"Thank you for writing." - Joseph Heller
"America needs your continued leadership, courage and passion." - Gary Hart
An occasionally thoughtful, often warped, sometimes poet. A chapbook of such poetry can be found here.
This applies only to my commentary. Any quoted work of other authors are not included in this license unless directly specified.
Thanks to Kristen for the link to the Illustration Maker website.
It’s not perfect. There was only one choice for a full beard, and only one choice for a not-completely bald head. (Some would say I’m in denial)
I was very pleased I could choose Paris’ Arc de Triumphe as a background.
Slaughterhouse Five has been sitting on my bookshelf for awhile. I have the 25th Anniversary edition, with a ‘new’ prologue by Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse Five was originally published in the same year I was born, so I can easily do the math. I know how long it has been since I was 25. An entire decade has passed.
The book club I recently joined is reading it for June. So I started reading it last night. I read Vonnegut’s prologue (possibly a mistake since it may have spoiled some things for me.), and Chapter One.
All I can do is kick myself for waiting so long.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has sued the makers of a bobblehead doll for using his image and likeness.
Entertainment celebrities do have a lot of control over their image and likeness. But political figures don’t — when it comes to satire and parody. Even if money is involved.
The case apparently will hinge on whether the doll was a political parody, or a parody of an actor. The doll is dressed in a business suit - which suggests a political figure. But it is toting a machine gun. Which isn’t somthing Schwarzenegger does often in his day-to-day activities as Governor of California.
The Producer of all the Harry Potter films, David Heyman, believes the child actors portraying the three main roles will probably have to be replaced in the fifth or sixth movies since they aren’t getting new movies out every year, and the kids will outgrow the characters.
However, the new director, Alfonso Cuaron, believes they can go the distance.
Unless JK Rowling is delayed in writing #6 and #7 I tend to agree with Cuaron. As long as they can keep to a year-and-a-half pace (Which they have done for 2 and 3), the kids won’t age too quickly. Even if there is a growth spurt, all teenagers go through growth spurts at different ages.
Currently the actors have aged 1 year extra than the characters. At a year and a half pace, they will have aged only 3 years extra. A 20 year old can play a 17 year old. (TV shows do it all the time)
IF there is a growth spurt that is just too unacceptable…use CG animation to shrink them. ALA the hobbits in LotR. Don’t try to tell me the movies won’t make enough money to justify it.
Christy on her blog links to an article by a mystery writer who says she fears “losing her most important sense -sight”.
The writer feels this is the most important sense since, blind, she’d be unable to write or read.
I believe this will be fascinating news to the millions of blind people who are able to do both quite well, thank you. Perhaps Colleen McCullough feels she’s to old to learn braille, but there are Books on Tape, and as she admits — she can always dictate a novel.
This led me to ask myself — what do I feel is the most important sense? Which sense do I think I couldn’t live without?
Both sight and hearing would be difficult, but I think I could adapt. Eating is one of my greatest pleasures, and I would find it a lot less enjoyable without taste or smell. (Experts say smell is actually a lot more important than taste in this regard.) But I think losing my sense of touch would emotionally be the most painful of all.
David has finished his first bath in 130 years just in time for his 500th birthday. (And a real nice photograph too. Might use it in my Make Louvre comics if David returns.)
Apparently Madonna, Britney, and Winona Ryder aren’t just delving into Kaballah, but are also keeping kosher.
(or at least eating only kosher food — which isn’t exactly the same thing.)
It of course raises the question — how many commandments does it take to follow before one becomes “Common Law” Jewish”? (None. You are either born of Jewish parents, or convert. The Hollywoodites call themselves Kabballists if anything — I haven’t heard any of them refer to themselves as Jewish. But the line is blurring.)
Maybe Britney keeping kosher might encourage some Reform Jews to try it. (But it’s not having that effect on me…so, maybe not.)
[of course — Britney’s concept that eating kosher will help her lose weight is kind of funny. Hopefully she will not be ordering too much chopped liver, corned beef, and blintzes from her local deli, or she may have difficulty in dropping those pounds.)
Zagat, one of the biggest names in travel guides, has decided to compose a list of Family Attractions in the US.
The #1 Family Attraction with the most “Child Appeal” is not in Los Angeles California, or Orlando, Florida. It’s in Kirkwood, Missouri. Yes, The Magic House.
