ArchaeoTexture

Hey ... I know that guy!

2012-01-10T12:55:00.003-06:00

I'd like to offer a shout out - hat tip, kudos, whatever - to Cindeka Nealy, a staff photographer for the Midland Reporter-Telegram, who got some MAJOR exposure today, placing not one - but three photos on msnbc.com, including one on the website's home page, above the fold. Nealy's photos accompanied an msnbc.com staff report (with contributions from the MRT) about Monday's record-setting snowfall in West Texas.

"Where's winter," the report asks. "If you're in the lower 48 states you might try Midland, Texas. At some 20 inches so far this season -- more than half of that dumped on Monday alone -- it's got more snow than most U.S. cities much farther north."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the report.

In Memoriam: John Hyde

2012-01-02T17:05:00.006-06:00

The new year is less than 48 hours old, and already our community is lessened - substantially. It was with great sadness that I visited mywesttexas.com just now, to read that "Judge John Hyde passed away this afternoon after a more than two-year battle with cancer."

Sadness, yes ... but not shock. Judge Hyde's ongoing battle with cancer has been common knowledge - and an inspiration! - to the community. He was the focus of frequent and fervent prayers for 'wholeness and healing.' And even as we celebrated his time among us, we knew deep down that time might not continue as long as we would like. Our prayers, now, are with Judge Hyde's family ... his wife Sharon, his children and his grandchildren, and with all those who are touched by his passing.

My first visit with Judge Hyde was more than twenty years ago, and it was a typical encounter. It was the late 80s, the 'bust' was well underway, and I had been laid-off from KMID-TV/Big 2. While I was pursuing a variety of freelance media jobs, I was also enrolled at Midland College for job-retraining, taking courses towards a paralegal certificate. They were some good courses, but the best was a course that had me downtown at the courthouse, student-clerking for the state district courts. I was assigned to Judge Hyde's 238th Distrct Court.

Under his tutelage, I found myself gaining first-hand knowledge and experience of every aspect of our court system. With him, there was no such thing as a menial task ... everything I did, even fetching stacks of law books or answering phones, served a purpose. I eventually re-entered the journalism business full-time, and did not make the move to professional paralegal. Yet the knowledge, the experience and the appreciation I gained for law enforcement and the court system during that process made a me a better journalist ... like I said, a typical encounter with Judge Hyde.

My last visit with Judge Hyde was less than two months ago, and it was a typical encounter. He had just made a presentation during the early service at First Prez-Midland, highlighting dates in the church's history, and it's contributions to the community, the country and the world. As many of you know, he not only had a keen interest in history, but also a knack for research, and a wonderful ability for presentation, sharing the results of his research with others in a manner that informed and stimulated.

During the fellowship time that followed the early service, I was part of a three-way chat with Judge Hyde and MPD Deputy Chief Jeff Darr, that covered not only history, but also current events in the Tall City, cause-and-effect, where we are and where we're going. It was all-too-short a visit, but I left it encouraged and better-informed ... like I said, a typical encounter with Judge Hyde.

According to Gustave Flaubert, "a friend who dies, it's something of you who dies." With the passing of John Hyde, that is something we could all say today.

- 30 -

Extraordinary Snowbirds

2011-12-29T17:05:00.001-06:00

Here, in Texas, we have an annual influx of 'snowbirds' ... large masses of gente norteña fleeing the winter weather 'up north' to enjoy a season of clear skies and milder temperatures 'down south.' It's a long and time-honored tradition ... for many years, my great-grand-aunt and uncle made their own annual migration from Leisuretown, New Jersey down to the sun and surf of Florida. And it's also a tremendous economic boon to parts of Texas that enjoy an annual influx of cash in return for all things leisure - goods, services, opportunities, you name it.

Not all snowbirds travel to Texas by R.V. ... and it is THEY who provide US an opportunity, a chance to observe something not-often-seen in these parts of the U.S. Here's a shot I took of two extraordinary snowbirds in Llano County, Texas, this past week. Regular visitors in the process of raising a brood of future snowbirds.

A rant and a wish for Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:55:00.001-06:00

First, something for which I am less-than-thankful, this Thanksgiving ... my annual plea to the media to please, please, PLEASE ignore the people waiting for hours-on-end outside the doors of some megamania superstore, jostling to be the first to glom onto some Black Friday bargain.

I know, I know ... too late ... especially now that Black Friday begins on Thursday, or even Wednesday ... especially now that some people are going to greater lengths to get their fifteen minutes of fame ... this last, perhaps, best exemplified by some mook in a 'Tigger' costume, camped out for Black Friday.

And, yes ... I realize I'm contributing to the very thing about which I'm complaining, by sharing/spreading the video,

To give CNN Headline News credit, though, at least they placed the report on that guy in a proper perspective by also airing reports on the steps being taken to place a holiday meal on the tables of mess halls in Afghanistan, for our men and women of the armed forces ... and what soup kitchens are doing to provide a Thanksgiving meal to others who are camped out on the streets tonight (NOT because they want the biggest, best TV e-vah ... but because they have no place else to go).

Sheesh, Jeff! Enough ranting already!

So, I will close with this ... wherever you are, whoever you are ... a happy, safe and blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours!

The 9-POINT-9 Percent

2011-11-11T12:05:00.002-06:00

Not all of today's political cartoons were devoted to Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Joe Paterno, thank goodness ...

Shout-out to R.J. Matson / St. Louis Post Dispatch

On a related note, THANKS to our vets, today and every day!

A picture's worth ...

2011-11-05T19:05:00.003-05:00

You know the old saying that 'a picture is worth a thousand words?' There's an interesting discussion of the adage and its origin, and I'm sure many of us can cite at least one occasion from our own, first-hand experience where it has been put to the test, and passed that test with ease.

There are occasions when a picture's worth might be calculated by other units of measure. For example, how might a picture's worth be measured in terms of how many people are moved to change their hearts and their minds after viewing said picture?

Something like this happened to me earlier today, when I viewed a photo by Getty Images' John Moore, prominently displayed 'above the fold,' on the home page of msnbc.com , with the caption, "Occupy protesters dance on an American flag, November 5, 2011 in Denver, Colorado." I don't know how long the image will be featured in that prime piece of layout real estate (I suspect it might be bumped by LSU v 'Bama), but you can also see it in this post to msnbc.com's Photoblog.

The photo left me deeply conflicted, to say the least. Whatever else I might think of OWS (frankly, I still don't think I have a clear sense of their fundamental purpose, or their ultimate goal), I believed that there was about them a love for this country, and a fear of the direction that country was taking.

Now? After seeing that photo? I'm not so sure. When I look at the exuberance suggested by that image - the bodies in motion, the smiling faces - I wonder if this particular group of OWS protesters in Denver is representative of the movement as a whole. And I wonder if there is, at least in the hearts of those shown in the photo, any love for this country ... and all that is good about it ... and the freedom to protest and change what is not.

Opposite views from opposite sides of the pond

2011-09-09T12:05:00.003-05:00

No matter where you turn in the media, there are a LOT of people offering up a 9/11-related post this week. Here's mine ...

"Beauty," Margaret Hungerford once suggested, "is in the eyes of the beholder." I suspect the same could be said for icons ... which is how I feel about my disagreement with Britain's Jonathan Jones over a photo taken that day by photographer Thomas Hoepker, an image that, according to Jones, "is becoming one of the iconic photos of 9/11."

I disagree.

"It is now established as one of the defining photographs of that day," Jones writes. "With the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Centre's destruction approaching, the Observer Review republished it this August as the 9/11 photograph."

You can see the photo in question, and read Jones' complete post HERE. I've read it more than once, as well as the spirited discussion launched by the post. And I found myself agreeing with a number of the commenters who stated that, for all its supposed importance, for all its iconic status, this was the first time any of us had even seen the photo. In the foreground, a group of New Yorkers sit chatting in the sun in a park in Brooklyn - apparently unmoved by the huge column of smoke rising from Manhattan, just across the water, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Some have embraced the idea of their apparent nonchelance, and not just on the other side of the Atlantic ... Jones' post includes a quote from the New York Times' Frank Rich, who suggested "The young people in Mr. Hoepker's photo aren't necessarilly callous. They're just American."

But you know what? So were the people who show up in some of MY iconic photos of that day ... especially the firefighters ... there has always been a special place in my heart and my prayers for firefighters, as there should be in the hearts and prayers of us all ... those rushing into the towers of the World Trade Center, and up the stairwells, even as the WTC rumbled and fell ... FDNY Chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge who remained in the lobby of the north tower, offering aid and prayers until he was killed in the tower's collapse ... and those who found a way to pursue their simple, daily routine of raising the American flag, even in this setting of terrible carnage.

Anyway, ten years later, those remain among the iconic images of that terrible day ... at least for this beholder.

The Company I Keep ...

2011-09-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

Among those born on this day are Queen Elizabeth the First (1558), painter Grandma Moses (1860), financier John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. (1837), novelist Taylor Caldwell (1900), heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey (1908), astronomer/space scientist James Alfred Van Allen (1914), football coach/owner Paul Brown (1908), film director/producer Elia Kazan (1909), jazz musician Sonny Rollins (1930), singer Gloria Gaynor (1949), and West Texas' very own rock legend, Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly (1936) .....
..... oh, yeah ..... and me (1957).

Hangin' with the Chin, Pt. 1: Mysterious Ways

2011-08-28T18:05:00.001-05:00

It was sometime in the second half of the 18th century that English poet and hymnist William Cowper suggested that "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." Over the ensuing centuries it has been used many, many times to explain many, many different situations that seem to defy explanation. Many of us have been faced with such a situation, and some of us have found Cowper's advice to offer a satisfying explanation ... it worked for me when I first met the Chin.

It was late spring in 2008, and I had just returned home from Christian mission in Thailand. It's hard to imagine a greater contrast - leaving behind Midland, Texas - one of the more affluent and comfortable communities in America - and working in the 'red light' districts of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and the refugee camps lining the Thai/Burmese border, But there I was, living and working, giving and receiving, learning and growing. I came back changed and charged, and ready to share my testimony with others, now that my mission had come to an end.

Or had it?

That's one of the things about overseas mission ... and to critics of such ventures, it's not a good thing. They cite the time and the money, the efforts and the resources spent in communities on the far side of the world, that would have been better spent right here in our home community. For that, all I can say is that a true missional church works both at home and abroad. Our Thailand mission turned out to provide a perfect example of doing both - though I did not realize that until much later.

It was a several weeks after our return to West Texas, that one of our mission team members was chatting-up an Asian man who managed the sushi bar in the local supermarket. She learned that he was originally from Burma (Myanmar), and was now making his home in Midland. And he wasn't alone ... there were almost 60 Chin-Burmese refugees living and working in Midland at that time.

