New Stories from my Trip Back Home: A Journal of Ideas

I have nothing better to write right now than that simple fact. I took a nap in my office. Now I have to read more stuff. Aren’t you sorry you clicked on this?

However---you should be sure to take a listen to Rog Radio. Every couple-two-tree weeks or so I’ll play and discuss Three Songs you should Know. You can find this either on my home page or on my Facebook page. It’s educational and probably illegal.

Bye for now.

December 30, 2008

Bring a Flask to First Night!

Yes, that’s right. If you plan on going to “first night” in State College or in any one of the other dozens of cutesy little towns around America, be sure to take a flask full of your favorite alcoholic beverage. Why? Because for some stupid reason they don’t sell them at first night. First night (what a precious name!) was designed as tsk tsk, finger pointy, nyah nyah, nanny state response to the perfectly natural American tendency to want to party, drink, and raise a little hell on New Years Eve. At first night, you buy a “badge” which shelters you from all those scary drinking type people and allows you to hear numerous concerts of people prancing around and singing “ho, ho, ho, la, la, la, la, la.” Oh, and there’s crafts. Spare me. The ice sculptures are nice, but I can see those the next afternoon after I’ve slept in until one. If first night had a beer tent, I’d say, ok, let’s give it a whirl. But tsk tsk, nyah nyah, sing-songy “noooo!”

Why no beer on first night? Because, they claim, everyone will get drunk and ruin things for the children. I say no way. Moms and dads who choose to can have a beer or two and show their kids how to drink responsibly. For those whose behavior might, as they say, “ruin it for everybody,” let’s have a few beat cops on hand to pop ‘em one and drag ‘em off to jail. It works.

Anyhow, if you’re one of those folks whose spouse or kids ropes you into attending this gawd-awful event, simply carry a small flask. If I’m there, and I see you smiling, I’ll know you have one.

Bye for now.

December 2, 2008

Title Impossible

This was going to be a brief bit about why I can’t read books or see movies like Marley & Me. Because despite how cute or smart the dog or cat is, you know that the end is coming soon…. I had some funny ways to describe this, but then something happened that took away all my desire to make jest.

A few days ago I learned that one of my students was rushed to the hospital. On Thanksgiving Day, she apparently suffered a ectopic rupture. She hasn’t gained consciousness since. And earlier today, just five minutes before I was to go teach my freshman seminar, I learned that they are about to declare her brain dead. Her name is Chen-Ling.

Tomorrow was to be Chen-Ling’s final oral exam, the day she would have defended her dissertation and earned her doctoral degree. I am the “outside reader” on her committee, the professor serving from a different department.

Last week, before this tragedy, I received and began reading Chen-Ling’s work. She did a very interesting study of the issue of foreign spouses in Taiwan and how they deal with their children’s educational matters. It was extremely well written—as good or better than most of the research I read by native English students.

Tomorrow I’ll meet with the rest of her doctoral committee to plan what to do next. There is precedent for awarding a degree to a student who dies before his or her final oral, but who has met all the key requirements.

Today I found out about her turn for the worse just moments before going to teach my class. Because I was feeling so upset, I considered canceling the class, then I thought, no, let’s just carry on. But the first think my students said when I walked in the room was, “Hi Roger! How are you?”

I don’t lie very well. I said, “well, not so good,” then proceeded to tell the story. It took a while because students were still trickling into the room and I kept having to restart. After about a minute, I got all choked up. What I remember asking my class is, “please excuse me if I cry a little,” and I did. What a way to start a class.

The strange thing is that I only met Chen-Ling once, six weeks ago, for about 45 minutes. But I keep thinking of her family. Her parents and husband, who after looking forward to two wonderful events – a Ph.D. mommy – now must suffer this agony.

I can think of little else to say, other than let’s all try to take care of each other a little better, appreciate those close to us a little more. I’ll say another prayer for Chen-Ling.

Bye for now.

November 23, 2008

Home and Highlights

Trying not to jetlag. Bought new Guns & Roses cd, Chinese Democracy, on a whim. Several cups of coffee. Wondering what to do next. Ross keeps following me with his toy. My shoe needs tied, but am to zoned out to do it.

‘Nuff of that. Here are some highlights from my trip to Taiwan.

1. Speech in Pingtung on Cultural Barriers to School Reform. Seemed to be well received, though it was good to have former National Pingtung University president Lin there to summarize in Mandarin. He also pushed the audience to ask questions, which they did. Key question: “Is there no way to make Taiwan school reform work?” I answered, “Sure. Get rid of all the entrance exams. Implement interschool competitive athletics. Implement these and other huge structural changes that parents will hate and that will introduce entirely new sets of problems for your society. In other words, no.”

2. Food highlights. President Lin took his whole family and I to the really nice Japanese restaurant in Pingtung. We drank sake and ate several courses of delicious food, including some fish with orange sauce that was just out of this world.

Along with friends, Central Police University Professor Yeh (Sandy) and Shau Lei (my roommate in Taipei), ate at upscale Taipei Japanese restaurant Mitsui. This place is or was owned by the son-in-law of former Taiwan President-cum-inmate, Chen Shui Bien. Sushi was magnificent, as were the grilled fish and goose liver.

My sister-in-law, Shiu Chin (my brother-in-law’s wife), took me to a new place at the Grand Palace Museum where we ate duck and other classic delicacies.

Perhaps the top highlight was dinner at the Japanese steakhouse simply known as “Ben.” (Yes, I kept thinking of the old Michael Jackson song from the movie.) Accompanied by Shiu Chin and hosted by my wife’s cousin Henry, we had a private room with a private chef and one of those huge griddles, this one large enough to shoot pool on. With great skill, our chef prepared soups, fish, shrimp, steak, fried rice, etc. None of the “watch me bounce the salt shaker off my elbow” business you often see in places like this. Just careful respect for and preparation of the food. Two bottles of California red wine were consumed, mostly I think by me.

3. Painful Massage. The first of these was to be a simple foot massage. I’d had one last summer in Shanghai, done by a pretty girl in a dimly lit room. Though we did sit in a dimly lit room, there was no comparison. Though much of the massage did feel good, I kept thinking I was being handled by Dick the Bruiser, especially when he worked on my left foot. I made noises to indicate that this was too much. Sitting alongside me and also getting the treatment, Shiu Chin suggested to my masseuse that he “go a little lighter,” to which he replied, “if I do, it will do no good!”

When the foot massage turned into a full body massage, I started fearing for my life. I was told to lie down on one of those tables with a whole for your face. that’s so no one can hear you scream. For the next 30 minutes, the masseuse dug his fingers, knuckles, and elbows into muscles that I don’t think had even been unwrapped since I was born. And the “left side is always more painful” rule applied. When I howled at something he did to my right side, I shuddered in fear that it would soon be even worse.

The next day we drove out in the country to what turned out to be a Chinese chiropractor. You see, I’ve had this nerve problem down my right arm for about two months. The pain is gone, but part of my hand is still numb. Certainly this Dr. could solve the problem, right?

Lying on my back with wooden wedges nestled between my C2 and C3 vertebrae, this nice enough fellow began to ferociously twist and crack the fingers on my right hand. I howled and yowled until he finished and told me to wait. Fifteen minutes later he came back and asked if I was better. Really couldn’t tell since I was still recovering from the earlier treatment. “Maybe a little,” I said. Then his wife took what looked like a big handled wooden knitting needle and began jabbing it into the tip of my right index finger. Yeah, that hurt a little.

There was more twisting and jabbing, each time followed by the question, “is it better?” I kept thinking, “Is it safe?” (See Marathon Man). Finally, I decided I better just say, “Boy howdy is that better!” and get out of there.

Sleepiness is taking over. Bye for now.

November 13, 2008

30 Hours in a Tunnel

Thirty hours in a tunnel. That’s how I describe the trip from State College to Taipei. Not so much the first leg, from State College to Detroit. It was daylight and I could see a stirring sunrise above the clouds. Still, there was a tunnel-like feeling in that you felt enclosed, totally dependent on the closed-in structure around you. The five hour stop at Detroit Metro Airport also had a tunnel-like quality. The new terminal is amazing, an incredible change from how I remember the old place in earlier years. But you are still utterly closed in. You’ve passed through security. You feel quarantined. My parents live 10 minutes from here, but I don’t even know how to escape this place to go see them. I can only imagine the red tape required to slip the bindings of security, then slip back in later on. So I sit, wander, feel bad that I didn’t save room for a Coney Island, read The Detroit News.

Now comes the real tunnel of fun, the flight to Tokyo. Twelve hours spent mostly trying to find a comfortable position. I’m so lucky to be on an aisle. I just don’t do well having to nudge sleeping passengers that I might stumble to the lavatory. Yet the woman sitting next to me never left her seat, not once! There were three bad movies and a lot of awful sounding music on the headphones. Awful sounding because the roar of the plane makes it impossible to hear. Where are my Bose noise cancelling headphones? Paul Harvey—where are you when I need you?

We’ve landed in Tokyo. At first, I’m in happyland strolling through the terminal, looking in giftshops, hoping to find that special Chibi Maruko Chan t-shirt. Alas, there are none to be found. Wandering further, a pretty girl offers me a taste of scotch—a sample, not even one finger of a small cup. I swallow in two sips, say thank you, take a mint. After that, I pass into sleepyland. I find a seat and each time I close my eyes I begin to dream. The clock and body disagree over the time; three AM? Or five PM? The body is winning this argument and continues to do so all during the flight to Taipei. When we land, it will be 10 PM for the clock, nine AM for the body, and I’ve only managed about two or three hours of sleep over the past 30 hours.

Right now I’m in a high speed train, traveling about, oh, 200 mph, from Taipei to Kaohsiung. I decided to pull out my laptop and write some of this down. I’m in a tunnel now, a real one, blasting through hillside after hillside. I’m tremendously happy to be here in Taiwan, but I want to shut my eyes for a while.

Bye for now.

November 10, 2008

Back to Pingtung

Tomorrow at 4 AM I’ll rise and not believe there really is such a thing as 4 AM. My plane takes off at 6:10. From State College to Detroit to Tokyo to Taipei – 28 hours? Next morning I’ll ride the high speed train to Kaohsiung. That’s Thursday. Friday morning I’ll give a speech. What a life this is! Ten days in Taiwan. Warm weather. Good food. Friends!

But I hate to fly. I hate to carry luggage through airports. I hate to wonder if I should schlep my bags with me with I go to the men’s room or the gift shop. I hate the crossword puzzle being too hard. “Springtime for Pierre” – as if anyone could figure that out! I do know “Art rocker Brian,” but that hardly ever shows up anymore.

Anyhow, I’m off to Pingtung, Kaohsiung, and Taipei. Three of my favorite places in the world.

Bye for now.

November 4, 2008

Perhaps James Brown Said it Best

Once pondering the resignation of Richard Nixon, the late poet James Brown wrote the following words, which I think capture the way many Americans will feel tonight.

We Got a Brand New Funky President

Funky town, nasty
Hey, listen to the man
I'm the Godfather
Payback
Cold blooded

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under, [Incomprehensible]
People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under

Hey, country
Didn't say what you meant
You just changed
Brand new funky President

Stock market goin' up, jobs are goin' down
And ain't no funking jobs to be found
Taxes keep goin' up, I changed from a glass
Now I drink from a paper cup, gettin' bad

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under

Listen to me, let's get together and raise
Let's get together, get some land
Raise our food like the man
Save our money like the Mob
Put up [Incomprehensible] on the job

[Incomprehensible]
Tell 'em, Godfather
Hello

Turn on your funk motor
Get down and praise the Lord
Get sexy, sexy
Get funky and dance

Love me, baby, love me nice
Don't make it once
But can you make it twice?
I like it

People, people, we got to get over
Before we go under
People, people, well, well, well
Before we go under

Turn on your funk motor
I know it's tough
Turn on your funk motor
Until you get enough, yeah

Hey, give yourself a
Chance to come through
Tell yourself, I can
Do what you can do

Hey, listen to the man
I'm Godfather
Payback
Cold blooded

People, people
People, people
Hey, people, people
Don't you see what's goin' on?

People, people, we got to get together
Get on the your foot, change it, yeah
Got to get together and get some land
Raise our food just like the man
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

I got to say it again
We got to get together, buy some land
Raise our food just like the man
Save our money, do like the Mob
Put up your [Incomprehensible] on the job

We gotta get over
Before we go under
Time's gettin' short, Lord

Country, do you know
Just what I meant?
We just changed
We got a brand new funky President

I need to be the Mayor
So I can change the things around here
I need to be the Governor
I need to be the Governor
I need to be the Governor

James Brown, circa 1974

Bye for now.

October 30, 2008

“Li’l Obama”

I think this is fair:

October 28, 2008

Victor Davis Hanson on Sarah Palin, Joe Biden, and Media Hypocrisy

I’m probably going to cross the street this afternoon and see Sarah Palin and Hank Williams Jr. I have a ticket. It’s just a matter of whether these old bones can stand to stand in line for three hours in the cold. I wrote here last week about Sarah and all the hypocritical slurs she’s had to withstand. But today I’ll offer a link to an article that explains it much better than I can.

Bye for now.

