An outfit called Soomo Publishing out of Asheville, North Carolina has cooked up this astounding music video that should be used in high school and college history classes across America.
Here is "Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration"...
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
On God and political parties...
I doubt that God ever worked through a political party, seeing as how He much rather prefers to work through real people.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Did Charles Roark cost Rockingham County 60 well-paying jobs?
So a fairly well-known company was considering locating a facility in Rockingham County that would have put around sixty people to work in positions with good pay.
And then some of their management happened to catch a few days' worth of WGSR Star 47. In particular The Local Buzz with WGSR general manager Charles Roark. Even more particular: a number of recent broadcasts in which Roark was encouraging viewers to talk about their sex lives.
It gave this area a bad enough impression, that those jobs aren't coming now.
I've been sitting on this for a few weeks but didn't have enough confirmation of it until this afternoon. One source told me that WGSR's being the sole televised media outlet for the county made us "out to be slackjawed idiots".
Call it a classic case of one bad apple ruining the whole bushel.
By the way, ever notice how Roark will do his damndest to get callers to talk about their sex lives, but he never talks about his own?
Curious, that...
Way more coming in due time. I'm sitting on too much material that deserves to be unloaded before I move on to bigger and better things (hopefully sooner than later).
The Boy Scouts of America is 100 years old today!
On February 8th, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was founded by William D. Boyce, Edward S. Stewart and Stanley D. Willis. It had been Boyce who first discovered the Boy Scouts in Great Britain during a trip there in 1909, and thought that it would be a good thing for the youth of the United States as well.
A hundred years later, more than 110 million Americans have taken part in the Boy Scouts of America in some form or another. More than two million of them have earned the rank of Eagle Scout (and it's been one of the greatest and most humbling honors of my life to be among them).
So Happy One-Hundredth Birthday to the Boy Scouts of America! It's come a long way... but I've a feeling that Scouting's best days are yet to come.
The unique populism of the Tea Party movement
The biggest problem I've had with the Tea Party thing is that I can't but think that I've seen this many times before already. Specifically, a bunch of well-meaning citizens who come together in common cause against government corruption and the like, only to see their collective energy peter out and their efforts assimilated by a bigger political machine.
But having read Larrey Anderson's essay at American Thinker about the Tea Party movement, I'm now compelled to reconsider my position. Or at least, I now feel more confident about giving the Tea Party more of a fair chance to prove itself. The difference between it and previous efforts, as Anderson notes, is that in defiance of the many flavors of opinion held by those active within the Tea Party movement, there is a very common regard for the Constitution that is uniting them...
The Tea Party is a unique populist movement and moment in American history. There is no charismatic leader of the party. The Tea Party has more grassroots movers, shakers, and members than any other populist movement ever seen in our country. So what makes it so different from previous populist political factions?I especially like how Anderson notes that the Tea Party does not need a charismatic leader or spokesperson. Indeed, it would almost certainly work against the Tea Party's favor if it were to invest in such a person."Populism" is a vague political concept. There have been populist (and wannabe populist) political movements on the left, on the right, and even in the middle (wherever that is) in the history of American politics. None of the movements were particularly successful -- and many of them were outright scams.
(snip)
So what makes the Tea Party different? I have attended several local Tea Party gatherings (and addressed a couple of them). There is one document that is ubiquitous at these events: the Constitution for the United States of America[iii]. People hand out copies of the Constitution like hors d'oeuvres that are served at...a de rigueur tea party.
I've thought for the longest time that the most refreshing thing that could possibly happen in American politics is for the average citizen to stand and take the initiative on his or her own. If the Tea Party earnestly represents that and can continue to buck the status quo, then I couldn't help but applaud it.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Why are gun sales banned because of snow in King, North Carolina?
One county to the west of my position in King, North Carolina, the authorities have banned the sale of guns and ammunition during the "state of emergency" there caused by the winter storm of the past few days.
From the story at the WXII.com website...
Authorities lifted a curfew and alcohol restrictions in King on Sunday, but said a state of emergency declaration remained in effect until Monday.King is a rather small town. If people are inclined to own a gun there, they're more likely than not probably already in possession of one.Authorities said the state of emergency declaration would continue until Monday 9 a.m., barring any unforeseen circumstances or severe changes.
Effective Sunday afternoon, alcohol restrictions and a curfew were lifted. All other remaining restrictions would continue until Monday, said Paula May, King police chief.
Other restrictions include a ban on the sale or purchase of any type of firearm, ammunition, explosive or any possession of such items off a person's own premises.
Just don't understand what the point of this restriction is.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Is THIS where LOST is headed?! (Crazy theory ahead)
This may or may not bear out as anything accurate to where Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are taking Lost, now in its final season. But there's a zillion other theories out there, might as well add my own to the madcap mix!
