plane flying between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. When the plane landed in Seattle, he exchanged the passengers aboard for $200,000 and four parachutes, then ordered the crew to fly to Mexico. Shortly thereafter, he jumped from the plane and was never seen again. The FBI now believes that he did not survive the jump, but still wants to find out who he was and close the case. During the initial investigation, the FBI questioned a man named D. B. Cooper and dismissed him as a suspect, but the name "D. B. Cooper," as a result of a miscommunication with the media, became the name associated with the unknown hijacker.
D. B. Cooper became something of a folk hero and has been immortalized in books, movies and songs (such as the one above.) In the Hollywood treatment of the saga, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, released in 1981, Treat Williams played the famous hijacker
.
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