text:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Thin Man

The Thin Man is a 1934 comedy/detective film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. In the film Nick and Nora Charles are played by Myrna Loy (Mr. Blandings Build His Dream House) and William Powell. Although there are no other books, this was the first of 6 films. This movie takes place during the Christmas holidays.

Roger Ebert describes it as "a murder mystery in which the murder and the mystery are insignificant compared to the personal styles of the actors".

The Husband chose this to watch during our chili supper tonight. He was aiming at a comedy with a happy ending, and everybody did think it was funny.

Only the Cinema has a review.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Interview Palin

Yes, you! Even though Sarah Palin is being shielded like a hothouse flower, you can get answers from her. Well, you can get answers that sound like they came from her, which is the best we can do right now.

Click here for a randomly generated question and the Palin-speak answer. Here's a sample:
Q: What is the role of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Afghanistan will lead to war and it doesn't have to keep. I do bring to this table, and that's the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership, and that's with the energy source that is needed to help us, diplomatic pressure. We need to have a good guy who is saying that. Now, one who would seek to protect the good guys in this, the leaders of Israel and her friends, her allies, including the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is from God. What I think God's will has to be a multi-faceted solution that has much to do things better.

HT: Andrew Sullivan

7 Fascinating Literary Works for Bookworms

Bookstove has an interesting list of 7 books for bookworms:
One Hundred Years of Solitude (by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Midnight's Children (by Salman Rushdie)
Breathing Lessons (by Anne Tyler)
Rabbit Is Rich (by John Updike)
White Noise (by Don Delillo)
Catch 22 (by Joseph Heller)
Everything That Rises Must Converge (by Flannery O' Connor)

I've read all of them except for the Rabbit book. I really ought to read the Rabbit series. I've had good intentions along those lines but lousy follow-through.

Today is Michaelmas. I remember that on more than one occasion Michaelmas was the day we went to the Mid-South Fair. Michaelmas is the Feast of St. Michael and all Angels, and it is a fall festival close to the Autumnal Equinox. Lots of celebrations focus on the story of St. Michael fighting a dragon. Here's a recipe for Dragon Bread.

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, wrote a booklet on Michaelmas.

The Michaelmas Daisy pictured above is from janerc's Flickr stream.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Earl Hurd

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1940 of cel animation patent-holder Earl Hurd. The Bobby Bumps cartoons were the first to be produced using the cel animation process.

Later he worked for Walt Disney and is credited as a writer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and as a character designer on the Dance of the Hours segment of Fantasia.

Bobby Bumps Starts a Lodge (1916):

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina, holy reading, is a scripture-based form of prayer. That wikipedia article is odd in places, but it has links to some helpful sites. The Order of St. Benedict's site has helpful resources, as does the Carmelite Order. Thomas Keating of Contemplative Outreach has a short explanation and clear instructions.

An example of this practice within the Methodist tradition is at The Upper Room. Another specifically Methodist example is at this story from this year's meeting of the General Conference. It is used as part of this Methodist prayer service, it is recommended in this Methodist newsletter article, it's a part of this 5-week Methodist Bible study. I'm not sure why some Methodists are suspicious of the practice and claim it's "too Catholic", but it is consistent with Methodist practice and belief to participate in this form of prayer.

This site provides short, clear instructions for lectio divina in an easily accessible 1-page format, and this may be the best short explanation I've seen.

The photo at the top of the post is from knowhimonline's Flickr set.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 78
verses 1-4; 12-16

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hakuho Wins Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament

The International Herald Tribune reports:
TOKYO: Mongolian grand champion Hakuho snatched his eighth championship title on Saturday after scoring 13 wins at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.

The Daily Yomiuri Online says,
Yokozuna Hakuho sent out a warning to those who would deprive him of his eighth Emperor's Cup with a comprehensive defeat of ozeki Chiyotaikai in Thursday's final bout at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.

from day 12:

The picture at the top of the post is from Wikipedia.

Banned Books Week

Today is the beginning of a week-long celebration of the freedom to read. There's even a current political link as there are reports Gov. Palin may have been interested in removing books she found objectionable from the public library of Wasilla when she was mayor there, so she has a connection to the subject.

Many books that have been banned or which have been subjected to attempts at censorship can be read online. A list of such books is here, with links to the books.

There is a Facebook page and a Wikipedia article. The USA branch of Amnesty International tells stories of individuals who are in prison or suffering persecution because of their writings.

The American Library Association has information, including links to lists of banned books. Their list of Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century (2000-2005):
1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris
8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz
9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
10. "Forever" by Judy Blume

Their list of Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century:
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
Ulysses, James Joyce
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Lord of the Flies, William Golding
1984, George Orwell
Lolita, Vladmir Nabokov
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
Their Eyes were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Native Son, Richard Wright
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
The Call of the Wild, Jack London
Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin
All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence
Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
A Separate Peace, John Knowles
Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs
Women in Love, DH Lawrence
The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer
Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller
An American Tragedy, Theodore Dreiser
Rabbit, Run, John Updike

Ones I've read are in bold print. To celebrate this week I'm going to see which of these book I already own but have not yet read, and I'll read one of them.

Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon is the first one I saw on the shelf, so I'll start it today.

R.I.P. Paul Newman

Paul Newman died of lung cancer yesterday at the age of 83.

Obits and notices:
Obscure Classics (with more here)
Sun Herald
Guardian (film clips)
Westport Now
Washington Post
People Magazine
Edward Copeland on Film
Roger Ebert
Huffington Post here, here, here, here
Culture Kitchen
Entertainment Tonight Online
Green Daily
The Nation
Famous Dead DB
Cinema Styles
Arbogast on Film
Reason Magazine
Bible Films Blog
Strange Culture
Self-Styled Siren

Sylvia Pankhurst

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1960 of British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. There is a short biographical sketch here at the main Sylvia Pankhurst site, and the BBC has a couple of paragraphs as part of a women's history timeline. There is a list of resources, mainly books, here.

excerpt from lyrics to the Sister Suffragette song, celebrating Emmeline Pankhurst (Sylvia's mother's) suffrage work, from Mary Poppins:
"From Kensington to Billingsgate
One hears the restless cries!
From every corner of the land:
"Womankind, arise!"
Political equality and equal rights with men!
Take heart! For Mrs. Pankhurst has been clapped in irons again!
No more the meek and mild subservients we!
We're fighting for our rights, militantly!
Never you fear!""

Friday, September 26, 2008

Debate Re-enactment

Stage your own debate re-enactment with these fun finger puppets.

HT: BoingBoing

The Boy With Green Hair

I discovered this movie when the kids were little. I liked it, but they never did. I'm not sure why it struck me so while it didn't impress them at all. It's possible I was so touched by the plight of the boy that I didn't see the lack of any real child-appeal. I found it by coming across it on television and was able to videotape it. I'm pleased to see it's readily available online now. [Well, not so readily, as the Internet Archive has removed theirs, but youtube has it online divided into small sections.]

part 1:

The other parts are linked from here.

The Boy With Green Hair is a 1948 film starring Pat O'Brien, Barbara Hale and Dean Stockwell, TCM devotes some space to it. Coffee Coffee and More Coffee has a review. The New York Times review opens with
A novel and noble endeavor to say something withering against war on behalf of the world's unnumbered children who are the most piteous victims thereof is made in the RKO picture, "The Boy With Green Hair," a fantasy-drama in color, which opened at the Palace yesterday. But the fact that the effort is earnest is no surety of its success. For all its proper intentions, the gesture falls short of its aim.

August Mobius

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1868 of August Mobius, who figured out the Mobius Strip. This can keep a simple mind like mine happily occupied for hours. Try it. Entertain your friends. It's a cheap form of entertainment, something we'll be needing more of once the government takes all our money and gives it to all those rich, powerful Wall Street guys.

The picture is from Wikipedia.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Lewis Milestone

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1980 of film director Lewis Milestone, probably best known for his 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front, which can be viewed online at that link. Interestingly, Erich Maria Remarque, who wrote the book on which that film is based, died on this date in 1970.

FilmReference.com has an article on Milestone that sums up with
Milestone has yet to receive the critical reassessment that he undoubtedly deserves. Films as diverse as A Walk in the Sun and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers indicate that his later films contain moments of high achievement comparable to his two great early efforts. They also suggest a greater correlation between his technical innovations and his sensitively handled theme of men in groups than many scholars give him credit for.

