Do I Look Like Athena?

How depressing: All dressed up for a Toga Party and no place to go 

The Passion of the Gene

I was doing a little research today. I subscribe to The Daily Gospel, which gives you the daily Catholic readings. I saw in the first reading today (Acts of the Apostles 18,9-18) a
reference to Gallio, proconsul of Achaia. I decided I would find out more about this historical character. I found out his appointment was in the year 51 AD.

As a historian, I guess this is just a part of life-to check on historical accuracy. I finally got around to seeing the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ. I was a bit overwhelmed by the movie, but did find the punishment scenes to be very believable. I think that punishment and especially crucifixion recreations were probably pretty close to what happened. Of course this information has long been available for many years. Medical analysis of the crucifixion can be found on the web, too.

I liked the way the Passion portrayed Pilate, and the role of his wife. According to the New Advent Catholic Enclycopedia entry on Pilate, some believe he and his wife became Christians, and in some circles they are considered Saints. I think Gibson's movie was especially sympathetic to Pilate's position and I liked his guard's attitude toward Jesus. I found it believable that Pilate's closest guard would have seen Pilate's wife's concern and understood that Pilate did not consider execution a just punishment, so his attempts to protect Jesus from brutality were not off-character. I found that this more sympathetic view of Pilate originated in one of the Apocryphal Gospel, the Gospel of Nicodemus. I read it (it's pretty brief) and discovered much of the trial of Jesus, as it appears that the movie Passion of the Christ, was based upon the Nicodemus text.

If you're interested, check it out HERE

Do You Remember Where You Were When You Last Saw the King?

This is where I saw Elvis 

Check it Out!!!

Ok, This is probably wrong, but check out this blog.....an alter ego!

New Saints!

Pope John Paul II cannonized six new saints in May 2004.

1. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962), an Italian doctor who chose not to have an abortion that would have saved her life.

2. Josep Manyanet y Vives (1833-1901), a Catalan priest who founded two religious orders and was known as the “prophet of the family.”

3. Father Luigi Orione (1872-1940), Italian founder of Little Work of Divine Providence to assist the poor and disabled.

4. Father Annibale Maria Di Francia (1851-1927), Italian founder of Rogationist Fathers of the Heart of Jesus, and the Daughters of Divine Zeal.

5. Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini (1808-1858), a priest of the Lebanese Maronite Order

6. Paola Elisabetta Cerioli (1816-1865), an Italian widow and founder of two religious congregations for women dedicated to helping families.

The Liberal Controlled Media?

THANK GOODNESS!

 

I've been forced to listen to more and more conservative talk radio lately.  The talk radio stations in Houston have realigned their schedules to concentrate more conservative shows at the same drive time slot.  So, instead of listening to someone with some credibility and sense, like Sam Donaldson who I really liked, I now hear Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, or local prank-monkey Chris Baker.  Here's a puzzle for the right-wingers, Riddle Me This: If Liberals Control the Media, why are Conservative Talk-Shows the only ones on the radio?

 

I will admit sometime I think these guys have legitimate concerns and thoughts....after all a broken clock is correct twice a day....but for the most part they are parrots and limp-minded runny butts.  They all ape Rush Limbaugh, who is really the undisputed king of conservative talk radio.  I actually used to enjoy Rush, and despite the fact that he is full of bloviation  the sounds of his borborygmus rants sometimes cause me to laugh uproariously (a hazard when I am in traffic).  I actually think Rush is more entertaining and doesn't really take himself seriously...I sure don't.

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NOW! a new website published by former conservative mouthpiece David Brock and others, is a welcome relief from the verbal diarrhea free-flowing from their mouths.  Consider Media Matters for America, a watch-dog group that lists the libel, slander, and unsubstantiated vituperation from the right-wing.  Check out the site!