The Chin are one of several diverse, non-Burmese ethnic groups living around the nation of Burma/Myanmar - and their situation at home is unsettled, at best. We were amazed to find Burmese refugees in our West Texas community - thinking that most would be clustered in the major American cities that are traditional ports-of-entry for immigrants. For their part, the Chin were amazed to find a group of Americans who knew of their circumstances back home, the government-sanctioned persecution that had driven them from their homelands to refugee camps, and - for a lucky few - a chance at refugee status, and a chance to begin a new life in some place like America.

The Chin are located in western Burma, along the border with India. And though we had not met any Chin during our work in the refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border, we DID work with refugees from the Karen, the Shan and other ethnic groups in the eastern part of that troubled nation - who shared their own stories of burned-out villages, land-mine strewn trails, impressment into labor gangs, the beatings, the rapes, the killings and so much more.

Their being Christian - the result of 19th-century missions by the Baptists - didn't help matters either, but provided one more point of contention with the Buddhist-majority government of Burma.

A persecuted people and a persecuted church, having fled their mountain/jungle homes in Asia for the desert flats of West Texas ... only to find a group ready, willing and able to help them find their way around that home, to share all that America had to offer, while helping them share their story, and contribute their part to the community.

So, when all was said and done, my overseas mission continued long after I returned home, and it continues to this day. Who would have thought it would work out this way? It's a mystery to me ... but then, I truly believe that God DOES work in mysterious ways.

Out to Sea, Day 1: Backing the Blue

2011-06-19T22:05:00.004-05:00

NOTE: I’ve never been been one for blogging while on family vacations, not wishing to publicize how far I was from home, and how empty said-home was. So my ‘cruise posts’ over the week ahead – mockumenting the adventures of a West Texas desert-dweller in the middle of the biggest dang lake he ever saw – will be appearing one week after-the-fact.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 - The port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is slowly slipping from view, and we are now getting a chance to explore what will be our home over the week ahead. Plenty of topics for discussion among our new-found friends and acquaintances aboard the good ship Carnival-Freedom … “Where you from?” … “Is this your first cruise?” … “Do you get seasick?” … and, “Who’s going to win the NBA title?” Carnival Cruise Lines offered what I though was a splendid way to show our support, and I was sure to show my support for the Dallas Mavericks, early and often.

Just belly-up to the bar, and cast your vote. Easy enough to do, really – there are a LOT of bars, lounges, etc. scattered around the ship, offering a variety of settings – some noisy and some quiet, some heavily-trafficked and some out-of-the-way – where you can enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverage, by yourself, or with a hundred-or-so of your closest friends. Many of these bars offered a chance to let your beverage do the talking on the subject of who would win Game 6 of the NBA Finals, taking place that very moment, just over the northern horizon.

A special blue punch for the Dallas Mavericks, or a special red punch for the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the game was broadcast live on the ship’s Seaside Theater, a giant outdoor video screen and audio system in the pool/party area, top-deck, mid-ship, open to the sky and filled with very vocal fans for both teams. Me? I was a few decks below, in the Millennium Lounge, showing my support for the Mavericks – multiple rounds of support, actually – and getting my liquor tab going with a jet-assisted takeoff, and prompting the entertainer performing in the lounge that evening to note that his loudest, most enthusiastic applause came from “that guy over there, drinking the Windex.”

But, hey … IT WORKED. The Dallas Mavericks knocked-off the Miami Heat by ten points – IN MIAMI, no less – winning the 2011 National Basketball Association Championship … HOO-rah! And I’d like to tip my hat to whoever at Carnival Cruise Lines, came up with this idea. It was fun, and it certainly got a ship full of strangers interacting. Sure, there was some trash talk, but most of what I heard was offered and accepted in good spirits … though maybe what I heard was filtered by the good spirits in me at the time.

I’m wondering about the spirit punch promotion, and the Seaside Theater broadcast - was this just on Carnival ships from Florida, Texas ports that evening, or was it fleetwide? I’ll ask that question of John Heald, Carnival Cruise Lines’ Senior Cruise Director, and proprietor of the very entertaining John Heald’s Blog. If I get an answer, I’ll let you know.

Science On the Edge ...

2011-05-09T12:05:00.001-05:00

This shot is from "McDonald Observatory," one of several photo albums posted to the Texas Forest Service Facebook page.

Land of hope and glory ...

2011-05-09T07:05:00.001-05:00

In less than a month, we will observe the birthday of Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO and Master of the King's Musick, who was born June 2, 1857. I rather like how it happens that his birthday coincides with that time of year when one of his works, Pomp and Circumstance March #1 ("Land of Hope and Glory") has been heard so much, in so many places.

It is that time of year when we are living in a land of hope and glory, as we turn out in enthusiastic droves to honor young people (of ALL ages) as they cross the stage, accept their diploma and handshake, shift the tassle of their mortarboard from one side to the other, and take the next big step in their life.

I know, I know ... some of you will find this just another occasion for still another rant about what a terrible state we're in. You'll find some data somewhere about some aspect of society at-large ... something that places a moment such as school commencement in your preferred context. And you'll find someone - the President or the Congress, the liberals or the conservatives, the comet people from the outer nebulae, whatever - to blame for the sorry state of affairs that defines your world.

To me, all of that seems to follow Screwtape's formula for re-defining our reality by attacking our intellect and emotions, advising Wormwood to direct his client's perceptions, so the client will accept "the sight of human entrails as a revelation of Reality and his emotion at the sight of happy children or fair weather as mere sentiment."

Me? I remain a sentimental fool, I guess. For me, it IS a time, and we ARE a nation of hope and glory. I'm not saying I can be totally objective here ... I am, after all, a staffer at a community college in West Texas. And while those kids that will be crossing the stage at Friday's commencement ARE other people's kids ... they are also, at least in a sense, mine as well. I feel pride in their achievement, and I'm thrilled to have played a part - albeit, a VERY SMALL part - in that achievement.

I have hope!

Wearing My Yellow Tie ...

2011-05-06T07:55:00.003-05:00

... in honor of Bhumibol Adulyadej ( ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช ), born on this day in 1927. Three years ago, I was part of a Christian mission to Thailand. In the course of that mission, I gained an appreciation for that country's ruler, the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history.

Thai king recovering following operation

He was the King in the 1960s, when my father visited that nation for R&R, in the course of two tours-of-duty in the Vietnam War. Thailand has long been a friend of the United States - due in part to the appreciation their monarch has for the west. He was born in the US, and his education not only included schools in Thailand, but the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and Harvard University, in America. He serves as head of the National Scout Organization of Thailand, one of the oldest Scouting organizations in the world. He also developed a passion for jazz music, as both a performer and a composer, and was the first Asian composer awarded honorary membership of the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna.

Other interesting points ... he is an accomplished, medal-winning sailor and sailboat designer ... he is possibly the only monarch in the world to hold patents (for, among other things, a waste water aerator) ... he is also a painter, musician, photographer (using a Canon!), author and translator.

So, why the yellow tie? While I was in Thailand, I learned that yellow is the color associated with the day of the king's birth (a Monday). That's why you see so much of that color during his birthday celebrations around the country, and on tributes to him throughout the nation.

Not So Long Ago ... In a Tall City Not So Far Away ...

2011-05-04T07:55:00.001-05:00

― 30 ―

2011-04-05T22:05:00.003-05:00

Nancy Hellinghausen Brown was born February 25, 1964, in Breckenridge, Texas. She passed away on March 31, 2011, after a courageous battle with cancer. She is not the first member of the MC family to pass away since I've joined the staff of Your College, but she is the first with whom I had actually worked on a daily basis over the course of 2+ years in the college's Public Information & Media Office.

During that time, I gained great appreciation for Nancy and her work, and the impact that work had upon our college, and our community at-large. She was MC's Director of Public Relations, while I was the college's web editor ... but we both had a background that included professional experience in writing and promotion/outreach. In those capacities, Nancy's abilities were nothing less than remarkable.

Those of you who have read the "MC Page" each Sunday in the Midland Reporter-Telegram will share my appreciation. Nancy was so good at interviewing people who - on the surface, at least - might seem ordinary at best, but drawing from them the most extraordinary stories. She had a way of finding the remarkable that lies within all of us, sharing it with others, and encouraging those others to dig a little deeper and find the remarkable within themselves.

From my own experience, I can tell you that's not always an easy task ... in part because the subject of your interview might be the first to say something to the effect of, "oh, I'm not so special ... nobody wants to read about me." Drawing the subject out, learning the story-behind-the-story, then composing it in a manner that draws in the readers, not only informing them, but inspiring them.

Not every reporter is willing to tackle such stories - some preferring to chase the celebrity flavor-of-the-month down the red carpet - and frankly, not every reporter is able. But West Texas is fortunate to have those ready, willing and able to do it, and have done it well ... people like Ed Todd and Ken Broadnax, Jimmy Patterson, and Nancy.

Part of me will also miss having someone in the office who can relate to some of the unavoidable silliness that comes with my being a dang-Yankee-from-back-east. Nancy's career included a stint in New York City, and I was thrilled to have someone who shared my genuine appreciation for Lincoln Center and Rockefeller Plaza ... and for Chock Full o'Nuts and Carnegie Deli.

And for so much more ... conversations with Nancy usually resulted in additions to my bookshelf, my CD rack and my Netflix queue. And really, I'm just touching upon one facet of Nancy here ... others could tell you about her poetry, her cooking, her (Texas Master) gardening, her community involvement, and her cats.

CLICK HERE to read more about Nancy and her life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Midland College, directed to the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series, or the Arts Program at MC, c/o the Midland College Foundation, 3600 N. Garfield, Midland, Texas 79705. You may call the Foundation office at (432) 685-4526 for more information.

Goodbye, my friend

― 30 ―

Excuse me ... you did WHAT? ...

2011-04-03T12:05:00.010-05:00

Here, in the heart of the oil patch that is the Permian Basin, one often hears complaints about the image oil & gas companies have among the general public ... mostly negative, and often unwarranted. And on that point, I agree ... it IS mostly negative, and it IS often unwarranted.

Where I part company with many of my fellow Patchers is in the reason for said image. I've been told over and over again that energy companies' bad image is SOLELY the result of ongoing efforts by Democrats in general, President Obama in particular ... liberals in general, and environmentalists in particular ... and don't forget BIG GOVERNMENT such as the EPA and OSHA.

Me? I'm willing to take all of the above into consideration ... BUT, I'm also ready to add another, significant contributors to that negative image ... the actions of a few companies, themselves. For example ...

