A Visual Meditation on the Cost of War

An exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq war will be on display at the Medford Friends Meeting House for four days beginning Thursday.

More than 70 pairs of combat boots, each marked with the name of a fallen New Jersey soldier, will be on display during Eyes Wide Open, an exhibit coordinated by the Philadelphia-based American Friends Service Committee.

The committee created the exhibit in 2004 in Chicago after the Iraq war had claimed the lives of 500 U.S. soldiers.

Eyes Wide Open used to be a traveling exhibit, but due to the growing number of U.S. casualties, it has become too large to tour the country, said Iris Bieri, a project coordinator for the committee.

Instead, the committee has split the memorial into 50 state exhibits in order to take Eyes Wide Open to small communities in each state.

The Medford exhibit will be open to the public on the meeting house grounds at 14 Union St. from 6 to 9 p.m. July 3; 12 to 4 p.m. July 4; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 5; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 6.

“This honors the men and women who gave their lives, and it illustrates to people the cost of war,” said George Rubin, a member of the Medford Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

Rubin, a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war, said the memorial “reminds people that there is a war going on, and it gives them a chance to think and reflect on it.”

Bieri said the boots that will be on display are only representative of the soldiers who died, but one pair actually were worn by a soldier.

Some of the boots will be situated next to pictures of soldiers and other items donated by the soldiers' family, Bieri said.

Via: Burlington County Times, June 30, 2008

Hulu Keeps Getting Awsomer!

Hulu.com just keeps getting awsomer! (I KNOW it's not a word, just let me have this one, M'kay?)

I just found out that they've added Hill Street Blues!! I loved that show! For you young'uns, HSB was:

Before "NYPD Blue" and "The Shield" came "Hill Street Blues," the series that revolutionized the TV cop show by giving television viewers a realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station. Earning 98 Emmy nominations over its seven-year run, "Hill Street Blues" was one of the most innovative and critically acclaimed shows of the 1980s.

Some of my favorite shows I've found there:

Alf, A-Team, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Babylon 5, Barney Miller, Burn Notice, Chicago Hope, The Daily Show (uploaded the next day), The Dick Van Dyke Show, Emergency, Family Guy, Firefly, Heart To Heart, House, The Incredible Hulk (Bill Bixby version), Kitchen Nightmares, Kojak, Lost in Space, Lou Grant, Married With Children, McHales Navy, Mimi Vice, Monk, News Radio (Phil Hartman!!), Night Gallery, Nip/Tuck, The Office, The Outer Limits, Partridge Family, The Pretender, Remington Steele, The Riches, The Rockford Files, S.W.A.T., St. Elsewhere, TJ Hooker (OK, not a good show, but have to include the Shat!), Top Chef, The Time Tunnel (this show will blow you away!!), Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Welcome Back Kotter, What's Happening, W.K.R.P in Cincinnati ("As God is my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly!?!)

I've only watched Burn Notice and Time Tunnel since I seemed to have missed those shows. I've watched a few episodes of others when I have time. It's just nice to know they are there. There's lot's more there than just these. Go check it out. Send me a thank you comment for Time Tunnel! :-)

**Update** About 20 mins. after I Tweeted about Hulu having HSB, Fancast.com started following me, reminding me that they can be awsome too. Yes Fancast I do like you. I really like that you have all of the original ST:TOS (now work on the re-mastered versions) and several episodes of the Twilight Zone. But I still like Hulu better. Though I do like your blog.

Cool Saturday Sounds

The Traveling Wilburys video "Handle With Care". The Wilburys had a rotating line-up. In the video are: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynn.

The Hipster Alley Cat

Two weeks ago I found myself in Broad Ripple. I love Broad Ripple. Well OK, I like Broad Ripple. It's amazing how things change in ones life.

I used to love all the independent shops and stores and all the little hole-in-the wall bars. It had a pretty bohemian feel to it.

Sadly, most of that is gone. Some are still there. There's still a great indy bookstore, and a couple handmade jewelry stores, but mostly there are bohemian-esque shops there now. Seems there's now a niche market for chain restaurants and shops like those found in places like Austin, San Francisco, or any number of College Towns across North America. So now you can find Chotchkey McHippy's Vegetarian "Style" restaurants all around the Country in these traditionally happy-go-lucky, free spirited communities. *sigh* Hippy McDonalds?

So after seeing a couple of old acquaintances on the South edge of Broad Ripple, I decided to visit one place I was certain hadn't changed. The Alley Cat Lounge! I fist encountered this place 16 years ago during a fairly wild bachelor party for my friend and co-worker. The less said about that, the better. I've visited infrequently since. I don't drink a lot and I have a pretty bad allergy to smoke, so I don't get to many (any?) bars. Besides, once I turned 35, every time I went to a bar, I felt like I was there babysitting!

The outside was the same, it’s looked the same for 50 years. A dilapidated brick building with the big black cat sign, tucked in an alley.

At first glance, it’s the dive I remembered. I’m sure I smiled. They had great Long Island’s. They’d use five types of liquor, the vapors peeled wallpaper. I ordered a beer, and sat at the tiny bar, taking it in.