He also directed The Front Page (1931):

The NYTimes has a review here.

He directed Joan Crawford in Rain (1932):

The NYTimes and Alternative Film Guide have reviews.

Dana Andrews and Lloyd Bridges in A Walk in the Sun (1945):

The NYTimes has a review, and TCM has comments.

and Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Kirk Douglas (in his debut film) in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946):

TCM has some information.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Sky Is Falling

Maybe the sky is falling, but I feel less like I'm in the middle of Chicken Little and more like I'm in the middle of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

First there was the Iraq War, which we had to go do right now, by Jove, or civilization as we know it would come to an end because of all those weapons of mass destruction and Al Qaeda. So we panicked and agreed and sent our young people to die, and why was that exactly?

Then there was the Patriot Act, which we had to do right now, by Jove, or civilization as we know it would come to an end because of all those spies and terrorists. So we panicked and agreed and gave up our Constitutional rights, and why was that exactly?

And now there's a 700 billion dollar bailout, which we have to do right now, by Jove, or civilization as we know it will come to an end because of the impending financial meltdown.

So we are panicking again. It's just that I don't believe them. After all, aren't these the same people who have been saying that the fundamentals of our economy are sound and that everything is fine, just fine? I get the distinct impression that they are making all this up as they go along.

And how exactly will it help for McCain to suspend his campaign and rush back to Washington? If he's that indispensable in the Senate maybe we should draft someone else to run for President. I also don't see the sense in "postponing" the debates. Now of all times, with less than 6 weeks until the election, I need to hear them debate each other.

Dr. Seuss

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1991 of Dr. Seuss. Just hearing the name brings back fond memories...

Bartholomew and the Oobleck:
Shuffle, duffle, muzzle, muff.
Fista, wista, mista-cuff.
We are men of groans and howls!
Mystic men, who eat boiled owls!

Green Eggs and Ham:
Would you like them
in a house?
Would you like them
with a mouse?

I do not like them
in a house.
I do not like them
with a mouse.
I do not like them
here or there.
I do not like them
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

The Sneetches and Other Stories is filled with treasures. "The Sneetches" opens with
Now, the Star-Bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Bellied Sneetches had none upon thars.

"The Zax" had those two stubborn Zax in each other's way "not budging". I could always identify with those Zax.

"Too Many Daves" begins this way:
Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave
Had twenty-three sons and she named them all Dave?
and the names suggested as better than "Dave" are wonderful:
And often she wishes that, when they were born,
She had named one of them Bodkin Van Horn
And one of them Hoos-Foos. And one of them Snimm.
And one of them Hot-Shot. And one Sunny Jim.
Many more are named, and we had the whole list memorized. We had this whole book memorized.

"What Was I Scared Of?" scared us with those pale green pants with nobody inside them. Definitely creepy!

And a perennial favorite even now is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which The Elder Son could recite from memory when he was no more than 2, like Cindy Lou Who.

There is a Dr. Seuss Memorial Garden in Massachusetts.

The American Library Association gives the Geisel Award annually
to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The winner(s), recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading, receives a bronze medal. Honor Book authors and illustrators receive certificates, which are presented at the ALA Annual Conference. The award was established in 2004 and first presented in 2006.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I would never have picked this up, but The Elder Son passed it along to me saying I might enjoy it for a bit of "mindless fun". Well, it's about a cockroach, so I'm not sure why he thought I would find that appealing. On the other hand it's truly weird, so that might explain his reasoning.

Kockroach, the first novel by Tyler Knox, is a backwards and lesser Metamorphosis, taking the cockroach-cum-human through his ambitious, hungry experiences in society. It felt predictable from the beginning, and I thought I knew exactly where it was headed. In a way I was right, because the story ends up right where I thought it would. The plot, though, has some moves that surprised me, and I'm glad I read it. The characters are clearly drawn, described in a way that brings everything to life in my mind. I think the character descriptions are the strongest part of the book.

from the back of the book:
It is the mid-1950s, and Kockroach, perfectly content with his life infesting a fleabag hotel off Times Square, awakens to discover that somehow he's been transformed into, of all things, a human. A tragic turn of events, yes, but cockroaches are awesome coping machines, so Kockroach copes. Step by step, he learns the ways of man—how to walk, how to talk, and how to wear a jaunty brown fedora. Led by his primitive desires and insectile amorality, he navigates through the bizarre human realms of crime, business, politics, and sex. Will he find success or be squashed flat from above? Will he change humanity, or will humanity change him?

There is a Reading Group guide.

The NYTimes
The Seattle Times

Who's the elitist?

Watch Michael Moore's "Slacker Uprising" Online Free

Watch it, download it, share it.... Michael Moore is giving Slacker Uprising away here.

from Wikipedia:
Slacker Uprising is a movie of Michael Moore’s tour of colleges in battleground states during the 2004 election, with a goal to encourage 18-29 year olds to vote, and the response it received.

There is a Facebook group.

David Langford's Top 20

This is a top 20 list that excludes books written after 1989:
20) Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! (1989)
19) Frederik Pohl: Gateway (1977)
18) Iain M. Banks, Consider Phlebas (1987)
17) C.J. Cherryh, Cyteen (1988)
16) Barry Hughart: Bridge of Birds (1984)
15) Christopher Priest, The Affirmation (1981)
14) Roger Zelazny, Lord of Light (1967)
13) Philip K. Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965)
12) Alan Garner, The Owl Service (1967)
11) Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination (1956, alias Tiger! Tiger!)
10) Algis Budrys: Rogue Moon (1960)
9) Greg Bear, Blood Music (1985)
8) Frank Herbert: Dune (1965)
7) Mervyn Peake: Gormenghast (1946-59)
6) Ursula Le Guin: Earthsea (1968-72)
5) Keith Roberts, Pavane (1968)
4) J.R.R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings (1954-55)
3) Arthur C. Clarke: The City and the Stars (1956)
2) John Crowley: Little, Big (1981)
1) Gene Wolfe: The Book of the New Sun (1980-83)

Ones I've read are in bold print. The list is annotated on this page with explanations and descriptions.

He also has a list of "Good Stuff Since 1990":
1990: Dan Simmons, Hyperion Cantos
1991: Pat Cadigan, Synners
1992: Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars
1993: Michael Swanwick, The Iron Dragon's Daughter
1994: Greg Egan, Permutation City
1995: Stephen Baxter, The Time Ships
1996: Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow
1997: Tim Powers, Earthquake Weather
1998: Avram Davidson and Grania Davis, The Boss in the Wall
1999: Vernor Vinge, A Deepness In the Sky
2000: China Miéville, Perdido Street Station

Again, ones I've read are in bold print.

There are several books from both of these lists that I have been on the look-out for at my favorite used book store, but I may have to give that up and try another source. I think some of them are out of print.

Monday, September 22, 2008

A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog is a 1975 post apocalyptic film based on a Harlan Ellison short story by the same name.

The movie is in the public domain and is available at the Internet Archive:

Roger Ebert calls it, "a weird, offbeat sci-fi movie about one of the genre's favorite subjects: the survivors of a nuclear holocaust."

Marcel Marceau

Today is the anniversary of the death in 2007 of Marcel Marceau. I actually got to see him in concert once when I was in college.

This Salon article is from 1999. There is a Marcel Marceau Foundation. He did a lot of live performances over many years, and GoogleVideo is a treasure trove of his work.

The picture is from HeyValera's Flickr set.

One Web Day

Today is One Web Day,
a day when users of the World Wide Web are encouraged to show how the Internet affects their lives.... The purpose of the event is to globally celebrate online life.
There is a Facebook event page.

I enjoy the internet. I love my newsreader and the RSS feeds that help keep me informed. I appreciate the folks I've met online and everything I've learned from them. I'm amazed at how much easier I find keeping in touch with people since I got online -I'm a failure at keeping in touch by phone and snail mail. And I find blogging to be great fun. It's odd, because I've never been good at keeping a diary or a journal, but the ability to put together a bit with links and photos from other people, to collate information from diverse sources, works for me.