Transocean gives safety bonuses despite Gulf spill deaths
Company filing calls safety record 'exemplary' for meeting internal goals

Staff Report
msnbc.com

"Transocean Ltd. gave its top executives bonuses for achieving the 'best year in safety performance in our company's history' — despite the explosion of its oil rig that killed 11 people, including nine of its own employees, and spilled 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story from msnbc.com

At the risk of sounding all Dr. Phil-like ... "what were you you thinking?" I mean, what kind of year would this company have to have, where top officials wouldn't get bonuses for an exemplary safety year?

How about a show of hands ...

2011-03-30T12:05:00.007-05:00

Is anybody out there really, truly surprised by this? ...

Congressional pay during a shutdown? Still looks likely

By Luke Russert
NBC News

"With the threat of a government shutdown again rumbling on the horizon, federal workers may be looking nervously at their bank accounts ... but what about members of Congress?"
CLICK HERE to read the rest of Russert's report ... though you've probably already guessed the answer to the above question.

Sheesh!

Well ... actually ... no, it's not ...

2011-03-16T07:55:00.003-05:00

It didn't take long for the rhetoric swirling around the current NFL/NFLPA tiff to remind me of how fast and how tired I became of the rhetoric that accompanied their 1987 tiff. It also emphasized that some players would be better off to let their actions on the field do their talking, rather than engaging their mouth. Back then, it was Tony Dorsett in the parking lot at Cowboys Stadium ... this time it's Adrian Peterson in a Yahoo Sports interview.

Doug Farrar writes, "Speaking just minutes after the owners locked out the players, Peterson compared the players' place in the game to 'modern-day slavery,' a statement that, while ill-advised, was made in the context of how the players feel they're being treated in these talks."

Farrar quotes Peterson as saying "It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too."

What? ... "kind of" laugh at that? Why not try "TOTALLY" laugh at that ... and for good reason, too. There are plenty of us here, in Midland, that have experiences abroad - through Christian mission, business development, etc. - to see what modern-day slavery is REALLY like, and to find ways to combat it with our time and effort, our love and our funds. Our community has also provided a new home for people fleeing the acts of modern-day slavers working through sweat-shops, brothels, and impressment into 'armies' and labor battalions. Sadly, we have also seen modern-day slavery right here, at home, where sex trafficking is creating a new and growing slave trade, 150 years after we fought a terrible and bloody war for emancipation and union.

So, please, spare us the rhetoric about modern-day slavery, save it for the closed negotiations, behind closed doors, sparing the rest of us the public outrage ... and you the public ridicule.

Good Luck, Chaps! ...

2011-03-14T07:55:00.004-05:00

It's Spring Break this week on the campus of Midland College ... but NOT on the hardwood floors in Hutchinson, Kansas, where the MC Chaparral men's basketball team begins play, tomorrow, in the NJCAA National Men's Basketball Tournament, in pursuit of another national basketball championship.

Good luck, Chaps !!!

日本の私の友人

2011-03-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

I suspect just about everyone has at least one period of time - a moment, a season, a year, or more - that is especially significant, with an impact upon their lives that may be instantly obvious ... or not even recognized until much later. One of mine was the summer of '75, when I journeyed with a troop of Boy Scouts from Pennsylvania and New York, to the town of Lillehammer, Norway - site of the 14th World Scout Jamboree. An acquaintance I made in the course of that journey was a Boy Scout from Japan, Kiichirou Kamio. At one point in the Jamboree, 20,000 Scouts from around the world were organized into the multi-national patrols, and sent backpacking into the mountains around Lillehammer, at the height of a Nordic summer ... I can think of worse ways to spend one's time. Here's our patrol ... that's Kiichirou and I on the right.

In the years that followed the Jamboree, he and I kept in touch intermittently, by mail and by telephone. Sometimes the letters would be accompanied by cards, mementos of our countries, and wedding pictures. We hadn't kept in touch so much in recent years ... there was our work (he's a restaraunteur, I've been all kinds of things), and our families, and our moves from one city to another.

Yet, as the news continued to stream-in today from Japan - earthquakes and tsunamis, fires and floods, death and devestation - I found myself thinking of Kiichirou (who several years ago had moved from Hiroshima to the coastal city of Iwakuni), and hoping he was alright ...

... and it turns out, he is. I know this courtesy of a Facebook connection that didn't even exist at the start of this year, but was there now. I'll let Kiichirou fill you in on the rest ...

"Thank you worried for me. This earth-quake was 5th-biggest since 1900. But here west part of Japan, there is not any trouble. I have usual life. It is said there will be about 1000 people died. Because of under the broken bildings and houses, and "Tsunami". Especially Tsunami's broken is hard, floated cars, floated houses, people who run away and are late, people who do not know tunami occurred, people who do not think so big wave comes. Tsunami's height is much over forecast, 3m-7m high."

"Japanese earth-quake measures is top level of the world. When earth-quake occurs, the signal 'earth-quake comes soon' appears on TV and Radio quickly. So we can go to more safety space near by.(in house or bilding under the desk etc.) or can make safe action; runs away from big machines; stop the dangerous machines) Before shake comes . And then people near sea or river run go to higher place. But unfortunately people who don't know this message, who can't make safty action (old people, on dangers work,etc.), who don't think damage is not so big, are have big damage. Lose own life, injured, lose cars. New houses and bildings don't have big damage. But old ones are have big damage. Law of building construction is severe in Japan, so few people was damaged on this earth-quake."

"Yours, Kiichirou"

さようなら今のところ、私の友人。私達は再度会うよろしいです。

Those who want to help can go to www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.

A wonderful, classical birthday, Pt. 2 ...

2011-03-09T12:05:00.005-06:00

Not one, but TWO wonderful composers of classical music were born on this day - a century apart, and on opposite sides of the world, yet still sharing a creative spirit that brought new ideas and themes into the concert halls ... where they still resonate to this day.

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky was born on this day in 1839, while American composer Samuel Barber was born on this day in 1910.

Barber was a dang Yankee from back-east like myself, born in the Pennsylvania town of West Chester, just a couple hours' drive south of my hometown. His interest in music began early - a musical at seven years of age, and an attempt at opera at ten years - and would cover orchestral, opera, choral, and piano works that spanned a long and productive life, which knew both highs (including a pair of Pulitzers) and lows (critical rejection, and clinical depression). Unlike Mussorgsky, Barber would live to see near-unversal acclaim for most of his works - helped in part by a distinguished list of musicians, singers and conductors worldwide who were among his champions.

Certainly his most well-know and easily-recognized work is "Adagio for Strings," a movement from Barber's "String Quartet" that has emerged as a stand-alone classic, a favorite for film scores and television soundtracks ... and the first works that comes to mind for many on occasions for mourning. It was broadcast over the radio following the announcement of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's death, and played at the funerals of Albert Einstein, and Monaco's Princess Grace (another Pennsylvanian). In 2001, at Englad's celebrated Last Night of the Proms, it was performed to commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks ...

Barber died on January 23, 1981. I was working the evening/closing shift at KHFM radio, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when the news came over the AP wire. I went back to our library, pulled a worn cover off the shelf, and placed an oft-played album on the turntable. It was about time for sign-off, I read the AP report, then closed the evening with "Adagio for Strings."

A wonderful, classical birthday, Pt. 1 ...

2011-03-09T07:55:00.004-06:00

Not one, but TWO wonderful composers of classical music were born on this day - a century apart, and on opposite sides of the world, yet still sharing a creative spirit that brought new ideas and themes into the concert halls ... where they still resonate to this day.

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky was born on this day in 1839, while American composer Samuel Barber was born on this day in 1910.

Mussorgsky's works gave new, lyrical voice to Russian history and Russian folktales, as well as contemporary expressions of Russian culture at the time. Ironically, this put him at odds with the Russian royal court, which preferred a more traditonal and less innovative, European-themed approach to classical music. But what Moscow's inner circle dismissed at that time, the world has acknowledged and embraced over the ensuing years ... creating a legacy that Mussorgsky never even imagined when he died an untimely and debilitated death shortly after his 42nd birthday. That death left a number of his works in various states of completion or format ... some of the orchestral works of his, that are a popular part of today's classical music canon, are actually transcriptions prepared by Mussorgsky's friends, or by later advocates for his music.

'The Bogatyr Gates' movement from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" has become a staple for film, television and commercial productions. One of my favorites, though, is the transcription of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain ... like millions of others, I was introduced to Mussorgsky cortesy of Walt Disney, Leoplod Stokowsky and the animated film "Fantasia" ... coupled with "Ave Maria" in the video below (from sadisticmind87 at YouTube

Going to Midland media, Midland College for the truth ...

2011-03-08T17:05:00.005-06:00

It may be the truth for some in Travis County ... but it registered otherwise on the Austin American Statesman's "Truth-O-Meter," with help from Midland's newspaper, and Midland's college.

The "Truth-O-Meter" is a daily fact-checking feature powered by politifact.com and the Austin American Statesman, and appears locally on the op-ed page of mywesttexas.com

"Sweeping statements oft fuel fact checks," the T-O-M-Texas home page explains. "As fact-checkers, we sit up especially straight when someone connected to Texas politics makes a flat-out claim. Absolutes seem to holler for review."

Such as the statement from Andy Brown - chairman of the Travis County Democrats, and past executive director of the 21st Century Democrats in Texas - who said nobody in higher education believes Gov. Rick Perry’s proposal to "serve up $10,000 college degrees" is possible. Brown was harldy alone in his opinion ... but it was his statement that provided the spur for T-O-M's analysis - an analysis that concluded, "We rate Brown’s statement False."

That analysis included the following ... "Catherine Frazier, Perry’s deputy press secretary, pointed out a Feb. 10 news article in the Midland Reporter-Telegram describing Midland College’s applied technology bachelor’s degree, which the article says can be earned for about $10,000."

And in an ironic twist on the subject that prompted the original, tested statement, Truth-O-Meter noted that the MRT's article also reported that MC's BAT program might not be funded in the next state budget.

Sheesh ...

Anyway, a hat-tip to the Midland Reporter-Telegram for the part they played in holding the feet of at least one political pundit to the factual fire. I hope they will continue to include the Truth-O-Meter feature on their website.

My first - and last - visit to the "Herd Rock Band Bracket"

2011-03-07T12:05:00.005-06:00

Wednesday evening is 'church night' for some of us, and you'll find me attending "The Gathering" at First Prez-Midland each Wednesday night, enjoying a shared meal, fellowship and a variety of activities ... sometimes choir practice, sometimes Bible study, sometimes a worship service ... and sometimes, an intense discussion of contenders for the title "Best Rock Band" ... e-vuh!