There was an air of nonchalance reticence and pot which hung thick around the bar. Millenniums with faux bed heads, trucker hats or short brimmed straw fedoras sat around me. Pale, hung over and drinking PBR. Most wearing Ironic 70’s T’s with “Kiss My Grits” and “I survived Sol Rubin’s Bar Mitzvah”.

“God!” I thought, “This is a Hippster bar!” Of course none of them would ever admit their hippsterism, since that smacks of conformity.

I left with the words of Bill Bryson ringing in my head, “There are things you just can’t do in life. You can’t beat the phone company, you can’t make a waiter see you until he’s ready to see you, and you can’t go home again.”

Famous Abraham Lincoln Museum in Ft. Wayne to close - Collection may go to Washington, DC

When I was an Historian working for the President Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis, I had the opportunity of a day of research at the Ft. Wayne Lincoln Museum. The people there were warm, friendly and incredibly helpful. My son has been there twice and loved it (and he hates history) I was so looking forward to sharing this with my daughter next Summer. I'm just very saddened that we may lose this amazing Indiana Resource. If this collection doesn't stay in bulk here in Indiana, then [IMHO] it will be a very sad day for Indiana and our National reputation.
In March of this year Lincoln Financial Group announced it is closing the famous Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The museum houses an extraordinary collection of Lincoln memorabilia, including books, manuscripts, photos, and other unique pieces associated with the nation's 16th president. It's served as a invaluable repository of information for Lincoln scholars, researchers, and fans. Unfortunately, the museum has suffered from declining attendance and a company which values the financial bottom line over corporate good will.
According to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, the state of Indiana and Allen County (where Fort Wayne is located) have put together a strong proposal to keep the collection in Indiana. A group headed by retired Lincoln Financial CEO Ian Rolland spearheaded the package presented to the company. Those organizations are supported by the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and Friends of the Lincoln Museum. While the group feels it has made a strong case, it's up against formidable competition.
The Library of Congress, the National Museum of American History, Ford’s Theatre and President Lincoln’s Cottage have formed a partnership to obtain the collection from the museum, which closes Monday after 77 years.
Ian Rolland, former chairman of the Lincoln Financial Group and leader of the local drive, said he wasn’t surprised to hear the Washington players were in the game.
“We knew the competition was going to be tough,” he said. “I don’t think we need to be afraid of that kind of competition.”
Those hoping to bring the collection to Washington tout the area’s ability to draw large crowds of tourists.
“There really isn’t any group that can match the visitorship and financial stability of the Washington group,” said John Sellers, a Lincoln specialist at the Library of Congress.
Sellers calls Washington the “natural place” for the collection.
“It is where Lincoln became famous and made his mark,” Sellers said. “It is a natural place because the assassination happened here. It is a natural place because of the wealth of material related to Lincoln and the assassination.”
Those same arguments, though, can be turned around in Indiana’s favor, said Geoff Paddock of Fort Wayne, a board member of the Friends of the Lincoln Museum.
Lincoln spent his formative years in the Midwest and the collection was put together in Indiana, Paddock said.
The foundation board plans to narrow the proposals in the fall, invite the finalists to meet with the curators in Fort Wayne and then make site visits to the competing groups. A representative of the foundation said applicants ranged from small, not-for-profit institutions interested in one or two items to the nationally known institutions.
The museum’s collection, estimated at $20 million, includes a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and a signed copy of the Thirteenth Amendment that abolished slavery, one of 350 documents in the collection signed by Lincoln. Other artifacts include the top hat Lincoln was wearing the night of his assassination, his patent model of a device for raising boats off sandbars, the brass inkstand used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation and the cup he used just before going to Ford’s Theatre. The furniture includes the Gardner Gallery chair, seen in some of the familiar photographs of the president.
The collection is becoming available at a time when both Ford’s and the American History Museum are undergoing extensive renovations. The museum is expected to reopen in November. The work at the theater is expected to be complete by February.
Ford’s Theatre, operated by the National Park Service, has preserved the box where Lincoln and his guests were sitting the night of the 1865 assassination. They have John Wilkes Booth’s derringer pistol, the clothing worn by Lincoln that night and the hoods placed over the co-conspirators at their hanging.
Via: Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, June 25, 2008
Photo: Honest by brunkfordbraun on Flickr under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

joss whedon's angel is now on hulu.com

Just found out one of my favorite shows, Angel is now on Hulu.com. Go check it out. Season one is up. Season 1 & 2 of Buffy is there as well.

Short clip of Angel's origin from season 01, episode 01.

anansi boys: a review

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I always get a little apprehensive about reading books that are continuations of other books (or spinoffs, in this case), especially those books that I thoroughly enjoyed. They usually end up disappointing me; however, this book was an exception. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a good fantasy story, even if you haven't read American Gods first. If you have read and enjoyed AG, then this is a must-read. Although it had a lot of similarities to the first novel, it was different enough to keep it from feeling the same.