Celebrate Online Life!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

St. Matthew

Today is the feast day of St. Matthew the Apostle. Appropriately for the times we find ourselves in, St. Matthew is the only patron saint of accountants, stockbrokers, tax collectors, money managers and financial officers and is one of the patron saints of bankers. Here's a suitable request:
Dear publican become a Saint, after once gathering taxes and tolls how wonderful was your conversion by grace when discarding your earthly possessions you followed the Poor Man of Nazareth. The Mammon of Money is still worshiped. Inspire bankers with kindness and with the desire to help where they can; for what is done to the least, to the poor, is done to Jesus, the Son of Man. Amen.

St. Matthew is traditionally held to be the author of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, which can be read online in numerous English translations.

The story of the calling of Matthew by Christ is in the book of Matthew, chapter 9, verses 9-13:
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (NIV)

The Golden Legend includes the story of St. Matthew, including an episode with dragons. There is a biographical sketch at this Anglican site.

The picture at the top of the post is Rembrandt's Matthew and the Angel, sometimes called The Evangelist Matthew Inspired by an Angel. There are three works depicting St. Matthew by Caravaggio in the San Luigi dei Francesi church in Rome: The Calling of St. Matthew, The Inspiration of St. Matthew, and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew.

Bach's St. Matthew Passion sets part of Matthew's gospel to music:
part 1

more here

The Gospel According to St. Matthew is an award-winning 1964 Italian film directed by Pasolini. It is #4 on the Arts and Faith list of Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films. Here is a 3-minute clip:

There is another, more recent and less artistic, film based on Matthew's Gospel:
part 1 of 29 [gone as of 2/17/2010]

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 119
verses 1-40

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.

23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.

27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.

30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.

31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.

32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.

40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

20 Essential Science Fiction Books of the Past 20 Years

Cheryl Morgan's list from 2008 Worldcon in Denver:

* The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson (1995)
* The Flower Cities series (Queen City Jazz; Mississippi Blues; Crescent City Rhapsody; Light Music) Kathleen Ann Goonan (1994 - 2002)
* Perdido Street Station, China Mièville (2000)
* The Holdfast Chronicles (The Furies; Conqueror’s Child; the earlier two volumes are out of period) – Suzy McKee Charnas (1994 - 1999)
* Revelation Space, Al Reynolds (2000)
* The Fall Revolution Series (The Star Fraction; The Stone Canal; The Cassini Division; The Sky Road), Ken MacLeod (1995 - 1999)
* River of Gods, Ian McDonald (2004)
* Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
* Air or Have, Not Have, Geoff Ryman (2004)
* The Course of the Heart, M. John Harrison (1990)
* Soldier of Arete, Gene Wolfe (1989)
* The Aleutian Trilogy (White Queen; North Wind; Phoenix Café), Gwyneth Jones (1991 - 1997)
* Waking the Moon, Elizabeth Hand (1994)
* Synners, Pat Cadigan (1991)
* Rats & Gargoyles, Mary Gentle (1990)
* The Arabesk Trilogy (Pashazade; Effendi; Felaheen) Jon Courtenay Grimwood (2001 - 2003)
* Hyperion, Dan Simmons (1989)
* Sandman: Dream Country, Neil Gaiman with Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran and Malcolm Jones III (1991)
* Grass, Sheri Tepper (1989)
* The Fortune Fall, Raphael Carter (1996)

Ones I've read are in bold print. I didn't do so well on this list. I'll have to get better acquainted with these.

She gives lists from others who participated in the discussion.

I still miss Emerald City.

Star Trek Comics Online

WOWIO has Star Trek comics online. SFSignal has the individual links. #1: The Planet of No Return is here. There is a Memory Alpha article on this comic, which is where the picture above came from.

from the WOWIO site:

WOWIO is today the only source where readers can legally access high-quality copyrighted ebooks from leading publishers for free. Readers have access to a wide range of offerings, including works of classic literature, college textbooks, comic books, and popular fiction and non-fiction titles.

WOWIO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Platinum Studios, Inc., with headquarters in Houston, Texas.

You can subscribe to a news feed here.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Revolutions is the last film in the Matrix trilogy. The loss of Gloria Foster as The Oracle is keenly felt. The Husband struggled with the more violent aspects of the film.

There is no subtlety here, no gray. They assume we are idiots and must have every little bit explained in excruciating detail. "Yes," I say to the tv screen, "we know Neo is a Christ figure. You don't have to hit us over the head with it in every scene." It's overblown and heavy-handed. Given all that, it's a fun film and a fun series taken as a whole.

Rolling Stone says, "At the risk of understatement, The Matrix Revolutions sucks." The New York Times seems to be in general agreement: "The appropriate response is somewhere between "About time" ... and "So what?"" EW joins the chorus with, "So here's a mystery for the faithful: Why does resurrection and salvation -- the ''Matrix'' payoff -- here feel more like a religious obligation than a triumphant revelation?" The BBC is even stronger: "Multiple meanie Agent Smith does, however, echo the sentiments of desperate, disappointed audience members when he asks, "Is it over?""

The quotes above sound bad, but most of the reviewers praise the special effects and action sequences, it's just the self-importance and the dragging drama that gets panned.

HollywoodJesus, on the other hand, actually seems to like the blatant, rub-your-nose-in-it lack of nuance:
Why are the reviews bad?

1. Blatant Christ-like imagery (to borrow a phrase from Gandalf). It’s SO obvious that this film is pointing toward the direction of Christ. All the enemy can do is try to turn the hearts of the people away from this message.

Ebert liked it: "Still, in a basic and undeniable sense, this is a good movie". A video review by Ebert & Roeper can be viewed online.

Local Gas Shortages

I remember the gas shortages of the '70's, so it's eerie that 85% of stations in Nashville are out of gas. When The Husband went out today to fill up the cars the first station he went to was out of everything except premium, although the news reports I'm seeing say Memphis in general isn't experiencing shortages. Maybe we won't if folks don't panic and all run to the gas station.

The Racists Are Coming

Flotsam and Jetsam has the news that the racists are coming, the racists are coming. It says there that "The Mid-South Peace & Justice Center is organizing to oppose the White Supremacists," but I see nothing about any protests at the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center site.

I did a bit of searching, and it seems the conference will be held in early November but may not actually be in Memphis but nearby. Mississippi, maybe?

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Ahoy there, matey! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day! There's a lot of information here, and Wikipedia's article also has information and links.

You can get your very own pirate name here. Here's mine:
Iron Prudentilla Bonney
A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Don't know how to talk like a pirate? Avast, me hearty, there's hope! There is an instructional wiki, or here's an instructional video that can help you get into the spirit of the day:

Another way to get into the proper spirit is to read books with pirates in them. Treasure Island is online, as are Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates and The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms.

AllRecipes.com has pirate recipes. Wired has directions for making a pirate map from a paper sack.

Or you could watch the Mary Martin "Peter Pan":
part 1

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15

There is a Facebook event page and several groups. This link is to the largest of the Facebook groups. There is a Facebook application that counts down the days until the next Talk Like a Pirate Day.

For Pastafarians this is an important holiday, especially this year since Talk Like a Pirate Day is on a Friday.

Remember George Harrison? He could talk like a pirate before there was ever a holiday to celebrate it:

Thursday, September 18, 2008

George MacDonald

This is an edited version of last year's post on George MacDonald:

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1905 of Scottish preacher, poet and fantasy writer George MacDonald. He was a powerful influence on G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and recently deceased Madeleine L'Engle.

Phantastes, his first work of fiction, was written in 1858. It can be read online here, among other places. VictorianWeb has a section of their site devoted to the work.

The Light Princess, published in 1864, is one of MacDonald's most popular works. It can be read online here and on a single page here. Other links, including audio versions are linked here. It was well-loved by my children.

The Golden Key (1867) was one we read some when the kids were little. You can read this fairy tale on one page here or here.

The kids didn't like At the Back of the North Wind (1871) nearly as much. It is here, here and other links and an audio version are here. An illustrated version is here.