October 23, 2008

Why I like Sarah Palin (and why so many don’t)

The Main Reason: The main reason I like Sarah Palin, of course, is that I agree with her on so many things. The second reason is because I like her down to earth personality and style of speech. Now, do I think she has what it takes to be VP or to move into the White House should, God forbid, something happen to John McCain? Yes, I do. She’s had more executive experience than any of the men in this race and I think she possesses not just an authentic native intelligence about the way the world works, but also the character and values that make a great leader.

What if She were a Liberal? If I didn’t agree with Sarah on so many things, if she were a Democrat with views like Barack Obama’s, I guess I wouldn’t like her as much. But just as I like Obama a little, I would still like her some. I would never hate her, ridicule her, or sling mud at her as is being done by many on the left (and, sadly, some on the right) and by our mainstream TASS-like news media. When Geraldine Ferraro ran for veep, and when Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton ran for Commander in Chief, I didn’t hate them, even though none of them were any more qualified than Sarah Palin.

My Parents would have Made Good Presidents: Quite frankly, I think my dad, George Shouse, would have made a great president. He was a high school graduate, a WWII Bronze Star recipient, who raised three pretty good kids (two conservatives and a liberal). My mom, Eva, as well. Also a high school grad, she taught in a one room school house, and later worked at Pensacola Naval Air Station for a while during WWII. (She met dad in Lillian, Alabama when he was stationed on Perdido Bay. They got married a month later, just before dad was shipped overseas.) Both were great leaders.

Why do they Hate her? So, why does Sarah Palin churn up so much contempt? First, there’s her accent, manner of speaking; the fact that she’s not from the south or the northeast; and that she wasn’t schooled at Harvard, Yale, or one of those other precious little schools. Former Ronald Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan dislikes her for these reasons. I wonder, what would RR think of Sarah, or of Peggy’s tiny opinion?

Her accent: The accent issue is really interesting to me. Sarah’s accent seems to rub many the wrong way. It’s like the exact opposite of the British accent that so many associate with intellect. For many, even a Huckleberry Hound-like southern accent sounds charming, witty, or wise. But doncha dare go soundin’ anything near like the Hanson brothers from the movie Slap Shot, or many well-to-do liberals will think you’re some kind of kook, doncha know!

The other day at my daughter’s school, it was “National Talk Like Sarah Palin Day,” and a lot of kids were walking around saying Tina Fey things like “Yoo betcha I kin see Roosha from my house!” I suggested to Eva Mei that the next day be “National Talk Like Obama Day,” and everyone could say equally fun and silly things like, “yo’, homey, we gonna spread yo’wealth [or, “weaff”] aroun’ da hood, yo’!”

How that would go over?

Her failure to abort: On an even nastier level, others hate Sarah Palin because she kept her Downs Syndrome baby. I really don’t criticize any mom for deciding to differently than Sarah. Were I a mom, I very well might not have had the courage to do what Sarah did. But as a few commentators have begun to suggest, some leftist women won’t forgive her.

Media Mud Slinging: In the past few days, America’s TASS news agency has sought to sling more mud at Sarah Palin. Story one is about how she billed the state of Alaska $21K for her kids’ travel expenses while accompanying her on state-related trips. It’s not clear to me why this is an issue, since it’s legal under Alaskan law and since any clear thinking Alaskan voter would have realized that when you elect a governor with minor children, some of your taxes will go toward their care and feeding. And I’m still looking for the media outrage that occurred when Jimmy Carter took daughter Amy – at taxpayer expense – on all those trips and to all those fancy hotels.

Story two concerns how the McCain campaign coughed up over $100K for Sarah’s campaign wardrobe. I don’t know. I guess the only things the male senators in this race need are a few custom made suits and a handful of shirts and ties. But my guess is that to promote a good media image a woman governor from Alaska needs a few more items. Maybe $100K is too much, but I trust that the McCain campaign spent their cash as best they could. If Sarah hadn’t gone on the shopping spree, clever commentators would be carrying on about how frumpy she looked.

The End: I realize this is rather long. But I’d be proud to have Sarah Palin as my country’s vice president. And maybe next time, I’ll write about why she’s smarter and far more trustworthy than Joe “Let’s Divide Iraq into 3 Countries” Biden.

Bye for now.

October 20, 2008

Joe the Professor

Here’s the story. Obama walks up to shake hands with a guy standing in front of his own home. The guy, now known as “Joe,” tells Obama he’s a plumber who’s considering buying the company he works for. But it might raise his income above $250K and, he asks Obama, you’ll raise my taxes, right? To which Obama replies, yeah because we need to “spread the wealth around.” Apparently, for Obama, the “American Dream” stops at $250K.

Like many, I’m just not comfortable with the government using my taxes to “spread wealth around” and I was pleased when the McCain-Palin team raised this as an issue.

But for Team Obama and their media sycophants, it was time for smear and intimidation machine. Since they had no good answer to the question of whether it’s a good idea to punish small business owners with tax increases, they did what most socialists do when confronted with a threat –

they demanded to Joe, “Can we see your papers, please.”

Launching an unprecedented investigation into the affairs of a private citizen, Team Obama (which actually includes the mainstream media) trumpets the fact that Joe lacks a state issued “plumber’s license” and owes back taxes.

Of course, Joe doesn’t need a license to do plumbing work and I suspect that many honest hard working Americans owe some back taxes – along with a few lazy dishonest ones like Democrat Congressman Charley Wrangle.

So count me as a friend of Joe the Plumber. In fact, call me “Joe the Professor,” if you like.

Bye for now.

October 8, 2008

My Latest Favorite CD

I know how eager you all are to hear what I think about stuff, so here goes. Last December, while shopping at TJ Maxx, I barely heard an unusual song being played over the store speakers. It had a catchy chorus, the words of which I could hardly make out – something about “we don’t care about the old folks,” and I thought to myself, “now that’s a bold idea!” Though I tried to remember the tune, it soon became only a memory of a memory.

Then in China last summer, I heard it again, this time on China Radio. It sounded much better and I got the name of the song – “Young Folks,” but not the group. That’s what Google’s for, right? Anyhow, it’s a Swedish band called Peter Bjorn and John and it’s from their 2007 CD, Writer’s Block. Apparently, this is quite a famous release, at least outside the US. (US federal law, of course prohibits radio airplay of music by any artists other than Beyonce and Linkin Park).

As usual, I won’t go into deep Bandykean descriptions of the various cuts. Suffice to imagine the following. Three Swede musicians are traveling down this road and they meet Brian Eno. They keep walking and talking until they meet the Beatles. Later they bump into Kate Bush. They decide to make Writer’s Block. Brian, Kate, and the Beatles sort of pull out of the project, but their memory remains. I like the whole thing, but my most listened to cuts are “Young Folks” (a song seemingly about a teen boy and girl hitting it off at a late night party) and “Amsterdam” (a song about Amsterdam). The first of these two songs tantalizes with dripping reverb. The second delivers a throbbing baroque-ish beat with a nearly off key reed instrument of some sort (from a keyboard, no doubt).

Anyway, I like Writer’s Block a lot and I was ever so pleased to find it at Best Buy for $9.99. You will, too, maybe.

More. For the last month I’ve been stricken with another awful bout of “pinched nerve in back.” I had hoped that last summer’s bout would be the last. But, alas, no. So, each morning I wake up with terrible right arm pain and numbness. For three weeks, all I could do was take the prescribed opiates (“Aunt Bee! Has Opie ate yet?”), which left me in an all day stupor (but who could tell?). Either because of passed time or physical therapy, the pain has ebbed, but not the numbness. Each day my arm feels worn out, useless, like a big hunk of flab hanging at my side. Oh, sure, it’s fun for a while, flapping it around randomly and all that, but the kick fades quickly.

Why do I write about this? I don’t know. Maybe just to gain all the sympathy I can. Or, maybe because I’m going to sue Lowes and the company that makes the ceiling tile system I was trying to install, which caused me to pinch the nerve in the first place. There was no warning at the store, on the boxes of tiles, or in the instructive video that said, “Geezers over age 50 ought not mess with this shit. You’ll hurt yourself.” In fact, the guy in the video looked like a geezer over age 50. So that’s the basis of my lawsuit. What do you think?

Bye for now.

September 29, 2008

Yes, I’m Voting for John McCain

Barack Obama is a likeable and charismatic fellow. I can understand why people want to vote for him. But I won’t vote for him. Because while he’s got the energy and personality of JFK, he seems to lack the judgment, wisdom, and statesmanship needed to win my vote. I’m sure we’d agree on some issues, but in terms of my number one issue, American freedom and security, he’s simply Jimmy Cartesian. I also find him disingenuous and duplicitous on a number of issues, especially this current mortgage crisis. Without a doubt the problems we face now result fundamentally from Democrat politicians and their camp followers tapping the Fanny Mae “golden goose” for too long.

John McCain, in contrast, has been an honest agent for many years and I trust his judgment even when I disagree with him. Unlike Obama, McCain will always put his country ahead of his party.

But if Obama wins in November, I’ll wish him well and hope he grows into office. The only bitterness I’ll have will be aimed at America’s mainstream news media. There can no longer be any doubt that our national reporters and journalists are in the tank for Obama. I mean, the Associated Press makes a feature story of the free facial Sarah Palin received as governor, but pays no attention to the million dollar home Obama received for a fraction of the cost. Mainstream journalists are in full metal ridicule mode over Palin’s remark about Alaska’s proximity to Russia, but they respond with a friendly wink and knee slap to Joe Biden’s constant stream of bonehead statements – imagine if any Republican had talked about FDR going on television in 1929 to explain things to the American people! And what about Obama’s “57 states” remark?

Such insidious bias is not the fault of Obama or Biden. But they do feed from it, as they do from what I consider to be an increasingly ill-informed voting public. Note that I’m not claiming that “informed” voters would only vote Republican. I can think of many reasons why an intelligent person would vote Democrat. But the media has an obligation to play fair and present all facts necessary for voters to make wise decisions. They could start right now by highlighting how Democrat politicians and their apparatchiks made millions of dollars at the Fannie Mae trough over the past 10 years, all the while resisting efforts of people like John McCain to fix the system. See for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs&eurl=http://5.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?pid=dell&url=http://www.google.com/ig/modules/youtube_videos.xml&nocache=0&up_pre

Also: have you seen a single mainstream reporter ask Barney Frank about what this statement he made a few years back?

"These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis," said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing." (from the NYT).

Of course not.

Bottom line? I would boldly argue that what passes for “journalism” in today’s America is about as valuable to the maintenance of a free society as what passes for it in the People’s Republic of China. The only real difference is that in China, everyone knows that journalists work for the state and the party—in other words, there’s far greater transparency over there!

Bye for now.

September 11, 2008

Dumbass School of the Day Award

Hopefully I won't actually need to give one of these out every day, but I certainly must today. South Carolina's The State newspaper reports the following:

Boy suspended for using broken pencil sharpener

HILTON HEAD ISLAND -- A 10-year-old boy here has been suspended from school for having something most students carry in their supply boxes: a pencil sharpener.

The problem was his sharpener had broken, but he decided to use it anyway.

A teacher at Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School noticed the boy had what appeared to be a small razor blade during class on Tuesday, according to a Beaufort County sheriff's report.

It was obvious that the blade was the metal insert commonly found in a child's small, plastic pencil sharpener, the deputy noted.

The boy -- a fourth-grader described as a well-behaved and good student -- cried during the meeting with his mom, the deputy and the school's assistant principal.

He had no criminal intent in having the blade at school, the sheriff's report stated, but was suspended for at least two days and could face further disciplinary action.

District spokesman Randy Wall said school administrators are stuck in the precarious position between the district's zero tolerance policy against having weapons at school and common sense.

"We're always going to do something to make sure the child understands the seriousness of having something that could potentially harm another student, but we're going to be reasonable," he said.

************************************************

You've got to love that last quote from Randy: "...we're going to be reasonable." Of course you are. The ethically impaired teachers and administrators at this school have already pooled their "baccalaureate" brains to assault a 10 year old boy over a broken pencil sharpener! One can only imagine what great acts of "reason" will come next! And understand - if they try to tell you they were "bound by law," they are lying. There is no law in South Carolina that forces school officials to abandon all judgment and discretion. The cutting portion of a pencil sharpener is not a razor blade. If this dolt of a teacher or any other adult in the district thinks it is, then let them try shaving with it.

I'm left with one question. Was there no group of outraged teachers or parents with enough intelligence and gumption to stand up and say, "suspend this boy? Not on our watch!"

Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary -- Dumbass school of the day -- just the adults, of course.

Bye for now.

September 4, 2008

Rebooting

We've been back from China nearly a month now. The past few weeks for me have been like waking up from a wonderful dream and trying to return to it by burying my head in the pillow. I miss China every day, even though I know I lived in a bubble over there. Some people still wonder if I was blinded to all China's dark spots. I don't think so. Every word I wrote in my blog was an honest one. I still believe China is opening up tremendously and can be a great place for people to live and thrive. But coming back during the Olympics, after watching the opening ceremony, I was saddened to learn about the cruel facade the organizers imposed: the little girl who wasn't allowed to sing on TV; the "minority children" who weren't; that sort of thing. I hope in the coming years China can learn to relax just a bit this kind of gratuitously prideful "face" business.