Neil Gaiman does what he does best: tells a fantasy story well enough to almost make you believe it's happened. He takes any need for explanation and leaves in the wonder. When a character takes our hero, Fat Charlie to another dimension, the only explanation is, just take my hand. We didn't wonder how Peter Pan flew and I didn't worry about the magic and wonder here either. I love the little details, the quirky things that he adds to stories that don't make a difference to the plot but make you giggle a little. He's probably one of the few authors who can actually make me laugh out loud, especially embarrassing since I read most of this on the bus.

Fat Charlie is in fact, not fat. It was a nickname his father gave to him when he was a chubby child and it stuck like glue. Charlie finds out his father has died in Florida. So, on the heels of his engagement, Charlie heads to Florida for his father's funeral. Charlie no doubt hopes his Dad's death, which occurred while singing a song in a Karaoke bar, will put an end to his own state of perpetual embarrassment. That is the closure he seeks. But the old ladies who made up his Dad's circle (Harem) of friends tell Fat Charlie that his father was something of a little (g) god. In fact he was the West African Trickster Spider god Anansi. They also tell Charlie he has a brother. Charlie will have none of this nonsense and returns to England. Charlie does have a brother, Spider who is a chip off the old trickster block. Charlie is soon drawn into the parallel world inhabited by Spider, a world of small gods and vengeful animals. A whole new universe of characters and his (and our) ability to distinguish between fact and fantasy grows increasingly thin.

Perhaps it's that I've tricked myself into expecting something different from Gaiman. I've read too many of his more disturbing short stories, too many Sandmans. In a Neil Gaiman story, nothing is ever really all right. His characters straddle the place between light and darkness, often by choice, to protect the rest of us. That, perhaps, is what makes the humor of Anansi Boys so startling: it seems inappropriate, somehow, like a drunken old uncle laughing during a funeral, then tossing a rubber duck down the hole with his shovelfuls of dirt.

Like one of those relatives at a funeral who isn't the drunken old uncle, I didn't laugh at first when the novel was funny. I saw it, I knew it was funny-- gut-achingly funny-- but I didn't laugh. It's one of those cringe-worthy things. It's why I couldn't get into The Office until I was lent Season One DVD's. Instead I read on, gravely, worrying for poor Fat Charlie; somewhere along the way, I lightened up and began to laugh, sometimes on the bus, sometimes in the cafeteria at work. It is amazing how much I found myself caring for Charlie and the things that happen to him.

It's ultimately a story that straddles a grey place. (I think it deserves the British spelling for reasons you'll understand when you read it.) Anansi is a trickster, a force of nature and so is Gaiman in this book, he straddles the dangerous places in between, in order that we might cross them ourselves.


View all my reviews.

where is matt harding

In 2007 - 08 video game developer Matt Harding went on a 14 month trip, dancing his way through 42 countries, inviting people to dance with him. Matt's trip around the world was sponsored by Stride Gum. Even though it's sponsored by a gum company, the video is inspired and an inspiring look at the unity of dance. Enjoy...

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Via: @laughingsquid on Twitter

Technorati Tags: Matt,Harding,dancing,where the hell is,stride gum,2008

one small step toward human rights repair in America

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Preamble

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948

book lover's are dedicated

 
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The Burn Notice

I'm in a review mood this weekend. First a book, now television.

Up front confession time. I don't have Cable TV. *pause for audible gasps* I used to, but when my recent illness forced me to leave one job and do more freelancing than I'd like, or am probably good at, I had to cut expenses. I canceled my cable. I use my Internet connection for work and play and to communicate with long-lost friends, so it had to stay. Cable, I could do with out.

It's not been bad, it just means I've missed some shows, but with so many networks now showing full episodes, I can watch some there. At first, It was harder on the kids, without Cartoon Network, Nick JR. and Disney, but they do just fine now. We play more board games, read books and have even written and produced a couple of plays. Harry Potter Meets Cinderella totally rocked!

One show I missed but was interested in was USA's Burn Notice. (USA, Drama, 1 hour, Thursdays 11/10c) It stars Jeffrey Donovan who's small roles on shows like The Pretender and Crossing Jordan, have been great, but his best was as a witty, disturbed detective on the short-lived USA drama Touching Evil.

Besides Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman), plays a former girlfriend who's ex-IRA. They have a nice Mr. & Mrs. Smith/Adams Rib vibe. One of my favorite B-list actors, Bruce "The Chin" Campbell (The Evil Dead) stars as Michael's boozy, ex-special forces buddy and steals every scene he's in. The wonderful Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) stars as his chain-smoking, hypochondriac, passive aggressive mom, Madeline. A roll that could have been a cardboard cut-out character in other hands. She brings a great deal of depth, warmth and intelligence to it.

The first episode begins as American Super-Spy, Michael Westen, is in the middle of transferring several thousands of dollars to an arms dealer. He gets a phone call telling him he's just received his Burn Notice, spy talk for getting fired. Not just fired, they freeze his assets, cancel his mobile phone and post FBI tails on him. After getting the crap beaten out of him by the arms dealer's thugs, he hops a plane, passes out and wakes up in his hometown of Miami. It's here that he tries to do two things, find employment and, with the help of his quirky underworld friends, track down who burned him.

