Call It What You Will .....

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.

Nielsen and Me: Day 2 .....

We had our second day as a Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) family on Friday ..... some of it was different, some of it was the same-old-same-old.

Mornings usually start with "Sunrise Earth" on Discovery HD Theater, one of the free hi-def channels (HDTHTR - 710) that Suddenlink offers, and one of the really good expressions of high-def television ..... nothing but video and nat-sound of the sun rising over some beautiful location - a dairy farm in Vermont, for example, or the Yosemite Valley in California, or Macchu Pichu in Peru. Another regular stop on weekday mornings is NewsWest 9 Sunrise for news headlines and weather updates by two good friends - and two very good news professionals - Hema Mullur and Darrell Ward.

Things were a little different during the day ..... and I am SOOOO glad I had a couple of work assignments done by then, because it freed me up to watch Doctor Who on SciFi Channel (SCIFI - 64) most of the day. It was selected episodes from the Tenth Doctor series (with David Tenant as The Doctor), and it had some great moments, like the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K-9, and the creation of Torchwood.

Some more fantasy fun, that evening, watching the classic Wizard of Oz on TNT's HD channel (TNTHD - 733) ..... if only they could show it without commercial interruptions ..... oh, well, there's always the DVD.

I Don't Think We're in Aransas Anymore .....

Younger Son and I were leaving Starbucks-South and headed for school, Friday morning, when we spotted a trio of seagulls in the dirt lot between McCalisters's Deli and Tractor Supply Company ..... not a bird one sees much here, in this part of West Texas.

Did the natural thing, and e-mailed the natural historian, Burr Williams at Sibley Nature Center, about the sighting ..... Burr responded promptly - naturally - with the following .....

"This time of year we do get some wandering gulls every year... most are Ring-billed Gulls from the Texas Gulf Coast, but we have also seen Bonaparte's gulls from the west coast, Sabine's gulls (that nest on the Great Plains)... and we have records of a few more species over 50 years of observation. At most of the reservoirs in the region (Balmorhea, Red Bluff, Spence, and so on...) you can usually find gulls all winter... along with white pelicans, various species of geese, loons, grebes and other water birds you don't associate with 'dry' west Texas."

Turns out, what Younger Son and I spotted were Ring-Billed Gulls.

Nielsen and Me: Day 1 .....

We began our stint as a Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) family on Thursday. Kind of boring the first day ..... during the daytime, I actually spend more time listening to one of the Music Channels (the '900 tier' on Suddenlink cable) than I do actually watching television.

At night, though, it was different ..... plenty to choose from, and moving back-and-forth between channels. "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (on KWES - 9) really are 'must-see TV' in our house. But except for those two half-hour blocks, we spent a chunk of the evening watching the MLS Eastern Conference Finals (on FXSOCR - 328).

Something we didn't get to watch - airing at the same time as those other programs I mentioned - was "Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within," a not-so-popular animated film inspired by the popular role-playing game. It was showing on one of the free hi-def channels (HDNET - 731) that Suddenlink offers, and I suspect it would have looked really good in wide-screen, hi-def sight and sound ..... they repeat those programs throughout the month, so I'll be sure to catch it later.

By the way ..... there was only one goal in that MLS game - but it was a DOOZEY!

Prophets of Carle .....

A pair of baby showers this weekend ..... a pair of visits to the stores ..... a pair of registries from which to select 'just the right something.' Attached to each registered gift, however, was an added gift of our own selection ..... "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," an audio/video adaptation of selected books by Eric Carle. A VHS tape served us VERY WELL when our boys were younger ..... it's on DVD now.

Carle's illustrations are lightly-animated (losing none of their vibrant, colorful imagery), and combined with readings by Roger McGough and Juliet Stevenson, and wonderful original music by composer Julian Nott. It's a product that entertains, even enchants the child ..... without driving the parents out of the room the way a certain purple dinosaur might.

Closure .....

..... for Jim at Serotoninrain, with this post on the loss of his beloved Figalwicks ..... please keep Jim and Joy in your thoughts, and your prayers.

It's hard to put into words that special bond between humans and dogs - a bond that formed long before recorded history, when dogs became the first creatures to follow humans across the line between wildness and domesticity - and what we endure when that bond is broken. At times like this, I defer to George Graham Vest, who found the right words 137 years ago, in his "Eulogy to a Dog."

I Have the POWERRRRR! .....

We began our stint as a Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) family this morning ..... now you know who to blame, next season, when the new television programming lineups are announced.

A Good Question .....

..... has been asked by Frank at Books, Inq., citing this post by David at Crime Fiction Dossier .....

"My 14 yr old niece has devoured all of her grandmother's Nancy Drew. She has been looking for similar types of books which must be father approved (no slashers, vampire, psycho-killer stuff, oh yeah he has issues with sexual content). Are there any mystery/thriller authors that can satisfy my brother-in-law as a well as entertain/challenge my niece?"

I recommended Lilian Jackson Braun, author of the of "The Cat Who..." series of mystery novels. They have been described (in a positive and supportive manner) as a light-hearted alternative to a genre devoted more and more to focus on sex, violence, and foul language. My Favorite Landman is a big fan of the series.

What would YOU recommend?

Happy Blogaversary! .....

..... to Eric at Fire Ant Gazette, marking five years of Abbye photos, observations, unrelenting trivialities, random musings, baby squirrels ..... and so much more.

What An Embarrassment .....

Jimmy at Sticky Doorknobs offers this must-read post about the response to last night's "Blog the Vote" project at his website ..... a response that is all-too-familiar to those of us who have worked the online component of mainstream media.