The St. Louis Zoo ranked #1 for animal parks across the country, and #4 overall, and Grants Farm ranked #7 overall. (Disney’s park in Orlando did get #1 overall, but Disneyland in Los Angeles came in at #5, right behind the St. Louis Zoo)
Zagat Survey, which worked with Parenting magazine on this project, employed the same research techniques for “U.S. Family Travel Guide” it uses for its popular restaurant guides. About 11,000 travelers, mostly parents, judged 1,000 family attractions on their child appeal, adult appeal, public facilities and service. Each of these four elements was ranked on a scale from 0 (poor) to 30 (perfection). Editors then strung together blurbs from various reviews for Zagat’s trademark descriptions. For instance, the guide’s entry on Grant’s Farm reads, “For a ‘relaxing, pastoral’ ‘getaway,’ try this ’super family value.’ ”
Top-rated by child appeal
1. Magic House
2. Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.
3. Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Fla.
4. Paramount’s Kings Island, Cincinnati
5. Toys “R” Us, New York
6. Sesame Place, Langhorne, Pa.
7. Children’s Museum, Boston
8. Hersheypark, Hershey, Pa.
9. Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia
10. Bronx Zoo, New York
The Zagat Press Release Witht he top 10 “Most Popular”, “Child Appeal”, “Adult Appeal”. and “Overall”.
I bet the families surveyed also liked the fact that admission to The Zoo, and Grants Farm is free. And The Magic House only costs $6.50.
If anyone was wondering what was going on in The Great Animal Rebellion…
Apparently, it continues.
In Memory of Douglas Adams
Towel Day - May 25th
A tribute to Douglas Adams 1952 - 2001
You sass that hoopy Douglas Adams? Now there’s a frood who knew where his towel was. You are invited to join your fellow hitchhikers in mourning the loss of the late great one. Join in on towel day to show your appreciation for the humor and insight that Douglas Adams brought to all our lives.
What do I do?
Carry your towel with you throughout the day to show your participation and mourning.
When do I do it?
May 25th, 2004
Where do I do it?
Everywhere.
Why a towel?
To quote from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:
A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine soredly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you - daft as a brush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have “lost”. What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
I am seeking recommendations of well-written Young-Adult novels. (novels targeted to the high school aged individual). Science Fiction/Fantasy in particular, but not requried.
I am about to start reading Allende’s City of the Beast,
I have read Hiassen’s Hoot, and all of Rowling.
I’ve even read Judith OBrien’s Mary Jane (Peter Parker’s girlfriend) - though I wouldn’t call that good writing.
I am attempting to write some YA fiction myself, and have been intentionally immersing myself in the literature.
To mark Shavuot (which is on Tues. May 25) Dennis Prager writes on the merits of seeking converts.
The paragraph on how non-Jews resent Jews not proselytizing was, as Prager expected it would be, surprising. Like many, I have always looked at it as a good thing. We resent others trying to convert us, so we assume they would feel the same if we did so. And why seek converts? We don’t feel you have to be Jewish to reach heaven (non-Jews only need to follow the laws given to Noah). Our lack of proselytizing has nothing to do with a feeling of superiority or purity, but I guess it is possible some might view it that way. (Especially with the unfortunate dual possible meaning of ‘chosen’).
Could any committed Jew argue that if there were millions more people living Judaism, the world would not be a better place?
Imagine a world in which 100 million Jews were trying to lead lives in accordance with Jewish values. Imagine a world that set aside its preoccupation with money one day each week. Imagine a society in which tens of millions of its members really believed that gossiping was wrong, where a sex ethic lying between hedonism and sexual repression became the norm, where people consulted Jewish laws before entering business deals. Imagine a world that read the Torah weekly; that studied biblical and other Jewish texts a few hours each week during office hours.
However, Prager does put an interesting provision on his essay that I wonder might contradict his assetion on resentment.
He suggests Jews only try to convert non-Jews who aren’t already practicing a form of ethical monotheism. That is — there’s no need to convert Christianity (if we accept their premise that 3=1). And we don’t need to convert non-terrorist Islam. (Islam is as much a religion of peace as Chirstianity and Judaism — there are just some practitioners who torture and twist their scripture to their own ends.) It’s the pagans we should be addressing.
This might raise the sympathies of Christians and Muslims, but do Pagans really resent us not proselytizing? Or will they now be disturbed that they’re getting it from an additional direction?
Of course, this betrays my views. The seven Noahide laws do include monotheism. So according to traditional Judaism, Pagans aren’t going to be around at The End of Days. So we ought to have the same motivation as Christianity does to seek their conversion. My belief that monotheism is the one Noahide law that isn’t necessary for ’salvation’ is heretical.