It hit me like a mallet between the eyes late last night, during the 22 hours that the electricity was out from this winter storm. The first big clue was the title of the Season 6 premiere episode: "LA X".
Perhaps a play on LAX, the abbreviation for Los Angeles International Airport where Oceanic Flight 815 was heading toward from Sydney, Australia. Of course, Oceanic 815 crashed on the Island and set into motion the events of Lost...
...but as we saw in "LA X", following whatever it was that Juliet did at the Swan site in 1977, an alternate reality was created: one where Oceanic 815 landed in Los Angeles on September 22, 2004. And this reality is running co-terminous with the "main" timeline where Oceanic 815 still crashed on the Island.
Well, using an "X" for a storyline involving multiple realities isn't unprecedented. Back in the late Nineties comic book artist Alex Ross pitched an idea to Marvel Comics: basically a dystopian Marvel future like what Ross did with Kingdom Come for DC Comics a few years earlier. The result was Earth X: what is, in my estimation a very under-rated alternate mythology of the Marvel Universe.
Earth X was followed up by Universe X and Paradise X. And where this is germane to our discussion of Lost is that it becomes revealed during the course of the Earth X trilogy that longtime Marvel supervillain Mephisto had been plotting and scheming since the dawn of time to create alternate realities! Why, you ask? Because Mephisto sincerely thought that he was the devil of Judeo-Christian teaching and he was making all of these alternate timelines so that he could flee into them, in a bid to escape what he believed would be God's final judgment at the end of time.
By the end of Paradise X, Mephisto was killed at last and his machinations stopped for good. And a "Heaven" of sorts wound up created that would forevermore keep Earth and its realm from being manipulated by cosmic entities like the Celestials and their sort.
See where this is going?
So here's what could be happening in the Lost saga...
The Island is, among many other things, a prison for the Dark Entity (what we have seen all this time as the Smoke Monster, various incarnations of characters and now appearing as John Locke). And it's a prison because the Dark Entity is, if not the Devil himself, then someone representing the very nature of evil. And the Dark Entity has been stuck on the Island all this time, doing what Satan does in accusing humanity (namely to Jacob, who is perhaps the embodiment of the Island and its power, as we saw hinted at by the spring in "LA X").
As with any other prisoner, the Dark Entity wants to escape. But he can't simply leave like a normal person could. There are "rules" in effect: rules which have only begun to be hinted at to us. The Dark Entity cannot escape by breaking the rules. Outright killing Jacob would have broken the rules too... so the Dark Entity has had to find a loophole.
"Salvation" for the Dark Entity came in the form of John Locke: ironically the one human who wanted to remain on the Island. But the biggest irony of all came as Benjamin Linus, who assumed that he was the greatest manipulator on the Island.
Linus had no idea at all that he himself was being manipulated by someone even more powerful.
In the end, the Dark Entity, posing as John Locke and thus the leader of the Island's people, entered the statue of Tawaret to confront Jacob. He still couldn't kill Jacob of course... but as Benjamin Linus was still the de facto tapped leader of the Island, he possessed the power and authority to kill Jacob if he wanted to. Of course as we know, Ben was motivated to do so by the Dark Entity, and he slew Jacob.
Why? For what purpose was all of this?
Because the Dark Entity just wants "to go home".
What "home" means, hasn't been made clear yet. It could mean that he wants to escape to somewhere in the outside world. Or it could mean escaping into someplace beyond our realm of understanding.
And it could be that he wants to escape into an entirely new universe. Like, the one that was just created by the timeline in which Oceanic 815 didn't crash.
This is no longer a fight for the Island. Or even for the Earth. This might well be turning into a struggle for all of reality.
Little does the Dark Entity realize though, that Jacob isn't out of the game quite yet. He's still able to communicate via Hurley. And Jacob obviously knew what was coming down given the contents of the guitar case that he gave Hurley before directing him to take the Ajira 316 flight. Also, why did Jacob seem so nonchalant and accepting of his fate?
Unless it was all part of some greater plot by Jacob. Perhaps to put an end to the Dark Entity once and for all?
One of the bigger elements of the Earth X trilogy was Mar-Vell's quest to end the rule of Death. And in Death's realm it seemed that Mar-Vell had fallen and the war had been lost. Mephisto was literally gloating over Mar-Vell's body. And then Mar-Vell revived and manipulated Thanos (no small manipulator himself!) into slaying Death: the entity that Thanos had sought to court as his lover.
I don't see why Jacob couldn't be playing a similar "long con" against his ages-old nemesis in the tale of Lost.
This sixth and final season of Lost might be coming down to an epic battle between good and evil, with people in two universes deciding the outcome.
There y'all have it: my own personal Lost theory.
Comments?
22 hours without electricity
More than 43,000 people here in Rockingham County have been without power since last night because of the winter storm. The precious juice stopped flowing to my own house at just after 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening.
I've been hunkered down under four blankets and a Boy Scout sleeping bag for most of that time since, trying to stay warm.