I commented to his post .....

"Jimmy, kudos to you-and-yours for the effort ..... I regret that some would choose to abuse the virtual platform you provided.

"This raises what has been a difficult point for me when it comes to online journalism and public affairs ..... balancing the positive of a truly-open forum with the negative of having that forum turned by those who disdain civility, responsibility and - all too often - truth.

"The solution? The proper balance? I don't have one to offer ..... at least not one that is a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody. In the past, at mywesttexas.com and, later, at newswest9.com, I took to manually reviewing, approving and/or rejecting each comment submitted to our stories ..... if I believed that statements made constituted libel (or slander, depending upon your medium), they were rejected.

"Of course, that may not be practical for your forum if you are in the midst of a live, ongoing e-discussion.

"I don't see any solution to the problem of people spewing online ..... it's not only a virtual right - it's an actual right. I think, though, that is encouraged by the ability of online pundits and commenters to hide their identity ..... there is a certain level of courage that some reach from the safety of their anonymity, that they would never reach - or even attempt to reach - in the real world. It's so much safer, really, to be unaccountable, to throw our virtual stones when we know we can't be caught.

"Re: 'Trust me ... you would not believe the level of bigotry and outright racism that exists here.' ..... Oh, yes I would. And I would see it expressed so often, in the comments that greeted so many stories - from immigration reform to police-involved shootings, from political races to Cinco de Mayo - AND I've seen it run in both directions.

"Finally, re: 'a medium that, despite its many flaws, has the ability to be a great educational and informational tool' ..... I agree with you 100%, and I hope that you won't let the rants of a few virtual mooks stop you from offering this platform again."

Most of You Will Understand .....

..... what Jim at Serotoninrain must be feeling right now. He finds himself walking a landscape of sadness, without a longtime friend at his side ..... please keep Jim, and Joy and Fig in your thoughts, and your prayers.

And Speaking of 'Remember, Remember' .....

..... remember to GET OUT and VOTE today!

"Remember, Remember .....

..... the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."

Was Guy Fawkes a patriot or a villain ..... a martyred saint or the Devil incarnate? It's been 402 years since the "Gunpowder Plot" was foiled ..... a date that (under a variety of names) is still marked to this day in England ..... It has also provided the foundation for a society of its own, and a popular modern film. On the blogosphere, here is one Brit's view, and a site that helps you make your own Guy Fawkes mask (ala "V for Vendetta"), another blog channeling Fawkes' spirit ..... plus Brian Appleyard's profile of that blog's creator.

Name Game .....

..... being played in this post at the Knitting Barrista.

Is It Too Soon? .....

..... to begin blogging about Season 4 of Bravo TV's Top Chef (which, I may have said once or twice, is a favorite show of mine)? From the delectable trio at Blogging Top Chef comes this link to Third Coast Toast, with discussion (and photos!) of contestants and crews, shopping and shooting for the fourth season, in Chicago.

Cinemagical Moments: Short, but Sweet .....

Sometimes a film, for all its length and breadth, contains for me a singular moment, a brief cinemagical gem that becomes keystone for all the sights and sounds, the words and actions that precede it, and follow it.

One of those occurred earlier today, as I was watching "The Madness of King George," which tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and declining relationships with his family and advisers. There is a brief, but pivotal point near the end of the film when George's health - and his future as king - hang in the balance. In London, Parliament is in an uproar, while George relaxes with his doctor and attendants at a country estate, reading Shakespeare's King Lear and coming at last to his senses, so to speak, as he reads the words of another monarch overcome by madness ..... it's a GREAT moment by a great actor, Nigel Hawthorne.

Another such moment occurred for me earlier this week, as I watched another Brit film, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Moment," which tells the story of a Welsh villagers who - outraged that a pair of English cartographers are re-labelling their 'mountain' a 'hill' - do everything in their power to delay the cartographers' departure until the hill can be 'raised.' There is a brief, but pivotal point in the second half of the film, where Reverend Jones experiences a revelation, then delivers an impassioned sermon from his pulpit, exhorting his congregation to go forth and raise that hill ..... it's another GREAT moment by another great actor, Kenneth Griffith. (By the way, the photo I used is from another Brit film in which Griffith had some short, sweet moments - Four Weddings and a Funeral.)

So, what are some YOUR favorite film moments?

Lest We Forget .....

COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) - Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday. He was 92 and insisted almost to his dying day that he had no regrets about the mission and slept just fine at night. A longtime friend said Tibbets died at his Columbus home, that he suffered from a variety of health problems, and had been in decline for two months. Read The Whole Story

Over the years, much unwarranted criticism has been levelled at Tibbits and others connected - in one way or another - with conceiving, ordering or carrying-out the 'Enola Gay' mission. Me? I'd like to join others in saluting all the men and women - in the armed forces and on the home front - who answered the call, and 'got it done' during the Second World War.

305.8 .....

305.8

Oil Prices Briefly Touch New Record, Top $96 .....

SINGAPORE (AP) - The price of oil rose to a new record above $96 a barrel Thursday after a surprise drop in U.S. crude stockpiles raised concerns about supplies for coming winter demand. Other energy futures also gained. Read the Whole Story

Meanwhile, an interesting discussion is under way at the Fire Ant Gazette, begining with this post by Eric about the challenge $100/barrel oil might pose for ..... system analysts (?)

A Toast .....

..... to the latest offering at Bleu Chocolate photoblog ..... If you haven't toured the Lllano Estacado Winery (south of Lubbock), you should.