 

Back to Rush.  You know, I was looking over his list of drugs....of course he smokes cigars, and thus I feel a sort of brotherhood with the man and will not disparage him for this...Hydrocodone, Lorcet, and OxyContin, all of them narcotic analgesics that can affect the central nervous system causing lightheadedness and a false sense of well-being.  How seriously can you take a man who sat in a chair behind a microphone and criticized people like Ted Kennedy for his alcohol abuse, Bill Clinton for his sexual tomfoolery, and any number of other so-called liberals for any of their weaknesses?  I remember something once said by Jesus:

 

"Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

 

I found that in Matthew 7 of my bible, of course, it may not be in the Conservative Bible

 

Here's another cool word for the women

Ok, here's a new word for the women-folk to consider:

 

If I said, "My, you're looking callipygous today," you should reply, "Why, thank you."

 

The word callipygian comes from the Greek kallipygos, and means having shapely buttocks, so it is a compliment.  Of course, if you consider it came from the Greeks, it was something men usually said to one another.

 

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=callipygian

 

In a Tux?

I clean up real nice 

Wow! This Looks New!

Oh, yes, my friends! The fine folks at Blogger have redesigned their site, and extended this option to their users.....namely...me!

That's really fantastic, because for some time now Blogger has been under the iron thumb of Google and has been promising changes--improvements, if you will--but they have not been forthcoming.

UNTIL NOW, MY FRIENDS!

Now the layout has changed, apparently you can make silly comments, and send notes of love. Ain't it grand?

Rules for being a Republican

My good friend Page sent these to me. Of course, they are for humor only (that's to confuse my Republican friends):

1. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you are millionaire conservative radio jock, which makes it an "illness" and needs our prayers for your "recovery".

2. You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own.

3. You have to believe that the US should get out of the UN, and that our highest national priority is enforcing UN resolutions against Iraq.

4. You have to believe that government should stay out of people's lives but it needs to punish anyone caught having private sex with the "wrong" gender.

5. You have to believe that pollution is ok, so long as it makes a profit.

6. You have to believe in prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha.

7. "Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.

8. You have to believe that a woman cannot be trusted with decisions about her own body, but that large multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind with no regulation whatsoever.

9. You have to believe that you love Jesus and Jesus loves you, and that Jesus shares your hatred of AIDS victims, homosexuals, and Hillary Clinton.

10. You hate the ACLU for representing convicted felons, but they owed it to the country to bail out Oliver North.

11. You have to believe that the best way to encourage military morale is to praise the troops overseas while cutting their VA benefits.

12. You believe that group sex and drug use are degenerate sins that can only be purged by running for governor of California as a Republican.

13. You have to believe it is wise to keep condoms out of schools, because we all know if teenagers don't have condoms they won't have sex.

14. You have to believe that the best way to fight terrorism is to alienate our allies and then demand their cooperation and money.

15. You have to believe that government medicine is wrong and that HMO's and insurance companies only have your best interests at heart.

16. You have to believe that providing health care to all Iraqis is sound government policy but providing health care to all Americans is socialism personified.

17. You believe that tobacco's link to cancer and global warming are "junk science", but Creationism should be taught in schools.

18. You have to believe that waging war with no exit strategy was wrong in Vietnam but right in Iraq.

19. You have to believe that Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney was doing business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

20. You believe that government should restrict itself to just the powers named in the Constitution, which includes banning gay marriages and censoring the internet.

21. You have to believe that the public has a right to know about the adulterous affairs of Democrats, while those of Republicans are a "private matter".

22. You have to believe that the public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades but that Bush was right to censor those 28 pages from the Congressional 9/11 report because you just can't handle the truth.

23. You support state rights, which means Ashcroft telling states what locally passed voter initiatives he will allow them to have.

24. You have to believe that what Clinton did in the 1960's is of vital national interest but what Bush did decades later is "stale news" and "irrelevant".

25. You have to believe that trade with Cuba is wrong because it is communist, but trading with China and Vietnam is just dandy.

"You're Fired!"

The news today carried an interesting story. Billionaire Real Estate mogul Donald Trump wants to trademark the phrase he’s made famous on The Apprentice—“You’re Fired!” The Smoking Gun published the trademark application.