Give it up for the lads (and lasses) of Duke Energy though! They restored electricity a short time ago to this road and from what I'm hearing, about 11,000 are still without power and hopefully they'll be back on the grid by first of the morning at the latest. So Lord willing, Rockingham County won't miss the Super Bowl "big game".
Got any weather-related stories? Feel free to post in the comments! This is gonna be one to tell the grandkiddies about!
Friday, February 05, 2010
Two and a half inches of snow this morning
And that's mostly just in the past hour. Coming down harder than it did last week about this time.
Nobody's going nowhere today.
FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS has a trailer and release date
"War. War never changes."
Behold the first trailer for Fallout: New Vegas, which is set for release this coming fall...
I invested about 140 hours into Fallout 3 and still didn't get to see everything in the Capital Wasteland! Guess I'll be losing just as much time in post-apocalyptic Lost Wages come later this year :-P
Thursday, February 04, 2010
THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS has a premiere date and a new trailer (and look who's in it!!)
Word broke in the wee hours of the morning that The People vs. George Lucas, Alexandre Phillipe's documentary about the love/hate relationship Star Wars fanatics have with the creator of their most treasured mythology, will have its world premiere at South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas next month!
Look! Official movie poster!
And look again! New trailer!
And who is that appearing at 44 seconds into this trailer? That's Melody Hallman Daniel from my very first film Forcery! I'd been hoping and praying that Melody's amazing performance doing that rant would make it into The People vs. George Lucas... and it did! And Phillipe has hinted to me that there will be a few other clips from Forcery in his film, too.
Can't wait to see this :-)
A brief meditation on atheism
There is nothing damning about happening to be an atheist, but there are plenty of things wrong with insisting upon it.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
A joke that I gotta share here...
Courtesy of good friend Jason Overby...
Cop: "Your eyes look red. Have you been smoking pot?"Heh-heh, clever :-)Guy: "No but your eyes look glazed, have you been eating donuts?"
AVATAR tops TITANIC as new king of the world
Honestly never thought I'd see this happen: James Cameron's Avatar has officially dethroned his own 1997 Titanic for the domestic box-office record.
It'll probably last only as long as it takes Cameron and crew to make Avatar 2, which'll make even gads more money :-P
Weather word from those in the loop...
Sources are telling me that authorities in North Carolina and Virginia are preparing for a possible 16 to 24 inches of snow this weekend.
Thought y'all would like to know.
Taking daughter to church could land daddy in slammer
Except that Reyes did so in violation of a judge's order that he not expose his daughter to anything but Judaism. For taking her to church (after previously having her baptized there) Joseph Reyes is now possibly in "contempt".
Here's more on this very twisted story...
Joseph Reyes knew he could be accused of defying a court order barring him from taking his daughter to church. But he did it anyway and now he is facing contempt of court charges and jail.The judge is clearly respecting one establishment of religion over another in this matter, and is thus a most wild violation of the Constitution.The 35 year old, holding his 3 year old in his arms, walked into Holy Name Cathedral on January 17. A news crew videotaped the act of defiance.
"I have been ordered by a judge not to expose my daughter to anything non-Judaism," Reyes told a news reporter. "But I am taking her to hear the teachings of perhaps the most prominent Jewish Rabbi in the history of this great planet of ours. I can't think of anything more Jewish than that."
The prominent Jewish Rabbi that Reyes referenced was Jesus Christ.
Just before Christmas, a judge issued a temporary restraining order specifically barring Reyes from exposing his daughter to any religion other than Judaism after Reyes had his daughter Baptized without the knowledge of his estranged Jewish wife.
Now the lawyer representing Rebecca Reyes (formerly Rebecca Shapiro) has filed a Motion for Criminal Contempt, asking that Joseph Reyes face criminal charges for defying the judge's order.
The hearing date is set for February 16 and Reyes has launched a new Web site www.christianfatherdefensefund.com to raise money for his defense.
He hopes that he will receive contributions from sympathetic fathers and other individuals who find it unconscionable that a judge would tread into the area that seems to violate the constitutional right guaranteeing Freedom of Religion.
"My daughter is half Jewish," says Reyes. "Just because my marriage is ending should not mean that I can't go to church to worship with my daughter.
"I'm a Christian, and I was Christian when Rebecca and I got married. No judge should have the right to force me to attend a synagogue to be able to pray with my daughter and no judge should have the right to stop me from going to church with my daughter."
His attorney, Joel Brodsky, says they will fight.
"My client should be allowed to take his daughter to church," says Brodsky, who happens to be Jewish. "In every way this is wrong. Freedom of religion is absolute and no judge should be able to interfere with that freedom."
That said, the religious life of the child is something that should be the jurisdiction of the parents, regardless of the legal status between them. And it should be between the BOTH of them to resolve this out of mutual love for their daughter.