The Princess and the Goblin (online here) and The Princess and Curdie were read-alouds for us when the kids were little, but, again, these weren't the favorite repeat reads that some other books were. The first of these two was made into a film, which we have not seen, in 1993. Here's part 1 of the movie, with the other parts linked from here:

My favorite of his books is Lilith, maybe because I discovered the legend of Lilith as Adam's first wife about the same time I discovered this book. It is online here.

by George MacDonald

I missed him when the sun began to bend;
I found him not when I had lost his rim;
With many tears I went in search of him,
Climbing high mountains which did still ascend,
And gave me echoes when I called my friend;
Through cities vast and charnel-houses grim,
And high cathedrals where the light was dim,
Through books and arts and works without an end,
But found him not--the friend whom I had lost.
And yet I found him--as I found the lark,
A sound in fields I heard but could not mark;
I found him nearest when I missed him most;
I found him in my heart, a life in frost,
A light I knew not till my soul was dark.

More information about George MacDonald can be found here, here at VictorianWeb and here. His son Greville wrote a biography in 1924 which is in print. The Columbia Encyclopedia entry is available at Bartleby.com. A short biography, links to related sites and links to online editions of his works are here.

George MacDonald has a Facebook page

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Dead of Jericho

The Dead of Jericho is a book in the Inspector Morse mystery series by Colin Dexter. I have seen the tv series, but this is the only one of the books I've read. I am pleased at how well the tv series got the tone of the book.

from the back of the book:
What does a neighbor see?
The rain wash?
A key tell?
Anne Scott hangs from her kitchen ceiling, an apparent suicide. A troubling case for Chief Inspector Morse, taxing even his prodigious powers of deduction, tangling his own emotions and loyalties. A drug overdose, blackmail, marital infidelity, adolescent lust and brotherly love - all behind the walls of the tranquil village of Jericho.

Chief Inspector Morse, Homicide Division, Oxford: A lonely middle-aged bachelor with a taste for Mozart and T.S. Eliot, pints of bitter - and an obsession with attractive women. As coarse as he is cunning, at times insufferable, relentlessly inquisitive.

This is the first 3 minutes of the tv episode based on this book:

It can't be called a strictly faithful adaptation.

Puffin Wallpaper

National Geographic's Wallpaper of the Month for October is a colorful, flying Puffin.

Constitution Day

The preamble to the Constitution:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Today is Constitution Day, the anniversary of the signing of our Constitution in 1787. The United States Constitution can be read online here and here. Images are here. Primary documents are archived online here. There are lesson plans for learning about the Constitution here. There are other educational resources here. There is a Facebook event page.

Dennis Kucinich says, "Don't leave home without it."

Captain Kirk insists the words mean something:

"Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words."

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Peter Gomes is new to me,

but I like him. I saw the Stephen Colbert interview and was impressed by his humor and his handling of the give-and-take in that setting:

Then I saw the Charlie Rose interview. I generally like Charlie Rose except that I think he sometimes talks too much. This interview was about 22 minutes long and was a more in-depth conversation than the Colbert segment:

NPR has an excerpt from the Scandalous Gospel book and an audio of Rev. Gomes reading from it.

Here is a 1-hour presentation by Gomes on the misuse and potential misuse of power by religious authority:

""What did Jesus preach?" asks Harvard pastor Peter J. Gomes, who believes that excessive focus on the Bible and doctrines about Jesus have led the Christian church astray":

Rev. Peter J. Gomes has a wikipedia entry and a short biography at The Memorial Church at Harvard University.

How long could you survive chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor?

I could survive for 32 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

HT: Locusts & Honey

Monday, September 15, 2008

Something Wicked

The only really fun thing about Something Wicked by Carolyn Hart is the constant mention of mystery writers and mystery books and characters. That's fun as long as I recognize the reference but not so much when I don't. This book won the 1988 Agatha Award for best novel.

from the back of the book:
Everyone - including mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance - loves Arsenic and Old Lace. But something wicked is poisoned a local summer stock production as cast members stab each other in the back and props are sabotaged. Worst of all, the star, aging Hollywood beach-blanket hunk Shane Petree, butchers his lines - while getting top billing in bed with wives and teenage daughters around town. No wonder somebody wants to draw his final curtain. With a little help from Miss Marple, Poirot, and Agatha the Bookstore Cat, a pompous prosecutor tries to pin a murder on Max, Annie's own leading man. Unless Annie can prove her darling's innocence, their wedding date's off! Invoking the tried-and-true methods of her favorite literary sleuths, Annie snoops around the greasepaint and glitter of the Arsenic cast's backstage life. She'll be next to star in a knock-'em-dead showstopper scene if she doesn't watch it, because theatrical murderers never play fair.

Dead Man's Island is the only other book by this author that I remember reading, and I didn't like it much either.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Dante Alighieri

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1321 of Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy. That masterpiece can be read online in English translation here (James Finn Cotter), here (Longfellow and/or Mandelbaum) and here (Henry F. Cary). Botticelli did illustrations of the Inferno, the Paradiso and the Purgatorio; Gustave Dore's illustrations are here; John Flaxman's can be viewed here; William Blake's are here; Salvadore Dali also did striking illustrations: Inferno, Paradiso and Purgatorio. An audio edition of the Longfellow translation is here. The Princeton Dante Project has some interesting resources. The World of Dante is "a multi-media research tool intended to facilitate the study of the Divine Comedy". The Dartmouth Dante Project is a searchable data base with extensive commentaries.

L'Inferno is a silent Italian film from 1911 that is based on Dante's work:

Franz Liszt wrote A Symphony to Dante's Divine Commedia:
Inferno part 1 of 3:

part 2, part 3

Purgatorio part 1 of 3:

part 2, part 3

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

I Stumbled Upon this marvelous comic this afternoon. A new comic by David Malki ! is posted here every Tuesday and Thursday. Wondermark has a Facebook group with almost 1,000 members. They have a news feed so new comics can come to you.

Hue Discrimination

Doing it quickly I scored a 42. Take the test here.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Question Authority

Bad Astronomy has excellent advice:
Question authority. Be skeptical of claims. Ask for evidence. Apply good logic. Avoid bad logic. Analyze the results. Look for bias.

And doubt. Doubt doubt doubt. It’s one of the greatest strengths of the human mind, and perhaps the least used of all.

The presidential election season seems a particularly suitable time for this reminder.

The picture above is from Wurz's Flickr page.

Zero at the Bone

Zero at the Bone by Mary Willis Walker won the Agatha Award for best first novel in 1991. I read The Red Scream by this author last year and liked it, though I don't generally like that type story. This one is different, not as grim somehow, even though there is a serial killer involved. It is like The Red Scream in the way it effectively intertwines the main character's personal life and minor characters with the mystery.

from the back of the book:
Katherine Driscoll is just three weeks away from disaster: foreclosure on her home and business, even the sale of her beloved dog. She has no hope of raising the $91,000 she so desperately needs - until the father she hasn't seen for thirty years writes to her, offering her enough money to solve her problems...if she will do one thing in return.

But Katherine may never learn what that is. When she arrives in Austin, she is hours too late: her father has died in a bizarre accident. As she sifts through the cryptic notes he left behind, she finds herself caught up in terrible family secrets - and a deadly illicit trade. The more she learns, the more determined she becomes to prove her father's death was no accident. In doing so, Katherine will make a bitter enemy - one desperate enough to kill...and perhaps, kill again.

I like the way this book was written, the variety of the characters, the way information about the animals and the animal trade business was shared in a fairly natural manner rather than a cold info-dump....

9/11: we've already forgotten

We've already forgotten everything except our own emotional reaction, and we let that get all stirred up by anybody who wants to use us for their own agenda.

Read what Kucinich has to say here. Excerpt:
We suffer in our remembrance of 9/11, because of the terrible loss of innocent lives on that grim day. We also suffer because 9/11 was seized as an opportunity to run a political agenda, which has set America on a course of the destruction of another nation and the destruction of our own Constitution. And we have become less secure as a result of the warped practice of pursing peace through the exercise of pre-emptive military strength.

It is not simply 9/11 that needs to be remembered. We also need to remember the politicization of 9/11 and the polarizing narrative which followed, locking us into endless conflict, a war on terror which has wrought further terror worldwide and which has severely damaged our standing worldwide as an honorable, compassionate nation. As we were all victims of 9/11, so we have become victims of the interpretation of 9/11.