What would this mean if Trump’s application were successful? Theoretically, no one could use the term without license from Donald. I was fired back in July. My supervisor, who cried when he fired me, never said, “you’re fired.” But what if my next boss fires me and uses the words, “you’re fired?” Could I then turn him into Trump Properties so they could sue the company because they used the phrase without license? What will this mean for all the jobs that are being “outsourced?” You know this could be a good thing for the Bush administration. Perhaps it will help the economy. People will be able to keep their jobs without fear of hearing the words: “You’re fired!” That would be great for Bush. He’s fortunate that there are enough issues to obfuscate voters from realizing they’ll have to pay at least $3.00 to put enough gasoline into their cars to get to the polls to vote for him.

Forbes magazine says “The Donald” is worth 2 ½ billion. He told Wolf Blitzer he’s probably worth more. CNN also reports that 98% of Americans know who Trump is. With that wealth and name recognition, Trump may be on to something. I’m reminded of Lisa Beamer’s attempt to trademark the phrase “Let’s Roll” after the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. The phrase was one of the last statements her late husband, Todd Beamer. Beamer, who died when the United Airlines flight he was flying on was hijacked and crashed a Pennsylvania field, and other passengers attempted to retake the flight from the hijackers.

My friends Dan, Shawn, and I should have thought about trade marking the phrase, “HOWDY!” We used to say that in the mornings when we were all working as history teaching assistants in grad school. My office mate was a freak. A sexually harassing freak. One morning, we were all saying “HOWDY!” to one another, and my office mate shouted, “No more HOWDYs!” Of course, that simply encouraged us even more to say “HOWDY!” Boy, was he ticked off. And we were pleased. Until at the end of semester when we were informed that our contracts would not be renewed. At least they didn’t say, “You’re fired!”

An Old Look at the Death Penalty

This is a letter I wrote back in mid-May, 2002. I wrote the letter to the editor of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung about a article about an upcoming execution at Huntsville:

I hope reporter Erika E. Durham is satisfied. She was on the media list to witness the execution of Rodolfo B. Hernandez for the brutal murder of Victor Cervan, and I hope she attended. I remember hearing about the murder when it happened, and thinking how horrible it was for the victims. I had no sympathy for Mr. Hernandez when he was found guilty and sentenced to death for his crimes. I generally support the death penalty, although I am concerned with the slaps on the wrists we give those who turn state’s evidence and other deals the DA’s office makes in order to secure one conviction (for example, Hernandez’s brother-in-law only got four years for theft in the case).

What disturbs me recently, is the attitude of the New Braunfels Herald in regard to Hernandez’s execution. I get the general impression that your intrepid reporter was inconvenienced because the execution scheduled changed. I’ve been to death row, at the Polunksy Unit and to the death chamber in Huntsville recently, and I don’t understand her eagerness to witness a criminal’s execution. I see the death penalty as a last resort. Something reserved for those who have proven that they could no longer share in humanity. Durham’s attitude seems to be one of revenge.

I am especially outraged by the disregard she seemed to convey in her writing that Mr. Hernandez was diabetic. She wrote on April 22, 2002, “As a diabetic and the only man on death row in a wheelchair, Hernandez’s upkeep is far from average, with costly insulin shots required each day to keep the disease under control.” She then went on a litany of expenses that citizens spent on Hernandez and the money the San Antonio Police Dept. spent on visiting Hernandez to get information on other crimes. Information the SAPD deemed important. She even complained about the Last Meal, despite the fact that her source contradicted her concern stating, “There is really no money involved with the meal,” TDCJ spokesperson Larry Todd said. “As long as they request something that we have within the state system, they can have as much as they want.” Unbelievably, she even listed the amount it would cost to put him to death. Neither does she understand that the requested Last Meal is only a request, not a mandate.

Following Durham’s thinking, the Nazi’s had it right. When sick, handicapped, mentally ill, and other prisoners the Nazi’s deemed unfit came into prison camps they were allowed to die. No state money spent on on-going health care. The prisoner was condemned to death, why spend money on wheelchairs or insulin injections like Texas did for Mr. Hernandez.