The series features neat noir touches, such as first-person narrative, including frequent stream of consciousness voice-overs giving bits of exposition. It also deftly employs the currently over-used, over-arching, season-long, mystery plot. This has been used to great effect in Showtime's Dexter, the first season of Heroes and most recently in NBC's Journey Man. The worst example being NBC's Chuck.

It's fun, quirky, well written and stylish. Donovan does a great job with the role. It's very much in the spirit of shows I grew up watching, shows like The Rockford Files, Switch and Banacek. With a little MacGyver thrown in for good measure. Got some duct-tape, a propane tank, and an aerosol can? You've got a bomb!

The first season is out on DVD and the second season begins in July. It's great Summertime TV! I just found out that Battlestar Gallactica's Tricia Helfer (Caprica 6) will be in several episodes of the upcoming second season. Watch the first season online at Hulu.com.

**UPDATE** Read the Chicago Tribune's Mo Ryan's preview of Burn Notice's second season on her TV centric blog, The Watcher

Person June 17th

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winterbirth: a review

Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I saw this as a review on Felicia Day's Blog and thought I'd like it. It was a pretty dense read. The plot was a bit confusing to me, I was frequently lost and had to go back to see how this character is related to that, etc... a good read though and I'd recommend it. Maybe a bit too much going on. I felt he was trying to throw too much information, characters and foreshadowing for one book. I checked my copy out of the library, but would gladly own it. I look forward to reading more in the series. I think I just wasn't in the mood for dense fantasy at the time I read it. If you like epic hardcore sword and sandal fantasy, you'll probably enjoy this.

View all my reviews.

Tim Russert - RIP *update*

I was home today and on Twitter when one of the people I follow tweeted that there was a rumor around that Wikipedia keeps updating reflecting Tim Russert's death on June 14, 2008. Weird! My Twitter friend works at a local TV News affiliate, so he was checking it out. He tweeted back that there was a rumor floating around that Russert had died of a heart attack and NBC was soon going live with Tom Brokaw delivering the news. I checked out Tim Russert on Wiki and sure enough, it said he had died. I checked the NYT, NPR, BBC, CBC, MSNBC, Reuters and Propeller. Nothing! Then twenty minutes later, NBC goes on the air with an emotional Brokaw announcing this sad news. (See video below)

It's amazing how the Internet, bloggers and micro-bloggers have changed journalism. Journalists sometimes call themselves a Fourth Estate, but I believe the instantaneous movement of news is something that will probably drive major stories in the future, drive how journalists report it.

It was quite ironic that the man so much in the mold of good, solid, old school Murrow journalism had his death reported first by Wikipedia and Twitter. I can't draw any conclusion to that, just observe it.

Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after being stricken at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58. My prayers are with his son, wife and Big Russ. If it's Sunday, It's Meet the Press.

The Mayor of Buffalo, NY ordered all flags in the city to be flown at half staff in their hometown son's honor. His wife and son, sadly, were still in Italy on vacation. Russert left early so he could prepare for Sunday's show. - Keith Olbermann, MSNBC

Mitch’: Mr. Russert’s death is bringing out emotional remembrances from his NBC colleagues, who have been on the air without a break for nearly an hour. Ms. Mitchell made a very rare public reference to her marriage to Alan Greenspan and how Mr. Russert had helped her through the romantic side of her life. She is now tearing up over remembering that Mr. Russert called her “Mitch” and the fact that her father calls her that also.

NBC is saying on its Web site that the cause of death was a sudden heart attack. The network said he was in the studio recording promotions for this Sunday’s “Meet the Press.”

The New York Times.com

*UPDATE* In the June 23 New York Times, there is a story that deals with the story being spread on Twitter and Wikipedia. It sites that a "junior executive" at the Internet Broadcasting Services posted the news on Wikipedia and has since been fired. Read the story here. LINK

Technorati Tags: Tim,Russert,death,NBC,Meet the Press,social networking,wikipedia,twitter

friday travels - taliesin west

This Friday's tour takes us to Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, AZ. This is one of the places I would love to visit. I've only been to Arizona twice, both times as a flight layover in Phoenix.
Taliesin literally means "shining brow" in Welsh, the nationality of Wright's ancestors. Taliesin, Wright's Summer home in Wisconsin sits on the "brow" of a hill overlooking the valley below while Taliesin West is located on a broad mesa. Taliesin West was selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as one of 17 buildings nation-wide that exemplify Wright's contribution to American architecture.
Master architect and urban designer, Frank Lloyd Wright established his winter residence at Taliesin West, Wright designed it as a Winter home and school for his students. It was built entirely by his students.
It's Walls are concrete, but of a special kind: native boulders, red, yellow and gray, were laid in rough wooden forms and cement poured over. Above these colorful, variously tapered walls are the great redwood trusses which support canvas-covered roof flaps. Glass is unnecessary, as the canvas admits a softly diffused light. This structure seems to grow organically from the rough soil around it.
Wright and his students kept getting interrupted by visitors, so Wright told his apprentices to start charging them $5. He thought that would discourage them. It didn't. Gawkers kept appearing at his distinctive Scottsdale retreat. They just showed up brandishing $5 bills.
Fifty years after Wright's death, Taliesin West is still something wonderful. Nestled at the foot of the McDowell Mountains, some of its edges are a little frayed now as it looks out on a sea of cookie-cutter homes. But Wright's innovate retreat retains its distinct identity even as it blends with the wild desert around it. Follow its rough-hewn breezeways into open spaces of gently diffused light, and you'll sense the work of a man who understood both the power of nature and the potential of man-made space.
Taliesin West isn't for everybody. But if you enjoy the subtle ways architecture can modulate your feelings - or if you like building backwards from a home's personal touches into the lives of those who once lived here.
Taliesin West is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, with nighttime tours Thursdays and Fridays that begin 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale. Tours range from $27 to $43 per person, with discounts for students, seniors and active military personnel. For more information, call (480) 860-2700 or visit www.franklloydwright.org.
Click the photo above for a great Flickr set of Taliesin West. Click HERE for a Taliesin Cluster on Flickr. For a visual tour try Architecture: Archinect Travels Episode 3 . Taliesin West info begins about three minutes in.