I think it was Greg Pysh - who heads music ministry at FPC-M, and is an adjunct professor of music at Midland College - who raised the topic of "The Herd Rock Band Bracket" where, we are told "Colin Cowherd and The Herd with Colin Cowherd staff need your help crowning the best rock band." There were a number of us who had listened to at least a little rock over the years - many of us spinning 45s on a turntable, way back when - and we soon had the liveliest table talk in the fellowship hall.

Hmmmm ... what WOULD Jesus listen to?

This morning, I finally got around to visiting the bracket's website, and started ticking-off my votes in each of the 32 match-ups. Some were pretty easy ... I picked the Rolling Stones over Blink 182, and U2 over Korn. Others were harder ... I had a hard time deciding between The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which opened my eyes to new paths that rock might take, and Electric Light Orchestra, which produced my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE cover of "Roll Over, Beethoven."

So far, so good ... until I had gotten to the end of the selections and realized that MY personal favorite rock band - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - was missing from the list. What the ... ?!?!?!

Let me explain why this upset me ... I don't necessarily think they would win the contest. I mean, look at the four #1 seeds ... the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, U2, Led Zeppelin ... all of whom I consider strong - or stronger - contenders. I guess what upset me the most was that Springsteen's band didn't even make it into the initial field of 64 ...

It ain't right, man!

And that's why I've paid my first - and last - visit to the "Herd Rock Band Bracket."

321.8

2011-03-05T12:05:00.002-06:00

321.8

"The Last Doughboy"

2011-03-04T17:05:00.002-06:00

A passing-of-note took place early this week ...

"Frank W. Buckles died Sunday, sadly yet not unexpectedly at age 110, having achieved a singular feat of longevity that left him proud and a bit bemused," Paul Duggan wrote in this article for the Washington Post "In 1917 and 1918, close to 5 million Americans served in World War I, and Mr. Buckles, a cordial fellow of gentle humor, was the last known survivor."

When I was young, World War I vets were still common enough that we could all hear their first-hand recollections of that era, and the changes wrought by that conflict. I had both a grandfather and a great-grandfather in the war. But even back then, forty years after that strangely silent November morning signaled the end of "the war to end all wars," the old soldiers were begining to pass on to their final posting.

In the 70s, when I moved to New Mexico to attend college, I ended up living next door to another old vet. A dang Yankee from back-east like myself, he had moved from Ohio to the southwest for health reason, due to a collapsed lung he suffered from a gas attack during the war. A few years after we met, that grand old man passed away.

Sure, we have books and photos, films and audio tapes ... but it isn't quite the same as being there with them, asking questions, listening to the answers, watching their eyes, hearing a catch in their voice, and getting at least some sense of what it must have been like. The recollections are still there, but now they are second-hand ... as Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said, "We have lost a living link to an important era in our nation's history."

Midland kids go nationwide

2011-03-04T12:55:00.001-06:00

You don't have to tell me what a great job is being done by "Coach" Curt Cowdrey and the students in San Jacinto Hunior High School's "Robotics Program" ... it's something I've experienced first-hand through Younger Son's participation when he was a student at SJ. But now more people are finding out, thanks to a report from KOSA-TV/CBS 7, that has since gone nationwide - and beyond! - with that story being picked up by CNN

MAJOR hat-tip to Coach Cowdrey and the kids at SJ Robotics!

Buon Compleanno! ...

2011-03-04T07:55:00.002-06:00

... to il Prete Rosso Antonio Lucio Vivaldi - composer, priest and virtuoso violinist - born on this day in 1678. Dismissed by some, but loved by many more, Vivaldi - in his life and his music - has known both acclaim and obscurity over the centuries. At this time, he is very much IN and works such as The Four Seasons have become staples of classical music performance and enjoyment over the past century.

Here's "Winter" from The Four Seasons, performed by I Musici in Vivaldi's hometown of Venice, Italy.

Well, I'm "Inspired!" ...

2011-03-03T17:05:00.001-06:00

I stumbled across this video by accident, watching the scoller of Tweets that pop-up on your screen when you've logged-out of your Twitter account. I really, REALLY like this video. Now, if Southwest could just start flights to Iceland ...

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

Hat-tip to Eric for something well done AND well deserved ...

2011-03-03T12:55:00.005-06:00

DrewFromTV
Does it worry anyone that more people can quote Charlie Sheen than can recite a poem from memory?

dylan_saunders
Someone please tell me why Charlie Sheen is news? WHO CARES ABOUT CHARLIE SHEEN? Egypt, Libya, union battles with Congress, that's news.

Sure, I could paint the Mona Lisa, but it's already been done - and done far better than I ever could - by Leonardo da Vinci. Along those same lines ... sure, I could deliver a well deserved, virtual dope-slap to celebrity flavor-of-the-month Charlie Sheen. But that, too, has already been done - and done far better than I could - by Eric at Fire Ant Gazette.

All good things must come to an end ...

2011-03-02T17:05:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers' run for a record 7th Super Bowl victory and National Footbball League championship ... and a few days ago, it was that awesome beard sported by one of the Steelers' "Mane Men."

"He knew sooner or later it had to go, so Brett Keisel figured he might as well make it worthwhile. That’s why he hosted Shear the Beard, to benefit the cancer programs at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at UPMC on Thursday." MORE ...

Clean-shaven as he now is, I still tip my hat in deference to this gentleman who was a temporary - but peerless! - member of the Brotherhood of the Brush.

A Yankee's Toast to Texas ... 2011

2011-03-02T12:55:00.004-06:00

“To Texas . . .

Joyous and sparkling,

Evergreen when it rains, enduring in drought,

Timeless, endless in boundaries, exciting,

Home to the adventurous of yesterday and today,

With shrines from the past, and space
and spirit for the future.

To Texas.

Everlasting in the hearts of your people!”

Another Texas Independence Day has come and gone ... this one had a little more sparkle to it, being the 175th (how we LOVE numbers such as this - so much more appealing than 174 or 176) anniversary of a historic gathering at Washington On the Brazos, in 1836. They were planning a special celebration in Washington, Texas, and I hope it worked out. A celebration here, in Midland, was a special occasion, as it also honored a wonderful and hard-working woman who has done so much for the community, and for the state - Joan Baskin.

Texas Independence Day ...

"You probably won't realize the importance of this, not being from around here" ... to the credit of Texas and its people, it's something I've only been told once in the 27 years I've lived in the Lone Star State.

And actually - when I think about it - I DO understand, and so do a lot of dang Yankees from back east, such as myself. True, I am someone who - to borrow the old saying - "wasn't born in Texas, but got here as fast as I could." But the same could be said for such Lone Star luminaries as Stephen Austin, William Travis, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Mirabeau Lamar and Sam Houston.

DON'T GET ME WRONG ... I do NOT equate myself with them. But it doesn't hurt to remember that, with the exception of Juan Seguin and his company of Tejanos, there wasn't a 'native Texan' to be found on the Texas side of the revolution.

The Keystone Stater in me would like to point out that there were an estimated 13 Pennsylvanians defending the walls of the Alamo, and offering up their lives for the revolution and the ideals it represented. And well they should. Because it was something that had been important to them, their parents and their grandparents for more than half-a-century.

Maybe that's what bugged me about that remark, way back when ... the fact that, 'not being from around here,' I wouldn't be unable to understand what was being decided in the Texas revolution. You see, to my mind, it was something that all free-thinking people know ..... or should know.

After all, it wasn't just people that came to Texas from up-north and back-east ..... the ideals adopted at Washington on the Brazos had been conceived many years before, in Philadelphia ..... and the determination to defend those ideals in Goliad and Gonzales, San Antonio and San Jacinto, had been inspired - again, many years before - by what took place at Bunker Hill and Valley Forge, Lexington, Concord and Cowpens.

And let's not forget the the material needed to pursue that defense came from all over the United States, from the decision by Alabama to strip its state arsenal of muskets and send them west, to the Twin Sisters - a pair of canons donated by the 'People of Cincinnati, Ohio' and arriving just in time to blast a hole in the Mexicans' makeshift breastworks at San Jacinto.

I think Hank Hill would understand what I'm talking about ... if you ever get a chance to watch 'Yankee Hankee' - Episode 10/Season 5 of "King of the Hill" - do it! I've always thought KOTH should be required viewing for everyone coming from 'someplace else' to make their home in Texas ... and 'Yankee Hankee' sums up very well my thoughts about Texas' independence, and what that independence owes to a bunch of folk who "weren't born in Texas, but ..."

Little bit of trivia, that episode first aired just three weeks before the 165th anniversary of Texas Independence Day ... probably accidental ... but still kind of neat.

And so, as I have each year, I lifted my glass, and joined the toast heard statewide today ..... but mine was a more private affair ..... and while I followed closely the words printed at the top of this post, I did deviate on one point - again, as I have every year - and replaced the word 'Texas' with 'America' ..... God Bless It!

326.0

2011-02-26T12:05:00.001-06:00

326.0

329.2

2011-02-19T12:05:00.001-06:00

329.2

Spirit In The Sky - The top video clips of the week are here

336.2

2011-02-12T12:05:00.000-06:00

336.2

Speaking of winners and losers ...

2011-02-06T21:14:00.003-06:00

... Eric, atFire Ant Gazette picks the winning and losing ads from tinight's lineup.

No ...

2011-02-06T21:05:00.002-06:00

... they can't. It's Green Bay's game, Green Bay's day, Green Bay's championship. "The Lombardi Trophy is going home," and there's something neat about that.

But there is no joy in the Steeler Nation tonight :-(

Whoo-Hoo 3!

2011-02-06T20:53:00.002-06:00

Good thing I have a Terrible Towel, cuz I'm sweatin' bullets! Back-and-forth Pittsburgh scores a touchdown, then gets a two-point conversion. Then Green Bay takes it the other way, snd scores a field goal. Two minutes left ... one timeout left, and a great team on the other side of the ball. Can Pittsburgh drive 85 yards and score a touchdown?

AGGGHHH! 4

2011-02-06T20:34:00.002-06:00

For the third time tonight, a Pittsburgh turnover has resulted in a Packers touchdown. The Pack leads 17-28, and I'm getting worried. Let's go, Steelers!

How about the ads? Are THEY stepping up?

2011-02-06T20:07:00.002-06:00

Eric, freshly fortified from halftime fare, is back at work atFire Ant Gazette. So how are ads shaping up in the second half ... we have some differences of opinion, Weigh-in for yourself.