Sarah Palin....what a knockout! Win or lose, it will be a campaign like none we've seen since the days of RWR.

My first year seminar class today: My lesson incorporated Popey, Felix the Cat, Devo, Barry McGuire, Leave it to Beaver, Max Frost and the Troopers, The Beatles, and EMS. I hope my students liked it.

Speaking of students, I have one coming in here in a moment. So I'll say, bye for now.

June 14, 2008

China II

We leave tomorrow. We're all filled with apprehension, I think. Oh we're excited and we know this will be an amazing adventure. But still.... Poor Ross (our dog). He knows something is up. When he sees us packing the car tomorrow, he'll think in his doggy way, "oh boy! another trip!" But when he sees us drive away without him...it's sad to think about. Shiang Yi will take good care of him, but I think he'll always be listening for our car in the driveway.

Eva Mei is sad about not seeing friends this summer. "There's no kids in China," she claims. "Right," I say. "And there's no chocolate in Hershey, PA."

Me? I'm worried about the work I need to do back here. Some of it I can do on my laptop over there. I can even do my teaching on line. But will I? And I worry about all the things that could go wrong back here while we're gone.

Shiang Jeou is stoic about the whole thing. She's looking forward to the trip, but is also affected by its hypertensive quality.

Seven weeks in China. I already started trying to write a song about it:

Your heart is like a river

It don’t stay in one place long

But my heart is like a highway

I can follow you along

‘n I followed you to China

Past the shadows of the walls

Into the open country

Where your raging water falls

Ok, so it ain't much, not yet. We'll see.

Oh, one more thing: Happy Birthday, Johnny Kotlarczyk!

By for now.

June 9, 2008

China Trip

This coming Sunday, we'll pack up the car and drive to China. Well, we'll only drive part of the way, to Newark. Then we have to "ride in an airplane" nonstop to Beijing. It is my hope to be able to update this site from time to time about our adventures traveling from Beijing, to Shanghai, to Yunnan, to ???. It's going to be amazing, I think. The only downside I can see is that apparently there are still some English language newspapers over there that insist on printing the scores of each Detroit Tiger baseball game. Alas, I thought I could escape that misery.

Bye for now

May 22, 2008

An Angry Parent Asks Russ Gibb

Russ Gibb is an icon for many past and present Michiganders, as well as for many music and media aficionados around the world. A long time English teacher in the Dearborn Public Schools, Russ established a nationally acclaimed video arts curriculum at Dearborn High School. Russ also became well known for his involvement in the Detroit music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He owned and ran Detroit's Grande Ballroom for many years and was the key figure associated with the "Paul is dead" rumors that swept the world in 1969. For several years, Russ has hosted a cable TV show and a blog, both of which tackle political and educational issues at and beyond the local level.

Today on his blog I spotted a message sent to him by a local parent that summarizes what many of us see as a key problem currently plaguing American education. Please ignore the spelling errors. I shall type a general "sic" here up front.

"I could not be more disillusioned by the current state of affairs in our public schools. It's not just Dearborn either, our entire state. It's like a boat floating around with no direction or course, just floundering with the waves of contemporary and meaningless BS from Lansing.

We are told that we need to increase relevance, yet we are killing off every single elective class in each school. We are told to increase rigger but than are told to simply teach the MME test. What’s wrong with this picture? AP and Honors courses have made them so damn rigorous in the high schools that students are opting to go to HFCC and take them with unqualified part-time teachers to catch less than 5 hours a night in homework per class. The whole system has been turned on its head! The kids who are at the top of the academic scale are suffering for our grandiose view of rigger and the kids at the bottom are suffering for our grandiose view of relevance.

For the kids at the bottom, we are killing off every single program that made sense of math, and science and language arts for visual learners. When we gut out all of our vocational programs like electronics, manufacturing, automotive, welding and wood shop. We destroy relevance for kids who use the principals they learn in academic classes while learning a way to make a good living. We have slashed the graphic arts departments as and they were the biggest peddlers of language arts for kids who struggle in English classes.

We are building football complexes and I ask you, where is the relevance and rigger in artificial turf? Where are our priorities? What in the hell are we doing to our kids and the future of our state and country making decisions like this?

I am floored at the lack of imagination, not just by our own school board, but our state superintendent. I do not understand how they have allowed this abysmal state of affairs to have crippled and corrupted our educational system to the point where my, soon to be freshmen, son can’t even take a wood shop class until he is a junior. Why can’t he take a wood shop class you ask? Because some Principal in the east end has decreed that after 4 years of failing to achieve AYP every single 9th grader will have to take remedial reading classes instead of electives. This is simply insanity!

Than we have the union groping for more money at the same time that the school board is rattling their saber to slash programs like instrumental music, middle school sports, shop classes and other electives.

When is someone going to stand up and damn all of the leaders for their shortsightedness and lack of vision and spinelessness? I hope someone does it soon as it looks like another summer with the union and the administration playing chicken with our kid’s futures!"

I think this says a lot.

Bye for now.

May 13, 2008

The War of the Caterpillars

Their beige chevrons haunt you through the fall and winter months. They aim down on you from every branch or gutter you weren’t tall enough to reach. These are the egg masses. Gradually, you forget them, until April, when the invasion begins.

Small black dots begin to emerge from the eggs. Gradually they move across trellises, exterior walls, window sills, and garage doors. Look closely to see them grow to a sixteenth, to an eighth of an inch. The next wave of infestation occurs as they begin to fall from the sky on silken lines. As you walk, you’ll feel these strands hit your face. You’ll grab at their nothingness, only to later find something crawling on your neck.

Standing 50 yards from any tree or structure, you stare in amazement as these tiny caterpillars appear to fly across open fields. They’re in the grass, on the bleachers, and on your pants.

They’re on your arms. You brush them away thinking nothing of it. Until later.

These gypsy moth caterpillars have no natural enemies. When the swarm begins, only man can stop them. And you try. You really try. You tie burlap to your trees. You spray mysterious expensive poisons. You wait and watch. Thousands die. And yet…

A rash begins on your neck. Little cluster bumps of itchy flame. Now it’s on your arms. You awake at night to swollen misery. It’s the makings of a Lanicane commercial, except for the fact that ointment has no real effect. Steroid shots and powerful antihistamines are your only hope.

It’s May. Strong rain and cold wind has slowed the battle to a troubling stalemate. You need, you pray for town or county reinforcements in the form of aerial spraying. You’re told that today's the day and you listen for the sound of low flying choppers or planes. That’s where the war stands today, May 13, 2008.

Bye for now.

April 8n-bottom:.0001pt'> China, the Olympics, and Dali's Llama

Sorry folks, but reality says that just as California, Hawaii, and Texas are part of the U.S.A., Tibet is part of China. And here's what my gut tells me about the "crisis" in Tibet. In full realization of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, a radical faction in Tibet decided it could push the envelope against the Chinese government. I suspect that Beijing allowed some peaceful protests to go on, but as soon as the slightest hint of shit drifted toward the finest silk fan the regime made the decision to crack down. Boy! What a surprise! I mean, who'da figured this kind of thing would happen in China, right?

So now, around the world, we have a cause to unite everyone: bearded feminists and their weenile male counterparts; talk radio dufusoids on the right and left (e.g., Glenn Beck and Randy Rhodes). Now even Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have joined the righteous choir. Apparently, according to the party line, Bush ought to stay home not just because of Tibet, but also because China hadn't done enough in Darfur. Of course, Nancy had no problem sporting the traditional Marmaduke on a recent visit to Syria or some other god awful misogynistic middle eastern nation, but Bush can't go to Beijing because China does what China always does when faced with any internal threat to its sovereignty.

Not that I think China is a human rights paradise or anything, but she has made tremendous strides toward human freedom over the past 25 years. Sure, there are bumps along the road and, ok, so a few people did got shot from time to time. But as Moe's dad once said, "sooner or later, everyone gets shot."

I hope Bush goes to Beijing, pops open a Tsingtao or two (non-alcohol, of course), and sits back and enjoys the opening ceremonies. In fairness, I must reveal that I will be in Beijing from June 17 to August 8, leaving just in time to miss all the hooha.

Bye for now.

March 18, 2008

Obama! (The Musical)

(Warning: Contains "thematic content") I've wanted to write stuff here for the past six weeks, but everything I wanted to write seemed to have a short shelf life. But I think I can write a few words about Barack Obama. First, I'll tell you that I'm a McCain supporter and have been for some time. Next I'll tell you that I really can't stand Hillary Clinton and would gladly have root canals in all my teeth if it would make her go away. However, I can't say that about Obama. I sort of like him, even though I probably disagree with nearly all of his positions. The fact is, he seems real; not a manipulating, lying, unethical, shrieking, divisive kind of guy. I suspect that he respects those who disagree with him. If he ran against McCain and won, I would not be terribly upset. His election would certainly be a good thing for my particular profession (that's a long story) and it would do a lot to put to rest the slander about America being a fundamentally racist nation.

Moreover, I cannot get upset over the possibility that Obama may have sat in on some retard preacher's drivel. Given Obama's race, background, and political needs, where else might we expect him to worship? At Crackertown Free Baptist Church? Of course he sat through many hours of brain dead yammerings from a man whose only real service to the nation would be to pose for a can of Smithfield Bar-B-Que Sauce! That's what people who flirt with the political fringes tend to do, be they Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, Jerry Falwell, Ted Kennedy, etc. But not for a moment do I believe that Obama bought into any of the nonsense being put out there by the right reverend Chickenlifter.

A case can be made, however, about media double standards. Cases can always be made about this on the basis of virtually everything the media ever does. If George Bush travels within 60 miles of Bob Jones University, he's made out to be a rabid racist. Democrat operatives play this game as well, so they may be even more guilty of a double standard given the fact that they all seem to be heading to the tall grass over this latest Obama kerfuffle.

So there. Ah said muh piece. Bye for now.

January 30, 2008

Talk Radio Yimmer Yammer

First, I wonder if "yimmer yammer" should be one word - "yimmeryammer." Next, I wonder if everyone knows what it means (I'm thinking, "mindless talk"). Anyhow, as much as I've enjoyed and appreciated listening to Rush Limbaugh over the years, I have to say that lately, his french fries don't always seem to hit the water, if you know what I mean. Of course you don't. Let's just say his recent comments seem a few inches short of a happy meal. Does that work?

What I'm talking about is his obsession with throwing John McCain out of the "conservative tent." Rush has always had it in for McCain, but now it's gone beyond reason. And Limbaugh is not alone. It's getting pretty weird, for example, when Sean Hannity sounds more reasonable about McCain than do most of the brainiacs over at National Review On-LIne. The attack against McCain, which gets repeated daily in sing-song fashion by so many headless talking heads on radio and the internet runs as follows:

1.McCain Feingold makes him an "enemy of free speech," even though not one single iota of speech has ever been stifled by that law.

2. He's opposed to rounding up every single Mexican in this country, checking their birth certificates, and loading them on a Tijuana-bound bus (and not necessarily in that order).

3. He conspired with the notorious "gang of 14" to prevent an override of the Senate's filibuster power. (Even though that ended up working out fairly well for conservatives. We got two good Supreme Court judges AND kept the power to constrain future left leaning presidents in this regard).

4. Oh, right. He thinks there might be a problem with global warming, or that it might at least be something to look in to.

5. Did I miss anything?

At the same time, we know that McCain has been steadfast on the need to fight global terrorism. He took a similarly courageous stand on the "Dubai ports deal," which in hindsight would have been a pretty darned good thing. He's "reasonable" on issues like abortion and gay rights. In short, he certainly belongs in the conservative tent, if perhaps over in the free-thinking reading room section thereof.

So, I can certainly support John McCain and I see him as a reasonably conservative candidate. Most importantly, I trust him, even when I don't agree with him. From where I sit right now, Limbaugh and his crowd look like a bunch of crybabies. Why, there simply amazed that the GOP might nominate a candidate who doesn't toe the far right line on every issue. Moreover, Limbaugh is under the delusion that if some GOP candidate would speak out in sharp conservative tones, he or she would capture the hearts and minds of the American people. Rush, does the name "Alan Keyes" ring a bell? He's the sharpest knife in the conservative drawer, but even in his home state, even if he ran unopposed, he couldn't get elected to the office of Register of Wills. The Limbaugh people, at least at this period in time, don't understand that there is something more to conservative leadership, or leadership in general for that matter, than adherence to some political checklist.

Bye for now.

January 24, 2008

One More Bit on Cloverfield

My wife, Lillian, doesn't usually think much of horror movies. So Eva Mei and I were surprised when she said she wanted to go (after reading in the paper that it was the top grossing film last Friday). Anyhow, she loved it. At home the next day she said, "It's really about 9/11," pointing out how amazing it is that we've had no other attacks since then. But then she said, "it's a love story." That's true. It's a love story with a monster wrapped around it. I can't say enough about the filmmaker's ingenuity in setting up the personal backstory during the first 20 minutes. The personal angles of the film contribute to its distinction from most other horror films and help raise it to a level of greatness. Of course, the monster and the special effects don't hurt one bit!

Bye for now.