Here is how I would write the 7 Noahide Laws:
1. Not to deny God(s).
2. Not to blaspheme God(s).
3. Not to murder.
4. Not to engage in incestuous, adulterous, or bestial relationships.
5. Not to steal.
6. Not to eat a limb torn from a living animal.
7. To set up courts to ensure obedience to the other six laws.
In addition to adding the (s)s, I deleted a word from #4 #7 is not meant for the individual, but is required for “Righteous Nations”.
A new dinosaur has been discovered.
The dinosaur will be named a Britnyspearous. (Well, actually no. But a new dinosaur has been discovered.)
Proud of my former HS. (At least the students)
I was in Jr. High when Voluntary Deseg began. The one issue the students interviewed in the article, and others in related stories, haven’t mentioned much is, at least as I understand it, that the money recvd from the state for the deseg students don’t only go towards the deseg students.
It goes to purchase books, and pay for programs all students use. The state might be cutting back on the money it provides, but the money will still provide services for all students. Cutting deseg doesn’t necessarily mean more money for everyone else. But even if it did, as Dr. Puhr (an Excellent English teacher I remember quite well) points out - diversity itelf provides an education a homogenized district cannot.
And as the students visually pointed out in their protest — Clayton would be as homogenous as it was prior to the 1980s once again without deseg.
The comment by the board member in the article was horrible. “Perhaps a more homogenous district would be easier to teach.” I guess he apologized for the phrasing because he was unable to apologize for the thought.
Ignorant people, like this letter writer will often say, “The ACLU says that it will defend religion against government abuse, but I haven’t heard it has done so in all its years of litigations.” (letter dated May 13, 2004)
Here’s a May 12th article from the Detroit Free Press, with the header: “ACLU gets Bible verse back in local yearbook”. A student submitted a bible verse to the yearbook for “student qutoes”, the school refused it, and the ACLU took the school to court. (And won)
In their defense against Eminem’s lawsuit, Apple says “no viewer would have thought the use of the song would have implied Eminem endosed the iPod or iTunes. ”
The ad had a child singing “Lose Yourself”, and Eminem says he never gave permission.
As an intelligent viewer who understands how copyright law works, whenever I hear a song in a commercial, I assume the company had to pay the owner of the song money to use it. That said, normally its the artist performing the song — and not a 10 year old child covering it. But I would still have assumed Eminem had given his permission.
Note: I own an IMac and an IBook, and I am a faithful, loyal Apple customer. I just don’t think this legal argument will hold water.
I should probably not comment on this, not being Catholic, but, too late…
For the last several days throughout the Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, the issue that has dominated conversations is a pastoral letter by Bishop Michael J. Sheridan that was published May 5. In the letter, Bishop Sheridan said Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who support abortion rights, stem-cell research, euthanasia or same-sex marriage.
Of course, absent from the list of people who will not receive communion, are those who vote for politicians that support the Death Penalty.
As far as I am aware, Catholic Church Doctrine is as much against the Death Penalty as it is against abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, or same-sex marriage.
But apparently in the US, at least according to some Bishops, it’s alright to disagree with Church Doctrine on that one issue, but not on all the others.
Yes, I could probably have come up with a less offensive title for this post.
Former SD congressman Janklow released from prison after serving 100 days. He was found guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter, and reckless driving.
One person interviewed in the article complained, they had spent 8 months in prison for a DUI. (Approximately 240 days).
Chocolate currently contains phenylethylamine - the same chemical the body releases while having sex. This is why some people consider chocolate orgasmic — chemically, it is. One expert suggests within the next five years, chocolate will be produced with significantly higher amounts of phenylethylamine.
One wonders if there will be an age-restriction on who can purchase the chocolate…
More on the chemical effects of chocolate (from the BBC)
Care to have a taste of Buddha snot?
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yogi Bear arrested
and the best news story of the bunch:
Paul McCartney rents space to practice in. Residents nearby complain about the noise.
I love the quote from the resident: “Even my cat was disturbed.”
I have a writing colleague who wishes to get arrested, and put in jail, so she has more time to write. (Working the hours she works — without going to jail, writing that novel is just going to take her that much longer.)
However, she wants to commit a victimless crime. No one can get hurt.
Her inspiration is a nun who was jailed for protesting the School for the Americas. (The court records may actually state something like trespassing on federal property…since the courts can’t really imprison you just for protesting.) However, the time she protested the School for the Americas she wasn’t nearly as lucky as the nun. A news story about two other nuns similarly imprisoned.
Several in our writer’s group have suggested group polygamy — so we could all go to jail together. She’s considering it.
I directed her to a news story where a man in California was put in jail for 44 days because he brought a video camera into a movie theater. (Not for actually distributing the pirated movie…but for the act of recording it…which theoretically if you have no intent of distribution is victimless) This interested her, but she felt the cost of the video camera was prohibitive.
