Sunday Sermonette

I think this particular patch of ruminations began because I was out this morning barefooted in the yard. Nothing quite like that feeling of green grass and the warming surface of this spinning planet between your toes. As I was walking the dog around the yard, always mindful of the doggie landmines of previous days, it is a mostly safe way to travel and my thoughts got lost on this Sunday morning about ... well, about a lot of things.

I start to thinking - always an act with the most curious effects - about how in my childhood, shoeless was the preferred mode of dress. And not just in the yard, but everywhere - through weed-thick trails between the houses, riding a bicycle, running across superhot sidewalks and asphalt. All tenderfooted adult now, I make careful steps, grateful that the walnuts already on the ground haven't crumbled into shrapnel.

I guess back in the day, my feet had the toughness of Tom Sawyer's ego. I do remember once hopping a ride on the back of a friend's bike, hauling off down some jungled dirt trail, and my right ankle dipped into the spokes of the rear wheel and chipped the skin away at my heel with some slightly bloody results. And yes, while it hurt, ultimately, I did not care.

In today's now a modern-go-go world, my parent could have, in response to the tattered ankle, started a national campaign for a federal effort to enforce the wearing of shoes for all children, a No Shoe Left Behind Act, which would be trumpeted as yet another way the Nanny Government is Making The World A Safer Place.

Once the walk was done I sat on the porch, sipping coffee, and the wheels continued to whirl in my head in that way they have - semi-philosophical world-gazing. I began to ponder on various news stories and blogging editorials I had read earlier in the day. "Sure seems to be a troubled old world today," I thought. "Warring and killing and bombing. All the hoopla over the recent elections, which no one really seems to care much about outside a small circle of politics groupies. Maybe I should do like a lot of folk today and go buy something since there is a tax holiday!"

A tax-free day is just a tiny decrease, really. Maybe we should consider a different kind of tax-holiday, one that occurs on the weekend after an election. And pricing decreases would be tacked to the percent of people who vote -- a 25% turnout means prices would fall one weekend by that amount, and maybe that would increase the turnout. Would enough people realize a 60 or 75 percent attendance at the polls could then mean a likewise discount?

As I sat and pondered on that fantasy, I was watching various insects scurry and fly about on their enigmatic tasks. The non-individualized actions all serve a hive or colony mind. Sadly, I see to much of that in humans too. There is literally no talk among the pundits and bloggers about the "best person to be elected." Today it is all My National Party, Right or Wrong.

Me feeble (and perhaps already heat and humidity filled) brain jumped to another thought. This relentless warfare in countries throughout the Middle East. Can there be any doubt that many wannabe tyrants are fueling raging fires with religious fervor? And that too many people in this world, and not just in the mideast, deeply feel their religious and spiritual values are so compelling that anyone whose views are different must be chased down and killed wherever they may seek refuge?

Praise Your Creator and Pass the Ammo. Yeesh.

And I am amazed at how our versatile language and rubber-limbed P.R. acrobats put the prettiest and most meaningless clothes on ancient behaviors. Today we have "sectarian violence," which used to be called "civil war" or just "anarchy." Another favorite is "collateral damage" instead of "dead civilians and bombed-out buildings." And the creepy presence of a world imagined by George Orwell seems omnipresent: "Security" means "I'm terrified of everything and don't feel safe," or that "Liberty" means "No amount of secrecy is too much."

I was talking to my 80-plus year old mom, who is Baptist down to the bone, and she confessed she had actually been making prayers of late for the Creator to infest the minds of warmakers and profiteers with endless nightmares of the horrors they are committing. She's obviously, like many, frustrated and disgusted by humanity's destruction at the will of so few.

I found myself offering her some optimisim, saying that perhaps there were still more Good People alive than Bad People, or else we would all be on the knife-edge of Death itself. But don't ask me any percentages.

A friend today emailed me this story - some kind folk have been seeking to assist this dolphin they saw off Sarasota, Florida, who had a Speedo wrapped around it's body which was slowly killing it. They did capture the critter and got the deadly garment removed. I'm fairly sure that in the long-distant past there was seldom a chance that Thag's or Ulu's thatch-woven thong would slip off only to kill the ocean-going life.

The story also noted that this dolphin had been "caught in a life-threatening extra large Speedo bathing suit".

Now I am not a member of the haute-couture, but I can tell you this - if yer Speedo size is "extra-large", do all of humanity and aquatic-kind a favor and don't wear it. It's time fer some Bermuda Shorts, bub.

Anyway, there on my porch, pondering imponderables, I did notice something that made me smile.

A car cruised slowly down the street in front of the house and a dog was sticking it's head out of the passenger window, a gaping grin and flying tounge giving expression to some doggie satisfaction. Now I personally hate that whole "is the glass half-full or half-empty" psycho-babble argument. The dog I was seeing offers a better way to frame the question.

Is that dog an example of Pure Optimisim and Complete Trust or of Blind Ignorance?

Camera Obscura - A Supervillain Arrives, Serenity Survives

I'm more than a little embarrassed to admit it. I know I have that reek of fanboy geek already when it comes to movies and TV based on comic books, then there's the devotion to the horror genre.

Despite the goofiness of the admission - here it is as simple as I can put it. I am really enjoying the super-silliness of the "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" show on the Sci-Fi Channel from Stan Lee's production company, Pow! Last week, I admitted the fun to be had in hearing Stan Lee say things like "Well done, Monkey Woman."

I tuned in Thursday for the second episode and blast it all if Monkey Woman didn't wow Stan and me with her refusal to allow to attack dogs to stop her from crossing some backyard and reaching the back door as part of the evening's competition. Wearing one of those protective suits dog trainers wear, the critters hauled her to the ground in seconds flat. But for the next ten minutes - yes, T-E-N, ten minutes - she clawed, crawled, inched and scooted her way to complete the goal. Most of the other wannabe superhero types either made it across in a minute's time or caved in to the dog attacks in mere seconds.

That li'l Monkey Woman fought so hard I got exhausted watching it.

Now that's not enough, however, to keep me as a viewer for the show. But at the very end, Stan the Man threw in a new element which excited my childish heart. The brutish "Iron Enforcer", whose B.O. was a topic of discussion among other contestants, and who had already said he wanted to be a superhero 'cause he wanted to kill, kill, kill finally got the boot off the show. But not really.

As the show ended, Stan appeared via a hidden TV screen and said, "Hey! How about you join me in a new plan! Let's make you a super-villain to challenge the other contestants!" Makeover experts zipped him into a waiting van and he emerges in a mean looking costume and is dubbed by Stan as "The Dark Enforcer!"

So yeah, I'll tune in for the next episode. And yeah, I am a total doofus.

(Oh and by the way - Heath Ledger is going to play The Joker?? Holy BrokeBatman!)
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Two movies opening today are getting rave reviews, especially the thriller "The Descent," the newest film from the maker of the cult favorite "Dog Soldiers." That movie was a nifty revision of the werewolf myth as a squad of commandos encounter the hairy monsters in the Scottish Highlands. And overall, it was quite scary and a much better than expected movie. Both "Descent", or Tough Chicks In A Cave, and Will Ferrell's "Talladega Nights" are getting high marks all around.
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Since I've already invoked that Fanboy Presence, the true believers of the universe created by Joss Whedon in the TV series "Firefly" and the excellent movie follow-up "Serenity" should be eager to view a documentary on just how powerful the fan-force was in getting that movie made.

"Done The Impossible" is that documentary and is now out on DVD and snippets are available online.

Maybe sooner than later, the Suits will greenlight a sequel to "Serenity."
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If John Williams can provide the theme music for NBC's Nightly News, then I suppose CBS had no choice but to seek the composer James Horner to craft a new tune for the arrival of Katie Couric for her evening newscast. Oh, the drama! The starpower! And maybe even some time for news reporting too!