January 21, 2008

Cloverfield

I took the family and Eva Mei's friend to see the new film Cloverfield. It's the heartwarming story of a peaceful land where bunny rabbits, hedgehogs, and friendly foxes frolic in a sunny, rolling meadow. Sure, it's a bit "sicky sweet" for grownups, but in this day and age, well maybe that's ok!

Ok, seriously, Cloverfield is an awesome, creative, and hard-hitting first person depiction of a giant monster attack on Manhattan Island. Sure, it's a bit "sicky sweet" for grownups, but...oh, wait a sec. Cloverfield starts slow, but hey--so did Godzilla and Gorgo. The first 20 minutes provide the backstory, character motivations, and a reason to care. You can read any number of reviews out there, but suffice to say I give it a 10. Like War of the Worlds, Cloverfield was a "life experience" for me. Scared the hell out of all of us, but we loved it. And we all agreed that the main character, Rob, looks a lot like my nephew Kevin Tenglin. So load up the ranch wagon and take the whole family to see Cloverfield!

Bye for now.

January 15, 2008

Ezra Levant vs. the Alberta Human Rights Commission

If Franz Kafka were around and still writing today, he'd certainly be interested in the events unfolding over the past week in Alberta, Canada. Mr. Levant is being subjected to an inquisition by the Alberta Human Rights Commission regarding his publication of the so-called "Mohamed cartoons" in his magazine and on his Web site. The hearings can be viewed either at Mr. Levant's Web site or on Youtube (search on Ezra Levant). The proceedings reflect just how far Canada has gone in restricting its citizens' free speech rights. And Mr. Levant's stirring remarks should be required listening for any lover of democratic freedom. Though I've been slapped for saying it, overall, there is as much (perhaps more) individual freedom in the People's Republic of China as there is in Canada. You may also click here to view the "offensive" Mohamed cartoons.

Bye for now.

January 14, 2008

Eva Mei Shouse is Peter Pan!

Yes, that's right! Eva Mei earned the lead role in the upcoming Park Forest Middle School performance of Peter Pan. There'll be three shows (April 12, 18, and 19) and we're all pumped up about it. One highlight is that she, along with the characters playing Wendy, John, and the twins, will all get to do stage flying with the assistance of Las Vegas' Flying by Foy, the company that has helped with every major professional Peter Pan performance since the 1950s.

So, you'll need to get your tickets soon. Don't be a codfish!

Bye for now.

December 6, 2007

How the Grinch Stole my Car

No, nothing to do the Grinch and nobody stole my car. Just a catchy heading.

Item One: Romney's Big Speech

Yes, the world holds its breath waiting for Mitt Romney's big speech this morning addressing questions related to his Mormon faith. I can't wait! And later on I'll be sure to listen to the Smith Brothers give their annual on-line lecture on cough drops.

Item Two: Iran

This is simple. The report coming out the other day suggesting that Iran stopped building a nuke in 2003 is one of two things. Either (a) a gross, politically driven underestimation of the Iranian bomb threat or (b) a vindication of President Bush's diplomatic strategy toward Iran (remember, war and the threat of war are extensions of "diplomacy").

Item Three: Canadian Public Service Spots

Imagine you're watching TV one day (maybe channel 9 in Detroit or Windsor--is it still CKLW?) and this comes on. (Warning--intense.) My next project will be to design a public service ad warning people about violent public service ads.

Item Four: Eva Mei Movie Poster

Click here to see it.

I guess that's really all I have to say today. Bye for now.

November 28, 2007

More Boneheads of the Month and More

Bonehead Awards go out today to all the school officials in Lakota (Ohio) School District who decided to cancel their high school's performance of Agatha Christie's And then there were None (based on her earlier book, Ten Little Indians). The action was taken after Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP branch, complained to Lakota officials that the play was inappropriate for a school production. Mr. Hines based his opinion on the fact that a very early version of the play was titled "Ten Little Niggers." The title was changed in 1939. Both the word "niggers" and "indians" referred to figurines on a mantelpiece that disappear after each murder in the play. There are no racial slurs or references in the play.

And then there were None has been a staple of school English and drama classes for decades. My daughter recently had to read it for her 8th grade English class. And I'll put it quite bluntly that only a knuckle dragging race baiter of the worst sort would attempt to shut down a school performance of this play; and only a cowardly school official would bend to his whim. Note that I don't award the Bonehead Award to Mr. Hines. Nut jobs and kookburgers abound in this world. But when you find a group of dishrag wusstifers living off the public trough willing to shut down the hard work of high school drama students in the name of political correctness, well that's certainly deserving of high mention. The story at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/NEWS01/711270344/1056/COL02 doesn't mention the district superintendent's name, so principal Keith Kline must accept the award for the district.

Now here's the more. Right now, over in the Sudan, a British woman teacher is facing the prospect of 40 lashes for having allowed students in her elementary school class to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." You can read the details of this at http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1294838,00.html . "Mohammed" is also the name of one of her young students, who thought it would be cool to have the bear named after him.

If I were British Prime Minister (whose name escapes me due in large part to his current lightness of weight), I would tell - I would promise - Sudanese officials the following: "If this woman is jailed or physically punished in any way, you will lose a mosque and all the men inside of it at the time.

Bye for now.

November 13, 2007

Ledge Diving as Trust Building

I teach a class that we here at PSU call "The First Year Seminar." It's a group of 24 freshmen/women from the College of Education. We do group projects and presentations every year and this year one group presented a series of "trust building" exercises. Their presentation culminated with an activity called "trust falling." What I expected was that thing where one person falls backward into the arms of another. What we got was something quite different.

Outside of Rackley Building between where the concrete steps meet the wheelchair ramp is a three foot high concrete ledge. Below the ledge in a 90 degree pie section are a set of concrete seats, which look like steps but are in fact seats. Ok, so people use them as steps all the time. But the Dean assured us they were seats. Anyhow, the top "seat" is quite wide. So, our group asks for two lines of four students each to face each other extending out perpendicular to and below the three foot ledge. The idea, we are told, is that some student will trust those eight students enough to fall backward off the ledge into their arms.

I'm thinking this is nutso, but I bite my tongue. The first volunteer climbs the ledge, folds his arms, and stands with his back to the group below. At this point I chime in, "we need some kind of protocol here, right? I mean, let's all be silent, make sure we're paying attention, then give some kind of countdown, ok?" And that's what we all did for the next 20 minutes.

Now as you might expect, not every one wanted to do this. I sat back and watched the dynamic. There were calls of "c'mon, you guys!" although the class is nearly all women, and I wondered if this would be an exercise in trust building or in peer pressure! Nate, a rather tall and large young man, didn't want to do it. "I weigh 240," he exclaimed.

"Nate! If I do it, will you do it?" I asked.

"No!" he said.

"Well," I replied, "then I won't either!"

But I did. The catchers (and students were taking turns doing the catching) said "c'mon, Roger" and I quickly said ok.

Before class, I told them all the story of how as a three-and-a-half-year-old I was assaulted by a kid a year or two older than me. How I had strayed about 150 feet down the sidewalk in front of my house. How this budding sociopath put his arm around my shoulder, introduced himself, and told me what "good friends" we were going to be.

"But Roger," he explained, "there's just one thing I want you to do for me."

"What's that, Chuck?" I asked. His name was Charley Mason. He would later be murdered in Michigan's Jackson Prison.

Demonstrating, he answered that he needed me to bend over and stretch my hands as far back as I could between my knees. I did that little thing.

He walked behind me and yanked my hands. I remember the blow to the head. I remember vomiting several times during the ride to the hospital. I remember being told later to keep away from Charley Mason (though we had a few encounters after that).

So now, 50 years later, I'm standing atop a ledge, expected to fall backward into the arms of eight teenaged adults. I'm suddenly kind of terrified. I really don't know if I'll be able to do this. "Make sure I survive," I joke.

Then there's the countdown. "Three, two, one." I don't even think about it. I just fall back.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" I yell. They caught me and now we're all laughing. They put me down.

But I tell them, "that was really scary!" I walk over to a couple of women students watching from the side.

I tell them, "that was really scary. But fun, in a twisted sort of way." I don't think they're going to do it.

We're all done now. About 10 people have done it and no one else wants to try. I sum it up to them as follows.

"This was really an exercise in trust building as evidenced by the fact that not all of you wanted to do it! For a while I heard some of you yelling, 'c'mon, c'mon.' But that's not really about trust, is it? That would be more like peer pressure!" They laugh.

"Trust is something you volunteer, isn't it?-bottom:.0001pt'>

And then I told everyone to go and enjoy the day.

Bye for now.

November 7, 2008

Bonehead School Superintendent of the Month

This month's award (yes, I know this is the first one) goes to Mascoutah, Illinois District Superintendent Sam McGowen. Apparently, Mascoutah schools have a policy stating that, "Displays of affection should not occur on the school campus at any time. It is in poor taste, reflects poor judgment, and brings discredit to the school and to the persons involved." Thirteen year-old Megan Coulter somehow ran afoul of the policy when she gave a friend a quick hug after a football game. Megan was given two days of in-school suspension and Superintendent Chalmers, um, I mean McGowen stated that he felt the policy and punishment were "fair."

So, Superintendent, you earned the Bonehead of the Month award for your belief that any district policy must be "fair" if it is district policy.

In the old days back in the 60s and 70s, the days of school reason and enlightenment, a "hug" at school would be treated differently. If it was a quick hug, teachers would usually ignore it. If it was a sexy hug, the teacher might either ignore it or admonish the huggers depending on the length and "physiography" of the hug. Occasionally, there would be some cranky old teacher who would come up behind hand-holding students and hack at them like some kind of mother hen, but that was rare. "Public displays of affection" were discouraged, but understood to mean something fairly serious.

Today, in what I like to call the age of school administrator insanity, lawyers hold sway over most school social interactions. "Hand holding" is a public display of affection (but a hand shake is oddly not). So is a friendly arm around the shoulder. All quick kisses between classes must be eliminated. Violators must receive the punishment formally prescribed in the student code of conduct.

How I wish I could be a student at Mascoutah Middle School! I'd organize hand-holding chains of students up and down the hall. I'd organize a hug-in. I'd challenge the bastards to put the entire school in detention and I'd do it every day until they somehow came to their senses.

And if I were a parent of a kid at MMS who wanted to do these things, I'd give 'em a big hug.

Bye for now

October 24, 2007

Movie Night(s)

Here’s a rundown of the past few days leading up to Sunday, which included a double feature movie extravaganza. Last Thursday, Eva Mei auditioned for her school’s variety show. A school variety show is sort of like a school musical, except that the teachers don’t really have to do any work. She sang and played Mr. Tambourine Man on guitar. Had she not “won the part” (she did), I would have had to become a real ugly parent.

On Friday, she reported sick and told us that she had actually had a sore throat all day Thursday. What a trooper she is! On Saturday, she wanted to play soccer. I didn’t want her to run, but she assured me she could play goalie the whole game. She did that, and made a bunch of dynamic saves. It was an exciting game, a scoreless tie until late in the final quarter when Hanna whacked a left footed shot that banged the post and ricocheted into the net. Our red team held off the yellow attackers for the next eight minutes and we won a well-fought game – with no subs, by the way. That chocolate bar Hanna ate just before the start of the fourth quarter must have paid off.

Sunday, then, was a lazy day. Eva Mei stayed on the couch all day. Movie night began at 5:00. It kicked off with Blades of Glory., a classic sports "buddy" movie with lots of “boner-oriented” jokes. But for our second film, we wanted something deeper, something with a bit more meaning and message, and maybe even a bit heartwarming. Planet Terror filled the bill nicely.

Now, let me say that I’ve seen some pretty twisted stuff in my time, though maybe not enough. I’d have to say that Planet Terror was really messed up. In a good way. We’d been looking forward to the machine gun leg, and we were not at all disappointed. After it was over, I had two questions for Eva Mei. First, how would she rank it on a scale of 1 to 5. Second, on a scale of 0 to 5 where 0 was “not at all” and 5 was “for the rest of my life,” how much did this film mess up her mind? Despite her sore hoarse throat, she replied “five and zero.” Let me just say that we both had a great laugh at Tarantino's major gimmick in this film, which I won't reveal, but which you will surely recognize if you see it.

Alas, Eva Mei was still sick as of today. So, on Monday we watched (with great anticipation on my part) Transformers. It's pretty long and could have used some editing. And it got really hard after a while to keep track of who the good and bad robots were. But it did provide a cool adrenalin rush at times and was downright heartwarming at others.

The last film I want to mention, I did not show Eva Mei, but now I sort of sorry about that. As she was taking a nap, I popped the other Tarantino Grindhouse segment, Death Proof, into the DVD player. The movie can be described as 50 minutes of chit chat character development followed by eight minutes depicting a pair of absolutely stunning violent events. This is followed by about 30 minutes of more plot-character development that culminates in one of the most frightening and shocking movie segments ever shown in a mainstream film.

So, why was I sorry Eva Mei didn't see Death Proof? Because Tarantino has masterfully portrayed the character and behavior of a smooth psycho-sociopath. It's something that every young person should see, especially girls. In particular, the moment when Kim is having some real doubts about getting into Stuntman Mike's car. This is so common--the way we try to stifle that voice inside that warns us of danger. The same can be said for Butterfly's decision to go ahead with the lap dance despite clear evidence that Stuntman Mike is a kook. Aside from this, I wanted Eva Mei to enjoy the sisterhood vengeance depicted in the film's final, charmingly abrupt segment.