Turning Into a Game

2011-02-06T19:51:00.002-06:00

What did I expect of a Super Bowl involving two of the most storied franchises? Pretty much what I'm seeing now. An intense and physical struggle ... brilliance from both teams, and on both sides of the ball, exhileratinf plays and near-misses that are every bit as exhilerating ... and no sign that either team is relenting.

Whoo-Hoo 2!

2011-02-06T19:40:00.002-06:00

FOX is right ... we've got game. The Steelers take their first possession of the second half, and score a touchdown! Packers still lead, though, 17-21. Time for the Steelers defense to step up.

GREAT Show!

2011-02-06T19:23:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking that the NFL's decision to go with the Black Eyed Peas was a good one ... but I had no idea HOW good until tonight. It wasd a GREAT show, one of the best. Sure, some technical problems with sound and the floor lights in the Tron-inspted setting - but those were minor. Significant contributions from guest artists such as Slash and Usher, and no wardrobe malfunctions.

What appealed to me about the NFL's choice was that it was a break from selecting performers who may not have as strong an appeal for younger viewers as they do for older viewers. Not so the Black Eyed Peas, who have had a solid fifteen years ... including a strong preference among colleges producing Lipdub videos.

Whoo-Hoo!

2011-02-06T18:57:00.002-06:00

Less than two minutes left in the half, and the Steelers scored a touchdown! Packers still have a substantial lead, though, 10-21.

AGGGHHH! AGGGHHH! AGGGHHH!

2011-02-06T18:43:00.002-06:00

The Packers did it agaion! They intercepted Big Ben ... again! They get a thouchdown ... again! They now leaD 3-21. at some point, the Steelers need to settle down, and step up ,,, NOW would be a good time.

Finally!

2011-02-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

Into the second quarter, and the Steelers finally get onto the scoreboard with a field goal. Game's now 3-14 in favor of the Packers!

AGGGHHH! AGGGHHH!

2011-02-06T18:08:00.002-06:00

... all of which is quickly followed by Big Ben being picked-off, with the interception being returned for a touchdown ... Packers now lead 0-14. I EXPECTED special teams to have an impact ... but I WANTED it to be in the other direction!

How are the ads doing?

2011-02-06T18:07:00.001-06:00

Eric at Fire Ant Gazette wraps-up the first quarter of ads. Check it out, and offer up your own views. My favorites? Chevy Silverado, Kia Epic Ride and "Cowboys and Aliens."

AGGGHHH!

2011-02-06T17:59:00.002-06:00

Less than four minutes to go in the first quarter, and the Green Bay Packers score a touchdown, and now lead 0-7. The ensuing kickoff return - 45 yards! - is then called back by a Pittsburgh penalty. C'mon Steelers!

A tip of the Terrible Towel ...

2011-02-06T17:41:00.002-06:00

... to Eric at Fire Ant Gazette. Even the mosT tiresome aspects of the Super Bowl - the self-congratulatory promotions, the marketing, the latest spin on our National anthem - are all best seen from a fire ant's perspective!

Check it out!

A place I don't want to be ...

2011-02-06T17:38:00.002-06:00

... is at the bottom of the pile struggling to reclaim a dropped ball! Both teams are really very good, and neither is here by fluke. Special teams play could be critical!

Packers retain possession ... Dang!

Finally!

2011-02-06T17:21:00.003-06:00

More than four-and-a-half hours after the pre-game sho started ... 34 minutes after the 'start' of the game ... and we have kickoff!

Yeah!

338.6

2011-02-05T12:05:00.003-06:00

338.6

A moment of hope on Egypt's troubled streets ...

2011-02-03T12:05:00.003-06:00

Even as the situation in Egypt took a turn for the worse, as crowds of pro-Mubarak supporters took to the streets, and there was a rise in violent clashes with protesters calling on the country's president to step down, there emerged a singular moment ... and a cause for hope - small, but there nonetheless - for that troubled country's future.

"A pic I took yesterday of Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers." Posted by @NevineZaki on Yfrog

Pop till you drop ...

2011-01-31T12:05:00.001-06:00

Larry Knowles of AOL News isn't afraid to say it, and neither am I ... it is a true "pop" icon ... maybe even the greatest of all time. Happy Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, everyone!

"For the past 10 years, fans from around the country have been setting aside time on the last Monday in January to twist and stomp, often in unison, as they commemorate what's known as Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day," Knowles write in this post on AOL News. "The day, known as BWAD, was begun in 2001 by a couple of bored radio DJs in Bloomington, Ind., supposedly looking to fill the news void between Martin Luther King Day and the Super Bowl. During that first BWAD, the radio station held a 'Bubblympiad' that included events such as a Bubble Wrap popping relay and Pop-a-Mole."

And so, without further ado ... are you ready to pop till you drop ... or at least until midnight? If you don't have aby actual bubble wrap close to had, here's some virtual bubble wrap for you ... time's a-wastin,' so get a-poppin.'

The Devil's in the Details ...

2011-01-30T12:55:00.005-06:00

Just about anyone who has been in the news business long enough will have a story - or two - of the one that got through ... an error that got through composition, proofing and re-proofing. I'm not talking about a simple typo such as a mis-spelt word or a fault in punctuation. Rather I'm talking about a factual error ... a representation something that just ain't so.

The latest example comes from one of our national television news broadcasters ...

Apparently after 5,000-or-so years, Egypt has grown tired of the old neighborhood, and has moved. Really, though, I don't know if it was a move 'up' ... I mean sure, they no longer have Sudan as a next-door neighbor ... but now they have Iran!

I've deliberately deleted the bottom portion of this screen shot. Doesn't really matter who did it ... it happens to just about anybody at one time or another. And not just among your local news producers, either ... even the 'big boys' let one get through every now and then.

And it also happens to most news CONSUMERS, too. There are those who will latch on to mistakes such this as proof for their shrill denunciations of the mainstream media and its degradation. From my own experience, I suspect most of media's detractors would do far worse if they found themselves flying a journalist's desk for a while.

But, hey, it happens ... whether you're relocating Egypt, introducing Hoobert Heever, or announcing that Dewey has defeated Truman. What's more important is what you learn from it, and figure out how you might do things a little differently the next time.

Pay close attention to the details ... that's where you'll find the Devil.
___________________________________________________

On another Egypt note ... in the midst of the ongoing protests, please keep that troubled country and its people in your prayers.

349.0

2011-01-29T12:05:00.002-06:00

349.0

This day - and tomorrow - in history ...

2011-01-27T17:05:00.000-06:00

Everyone has their routine stops - both actual and virtual - that they make in the course of the day. For me, the latter include a "This Day in History" feature prepared by the New York Times.

During TODAY's stop I learned of a number of significant events, including one that had a special added note, due to an event that will appear on the feature TOMORROW.

On January 27, 1967, Astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died in a fire that swept through their capsule during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft, at Cape Kennedy, Florida. HERE is the NYT's coverage of that story. Almost 45 years ago, but I still remember the news reports, and the heartbreak felt by those of us who were growing-up with America's space program, and who had idolized our astronauts from the first days of the Mercury mission. Apollo 1 was the launch of a new mission in that program, and the first step on that final leg of the journey that began with President Kennedy's call for "a great new American enterprise ... of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."

Eventually, our astronauts would reach the moon (and would leave an Apollo 1 patch at one of the landing sites), but the space program would continue, with new triumphs, and new tragedies ... one of which we'll mark tomorrow. On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff from Cape Kennedy, Florida, killing all seven of its crew members. HERE is the NYT's coverage of THAT story. I remember that day, too. I was substitute teaching in a Dallas high school, when news of the explosion began circulating. Some of my students wondered what the fuss was about. Remember, teacher Christa McAuliffe was a member of that crew, and classrooms of students across the country following the launch. The teacher who was going door-to-door with the news told me that students at McAuliffe's own school had been sent home following the accident. "Oh, man," said one of my students. "I wish it'd been one of our teachers. Then WE could be going home" ... and some of you wonder why people with such an 'easy' job as teaching, burn-out.

Anyway, that's an interesting coincidence I noticed during one of my regular, virtual stops today. It reminded me that the 'space race' brought with it all the elements that people look for in a race, the challenge and the excitement, the triumph and the tragedy. I still like to follow developments in space programs - ours, and those of other nations ... though I do wonder how much will be left of our own program in the near future. And that's a shame, considering the sacrifices some have made as part of that program. My thoughts? ... seventy years ago, someone expressed them far better than I ever could.

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

- John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Early Morning Sky Over MC Campus

2011-01-26T12:05:00.003-06:00

One of the benefits of coming to work early today, was getting a chance to get some shots of the skies as I walked across the Midland College campus to my office.

On This Day ...

2011-01-26T07:55:00.003-06:00

Did you know that, on this day in 1861, Louisiana seceded from the United States of America? Just another reminder that this year marks the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, one of our nation's defining moments. Look for me to post on this more over the year ahead ... and I look forward to reading what you have to say about that conflict. Be warned, though ... I AM a dang Yankee from back-east, and I think the 'good guys' won the Civil War. So we may have to agree to disagree on some points.

On a lighter note ... though hard-rockin' nonetheless ... today is the birthday of Eddie Van Halen. I still remember the very first time I heard "Runnin' With the Devil," back in the late 70's while journeying across New Mexico and Arizona by bus. The ensuing years/decades have not reduced its appeal for me. It went on to become one of Van Halen's (the band) biggest hits, and an air guitar (and Guitar Hero?) standard. It would later be named the "9th greatest hard rock song of all time" by the folks at VH1.

Steeler Nation's Mane Men

2011-01-25T12:05:00.002-06:00

"Conference Championship Sunday is over, which means we have 14 days without real football to survive (sorry, the Pro Bowl doesn’t count)," Gregg Rosenthall writes in this post on NBCSports.com

Rosenthall then goes on to suggest "nine storylines we’re already tired of just thinking about," as well as a couple he will probably never get enough of. One of the latter is Pittsbugh Steeler DE Brett Keisel's beard. "That thing is the seventh wonder of the world, and it would be hard to devote too much attention to it," he admits. "Two weeks of hype for Keisel’s beard wouldn’t be enough."

Probably more well-known nationwide - especially to television viewers and shampoo consumers - is another Pittsburgh defender and Mane Man, Troy Polamalu. Me? I prefer Keisel's brush ... those of you who have met me in the actual world would know why.

Dashboard Survey

2011-01-25T07:55:00.002-06:00

Last month, I had a chance to drive up to Lubbock at mid-day. I've made the tip once or twice - or a zillion times! - before, and everything was pretty much as I had remembered it ...

... except for the rigs. There were A LOT of rigs on one side or the other of the road north, especially on the first-half of my drive, from Midland to Lamesa. I counted 19 along that stretch of road, and another one just on the north side of Lamesa.