Fortunately, I was pleased that the prosecuting DA in the case, William Schroeder, expressed concern over the way the death penalty was carried out. “We are so high on the idea of due process of law, which means fairness to everybody. If you’re going to put a man through this, then be fair to him, too.” Thank goodness the man who was responsible for seeing to it that Mr. Hernandez paid for his crimes understands the weight of the burden. It is shocking that the Herald can treat such a decision with such caustic flippancy, and hopefully it will assume half the responsibility it bears in promulgating such tabloid-style tripe that passes for journalism. The people who read the Herald deserve better.

Church at Crossroads?

George Weigel recently posted an Opinion piece to the Washington Post. Is the Catholic Church at a crossroads, he wonders? I would agree with Weigel, yes, the Church is at a Crossroads.

As I read the Weigle article, I perceive him asking the question “is the future of Europe more important than the social issues the Church faces?” As another posting to this list states, the Church is under much criticism. Whether it is traditional anti-Catholic bashing from our American media, or the ranting of neo-separatist, traditionalist Bishop Bernard Fellay, the Church today is under criticism. I think that Pope John Paul has opened up the Church to more people, and has initiated many ecumenical reforms that have tried to incorporate the teaching that Christians are of one body. John Paul’s efforts have revitalized the Church and made it possible for many to look anew at the Church as a welcoming home for many who left it previously, or who are searching for a religious home. When I toured the recent exhibit in Houston, “Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes,” I was struck by the design of St. Peter’s in Rome. In the architect’s drawings (I believe they were Michelangelo’s), the wings of the basilica’s courtyard were to by symbolic of two gigantic, outstretched, embracing arms. I think our present Pope, John Paul II, has done the same, opened the arms of the Church to greater numbers. I do not want to reduce the criticism to the circular logic that states when you’re doing something right people will be against you, but the empirical evidence shows that more people are coming to the Church, and that does pose a threat to many.

In Guy Coq’s article in the January 30, 2004, New York Times, “Scarves and Symbols,” he states, “More and more, European democracies are multireligious. They no longer have a base of common religious tradition. Instead, they are constructing social guidelines built around ethical, universal values like justice and liberty of conscience.” Compare that with new figures released by the Vatican that full Catholics made up 1.07 billion of the world's 6.2 billion population. That's 17.2%. And half of the Catholics are in the Americas compared to just over 26% in Europe. In fact, the Catholic population in the Americas constitute over 62 % of the population as opposed to only 40% in Europe.

The Church is at a crossroads much as it was after the Protestant Reformation. Catholicism is growing in the Americas while it is declining in Europe, a trend that began in 1531 when the vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared outside Mexico City; as millions joined the Church in the Americas, millions were leaving in Europe. I think that by looking at the numbers of declining Catholics in Europe, maybe Roberto Pazzi’s article in the January 11, 2004, edition of the New York Times, “Why the Next Pope Needs to Be Italian,” is a reaction to what is perceived, and rightly so, of a decline in European Catholicism.

Howard Dean's Rant

Dr. Howard Dean’s Iowa Caucus concession speech on MLK day 2004 has all the political pundits and late-night comedians talking, that I cannot help but write something about it.

Although you’ll never again see the speech in its entirety, you can read it off the The New York Times website, where you’ll find a transcription of the speech. After coming in third in Iowa, Dr. Dean addressed his campaigners:

DEAN: Well, you guys, you have already got the picture here. I was about to say, you know, I'm sure there are some disappointed people here. You know what? You know something? You know something? If you had told us one year ago that we were going to come in third in Iowa, we would have given anything for that. And you know something? You know something? Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York. And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. To take back the White House. Yeah.
(APPLAUSE)
We will not give up.
AUDIENCE: No.

Ok, so the NY Times transcription is a little sterile, but you’ve seen the video clip and know how much noise and excitement (and disappointment) there was in the hall. I saw the TV clips and wondered if Dean hadn’t been a bit too enthusiastic. But did his enthusiasm invite the constant media attention that it has received? I thought to myself, wow, he’s really fired up! Did I think he was crazy? Did I think, “hey, should this guy have his finger on the red button?” Not any more so than when I see George “Dubya” in his cowboy boots and hat trying to act like a Texan! Wait, I don’t think Bush should be president…bad example.

