Doctor, My Eyes Or Why I Haven't Been Posting

Some of you who look at this site every so often have noticed that I haven't been posting very often. So why is that? Part of the answer is that I've been busy reading, going to concerts, volunteering, etc. This leads to a bigger part of the answer: that at the end of the work day, my eyes just can't take it. My job requires using a computer, and after staring at that screen, the last thing I want to do most days is come home, and continue it. I don't even watch much television, beyond a few minutes of news, sports, and weather, or Lost and 24.

So keep checking on me, I'll try to do better!

To 2007: May The Music Not Be Forgotten

"When The Music's Not Forgotten" is a moving song by Steven & Sherilynn Collins, the husband-and-wife duo known as Deadman. It got some airplay in 2005, probably because it was recorded on the day Johnny Cash died, and was inspired by gret musicians like Cash and Ray Charles.

Please come close, for I long for you to hear, Hear the sound that will rid you of your fears. In a land where no water can be found, In a place where there is no fertile ground. Longing for, yearning not to be forgotten; In an age when the music is forgotten, In an age when the music is forgotten.

And the truth (and the truth) speaks of great and mighty things, Teaching us (teaching us) what the peace of Heaven brings; We must give (we must give), we must give to all the others, Those in need (those in need) who we fear to call our brothers; Reaching out (reaching out) so that we are not forgotten. In a time (in a time) when the music is forgotten, In a time (in a time) when the music is forgotten.

If we stand on a hill and do not touch, How can we do good? If we wash our hands of all our friends, What change can really come? If we hide our fears and don't draw near, Have we really lived? Or are we all just standing here, Hoping there is grace?

In a dream (in a dream) that I had not long ago, Visions of (visions of) a city made of gold; And a sound (and a sound) that I'd never heard before, such a sound (such a sound), saturating to the core; such a sound(such a sound)! One that cannot be forgotten. In a time (in a time) when the music's not forgotten, in a time (in a time) when the music's not forgotten.

Amen to that.

Deadman's Official Website

Best Records Of 2006

The wailing, the gnashing of teeth is over. I have chosen my top 10 records of 2006.

They are:

1. All The Roadrunning-Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
2. Behind The Levee-The Subdudes
3. Song Of The Blackbird-William Elliott Whitmore
4. The Trials Of Van Occupanther-Midlake
5. Corinne Bailey Rae-Corinne Bailey Rae
6. Dog Problems-The Format
7. The Warning-Hot Chip
8. Allright, Still-Lily Allen
9. American V-Johnny Cash
10. People Gonna Talk-James Hunter

Bubbling under ...

Worrisome Heart-Melody Gardot
Funnel Cloud-Hem
Tired Of Hanging Around-The Zutons
St. Elsewhere-Gnarls Barkley
We Are The Pipettes-The Pipettes

My Other Blog

The Christmas season has inspired a lot of movies and TV specials, religious and secular, good and bad, over the years. Everyone knows the various versions of A Christmas Carol, and It's A Wonderful Life. For kids of all ages there's A Charlie Brown Christmas, of course. But in 1996, I missed the showing of the made-for-TV movie The Christmas Tree. Apparently, a lot of people did see it, however, and still rave about it, although it hasn't been seen on TV since nor released on DVD.

It starred Julie Harris, Andrew McCarthy, and was directed by Sally Field, based on a book by Julie Salamon. Maybe there's a good explanation for its unavailability; if so, I'd like to hear it. And, so, my quest to rescue this film from obscurity begins with a blog. Check it out!

Chained Melody

Wal-Mart is one of those American institutions some people just love to hate. San Diego has shut the door on any opening their doors there, to protect local establishments and to protest their wage scale. It may be that some bloom is off the rose: the store chain's profits are down in a quarter for the first time in 10 years. I haven't been in one in a few years, because I have a wide variety of retail choices where I live. But I can't deny that using economies of scale in buying things (whether toothpaste or now, generic drugs), allows many of their customers to stretch their dollars.

And so we come to the typical American's love/hate relationship with chain stores, the subject of an article in the December 2006 issue of The Atlantic magazine by Virginia Postrel (former editor of Reason). We love the lower prices, the better hours and locations, and the wider choice of goods usually provided by chain stores. But she doesn't worry about how shopping at a Starbucks, Target, or Macy's in any location in the country can alter how we perceive a place:

Stores don’t give places their character. Terrain and weather and culture do.

Her argument is pretty convincing. Besides, I have little doubt that a hundred years ago, there were some people who welcomed, say, Woolworth's to their town, and others who fretted. Like Horn & Hardart, Two Guys, Best Products, and lots of other retailers, it didn't change to fit conditions, and disappeared from the scene. Someday, maybe Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and the Olive Garden will as well.

TV Commercials I Love: GE Healthcare

You've probably missed this one for General Electric Early Health. Running since February, usually during the Sunday morning talk shows, it promotes G.E.'s health diagnostic services and equipment. The ad features a "monster" rampaging on a beach, a la Godzilla, a trio of Japanese children, and well, you can see it here. It still makes me laugh!