The link to the story above also reveals that US soldiers in Iraq are making use of YouTube to share the daily events in Iraq. Definitely worth a look.

UPDATE: I just noticed that a movie called "Kibakichi" is on ShowtimeExtreme tonight. The IMDB page for the movie says things like "werewolf samurai in a village of monsters who feed on human flesh". Wow. That sounds really, really awful so I read a little more about it. One reviewer on the IMDB says: "What is important is the dubbed version. Its simply beautiful. Lip sinked by a blind man, scripted by an inbred and performed, by the sound of it, by a motley band of monkeys, castratoes and men who have had all trace of emotion removed from them."

Morristown Councilman Wins 1st District Primary

Morristown City Councilman Rick Trent won the Democrat Primary in the 1st District with a total of 40% of the votes, so congratulations are in order. It did take a bit of searching through several web sites to locate and verify the win. On the GOP side, it was a very close race among a host of candidates, with totals now showing David Davis with 16,570 and Richard Venable with 16,049.

As I've said before, it will be an all uphill battle to win over the Congressional seat from the Republican party, which has held the seat since somewhere near the time of Noah.

Computer woes delayed voting results in this county until around 1 a.m. and apparently there were computer woes statewide as well. Was it adjusting to a new system and a very very long ballot?

Several Hamblen County races were very close too, adding to the overall nervousness - Commissioner Bobby Reinhardt (D) was unseated by challenger Reece Sexton by two votes, 158 to 160, incumbent Edwin Osborne (D) lost to Paul LeBel (R) 224 to 242. LeBel is also business partner to the Morristown city Mayor, Gary Johnson.

The contentious battle in the GOP Primary for US Senate was decided by East TN voters, with Chattanoogan Bob Corker taking the win.

As soon as I can verify the voter turnout totals for the county, I'll add that info here.

UPDATE: Trent's official website is here, with views offered on a variety of issues.

UPDATE II: Hamblen election officials estimate turnout for Thursday's primary was about 30-32 percent of registered voters. And a fine example of each vote being important - one commission seat was decided by only two votes!

Thursday Linkfest

Enterprising writer Rex L Camino has devised a sort of literary equivalent of "sampling". He has devised a way to take entries from Wikipedia articles on "oddly named animals and assorted insects" and rewritten them as entries on "semi-obscure" television personalities.

An example provided is for Joyce Dewitt from "Three's Company" inserted in the description for the Wandering Albatross. Here's a taste of Rex-revisionism:

"She feeds on squid, small fish and on animal refuse that floats on the sea, eating to such excess at times that she is unable to fly and rests helplessly on the water.

She lays one egg: it is white, with a few spots, and is about 4 inches long. At breeding time she occupies loose colonies on isolated island groups in the Southern Ocean, such as Crozet Islands, South Georgia, Marion Island, Prince Edward Island, Kerguelen and Macquarie Island."

If you want, you can WikiRead the albatross entry here. And remember -- Vote Rex as Write-In Candidate for Senator!!!!
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Like many TV viewers, the advertisement screaming at you "Head On!!! Apply Directly to you forehead!!" is nearly inescapable and may well incur migraines. On the post and comments here from KnoxViews, I learned the chief ingredient of this never-explained item is ... wax.
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Thanks to Tits McGee, who showed me the way, a site called Mad Vortex takes pics and old advertisements and provides captions that are deeply, satisfyingly entertaining. In one picture of some darling child standing by a large kitchen sink, the caption reads: "As Ginny Rae dumped the arsenic into the village water supply, she suppressed a tiny giggle." Ah, that Ginny!!
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Isn't it time YOU were in command and made the Pipe Cleaner Man dance to your tune?
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Have you ever seen that ever-changing signboard in Times Square, first installed in 1989, which shows the dollar amount of the national debt? It will run out of digits in 2007. This and other fun facts here.

Morristown Sweetens Deal To Keep Administrator

To update the story from earlier this week, Morristown's City Administrator Jim Crumley will stay in Morristown rather than continue the interview process for Kingsport's City Manager. More money from the Morristown Council made the difference, according to a report in the Kingsport Times News.

"In the Wednesday letter, Crumley wrote that he will get a raise for staying in Morristown and that he wanted to help bring stability and improvements to Morristown, which before he came in 2001 had four city administrators in five years. It is about 60 miles southwest of Kingsport.

"One of the lessons I learned in Johnson City was that continuity of leadership is critical to achieving long-term goals," Crumley wrote.

"Having the opportunity to create ideas, implement the ideas and then make adjustments to correct any flaws is one of the keys to progress as a community. In order for real effort and real results to be recognized, the opportunity to stay in one city and attempt to reach higher is extremely appealing."

Crumley was to have undergone a public interview session with the BMA on Aug. 7. Phillips had planned to bring Crumley's nomination for city manager to a BMA vote Aug. 15.

"The Morristown City Council has been active in attempting to retain my services here as city administrator," Crumley wrote. "Yesterday evening (Tuesday), the mayor indicated that City Council had discussed and verbally approved a very generous restructuring of my employment contract. They have instructed the city attorney to meet with me and complete details in this agreement."

Crumley will get additional dollars for retirement, car allowance and a pay and benefits package topping $121,000.

Kingsport officials say they'll have to go back to square one now in their search.

The Kinsport newspaper also reports that as all 24 county commissioners are up for election today, not all seem to be in the loop regarding a salary study the commission contracted - although the newspaper was able to obtain a copy.

Commissioner Wayne McConnell and others had to get their copies from the newspaper:

"McConnell said he was told the consultant who conducted the study, and who gave a presentation to the Budget Committee in a called meeting Tuesday, did not leave a copy on file anywhere in the courthouse.

Commissioners asked if they could borrow the copy given to the Times-News on Tuesday.

McConnell and others said the limited release of the information and its discussion by the Budget Committee has cut department heads and other elected officials out of the process.

"It's been handled very, extremely wrong," said Commissioner Mark Vance.

Vance said he'd seen a copy of what was given out at the Budget Committee, and "there's a lot of problems with it."

McConnell linked what happened with the salary study results to a broader problem within county government.

"You've got about three or four commissioners who know what's going on - and everybody else is in the dark," McConnell said. "This is a 24-member (commission). It's not an eight-member (commission) for just the Budget Committee. And my personal opinion is ... this is one thing that should have been presented to all the commissioners. If they were at Budget Committee last night, they should have been here tonight to explain this to us and to pass out something for us to look at."

Welcome To Year Two

Since today marks the official one year anniversary of this blog, I thought I should mention it.

So I just did.

The day I started I posted several stories, including one from a Pew Research study which stated that in their reckoning, 15,000 new blogs a day were being created - one about every 5.8 seconds. And that's about how long it seems to me the year has lasted - about 5.8 seconds.

Some 40,000 page views have occurred so far. The one post which means the most to me over the last year was a copy of a speech my sister-in-law made to freshman students at Berry College and what happened after it was posted. She spoke about her mother's cousin, Gisele, who had literally disappeared from the face of the earth when Nazis forced her aboard a train destined for concentration camp. At a commenter's suggestion, yet another checking of holocaust records was undertaken to see if any information had ever materialized. The family had checked many, many times before. But when another check was made that day - a record was found and a sad and unknown fate at least became known.

That post is here, and it's worth reading if you missed it - not for my words, but for Katherine's, and her wisdom about stories and how they are told, how they are complex and how they can also be simple.

I also realized today that August 3rd is the birthdate of a man whose name is well known - John Scopes, a teacher put on trial for teaching evolution theory in Tennessee. John had agreed to be a sort of guinea pig for the ACLU, which promised to finance a court challenge to the law banning teaching evolution. Scopes was convicted and fined, but the state Supreme Court later overturned the conviction though they said the Butler Act was constitutional. Oddly, at the time of these events, the state mandated all schools use a textbook - Civic Biology - which included a chapter on evolution.