You know, in the old days, presidential candidates didn’t even campaign on their own behalf. It wasn’t considered “proper” for someone to make speeches for their own election. Not even George Washington went out and stumped for his presidency. Of course, everyone knew that he would be the President, but even Jefferson, Jackson and most other candidates did not campaign for presidency. That changed in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan, the “Boy Orator of the Platt” ran for president on both the Democratic and Populist ticket. He crisscrossed the country by rail, speaking and taking his message to people in large countries and the “boys at the forks in the road,” as rural areas were called.

Dean is no Bryan. But, the “I have a Scream” speech, as some are now calling it certainly has made the news, and not all good for dean. For example, on this weekend’s Chris Matthews Show, Chris, humorist Dave Matthews, political insider Joe Kline, and Campbell Brown asked each other “Is Dean Dead?”

On David Letterman’s Late Show, Dr. Dean made an appearance on the Top Ten List segment with the topic: Top Ten Ways I, Howard Dean, Can Turn Things Around:

10. "Switch to decaf"
9. "Unveil new slogan: 'Vote for Dean and get one dollar off you next purchase at Blimpie'"
8. "Marry Rachel on final episode of 'Friends'"
7. "Don't change a thing -- it's going great"
6. "Show a little more skin"
5. "Go on 'American Idol' and give 'em a taste of these pipes"
4. "Start working out and speaking with Austrian accent"
3. "I can't give specifics yet, but it involves Ted Danson"
2. "Fire the staffer who suggested we do this lousy Top Ten list instead of actually campaigning"
1. "Oh, I don't know -- maybe fewer crazy, redfaced rants"

If you support Dean and his level of energy, you can also get Howard Dean “Yarrrr!” t-shits available at CaféShops. There is also a thong, which I find quite interesting.

I’m not saying I’m for Dean, I don’t really know that much about him. I do know that Dr. Dean has been the five-time governor of Vermont, and although he is known as being somewhat cheap, he does come from a prominent New York family. He is not the “political unknown” that some in the media like to portray him.

What of the comparison between Dean and Bryan? Unfortunately for Bryan, he lost the election to William McKinley who held his campaign in the traditional way. He sat at home in what was called the Front Porch Campaign. He would entertain reporters’ questions while sitting on his porch in Canton, Ohio.

So much for political enthusiasm.

Big Cats Love Big Hair

The news of humans' strange, and often tragic, interactions with wild animals filled the news in the early part of October 2003. First, Las Vegas's famous Siegfried and Roy magic duo fell victim to an on-stage attack by one of their big Royal White Tigers. While Americans waited to hear on Roy's condition--whether he would survive or not--news came from New York of a man who kept a 400 pound tiger, and a large alligator in his apartment. Most recently, in the Alaskan wilderness, an air taxi pilot who was to bring them home found the remains of grizzly advocate Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Tredwell was co-author of Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska. They had been mauled to death by a bear. The two victims recorded their final moments with a video camera found by park rangers.

People love animals. We tend to humanize them and see them through our own eyes. Our movies and popular culture reflect this. Books describe the emotional live of animals, movies anthropomorphizing animals behavior, and people dress their pets in baseball caps, dresses, and Halloween costumes. All of this is basically harmless, both to humans and their companion pets.

I've always had cats. They are mostly loveable and warm and fuzzy. My wife loves dogs. When we first got together I had to struggle with the idea of dogs living in the house with us. When I grew up, a dog living in the house was forbidden. Dogs were dogs, and they lived outside. Period. I had just gotten a pet dog, a little blue heeler mix that I named Punkin. I thought I was being original, but found out that lots of people name their dogs Punkin, and that many fathers nickname their daughters Punkin. My dog Punkin also has a nickname, Pooters. Again, I thought it was an original name. I found that many fathers nickname their daughters Pooters. In fact, my brother-in-law nicknamed his newborn daughter both Punkin AND Pooters. My dog was very confused at Thanksgiving.