And consider this, mine was a quick dashboard survey. Being the only one in the vehicle, I had to keep my eyes on the road at least half-the-time, so I probably missed some. There's also a stretch where a low ridge runs close and parallel to the highway for a number of miles ... not all that high really, but high enough to block any view of the countryside to the east.

Sure, a couple of the rigs I saw were pretty small ... probably devoted to work-over rather than making new hole. But even those small rigs represent business ... some company is leasing them from another company, and paying a crew to work them. In all cases, money is changing hands, goods and services are being produced and consumed, people are being employed and royalty-owners probably found their Christmas stockings to be a little fuller than they had expected.

I know, I know, I know ... a majority of our local punditz - at least those who focus upon the state of our local community and its economy - insist that everything pretty much sucks. Yet, in spite of all that, as a result of my December Dashboard Survey through Midland and Dawson counties - no matter it's lack of thoroughness - I can't help but feel some optimism. I have hope that things are going alright in our little corner of the country, and getting better ... and I have in mind a prayer of thanks for what we have, and that our good fortune might spread.

steeler nation ... Steeler Nation ... STEELER NATION ...

2011-01-24T07:55:00.001-06:00

Me? I was going crazy last night, watching first one Steeler team, then another take the field. THANK GOODNESS the first team returned to close-out the game!

"Seventh heaven? ... Not quite yet," Dean Kovacovic cautions in this report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "That could come next for the Steelers, who won the chance at an unprecedented seventh Super Bowl crown by staving off the New York Jets, 24-19, in the AFC championship game Sunday night at Heinz Field. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 133 yards and a critical completion to avert a huge collapse, Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 121 yards, and a record crowd of 66,662 celebrated by waving Terrible Towels through equally terrible temperatures."

The final challenge for Pittsburgh will be Green Bay in Super Bowl XLV on February 6 in Arlington, Texas. The Packers won the NFC championship earlier Sunday, 21-14, in Chicago. A Super Bowl just four hours up the road! With my Steelers!!! Now, if only I had a thousand bucks, or whatever it would take to get inside the stadium and watch the game :-(

Ah, well ... in the meantime, I can always get a Steeler Nation iPhone App ... and warm-up my Terrible Towel for February ... hope I remember how to do it ...

Dana and Me ...

2011-01-23T17:55:00.001-06:00

"Though it is embarrassing to admit this in public, I can no longer hide the truth. I have a Sarah Palin problem," Dana Milbank writes in an opinion piece posted earlier this week on at the Washington Post's website. "I have written about her in 42 columns since Sen. John McCain picked her as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008. I've mentioned her in dozens more blog posts, Web chats, and TV and radio appearances. I feel powerless to control my obsession, even though it cheapens and demeans me."

"But today is the first day of the rest of my life. And so, I hereby pledge that, beginning on Feb. 1, 2011, I will not mention Sarah Palin - in print, online or on television - for one month. Furthermore, I call on others in the news media to join me in this pledge of a Palin-free February."

Milbank admits to a media obsession with Palin ... and to having done his part to nurture and maintain that obsession. He goes on to note that abiding by such a pledge would be difficult at best, and that there may be consequences ...

"It's impossible, I figured, because Palin is a huge source of cheap Web clicks, television ratings and media buzz. If any of us refused to partake of her Facebook candy or declined to use her as blog bait, we would be sending millions of Web surfers, readers, viewers and listeners to our less scrupulous competitors."

In closing, Milbank calls upon others to do their part, to take a pledge of their own, prompting me to wonder whether I should risk alienating my readers, and reducing my reader-clicks from the double-digits down to the single-digits ...

"And so I pledge to you: Sarah Palin's name will not cross my lips - or my keyboard - for the entire month of February," Millbank announces. "Who's with me?"

(standing up in the back row, second balcony, and raising my hand) ... "Me."

Just Do It ...

2011-01-07T12:05:00.001-06:00

1. Google this number: 241543903

2. Then click on "Images"

3. Then join the fun, and stick your head in a freezer

(There's an interesting story behind this, which isn't as "new" as some believe)

The MR-T Nails It

2010-12-30T12:05:00.003-06:00

Say what you will about our local newspaper and its coverage of whatever issue is nearest and dearest to your heart ... they absolutely NAILED IT, dead-center-on-target when it came time to select their 2010 'Person of the Year.'

"Our selection for Reporter-Telegram 'Person of the Year' demonstrated to West Texans what it means to show courage during life's most difficult times," Shanna Sissom wrote in the opening paragraph of the tribute this year's year's recipient, Judge John Hyde of the 238th State District Court, of Midland County.

"Courage" is a word that gets tossed around way too much, IMHO, and applied to so many who are so undeserving. I fear, sometimes, that we are diluting the word, draining the last drop of its true meaning and reducing its impact for those occasions when its use is truly merited ... for people like John Hyde.

I first met Judge Hyde in the late 80s. He was already an established presence on the bench, and I was in the midst of job re-training. The oil bust of that era touched many lives, many professions, including my own. I had survived the first two rounds of layoffs at KMID-TV/Big 2 ... but the third one got me, and I was out of work. So, I went back to school, taking classes at Midland College, with a goal of becoming a paralegal. One of those classes offered 'intern' style education/experience, and I found myself at the Midland County Courthouse, student clerking (mostly) for Judge Hyde and (occasionally) for Judge Dean Rucker.

I wish everybody - especially the most outspoken and anonymous critics of our system - could have a chance to gain such experience, such insight and - ultimately - such appreciation for that system. I was a go-fer in every sense of the word, and I loved every minute of it. And through it all, I watched John Hyde at work, and listened very carefully to his instruction on what was transpiring around us.

To say I 'hold him in the highest regard' would be an understatement ... and my regard for him has only grown in the years since that internship. Eventually, the economy would recover, and I would return to media and journalism ... but this time I worked the courthouse beat so much better, and I had John Hyde (and Dean Rucker, and Pat Baskin, and Al Schorre, and so many others) to thank for that.

And I am hardly alone in my high regard for Judge Hyde ... just ask anyone else who has worked with him ... or anyone who has heard his presentations on the history of Midland County.

Of course, John Hyde has been in our thoughts and our prayers over the past year-and-a-half, during his battle with cancer. It is a battle being fought tenaciously, and with firm and loving support from his family, and his community, Sissom's article notes that doctors' prognoses notwithstanding, Judge Hyde has begun filling his docket for the year-to come ...

Well done, sir ... well done, indeed ...

... and So Does Linus Van Pelt ...

2010-12-25T07:55:00.008-06:00

Isn't There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas is All About? ... Theodore Wardlaw Does ...

2010-12-25T07:55:00.007-06:00

Advent Devotional for Saturday, December 25

Luke 2:25-35

"Did you get what you wanted this year? After all, we all love presents! They look so enticing under the tree, all wrapped up and pretty, and we love imagining what’s probably inside. Then we open them; and I’m guessing that, for a lot of us, there is never more anticipation about the gift we get than in that very moment of unwrapping — right before the treasure is revealed ..."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Dr. Wardlaw's devotional

This is So ... uh ... Cool?

2010-12-16T07:55:00.001-06:00

And people 'up-north' still ask me why I moved 'down-south,' and stayed there ...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Just Because It's iFun ...

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-06:00

... and because it is well-suited to the season, here's something from the iBand at North Point Community Church in Georgia.

North Point's iBand from North Point Web on Vimeo.

It's About Education ... and Compassion ...

2010-11-30T07:55:00.000-06:00

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics.

The same will be happening right here, in the Tall City.

The MC Student Government Association, Midland/Odessa Area AIDS Support (MAAS) and the Texas Department of State Health Services will host a ceremony honoring those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and those who are dealing with AIDS on Tuesday, November 30, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the F. Marie Hall Academic Building, Rooms 110/111. The ceremony will also include the reading of an official proclamation by Midland Mayor Wes Perry. The public is invited to attend.

On Wednesday, in observance of World AIDS Day, these same groups will offer FREE HIV/AIDS testing and 10-minute counseling sessions from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the F. Marie Hall Academic Building, Room 110/111.

For more information, please contact Stephanie VanCuren at (432) 685-4543.

According to reports prepared by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. UNAIDS goes on to report that, despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children.

Blogging from The Game, Wrap-up

2010-11-27T16:37:00.001-06:00

And that's it ... game over .. the Midland Bulldogs fall to the Coppell Cowboys, 7-49.

An end-of-game custom - the team and the cheerleaders gather in front of the home stands, swaying, singing as the band plays the alma mater. There's usually a large gathering of fans, too - but only a small group of stalwarts remain, this time around.

Let's be clear on one thing - WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF OUR BULLDOGS. They have flaunted the predictions and ignored the pre-season prognosticators over the course of the season, and into the playoffs, and have done the Tall City proud!

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 10

2010-11-27T16:25:00.001-06:00

Keeping spirits up ... The Bulldog Band is playing La Bamba, and EVERYONE is joining the conga line - bandsters, the guys who carry the M, H and S banners, cheerleaders from Coppell, you name it.

While praising the football team, we also need to tip our hats to the band, too. They've done an outstanding job this season.

Midland High's Air Force ROTC has come over to the sound of the music - these young men and women have been at every game, playing an important role in presenting the colors. They've also been an enthusiastic spirit section during the games.

Two minutes left in the game. Still 7-49 in favor of Coppell.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 9

2010-11-27T16:13:00.001-06:00

Now into the fourth quarter. It's been a back-and-forth thing ... Midland turns the ball over on an interception. Then Coppell turns the ball over on downs. Woods is back in at quarterback. Then Midland punts ... then Coppell punts. Then Midland turns over the ball on another interception. Score still 7-49 in favor of the Cowboys.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 8

2010-11-27T15:55:00.001-06:00

The second half is underway. Holifield is on at quarterback on the Bulldogs' first possession of the game, moving up the field and into the wind.

Halftime was good. Both Midland and Coppell boast outstanding bands. The Bulldog Band's drum line positively ROCKS.

Coppell takes over on downs. Six minutes into the third quarter, the Cowboys score. They now lead the game 7-49.

I'm surprised at the number of empty seats in the Midland stands ... still in line for concessions, I guess.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 7

2010-11-27T15:10:00.001-06:00

Twenty seconds left in the first half, Coppell scores again, and now leads Midland 7-42.

There's the whistle - halftime. This one will have performances by both schools' band - two large and very good ensembles.

Wondering what's being said in the Bulldogs' locker room right now, and what adjustments we might see in the second half.