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The Inclusion Network is a fast growing network of Aboriginal Candidates and inclusive employers-of-choice. The number of Candidates registered on the Inclusion Network has increased by over 70 per cent in the past two years! Due to the efforts to recruit post-secondary Aboriginal grads for the Inclusion Works National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair, and get their resume on the network, most new Candidates have a degree from a university, college or technical institute in Canada.

With increasing numbers of employers engaging in Aboriginal inclusion and the business case to advance First Nations, Métis and Inuit employees, the Inclusion Network is the “go to” online meeting place for employers to connect with Canada’s future workforce.

Source: Inclusion Network

Full Article http://www.inclusionnetwork.ca/aboriginal-jobs/index.htm

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Just a bunch of Stuff today!

I knew it, I knew it.... that it would go 7 games..... I don't have any fingernails left.... None what so ever...... Guess I will have to start chewing on my toenails tonight.....

Everyone knows Halloween happens on the night of October 31. In modern times it’s full of creepy stories of witches, ghouls, and monsters. You can hear laughter of children going door to door shouting - Trick or treat! - and receiving candy.

What brilliant genius invented Halloween? I’m really not sure. However, Halloween wasn’t started when the world knew you were born. It’s a lot older than that.

There are probably hundreds of stories on how Halloween came about. Most people like to believe the ones that seem most impossible and most frightening.

Well, here’s a summary of all the research I’ve done on Halloween: The custom connected with Halloween are thought to have started among the ancient Druids, who believed that on that evening Saman, the lord of the dead, called to him hosts of evil spirits. The Druids customarily lit huge fires on Halloween, apparently for the purpose of warding off all these spirits.

Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last night of the year and was thought of as a lucky time for looking at the warnings of the future. The Celts also believed that the spirits of the dead came back to their earthly homes on that evening. After the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest festival held on November 1 in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees.

The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until modern times in Scotland and Wales, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween ceremonies. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom, common in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit, such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out pumpkins carved to resemble scary faces and lit by candles placed inside.

Well, it appears that Turn has finally figured out how to MASTER the Damm Duck. Just tell him a joke.... Wooooooooooooooo Duckmasters vs. Duck ...... I've got the outfits picked out.... Will post them tomorrow..... ;-)

And your joke for today!

A cabbie picks up a nun.

She gets into the cab, and notices that the very handsome cab driverwon't stop staring at her.

She asks him why he is staring. He replies : "I have a question to ask you, but I don't want to offend you"

She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I amand have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hearjust about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.

"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.

"She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: 1) you have to be single and 2) you must be Catholic.

"The cab driver is very excited and says, " Yes, I'm single and Catholic!Ok" the nun says " pull into the next alley.

"The nun fulfils the cab driver's fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush. When they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

"My dear child," said the nun, why are you crying? Forgive me but I have sinned. I lied and I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish."

The nun says, "that's ok. My name's Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Aangelou
Proudly Brought to You by Dixie 8:58 AM

Comments on ""

Blogger Turnbaby said ... (10/19/2006 12:16 PM) :

Blogger Bond said ... (10/19/2006 2:07 PM) :

Great Joke...

Tonight's the nighttttttttttttt

7th games are always the best...

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (10/19/2006 2:22 PM) :

From the mind of Meribah:

**gives Dixie some fake nails to chew on** LOL

Anonymous Duckinator said ... (10/19/2006 2:42 PM) :

tired of holding up my duckmaster slaying sword....would you hurry up already :)

cheering for SLC!! (but what was that last night?)

I smell something foul and it's not me. ( well at least i don't think it is :/ )

Blogger Amanda said ... (10/19/2006 4:39 PM) :

*Cheers on Dixie's Cards!!!!...oh nice joke and i love the chicken shit pic! Love Ya hun! Hugssss

Blogger Turnbaby said ... (10/19/2006 8:36 PM) :

You mean you smell something fowl

Blogger Amanda said ... (10/19/2006 10:56 PM) :

Congratulations on your Cards Dixie!!!!!! Bring on the Tigers!

Anonymous Travis said ... (10/19/2006 11:58 PM) :

Congrats Dix!! Just saw that the Cards won it.

Anonymous the2006worldchampiontigers said ... (10/20/2006 6:33 AM) :

IN 4. :)

Blogger Dana said ... (10/20/2006 5:18 PM) :

Ew...your toenails?

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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Failed Idea > Steel pipe to 22mm copper easy fit fittings.

Parts list for the basic structure.

1.6M of 22mm copper pipe
3 22mm elbow joints
1 22mm T joint
1 22mm Compression tank connector
6 22mm plastic pipe clips
3/4 MDF

The Skate bearings you can buy from most sports shops around £8 for 8 bearings.
Please note that buying a set from the rrrf is much more cost effective; order them with your full kit of bits don't forget to buy some Nichrome wire as well.

First cut the 22mm coper pipe to size using a standard pipe cutter.
Here are the sizes to cut.

3 x 335mm 22mm copper pipe

2 x 182mm 22mm copper pipe

1 x 106mm 22mm copper pipe

Pipe cutters like either of these they also are available in the same store.

Don't try putting any of the parts together, once fitted you need a special tool to undo an easy fit joint.

You end up with a pile of bits like this. You can now start to assemble some of these parts.

Notice that the two main bars are not fitted at this stage as they need holes to be drilled.


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Before beginning work on your roof in Essex, our installation team will carry out a comprehensive safety assessment to ensure that there are no safety or health concerns.

Next, we will spare no detail when preparing your roof and home. We will take care to cover and protect any exposed areas such as your flower beds, lawn, driveway, patio, conservatory and decking with sheets of PVC.

We will carefully repair or replace any cracked or broken roof tiles, replace broken pointing and restore and seal the lead flashing. These repairs are included in the total cost of your roof restoration in Essex.

Gutters and drains will be covered or disconnected to avoid any blockages during and after the cleaning process.

Asbestos Removal

If there is any indication of the presence of asbestos, our surveyor will send a sample of the material in question to be analysed in an approved laboratory.

If the material is found to be asbestos insulation board, the next step is to have it removed by a specialty contractor who is licensed by the HSE.

Any asbestos waste will then be disposed of properly, in full compliance with safety standards set forth in the Special Waste Regulations.

Roof Cleaning

We thoroughly clean the roof tiles to eliminate every trace of moss, algae, lichen, dirt and grime. We use high pressure water jets that can effectively strip away even years of buildup.

Roof cleaning in Essex typically results in tonnes of waste material, which our crew will clear away and remove from your property. We will also check gutters and downpipes to be sure they are free from blockage.

If necessary we can also apply a Fungicide Treatment. We use a fungicidal solution that penetrates the tiles and kills moss, fungus, algae and lichen down to the roots.

It also prevents re-growth for at least ten years, usually longer.

This fungicide has been formulated to destroy only fungus, algae and lichen; it is completely safe and will not affect your flowers, grass or shrubbery.

Repairing Your Roof

We will carefully repair or replace any cracked or broken roof tiles and replace broken pointing.

We will also restore and seal the lead flashing.

The process of roof repair in Essex will be unique to your individual problems so although it is difficult to explain each in detail here, the roof repair services we regularly provide are:

  • Asphalt roofs
  • Chimney repairs
  • Felt roofs
  • Flat roofs
  • Garage roofs
  • Guttering & downpipes
  • Lead roofs
  • Lead work
  • Leaking roofs – all types
  • New roofs & re-roofs
  • Pitched roofs
  • Pointing
  • Porch roofs
  • Roof flashing
  • Roof lights
  • Roof repairs
  • Roof window repairs & installs
  • Roofing carpentry
  • Roofing inspections & reports
  • Roofing insulation
  • Shed roofs
  • Slate & tiled roofs
  • Soffits, fascias & cladding
  • Valleys & gullies
  • plus many more

The Clean Up

Once your roof restoration is complete, our crew will clear away all waste materials and ensure that your property in Essex is left in pristine condition.

We will check gutters and downpipes to be sure they are free from blockage and are water tight.

Your windows, patios, driveway and paths will be washed down and swept clean. All debris will be removed from the site and disposed of, so all you have to do is admire your beautiful “new” roof.

Our Guarantee of Satisfaction

You can place the utmost confidence in our products and services because our work and the materials we use are the highest quality you will find. That is why we’re able to provide a full, ten-year guarantee on all our products and services.