Now, we are told, by Siegfried that the tiger was really trying to "help" Roy. A woman with big hair, who apparently enjoyed the tiger's attention, Sigfried says, distracted the cat. I've seen some of these women. When I lived in Lubbock in the mid-to-late 1990s, there were many women with big hair. Many hung out at bars, winking at men who bought them drinks, and saying, "Hi, there, Tiger!" Maybe one of these women made her way to Las Vegas. The tiger, Siggy states, was simply carrying Roy, who fell during the incident--spectators reported that the tiger knocked him down--like a mother cat would carry her cub. REALLY? Most cats pick up little ones from the scruff of the neck, not the front. Siggy said the tiger was just trying "to protect his pal."

Roy cannot speak. If he could, maybe he would say something else. In any event, while animals are lovable and generally good, ignoring their power is a mistake that too often snaps us back to reality. Wild animals are really are wild.

My Toilet Brush With History

The Houston Chronicle reported the September 21, 2003, death of blues musician Tary Owens. A student of UT folklorest Americo Paredes, Owens recorded slave songs of Texas African American prison inmates. Casey Monahan, director of the Texas Music Office, noted that among Owens’ most important contributions was his work with the Grey Ghost, Roosevelt Thomas Williams.

While this is a wonderful contribution, I think my own work with the Grey Ghost is often overlooked.

The famous “toilet” interview with the Grey Ghost immediately comes to mind. During a concert by the “Ghost” at Austin’s Continental Club, Dave Bedrich, Dan Pacious, Shawn Fonville, Chuck Waite and myself were enjoying ourselves indulging in the fabulous showmanship and ivory-tickling talents of the Ghost, when I felt the need to excuse myself and find the men’s room.

As I made my way to the Continental Club’s gentlemen’s room I found the door unlocked. I entered only to find that the room wasn’t the roomy expanse I expected to find in a club of such high renown. Indeed, the term men’s room was doubtfully applied. For although it was a room, about 8x8, there was no indication it was restricted to men, other than the small urinal, and an open toilet.

Lo and behold, there--comfortably seated on the toilet, in front of God and man was Mr. Roosevelt Williams--the Grey Ghost himself!!!! It was one of my cherished brushes with history. Living history! We talked briefly, and I told him it was an honor to meet him. He complained about getting old. I flushed the urinal and left him alone on the throne.

Roosevelt T. Williams was born in Bastrop on December 7, 1903, and named in honor of President Teddy Roosevelt. He toured the Southwest in the 1920s, following the “Big Swing” cotton-picking route, playing when and where he could, and supporting himself in the cotton fields and gins. He earned the moniker “Grey Ghost” because he hopped trains from gig to gig. When people wondered how he seemed to get around without being seen, he reportedly said, “I'm just like a ghost. I come up out of the ground and then I go back in it.”

His song, “Hitler Blues,” became internationally famous, but the Ghost was a drifter and he didn’t settle down until when in 1965 he became an Austin school bus driver. Yet, he still played gigs. Only in his final years did the Ghost receive the fame and notoriety he deserved. The Grey Ghost gave his last public performance at the Continental Club on his 92nd birthday. He thanked the crowd saying, “You make me feel like I'm somebody.” Owens told the crowd, “You’ll never hear that kind of music again.”

The Grey Ghost died July 17, 1996. Tary Owens was right, an era passed. Now Owens is gone, too. Fortunately, thanks to Tary Owens, both men will be remembered for their contribution to Texas music, and Texas history.

If you'd like more information, click here for a story from the Austin Chronicle on the life of Roosevelt T. Williams, aka The Grey Ghost.

For the obit on Tary Owens from the Houston Chronicle, click here.

My Mother's Art

My mother is an artist. I've always known that at some level, yet I was reminded of it again a few weeks ago. I found some photos she took back in the 60s. Granted, they were photos of me as a small child, so there is of course some bias. It's not the subject, but the way the photos turned out that impressed me. I've been studying photography for a while, and for the past year have been trying to master the skill.