Bye for now.

October 18, 2007

Sad Soccer Story

As I may have mentioned, I'm one of my daughter, Eva Mei's, U-9-14 soccer coaches. We have a great team. Twelve girls, I know all their names. We lost last night, but that's not the sad part. Let me tell you.

We were tied 1-1 in a well fought game. It was the very end of the game, maybe 20 seconds left. We had a goal kick. Now I need to tell you a few names. Danielle is a spunky 6th grader who's really come a long way this season. Amy is a spitfire 5th grader, Korean born, who never played soccer before. Her 7th grade sister, Lucy, also plays on the team. Both girls have really shined this season. Amy will take on any opponent regardless of how big they are. She's been awesome on defense. Anyway, Danielle was playing goalie and was going to take the corner kick while Amy guarded the goal. Danielle's kick was intercepted by an opponent, who took a hard shot right on goal.

There was Amy. She blocked the shot with her knees. But then, perhaps thinking she was now the keeper, reached down and picked up the ball. That's what we call a "hand ball in the box." That's a penalty kick.

Danielle stood in goal, did the best she could to block the shot, but it got past her. We lost the game. That's not the sad part.

As the girls were getting ready to line up to shake hands, I looked across the field and saw little Amy standing alone, crying, sobbing, holding her shirt collar up to wipe her tears. I ran across the field.

"Sweetheart!" I said, kneeling down to look her in the eye. She turned away. "Don't feel bad! Eva Mei did the very same thing last year!" Next thing I knew, the whole team ran over to us. They hugged Amy, patted her on the back, told her not to worry. We all ran over to shake hands with the other team.

But I was sad all the way home. I kept thinking about Amy crying. I kept thinking I should have helped prepare her and Danielle better. Eva Mei told me, "Dad, don't even think about it! It's not your fault!" But these girls get to me. It's been a long time since I taught or worked with a group of kids this age. I think I miss it.

I'm sure Amy is fine now. But I can't forget her face.

Bye for now.

September 17, 2007

Apaches

Many of you know about my "warp," that is, my fascination with dark humor, the odd, and the bizarre. Well, years ago while browsing on Usenet I read a very brief description of an old British TV show called Apaches. The show apparently aimed at scaring rural children about the dangers lurking on farms, and involved the grizzly deaths of several youngsters. On a whim the other day, I searched for it on Youtube. There it was, in three parts, a 30 minute film made by Britain's Central Office of Information, Health and Safety division. You can see the first part here and, if you wish, easily find parts two and three.

It is one of the damned weirdest things you'll ever see in your life. Six children, about age 10, playing cowboys and Indians in a farm village. One of the kids is the narrator. While he describes the action of their games, he also keeps talking about some "party" that the adults are preparing. One by one, five of the six children die in freak accidents caused by their carelessness. All the while, the camera goes back and forth between the children's play (which continues even after each death) and the "party" being prepared by the adults. I will not tell you how it ends. But if you watch it, it will be one of the freakiest things you have ever seen in your life.

And if you think that was eerie, do a Youtube search for something called The Finishing Line, a short segment of a longer British public informational film designed to scare children away from playing on railroad tracks.

As a matter of fact, a search on "British PIF" will yield all sorts of disturbing videos.

Have a nice day!

August 23, 2007

Pennsylvania Children at Play! : )

I recently came across this beautiful artist's rendering of some happy rural PA school children enjoying their summer. Click here to see it! I hope you love it as much as I did!

Bye for now!

August 17, 2007

Ban the Veil

I can't literally understand a single word of it, but this Iranian rap video is devastatingly clear on its own. It shows Iranian women being harassed, abused, and arrested for failing to cover enough of their face, arms, etc. For women, Iran (and, indeed, Saudi Arabia and a few other Muslim countries) is a police state, and it's amazing that so many Iranian women are complicit in this oppression. I will go so far as to equate the veil with the Swastika. Having once been a teacher in the city of Dearborn, Michigan, I will go so far as to argue that the veil ought to be banned in American public schools. At the very least, social studies teachers ought to highlight and discuss how it functions as a tool of oppression.

Bye for now.

August 14, 2007

Spinach

I forgot to mention one truly great thing yesterday. Warner Brothers has just released a DVD set of nearly all the Popeye cartoons from 1933 to 1938. It is a remarkable collection that every fan of Popeye or animation generally ought to own. Eva Mei and I spent hours enjoying these great cartoons as well as the excellent commentaries that accompany several of them. Even die-hard Popeye fans will see the sailor in a new light. Also contained here are several mini-documentaries discussing interesting facets of Max Fleischer's studio, the characters, and techniques. Go buy it today.

Speaking of cartoons. There is an actor who currently voices a recurring character on a very popular cartoon. He began as a dramatic actor, though later acquired some fame as the lead in a mid-60s situation comedy. He got the crap beat out of him by a one-armed Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock and played a heroic double agent in Man on a String. Who is he?

Bye for now.

August 13, 2007

My Summer So Far

My summer so far has been spent on pain killers. Things are not turning out the way I'd hoped. A bad neck problem spawned a pinched nerve, which has led to nearly constant back and arm pain. My golf, badminton, and frisbee days came to an end weeks ago. I'm in physical therapy, and each session produces about two days worth of relief. It's taken over a month to see a neurosurgeon--and I won't see him until next week. Until the Percocet kicks in, I can't bear sitting down for more than a few minutes. This makes driving difficult, of course. Work, also, as I have a real hard time sitting at my desk. This really sucks and I wanted to get it out of my system before writing any more.

Eva Mei was fantastic in Oliver. She really shines on stage. And this isn't just the bragging of a proud dad. Lots of people told me the same thing.

We saw a few movies this summer. First came Live Free or Die Hard, which was tons of fun. If movies had some kind of "hall of fame" or something, Bruce Willis and the Die Hard films should be right up there in there. You know, maybe Hollywood should give out some kind of annual awards; you know, for the best films, actors, etc. Food for thought?

Then came Harry Potter and the Wayne County Board of Water Commissioners. No, actually it's called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ("uhm, waiter? Can we have an order of the phoenix please?). It was also very good. In fact, it's my favorite HP movie so far. But if you haven't seen the other movies or read the books, you might wonder what was going on. And speaking of the boy Satanist, the last Harry Potter book was very good, much better than the last two, and much better than I expected especially the ending where Harry wakes up to realize it was all a dream and he's actually a twelve year old Muslim girl living in a Somolian relocation camp. Nice touch, Ms. Rowling!

And speaking of twelve year old Somolian girls, be sure to read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's great autobiography, Infidel. I wish Hollywood had the guts to make a movie out of it. She does a great job of describing the great rift within Islam between the fascist fundamentalists and the more moderate Muslims who simply want to live a reasonable life in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Sadly, I fear that the Islamofascists are winning the day right now in their effort to push the entire world back into the 11th Century. In the end, Ayaan Hirsi Ali rejects Islam altogether, which for Islam's Neanderthal wing is like signing your own death warrant. But more power to her and her story, which needs to be told far and wide.

Next came The Simpsons Movie. All I can say is that I wish I'd waited for the DVD. It's amusing, like a good Simpsons TV episode, but other than a scene or two, not at all side splitting fun.

Finally (so far at least--I still hope to see Transformers), there was the Bourne Ultimatum. Really, really, really, really, really excellent in the sense of boom, boom, boom, boom, boom thrills and chills. Don't miss it, if you can!

There was more stuff to say, but I've forgotten it. I need to get back to work while the drugs are still working. Bye for now.

July 2, 2007

Going "0 for June." Random Yappings.

Here are a few recent things:

Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine" CD is really, really good!

Thanks to Panera Bakery/Cafe for continuing to provide free Wifi.

The new McDonalds at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Gulley Road in Dearborn, Michigan is really nice, but they charge $3 for Wifi.

The new "Live Free or Die Hard" film is huge, massive, amazing, funny, totally unbelievable, yet totally wonderful.

Why are my right arm, hand, and fingers numb half the time? Pinched nerve? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My latest article, "Eva Mei and Me," can be found in the current (June) edition of Encounter.

I encourage everyone with brains and a head for safety to get out there this week and enjoy illegal fireworks.

Eva Mei will be appearing in "Oliver" on July 28 at the State Theater in downtown State College.

Then new Tomb Raider game, "Anniversary," is quite good and you can usually buy it for around $20.

I'm still supporting Rudy Giuliani for president.

Gotta get back to work. Bye for now.

May 28, 2007

I Wanted to Call this "Memorial Day Musings," but that would be So Lame.

The things I remember most about Memorial Day as a kid. First, it was the day Seashore Pool opened. Ah, Seashore--that huge round public pool with all the slides; and the concentric fence that separated the shallow and deep sections; and "the tower" in the middle with all its diving platforms. To young Roger, it was like a water palace with center throne unapproachable. Then I remember the East Dearborn parade--usually a spectator, but a few times I marched in the Adams Jr. High Marching Band, doing my best to play the fight song on 3rd Cornet. Ok, so it wasn't really my best. One year, at about age 8 or 9, I saw Governor Romney (father of Mitt Romney) strolling up the street. I jumped through the crowd, into the street, and shook his hand.

One year, maybe 1968, after marching in the parade, we headed up north to Joe and Bonnie's cottage on Bass Lake. That may have been the time I got to go out to the drive-in movie with my older brother and cousins. We saw What's Up, Tiger Lilly? and The Million Eyes of Sumuru. The thing I remember most about the latter was seeing a woman break a man's neck with her legs. Little did I know.

I spent some time listening to music radio over the past few days. Now I know why I generally listen to talk radio. No, it's not that the music is bad. Much of it is pretty good. Anman" size="4">Bye for now.

The Free Republic Purge

In an effort that would raise a smile from Joe Stalin, a once outstanding conservative news message board has been decimated at the hands of extremist right wing thought police. I'm talking about Free Republic, or freerepublic.com, if you prefer. Over the past several weeks, the "owner" of the web site, Jim Robinson (or "Mr. Machine," as his friends call him) has engaged in a campaign of baiting and banning any member who dared offer any kind of support for Rudy Giuliani, the current 08 GOP front runner. For example, I was recently banned for suggesting that Giuliani did not support "abortion on demand" and that Ronald Reagan, were he alive, would have supported Rudy in the November 08 election.

Jim Robinson (or "Old Ironsides" to many) has apparently attracted a number of "handlers" over the past many months who offer large sums of cash to support his web site and lifestyle in exchange for him booting once loyal and thoughtful "Freepers" off his fantasy island. Their goal, it seems, is to ensure that either the GOP will nominate someone so far to the right so as to lose the election or, if that fails, to launch some kind of third party movement aimed at ensuring a Democrat victory in November 08. In other words, they're on some kind of suicide Kool-Ade mission. The only difference between Jim Robinson (AKA, "Shopping Cart") and Jim Jones, I guess, is that the latter didn't let anyone leave the compound. Of course, on the other hand, Jim Jones mostly only brought down his followers, while Jim "Iron Man" Robinson aims to take down the entire country.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you may at least remember that it was a poster on Free Republic who exposed the fraudulent CBS documents about President Bush's National Guard Service. The takedown of Dan Rather and his crew was triggered when a Freeper noticed some strange things about the documents they presented on an episode of "60 Minutes." Sadly and tellingly, that very Freeper has recently been banned simply for criticizing the actions of Robinson's new thought police.

Thankfully, those of us conservatives who really value the free exchange of ideas have a new forum at http://www.wideawakes.net. Many former true-blue Freepers have gathered over there. Support for Rudy Giuliani is not required, nor is it treated as a thought crime.

Just one more thing. To Jim Robinson, his handlers, and his minions, you're all a pack of cowards and losers. But have a nice day. There. I feel better.

Bye for now.

April 20, 2007

Schools Close for Annual Columbine Holiday

Headline in poor taste, you say? Sorry. But when do we stop paying tribute to the nation's twisted bastards? Last night we got word that all State College schools would be closed because someone left a threatening note in a high school lavatory. Ok, folks, get ready, because this is going to happen at least every year, if not more frequently, as more and more idiots discover they can shut down major institutions with simple paper and pen.

Upon hearing the news, I was struck by the irony that at that very moment, Eva Mei was at her school rehearsing for this weekend's school play, which has been canceled for tonight. Apparently, the threat was bad enough to close the school today, but somehow did not warrant evacuating the schools last night. Only "Columbine Day" demands this kind of reaction.

Instead of closing the schools, instead of sending a message of weakness, my preference would have been to tell everyone that the chances of a school attack are about equal to that of a yellow jetliner dropping out of the sky onto the roof of the school; while at the same time it is always a good thing for students and teachers should keep a watchful eye and be prepared.

And on a related note, how can anyone not feel maximum disgust for the actions of NBC News and the other networks that chose to pay tribute to the Virginia Tech killer? Does it take more than 15 seconds for any respectful person, journalist or other, to determine that the writings and videos ought not to have been aired at this time? Is there any doubt that NBC's decision to immediately air the material was made with the sounds of ringing cash registers in the minds of NBC executives? It was a ghoulish act on the part of NBC and the other networks.