Photo-31-07-2015-20-04-50.jpg Photo-31-07-2015-20-06-13.jpg Photo-31-07-2015-20-07-13.jpg Roof-repair-before-after-djb-improvements.jpg Photo-31-07-2015-20-04-54.jpg Photo-31-07-2015-20-03-47.jpg 2015-10-24-12.13.06.jpg 2015-10-24-10.51.43.jpg Photo-31-07-2015-20-03-42.jpg Roof repair before & after djb improvements


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South Park: The Stick Of Truth

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Released on Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Published by Ubisoft
Rated M

From the creators of South Park, trey parker and Matt Stone, comes an epic quest to become.Cool. Arm yourself with weapons of Legend to defeat underpants gnomes, hippies, and other forces of evil. Discover the lost stick of truth and succeed in earning your place alongside Stand, kyle, Cartman, and kenny as their new friend. Fail, and you will forever be known as. A loser.

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blast from the past

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blast from the past

Postby ninfrk » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:34 pm

been a long time hows everyone doing!

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PHP Basics

     PHP(Php Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side scripting language which is popular and mostly used by web applications developer because of it's efficient libraries. And since PHP is open-source, many web developers choose it for it's no cost usage.
     Here are some basic PHP codes for starters.
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Wednesday, December 02, 2015

A Recipe for Happiness – It can be found in a bottle of

Balsamic vinegar can make even a non-Italian smile. Balsamic vinegar is one of my favorite ways to dress up salads, vegetables and fruit. It’s low in calories and high in health. It taste good and adds a zip to most foods. I repeat; it taste good and is low in calories. Are you smiling? Feeling happy?

 True balsamic vinegar is not really vinegar. Rather it is made from the pressing of two grapes, Trebbiano and Lambrusco, resulting in a thick syrup that is aged for a minimum of 12 years. The syrup is aged in different types of barrels such as oak, acacia, chestnut, cherry, mulberry, ash and sometime juniper. Traditional balsamic vinegar comes for either Reggio Emilia or Modena Italy. Different ages of vinegars carry different labels.

The flavor intensifies over the years, with the vinegar becoming sweet and very concentrated. During this period a small portion of the liquid evaporates. It is said this  is the “angels” share. Somehow that conjures up happy thoughts in my head.

My two favorite balsamic vinegars are Elsa which is great for salads, meats and vegetables and Riserva di Famiglia which is good also for salads, but is a little sweet so works great on fruit with a little cheese. Both are quite expensive, but well worth the cost. You only use a small amount so they last a long time. Once you have tried these balsamics you will never go back to commercial vinegars again.

I promise these little gems will not only make your taste buds happy, but they are also good for your health. Balsamic vinegar boosts the activity of pepsin, an enzyme that breaks down protein into small amino acids that can be easily absorbed by the body. Pepsin helps to improve the body’s metabolism as well. Balsamic vinegar improves insulin sensitivity, allowing for easier regulation of blood sugar.

Balsamic vinegar contains polyphenols( antioxidants) that protect the body from heart disease and cancer. The grapes that are used for balsamic vinegar help to protect the cells against cell damage, improve the body’s immune system and make blood platelets more flexible, thus preventing heart circulation problems.

Now best of all, balsamic vinegar can be used for weight loss. Use it instead of  salad dressings and marinades which contain hidden calories. Balsamic works to suppress the appetite and increase the amount of time it takes the stomach to empty. Balsamic also increases your metabolism so you burn more calories. It is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and manganese, which improves the body’s overall functioning and assists in weight loss.

A food that taste good, is good for you and helps you to lose weight…if this doesn’t make you happy…I don’t know what will.

Balsamic = happiness!

Doctor Lynn

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Encounters at the End of the World

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Just about anywhere Werner Herzog goes becomes an interesting place, in part because the director shapes it with his distinctively sardonic eye. In Encounters at the End of the World, the ‘Zog heads off to Antarctica, finding there a population of unusual people, hallucinatory underwater life, and penguins. He doesn’t appear on camera, but the unmistakably Teutonic Herzog voice is very much with us all the time, a baleful tour guide for this blank destination. In the human outposts of Antarctica, Herzog finds the kind of people you might expect would gravitate to the edge of existence–the curious, the oddball, the wanderers who’ve run out of other places to explore. He finds some deadpan hilarity, especially in filming a communication drill involving people practicing blizzard conditions (they wear buckets over their heads while roped together). The underwater photography (a realm previously explored in Herzog’s The Wild Blue Yonder) is by Henry Kaiser, and it meshes perfectly with the director’s interest in alien eye-scapes. And when Herzog finally does find penguins, his imagination goes to the idea that some penguins go insane, scurrying off into their own suicidal directions. This isn’t as arresting a film as Grizzly Man, but it is an entertaining travelogue spiked with quirky observations.

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Leafeknight7- Thu 03 Apr 2008
Wow! This seems like an interesting idea. And since you are the author, it makes it really cool. Update soon. ^_^Ja ne!

Kara Bernard- Fri 13 Jul 2007
Dude....KEEP WRITTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is getting really good. You know how to make a good story and where to leave the reader hanging. *claps* i aplaude (cant spell for my life) your work. Keep up the writing and i hope that your Fanfic continues for a while. Best of luck man ^.^

LadieYasha10- Thu 12 Jul 2007
I actually enjoyed this chapter. You should definitely keep writing!

inumaru_rapture- Thu 12 Jul 2007
ooh, this is a new one... please write more soon! I'm excited to read it.

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
No money is being made from the creation or viewing of content on this site, which is strictly for personal, non-commercial use, in accordance with the copyright.


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Monday, December 1, 2008

Fred Wesley - House Party (DJ Apt One Edit)

I randomly gripped up the 45 of House Party some time ago and it just recently came to the top of the "To Rip" pile. I know there's a 12" of this out there with a "Full Length" version on it, presumably the one that got some run at the Loft, but I decided to edit it up for my own purposes, complete with a period appropriate drum pattern and a period appropriate drum break that I laced up.

Fred Wesley - House Party (DJ Apt One Edit)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Make sure to drop this at your next house party, because, as the song says, you might have gone to the movies, but it's hard to afford the fare.

Josh said...

Thanks for the extra drum juice. What a jam!

jerome green said...

Hi DJ Apt One,

Thank you for pumpin' the "House Party." I only have the full version from the David Mancuso "Loft Volume 2" cd. Like you say, the vinyl would be nice. Thanks again.

Peace, Jerome

Mr.Devlin said...

Disco D said...

Always nice to have an edit.
Sometimes there just enough set time to play all the gooides :)

Anonymous said...

Cool that you have the record autographed by both Maceo and Fred. Even though Maceo wasn't in the record.


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Bangalore street scene in the park area, ladies in saris are crossing
India Street Scene In Flowery Bangalore
Price: $0.00
Despite Bangalore being the "Silicon Valley" of India, it still retains beauty. Women in saris cross a street in one of the city parks. It is spring, and the trees bloom red. Yellow rickshaws are ubiquitous throughout the city. These images are a glimpse into life in India as you might see it today if you come to visit. Use the magnifying glass_this painting has amazing details.

About Prints:

You can choose between the two options above (Canvas Print or Fine Art Paper Print). On this site I offer Giclee prints on fine art paper or canvas Glossy or Matte of different sizes. The art paper prints will be sent rolled in a tube and the canvas prints will be stretched prints with solid sides. Just specify the canvas finish (glossy or matte) with your order.
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About Us

About Us

The following article originally appeared in The Union Newspaper on February 17, 2014:

Don Adams helps local TV viewers tune in

By Cory Fisher

Sales technician Bill Thaggard (left) and owner Don Adams. Photo by Cory Fisher, The Union Newspaper

Sales technician Bill Thaggard (left) and owner Don Adams. Photo by Cory Fisher, The Union Newspaper

Back in 1980, Don Adams left his job working in cable television and decided to start a business of his own. At the time, no one in town was installing antennas for televisions, so Adams quickly found a niche.

He started with rooftops, then began putting them up in trees. Five years later, Adams had already built up a loyal customer base when satellite dishes began to revolutionize the home television viewing experience. That’s about the time Don Adams Antenna Services became Don Adams Antenna Satellite Services.