Related articles

• A Visit to America's Most Beautiful House (Pictures) (cbsnews.com)
• Visit The Work of Frank Lloyd Wright (chicagoist.com)
• Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust moves into Rookery (timeoutny.com)

the Supreme Court restores habeas corpus

Click on the photo of Justice for the story from Salon.com.

Photo by me from Flickr.

favorite tweets

My favorite Tweets from Twitter!

Come follow along here. Link.

creative commons info

Ok, just so y'all know that this and most blogs are under a creative Commons license. Please see the right side bar bottom for this blogs' CC information. Even if a blog doesn't explicitly say it, just assume it is. If you lift a story, picture or video, please attribute it to the source.

For example, you take a story posted at CNN.com and post it to your blog, quoting it directly. In the sentence leading up to the quote or at the bottom of your post simply add "Via: CNN.com" or a similar attribution. This is just good manners and ethics. Teh Internets is a wonderful place for free, open source information, but don't forget to give props to the original source of that info. Thanks.

 

"Creative Commons is a non-profit that offers an alternative to full copyright."

creativecommons.org

Briefly...

Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work - and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

Info via: creativecommons.org

skating lesson

Took my daughter through the neighborhood on another skating lesson. She's doing good, but being a bit too tentative, trying to get her over her fear of falling. Then I think she'll have more fun. I'm proud of her anyways and always!

 

bring out your anachronisms

 
Generally speaking, anachronisms in movies make me smile. Things like a 19th Century western gunman brandishing a gun made ten years later than the film is set (points for ingenuity Western Dude!). Or when Jack in Titanic mentions he fished at a lake that wasn't built yet or that he'd seen Santa Monica Pier, never mind that it wasn't built till after the Titanic sank. He was just being visionary, showing us the potential architect he might have been if only Rose would have shared the #$%& door! Anyway, I digress.

I rented 10,000 BC from Netflix. WOW! What a tortured torpid turd of a movie it was!!! I was almost ready to call their California HQ to demand another movie be sent out immediately and I would kindly burn this copy for them.

I won't go into much detail. I will say that the FX were first rate. I'm sure there are tons of Easter Eggs the animators put in there. They had to know how badly this movie would suck. Woolly Mammoths helping build the Egyptian Pyramids in 10,000 BC?? Universal language? Corn?!? Riding horses? Egypt?? *In best Shatner* Brain.About.To. Explode!

I'm gonna link you over to the IMBD page of mistakes and anachronisms for this heaping pile. Don't rent it, just look for the FX work on YouTube or something, just pretend a saber tooth tiger is chasing your butt and get on your, as yet imaginary domesticated horse, grab an ear of maze from the new world (1492 anyone?) and whiptail it to Egypt, through the rain forest, of course.

central indiana floods

First a flurry of tornadoes, now floods! Getting pretty biblical around here. I blame our good friend, Global Warming.

Link to theindychannel.com for photos of the flooding.

IndyStar's Storm Photo Gallery page.

Wthr.com has a page that includes reports about the tornado damage and the floods.

 

Photo from Flickr under creative Commons license.

the democratic race in 8 minutes

In the spirit of the LOST and BSG 8 minute re-caps, a pretty good recap by Slate.com. Now, really, I don't care that you don't watch LOST and BSG has been hit and miss this season, but you don't know about the 2008 Democratic Race?? Really? I'm pretty sure that un-discovered indigenous tribe in the Amazon have been watching this one! They were Kucinich supporters, BTW.

cal state fullerton lecturer allowed to add to oath

An update on a fellow Quaker:

Cal State Fullerton lecturer allowed to add to oath 
by Richard Paddock

(Los Angeles Times) June 3 - A Cal State Fullerton lecturer who lost her job because she objected to signing a loyalty oath was reappointed Monday to teach next fall in an agreement worked out between the university and a national civil rights group.Wendy Gonaver, a Quaker and pacifist who said that California’s required loyalty oath violated her religious beliefs and her right of free speech, will be allowed to attach a personal statement of her views when she signs the pledge.  “It feels great,” Gonaver said Monday. “It sounds like this was a controversy no one particularly wanted and they are happy to resolve it.”The loyalty oath was added to the California Constitution in 1952 in an attempt to force communists out of public jobs, but in recent years it appears to have done more to keep out religious believers, such as Quakers and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Gonaver, who had been hired to teach American and women’s studies last fall, was told just before classes began that she had to sign the oath promising to defend the U.S. and California constitutions “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” She refused to sign unless she could attach a personal statement, a practice allowed at the University of California.