Photography has always been an interest for me. I used to get the Kodak catalog from Sears as a child and read, dreaming of the day when I would have enough money to buy an enlarger and develop my own prints. Now with one hour development, that's all in the past. I'll just concentrate on capturing the image, playing with light and exposure to frame just the right image.

I just looked at those photos and saw the results of someone with an eye for a photo that I wish I had. Mom has always been a shutterbug, but using a instamatic or some other point-and-shoot device that she could whip out in a moment's notice. She always had a camera in her hand, asking us to stop and smile so she could take a photo. She's endured many groans and complaints, smiling, just so she could save a snapshot and place it in the drawer in a dresser long over-filled with memories on Kodak paper.

Besides her amateur photography she loves to plant, her home surrounded by pots and planters filled with enough plants to rival any plant house. Her greatest talent was wrapping gifts. A skill she learned back in the 40s and 50s at a small gift shop in her hometown as a young girl, she can create flowers out of ribbon and the finished gifts look like wedding cakes with flowers and ribbons.

Now, in her seventies, her once thin and nimble fingers are showing signs of arthritis, and the subjects in her photographs have their heads missing, she still loves plants and flowers. Never wealthy, nor a member of the country club set, my mother is as much an artist as her limited resources would allow. With the limited time she had raising children, and working ironing clothes for neighbors, she still is rich in creativity and imagination.

Learn the Words, Ozzy!

Poor Ozzy Osbourne. Although his wife, Sharon, is recovering from the colon cancer, other calamities have befallen our wobbly rocker.

Jack, his son entered rehab, his tour manager died of cancer, and he's missed some scheduled concerts due to an undisclosed illness.

Now, he's forgotten the words to an American classic. I'm not talking about Crazy Train, Gets Me Through, or Mama, I'm Coming Home. No, friend, I'm talking Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Wait, you say, that's not on any of his albums, nor is it in his regular line-up. Give him a break!

Ok, fair enough, but Ozzzy failed this at a public performance at Chicago's Wrigley Field on August 17th! It apparently has some Cubs fans screaming, and I don't think they were showing the OZ man "devil heads" with their hand gestures, either. One letter to the editor called the performance "inexcusably despicable." Another said it was an insult to the "Cubs organization and major league baseball." Even more so than Sammy Sosa's cork-infested bat?

Speaking of which, we went to the Astro's game to watch the home team take on the Cubs. We got great seats, the best we've ever had. We were on the first level, there was food right behind us and we were about 40 feet from right fielder Sosa when the Cubs took the field.

What a blast! We spent the entire evening heckling Sosa, shouting "Saaaaaammmmmy!" Some called him "Corkey." Mari would shout "Dive, Sammy, Dive" every time a ball was hit to the outfield, anywhere in the outfield.

That's what I like about baseball. I mean you have to give Sammy Sosa credit for his homerun record, and man does that guy hustle! Yet, every time he came out in our area he was subject to unmerciful heckling. Baseball is a great equalizer!

I like Ozzy, too. But cannot defend his performance this time. As I mentioned before, when I saw Ozzfest this year, I did think some of his songs were poorly performed. I do cut him a lot of slack, because it's amazing that he can even roust himself up to do a performance. But, to butcher a song in a performance that people are really looking forward to seeing, really ruins an evening for people.

If you want to read the story, check it out on the Chicago Tribune webpage, or click on this link.
Here's the account, according to the Trib:

Chip Caray: "All right, Chicago. Here comes Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne."

Ozzy: "All right, Chicago. I want to hear a real crazy crowd start singing. Are you ready? Are you ready? I can't hear you. Are you ready?

"One. Two. Three.

"Let's go out to the ballgame. Let's go out to the bluhhhhhn.

"Take me a ee-yan eeya (humming) the field.

"I don't care if I ahh-uhn ack.

"Da da da da duh da da da eam. Duh ee, da da da da dahhh.

"For a fee, two, three strikes you're out at the old ballgame. Yeahhhhhh."

Sharon: "Now let's get some runs."

Ozzy: "Yeah. Let's get some runs."