Because it was one of the first businesses in Northern California to sell satellite equipment, initially Adams’ territory extended way out to the coast, up to Tahoe and toward Redding, said Adams, who found himself on the road nonstop.

Since the mid-1980s, the business has continued to be the one-stop shop for satellite television. Not only are they Dish Network and DIRECTV dealers, they provide the same services as what Adams now refers to as “the 800 numbers” — the large companies known to keep customers on hold for what feels like an eternity.

“When you call an 800 number for satellite service, chances are you’ll reach a telemarketer who is contracted with a big company out of the area who will send someone up here,” he said.

“We recommend you call here instead of talking to someone in the Philippines. We can help with all of your issues, and we’re right here in town, on call, if you have concerns. It’s been hard to get the word out when these larger companies constantly send out mass mailings and fliers.”

Whether it’s an entirely new installation or an upgrade to an existing system, Adams goes on as many as six calls a day, he said. He will provide upgrades to existing Dish Network customers, even if he didn’t install their current system.

“Word of mouth has absolutely been the best advertising,” said Don Adams. “We’ve been voted ‘Best of Nevada County’ (by The Union readers) every year since we opened.”

Adams has two longtime employees, sales technician Bill Thaggard and office manager Maryann Rutherford. A broad range of equipment, including televisions, are for sale at the Joerschke Drive establishment. Their prices are comparable to those at larger retail stores, and the staff, said Adams, is committed to staying abreast of current technological advances, which is something their 4,000-plus customers appreciate.

“Don has been a wonderful boss,” said Thaggard, who has worked with Adams for six years. “I think we both feel that the best part of the job has been getting to know the clientele.”

Adams said the company is committed to giving back to the community, which is why each year they participate in the Toy Run and donate to the Nevada Union football team. Proceeds from their e-waste go exclusively to the schools.

“What’s been the most rewarding after all these years is that our customers keep coming back,” said Adams. “That’s a real vote of confidence; that means a lot.”

Call us today and let us know what you’re looking for!
(530) 274-3709


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Don Adams Antenna Satellite Services – your award-winning local Nevada County antenna and satellite installer – has been proudly providing the following services for Nevada County families and businesses for over 30 years. We pride ourselves in our work and not only provide excellent install and repair service, but the stellar customer service to back it up…since 1979.

We offer FREE estimates and site surveys – a great thing for those of you in highly wooded areas who don’t know if they can get a satellite signal!

Install & Repair:

  • Dish Network
  • DirecTV
  • Over-The-Air Antenna
  • Troubleshooting
  • Tech Support

Sales & Setup:

  • HDTVs
  • Surround Sound Systems
  • Pre-Wire For New Homes

Call us today and let us know what you’re looking for!
(530) 274-3709


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All errors should be reported to

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Conrad Black, old journalist, on how Trump beat the press last month.

Billionaire Conrad Black, 72, has bought and sold more newspapers than I have ever read. His support for Trump stems from Black's utter disgust with the post-Reagan Republican Party.

From Black in the New York Sun:
The Democratic convention’s orgy of self-praise and joyous continuity generated enough jollity for the Trump-ophobic press to open up a five- to seven-point lead for Mrs. Clinton. But Donald Trump already has the 40% of Americans who share Archie Bunker’s dislike of political correctness, vote-buying with welfare, fiscal incontinence, and a feeble foreign policy, and there has been no further need to serve them up more raw meat.
So he has just disappointed, week after week, the frenzied press lynch mob that had implied he was a racist, a misogynist, an inciter of violence, a vulgar buffoon, a member of the Flat Earth Society, an advocate of an automatic firearm for every white seven-year-old American, and probably an enemy of fluoridated drinking water.
Don't kid yourself into thinking Archie Bunker is a liberal stereotype of a conservative. The television studio "conservatives" have a deeper contempt for them because those darned working class rubes make Will, Krauthammer, and Kristol look bad before their liberal buddies. How dare uneducated people with their prejudices and unfounded fears call themselves conservative?

Speaking of prejudices and unfounded fears, how about this from the Daily Caller?
Conservative activist James O’Keefe visited Columbia University’s campus in late August and brought a student to tears by showing his support for Donald Trump in chalk and cardboard bricks.
“I’m scared that you guys even think this,” a female Columbia student told O’Keefe in a video first obtained by The Daily Caller.
O’Keefe replied, “What do you mean?”
The student got distraught and said, “I don’t want my future to be this!” She later said, “You don’t have to make a wall. You don’t need a man like this!”
Tell me again how a college degree makes you educated. I mean for a hundred grand-a-year you should learn how to not wet yourself if someone writes something in chalk. Instead of whining, piss on it.

Or hose it down.

Black gets what Trump did, and I am thinking Bill Clinton (and now maybe Hillary) saw what happened and is getting deja vu from 2008.

Consider this passage from Black:
Peggy Noonan, who doesn’t much care for either candidate but whose innate fairness and seasoned expertise as a judge of political talent prevent her from joining the chorus of the hysterics, detected (on September 5 in the Wall Street Journal), as the Clinton lead eroded, that anxiety (over Mr. Trump) was less negative than depression (at the thought of the return of the Clintons). I think that is only half the story.
She is probably correct that anxiety about a candidate’s performance in office is less destructive to a candidate’s chances than the depression induced by, in this case, thought of another binge of the Clintons at the public trough, pandering to the aggrieved with the money of those who work for a living, flat-lining the economy with new taxes, and entrenching the dictatorship of political correctness. But an acceleration in the tilt of the scales in Mr. Trump’s favor is already under way because Mr. Trump the nominee, unlike Mr. Trump in quest of the nomination, is not saying anything worrisome or even in questionable taste.
The amiable husband and father of an exemplary family has, like a skilled driver shifting gears, deftly recalibrated. He was very plausible in his meeting with the president of Mexico, and now appears as he does to those who know him: good-humored, sensible, and moderate, if not altogether self-effacing. The unutterable rubbish of Democratic claims that he is temperamentally unsuited to high office (like the Republican revelations that 1968 Democratic vice-presidential nominee Edmund Muskie had repeatedly torn his cottage telephone off the wall in anger) has vanished without a trace or an echo.
The real Donald Trump emerges. The press is aghast to learn Celebrity Apprentice was not a documentary. He really does not fire people like that. He kept Corey Lewandowski on the payroll until Lewandowski got the CNN gig.

A year ago, Paul Solotaroff of Rolling Stone did a profile of Trump. Everyone went bananas over this paragraph:
With his blue tie loosened and slung over his shoulder, Trump sits back to digest his meal and provide a running byplay to the news. Onscreen, they’ve cut away to a spot with Scott Walker, the creaky-robot governor of Wisconsin. Praised by the anchor for his ‘slow but steady’ style, Walker is about to respond when Trump chimes in, ‘Yeah, he’s slow, all right! That’s what we got already: slowwww.’ His staffers at the conference table howl and hoot; their man, though, is just getting warm. When the anchor throws to Carly Fiorina for her reaction to Trump’s momentum, Trump’s expression sours in schoolboy disgust as the camera bores in on Fiorina. ‘Look at that face!’ he cries. ‘Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!’ The laughter grows halting and faint behind him. ‘I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?’
They missed the far more telling paragraph buried later in the piece:
In all the hysteria, however, what’s often missed are the qualities that brought Trump here. You don’t do a fraction of what he’s done in life—dominate New York real estate for decades, build the next grand Xanadus for the super-rich on the far shores of Dubai and Istanbul, run the prime-time ratings table for more than 10 years and earn a third (or sixth) fortune at it—without being immensely cunning and deft, a top-of-the-food-chain killer. Over the course of 10 days and several close-in encounters, I got to peer behind the scrim of his bluster and self-mythos and get a very good look at the man. What I saw was enough to make me take him dead serious. If you’re waiting for Trump to blow himself up in a Hindenburg of gaffes or hate speech, you’re in for a long, cold fall and winter. Donald Trump is here for the duration—and gaining strength and traction by the hour.
I did not miss that, and made sure it went into my book. You want conventional wisdom, go to a convention. You want the truth, hang around here.

One year after Solotaroff's prophecy, this truth has still not reached the benighted corners of America: Hillary and her Super PAC, the media. (I love that line from Ted Cruz.)