People for the American Way, a Washington-based civil liberties group, took up Gonaver’s cause after The Times reported on her case last month.

Judith Schaeffer, an attorney with the group, said she was pleased that the university agreed so quickly to give Gonaver her job. Gonaver will teach the same two classes she was originally hired to teach.

“It just cried out for a resolution,” Schaeffer said. “This is a win-win situation for Wendy and for CSU. Wendy will have her job and she will have it on her own terms.”

Cal State officials said they were happy to have the disagreement behind them.

“CSU is committed to working with individual employees to accommodate their religious beliefs in order to allow them to sign the oath,” Christine Helwick, Cal State’s general counsel, said in a joint news release issued with People for the American Way. “In this case, we are pleased that this dispute ended in a positive resolution and that we were able to work through the process together.”

Cal State Fullerton had initially told Gonaver that she was not allowed to attach a personal statement to the oath. Later, the university told The Times that Gonaver’s six-sentence statement was against the law because it contradicted the oath.

Under the agreement, Cal State will accept a briefer statement from Gonaver in which she says that she supports and respects both constitutions but objects “as an American” to being compelled to sign the oath. She also writes that, as a Quaker, she does not promise to bear arms or otherwise engage in violence.

Earlier this year, Cal State East Bay fired another Quaker instructor, Marianne Kearney-Brown, after she altered the oath by adding the word “nonviolently.” She was rehired days later after her case became public.

Schaeffer said she expects Gonaver’s settlement to set a precedent for other Cal State employees.

“The resolution they reached here is one they should have reached last August,” Schaeffer said. “I think it’s just unfortunate that the right people at CSU didn’t become involved earlier.”

Claudia Keith, a spokeswoman for the university system, said it would not be adopting a new policy on how to handle such cases but would notify administrators on the 23 campuses of the agreement in Gonaver’s case.

Keith acknowledged that the dispute could have been handled better, adding, “We certainly respect employees’ rights to believe in anything they want to believe in.”

The settlement, Keith added, is good for everyone. “She gets to teach and we get a lecturer we wanted,” she said.

For Gonaver, taking a stand on the oath will give her a new perspective when it comes to teaching her American studies class. Part of the course deals with protecting constitutional freedoms.“I feel like I will be able to better teacher because of this experience,” she said. “This section has become personally meaningful to me in a way that it wasn’t before.”

Link to the original story in the LA Times.

Via: Quaker Agitator blog

stuff to do in indy this weekend

• First there is the Vintage Indiana Wine Fest. Always wonderful performers plus first rate local wineries sharing their wares.
  
  
• Then in Irvington celebrate the annual Spring Event. From their press release:

Drawing on the amenities of Ellenberger Park and the bustling Washington Street corridor, the daylong festival focuses on the neighborhood's history and vitality, as well as celebrates the community's cultural offerings and presence as a leader in innovative neighborhood economic development projects.

Celebrate Irvington builds on Irvington's already well-known events, including the annual Halloween Festival, the Benton House Home Tour, and the summer Farmer's Market. Celebrate Irvington gives neighborhood residents, and visitors, the opportunity to enjoy the community's genteel charm.

• While your in Irvington check out my friend Angela's new used and rare bookstore, Book Mama's. It's located at 9 S. Johnson Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46219. That's right across the street from the wonderful coffee house Lazy Daze (in the old Irvington Theatre bldg.) From Angela's press release:

As a part of the Celebrate Irvington Festival this Saturday, June 7, Dancin' Nancys will be performing outside BOOKMAMAS bookstore from 9-11 a.m.
That afternoon at 1:30 p.m., J. Brent Bill, well-known writer and Quaker minister, will be signing copies of his latest book, Sacred Compass. He has written and contributed to many books, among which are Holy Silence: the Gift of Quaker Spirituality and Mind the Light: Learning to See with Spiritual Eyes.
On this Sunday, June 8, BOOKMAMAS will have a table at the Irvington Farmers Market from 12:45-3 p.m. Gideon Wainwright will be performing there at 1:30 p.m.

• This Saturday and Sunday is the annual Woodruff Flea Market. From their website:

Woodruff Place is located on the near east side, including West, Middle and East Drs. from 10th to Michigan St. (1800 block east). Homes are private. Public park areas are open dawn to dusk. The Woodruff Place Flea Market, the first weekend in June each year, includes yard sales, entertainment, refreshments, and family fun.

my (early) fathers' day present

Just a note. My daughter and her Mom and Mom's new B. F. went to King's Island last weekend. My daughter spilled the beans to me on the phone last Sunday that they bought me something for Fathers' Day.

Last night, she and her Mom surprised me by stopping by. My daughter couldn't wait to give me the gift. Mom caved and brought it over last night to give to me.

The gift was... A key chain!