The Election Results

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent, on everything from direct mail, to TV ads, to bribes and consultant fees, and finally, the election season has ended (well, except for the races too close to call). On the national scene, the Democratic Party has taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years, and are closing in on a bare majority in the Senate. For the Republicans, especially in the Congress, they have no one but themselves (and President Bush) to blame.

The Republicans won control of the House in 1992 (for the first time in 40 years) because of a backlash against Democratic scandals, and an overreach by the Clintons in pushing for an even bigger role for government in health care. The Contract With America, which was roundly denounced by Democrats and the Left, was an attempt to break from "business as usual" politics by nationalizing what are essentially hundreds of local races for Congress.

In the years since then, the limited-government approach of the Republicans was forgotten by many of them. Term limits, earmarks, deficit spending, regulation-it used to be that you knew where most House Republicans stood on these issues. But too many had become corrupted by a system they had railed against. And now, it's their turn to leave. Hey people, don't let the door hit ya ...

But the number of close races, the continuing disgust, anger, and disillusionment with politics should be a warning to the Democrats too: Don't abuse your new power. Don't lord it over the GOP (too much) or the President. Get things done. Or you'll be gone too.

The Eagles vs Saints-Arrrrgggghhhhhh!

Oy. What a frustrating game. On Sunday, the Eagles traveled to the Louisiana Superdome to play the suddenly-resurgent New Orleans Saints. Maybe it was the letdown after the big win over Dallas & T.O. the week before, or maybe it was crowd noise, but they came out really sluggish. It was 10-0 in short order, and the Eagles were reeling. They were getting the ball back with just under 2 minutes left in the first half, when Dexter Wynn & Ryan Moats totally muffed the punt return, which gave the Saints the short field they used to score another TD.

OK, they did look a little more alive coming out for the second half: two touchdowns to tie it up, one a sweet 60-yard catch & run by Reggie Brown. But the Eagles blew some coverage, letting the Saints retake the lead, and in the end, let them march downfield to kick the winning field goal. McNabb did not impress, although I suppose he's entitled to an off game after some of the numbers he's put up. Still, this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Those Saints will bear watching the rest of the season.

"Lost"-Season Three Begins Tonight ...

... and it's about time!

So many questions to be answered after a terrific ending to last season, including:
-Did Desmond, Eko, and Locke survive the hatch explosion?
-Will anything happen to Claire's baby?
-Will Michael & Walt make it back to civilization?
-What's the deal with the Others?
-What amusing nicknames will Sawyer bestow upon people?

We'll start to find out (I hope), starting at 9 o'clock Eastern.

The Monsters Among Us

There are some really sick, disturbed people in this world, and there are some who are just plain evil. Because of them, the past few days have seen some horrific killings at schools in Colorado, Wisconsin, and now, Pennsylvania. We shake our heads in puzzlement and sigh in frustration as we ponder how a low-life thug in Colorado and devoted family man in Lancaster can apparently just go crazy, enter a school, target girls for molestation, and then start shooting before killing themselves.

I thought about this even more when I heard that another monster, Charles Conner, was arrested in suburban Philadelphia on Monday. He had been detained by the police after a drunk driving accident on Garrett Road, and taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where he made threats against health care workers and police during his blood alcohol test. Later, a huge arsenal of guns, knives, and home-made bombs was discovered in his Drexel Hill house, which sits just 200 feet from St. Charles School in the 3800 block of Dennison Avenue. And, as reported in the Delco Times yesterday, this was not this bastard's first run-in with the law:

It was while Conner was awaiting arraignment for the DUI that Detective Sgt. David Madonna remembered the defendant from the previous suicide attempt last year when police removed 59 potentially dangerous items from the house including guns and knives.

"Over the next months, Conner came to the police department several times for return of his guns and knives and the police department refused," Chitwood said, noting Conner appealed to Common Pleas Court and received a court order in April signed by Judge Joseph Cronin for the return of his property.

"Needless to say, today we’re here after obtaining a search warrant and have 53 guns. It shows how the system works," Chitwood added while waving the court document and a bound folder containing information on how to make bombs and fuses.

Thank God for the quick work of the Upper Darby police, and particularly Superintendent Michael Chitwood, who has also gone after nuisance bars and pawn shops illegally selling guns. But shame on this Judge Cronin! He needs to explain exactly why he did this, and reassure the public that he will be far more careful in the future in making his decisions. Otherwise, he should be gone from office. Period.

Because a lot of this comes down to how some people are able to manipulate the legal system to evade justice.That may have been the case with Conner. And, I just read about how an actress, Pauley Perrette ("Abby") of NCIS, is being stalked and harrassed by her ex-husband, Francis Shivers. I was literally sick to my stomach reading about how he has also harrassed another former wife and a former girlfriend, and uses the courts to file false charges against all three of them. Whether he's sick or evil, someone needs to do something more about him, before he kills.

Philadelphia Daily News Story Of Conner's Arrest

Delaware County Times Story Of Conner's Arrest

Pauley Perrette Of CBS-TV's NCIS Stalked By Ex-Husband