Bulldog highlights in the first half include Donovan Anders. It is SO exciting when he gets the ball and runs it down the field. During the second quarter, Coppell used the wind at their back to full effect, with kickoff going out of the end zone, and away from Donovan.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 6

2010-11-27T15:02:00.001-06:00

(sigh) 2:45 left in the first half, and Coppell scores again. They now lead 7-35.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 5

2010-11-27T14:41:00.000-06:00

Two minutes into the second quarter, score still 7-21, and the Bulldogs are moving down the field - but they lose it on downs at the Cowboys' 30-yard line.

Good turnout today. The Midland stands are full, except for the student sections - and they're slowly catching up.

Coppell has a good turnout, too. I'm guesstimating 500+ fans, plus band, cheerleaders, dance team, etc. And more Coppell fans are still arriving.

Four-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter, the Vowboys score again. They now lead 7-28.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 4

2010-11-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

Five-and-a-half minutes into the first quarter, Coppell gets the ball for a second time, drives down the field, and scores again. They lead 7-14.

Two minutes later, the Bulldogs are forced to punt - and it's a doozy, finally stopping at Coppell's 2-yard line.

it theCownoys step up to the challeng, driving nearly the entire length of the field. And they score, now leading 7-21.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 3

2010-11-27T14:10:00.000-06:00

WOW!!! ... Talk about responding in kind!

The Bulldogs receive their first kickoff and - 4 plays, and 75 seconds later - go in for THEIR first score. Game tied 7-7.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 2

2010-11-27T14:05:00.000-06:00

And we're under way ... and OUCH!

Coppell received the first kickoff and- 3 plays, and 75 seconds later - went on for the game's first score. They lead 0-7.

Blogging from The Game, Pt. 1

2010-11-27T13:15:00.000-06:00

It's 62 degrees out. Very sunny, with only a light layer of high, thin clouds. Kind of windy ... but, hey, it's West Texas. Mostly, it's out of the south and, IMHO, it's enough to impact kicks, passes, etc.

All in all, not a bad afternoon for football, as the Midland Bulldogs prepare to take on the Coppel Cowboys in the third round of the 5A high school football playoffs.

What's In a Word? .....

2010-11-26T07:55:00.002-06:00

William Shakespeare once suggested that "beauty is bought by judgement of the eye." With a deeply deferential bow to the Bard, I would go on and add my own scribble, that "sense is bought by judgement of the ear."

Which brings me to a verbal gaffe by Sarah Palin, the uproar - or lack thereof - over said gaffe, and the ensuing backlash towards those who did choose to raise an uproar.

Apparently, in the course of a radio interview Sarah Palin told Glenn Beck that America "has got to stand with our North Korean allies" in the situation that has arisen after the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong was devastated by a North Korean artillery attack.

Okay, so she made a mistake ... it happens to all of us at one time or another ... Beck corrected her, she corrected herself, let's move on with it, alright?

Heck, I didn't even hear of it until well after the fact. I don't care for Beck's program, and there was little or no mention of Palin's gaffe in the major news websites, in the papers, or on network television news broadcasts.

But the blogosphere? That was a different matter. The goof was added to a long list of "Palinisms" assembled by the bluer bloggers ... and you've probably noticed that news searches on engines such as Google are continuing to give weblogs and social media a greater profile - all of which served to help the gaffe find its place on the major news sources.

Even then, though, the story (if we can justify calling this a "story") might have withered, if Palin had not stoked the fire herself, "lashing out" at critics with jabs at others who have made mistakes of their own. Personally, I wish she would have just let the thing go. Like I said, it happens to all of us at one time or another ... let's move on with it, alright?

It's happened to our current President (one of the targets of Palin's jabs), and it happened to his predecessor, and to HIS predecessor. They all moved on, placed their gaffes in their proper perspective, emphasized what was truly important to the American people, and achieved success in their political ambitions.

As the son of a man who was one of "the Chosin Few," I can't help but think that our attention to developments on the Korean Peninsula are better devoted to other topics than Sarah's slip ... let's move on.

2010-11-25T07:55:00.016-06:00

I took these shots earlier this week, during a walk around the mall and Beal Plaza, at the heart of the Midland College campus where I work. I hope you enjoy them. If you have some time during the long holiday now underway, you and yours might want to come up here yourselves, walk around, and enjoy the fall colors in person ... my pictures really don't do them justice.

I'll leave these with you as a seasonal postcard, of sorts. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, everyone!

Call It What You Will ... But MARK It .....

2010-11-11T07:55:00.000-06:00

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved,
and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lt. Col. John Alexander McCrae, MD - Canadian Expeditionary Force

Here in the U.S., one doesn't see the poppies on people's lapels so much, as we used to when were children ..... One of the most ridiculous victories in America's 'war of drugs' was the declaration by 'drug czars' and their staffs that the poppy reminded people of addiction to drugs, rather than appreciation to those who gave the 'last full measure of their devotion' in service to their country. Such is not the case in Canada, England, and other countries that once formed the 'Commonwealth.' The paper poppies - and the fundraising for veterans' relief that they represent - have been prominent in photos and video the past couple weeks.

Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Veterans Day ..... call it what you will ..... but find some way to mark this day. Here, in America, the focus of the day has been expanded to honor all men and women who, throughout history, have answered their country's call to serve. There have been many in our own family, but - mindful of the origins of this particular holiday - I will tell the boys of their great-grandfather Frederick, a sergeant with the 102nd Balloon Company, U.S. Air Service, American Expeditionary Force, and his service in France during the First World War.

Ooops!!! ...

2010-11-10T18:05:00.001-06:00

With a tip o' me bonnett to Robert Burns, "the best-laid schemes (and demolition charges) o' mice an 'men gang aft agley." From msnbc.com's PhotoBlog comes this report that a 275-foot smoke stack in Springfield, Ohio fell toward spectators and surrounding buildings as it fell the wrong way during its demolition.
Yikes!

If you look closely at the photo, you'll see that most of those spectators are are shown in mid-stride ... I know I would have been!

Kudos to a virtual, actual friend and inspiration ...

2010-11-07T17:05:00.002-06:00

"Happy Blogiversary!" to Eric at Fire Ant Gazette.

Texts from the sidelines ...

2010-11-06T06:55:00.003-05:00

In the "For What It's Worth" department, here's a transcript of the texts I was sending a Bulldog fan, from the sidelines at last night's football game between Midland High and Abilene-Cooper. TRUST ME, no words of mine could match the excitement of being there ...but here it is anyway ...
__________

Grande Stadium is ROCKING!!!

MHS went ahead, 42-35, with about four minutes left in the game.

Cooper's ball. MHS intercepts a Cooper pass with about three minutes left in the game!

MHS has the ball on Cooper's 35, trying to burn up that clock, and maybe get another score. Cooper's using its timeouts, trying to save time and get the ball back.

Both schools' bands are CRANKING ... both schools have a large, loud cheering section.

Two-and-a-half minmutes left, MHS went for it on fourth down - and MISSED it by a couple of inches!

Cooper gets the ball on downs :-(

Cooper driving down the field - 48 seconds left.

Cooper into MHS territory - 31 seconds left.

Penalty on MHS - Cooper has first down on our thirty - 20 seconds left.

EVERYBODY is on their feet - 7 seconds left.

Cooper makes a "Hail Mary" into the end zone - MISSES - game over!

MHS WINS!!!

WOO-HOO!!!
__________

Okay, back to here and now. After the game, I visited for a while with a reporter/still photographer from Abilene. A gentleman about my age, with a fine moustache and an easygoing, friendly manner. We shook hands, and complimented one-another's hometown teams. We both agreed that we had just watched a GREAT game.

"Aren't you glad we're back together in district," he asked. "You bet I am," I answered.

The Cooper team held a long meeting in the southern end zone, then headed up the field to their locker room. They passed in front of the MHS Bulldog Band, which gave the Abilene players, coaches, cheerleaders and supporters a long and enthusiastic round of applause. Plenty of the visitors waved back, held up their helmets or tipped their hats ... some smiled.

It's nice to see that there are those who take seriously that standard speech read at the start of every game, asking everyone to respect one another, to respect one another's efforts and achievements.

"Take care on the road home," I heard more than one Midlander tell a visitor up in the locker room parking lot, where teams, bands and cheerleaders were loading up their busses.

All in all, a wonderful night ... glad I was there.

Poor Lebron ... what SHOULD he do? ...

2010-11-04T18:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm still in social media mode ... this time jumping from Twitter to YouTube, where I am confronted with one question from Lebron James - "What should I do?" - and two different answers.

Here's the answer from Mr. James, and Nike ...

... and here's an answer from some folks up-north, especially those whose hearts beat a little quicker in close proximity of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena ...

Now, as a one-time Pennsylvanian, I rarely find myself siding with my brothers and sisters of the Buckeye State ... especially during football season. But I gotta admit - I feel more than a little sympathy for THEIR response on what Mr. James should do.

"Tweets" offer some perspective on rapper's release ...

2010-11-04T12:05:00.003-05:00

Maybe I'm demonstrating my social media savvy ... or maybe it's something not-so-great that I'm demonstrating. Either way, when I sign-off from my Twitter account, I stay in front of the computer a few minutes longer, to watch their rotator of current tweets on a variety of trending topics.

I know, I KNOW ... I could be reading books and magazines, surfing the web, or even - gasp! - getting out and talking to people. But there I am, nonetheless, parked in my chair and soaking up someone else's virtual wisdom, 140 characters at a time. Today, there's more than a lil discussion of Lil Wayne.

Earlier today, the headlines started sharing the news ...

Rap star Lil Wayne released from NYC jail
NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Wayne has been freed from jail after serving eight months in a gun case, emerging with a hot new album, well-wishes from a former president and a deepened appreciation for his fans. The city's Department of Correction website said Thursday the Grammy Award-winning rap star had been released from the Rikers Island jail complex. CLICK HERE for the rest of the AP story

"FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!" the rapper's longtime manager, Cortez Bryant, Tweeted Thursday morning. And A LOT of the rapper's fans have been tweeting their love right back. But, at the same time, some are tweeting a different tune ... one that caught my attention.

sammyjay77African Americans tweeitng hard about lil #Wayne Released after gun crime but didn't tweet this hard about voting on Tuesday. Amusing!

DontezGripnemIf as many ppl that's excited about weezy coming home was excited about voting the other day, maybe the republicans wouldn't be in office.

Adri_ManeYou should be more excited about whats going on in the government than about Lil Wayne getting out of Jail. He aint helping you survive.

YourFavWhiteGuyNo blacks at the voting polls and every black celebrating Weezy's release at Rikers. Do I even need to add a punchline to this?