The Butler Act, presented to the legislature by John Washington Butler, remained in effect in Tennessee until 1967. The occasionally dubious WikiPedia site offers this info on the Butler Act:

"Reportedly dismayed the legislature had passed the bill, but needing the support of rural legislators for educational reform, Governor Austin Peay signed the Butler Act into law on March 21, 1925. Peay told the press: "After a careful examination, I can find nothing of consequence in the books now being taught in our schools with which this bill will interfere in the slightest manner. Therefore, it will not put our teachers in jeopardy. Probably the law will never be applied." A Tennessee lawyer, in an often quoted line, said: "The Legislature did not know it passed the fool thing." However it was several weeks before a single educator could be induced to express an opinion on the subject, and the head of the zoology department at the University of Tennessee refused to show his zoology textbooks to reporters. The University's president secretly issued unofficial instructions to his faculty to make no changes in their instruction."

" ... on appeal the Tennessee Supreme Court found the law to be constitutional under the Constitution of Tennessee, because:

"We are not able to see how the prohibition of teaching the theory that man has descended from a lower order of animals gives preference to any religious establishment or mode of worship. So far as we know, there is no religious establishment or organized body that has in its creed or confession of faith any article denying or affirming such a theory." Scopes v. State 289 S.W. 363, 367 (Tenn. 1927).

Despite this decision, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the conviction on a technicality (that the jury should have fixed the amount of the fine), and the case was not retried. During the trial, Butler told reporters: "I never had any idea my bill would make a fuss. I just thought it would become a law, and that everybody would abide by it and that we wouldn't hear any more of evolution in Tennessee."

The law remained on the books until 1967, when a dismissed teacher complained that it violated his First Amendment right to free speech. Fearing another courtroom fiasco, the Tennessee legislature repealed the law."

So Happy Birthday to John Scopes.

And Happy B-Day fer the Cup of Joe.

Strange Encounters on Day 364

I was contacted today by a reporter from Illinois who found this blog and decided I was a source of information regarding federal funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. In recent weeks, such contacts from reporters have been happening with some regularity.

The reporter (if indeed that's the actual job the person had) has got to be pretty damn lazy. I doubt that internet search engines don't exist in Illinois.

What's more, the post this person mentioned which I wrote in June also had a link to my source of information.

So -- this nagging and uncomfortable sensation has lingered with me much of the day. I know my views of politics are not typical of this small rural section of Tennessee. And judging by what I read and hear from across the country, my views are not typical either - otherwise our shared political landscape would be radically different.

Let me offer a short excerpt from the short email I received:

"Joe,

Some conservative friends of mind are always complaining about their tax dollars going to "liberal" PBS. I was reading your blog where you were talking about only 15-percent of PBS' funding comes from tax dollars--about $1 per person. Does that mean each year each person in the U.S. pays $1 to pay for PBS?"

Again, it remains inexplicable that someone who has a computer and email doesn't have access to the same search engines I do. Was this email just an example of one lazy reporter? The fact is there is so much specific and detailed information on any topic you can imagine available, there exists no real reason to ask how I found some research documents.

In a slightly related event, yesterday (well, today really, around 1:30 am) some foul-mouthed ignorant hateful shmuck left a comment on my post yesterday about Sen. Frist that was pure obscenity incarnate. Once I saw it I deleted it.

I dunno - I guess fourth grade was tough for a lot of people and they've never recovered.

On the other hand, I have been in contact with some reporters from outside the state who have been working on a variety of stories, including the issue of illegal immigrants and how it has impacted this part of the state. In that case, I found the reporter to be very well informed, had visited here more than once and had conducted many interviews.

So some journalists dig and search, some don't. I'm glad anyone can find either useful or perhaps entertaining writing here. Kinda why I started. After all, everyone is entitled to my opinion.

And that leads me to a milestone for this Cup o' Joe. August 3rd 2005 was the first day of this blog so I am most happy to be here one year later. Yay me.

I'll have more about that anniversary tomorrow.

And really, I don't mind one bit if folks have questions about something I say here. Once or twice even I've been wrong on some things, and I do make corrections. I guess with the odd email today I am just reminded of the old saying - "There are no stupid questions. But there are stupid people."

Things Heard And Not Heard

Some things I have not heard anyone say this summer:

"Is it hot enough for ya?"

"I am soooo excited by this election year!"

"Ann Coulter turns me on."

"I don't get much spam in my e-mail anymore."

"I sure miss Star Jones on 'The View'".

"I hate to think the kids will be back in school soon."

"I'm so glad you applied for this job Joe. You're hired!"

Some things I have heard this summer:

"Star Wars" theme on a banjo. Yep. Banjo. Doubt it? Then just watch --

The Fristing

Despite months of federal investigation into the financial dealings of Sen. Bill Frist, somehow he finds the courage to say "whoops, I must've forgotten I was in charge of this foundation for the last twelve years!"

Details of the newest discovery, dismissed as "inadvertent error" by staffers, are here at the KNS. I truly can't count the number of times he has pled utter ignorance of his finances, his misreporting campaign donations and ensuing fines, what stock he owns or has sold in his family's company, his medical diagnosis of Teri Schaivo, and on and on. It's like that old joke from Schultz on "Hogan's Heroes" -- "I know nothing!"

None of this has stopped his campaign to be the president. This weekend in Iowa, where he's been spending more time than in his own district, he wows the faithful by saying things like "Meaningful solutions to people's everyday problems" is what he can offer".

And over at KnoxViews today, Brian notes:

"Senator Frist, speaking on the Senate floor:

"I’d be hard-pressed to say we’re not addressing the issues that mean something to the average hard-working taxpayer out there today."

Yes indeed. Flag burning, gay marriage, English language resolutions: these issues are front and center at every blue-collar dinner table."

I suppose we should be thankful he is keeping one promise he made - to only clutter up the Senate with his presence for two terms. And ya know, I heard he knew someone who had a friend once who wasn't a millionaire! A man of the people!!

Morristown City Admin. Moving To Kingsport?

It will likely come as a surprise to many Morristown residents that current City Administrator Jim Crumley is eyeing a move to Kingsport for the post of City Manager, according to reports in today's Kingsport-Times News.

The report also raises concerns about audit reports during Crumley's tenure in Johnson City:

"KINGSPORT - Jim Crumley - Morristown city administrator and former Johnson City assistant city manager - is the candidate being considered for Kingsport's top job.

Mayor Dennis Phillips revealed Crumley's identity during a Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session Monday afternoon.

Crumley has served as city administrator of Morristown since February 2001. Previously, he worked for the city of Johnson City for nearly 17 years, ending his tenure there as assistant city manager under then-City Manager John Campbell.

Reached by phone on Monday, Crumley said he was flattered to be considered for the Kingsport city manager position.

"Kingsport has been an outstanding community - not only for city managers, but for all of East Tennessee for a long time," Crumley said. "The opportunity to work and serve with the group of people leading the city is really great."

Kingsport has been without a city manager since the resignation of A. Ray Griffin Jr. in January. Since then, City Attorney Mike Billingsley has been serving as interim.

Soon after Griffin's resignation, the Municipal Technical Advisory Service began recruiting potential candidates for the BMA to consider. Campbell, who is now NETWORKS – Sullivan Partnership director, also helped in the search.

The process was selected to keep potential candidates' identities confidential so as to not cause problems with their current jobs.

BMA members have met with two candidates and last week - following complaints from some city leaders about the search process - agreed to hold a public interview session with Crumley on Aug. 7. Phillips said he intends to bring Crumley's nomination for city manager to the BMA for a vote on Aug. 14.

Pat Hardy, with MTAS, said he thinks Crumley is a great match for Kingsport.