But mostly NBC. They fire Don Imus for a harmless remark, then smear their airwaves with blood money.

And on that pleasant note, Bye for now.

April 14, 2007

Ok, so I'm back

The first thing you need to know is that when I wrote last time that Sean and Rosie should be put in a cage I didn't mean it literally. In fact, I really lack the power to put either of them in a cage and even if I didn't I wouldn't. Nor would I ever ask ABC or whoever Sean Penn works for to fire these people for their dumb remarks. I guess you can guess where I'm going with this, and I wish to make the following bulleted points:

* No one has a civil right to be protected from outrageous or "offensive" speech.

* "Nappy-headed hos" is not a phrase I would have used to describe the Rutgers women's basketball team.

* "Nappy-headed hos" is a funny expression, mostly because of its subtext, the way it takes a poke at a dark aspect of black popular culture.

* Racial and ethnic jokes are often funny and ought not automatically be seen as inherently racist. Dave Chappelle is hilarious. So is South Park. Members of any race ought to be able to make jokes about any race. Believe me, you will gradually be able to tell whether the person telling them is actually a racist.

* In a truly fair and equal society, such jokes might even be viewed as evidence of fairness and equity.

* Many words that were extremely offensive in previous decades or generations are considered mostly harmless and acceptable today. I give you such words and phrases as "gal," "dame," "it sucks," "it blows," and "bite me" as examples. "Ho," I suspect, is an example of a word that could also become very tame in the future.

* All those who value free speech should defend those persecuted for the sort of speech heard on Don Imus's show.

* This doesn't necessarily mean that Imus "had a right" to say what he said--he worked for a company that had the right to fire him.

* Nor does any defense of free speech demand that no one ever be fired for making outrageous, patently false, or highly offensive remarks, especially when they are made at public expense (e.g., professors at public universities).

* The networks--and NBC in particular--have been shamelessly hypocritical in their handling and presentation of the Imus controversy.

* Al Sharpton is a blowhard gas bag racist pimp. With blood on his hands. That NBC or anyone would ever give moral credence to anything he said is a glaring sign of hypocracy.

* Watch out for the left--promoting the Imus controversy is just phase one of a broader effort to sharply curtail any powerful conservative speech on American airwaves. I give you Keith Olberman's remarks about the need to now go after Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Neil Bortz, etc.

* I must give Rosie O'Donnell some credit for her remarks regarding Don Imus.

Now more than ever, it's time to speak out.

Bye for now.

March 27, 2007

Maybe the last time, I don't know....

It just looks like I'm not going to be able to keep writing this on even a semi-regular basis. This is for several reasons. First, I'm really s'posed to be doing real work around here. Second, I don't always have anything to say. Third, when I do have something to say, I'm thinking, who will read it anyhow? So, I'm signing off, at least temporarily, and giving you fair notice. But I can't leave without a few troubling remarks, so here goes.

* Sean Penn and Rosie O'Donnell should be put on display together in a cage. I mean, we could feed them and stuff and run a live streaming video on the Web.

* I'm very sad that Rene Portland just resigned as PSU Women's Basketball coach. I pretty much blame PSU President Graham Spanier for this. After all of the issues had been settled regarding Coach Portland, he allowed a pack of intolerant students to disrupt every Lady Lion home game. A fair-minded university president would have had those students escorted out of Bryce Jordan Center the first time they shouted a political slogan or waved a political flag.

* And speaking of this issue, how is it that a suburban Chicago high school can allow gay activists to present their views in the school while barring a student from wearing a t-shirt reading, "Be Happy, Not Gay"? A Federal Court judge will soon be trying to figure this one out.

* I still support President Bush and the Iraq War. My only complaint about W is that he's not tough enough to his political enemies.

* Apparently not pleased with current efforts to turn Penn State into PennstaCo, university higher ups are now targeting the student FM radio station. It's just too wild, I guess. Plus they have a one-hour student talk show that leans conservative. Can't have that, I guess.

* If I had to vote today, I'd resent being forced to vote.

* No, seriously, if I had to vote today, it would be for Rudy Giuliani or John McCain.

* Just once, and maybe right now with regard to the phony prosecutor firing "scandal," I'd like to hear Bush respond to David Greggory, "Because you can kiss my sweet Texas ass! That's why I had 'em fired!"

Bye for now!

February 5, 2007

I'm Back, Pretty Much

It's been one month since my not-so-minor surgery. In fact, I'm willing to go on record right now saying that it was downright major. How much of me did they remove? Well, my surgeon stood there like a bragging fisherman holding up his hands to show how just how big that sigmoid was. I'm still tired and sore, but I do feel better than when I got out of the hospital three weeks ago. I may have lost a pound or two and I have a scar that would make a Klingon proud. My brain seems slower and my patience seems faster. My arms are weak and sore from lack of use. It's hard getting my heart back in my work. But it's only been a month. In eight days I'll be 53 and in two weeks I'll bet I'm feeling much better!

Bye for now.

January 4, 2007

Assorted Revelations

First, happy new year! Second, I was shocked to realize the other day, while watching the movie, The Blob, that Steve McQueen's gal pal was played by Anita Corsuat, the very same actress who portrayed Andy Griffith's -- that is, Andy Taylor's -- gal pal, Helen Crump. Now this might not seem so significant to many readers, but it was a real eye-opener to me. And if they ever make an Andy of Mayberry movie, it certainly ought to involve Sheriff Taylor matching wits with a massive gelatinous glob.

Third, I am completely satisfied with the circumstances surrounding Saddam Hussein's execution, the taunting that occurred, and the fact that it can be viewed on-line. We Americans need to grow a spine with respect to tyrannical fascists and shut the hell up with all this "oh the humanity" whining.

Finally, I'll be going into the hospital this Monday for some nuisance surgery, which will keep me out of action for 2-4 weeks. Readers of this blog won't hardly notice, since that's about how much time it takes for me to write something new here.

Bye for now.

December 5, 2006

Remembering Mayor Michael Guido

I learned this morning that Dearborn had lost a good friend, its mayor, Michael Guido. He became mayor of Dearborn in 1986 at the age of 25 and served until his death yesterday from liver cancer. . When I lived in Dearborn, I remember often seeing the mayor driving around town (ok, actually being driven around town) and he'd always return my wave with a friendly smile. In 1989, he performed my wife's and my wedding ceremony in his City Hall office. My dad worked as a guard at Dearborn Federal Savings on Michigan Avenue for many years and he got to know the mayor fairly well--the mayor always took time to have some friendly chatter with my dad.

Dearborn is a unique city, divided both geographically and ethnically. It took a man of great leadership ability to guide it through so much change over the past 20 years. Dearborn was lucky to have Michael Guido as its mayor. We'll all miss him.

Bye for now.

October 9, 2006

On further, further review

Tigers.

As those four or five of you who regularly read this space know, I never once doubted those fine boys who sport the Olde English "D." While many were quick to condemn them after losing those last six games of the regular season, I stood by them, encouraged them, and congratulated them on a "job well done." Now it is clear that my faith did not go unrewarded, as the Bengals have knocked off the Yanks and have a great shot at going to the World Series.

[Note to Webmaster: Is there some way we can remove or alter the entry of 10/2/06?]

Foley.

So, it turns out that Foley's misbehavior occurred with fellows over the age of 18, that it's highly unlikely that Dennis Hastert ever knew the extent of his conduct, that Democrat operatives probably did know about this for quite some time, and that the ABC reporter who first broke the story either lied or demonstrated incredible malfeasance in his initial reports of the story. It's also clear that the media will go to incredible lengths to obscure or cover up the facts of the case and will also now engage in gay baiting and bashing in order to try to reduce Republican voter turnout in next month's election.

Moreover, we now know that at least one "chicken hawk" Democrat congressman, Gary Studds, remains at his post and has been praised and promoted by Democrat House leadership (including Nancy Pelosi) over the years since he was censured for having sex with an under-aged intern back in 1983.

Here those crickets chirping? That's the sound of the mainstream media digging out the truth for the American public.

Bye for now.

October 4, 2006

Centre Daily Times Watch No. 3 (Brief)

Yesterday's CDT contained a page-three headline citing new "revelations" in the Woodward book about the Bush White House in the weeks leading up to 9/11. CTD editors (and AP editors) certainly know the difference between "revelation" and "allegation." But "journalists" only us the latter word when referring to charges leveled against Democrats. The CDT article repeated Woodward's charge that George Tenet has basically warned everyone in the Bush White House that Bin Laden was about to strike. Of course, several people now claim that either this didn't happen or that Tenet's warnings were too vague to act on.

Apparently, mainstream journalists consider the fact that key actors have disputed Woodward's account to be too complex for Americans to understand; an annoyance that interferes with their ability to spin the news against President Bush. This also appears to be their take on the Foley case. Obscure the facts and details, run with the template.

This may be the first time I've written three days in a row. The nerve of me!

Bye for now.

October 3, 2006

Tom Foley: On further review...

Here are the facts, as best as I can establish them today.

1. Foley sent two types of computer messages to at least one Capitol Hill page. One type consisted of relatively mild, innocuous regular e-mail messages. The other type consisted of some totally offensive and inexcusably raunchy "instant messages." (These latter messages were sent about three years ago to a 17 year old former page.

2. Last spring, the first type, the innocuous e-mail messages came to the attention of some House Republicans. It appears that Foley was basically told to knock it off. House Speaker Hastert was apparently informed of this issue, but in a way suggesting that the problem was settled.

3. Speaker Hastert now claims that neither he nor any other member of the House Republican leadership knew about the raunchy instant messages until this past Friday, at which point he took assertive investigative action.

Now, here are the most important things to know:

4. Both the Democrats in the House and their waterboys and girls in the mainstream media have been working hard to confuse the public by blurring the distinction between the two types of computer messages. I saw several examples of this yesterday, including a "teaser" at the top of the hour on CNN that raised the question, "Do e-mails have the GOP in trouble over a sex scandal? We'll get to that story later, but first...."

5. It appears possible, though we can't tell for sure yet, that Democrat operatives may have known about the raunchy instant messages for quite some time, perhaps a year or more, but waited until a politically advantageous time to leak them to ABC News.

6. It's possible, based on the way they handled their own similar sex scandals, that some Democrats care not so much about what Foley did, but more about how they could use the information to hurt the GOP.

7. If it turns out that Hastert knew more than what he's saying now about the raunchy messages, then item 6 above can also be applied to him. But as of right now, there is no evidence to suggest that.

Moving right along, here's what I believe about Woodward and his new book. All of Woodward's books begin with some broad factual core, but end with a set of specific lies about critical events and individual attitudes. The best example of this was many years ago when Woodward claimed to have entered the hospital room of the critically ill CIA director and to have obtained his incriminating assertions about Ronald Reagan. No one believes Woodward was telling the truth about this other than the most extreme partisan Democrats, and they really don't care whether he was being truthful or not.

Regarding his latest book, for me, it again boils down to a matter of "who do I trust?" A Democrat journalist with an iffy track record one month before a major election, or people whose actions and judgment have earned my respect over several years? People like George Bush and Condi Rice? Quite frankly, and this will be no surprise I'm sure, other than perhaps Joe Lieberman, I do not trust any current national figure in the Democrat Party or the Democrace="Times New Roman">I can't even think of a clever title (re. Tigers)

Around the first week of August, Eva Mei and I went to a Tigers game at Comerica Park in Detroit. The game was significant because it marked the abrupt end to what had been a remarkable season for the team. The Tigers beat Minnesota that night, but from that point on the team sank quickly into the abyss of something like a .300 winning percentage. In short, they suddenly transformed into the Tigers of old. It reminded me of a movie from the 1960s, the name of which I can't remember, where a mentally disabled man is medically transformed into a genius, but then sadly sinks back into his disability over time.

After we saw the Tigers win that night, it was as if someone flipped their switch from "win" to "lose" and for the life of me I simply can't understand it. But I have three theories, which I pose as questions:

1. Did "Steroids Are Us" go out of business in early August?

2. Did one or more players decide to "take a fall?"

3. Did the team, up ten and a half games at that point, simply decide, consciously or unconsciously, that they no longer needed to work hard?

I know these all sound like mean criticisms of the team. But how does one explain the Tigers suddenly transforming from an effective winning team, to...well...whatever it is they became? When their pitchers pitched well, their hitters couldn't hit. When the hitters decided to hit, the pitchers threw like second tier little leaguers. All they had to do was keep a .500 record for August and September. All they had to do was win ONE out of three games from the KC Royals, the worst team in the major leagues.

Bitter am I? You bet. They let all their fans down in what was, perhaps, the worst team collapse in the history of American sports.

But enough of the doom and gloom. Let's move on to the subject of pedophilia in the House of Representatives. (Technically speaking, it's not pedophilia if the child is post-adolescent. But coming on to a teenager under 18 is still immoral, unethical, and illegal, therefore I use the word "pedophilia" for its shock value.) This kind of stuff happens everywhere. It happens because men are what they are. It's totally inexcusable and totally human at the same time. Of course, this guy Foley needs to go and needs to suffer whatever consequences go along with what he did. And anyone else in the House who knew about the extent of this situation, be they Republican or Democrat, needs to also suffer consequences.