MrMason251Black people care more about a rapper being released than Voting. Let's see if Wayne pays for your Healthcare. #welcomehomeweezy

I seem to find myself in a smaller and smaller minority - I enjoy some coverage of entertainers and their work, as much as the next guy. But there are times when I find myself saying, "enough already!" I don't need round-the-clock television networks devoted to entertainment news, I don't need an intense panel discussion of why a celebrity did - or did not - do whatever is being trumpeted in the tabloids. And I can't help but think there are bigger stories going on around the world.

Back to those tweets ... one can say a lot, even when confined to just 140 characters - and I've gained a lot of respect for the ability of some to say a lot with a little. And while those who specialize in composing headlines and sub-headers for newspapers may no longer be in such great demand, there is a place for them in social media such as Twitter.

On a related note ... while watching that rotator, something I saw on NUMEROUS occasions was a retweet of "Open google maps, get directions from Japan to China, and skip to the 43rd step." So, I finally did ... it WAS pretty funny.

Friends up-north note our confusion with friends down-south ...

2010-10-15T12:05:00.002-05:00

"You may have noticed that Chile — and its flag — have been in the news lately," blogger Gillian Grace writes in this post on the canada.com network. "You may also have noticed that the Chilean flag bears — with its red and white stripes and lone star in a field of blue — some resemblance to the flag of Texas. Which has red and white stripes. And a lone star. And a field of blue."

Apparently the similarity proved too close for elections officials in Atascosa County, Texas, "who sent out absentee ballot packages bearing the flag of a country far to the south of America’s second-largest state."

Oh, Canada! :-(

AGAIN ... Proud Band Parent Moment ... Join Me?

2010-10-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

Once again ... last time, I promise ... please go to the KWES/Game Time/Band of the Week ...

Select Midland High.

Thank you!

Gooooo, PURPLE! ... Gooooo, GOLD! .....

Good move at the MRT...

2010-10-14T12:05:00.002-05:00

I suppose there are several moves the Midland Reporter-Telegram could have made to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of editor Gary Ott ... maybe, maybe not, whatever, I don't know.

What I DO know is, I think they made a good one.

"Reporter-Telegram Managing Editor Stewart Doreen has been named editor to replace Gary Ott, who is retiring' says this report in the MRT. "Doreen, who has been with the Reporter-Telegram since Jan. 6, 1995, said, 'We will continue to work hard to deliver the news Reporter-Telegram readers expect.'"

The MRT has a history of moving people up, within the organization ... and I think the community is well-served by such a policy.

Look! ... Up In the Sky! ... It's ...

2010-10-08T12:05:00.002-05:00

Here's a shot I took early last night, as I was heading across the Chap Center parking lot, getting ready for the College Fair - an event organized by the Midland Independent School District, taking place at MC.

My grandfather would have been thrilled! He served with the 102nd Balloon Company, US Army Air Corps, part of the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I. He would have loved to watch the blimp pass overhead, especially one bearing this particular likeness of Snoopy, suited-up to do battle with that great nemesis of World War I - the Red Baron!

Proud Band Parent Moment ... Join Me?

2010-10-06T00:05:00.003-05:00

Dear friends,

Please go to the KWES/Game Time/Band of the Week ...

Select Midland High.

Thank you!

Gooooo, PURPLE! ... Gooooo, GOLD! .....

AAAAGGGGHHH !!!, Pt. 2 .....

2010-09-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Everybody's a Lobo ... woof, woof ... WHAT? ... AGAIN?

Red Raiders soar past New Mexico, 52-17
By Mike Graham

Daily Toreador

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - Special teams and a plethora of New Mexico mistakes aided Texas Tech footbal in a comfortable 52-17 victory Saturday. more ...

Forget the "could be" I used in last week's post ... this WILL be loooong season for my beloved alma mater, UNM ... oh, well ... I still have my other, even more favoritest college football program ... the Nittany Lions of Penn State ... huh? ... what's that? ... #1 Alabama rolls over #18 Penn State ... AAAAGGGGHHH !!!

Going Rogue? .....

2010-09-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

A couple months back, I offered up this post about a poltical candidate in Oklahoma making effective use of a tie-in to a well-recognized brand to promote said candidate's name recognition with voters. But now, I think a political candidate in Delaware has taken that campaign idea to the next level by tying-in to a well-recognized face in American politics, to promote said candidate's recognition with voters.
Here's a shot of that candidate, taken today as she was heading into the polls. I was struck by her strong resemblance to Sarah Palin - one of the more-recognized faces in today's political scene. When I Google-Imaged the Delaware candidate's name, I came across several photos taken over the past couple of years, a sample of which are shown as insets in the laerger photo.

I think somebody advised her to 'go rogue' and strengthen her connections to someone who has definitely struch a chord with some voters.

AAAAGGGGHHH !!! .....

2010-09-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

Everybody's a Lobo ... woof, woof ... WHAT? ...

No. 11 Oregon blows out New Mexico, 72-0
By Anne M. Peterson

Associated Press

EUGENE, OREGON - Kenjon Barner replaced suspended running back LaMichael James for No. 11 Oregon and ran for a career-high 147 yards and four touchdowns before catching another score in the Ducks' 72-0 season-opening rout of New Mexico on Saturday. more ...

This could be loooong season for my beloved alma mater, UNM

Just Another Fan, Taking It Easy on Friday Nights .....

2010-08-27T12:05:00.002-05:00

"For me, nowadays, Friday nights in West Texas are a lot different then they used to be," I wrote, just a year ago, "... and Vive le Difference!"

And now, my Friday evenings are different, yet again ... at least a little bit.

This time of year, people in towns big and small congregate under the lights for fun, fellowship - and even worship, of sorts - in football stadia of all shapes and sizes. For many, it's the biggest night of the week. The same can be said for television news departments, where they pull out all the stops to provide special coverage of something that has a special appeal for many of us.

It IS a big night ... and a LOOOONG one, too. Just ask any sports reporter or photog making the rounds of West Texas. You see, it would be easy to fill the sports segment of a regular news broadcast with highlights for Midland and Ector county schools, and results for other schools in their district ...

... but no regular broadcasts on Friday nights! that's why they have 'football forecasts' in weather, extended live sports segments or stand-alone programs, or website features on KMID, KOSA and KWES.

And that's why photographers will be going out in different directions, covering large loops around the region, stopping in an numerous towns to get quick video of that evening's game. In the late 90s, when I was living and working in Fort Stockton, I was also stringing for NewsWest 9, getting video at the Fort Stockton games and handing it off to some hard-driving photog, just arrived from Pecos or Balmorhea, who'd then drive off to cover Buena Vista, or McCamey, or Crane on his way back to the station.

Later, when we moved back to Midland, and I was editing mywesttexas.com, Friday nights were spent at my keyboard in the office, uploading 10-minute chunks of raw audio/video from each of the games our roving photogs visted, fielding phone calls with scores from around the region, updating the website while someone ran the notes to the sports anchor on the set, and the cg operator in the control room.

Long nights, usually following a full day ... really draining, and the family's asleep by the time you get home. I used to be a part of all that, until a couple of years ago. And, really, I don't miss them at all ... and I have A LOT of respect for the people who do that - FOR YOU - every Friday night.

BUT, my Friday evening routine DOES change some this year, now that Younger Son is taking the field as part of the Midland High School Bulldog Marching Band. So, for part of the evening, you'll find the McDonald clan out there, following one of the schools ... and that's just enough for me.

Historic warship may weigh anchor for final sortie .....

2010-08-26T06:55:00.010-05:00

This summer, during an all-too-brief stop in Philadelphia, I hiked down to the riverfront to visit, once again, the U.S.S. Olympia ... at the time, I didn't know that it may have been a farewell visit.

A grand old ship that stayed the course in the face of the Spanish Navy more than a hundred years ago, the Olympia has been ravaged by time, the relentless barrage of the elements and - admittedly - an inadequate maintenance program. She's the oldest steel warship still afloat, and the last of her kind in all the world. But, barring a dramatic change in her fortune, she may soon go to the bottom forever.

The Olympia is a snapshot in time, and a glimpse of the revolutionary changes in the practice and technology of naval warfare that were taking place in the late 19th-century. Her gun turrets resembled those that were introduced by the U.S.S. Monitor during the American Civil War, though they were dramatically improved. She brought a new, larger and more lethal generation of deck guns into the fray, as well. Her armament also included above-surface torpedo tubes, which would see their heyday in later ships, in the next century. And while she was powered by a new type of coal-fired steam engine, she still had masts capable of carrying a set of sails for emergency propulsion. And she was one of the first of the Navy's ships to have electricity and powered steering gear.

It was not only a transitional period for warship design worldwide, but one for warship policy in the United States, as the U.S. Navy's focus shifted outward from coastal defense, to project our growing influence around the globe. The Olympia and others of her generation (including the U.S.S. Maine) were a preview of the Great White Fleet that would circumnavigate the world 15 years later, demonstrating America's military power and "blue-water" navy capability.

In a number of ways, the Olympia would make her mark in history. She is perhaps best known for her services as Commodore Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manilla, during the Spanish American War. It was from her deck that Dewey spoke the famous words "You may fire when ready, Gridley," launching the attack that resulted in the sinking or capture of the entire Spanish Pacific fleet, and silencing the shore batteries at Manila. I remember my first visit to the Olympia, as a youngster, scrambling up to the deck, and standing on the brass footprints that marked where Dewey stood when he said those words.
In the years that followed, Olympia was active in the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. She served as a training ship for the U.S. Naval Academy. She was a barracks ship in the port of Charleston, South Carolina, until America's entry into World War I, when she went back to sea. She saw service in the Russian Arctic as part of the brief Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. In 1921, she brought home the body of America's Unknown Soldier from World War I. Shortly after that, the U.S.S. Olympia was decommissioned.

Today, she is part of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. It's been reported, though, that the museum is no longer able to fund the ship's preservation costs. It's been noted that "historic steel-hulled ships should be dry docked for maintenance every twenty years, but Olympia has been in the water continuously since 1945." Essential repairs are estimated at $10-million ... a staggering cost to say the least. The Independence Seaport Museum has set November 22 as the date it will close the Spanish-American War era battle cruiser Olympia to the public. What will happen to the national historic landmark after that remains uncertain. Plans to scuttle the Olympia, making her into an artificial reef are under consideration.

An independent non-profit corporation known as the Friends of the Cruiser Olympia was recently organized with the goal of preserving the Olympia. I wish them good luck and Godspeed in their efforts. In the "for what it's worth" department, I plan to send a contribution to help them in those efforts ... and I ask you to give thoughtful consideration to making a contribution, as well.