Does anyone have any other ideas?
Does anybody know any good software programs that can process raw access logs and retrieve and display just the search strings that delivered people to the site?
My hosting provider does provide Statistical Monthly Summaries with the top 20 per month, but that does leave out some of the more unique search strings. (Yes, the ones below are all in the top 20 in recent months)
I have the raw access logs, but they are tedious to go through manually.
Thanks
I’m not sure my referrer logs are as poetic as Christy’s, but I thought I’d give it a try. I will steal her title:
There’s a poem in my referrer logs
Drew Barrymore naked
Political poetry
Having sex
Nazi swastika
1972 supreme court death penalty cruel and unusual
bill christman
execution of loux xvi
sex and porn
banned pokemon card
chief joseph 1879
confessional school authors
drew barrymore sex
Victor Hugo
Pink Sisters
Prince Harry
Tardis
Mel Gibson religion
John Kerry religion
Cure for mad cow disease
Poem about snow
Pictures of People Having Sex
Drew Barrymore having sex
Drew Barrymore topless
ChildrenÃs Rhymes
I have spent the past year writing a novel. I recently wrote the last chapter. (First Draft) A total of 105,000 words. Theoretically, it’s the first novel in a series. Will it ever be published? Will anybody outside my family, friends and writer’s group ever read it?
In the words of the owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial: “The world may never know.”
On a scale of 1 to 5 barricades, 5 barricades to Margaret Cho, on her Marriage Equality Resource Site, for using Victor Hugo’s 2nd most quoted quote in such a prominent position.
There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come
I also support the purpose behind the website 100%, and agree the quote is definitely appropriate.
Hugo’s most quoted quote, as I’ve mentioned before, is “Violets are Blue, Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I love my love” — though there’s a tendency to invert phrases, and a miserable lack of attribution.
It’s always gratifying to put the title of a work of fiction you wrote into Google, and discover that out of all possible websites, your story appears at the top of the list.
When you hear someone talk about this morning’s Washinton Post article where it mentions a US soldier with an AK47 dragging an Iraqi out of a barbershop….and insist that our soldiers aren’t issued AK-47s so this has to be a Liberal Lie….
Direct them here.
Excerpts from Sen. Inhofe’s statements this morning and from the above articles can be found on Tom Tomorrow’s blog
Austrians are losing interest in Arnie
When Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California, Austrians were excited for their native son. However, his support of the Death Penalty, and a recent public comment attacking Austria’s WWII past, has cause many in the country to start referring to him as an “Ex-Austrian”.
After almost 50 years The case of Emmett Till’s murder is being re-opened.
Emmett was the 14 year old black boy who was killed for whistling at a white woman — said by some to be the spark for the Civil Rights movement. (Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus 100 days later)
The two white men acquitted of the murder have since died, but some believe others (some of whom are still alive) may have been involved.
Australian grandfather buys lottery ticket before leaving for a trip. Confused he purchased the wrong ticket, he asks a friend to buy another ticket for him with same numbers. When he returns home, unsure his friend purchased the right ticket, he buys a third.
Due to his forgetfulnes, he won 200,000 pounds instead of 74,000.
Of course, I won absolutely nothing in the recent Powerball. (But mostly because I didn’t buy a ticket.)
I saw Van Helsing last night. Despite all the reviews that had panned it, I had already purchased a ticket to see it with friends. It wasn’t that bad (though I might have my lowered expectations to thank for that.). Some of the campiness and humor was definitely intended. And there were a few spots in the movie where I jumped in my seat…which is a rarity in horror films for me.
But to the subject title of this entry. I know it was a small role — but I should have recognized the actor who played the Cardinal before I saw his name in the credits. Maybe not by sight, but definitely by his voice. I’ve listened to him sing Master of the House on the Original London Cast Recording of Les Miserables, and on the Tenth Anniversary Concert version hundreds of times. Alun Armstrong. He has one of the few moments of comic relief in the entire musical.
Server issues. I haven’t posted for the past several days due to server issues. Everything seems to be working again.
Even Better News: Ananova is reporting news again on Prince William, Prince Harry, and the rest of the Royal Family. (Nowhere do they explain the 1-2 month gap in the reporting, but that doesn’t concern me.)
For those interested…If you follow the link below, you can find a news story that shows the Prince in a pair of Speedos. The article suggests British men in general don’t look good in Speedos. I wonder what they could possibly mean by that…
According to the editor of GQ magazine: “Brazilian and Italian men can get away with this look, but that’s only because they are Brazilian and Italian.”