Right now, the spotlight falls deservedly on House Republican leaders who, at this point it appears, knew about Foley's "penchant" and failed to act. But, like others, I suspect that some Democrats and Democrat operatives also knew about this, but saved the information until such time that it would help them politically.

But bottom line, between the Republicans and the Tigers, it's going to be a rough week. At least.

Bye for now.

September 25, 2006

Meltdown, Sinatra Film, Circle of Wood

How y'all doin' today? Me? Well, I had a coughing fit this AM and lost my voice! How 'bout that? Am sipping Korean wheat tea and maybe that'll help. Now, on with the show.

First the meltdowns. There were two over the weekend. One by Bill Clinton, another by the New York Times. First to Bill. What can I say? Having been shown to be not quite as good a liar as he thought, he imagines that adding anger and bluster to his lies will make them more believable. He's on record saying that he was offered Bin Laden by the Sudanese, but turned it down because he didn't think we could charge him with anything. Even that turns out to be wrong, as Bin Laden was an unindicted co-conspirator in the first WTC bombing and his capture would have been completely justified. But does anyone believe with a straight face that Bill Clinton "tried to have Bin Laden killed"? This was an administration that wouldn't even launch a response to the bombing of the USS Cole because it might upset the "Arab Street." (I once lived on an Arab street, but that's a story for another time.)

Now for the NYT. They published a story over the weekend, based on leaks from supposed intelligence officials, claiming that a major secret intelligence report states that our invasion of Iraq has created more terrorists. Aside from the fact that the Times' story was vague and completely out of context, doesn't anyone else see the folly here? The smell of desperation turned to snake oil? John McCain (who I'm quite a bit ticked off at right now), for example, put it well when he said words to the effect that if it wasn't Iraq, it would have been Afghanistan. If not Afghanistan, then something else. Of course there are more terrorist fighters now! (This is me talking.) Didn't the fascists fight harder after we declared war on Germany, Italy, and Japan? Weren't we in greater danger of attack after we began fighting WWII? Wars always create more belligerents. Are we to believe that all these "new" terrorists were waving American flags before we attacked Iraq?

But the Democrats will try to use this non-story to harm the president politically. To the extent that Democrat leaders and politicians do so, and as I've argued before, they are giving up their right to be called "the loyal opposition." They all signed on board for this war, even before George Bush became president. Their statements about the need to take action against Iraq are all out there to be read. To take all the difficulties we've had fighting this war and to use them so hypocritically, not simply for political gain, but to attempt to utterly trash the president, is in my opinion completely disloyal. The NYT story has given them new straws to grasp at.

Ok, end of political statement. Eva Mei and I watched "The Manchurian Candidate" the other night. I told her that it would be an interesting Frank Sinatra film. Though she was dubious at first (after all, it's "old," black and white, and starts out like a traditional war movie), I think the early dream scene with the old ladies changing back and forth into Red Army officers really grabbed her attention. Later on, she laughed at the scene where Lawrence Harvey's senator step dad (I'm awful remembering character names!) needed an "exact number" of communists and found it on a ketchup bottle label! But she was completely shocked by the ending. "Creeped out," I think she might have said, but she did like it very much. And I'm pleased to have helped raise her cultural literacy in such an enjoyable way!

Now, what is a "circle of wood"? After living in our current house for a dozen years, I noticed something peculiar about a tree in our front yard. It's an ornamental crab apple tree that I've had to trim back many times over the years. While doing so the other day, I noticed two branches coming out of two different trunks of the same tree that had somehow grown or grafted together about ten feet up in the air. The remarkable effect was, I guess, more of an "ellipse" than a circle of wood, and I'm thinking of opening a tourist attraction--"The Mystery Tree." Brochures are forthcoming.

Bye for now.

August 11, 2006

Our Trip to Michigan

Oh, it was nothing spectacular or anything. Just a two week visit with my folks wrapped around a three day visit to Bass Lake in beautiful Iosco County. Let's talk about that first. It was during that awful heat wave, a trip to my sister's cottage, a very nice place with no air conditioning. Usually you don't need AC up there, but when the temp is up around 97--at night--it's a different matter. Eva Mei and I went fishing on the first night. She started on the little dock that juts out about twelve feet into the lake, and using a simple casting rod with a rubber worm managed to catch a foot long large mouth bass. She managed to figure out how to bring it in and where to put it all by herself (I was at the store).

Then the two of us went out on the paddle boat and worked our way down the shoreline just as my dad and I have done for many years, tossing our line toward the shore, hoping for that authentic fish-like yank on the end of our poles. We caught nothing but a few small sunfish, probably all in the same family, and tossed them back to grow more. As it got darker, we made the turn out toward the blue dock that marks a sort of sand bar, maybe 100 feet from shore. My dad and I have had luck there before, pulling in some rather substantial bass. After several unsuccessful casts, and just as I was getting ready to head back, I got this massive pull on my line, strong enough to be a stump, but stumps don't struggle. For nearly five minutes, encouraged by an amazed and excited Eva Mei, I reeled and pulled and reeled some more, fearful that this fish would spit out the hook or break my line. Fortunately, we'd brought a creel net along and I was eventually able to scoop him up. Working together, the two of us managed to get the stringer through his gill and actually remembered to attach the other end of the stringer to the boat before tossing the fish overboard (a lesson I suffered many years back).

We paddled furiously back to the cottage, took maybe ten minutes. Remember, it's damn near 95 degrees, ten o'clock at night, with mosquitoes and flies all around our sweaty heads. At a time like that there's nothin' better in the world than gutting fish, especially a four pound 18 inch large mouth bass. Somehow we managed to get 'em cleaned and in the freezer, then took showers and eventually fell asleep in front of electric fans blowing warm air.

Now there was no way I was going to turn an oven on the next day, so we cooked 'em on the gas grill, Chinese style, head and all. They were delicious.

Speaking of "delicious," I have four restaurants to recommend. First, let me say that no trip to Michigan's "up north" is complete without a stop at Halo Burger. You'll find Halo Burger at various exits along I-75 between Flint and Bay City. I just like 'em, that's all! Better than a Whopper or a Wendys. Not at all pretentious, kind of like those "Whattaburgers" you used to see down south. As the sign (and the T-shirt) says, "Seven days without a Halo Burger makes one weak."

Next, I have to mention the Captains Table, in Iosco County, near Sand Lake, at the intersection of Indian Lake and Round Lake Roads. Just a small diner in an old building that probably used to be a gas station or hardware store. They don't take credit cards, but they have truly excellent (and reasonably priced) homemade dishes including perch and walleye. Breakfast there is terrific. About ten or twelve miles from here, along the Au Sable River Road going toward Oscoda, is another gem of a joint called Desi's. For many years it was called Desi's Taco Lounge. They dropped the "taco" from their sign, but they still have good Mexican food and a lot of good traditional American dishes as well. Perch and walleye are also on the menu. Like the Captain's Table, they serve an outstanding breakfast.

Finally, and most importantly, I have to put out a word for a "new/old" Chinese restaurant in Dearborn, The Dragon Palace, located on Michigan Avenue just west of Telegraph. For ages, since I was a wee lad, this place was called Lim's and served run of the mill American Chinese food. But it's been transformed under new ownership. They have both English and Chinese menus now, including several duck dishes. We had Cantonese style eggplant and Beijing style deep fried pork. Both were excellent, on par with what I've had in big city "Chinatowns." The place has a homey feel to it and reminded me of a lot of the places we ate at in Taiwan (e.g., it's got one of those coolers where you get your own soda and take it to your table). They also have a liquor license. Please visit them!

Ok, I've hardly had time to talk about my mom and dad and how good it was to spend some time with them. Nor did I mention our trip to Comerica Field to see the Tigers beat the Twins 9-3. Nor did I mention seeing Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits perform at the Dearborn Homecoming celebration along the Rouge River in Dearborn's Ford Field. As a boy in junior high, I used to run around that entire park during gym class. Little did I know back in 1967, as I struggled running up and down those hills, that one day I'd see this famous British band playing there!

Bye for now--and just to let you know, I receive no compensation of any kind for mentioning all this restaurant stuff! Just a happy feeling!

July 7, 2006

Puffballs, Politics, Football, and Fireworks

1. Do soccer critics think they actually make themselves look clever by bashing the sport? I mean, people can like soccer or not, but I laugh every time I hear some radio dimbo talk about how awful or boring it is. I hear 'em say stuff like, "It's so damned boring! Americans will never stand for that crap!" These guys probably say the same thing while gazing across a library reading room, not that they'd ever be in a library or anything.

2. I'm sorry, but I just can't get all riled up over "illegal immigration" (read "illegal Mexican immigration"). Don't get me wrong, I'm not for open borders. But I don't want billions spend on building barbwire fences or on police raids on construction sites and restaurant kitchens. If I were a Mexican without work and struggling to feed a family, you bet your life I'd try to get into the US.

3. The New York Times deserves to "have its patriotism questioned" and those who leak info about secret programs during time of war ought to be prosecuted.

4. We have a field of puffballs near our home. Not the giant ones (i.e., those with diameters over 5 or 6 inches), but the little ones (with diameters from 1-3 inches). Don't know what a puffball is? Well, they're delicious little white fungi, easily distinguishable from poisonous mushrooms. Cooked up a batch yesterday, sautéed in butter. Mmmmm mmmmm! Goooooood eatin'!!

5. After leaving the emergency room last night ---- JUST KIDDING. What I wanted to write here was something along the lines of "In praise of illegal fireworks." Each year before the Fourth, we get bombarded with news items about the dangers of home fireworks, how illegal they are, and how so many people last year lost fingers and eyes using 'em. I never listen to that stuff. I was taught early on how to use fireworks safely and I'll continue to do so. What's more, I'll teach my kid how to do the same thing. Thank you, Ohio!

6. When you have a chance, please visit http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/c/rcs8/Pingtung_Calling.htm. Once there, you can download an mp3 file of the new EMS song, Pingtung Calling. You'll be glad you did.

7. Sorry it took so long to update this blog. But I can't promise it won't be another 2 months before the next time.

Bye for now.

April 20, 2006

Sad Day for Penn State

Two days ago, Penn State President Graham Spanier laid out a number of sanctions against Lady Lion coach Rene Portland. The charge? Supposedly creating a "hostile environment" for a former player based on her perceived sexual orientation. I'll say this very simply, Rene Portland is a terrific lady and a great coach. Penn State is fortunate to have her here. Penn State is also fortunate that she has not decided to resign in the wake of these sanctions. My position is that Coach Portland has been the victim of what amounts to a political vendetta waged against her by radical gay/lesbian groups.

I don't really know what Coach Portland's current views are. But I would argue that it is not unreasonable for any coach to prohibit team members from dating each other. To not do so would simply invite troubles and complexities that could seriously damage a team's effectiveness and morale. Varsity coaches have, and I think ought to have, wide authority to control player behavior and appearance both on and off the field or court.

I support Coach Portland. I hope that she will overcome these unfair attacks and continue to coach her players as she sees fit.

Bye for now.

April 7, 2006

Centre Daily Times Watch No. 2 (and more)

This morning's CDT Knight-Ridder headline read "Aide Says Bush OKd Leak." I know that "headline speak" has it's own grammar and syntax, but I would like to think that journalists will be able to spot it when headline lingo contributes to institutionalized left wing bias. This is so simple that most elementary school kids can easily grasp it (despite their teachers' failure to teach it). A "leak" is an unauthorized release of otherwise unknown information. Because, as Commander in Chief and in line with the acts of previous CiCs, President Bush was authorized to release this information. Ergo, no "leak."

The use of the word "leak" in this headline and in the remarks of many journalists over the past 24 hours cannot be viewed simply as "plain talk" or "using the most common word." Rather, it should be seen as an effort to portray the president as a hypocrite--as someone who decries "leaks" on one hand while "leaking" on the other. In fact, when the president speaks out against "leaks" he means "unauthorized" release of secret information, and in doing so he does not forgo his own authority to release information when he deems it appropriate and reasonable.

I actually feel a bit odd explaining this in such detail. It's as if I was teaching a class of sixth graders, whom, I'll bet, would all understand the issue fairly well by the end of the lesson. I'm not trying to sound pompous. I'm just pointing out what a shame it is that Americans cannot rely on their mainstream media outlets for clarity and understanding. Instead, they get sound bites, followed up by the likes of scab-minded individuals like Chuck the Schmuck Schumer, who also apparently cannot fathom distinctions easily grasped by young children.

On a much lighter note, last weekend we watched a couple of films that had us laughing hard from beginning to end. The first was Undercover Brother. I laughed so hard that I'm considering showing it to my mom, despite some of the rough language. I think she can handle it. The other was Duck Soup, the Marx Brothers' surreal romp through bizarro world. My favorite line, though it took me several seconds to fully appreciate it, came when, in the midst of war and destruction all around, head-of-state Groucho shouts to the guy sending out messages over the radio:

Groucho: Is there an answer to our message?

Radio Man: "No sir!"

Groucho: Well, don't sent it then!