It meant a lot for a lot of reasons. My daughter was very proud. She had no idea what the word on it meant. She can read, small words, but tends to make up meanings when she doesn't know. She told me it said, "Happy Fathers' Day." LOL.

What it actually said, "GEEK."

It was nice that my ex knew me well enough to know I'd enjoy that and use it. It also made me a bit happy that it probably annoyed her B. F. I know, petty, I'm working on that.

Just a thought, as I put the GEEK plaque on my key chain, it's kinda like Danica Patrick having one that says, "Race Car Driver." Or Barack Obama having one saying, "Presumptive Democratic Pres. Candidate." In other words, it's a bit obvious, but just in case complete strangers at a check out lane didn't know, they will now. Just wondering what my daughter will think in a couple of years when she sees it and knows what it means. "DaaaAAAD, don't wear that, it's embarrassing!" Oh well, I still treasure it.

a zombie meme

From a friend who knows I have a perverse love of Zombie Movies.

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:

1. one weapon.
   


2. one song blasting on the speakers.
   
   
3. one famous person to fight alongside you.

Me:
I went all old school zombie, drawing from '78's Day of the Dead set in a mall. Which I saw at a drive-in near Shelbyville, IN at about 12:30 AM! YIKES! I did cheat by adding Shaun of 2004's Shaun of the Dead, but after we popped over to the pub for a quick one and re-loaded Time Splitter's II for (zombie) Ed, who could possibly be a better side-kick. (yes, I am a geek)

1. Hmmm... reinforced Louisville Slugger from JC Penney's.
   
   
2. It would have to be 1978 Mall Muzak.
   
   
3. Shaun Riley of course!

Yours? Leave in comments.

hillary widmore

OMDG! This guy is an amalgam of most of my friends. I can talk LOST, BSG or 24 to them, er... well 24/7 but if politics comes up, the eyes glaze. I literally once used LOST and BSG as an analogy to explain the Presidential Race. Hillary Widmore... I'm still laughing. Goonies Never Say Die!

From The Daily Show, June 3, 2008

tornadoes hit my hometown

Storms and tornadoes hit my hometown of Waldron, IN and my old stomping grounds. I wanted to post something to acknowledge it. My family and friends are OK. The worst for us is that our farm was pretty heavily flooded and not sure how much of the corn was destroyed. Maybe if it dries it can be replanted. I'm not sure. It seems the Rush County towns of Moscow and Milroy were the heaviest hit.

The biggest historical loss was the destruction of the Moscow Covered Bridge in Rush County. It was built in 1886 and was a rare double span over a deep gorge and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. As you can see in the video below, it's now just kindling. I'm sure plans are underway to rebuild. (Sorry about the videos. I had posted them, but they slowed the blog down. Hopefully the link to watch will continue to be valid.) ** UPDATE** Link to photo of the bridge after the Tornado.

Not sure of the total injured or if there were fatalities from last nights tornadoes. Thoughts and prayers are welcome. Peace. **UPDATE** At least eight people are injured or hospitalized from last night's storm. No fatalities are reported. Source: indychannel.com Mid-day news. Reported by Julie Pursley.

Coverage from my home town of Waldron, IN and a brief interview with a former classmate of mine, Randy Gahimer about the tornado plus lots of updated reports including a flyover of some of the damage. Wish TV. More on this at WRTV: Watch here

A photo taken near Waldron, IN June 3, 2008. Posted at WTHR.com.

Storm damage photos have also been submitted to WRTV's Indychannel.com.

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here's to some much needed hope

 Barack Obama: A mosaic of people

my mix tape

just started a new book for summer

Hey, was at Wal-Mart yesterday (YES, I know it's EVIL, but Seeker's having budget troubles this month) and on a whim picked up The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

I'm not a huge fantasy fan. I've read a lot of it through my Ex. She has them all. Of course I love the Lord of the Rings and Tad Williams' series. I kept hearing such good things about this book that when I saw it, I picked it up. I know, blew my budget and negated the entire reason for going to Wal-Mart. (Hey, they don't still censor their books do they?) *Worried*

I started it late last night and only 50 pages in. I stayed up way too late watching Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, awesome game IMHO.

I'll post a review when I'm finished.

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One), by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW Paperback (April 2008)
ISBN: 075640407X
Genre: Fantasy

Update - Patrick Rothfuss will be in Indy for Gen Con, August 14-17, 2008
Convention: Gen Con
Reading, signing, workshop, and many many panels.
Indianapolis, IN
Click here for more info.

tibetan freedom torch visits indy

I've had the great honor to hear His Holiness, the Dalai Lama speak twice, 1999 and 2003, both in Bloomington, IN.

His brother, Thubten Jigme Norbu, mentioned in the Indianapolis Star article below, is a long time resident of Bloomington. I took two classes from Professor Norbu and am deeply honored to know him even in such a periphery way.

Prof. Norbu decided in 1950 that he would leave Tibet and attempt to educate the world about the atrocities in Tibet and the actions of the PRC.