"We talked to a bunch of people and sent the tentacles out as far as we could to get people who are interested," Hardy said. "I think we've found somebody in Jim whose personality seems to click with Kingsport. He's a personable person, very up front and honest - a really good match for Kingsport."

Phillips made it clear Monday afternoon he supports Crumley for the city manager position.

"He is a successful city administrator in Morristown. They seem to be doing very well in economic development. He has worked under John Campbell, who is by most people's account one of the better city managers who has been in this area," Phillips said. "He is highly recommended by MTAS, and both Pat Hardy and John Campbell feel that this is the strongest candidate that we could probably get at this time without paying an enormous amount of money."

However, some members of the BMA have concerns about Crumley and his time working in Johnson City.

BMA members will review the last three financial audits of Morristown and the last two audits of Johnson City when Crumley served as assistant city manager.

The two audits from Johnson City are the 1999-2000 one, which contained more than 50 findings, and the 2000-2001 audit, which contained 30 findings - all holdovers from the previous year. Johnson City's finance department also failed in 2001 to receive the Certificate of Achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association in almost a decade.

"The two audits from Johnson City raise many, many concerns for him," Alderman Ken Marsh said. "I have many questions on the first two, and when I see the other three, I may or may not have other questions. These first two make me wonder about some of the financial recommendations I hear from other people.

"Some of (the information in the first two audits) is not particularly reinforcing."

Phillips said he has met with the accountants who conducted the Johnson City audits and says there was no criminal-type activity reported.

"There are disagreements about how the auditors feel like things should be done and how things were done. You have to look ... was anything done without the knowledge of the entire council," Phillips said. "Keep in mind, Jim wasn't the comptroller. There was people working under him. We're not hiring him to be the finance director for the city of Kingsport. We're hiring him to be the city manager for Kingsport, which involves what he's been doing successfully in Morristown."

Vice Mayor Larry Munsey, who had a second interview with Crumley last week, said he intends to wait until the Aug. 7 public interview to pose his questions and concerns.

"Now is not the right time to do that," Munsey said during Monday's meeting.

"If there's something you want to say, the appropriate time to say it is in this meeting and not in a parking lot or amongst your friends," Phillips said to all BMA members. "If something needs to be said, I would appreciate it said in a BMA meeting or work session."

"That's not a nice thing to say," Munsey said. "If anybody's doing things in a parking lot ... if you want to have this right now I'm prepared to do it."

Munsey has taken issue with the search process, saying there had been no public discussion by the BMA.

"I would very much prefer to look at Alderman Marsh in face, Alderman (Pat) Shull in the face and Alderman (Ken) Maness in the face whenever we have those discussions," Munsey said. "I'd prefer to see these people when we talk about it."

Teenage Fight Clubs

A friend pointed out a rather odd sentence in a report from USA Today about the apparent national popularity of teenage 'fight clubs'.

"Many fight-club brawlers are suburban high school kids, not gang members or juvenile criminals."

Um. What??

Charges have been filed against the teen distributor of an underground movie called Agg Townz Fights 2, a DVD complete with a rap soundtrack as background to a variety of teen fighters.

"I just used my business-savvy mind," says Jackson, who's seen break dancing and flashing a wad of cash in the videos.

His Dallas-based attorney, Ray Jackson (no relation), calls the organized crime charge "ludicrous" and predicts his filmmaking client will become another Spike Lee. The lawyer adds that although the Agg Townz series has become a "cult classic," his client has not made money from it. Most DVDs in circulation are bootlegs from which his client did not get a cut of the proceeds, Ray Jackson says.

"This was low-end equipment and high-end talent," the lawyer says. "That's why it sold."

Yeah, savvy.

I guess I always thought the Andy Warhol quote of "in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" to be a sardonic critique of American behavior rather than a goal to be pursued.

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been Involved In Community Theatre?

Interviewed on the campus of East Tennessee State University, a 30-year old decorated sergeant and linguist given the boot by the Army, has an odd story. Seems he is guilty of being gay, but more oddly is the investigation into the life of Bleu Copas.

Investigators wanted to know if he had been active in community theatre.

Is the new policy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Be In a Play"?

"I knew the policy going in," Copas said in an interview on the campus of East Tennessee State University, where he is pursuing a master's degree in counseling and working as a student adviser. "I knew it was going to be difficult."

An eight-month Army investigation culminated in Copas' honorable discharge on Jan. 30 - less than four years after he enlisted, he said, out of a post-Sept. 11 sense of duty to his country."

(Snip)

"On Dec. 2, investigators formally interviewed Copas and asked if he understood the military's policy on homosexuals, if he had any close acquaintances who were gay, and if he was involved in community theater. He answered affirmatively.

But Copas declined to answer when they asked, "Have you ever engaged in homosexual activity or conduct?" He refused to answer 19 of 47 questions before he asked for a lawyer and the interrogation stopped.

Copas said he accepted the honorable discharge to end the ordeal, to avoid lying about his sexuality and risking a perjury charge, and to keep friends from being targeted."

(via MetaFilter)

CNN To Offer User Provided News

I've lost count of the derisive phrases aimed at America's press world - usually labels created by those who are lucky enough to have nationwide distribution. Even hatchet-man/PR spinning dervish Karl Rove said last week that the problem in America is those darned reporters whose works "corrode" the political world. Of course! It isn't the actions of those elected, but those who report on what the elected do that's the problem. Yeesh.

In a rural community like the one I call home, news is controlled by a single agency and woe to those who attempt to provide more information or different views. The less the people know, the better for that agency. Events which go unreported are soon dismissed as "mindless gossip", and the public's right to know becomes a minor matter.

In general, small town media has little interest in community debate and more interest in filling columns with wire reports from across the nation. Hopefully, those days are fading fast.

I think it's obvious the ever-growing blogging community has taken the reins, presenting not just news and information, but accounts of personal experiences. And plenty of editorializing on events local and global. I'm happy to be a part of this new enterprise.

Now cable news is moving past the frequent "what are the bloggers saying" segments to offering anyone with the tech equipment and internet access a chance to add their own reports.

On Tuesday, CNN will announce the creation of a "citizen journalism" division.

"What we'’re doing with the Exchange, and I-Reports in particular, is creating a single vehicle, a simple branded environment in which people are going to be able to more consistently and easily participate in the news,"” says Mitch Gelman, senior VP/executive producer for CNN.com.

With its streamlined uploading function, CNN Exchange represents a more ambitious commitment to citizen journalism than has existed to date. Although broadcast news divisions and cable news networks have dabbled in incorporating viewer video into newscasts for the past year, none have as sophisticated a Website."

One of the problems I have with the phrase "citizen journalism" is that it implies a working journalist is not a citizen.

Thanks to a more widespread access to the online world, I've seen a true change taking place - more people are writing and reading and sharing their life experiences. And already, many news organizations have opened up to the blog writers with eager acceptance (like WKRN-TV blogs and No Silence Here at the KNS.

An online writer needs no corporate endorsement to achieve their goals - but corporations are starting to need those writers more and more.

Religion and Politics

GIven the fact that the NYTimes has been battered, breaded and deep-fried over the past few years with scandals over fake reports, details of secret programs, attacks from the Left and the Right, I seldom take much time to read what they print.

Today's edition, however, had a feature on a pastor who has been assertively sermonizing on the dangers of aligning religious goals with political ones. I tend to agree. My late father, a Baptist minister, often sent personal letters to elected officials at the local, state and national levels, but I can't really recall him ever taking those concerns overtly to a congregation. He would often gather with local residents in a coffeee shop or restaurant and offer his political thoughts there, but, as I said, I just don't recall him blending political and religious sermons.

And in the NYTimes article today, I am not surprised the writer had to travel a ways to focus on the actions of a Minnesota minister. Here in Tennessee, it seems that politics and religion are often joined.