Great Ozzy. Sounds like someone already had the runs!

Is George Bush Too Texan?

So, I'm sitting here, it's about 4 am Monday morning and I'm grading papers.

CNN is running a story about western forest fires. One of the problems, it seems, is that old Smokey Bear was wrong. That kind of makes me sad, because I love Smokey Bear. In fact, he's even got his own website. I mean, come on! He's been around 50 years! A bear that old must be doing something right!

Well, the problem, it seems with forest fires is that we HAVE been preventing fires, and that is just plain unnatural. Here's why: Too much understory. I don't like that term. It means what I used to call underbrush, as an English student, understory sounds like some subliminal text in a narrative. Anyway, it is kindling whatever you call it. Of course, this is very flammable, and without natural fires, which used to occur before Smokey went to work, the understory was limited. Now, we have become too successful with wildfire control, and the flammable mess accumulates and leads to hotter fires. Like polio, our success in preventing unwanted dangers has actually made us more susceptible to disasters.

Well, back to the main point about Bush. CNN showed a clip of him telling reporters about the problems of understory, and why it is actually better for the forests for us to chop them down. Remember, Ronnie Reagan said that those damn trees caused pollution. In his defense, Bush is correct on this one. Thinning would help solve the problem, somewhat.

So, there is Shrub, speaking off the cuff as he often does, and I was thinking, "He’s more redneck than Lyndon Johnson!" If you know anything about LBJ, he did his best to try to conceal his Texas drawl. He spoke slowly and measured on TV so he wouldn’t sound too “country.” Kennedy’s “best and brightest” called LBJ, “Uncle Cornpone.” They were Bright, but not above regional biases. Since LBJ was from backwoods Texas, he wasn’t supposed to be as sophisticated as the Harvard boys in JFK’s cabinet. Although he resented them and their attitude, he did his best to overcome his dialect.

Not Bush. In fact, he seems to think that his down-home Texan charm makes him more identifiable to the people. Maybe so. I think he comes across as too relaxed, and unprepared. He doesn’t think best on his feet, yet that’s the impression he conveys.

Then again, maybe it’s just because I like LBJ, and don’t feel the same way about Bush.

Ups and (More Importantly) the Downs of Interviews

Ok, I'm typing this with mixed emotions, and it may all change in a couple of days.

Here goes. Went for the intervew Tuesday. They said they would notify Wednesday. The phone didn't ring. Not even bill collectors (the bane of the unemployed). NO CALLS PERIOD!!!

Depression set in....."Maybe they'll call tomorrow, Thursday," I said to myself.

The phone didn't ring. Not even bill collectors.

More depression....."Maybe they'll call tomorrow, Friday," I said to myself.

The phone didn't ring. Not even bill collectors.

Are you getting the picture. I practiced wrapping a noose, but I've never been good at tying knots. I tried turning on the motor of the car in the garage, but was out of gas. Weeping...Weeping.

Saturday I had to go to an adjunct meeting for the Fall Semester at CyFair. They needed an adjunct representative on the curriculum planning committee. Mari suggested that I should do that, but I was busy sulking.

I finally perked-up when I found out they want anyone with any ideas about offering a class on service-teaching to come forward. I’ve got a couple of fantastic (I think) ideas. One is to do an oral history project with Vets. There is a national program going on and that would fulfill a service-teaching requirement. The second idea I have is for colleges to work with local museums on a limited budget to plan educational material, graphic design, and exhibit planning. PUBLIC HISTORY, my friend, PUBLIC HISTORY.

Then, my real objective was to talk to Susan Edwards, our history chair at CyFair. She used to be the chair at HCC. She was very encouraging, saying that just because they didn’t call doesn’t mean anything since they are notoriously slow. And it’s her old job they’re trying to fill. And she’s been gone for over a year. She also suggested I contact the secretary, and mention that she told me to call.

So there is still hope. At least I’ll make it through the weekend. Next week I must contact Texas Southern. I believe I will be able to teach a few courses there, hopefully Texas history!

I’ll keep you posted.