From Black:
There is no evidence that Mrs. Clinton yet realizes that she can’t rely on her opponent to discharge a verbal blunderbuss into his own cloven feet. Her vast train of bearers and beaters and cheerleaders and silent helpers, Bushies, Cruzites, the Sanders Left, the Hollywood claque, the largely leprous press corps, President Obama (in one of the most hilariously cynical professions of affectionate continuity in American political history) — all have only eight weeks to escape oblivion. It certainly could happen, but it is not now likely.
We still have two months to go. But last week, Real Clear Politics gave the odds of Trump winning at 20 percent. Last night, as I wrote this, the odds were 29 percent. This morning, as I edited, the odds were 31 percent.

Take those odds while you still can.

Trump is closing the deal while Hillary is still strategizing with her staff on how she is going to make her pitch.

UPDATE: Odds rose to 32 percent this afternoon.

I quote Conrad Black, Solotaroff, and more than 300 others in my new book, "Trump the Press," which is a delightful look at the blundering herd we call the media, and how they blew the story of the year.

Please purchase "Trump the Press" through Create Space.

The book also available in Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon.

Autographed copies area available. Email me at for details.

  1. I always enjoy reading the intelligent and thoughtful articles written by Mr. Black. But an article partial to The Donald in Rolling Stone? Who woulda thunk? - Elric

    1. Was it partial to Donald Trump or, as I suspect, intended as a warning to his opponents to take him more seriously than they do?

  2. About four years ago we were in the Philippines and someone pointed out the construction of high rise condos and a casino being built by Trump. The first thing that went through my mind was How the hell did he manage that? The cultural resistance and cronyism that he would have to penetrate are enormous. I was not an early supporter of Trump, but after seeing that I knew better than to not take him seriously.

  3. When Black mentions the 40% of the electorate of Archie Bunkers, that's his floor. All he has to do is build on that.

    This was the lesson learned last year at this time by Trump's opponents. More on this here.

  4. A lot of Republicans in the media and in D.C. simply didn't understand that Trump was the only candidate that truly enlarged the pool of voters available to a Republican nominee. I don't think the Democrats really get it either- Trump has set up tent in the center, not on the fringe at all.

    However, I think they don't get it because Trump was smart- he identified with precision the overlaps between paleo-conservatives and people who are true independents, or only weakly lean right or left in their voting. That was his brilliance.

    1. Re: "the only candidate that truly enlarged the pool of voters available to a Republican nominee" - exactly right.

      Remember in 2012, after Romney lost and all the post-mortems said he didn't motivate the white working class? OK, well, guess what, that is happening in spades now, and Trump is the *ONLY* candidate who could possibly have done it. Yet none of the thought "leaders" in the conservative movement seem to care, since it's not their style of candidate who energized that base.

      In other words, they had no game plan to get them in the first place. Clueless, inept, and poised to lose every election into the future, but with principles fully intact though!

      Sometimes, just like with relationships, the person you need is not the person you want.

    2. "I don't think the Democrats really get it either- Trump has set up tent in the center, not on the fringe at all."

      And,IMO, Trump's target at first wasn't necessarily Hillary, but the media itself. He was savvy enough to recognize that the MSM was Hillary's Sigfried Line and that any attempt to weaken her was wasted with her MSM backing. So he sets out to be outrageous because that will draw media attention (As he readily acknowledged to Hugh Hewitt) and in the process chips away at media credibility with each claim of racism, sexisim, and buffoonery that the media tries to attach to Trump. This tactic rips away the MSM mask of impartiality and objectivity; working people see the Dems as an enemy of their American way of life and the MSM as Democrats with by-lines.

      Read the latest article by Salena Zito in The Atlantic. The link:

  5. Don Said, "Trump is closing the deal while Hillary is still strategizing with her staff on how she is going to make her pitch."

    Or coming up with a new story about her collapse. How many have we heard so far? Look how long it took them to settle on pneumonia. What are they gonna do the next time she faints, has a seizure, or goes into a massive coughing fit?

    1. They have already floated the trial balloon for that eventuality- poisoned by Putin and/or Trump operatives.

  6. Hillary's zombie impersonation is probably a belated attempt to corner the necrophiliac vote.

    Nice try, Morticia.

  7. Turmp's pitching to those who've been ignored or talked down to by both parties. We like what we see.

    1. Right on. The US has been getting beaten and slammed and pounded for decades. Trump is a wealthy and influential guy who cares, and can do something about it. He is looking at the nation and saying "Holy cow, what has happened here? Can I help?" I am not a blue collar worker (but I used to be), but those folks and their safe, clean, honest, and generous communities are a pillar of our country. They have been destroyed by outsourcing and by immigration. Trump sees this and gives a damn. I think he is an excellent candidate, I am not part of the "Well I guess he's the least bad we could get" type person. Trump is an excellent candidate and what he's done the past year is phenomenal. I admire and like him and am all in. Trump 2016. Let's see what he can do. This guy is a determined, accomplished doer!

  8. The PuffHo piece:
    1-Line-up of Sad Sacks.
    2-Got tired of reading.

  9. "UPDATE: Odds rose to 32 percent this afternoon."

    I thought I heard of a late scratch, but it was just more cattiness from the Washington Post.

  10. Hey Don, I have your post linked & give you a book plug as well in my newest weekly TrumpDay post here:


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Friday, December 26, 2008

A Recent Comment...

Just wanted to highlight a recent comment:

To friend in Dallas:
Matt has been losing jobs for many years. If mr. Baker (sorry. can't call him pastor) had such a great relationship at the church where he was a pastor in Dallas, why did his first (in a long line) attorneys threaten to sue that church (and I am betting this letter went to other churches too) if they gave out any information about him? Now you know why I won't leave my name here. This information isn't known by many but it can be confirmed. I was a member at that church.

He was fired at our church. First we reduced his salary to try and push him out. It was a painful experience with him. In fact, the only bright light in his time at our church WAS Kari. We loved her.It makes me so very sad for kensi and Grace. I knew them well and loved them through the children's programs. Kari loved matt and stood by him through the many problems he had at our church. Look how he repayed her. Pure evil resides in some people.

Kari was a teacher at an elementary school in Richardson ISD, and she was loved. In fact, there is a brick in her memory there from Dallas friends. People were drawn to Kari. Matt never had that impact on people, In fact it was just the opposite.

To the people in Kerrville: be careful. he is not who he pretends to be. I know.

suzie said...

MB's lies are pretty laughable if they wasn't so much tragedy surrounding all of this. Does he think he is so much smarter than everyone else that he won't be called on these lies? I guess getting away with being a sexual predator all these years made him think he could get away with just about anything. WRONG.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year! To justice in 2009!

Anonymous said...

Here!! Here!!

Anonymous said...

thank you for keeping us up on everything. I have been to your site many times but have never written anything. I knew kari and Adam (Kari's brother) when they were in Gatesville. Mrs. Dulin was my teacher in high school before she began teaching in college. This all makes me so sad. I KNOW Kari didn't take her life. What litle I have have read and seen in the media makes that clear. I can only imagine how much more will come out in the trial.

I believe with everything in my heart that evil will not win as long as good people keep fighting for the truth. Continue to keep fighting, Shannon, and let the Dulin's know that so many people want to see justice for Kari and her daughters.

tired of waiting and pretty dang curious said...

Any date on the trial? It is time for justice.
tired of waiting and pretty dang curious

PS: Matt or his supporters--Will you respond on this blog and explain why you are working so hard to keep this case from going to trial? Don't you want a chance to clear your name?

Eyes for Lies said...

I can tell you that I personally don't trust Matt. His emotions don't seem to match his words, and he wants everyone to believe he is the honest one while the rest of the world is lying, which is absolutely ridiculous. He wants everyone to believe the "world" is out to get him, the preacher. How ironic is that?

More than that, when someone wants you to believe they had strange things happen to them that are one-in-a-million odds, and these unrealistic odds continue to keep happening over and over again, it's a huge red flag that something isn't right. It likely means there is more to the story than what is evident, and Matt's situation is definitely one of these!

I worry about the children in his care right now. May the truth prevail and justice come swiftly!

Anonymous said...

Yes, Eyes.....there are so many red flags. Soon the Judge and jury will hear all about them.

God bless.