Anyway, Pastor Gary Boyd, who is often criticized for his sermons, is quoted as saying:

"In his six sermons, Mr. Boyd laid out a broad argument that the role of Christians was not to seek “power over” others — by controlling governments, passing legislation or fighting wars. Christians should instead seek to have “power under” others — “winning people’s hearts” by sacrificing for those in need, as Jesus did, Mr. Boyd said.

“America wasn’t founded as a theocracy,” he said. “America was founded by people trying to escape theocracies. Never in history have we had a Christian theocracy where it wasn’t bloody and barbaric. That’s why our Constitution wisely put in a separation of church and state.

“I am sorry to tell you,” he continued, “that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.”

The full article is here (reg. required).

All Questions Answered For Move Quiz

If you struggled to find the answers to yesterday's quiz on identifying movies, take heart.

Here are the answers (and apolgies to AT for invading his comments yesterday!):

1. Cube
2. Citizen Kane
3. Casablanca
6. Groundhog Day
7. Blood Rayne
8. The Street Fighter
9. Dogma
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark
11. To Kill a Mockingbird
12. Life of Brian
13. Platoon
14. dog day afternoon
15. Taxi (french movie remade in US with Jimmy Fallon
and this one truly had me stumped too!!)
16. Heat
17. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
18. The Insider
19. Total Recall
20. Tom Yum Goong (totally stumped me)
21 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (haven’t seen it but its in my
NetFlix list and also one that stumped me!)
22. Wag the Dog
23. Bulletproof Monk
24 No Man’s Land (never heard of it)
25 Kopps (yeah, never heard of it)
26 Y Tu Mama Tambien
27. Phone Booth
28. Scary Movie 2

You Are Invited

Multi-tasking today as your Cup of Joe is offering a massive re-direct for the weekend. That means you are invited to travel to Nashville Is Talking where I am once again honored to be the guest blogger for the weekend.

If you have ideas or thoughts you think are worth a post, please leave a comment here. Or there.

If you think I'm a weenie for light blogging on this page, leave a comment here or come over to NiT and insult me there.

Big thanks to WKRN and Brittney for the chance to spread my opinions around the state!

Camera Obscura - Monkey Woman Speaks

In my humble opinion, it has taken far too long for the television world to embrace and present the man who has inspired the imaginations of generations of Americans and others around the globe - the one and only Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics and the superheroes we all know by name.

(Shameless plug first - be sure and check out Nashville is Talking this weekend as I guest host and talk about some nifty Nashville-related movie news, history and much more. Shameless plug over and back to the post at hand!)

I confess the prospect of a 'reality-series competition show' hosted by Lee sounded so cheesy you could slice it or pour it over tortilla chips. Watching the premiere last night of Who Wants To Be A Superhero was immensely entertaining, not only for the goofy alter-egos of the players, but Stan looms like an Eternal over the proceedings. The quote of the week for me was Stan saying "Thank you, Monkey Woman."

Yes, Monkey Woman - just one of the potential superheroes vying for a chance to have their own movie on the Sci-Fi Channel and a comic book to boot. My favorite of the bunch (heh, a banana joke!) however was Major Victory, who runs and leaps like an honest-to-pete super-guy, whipping his head left and right to survey the potential dangers and hazards of the world around him.

But Monkey Woman shimmied up a tree to change into her costume. So there's that. Plus she has her own web site and her backstory is loopy fun - born to Christian missionaries in the jungle and trained to sing opera - it's just weird enough to keep me laughing.

"... she thought about the monkeys and the survival skills they taught her. In her darkest hour, against all odds, she had come through. She knew she had the strength to do anything. She vowed then and there to find out the truth, and to take revenge on the psycho who robbed her of her parents. Maria threw back her head and let out an angry shriek that would forever mark her campaign against evil - the call of the monkeys."

Monkey Woman and Lemuria are interviewed here. The TV show airs Thursday nights and as long as Stan intones somber warnings and hearty "Excelsiors!' to Monkey Woman and the others, I'll keep watching.

One more Monkey Woman quote:

"The bananas are all weapons and tools, disguised to look like ordinary bananas. Along the lines of Batman, where he's got the grappling hook, the grenades and stuff like that. Each banana serves a different function."

Meanwhile across town ....

One savvy movie watcher has discovered the nefarious symbolism of oranges in The Godfather saga. A sampling of these fruity omens:

"Right before he was shot, Don Corleone bought 2 oranges!"

"When sitting with his father after he returns home from the hospital, Fredo sits next to a fruit basket of oranges. He later betrays the Family and his prayers cannot help him!"

Elsewhere ....

-- Zombies get arrested this week in downtown Minneapolis!

-- Al Gore says we're all going to die soon! (via You Had Me At Idiot)

And finally

Think you know movies? Can you identify a movie just by looking at a picture from the flick? Test your skills and knowledge at this page for the 3rd Movie Quiz. You have 28 movies to identify - some are insanely easy, some are really tough. And yes, I could tell you all the answers, but not until you give it a go.

Whedon on Courage and Equality

I have been on the Joss Whedon bandwagon for years - he simply writes with much humor and insight and his work has inspired many. The following video was featured on Cows and Graveyards and I am happy to offer it here. (yes, I am a diehard Buffy fanatic which I've written in this blog many times.)

Whedon shows in a few moments of a speech why his work is so strong - it's worth watching every moment of this, as he steers you through his thoughts and reflections and his experiences.

FEMA's Brownie: 'Just Bite Me!'

Former FEMA Chief Michael Brown exposes it all in Playboy. All his rage, that is. Some snippets from the Playboy Interview were featured in a column from today's Washington Post:

"· On Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), accusing him in a hearing of not comprehending the devastation: "For that little twerp to claim I didn't understand death and suffering -- he can just bite me, for all I care."

· On President Bush saying the levee breaches were unexpected: "He doesn't have an incredible command of the English language."

· On DHS boss Michael Chertoff ordering him out of the field: "I am so mad at myself for not saying 'screw you.' "

· On Bush calling him "Brownie": "It's typical of the president. He's a cheerleader . . . How many people in the world do you think have ever called me Brownie? . . . When he used that nickname, a lot of people in the media went, Is he an insider?"

· On his much-mocked prior job with the International Arabian Horse Association: "Dealing with horses' asses taught me how to deal with the federal government."

You, go, Brownie.

How dare people debate the performance you gave during a national disaster where hundreds of poor people died!!

You had a fax machine and you looked good in your spiffy clothes! Nothing else matters.

Wacky Diplomat Funtime Show

I suppose it's a healthy response to the deadly wars and political upheaval for diplomats to gather and hold wacky talent shows. You know, some down time away from staring into the abyss.

The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Forum has "become well known for the party which comes near the end of a packed week of talks".

Wars rattle on and on and spread from nation to nation as if it were kudzu. Diplomacy from all quarters is distinguished by ineffective ideas. So what's a diplomatic delegation to do? Play dress up and mock themselves, of course.

Poor Condi Rice, reeling from Middle East battles, the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, and an impossible-to-top performance of Colin Powell dressed as a cowboy and serenading a Japanese Foreign Minister. So she's opting for a somber tone, planning on tickling the ivories with a Brahms recital.

One must wonder if a somber mood at the mocking talent show is another klunky response to expectations of performance.

In the past parties of diplomats-gone-wild, participants offered such skits as:

"Previous numbers have included a Russian minister dressed as Star Wars baddie Darth Vader and an Australian attempt to demonstrate beach cricket while singing Beach Boys song Kokomo.

But it is the US that has excelled in the past, and in particular, former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

At the 2001 meeting in Hanoi, he dressed as a cowboy to sing a country and western song about doomed love to then Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, in traditional Vietnamese dress, who ended the song with a kiss for her US counterpart.