If you think about that exchange for a few moments, it'll get to you!

Bye for now.

March 1, 2006

Centre Daily Times Watch No. 1

I've been reading the Centre Daily Times (the CDT, State College's newspaper) now for nearly 12 years. I've got some fondness for it. The CDT is great on local sports and news. But over the last half dozen years or so I've not only noticed a shift to the left on its editorial page ( which is, of course, their right), but also a shift toward less objectivity in the way it presents world and national news stories. The latest example of this latter trend can be found in two stories printed over the past two days about the Coast Guard's alleged opposition to the Dubai port terminal deal. The headlines of yesterday's and today's story on this highlighted the Coast Guard's early concerns, but failed to mention that these concerns were later dropped. That fact did come out near the end of today's article, totally belying the headline itself. As this important fact was known on Monday, there is no excuse for not highlighting it on Wednesday.

Am I quibbling? I don't think so. The CDT, like many small town papers, basically parrots wire service news, in the CDT's case, stories posted by AP or Knight-Ridder. My take on both services is that they, like most of the mainstream media, have given up objective journalism in favor of selective, biased, and often false reporting aimed at undercutting the Bush administration. The CDT has the choice, in fact, the obligation, to use it's own judgment in terms of which stories to print, where to place them, and what headlines to use. They also have the right to supplement wire service stories with their own reporting; i.e., including information obtained from the reputable internet or other network news sources. Even given the stretched resources of the CDT, such measures are not unreasonable. (I need to add here that the CDT does treat letters to the editor quite fairly--I have nothing but praise for them in this area.)

After years of grumbling to myself and my poor wife about CDT bias concerning news selection, news omission, headlines, and news placement, I think it's time for me to at least occasionally point some of this out here. Readers in Singapore, or even Detroit, may find this boring, I suppose, but think of it this way; my comments about the CDT represent a microcosm of the criticism that can be leveled at the national mainstream media.

And by the way--consider the cartoon on the CDT's editorial page today. It portrays a large scary, hulking "Arab sheik," looming threateningly over the skyline of a major US city. The anti-port deal people have been claiming that there's no racism or bigotry involved in their opposition. I'd say this cartoon sets their case back a bit. And I'm surprised that the CDT would reprint it.

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Anyone in the Centre County Pennsylvania area who might be considering remodeling -- and who might be considering contracting with Lemont Kitchen and Bath Gallery -- may want to send me an e-mail to ask about the service we've received. I know they have one good employee, but he's been ordered not to come and finish the work left undone by his colleague. If you contact me at rcs8@psu.edu, I'll explain why we are so disappointed with their service.

Bye for now.

February 24, 2006

Port Whine

I'll try to make this short. So far, based on all I've read and heard, I have no problem whatsoever with Dubai Ports World managing a handful of American ports. In fact, I've not heard any persuasive argument for not allowing this to happen, given the fact that the federal commission assigned responsibility for investigating the deal believes it to be safe and sound. Interestingly, it's come to my attention that a major New Jersey port is already being managed by a Kuwaiti company, with no apparent damage being done to national security.

There appear to be three types of arguments against DPW managing some of our ports. The first type is a gut feeling, knee jerk response about Arabs generally; a feeling based either outright bigotry or a milder sort of reaction about whether we can trust anyone in that part of the world. Note that even those among the latter group are apparently unable to point to any specific threat posed by the United Arab Emirates or DPW. The second type of argument consists of clever hypotheticals aimed at rationalizing the initial knee jerk reaction described above; for example, claiming that DPW "operatives" will soon become familiar with security provisions in US ports (as if they couldn't figure it out based on their work in Australia and other nations, including, I assume, Great Britain).

The third type of argument insists that only American companies should manage US ports. If we follow that logic, US ports will not be managed at all, for there are no American companies in this business.

Look. You all know by now that I support and trust President Bush and that I'm fiercely loyal to him. To reject DPW, it is necessary (though not sufficient) to believe that he's either a fool or that he simply doesn't care about American national security. Now you, dear reader, might believe both--but you still must offer some rational argument. And "they're dangerous Arabs!" doesn't fill that bill.

Bye for now.

February 18, 2006

News Bulletin

I don't quite know what to make of this, but the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is parked right outside my office. I hope this isn't due to anything I've said lately. And you know what's funny? Despite all those years of hearing "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R...," I still had to google how to spell "Mayer." Bye for now.

February 17, 2006

Caption this Photo!

A. "Enraged Muslims tear down statue of Prophet Muhammad outside Copenhagen Islamic Center"

B. "Oh, sure! It's ok for them to attack our gods!"

C. ?????

February 16, 2006

Youth Culture Bought Me a New Dog

Perhaps readers are familiar with the band, They Might be Giants, and with their song, Youth Culture Killed My Dog. Though I like that song, frankly, I never knew and still don't know what the heck they were talking about. However, the pieces are beginning to falling together, totally different pieces from a totally different puzzle. What the heck am I talking about?

Over 60 years ago, while a professor at Penn State, the late great sociologist Willard Waller wrote that schools were a curious mélange of adults trying to instill culture upon students and students trying to create a culture of their own. What Waller didn't mention was an extension of these forces, one found in various areas of society, for adults to use education to help young people to not just create a culture, but to create one that challenges existing social norms.

Now lest you think I'm building up to some political rant, I'm really focusing here on art and music. Why? Because I just picked up this new CD by a band called DEV2.O, whose name I'm unsure as to whether to pronounce as "deev - 2 - oh" or "deevo - 2.0." DEV2.O is a group of California teens apparently selected by the members of the original 70s-80s band Devo to carry the torch of fun filled fascinating alternative synth-rock into the 21st Century.

We've seen a lot of this kind of thing lately, for example, in films like School of Rock and Rock School, and in the efforts of your author to steep his daughter in the culture of alternative pop music. In short, aside from the fun and excitement of teaching kids in the ways of alternative art (and alternative ways of thinking), the latent message of this wave of ecto-organizational music education is that current mass marketed music pretty much sucks and that it is up to the new generation to topple it. Of course, the irony (or strategy?) here is that original Devo is mass marketing DEV2.O with the help of corporations Disney and Target. While Henry Giroux might list this as another example of corporate colonialism over youth interest, I view it as fundamentally different from efforts to market as pop stars people like Lindsay Lohan or Hilary Duff, whose music merely serves to reinforce the music industry's stranglehold over the selection and distribution of American music.

In fact, since buying the CD last night, the music I've been hearing by DEV2.O is amazingly refreshing. Retro, yes, but sharply different from what one typically hears on the radio these days. Having been somewhat disappointed by Kate Bush's latest CD (a two disk musical sandwich of widely varying quality across bites), I'll tell you that DEV2.O might just be the most interesting music I've heard since the late 1990s release of the Power Puff Girls audio advertisement Heroes and Villains, a various-artist work with songs by Devo, Shonen Knife, Frank Black, The Apples in Stereo, and others.

In my own case, our family band EMS (featuring daughter Eva Mei Shouse and myself) will soon release (though "release is much too strong a word!) a new CD, Pingtung Calling. It will not be as flashy and polished as the commercial music cited above, as we are limited to what we can do in our basement with under $5,000 worth of recording equipment. But I hope it will sound fresh, unusual, interesting, and provocative and I hope it keeps my daughter engaged in the realm of alternative art and alternative thought.

Will DEV2.O get airplay? Outside of Radio Disney, I doubt it. It simply doesn't the fit template of commercial FM radio. There's that key word -- template. So much of what we hear from mainstream media is drenched in "template."

Gotta get back to "real" work. Bye for now.

February 9, 2006

Mel Gibson Meets Ang Lee

A few days ago I attended a visiting scholar's presentation concerning the use of "Hollywood" films in secondary school social studies classes. One of the films he highlighted was Mel Gibson's The Patriot, a film of which I've only seen a portion. Anyhow, the presenter was questioning the "reality" of the plot line involving a black slave fighting in South Carolina along side a racist white farmer and how over the course of the film the latter learns to respect the former and even become his friend. How "real" could that have been, the presenter asked, in a state like South Carolina? The state that first tried to leave the Union several decades later? (A very racist state, I suppose was his point.)

Now, I didn't think of it at the time and even if I did I might have bitten my tongue before saying it, but it occurs to me that the idea of a white "cracker" farmer (see Thomas Sowell's latest book for a definition of "cracker") becoming friends with a black man is about as "realistic" as the idea of gay cowboys!

And speaking of Brokeback Mountain (a film that I suspect I won't ever see due to its "creepyness" factor), its director, Mr. Ang Lee, is a native of my "second home," Pingtung Taiwan. So, I'll never pick on a homey!

And speaking of Pingtung, it's come to my attention that National Pingtung Teachers College has become reborn as National Pingtung University of Education. I mention this because yesterday I was watching some video from my year there as visiting professor. What made me the most "homesick" were the scenes of my former students. I hope they are all doing well. If, by some chance, you are one of those students -- if by chance you have somehow suffered through reading this -- I sure would like to hear from you! I'd love to know how you are doing. In fact, I would love to hear from any NPUE student and, for that matter, anyone living in Pingtung. My e-mail address is at the top of this page!

Bye for now.

February 5, 2006

Viva Denmark! Cartoon Wars!

Last October, a Danish newspaper, the Jyllands-Posten published a dozen cartoons showing various depictions of the prophet Mohammad. The cartoons took aim, in my opinion, not at Mohammad himself, but at radical Islam. At present, Islamic extremists have launched fascistic attacks on Danish embassies in Syria and Lebanon and violent protests in parts of Europe.

I have no complaint with the Islamic faith when practiced in a humanistic fashion. I have no beef with dogmatic Muslims as long as they refrain from threatening my basic freedoms. The Muslims I've known have generally been kind, reasonable people. But it really is time for those who value freedom in this world to take a bold stand against that part of the Islamic world that is intent upon spreading fanatical totalitarianism throughout the world. To that end, I present here a selection of the original Danish cartoons. (Click here.)

Bye for now.

January 30, 2006

Happy New Year (in the nick of time)!

First, happy new Chinese, regular, and extra crispy new year! Wanting to maintain my status as at least a monthly blogger, I had to get this in. I shall begin by talking about four movies I've recently seen, none of which can currently be seen in any theater.

On the Town (yes, the one with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, et al.). I'm not sure why I never saw this before. Oh, I know why! Because they simply don't show old movies on TV anymore! Well, they show them on Turner Classic Movies, but my local cable company, in its wisdom, recently decided to add TCM to its regular non-digital service. Eva Mei and I watch this, and although it's not really a side splitting comedy, it's simply charming! The lady cab driver is a hoot, agressively pursuing Frank Sinatra from the get-go and succeeding much sooner than I expected! I don't think the public will tolerate films like this anymore, in fact I can't think of any fun, lighthearted musical film in the past 20 years. Maybe Little Shop of Horrors, but they needed a man-eating African American plant as a major gimmick!

Goodbye Mr. Chips. Robert Donant is simply one of the greatest actors of all time and, sadly, one whom Americans seldom get to see. I've seen three of his films and have gone teary-eyed at the end of each one (Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Magic Box, and "Chips"). Goodbye Mr. Chips is both a "teacher movie" and an intense personal study. There are moral and ethical lessons here for schools and society alike and the "personal" part of the film is just heartbreaking. This is a story of how vitally important a school and a teacher can be, and of how far away from this vitality we have come.

In a similar vein, in the sense of someone sacrificing a great deal for some larger good, we watched The Song of Bernadette yesterday. It's the story of the young girl whose religious vision leads to miracles, and who stands strongly in the face of skeptics and elitist hostility from government and religious officials alike. Along with Jennifer Jones (in the title role) stars Vincent Price as the "Imperial Prosecutor," a man intent on pushing all religious expression to the smallest corner of society. Facing mounting evidence that a mysterious local spring has miraculous curing power, his overriding faith in "science" and his terrible pride prevents him from "testing the waters," even while dying of cancer.

Finally, a film you will not be able to see (unless TMC shows it again or unless you are willing to deal with E-bay) -- Isao Takahata's Only Yesterday. This is a 1991 animated feature from Japan, originally titled Omohide poro poro. Its the story of a young (nearly-30) Japanese woman, an office worker on vacation to a countryside safflower farm, reminiscing about her childhood. I know that does not sound like a really exciting plot. It's not an exciting film, certainly not as intense as Takahata's previous WWII film, Grave of the Fireflies. What it lacks in intensity is made up for by sheer honesty and rich detail. As the young woman, Taeko, travels by train to the farm, and as she spends her ten days there, she keeps flashing back to her "fifth grade" self. These flashbacks reveal and remind us of the hope, fear, happiness, and disappointment we all felt back then and how these feelings shaped our adult lives. (Taeko must have been in the fifth grade around 1967.) Boys teasing girls about their "periods" (as if they even knew what a "period" actually was!), crushes, difficult parents and siblings, and the mystery and frustration of dividing fractions -- all these are presented in a way that will stop you from pausing the DVD player to go to the bathroom. (Yes, I know I could have thought about a more poetic way to convey this idea.) You will learn a lot from this film. It's one of Studio Ghibli's finest.

I had a whole bunch of neat political stuff to talk about, but I'll either save it for later or forget about it!

Bye for now.

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