After leaving Tibet, Prof. Norbu worked continually for Tibet in the Tibetans in exile. He served as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile to Japan and North America. He also served as Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He wrote a number of books, including his autobiography, Tibet Is My Country as told to Heinrich Harrer. During the years, Norbu frequently lectured about the Tibetan situation at seminars throughout the world.

In 1979, he founded the Tibetan Cultural Center (TCC) in Bloomington, a center devoted to preserving Tibetan culture and religion. Prof. Norbu suffered a series of strokes a few years ago and is now happily retired, living in Bloomington with his beautiful bride, Kunyang. Peace!

By Robert King
From the foot of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, nephews of the Dalai Lama started an Indiana torch run Tuesday that is meant to be a counterpoint to the Olympic flame headed to China.

Jigme and Kunga Norbu, one on foot, the other on a bike, carried the Tibetan Freedom Torch away from Downtown as they began a planned two-day trip to Bloomington.

The Norbus and groups such as the Fishers-based International Tibetan Independence Movement want Tibet's complete separation from China, safe return for the Dalai Lama and freedom for political prisoners, including the long-missing Panchen Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's second most important religious figure.

They say China is guilty of jailing, torturing and murdering Tibetans who have spoken out against the government, and limited the ability of Tibetan Buddhists to freely practice their faith.

"This can no longer go on," Jigme Norbu said. "If you support China you support brutality, you support suppression of human rights."

The Norbus plan to present the torch Wednesday to their father, elder brother of the Dalai Lama and longtime Tibetan freedom activist Thubten Jigme Norbu, at his home at Bloomington's Tibetan-Mongolian Cultural Center.

Actually a battery-powered light, the torch is intended to be a defiant symbol of hope for Tibetans against China as the communist country prepares to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The dozen supporters who saw the Norbus away from Monument Circle chanted slogans such as "Free Tibet Now" and "Long Live the Dalai Lama." They also waived the Tibetan flag and sang the national anthem they one day hope Tibetan athletes might hear at the Olympics.

Chinese troops invaded Tibet in 1949 and have dominated it since. The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 and now lives in India. Unlike today's demonstrators, he has not demanded independence for Tibet, but merely greater autonomy and religious freedom.

Ball State University professor Larry Gerstein, who organized the torch run, said Tibet supporters want President Bush to stay away from the opening ceremony for this summer's Olympics. They also don't want the Olympic torch to be carried through Tibet. It has already been up Mount Everest, located on Tibet's border with Nepal.

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a couple from bo

All these wonderful people from my childhood passing is starting to bum me out and make me feel old. Man.

A couple of my favorite Bo Diddley videos. RIP!

Mona. Tom Petty and Bo Diddley Live at Filmore performing Mona

Bo in his prime doing what he did best!

george takei's marriage plans

A couple of weeks ago TrekMovie first reported that George Takei and his long-time partner Brad Altman were engaged to be married.

Now People Magazine is reporting that Takei and Altman have set a date and picked a location, plus Takei is bringing on board his former Trek co-stars to join in on the day.

The best man is my colleague from Star Trek, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, and the matron of honor is (Lt.) Uhura, Nichelle Nichols. And Leonard (Nimoy) and his wife Susan are on the (guest) list.

The pair will tie the knot September 14th in a formal affair at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Details are still being working out, but People reports that they have settled on some details to “reflect their eclectic taste as well as their respective backgrounds” including Scottish bagpipes, a Mexican-American Buddhist minister officiating, and a fusion Japanese-Mexican cuisine for the dinner. Best of luck to them!

What about William Shatner? He's not invited? Well, there's still much bad blood between the two. George and Nichelle have maintained (for 30 years now) that in the day, Shatner would often steal or delete lines their characters had on the show and George is probably most bitter about his claim that Shatner intentionally tanked Haikaru Sulu's on screen promotion to Captain in ST: II. (The promotion did occur, but off-screen before ST:VI, by the end of VI, Paramount was ready to hand the film franchise to ST:TNG crew.) Shatner claims it was never part of the script and is just George's wishful thinking. Odd though, that the official novelization of the movie taken directly from the original shooting script, has Sulu's promotion ceremony. George feels this left him unable to convince studio execs at Paramount to use his (very popular) character either in spin-off films or his much talked about TV series, Trek: Excelsior.

Think I'm exaggerating just a tad? Here is a link to four minute clip of George appearing on Shatner's Comedy Central Roast a couple of years ago. It's funny but sorta uncomfortable to watch. If you do continue to the link, beware, this is not the censored TV version, it contains very mature language, subject matter and toupee references. Link to video. *mature content*

Technorati Tags: star trek,george takei,william shatner,nichelle nichols,leonard nimoy,marriage,feud

right brain vs left brain II: the wrath of spatial perception

Which way do you see the dancer turn in the image below? Clock-wise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

I saw it going clockwise and I can’t make it turn the other way! Link to article here.

Via: StumbleUpon

indianapolis's storm damage

Had a huge storm here Friday night. I was just missed by yet another Tornado. I'm counting it as my Fourth directly impacted tornado, I.E. "It's headed right for us!"

Here is some video from yesterday's WRTV - 6 (ABC) Daybreak coverage of the damage.

SkyCam 6 Overview - Link

Check out the other videos while there.