The following year, he played a pre-recorded video compilation which showed people including President Bush and his wife begging him not to sing again.

But his star turn came in 2004, when he donned a hard hat and carried a hammer to perform the Village People classic YMCA. He was backed by five US officials in the colourful outfits - including policeman and biker - made famous by the original band."

Rumor has it that "fiddling as Rome burns" is a time-honored tradition.

Prayer Warriors and Patriot Pastors

Sub-groups within political factions are really nothing new - Left-Handers For Liberty, Pet Owners Practicing Political Change, whatever you can imagine, it's already out there.

For some time now in Ohio, for instance, there has been a huge push to create Patriot Pastors by the thousands who will register voters and who use military terminology to whip up the faithful into a political frenzy.

"'Sound an alarm!' he boomed. 'A Holy Ghost invasion is taking place. Man your battle stations, ready your weapons, lock and load!' In the course of the performance, Parsley promised that during the next four years his campaign, Reformation Ohio, would bring a hundred thousand Ohioans to Christ, register four hundred thousand new voters, serve the disadvantaged, and guide the state through “a culture-shaking revolutionary revival.'"

More on the players in this political framework, which is facing IRS investigation, is here from the New Yorker.

Yesterday at Nashville is Talking, discussion was fierce over the creation of "Prayer Warriors" who are mustering legions (well, more like dozens, for Jim Bryson's bid for Governor.

Some within the very Southern Baptist faith express grave concern at the co-mingling of politics and religion. Bob Shurden, Director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University, spoke on the topic of religion and politics in Atlanta in June. He tells the Associated Baptist Press:

"I am suggesting that some Christian churches in our country have become political temples and that some clergy have embraced willingly the title of 'patriot pastors.' I am suggesting that theocrats have an eye on the machinery of the national and state governments, and they make no apology for it.

As for me - I doubt I'm the only one to notice the catastrophic effects the combination of Belief and Politics has had on parts of the world, say in the Middle East?

Garcia Labor Faces Federal Indictment

A federal 40-count indictment was presented Tuesday for the Morristown, TN and Ohio based Garcia Labor Company, accused of employing 1,000 illegal immigrants for contract work between Dec. 1999 and November 2005.

Also named in the indictment were the company's president Maximino Garcia, his sister Dominga Carroll and H.R. director Gina Luciano, who have all pled not guilty.

According to a report in the Knoxville News Sentinel:

"All are charged with one count of conspiracy to induce illegal aliens to live in the United States, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Garcia faces another 16 counts of inducing illegal aliens to live in the country, and 19 counts of harboring illegal aliens.

Luciano is charged with 14 counts of inducing illegal aliens to live in the country, three counts of transporting illegal aliens, and three counts of harboring illegal aliens.

Each of the immigration charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The money laundering charges carry a maximum 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Prosecutors also want Garcia to forfeit $12 million - what the company earned from one year of its contracts with ABX - and property where the workers were housed in Wilmington, 42 miles east of Cincinnati."

The timing on this was most interesting, as I have had some conversations with a Texas-based newspaper reporter about immigration and illegal immigration and the impact it's had on East Tennessee. It's a truly thorny issue as the majority of manufacturing firms here in Morristown are foreign owned, which means the atmosphere in business circles is very friendly to foreign investments and recruting while local residents shutdowns of textile industrial companies which left the US and put thousands out of work.

One constant question has been why firms that recruit and hire illegals aren't prosecuted. In this case, they are - and at the federal level. Are more companies under scrutiny?

Incumbents Breathe Sigh of Relief

While talk often drubs Incumbents, trends in voting show that it's more likely for Incumbents to keep being, well, Incumbent.

From the Washington Monthly blog, statistics show that Incumbents are far more likely now than ever to keep being re-elected, up from a 90 percent chance to a 98 percent chance.

Why?

One reason presented is "self-segregation":

"That is, liberals tend to move to liberal places and conservatives tend to move to conservative places. This has an obvious self-gerrymandering effect, but also has the less obvious effect of making people more partisan. When you spend time only with people you agree with, your views tend to become more extreme. This is good for incumbents since extreme voters are less likely to defect to the opposition."

I would also add my own reason, which is that voter apathy has been growing due to belief that the voter has less might than ever, that big money contributors have increased their controls and the individual has even less. And it seems that more than ever, politics is a lifetime career and a family legacy as well. Other reasons are put forth in the full post here.

A related post today from VOLuntarily Conservative citing numbers from early voting says voter turnout this year may be one of the lowest ever in a primary. But in addition to a primary, that would also mean voting for local government candidates is also very low.

The lack of participation and the tendency to return Incumbents to office sends a clear message - everything is fine, no reason to change the policies of failure, no reason to restrict the impact of big dollar contributors. Does this also indicate the chatter of bloggers and pundits add to the disinterest?

University Aims To Censor Public Meetings

Efforts to limit public information about government business remains a constant and sadly few local residents even know - a sure sign the plan to restrict access works. Walters State Community College has decided to not only abandon civic duty, their plan to limit airtime for Hamblen County Government meetings also reduces efforts to educate the population on policies and procedures.

The broadcasts of these meetings has zero importance to City Government as well, who have successfully avoided airing their own meetings despite designating a local cable channel for Government and Education in the mid-1990s. They won't expend one penny for responsible government, not one penny for public education on governmental workings, and they insure more roadblocks to an educated community.

Oddly, the city did approve of a nearly $20 million expenditure in a public bond to finance the local electric utility's venture into the cable and internet business.

As for Walters State, they totally control the channel and offer endless self promotion clips and short educational videos from decades long, long past.

The problem is that WSCC will only allow for two hours of air time for a meeting, for a total of four per week. Meanwhile local cable providers consistently offer their services to residents. Comcast Cable will continue to present the meetings uncensored and in their entirety. While Charter Communications worked with county government to provide equipment to record the meetings, the city quietly handed off their control of the channel to WSCC - and WSCC just snips the broadcast off after two hours, whether the meeting is over or not.

If the university only wants to allow for four hours per week for civic broadcasts, then why not place the meetings on a single day, capturing all that happens?

County Commissioner Linda Noe has more info on her blog about the county likewise approving a plan to cut the broadcasts to fit in the time allotted, though they did mention an effort to convince the university to fulfill their obligation to education by not censoring broadcasts.

This unified effort by city officials, who have steadfastly refused to televise their meetings, and by WSCC, has a single result - a poorly educated and informed public. Keeping citizens in the dark, keeping the community's business hidden appears to be the goal.

Their is an opportunity to not only provide civic education, but also provide training for high school or college students who yearn for careers in television broadcasting. Some straightforward communication between the city, the university and the county, as well as the county's education system could benefit everyone.

Limiting access to public information appears to be the pattern officials endorse.

The Tesla Roadster Unveiled

The electric car is a reality from Tesla Motors as they unveiled their new sportscar, all electric, this weekend in Santa Monica. The company showed off their new car to press and even Gov. Schwarzenegger took a spin.

Since the auto company take's the Tesla name, it's worth noting the vast achievements of the scientist and inventor, like the creation of created alternating current, making it possible for electricity to travel immense distances and many other enginreering feats like radio transmission. A hefty collection of his work is here.

Tesla Motors homepage has loads of information. Based in the US and in the UK, with affiliations to Lotus, the car should be available for purchase in early 2007. It has a range of 250 miles on a charge and can reach 60 mph in 4 seconds with a top speed of 130. And check out the video for the new car.

Crashing Marriage and Awful Lyrics

It's not a good sign when the marriage proposal culminates with an airplane crash and a response to the proposal given during the ambulance ride. But that's what happened.

What's the worst song lyrics you ever heard? This paper has a list of 32 bad ones, including:

"THE SONG: America, "A Horse With No Name"
THE LYRIC: "There were plants and birds and rocks and things"
THE VERDICT: What, did he get tired? Rocks and things?"

And I have to agreee with the following as well - it's my personal choice for worst in a long long time:

"THE SONG: Black Eyed Peas, "My Humps"
THE LYRIC: “My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely lady lumps.”

Yeah, that's bad. Ah, for the days when cryptic lyrics prompted an FBI investigation.

And finally, the lowest-viewed week of broadcast television ever. Welcome to 2006.

Oh, and my personal fave quote from this week can be found at Atomic Tumor:

"Local racetrack is a dumb idea unless you're interested in boosting the mullet ratio in Oak Ridge."

A Musical Interlude

I'll take the cue here tonite from the pages of Newscoma, who posted this fine entry via YouTube tonite.

This is a video from a concert by Frank Zappa, a master musician and guitar god. This song is from one of my favorite albums, "One Size Fits All." The tune here is called "Florentine Pogen" and presents a perfect example of all the things about Frank I love and that I miss so much.

The music and arrangement is intricate and off the wall, like holding out for that duck call solo. The lyrics are a rock and roll example of "Jabberwocky" - tight rhymes and goofy wordplay which singer Napoleon Murphy Brock belts out as if he were telling you an incredible tale of heartbreak. And Frank simply wails on the guitar. And look at that band - George Duke on keyboards and the incredible Ruth Underwood on vibraphone and percussion (and duck call) - they are having a fantastic time.

I know only a select few of us can find the groove for Zappa. But that's ok. Try it. You may like it.

Crank it up for the next 10 minutes, wait for that guitar solo. And Chester's go-rilla (he go 'moo').


A partial examination of the lyrics can be found here, not that it really matters.

Will Ferrell Rocks Knox

Today's edition of the Knoxville News Sentinel chronicles the arrival, the performance, the crowd and the charitable fundraising efforts of comedian Will Ferrell as he promoted "Talledaga Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" to aid a children's charity group..

Some fans recalled the wild days of Frank the Tank in "Old School", and as the KNS article reports, Will gladly played along:

"After the screening we're going to run naked through Borders," he proclaimed to an enthusiastic response. "It's gonna get crazy."

Variety - The Children's Charity of Eastern Tennessee sold 1,000 tickets to the event, the fifth such benefit the group has hosted with Regal. The lure of Ferrell and "Talladega Nights" raised $260,000, besting last year's "Dukes of Hazzard" premiere with Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Simpson and Seann William Scott by about $31,000."

I admit to much hysterical laughter watching Ferrell's work on Saturday Night Live and in many movies. I'll happily stop to watch again and again as he evokes explosive good cheer in "Elf" or as the Anchorman's Anchorman as Ron Burgundy. His humor is not just infectious - it's overwhelming, like a Saint Bernard jumping on top of you and licking your face

Kudos to all who helped raised the money for the charity.

Camera Obscura - Clerks, Comics and the Comic-Con

The 2006 Comic-Con in San Diego brings out some big names in comics and in movies, and it may well be the Year of the Comic Book since the Post Office will issue a superhero stamp set on Friday. Projects of all types, from graphic novels to new movies and games much more are offered to fans this weekend in a kind of approval-hunt from the real board of directors - the fans who buy and read and often imitate the products offered.

A full list of the weekend's events are offered a IGN.com which includes a public debate/discussion between Depak Chopra and Grant Morrison on the Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes. This weird collision of corporate and private minds is seldom dull and has expanded to include just about any product imaginable. This is a bona-fide cultural stew of ideas and arguments about whether Batman could off Superman or if Halo could off them both.

The super-powered vigilante has been a constant in American culture for more than 60 years, survivng a blistering Congressional investigation in the 1950s, the campy inventions of television in the 1960s and 70s and arrives in the 21st Century with the appropriate computerized effects to tackle issues like the Patriot Act. Comics often stand today as the philosophical musings of the American mind. Often the main characters are there to save us from ourselves or face the wrath of a public who sees them as a menace.

I'd bet cash money many of those who attend will also leave the convention to take in director kevin Smith's newest movie, "Clerks 2." Smith is a major fanboy and a major player in all the creative realms visible at the convention. Smith has created his own universe of characters and events which run all through his productions (well, maybe not "Jersey Girl"). His View Askew production company has had a large presence on the Web via Movie Poop Shoot and his My Boring Ass Life blog.

A fascinating glimpse of how fanatical the fans and the corporate world following Smith's career have become were documented in "An Evening With Kevin Smith." This 224-minute documentary offers Smith in a very relaxed tour of college campuses talking about the minor details of his movies, the high-profile productions that came his way after his cult fame developed and shows his storytelling skills in a very watchable movie. Once I started watching and listening, it simply became impossible to stop. His recounting of the bland and the bizarre events fame provided is a must-see.

Pop culture myth-making is a goal for another filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan, and it's a goal he seldom reaches. One of the most overrated and undertalented writer/directors I've had the awful chore of experiencing may be getting a stiff rebuke this weekend as his movie "Lady In The Water" is released.

Honestly, one OK movie (Sixth Sense) and some truly awful ones (Unbreakable, The Village) has led Night (who names their kid Night?) to this new faux mystery film with a story about "narfs" and "scrunts" and features himself as a Great Misunderstood Writer. I'll pass.

OTHER NEWS

Some years ago I reluctantly attended a screening of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze as the Ultimate Bouncer. Five young women in the audience screamed like swooning banshees throughout the movie, and I admit that the movie was so awful I kinda liked it. Now thanks to the Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fame, you can watch the movie and listen to Nelson's commentary via a new web site called RiffTrax. "We don't make movies, we make fun of them" boasts the advertising. It would be great to see more unauthorized movie commentaries shredding your favorite or least favorite film.

-------
Writer/director Danny Boyle expands his catalog into science-fiction in a movie called "Sunshine," about a last-ditch effort to repair the failing Sun, is currently in production. Boyle has been running throgh the genres of film in movies like "Trainspotting" to "A Life Less Ordinary" to "28 Days Later". A behind the scenes and making of collection of clips available here.

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"Night of the Living Dead in 3-D"??? Yes, it's shambling to life.

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"Adventures of Brisco County Jr" arrives on DVD as does star Bruce Campbell's other short-lived TV series, "Jack of All Trades."

Quick, Hide The Inflatable Sheep!!

Sorry to detract from your apocalyptic day-mares about the End of The World or the Start of World War 12, but let's be honest. Just what exactly do you think you can do to stop civil war in the Middle East as you peck away at a keyboard or surf across the internet tubes??

I myself am more than annoyed by the fact that certain religious/military groups constantly want to drag the 21st Century into their Thousands of Years of Warfare and Hatred. Other than new weapons technologies supplied by outside countries, (or new innocents to kill) nothing much new is here. The Lust for natural resources has most national attentions pinned like a butterfly in a glass box as refugees run hither and yon. So if you feel like justifying the actions on one group versus another group, then have at it my friend.

As for me, my attention tends to wander about like a drunken sailor on the docks, heading for the buildings where singing can be heard, or maybe for that little place where the incredible aromas of freshly-made food drifts away on invisible breezes.

And here on the internet tubes in the ever-expanding world of blogging writers and readers, the newest study says the average writer/reader is a 14 year old girl posting OMG!!! and other horrible shorthands and misspellings as they unravel the mysteries of the latest American Idol machinatons or the problematic nature of cell phones and downloading ringtones. Or maybe you're just a political hack preaching the victories of Your Candidate/Pundit and the evils of The Other Candidate/Pundit.

And then there are those bloggers whose activities defy categories.

Which brings you and me to the point of this post:

Some thieves have hauled off a 14-foot inflatable sheep and the authorities say they can't find it:

"I can't figure out what someone would do with a 14-foot sheep," Sather said. "It can't go in your basement and if it's in your back yard, your neighbor will notice. If it's target practice, it only lasts once.'

All the thief or thieves left was a handwritten note at the scene of the crime that read: "For the sheep, bring peace to the earth."


I'm done. Are you still reading? Well, stop. And leave your comments

A Peaceful Arrival

Today marks the 37th anniversary of humanity's first step onto another world.

"During a pause in experiments, Neil suggested we proceed with the flag. It took both of us to set it up and it was nearly a disaster. Public Relations obviously needs practice just as everything else does. A small telescoping arm was attached to the flagpole to keep the flag extended and perpendicular. As hard as we tried, the telescope wouldn't fully extend. Thus the flags which should have been flat, had its own unique permanent wave. Then to our dismay the staff of the pole wouldn't go far enough into the lunar surface to support itself in an upright position. After much struggling we finally coaxed it to remain upright, but in a most precarious position. I dreaded the possibility of the American flag collapsing into the lunar dust in front of the television camera."

Details of the event and the thoughts of those involved are all available here.

A few years later, a Mars landing occured. Video here.

And thanks to DH for the reminder.

Explain This One

Someone will have to explain this one to me.

Throwing away frozen embryos created within the process of operating a fertility clinic is Good and Moral. Using those to-be-discarded, laboratory-grown embryos for stem cell research is Murder and Immoral. So, yes, someone needs to explain that one to me. It is an argument with no basis in the real world.

As I mentioned earlier today, it is unfortunate that tax-funded research sets the marching tone for medical research in general. Given the blindingly high costs of every single level of medical care in the nation, to see that the funds available for research need taxpayer supports also perturbs me.

Hysterical claims are made by some that stem cell research is bogus, that adult cells can provide identical opportunities -- the plain unvarnished truth is the science itself is so new that no one can say with authority one way or the other. (Yes, Science is held in contempt by the current administration, and by the so-called religous political movement, as if it were the central spear on Satan's flaming trident. I suppose we should all be glad that there haven't been public burnings and drownings of scientists.)

The veto of the president today makes no logical sense, and truly appears to me to be sheer political football at everyone else's expense.

And that seems to be a behavioral trend for the Bush presidency.

"The Garden" Has Room For You

There's just too much good stuff on DVD and even television to talk about, so here we are on a Wednesday talking movies -- and yes, this is another journey into Hollywood's Dark Heart, the Horror Movie.

Apologies first for this delayed review of "The Garden," which I've had ready for a week. And much thanks to the folks at Anchor Bay and M-80 for the chance to screen this little apocalyptic gem.

I love the atmosphere and the skillful camera and editing that make "The Garden" work. The psychological background here is dense and layered, as a dream-filled childhood mind intersects with the evil machinations of .... could that be Satan? Or is it just the gravel-voiced performance of actor Lance Henriksen? The churning mind of a troubled child may threaten all the world.

The story follows an alcoholic dad and his son, who are injured in a car crash and find themselves on an eerie farm and their host is an even more eerie farmer named Ben (Henriksen). The fevered and fearful dreams of young Sam seem to be capable of manifesting in reality, which is bad enough. But what if the farm where he seeks refuge is actually The Garden of Eden? Apocalypse is approaching, or is it all just more dreaming?

The cinematography and Henriksen's abilities carry the day. While the story may seem predictable to hard-core fans, the less initiated will like this un-rated foray into dimensional shifts and Twilight Zone-ish twists.

Check out the trailer here at the official website. This DVD offers extras from behind the scenes as well as director's commentary. And as always, the excellent catalog from Anchor Bay presents this movie and a host of others to pick from. Well worth your time to explore, many excellent genre entries are here.

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Back tonight for week two on TNT is Stephen King's "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" (Hey, a common theme! Deadly Dreams!!). Last week's debut of this four-week miniseries was just plain fantastic. Two more entries arrive tonight, each a one-hour adaptation of King's creepy tales, and this week again boasting some top-name talents.

First, William H. Macy stars in a dual role as writer and the writer's creation, a hard-boiled detective in an episode titled "Umney's Last Case." The writer seeks the help of his tough-as-nails fictional detective, an act that blends the real and the imagined into one. This episode is co-directed by X-Files alum Rob Bowman.

The second hour features actors Henry Thomas and Ron Livingston as they recount what may be the end of one life or perhaps the end of all life in "The End of the Whole Mess."

The official web-site, loaded with interviews and details is here. And if week two is as good as the first one was, we have a minor classic in the making.

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One of the constant questions from email and comments concerns the little horror movie with the legendary status which was filmed just a few miles from where I sit here in Morristown. That movie is "The Evil Dead" and director Sam Raimi's 1980s classic and the undefeatable hero named Ash is now headed to the world of musical theatre.

Yes, I said musical.

Reports say:

"The show is to debut in New York in October, having already been worked on in Toronto and Montreal.

The men responsible for this unlikely transfer from screen to stage are George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla and Christopher Bond. The show won't be directed by Sam Raimi, perhaps obviously; instead, Hinton Battle - known to fans of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television show as the all-singing devil Sweet - will co-direct.

The musical will follow the fortunes of a group of friends (rather than focusing on Ash only) after they unleash the You Know What in a secluded woodland cabin. The first few rows will be called the 'Splatter Zone'. I'm sure we needn't elaborate on that, at all. All performances will begin at the adults-only hour of 11pm, Friday and Saturday nights."

Singing and dancing zombies who aren't politicians. Now that's entertainment!

Fear of a Gay Planet

Twisting the state and the national constitution into a banning mechanism regarding sexual preference is deeply dangerous, for reasons obvious to most adults.

Barring further court actions, the state will present to Tennessee voters a proposal to change our constitution and ban certain consting adults from marrying. I'll vote no on that. I hope you do too. Efforts to alter the national constitution in the same way are also underway.

This is idiocy on so many levels, wasteful too. If you don't see that - nothing I say could open your sealed-shut eyes.

More on this topic via KnoxViews and Congressman Lincoln Davis' comments are here. And with all due respect to Congressman Davis - satire and lampoonery in speeches on the House floor are sometimes difficult to discern. But yeah, I get it. This is ridiculous legislation.

Mike Silence offers some more on the issue here. More comments and discussion are at NiT.

Being afraid of rights between consenting adults based on their sexual behavior says far more about you than you know.

These proposed ammendments stick the government's nose so far under the bedroom sheets we should see this as a perverted invasion of privacy.

I have just a two words to Americans who want to empower a Nanny Government to dictate every molecule of human behavior - Stop it.

UPDATE: Another viewpoint which express it better than I do here.

Medical Research Rebuke

Justifying warfare is easy for the President. Justifying research is not.

"White House press secretary Tony Snow explained yesterday, "The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder; he's one of them." That the embryos would be discarded anyway "is a tragedy," Mr. Snow added, "but the president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something that is living and making it dead for the purpose of research."

On the one hand, I am amazed to see this president actually threatening to veto something which is releated to federal spending. On the other hand, the research holds so much promise to save many lives that to block funding seems specious.

If the justification for warfare across the globe is to protect life, then stem-cell research should also be seen in the same light.

Shuffle Like You Mean It

Is it hotter than seven hells where you are?

Worried that we might be in World War III (or is it IV or even V or VI)?

Is your favorite political candidate chased by chickens?

Did someone leave the microphone on and everyone heard you say a baaaad word?

Can't afford gasoline?

Is your phone/internet under surveillance?

Were you not invited to Avril Lavigne's wedding?

Maybe you're mourning the death of Mickey Spillane --- so

Just soak your eyes in the following video (thanks to Squirrels on Snark for the link to the Tennessee edition of the Global Shuffle), wade out into the closest kiddie pool, or just stroll over to your favorite tourist location and dance, fool, dance!!